Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц
Шрифт:
[leaf] See: TURN OVER A NEW LEAF.
[leaf through]{v. phr.} To scan or glance through a book or other reading matter. •/I only had time to leaf through the program before the concert started./
[league] See: IN LEAGUE WITH, IVY LEAGUE.
[leaguer] See: TEXAS LEAGUER.
[leak out]{v. phr.} To become known; escape. •/The famous beauty queen tried to keep her marriage a secret, but news of it soon leaked out./
[leak to]{v. phr.} To purposely let a secret be known, as if conveying it in the strictest confidence. •/The movie star’s secret divorce was leaked to the tabloids by her housekeeper./
[lean on]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To pressure (someone) by blackmailing, threats, physical violence, or the withholding of some favor in order to make the person comply with a wish or request. •/I would gladly do what you ask if you only stopped leaning on me so hard!/
[lean over backward] See: BEND OVER BACKWARD.
[lean-to]{n.} 1. A shed for tools, such as spades, hoes, etc., attached to the wall of a house, •/Joe looked for the garden hose in the lean-to./ 2. A small cabin in the country. •/They spend their weekends in their modest lean-to in Wisconsin./
[leap] See: BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS.
[leap year]{n.} Every fourth year during which the month of February contains 29 rather than 28 days. •/During a leap year one must wait a day longer for one’s February pay check./
[learn] See: LIVE AND LEARN.
[learn by heart] See: BY HEART.
[learn by rote]{v. phr.} To blindly memorize what was taught without thinking about it. •/If you learn a subject by rote, it will be difficult to say anything original about it./
[learn one’s way around] See: KNOW ONE’S WAY AROUND.
[learn the hard way] See: HARD WAY.
[learn the ropes] See: THE ROPES.
[least] See: AT LEAST, IN THE LEAST, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, LINE OF LEAST RESISTANCE.
[leatherneck]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} A member of the United States Marine Corps. •/I didn’t know your son Joe became a leatherneck./
[leave] See: SHORE LEAVE, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT, TAKE LEAVE OF, TAKE ONE’S LEAVE.
[leave a bad taste in one’s mouth]{v. phr.} To feel a bad impression; make you feel disgusted. •/Seeing a man beat his horse leaves a bad taste in your mouth./ •/His rudeness to the teacher left a bad taste in my mouth./
[leave alone] See: LET ALONE.
[leave at the altar]{v. phr.} 1. To decide not to marry someone in the last minute; jilt. •/Ed left poor Susan at the altar./ 2. To overlook and skip for promotion; not fulfill deserved expectation. •/Once again I didn’t get my promotion and was left at the altar./
[leave behind]{v. phr.} 1. Abandon. •/Refugees on the run must sometimes leave old and sick people behind./ 2. To forget; go away without. •/We had reached our car when we noticed that we had left our keys behind./
[leave flat]{v. phr.}, {informal} To quit or leave suddenly without warning when wanted or needed; desert; forsake; abandon. •/Sam found that being a member of the trail-clearing group was a lot of hard work, so he left them flat./ •/My car ran out of gas and left me flat, ten miles from town./ Compare: LEAVE IN THE LURCH, WALK OUT(2).
[leave hanging] or [leave hanging in the air]{v. phr.} To leave undecided or unsettled. •/Because the committee could not decide on a time and place, the matter of the spring dance was left hanging./ •/Ted’s mother didn’t know what to do about the broken window, so his punishment was left hanging in the air until his father came home./ Compare: UP IN THE AIR.
[leave high and dry] See: HIGH AND DRY.
[leave holding the bag] or [leave holding the sack]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To cause (someone) not to have something needed; leave without anything, •/In the rush for seats, Joe was left holding the bag./ 2. To force (someone) to take the whole responsibility or blame for something that others should share. •/When the ball hit the glass, the team scattered and left George holding the bag./ •/After the party, the other girls on the clean-up committee went away with their dates, and left Mary holding the bag./
[leave in the lurch]{v. phr.} To desert or leave alone in trouble; refuse to help or support. •/The town bully caught Eddie, and Tom left him in the lurch./ •/Bill quit his job, leaving his boss in the lurch./ Compare: LEAVE FLAT, HIGH AND DRY(2), WALK OUT(2).
[leave it at that]{v. phr.} To avoid further and more acrimonious disagreement; not argue or discuss any further. •/Our opinion on health care is obviously different, so let’s just leave it at that./
[leave no stone unturned]{v. phr.} To try in every way; miss no chance; do everything possible. — Usually used in the negative. •/The police will leave no stone unturned in their search for the bank robbers./ Compare: ALL OUT, BEND HEAVEN AND EARTH, FINE-TOOTH COMB.
[leave off]{v.} To come or put to an end; stop. •/There is a high fence where the school yard leaves off and the woods begin./ •/Don told the boys to leave off teasing his little brother./ •/Marion put a marker in her book so that she would know where she left off./ Contrast: TAKE UP.