Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

Makkai Adam

[start] See: BY FITS AND STARTS, HEAD START, JACK-RABBIT START, RUNNING START.

[start from scratch] See: FROM SCRATCH.

[start in]{v.}, {informal} 1. To begin to do something; start. •/Fred started in weeding the garden./ •/The family started in eating supper./ Compare: GO AT. 2. To begin a career. •/Bob started in as an office boy and became president./ 3. To give a first job to. •/The bank started him in as a clerk./

[start out]{v.} 1. To begin to go somewhere. •/Bill started out for school on his bicycle./ •/Art started out on a voyage around the world./ Compare: SET OUT. 2. To begin a career or life. •/Harry started out as an errand boy in a business office./ •/We all start out in life as helpless infants./ Syn.: START IN. 3. {informal} To give one a first job. •/The garage man started Pete out as a grease rack man./ Syn.: START IN(3).

[start something]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make trouble; cause a quarrel or fight. •/John is always starting something./ •/Jack likes to play tricks on the other boys to start something./ Compare: MAKE SOMETHING OF.

[start the ball rolling] See: GET THE BALL ROLLING.

[start up]{v.} 1. To begin operating, •/The driver started up the motor of the car./ •/The engine started up with a roar./ 2. To begin to play (music). •/The conductor waved his baton, and the band started up./ •/The orchestra started up a waltz./ Compare: STRIKE UP. 3. To rise or stand suddenly. •/When he heard the bell, he started up from his chair./

[stash bag] or [stuff bag]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. A small bag containing marijuana cigarettes or the ingredients for making them. •/The police are holding John because they found a stash bag full of the stuff on him./ 2. Any small bag resembling a stash bag used for small personal items such as lipstick, driver’s license, etc. •/Do you have any room for my keys in your stash bag?/

[state] See: LIE IN STATE.

[state-of-the-art]{adj. phr.} The best and — the latest any field of research can offer; modem; the latest; the most advanced. •/State-of-the-art personal computers may cost a little more than older models, but may be worth the cost for those who need them./ Compare: UP TO DATE.

[status symbol]{v. phr.} Signs of wealth and prestige. •/A new yacht or airplane might be a status symbol to a bank manager./

[stead] See: STAND IN GOOD STEAD.

[stave off]{v.}, {literary} To keep from touching or hurting you. Syn.: WARD OFF. •/The white knight struck with his sword. The black knight staved it off with his own sword./ •/Bill’s warm new coal staved off the cold./ •/They staved off starvation by eating two of the sled dogs./

[stay in]{v. phr.} To remain at home. •/The weather was so bad that we decided to stay in all day./

[stay out]{v. phr.} To stay away from home. •/Her father was very upset because Mary stayed out until 3 A.M. last night./

[stay put]{v. phr.} To stay in place; not leave. •/Harry’s father told him to stay put until he came back./ •/The rocks can be glued to the bulletin board to make them stay put./ •/After Grandmother came home from her trip to visit Aunt May, she said she wanted to stay put for a while./

[stay up late]{v. phr.} To not go to bed until very late. •/Peter has to stay up late these days as he is preparing for his comprehensive exams./ See: BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL.

[stay with] See: STICK WITH.

[steady] See: GO STEADY.

[steak] See: SALISBURY STEAK, T-BONE STEAK.

[steal] See: LOCK THE BARN DOOR AFTER THE HORSE IS STOLEN.

[steal a march on]{v. phr.} To get ahead of someone by doing a thing unnoticed; get an advantage over. •/The army stole a march on the enemy by marching at night and attacking them in the morning./ •/Jack got the job by getting up earlier than Bill. He stole a march on him./ Compare: GET THE JUMP ON, GET THE BETTER OF, TAKE BY SURPRISE.

[steal away] See: SLIP AWAY.

[steal one’s thunder]{v. phr.} To do or say something, intentionally or not, that another person has planned to say or do. •/Fred intended to nominate Bill for president, but John got up first and stole Fred’s thunder./ •/Mary was going to sing "Oh! Susanna," but Ellen did it first and Mary said Ellen had stolen her thunder./ •/Smith heard that Jones was going to offer a new law which people wanted, so he himself proposed the law first, stealing Jones' thunder./

[steal the show]{v. phr.} To act or do so well in a performance that you get most of the attention and the other performers are unnoticed. •/Mary was in only one scene of the play, but she stole the show from the stars./

[steal the spotlight]{v. phr.} To attract attention away from a person or thing that people should be watching. •/When the maid walked on the stage and tripped over a rug, she stole the spotlight from the leading players./ •/Just as the speaker began, a little dog ran up the aisle, and stole the spotlight from him./