Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)
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[from rags to riches] <adv. phr.> Suddenly making a fortune; becoming rich overnight. * /The Smiths went from rags to riches when they unexpectedly won the lottery./
[from scratch] <adv. phr.>, <informal> With no help from anything done before; from the beginning; from nothing. * /Dick built a radio from scratch./ * /In sewing class, Mary already knew how to sew a little, but Jane had to start from scratch./ Compare: FROM THE GROUND UP.
[from the bottom of one's heart] or [with all one's heart] <adv. phr.> With great feeling; sincerely. * /A mother loves a baby from the bottom of her heart./ * /John thanked his rescuer from the bottom of his heart./ * /The people welcomed the returning soldiers from the bottom of their hearts./
[from the door] See: KEEP THE WOLF FROM THE DOOR.
[from the ground up] <adv. phr.> From the beginning; entirely; completely. * /After the fire they had to rebuild their cabin from the ground up./ * /Sam knows about baseball from the ground up./ * /The new cars have been changed from the ground up./
[from the heart] <adv.> Sincerely; honestly. * /John always speaks from the heart./
[from the word "go"] <adv. phr.> From start to finish; completely. * /He may look French but he is a New Yorker from the word "go."/
[from time to time] <adv. phr.> Not often; not regularly; sometimes; occasionally; at one time and then again at another time. * /Even though the Smiths have moved, we still see them from time to time./ * /Mother tries new recipes from time to time, but the children never like them./ Syn.: NOW AND THEN, AT TIMES, ONCE IN A WHILE. Compare: BY FITS AND STARTS, OFF AND ON.
[from --- to ---] 1. Used with a repeated word to show that something keeps on. Without ending. * /The world grows wiser from age to age./ * /He goes from day to day without changing his necktie./ Also used in a short form like an adjective. * /The superintendent spends more time on plans for the future, and the principal handles the day-to-day problems of the school./ 2. Used with a repeated word to show that something happens again and again. * /She sells face cream from door to door./ * /The artist goes from place to place painting pictures./ - Also used in a short form like an adjective. * /Mr. Roberts began as a door-to-door salesman, and now is president of the company./ 3. Used with words showing opposite or extreme limits, often to emphasize that something is very large or complete. * /The eagle's wings measured six feet from tip to tip./ * /Sarah read the book from cover to cover./ * /Mrs. Miller's dinner included everything from soup to nuts./ * /That book is a bestseller from Maine to California./ * /The captain looked the boy over from head to foot./ * /The dog sniffed the yard from end to end in search of a bone./ * /This new car has been redesigned from top to bottom./ * /That bookstore has books on everything from archery to zoology./ * /The television show was broadcast from coast to coast./ * /He knows mathematics from A to Z./ - Sometimes used in a short form like an adjective. * /The airplane made a non-stop coast-to-coast flight./
[from under] See: OUT FROM UNDER, PULL THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER.
[from way back] <adv. phr.> From a previous time; from a long time ago. * /They have known one another from way back when they went to the same elementary school./
[front] See: IN FRONT OF.
[front and center] <adv.>, <slang> Used as a command to a person to go to someone who wants him. * /Front and center, Smith. The boss wants to see you./
[front court] <n.> The half of a basketball court that is a basketball team's offensive zone. * /The guard brought the ball up to the front court./
[front office] <n.>, <informal> The group of persons who manage a business; the officers. * /The front office decides how much the workers are paid./
[frown upon] <v. phr.> To look with disfavor upon somebody or something. * /Everybody in her family frowns upon her attachment to him./
[fruitcake] See: NUTTY AS A FRUITCAKE.
[fry] See: OTHER FISH TO FRY, OUT OF THE FRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE, SMALL FRY.
[fuck around] <v. phr.>, <vulgar>, <avoidable> 1. To be promiscuous. * /John fucks around with the secretaries./ 2. To play at something without purpose, to mess around. * /He doesn't accomplish anything, because he fucks around so much./
[fuck off] <v. phr.>, <vulgar>, <avoidable> 1. Go away! * /Can't you see you're bothering me? Fuck off!/ 2. To be lazy. * /John said "I don't feel like working, so I'll fuck off today."/ Compare: BEAT IT, GOOF OFF.
[fuck up] <v. phr.>, <vulgar>, <avoidable> To make a mess of something or oneself. * /Because he was totally unprepared, he fucked up his exam./ * /He is so fucked up he doesn't know whether he is coming or going./
[fuck-up] <n.>, <vulgar>, <avoidable> A mess; a badly botched situation. * /What a fuck-up the dissolution of the USSR created!/
[fuddy-duddy] <n.> A person whose ideas and habits are old-fashioned. * /His students think Professor Jones is an old fuddy-duddy./
[fuel] See: ADD FUEL TO THE FLAME.
[full] See: HAVE ONE'S HANDS FULL, IN FULL SWING, TO THE FULL.
[full blast] <adv.> At full capacity. * /With all the research money at their disposal, the new computer firm was going ahead full blast./
[full-bodied] <adj.> Mature; of maximum quality. * /The wines from that region in California have a rich, full-bodied flavor./
[full-fledged] <adj.> Having everything that is needed to be something; complete. * /A girl needs three years of training to be a full-fledged nurse./ * /The book was a full-fledged study of American history./
[full of beans] <adj. phr.>, <slang> 1. Full of pep; feeling good; in high spirits. * /The football team was full of beans after winning the tournament./ * /The children were full of beans as they got ready for a picnic./ 2. also [full of prunes] Being foolish and talking nonsense. * /You are full of prunes; that man's not 120 years old./
[full of it] See: FULL OF THE OLD NICK.
[full of oneself] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Interested only in yourself. * /Joe would be a nice boy if he would stop being so full of himself./ Compare: BIG HEAD.
[full of prunes] See: FULL OF BEANS(2).
[full of the moon] <n. phr.>, <literary> The moon when it is seen as a full circle; the time of a full moon. * /The robbers waited for a dark night when the full of the moon was past./ Contrast: DARK OF THE MOON.
[full of the Old Nick] or [full of the devil] or [full of it] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Always making trouble; naughty; bad. * /That boy is full of the Old Nick./
[full tilt] <adv.> At full speed; at high speed. * /He ran full tilt into the door and broke his arm./
[fun] See: MAKE FUN OF.
[fun and games] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> 1. A party or other entertaining event. 2. Something trivially easy. 3. Petting, or sexual intercourse. 4. (Ironically) An extraordinary difficult task. * /How was your math exam? (With a dismayed expression): - Yeah, it was all fun and games, man./