Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)
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[answer one's calling] <v. phr.> To fulfill one's destiny in terms of work or profession by doing what one has a talent for. * /Don answered his calling when he became a chiropractor. Susy answered her calling when she became a violinist./
[answer the call of nature] or [obey the call of nature] <v. phr.>, <slang> To go to the bathroom to relieve oneself by urinating or defecating. * /Ted was hiking in the mountains when suddenly he had to answer the call of nature but since there was no bathroom in the woods, he excused himself and disappeared behind the bushes./
[answer to] <v.> To be named; go by a certain name or designation; be accountable. * /When you walk my dog, please remember that he answers to the name "Caesar."/ * /As head of the company she does not have to answer to anyone./
[ante up] <v.>, <informal> To produce the required amount of money in order to close a transaction; to pay what one owes. * /"I guess I'd better ante up if I want to stay an active member of the Association", Max said./
[ants in one's pants] <n. phr.>, <slang> Nervous over-activity; restlessness. * /Jane can not sit still; she has ants in her pants./ * /You have ants in your pants today. Is something wrong?/
[a number] <n.> A rather large number; numbers.
– Used when there arc more than several and fewer than many. * /The parents were invited to see the program, and a number came./ * /We knew the Smiths rattier well; we had visited them a number of times./ - Used like an adjective before "less", "more". * /We have not set up enough folding chairs; we need a number more./ Compare: QUITE A FEW.
[any] See: HARDLY ANY or SCARCELY ANY.
[any number] <n.>, <informal> A large number; many. * /There are any number of reasons for eating good food./ * /Don't ask George what his excuse is. He can invent any number./ Compare: A LOT, A NUMBER, GOOD MANY.
[any old how] / [any old way] <adv. phr.>, <informal> Doing something in a casual, haphazard, or careless way. * /"John," the teacher said, "you can't just do your homework any old way; you must pay attention to my instructions!"/
[any port in a storm] Any help is welcome in an emergency.
– A proverb. * /The motel we stopped in was nothing to brag about, but we were so exhausted that it was a clear case of any port in a storm./
[anything] See: HAVE NOTHING ON or NOT HAVE ANYTHING ON, IF ANYTHING.
[anything but] <adv. phr.> Quite the opposite of; far from being. * /I don't mean he's lazy - anything but!/ * /The boys knew they had broken the rules, and they were anything but happy when they were called to the office./
[anything like] or [anywhere near] <adv.> Nearly.
– Used in negative, interrogative, and conditional sentences, often in the negative forms "nothing like" or "nowhere near". * /It's not anything like as hot today as it was yesterday./ * /Do you think that gold ring is worth anywhere near a hundred dollars?/ * /Today's game was nowhere near as exciting as yesterday's game./ * /Studying that lesson should take nothing like two hours./
[anywhere near] See: ANYTHING LIKE or ANYWHERE NEAR.
[any which way] See: EVERY WHICH WAY.
[apart] See: JOKING ASIDE or JOKING APART, POLES APART, TELL APART.
[apart from] or [aside from] <prep. phr.> Beside or besides; in addition to. * /The children hardly see anyone, apart from their parents./ * /Aside from being fun and good exercise, swimming is a very useful skill./ Syn.: EXCEPT FOR, OUTSIDE OF.
[ape] See: GO APE.
[appear] See: SPEAK OF THE DEVIL AND HE APPEARS.
[appearance] See: PUT IN AN APPEARANCE also MAKE AN APPEARANCE.
[apple] See: POLISH THE APPLE.
[applecart] See: UPSET THE APPLECART or UPSET ONE'S APPLECART.
[apple of one's eye] <n. phr.> Something or someone that is adored; a cherished person or object. * /Charles is the apple of his mother's eye./ * /John's first car was the apple of his eye. He was always polishing it./
[apple-pie order] <n. phr.>, <informal> Exact orderly arrangement, neatness; tidy arrangement. * /The house was in apple-pie order./ * /Like a good secretary, she kept the boss's desk in apple-pie order./
[apple polisher]; [apple polishing] See: POLISH THE APPLE.
[approval] See: ON APPROVAL.
[a pretty pass] <n. phr.> An unfortunate condition; a critical state. * /While the boss was away, things at the company had come to a pretty pass./
[apron] See: TIED TO ONE'S MOTHER'S APRON STRINGS.
[apropos of] <prep.>, <formal> In connection with; on the subject of, about; concerning. * /Apropos of higher tuition, Mr. Black told the boy about the educational loans that banks are offering./ * /Mr. White went to see Mr. Richards apropos of buying a car./
[arm] See: GIVE ONE'S RIGHT ARM, KEEP AT A DISTANCE Or KEEP AT ARM'S LENGTH, SHOT IN THE ARM, TAKE UP ARMS, TWIST ONE'S ARM, UP IN ARMS, WITH OPEN ARMS, COST AN ARM AND A LEG.
[arm and a leg] <n.>, <slang> An exorbitantly high price that must be paid for something that isn't really worth it. * /It's true that to get a decent apartment these days in New York you have to pay an arm and a leg./
[armed to the teeth] <adj. phr.> Having all needed weapons; fully armed. * /The paratroopers were armed to the teeth./
[arm in arm] <adv. phr.> With your arm under or around another person's arm, especially in close comradeship or friendship. * /Sally and Joan were laughing and joking together as they walked arm in arm down the street./ * /When they arrived at the party, the partners walked arm in arm to meet the hosts./ Compare: HAND IN HAND.
[around one's ears] See: ABOUT ONE'S EARS.
[around the clock] also [the clock around] <adv. phr.> For 24 hours a day continuously all day and all night. * /The factory operated around the clock until the order was filled./ * /He studied around the clock for his history exam./ - [round-the-clock] <adj.> * /That filling station has round-the-clock service./