Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц
Шрифт:
[give credence to]{v. phr.} 1. To be willing to believe that something is true. •/Larry gave credence to the rumor that Fred used to be a convict./ •/Give no credence to the rumor that our state is bankrupt; nothing could be farther from the truth./
[give fits]{v. phr.}{informal} To upset; bother very much. •/Paul’s higher grades give John fits./ •/The short guard gave his tall opponent fits./ Compare: GIVE A HARD TIME.
[give forth]{v. phr.} To emit; produce. •/When the gong was struck it gave forth a rich, resounding sound./
[give free rein to] See: GIVE REIN TO.
[give gray hair]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make (someone) anxious, confused, or worried. •/The traffic problem is enough to give a policeman gray hairs./ Compare: GET GRAY HAIR.
[give ground]{v. phr.} To go backward under attack; move back; retreat. •/After fighting for a while the troops slowly began to give ground./ •/Although they were outnumbered by the enemy, the men refused to give ground./ Compare: DRAW BACK, DROP BACK, LOSE GROUND. Contrast: HOLD ONE’S GROUND, STAND OFF, STAND ONE’S GROUND, STAND PAT, STAVE OFF.
[give her the gun] See: GIVE IT THE GUN.
[give in]{v.} To stop fighting or arguing and do as the other person wants; give someone his own way; stop opposing someone. •/Mother kept inviting Mrs. Smith to stay for lunch, and finally she gave in./ •/After Billy proved that he could ride a bicycle safely, his father gave in to him and bought him one./ Compare: GIVE UP, SAY UNCLE.
[give it some thought]{v. phr.} To wait and see; consider something after some time has elapsed. •/"Will you buy my car?" Fred asked. "Let me give it some thought," Jim answered./ Contrast: SLEEP ON.
[give it the gun] or [give her the gun]{v. phr.}, {slang} To gun or speed up a motor; make a car, airplane, or something driven by a motor go faster. •/The race driver gave it the gun./ •/The speedboat pilot gave her the gun./ Compare: STEP ON IT.
[give it to]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To give punishment to; beat. •/The crowd yelled for the wrestler to give it to his opponent./ Syn.: LET HAVE IT. 2. To scold. •/Jerry’s mother gave it to him for coming home late./ Compare: GIVE A PIECE OF ONE’S MIND, LACE INTO. Contrast: CATCH IT.
[give it to one straight]{v. phr.} To be direct; be frank. •/I asked the doctor to give it to me straight how long I have to live./
[give no quarter]{v. phr.} To be ruthless and show no mercy. •/The enemy soldiers gave no quarter and shot all the prisoners./
[give notice]{v. phr.} To inform an employer, an employee, a landlord, or a tenant of the termination of a contractual agreement of service or tenancy. •/Max gave notice at the bank where he was working./ •/Sally was given notice by her landlord./
[given to]{adj. phr.} Having a tendency to; addicted to. •/Phil is given to telling fantastic tales about his chateau in France./
[give off]{v.} To send out; let out; put forth. •/Rotten eggs give off a bad smell./ •/Burning leaves give off thick smoke./ Syn.: GIVE OUT(2).
[give of oneself]{v. phr.}, {literary} To give your time and effort to help others. •/You should give of yourself sometimes./ •/During World War II, Governor Baldwin gave of himself by sweeping the halls of a hospital every afternoon./
[give one a dressing down] See: DRESSING DOWN.
[give one a free hand] See: FREE HAND.
[give one a (good) going-over] See: GO OVER(1).
[give one a lift]{v. phr.} 1. To give someone a ride. •/Jack gave me a lift in his new car./ 2. To comfort someone. •/Talking to my doctor yesterday gave me a lift./
[give one an inch, and he will take a mile] If you give some people a little or yield anything, they will want more and more; some people are never satisfied. •/I gave Billy a bite of candy and he wanted more and more. If you give him an inch, he’ll take a mile./ •/The counselor said to Jack, "No, I can’t let you get a haircut until Saturday. It’s against the rules, and if I give an inch, someone will take a mile."/
[give one a piece of one’s mind]{v. phr.}, {informal} To scold angrily; say what you really think to (someone). •/Mr. Allen gave the other driver a piece of his mind./ •/The sergeant gave the soldier a piece of his mind for not cleaning his boots./ Syn.: TELL OFF. Compare: BAWL OUT, DRESS DOWN, GIVE IT TO, TONGUE LASHING.
[give one a ring] also {informal}[give a buzz] To call on the telephone. •/Mrs. Jacobs promised to give her husband a ring in the afternoon./ •/Alice will give her friend a buzz tonight./
[give one enough rope and he will hang himself]{informal} Give a bad person enough time and freedom to do as he pleases, and he may make a bad mistake or get into trouble and be caught. — A proverb. •/Johnny is always stealing and hasn’t been caught. But give him enough rope and he’ll hang himself./ — Often used in a short form, "give one enough rope". •/Mother didn’t know who robbed the cookie jar, but she thought she could catch him if she gave him enough rope./
[give one pause]{v. phr.} To astonish someone; cause one to stop and think. •/"Your remark gives me pause," Tom said, when Jane called him an incurable gambler./
[give one short shrift] See: SHORT SHRIFT.
[give oneself airs]{v. phr.} To act proud; act vain. •/Mary gave herself airs when she wore her new dress./ •/John gave himself airs when he won first prize./