Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц
Шрифт:
[leave one’s mark]{v. phr.} To leave an impression upon; influence someone. •/Tolstoy never won the Nobel Prize, but he left his mark on world literature./ See: MAKE ONE’S MARK.
[leave open]{v. phr.} To remain temporarily unsettled; subject to further discussion. •/Brad said that the question of health insurance would be left open until some future date./
[leave out]{v. phr.} To skip; omit. •/The printer accidentally left out two paragraphs from Alan’s novel./
[leave out in the cold] See: OUT IN THE COLD.
[leave out of account]{v. phr.} To fail to consider; forget about. •/The picnic planners left out of account that it might rain./ Contrast: TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.
[leave-taking] See: TAKE ONE’S LEAVE.
[leave the matter open] See: LEAVE OPEN.
[leave well enough alone] See: LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE.
[leave without a leg to stand on] See: LEG TO STAND ON.
[leave word with]{v. phr.} To leave a message. •/Hank left word with his secretary where he could be reached by phone while he was away from his office./
[left] See: OUT IN LEFT FIELD, RIGHT AND LEFT.
[left field]{n.} 1. The part of a baseball out-field to the batter’s left. •/Right-handed batters usually hit to left field./ Compare: CENTER FIELD, RIGHT FIELD. 2. See: OUT IN LEFT FIELD. — [left fielder]{n.} The player in baseball who plays in left field. •/The scoreboard in the ball park is on the fence behind the left fielder./
[left-handed]{adj.}, {informal} 1. Using the left hand habitually. 2. Crooked; phoney; homosexual. •/Morris is such a left-handed guy./ 3. Clumsy; untoward; awkward. •/Grab that hammer and stop acting so left-handed./
[left-handed compliment] An ambiguous compliment which is interpretable as an offense. •/I didn’t know you could look so pretty! Is that a wig you’re wearing?/
[left-wing]{adj.} That which is or belongs to a group of people in politics that favors radical change in the direction of socialism or communism. •/The left-wing faction called for an immediate strike./
[leg] See: ON ONE’S LAST LEGS, PULL ONE’S LEG, SHAKE A LEG, TAIL BETWEEN ONE’S LEGS.
[legal age] or [lawful age] The age at which a person is allowed to do a certain thing or is held responsible for an action. •/In most states the legal age for voting is 27./ •/He could not get a driver’s license because he was not of lawful age./
[leg man]{n.}, {informal} 1. An errand boy; one who performs messenger services, or the like. •/Joe hired a leg man for the office./ 2. {slang}, {semi-vulgar}, {avoidable} A man who is particularly attracted to good looking female legs and pays less attention to other parts of the female anatomy. •/Herb is a leg man./
[leg-pulling] See: PULL ONE’S LEG.
[Legree] See: SIMON LEGREE.
[leg to stand on]{n. phr.} A firm foundation of facts; facts to support your claim. — Usually used in the negative. •/Jerry’s answering speech left his opponent without a leg to stand on./ •/Amos sued for damages, but did not have a leg to stand on./
[leg work]{n.}, {informal} The physical end of a project, such as the typing of research reports; the physical investigating of a criminal affair; the carrying of books to and from libraries; etc. •/Joe, my research assistant, does a lot of leg work for me./
[leisure] See: AT LEISURE or AT ONE’S LEISURE.
[lend a hand] or [give a hand] also [bear a hand]{v. phr.} To give help; make yourself useful; help. •/The stage manager asked some of the boys to lend a hand with the scenery./ •/Dick saw a woman with a flat tire and offered to give her a hand with it./ Compare: LIFT A FINGER.
[lend an ear to] See: GIVE AN EAR TO.
[lend color to] See: GIVE COLOR TO.
[lend itself to]{v. phr.} To give a chance for or be useful for; to be possible or right for. •/Bob was sick and did not go to Jane’s party, but his absence lent itself to misunderstanding./ •/The teacher’s paperweight was a heavy piece of metal which sometimes lent itself to use as a hammer./ •/This poem lends itself to our program very well./ Compare: LEND ONESELF TO.
[lend oneself to]{v. phr.} To give help or approval to; encourage; assist. •/Alice wouldn’t lend herself to the plot to hide the teacher’s chalk./
[length] See: AT LENGTH, GO TO ANY LENGTH, KEEP AT A DISTANCE or KEEP AT ARM’S LENGTH.
[less] See: MORE OR LESS, MUCH LESS.
[lesson] See: TEACH A LESSON.
[less than]{adv.} Not; little. •/We were busy and less than delighted to have company that day./ •/The boys were less than happy about having a party./ Contrast: MORE THAN.