Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц
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[slip over] See: PUT OVER(2).
[slip through one’s fingers]{v. phr.} To escape without someone’s knowing how. •/Policemen surrounded the building, but the thief managed to slip through their fingers./ •/Mike earns a good wage, but he doesn’t save a penny. Money just slips through his fingers./
[slipup]{n.} A mistake. •/"I’m sorry, sir. That was an unfortunate slipup," the barber said when he scratched the client’s face./
[slip up]{v. phr.} To make a mistake. •/Someone at the bank slipped up. There are only 48 pennies in this 50c roll of coins./ •/If he hadn’t slipped up on the last questions, his score on the test would have been perfect./
[slow burn]{n.}, {informal} A slowly increasing feeling of anger. •/The boys kept teasing John, and watched him do a slow burn./ •/Barbara’s slow burn ended only when Mary explained the misunderstanding./
[slowdown]{n.} A period of lesser activity, usually in the economic sphere. •/We all hope the current slowdown in the economy will soon be over./
[slow down]{v. phr.} To go more slowly than usual. •/The road was slippery, so Mr. Jones slowed down the car./ •/Pat once could run a mile in five minutes, but now that he’s older he’s slowing down./ Compare: LET UP(2). STEP DOWN. Contrast: SPEED UP.
[slow on the draw]{adj. phr.} Not very smart; having difficulty figuring things out. •/Poor Eric doesn’t get very good grades in physics; when it comes to problem-solving, he is rather slow on the draw./
[slow on the uptake] See: SLOW ON THE DRAW.
[slow tune] See: STANDARD TIME.
[slow up]{v.} 1. To go more slowly. •/The truck slowed up as it approached the toll gate./ •/Construction on the road slows up traffic./ 2. To become less busy. •/Business slows up at the stores after Christmas./
[slug it out]{v. phr.} To have a strong verbal or physical battle with someone; to contest something most vigorously. •/The two contenders for the lightweight boxing championship were slugging it out in the ring./ •/The two candidates for Congress were slugging it out on radio and on television./
[sly] See: ON THE SLY.
[smack-dab] also {southern}[smack-to-dab]{adv.}, {informal} Exactly; squarely. •/The ball landed smack-dab at our feet./ •/The plane landed smack-to-dab in the middle of the hay field./
[smack one’s lips]{v. phr.} To reveal an appetite for; show enjoyment of. •/Eleanor smacked her lips over the dessert of strawberries and whipped cream./
[small] See: BIG FROG IN A SMALL POND.
[small frog in a big pond] See: LITTLE FROG IN A BIG POND.
[small fry]{n.} 1. Young children. •/In the park, a sandbox is provided for the small fry./ 2. Something or someone of little importance. •/Large dairies ignore the competition from the small fry who make only a few hundred pounds of cheese a year./
[small] or [wee hours]{n. phr.} The very early hours of the morning between 1 and 4 A.M. •/My brother was in trouble for coming home in the small hours./ See: WEE HOURS.
[small talk]{n. phr.} General idle conversation. •/At the party there was the usual kind of small talk about the cost of living increase and the war in Africa./
[small-time]{adj.}, {informal} Unimportant; minor; with little power or importance. •/He has a job as a drummer with a small-time band./ •/It is a small-time business, but it may grow./ Contrast: BIG-TIME.
[small wonder] See: NO WONDER.
[smash hit]{n.}, {informal} A very successful play, movie or opera. •/The school play was a smash hit./
[smell a rat]{v. phr.}, {informal} To be suspicious; feel that something is wrong. •/Every time Tom visits me, one of my ashtrays disappears. I’m beginning to smell a rat./ •/When the policeman saw a light go on in the store at midnight, he smelled a rat./
[smell out] See: FERRET OUT.
[smell up]{v.}, {informal} To make a bad smell. •/A skunk smelled up our yard last night./ •/Mr. Brodsky’s cigar smelled up the living room./
[smile] See: CRACK A SMILE.
[smoke] See: CHAIN-SMOKE, GO UP IN FLAMES or GO UP IN SMOKE, PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT, WATCH ONE’S DUST or WATCH ONE’S SMOKE.
[smoke like a chimney]{v. phr.}, {informal} To smoke very heavily and continuously. •/"If you continue smoking like a chimney" the doctor told my uncle, "you’ll wind up in the hospital with lung cancer."/
[smoke out]{v. phr.} 1. To force out with smoke. •/The boys smoked a squirrel out of a hollow tree./ •/The farmer tried to smoke some gophers out of their burrows./ 2. {informal} To find out the facts about. •/It took the reporter three weeks to smoke out the whole story./