Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц
Шрифт:
[break in]{v.} (stress on "in") 1a. To break from outside. •/The firemen broke in the door of the burning house./ 1b. To enter by force or unlawfully. •/Thieves broke in while the family was away./ 2. To enter suddenly or interrupt. •/A stranger broke in on the meeting without knocking./ •/The secretary broke in to say that a telegram had arrived./ Compare: CUT IN(2). 3. To make a start in a line of work or with a company or association; begin a new job. •/He broke in as a baseball player with a minor league./ 4. To teach the skills of a new job or activity to. •/An assistant foreman broke in the new man as a machine operator./ 5. To lessen the stiffness or newness of by use. •/He broke in a new pair of shoes./ •/Breaking in a new car requires careful driving at moderate speeds./
[break-in]{n.} (stress on "break") A robbery; a burglary. •/We lost our jewelry during a break-in./
[break into]{v.} 1. To force an entrance into; make a rough or unlawful entrance into. •/Thieves broke into the store at night./ 2. {informal} To succeed in beginning (a career, business, or a social life) •/He broke into television as an actor./ 3. To interrupt. •/He broke into the discussion with a shout of warning./ 4. To begin suddenly. •/He broke into a sweat./ •/She broke into tears./ •/The dog heard his master’s whistle and broke into a run./
[break new ground]{v. phr.} 1. To start a new activity previously neglected by others; do pioneering work. •/Albert Einstein broke new ground with his theory of relativity./ 2. To begin something never done before. •/The school broke new ground with reading lessons that taught students to guess the meaning of new words./
[break off]{v.} 1. To stop suddenly. •/The speaker was interrupted so often that he broke off and sat down./ •/When Bob came in, Jean broke off her talk with Linda and talked to Bob./ 2. {informal} To end a friendship or love. •/I hear that Tom and Alice have broken off./ •/She broke off with her best friend./
[break one’s balls]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {vulgar}, {avoidable} To do something with maximum effort; to do something very difficult or taxing •/I’ve been breaking my balls to buy you this new color TV set and you aren’t the least bit appreciative!/ Compare: BREAK ONE’S NECK.
[break one’s heart]{v. phr.} To discourage greatly; make very sad or hopeless. •/His son’s disgrace broke his heart./ •/When Mr. White lost everything he had worked so hard for, it broke his heart./
[break one’s neck]{v. phr.}, {slang} To do all you possibly can; try your hardest. — Usually used with a limiting adverb or negative. •/John nearly broke his neck trying not to be late to school./ •/Mother asked Mary to go to the store when she was free, but not to break her neck over it./
[break one’s word]{v. phr.} To renege on a promise. •/When Jake broke his word that he would marry Sarah, she became very depressed./
[break out]{v.} 1. To begin showing a rash or other skin disorder. — Often used with "with". •/He broke out with scarlet fever./ 2. To speak or act suddenly and violently. •/He broke out laughing./ •/She broke out, "That is not so!"/ 3. To begin and become noticeable. •/Fire broke out after the earthquake./ •/War broke out in 1812./ Compare: FLARE UP. 4. {informal} To bring out; open and show. •/When word of the victory came, people began breaking out their flags./ •/When Mr. Carson’s first son was born, he broke out the cigars he had been saving./
[break the ice]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To conquer the first difficulties in starting a conversation, getting a party going, or making an acquaintance. •/To break the ice Ted spoke of his interest in mountain climbing, and they soon had a conversation going./ •/Some people use an unusual thing, such as an unusual piece of jewelry, to break the ice./ 2. To be the first person or team to score in a game. •/The Wolves broke the ice with a touchdown./
[break the record]{v. phr.} To set or to establish a new mark or record. •/Algernon broke the record in both the pentathlon and the decathlon and took home two gold medals from the Olympics./
[break through]{v.} To be successful after overcoming a difficulty or bar to success. •/Dr. Salk failed many times but he finally broke through to find a successful polio vaccine./ •/Jim studied very hard this semester in college, and he finally broke through onto the Dean’s List for the first time./
[breakthrough]{n.} A point of sudden success after a long process of experimentation, trial and error. •/The U.S. Space Program experienced a major breakthrough when Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon in June of 1969./
[break up]{v. phr.} To end a romantic relationship, a marriage, or a business partnership. •/Tom and Jane broke up because Tom played so much golf that he had no time for her./
[break up]{v.} 1. To break into pieces. •/The workmen broke up the pavement to dig up the pipes under it./ •/River ice breaks up in the spring./ 2. {informal} To lose or destroy spirit or self-control. — Usually used in the passive. •/Mrs. Lawrence was all broken up after her daughter’s death, and did not go out of the house for two months./ Compare: CRACK UP, GO TO PIECES. 3. To come or to put to an end, especially by separation; separate. •/Some men kept interrupting the speakers, and finally broke up the meeting./ •/The party broke up at midnight./ — Often used in the informal phrase "break it up". •/The boys were fighting, and a passing policeman ordered them to break it up./ Compare: CUT OUT(1). 4. {informal} To stop being friends. •/Mary and June were good friends and did everything together, but then they had a quarrel and broke up/ Compare: BREAK OFF.