Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц
Шрифт:
[check out]{v.} 1a. To pay your hotel bill and leave. •/The last guests checked out of their rooms in the morning./ Contrast: CHECK IN. 1b. {informal} To go away; leave. •/I hoped our guest would stay but he had to check out before Monday./ Compare: CHECK IN. 2a. To make a list or record of. •/They checked out all the goods in the store./ 2b. To give or lend (something) and make a record of it. •/The boss checked out the tools to the workmen as they came to work./ 2c. To get (something) after a record has been made of it. •/I checked out a book from the library./ 3. {informal} To test (something, like a part of a motor). •/The mechanic checked out the car battery./ •/"He checked out from the motel at nine," said the detective, "then he checked out the air in the car tires and his list of local clients."/ 4. {slang} To die. •/He seemed too young to check out./
[check up]{v.} To find out or try to find out the truth or correctness of something; make sure of something; investigate. •/Mrs. Brown thought she had heard a burglar in the house, so Mr. Brown checked up, but found nobody./ •/Bill thought he had a date with Janie, but phoned her to check up./
[check-up]{n.} A periodic examination by a physician or of some equipment by a mechanic. •/I am overdue for my annual physical check-up./ •/I need to take my car in for a check-up./
[check with]{v. phr.} 1. To consult. •/I want to check with my lawyer before I sign the papers./ 2. To agree with. •/Does my reconciliation of our account check with the bank statement?/
[cheek] See: TURN THE OTHER CHEEK.
[cheer] See: BRONX CHEER.
[cheer on]{v. phr.} To vociferously encourage a person or a team during a sports event. •/The spectators at the stadium cheered on their home team./
[cheer up]{v.} 1. To feel happy; stop being sad or discouraged; become hopeful, joyous, or glad. •/Jones was sad at losing the business, but he cheered up at the sight of his daughter./ •/Cheer up! The worst is over./ 2. To make cheerful or happy. •/The support of the students cheered up the losing team and they played harder and won./ •/We went to the hospital to cheer up a sick friend./ •/Flowers cheer up a room./
[cheese] See: BIG CHEESE, WHOLE CHEESE.
[cheesebox]{n.}, {slang} A small, suburban house built by a land developer available at low cost and resembling the other houses around it. •/They moved to a suburb, but their house is just a cheesebox./
[cheesecake]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} A showing of the legs of an attractive woman or a display of her breasts as in certain magazines known as cheesecake magazines. •/Photographer to model: "Give us some cheesecake in that pose!"/
[cherry farm]{n.}, {slang} A correctional institution of minimal security where the inmates, mostly first offenders, work as farmhands. •/Joe got a light sentence and was sent to a cherry farm for six months./
[chest] See: OFF ONE’S CHEST, ON ONE’S CHEST.
[chew] See: BITE OFF MORE THAN ONE CAN CHEW.
[chew out]{v.}, {slang} To scold roughly. •/The boy’s father chewed him out for staying up late./ •/The coach chews out lazy players./ Syn.: BAWL OUT, CALL ON THE CARPET, HAUL OVER THE COALS.
[chew the fat] or [chew the rag]{v. phr.}, {slang} To talk together in an idle, friendly fashion; chat. •/We used to meet after work, and chew the fat over coffee and doughnuts./ •/The old man would chew the rag for hours with anyone who would join him./
[chew the scenery]{v. phr.}, {slang} To act overemotionally in a situation where it is inappropriate; to engage in histrionics. •/I don’t know if Joe was sincere about our house, but he sure chewed up the scenery!/
[chicken] See: COUNT ONE’S CHICKENS BEFORE THEY ARE HATCHED, GO TO BED WITH THE CHICKENS, SPRING CHICKEN.
[chicken-brained]{adj.} Stupid; narrow-minded; unimaginative. •/I can’t understand how a bright woman like Helen can date such a chicken-brained guy as Oliver./
[chicken feed]{n.}, {slang} A very small sum of money. •/John and Bill worked very hard, but they were only paid chicken feed./ •/Mr. Jones is so rich be thinks a thousand dollars is chicken feed./
[chicken-hearted]{adj.} Cowardly; excessively timid. •/"Come on, let’s get on that roller coaster," she cried. "Don’t be so chicken-hearted."/ See: CHICKEN-LIVERED.
[chicken-livered]{adj.}, {slang}, {colloquial} Easily scared; cowardly. •/Joe sure is a chicken-livered guy./ See: CHICKEN-HEARTED.
[chicken out]{v. phr.}, {informal} To stop doing something because of fear; to decide not to do something after all even though previously having decided to try it. •/I used to ride a motorcycle on the highway, but I’ve chickened out./ •/I decided to take flying lessons but just before they started I chickened out./
[chickens come home to roost]{informal} Words or acts come back to cause trouble for a person; something bad you said or did receives punishment; you get the punishment that you deserve. •/Fred’s chickens finally came home to roost today. He was late so often that the teacher made him go to the principal./ — Often used in a short form. •/Mary’s selfishness will come home to roost some day./
[chicken switch]{n.}, {slang}, {Space English} 1. The emergency eject button used by test pilots in fast and high flying aircraft by means of which they can parachute to safety if the engine fails; later adopted by astronauts in space capsules. •/Don’t pull the chicken switch, unless absolutely necessary./ 2. The panic button; a panicky reaction to an unforeseen situation, such as unreasonable or hysterical telephone calls to friends for help. •/Joe pulled the chicken switch on his neighbor when the grease started burning in the kitchen./