Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц
Шрифт:
[clear one’s name]{v. phr.} To prove someone is innocent of a crime or misdeed of which he has been accused. •/The falsely accused rapist has been trying in vain to clear his name./
[clear out]{v.} 1. To take everything out of; empty. •/When Bill was moved to another class he cleared out his desk./ 2. {informal} To leave suddenly; go away; depart. •/The cop told the boys to clear out./ •/Bob cleared out without paying his room rent./ •/Clear out of here! You’re bothering me./ Compare: BEAT IT.
[clear the air]{v. phr.} To remove angry feelings, misunderstanding, or confusion. •/The President’s statement that he would run for office again cleared the air of rumors and guessing./ •/When Bill was angry at Bob, Bob made a joke, and it cleared the air between them./
[clear the decks]{v. phr.} To put everything in readiness for a major activity; to eliminate unessentials. •/The governor urged the State Assembly to clear the decks of all but the most pressing issues to vote on./
[clear up]{v.} 1. To make plain or clear; explain; solve. •/The teacher cleared up the harder parts of the story./ •/Maybe we can clear up your problem./ 2. To become clear. •/The weather cleared up after the storm./ 3. To cure. •/The pills cleared up his stomach trouble./ 4. To put back into a normal, proper, or healthy state. •/The doctor can give you something to clear up your skin./ •/Susan cleared up the room./ 5. To become cured. •/This skin trouble will clear up in a day or two./
[clerk] See: ROOM CLERK or DESK CLERK.
[cliffdweller]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} A city person who lives on a very high floor in an apartment building. •/Joe and Nancy have become cliffdwellers — they moved up to the 30th floor./
[clifihanger]{n.}, {informal} A sports event or a movie in which the outcome is uncertain to the very end keeping the spectators in great suspense and excitement. •/Did you see "The Fugitive"? It’s a regular cliffhanger./
[climb] See: SOCIAL CLIMBER.
[climb on the bandwagon] See: ON THE BANDWAGON.
[climb the wall]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. To react to a challenging situation with too great an emotional response, frustration, tension, and anxiety. •/By the time I got the letter that I was hired, I was ready to climb the wall./ 2. To be so disinterested or bored as to be most anxious to get away at any cost. •/If the chairman doesn’t stop talking, I’ll climb the wall./
[clinging vine]{n.} A very dependent woman; a woman who needs much love and encouragement from a man. •/Mary is a clinging vine; she cannot do anything without her husband./
[cling to one’s mother’s apron strings] See: TIED TO ONE’S MOTHER’S APRON STRINGS.
[clip joint]{n.}, {slang} A low-class night club or other business where people are cheated. •/The man got drunk and lost all his money in a clip joint./ •/The angry woman said the store was a clip joint./
[clip one’s wings]{v. phr.} To limit or hold you back, bring you under control; prevent your success. •/When the new president tried to become dictator, the generals soon clipped his wings./ •/Jim was spending too much time on dates when he needed to study so his father stopped his allowance; that clipped his wings./
[cloak-and-dagger]{adj.} Of or about spies and secret agents. •/It was a cloak-and-dagger story about some spies who tried to steal atomic secrets./ •/The book was written by a retired colonel who used to take part in cloak-and-dagger plots./ (From the wearing of cloaks and daggers by people in old adventure stories.) Compare: BLOOD AND THUNDER.
[clock] See: AGAINST TIME or AGAINST THE CLOCK, AROUND THE CLOCK or THE CLOCK AROUND, PUT BACK THE CLOCK or TURN BACK THE CLOCK, GO LIKE CLOCKWORK or GO OFF LIKE CLOCKWORK, TURN THE CLOCK BACK.
[clock watcher]{n. phr.}, {informal} A worker who always quits at once when it is time; a man who is in a hurry to leave his job. •/When Ted got his first job, his father told him to work hard and not be a clock watcher./
[close at hand]{adj. phr.} Handy; close by; within one’s range. •/My calendar isn’t close at hand, so I can’t tell you whether we can come next week or not./ •/I always keep my pencils and erasers close at hand when I work on a draft proposal./
[close call] or [shave]{n. phr.} A narrow escape. •/That sure was a close call when that truck came near us from the right!/ •/When Tim fell off his bicycle in front of a bus, it was a very close shave./
[closed book]{n.} A secret; something not known or understood. •/The man’s early life is a closed book./ •/For Mary, science is a closed book./ •/The history of the town is a closed book./
[closed-door]{adj.} Away from the public; in private or in secret; limited to a few. •/The officers of the club held a closed-door meeting./ •/The committee decided on a closed-door rule for the investigation./ Compare: IN PRIVATE.