TB
- Tuberculosis
eg. For various reasons the number of TB cases has been increasing around the world recently.
TBA
- To Be Announced - used when something will be announced later
eg. I looked in the television guide to see what the 7:00 movie would be but it only said TBA.
TGIF
- Thank Goodness (God) It's Friday
eg. The restaurant had a large TGIF sign on the door and all drinks were half price.
TKO
- Technical Knockout
eg. Although the boxer didn't seem to win the fight he was awarded a TKO and won the boxing match.
TLC
- Tender Loving Care
eg. With lots of TLC the house plants did very well under my sister's care.
TP
- Toilet Paper
eg. I went to the store and bought several rolls of TP.
tail between one`s legs
- feeling ashamed or beaten
eg. He was forced to resign from his company with his tail between his legs after he was caught lying about his expense account.
take a back seat
- accept a poorer or lower position, be second to something or someone
eg. I had to take a back seat to my partner when we went on the business trip.
take a bath
- come to financial ruin
eg. She took a bath on the stock market last year and is afraid to invest in stocks now.
take a beating
- lose money
eg. His father really took a beating on the stock market recently.
take a crack at
- try, attempt
eg. Have you decided to take a crack at the entrance exam in June?
take a dim view of
- be against, disapprove
eg. Our company takes a dim view of people who do not wear a suit and tie.
take advantage of
- use for one`s own benefit
eg. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and went to the beach.
take after
- resemble or act like a parent or relative
eg. He is tall and handsome like his father and seems to take after him in other ways as well.
take a leak
- urinate
eg. He stopped at the side of the road to take a leak when he was walking home last night.
take a powder
- leave quickly, run away
eg. I don`t know where he is but I think that he took a powder right after the meeting.
take a shine to
- have or show a quick liking for someone
eg. Her daughter took a shine to her new teacher and is very happy at school now.
take a stand on something
- declare firmly that one is for or against something
eg. The Prime Minister finally took a stand on the tax issue.
take a trip
- go for a journey
eg. We plan to take a trip to Italy in November.
take back
- admit to making a wrong statement
eg. He had to take back what he said about his boss in front of his co-workers.
take by storm
- capture by a sudden or very bold attack
eg. The army took the town by storm and was easily able to capture all of the enemy troops.
take care of
- look after or give attention to someone or something
eg. You should take care of your health or you will get sick.
take down
- write or record what is said
eg. I took down many notes during the lecture last week.
take down a notch (peg)
- make someone less proud or sure of himself
eg. He was taken down a notch by his boss because he was beginning to act in an arrogant manner.
take effect
- become legally right or operative
eg. The new laws related to alcohol took effect early last month.
take exception to
- speak against, find fault with, be angered by
eg. He took exception to the fact that everyone was able to go and play golf except for himself.
take for
- mistake someone for something
eg. The man took the young boy for a robber and called the police.
take for a ride
- play a trick on or fool someone, take unfair advantage of someone
eg. I was taken for a ride by the used car salesman. The car that I bought is not very good.
take for granted
- assume something is a certain way or is correct
eg. I took it for granted that you knew him. Otherwise I would have introduced you.
take heart
- be encouraged, feel brave and want to try something
eg. He took heart from his previous failure and decided to try again.
take ill/sick
- become sick
eg. She took ill during her holiday and spent most of the time in her hotel.
take in
- go and see or visit
eg. We decided to go and take in a movie last night.
take in (money)
- receive, get
eg. We were able to take in a lot of money last night at the charity auction.
take in
- let someone come in, admit
eg. The farmer took in the couple for the night after their car broke down.
take in stride
- accept good or bad luck and go on
eg. The boxer took his loss in stride and began to prepare for his next fight.
take it
- endure trouble or criticism or abuse
eg. He is quite sensitive and can never really take it if I make a joke about him.
take it easy
- relax
eg. I`ve been working hard all month so I have decided to take it easy for a few days.
take it on the chin
- be badly beaten or hurt, accept trouble calmly
eg. Our team took it on the chin at the baseball tournament last week.
take it out on
- be unpleasant or unkind to someone because one is angry or upset
eg. Although he has much stress from work he is careful not to take it out on his friends or family.
take its toll
- cause loss or damage
eg. His new job and the long hours have begun to take their toll on his health.
take kindly to
- be pleased by, like
eg. He doesn`t take kindly to people telling him how to run his business.
take leave of
- abandon, go away from or become separated from
eg. I think that he has taken leave of his senses. He has been acting very strange lately.
take liberties
- act toward someone in too close or friendly a manner, use someone as one would a close friend or something of one`s own
eg. She is taking liberties with her friend by always borrowing her car.
take off (clothes)
- remove clothes etc.
eg. Please take off your shoes before you enter our house.
take off (time)
- be absent from work
eg. He was sick and had to take off a week from work.
take off
- depart suddenly or quickly, run away
eg. We decided to take off right after the concert ended.
take on
- begin to handle, commit oneself to
eg. Recently he has begun to take on too many things at work and has become very tired.
take one`s hat off to someone
- admire, respect, praise
eg. You really have to take your hat off to him. He has built up his company from almost nothing.
take one`s own medicine
- accept punishment without complaining
eg. He likes to criticize everyone but can never take his own medicine when others criticize him.
take one`s time
- do something without hurrying
eg. He took his time in returning the book he had borrowed.
take out
- escort or go on a date with someone
eg. I finally had a chance to take out the new woman from work last week.
take over
- take control, take command
eg. Our company was taken over by a foreign company last month.
take part in
- participate in
eg. Are you planning to take part in the seminar next week?
take place
- happen, occur
eg. The game took place on the coldest day of the year.
take sides
- support one side on the other
eg. You should not take sides in the argument or both sides will hate you.
take someone for a ride
- cheat, swindle
eg. I think that they really took him for a ride when he was visiting last year.
take someone to the cleaners
- take all of someone`s money or cheat someone
eg. He was taken to the cleaners when he decided to buy the series of books from the salesman.
take something into account
- remember and consider
eg. Please take into account that she has only been studying French for a few weeks.
take something lying down
- suffer without a fight
eg. I am very angry and won`t take what he says lying down.
take something to heart
- consider seriously
eg. You shouldn`t really take what he says to heart. He is really very kind.
take something with a grain of salt
- not take seriously something someone has said
eg. You can take everything that he says with a grain of salt.
take steps
- begin to make plans or arrangements, make preparations
eg. The company has begun to take steps to stop people from smoking in the main office building.
take stock
- count items of merchandise or supplies in stock, take inventory
eg. The store will be closed for three days next week while the company is taking stock.
take stock in (usually negative)
- have faith in, believe
eg. She took no stock in the idea that women could not work as firefighters as well as men.
take stock of
- carefully study a situation or a number of possibilities or opportunities
eg. After taking stock of the situation he decided that it would be difficult to continue working for the company.
take the bull by the horns
- take some kind of action
eg. He finally decided to take the bull by the horns and started to plan their anniversary party.
take the edge off
- lessen, weaken, soften
eg. We had a drink of hot chocolate in order to take the edge off the cold weather.
take the Fifth
- hide behind the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which guarantees any witness the right not to incriminate himself while testifying at a trial
eg. He decided to take the Fifth rather than tell the truth at the trial.
take the plunge
- do something decisive (often used when you get married)
eg. He finally decided to take the plunge and will get married next year.
take the rap
- receive punishment, be accused and punished
eg. The owner of the restaurant was forced to take the rap over allowing underage workers to work at night.
take the words out of someone`s mouth
- say something someone else was going to say
eg. He took the words right out of my mouth when he answered your question.
take to
- begin the work or job of, learn easily, do well at
eg. He took to the job of administrator very easily and was a great success.
take to task
- scold for a fault or error
eg. I was taken to task by the supervisor for not arriving at work on time.
take to the cleaners
- win all someone`s money
eg. He went to Las Vegas and was taken to the cleaners by the card dealers.
take to the woods
- run away and hide
eg. He decided to take to the woods rather than wait to talk to his wife.
take turns
- do something alternately with others
eg. We had to take turns using the dictionary as there was only one.
take (someone) under one`s wing
- protect someone
eg. He has taken the new employee under his wing and is teaching him about the company.
take up
- begin an activity or hobby
eg. He has a lot of free time lately and has decided to take up fishing as a hobby.
take up arms
- get ready to fight or make war
eg. The citizens were not willing to take up arms to try and change their government.
take the bull by the horns
- take decisive action and not worry about the results
eg. My aunt decided to take the bull by the horns and begin preparations for the family reunion.
take a nosedive
- collapse, fail, decrease in value
eg. The stock market took a nosedive when the earnings of the oil company began to weaken.
take on
- to give a job to or hire someone
eg. The company took on many new workers during the busy holiday season.
take over
- take control or possession of something, take charge or responsibility
eg. The government decided to take over the bank after it declared bankruptcy.
take public
- sell shares in a company to the general public
eg. We decided it was necessary to take our company public in order to raise money to expand our facilities.
take stock
- count the items of merchandise or supplies in stock, take inventory
eg. The department store closes down for 3 days every March in order to take stock.
take one`s hat off to someone
- admire, respect, praise
eg. You have to take your hat off to him. He has started a small business and now it is very successful.
take with a grain of salt
- accept or believe only part of something
eg. You should take everything that he says with a grain of salt as everyone knows that he likes to exaggerate things when he is speaking.
take it on the chin
- be badly beaten or hurt, get into trouble
eg. He was forced to take it on the chin when he got into the fight with the man at the store.
take the words out of one`s mouth
- say what another was just going to say, put another's thoughts into words
eg. He took the words right out of my mouth when he said that he wanted to go and get something to eat.
take heart
- be encouraged, feel braver and want to try
eg. He took heart in the fact that his son was still going to school even though he was failing most of his courses.
take a turn for the worse
- become sicker
eg. My aunt took a turn for the worse last week and is still in the hospital.
take someone's temperature
- measure someone's body temperature
eg. The nurse took my temperature when I went to the hospital yesterday.
take a beating
- lose money
eg. My friend took a beating on the stock market and now he never has to work.
taken aback
- unpleasantly surprised, suddenly puzzled or shocked
eg. I was taken aback when she said that she didn`t want to work with us any longer.
talk back
- answer rudely
eg. She is very strict and never allows her children to talk back to her.
talk big
- talk boastfully, brag
eg. He is always talking big but nobody believes what he says.
talk down to someone
- use words or ideas that are too simple
eg. I don`t really like her because she is always talking down to the people around her.
talk into
- get someone to agree to something, persuade someone to do something
eg. She finally talked her father into lending her the family car.
talk out
- discuss until everything is agreed on, settle
eg. We stayed up late last night and talked out the problem.
talk out of
- persuade not to, decide not to
eg. I spent about an hour yesterday trying to talk my friend out of quitting his job.
talk over
- discuss
eg. You had better talk over your plans with your parents before you decide what to do.
talk shop
- talk about things in one`s work
eg. Everyone at the restaurant decided that they would not talk shop during the dinner.
talk through one`s hat
- make exaggerated or inaccurate statements
eg. He is always talking through his hat and you never know if you can believe him or not.
talk turkey
- discuss seriously
eg. Now you`re talking turkey so let`s finish and go home.
talk up
- speak in favor of
eg. The manager was talking up the product as we entered the meeting.
talk until the cows come home
- talk for a long time
eg. We can talk until the cows come home this weekend at the lake.
talk through one`s hat
- say something without knowing or understanding the facts
eg. He is talking through his hat again and doesn`t really know what he is talking about.
tan someone`s hide
- give a beating to, spank hard
eg. The boy`s mother threatened to tan his hide if he did not behave himself.
taper off
- come to an end little by little, become smaller toward the end
eg. The rain began to taper off early in the afternoon.
tar and feather
- punish severely
eg. The teacher said that she would tar and feather anyone who didn`t do their homework.
tear down
- take down, destroy
eg. The city decided to tear down the building because it was unsafe.
tear up
- tear something up into small pieces
eg. The child tore up the new telephone book.
tell apart
- distinguish between two things or people
eg. It is hard to tell the two sisters apart.
tell it like it is
- be honest, sincere, tell the truth
eg. Although what he said was very difficult for everyone to believe he decided to tell it like it is anyway.
tell it to the marines (Sweeney)
- I don`t believe you, stop trying to fool me
eg. She said that she was going to start her own business but I told her to tell it to the marines as I didn`t believe her.
tell (someone) off
- speak to angrily
eg. He told his neighbor off after their music was too loud last night.
tell on someone
- reveal the activities or wrongdoings of someone by telling others
eg. She told on her brother for eating the cake.
tempest in a teapot
- great excitement about something not important
eg. The problem was really a tempest in a teapot and after a few days everyone had forgotten about it.
ten to one
- very likely
eg. I will make a bet that ten to one he comes to work late again today.
tenterhooks
- in a state of suspense or strain because of uncertainty
eg. They have been on tenterhooks all week while waiting for the decision about the Olympics.
ten-four
- I understand you.
eg. "Ten-four", he said when his friend asked him if he understood the plan.
that will be the day
- that will never happen
eg. That will be the day that he is willing to put you in charge of running the restaurant.
there are no two ways about it
- there is no alternative
eg. His boss told him that there are no two ways about it and he will have to change his habits or he will be fired.
thick
- dumb, unreasonable
eg. He is a little bit thick and never understands what I want to say.
think better of
- consider something again and make a better decision about something
eg. I would think better of going to Europe in the winter if I have a chance to go again.
think little of
- think that something or someone is not important or valuable
eg. She is not very happy and seems to think little of the people that she is working with.
think nothing of something
- not worry about something, forget it
eg. When he goes drinking he thinks nothing of spending most of his money at one time.
think out
- think through to the end
eg. I didn`t really have time to think out the problem of where everyone would sleep before the guests arrived.
think out loud
- say what one is thinking
eg. I am sorry. I was thinking out loud about the new system we have started.
think over
- consider carefully
eg. He carefully thought over his plans before talking to his supervisor.
think twice about something
- think very carefully
eg. You should think twice before you go ahead and quit your job.
think up
- invent, create
eg. He has thought up a lot of interesting ideas for his company.
three sheets to the wind
- unsteady from too much liquor, drunk
eg. I saw him walking down the street last night but he seemed to have three sheets to the wind.
three R's
- the three basic skills from school - reading, (w)riting, (a)rithmetic
eg. Many people believe that teaching the three R's is the most important role for schools.
through the grapevine
- hear from other people
eg. I heard it through the grapevine that he was going to move to Paris next summer.
through the mill
- experience a difficult situation
eg. He has really been through the mill after his divorce and loss of job.
through thick and thin
- through all difficulties and troubles, through good times and bad times
eg. Her husband is always ready to help her and supports her through thick and thin.
throw a curve
- take someone by surprise in an unpleasant way
eg. Everything was going well until he threw me a curve and told me that we would have to move to another office building next month.
throw a monkey wrench into
- cause something that is going smoothly to stop
eg. He threw a monkey wrench into our plans to go to the lake for the summer.
throw away a chance or opportunity
- fail to make use of a chance or opportunity
eg. He threw away a chance to get a good education when he began to work when he was very young.
throw cold water on
- discourage, forbid
eg. My boss quickly threw cold water on my plan to go to New York on a field trip.
throw down the gauntlet
- challenge someone to a fight or something similar
eg. The government threw down the gauntlet to the opposition party to either give an alternative or stop criticizing the government`s plans.
throw in
- give or put in as an addition
eg. When we bought the car the dealer threw in some new tires as a bonus.
throw in one`s lot with
- join, take part in something
eg. He decided to throw in his lot with the members of the company who were on strike.
throw in the towel
- surrender, give up
eg. The boxer threw in the towel about half way through the match.
throw off
- get free from
eg. I was able to throw off my cold and quickly recovered.
throw one`s weight around
- use one`s influence in an aggressive way
eg. He has been throwing his weight around ever since he got his new promotion.
throw out
- force to leave, dismiss
eg. The umpire threw out the coach for arguing with him.
throw the baby out with the bathwater
- reject all of something because part of it is faulty
eg. When they decided to get rid of all of the computers because one was broken it was like throwing the baby out with the bath water. They only needed one new computer.
throw the book at
- punish severely for breaking a rule or the law
eg. The government threw the book at him after he was convicted of drunk driving.
throw together
- make in a hurry and without care
eg. We didn`t have much time last night so we threw together a quick meal and then went to the football game.
throw to the wolves
- send into danger without protection
eg. The small boy was thrown to the wolves when he was made to join the team of older players.
throw up
- vomit
eg. He threw up two times after he got food poisoning from the seafood.
throw up one`s hands
- give up trying, admit that one cannot succeed
eg. He threw up his hands and decided to let the students go home early.
throw someone to the wolves
- send someone into danger without protection
eg. He decided to throw his co-worker to the wolves when he asked him to go and see the other company.
throw up one`s hands
- give up trying, admit that one cannot succeed
eg. I threw up my hands in frustration when I was unable to complete the telephone call.
throw cold water on
- discourage, forbid
eg. The managers threw cold water on the plans to close down the factory for one week in August.
throw money at something
- try to solve a problem by spending money on it
eg. The president of our company is willing to throw a lot of money at the problem in the hope of solving it.
throw up
- vomit
eg. The woman threw up several times after eating the bad shellfish.
thumb a lift/ride
- hitchhike
eg. Their car had a flat tire so they thumbed a lift to the nearest gas station.
thumb one`s nose
- look with disfavor or dislike
eg. The star player thumbed his nose at the fans when they began to boo him.
tickled pink
- very happy
eg. He was tickled pink to be awarded a prize for growing the best flowers.
tide (someone) over
- help someone through a difficult situation
eg. I lent him some money to tide him over until he gets paid.
tie down
- keep someone from going somewhere or doing something
eg. The project tied him down for over three months.
tie in
- to connect with something else
eg. The merchandise was tied in with the movie and had very good sales.
tie the knot
- get married
eg. They decided to tie the knot after seeing each other for over three years.
tie up
- slow or stop the movement or action of
eg. The highway traffic was tied up for over three hours last night.
tie up in knots
- make someone very nervous or worried
eg. He was tied up in knots before the speech at the convention.
tied down
- have family or job responsibilities
eg. I never see him anymore as he is tied down because of his busy schedule at work.
tighten one`s belt
- economize, spend less
eg. We will have to tighten our belts for awhile until the economy improves.
tight spot
- a difficult situation
eg. They are in a very tight spot since the head salesman quit.
tight squeeze
- difficult financial situation
eg. The company is in a tight squeeze now that sales are down from last year.
tight spot
- a difficult situation
eg. The computer manufacturing company has been in a tight spot since the shortage of computer chips appeared.
tighten one`s belt
- live on less money than usual
eg. If we want to going on a holiday to Europe this year we will have to tighten our belts and begin to save some money.
time after time
- repeatedly
eg. I have told her time after time to be careful with her spelling.
time of one`s life
- a wonderful time
eg. She had the time of her life when she went to Rome last summer.
time out
- time when a game or something is temporarily stopped for some reason
eg. During the game we took some time out to rest.
tip the balance
- have important or decisive influence, decide
eg. His ability to speak French tipped the balance in his favor to get the job at the embassy.
tip the scales
- weigh
eg. The sumo wrestler tipped the scales at over 200 kilograms.
tip (someone) off
- warn, inform
eg. The police were tipped off that there was going to be a robbery at the bank.
tire out
- make very tired
eg. My father was tired out after working hard all day.
tit for tat
- equal treatment in return, a fair exchange
eg. The government policy was a tit for tat response to any attacks against its territory.
to a fault
- so very well that it is almost bad
eg. He is honest to a fault and will not say anything unless it is the absolute truth.
to a T
- perfectly, exactly
eg. That new suit fits you to a T.
to and fro
- forward and back again and again
eg. They went to and fro between the two items trying to decide what to buy.
to be sure
- without a doubt, certainly
eg. To be sure it would be better to talk to the president of the company in person.
to boot
- in addition, also
eg. You will not only need a new video. You will need a new television to boot.
to heel
- under control
eg. The army brought the citizens to heel when they entered the town.
to one`s name
- in one`s ownership
eg. He is a very good dresser although he doesn`t have a penny to his name.
to order
- according to directions given in an order in the way something is made or size wanted etc.
eg. He had three suits made to order when he visited Hong Kong last year.
to pieces
- into broken pieces or fragments, destroyed, not working
eg. His car fell to pieces during his recent trip to Alaska.
to speak of
- important, worth talking about
eg. We didn`t do anything to speak of during the summer vacation.
to the bone
- thoroughly, entirely
eg. He became wet to the bone when the sudden storm appeared.
to the eye
- as it is seen, apparently
eg. To the eye it looked like a nice hotel but when we entered it was not very good at all.
to the full
- very much, fully
eg. He always tries to live his life to the full.
to the hilt
- to the maximum amount, completely
eg. He has been up to the hilt in debt since he bought that car.
to the letter
- exactly, precisely
eg. The police officer always follows the law to the letter.
to the nth degree
- to the greatest degree possible, extremely
eg. They made an effort to the nth degree but were unable to successfully complete the project.
to the tune of
- to the amount or extent of
eg. The damage that he did to his car was to the tune of about $2000.
to the wall
- into a place from which there is no escape
eg. The credit agency pushed him to the wall and he finally had to declare bankruptcy.
to the bone
- entirely, to the core, through all layers
eg. He was wet to the bone after staying out in the rain for two hours.
to the eye
- as it is seen, apparently
eg. To the eye it looked like there was no damage to the car but actually there was a lot of damage.
toe the line
- obey the rules and do one`s duties
eg. The children were forced to toe the line when the new teacher arrived.
tone down
- make less harsh or strong, moderate
eg. The union leader was forced to tone down his language after the strike began to grow violent.
too bad
- worthy of sorrow or regret
eg. It is too bad that the university decided to close the bookstore last year.
too big for one`s breeches/boots
- feeling more important than one really is
eg. Our new boss is too big for his breeches and needs someone to tell him to change his behavior.
too many irons in the fire
- too many things you are trying to do
eg. He has too many irons in the fire at the moment and has no time for other things.
tooth and nail
- fiercely, as hard as possible
eg. He decided to fight tooth and nail to get a transfer to another department of the company.
top off
- come or bring to a special or unexpected ending, climax
eg. The conference was topped off by a large dinner on the last day.
topsy-turvy
- upside down, in disarray
eg. My apartment was topsy-turvy so I stayed home to clean up.
top-drawer
- of the best or most important kind
eg. When he buys a new car he always buys a top-drawer model.
top-notch
- excellent, the best
eg. They had a top-notch cook at the restaurant but he left last month.
toss off
- drink rapidly
eg. He tossed off a couple of drinks before he went home for the evening.
toss out
- force to leave, dismiss
eg. The boys was tossed out of the restaurant for their bad behavior.
touch and go
- uncertain, dangerous situation
eg. It was touch and go as to whether she was going to survive after the car accident.
touch off
- cause to fire or explode by lighting the fuse
eg. The fire at the oil refinery touched off an explosion that destroyed many tanks.
touch on (upon)
- speak of or write of briefly
eg. The news article about the company touched upon their previous legal problems.
touch up
- paint over (small imperfections)
eg. I decided to have the repair shop touch up several places on my car where the paint was bad.
tough break
- unlucky event, misfortune
eg. He received a tough break when he became sick immediately before the music contest.
tourist trap
- place that is overpriced and attracts tourists
eg. He thinks that Hawaii is a tourist trap and doesn`t want to go there for his holiday.
tower of strength
- a person who gives strong and reliable support
eg. He has been a real tower of strength to his sister since her husband died.
track down
- search for
eg. I have been trying to track down an old Beatles album for many months.
trade something in
- exchange something old or used for something new
eg. He traded in his old car for a new one.
travel light
- travel with very little luggage or with little to carry
eg. We always travel very light when we go on a holiday.
tread on one`s toes
- do something that offends someone
eg. I don`t want to tread on her toes because she is the most powerful supervisor in this company.
treat someone
- pay for someone else
eg. He treated me to a dinner at the restaurant.
trial and error
- a way of solving problems by trying different possible solutions until one finds one that works
eg. They worked by trial and error until they found a solution to the parking problems at the factory.
trial balloon
- a hint about a plan with the purpose of finding out what people think about the idea
eg. We sent up a trial balloon to see who would support our plan to enlarge the factory.
trick of the trade
- a smart, quick or skillful way of doing something
eg. He knows many of the tricks of the trade in the publishing business.
trip the light fantastic
- go dancing
eg. It`s Friday night so let`s go downtown and trip the light fantastic.
trip up
- make a mistake
eg. The teacher tripped up over the correct pronunciation of the president`s name.
trump up
- make up, invent in the mind
eg. He was arrested on trumped up charges of selling illegal CDs.
trump card
- something kept back to be used to win success if nothing else works
eg. His trump card was his knowledge of the sales figures that nobody else knew..
try on
- put on clothes to see how they fit and look
eg. You should try on that jacket before you buy it.
try one`s hand
- make an inexperienced attempt at something
eg. I have decided to try my hand at sailing a boat this summer.
try out for
- planning to join or take part in a team, competing for a place
eg. Their son has decided to try out for the football team this summer.
try one`s hand
- make an inexperienced attempt at something
eg. I tried my hand at golf last summer but I didn't really like it.
try (something) out
- test
eg. We were not allowed to try the computer out before we bought it.
tug-of-war
- a game in which two teams pull on opposite ends of a rope and try to pull the other team over a line marked on the ground
eg. The children played tug-of-war at the summer camp.
tune in
- adjust a radio or television to pick up a certain station
eg. We were able to tune in to the basketball game when we were driving to work this morning.
tune up
- adjust a musical instrument to the right sound
eg. The orchestra tuned up their instruments before the performance.
turn a deaf ear to
- pretend not to hear, refuse to hear
eg. The company turned a deaf ear to our demands for more money and holidays.
turn down
- reduce the loudness, brightness or force of something
eg. I went over to my next door neighbor and asked him to turn down his stereo.
turn in
- give to someone, hand to someone
eg. I turned in the wallet that I had found to the police.
turn off
- shut off, stop
eg. Please turn off the lights before you go out.
turn (someone) off
- disgust, irritate, repel someone
eg. Her constant complaining always turns me off.
turn on
- open, start, let water or electricity flow
eg. Please turn on the radio so we can hear the evening news.
turn (someone) on
- excite a person, become interested in an idea, person or undertaking
eg. She was turned on by the idea of going to Spain for the summer.
turn on someone
- become suddenly hostile to someone
eg. He used to be my friend but he suddenly turned on me last summer.
turn one`s back on
- refuse to help someone in trouble or need
eg. She turned her back on her friend when she asked for help writing the exam paper.
turn one`s stomach
- make one feel sick
eg. Seeing the car accident turned my stomach.
turn on one`s heel
- turn around suddenly
eg. The mailman turned on his heel when when he saw the large dog.
turn out
- make someone leave or go away
eg. The man decided to turn his son out of the house when he refused to get a job.
turn over
- roll over, upset
eg. The ferry turned over during the winter storm.
turn over a new leaf
- make a fresh start
eg. I`m going to turn over a new leaf and begin to practice the piano every day.
turn over in one`s grave
- be so angry that one would not rest quietly in one`s grave
eg. My grandmother would turn over in her grave if she knew that I had lost my job and was not working.
turn tail
- run away from trouble or danger
eg. The young boys turned tail when the farmer began to chase them from the field.
turn the clock back
- return to an earlier period
eg. The politician wanted to turn the clock back to an earlier time but of course everyone knew it was impossible.
turn the other cheek
- let someone do something to you and not try to get revenge
eg. He decided to turn the other cheek when the man tried to start a fight in the restaurant.
turn the tables
- reverse the situation
eg. The opposing team were able to finally turn the tables and won the game.
turn the tide
- change what looks like defeat into victory
eg. At the beginning of the game they were losing badly but they turned the tide and finally won the game.
turn the trick
- bring about the result one wants, succeed in what one plans to do
eg. He wanted to win two prizes at the competition but was unable to turn the trick and only won one.
turn thumbs down
- disapprove or reject, say no
eg. My supervisor turned thumb downs to my plan to work on a more flexible schedule.
turn to
- go to for help
eg. He turned to his wife`s parents for advice about buying a house.
turn up
- appear suddenly
eg. They turned up when the party was almost over.
turn up one`s nose at
- refuse as not being good enough for one
eg. He turned up his nose at the offer of a job in another department of the company.
turn tail
- run away from trouble or danger
eg. We decided to turn tail and leave the pub before there was a fight.
turn on one`s heel
- turn around suddenly
eg. The dog suddenly turned on his heel and ran away.
turn thumbs down
- disapprove or reject, say no
eg. The building committee turned thumbs down on our plans to make the office larger.
turn one`s back on
- refuse to help someone in trouble or need
eg. The woman turned her back on her friend when she was asked for some money to borrow.
turn one`s stomach
- make one feel sick
eg. The sight of the dead dog on the road turned the stomachs of the children at the school.
turn over
- to buy and then sell something to customers
eg. The turn-over at that discount store is very rapid.
turn a deaf ear to
- pretend not to hear, not pay attention
eg. I turned a deaf ear to the complaints of my friend about the heat.
turn up one`s nose at
- refuse as not being good enough for one
eg. My sister turned up her nose at the chance to go to nursing school.
turn the other cheek
- let someone do something to one and not do it in return, not hit back when hit
eg. We were told in school that we should always turn the other cheek when we were attacked by someone.
twiddle one`s thumbs
- not busy, not working
eg. He was sitting around twiddling his thumbs all day and didn`t get any work done.
twist someone around one`s little finger
- have complete control over someone and be able to make them do anything you want
eg. She is able to easily twist her supervisor around her little finger and gets whatever she wants at work.
twist one`s arm
- force someone or threaten someone to make them do something
eg. He didn`t have to twist my arm to get me to go to the movie. I wanted to go anyway.
twist/wrap someone around one`s little finger
- have complete control over
eg. My sister has her boss wrapped around her little finger and she is able to do anything that she wants.
twist one`s arm
- force someone, threaten someone to make him do something
eg. I had to twist my friend's arm to get him to let me borrow his car.
two bits
- twenty-five cents, a quarter of a dollar
eg. He bought several used books for two bits each.
two cents
- something not important or very small, almost nothing
eg. Although his stereo works well I wouldn`t give him two cents for it.
two cents worth
- something one wants to say, opinion
eg. He is always talking and I never have a chance to put in my two cents worth.
two can play that game
- you can also treat someone in the same way as they have treated you
eg. The employees told the boss that two can play that game and if he was too strict they would also be unflexible at work.
two heads are better than one
- it is better to work with another person to solve problems etc
eg. Two heads are usually better than one when you are trying to solve a difficult problem.
two wrongs don't make a right
- you can't justify a wrong action by saying that someone else did the same thing to you
eg. Two wrongs don't make a right and if someone does something bad to you you should not try and hurt them as well.
two-faced
- disloyal, untrustworthy
eg. I think he is two-faced and can never be trusted.
two's company (three's a crowd)
- better to leave two people together than for a third person to interfere
eg. My friend wanted to come along on the date between me and my girlfriend but I told him that two's company and three's a crowd so he stayed home.
(be) thrown together
- be grouped with other people by chance
eg. We were thrown together with some strange people when the storm forced the plane to delay its flight for a day.
(not worth) two cents
- almost nothing, something not important or very small
eg. The car that my friend bought is not worth two cents.
(the) third degree
- detailed questioning
eg. His mother gave him the third degree when he came home late last night.
Last Update: 2005/12/18