UV
- Ultraviolet - a type of light ray
eg. We used lots of sunscreen in order to protect ourselves from UV rays.
ugly duckling
- an ugly or plain child who grows up to be pretty and attractive
eg. She was an ugly duckling when she was a child but now she is very beautiful.
under a cloud
- under suspicion, not trusted
eg. The politician has been under a cloud over the possibility of taking bribes.
under cover
- hidden, concealed
eg. The police officer went under cover to look for the drug dealers.
under fire
- being shot at or attacked, under (verbal) attack
eg. The owner of the company is under fire for not paying his employees a fair salary.
under one`s belt
- in one`s experience, memory or possession
eg. When he has more experience as a cook under his belt he will begin to look for a job.
under one`s breath
- in a whisper, with a low voice
eg. He was talking under his breath in the movie theater and someone complained.
under one`s nose
- in sight of, in an easily seen or noticeable place
eg. He found his driver`s license right under his nose where he had left it.
under one`s own steam
- by one`s own efforts, without help
eg. He was able to go home under his own steam even though he was feeling very sick.
under one`s thumb
- obedient to someone, controlled by someone
eg. He is only an assistant salesman but he has his boss under his thumb.
under one`s wing
- under the care or protection of
eg. He took the new employee under his wing to help him in the new job.
under the counter
- secretly bought or sold
eg. The drugs are being sold under the counter although the government has not given its approval.
under the hammer
- up for sale at an auction
eg. The painting went under the hammer and sold for a very high price.
under the table
- in secret and usually illegal
eg. He paid some money under the table in order to get his product exported into the country.
under the weather
- feel ill (but not seriously ill)
eg. He is feeling under the weather so he is going to bed early tonight.
under wraps
- not allowed to be seen until the right time, in secrecy
eg. The new car was still under wraps when the auto show started.
under one`s thumb
- obedient to someone, controlled by someone
eg. She has her husband under her thumb and never gives him any freedom at all.
under one`s belt
- in one`s experience or possession; gained by effort and skill
eg. Now that you have experience working for an international company under your belt you will have more chances to apply for a better job.
under one`s nose
- in sight of, easily seen
eg. I thought that I had lost my house keys but I found them right under my nose.
under the weather
- not feeling well
eg. My boss has been feeling under the weather all week and has not come to work during that time.
unearthly hour
- absurdly early or inconvenient
eg. We got up at an unearthly hour this morning so we could get ready to go camping.
until hell freezes over
- forever, for an eternity
eg. He said that he would not talk to his girlfriend again until hell freezes over.
up against
- close to
eg. The ladder was standing up against the tree in the yard.
up and about
- recovered from an illness
eg. He has been up and about for a couple of days since he left the hospital.
up for grabs
- available for anyone to try to get, ready to be competed for
eg. The new championship of the city is up for grabs.
up front
- honestly, correctly
eg. He was very up front when giving me the information about the new office.
up in arms
- equipped with guns or weapons and ready to fight, very angry and ready to fight
eg. The villagers were up in arms over the proposal to take some of their land away from them.
up in the air
- not settled, undecided
eg. Whether or not I will be able to go to London is still up in the air.
up in arms
- very angry and wanting to fight, equipped with guns or weapons and ready to fight
eg. The students were up in arms over the school's plan to make them wear uniforms.
up one`s alley
- something one is good at or enjoys
eg. Computer programming is right up his alley and he is very good at it.
up one`s sleeve
- kept secretly ready for the right time or for a time when needed
eg. He probably has something up his sleeve and will be able to get a job when he needs one.
up the creek
- in trouble
eg. She is up the creek now that she has lost her passport.
up the river/creek with no paddle
- in trouble and unable to do anything about it
eg. I think that we are up the river with no paddle now that our car has run out of gasoline.
up to
- as far as, as deep or as high as, close to, approaching
eg. The water in the swimming pool came up to my waist.
up to it/the job
- capable of, fit for, equal to
eg. If he is up to it we should let him drive the truck to the new office.
up to/till/until
- until
eg. Up until last week he had never been inside of a bowling alley.
up to here with
- sick of someone`s continual bad or irritating behavior
eg. I have had it up to here with his always coming late to work.
up to one`s ears in work
- have a lot of work to do
eg. I`d like to go with you but I`m up to my ears in work at the moment.
up to par/scratch/snuff/the mark
- meeting normal standards, equal to the usual level or quality
eg. His work was not up to par and he was asked to leave and look for another job.
up to someone to do something
- be responsible to take care of something
eg. It is up to her to decide when the meeting will start.
up to the chin in
- very busy with, working hard at, having very much or many of
eg. She has been up to her chin all morning in work to try and get ready for the party.
upper crust
- richest, most famous or important people in a certain place, the highest class
eg. The private club was full of what looked like the upper crust of the city.
ups and downs
- alternate good and bad fortune
eg. He is having a few ups and downs but generally he is doing well.
upset the applecart
- ruin or spoil a plan or idea
eg. Try not to upset the applecart as we have spent a lot of time working on this project.
uptight
- worried, irritated, excessively eager or anxious
eg. My sister has been uptight all week because of her exams.
use one`s head/bean/noodle/noggin
- think carefully about
eg. You should use your head a little more and try not to make the same mistake again.
use one`s head
- use one's brain or mind, think, have common sense
eg. Sometimes I think that the manager of the video store never uses her head at all when you ask her a question.
use up
- use until nothing is left, spend or consume completely
eg. They used up all of the paper in the copy machine this morning.
used to
- accustomed to
eg. He is not used to living in such a big city.
(in) up to the chin
- very busy with, deeply involved in something, guilty of
eg. He has been in up to the chin in the project to build a new convention center.
Last Update: 2005/12/18