caused another person to experience.
(Proverb. Note the variation in the ex-
amples. See also
have the shoe on the
other foot
.) ᮀ The teacher is taking a
course in summer school and is finding out
what it’s like when the shoe is on the other
foot.
ᮀ When the policeman was arrested,
he learned what it was like to have the shoe
on the other foot.
shook up upset; shocked. (Slang. See also
shake
someone or something
up.) ᮀ Relax,
man! Don’t get shook up!
ᮀ I always get
shook up when I see something like that.
shoot for
something
to try to do something;
to attempt to do something; to aim
toward a goal.
ᮀ The industrious student
shot for success.
ᮀ The worker shot for a $2
per hour raise.
shoot from the hip 1. to fire a gun that is
held at one’s side, against one’s hip. (This
increases one’s speed in firing a gun.)

the sun fell on it.
T The little girl shot out
her tongue at the teacher.
2. to settle a
matter by the use of guns. (Slang. Typi-
cal of gangster or western movies.)
ᮀ Bill
and the cowboy—with whom he had been
arguing—went out in the street and shot it
out.
T Don’t they know they can settle a
problem by talking? They don’t need to
shoot out the problem when they can talk
it over.
shoot the breeze to spend time chatting.
(Slang. See also the following entry.)
ᮀ
I went over to Bob’s place and shot the
breeze for about an hour.
ᮀ Don’t spend so
much time shooting the breeze. Get to
work!
shoot the bull to spend time chatting
about one’s accomplishments, especially
with others who are doing the same.
(Slang. See also the previous entry.)
ᮀ
Those guys out in the backyard are just sit-
ting around shooting the bull.
ᮀ It was

ᮀ
Photo is short for photograph. ᮀ Dave is
short for David.
short of
something
not having enough of
something.
ᮀ I wanted to bake a cake, but
I was short of eggs.
ᮀ Usually at the end
of the month, I’m short of money.
a
shot in the arm a boost; something that
gives someone energy. (Informal.)
ᮀ
Thank you for cheering me up. It was a
real shot in the arm.
ᮀ Your friendly greet-
ing card was just what I needed—a real
shot in the arm.
a
shot in the dark a random or wild guess
or try. (Slang.)
ᮀ I don’t know how I
guessed the right answer. It was just a shot
in the dark.
ᮀ I was lucky to hire such a
shook up
360
good worker as Sally. When I hired her, it

ᮀ The minute I
got up and heard the news this morning,
I knew I should have stood in bed.
shoulder to shoulder side by side; with a
shared purpose.
ᮀ The two armies fought
shoulder to shoulder against the joint
enemy.
ᮀ The strikers said they would
stand shoulder to shoulder against the
management.
shove
one’s
way
somewhere
to make a path
through a crowd by pushing.
ᮀ The im-
patient man shoved his way through the
crowd.
ᮀ The reporter shoved her way to
the front of the crowd.
shove
someone or something
down
someone’s
throat and ram
someone or something
down
someone’s

hall and had refreshments.
show good faith to demonstrate good in-
tentions or good will.
ᮀ I’m certain that
you showed good faith when you signed the
contract.
ᮀ Do you doubt that she is show-
ing good faith?
show off to do things in a way that is
meant to attract attention.
ᮀ Please stop
showing off! You embarrass me.
ᮀ John is
always showing off to his girlfriend.
a
show of hands a display of raised hands
[in a group of people] that can be
counted for the purpose of votes or sur-
veys.
ᮀ We were asked to vote for the can-
didates for captain by a show of hands.
ᮀ
Jack wanted us to vote on paper, not by a
show of hands, so that we could have a se-
cret ballot.
show
one’s
hand to reveal one’s intentions
to someone. (From card games.)
ᮀ I

going to sleep.
show
someone or something
off to display
someone or something so that the best
features are apparent.
T Mrs. Williams
show someone or something off
361
was showing off her baby to the neighbors.
ᮀ Bill drove around all afternoon showing
his new car off.
show
someone
the ropes to tell or show
someone how something is to be done.
ᮀ
Since this was my first day on the job, the
manager spent a lot of time showing me
the ropes.
ᮀ Take some time and show the
new boy the ropes.
show
someone
to a seat and show
one
to
one’s
seat to lead or direct someone to a
place to sit.

to reveal that
someone is really something (else).
ᮀ
The investigation showed her up as a
fraud.
ᮀ The test showed the banker up
as unqualified.
show
something
to good advantage to dis-
play the best features of something; to
display something so that its best features
are apparent.
ᮀ Put the vase in the cen-
ter of the table and show it to good ad-
vantage.
ᮀ Having and using a large vo-
cabulary shows your intelligence to good
advantage.
shuffle off this mortal coil to die. (Of-
ten jocular or formal euphemism. Not of-
ten used in consoling someone.)
ᮀ
Cousin Fred shuffled off this mortal coil
after drinking a jug full of rat poison.
ᮀ
When I shuffle off this mortal coil, I want
to go out in style—bells, flowers, and a
long, boring funeral.
shut

closes the door on any more business from
my company.
shuttle
someone or something
from person to
person
and shuttle
someone or something
from place to place to move or pass
someone or something from person to
person; to move or pass someone or
something from place to place.
ᮀ My
phone call was shuttled from person to per-
son.
ᮀ Mary shuttled her children from
home to school to practice.
shuttle
someone or something
from place to
place
Go to shuttle
someone or something
from person to person.
shy away (from
someone or something
) to
avoid someone or something.
ᮀ The dog
shies away from John since he kicked it.

362
side with
someone
to join with someone; to
take someone else’s part; to be on some-
one’s side.
ᮀ Why is it that you always side
with him when he and I argue?
ᮀ I never
side with anybody. I form my own
opinions.
sight for sore eyes a welcome sight.
(Folksy.)
ᮀ Oh, am I glad to see you here!
You’re a sight for sore eyes.
ᮀ I’m sure hun-
gry. This meal is a sight for sore eyes.
a
sign of things to come Go to a harbin-
ger of things to come.
sign
one’s
own death warrant to do some-
thing (knowingly) that will most likely
result in severe trouble. (As if one were
ordering one’s own execution.)
ᮀ I
wouldn’t ever gamble a large sum of
money. That would be signing my own
death warrant.

ᮀ The traffic
cop signaled me to stop.
ᮀ Bill signaled the
other driver to pull over to the side of the
road.
signed, sealed, and delivered formally
and officially signed; [for a formal doc-
ument to be] executed.
ᮀ Here is the deed
to the property—signed, sealed, and de-
livered.
ᮀ I can’t begin work on this pro-
ject until I have the contract signed, sealed,
and delivered.
silent as the dead Go to (as) silent as the
dead.
silent as the grave Go to (as) silent as the
grave.
silly as a goose Go to (as) silly as a goose.
silly season the time of year, usually late
in the summer, when there is a lack of
important news and newspapers contain
articles about unimportant or trivial
things instead.
ᮀ It must be the silly sea-
son. There’s a story here about peculiarly
shaped potatoes.
ᮀ There’s a piece on the
front page about people with big feet. Talk
about the silly season!

highly and enthusiastically.
ᮀ The boss is
singing the praises of his new secretary.
ᮀ
The theater critics are singing the praises
of the young actor.
single file Go to (in) single file.
sink in [for knowledge] to be understood.
(Also literal. Informal.)
ᮀ I heard what
you said, but it took a while for it to sink
in.
ᮀ I pay careful attention to everything
I hear in class, but it usually doesn’t sink
in.
sink into despair [for someone] to grieve
or become depressed.
ᮀ After losing all
my money, I sank into despair.
ᮀ There is
sink into despair
363
no need to sink into despair. Everything is
going to be all right.
sink
one’s
teeth into
something
1. to take a
bite of some kind of food, usually a spe-

sit at
someone’s
feet to admire someone
greatly; to be influenced by someone’s
teaching; to be taught by someone.
ᮀ
Jack sat at the feet of Picasso when he was
studying in Europe.
ᮀ Tom would love to
sit at the feet of the musician Yehudi
Menuhin.
sit back and let
something happen
to relax
and not interfere with something; to let
something happen without playing a part
in it.
ᮀ I can’t just sit back and let you
waste all our money!
ᮀ Don’t worry. Just
sit back and let things take care of
themselves.
sit bolt upright to sit up straight. ᮀ Tony
sat bolt upright and listened to what the
teacher was saying to him.
ᮀ After sitting
bolt upright for almost an hour in that
crowded airplane, I swore I would never
travel again.
sit (idly) by to remain inactive when other

ᮀ We saw a very poor perfor-
mance of the play. The audience sat on its
hands for the entire play.
ᮀ The audience
just sat on its hands.
sit on
one’s
hands to do nothing; to fail to
help.
ᮀ When we needed help from Mary,
she just sat on her hands.
ᮀ We need the
cooperation of everyone. You can’t sit on
your hands!
sit on
someone or something
to hold someone
or something back; to delay someone or
something. (Also literal. Informal.)
ᮀ
The project cannot be finished because the
city council is sitting on the final approval.
ᮀ Ann deserves to be promoted, but the
manager is sitting on her because of a
disagreement.
sit on the fence not to take sides in a dis-
pute; not to make a clear choice between
two possibilities. (Also literal.)
ᮀ When
Jane and Tom argue, it is well to sit on the

gates to open when someone came out and
told us to sit tight because it wouldn’t be
much longer before we could go in.
sit up and take notice to become alert and
pay attention.
ᮀ A loud noise from the
front of the room caused everyone to sit up
and take notice.
ᮀ The company would-
n’t pay any attention to my complaints.
When I had my lawyer write them a let-
ter, they sat up and took notice.
sit up with
someone
to stay with someone
through the night, especially with a sick
or troubled person or with someone who
is waiting for something.
ᮀ I had to sit up
with my younger sister when she was ill.
ᮀ
I sat up with Bill while he waited for an
overseas telephone call.
sit with
someone
1. to stay with someone; to
sit up with
someone
. ᮀ Sally was upset, so
I sat with her for a while.

oil field seems to be under control for now,
but all the workers there are sitting on a
powder keg.
(sitting) on top of the world feeling won-
derful; glorious; ecstatic.
ᮀ Wow, I feel on
top of the world.
ᮀ Since he got a new job,
he’s on top of the world.
sitting pretty living in comfort or luxury;
in a good situation. (Informal.)
ᮀ My
uncle died and left enough money for me
to be sitting pretty for the rest of my life.
ᮀ Now that I have a good-paying job, I’m
sitting pretty.
a
sitting target someone or something that
is in a position that is easily attacked. (See
also a
sitting duck.) ᮀ The old man was
a sitting target for the burglars. He lived
alone and did not have a telephone.
ᮀ Peo-
ple recently hired will be sitting targets if
the company needs to cut back.
six of one and half a dozen of the other
about the same one way or another. ᮀ It
doesn’t matter to me which way you do it.
It’s six of one and half a dozen of the other.

skating on thin ice when the teacher asks
me a question.
ᮀ You are skating on thin
ice when you ask me that!
a
skeleton in the closet and skeletons
in the closet
a hidden and shocking se-
cret.
ᮀ You can ask anyone about how re-
liable I am. I don’t mind. I don’t have any
skeletons in the closet.
ᮀ My uncle was in
jail for a day once. That’s our family’s
skeleton in the closet.
a skeleton in the closet
365
skin and bones Go to nothing but skin and
bones.
skin
someone
alive to be very angry with
someone; to scold someone severely.
(Folksy.)
ᮀ I was so mad at Jane that I
could have skinned her alive.
ᮀ If I don’t
get home on time, my parents will skin me
alive.
skip bail Go to jump bail.

ᮀ Business tends to slack off during
the winter months.
ᮀ The storms begin to
slack off in April.
2. to become less active;
to become lazy or inefficient.
ᮀ Near the
end of the school year, Sally began to slack
off, and her grades showed it.
ᮀ John got
fired for slacking off during the busy
season.
a
slap in the face an insult; an act that
causes disappointment or discourage-
ment.
ᮀ Losing the election was a slap in
the face for the club president.
ᮀ Failing to
get into a good college was a slap in the face
to Tim after his years of study.
slap
someone
down to rebuke or rebuff
someone, possibly with actual slapping.
ᮀ You may disagree with her, but you
needn’t slap her down like that.
ᮀ I only
asked you what time it was! There’s no
need to slap me down! What a rotten hu-

scheduled to do
something.
ᮀ John was slated to play ball
Friday.
ᮀ Who is slated to work this
weekend?
a
slave to
something
someone who is under
the control of something; someone who
is controlled by something. (Preceded by
be, become, seem like, or act like.)
ᮀ Mary
is a slave to her job.
ᮀ Bill is a slave to his
drug addiction.
sleep in to oversleep; to sleep late in the
morning.
ᮀ If you sleep in again, you’ll get
fired.
ᮀ I really felt like sleeping in this
morning.
sleep like a baby Go to sleep like a log.
sleep like a log and sleep like a baby
to sleep very soundly. ᮀ Everyone in our
family sleeps like a log, so no one heard the
fire engines in the middle of the night.
ᮀ
Nothing can wake me up. I usually sleep

skin and bones
366
Sam’s sleeping with Sally now. ᮀ Whom
did you say he slept with?
a
slice of the cake a share of something.
(Also literal.)
ᮀ There’s not much work
around and so everyone must get a slice of
the cake.
ᮀ The company makes huge
profits and the workers want a slice of the
cake.
slick as a whistle Go to (as) slick as a
whistle.
slip away and slip off; slip out to go
away or escape quietly or in secret.
ᮀ I
slipped away when no one was looking.
ᮀ
Let’s slip off somewhere and have a little
talk.
ᮀ I’ll try to slip out for an hour or two
when Tom is asleep.
slip off Go to slip away.
a slip of the tongue an error in speaking
where a word is pronounced incorrectly,
or where something that the speaker did
not mean to say is said.
ᮀ I didn’t mean

I managed to slip through his fingers.
slip up to make an error. (Informal. Also
without up.)
ᮀ Try as hard as you can to
do it right and not slip up.
ᮀ Everything
was going fine until the last minute when
I slipped up.
slippery as an eel Go to (as) slippery as
an eel.
Slow and steady wins the race. Delib-
erateness and determination will lead to
success, or (literally) a reasonable pace
will win a race. (Proverb.)
ᮀ I worked my
way through college in six years. Now I
know what they mean when they say,
“Slow and steady wins the race.”
ᮀ Ann
won the race because she started off slowly
and established a good pace. The other
runners tried to sprint the whole distance,
and they tired out before the final lap.
Ann’s trainer said, “You see! I told you!
Slow and steady wins the race.”
slow as molasses in January Go to (as)
slow as molasses in January.
slow going the rate of speed when one is
making progress.
ᮀ It was slow going at

slow
someone or something
up and slow
some-
one or something
down to cause someone
or something to reduce speed. (The
phrases with up are informal.)
ᮀ I’m in
a hurry. Don’t try to slow me down.
T
Please slow up the train. There are sheep
near the track.
slower and slower at a decreasing rate of
speed; slow and then even slower.
ᮀ The
car is going slower and slower and will stop
slower and slower
367
soon. ᮀ The dog’s breathing got slower and
slower as it went to sleep.
slower than molasses in January Go to
(as) slow as molasses in January.
slow(ly) but sure(ly) slowly but with a
purpose; slowly and deliberately. (The ex-
pression without the -ly is informal.)
ᮀ
Slowly but surely, the little train reached
the top of the mountain.
ᮀ Progress was

at lunchtime.
the
small print and the fine print the part
of a document that is not easily noticed,
often because of the smallness of the
print, and that often contains important
information.
ᮀ You should have read the
small print before signing the contract.
ᮀ
You should always read the fine print in an
insurance policy.
small-time small; on a small scale. (Infor-
mal.)
ᮀ Our business is small-time just
now, but it’s growing.
ᮀ He’s a small-time
crook.
smear campaign (against
someone
) a cam-
paign aimed at damaging someone’s rep-
utation by making accusations and
spreading rumors.
ᮀ The politician’s op-
ponents are engaging in a smear campaign
against him.
ᮀ Jack started a smear cam-
paign against Tom so that Tom wouldn’t
get the manager’s job.

ᮀ
Her report was little more than smoke and
mirrors. No one will believe any of it.
smoke
someone or something
out to force
someone or something out (of some-
thing), perhaps with smoke. (In cowboy
or gangster talk this refers to the smoke
from gunfire.)
ᮀ There was a mouse in
the attic, but I smoked it out.
T The sher-
iff and the deputies smoked out the bank
robbers.
smooth as glass Go to (as) smooth as
glass.
smooth as silk Go to (as) smooth as silk.
smooth
something
out Go to smooth
some-
thing
over.
smooth
something
over and smooth
some-
thing
out to reduce the intensity of an ar-

something
to become suddenly
freed from a state. (Informal. The state
can be a depression, an illness, uncon-
sciousness, etc.)
ᮀ I was very depressed for
a week, but this morning I snapped out of
it.
ᮀ It isn’t often that a cold gets me down.
Usually I can snap out of it quickly.
snap
something
up 1. to grab and buy some-
thing.
ᮀ I always snap bargains up when-
ever I go shopping.
T I went to the store,
and they had soup on sale, so I snapped up
plenty.
2. to make something go faster. ᮀ
You’re playing this music too slowly. Snap
it up!
T This performance is getting slow
and dull. Let’s snap up the whole thing!
sniff
someone or something
out to locate some-
one or something. (Also literal.)
T I’ll see
if I can sniff out the correct stylus for your

someone or something
is concerned
Go to (as) far as
someone or something
is
concerned.
so far as
something
is concerned Go to (as)
far as
something
is concerned.
So far, so good. All is going well so far. ᮀ
We are half finished with our project. So
far, so good.
ᮀ The operation is proceed-
ing quite nicely—so far, so good.
So it goes. That is the kind of thing that
happens.; That is life.
ᮀ Too bad about
John and his problems. So it goes.
ᮀ I just
lost a twenty-dollar bill, and I can’t find
it anywhere. So it goes.
so long good-bye. (Informal.) ᮀ So long,
see you later.
ᮀ As John got out of the car,
he said, “Thanks for the ride. So long.”
so long as Go to as long as.
so mad I could scream very mad. ᮀ I am

ᮀ The players put on a so-so
performance.
so-so
369
so soon early; before the regular time;
ahead of schedule.
ᮀ I got there early be-
cause my bus arrived so soon.
ᮀ Because
the meeting ended so soon, I had some ex-
tra time.
so still you could hear a pin drop and
so quiet you could hear a pin drop
very quiet. (Also with can.) ᮀ When I
came into the room, it was so still you
could hear a pin drop. Then everyone
shouted, “Happy birthday!”
ᮀ Please be
quiet. Be so quiet you can hear a pin drop.
so to speak as one might say; said a cer-
tain way, even though the words are not
exactly accurate.
ᮀ John helps me with my
taxes. He’s my accountant, so to speak.
ᮀ
I just love my little poodle. She’s my baby,
so to speak.
soaked to the skin with one’s clothing wet
clear through to the skin.
ᮀ I was caught

hands Go to get
one’s
hands dirty.
sold out [of a product] completely sold
with no more items remaining; [of a
store] having no more of a particular
product.
ᮀ The tickets were sold out so we
couldn’t go to the concert.
ᮀ I wanted new
shoes like yours, but they were sold out.
solid as a rock Go to (as) solid as a rock.
(some) new blood new personnel; new
members brought into a group to revive
it.
ᮀ This company needs some new blood
on its board to bring in new ideas.
ᮀ We’re
trying to get some new blood in the club.
Our membership is falling.
ᮀ Our club
needs new blood. It has become boring.
ᮀ
The firm’s management has at last got a
little new blood. Things should improve
now.
someone or something
checks out someone or
something is verified or authenticated.
(Informal.)

ᮀ I can’t miss another day of work. That’s
my bread and butter.
ᮀ I like to go to busi-
ness conferences. That’s good because that’s
my bread and butter.
someone’s
goose is cooked one is finished;
one has been found out and is in trou-
ble.
ᮀ It’s over. His goose is cooked! ᮀ If
I get caught, my goose is cooked.
someone’s
last will and testament a will;
the last edition of someone’s will.
ᮀ The
lawyer read Uncle Charles’s last will and
testament to a group of expectant relatives.
ᮀ Fred dictated his last will and testament
on his deathbed.
so soon
370
someone’s
mission in life one’s purpose for
living; the reason for which one lives on
the earth.
ᮀ Bob’s mission in life is to
make money.
ᮀ My mission in life is to
help people live in peace.
someone’s

song.
ᮀ We didn’t know that her perfor-
mance last night was the singer’s swan
song.
someone’s
train of thought someone’s pat-
tern of thinking; someone’s sequence of
ideas; what one was just thinking about.
(See also
lose
one’s
train of thought.) ᮀ
My train of thought is probably not as clear
as it should be.
ᮀ I cannot seem to follow
your train of thought on this matter. Will
you explain it a little more carefully,
please?
someone
wrote the book on
something
to be
very authoritative about something; to
know enough about something to write
the definitive book on it. (Also literal. Al-
ways in past tense.)
ᮀ Ted wrote the book
on unemployment. He’s been looking for
work in three states for two years.
ᮀ Do I

a cold or something of the sort.
something or other something; one thing
or another. (Informal.)
ᮀ I can’t remem-
ber what Ann said—something or other.
ᮀ
A messenger came by and dropped off
something or other at the front desk.
something to that effect and words to
that effect
something like what was just
said. (Informal.)
ᮀ She said she wouldn’t
be available until after three, or something
to that effect.
ᮀ I was told to keep out of
the house—or something to that effect.
something’s up something is going to hap-
pen; something is going on. (Slang.)
ᮀ
Everybody looks very nervous. I think
something’s up.
ᮀ From the looks of all the
activity around here, I think something’s
up.
(somewhere) in the neighborhood of
an
amount
approximately a particular mea-
surement.

2. a useless annoyance; something
worthless.
ᮀ This car is a son of a bitch.
It won’t ever start when it’s cold.
ᮀ This
bumpy old road needs paving. It’s a real
son of a bitch.
3. a difficult task. (Infor-
mal.)
ᮀ This job is a son of a bitch. ᮀ I
can’t do this kind of thing. It’s too hard—
a real son of a bitch.
son of a gun 1. a horrible person. (Infor-
mal. A euphemism for
son of a bitch. Use
with caution.)
ᮀ When is that plumber
going to show up and fix this leak? The stu-
pid son of a gun!
ᮀ Bob is a rotten son of
a gun if he thinks he can get away with
that.
2. old (male) friend. (Informal. A
friendly—male to male—way of refer-
ring to a friend. Use with caution.)
ᮀ
Why Bill, you old son of a gun, I haven’t
seen you in three or four years.
ᮀ When
is that son of a gun John going to come visit

out to clear up confusion; to
straighten out something disorderly.
(Also literal.)
T Now that things are set-
tled down, I can sort out my life.
ᮀ This
place is a mess. Let’s sort things out before
we do anything else.
sound as a dollar Go to (as) sound as a
dollar.
sound as if and sound like to seem, from
what has been said, as if something were
so. (Sound like is colloquial.)
ᮀ It sounds
as if you had a good vacation.
ᮀ You
sound like you are angry.
sound like Go to sound as if.
sound like a broken record to say the
same thing over and over again. (From an
earlier age when a crack in a 78 rpm
record would cause the needle (or stylus)
to stay in the same groove and play it over
and over.)
ᮀ He’s always complaining
about the way she treats him. He sounds
like a broken record!
ᮀ I hate to sound like
a broken record, but we just don’t have
enough people on the payroll to work

something
up to make something (es-
pecially a car) more powerful. (Slang.)
ᮀ
I wish someone would soup my car up. It’ll
hardly run.
T Bill spent all summer soup-
ing up that old car he bought.
sour as vinegar Go to (as) sour as vinegar.
sow
one’s
wild oats to do wild and foolish
things in one’s youth. (Often assumed to
have some sort of sexual meaning.)
ᮀ
Dale was out sowing his wild oats last
night, and he’s in jail this morning.
ᮀ Mrs.
Smith told Mr. Smith that he was too old
to be sowing his wild oats.
son of a bitch
372
spaced-out dopey; giddy. (Slang.) ᮀ I don’t
see how Sally can accomplish anything.
She’s so spaced-out!
ᮀ She’s not really
spaced-out. She acts that way on purpose.
spare
someone something
to exempt someone

Jane.
speak ill of
someone
to say something bad
about someone.
ᮀ I refuse to speak ill of
any of my friends.
ᮀ Max speaks ill of no
one and refuses to repeat gossip.
speak off the cuff to speak in public with-
out preparation.
ᮀ I’m not too good at
speaking off the cuff.
ᮀ I need to prepare
a speech for Friday, although I speak off
the cuff quite well.
speak of the devil said when someone
whose name has just been mentioned ap-
pears or is heard from.
ᮀ Well, speak of
the devil! Hello, Tom. We were just talk-
ing about you.
ᮀ I had just mentioned
Sally when—speak of the devil—she
walked in the door.
speak
one’s
mind to say frankly what one
thinks (about something). (See also
speak out (on

ᮀ Jane and Jack get along very well.
They really speak the same language about
almost everything.
ᮀ Bob and his father
didn’t speak the same language when it
comes to politics.
speak up 1. to speak more loudly. ᮀ They
can’t hear you in the back of the room.
Please speak up.
ᮀ What? Speak up,
please. I’m hard of hearing.
2. to speak
out (on
something
). ᮀ If you think that this
is wrong, you must speak up and say so.
ᮀ I’m too shy to speak up.
speak up for
someone or something
to speak
in favor of someone or something; to
speak in someone’s defense.
ᮀ If anybody
says bad things about me, I hope you speak
up for me.
ᮀ I want to speak up for the
rights of students.
speak with a forked tongue to tell lies; to
try to deceive someone.
ᮀ Jean’s mother

spick-and-span for the party Friday night.
ᮀ I love to have everything around me
spick-and-span.
spill the beans Go to let the cat out of the
bag.
spin a yarn to tell a tale. ᮀ Grandpa spun
an unbelievable yarn for us.
ᮀ My uncle is
always spinning yarns about his childhood.
spin
one’s
wheels to be in motion, but get
nowhere. (Slang.)
ᮀ This is a terrible job.
I’m just spinning my wheels and not get-
ting anywhere.
ᮀ Get organized and try to
accomplish something. Stop spinning your
wheels!
spin
something
off to create something as a
by-product of something else.
ᮀ When
the company reorganized, it spun its bank-
ing division off.
T By spinning off part of
its assets, a company gets needed capital.
spit (
something

ᮀ If you two
don’t stop chattering, I’ll have to split you
up.
ᮀ The group of people grew too large,
so we had to split them up.
T I will have
to split up that twosome in the corner.
split
something
fifty-fifty Go to divide
some-
thing
fifty-fifty.
split the difference to divide the differ-
ence evenly (with someone else).
ᮀ Yo u
want to sell for $120, and I want to buy for
$100. Let’s split the difference and close the
deal at $110.
ᮀ I don’t want to split the
difference. I want $120.
split up [for people] to separate or leave
one another; [for a couple] to divorce or
spearate.
ᮀ I heard that Mr. and Mrs.
Brown have split up.
ᮀ Our little club had
to split up because everyone was too busy.
spoken for taken; reserved (for someone).
ᮀ I’m sorry, but this one is already spo-

you hurry, you have a sporting chance of
catching the bus.
ᮀ The small company
has only a sporting chance of getting the
export order.
spout off (about
someone or something
) to
talk too much about someone or some-
thing. (Informal.)
ᮀ Why do you always
have to spout off about things that don’t
concern you?
ᮀ Everyone in our office
spouts off about the boss.
ᮀ There is no
need to spout off like that. Calm down and
think about what you’re saying.
spread it on thick Go to lay it on thick.
spread like wildfire to spread rapidly and
without control.
ᮀ The epidemic is
spreading like wildfire. Everyone is getting
spick-and-span
374
sick. ᮀ John told a joke that was so funny
it spread like wildfire.
spread
oneself
too thin to do so many

ᮀ I’ll be ready to go as soon as I spruce my-
self up a bit.
T I have to spruce up the
house for the party.
square accounts (with
someone
) 1. to set-
tle one’s financial accounts with some-
one.
ᮀ I have to square accounts with the
bank this week, or it’ll take back my car.
ᮀ
I called the bank and said I needed to come
in and square accounts.
2. to get even
with someone; to straighten out a mis-
understanding with someone. (Infor-
mal.)
ᮀ I’m going to square accounts with
Tom. He insulted me in public, and he
owes me an apology.
ᮀ Tom, you and I are
going to have to square accounts.
square deal a fair and honest transaction;
fair treatment. (Informal.)
ᮀ All the
workers want is a square deal, but their
boss underpays them.
ᮀ You always get a
square deal with that travel company.

T Please
square away the problems we discussed
earlier.
square up to
someone or something
to face
someone or something bravely; to tackle
someone or something.
ᮀ You’ll have to
square up to the bully or he’ll make your
life miserable.
ᮀ It’s time to square up to
your financial problems. You can’t just ig-
nore them.
square up with
someone
to pay someone
what one owes; to pay one’s share of
something to someone. (Informal.)
ᮀ I’ll
square up with you later if you pay the
whole bill now.
ᮀ Bob said he would
square up with Tom for his share of the
gas.
squared away arranged or properly taken
care of.
ᮀ Is Ann squared away yet? ᮀ I
will talk to you when I am squared away.
squeak by (

ᮀ Where should I
stack something up
375
stack them up? T Please stack up these
boxes.
stack the cards (against
someone or some-
thing
) Go to stack the deck (against
some-
one or something
).
stack the deck (against
someone or some-
thing
) and stack the cards (against
someone or something
) to arrange things
against someone or something. (Slang.
Originally from card playing.)
ᮀ I can’t
get ahead at my office. Someone has
stacked the cards against me.
ᮀ Do you
really think that someone has stacked the
deck? Isn’t it just fate?
stake a claim (to
something
) to lay or make
a claim for something. (Informal.)

3. [with some-
thing] to eliminate something.
ᮀ The
doctors hope they can stamp cancer out.
T
Many people think that they can stamp out
evil.
stand a chance to have a chance. ᮀ Do you
think I stand a chance of winning first
place?
ᮀ Everyone stands a chance of
catching the disease.
stand and deliver to give up something
to someone who demands it. (Originally
used by highway robbers asking for pas-
sengers’ valuables. Now used figura-
tively.)
ᮀ And when the tax agent says
“Stand and deliver” you have to be pre-
pared to pay what is demanded.
ᮀ The
robber stopped the coach and demanded of
Lady Ellen, “Stand and deliver!”
stand behind
someone or something
and
stand (in) back of
someone or something
to
endorse or guarantee something or the

wrongly. I stand corrected.
ᮀ We appreci-
ate now that our conclusions were wrong.
We stand corrected.
stand for
something
1. to endure something.
ᮀ The teacher won’t stand for any whis-
pering in class.
ᮀ We just can’t stand for
that kind of behavior.
2. to signify some-
thing.
ᮀ In a traffic signal, the red light
stands for “stop.”
ᮀ The abbreviation Dr.
stands for “doctor.”
3. to endorse or sup-
port an ideal.
ᮀ The mayor claims to
stand for honesty in government and jobs
for everyone.
ᮀ Every candidate for pub-
lic office stands for all the good things in
life.
stand in awe (of
someone or something
) to be
overwhelmed with respect for someone
or something.

eral.)
ᮀ I know you want a divorce so you
can marry Ann. Well, I won’t stand in your
way. You can have the divorce.
ᮀ I know
you want to leave home, and I don’t want
to stand in your way. You’re free to go.
stand on ceremony to hold rigidly to pro-
tocol or formal manners. (Often in the
negative.)
ᮀ Please help yourself to more.
Don’t stand on ceremony.
ᮀ We are very
informal around here. Hardly anyone
stands on ceremony.
stand
one’s
ground and hold
one’s
ground
to stand up for one’s rights; to resist an
attack.
ᮀ The lawyer tried to confuse me
when I was giving testimony, but I man-
aged to stand my ground.
ᮀ Some people
were trying to crowd us off the beach, but
we held our ground.
stand on
one’s

stand pat! We have to keep making
progress!
ᮀ This company isn’t increasing
sales. It’s just standing pat.
stand
someone
in good stead to be useful
or beneficial to someone.
ᮀ This is a fine
overcoat. I’m sure it’ll stand you in good
stead for many years.
ᮀ I did the mayor a
favor that I’m sure will stand me in good
stead.
stand
someone
to a treat to pay for food
or drink for someone as a special favor.
ᮀ We went to the zoo, and my father stood
us all to a treat. We had ice cream and soft
drinks.
ᮀ We went to a nice restaurant and
had a fine meal. It was even better when
Mr. Williams told us he’d stand us to a
treat, and he picked up the bill.
stand
someone
up to fail to meet someone
for a date or an appointment.
ᮀ John and

of what you propose, but not enough to
stand up and be counted.
a
standing joke a subject that regularly
and over a period of time causes amuse-
ment whenever it is mentioned.
ᮀ Uncle
Jim’s driving was a standing joke. He used
to drive incredibly slowly.
ᮀ Their
mother’s inability to make a decision was
a standing joke in the Smith family all
their lives.
stare
someone
in the face Go to look
some-
one
in the face.
stark raving mad totally insane; com-
pletely crazy; out of control. (Often an
exaggeration.)
ᮀ When she heard about
what happened at the office, she went stark
raving mad.
ᮀ You must be stark raving
stark raving mad
377
mad if you think I would trust you with
my car!

ᮀ If I start
off with a clean slate, then I’ll know ex-
actly what each plant is.
ᮀ When Bob got
out of jail, he started over with a clean
slate.
start (over) with a clean slate Go to start
(off) with a clean slate.
start
someone
in (as
something
) and start
someone
out (as
something
) to start some-
one on a job as a certain kind of worker.
ᮀ I got a job in a restaurant today. They
started me in as a dishwasher.
ᮀ I now
work for the telephone company. They
started me out as a local operator.
start
someone
out (as
something
) Go to start
someone
in (as

someone
) Go to keep
in touch (with
someone
).
stay put not to move; to stay where one is.
(Informal.)
ᮀ We’ve decided to stay put
and not to move to Florida.
ᮀ If the chil-
dren just stay put, their parents will come
for them soon.
steady as a rock Go to (as) steady as a
rock.
steal a base to sneak from one base to an-
other in baseball.
ᮀ The runner stole sec-
ond base, but he nearly got put out on the
way.
ᮀ Tom runs so slowly that he never
tries to steal a base.
steal a march (on
someone
) to get some
sort of an advantage over someone with-
out being noticed.
ᮀ I got the contract be-
cause I was able to steal a march on my
competitor.
ᮀ You have to be clever and

steaming mad when he found that his of-
fice had been vandalized.
start from scratch
378
steer clear (of
someone or something
) to avoid
someone or something.
ᮀ John is mad at
me, so I’ve been steering clear of him.
ᮀ
Steer clear of that book. It has many errors
in it.
ᮀ Good advice. I’ll steer clear.
step-by-step little by little, one step at a
time. (Refers both to walking and fol-
lowing instructions.)
ᮀ Just follow the in-
structions step-by-step, and everything
will be fine.
ᮀ The old man slowly moved
across the lawn step-by-step.
step down (from
something
) to resign a job
or a responsibility. (Also literal.)
ᮀ The
mayor stepped down from office last week.
ᮀ It’s unusual for a mayor to step down.
step into

(Informal.)
ᮀ I’m in a hurry, driver. Step
on it!
ᮀ I can’t step on the gas, mister.
There’s too much traffic.
step out of line to misbehave; to do some-
thing offensive. (Also literal.)
ᮀ I’m ter-
ribly sorry. I hope I didn’t step out of line.
ᮀ John is a lot of fun to go out with, but
he has a tendency to step out of line.
step (right) up to move forward, toward
someone.
ᮀ Step up and get your mail
when I call your name.
ᮀ Come on, every-
body. Step right up and help yourself to
supper.
step
something
up to cause something to go
faster.
T The factory was not making
enough cars, so they stepped up produc-
tion.
ᮀ The music was not fast enough, so
the conductor told everyone to step it up.
stew in
one’s
own juice to be left alone to

stick by my ideas whether you like them
or not.
Stick ’em up! Go to Hands up!
stick-in-the-mud someone who is stub-
bornly old-fashioned.
ᮀ Come on to the
party with us and have some fun. Don’t
be an old stick-in-the-mud!
ᮀ Tom is no
stick-in-the-mud. He’s really up-to-date.
stick
one’s
foot in
one’s
mouth Go to put
one’s
foot in
one’s
mouth.
stick
one’s
neck out (for
someone or some-
thing
) to take a risk. (Informal.) ᮀ Why
should I stick my neck out to do something
for her? What’s she ever done for me?
ᮀ He
made a risky investment. He stuck his neck
out for the deal because he thought he

ᮀ One robber stuck the cashier up
first, but someone sounded the alarm be-
fore any money was taken.
T The robbers
came in and tried to stick up the bank, but
they got caught first.
stick
someone
with
someone or something
to
burden someone with someone or some-
thing. (Informal.)
ᮀ The dishonest mer-
chant stuck me with a faulty television set.
ᮀ John stuck me with his talkative uncle
and went off with his friends.
stick
something
out to endure something.
(Also literal.)
ᮀ The play was terribly bor-
ing, but I managed to stick it out.
ᮀ Col-
lege was very difficult for Bill, but he de-
cided to stick it out.
stick together to remain together as a
group. (Also literal. Informal.)
ᮀ Come
on, you guys. Let’s stick together. Other-

to support
someone or something; to speak in favor
of someone or something.
ᮀ Everyone
was making unpleasant remarks about
John, but I stuck up for him.
ᮀ Our team
was losing, but I stuck up for it anyway.
stick with
someone or something
Go to stick by
someone or something
.
sticks and stones elements of harm [di-
rected at someone]. (Part of a rhyme,
“Sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words will never hurt me.”)
ᮀ I have
had enough of your sticks and stones. I
have enough trouble without your adding
to it.
ᮀ After the opposing candidate had
used sticks and stones for a month, sud-
denly there were kind words heard.
stiff as a poker Go to (as) stiff as a poker.
still as death Go to (as) still as death.
stink to high heaven and smell to high
heaven
to smell very bad. ᮀ What hap-
pened? This place stinks to high heaven.

ply of something.
ᮀ Before the first snow,
we always stock up on firewood.
ᮀ John
drinks a lot of milk, so we stock up when
we know he’s coming.
a
stone’s throw (away) (from
something
)
Go to within a stone’s throw (of
some-
thing
).
stoop to
doing something
to degrade oneself
or condescend to doing something; to do
something that is beneath one.
ᮀ Who-
ever thought that the manager of the de-
stick someone or something up
380
partment would stoop to typing? ᮀ I never
dreamed that Bill would stoop to stealing.
stop-and-go halting repeatedly; stopping
and continuing repeatedly.
ᮀ This project
has been stop-and-go since we began.
Problems keep appearing.

right, and listening for approaching ve-
hicles or a train.
ᮀ Sally’s mother trained
her to stop, look, and listen at every street
corner.
ᮀ It is a good practice to stop, look,
and listen at a railroad crossing.
stop off (
somewhere
) to stop somewhere on
the way to some other place.
ᮀ I stopped
off at the store to buy milk on the way
home.
ᮀ We stopped off for a few minutes
and chatted with my uncle.
stop over (
somewhere
) to break one’s jour-
ney somewhere, usually overnight or
even longer. (Compare this with
lay over
(
somewhere
).) ᮀ On our way to New York,
we stopped over in Philadelphia for the
night.
ᮀ That’s a good place to stop over.
There are some nice hotels in Philadelphia.
stop short of

lice if you stick to the straight and narrow.
ᮀ Roger was the kind who followed the
straight and narrow every day of his life.
straight as an arrow Go to (as) straight as
an arrow.
(straight) from the horse’s mouth from
an authoritative or dependable source.
ᮀ
I know it’s true! I heard it straight from the
horse’s mouth!
ᮀ This comes from the
horse’s mouth, so it has to be believed.
straight from the shoulder sincerely;
frankly; holding nothing back.
ᮀ Sally al-
ways speaks straight from the shoulder. You
never have to guess what she really means.
ᮀ Bill gave a good presentation—straight
from the shoulder and brief.
straighten
someone or something
out 1. [with
someone] to make someone understand
something. (Also literal.)
ᮀ Jane was con-
fused about the date, so I straightened her
out.
T I took a few minutes and straight-
ened out everyone.
2. [with someone] to

T This room is a mess. Let’s straighten up
this place, right now!
straighten up 1. to sit or stand more
straight.
ᮀ Billy’s mother told him to
straighten up or he’d fall out of his chair.
ᮀ John straightened up so he’d look taller.
2. to behave better. ᮀ Bill was acting
badly for a while; then he straightened up.
ᮀ Sally, straighten up, or I will punish you!
stranger to
something or somewhere
someone
who is new to an area or place.
ᮀ Al-
though John was no stranger to big cities,
he did not enjoy visiting New York.
ᮀ You
are a stranger to our town, and I hope you
feel welcome.
strapped (for
something
) very much in need
of money. (Informal.)
ᮀ I’m strapped for
a few bucks. Can you loan me five dollars?
ᮀ Sorry, I’m strapped, too.
stretch a point and stretch the point to
interpret a point flexibly and with great
latitude.

(strictly) on the up-and-up honest; fair
and straight. (Slang. Compare this with
on the level.) ᮀ Do you think that the
mayor is on the up-and-up?
ᮀ Yes, the
mayor is strictly on the up-and-up.
strike a balance (between
two or more
things
) to find a satisfactory compromise
between two extremes.
ᮀ The political
party must strike a balance between the
right wing and the left wing.
ᮀ Jane is
overdressed for the party and Sally is un-
derdressed. What a pity they didn’t strike
a balance.
strike a bargain to reach an agreement on
a price (for something).
ᮀ They argued
for a while and finally struck a bargain.
ᮀ They were unable to strike a bargain, so
they left.
strike a chord (with
someone
) to cause
someone to remember something; to re-
mind someone or something; to be fa-
miliar.

strike a sour note and hit a sour note
to signify something unpleasant. (Infor-
mal.)
ᮀ Jane’s sad announcement struck a
sour note at the annual banquet.
ᮀ News
of the crime hit a sour note in our holiday
celebration.
strike home Go to hit home.
strike it rich to acquire wealth suddenly.
(Informal.)
ᮀ If I could strike it rich, I
wouldn’t have to work anymore.
ᮀ Sally
ordered a dozen oysters and found a huge
pearl in one of them. She struck it rich!
straighten up
382
strike out 1. [for a baseball batter] to be
declared “out” after three strikes. (See
also
strike
someone
out.) ᮀ Bill almost
never strikes out.
ᮀ John struck out at least
once in every game this season.
2. to fail.
(Slang.)
ᮀ Ann did her best, but she struck

mor. Everything she says strikes me funny.
ᮀ Why are you laughing? Did something
I said strike you funny?
strike
someone
out [for a baseball pitcher]
to get a batter declared “out” after three
strikes.
ᮀ I never thought he’d strike Tom
out.
T Bill struck out all our best players.
strike
someone’s
fancy to appeal to some-
one. (See also
tickle
someone’s
fancy.) ᮀ I’ll
have some ice cream, please. Chocolate
strikes my fancy right now.
ᮀ Why don’t
you go to the store and buy a record al-
bum that strikes your fancy?
strike the right note to achieve the desired
effect; to do something suitable or pleas-
ing. (A musical reference.)
ᮀ Meg struck
the right note when she wore a dark suit
to the interview.
ᮀ The politician’s speech

someone
) to accompany
someone; to
run around with
someone
. ᮀ
Sally seemed to know where she was going,
so I decided to string along with her.
ᮀ She
said it was okay if I strung along.
string
something
out to draw something out
(in time); to make something last a long
time. (Also literal.)
ᮀ The meeting was
long enough. There was no need to string
it out further with all those speeches.
T
They tried to string out the meeting to
make things seem more important.
a stroke of luck a bit of luck; a lucky hap-
pening.
ᮀ I had a stroke of luck and found
Tom at home when I called. He’s not usu-
ally there.
ᮀ Unless I have a stroke of luck,
I’m not going to finish this report by
tomorrow.
strong as a horse Go to (as) strong as a

to school.
ᮀ Anne was tired of being in a
rut, so she moved to Los Angeles.
stuck in traffic to be caught in a traffic
jam.
ᮀ I am sorry I am late. I was stuck
in traffic.
ᮀ Our taxi was stuck in traffic,
and I thought I would never get to the air-
port on time.
stuck on
someone or something
1. [with some-
one] to be fond of or in love with some-
one.
ᮀ John was stuck on Sally, but she
didn’t know it.
ᮀ He always is stuck on the
wrong person.
2. [with something] to be
locked into an idea, cause, or purpose.
ᮀ Mary is really stuck on the idea of go-
ing to France this spring.
ᮀ You’ve pr o -
posed a good plan, Jane, but you’re stuck
on it. We may have to make some changes.
stuck with
someone or something
burdened
with someone or something; left having

to find
someone or something, usually by acci-
dent.
ᮀ I stumbled across an interesting
book yesterday when I was shopping.
ᮀ
Guess who I stumbled into at the library
yesterday?
ᮀ I stumbled on a real bargain
at the bookstore last week.
stumble into
someone or something
1. to
bump into someone or something acci-
dentally.
ᮀ I stumbled into John, and I
apologized. It was my fault.
ᮀ I stumbled
into a post and hurt my arm.
2. Go to
stumble across
someone or something
. 3.
[with something] to enter something or
a place by stumbling.
ᮀ I tripped on the
curb and stumbled into the car.
ᮀ I stum-
bled into the house, exhausted and in need
of a cool drink.

tative, depending on something; vulner-
able to something.
ᮀ I have made all the
necessary plans, subject to your approval,
of course.
ᮀ My remarks are, of course,
subject to your criticisms.
subscribe to
something
to have a standing
order for a magazine or something sim-
ilar.
ᮀ I usually buy my monthly maga-
zines at the newsstand. I don’t subscribe
to them.
ᮀ I subscribe to all the magazines
I read because it’s nice to have them de-
livered by mail.
such and such someone or something
whose name has been forgotten or should
not be said. (Informal.)
ᮀ Mary said that
such and such was coming to her party, but
I forgot their names.
ᮀ If you walk into a
store and ask for such and such and they
don’t have it, you go to a different store.
stubborn as a mule
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