I
oaks
GreatlMighty oaks from little acorns
grow.
something that you say in order to
emphasize that a large, successful
organization or plan was very small or
simple when it began •
Microsoft, which
is now the biggest independent software
company in the world, uiasfounded in 1975
byjust two men. It goes to show that great
oaks
from
little acorns grow.
oar
oats
get
your
oats
British, very informal
to have sex regularly • (usually in
continuous tenses)
Dan seems a lot
happier these days - I think he must be
getting his oats.
occasion
rise to the occasion
to succeed in dealing with a difficult
situation
s

I eventually found my keys
buried beneath the odds and ends in the
bottom of my bag.
against (all) the odds )('
against all odds ' "
if you do or achieve something against
allthe odds,youdoor achieveit although
there were a lot of problems and you
were not likely to succeed •
Against all
the odds, she conceived her first child at
the age of 56.• He struggled against the
odds to keep his business going during the
recession.
beatodds
X
to disagree. (often
+
with)
She's at odds
with the mayor over cuts in the
department's budget.•
(often
+
over)
They're at odds over the funding for the
project.
put sb at odds with
sb • His views on
Europeput him at odds with the restof the

rather than having them made specially
for you •
if
I buy trousers off the peg
they're always tooshort.
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off-chance
off-chance
off·colour
be off-colour
British
&
Australian
be
off-col or
American &Australian
to not be feeling as well as usual' He had
flu a coupleof months ago and he's beena
bit of/colour ever since.
off·colour
British
&
Australian
off-color
American
&
Australian
off-colourjokes or remarks are about sex
in a way that some people find offensive
• Some of his jokes werea little off-colour

&
Australian, old-
fashioned, humorous
the Devil
(=
the enemy of God in the
Christian religion) • In his latestfilm, he
plays a gambler who sells his soul to Old
Nick in returnfor winning afortune.
an old chestnut
informal
a subject, idea, or joke which has been
discussed or repeated so many times that
it is not interesting or funny any more'
I
wondered whether there might, after all,
besome truth in the old chestnut that one's
school days are the happiest of one's life.
• Play allows us to rediscover the child in
ourselves- thot old chestnut.
an old flame
a person who you had a romantic
relationship with in the past
«
I bumped
into an old flame of yours in Oxford on
Saturday.
an old
hand
someone who has done a particular job or

the old country
American
&
Australian
the country or place where you or your
parents were born but do not now live,
especially Europe
s
Pounds,francs, lira -
they're all the same to many Americans
touring the old country.
the old guard
X
a group of people who have worked in an
organization for a long time and do not
want it to change' She has tried to resist
attempts by the old guard to halt the
reformprocess.
old-guard •
(always before noun) Most
people in the party want to see the old-
guard leadership replaced.
the old school tie
the way in which men who have been to
the same expensive private school help
each other to find good jobs • The old
school tie still has enormous power in
many Citycompanies.
be as old as Methuselah
if someone is as old as Methuselah, they

happened in the past. For many soldiers
who served in Vietnam, the current
conflicthas reopenedold wounds.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
something that you say which means it is
difficult to make someone change the
way they do something when they have
been doing it the same way for a long
time' You're never going to ieach your
father at the age of
79
to use a computer:
Youcan't teach an old dog new tricks, you
know.
old-boy
the old-boy network
the way in which men who have been to
the same expensive school or university
help each other to find good jobs • He
admitted the old boy network had once
existed in the company but said that
things had changed now.
oldest
the oldest profession (in the world)
humorous
prostitution
(=
being paid to have sex) •
I
believe she made a living in the oldest

opposition by releasing 42 political
prisoners.
an olive branch •
I've invited them
around to dinner by way of an olive
branch.
omelette
You can't make an omelette without
breaking eggs.
something that you say which means it is
difficult to achieve something important
without causing any unpleasant effects
• Twenty jobs will have to be cut if the
company's going to bemade moreefficient.
But you can't make an omelette without
breaking eggs.
on
onandoff \/
off and on ~
if something happens on and off during
a long period of time, it happens
sometimes but not regularly or
continuously • (often
+
for) I've had
toothache on and off for the past three
months .• (often + since) They've been
seeing each other on and off since
Christmas.
be on about

avoid similar experiences in the future
•After he left her she refused togo out with
anyone elsefor a long time - once bitten,
twiceshy,I suppose.
once in a blue moon
very rarely. My sister lives in Alaska, soI
only get to
see
her once in a blue moon.• I
don't know why I bought that CD-ROMfor
my computer - I only ever use it once in a
blue moon.
once-over
give
sb/sth
the once-over
informal
to quickly look at someone or examine
something in order to see what they are
like. The security guard gave me the once-
over but didn't bother checking my pass.
• Can you give my essay the once-over
beforeI hand it in?
give
sth
a once-over
informal
to clean something qulckly > (often
+
with)

oneman's meat is another man's poison.
one of the lads British
&
Australian,
informal
one of the boys American, informal
someone who is accepted as part of a
group of male friends who all have
similar ideas and interests •
Greene,
although not one of the lads, is popular
with most of them.
One step forward, two steps back.
something that you say which means
every time
you
make progress,
something bad happens which causes
you to be in a worse situation than you
were to begin with •
Every solution we
come up with seems to create more
problems than it solves, so it's one step
forward, twosteps back.
one swallow doesn't make a summer
British
&
Australian
something that you say which means
because one good thing has happened,

finisli
thisjob next week.
one way or the other
if you have to decide one way or the
other, you must choose between two
281
one
possibilities'
They've had a week to think
about it and now they must decideoneway
or the other.• It doesn't really matter to me
one way or the other.
(=
it is not important
to me which possibility is chosen)
and one (more) for luck
something that you say when you add one
more of something for no reason'
I want
you to swim ten lengths, and onefor luck.
as one man
if a group of people do something as one
man, they all do it together in exactly the
same way •
The crowd rose to its feet
as
oneman.
at/in one sitting
.><..
if you do something at one sitting, you do

anywhere.'
be one of a kind
to be the only one of a particular type of
thing or person •
As a female engineer
who began her careerin the 1940s,she was
oneof a kind.
be one step ahead
to be slightly better prepared or more
successful than someone else' (usually
+
of)
Throughout the incident, the hijackers
werealways onestep ahead of thepolice.
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one
keep/stay one step ahead •
(usually
+
ot)
Crop breeders are continuously
developing pesticides to keep one step
ahead of thepests.
be one up on
sb/sth
to have an advantage which someone or
something else does not have.
We'reone
up on the other bars in the area because
we've got live music.• Mario's just spent a

drinks with every burger. • He set the
world record last year. This year he would
like to go one better by beating his own
record.
Got it in one!
something that you say when someone
has guessed something correctly.
'Don't
tell me - isAnna pregnant again?' 'Gotit
inane!'
have one foot in the grave
humorous
to be very oldand likely to die soon.
He's
been telling everyone he's got one foot in
thegrauefor years now.
have/keep one eye on
sth/sb
to givepart of your attention to onething
or person while also giving your
282
attention to something or someone else
• As he listened to the speaker he kept one
eyeon the crowd togauge their response.
with one eye on
sth! sb •
She sat writing
her letter with oneeyeon the clock.
It's (just) one thing after another!
If it's not one thing it's another!

for them to organise a strike, but they can
still show the management how they feel.
There's more than one way to skin a cat,
you know.
There'sone born every minute.
humorous
something that you say about someone
who you think has been very stupid.
'He
left a window open and then wondered
why he'd been burgled!' 'There's one born
every minute, isn't there?'
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go in one ear and out the other
K,
if information goesin oneear and out the
other, the person who is told it forgets it
immediately because they do not listen
carefully enough •
You know what it's
like whenyou're told a whole list of names
- theyjust go in oneear and out the other.
one-hit
a one-hit wonder
someone who performs popular music
who makes one successful record and
then no others •
The seventies saw a
succession of one-hit wonders who were
famous overnight and then never heard of

critics say that the company has becomea
one-man band in recentyears.
one-night
a one-night stand
1 a sexual relationship which onlylasts for
one night, or a person who you have had
this type of relationship with>
I'd rather
have a long-term relationship than a
seriesof one-night stands.• It's you I love,
Karen - Debbieuiasjust a one-night stand.
2 a performance which happens only once
in a particular place.
We'redoing a one-
283
one-upmanship
night stand in Durham on Monday
followed by a couple of nights in
Newcastle.
one-shot
one-shot
American
happening only once • (always before
noun)
The new current affairs show will
be given a one-shot trial on TV next
Saturday.• The company's offer is a one-
shot deal.
one-to-one
one-to-one

freezing temperatures and strong winds.
one-upmanship
one-upmanship
if something someone does is one-
upmanship, they are trying to make
other peopleadmire them by doing it in a
better or more clever way than someone
else •
There is a great deal of one-
upmanship among children anxious to
wear the mostfashionable clothes.
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one-way
one-way
v
a one-way ticket to
sth /'\
if something is a one-way ticket to an
unpleasant situation, it will cause that
situation to happen • A rejection of the
peace deal would be a one-way ticket to
disaster for the country. • Experimenting
with drugs is a one-way ticket to addiction
and misery, asfar as I'm concerned.
onions
know
your
onions
British
&

• The police think the case is open and
shut: five witnesses saw the man stealing
the car.• It's going to take a lot of work to
deal with this problem. It certainly isn't
an open-and-shut matter.
open season
a period of time when people criticize or
unfairly treat a particular person or
group of people
>
(often + on) With the
284
publication of these two reports, it seems
to beopen season again on single mothers.
• Newspaper editors have declared open
season on the rovaljamilv;
an open marriage ./'
a marriage in which the partners are free
to have sexual relationships with other
people. Wehave an open marriage, but I
never tell my husband about my other
lovers.
an open sesame
a very successful way of achieving
something
Ib
'Open Sesame' are the
magic words used by Ali Baba in the
story Tales of theArabian Nights to open
the door of the place where the thieves

I
was
rather nervous about meeting my
boyfriend's parents, but they welcomedme
with open arms. • Our company greeted
thearrival of the Internet with openarms.
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open-minded
willing to think about
other people's ideas and suggestions
• (often
+
about)
Many doctors have
become more open-minded about
alternative medicine in the past feu: years.
open-mindedness
She will be
remembered by her colleagues for her
enthusiasm and open-mindedness.
pushat an open door
to achieve what you want easily because
a lot of people agree with you or help you
• (usually in continuous tenses)
The
campaigners are pushing at an open door
because most local residents support their
campaign against the new road.
open-ended
operative

situation that you have previously talked
about
>
The other side of the coin
is
that
fewer working hours means less pay.
bat for the other side
British, humorous
if someone bats for the other side, they
are homosexual
(=
sexually attracted to
people of the same sex) •
What about you,
Justin? Do you think he bats for the other
side?
wait for the other shoeto drop
American
to wait for something bad to happen.
(usually in continuous tenses) •
Once a
company staris laying off employees,
those who are still working feel they are
waitingfor the other shoe to drop.
look the other way
x...
to ignore something wrong or unpleasant
that you know is happening instead of
trying to deal with it •

Tell us all what we're doing wrong!
be out of it
1
informal
to be very confused because you
are very tired or because of drugs or
alcohol •
I didn't feel anything at the
moment my baby was born. I was
completely out of it by then.
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out-and-out
2 informal to feel lonely because you are
not included in the activities of people
around you. They wereall keen on sports,
so
Ifelt really out of it.
out-and-out
out-of-date
2 if a document is out-of-date, it cannot be
used any more because the period of time
when it could be used has ended>
Ifourui
out my passport was out-of-date the day
beforeI was due to travel. • No one noticed
that he was using an out-of-datepermit.
over
over and above
in addition to a particular amount or
thing. Pensioners will receivean increase

excited and eager about something
• (often + on) The car's makers seem to
have gone overboard on design and
sacrificed speed. • He went completely
overboard on her birthday and bought her
a
diamond ring.
overdrive "/
go into overdrive "".....-
to start working very hard, or to start
doing something in an excited way. With
her exams only two weeksaway,she's gone
into overdrive and is studying ten hours
a
day. • The tabloid press went into
overdrive at the news that the princess
wasgetting married again.
be in overdrive •
The whole cast of the
show was in overdrive, rehearsing for the
first performance the next day.
own
an own goal
British
something that someone does to try to get
an advantage, but which makes a
situation worse for them
Ib
In sport, an
own goal is when someone scores a point

becoming successful. Unlesshe learns to
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be more confident, he'll never get a decent
job. He's his own worst enemy.
blow your own trumpet
British &
Australian
'Y'"
blowltoot your own horn
American &
Australian
to tell other people how good and
successful you are'
Anyone will tell you
she's one of the bestjournalists we've got,
although she'd never blow her own horn.
come into your/its own
to be very useful or successful in a
particular situation •
Cars are banned
from the city centre so a bicycle really
comes into its own here.• Ferragamo came
into his own in last Sunday's match,
scoring threegoals in thefirst half.
cut your own throat
to do something because you are angry,
even if it will cause trouble for you •
If
she won't take the job out of pride, she's
cutting her own throat.

much interest in other people's lives
• 'How much did that dress cost you?'
'Mind your own business!' • I wish he'd
mind his own business and stop telling me
how to do myjob!
(all) on your own
1 alone.
She's been living on her own for
thepast tenyears.
2 if you do something on your own, you do
it without any help from other people
• Since her husband died two years ago,
she's had to look after her children on her
own.• Dave didn't have time to help so I
decorated the house on my own.
on your own hook
American
if you do something on your own hook,
you do it without anyone else telling you
or asking you to do it •
Barbara took up
painting on her own hook and developed
into a talented artist.
pay sb back in their own coin
British &
Australian, old-fashioned
to treat someone in the same bad way
that they have treated you •
I decided to
pay her back in her own coin and refuse to

Australian
X
if something tells its own tale, it shows
the truth about a situation •
She may
smile in public, but the expression in her
eyestells its own tale.
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p
mindlwatch your p's and q's old-fashioned
to make an effort to be polite • Youalways
felt as if you had to mind your p 's and q's
with Auntie Lil.
pace
can't stand/take the pace
to be unable to do things well when you
are under a lot of pressure
s
If he can't
stand the pace he shouldn't be doing the
job - it's as simple as that.
set the
pace
if someone sets the pace in a particular
activity, they do it very well or very
quickly and other people try to do the
same. (often + for) America's reforms
have set the pace for European finance
ministers .• For many years this company
has set the pace in the communications

because you are annoyed with them
• There weresome kids at the door asking
for money, but I sent them packing.
page
turn the page
"7-
to begin to behave in a more positive way
after a period of difficulties· It's time to
put this tragedy to rest and turn the page
toa new and happier chapter of our lives.
paid
put paid to sth British
&
Australian
to suddenly stop someone from being
able to do what they want or hope to do
• A serious back injury put paid to her
tennis career.
pain
be a pain in the arse/backside British &
Australian, very informal
be a pain in the asslbutt American
&
Australian, very informal
X
to be very annoying. I can't stand my
brother-in-law.He'sa realpain in the arse.
• Getting upfor work at 5a.m. is apain in
the ass.
be a pain in the neck informal

if repairing or improving something is
like painting the Forth Bridge, it takes
such a long time that by the time you
have finished doing it, you have to start
again
Ib
The Forth Bridge is a very
large bridge in Edinburgh. •
Home
improvements are a bit like painting the
Forth Bridge. By the time you've finished
the kitchen, the bathroom needs
decorating and so itgoeson.
pair
have a [fine/good etc.] pair of lungs
humorous
if you say that a baby has a good pair of
lungs, you mean that they can cry very
loudly»
Wellshe's got afine pair of lungs,
I'll say thatfor her!
pale
be beyond the pale
if someone's behaviour is beyond the
pale, it is not acceptable •
Her recent
conduct is beyond thepale.
go beyond the pale •
His behaviour at
the meeting wasgoing beyond thepale.

palsy-walsy
palsy-walsy
British &Australian, informal
if two people are palsy-walsy, they seem
very friendly, usually in a way that is not
sincere.
Those two have beengetting very
palsy-walsy lately.•
(sometimes
+
with)
She's all palsy-walsy with the boss these
days.
pandora
open a Pandora's box
to do something that causes a lot of new
problems that you did not expect
Ib
In
old Greek stories, Zeus
(=
the king of the
gods) gave Pandora a box that he told her
not to open, but she did open it and all the
troubles in the world escaped from it.
• (often
+
of)
Sadly, his reforms opened a
Pandora's box of domesticproblems.

• Horrorfilms scarethepants off me.
paper
a paper chase
American
&
Australian
the activity of dealing with many
different documents in order to achieve
something.
To receive even the smallest
amount of financial aid from a college,
it's a realpaper chase.
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