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tail between one`s legs
- feeling ashamed or beaten 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 I had to take a back seat to my partner when we went on the
business trip.
take a bath
- come to financial ruin She took a bath on the stock
market last year and is afraid to invest in stocks now.
take a beating
- lose money His father really took a beating on the
stock market recently.
take a crack at
- try, attempt Have you decided to take a crack at the
entrance exam in June?
take a dim view of
- be against, disapprove 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 We took advantage of the
beautiful weather and went to the beach.
take after
- resemble or act like a parent or relative He is tall
and handsome like his father and seems to take after him in other ways as well.
take a leak
- urinate 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 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 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 The Prime Minister finally took a stand on the tax issue.
take a trip
- go for a journey We plan to take a trip to Italy in
November.
take back
- admit to making a wrong statement 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 The army
took the town by storm and was easily able to capture all of the enemy troops.
take by storm
- win the favor of, become popular with a group of
people The rock band took the town by storm when they came to town.
take care of
- look after or give attention to someone or
something You should take care of your health or you will get sick.
take care of
- deal with something, do what is necessary to do
something Could you please take care of these letters while I make
some phone calls.
take down
- write or record what is said I took down many notes
during the lecture last week.
take down
- take apart, pull to pieces We took down our tent as
soon as it began to rain.
take down a notch (peg)
- make someone less proud or sure of himself 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 The new laws
related to alcohol took effect early last month.
take exception to
- speak against, find fault with, be angered by He
took exception to the fact that everyone was able to go and play golf except for
himself.
take for
- mistake someone for something 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 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 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 He took heart from his previous failure and decided to try
again.
take ill/sick
- become sick She took ill during her holiday and
spent most of the time in her hotel.
take in
- go and see or visit We decided to go and take in a
movie last night.
take in
- make smaller The tailor took in the waist of my suit
pants and they now fit much better.
take in
- grasp with the mind The course was very difficult
but I tried to take in as much as possible.
take in (money)
- receive, get We were able to take in a lot of money
last night at the charity auction.
take in
- let someone come in, admit 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 The boxer took his
loss in stride and began to prepare for his next fight.
take it
- endure trouble or criticism or abuse He is quite
sensitive and can never really take it if I make a joke about him.
take it
- get an idea or impression, understand from what is said or
done I take it that you are not going to come to the graduation
ceremony next week.
take it easy
- relax 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 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 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 His new job and the long hours
have begun to take their toll on his health.
take kindly to
- be pleased by, like 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 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 She is
taking liberties with her friend by always borrowing her car.
taken aback
- unpleasantly surprised, suddenly puzzled or
shocked I was taken aback when she said that she didn`t want to work
with us any longer.
take off (clothes)
- remove clothes etc. Please take off your shoes
before you enter our house.
take off (time)
- be absent from work He was sick and had to take off
a week from work.
take off
- depart suddenly or quickly, run away We decided to
take off right after the concert ended.
take off
- leave on a flight The flight took off right on time.
take on
- begin to handle, commit oneself to Recently he has
begun to take on too many things at work and has become very tired.
take on
- give a job to, hire, employ The factory took on over
fifty new employees last month.
take on
- begin to have the look of He has begun to take on
the look of a university professor although he has only been working at the
university for a short time.
take on
- load The ship took on most of its cargo the week
before it left the port.
take one`s hat off to someone
- admire, respect, praise 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 He likes to
criticize everyone but can never take his own medicine when others criticize
him.
take one`s time
- do something without hurrying He took his time in
returning the book he had borrowed.
take out
- escort or go on a date with someone I finally had a
chance to take out the new woman from work last week.
take over
- take control, take command Our company was taken
over by a foreign company last month.
take part in
- participate in Are you planning to take part in the
seminar next week?
take place
- happen, occur The game took place on the coldest day
of the year.
take sides
- support one side on the other You should not take
sides in the argument or both sides will hate you.
take someone for a ride
- cheat, swindle 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 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 Please take into account that
she has only been studying French for a few weeks.
take something lying down
- suffer without a fight I am very angry and won`t
take what he says lying down.
take something to heart
- consider seriously 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 You
can take everything that he says with a grain of salt.
take steps
- begin to make plans or arrangements, make
preparations 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 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 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 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 He finally decided to take
the bull by the horns and started to plan their anniversary party.
take the edge off
- lessen, weaken, soften 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 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) He finally decided to take the plunge and will get married
next year.
take the rap
- receive punishment, be accused and punished 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 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 He took to the job of administrator very easily and was a great
success.
take to
- to like at first meeting, be pleased by or attracted to,
accept quickly They took to the new coach immediately and did very
well during the beginning of the season.
take to task
- scold for a fault or error I was taken to task by
the supervisor for not arriving at work on time.
take to the cleaners
- win all someone`s money He went to Las Vegas and was
taken to the cleaners by the card dealers.
take to the woods
- run away and hide He decided to take to the woods
rather than wait to talk to his wife.
take turns
- do something alternately with others We had to take
turns using the dictionary as there was only one.
take (someone) under one`s wing
- protect someone He has taken the new employee under
his wing and is teaching him about the company.
take up
- begin an activity or hobby He has a lot of free time
lately and has decided to take up fishing as a hobby.
take up
- fill a place or time, occupy All of his evenings
have been taken up by his hobby of building model airplanes.
take up
- gather together, collect We decided to take up a
collection in order to help repair the old building.
take up
- begin, start We took up the lesson where we had
finished last week.
take up
- pull and make tight I went back to the department
store to see if they could take up my suit pants.
take up arms
- get ready to fight or make war The citizens were not
willing to take up arms to try and change their government.
talk back
- answer rudely She is very strict and never allows
her children to talk back to her.
talk big
- talk boastfully, brag He is always talking big but
nobody believes what he says.
talk down to someone
- use words or ideas that are too simple 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 She finally talked her father into lending her the family
car.
talk out
- discuss until everything is agreed on, settle We
stayed up late last night and talked out the problem.
talk out of
- persuade not to, decide not to I spent about an hour
yesterday trying to talk my friend out of quitting his job.
talk over
- discuss 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 Everyone at the
restaurant decided that they would not talk shop during the dinner.
talk through one`s hat
- make exaggerated or inaccurate statements He is
always talking through his hat and you never know if you can believe him or not.
talk turkey
- discuss seriously Now you`re talking turkey so let`s
finish and go home.
talk up
- speak in favor of The manager was talking up the
product as we entered the meeting.
tan someone`s hide
- give a beating to, spank hard 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 The rain began to taper off early in the afternoon.
tar and feather
- punish severely The teacher said that she would tar
and feather anyone who didn`t do their homework.
tear down
- take down, destroy The city decided to tear down the
building because it was unsafe.
tear down
- say bad things about, criticize The audience tore
down his argument after he finished the lecture.
tear up
- tear something up into small pieces The child tore
up the new telephone book.
tell apart
- distinguish between two things or people It is hard
to tell the two sisters apart.
tell it like it is
- be honest, sincere, tell the truth 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 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 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 She told on her brother for eating the cake.
tempest in a teapot
- great excitement about something not important The
problem was really a tempest in a teapot and after a few days everyone had
forgotten about it.
ten-four
- I understand you. "Ten-four", he said when his
friend asked him if he understood the plan.
tenterhooks
- in a state of suspense or strain because of
uncertainty They have been on tenterhooks all week while waiting for
the decision about the Olympics.
that will be the day
- that will never happen That will be the day that he
is willing to put you in charge of running the restaurant.
thick
- dumb, unreasonable 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 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 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 When he goes
drinking he thinks nothing of spending most of his money at one time.
think out
- think through to the end 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 I am sorry. I was thinking
out loud about the new system we have started.
think over
- consider carefully He carefully thought over his
plans before talking to his supervisor.
think twice about something
- think very carefully You should think twice before
you go ahead and quit your job.
think up
- invent, create He has thought up a lot of
interesting ideas for his company.
(the) third degree
- detailed questioning His mother gave him the third
degree when he came home late last night.
three sheets to the wind
- unsteady from too much liquor, drunk I saw him
walking down the street last night but he seemed to have three sheets to the
wind.
through the grapevine
- hear from other people I heard it through the
grapevine that he was going to move to Paris next summer.
through the mill
- experience a difficult situation 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 He decided to throw in
his lot with the members of the company who were on strike.
throw in the towel
- surrender, give up The boxer threw in the towel
about half way through the match.
throw off
- get free from I was able to throw off my cold and
quickly recovered.
throw off
- mislead, confuse, fool The criminals threw off the
police and escaped into the subway.
throw one`s weight around
- use one`s influence in an aggressive way He has been
throwing his weight around ever since he got his new promotion.
throw out
- force to leave, dismiss 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 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 The
government threw the book at him after he was convicted of drunk driving.
throw together
- make in a hurry and without care We didn`t have much
time last night so we threw together a quick meal and then went to the football
game.
(be) thrown together
- be grouped with other people by chance We were
thrown together with some strange people when the storm forced the plane to
delay its flight for a day.
throw to the wolves
- send into danger without protection The small boy
was thrown to the wolves when he was made to join the team of older players.
throw up
- vomit 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 He
threw up his hands and decided to let the students go home early.
thumb a lift/ride
- hitchhike 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 The star player
thumbed his nose at the fans when they began to boo him.
tickled pink
- very happy He was tickled pink to be awarded a prize
for growing the best flowers.
tide (someone) over
- help someone through a difficult situation I lent
him some money to tide him over until he gets paid.
tie the knot
- get married They decided to tie the knot after
seeing each other for over three years.
tie down
- keep someone from going somewhere or doing
something The project tied him down for over three months.
tied down
- have family or job responsibilities I never see him
anymore as he is tied down because of his busy schedule at work.
tie in
- to connect with something else The merchandise was
tied in with the movie and had very good sales.
tie up
- slow or stop the movement or action of The highway
traffic was tied up for over three hours last night.
tie up
- take all the time of someone I was tied up this
morning so I was unable to answer the phone.
tie up
- limit or prevent the use of All of his money is tied
up in real estate investments.
tie up
- enter into an association or partnership, join Our
company decided to tie up with a company from Sweden to make the pollution
control equipment.
tie up
- dock (a ship) The ship docked at the pier three days
before it was ready to load.
tie up in knots
- make someone very nervous or worried He was tied up
in knots before the speech at the convention.
tighten one`s belt
- economize, spend less We will have to tighten our
belts for awhile until the economy improves.
tight spot
- a difficult situation They are in a very tight spot
since the head salesman quit.
tight squeeze
- difficult financial situation The company is in a
tight squeeze now that sales are down from last year.
time after time
- repeatedly I have told her time after time to be
careful with her spelling.
time of one`s life
- a wonderful time 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 During the game we took some time out to rest.
tip (someone) off
- warn, inform The police were tipped off that there
was going to be a robbery at the bank.
tip the balance
- have important or decisive influence, decide His
ability to speak French tipped the balance in his favor to get the job at the
embassy.
tip the scales
- weigh The sumo wrestler tipped the scales at over
200 kilograms.
tire out
- make very tired My father was tired out after
working hard all day.
tit for tat
- equal treatment in return, a fair exchange 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 He is honest to a
fault and will not say anything unless it is the absolute truth.
to and fro
- forward and back again and again They went to and
fro between the two items trying to decide what to buy.
to a T
- perfectly, exactly That new suit fits you to a T.
to be sure
- without a doubt, certainly To be sure it would be
better to talk to the president of the company in person.
to boot
- in addition, also You will not only need a new
video. You will need a new television to boot.
toe the line
- obey the rules and do one`s duties The children were
forced to toe the line when the new teacher arrived.
to heel
- under control The army brought the citizens to heel
when they entered the town.
tone down
- make less harsh or strong, moderate The union leader
was forced to tone down his language after the strike began to grow violent.
too bad
- worthy of sorrow or regret 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 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 He has too many
irons in the fire at the moment and has no time for other things.
to one`s name
- in one`s ownership 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. He had three suits made to order when he
visited Hong Kong last year.
tooth and nail
- fiercely, as hard as possible He decided to fight
tooth and nail to get a transfer to another department of the company.
top-drawer
- of the best or most important kind When he buys a
new car he always buys a top-drawer model.
to pieces
- into broken pieces or fragments, destroyed, not
working His car fell to pieces during his recent trip to Alaska.
to pieces
- very much, greatly He loves his little girl to
pieces.
top-notch
- excellent, the best They had a top-notch cook at the
restaurant but he left last month.
top off
- come or bring to a special or unexpected ending,
climax The conference was topped off by a large dinner on the last
day.
topsy-turvy
- upside down, in disarray My apartment was
topsy-turvy so I stayed home to clean up.
to speak of
- important, worth talking about We didn`t do anything
to speak of during the summer vacation.
toss off
- drink rapidly He tossed off a couple of drinks
before he went home for the evening.
toss off
- make or say easily without trying or thinking
hard He was able to toss off the answer to the question easily when
the teacher asked him.
toss out
- force to leave, dismiss The boys was tossed out of
the restaurant for their bad behavior.
to the bone
- thoroughly, entirely He became wet to the bone when
the sudden storm appeared.
to the eye
- as it is seen, apparently 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 He always tries to live his life to
the full.
to the hilt
- to the maximum amount, completely He has been up to
the hilt in debt since he bought that car.
to the letter
- exactly, precisely The police officer always follows
the law to the letter.
to the nth degree
- to the greatest degree possible, extremely 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 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 The
credit agency pushed him to the wall and he finally had to declare bankruptcy.
touch and go
- uncertain, dangerous situation 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 The
fire at the oil refinery touched off an explosion that destroyed many tanks.
touch off
- start something The arrest of the labor leader
touched off a riot among the citizens.
touch on (upon)
- speak of or write of briefly The news article about
the company touched upon their previous legal problems.
touch up
- paint over (small imperfections) I decided to have
the repair shop touch up several places on my car where the paint was bad.
touch up
- improve with small additions or changes My essay
will be done as soon as I touch up some of the weak spots.
tough break
- unlucky event, misfortune He received a tough break
when he became sick immediately before the music contest.
tourist trap
- place that is overpriced and attracts tourists 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 He
has been a real tower of strength to his sister since her husband died.
track down
- search for 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 He
traded in his old car for a new one.
travel light
- travel with very little luggage or with little to
carry We always travel very light when we go on a holiday.
tread on one`s toes
- do something that offends someone 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 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 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 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 He
knows many of the tricks of the trade in the publishing business.
trip the light fantastic
- go dancing It`s Friday night so let`s go downtown
and trip the light fantastic.
trip up
- make a mistake The teacher tripped up over the
correct pronunciation of the president`s name.
trump up
- make up, invent in the mind 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 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 You
should try on that jacket before you buy it.
try one`s hand
- make an inexperienced attempt at something I have
decided to try my hand at sailing a boat this summer.
try (something) out
- test We were not allowed to try the computer out
before we bought it.
try out for
- planning to join or take part in a team, competing for a
place Their son has decided to try out for the football team this
summer.
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 The
children played tug-of-war at the summer camp.
tug-of-war
- a contest in which two sides try to defeat each other, a
struggle The two countries have been in a tug-of-war over the
territory for many years.
tune in
- adjust a radio or television to pick up a certain
station We were able to tune in to the basketball game when we were
driving to work this morning.
tune in
- get in touch with something important like one`s own feelings,
etc. She is always going to workshops and taking short courses to help
her tune in to her feelings.
tune up
- adjust a musical instrument to the right sound The
orchestra tuned up their instruments before the performance.
tune up
- adjust a car engine so that it will run properly We
took our car to the garage to be tuned up before we went on our holiday.
turn a deaf ear to
- pretend not to hear, refuse to hear The company
turned a deaf ear to our demands for more money and holidays.
turn down
- reduce the loudness, brightness or force of
something I went over to my next door neighbor and asked him to turn
down his stereo.
turn down
- refuse to accept, reject The union turned down the
company offer of more money but no change in working conditions.
turn in
- give to someone, hand to someone I turned in the
wallet that I had found to the police.
turn in
- inform on, report The department store turned in the
shoplifter to the police.
turn in
- go to bed We decided to turn in about 9:00 PM last
night.
turn off
- shut off, stop Please turn off the lights before you
go out.
turn off
- leave by turning right or left onto another road or
path When we arrived at the small store we decided to turn off on the
small road.
turn (someone) off
- disgust, irritate, repel someone Her constant
complaining always turns me off.
turn on
- open, start, let water or electricity flow 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 She was turned on by the idea of going to Spain for the
summer.
turn on someone
- become suddenly hostile to someone 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 She turned
her back on her friend when she asked for help writing the exam paper.
turn one`s stomach
- make one feel sick Seeing the car accident turned my
stomach.
turn on one`s heel
- turn around suddenly The mailman turned on his heel
when when he saw the large dog.
turn out
- make someone leave or go away The man decided to
turn his son out of the house when he refused to get a job.
turn out
- turn inside out, empty He turned out his pockets
when he was looking for his car keys.
turn out
- result, end, prove to be true At first we thought
the weather would be terrible but it actually turned out fine.
turn out
- make, produce The car company is turning out over
8,000 cars a week now.
turn out
- come or go out to see or do something Over 50.000
people turned out for the football game.
turn out
- make a light go out He always turns out the light if
he doesn`t need it.
turn over
- roll over, upset The ferry turned over during the
winter storm.
turn over
- give to someone for use or care I turned over the
keys of my apartment to the landlord when I went away for a month.
turn over
- start an engine or motor It was too cold in the
morning so the car engine would not turn over.
turn over
- sell We were able to turn over most of our stock of
air conditioners during the summer.
turn over a new leaf
- make a fresh start 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 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 The young boys
turned tail when the farmer began to chase them from the field.
turn the clock back
- return to an earlier period 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 He decided to turn the other cheek when the man tried to start
a fight in the restaurant.
turn the tables
- reverse the situation The opposing team were able to
finally turn the tables and won the game.
turn the tide
- change what looks like defeat into victory 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 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 My supervisor turned
thumb downs to my plan to work on a more flexible schedule.
turn to
- go to for help He turned to his wife`s parents for
advice about buying a house.
turn up
- appear suddenly They turned up when the party was
almost over.
turn up
- find, discover My wallet turned up in my suit jacket
- just where I left it.
turn up one`s nose at
- refuse as not being good enough for one He turned up
his nose at the offer of a job in another department of the company.
twiddle one`s thumbs
- not busy, not working 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 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 He didn`t have to twist my arm to get me to go to the movie.
I wanted to go anyway.
two bits
- twenty-five cents, a quarter of a dollar He bought
several used books for two bits each.
two cents
- something not important or very small, almost
nothing Although his stereo works well I wouldn`t give him two cents
for it.
two cents worth
- something one wants to say, opinion He is always
talking and I never have a chance to put in my two cents worth.
two-faced
- disloyal, untrustworthy I think he is two-faced and
can never be trusted. 
Idiom Quizzes - T
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