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1 (i-x) front matter 12/14/99 9:45 Page i (Black plate) NTC’s Super-Mini ENGLISH IDIOMS Dictionary Richard A. Spears, Ph.D. Betty Kirkpatrick ebook_copyright 6x9.qxd 7/31/03 11:36 AM Page 1 Copyright © 2000 by NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 0-07-139995-X The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-8442-0108-1. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fash- ion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. 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Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise. DOI: 10.1036/007139995X 1 (i-x) front matter 12/14/99 9:45 Page iii (Black plate) For more information about this title, click here. Contents To the User v How to Use This Dictionary vii Terms and Symbols ix Essential English Idioms 1 Phrase-Finder Index 207 Copyright © 2000 by NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc. Click here for Terms of Use. This page intentionally left blank. 1 (i-x) front matter 12/14/99 9:45 Page v (Black plate) To the User All languages have phrases or sentences that cannot be under- stood literally. Even if you know all the words in a phrase and understand all the grammar of the phrase completely, the meaning may still not be apparent. Many proverbs, informal phrases, and common sayings offer this kind of problem. A phrase or sentence of this type is said to be idiomatic. This dictionary is a col- lection of the idiomatic phrases and sentences that occur frequently in the varieties of English that follow the British stan- dard. The dictionary is designed for easy use by lifelong speakers of English, as well as by the new-to-English speaker or learner. Readers who are native speakers of American, Australian, Cana- dian, or other varieties of English will find the entries fascinat- ing and entertaining. Special features, such as numerous full-sentence examples and a Phrase-Finder Index, make this dictionary uniquely effective for language learners. Copyright © 2000 by NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc. Click here for Terms of Use. v This page intentionally left blank. 1 (i-x) front matter 12/14/99 9:45 Page vii (Black plate) How to Use This Dictionary First, try looking up the complete phrase in the dictionary. The entries are in absolute alphabetical order; that is, phrases are alphabetized letter by letter, disregarding spaces, hyphens, and punctuation. Entry phrases are never inverted or reordered. For example, in the same boat is listed under in, not as the same boat, in; boat, in the same; or same boat, in the. In the entry heads, the word someoneor onestands for persons, and something stands for things. If you do not find the phrase you want, or if you cannot decide exactly what the phrase is, look up any of its major words in the Phrase-Finder Index, which begins on page 207. There you will find listed, under the key word you have looked up, all the phrases that contain that word. Pick out the phrase you want, and look it up in the main body of the dictionary. Copyright © 2000 by NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc. Click here for Terms of Use. vii This page intentionally left blank. 1 (i-x) front matter 12/14/99 9:45 Page ix (Black plate) Terms and Symbols (cid:2) (a box) marks the beginning of an example. also: introduces additional forms within an entry that are related to the main entry head. and indicates that an entry head has variant forms that are the same as, or similar to, the entry head in meaning. One or more variant forms may be preceded by and. entry head is the first word or phrase, in boldface type, of an entry; the word or phrase that the definition explains. see means to turn to the entry head indicated. see also means to consult the entry head indicated for additional information or to find expressions similar in form or meaning to the entry head containing the “see also” instruction. see under means to search within the text of the entry indicated for a phrase that is in boldface type and introduced by also. Copyright © 2000 by NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc. Click here for Terms of Use. ix