Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[lose track] <v. phr.> To forget about something; not stay informed; fail to keep a count or record. * /What's the score now? I've lost track./ - Usually used with "of". * /Mary lost track of her friends at camp after summer was over./ * /John lost track of the money he spent at the circus./ Compare: OUT OF TOUCH. Contrast: KEEP TRACK.

[loss] See: AT A LOSS, THROW FOR A LOSS.

[lost] See: GET LOST, NO LOVE LOST.

[lost cause] <n. phr.> A movement that has failed and has no chance to be revived. * /Communism in Eastern Europe has become a lost cause./

[lost upon] adj. Wasted. * /Tim's generosity is completely lost upon Sue; he can't expect any gratitude from her./

[lot] See: A LOT, CAST ONE'S LOT WITH, SAND LOT, THINK A GREAT DEAL OF or THINK A LOT OF, THROW IN ONE'S LOT WITH or CAST IN ONE'S LOT WITH.

[loud] See: ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, OUT LOUD, THINK ALOUD or THINK OUT LOUD.

[loud mouth] or [big mouth] <n.>, <slang> A noisy, boastful, or foolish talker. * /Fritz is a loud mouth who cannot be trusted with secrets./ * /When he has had a few drinks, Joe will make empty boasts like any other big mouth./

[loud-mouthed] or [big-mouthed] <adj.>, <slang> Talking noisily, boastfully, or foolishly. * /Fred was a loud-mouthed fellow, whose talk no one listened to./ * /If I were you, I would not listen to that loud-mouthed boy./

[lounge lizard] <n. phr.> A well-dressed male fortune hunter who sits around in bars and other public places, and attends many social events to try to pick up wealthy women through smart conversation. * /Harry has the reputation of being a lounge lizard; he is looking for a rich wife./

[louse up] <v.>, <slang> To throw into confusion; make a mess of; spoil; ruin. * /When the man who was considering John's house heard that the basement was wet, that was enough to louse up the sale./ * /Fred's failure in business not only lost him his business but loused him up with his wife./ * /The rain loused up the picnic./ See: MESS UP(2), FUCK UP.

[love] See: FOR LOVE OR MONEY, IN LOVE, LABOR OF LOVE, MAKE LOVE, NO LOVE LOST, PUPPY LOVE also CALF LOVE.

[love affair] <n.> A friendship between lovers; a romance or courtship. * /The love affair of Bob and Jane went on for months./ * /Harry had many love affairs, but he never married./

[love game] <n.> A game of tennis which is won without the opponent scoring. * /Britain took a love game on Songster's service./

[love-in] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> A festival or occasion to celebrate life, human sensuality, the beauty of nature, human sexuality, and universal love; affairs so conceived by some frequently deteriorate into obscenity and drug using sessions in parody of their stated purpose. * /The hippies gathered for a big love-in in the Halght-Ashbury district of San Francisco./

[lovers' lane] <n.> A hidden road or walk where lovers walk or park in the evening. * /A parked car in a lonely lovers' lane often is a chance for holdup men./

[low] See: LAY LOW, LIE LOW.

[lowbrow] <n.> A person of limited culture; a nonintellectual. * /Some people claim that only lowbrows read the comics./ Contrast: HIGH BROW.

[lowdown] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> The inside facts of a matter; the total truth. * /Nixon never gave the American people the lowdown on Watergate./

[lower the boom] <v. phr.>, <informal> To punish strictly; check or stop fully. * /The mayor lowered the boom on outside jobs for city firemen./ * /Father lowered the boom on the girls for staying out after midnight./ Syn.: CRACK DOWN. * /The police lowered the boom on open gambling./

[low-key] <adj.> Relaxed and easygoing. * /Surprisingly, dinner with the governor was a low-key affair./

[low season] Contrast: HIGH SEASON.

[luck] See: DOWN ON ONE'S LUCK, LUCK OUT, PRESS ONE'S LUCK or PUSH ONE'S LUCK, IN LUCK, OUT OF LUCK.

[luck out] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <informal> 1. Suddenly to get lucky when in fact the odds are against one's succeeding. * /I was sure I was going to miss the train as I was three minutes late, but I lucked out, the train was five minutes late./ 2. To be extraordinarily fortunate. * /Catwallender really lucked out at Las Vegas last month; he came home with $10,000 in cash./ 3. (By sarcastic opposition) to be extremely unfortunate; to be killed. * /Those poor marines sure lucked out in Saigon, didn't they?/

[lucky] See: THANK ONE'S LUCKY STARS.

[lucky star] <n.> A certain star or planet which, by itself or with others, is seriously or jokingly thought to bring a person good luck and success in life. * /John was born under a lucky star./ * /Ted was unhurt in the car accident, for which he thanked his lucky stars./

[lump in one's throat] <n. phr.> A feeling (as of grief or pride) so strong that you almost sob. * /John's mother had a lump in her throat at his college graduation./ * /All during her husband's funeral, Aunt May had a lump in her throat./ * /The bride's mother had a lump in her throat./

[lump sum] <n.> The complete amount; a total agreed upon and to be paid at one time. * /The case was settled out of court with the plaintiff receiving a lump sum of half a million dollars for damages./

[lunar module (L.M.)] or [Lem] <n.>, <Space English> That portion of the rocket assemblage on a flight to the Moon in which the astronauts descend to the Moon's surface. * /Building the L.M. was one of the most expensive parts of the American space program./

[lung] See: AT THE TOP OF ONE'S VOICE or AT THE TOP OP ONE'S LUNGS.

[lurch] See: LEAVE IN THE LURCH.

[lust for] <v. phr.> To physically yearn for; hanker after; want something very strongly. * /Ed has been lusting after Meg for a very long time./

[luxury] See: IN THE LAP OF LUXURY.

M

[mackerel] See: HOLY CATS or HOLY MACKEREL.

[mad about] <adj. phr.> 1. Angry about. * /What is Harriet so mad about?/ 2. Enthusiastic about. * /Dan is mad about pop music./

[mad as a hatter] or [mad as a March hare] <adj. phr.> Not able to think right; crazy. * /Anyone who thinks the moon is made of green cheese is mad as a hatter./