Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[stick in one's throat] <v. phr.> To be something you do not want to say; be hard to say. * /Jean wanted to ask the teacher's pardon, but the words stuck in her throat./

[stick-in-the-mud] <n.>, <informal> An overcareful person; someone who is old-fashioned and fights change. * /Mabel said her mother was a real stick-in-the-mud to make a rule that she must be home by 10 o'clock on weeknights and 11:30 Saturdays./ * /Mr. Thomas is a stick-in-the-mud who plows with mules; he won't buy a tractor./

[stick one's neck out] or [stick one's chin out] <v. phr.>, <informal> To do something dangerous or risky. * /When I was in trouble, Paul was the only one who would stick his neck out to help me./ * /John is always sticking his chin out by saying something he shouldn't./

[stick one's nose into] See: NOSE INTO.

[stick out] <v.> 1a. To stand out from a wall or other surface; project; extend. * /The limb stuck out from the trunk of the tree./ 1b. To be seen or noticed more easily or quickly than others; be noticeable. * /My house is the only brick one on the street. It sticks out and you can't miss it./ * /Mary plays basketball very well. The others on the team are good, but she really sticks out./ 1c. Often used in the informal phrase stick out like a sore thumb. * /John is so shy and awkward that he sticks out like a sore thumb./ Syn.: STAND OUT. 2. <informal> To keep on doing something until it is done no matter how long, hard, or unpleasant. * /Bill is not a fast runner and he doesn't have a chance of winning the marathon, but he will stick out the race even if he finishes last./ - Often used in the phrase "stick it out". * /Mathematics is hard, but if you stick it out you will understand it./ Compare: HANG ON(2), STICK WITH(1).

[stick out like a sore thumb] <v. phr.> To be conspicuous; be different from the rest. * /When the foreign student was placed in an advanced English grammar class by mistake, it was no wonder that he stuck out like a sore thumb./

[stick together] <v.> To remain close together in a situation. * /Stick together in the cave so that no one gets lost./ * /The gang stuck together after the game./ * /Bill and Bob stick together in a game or in a fight./ Syn.: HANG TOGETHER(1).

[stick to one's guns] or [stand by one's guns] <v. phr.> To hold to an aim or an opinion even though people try to stop you or say you are wrong. * /People laughed at Columbus when he said the world was round. He stuck to his guns and proved he was right./ * /At first the boss would not give Jane the raise in pay she wanted, but she stood by her guns and he gave it to her./ Compare: STAND ONE'S GROUND.

[stick to one's knitting] or [tend to one's knitting] <v. phr.>, <informal> To do your own job and not bother other people. * /The trouble with Henry is that he is always telling other people what to do; he can't stick to his knitting./

[stick to one's ribs] or [stick to the ribs] <v. phr.>, <informal> To keep you from getting hungry again too quickly. * /Doctors say you should eat a good breakfast that sticks to your ribs./ * /Farmers eat food that sticks to the ribs./

[stick to the point] <v. phr.> To stay on course during a discussion; adhere to the topic; not talk about extraneous matters. * /Stick to the point and stop telling us your life history!/ See: COME TO THE POINT.

[stick up] <v.>, <informal> To rob with a gun. * /When the messenger left the bank, a man jumped out of an alley and stuck him up./ Syn.: HOLD UP. * /In the old West, outlaws sometimes stuck up the stagecoaches./

[stick-up] <n.>, <informal> A robbery by a man with a gun. * /Mr. Smith was the victim of a stick-up last night./

[stick up for] See: STAND UP FOR.

[stick with] <v.>, <informal> 1. or [stay with] To continue doing; not quit. * /Fred stayed with his homework until it was done./ * /Practicing is tiresome, but stick with it and some day you will be a good pianist./ Compare: STICK TO. 2. To stay with; not leave. * /Stick with me until we get out of the crowd./ * /For two months Bill's boss could not pay his salary, but Bill stuck with him because he thought the company would soon succeed./ 3. To sell (someone) something poor or worthless; cheat. * /Father said that the man in the store tried to stick him with a bad TV set./ 4. To leave (someone) with (something unpleasant); force to do or keep something because others cannot or will not.
– Usually used in the passive. * /When Harry and I went to the store to buy ice cream cones, Harry ran out with his cone without paying and I was stuck with paying for it./ * /Mary didn't wash the dishes before she left so I'm stuck with it./ * /Mr. Jones bought a house that is too big and expensive, but now he's stuck with it./

[stick with] <v. phr.> To unfairly thrust upon; encumber one with. * /In the restaurant my friends stuck me with the bill although it was supposed to be Dutch treat./

[sticky fingers] <n. phr.>, <slang> 1. The habit of stealing things you see and want. * /Don't leave money in your locker; some of the boys have sticky fingers./ * /Don't leave that girl alone in the room with so many valuable objects around, because she has sticky fingers./ 2. Ability to catch a ball, especially football forward passes. * /Jack is very tall and has sticky fingers. He is an end on the football team./

[stiff] See: KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP, SCARE OUT OF ONE'S WITS or SCARE STIFF.

[still] See: HEART STAND STILL.

[still life] <n. phr.> A term used by artists to describe a motionless picture of a bowl of fruit, flowers, etc. * /One of van Gogh's most famous still lifes is a vase of yellow flowers./

[still waters run deep] Quiet people probably are profound thinkers.
– A proverb. * /He doesn't say much, but he sure looks smart. Well, still waters run deep, isn't that true?/

[stir up] <v.> 1. To bring (something) into being, often by great exertion or activity; cause. * /It was a quiet afternoon, and John tried to stir up some excitement./ * /Bob stirred up a fight between Tom and Bill./ Compare: WHIP UP(2). 2. To cause (someone) to act; incite to action or movement; rouse. * /The coach's pep talk stirred up the team to win./ * /When Mary heard what Betty said about her, she became stirred up./

[stir up a hornet's nest] <v. phr.> To make many people angry; do something that many people don't like. * /The principal stirred up a hornet's nest by changing the rules at school./

[stitch] See: IN STITCHES.

[stock] See: IN STOCK, OUT OF STOCK, TAKE STOCK, TAKE STOCK IN.

[stock-in-trade] <n. phr.> The materials which one customarily deals, sells, or offers. * /Imported silk blouses from the Orient are the stock-in-trade of their small shop./ * /Anecdotes are often an after-dinner speaker's stock-in-trade./

[stomach] See: EYES BIGGER THAN ONE'S STOMACH, BUTTERFLIES IN YOUR STOMACH, TURN ONE'S STOMACH.

[stone] See: CAST THE FIRST STONE, HAVE A HEART OF STONE, KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE, LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED, PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT THROW STONES, ROLLING STONE GATHERS NO MOSS.

[stone-blind] <adj. phr.> 1. Completely blind. * /Poor Al is stone-blind and needs help to get across the street carefully./ 2. Highly intoxicated. * /George drank too much and got stone-blind at the office party./ See: GET STONED, THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND.

[stone-broke] or [dead broke] or [flat broke] <adj.>, <informal> Having no money; penniless. * /Jill wanted to go to the movies but she was stone-broke./ * /The man gambled and was soon flat broke./

[stone-cold] <adj.> Having no warmth; completely cold.
– Used to describe things that are better when warm. * /The boys who got up late found their breakfast stone-cold./ * /The furnace went off and the radiators were stone-cold./