Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[stone-dead] <adj.>, <informal> Showing no signs of life; completely dead. * /Barry tried to revive the frozen robin but it was stone-dead./

[stone-deaf] <adj. phr.> Completely deaf. * /Sam is stone-deaf so let him read your lips if you know no sign language./

[stone wall] or [brick wall] <adj.> Something hard to overcome; an idea or belief that is hard to change. * /The students ran into a brick wall when they asked the principal to put off the examination./ * /Dick tried to change Father's mind about letting him use the car Saturday night, but he was up against a stone wall./

[stone's throw] or [within a stone's throw] <adv. phr.> Within a very short distance. * /They live across the street from us, just within a stone's throw./ See: HOP, SKIP AND A JUMP.

[stool pigeon] <n.> A criminal who informs on his associates. * /The detective was able to solve the crime mainly through information obtained from a stool pigeon./

[stop] See: PUT AN END TO(1), or PUT A STOP TO.

[stop at nothing] <v. phr.> To be unscrupulous. * /Al will stop at nothing to get Nancy to go out with him./

[stop by] See: DROP BY.

[stop cold] or [stop dead] or [stop in one's tracks] <v. phr.>, <informal> To stop very quickly or with great force. * /The hunter pulled the trigger and stopped the deer cold./ * /When I saw Mary on the street, I was so surprised I stopped dead./ * /The deer heard a noise and he stopped in his tracks./

[stop off] <v.> To stop at a place for a short time while going somewhere. * /We stopped off after school at the soda fountain before going home./ * /On our trip to California we stopped off in Las Vegas for two days./

[stop over] <v.> To stay at a place overnight or for some other short time while on a trip elsewhere. * /When we came back from California, we stopped over one night near the Grand Canyon./

[stop short] <v. phr.> To suddenly stop. * /Jake stopped short when he heard somebody yell out his name loud but there was no one in sight./

[stop street] <n.> A street where cars must come to a full stop before crossing another street. * /Johnny was late because he traveled on a stop street./ Contrast: THROUGH STREET.

[stop the show] <v. phr.> To elicit such a strong applause from the audience that the show is interrupted. * /Pavarotti's rendition of "O sole mio" always stops the show./

[stop up] <v. phr.> To block; close. * /If you want to get rid of the leak, you must stop up the two holes you have in the ceiling./

[store] See: DIME STORE, IN STORE, SET STORE BY, VARIETY STORE.

[storm] See: TAKE BY STORM.

[story] See: OLD STORY, SOB STORY, UPPER STORY.

[stow away] <v.> 1. <informal> To pack or store away. * /After New Year's Day the Christmas decorations were stowed away until another season./ 2. To hide on a ship or another kind of transportation to get a free ride. * /John ran away from home and stowed away on a freighter going to Jamaica./

[straight] See: GO STRAIGHT, SHOOT STRAIGHT.

[straighten out] <v.> To correct a mistake; make you realize you are wrong. * /The teacher saw Jim's awkward sentence on the board and asked for volunteers to straighten it out./ * /Sometimes only a good spanking will straighten out a naughty child./ Syn.: SQUARE AWAY(2).

[straighten up] <v.> To put in order; make neat. * /Vic had to straighten up his room before he could go swimming./ * /Mrs. Johnson straightened up the house before company came./ Compare: PICK UP(6b), SQUARE AWAY.

[straight face] <n.> A face that is not laughing or smiling. * /Mary told all the funny stories she knew to try to make Joan laugh, but Joan kept a straight face./ * /It is hard to tell when Jim is teasing you. He can tell a fib with a straight face./ * /When Bob fell into the water, he looked funny and I could hardly keep a straight face./

[straight from the horse's mouth] <slang> Directly from the person or place where it began; from a reliable source or a person that cannot be doubted. * /They are going to be married. I got the news straight from the horse's mouth - their minister./ * /John found out about the painting straight from the horse's mouth, from the painter himself./

[straight from the shoulder] <adv. phr.>, <informal> In an open and honest way of speaking; without holding back anything because of fear or politeness or respect for someone's feelings; frankly. * /John asked what he had done wrong. Bob told him straight from the shoulder./ * /The candidate for Congress spoke out against his opponent's dishonesty straight from the shoulder./ Contrast: PULL ONE'S PUNCHES.

[straightlaced] <adj.> Of very strict morals and manners. * /She is so straightlaced that she won't even go out with a man unless she senses that he is serious about her./

[straight off] <adv. phr.> At once; immediately. * /After school is over, you come home straight off, and don't waste time./ * /He asked his father for the car, but his father said straight off that he couldn't have it./

[straight out] See: RIGHT OUT.

[straight shooters] See: SHOOT STRAIGHT.

[straight ticket] <n.> A vote for all the candidates of a single party. * /Uncle Fred was a loyal member of his party. He always voted the straight ticket./ Contrast: SPLIT TICKET.

[strain a point] See: STRETCH A POINT.

[strange to say] <adv. phr.> Not what you might think; surprisingly.
– Used for emphasis. * /Strange to say, Jerry doesn't like candy./ * /Strange to say, the Indians didn't kill Daniel Boone./

[strapped for] <adj.> Broke; out of funds. * /My brother is so extravagant that he is always strapped for cash./

[straw] See: GIVE A HANG, GRASP AT A STRAW, GRASP AT STRAWS, LAST STRAW or STRAW THAT BREAKS THE CAMEL'S BACK, MAKE BRICKS WITHOUT STRAW.

[straw boss] <n.> 1. The boss of a few workers who is himself under another boss or foreman. * /The straw boss told Jim he would have to see the foreman about a job./ 2, A man who works himself and also bosses a few other workers. * /Smith worked better than the other men, so the foreman made him straw boss, too./

[straw in the wind] <n. phr.> A small sign of what may happen. * /The doctor's worried face was a straw in the wind./ * /The quickly-called meeting of the President and his cabinet was a straw in the wind./