Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[to another tune] See: DANCE TO ANOTHER TUNE.

[to a T] or [to a turn] <adv. phr.> Just right; to perfection; exactly. * /The roast was done to a turn./ * /His nickname, Tiny, suited him to a T./ Compare: TO THE LETTER.

[to bat] See: GO TO BAT FOR.

[to bay] See: BRING TO BAY.

[to-be] <adj.> That is going to be; about to become.
– Used after the noun it modifies. * /Bob kissed his bride-to-be./ * /The principal of the high school greeted the high school students-to-be on their last day in junior high./

[to bed] See: PUT TO BED, PUT TO BED WITH A SHOVEL.

[to be on the safe side] <adv. phr.> To take extra precautions; reduce or eliminate the possibility of a mistake, an error, or even danger. * /Dad always keeps his valuables in a bank's safe deposit box, just to be on the safe side./ Compare: JUST IN CASE.

[to be sure] <adv. phr.> Without a doubt; certainly; surely. * /"Didn't you say Mr. Smith would take us home?" "Oh, yes. To be sure, I did."/ - Often used before a clause beginning with "but". * /He works slowly, to be sure, but he does a good job./ * /To be sure, Jim is a fast skater, but he is not good at doing figures./ Syn.: OF COURSE.

[to blame] <adj. phr.> Having done something wrong; to be blamed; responsible. * /John was to blame for the broken window./ * /The teacher tried to find out who was to blame in the fight./

[to boot] <adv. phr.> In addition; besides; as something extra. * /He not only got fifty dollars, but they bought him dinner to boot./ Compare: FOR GOOD MEASURE, IN THE BARGAIN, THROW IN.

[to date] <adv.> or <adj. phr.> Up to the present time; until now. * /To date twenty students have been accepted into the school./ * /The police have not found the runaway to date./ * /Jim is shoveling snow to earn money, but his earnings to date are small./ Syn.: SO FAR.

[to death] <adv. phr.>, <informal> To the limit; to the greatest degree possible.
– Used for emphasis with verbs such as "scare", "frighten", "bore". * /Cowboy stories bore me to death, but I like mysteries./ * /Sara is scared to death of snakes./ * /John is tickled to death with his new bike./

[to do] See: HAVE TO DO WITH.

[toe] See: CURL ONE'S HAIR or CURL ONE'S TOES, ON ONE'S TOES, STEP ON THE TOES OF.

[toe the line] or [toe the mark] <v. phr.> To be very careful to do just what you are supposed to do; obey the rules and do your duties. * /The new teacher will make Joe toe the line./ * /Bill's father is strict with him and he has to toe the mark./ Compare: WALK THE CHALK.

[to first base] See: GET TO FIRST BASE.

[together] See: GET IT ALL TOGETHER.

[together with] <prep.> In addition to; in the company of; along with. * /John, together with his brother, has gone to the party./ * /The police found a knife, together with the stolen money, hidden in a hollow tree./

[to grips] See: COME TO GRIPS WITH.

[to heart] See: TAKE TO HEART also LAY TO HEART.

[to heel] <adj. phr.> 1. Close behind. * /The dog ran after a rabbit, but Jack brought him to heel./ 2. Under control; to obedience. * /When Peter was sixteen, he thought he could do as he pleased, but his father cut off his allowance, and Peter soon came to heel./

[to hell with] or [the hell with] <prep. phr.>, <informal> Used to express disgusted rejection of something. * /It's slop; the hell with what the cook calls it./ Compare: FED UP, GIVE A HANG.

[to it] See: PUT ONE'S BACK TO IT.

[to light] See: BRING TO LIGHT, COME TO LIGHT.

[toll] See: TAKE ITS TOLL.

[toll call] <n. phr.> A long distance telephone call for which one has to pay. * /We had several toll calls on last month's telephone bill./

[toll free] <adv. phr.> Calling an (800) telephone number with the call paid by the business whose number one has dialed. * /You can call us day and night, seven days a week, toll free./

[Tom] See: PEEPING TOM.

[Tom, Dick, and Harry] <n. phr.> People in general; anyone; everyone.
– Usually preceded by "every" and used to show scorn or disrespect. * /The drunk told his troubles to every Tom, Dick and Harry who passed by./

[tone down] <v.> To make softer or quieter; make less harsh or strong; moderate. * /He toned down the sound of the TV./ * /She wanted the bright colors in her house toned down./ * /When the ladies arrived, he toned down his language./ * /The strikers were asked to tone down their demands for higher pay so that there might be a quicker agreement and an end to the strike./

[tong] See: GO AT IT HAMMER AND TONGS.

[tongue] See: AT THE TIP OF ONE'S TONGUE, CAT GET ONE'S TONGUE, HOLD ONE'S TONGUE, KEEP A CIVIL TONGUE IN ONE'S HEAD, SLIP OF THE TONGUE.

[tongue-in-cheek] <adj. phr.> In an ironic or insincere manner. * /When the faculty complained about the poor salary increments, the university's president said that he was not a psychiatrist, thus making an inappropriate tongue-in-cheek remark./

[tongue-lashing] <n.> A sharp scolding or criticism. * /Jim's mother gave him a tongue-lashing for telling family secrets./ Syn.: PIECE OF ONE'S MIND.

[tongues wag] <informal> People speak in an excited or gossipy manner; people spread rumors. * /If married women go out with other men, tongues will wag./ * /When the bank clerk showed up in an expensive new car, tongues wagged./

[tongue-tied] See: TIGHT-LIPPED.

[tongue twister] <n.> A word or group of words difficult to pronounce whose meaning is irrelevant compared to the difficulty of enunciation. * /"She sells sea shells by the seashore" is a popular American tongue twister./

[to no avail] or [of no avail(1)] <adj. phr.>, <formal> Having no effect; useless, unsuccessful. * /Tom's practicing was of no avail. He was sick on the day of the game./ * /Mary's attempts to learn embroidering were to no avail./

[to no avail(2)] <adv. phr.>, <formal> Without result; unsuccessfully. * /John tried to pull the heavy cart, but to no avail./ * /Mary studied hard for the test but to no avail./ Compare: IN VAIN.

[too] See: EAT ONE'S CAKE AND HAVE IT TOO.

[too bad] <adj.> To be regretted; worthy of sorrow or regret; regrettable.
– Used as a predicate. * /It is too bad that we are so often lazy./ * /It was too bad Bill had measles when the circus came to town./

[too big for one's breeches] or [too big for one's boots] <adj. phr.> Too sure of your own importance; feeling more important than you really are. * /That boy had grown too big for his breeches. I'll have to put him back in his place./ * /When the teacher made Bob a monitor, he got too big for his boots and she had to warn him./