Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[fish fry] <n.> An outdoor party or picnic at which fish are fried and eaten. * /The guests at the fish fry caught and cooked their own fish./

[fish in muddy] or [troubled waters] <v. phr.> To take advantage of a troubled or confusing situation; seek personal advantage. * /With the police disorganized after the collapse of communism in Europe, many criminals started to fish in troubled waters./

[fish or cut bait] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. Decide what you want to do and stop wasting time; either act now or give someone else a chance or turn. * /Jack couldn't decide whether to go to college or get a job, so his father told him to fish or cut bait./ * /"Buy the kind of ice cream you want or give someone else in line a chance. Fish or cut bait!"/ Compare: MAKE UP ONE'S MIND. 2. Either try hard and do your best, or quit. * /Frank missed football practice so often that the coach told him to fish or cut bait./

[fish out of water] <n. phr.> A person who is out of his proper place in life; someone who does not fit in. * /Because Ed could not swim, he felt like a fish out of water at the beach./ * /She was the only girl at the party not in a formal dress and she felt like a fish out of water./ Compare: OUT OF ONE'S ELEMENT, OUT OF PLACE.

[fish story] <n. phr.> An unlikely or improbable tale. * /Hunters and fishermen often exaggerate their successes by telling fish stories./

[fist] See: HARD-FISTED.

[fit] See: BY FITS AND STARTS, GIVE PITS, HAVE A FIT or HAVE FITS, IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT, SEE FIT also THINK FIT, SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.

[fit as a fiddle] <adj. phr.> In very good health. * /The man was almost 90 years old but fit as a fiddle./ * /Mary rested at home for a few weeks after her operation; then she felt fit as a fiddle./

[fit for] <v. phr.> To be suited for; be prepared for. * /"What kind of job is Ted fit for?" the social worker asked./

[fit in with] <v. phr.> To fall into agreement or accord with. * /His plans to take a vacation in early July fit in perfectly with the university schedule./

[fit like a glove] <v. phr.> To fit perfectly. * /Her new dress fits her like a glove./

[fit out] or [fit up] <v.> To give things needed; furnish. * /The soldiers were fitted out with guns and clothing./ * /The government fitted out warships and got sailors for them./ * /The house was fitted out very nicely./ * /He fitted his room up as a photographic laboratory./

[fit the bill] See: FILL THE BILL.

[fit to a T] See: TO A T.

[fit to be tied(1)] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Very angry or upset. * /She was fit to be tied when she saw the broken glass./

[fit to be tied(2)] <adv. phr.>, <substandard> Very hard.
– Used for emphasis. * /Uncle Willie was laughing fit to be tied at the surprised look on Mother's face./

[five o'clock shadow] <n. phr.> A very short growth of beard on a man's face who did shave in the morning but whose beard is so strong that it is again visible in the afternoon. * /"You have a five o'clock shadow, honey," Irene said, "and we're going to the opera. Why don't you shave again quickly?"/

[fix] See: GET A FIX or GIVE SOMEONE A FIX, GET A FIX ON.

[fix someone's wagon] or [fix someone's little red wagon] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. (Said to a child as a threat) to administer a spanking. * /Stop that right away or I'll fix your (little red) wagon!/ 2. (Said of an adult) to thwart or frustrate another, to engineer his failure. * /If he sues me for slander, I will counter-sue him for malicious prosecution. That will fix his wagon!/

[fix someone up with] <v. phr.>, <informal> To help another get a date with a woman or man by arranging a meeting for the two. * /Say Joe, can you possibly fix me up with someone this weekend? I am so terribly lonesome!/

[fix up] <v. phr.> 1. To repair. * /The school is having the old gym fixed up./ 2. To arrange. * /I think I can fix it up with the company so that John gets the transfer he desires. /3. To arrange a date that might lead to a romance or even to marriage. * /Mary is a great matchmaker; she fixed up Ron and Betty at her recent party./

[fizzle out] <v.>, <informal> 1. To stop burning; die out. * /The fuse fizzled out before exploding the firecracker./ 2. To fail after a good start; end in failure. * /The power mower worked fine for a while but then it fizzled out./ * /The party fizzled out when everyone went home early./

[flag down] <v.>, <informal> To stop by waving a signal flag or as if waving a signal flag. * /The signalman flagged down the freight train./ * /A policeman flagged down the car with his flashlight./

[flakeball] or [flake] <n.>, <slang>, <drug culture> A disjointed, or "flaky" person, who is forgetful and incoherent, as if under the influence of narcotics. * /Hermione is a regular flakeball./ Compare: SPACED OUT.

[flame] See: ADD FUEL TO THE FLAME, GO UP IN FLAMES.

[flanker back] <n.> A football back who can play far to the outside of his regular place. * /The coach is still looking for a speedy boy to play flanker back./

[flare up] <v.> 1. To burn brightly for a short time especially after having died down. * /The fire flared up again and then died./ 2. To become suddenly angry. * /The mayor flared up at the reporter's remark./ * /The mother flared up at her children./ 3. To begin again suddenly, especially for a short time after a quiet time. * /Mr. Gray's arthritis flared up sometimes./ * /Even after they had conquered the country, revolts sometimes flared up./

[flare-up] <n.> The reoccurrence of an infection or an armed conflict. * /He had a flare-up of his arthritis./ * /There was a bad flare-up of hostilities in some countries./

[flash] See: IN A FLASH.

[flash card] <n.> A card with numbers or words on it that is used in teaching, a class. * /The teacher used flash cards to drill the class in addition./

[flash in the pan] <n. phr.>, <slang> A person or thing that starts out well but does not continue. * /The new quarterback was a flash in the pan./ * /Mary got 100 on the first test in arithmetic but it was just a flash in the pan because she failed in arithmetic./

[flat] See: FALL FLAT, IN NO TIME or IN NOTHING FLAT, LEAVE FLAT.

[flat as a pancake] <adj. phr.> Very level; very flat; having no mountains or hills. * /A great part of the American Midwest is as flat as a pancake./

[flat broke] See: STONE-BROKE.

[flatfoot] <n.>, <slang>, <derogatory> A policeman. * /"What does Joe do for a living?
– He's a flatfoot."/

[flat-footed] <adj.>, <informal> 1. Straightforward; forthright; direct; outright. * /The governor issued a flat-footed denial of the accusation./ * /He came out flat-footed against the idea./ 2. Not ready; not prepared; - usually used with "catch". * /The teacher's question caught Tim flat-footed./ * /Unexpected company at lunch time caught Mrs. Green flat-footed./