Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[flat-out] <adv. phr.>, <informal> 1. Without hiding anything; plainly; openly. * /The student told his teacher flat-out that he was not listening to her./ 2. At top speed; as fast as possible. * /He saw two men running flat-out from the wild rhinoceros./

[flatter oneself] To be sure of your own talent or skill; highly confident. * /I flatter myself that I am a better swimmer than he is./

[flea in one's ear] <n. phr.>, <informal> An idea or answer that is not welcome; an annoying or surprisingly sharp reply or hint. * /I'll put a flea in his ear if he bothers me once more./

[flea market] <n. phr.> A place where antiques, second-hand things, and cheap articles are sold, and especially one in the open air. * /The local antique dealers held a flea market and fair on the high-school athletic field./ * /There are many outdoor flea markets in Europe./

[flesh] See: IN PERSON also IN THE FLESH, NEITHER FISH NOR FOWL also NEITHER FISH, FLESH, NOR FOWL, PRESS THE FLESH, THORN IN THE FLESH.

[flesh and blood] <n.> 1. A close relative (as a father, daughter, brother); close relatives. Used in the phrase "one's own flesh and blood". * /Such an answer from her - and she's my own flesh and blood, too!/ 2. The appearance of being real or alive. * /The author doesn't give his characters any flesh and blood./ 3. The human body. * /Before child labor laws, small children often worked 50 or 60 hours a week in factories. It was more than flesh and blood could bear./

[flesh out] <v.>, <informal> 1. To add to; make fuller, bigger, or longer. * /The author fleshed out his story by adding more about his war experiences./ 2. also [flesh up] To become heavier, put on weight, or flesh. * /He lost weight after his illness but is beginning to flesh out again./ See: FILL OUT.

[flesh up] See: FLESH OUT(2).

[fling oneself at] See: THROW ONESELF AT.

[fling oneself at someone's head] See: THROW ONESELF AT SOMEONE'S HEAD.

[flip-flop(1)] <v.>, <informal> To alternate the positions of; exchange the places of; switch. * /The football coach had one play in which he flip-flopped his left halfback and fullback./

[flip-flop(2)] <n.>, <informal> A complete change; a switch from one thing to an entirely different one. * /John wanted to be a carpenter like his father, but when he saw the print shop he did a flip-flop and now he's learning printing./

[flip-flop(3)] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Involving or using a change from one of two places, positions, or alternatives to the other. * /The machine was controlled by a flip-flop switch./ * /The football coach hoped to surprise his opponents by using a flip-flop offense./

[flip one's lid] also [flip one's wig] <slang> 1. To lose one's temper. * /When that pushy salesman came back Mom really flipped her lid./ Compare: BLOW A FUSE. 2. To lose your mind; become insane. * /When he offered me three times the pay I was getting, I thought he had flipped his lid./ 3. To become unreasonably enthusiastic. * /She flipped her lid over a hat she saw in the store window./ * /He's flipped his lid over that new actress./

[flip out] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <informal> To go insane, to go out of one's mind. * /A is impossible to talk to Joe today - he must have flipped out./

[flock] See: BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER.

[floor] See: GROUND FLOOR, MOP THE FLOOR WITH, WALK THE FLOOR.

[floor one] <v. phr.> To overwhelm; astound; nonplus. * /John's sudden announcement that he would retire floored all of us in the office./

[floorwalker] <n.> A section manager in a department store. * /To exchange this pair of shoes, you must first get the floorwalker's approval./

[flop] See: FLIP-FLOP.

[flower child] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> 1. A young person who believes in nonviolence and carries flowers around to symbolize his peace-loving nature. * /Flower children are supposed to be nonviolent, but they sure make a lot of noise when they demonstrate!/ 2. Any person who cannot cope with reality. * /"Face facts, Suzie, stop being such a flower child!"/

[flower power] <n.>, <slang> The supposed power of love and nonviolence as intended to be used by members of the anti-culture to change American society. * /The young people were marching for flower power./

[fluff one's lines] See: BLOW ONE'S LINES.

[fluff stuff] <n.>, <slang>, <citizen's band radio jargon> Snow. * /We can expect some fluff stuff this afternoon./

[flunk out] <v. phr.> To have to withdraw from school or college because of too many failing grades. * /Fred flunked out of college during his junior year./

[flush it] <v. phr.>, <slang> 1. To fail (something). * /I really flushed it in my math course./ 2. <interj.>, <used imperatively> Expression registering refusal to believe something considered stupid or false. * /"You expect me to buy that story? Flush it!"/

[fly] See: BIRD HAS FLOWN, GO FLY A KITE, MAKE THE FEATHERS FLY, MAKE THE FUR FLY, ON THE FLY, POP FLY, SACRIFICE FLY.

[fly at one's throat] <v. phr.> To attack you suddenly with great anger. * /When Tom called Dick a bad name, Dick flew at his throat./

[fly ball] <n.> A baseball hit high into the air. * /He hit an easy fly ball to center field./

[fly blind] <v. phr.> 1. To fly an airplane by instruments alone. * /In the heavy fog he had to fly blind./ 2. <informal> To do something without understanding what you are doing. * /I'm glad the car runs now; I was flying blind when I fixed it./ * /He's flying blind when he talks about philosophy./

[fly-by-night(1)] <adj.> Set up to make a lot of money in a hurry, then disappear so people can't find you to complain about poor work, etc.; not trustworthy; not reliable. * /Mrs. Blank bought her vacuum cleaner from a new company; when she tried to have it fixed, she found it was a fly-by-night business./

[fly-by-night(2)] <n.>, <informal> 1. A company that sells many cheap things for a big profit and then disappears. * /A dependable company honors its guarantees, but a fly-by-night only wants your money./ 2. A person who does not pay his bills, but sneaks away (as at night.) * /Hotels are bothered by fly-by-nights./

[fly by the seat of one's pants] <v. phr.>, <slang> To fly an airplane by feel and instinct rather than with the help of the instruments. * /Many pilots in World War I had to fly by the seat of their pants./

[flying] See: WITH FLYING COLORS.

[flying high] <adj.>, <slang> Very happy; joyful. * /Jack was flying high after his team won the game./ Compare: IN THE CLOUDS, ON TOP OP THE WORLD.

[flying start] See: GET OFF TO A FLYING START.

[flying tackle] <n.>, <informal> A tackle made by jumping through the air at the person to be tackled. * /Most football coaches don't want their players to make flying tackles./ * /The policeman stopped the burglar with a flying tackle./