Jump To: J - Idioms . K - Idioms . L - Idioms
jack-of-all-trades
- a person who can do many things We gave him a job because we needed a jack-of-all-trades around the factory to look after the many repairs.
jack up
- raise prices The gas station jacked up their prices during the snow storm.
jam on the brakes
- quickly put the brakes on in a car to stop He jammed on the brakes and was able to avoid hitting the child.
jam-packed
- crowded, full The train that we took this morning was jam-packed with people.
jazz up
- brighten up, add more noise or movement or color They really jazzed up the community center for the party tonight.
John Doe
- name used for an unknown person Why do the application forms use "John Doe" as the name of the person who is applying for something?
John Henry (John Hancock)
- signature Please sign your John Henry here and we will process your order right away.
Johnny-come-lately
- new-comer He`s a Johnny-come-lately and doesn`t really know what he is talking about.
Johnny-on-the-spot
- be at the right place when needed, right on time He`s always Johnny-on-the-spot. Just when we need him he arrives.
jump all over someone
- criticize, scold, blame As soon as I began to talk about my plans for the summer he jumped all over me.
jump at
- take or accept quickly and gladly He jumped at the chance to go to Europe on company business.
jump bail
- run away and fail to come to trial and give up the money you have already paid to the court He jumped bail and decided to go and live in a foreign country.
jump down someone`s throat
- criticize or become angry with someone As soon as I reached the office he jumped down my throat over the missing file.
jumping-off place
- the starting place of a long trip We gathered early in the morning at the jumping-off place for our trip to the mountains.
jump on someone
- scold, criticize, blame Everyone jumped on him at the meeting because they were angry about the new schedules.
jump on the bandwagon (also get or climb on the bandwagon)
- join a popular activity Everyone has jumped on the bandwagon to try and stop smoking in the workplace.
jump out of one`s skin
- be badly frightened I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw him at the window.
jump the gun
- start before you should He jumped the gun and started selling the tickets before he should.
jump through a hoop
- do whatever one is told to do, obey any order He is always ready to jump through a hoop for his boss so he is not very popular with the other employees.
jump to conclusions
- make a quick conclusion without thinking Please don`t jump to conclusions over who broke the computer.
just about
- nearly, almost I waited just about one hour before the concert started.
just now
- this very moment, a minute ago The accident happened just now. The police haven`t even arrived yet.
just so
- with great care, very carefully She always makes sure that her hair is just so before she goes out.
just the same
- nevertheless I told her not to come early but just the same she came early anyway.
just what the doctor ordered
- exactly what is needed or wanted Having the extra day off from work was just what the doctor ordered and he was able to get his many errands finished.
kangaroo court
- a self-appointed group that decides how to punish someone who is supposed to have done something wrong The men were convicted by the people in the town but it was like a kangaroo court and nobody agreed with the decision.
Katie bar the door
- get ready for trouble, a desperate situation is at hand The gang arrived at the bar and were ready to come in and fight. Well, Katie bar the door.
keel over
- fall over and faint Three of the members of the band suddenly keeled over because of the heat.
keel over
- turn upside down, tip over The boat keeled over in the middle of the lake but everybody was safe.
keep after
- remind someone over and over I always have to keep after her to do her job properly.
keep an eye on something or someone
- watch (as in take care of something) Will you keep an eye on the baby while I go to the store.
keep a secret
- not tell a secret to others I have been trying to keep a secret about her boyfriend for a long time now.
keep a stiff upper lip
- be brave, face trouble bravely The prisoners tried hard to keep a stiff upper lip in spite of the hardships of the prison.
keep at
- persist with He has decided to keep at his studies so I am sure he will succeed.
keep body and soul together
- keep alive, survive It was very cold during the winter but somehow she was able to keep body and soul together and survived.
keep books
- keep records of money gained and spent, do the work of a bookkeeper My first job was to keep books for a small company in my hometown.
keep down
- keep from progressing or growing, keep within limits, control The students were told to keep down the noise as some of the other classes were having exams.
keep from
- prevent, refrain from I love ice cream and couldn`t keep from eating three bowls.
keep good time
- work accurately (a clock) My watch has not been keeping good time lately.
keep house
- look after a house or a household She has been keeping house for her father while he is sick.
keep in touch
- talk or write to someone I have always tried to keep in touch with my friends from high school.
keep on (doing something)
- continue She is careless and keeps on making the same mistakes over and over.
keep one`s chin up
- be brave, be determined Try and keep your chin up. Things will get better in the future.
keep one`s eye on the ball
- be watchful and ready You should keep your eye on the ball or you will make a mistake.
keep one`s fingers crossed
- wish for good results in something one is doing Please keep your fingers crossed that I will pass the exam.
keep one`s head
- stay calm when there is trouble or danger He is a very good leader and always is able to keep his head during an emergency.
keep one`s head above water
- have the ability to pay one`s bills He is having trouble keeping his head above water since his salary has decreased.
keep one`s mouth shut
- be or stay silent I was very angry so I told him to keep his mouth shut. Later I had to apologize.
keep one`s nose clean
- stay out of trouble He has been managing to keep his nose clean since he moved to the new town.
keep one`s nose to the grindstone
- work very hard He has been keeping his nose to the grindstone recently and I haven`t had a chance to see him.
keep one`s own counsel
- keep one`s ideas and plans to oneself He always keeps his own counsel and never really reveals his plans to anyone.
keep one`s shirt on
- calm down, keep from losing one`s temper or getting impatient Try and keep your shirt on! Everything is going to be alright in a few minutes.
keep one`s wits about one
- stay calm when there is trouble or danger Although there was a fire in the building he was able to keep his wits about him and help everybody to safety.
keep one`s word
- fulfill one`s promise She never keeps her word so I don`t believe that she will come to the party.
keep pace
- go as fast, go at the same rate It was difficult to keep pace with the other students but somehow I managed.
keep quiet
- remain silent Could you all please keep quiet and listen to the instructor.
keep someone on
- allow someone to continue working for you Although we have too many workers we have decided to keep him on until business improves.
keep tabs on
- watch or check, keep under observation They have been keeping tabs on the spending of the sales department.
keep the ball rolling
- keep up an activity or action, not allow something that is happening to slow or stop We should try to keep the ball rolling and get as much of our work done while everyone is still here.
keep the home fires burning
- keep things going as usual while someone is away Don`t worry about anything. I will stay home and keep the home fires burning while you are on your holiday.
keep track of
- maintain a record Please carefully keep track of your expenses during the trip.
keep (someone) up
- prevent someone from going to bed They kept me up last night with their noisy radio.
keep time
- show the right time My new watch keeps perfect time so I am very happy.
keep time
- keep the beat, keep the same rhythm It is difficult for him to keep time with the other members of the band but at least he tries.
keep under one`s hat
- keep secret, not tell He won`t say where he is going for his holiday. He wants to keep it under his hat.
keep up appearances
- keep an outward show of prosperity or good behavior They have been trying to keep up appearances even though he has lost his job.
keep up
- go on, not stop, continue He is working hard to keep up the same level of production as last year.
keep up
- keep something at the same level or rate or in good condition He spends a lot of time trying to keep up the garden of his house.
keep up with
- go at the same speed as a person or thing, maintain the same rate of progress I can`t keep up with the rest of the class.
keep up with the news
- keep informed He reads the newspaper every morning in order to keep up with the news.
keep up with the Joneses
- try to be the same as your neighbors He always worries about keeping up with the Joneses and is always frustrated.
kettle of fish
- something to be considered, how things are That`s a totally different kettle of fish. We should talk about it another time.
keyed up
- excited, nervous I was all keyed up after we won the game and I couldn`t go to sleep.
kick around
- treat badly, act roughly or badly to someone or something I don`t like her very much because she is always kicking other people around.
kick around
- lie around in a place I was tired on Saturday so I stayed home and kicked around in the morning.
kick back
- relax and do nothing I`m going to kick back this evening and stay home and watch television.
kickback
- money paid illegally for favorable treatment The construction company gave the politician some illegal kickbacks in order to win the contract.
kick off
- begin, launch, start The department store kicked off their summer sale early Saturday morning.
kick-off
- a start The kick-off for the no smoking campaign will start next week.
kick oneself
- regret I kicked myself for not applying for the job sooner.
kick out
- make someone go or leave, get rid of, dismiss He was kicked out of school when he was 15 years old because of his bad behavior.
kick over
- a motor begins to work At first the engine wouldn`t start because it was too cold but finally it kicked over.
kick over
- pay, contribute I was forced to kick over a lot of money for the motor for my car.
kick the bucket
- die The man who used to clean the walls at the factory kicked the bucket last week.
kick the habit
- stop a bad habit like smoking or taking drugs He has been trying to kick his smoking habit for years.
kick up a fuss
- make trouble, make a disturbance I didn`t think that it would be a big problem but he really kicked up a fuss when I told him about the accident.
kick up one`s heels
- have a good time, celebrate We really kicked up our heels at the Christmas party that we attended last week.
kill off
- kill or end completely, destroy The pollution in the river has killed off all of the fish.
kill the goose that layed the golden egg
- spoil something that is good or something that one has by being greedy He was always complaining about his job but now it is gone. He has killed the goose that layed the golden egg.
kill two birds with one stone
- accomplish two things with one action He was able to kill two birds with one stone by going to the meeting.
knock about
- travel without a plan, go where one pleases We decided to go to Brazil and knock about for a couple of months.
knock it off
- stop doing something, quit Please knock it off. You are going to hurt yourself if you are not careful.
knock off
- murder someone The owner of the shop was knocked off in the robbery last week.
knock off one`s feet
- surprise or shock someone so much that he does not know what to do When they announced that I had won the prize it knocked me off my feet.
knock one`s block off
- hit someone very hard, beat someone up He was very angry and threatened to knock anyone`s block off who came near him.
knock one`s head against the wall
- waste time trying to do something with no success They have been knocking their head against the wall for years trying to find a solution to the problem.
knock oneself out
- make a great effort They really knocked themselves out trying to make the party successful.
knock on wood
- knock on something made of wood to keep from having bad luck I don`t think that I will lose my job - knock on wood.
knockout
- a very beautiful woman The man said that the woman he saw at the bus stop was a real knockout.
knock out
- make unconscious, unworkable or unusable The storm last night knocked out power in most of the town.
knock the living daylights out of someone
- make someone unconscious The man knocked the living daylights out of his friend during the fight.
know by heart
- memorize I learned the poem by heart.
(not) know if one is coming or going
- not know what to do The new sales manager doesn`t seem to know if he is coming or going.
know-it-all
- a person who acts as if they know everything He is a know-it-all and nobody likes to be around him.
(not) know the first thing about something
- lack basic knowledge about something He doesn`t know the first thing about computers.
know which side one`s bread is buttered on
- know who can help one and try to please him, know what is good for oneself He is careful not to make his boss angry. He knows which side his bread is buttered on.
knuckle down
- begin to work earnestly I think it is time that we knuckle down and finally finish this project.
knuckle under
- yield, submit The union finally knuckled under the pressure and ended the strike.
labor of love
- something done for personal pleasure and not for money The book that he wrote was a labor of love and he doessn`t expect to make any money from it.
lady killer
- a man who some women find very charming and attractive The man in the movie was a lady killer who broke many women`s hearts before he left them.
lady`s man
- a man who is popular with women He is a lady`s man who always seems to have a lot of women interested in him.
laid up
- be confined to bed or unfit for work He has been laid up for a few days because of a cold.
lame duck
- public official who has a short time left to serve in office and therefore has less power than before He is a lame duck president so it is difficult for him to get things accomplished.
land on one`s feet
- come out of a bad situation successfully He always manages to land on his feet no matter how difficult the situation is.
lap up
- eat or drink with the tongue The dog lapped up the milk that his master had given him.
lap up
- take in eagerly He lapped up the praise that his boss gave him for the recently completed project.
lash out
- try suddenly to hit someone He suddenly lashed out and hit the man who was sitting beside him.
lash out
- attack someone with words They were walking along the beach when she suddenly lashed out in anger at her boyfriend.
last but not least
- in the last place but not the least important Last but not least he came up to the front of the class to receive his report card.
last straw
- the last insult or mistake that one can endure and which then causes some reaction The fourth time he came late was the last straw and we finally fired him.
last word
- the last remark in an argument, the final say in deciding something She always expects to have the last word when she and her husband go to the store to buy something important.
laugh off
- not take seriously He laughed off the attempt of his boss to tell him that he should try and come to work on time.
(not) lay a finger on someone
- not touch someone, not bother to do something (not even a little) He was told by the police never to lay a finger on his wife again.
lay an egg
- fail to win the interest or favor of an audience Although he was supposed to be a good magician his performance was terrible and layed an egg with the audience.
lay away
- save They are trying to lay away some money for their holiday next year.
layaway plan
- a plan in which one pays some money down and then pays the rest little by little and the store holds the article until the full price has been paid He decided to buy the television set on the department store`s layaway plan.
lay down the law
- tell someone what to do using your power or influence The new management plans to lay down the law to the workers regarding long lunch breaks.
lay eyes on
- see I have never laid eyes on a more beautiful dog in my life.
lay hands on something
- get hold of or find something If I can lay my hands on a slide projector I will show you the pictures of my trip tonight.
lay hands on someone
- do violence to, harm, hurt He said that if he ever lays hands on the person who stole his car he will take him directly to the police.
lay hold of
- get possession of If I can get hold of a car this weekend we can go for a drive.
lay in
- store up a supply of something, get and keep for future use They are trying to lay in as much food as possible before winter comes.
lay (light) into
- attack physically, do (eat) something with energy He layed into the steak as soon as the waiter brought it to his table.
lay (light) into
- attack with words As soon as I came into work this morning she laid (lit) into me about my poor sales performance last month.
lay it on the line
- say plainly so that there can be no doubt, tell truthfully The librarian fimally had to lay it on the line and told everyone not to bring drinks into the library.
lay it on thick
- praise someone too much He really began to lay it on thick when he met me at the party.
lay low
- hide, keep out of sight for awhile He decided to lay low for awhile until his friend forgot that he had damaged his car.
lay off (someone)
- get rid of workers when business is bad Six hundred workers at the automobile factory were recently laid off.
lay off
- stop bothering, leave alone The players were told by the coach to lay off teasing the new player so that he could relax before the game.
lay off
- stop using or taking (drugs/cigarettes) I was told by my doctor to lay off smoking or I would be very sick in the future.
lay one`s cards on the table
- let someone know one`s position and feelings openly, deal honestly about something He decided to lay his cards on the table and tell his boss about the job offer from the other company.
lay out
- spend or pay some money He will have to lay out a lot of money for his new apartment.
lay out
- plan something They will lay out their plan for the new building at the next meeting.
lay over
- arrive in one place and wait some time before continuing a journey We were told that we will have to lay over in London for nine hours before we go on to Kenya.
lay to rest
- get rid of, put away permanently, stop They have been trying to lay to rest the rumors about the financial problems in the company.
lay up
- take out of active service, put in a boat dock or a garage The weather was getting cold so they decided to lay up their boat for the winter.
lay up
- collect a supply of something, save for future use, store They are trying to lay up some canned fruit for the winter.
lay waste
- destroy and leave in ruins, wreck The army troops laid waste to the enemy territory.
lead a dog`s life
- live a hard life, work hard and be treated unkindly He says that he has been leading a dog`s life since he started his new job.
lead a merry chase
- delay or escape capture by someone, make a person work hard He led the investigators on a merry chase before they finally arrested him.
lead by the nose
- have full control of, make or persuade someone to do anything you want He isn`t very aggressive and always lets his boss lead him by the nose.
lead off
- begin, start, open The golfer was the first to lead off in the tournament.
lead on
- insincerely encourage I think he was leading me on when he told me about the new job.
lead the way
- go before and show how to go somewhere, guide I had to lead the way because nobody else knew where the new office was located.
lean on
- pressure someone by blackmailing or threats of physical violence to make the person comply with a request The gang decided to lean on the small shop owner to get him to sell his property.
learn the ropes
- learn how to do a job He is a new employee and is still learning the ropes.
leave a bad taste in one`s mouth
- leave a bad impression, make one feel disgusted The way that the company fired the workers left a bad taste in everyone`s mouth.
leave alone
- don`t disturb someone Please leave me alone so I can finish this essay.
leave behind
- leave something somewhere I left my coat behind in the restaurant.
leave hanging (in the air)
- leave undecided or unsettled Whether or not they will be leaving next year was left hanging in the air at the end of the meeting.
leave (someone) holding the bag
- leave someone else to take the blame He left me holding the bag when he ran away from the accident.
leave in the lurch
- desert or leave alone and in trouble, refuse to help or support someone He left me in the lurch when he didn`t come over to help me although he had promised to earlier in the day.
leave no stone unturned
- try in every way, do everything possible The police left no stone unturned when they were looking for the little girl who was lost.
leave out
- omit He told me about the accident but he left out some of the main points.
leave (let) well enough alone
- be satisfied with something that is good enough You should let well enough alone and be happy with your work schedule the way it is.
left-handed compliment
- an ambiguous compliment interpreted as offensive He gave her a left-handed compliment when he said that her dyed hair looked nice.
leg man
- someone who performs messenger services, an errand boy He was workong as a leg man for the motion picture company.
leg to stand on
- a firm foundation of facts, facts to support one`s claims She doesn`t have a leg to stand on as far as her excuses for not finishing her work goes.
leg work
- physical work He was forced to do all of the leg work preparing for the meeting because his assistant was sick.
let alone
- certainly not I don`t have enough money to go to a movie let alone go on a holiday.
let bygones be bygones
- forget about problems that happened in the past We need to let bygones be bygones and forget about our past differences.
let down
- fail to do as well as expected, disappoint He let down his parents when he failed the university entrance exams.
let down easy
- refuse or say no to someone in a pleasant way I will talk to her tomorrow and try and let her down easy about her not getting the promotion.
let down one`s hair
- relax, act freely and naturally Everybody at the party let down their hair and had a good time.
let (something) go
- pay no attention to, neglect She seems to be letting her appearance go since she lost her job.
let go
- allow something to pass, do nothing about something Although I was angry at his remark I decided to let it go.
let go
- discharge from a job, fire The company has decided to let go several hundred workers in order to become profitable again.
let go of
- release He let go of the rope and the suitcase fell from the bus.
let grass grow under one`s feet
- be idle, be lazy, waste time He is always working hard and is not the type of person to let grass grow under his feet.
let (someone) have it
- hit someone hard He really let the other man have it when they got into a fight on the bus.
let it all hang out
- not to disguise anything, let the truth be known She decided to let it all hang out and told her boss about the mistakes she had made with the new sales account.
let it lay
- forget it, leave it alone You should let it lay and stop worrying about what she did to you last year.
let it rip
- become involved and make the most of something, really try to win He let it rip and set off from the shore in the motorboat.
let loose
- set free, give up one`s hold on something, release something being held They decided to let loose the injured bird that they had found in the park.
let (someone) know
- tell, inform Let me know when you are ready to go to the movie.
let off
- discharge (a gun), explode The children let off many firecrackers during the festival.
let off steam
- get rid of your extra energy or strong feelings by doing some activity He was very angry at first but he has let off a lot of steam and has calmed down now.
let (someone) off the hook
- excuse someone from a penalty or promise He let me off the hook and I didn`t have to stay after work and help clean the office.
let on
- reveal, inform Please don`t let on that you saw me at the movie last night.
let on
- try to make people believe something, pretend He tried to let on that he didn`t want the job but actually he does.
let out
- allow to go out or escape I let out our dog this morning and he hasn`t come home yet.
let out
- allow to be known, tell They let out the details of the restructuring plan late last night so we haven`t had time to talk about them yet.
let out
- make longer or looser (clothes), allow a rope to slip out little by little I had to go to the tailors to have them let out my sports jacket.
let out
- dismiss or be dismissed (from class or practice etc.) Everyone was let out from class early yesterday because of the bad weather.
let (something) ride
- continue without changing a situation We should forget about his recent problems at work and just let the whole matter ride.
let sleeping dogs lie
- don`t make trouble if you don`t have to You should let sleeping dogs lie and not worry about what she said to you last summer.
let the cat out of the bag
- reveal a secret Don`t let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party for the boss.
let the chips fall where they may
- don`t worry about the results of your actions I am not going to worry about whether or not the company will go broke or not. I will let the chips fall where they may.
let up
- become less or weaker, become slower or stop The rain finally let up around noon so we were able to go back outside.
let up
- do less or go slower or stop, stop working too hard He was told by his doctor to let up on his work schedule or he will become sick in the future.
lie in state
- after death a famous person lies in a state of honor (in an open coffin) so the public can see their body The President lay in state for three days after his death.
lie in wait
- watch from hiding in order to attack or surprise someone The police decided to lie in wait for the bank robbers to appear at the bank.
lie low
- stay quietly out of sight, try not to attract attention He is very angry at you so I think that you should lie low for a few days until he calms down.
life of Riley
- a soft easy life, pleasant way of living He has been living the life of Riley since he retired from his job last year.
lift a finger (hand)
- do something, do one`s share, help Although he is a nice person he will never lift a finger to help anyone else.
light up
- suddenly look pleased and happy As soon as I told him about our summer holiday plans his face lit up and he started smiling.
like father, like son
- a son usually acts like his father Like father, like son the man said as he watched the boy playing baseball exactly like his father.
like a ton of bricks
- strongly or forcefully The news of his retirement hit me like a ton of bricks.
like crazy
- very fast, with great energy They were running like crazy but still they couldn`t catch up with their friend.
like hell
- with much effort and energy, not so, untrue I had to run like hell this morning in order to catch the bus for work.
like mad
- very fast, with great energy I worked like mad but I was unable to finish the project by noon as I had hoped.
like water off a duck`s back
- without effect, without changing one`s feelings or opinion He always criticizes his friend who always ignores it so it falls away like water off a duck`s back.
line up
- take places in line or formation, stand one behind another We were forced to line up in front of the movie theater for over one hour.
line up
- adjust correctly First he lined up the two pieces of wood before he nailed them together.
line up
- arrange, make ready for action We were unable to line up a speaker for Sunday evening so we will cancel the meeting.
lip service
- support shown by words only and not by action They paid lip service to the proposal but I don`t think that they really support it.
little by little
- gradually He broke his leg while skiing but little by little it is getting better.
little frog in a big pond
- an unimportant person in a large group or organization He transferred to the headquarters branch but he is a little frog in a big pond and nobody knows him now.
little pitchers have big ears
- little children often overhear things that they are not supposed to hear Little pitchers have big ears she said when she saw her daughter standing at the door listening to her talking to her husband.
live down
- remove blame or distrust by good conduct, cause to be forgiven by not repeating something He is trying to live down his reputation of being a hard person to work for.
live from hand to mouth
- live on little money Her brother is an artist and has to live from hand to mouth because he has no money.
live high off the hog
- live very luxuriously or comfortably He has been living high off the hog since he won the money in the lottery.
live it up
- have a good time He likes to live it up every weekend when he gets paid.
live out of a suitcase
- stay away from your home with only the belongings in your suitcase I dislike this job because I am often on a business trip and must live out of my suitcase.
live up to
- come up to, agree with, act according to He is trying very hard to live up to his reputation as a smart busnessman.
living end
- great, fantastic, the ultimate She said that her new boyfriend was the living end.
loaded
- have lots of money His new boss is really loaded.
lock the barn door after the horse is stolen
- be careful or try to make something safe when it is too late If you try and prevent a flood after the rains have started it is like locking the barn door after the horse is stolen.
lock up
- to be assured of success The candidate has already locked up the nomination to be a candidate for president in the next election.
long face
- a sad look, a disappointed look He had a long face when he came into work this morning. What is the matter with him?
long haul
- a long distance or trip He is a long-haul trucker and is always out of town working.
long haul
- a long period of time during which work continues or something is done He has decided to stay here for the long haul and will not return to his home country for awhile.
long shot
- a bet or other risk taken though not likely to succeed It was a long shot that he would get the job so he was very happy when he did get it.
look after someone
- take care or attend to someone She has been looking after her mother since her recent illness.
look a gift horse in the mouth
- complain if a gift is not perfect Even if you don`t like the present from the company you shouldn`t complain. Remember don`t look a gift horse in the mouth.
look at the world through rose-colored glasses
- see only the good things about something, be too optimistic I told him not to be so naive and always look at the world through rose-colored glasses.
look down one`s nose at someone or something
- show your dislike of someone or something He always looks down his nose at the other members of his class.
look down on someone
- regard with contempt or a feeling of superiority She looks down on the activities and life of most small towns.
look for
- think likely, expect They are looking for John to become the next sales director of the company.
look for
- try to find, search for, hunt She has been looking for her credit card all morning but she can`t find it.
look forward to something
- anticipate with pleasure He`s been looking forward to the concert for a long time.
look in on
- go to see, make a short visit with, make a call on Could you please look in on the baby and see if she is sleeping.
look into
- investigate or check something They have been looking into the cause of the accident for many months.
look like a million dollars
- look well and prosperous, appear healthy and happy He was looking like a million dollars when I saw him at the party last weekend.
look like the cat that ate (swallowed) the canary
- seem very self-satisified like you have just had some kind of success He looked like the cat that ate the canary when he came in with a smile on his face.
look on
- be a spectator There were over a hundred people who gathered to look on after the accident.
look out
- take care, be careful, be on guard Look out! There is a large truck coming down the highway.
look out
- be alert or watchful, keep looking for something Could you please look out for any old Elvis Presley records that you may find.
look out
- provide protection and care Please look out for my sister when she stays with you this summer.
look over something
- inspect, survey or examine Please take some time to look over these documents before you sign them.
look to
- attend to, get ready for, take care of She is a wonderful nurse and spends a great deal of time looking to the needs of her patients.
look to
- go for help to, depend on He always looks to his mother for help when he has a problem.
look (something) up
- search for something in a dictionary or other book I`ll look up their name in the telephone book.
look (someone) up
- seek and find When I was in New York I looked up my friend from university.
look up to
- think of someone as a good example to copy, respect someone I always look up to the president of our company as someone I would like to be like.
loose ends
- without something definite to do He has been at loose ends since he lost his job.
lord it over
- act as the superior and master of someone, be bossy over someone She likes to lord it over the other members of the staff since she became a supervisor.
lose face
- be embarassed or ashamed by an error or failure, lose dignity He lost face when his employees decided not to support him during the meeting.
lose ground
- go backward, become weaker, not improve The government has been losing ground in their fight against inflation.
lose heart
- become discouraged She has begun to lose heart in her studies to learn the piano.
lose one`s marbles
- go crazy or act irrationally He seems to have lost his marbles and doesn`t make any sense at all.
lose one`s shirt
- lose a lot of money I think he is going to lose his shirt on that new business venture.
lose one`s way
- become lost The first time she went to New York City she lost her way.
lose one`s temper
- become angry He lost his temper when the child broke the dish.
lose out
- fail to win, miss first place in a contest He lost out on a chance to go to Mexico City because he was too busy with other things.
lose sight of
- forget, fail to see Don't lose sight of the main reason that you are planning to go on the business trip.
lose touch with
- fail to keep in contact or communication with someone I lost touch with everyone who I worked with at my summer job.
lose track of
- lose contact with someone (or something) I`ve lost track of many of my friends from high school.
loudmouth
- a noisy, boastful or foolish talker He is a loudmouth and nobody at work likes him.
louse up
- throw into confusion, make a mess of, spoil She loused up her job interview and has no chance at all now to get the job.
lover`s lane
- a hidden road or walkway where lovers walk or park in the evening After the movie they drove to the local lover`s lane.
lowdown
- the inside facts of a matter, the total truth I met with him after the presentation and he gave me the lowdown on the new computer equipment.
luck out
- suddenly get lucky when it looks like you won`t succeed He lucked out with the concert tickets and was able to get four of them.
lucky star
- a certain star or planet which is thought to bring a person good luck and success in life You should thank your lucky star that you don`t have to go to work on a rainy day like today.
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外语天地 | Reference | Vocabulary | 编号：1873
