Π§ΠΈΡΠ°ΡΡ ΠΎΠ½Π»Π°ΠΉΠ½ Β«Π‘Π»ΠΎΠ²Π°ΡΡ Π°ΠΌΠ΅ΡΠΈΠΊΠ°Π½ΡΠΊΠΈΡ ΠΈΠ΄ΠΈΠΎΠΌ: 8000 Π΅Π΄ΠΈΠ½ΠΈΡΒ». Π‘ΡΡΠ°Π½ΠΈΡΠ° 21
ΠΠ²ΡΠΎΡ Adam Makkai
[by fits and starts] or [jerks] {adv. phr.} With many stops and starts, a little now and a little more later; not all the time; irregularly. β’/He had worked on the invention by fits and starts for several years./ β’/You will never get anywhere if you study just by fits and starts./ Compare: FROM TIME TO TIME, OFF AND ON.
[bygone] See: LET BYGONES BE BYGONES.
[by heart]{adv. phr.} By exact memorizing; so well that you remember it; by memory. β’/The pupils learned many poems by heart./ β’/He knew the records of the major league teams by heart./
[by hook or by crook]{adv. phr.} By honest ways or dishonest in any way necessary. β’/The wolf tried to get the little pigs by hook or by crook./ β’/The team was determined to win that last game by hook or by crook, and three players were put out of the game for fouling./
[by inches]{adv. phr.} By small or slow degrees; little by little; gradually. β’/The river was rising by inches./ β’/They got a heavy wooden beam under the barn for a lever, and managed to move it by inches./ β’/He was dying by inches./
[by leaps and bounds]{adv. phr.} With long steps; very rapidly. β’/Production in the factory was increasing by leaps and bounds./ β’/The school enrollment was going up by leaps and bounds./
[by means of]{prep.} By the use of; with the help of. β’/The fisherman saved himself by means of a floating log./ β’/By means of monthly payments, people can buy more than in the past./
[by mistake]{adv. phr.} As the result of a mistake; through error. β’/He picked up the wrong hat by mistake./
[by no means] or [not by any means] also [by no manner of means] or [not by any manner of means] {adv. phr.} Not even a little; certainly not. β’/He is by no means bright./ β’/"May I stay home from school?" "By no means."/ β’/Dick worked on his project Saturday, but he is not finished yet, by any means./ Contrast: BY ALL MEANS.
[B.Y.O.] (Abbreviation) {informal} Bring Your Own. Said of a kind of party where the host or hostess does not provide the drinks or food but people ring their own.
[B.Y.O.B.] (Abbreviation) {informal} Bring Your Own Bottle. Frequently written on invitations for the kind of party where people bring their own liquor.
[by oneself]{adv. phr.} 1. Without any others around; separate from others; alone. β’/The house stood by itself on a hill./ β’/Tom liked to go walking by himself./ β’/Betty felt very sad and lonely by herself./ 2. Without the help of anyone else; by your own work only. β’/John built a flying model airplane by himself./ β’/Lois cleaned the house all by herself./
[by oneβs own bootstraps] See: PULL ONE SELF UP BY THE BOOTSTRAPS.
[by storm] See: TAKE BY STORM.
[by surprise] See: TAKE BY SURPRISE.
[by the board] See: GO BY THE BOARD also PASS BY THE BOARD.
[by the bootstraps] See: PULL ONESELF UP BY THE BOOTSTRAPS.
[by the bye] See: BY THE WAY.
[by the dozen] or [by the hundred] or [by the thousand] {adv. phr.} Very many at one time; in great numbers. β’/Tommy ate cookies by the down./ Often used in the plural, meaning even larger numbers. β’/The ants arrived at the picnic by the hundreds./ β’/The enemy attacked the fort by the thousands./
[by the horns] See: TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS.
[by the hundred] See: BY THE DOZEN.
[by the nose] See: LEAD BY THE NOSE.
[by the piece]{adv. phr.} Counted one piece at a time, separately for each single piece. β’/John bought boxes full of bags of potato chips and sold them by the piece./ β’/Mary made potholders and got paid by the piece./
[by the seat of oneβs pants] See: FLY BY THE SEAT OF ONEβS PANTS.
[by the skin of oneβs teeth]{adv. phr.} By a narrow margin; with no room to spare; barely. β’/The drowning man struggled, and I got him to land by the skin of my teeth./ β’/She passed English by the skin of her teeth./ Compare: SQUEAK THROUGH, WITHIN AN ACE OF or WITHIN AN INCH OF.
[by the sweat of oneβs brow]{adv. phr.} By hard work; by tiring effort; laboriously. β’/Even with modern labor-saving machinery, the farmer makes his living by the sweat of his brow./
[by the thousand] See: BY THE DOZEN.
[by the way] also [by the bye] {adv. phr.} Just as some added fact or news; as something else that I think of.βββUsed to introduce something related to the general subject, or brought to mind by it. β’/We shall expect you; by the way, dinner will be at eight./ β’/I was reading when the earthquake occurred, and, by the way, it was The Last Days of Pompeii that I was reading./
[by the wayside] See: FALL BY THE WAYSIDE.
[by turns]{adv. phr.} First one and then another in a regular way; one substituting for or following another according to a repeated plan. β’/On the drive to Chicago, the three men took the wheel by turns./ β’/The teachers were on duty by turns./ β’/When John had a fever, he felt cold and hot by turns./ Syn.: IN TURN. Compare: TAKE TURNS.
[by virtue of] also [in virtue of] {prep.} On the strength of; because of; by reason of. β’/By virtue of his high rank and position, the President takes social leadership over almost everyone else./ β’/Plastic bags are useful for holding many kinds of food, by virtue of their clearness, toughness, and low cost./ Compare: BY DINT OF.
[by way of]{prep.} 1. For the sake or purpose of; as. β’/By way of example, he described his own experience./ 2. Through; by a route including; via. β’/He went from New York to San Francisco by way of Chicago./
[by word of mouth]{adv. phr.} From person to person by the spoken word; orally. β’/The news got around by word of mouth./ β’/The message reached him quietly by word of mouth./
C
[cahoots] See: IN LEAGUE WITH or IN CAHOOTS WITH.
[Cain] See: RAISE CAIN.
[cake] See: EAT-ONEβS CAKE AND HAVE IT TOO, PAT-A-CAKE, TAKE THE CAKE.
[calculated risk]{n.} An action that may fail but is judged more likely to succeed. β’/The sending of troops to the rebellious island was a calculated risk./
[calf love] See: PUPPY LOVE.
[call] See: AT CALL, AT ONEβS BECK AND CALL, CLOSE CALL, ON CALL, PORT OF CALL, POT CALLS THE KETTLE BLACK, WITHIN CALL.
[call a halt]{v. phr.} To give a command to stop. β’/The scouts were tired during the hike, and the scoutmaster called a halt./ β’/When the childrenβs play, got too noisy, their mother called a halt./
[call a spade a spade]{v. phr.} To call a person or thing a name that is true but not polite; speak bluntly; use the plainest language. β’/A boy took some money from Dickβs desk and said he borrowed it, but I told him he stole it; I believe in calling a spade a spade./
[call down] also [dress down] {v.}, {informal} To scold. β’/Jim was called down by his teacher for being late to class./ β’/Mother called Bob down for walking into the kitchen with muddy boots./ Compare: CALL ON THE CARPET, CHEW OUT, BAWL OUT, READ THE RIOT ACT.
[call for]{v.} 1. To come or go to get (someone or something). β’/John called for Mary to take her to the dance./ Syn.: PICK UP. 2. To need; require. β’/The cake recipe calls for two cups of flour./ β’/Success in school calls for much hard study./
[call girl]{n.}, {slang} A prostitute catering to wealthy clientele, especially one who is contacted by telephone for an appointment. β’/Rush Street is full of call girls./
[calling down] also [dressing down] {n. phr.}, {informal} A scolding; reprimand. β’/The judge gave the boy a calling down for speeding./
[call in question] or [call into question] or [call in doubt] {v. phr.} To say (something) may be a mistake; express doubt about; question. β’/Bill called in question Edβs remark that basketball is safer than football./
[call it a day]{v. phr.} To declare that a given dayβs work has been accomplished and go home; to quit for the day. β’/"Letβs call it a day," the boss said, "and go out for a drink."/ β’/It was nearly midnight, so Mrs. Byron decided to call it a day, and left the party, and went home./ β’/The four golfers played nine holes and then called it a day./ Compare: CLOSE UP SHOP.
[call it a night]{v. phr.} To declare that an evening party or other activity conducted late in the day is finished. β’/I am so tired that I am going to call it a night and go to bed./
[call it quits]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To decide to stop what you are doing; quit. β’/When Tom had painted half the garage, he called it quits./ 2. To agree that each side in a fight is satisfied; stop fighting because a wrong has been paid back; say things are even. β’/Pete called Tom a bad name, and they fought till Tom gave Pete a bloody nose; then they called it quits./ 3. To cultivate a habit no longer. β’/"Yes, I called it quits with cigarettes three years ago."/
[call names]{v. phr.} To use ugly or unkind words when speaking to someone or when talking about someone.βββUsually used by or to children. β’/Bill got so mad he started calling Frank names./
[call off]{v.} To stop (something planned); quit; cancel. β’/When the ice became soft and sloppy, we had to call off the ice-skating party./ β’/The baseball game was called off because of rain./
[call on] or [call upon] {v.} 1. To make a call upon; visit. β’/Mr. Brown called on an old friend while he was in the city./ 2. To ask for help. β’/He called on a friend to give him money for the busfare to his home./
[call oneβs bluff]{v. phr.}, {informal} To ask someone to prove what he says he can or will do. (Originally from the card game of poker.) β’/Tom said he could jump twenty feet and so Dick called his bluff and said "Letβs see you do it!"/
[call oneβs shot]{v. phr.} 1. To tell before firing where a bullet will hit. β’/An expert rifleman can call his shot regularly./ β’/The wind was strong and John couldnβt call his shots./ 2. or [call the turn] To tell in advance the result of something before you do it. β’/Mary won three games in a row, just as she said she would. She called her turns well./ β’/Nothing ever happens as Tom says it will. He is very poor at calling his turns./
[call on the carpet]{v. phr.}, {informal} To call (a person) before an authority (as a boss or teacher) for a scolding or reprimand. β’/The worker was called on the carpet by the boss for sleeping on the job./ β’/The principal called Tom on the carpet and warned him to stop coming to school late./
[call the roll]{v. phr.} To read out the names on a certain list, usually in alphabetical order. β’/The sergeant called the roll of the newly enlisted volunteers in the army./
[call the shots]{v. phr.}, {informal} To give orders; be in charge; direct; control. β’/Bob is a first-rate leader who knows how to call the shots./ β’/The quarterback called the shots well, and the team gained twenty yards in five plays./ Syn.: CALL THE TUNE.
[call the tune]{v. phr.}, {informal} To be in control; give orders or directions; command. β’/Bill was president of the club but Jim was secretary and called the tune./ β’/The people supported the mayor, so he could call the tune in city matters./ Syn.: CALL THE SHOTS.
[call the turn] See: CALL ONEβS SHOT(2).
[call to account]{v. phr.} 1. To ask (someone) to explain why he did something wrong (as breaking a rule). β’/The principal called Jim to account after Jim left school early without permission./ 2. To scold (as for wrong conduct); reprimand. β’/The father called his son to account for disobeying him./