Crossword clues for on
on and off
- Nearly all these can be set in just under the counter
- A potted pink may be put back here immediately
- Ten photos developed immediately
- Under pressure to answer, perhaps, immediately
- Under pressure
- Go faster!
- Keep going
- Working spell without delay
- Silently forward: hint to European
- Leg spinner in a dominant position
- In dock, going to make test voyage?
- Once hit in crash, vulnerable
- Nicotine misused outside hospital in a risky location
- About to take the plunge perhaps, mixing nicotine with heroin
- Destroyed nicotine, protecting hearts at risk
- At risk, prior to a breakthrough?
- Oonagh went for reform, avoiding alcohol
- Dry, riding?
- Don’t hew a yew: some of it is coming up
- Playing a specific melody live
- Even (with)
- Attainable diamonds regularly found here
- Before end of sermon, religious leader to speak for ages
- Think a lot about teacher keeping fit
- Encourage, urge
- Encourage (someone to do a risky thing)
- Foolish person’s face might have this urge
- With very little funding
- Done with lace, perhaps, cheaply
- Another song is composed at minimum expense?
- Where student might be going in the right direction
- Heading in the right direction playing links?
- Male Liberal passes on cards — everyone must get involved
- Nero mad, unrestrained? Highly unlikely
- A modern resort? You wish!
- That will never happen, road men at work
- Good to look at
- Nice to see moderate article embracing acceptable opinion
- Pretty lenient on you in the past, certainly
- Hurry up!
- Participate to one’s profit, ancient ghetto being redeveloped?
- Exaggerate the advice of one who loves lots of butter?
- Unacceptable, whichever way you look at it
- Unacceptable idea I dismissed
- No way
- Never vandalised loo ninety-four!
- Never off for Yule I suspect
- Make less fun
- Let ponies loose? Make a decision tomorrow
- Notes day is stormy: keep calm!
- Don't be so hasty
- Fine novel learned of, alas, to be ignored
- Aware of our originally visiting tavern
- Son tossing tricycle out in protest
- A rent got reviewed, according to plan
- Accurate, but somehow not great
- Apparently where clock displays time?
- At the publican's expense
- Fleeing from concoction of methanol
- Moving ten to HQ secretly
- Like the Blues song set to succeed
- Tested the fit of (a garment)
- In Piedmont, her uncle's trying to avoid capture
- Affront: own shows being pulled!
- Old-fashioned relative moves forward
- Aroused? This may suggest no!
- Running north to east though not as tricky
- Hurriedly add policy — no getting upset!
- Start work to study adopting security measure
- Extremely happy
- Unexpectedly find gamble working
- Switch positions occasionally
- Switch positions from time to time
- Now a team member
- Appearing in musical, perhaps men only in first number
- Performing with two legs
- Marge might go here, being successful
- Oran (LOL), amazingly yet to lose
- With continuing success, have jam here?
- Having continued success, Jonah's content to wallow
- Live in Barcelona I reckon
- Revolutionary extract from Wagnerian opera being broadcast
- Subject to confirmation
- Artist took the stage, being filmed
- Nervous, looking over a cliff?
- Nervous, tense
- Nervous study I must keep going over
- Propositioned general, a little uneasy
- Tense, irritable
- One gathers wood for burning
- Mostly, one casual worker is available
- Where nails are available?
- Where fingers are present
- Hanging underneath leg, sway
- Old French city where champagne may be stored?
- Kept in readiness
- Nothing pleasant kept for later
- Nothing pleasant being shelved
- Available for one disturbed about fine
- Cricket side the best ever? That’s public knowledge
- Publicly known
- As soon as clocked in the workplace can be heard
- Freely available
- Like a recording, almost freely available
- Indication of what's hot or cold may be here, readily available
- Available as needed
- Where to place billiards cue, being alert?
- Alert, looking to pass or shoot?
- I won’t itemise the rest, even quickly
- Make progress in good public school
- Prosper? Not, say, when retired
- Board to manage progress
- Want for activity in the nude?
- Discover, think of
- Reveal temperature in Spanish city
- Connect to computer using identifying symbol and name
- Sign name to gain access to system
- Access computer using firm’s symbol and name
- Mark of encouragement
- Shop returned waterproof coat missing
- Keep racing and continue in the same line
- Clock and TV close to mantelpiece? Indeed possible
- Go for higher denomination cash in recession
- Gain an advantage over nervous marshal at once
- Agree to do
- Check the fit of (a garment)
- Test a garment for fit
- Understand snag in operation
- Understand how to become popular
- Very active
- Some weeks after the start, I get busy
- Busy hospital in Eton failed to operate
- In action working, he got to work
- At work
- Event Hello! arranged? True
- Fair; honestly speaking
- Recovering, continuously swallowing them
- A hotel — inn arranged without delay
- Under cover, with leg next to a particular duvet where length is key
- Whisky served in this way may be ruined?
- Poor female host Helen, lonely and unloved?
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
on
I.preposition
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a bomb falls on sth
▪ A bomb fell on the cathedral during the war.
a bounty on...head
▪ a notorious cattle rustler with a bounty on his head
a burden falls on sb
▪ The tax burden falls most heavily upon the poorest people.
a cat pounces on sth (=jumps on something and catches it)
▪ The cat was hiding, waiting to pounce on the bird.
a crackdown on crime (=strong action to fight crime)
▪ The government has promised a crackdown on crime.
a dot on the horizon
▪ The plane was just a dot on the horizon.
a grin on sb’s face
▪ He looked at Sarah, a big grin on his face.
a hit on a website (=an occasion when someone visits a website)
▪ There have already been 5000 hits on our website.
a look/expression on sb’s face
▪ She had a rather surprised look on her face.
▪ I could tell by the look on Dan’s face that he was disappointed.
a smile/grin/frown on sb’s face
▪ There was a mischievous grin on her face.
▪ He was reading the newspaper with a frown on his face.
accept/agree on a compromise
▪ It would be advantageous for both countries to accept a compromise.
accompany sb on the piano (=play the piano while someone sings or plays a different instrument)
▪ Lisa sang while George accompanied her on the piano.
act for/on behalf of a client
▪ The lawyer will write confirming that he agrees to act for his client.
act on an impulse (=do something because you have a sudden desire to do it)
▪ Acting on an impulse, he decided to visit his sister.
acted on information
▪ Police say they acted on information received.
acted on...own initiative (=he was not told what to do)
▪ Lt. Carlos was not obeying orders. He acted on his own initiative.
acting on...advice
▪ She is acting on the advice of her lawyers.
add sth up on a calculator
▪ I added the cost up on a calculator.
advertise (sth) on television/in a newspaper etc
▪ Many companies will only advertise in the Sunday paper.
agree on a price
▪ Now all we need to do is agree on a price.
an earthquake measures 5/6.4 etc on the Richter Scale
▪ The earthquake, which measured 7.6 on the Richter scale, left more than 20,000 homeless.
an item on the agenda/list/menu
▪ The next item on the agenda is next month’s sales conference.
appear for sb/on behalf of sb (=to be the legal representative for someone)
▪ Sir Nicholas Gammon QC appeared on behalf of the defendant.
appear on a programme
▪ I was invited to appear on a TV programme.
appear on stage
▪ Recently she has appeared on stage in 'Private Lives'.
appear on television/stage
▪ He appeared on national television to deny the claims.
appear on/take part in a show (=to be a guest on a show)
▪ They were trying to persuade Daniel Radcliffe to appear on the show.
appear/arrive on a scene (=become known)
▪ He first appeared on the arts scene in the 1960s.
are on a winning streak
▪ The team are on a winning streak.
arrest sb on charges/suspicion of (doing) sth
▪ He was arrested on suspicion of supplying drugs.
arrive on the scene (=at the place where something has just happened)
▪ Two more police cars arrived on the scene.
arrive on time
▪ He never arrives on time for meetings.
as plain as day/the nose on your face (=very clear)
as the...wore on
▪ I was feeling more tired as the night wore on.
as time goes on (=as time passes)
▪ I understood him better as time went on.
at three o'clock/seven thirty etc on the dot (=at exactly 3:00/7:30 etc)
▪ Mr Green arrived at six on the dot.
at/on a superficial level
▪ At a superficial level, things seem to have remained the same.
at/on the stroke of midnight (=at exactly midnight)
▪ The treaty will come into force on the stroke of midnight tonight.
balanced on a knife-edge
▪ His future in the job is balanced on a knife-edge.
bang on time
▪ The train arrived bang on time.
bang/hammer on the door (=hit it very loudly and urgently)
▪ A policeman was banging on the door across the road.
base a judgment on sth (=make a judgment because of something )
▪ His judgment was based on bad information.
base an estimate on sth (=use something as information to give an estimate)
▪ The government based its estimate on data from the 2008 census.
be acquitted of/on a charge (=be judged to be not guilty)
▪ Both men were acquitted of all charges.
be addicted to drugs/dependent on drugs (=be unable to stop taking drugs)
▪ People who are addicted to drugs need help.
be an improvement (on sth)
▪ This version of the software is a clear improvement on its predecessor.
be based on a misunderstanding (=happen or be done as a result of a misunderstanding)
▪ The whole argument was based on a misunderstanding.
be based on a principle
▪ A good education ought to be based on multicultural principles.
be based on an analysis of sth
▪ This work has been based entirely on an analysis of large mammals.
be based on common sense
▪ The job doesn't require much training because it's based on common sense.
be based on criteria
▪ Normal child development is based upon certain criteria.
be based on the belief that …
▪ Our policies must be based on the belief that the planet’s resources are finite.
be based on/rest on an assumption
▪ Our plans were based on the assumption that everyone would be willing to help.
be based on/rest on an assumption
▪ Our plans were based on the assumption that everyone would be willing to help.
be captured/caught on video (=recorded on video)
▪ The crime was captured on video.
be caught on camera (=be photographed, especially doing something wrong)
▪ The boys were caught on camera leaving the station.
be close to/on the verge of tears (=be almost crying)
▪ He could see that May was close to tears.
be convicted of/on a charge (=be judged to be guilty)
▪ McCorley was convicted on a charge of assault.
be dead set on sth (=be determined to do something)
▪ At the moment, Steve’s just dead set on winning the gold medal.
be high on drugs (=be experiencing the effects of a drug)
▪ He committed the crime while he was high on drugs.
be high on the agenda
▪ New measures to combat terrorism are high on the agenda.
be level on pointsBrE:
▪ The teams finished level on points.
be mad keen (on sth)
▪ ‘Did you enjoy the film?’ ‘I wasn’t mad keen.’
be marked on a map (=put a mark or symbol on a map to show where something is)
▪ The path is clearly marked on the map.
be on a committee (=be a member of a committee)
▪ I was on the parents' committee at my kids' school.
be on a diet (=to only eat certain foods in order to lose weight)
▪ No cake, thanks – I’m on a diet.
be on a high
▪ They’re bound to be on a high after such an incredible victory.
be on a salaryBritish English (= be earning a salary)
▪ He won’t tell me what salary he’s on.
be on a winning/losing streak
▪ Celtic are on a six-game winning streak.
be on day/night shifts (=be working a series of day or night shifts)
▪ He’s on night shifts all next week.
be on drugs (=take drugs regularly)
▪ It can be very hard to tell if your teenager is on drugs.
be on fire (=be burning)
▪ The whole house was on fire within minutes.
be on medication (=be taking a type of medicine)
▪ He's on medication for his blood pressure.
be on shift (=be working a shift)
▪ He hardly sees the kids when he’s on shift.
be on stage
▪ He was on stage for most of the first act.
be on tabletsspoken (= be taking tablets)
▪ He's on tablets for his heart.
Be on the alert
▪ Be on the alert for anyone acting suspiciously.
be on the board
▪ He's on the board of trustees.
be on the bottleBritish English (= be drinking a lot of alcohol regularly)
be on the brink of chaos (=to be about to become completely confused and disorganized)
▪ The peace talks were on the brink of chaos.
be on the brink of disaster (=be almost ending in a very bad way)
▪ Once again the peace process was on the brink of disaster.
be on the brink of war (=be about to be involved in a war)
▪ The country was on the brink of war.
be on the brink/verge of extinction (=be at the point of almost not existing)
▪ The Siberian crane is on the verge of extinction due to hunting.
be on the brink/verge of ruin (=be close to ruin)
▪ The recession could leave many businesses on the brink of ruin.
be on the increase (=be increasing)
▪ Knife attacks are on the increase.
be on the late/early/night etc shift (=be working a particular shift)
▪ She’s on the late shift.
be on the phone to sb (=be talking to someone on the phone)
▪ I was on the phone to my mother all morning.
be on the political agenda
▪ Immigration is an important issue on the political agenda.
be on the road to oblivion (=to be becoming forgotten or unimportant over a fairly long period of time)
▪ Is this ancient tradition on the road to oblivion?
be on the road to ruin (=be certain to happen at some time in the future)
▪ Is America on the road to ruin?
be on the staffBritish English, be on staff AmE:
▪ He is no longer on the staff.
be on the verge/edge of a nervous breakdown (=to be very close to having a nervous breakdown)
▪ These events left her on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
be on trial (=be being judged in a court of law)
▪ Her son is on trial charged with murder.
be on/be showing at the cinema
▪ Do you know what’s on at the cinema?
be on...guard
▪ These men are dangerous so you’ll need to be on your guard.
be on/use/take heroin
be (out) on strike
▪ Teachers are on strike again this week.
be perched (high) on a cliff (=be situated on a cliff)
▪ An 11th century castle is perched high on the cliff.
be (put/placed) on red alert
▪ All the hospitals are on red alert.
be released/freed on bail (=be allowed to stay out of prison if you pay or agree to do something)
▪ The men were questioned yesterday before being released on bail.
be soft on crime (=not punish crime severely enough)
▪ He accused the government of being soft on crime.
be sold on (doing) sth (=think an idea or plan is very good)
▪ Joe’s completely sold on the concept.
be tough on crime (=punish crime severely )
▪ Politicians want to appear tough on crime.
be wanted on the phone
▪ Larry, tell Rosemary that she’s wanted on the phone.
be/get hooked on drugsinformal (= be/get addicted)
▪ She got hooked on drugs, and ended up homeless.
be/get/run low (on sth)
▪ We’re running low on gas.
▪ Stocks are getting low.
begin/start out on/start a career
▪ Jacobson started his banking career in 1990.
be/live on social security (=be receiving money from the government)
be/put sb on a drip
▪ At the hospital they put me on a drip.
Big Man on Campus
blot on the landscape
▪ The new power station is a blot on the landscape.
blue on blue
▪ a ‘Blue on Blue’ incident which saw an RAF jet brought down by a Patriot missile
book a place on sth
▪ Students are advised to book a place on the course early.
border on/upon obsession (=be almost as extreme as an obsession)
▪ Sometimes his tidiness bordered on obsession.
bought...on HP
▪ We bought the carpets on HP.
bring discredit on/upon/to sb/sth
▪ The behaviour of fans has brought discredit on English football.
bring pressure to bear on sb (=put pressure on them)
▪ These groups have brought pressure to bear on the government.
bring ruin on/to sb (=cause ruin for sb)
▪ Her behaviour brought ruin on her family.
brought disgrace on
▪ His actions brought disgrace on the family.
brought shame on
▪ He’s brought shame on the whole family.
brought...dishonour on
▪ You’ve brought enough dishonour on your family already without causing any more trouble.
build on/capitalize on a strength (=use it as a basis for further achievement)
▪ The organization must move forward and capitalize on its strengths.
build on/capitalize on a strength (=use it as a basis for further achievement)
▪ The organization must move forward and capitalize on its strengths.
bums on seatsBritish Englishinformal (= used for saying that something or someone can attract a large audience)
▪ He is an actor who will put bums on seats.
buy sth on the Internet
▪ He bought the chairs on the Internet.
buy/get sth on credit
▪ They bought all their furniture on credit.
call sb on the phone
▪ I called her on the phone and invited her to Las Vegas.
call sb on the telephone
▪ Her son doesn’t even call her on the telephone.
came down on...like a ton of bricks (=very severely)
▪ I made the mistake of answering back, and she came down on me like a ton of bricks.
came...on the heels of
▪ The decision to buy Peters came hard on the heels of the club’s promotion to Division One.
can’t go on like this
▪ I can’t go on like this for much longer.
carry on a conversation
▪ It’s impossible to carry on a conversation with all this noise in the background.
carry on/go on regardlessBritish English (= continue what you are doing)
▪ You get a lot of criticism, but you just have to carry on regardless.
carry on/go on regardlessBritish English (= continue what you are doing)
▪ You get a lot of criticism, but you just have to carry on regardless.
cast a spell (on sb) (=do some magic)
▪ Suddenly everyone froze, as if a wizard had cast a spell on them.
casting aspersions on
▪ No one is casting aspersions on you or your men, Major.
cast...slur on (=criticize)
▪ How dare she cast a slur on my character?
cast/throw doubt on sth (=make people unsure about something)
▪ Research has cast doubt on the safety of mobile phones.
catch up on some sleep (=sleep after not having enough sleep)
▪ I suggest you try and catch up on some sleep.
catch up on some sleep (=after a period without enough sleep)
▪ I need to catch up on some sleep.
cause/bring on/trigger a reaction (=make someone ill)
▪ Wheat is one of the foods that are most likely to cause a reaction.
check (on) sb’s progress
▪ A social worker calls regularly to check on the children’s progress.
cheese on toast (=melted cheese on toast)
▪ Would you like some cheese on toast?
claim sth on your insurance (=get an insurance company to pay for something)
▪ He claimed the money back on his travel insurance.
clapped...on the shoulder
▪ Ben grinned and clapped me amiably on the shoulder.
come down hard on
▪ We need to come down hard on young offenders.
come out on strike
▪ We decided to come out on strike.
come/follow close on the heels of sth
▪ Yet another scandal followed close on the heels of the senator’s resignation.
concentrate your efforts/attention/energy/mind etc on sth
▪ I’m concentrating my efforts on writing my autobiography.
concentrate/focus on an aspect
▪ Accountants often concentrate on one aspect of accounting.
convicted on...charges
▪ He was convicted on fraud charges.
corn on the cob
criticize sb/sth on the grounds that (=for the reason that)
▪ The survey was criticized on the grounds that the sample was too small.
dab perfume on sth (=quickly put perfume on )
▪ She dabbed some perfume on her throat.
decide on a date (=choose the date when something will happen)
▪ Have you decided on a date for the wedding yet?
deliver on its promises
▪ The company will deliver on its promises.
depend on certain factors
▪ Success depends on certain factors.
depend on/rely on aid
▪ The report stated that some 703,000 people relied on food aid.
depend on/rely on aid
▪ The report stated that some 703,000 people relied on food aid.
dependent on...for
▪ Jan’s mother was dependent on her for physical care.
discriminate on the grounds/basis of sth
▪ It was found that the company still discriminated on the basis of race in promotions.
discrimination on the grounds/basis of sth
▪ Discrimination on the grounds of nationality is prohibited.
do sth on impulse (=do something without having planned it)
▪ James bought her some flowers on impulse.
do the dirty on sbBritish English (= treat someone in a way that is unfair or dishonest)
doing a demolition job on
▪ He accused opposition leaders of doing a demolition job on the President.
drain on...resources
▪ The war was an enormous drain on the country’s resources.
draw on sb's experience
▪ The books have drawn on the experience of practising teachers.
draw on sb's expertise (=expert knowledge and experience)
▪ Now we can draw on the expertise of some of the most talented network engineers.
draw on sb's ideas
▪ We hope that we will be able to draw on these ideas to develop the work further.
draw on sb's knowledge
▪ Fortunately I was able to draw on my own knowledge of the law.
draw on sb's resources
▪ The committee has drawn on the resources and skills of several local people.
drive on/along/down the motorway
▪ He was driving along the motorway at a steady sixty miles an hour.
economically dependent on (=depending on someone or something for money)
▪ The country is still economically dependent on agriculture.
embark on a project (=start it)
▪ He was embarking on the biggest project of his career.
embark on/launch a programme (=start it)
▪ The company has embarked on an expansion programme.
enrol on a course/put your name down for a courseBritish English (= to arrange to officially join a course)
▪ How about enrolling on a sailing course?
err on the side of caution
▪ It’s always best to err on the side of caution.
exert pressure on sbformal (= put pressure on them)
▪ They exerted pressure on their colleagues to vote for the change.
fall behind on the payments (also fall behind with the payments British English) (= not make payments when you should)
▪ I’d run up nearly £4,000 in debt, and was beginning to fall behind with the payments.
fall behind with the rent/get behind on the rent (=fail to pay your rent on time)
▪ You could be evicted if you fall behind with the rent.
fall to/on your knees (=move down to the ground so that your body is resting on your knees)
▪ She fell to her knees beside his body.
fallen on hard times (=did not have much money)
▪ He had clearly fallen on hard times.
falling down on the job
▪ The local authority is falling down on the job of keeping the streets clean.
feed sb on a diet of sth
▪ Kids should not be fed a diet of hamburgers and sugary snacks.
fell on unresponsive ears (=was not listened to)
▪ His warning fell on unresponsive ears.
filmed...on location
▪ a thriller filmed entirely on location in Washington
find sth on a map
▪ I managed to find the village on the map.
finger of suspicion...fell on
▪ The finger of suspicion immediately fell on Broderick.
first/last on a list
▪ Your name will be first on my list.
▪ Why am I always last on the list?
fix your gaze on sb/sth (=look at someone or something continuously)
▪ He fixed his gaze on the wall behind her.
flashed on and off (=shone for a short time and then stopped shining)
▪ Red warning lights flashed on and off.
flat on...back
▪ Johnny was lying flat on his back in the middle of the floor.
focus a camera on sb/sth (=point it very exactly at sb/sth)
▪ The TV cameras were focused on his face.
focus (sb’s) mind/attention (on sth) (=make people give their attention to something)
▪ We need to focus public attention on this issue.
focus your attention/mind/efforts on sth
▪ She tried to focus her mind on her work.
foreclose on...mortgage
▪ Building societies may foreclose on a mortgage if payments are not kept up.
from now on (=starting from now)
▪ Please try to be more careful from now on.
from that moment on (=after that time)
▪ From that moment on I saw very little of Dean.
from then on (=starting at that time)
▪ They met in 1942 and from then on they were firm friends.
gain/get a purchase on sth
▪ The ice made it impossible to get a purchase on the road.
gave...peck on the cheek
▪ He gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
get a cut (on sth)
▪ I fell and got a bad cut on my head.
get a stain on sth
▪ She didn’t want to get a stain on her new dress.
get going on (=start doing)
▪ I’m going to get going on the decorating next week.
get in on the act (=become involved in something exciting or interesting)
▪ The scheme has proved very successful, and now other local authorities are keen to get in on the act.
get on a plane (also board a plane)
▪ We got on the plane and found our seats.
get on the phone to sb (=call them)
▪ We got on the phone to the hospital straight away.
get on/board a train
▪ At Stoke, another passenger boarded the train.
get on/get off a coach
▪ A group of tourists were getting on the coach.
get on/off a bicycle
▪ I got on my bicycle and cycled over to Rob’s house.
get on/off a bike
▪ He got off his bike and walked with her for a while.
get on/off a bus
▪ Several more passengers got on the bus.
get on/off a flight
▪ She’d just got off a flight from Buenos Aires.
get on/off the motorway
▪ We got on the motorway near Watford.
getting on all right
▪ The kids seem to be getting on all right at school.
given the constraints on sth (=because there are particular constraints on something)
▪ Given the constraints on space in the city, most people live in tiny apartments.
give/preach/deliver a sermon (on sth)
▪ The vicar gave a sermon on charity.
go back on an agreement (also renege on an agreementformal) (= not do what you agreed to do)
▪ Republican leaders accused Democrats of trying to renege on an agreement to have a House vote.
go back on your promise (=break it)
▪ They were angry that the company had gone back on its promise.
go back on your word/promise/decision
▪ Delors claimed that the President had gone back on his word.
go fifty-fifty (on sth) (=share the cost of something equally)
▪ We went fifty-fifty on a new TV set.
go on a courseBritish English
▪ My company wanted me to go on a course in management skills.
go on a cruise
▪ What about going on a cruise down the Nile?
go on a demonstrationBritish English (= take part in a demonstration)
▪ I've never been on a demonstration before.
go on a diet (=start eating less or only some types of food)
▪ I really ought to go on a diet.
go on a journey (=make a long journey)
▪ We are going on a journey to a strange country.
go on a trip (=go somewhere and come back)
▪ I’ve been on a coach trip to France.
go on a trip/tour/cruise etc
▪ My parents are going on a cruise.
go on an expedition
▪ We decided to go on a shopping expedition to London.
go on an expedition
▪ After the war, Swainson went on an expedition to Patagonia.
go on holiday
▪ The children were excited about going on holiday.
go on leave (=start your time away from work)
▪ I’ll get the report to you before you go on leave.
go on strike/come out on strike (=start a strike)
▪ An estimated 70,000 public sector workers went on strike.
go on strike/come out on strike (=start a strike)
▪ An estimated 70,000 public sector workers went on strike.
go on the bus/use the bus (=travel by bus)
▪ It's easier to go on the bus than to drive.
go on the Internet
▪ I went on the Internet to find some information for my assignment.
go on trial
▪ Taylor went on trial accused of fraud.
go on vacation
▪ I'm going on vacation next month.
go on your instinct(s)informal (= trust your instincts)
▪ I just went on my instincts and refused his offer.
go on/go for a picnic
▪ If it's fine, we'll go for a picnic.
go/come on stage
▪ I never drink before going on stage.
goes off on a riff
▪ He goes off on a riff about the problems of being middle-aged.
gone on a binge
▪ Ken’s gone on a binge with his mates.
gone on an outing
▪ They had gone on an outing to the pool for Robert’s birthday.
gone out on a limb (=taken a risk)
▪ He’d gone out on a limb to help us.
go...on deck
▪ Let’s go up on deck.
got a lot on...mind (=a lot of problems to worry about)
▪ Sorry I forgot. I’ve got a lot on my mind at the moment.
got on the line to (=phoned)
▪ I got on the line to the hospital as soon as I heard about the accident.
grow sth on a farm
▪ They grew wheat and barley on their farm.
had a...crush on
▪ She had a huge crush on her geography teacher.
had nothing on
▪ Jimmy had nothing on but his socks.
had something on...mind
▪ He looked as though he had something on his mind.
hang on a sec/hold on a sec/just a sec etc (=wait a short time)
▪ ‘Is Al there?’ ‘Hold on a sec, I’ll check.’
hang on a sec/hold on a sec/just a sec etc (=wait a short time)
▪ ‘Is Al there?’ ‘Hold on a sec, I’ll check.’
has...on the go
▪ He has at least two other projects on the go.
have a cut on sth
▪ He had a cut on his forehead.
have a go on
▪ Can I have a go on your guitar?
have a nappy on
▪ He was three and a half, so he didn't have a nappy on.
have a ring on
▪ They saw I didn’t have a wedding ring on.
have a seat on the board
▪ He gave up his seat on the board after 40 years' service.
have a smile on your face/lips
▪ They all had broad smiles on their faces.
have an effect on sth/sb
▪ Eating junk food will eventually have an effect on your health.
have an expression on your face
▪ He had a very serious expression on his face.
have an influence on sb/sth
▪ His works have had an influence on many modern writers.
have first dibs on
▪ Freshmen have first dibs on dormitory rooms.
have make-up on (=be wearing make-up)
▪ She had no make-up on.
have mercy (on sb) (=act in a kind or forgiving way - often used to express a hope or prayer)
▪ ‘God have mercy on me!’ Miss Barton cried.
have sth open/closed/on etc
▪ I had my eyes half-closed.
▪ Janice likes to have the window open.
▪ She had her back to the door.
have the heating on (=use the heating)
▪ It's getting colder, but we haven't had the heating on yet.
have...monopoly on
▪ Teachers do not have a monopoly on educational debate.
heap/lavish praise on sb (=praise them a lot)
▪ Ireland's manager has heaped praise on his team.
hear sth on the radio
▪ I heard on the radio that the weather was going to get warmer.
heaven on earth
▪ Living on the farm for Jim was heaven on earth.
hell on earth
▪ He says his time in jail was hell on earth.
hit on an ideainformal (= suddenly think of an idea)
▪ Then we hit on the idea of renting a cottage.
hit on the idea of
▪ Then we hit on the idea of asking viewers to donate money over the Net.
Hold on tight
▪ Hold on tight!
hold/store sth on a computer
▪ This data is all held on a central computer.
hot on the trail of (=they are close to finding them)
▪ Police believe they are hot on the trail of a drug-smuggling gang .
how on earth/in the world etc (=used for emphasis when you are surprised, angry etc)
▪ How on earth did you find out?
hung on for dear life
▪ She grasped the side of the boat and hung on for dear life.
impose a burden/hardship etc (on sb/sth)
▪ Military spending imposes a huge strain on the economy.
impose constraints on sb/sth
▪ You have to work within the constraints that the software imposes.
impose limitations on sth (=an emphatic way of saying to place limitations on something)
▪ The government has imposed severe limitations on the types of food that can be imported.
impose/set/put a ceiling (on sth)
▪ The government imposed a ceiling on imports of foreign cars.
imprint sth on your mind/memory/brain etc
▪ The sight of Joe’s dead body was imprinted on his mind forever.
inflict a defeat on sb (=defeat someone, especially easily)
▪ The army inflicted a heavy defeat on the English.
inflict a punishment (on sb) (=punish someone, especially physically)
▪ The abbot could inflict corporal punishment for gross disobedience.
inflict an injury on sbformal (= make someone have an injury)
▪ Jenkins was accused of inflicting a head injury on one of his former colleagues.
inflict hardship on sb (=make someone be in a difficult or painful situation, used for emphasis)
▪ Civil war has inflicted hardship and suffering on thousands of people.
infringe on/restrict sb's liberty (=limit someone's liberty)
▪ Will the new security measures infringe on our liberty?
It dawned on...that
▪ It dawned on me that Jo had been right all along.
jar on...nerves
▪ The screaming was starting to jar on my nerves.
judge sth on its merits (=according to what you see when you look at it, rather than what people tell you)
▪ The arguments should be judged on their merits.
judge sth on the basis of sth (=by considering sth)
▪ It is difficult to judge progress on the basis of a single day.
just onBritish English
▪ It’s just on three o'clock.
keen on the idea
▪ My flatmates want to have a party, but I’m not keen on the idea.
keep a check on sb/sth (=check something regularly)
▪ Keep a check on your baby’s temperature.
keep a close eye/watch on sb/sth (=watch someone or something carefully)
▪ They have to keep a close eye on their finances.
keep a tight grip/hold/rein on sth (=control it very firmly)
▪ The former dictator still keeps a tight grip on power.
▪ Anna was determined to keep a tight hold on her feelings.
Keep a wary eye on
▪ Keep a wary eye on the weather before you set sail.
Keep a watchful eye on
▪ Keep a watchful eye on elderly residents.
keep a watching brief on
▪ One of his responsibilities is to keep a watching brief on foreign broadcasts.
keep on and on
▪ There’s no need to keep on and on about it!
keep on and on
▪ There’s no need to keep on and on about it!
keep sth/get sth back on an even keel
▪ Now that the crisis is over, we must try to get things back on an even keel.
keep your gaze (fixed) on sb/sth (=keep looking at someone or something)
▪ I kept my gaze fixed on the television and didn’t look at him as he left the room.
keep your mind on the job/task in/at hand
▪ Making notes is the best way of keeping your mind on the task at hand.
keeping tight control on
▪ The government is keeping tight control on immigration.
keep/put sb on their mettle
▪ This was just his way of keeping me on my mettle.
kept a tight hold on
▪ His mother kept a tight hold on his hand.
kept on standby
▪ A special team of police were kept on standby.
kiss sb on the mouth
▪ She walked boldly up to him and kissed him on the mouth.
kissed...on the lips
▪ Marty kissed me right on the lips!
knock on/at the door (=hit it with your hand to make someone open it)
▪ Who's that knocking at the door?
launch/embark on a career (=start one)
▪ Rita went to New York where she launched her dancing career.
lay flat on...back
▪ That night I lay flat on my back and stared up at the ceiling.
Lay it on the line
▪ Lay it on the line and tell them what’s really been happening.
lay on/put on entertainment (=organize and provide it)
▪ The organizers laid on some entertainment for the children.
lay on/put on entertainment (=organize and provide it)
▪ The organizers laid on some entertainment for the children.
leave an impression on sb (=make someone remember a person, place, or thing )
▪ Janet certainly left an impression on him.
leave the heating on (=continue to use the heating)
▪ I don't like to leave the heating on at night.
left on...own
▪ He didn’t want to be left on his own.
let sb in on a secret (=tell them a secret)
▪ Frank let me in on the secret.
levy a tax/charge/fine etc (on sth)
▪ a new tax levied on all electrical goods
lie on the beach
▪ I find it boring just lying on the beach all day.
light falls on/across etc sth
▪ The light fell on her book.
live on a farm
▪ She lives on a farm in Wiltshire.
live on...wits
▪ Alone and penniless, I was forced to live on my wits.
live/exist on a diet of sth
▪ The people lived mainly on a diet of fish.
living on the breadline
▪ a family living on the breadline
long on...short on
▪ The president’s speech was long on colorful phrases but short on solutions.
long on...short on
▪ The president’s speech was long on colorful phrases but short on solutions.
Looking back on it
▪ Looking back on it, I still can’t figure out what went wrong.
looming on the horizon
▪ An economic crisis is looming on the horizon.
loosely based on
▪ The film is loosely based on the novel.
mad keen on sth (=very keen on something)spoken
▪ I was mad keen on dinosaurs when I was little.
made a deep impression on
▪ What he said made a deep impression on me.
maintain/carry on/continue/uphold a tradition (=make a tradition continue in the same way or at the same standard as before)
▪ We maintain a tradition of cider making dating from Norman times.
make a down payment on
▪ We’ve almost got enough money to make a down payment on a house.
make a pilgrimage/go on (a) pilgrimage
▪ the chance to go on pilgrimage to Mecca
measuring...on the Richter scale
▪ a severe earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale
meet/keep up the payments (on sth) (=be able to make regular payments)
▪ He was having trouble meeting the interest payments.
money goes on sth (=is spent on something)
▪ All the money went on doctor’s bills.
mosey on down
▪ I guess I’ll mosey on down to the store now.
move on to higher/better things (=get a better job or social position – used humorously)
▪ Jeremy’s leaving the company to move on to higher things.
munch on an apple (=eat it)
▪ He was munching on an apple.
new kid on the blockinformal (= the newest person in a job, school etc)
▪ It’s not always easy being the new kid on the block.
not too/not very/not that keen on sth
▪ She likes Biology, but she’s not too keen on Physics.
on a casual basis
▪ staff employed on a casual basis
on a first come, first served basis
▪ Tickets will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
on a global/world scale (=involving the whole world)
▪ This is a product that can be sold in high volumes on a global scale.
on a grand scale (=very large and impressive)
▪ The Romans built on a grand scale.
on a human scale (=one that is small enough for people to understand and be happy with)
▪ Architects have been asked to redesign some of the buildings on a more human scale.
on a large scale
▪ This technology has been developed on a large scale in the US.
on a massive/huge scale
▪ The drug is produced on a massive scale.
on a national scale (=involving the whole country)
▪ The survey was carried out on a national scale.
on a part-time basis
▪ women wishing to return to work on a part-time basis
on a personal level (=used when giving your own opinion rather than the opinion of the organization you represent)
▪ On a personal level, it’s been a very positive experience.
on a pro rata basis
▪ Fees are calculated on a pro rata basis.
on a regular basis
▪ We hear from him on a regular basis.
on a small scale
▪ They started by producing and selling on a small scale.
on a temporary basis
▪ She was employed on a temporary basis.
on a voluntary basis
▪ Guide and Scout leaders work on a voluntary basis.
on a war footing (=ready to go to war at any time)
▪ The whole country was on a war footing .
on a wide/broad/limited front
▪ Schemes of this kind enjoyed success only on a limited front.
on aggregateBritish English (= when the points from two football games are added together)
▪ Manchester United won 2–1 on aggregate.
on all fronts
▪ Excellent teamwork from our staff has brought improvement on all fronts.
on an ad hoc basis
▪ decisions made on an ad hoc basis
on an equal footing (with sb/sth)/on the same footing (as sb/sth) (=in the same state or condition as other people or things)
▪ The new law puts women on an equal legal footing with men.
▪ Many of the old polytechnics are now on the same footing as universities.
on an equal footing (with sb/sth)/on the same footing (as sb/sth) (=in the same state or condition as other people or things)
▪ The new law puts women on an equal legal footing with men.
▪ Many of the old polytechnics are now on the same footing as universities.
on an international scale (=involving more than one country)
▪ Preparations to deal with an outbreak of the disease are being made on an international scale.
on an unprecedented scale (=more than ever before)
▪ Propaganda techniques were used on an unprecedented scale.
on an unprecedented scale
▪ Crime has increased on an unprecedented scale.
on at full blast
▪ The radio was on at full blast.
on bass (=playing the bass guitar)
▪ The band features Johnson on bass.
on certain conditions
▪ He said we could rent the house from him on certain conditions.
on closer examination
▪ On closer examination, I could see a slight crack in the window.
on compassionate grounds
▪ I allowed him to go home on compassionate grounds.
on condition thatformal (= only if a particular thing is agreed to)
▪ The police released him on condition that he return the following week.
on first reading
▪ The book is quite difficult on first reading.
on full alert (also on high alert) (= completely ready to deal with a dangerous situation)
▪ All our border points are on full alert.
on furlough
▪ Morton stabbed the man while on furlough.
on furlough
▪ a young soldier home on furlough
on intimate terms with
▪ She’s on intimate terms with people in government.
on Monday/Friday/Sunday etc evenings (=every Monday, Friday etc.)
▪ We usually meet up for a drink on Friday evenings.
on moral/legal/medical etc grounds
▪ The proposal was rejected on environmental grounds.
on one condition (=only if one particular thing is agreed to)
▪ You can go, but only on one condition - you have to be back by eleven.
on percussion (=playing a percussion instrument)
▪ Tonight we have Paul Duke on percussion.
on picket duty
▪ He’s on picket duty tonight.
on present/current/past etc form
▪ On current form he’s one of the top three players in the country.
on sb’s back (=carried on someone’s back)
▪ The girl appeared again, now with a little baby on her back.
on short rations (=given a smaller amount than usual)
▪ We were on short rations .
on short time
▪ Most of the workers were put on short time.
on some pretext
▪ He’ll phone on some pretext or other.
on stream
▪ Costs should fall as new technology comes on-stream.
on the back of an envelope (=used to describe a calculation or plan that is written down quickly on any available small piece of paper)
▪ She scribbled a few ideas on the back of an envelope.
on the back
▪ a T-shirt with a picture of a snake on the back
on the balance of probabilities (=considering the probability of two or more events)
▪ A decision about removing a child from its parents is made on the balance of probabilities.
on the bench
▪ Batts and Dorigo are on the bench tonight.
on the best of terms
▪ They didn’t part on the best of terms.
on the black market
▪ Many foods were only available on the black market.
on the brink of death/disaster/war etc
▪ In October 1962 the world seemed on the brink of nuclear war.
▪ The company had huge debts and was on the brink of collapse.
on the docket
▪ What’s on the docket for tomorrow’s meeting?
on the domestic/international front
▪ On the domestic front, de Gaulle’s priority was to secure his government’s authority.
on the economic/political etc front
▪ On the technical front, there have been a number of important developments.
on the edge of a precipice
▪ The stock market is on the edge of a precipice.
on the exterior
▪ The dome is tiled on the exterior.
on the first/second etc attempt (also at the first/second etc attempt British English)
▪ The car started at the second attempt.
on the ground (=on land)
▪ The air raids were followed by military action on the ground.
on the line (=on the phone)
▪ Henry is on the line from New York.
on the line
▪ There seems to be a fault on the line.
On the minus side
▪ On the minus side, there is no free back-up service if things go wrong.
On the negative side
▪ On the negative side, it will cost a lot.
on the ninth (=ninth day of the month)
▪ I’m planning to leave on the ninth .
on the open market (=for anyone to buy)
▪ Handguns are freely available on the open market.
on the opposite side of
▪ The store was on the opposite side of the street.
on the plus side
▪ This is not an exciting car to drive, but on the plus side it is extremely reliable.
on the positive side (=used when saying what is good about something)
▪ On the positive side, the company’s financial condition remains strong.
on the right lines (=doing something the right way)
▪ The company’s rapid success means it’s definitely on the right lines.
on the throne (=was ruling)
▪ In 1913, George V was on the throne .
on the top of a pile
▪ He balanced the plate on the top of a pile of books.
on the verge of a nervous breakdown
▪ an event which left her on the verge of a nervous breakdown
on the verge of tears
▪ Jess seemed on the verge of tears.
on the winning trail
▪ New players should put the team back on the winning trail.
on these lines (=this way)
▪ More groups will now be set up on these lines.
on your hands and knees (=in a crawling position)
▪ They got down on their hands and knees to search.
On your marks – get set – go (=said to start a race)
▪ On your marks – get set – go.
on...back
▪ He lay on his back and gazed at the ceiling.
opinion is divided as to/on/over sth (=people have different opinions about it)
▪ Opinion was divided as to whether the program will work.
out on the prowl (=looking for people to have a sexual relationship with)
▪ local men out on the prowl in the city’s bars and nightclubs
pass judgment (on sth) (=give your opinion, especially a negative one)
▪ Our aim is to help him, not to pass judgment on what he has done.
pass on a disease (also transmit a diseaseformal)
▪ They may pass the disease on to their children.
pass on a gene (=pass a gene to your children)
▪ All animals try to maximize their chances of passing on their genes to the next generation.
pass on a tip
▪ The writer passes on many tips that she has learned over the years.
pass on some advice (=give someone advice that you have learned or been given)
▪ Readers can pass on advice about gardening.
pass on/relay/deliver a message (=give someone a message from someone else)
▪ I asked Rob if he would pass on a message for me.
passed...death sentence on
▪ In 1987, the government passed a death sentence on the river by granting permission for the new dam.
passengers get on/off a bus/plane etc
▪ The bus stopped and half the passengers got off.
pin the blame on
▪ Don’t try to pin the blame on me!
pin your hopes on sth (=hope for one thing that everything else depends on)
▪ After a difficult year, the company is pinning its hopes on its new range of products.
place limitations on sth
▪ Spending limitations have been placed on the council's housing budget.
place the blame squarely/firmly on sb (=blame someone in a very definite way)
▪ A military investigation placed the blame squarely on city officials.
place/impose an embargo on sth (=start an embargo)
▪ The UN imposed an embargo on trade with the military regime.
place/lay emphasis on sthformal
▪ The coach has placed the emphasis firmly on youth by including three teenagers in the team.
place/put a burden on sb
▪ This situation places the main burden of family care on women.
place/put a high value on sth
▪ Our society places a high value on education.
place/put constraints on sb/sth
▪ Lack of funding is putting severe constraints on research.
place/put sth on record (=officially say something or write it down)
▪ I wish to put on record my objection to the scheme.
place/put/lay a bet on sth
▪ She placed a bet on a horse called Beethoven.
plant a kiss on sb's cheek/forehead etc (=to kiss someone on their cheek etc)
▪ Stephen planted a kiss on his daughter’s forehead.
play a joke on sb (=trick someone to make people laugh)
▪ John’s always playing jokes on his brothers.
play on sb’s sympathy (=make someone feel sorry for you in order to get an advantage for yourself)
▪ If that doesn’t work, she knows how to play on his sympathy.
play sth on the piano
▪ We all sang while Mum played something on the piano.
playing on the swings
▪ kids playing on the swings
playing tricks on
▪ After walking for hours in the hot sun, his mind began playing tricks on him.
plot sth on a graph (=to draw marks or a line to show facts, numbers etc on a graph)
▪ The different values can be plotted on a graph.
ploughed on regardless
▪ He looked displeased but she ploughed on regardless.
poised on the brink/edge of sth
▪ The economy is poised on the edge of collapse.
post sth on a website (=put something there)
▪ She posted the photos on her website.
pour oil on troubled waters (=try to make an angry situation calmer)
prattling on about
▪ What’s Sarah prattling on about?
pull a gun/knife (on sb) (=take one out, ready to use it)
pull on/drag on/draw on a cigarette (=smoke a cigarette with deep breaths)
▪ Ed was leaning out of the window and dragging on a cigarette.
pull on/drag on/draw on a cigarette (=smoke a cigarette with deep breaths)
▪ Ed was leaning out of the window and dragging on a cigarette.
pull on/drag on/draw on a cigarette (=smoke a cigarette with deep breaths)
▪ Ed was leaning out of the window and dragging on a cigarette.
purely on the grounds of
▪ The building was closed purely on the grounds of safety.
put a limit on sth
▪ We have to put a limit on the number of participants.
put a perspective on sth
▪ This new evidence put a whole new perspective on the case.
put a spell on sb (=make magic affect someone)
▪ The fairy put a terrible spell on the princess.
put a stop on
▪ I put a stop on that check to the store.
put a value on sth (=say how much it is worth)
▪ It’s hard to put a value on something so unusual.
put an estimate on sth (=say the amount that you think something is)
▪ It is impossible to put an estimate on the value of the manuscript.
put a...spin on
▪ They tried to put a positive spin on the sales figures.
put emphasis on sth
▪ We need to put greater emphasis on planning.
▪ The airline is accused of placing more emphasis on profit than on safety.
put handcuffs on
▪ They put handcuffs on the two men and led them away.
put it on...tab
▪ I’ll put it on your tab and you can pay tomorrow.
put on a CD (=play it)
▪ She put on her favourite CD and lay on the sofa.
put on a concert (also stage a concertformal) (= arrange one)
▪ The music club puts on regular concerts throughout the year.
put on a nappy (=put a nappy on a baby)
▪ I put a clean nappy on her half an hour ago.
put on a play (=arrange for it to be performed)
▪ The school puts on a Nativity play every Christmas.
put on a ventilator
▪ He was put on a ventilator but died two hours later.
put on a waiting list
▪ I was then put on a waiting list to see a specialist at the local hospital.
put on alert
▪ Troops in the vicinity were put on alert.
put on an accent (=deliberately speak with a different accent from your usual one)
▪ When mum’s on the phone, she puts on a funny accent.
put on an exhibition (=have an exhibition)
▪ Last summer the museum put on some wonderful exhibitions for children.
put on earrings
▪ I forgot to put on my new earrings.
put on make-up (also apply make-upformal)
▪ Gloria watched her mother put on her make-up.
put on weight (also gain weightformal)
▪ He had put on weight since she last saw him.
put on your coat
▪ Mark stood up and put on his coat.
put on your glasses
▪ He put on his glasses and read through the instructions.
put on/pull on your gloves
▪ Eleanor put on her gloves and stood up.
put on/pull on your gloves
▪ Eleanor put on her gloves and stood up.
put on/show a front
▪ Jenny didn’t want Adam to see how worried she was. So she put on a brave front.
put on/take off/remove your cap
▪ He opened the door, took off his cap, and threw it on a hook.
put paint on sth
▪ Don’t put the paint on too thick.
put pressure on sb
▪ We’ve decided to set up a campaign to put pressure on the Government.
put sb on trial
▪ They should never have been put on trial, let alone convicted.
put sb/sth on a list
▪ I was put on a waiting list to see a specialist at the hospital.
put sth on the agenda
▪ This incident has put the issue of racism firmly back on the agenda.
put sth on the fire
▪ Put another log on the fire.
put sth on your card (=pay by credit card)
▪ I’ll put the restaurant bill on my card.
put the brakes on (=use the brakes)
▪ Put the brakes on – you’re going too fast.
Put the kettle on (=start boiling water in a kettle)
▪ Put the kettle on, will you?
put your clothes on
▪ I told him to get up and put some clothes on.
put your house on the market (=make it available for people to buy)
▪ They put the house on the market and began looking for an apartment.
put your shoes on
▪ Put your shoes on and get your coat.
put your socks on
▪ She sat on the bed beside him, putting on her socks.
put yourself/your neck on the line (for sb) (=risk something bad happening to you)
▪ I’ve already put myself on the line for you once, and I’m not going to do it again.
put...curse on
▪ He believed that someone had put a curse on the house.
put...hex on
▪ I think he’s trying to put a hex on me.
put...interpretation on (=explain)
▪ It’s difficult to put an accurate interpretation on the survey results.
put...on probation
▪ I’m afraid I have no choice but to put you on probation.
put...on standby
▪ We can put you on standby.
put...on the market (=offered it for sale)
▪ They knew it wasn’t a good time to sell their house, but they still put it on the market.
put...on to boil
▪ She fried the chicken and put the vegetables on to boil.
put...on...guard
▪ Something in his tone put her on her guard.
put...on...walls
▪ I put some pictures up on the walls.
put/pin the blame on sb (also lay/place the blame on sbwritten) (= blame someone, especially when it is not their fault)
▪ Don’t try to put the blame on me.
▪ Everyone laid the blame for the crisis on the government.
put/place (a) strain on sb/sth
▪ Living with my parents put quite a strain on our marriage.
put/place restrictions on sth
▪ The authorities placed strict restrictions on diamond exports.
put/place sb on high alert
▪ Troops were put on high alert.
(put/place sb) on probation
▪ He pleaded guilty and was placed on probation.
put/place sth on a ... footing
▪ He wanted to put their relationship on a permanent footing.
put...price tag on (=say how much it costs)
▪ It’s difficult to put a price tag on such a project .
put/switch/turn the heating on
▪ Why don't you put the heating on if you're cold?
putting a gloss on
▪ The minister was accused of putting a gloss on the government’s poor performance.
put/turn the spotlight on sth
▪ A new report has turned the spotlight on the problem of poverty in the inner cities.
quick on the uptake (=able to understand quickly what someone is saying)
▪ He’s a good interviewer, tough and quick on the uptake.
quick on...feet (=able to move about quickly)
▪ Boxers have to be quick on their feet.
quoted on the stock exchange (=people can buy and sell shares in it)
▪ The company is now quoted on the stock exchange.
raise/lower the ceiling (on sth)
record sth on video
▪ She had no idea that her purchase was being recorded on video.
release your grip/hold (on sb/sth)
▪ The sudden noise made him release his hold on her arm.
released on parole
▪ He was released on parole after serving two years.
remanded on bail (=allowed to leave the law court and go home to wait for trial)
▪ He’s been remanded on bail for a month .
renege on a pledgeformal (= not keep it)
▪ The government reneged on its electoral pledges.
renege on a promiseformal (= break it)
▪ It is tempting for the government to renege on its promise.
right on
▪ It’s one of those annoyingly right-on magazines about the environment.
right on...doorstep
▪ Wow! You’ve got the beach right on your doorstep!
run on electricity/gas/petrol etc (=get its power from electricity etc)
▪ Most cars run on unleaded fuel.
run on fuel (=use fuel as the source of power)
▪ Will this engine run on unleaded fuel?
run on petrol
▪ Many older vehicles have been converted to run on unleaded petrol.
run/operate/do sth on a shoestring
▪ The program was run on a shoestring.
sb's nerves are on edge (=they feel nervous or worried about what might happen)
▪ His nerves were on edge as he entered the dark room.
sb’s gaze falls on sb/sth (=someone looks at someone or something)
▪ Fisher’s gaze fell on Mr. Grant.
sb’s glance falls on sth (=someone looks at something)
▪ Geoff’s glance fell on the broken vase.
secure a loan (on sth) (=agree to give the lender something if you do not pay back the loan on time)
▪ The loan was secured on his home.
see/watch sth on television
▪ She saw the race on television.
sending...on errands
▪ She was always sending me on errands.
serve/sit on a committee (=be a member of an important committee)
▪ Our organization is always in need of volunteers to serve on the committee.
set fire to sth/set sth on fire (=make something start burning)
▪ A candle fell over, setting fire to the curtains.
set off on a journey (also embark on a journeyformal) (= start a long journey)
▪ Before setting off on a journey, look at maps and guidebooks.
set off on an expedition (also embark on an expeditionformal) (= leave at the start of an expedition)
▪ Trent set off on an expedition to collect plants with fellow botanical students.
sew on a button
▪ It doesn't take a minute to sew on a button.
shaky on...feet (=not able to walk very well)
▪ Grandad was a little shaky on his feet.
shoot...on sight (=shoot them as soon as they see them)
▪ The guards have orders to shoot intruders on sight.
short on...but long on
▪ He was short on patience, but long on a sense of his own worth.
short on...but long on
▪ He was short on patience, but long on a sense of his own worth.
show sth on a graph/a graph shows sth
▪ The graph shows that wages rose in line with productivity.
sit in/on a chair
▪ She sat in her favourite chair.
sit/lie/sleep on the floor
▪ Officers found her lying face down on the floor.
sit/serve on a jury (=be a member of a jury)
▪ At that time, black people were not allowed to serve on juries.
sit/serve on the bench (=work as a judge or magistrate)
sit/serve on the board
▪ She had served on the board of governors of the BBC.
slam on/jam on/hit the brakes (=use them suddenly and with a lot of force)
▪ The car in front stopped suddenly and I had to slam on the brakes.
slam on/jam on/hit the brakes (=use them suddenly and with a lot of force)
▪ The car in front stopped suddenly and I had to slam on the brakes.
slight on
▪ She may take it as a slight on her ability as a mother.
slip your shoes on/off (=put them on or take them off quickly or gently)
▪ She slipped off her shoes and curled her feet up under her on the sofa.
slipping on banana skins
▪ This government has an unhappy knack of slipping on banana skins.
smile on...lips
▪ Matt opened the door with a smile on his lips.
soft on crime
▪ No politician wants to seem soft on crime.
software/a program runs on a computer
▪ You’ll need the appropriate software running on your computer.
sold on the open market
▪ The painting would fetch millions of dollars if it was sold on the open market.
something funny going on
▪ There’s something funny going on here.
spend money (on sth)
▪ More money should be spent on training.
spread butter on sth
▪ Lee was spreading butter on his toast.
spring a surprise (on sb) (=give someone a surprise)
▪ The chairman sprang a surprise this week by announcing his intention to quit.
sprinkle cheese over/on sth (=put small pieces of cheese over/on something)
▪ Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
stamped on...memory
▪ The experience remained stamped on her memory for many years.
stand on a corner
▪ She stood on the corner saying goodnight to Michael.
stand on tiptoe/stand on your toes (=support yourself on your toes)
▪ If he stood on tiptoe, he could reach the shelf.
stand on tiptoe/stand on your toes (=support yourself on your toes)
▪ If he stood on tiptoe, he could reach the shelf.
stand/stay/remain etc on the sidelines
▪ You can’t stay on the sidelines for ever; it’s time you got involved.
sth is running low on fuel (=it does not have much fuel left)
▪ The plane was running low on fuel.
stood on the doorstep
▪ He stood on the doorstep, straightening his tie.
stood on tiptoe
▪ She stood on tiptoe to kiss him.
stop on a dimeAmerican English (= stop very quickly – used about cars)
▪ This truck can stop on a dime!
suspicion falls on sb
▪ Suspicion fell on Jenkins who had been seen near the scene of the crime.
swear on your honour (=promise very strongly)
▪ Do you swear on your honour that you will never tell anyone?
sweat stands out on sb's forehead (=there are drops of sweat on sb's forehead)
▪ Sweat stood out on Ian's forehead.
switch a computer on/off
▪ Always switch off your computer at the end of the day.
switch on/turn on a machine
▪ Turn the machine on and slowly add the hot liquid.
switch on/turn on a machine
▪ Turn the machine on and slowly add the hot liquid.
switch on/turn on/start an engine
▪ I fastened my seat belt and turned on the engine.
switch on/turn on/start an engine
▪ I fastened my seat belt and turned on the engine.
switch/turn on a lamp
▪ Dorothy switched on the desk lamp.
take a tough/firm/hard line on sth
▪ The school takes a very tough line on drugs.
take it out on
▪ Don’t take it out on me just because you’ve had a bad day.
take on a challenge (=accept one)
▪ The new headteacher has taken on the challenge of improving the school.
take on a meaning (=begin to have a new meaning)
▪ The word ‘chaos’ has taken on a special scientific meaning.
take on a new/extra etc dimension (=develop in a way that is new or different)
▪ Since I met her, my life has taken on a completely different dimension.
take on a new/special etc significance (=start to have it)
▪ Sporting competitions took on a new political significance during the Cold War.
take on a role (also assume a roleformal) (= start having it)
▪ Mr Jones took on the role of spokesperson for the organization.
take on responsibility (also assume responsibilityformal) (= start to have responsibility for something)
▪ These days men tend to take on more responsibility at home.
▪ The government must assume greater responsibility for the care of the elderly.
take on/undertake a task
▪ No-one else is willing to take on the task.
take pity on sb
▪ She stood feeling lost until an elderly man took pity on her.
take sb up on an offer/a promise/a suggestion etc
▪ I’ll take you up on that offer of a drink, if it still stands.
take someone on an expedition
▪ He’s taking the boys on a camping expedition next weekend.
take up an offer/take sb up on their offerBritish English (= accept someone's offer)
▪ I might take him up on his offer.
take up sb's invitation/take sb up on their invitation (=accept someone's invitation)
▪ I decided to take them up on their invitation to dinner.
take your anger/frustration etc out on sb
▪ Irritated with herself, she took her annoyance out on Bridget.
take/adopt a hard line (on sth)
▪ The school takes a very hard line on drugs.
take/have a vote (on sth)
▪ Unless anyone has anything to add, we’ll take a vote.
▪ Let’s have a vote on it.
take/have pity (on sb) (=feel sorry for someone and treat them with sympathy)
▪ He was expecting a prison sentence but the judge took pity on him.
taking a stand on
▪ She was accused of not taking a stand on feminism or civil rights.
talk on the telephone
▪ He was talking on the telephone when the doorbell rang.
talk/speak (to sb) on the phone
▪ We talk on the phone every day.
▪ We spoke earlier on the phone, if you remember.
tap on/at the door (=hit it very gently)
▪ I tapped on the door and opened it.
tap sb on the shoulder/arm/chest etc
▪ He turned as someone tapped him on the shoulder.
that’s a new one on mespoken (= used to say that you have never heard something before)
▪ ‘The office is going to be closed for six weeks this summer.’ ‘Really? That’s a new one on me.’
the biggest/highest etc on record
▪ Last summer was one of the hottest on record.
the contours on a map (=the lines on a map showing the height of mountains and valleys)
▪ Contours on the map are given in feet.
the effect/impact on the environment
▪ The building’s design will minimize its impact on the environment.
the expression on sb’s face
▪ I could tell by the expression on her face that she was angry.
the focus is on sth
▪ The focus is now on improving students’ communication skills.
the hands of/on a clock (=the long thin pieces that point at the numbers)
▪ The hands on the clock said ten past two.
the heating comes on
▪ The heating comes on at six.
the hunt is on (=used to say that people have started looking for someone or something)
the night wears on (=continues)
▪ The pain gradually got better as the night wore on.
the pivot on/around which sth turns/revolves
▪ Iago’s lie is the pivot on which the play turns.
the rain patters on sth (=drops of rain hit something and make a sound)
▪ Rain pattered on the roof.
the (rate of) return on an investment (=profit from an investment)
▪ We expect a high return on our investment.
the search is on (=people are trying to find someone or something)
▪ The search is on for someone with the same blood type.
the war on drugs (=a long struggle by the authorities to control drugs)
▪ The war on drugs continues.
there is a party going on
▪ Somewhere near the hotel there was a party going on.
the...turning on the left
▪ Take the first turning on the left.
throw...out on the street (=make us leave our home when we have nowhere else to live)
▪ I knew he would never throw us out on the street.
touch on a subject (=say or write a little about it)
▪ In his speech, he touched on the subject of death.
touch sb on the arm/leg etc
▪ A hand touched her on the shoulder.
transmit/pass on a virus (=pass it from one person or animal to another)
▪ The rabies virus is transmitted in saliva when one animal bites another.
travel on a flight
▪ Passengers travelling on flight BMI 373 to Zurich should proceed to gate 17.
travel on a passport
▪ The men were convicted of travelling on a false passport.
turn on a tap
▪ Run some cold water into the bath before turning on the hot tap.
turn on the charm (=use your charm to get something)
▪ If you turn on the charm, I’m sure you’ll get the job.
turn the water off/on (=turn a tap to stop water coming out of pipes or to let it come out)
▪ Turn the water off while you're brushing your teeth.
turn up late/early/on time etc
▪ Steve turned up late, as usual.
turned on her heel (=turned away suddenly because of anger)
▪ Brigitte glared at him, turned on her heel, and stomped out of the room.
turned up on the doorstep
▪ I got a shock when he just turned up on the doorstep.
turning on the tap
▪ ‘I’m thirsty,’ she said, turning on the tap.
turn/switch the radio on
▪ Dad switched on the radio for the eight-thirty news.
turn/switch the television on/off
▪ I switched off the television and went to bed.
unsteady on her feet (=she might fall over)
▪ She was quite unsteady on her feet.
variations on a theme (=things with a similar basic subject, style etc)
▪ Most of her short stories are variations on the theme of tragedy.
variations on...theme
▪ Most of his poems are variations on the theme of love.
veiled attack on
▪ His speech is being seen as a veiled attack on asylum-seekers.
verged on the
▪ Many of Lewis’s activities verged on the illegal.
verging on the
▪ Some of his ideas are verging on the dangerous.
vote on a proposal
▪ Shareholders will vote on the proposal on May 5.
vote on a resolution
▪ Are there any comments you wish to make before we vote on this resolution?
wage war (on sb/sth)
▪ The police are waging war on drug pushers in the city.
walk on stage/onto the stage
▪ The audience broke into applause as soon as he walked on stage.
walk on/along the beach
▪ She loved to walk along the beach in the early morning.
War on Terrorism
waste money (on sth)
▪ Don’t waste your money on a computer that doesn’t have enough memory.
weigh heavily on
▪ The desire for peace will weigh heavily on the negotiators.
weighed...on...shoulders
▪ The burden of responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders.
weighing on...mind
▪ I’m sure there’s something weighing on his mind.
went on and on about
▪ He just went on and on about his new girlfriend.
went on and on about
▪ He just went on and on about his new girlfriend.
went on and on (=continued for a long time)
▪ The screaming went on and on.
went on and on (=continued for a long time)
▪ The screaming went on and on.
went on hunger strike
▪ A total of 300 students occupied the building and over 50 went on hunger strike.
went on safari
▪ They went on safari in Kenya.
went on the rampage
▪ Rioters went on the rampage through the town.
went on...bender
▪ The whole team went on a bender and were arrested.
went on...spree
▪ They went on a drinking spree.
what on earth/in the world/in heaven’s name etc (=used for emphasis when you are surprised, angry etc)
▪ What on earth’s going on?
where on earth/in the world etc (=used for emphasis when you are surprised, angry etc)
▪ Where on earth have you been all this time?
who on earth/in the world etc (=used for emphasis when you are surprised, angry etc)
▪ Who on earth would live in such a lonely place?
▪ Who the hell are you?
why on earth/why ever etc (=used for emphasis when you are surprised, angry etc)
▪ Why on earth didn’t you ask me to help?
▪ ‘I don’t want us to be seen together.’ ‘Why ever not?’
win/lose on points (=win or lose a fight because of the judges’ decision)
▪ He was knocked down twice, before losing on points.
with a pained expression on his face
▪ He sat stiffly, with a pained expression on his face.
won...on the pools
▪ Dad won £40 on the pools.
work on a farm
▪ I used to work on a farm when I was younger.
work on a project
▪ A team has been working on the project for three years.
work on an assumption (=act according to something that may not be true)
▪ The police seemed to be working on the assumption that he was guilty.
work on your fitness (=try to improve your fitness)
▪ He's working on his fitness in preparation for the New York marathon.
work sth out on a calculator
▪ Work it out on a calculator if you can't do it in your head.
wreak havoc on
▪ policies that would wreak havoc on the country’s economy
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(all) on your own
▪ Did you build this all on your own?
▪ Will you be OK here on your own?
▪ Although the names of these principles have been variously translated, I shall rely on my own designations in explaining them.
▪ Being independent minded, I set off on my own, armed with books, maps and pamphlets.
▪ Go alone, without a guide or mentor, and discover the art of fly-fishing on your own.
▪ It can also help on its own either locally or in the diet.
▪ My sister, who is 80, lives on her own and takes no tablets.
▪ Once you're out there, it's you on your own.
▪ The other half did it on their own.
▪ They should be kept, on their own, in tanks no less than five feet in length.
(be on) a/the slippery slope
(hard/hot/close) on sb's heels
(hard/hot/close) on the heels of sth
▪ Critique followed hot on the heels of this pioneering work.
▪ On the heels of this came Mr J. to tell us that young Mrs P. had had her thighbone crushed.
▪ Then it seemed that the consummation would follow soon on the heels of its inauguration.
▪ With another couple of laps he might have finished close on the heels of the two Dunlops.
(have) egg on your face
▪ If we think they are easy meat we will end up with egg on our faces.
▪ Meanwhile, Hutcheson observed that in 1995 all the chip forecasters had varying degrees of egg on their face.
▪ People like me, who believed the firing squad had been assembled, were left with egg on our faces.
(have) sb's blood on your hands
▪ But I already have too much blood on my hands.
▪ Dad with blood on his hands.
▪ He hated to see her with blood on her hands.
▪ I want him to know he has my son's blood on his hands.
▪ Republicans spent eight years trying to prove President Clinton had blood on his hands.
▪ There's blood on my hands, mine or hers I don't know.
▪ There was blood on his hands and I thought he'd had an accident.
(on) Shanks's pony
(on) sale or return
▪ All are on full sale on January 23-Knave sale or return from Blackhorse.
▪ All available goods may be taken on a sale or return basis. 9.
▪ Booksellers normally order books on a sale or return basis.
▪ This may be on a sale or return agreement without asking for payment.
▪ What is the position, though, where the buyer resells the goods on sale or return terms?
(out) on the town
▪ A night on the town for the boys.
▪ But don't let that fool you - by nightfall people are waking up ready to go out on the town.
▪ Had trouble dragging yourself out on the town on Sunday night?
▪ Joy was a Saturday morning out on the town.
▪ Nowadays, the battlefield is an opera stage, at Sebastiani Theatre on the town square.
▪ The next time I saw him, I was out on the town with Peter Mbalu-Mukasa.
▪ The others have gone out on the town.
(right/as if) on cue
▪ And, as if on cue, I did.
▪ And, on cue, he heard the sound of hoofbeats ` on the wind.
▪ Dead on cue the runner hurries over to Eli to answer his question.
▪ Right on cue, a butterfly flew up to the plants we were looking at and landed!
▪ She passed a couple of groundskeepers, who turned as if on cue for a second look.
▪ She should have become angry with him for his persistence, on cue, but for some reason she didn't.
▪ The boys slashed, jumped, and shouted with enthusiasm and on cue.
▪ The sky, as if on cue, was overcast.
(send sb on) a fool's errand
I have it on good authority
▪ I have it on good authority that the school board wants to fire the principal.
I'd put (my) money on sth
▪ Even the madmen wouldn't have him in real life, I 'd put money on it.
▪ Personally, I 'd put my money on accidental death without a second thought.
I'd stake my life on it
I/you can count sb/sth on (the fingers of) one hand
a crack on the head
a drain on sth
▪ Owning this boat is a big drain on my finances.
▪ A second cost to the Free Church of its political involvement is a drain on leadership resources.
▪ But what a drain on parents.
▪ In addition they were perceived to be inefficient, measured in terms of productivity, and also unprofitable, causing a drain on public finances.
▪ It is a drain on their resources.
▪ The authorities feared he'd be a drain on the health service.
▪ The parish is a drain on resources, no doubt about it.
▪ There would be less of a drain on tax revenues.
▪ They are seen as a drain on the profit because they don't function in the labour market to produce profit.
a judgment (on sb/sth)
▪ A member is entitled to a judgment that is free from any extraneous or ulterior motive.
▪ Another aspect of the context of a judgment is the other tasks that were performed at the same time.
▪ Finally, an evaluative orientation involves your synthesis of facts and feelings into a judgment about some political phenomenon.
▪ How can a choice be made without making a judgment?
▪ In a judgment delivered by the late Hunter J.A. the court rejected this argument.
▪ In dealing with this immediate situation, your teammate has made a judgment that you can be dominated.
▪ Procedure: There were two phases to the experiment, a description phase and then a judgment phase.
▪ The court of appeals upheld all except the spousal-consent requirement, a judgment affirmed by the Court.
a lock on sth
▪ For security a lock on the front locks both the system and the keyboard.
▪ His parents were not surprised when he asked for a lock on his bedroom door before he had reached his teenage years.
▪ Republicans in Congress, used to having a lock on the White House, began attacking Clinton at once.
▪ Straightening, she reflected soberly that the only thing missing was a lock on the bedroom door.
▪ The lack of a lock on the one and only toilet was compensated for by the frosted glass panels in the door.
a mine of information (about/on sth)
▪ A trip to Brussels to meet the responsible officials can turn up a mine of information.
▪ His column in the Angling Times was the first thing that I turned to and what a mine of information.
▪ If used properly, the diary was a mine of information.
▪ Study a local map and the Ordnance Survey, which is a mine of information.
a monkey on your back
a pat on the back
▪ I think you all deserve a pat on the back for your hard work.
▪ I think we should give Fairclough a pat on the back for his performances in the last few games.
▪ It amounts to a pat on the back.
▪ Just a smile or a pat on the back may keep a student working.
▪ No one gets past him without an encouraging word, a pat on the back, a smile.
▪ Now congratulate your loved one and give yourself a pat on the back as well for your own agility around the course.
▪ That was intended to be a pat on the back - as one of several others - for me.
▪ The tournament-sponsoring Thunderbirds deserve a pat on the back.
▪ Try starting with a pat on the back to soften the blow of criticism.
a peg to hang sth on
a pox on sb
a rap on/over the knuckles
▪ Was it going to be a rap on the knuckles for quality?
a run on sth
▪ Since the break-ins, stores have reported a run on deadbolt locks.
▪ A sudden collapse could cause a run on mutual funds, which could in turn threaten the financial system.
▪ Growing nervousness among small investors also led to a run on some banks.
▪ In the late afternoon I came back from a run on the Mesa Trail to find Janir fuming.
▪ Suddenly there was a run on, and mice were going faster than nachos and salsa.
▪ The show has struggled all season, although ratings picked up during a run on Wednesday nights at 9: 30.
▪ There was a run on all major stock exchanges.
▪ There was a run on the Tuesday afternoon for the producers.
a run on the bank
a run on the dollar/pound etc
a shoulder to cry on
▪ If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, just call me.
▪ Remember, I'm always here if you need a shoulder to cry on.
▪ In past years, Diana knew that Earl Spencer would be a shoulder to cry on and a loving counsellor.
▪ The researcher could share enthusiasms, be a shoulder to cry on and help brainstorm alternatives.
a slap on the back
▪ a congratulatory slap on the back
a slap on the wrist
▪ In the past, officers who mistreated prisoners often received a mere slap on the wrist.
▪ The fine was so low, it was little more than a slap on the wrist.
▪ So instead of a slap on the wrist I got promoted to high-flying executive symptoms.
▪ They just gave him a slap on the wrist then and that enabled him to go out and kill my husband.
a week on Monday etc
▪ Suppose we say December the second, that's a week on Monday.
a window on/to the world
▪ Million views Television is a window on the world with a difference.
▪ Television is a window to the world.
▪ The news is also terrific for giving the boys a window on the world.
act as a brake on sth
▪ In April 1992 they persuaded Boris Yeltsin to put three industrialists into the government to act as a brake on the free-marketeers.
▪ Post-war development of parachutes acting as brakes on jet aircraft are also covered in this rarely written about subject.
▪ To what extent do girls act as brakes on, or motivators of, delinquent behaviour in masculine adolescent gang-culture, for example?
▪ Unfortunately, widespread foot-dragging continues to act as a brake on debt relief.
act for sb/act on sb's behalf
all eyes are on/watching/fixed on etc
all hands on deck
▪ It's all hands on deck as the crew work as team to make the show look its best.
▪ It was all hands on deck as they worked flat out over a weekend in March.
an attempt on sb's life
an eye for/on/to the main chance
an old head on young shoulders
and so on/forth
▪ A central zone leads to other areas where you can test yourself, gain information, do puzzles and so on.
▪ And so on and so on, the critiques having merit but missing the point.
▪ Asteroids contain a variety of rare radioactive isotopes of potassium, uranium, thorium, rubidium, and so on.
▪ I also become more mentally sensitive to social problems, the ills of the world and so on.
▪ It would have to be done very quietly and so forth and so on.
▪ Symbols are things that bear some resemblance to what they represent: drawings, silhouettes, and so forth.
back on the rails
▪ He was back on the rails, and moving again.
▪ It seems that matters have fallen behind schedule and need to be put back on the rails.
bang on
batten on sb
be (flat) on your back
▪ He's been flat on his back in the hospital for a week..
▪ After I was on its back, we all took off again on a run.
▪ Her eyes opened; she was on her back.
▪ His father was on his back night and day.
▪ The child was on her back, unconscious.
▪ The jelly cupboard was on its back, its contents lying in a heap in the corner of the bottom shelf.
▪ The result is that the liter pop bottle you tossed out six months ago may be on your back today.
▪ The sun was on his back as he swung himself over her and her long legs parted in expectation.
▪ What else would he need if he were going to be flat on his back or stomach?
be (living) on easy street
▪ By the time this Clinton-Dole thing is over, you and I could be living on Easy Street.
be (right) on the money
▪ Carson was right on the money when he said people are tired of big-shot politicians.
▪ That was a case when Jobs's vision was on the money.
be (skating) on thin ice
▪ Legally, the company is on very thin ice with its actions.
▪ You're skating on thin ice, showing up late for work every day.
▪ He was on thin ice before.
▪ It had been granted grudgingly and she knew she was on thin ice as far as her superiors were concerned.
be (walking/treading/skating) on thin ice
▪ He was on thin ice before.
▪ It had been granted grudgingly and she knew she was on thin ice as far as her superiors were concerned.
be a comment on sth
▪ The number of adults who cannot read is a sad comment on the quality of our schools.
▪ Costa del Sol is a comment on the package holiday, a couple being serenaded by Antonio.
▪ Each Chorus is commented on in turn.
▪ He was commenting on Game Three when he mentioned the horrible play of Mark Eaton.
▪ Interspersed were comments on what seems to be a favorite topic: the abuses perpetrated by the media.
▪ Only those strategies used to overcome difficulties arising from gender distinctions will be commented on.
▪ She would not be commenting on the anniversary until then.
▪ The accounting policies used should also be commented on if in any way unusual or conservative.
▪ The pressure group was commenting on suggestions that the Government is considering the abolition of pensioners' prescription exemptions.
be a drag on sb/sth
▪ Maggie thinks marriage would be a drag on her career.
▪ Moreover, the excessive resort to public ownership is a drag on economic development.
be a fly on the wall
▪ I wish I'd been a fly on the wall during that conversation.
▪ I wished I could be a fly on the wall.
▪ Oh, wouldn't I like to be a fly on the wall when you tell her the latest!
▪ You should be a fly on the wall and hear him sing your praises.
be a sad/tragic/devastating etc commentary on sth
▪ The experience of some Sunday morning services in competition with golf is a sad commentary on the bending of principle to person.
be big on sth
▪ I'm not big on foreign cars.
▪ And it is big on sport.
▪ He was big on Latin culture.
▪ It is big on thrills and headily grapey with a lush sweetness.
▪ The A-cups are big on luxury.
▪ The Renault 25 was big on gadgets.
be blazoned across/on/over sth
▪ The manufacturer's name is blazoned across an event of worthwhile significance.
be borne in on/upon sb
be dependent on/upon sth
▪ Your success is dependent on how hard you work.
▪ By no means all priests were dependent on income from the Church.
▪ For instance, some foodstuffs manufacturers are dependent on their supplies of edible oils.
▪ Rice cultivation, which is dependent on the vagaries of weather and on complex systems of irrigation, requires cooperative labor.
▪ The activity of duodenitis was dependent on the neutrophilic infiltration.
▪ The actor is dependent on the stimulus of other faces and voices.
▪ The benefits that consumers will enjoy are dependent on unbridled competition within the industry; government intervention will only hinder its evolution.
▪ What she doesn t see is that her small-business world is dependent on a bigger economic system.
▪ Women are said to have been created as equal to men yet are functionally to be dependent on men.
be down on sb/sth
▪ At the half-year stage profits are expected to be down on last year - around £35m against £39m.
▪ Constable Collins liked shrimp and often bought a tub of them when he was down on the Front.
▪ Copper producers were down on a drop in copper prices.
▪ Families that were down on their luck could get a small loan, food, a job referral.
▪ He was down on the shore, a shadow edged with silver light, combing the tide line.
▪ It wasn't that money was being stolen or sneaked - everything was down on paper.
▪ Ten minutes later I was down on the private beach.
be down on your luck
▪ Here, parents who are down on their luck can pick out toys for their children.
▪ In the film, Williams plays a down-on-his luck salesman whose wife has left him.
▪ The program is for motivated people who are temporarily down on their luck.
▪ We bought the necklace from an old man who was down on his luck and in need of a penny or two.
▪ All were down on their luck, all had been drinking and all had decided on an easy way out.
▪ Families that were down on their luck could get a small loan, food, a job referral.
▪ He was down on his luck and not a happy hedgehog.
be engraved in/on your memory/mind/heart
▪ The date was engraved on his heart.
be etched on/in your memory/mind
be firing on all cylinders
▪ The latter is a book in which the author is firing on all cylinders.
▪ This company is firing on all cylinders.
▪ Your Reticular Activating System is firing on all cylinders, your cortex is turning somersaults.
be firing/running on all cylinders
▪ The latter is a book in which the author is firing on all cylinders.
▪ This company is firing on all cylinders.
▪ Your Reticular Activating System is firing on all cylinders, your cortex is turning somersaults.
be flat on your back
▪ Arthur was flat on his back under the car.
▪ I've been flat on my back with the flu all week.
▪ Babs said it was all very well but had he forgotten their leading man was flat on his back in Sefton General?
▪ What else would he need if he were going to be flat on his back or stomach?
be founded on/upon sth
▪ Racism is not founded on rational thought, but on fear.
▪ The castle is founded on solid rock.
▪ The Soviet Union was originally founded on Socialism.
▪ After all, they are founded on previous experience.
▪ All grandeur, all power, all discipline are founded on the soldier.
▪ During these years race became the cultural flashpoint, and most political careers were founded on a rhetoric of purity and exclusion.
▪ In a functional sense, spillover was founded on the belief that contemporary economies were based upon a tangle of interrelated sectors.
▪ The economy of the vale was founded on livestock.
▪ The original Stoves company was founded on 14 February 1920.
▪ While Aristotle's scheme is founded on normative grounds, Finer's scheme is derived empirically.
▪ You could say it was founded on chili.
be getting on
▪ Cal is getting on a bit and doesn't play much golf anymore.
▪ Ethel's getting on in years now -- she must be in her late 60s.
▪ After numerous attempts I was getting on quite well, managing to get right up on to the bike.
▪ And you must be getting on with your exciting adventures.
▪ He wondered how she was getting on, she and Violet, and if she was happy in Mitford.
▪ It was getting on midnight now, and cold.
▪ She knew it was a stupid thing to say, but the presence of Magrat was getting on her nerves.
▪ That evening her son returned and came to see how she was getting on.
▪ This child was getting on my nerves.
▪ You may not want to risk breeding from such a mare, especially if she is getting on in years.
be going on (for) 5 o'clock/60/25 etc
be gone on sb
▪ Arthur would be gone on the stroke of nine, and Ann too, if it was possible.
be grounded in/on sth
▪ The group is committed to environmental policies that are grounded in science.
▪ In his day, he said, students were grounded in spelling and had learned poetry and the Bible by heart.
▪ Shaftesbury thought the opposite true: religion follows from, or is grounded in, man's innate sense of morality.
▪ The reason is grounded in the most basic issue of corporate finance.
▪ Theory needs to be grounded in practice.
▪ Visions must be grounded in strategy People need tremendous energy to get through periods of change; they need inspiration.
▪ Woman-centred psychology is grounded in a particular woman-centred form of western feminism.
▪ Yamaichi's Financial Science is grounded in the most advanced market theories and computer technology.
▪ Your understandings about politics and your decisions about whether to undertake specific political actions are grounded in your knowledge of politics.
be hard on sb
▪ It's going to be hard on the kids if you move away.
▪ You're harder on Donald than you are on Monica.
▪ As usual, this hypocrisy was hardest on the poor.
▪ Carolyn Staley knew that day last week had to be hard on her old friend, Bill Clinton.
▪ He was hard on David but David certainly was talented.
▪ It really is something, though he is hard on you and he is difficult.
▪ Most successful entrepreneurs are hard on themselves, in the sense that they are never easily satisfied.
▪ Normally disasters are hardest on the poor.
▪ This life was harder on her than on anyone else.
▪ You always let people know it was hard on you that Dad taught school.
be hard on sth
▪ Aspirin can be hard on your stomach.
▪ As usual, this hypocrisy was hardest on the poor.
▪ Carolyn Staley knew that day last week had to be hard on her old friend, Bill Clinton.
▪ He was hard on David but David certainly was talented.
▪ It really is something, though he is hard on you and he is difficult.
▪ Most successful entrepreneurs are hard on themselves, in the sense that they are never easily satisfied.
▪ Normally disasters are hardest on the poor.
▪ This life was harder on her than on anyone else.
▪ You always let people know it was hard on you that Dad taught school.
be having sb on
▪ All this is having an effect on advertisers.
▪ At any rate Joan and I were having no problems on that score.
▪ Carlisle Flint are having problems on the test circuit.
▪ Gary Johnson to an array of liberals, and they are having an impact on public opinion.
▪ New technology is having an impact on aerial photography in different ways.
▪ Once again, it appears that the nature of the available remedies is having some effect on the character of the diagnosis.
▪ Once again, Orlando is having trouble winning on the road.
▪ Our 1985-6 pilot study suggested that coordinators were having to take on more roles than they could cope with.
be heavy on sth
▪ The car's pretty heavy on oil.
▪ Casualties were heavy on both sides.
▪ Galleries in London, is heavy on the traditional, both in artwork and decorating.
▪ Research shows that 73 percent of the console players are boys, so most of the new games are heavy on fighting.
▪ The menu is heavy on meat and potatoes, with just a few token turkey, chicken and fish entrees.
▪ They may not be contributory - but the odds are heavy on their being present.
be high/low on a list (of sth)
be hot on sth
▪ But they were hot on the trail of a loathsome whine as the party in another mess pined for better days.
▪ It was hot on the top and cold in the middle.
▪ Once again Biddy / Beth flees, but both the Toddler and McGarr are hot on her trail.
▪ The flies buzz and the sun is hot on my spine.
▪ Young Laura is hot on the heels of her brothers.
be hot on/for sb
▪ But they were hot on the trail of a loathsome whine as the party in another mess pined for better days.
▪ It was hot on the top and cold in the middle.
▪ Marvin here was hot for reciprocal visits.
▪ Once again Biddy / Beth flees, but both the Toddler and McGarr are hot on her trail.
▪ The flies buzz and the sun is hot on my spine.
▪ Young Laura is hot on the heels of her brothers.
be hung-up about/on sth
be in attendance on sb
▪ Mrs Wills, who was in attendance on Princess Margaret.
be intent on/upon (doing) sth
▪ Abortion foes are intent on changing the laws allowing abortion.
▪ And as they were intent on their work, Bill was getting hysterical, calling his agent.
▪ Even then, too, Alvin was intent on displaying the male dancer in all his vitality.
▪ His best work is done far in advance, and he is intent on broadening his base.
▪ If his opponents were intent on overplaying their hand, it could only improve his position with the cardinal.
▪ Mr Mieno is still talking and acting tough because he is intent on bursting the speculative bubbles in shares and property.
▪ No-one spoke, everyone was intent on listening.
▪ The company is intent upon shielding them from the prying eyes of reporters.
▪ The staff at Howard were intent on giving their students the best they could offer.
be keen on sb
▪ Baker is keen on more collaborative projects in key technologies.
▪ I was keen on it ... We decided we wouldn't overlap what we wanted to do.
▪ No wonder he is keen on quantity of mates, and she on quality.
▪ She seemed to consider the proposal favourably and Princess Margaret, who I knew was keen on the idea, was supportive.
▪ She was the Imp Second in the 1st Badgeworth Pack, and was keen on doing her daily good turn.
▪ The auto dealer was keen on reaching South Side blacks, and in Gibson he heard an effective pitchman.
▪ The most active Liberal associations are keen on stirring up interest in purely local issues - a process known as community politics.
▪ Young males in particular were keener on high pay and promotion than older people, and less concerned with security or job satisfaction.
be keen on sb/sth
▪ Baker is keen on more collaborative projects in key technologies.
▪ I was keen on it ... We decided we wouldn't overlap what we wanted to do.
▪ No wonder he is keen on quantity of mates, and she on quality.
▪ She seemed to consider the proposal favourably and Princess Margaret, who I knew was keen on the idea, was supportive.
▪ She was the Imp Second in the 1st Badgeworth Pack, and was keen on doing her daily good turn.
▪ The auto dealer was keen on reaching South Side blacks, and in Gibson he heard an effective pitchman.
▪ The most active Liberal associations are keen on stirring up interest in purely local issues - a process known as community politics.
▪ Young males in particular were keener on high pay and promotion than older people, and less concerned with security or job satisfaction.
be knocking on the door
▪ But a kiss denied, for Phillis was knocking on the door.
▪ Soon Pugwash was knocking on the door.
be light on your feet
be living on borrowed time
▪ As long as Moira was around, Tamar was living on borrowed time.
▪ But now, as long as they existed, he was living on borrowed time.
be lost on sb
▪ All my warnings were completely lost on Beth.
▪ The joke was lost on Chris.
▪ But his message was lost on a people enjoying an economic and political freedom that he had never allowed them.
▪ It was lost on Duncan, who smiled courteously at the police inspector.
▪ Judging from his passive-Madonna performance as Gilbert Grape, Depp probably would be lost on a stage.
▪ None of this was lost on Kip.
▪ The last-minute change saved his life: 61 Squadron's aircraft was lost on the raid.
▪ To his bemusement there was no chill, or else the chill was lost on him.
▪ What is won on the swings is lost on the roundabouts.
be mad about/for/on sb/sth
▪ Everyone was mad about youth nowadays.
▪ Floyd was mad for her, but his father refused to let him borrow the car.
▪ I was mad about her being killed, mad at whoever killed her.
▪ Maybe he was mad for a while, then not mad.
▪ She insisted she only wanted a memento, but I think she was mad about the parking surcharge.
▪ Somehow the word got round that I was mad about maritime art.
▪ Well, of course, she must take it up ... his wife was mad on it.
be modelled on sth
▪ Both are modelled on Labov's work in New York City.
▪ Even its uniforms are modelled on those of the Royal Navy.
▪ His remaining hair is modelled on a Dendix ski slope.
▪ Irene Hills's face is modelled on an Easter Island statue.
▪ Second-order constructs are similar to scientific constructs and are modelled on ideal-typical situations.
▪ The later extension of the differential principle to non-linguistic issues is modelled on its original linguistic formulation.
▪ The research method will be modelled on previous work of members of the Aesthetics Research Group published during the period 1973-82.
be murder on sth
▪ Among those in the group were the Avery family who were murdered on their farm in Ohio.
▪ Chico Mendes was murdered on 22 December 1989.
▪ Those corn-rows are murder on the vocal cords.
be not speaking/not be on speaking terms
be on (general) release
be on a collision course
▪ Newspaper reports say that the two nations are on a collision course that could lead to war.
▪ It needed no great powers of prophecy to realize that Nigel and I were on a collision course.
▪ Nurses lodge 10 Nurses are on a collision course with the Government after lodging a claim for a ten percent pay rise.
▪ Suddenly I found that he and I were on a collision course, both in Atlas aircraft.
▪ The Croatan was on a collision course with the twenty-foot branch and its two passengers.
▪ Union leaders representing more than 8,000 white-collar staff gave warning of more stoppages and said the company was on a collision course.
be on a downer
▪ Leeds can usually handle teams who are on a downer when we play them.
be on a fishing expedition
▪ If anyone asked what they were up to, they planned to say they were on a fishing expedition.
be on a guilt trip
be on a hiding to nothing
▪ But he was on a hiding to nothing really.
▪ Time was never called and the tide was soon to discover it was on a hiding to nothing.
be on a par (with sth)
▪ All human individuals are on a par, but each is separate from every other like the matches in a match box.
▪ At the 283-shop Meadowhall Centre, Sheffield, trade was on a par with 1991.
▪ At the business unit level profits should be on a par with last year, which was a record result.
▪ His creations are on a par with Mozart and the composers of the renaissance.
▪ Its bookshops are on a par, which means it is well catered for.
▪ Loss of self-control in cricket is on a par with evasion of payment for a television licence.
▪ The nice thing is that, at least in music, the girls are on par with the boys.
▪ The stripping action was on a par with other smaller models.
be on a razor/razor's edge
be on a roll
▪ Baseball owners, once thought to be shackled by tradition, are on a roll.
▪ Curve are on a roll now.
▪ Lee kept on the attack despite this and the fact that Nicklaus was on a roll.
▪ Small business is on a roll.
▪ The emergent thing is on a roll.
▪ The master and I were on a roll now, and it seemed that nothing could stop us anymore.
▪ The Toronto-born architect is on a roll.
▪ Two, which hold wooden blocks, are on rolling coasters, and they are permanently available.
be on a sticky wicket
be on call
▪ As a doctor, you will be on call regularly at weekends.
▪ Construction managers must be on call to deal with emergencies.
▪ Doctor Lalor won't be at the surgery this afternoon, but she's on call until midnight.
▪ If the machine breaks down at any time, there's always a technician on call.
▪ Resident managers live in hotels and are on call 24 hours a day.
▪ She's on call at the hospital every other night.
▪ There are four physiotherapists on call at the sports injury clinic.
▪ A federation representative is on call 24 hours a day by mobile phone.
▪ Arrange things so that there is always some one in the building who is on call for machine problems.
▪ He assumed that a porter or janitor was usually stationed there to be on call or to answer enquiries.
▪ In addition to their regular schedules, chief executives are on call at all hours to handle emergencies.
▪ She was on call to open and shut the gates at any hour, in any weather.
▪ The employees are on call seven days a week, 24 hours a day to respond to emergencies.
▪ The tour director usually stays in the hotel with the group, to be on call if anything should go wrong.
be on cloud nine
▪ Adam was on cloud nine after the birth of his son.
▪ I recognised it right away, and I was on Cloud Nine.
be on days
▪ I'm on days this week.
▪ But it was on days like these that one longed for a friend, hoped for a caller.
▪ It was on days like these that the emptiness came back and one grew desperate.
▪ It worked till Thursday, but then Amy was on days off and Joe had a cold.
▪ When you were on days, you had a bunch of forms.
be on familiar terms with sb
▪ He's on familiar terms with all the teachers.
be on fire
▪ Before long the neighboring houses were on fire too.
▪ Large areas of the forest are reported to be on fire.
▪ He stabbed his chips like a killer and poured beer down his throat as though his guts were on fire.
▪ Here, some bright spark thought Windsor Castle was on fire and called the fire brigade!
▪ If her cheeks had been hot when he arrived, they were on fire now.
▪ It was impossible that these two whose hearts were on fire should be kept apart.
▪ Miguel opened his door and lunged as though his head were on fire.
▪ The Steam Laundry was on fire.
▪ They make the skin crawl like it is on fire, even as it is bathed in sweat.
▪ They went willingly enough, but their hearts were on fire with jealousy.
be on first name terms (with sb)
▪ Voice over Even the governor is on first name terms with the inmates, although the staff still keep a respectful distance.
be on pins and needles
▪ I was on pins and needles until I found out I'd won.
be on sb's back
▪ Aunt Mimi was always on his back about him "wasting time playing that silly guitar".
▪ Nick knew that the coach would be on his back if he missed another training session.
▪ The boss has been on my back about that report.
▪ By this time the Confederates had formed into columns and were on the march back to Corinth, Mississippi.
▪ He must be on his way back by now.
▪ Her eyes opened; she was on her back.
▪ His father was on his back night and day.
▪ Instead of automated leisure, enforced unemployment was on its way back.
▪ Seeing that stately building on a hill and knowing the respirator center was on the back with the water view heartened me.
▪ The afternoon papers are on the back seat and he reads them until the limousine stops in front of a funeral home.
▪ Their other project, meanwhile, is on the back burner.
be on sb's case
▪ Dad's always on my case about getting a job.
▪ And Rathbone would be on the case, with his bloodhound and magnifying glass.
▪ And the National Guard were on the case now.
▪ Around 50 police officers are on the case.
▪ But Jack MacFarland was on the case.
▪ First you are on this case, then you are off.
▪ I dreamed I was on a case.
▪ In fact there was not much of a feeling that anyone was on my case at all.
be on sb's tail
be on skid row
be on tenterhooks
▪ After the interview Fran was on tenterhooks, wondering if she'd got the job.
▪ Agatha Christie keeps the reader on tenterhooks until the final pages of the story.
▪ Waiting for the outcome of the trial has kept the community on tenterhooks.
▪ Both of us were on tenterhooks for reasons both intellectual and commercial.
▪ For the remainder of the carol I was on tenterhooks, not daring to take my eyes from the lectern.
be on the books
▪ No company had yet lost government business for failure to comply, but the law was on the books.
▪ No such district-wide resolution is on the books for clothing that promotes alcohol.
▪ The five-bedroom house is on the books of Jackson-Stops & Staff with Stimsons at £250,000.
be on the cards
▪ I was hoping for a promotion, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards right now.
▪ No one was surprised when they got a divorce. It had been on the cards for years.
▪ They say that another recession is on the cards.
▪ Another closure that is on the cards is of Marylebone station.
▪ Cash is back ... or why dearer credit is on the cards Notebook.
▪ He has previously been linked with the Chargers and a move down the Calfornian coast may be on the cards.
▪ He took four of six rounds and yet without ever making his supporters believe that a decisive victory was on the cards.
▪ It was on the cards that he should be drawn into the circle of dissent.
▪ Perhaps an exchange type deal is on the cards.
▪ Suspicion intensified that a sell-out of its principles was on the cards.
▪ They will continue to decline in numbers and mergers with their big brothers are on the cards.
be on the case
▪ And Rathbone would be on the case, with his bloodhound and magnifying glass.
▪ And the National Guard were on the case now.
▪ Around 50 police officers are on the case.
▪ But Jack MacFarland was on the case.
be on the cusp of sth
▪ They will be on the cusp of puberty.
▪ With plans to add another 100 staff by April, it is on the cusp of breaking into the big league.
be on the danger list
be on the door
▪ Her name was on the door in a little metal card holder.
▪ Now the millworkers craned their necks to read what was on the doors.
▪ One of his hands was on the door, the other extended to her.
▪ The jury was told that Mr Johnson was on the door when the four arrived at his party at about three am.
be on the edge
▪ Apparently I was on the edge of the crater and the main blast had gone over me.
▪ Everything blended with everything else, trees and brush and sky, and already he was on the edge of lost.
▪ He liked the feeling they were on the edge.
▪ He sped to the line for the try after the ball evaded Packman and Northampton were on the edge of defeat.
▪ He was on the edge of the crowd, and not hiding his amusement.
▪ They went so fast sometimes he thought they were on the edge of no-control.
▪ They were on the edge of the mountain.
▪ Yet people ignore the plight of, say, the several species of bat which are on the edge of extinction.
be on the game
▪ She must be on the game, all right.
be on the horns of a dilemma
▪ Stirling, who had come direct from Eighth Army Headquarters, was on the horns of a dilemma.
be on the house
▪ On New Year's Eve, he offered a glass of champagne to everyone, on the house.
▪ The owner let us have the first bottle of wine on the house.
▪ First drink is on the house.
be on the level
▪ Do you think his offer is on the level?
▪ But he will have to persuade the Democrats that he is on the level before he can get very far.
▪ For those afflicted with the notion that national politics is on the level and two-dimensional, the following yarn is logical.
▪ He was obviously satisfied that I was on the level and reserved two birds on the spot, £35 each.
▪ It was on the level tonight.
▪ You're the only person mixed up in this business whom I believe to be on the level.
be on the line
▪ A company's reputation is on the line in the way it handles complaints.
▪ With the game on the line, Kansas City scored two touchdowns in five minutes.
▪ Your job's on the line in this case - you'd better make sure you're right.
▪ An hour later the Secretary of Defense was on the line asking me what on earth I was thinking of.
▪ Ego is on the line in front of this gaijin lady.
▪ Iain is on the line and wants Philip to meet him.
▪ More manufacturing jobs could be on the line.
▪ Now 350 jobs here and more than 5,000 at production bases in Birmingham and Lancashire are on the line.
▪ We decided that if the game was on the line and something dictated it, the streak was supposed to continue.
▪ When a game was on the line, Carr was nowhere to be found.
be on the lookout for sb/sth
▪ But Henry was not feeling like defending anyone today, rather he was on the lookout for attack.
▪ From February to July he was on the lookout for blossoms.
▪ I told Thompson to alert all the guards on duty to be on the lookout for a small brown rodent.
▪ Naturally, he was on the lookout for more exciting activity.
▪ Please be on the lookout for talent in your classes and give serious consideration to auditioning yourself.
▪ Police are also asking people to be on the lookout for bogus officials following several incidents in the area.
▪ Still, they will be on the lookout for opportunities to let members know about their achievements whenever appropriate.
▪ When we find that, we should be on the lookout for some ever-changing enemy, some arms-race rival.
be on the loose
▪ A killer-probably the greatest in history-is on the loose.
▪ A madman is on the loose.
▪ And now this young miss is on the loose.
▪ In a country that by world standards is almost crime-free, some wondered if a maniac was on the loose.
▪ The bull moose was on the loose.
▪ The devil grabbed it and was on the loose for ever after.
▪ The Great Seducer was on the loose and quietly and anonymously returned to a more vigorous social exchange.
be on the make
be on the mend
▪ I'm glad to see you're on the mend again.
▪ Increased sales are a sign that the housing market is on the mend.
▪ Kathy's been quite ill with flu, but I think she's on the mend now.
▪ Ron's still taking medication, but he's on the mend.
▪ And he was very keen on Sara Calvert while he was on the mend.
▪ He wanted his fans to know he was on the mend.
▪ Once he was on the mend, we decided to try and do something about his crooked leg.
▪ They are still unrepresented in great cities such as Manchester and Liverpool, but they seem at last to be on the mend.
▪ You are on the mend, I promise you.
be on the move
▪ Abbot lives in Manhattan, but he's usually on the move.
▪ He was always on the move, never staying in one town more than a few days.
▪ The economy is finally on the move.
▪ The guerrillas stay on the move to avoid capture.
▪ Those kids are always on the move.
▪ Thousands of refugees are on the move, fleeing heavy shelling in their home towns.
▪ But can they help to illuminate the question of what is on the move?
▪ Coal was on the move when Leith was first recognised as a port back in the days of Robert the Bruce.
▪ Even pronouns are on the move.
▪ In a mountain valley where arctic blasts have encased the grass in sheets of ice, wild bison are on the move.
▪ Once again, Bibby could be on the move in March.
▪ That Chip and his joie de vivre are on the move.
▪ The chasers join in the hunt once the monkeys are on the move.
▪ The whole population of the town seemed to be on the move.
be on the piss
be on the point of (doing) sth
▪ And I was on the point of telling you about Gwendoline.
▪ For a second she was on the point of executing Ace for insubordination.
▪ He thought she might be on the point of offering him a nip of whisky but she did not go that far.
▪ He was on the point of saying so when he despaired.
▪ Now Propane is on the point of pulling out because of insufficient interest.
▪ She was on the point of saying something but changed her mind.
▪ This was important, for Bonar Law's health was on the point of finally breaking up.
be on the ragged edge
be on the right/wrong track
▪ A few people, though, were on the right track.
▪ And other signs helped convince me that I was on the right track.
▪ Dole was on the right track when he talked about tolerance, but he mysteriously dropped it once he got the nomination.
▪ He hoped the man was on the right track and did his best to believe that he was.
▪ I knew I was on the right track when I felt that thrill of pleasure at placing object, not painting it.
▪ The officers consequently had little idea whether they were on the right track or not.
▪ You are on the right track so follow your nose.
be on the rocks
▪ His third marriage was on the rocks.
▪ There had been signs that their marriage was on the rocks for years.
▪ He was a good soldier, but his marriage was on the rocks.
be on the ropes
▪ Primary election results show the governor is on the ropes.
▪ But behind the apparent success, the company was on the ropes.
▪ Even in the worst hours she never gave any public impression that she was on the ropes.
▪ The army claims the Tigers are on the ropes.
be on the run
▪ After the train robbery he spent three years on the run.
▪ Dean was a drug addict who was constantly on the run from the police.
▪ Mel had been on the run since he escaped from jail.
▪ But he could be on the run.
▪ He threw on some clothes; now he was on the run.
▪ John Butcher says at this moment a man on bail for rape is on the run ine the Midlands.
▪ Others are on the run with their families, leaving a hard core to take their guns and guard their property.
▪ The courthouse is still unfinished, most of the money is missing and the judge is on the run.
▪ Their adversaries were on the run.
▪ They were on the run, and in haste, or we should all be dead men.
▪ You would almost have thought that we were on the run from something.
be on the same/a different wavelength
be on the scrounge
be on the sharp end (of sth)
be on the side of the angels
be on the stump
▪ The managers of such funds are on the stump, spreading the message that their day has come at last.
be on the take
▪ Clint Eastwood is usually threatened with dismissal in his detective movies, sometimes because his immediate superior is on the take.
▪ Not everybody was on the take.
be on the telephone
▪ From 6am Brown is on the telephone.
▪ I told him who I was on the telephone.
▪ She loves to be on the telephone.
▪ She must not ask who was on the telephone.
▪ The Sheikh arrived while the doctor was on the telephone to the hospital.
be on the track of sb/sth
▪ Police are on the track of a gang that has robbed five mini-marts in the last month.
▪ Were they really placed as milestones or could we be on the track of the elusive mark stones of great antiquity?
be on the trail of sb/sth
▪ Cutler and Johnson are on the trail of the killer.
▪ Especially if you consider he was on the trail of the man he believes had his family abducted and almost certainly murdered.
▪ He was on the trail of a stag, which turned to face him.
▪ It had not occurred to her that the newspapers might still be on the trail of Puddephat's widow.
be on the up
▪ All in all, it can only mean that tea time is on the up and up.
▪ I have my fingers crossed, but my own finances may be on the up.
▪ No. 1 is on the Up side, No. 2 is on the Down side and so on alternately.
▪ The worrying thing is that raids by customs and the Obscene Publications Squad are on the up.
▪ Which raises a further question, whether these activities are on the up too.
be on the up and up
▪ A gliding club that started in a local farmer's barn says business is on the up and up.
▪ We lost at Oxford, but since then we've been on the up and up and won our last four games.
be on the verge of sth
▪ About how the band were on the verge of splitting up.
▪ I was on the verge of making one last plea when I was propelled backward through the open door.
▪ Only if public order appeared to be on the verge of breaking down would the government contemplate restricting political liberty.
▪ Regrettably two of those who don't get it are on the verge of joining the Bush administration.
▪ She knew he was on the verge of losing his job.
▪ She was on the verge of tears, relieved yet unbelievably desolate.
▪ The Raiders and the Warriors are on the verge of pricing themselves into invisibility.
▪ Their debts were on the verge of managing them.
be on the warpath
▪ After two accidents in the same week outside the school, the Parents' Association is on the warpath.
▪ Processing Processing have got some gripes Joyce is on the warpath, cripes!
be on the wing
▪ May flies and caddis flies were on the wing.
▪ This area is noted for butterflies in the summer, and in August the purple hairstreak will be on the wing.
be on the wrong track/tack
▪ He admitted that he had gotten us off on the wrong tack, and that we'd need to start again.
▪ I feel that this advertising campaign is on completely the wrong tack.
▪ I knew I was on the wrong track when the tall reeds broke to reveal the brown-bellied river.
be on the/your way out
▪ Platform shoes are on the way out.
▪ All I know is that I am on my way out.
▪ As October 18 dawned, Joe felt confident that Stilwell was on his way out.
▪ But drive-ins are on the way out.
▪ But if Mr Mugabe is on the way out, he has little incentive to drop his assault on the farms.
▪ If your expenses are even one percent higher than your revenues, you are on your way out of business.
▪ It also looks like Shutt is on his way out ... bit of a shame really.
▪ Revue was on its way out.
▪ The old man could be on the way out, and anyone on the way out is inevitably a centre for drama.
be on track
▪ Five months after its opening, the operators of the hospital say those plans are on track, if incomplete.
▪ Gen Larry G.. Smith, who was on track to become the deputy inspector general of the Army.
▪ S.-sponsored Middle East peace process appeared to be on track.
▪ Soon, he was drinking too much, his marriage was on track for divorce and he remained addicted to television.
▪ The good news was that chief executive Crispin Davis insisted the company was on track to meet targets for 2002.
▪ Whenever you hear one of these figures you are on track, so make sure then that your heading is correct.
be on your best behaviour
▪ Dinner was very formal, with everyone on their best behaviour.
▪ And if what Cadfael suspected was indeed true, he had now good reason to be on his best behaviour.
▪ But everyone is on their best behaviour.
▪ So when we arrived hopefully at Loch Hope that morning, I was on my best behaviour.
▪ Use only our own girls and warn them to be on their best behaviour.
be on your uppers
▪ Auckland Park, he said, was now known as Sandshoe Alley because everyone up there was on his uppers.
▪ The poor chap is on his uppers, by all accounts, reduced to touting himself on the after-dinner circuit.
be on/at the receiving end (of sth)
▪ I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of that.
▪ On the other there was the undoubted fact that we would be on the receiving end.
▪ Otherwise, his supply unit would be on the receiving end of a simulated bomb or Tomahawk cruise missile.
▪ Talk show hosts can also be on the receiving end of questions.
▪ This is often best done in conjunction with those who are going to be on the receiving end of an appraisal interview.
▪ Today it was my turn to be on the receiving end.
▪ What was it like to be on the receiving end?
▪ You didn't have to be a client or a famous face to be on the receiving end.
be on/off (the) air
▪ We'll be on air in about three minutes.
▪ Broadcasting via a system of street loudspeakers the radio is on the air for three hours each Sunday.
▪ By this standard, half the sitcoms would be off the air.
▪ Gillroy could no longer raise Darwin, and Koepang seemed to be off the air.
▪ If left-wing radio talk show hosts got higher ratings, the right-wing hosts would be off the air.
▪ Ministers that were on the air selling prayer cloths.
▪ Sue was talking as they went, describing the scene, and Kathleen realised they were on air live again.
▪ The Channel 5 licence is expected to be awarded in early November and be on air at the latest in 1995.
▪ They're under a lot of pressure because they have to be on air 24 hours.
be on/off duty
▪ Boncoeur was on duty at the switchboard.
▪ The night shift goes off duty at six a.m.
▪ A skeleton staff was on duty to keep the world-wide operations of Royalbion ticking over.
▪ Although she loved her work, never before had she wished to be on duty on a day off.
▪ But it is believed he was off duty when the telex was sent.
▪ Chapman, Detective Steve Kring was on duty that day.
▪ He was on duty when his wife-to-be left her military hospital and was put on a troopship for home.
▪ It makes no difference which girl is on duty.
▪ She was off duty and I didn't call her.
▪ The night security man would be on duty.
be on/riding the crest of a wave
be one up (on sb)/get one up on sb
be out on your ear
▪ If you keep taking two-hour lunches, you'll be out on your ear.
▪ He, of course, will be out on his ear.
▪ Not at all: King went too far and was out on his ear in an overnight boardroom coup in 1968.
▪ She was no more secure than she'd ever been - one mistake, and she'd be out on her ear!
be patterned on/after sth
be perched on/above etc sth
▪ By the end of the show, the contestants are perched on piles of pillows of varying heights.
▪ He was perched on top of a huge cage, looking at the visitors.
▪ He went straight into the bedroom, to the wall where the painted Asiatic doll was perched on the sideboard.
▪ It was perched on a small promontory to the east of the town, overlooking the bay.
▪ Rows of large silent birds are perched on the mountain ledges - vultures.
▪ Steph and Joe are perched on their seats, leaning forward, alternately yelling plays and screaming at the officials.
▪ The old medieval part is perched on a hilltop, the modern quarters, below.
▪ Their house was perched on the brink of a canyon.
be predicated on/upon sth
▪ The company's $1.6 million budget was predicated on selling 10,000 subscriptions.
▪ A text's value rests partly then on the demand for it, and that demand is predicated on previous demand.
▪ And yet the redemption of humanity is predicated on this failure.
▪ Babylonian science was predicated on a tradition of astronomical record-keeping for strictly religious purposes.
▪ It could not be; it was predicated on the business rate.
▪ It was predicated on a quack cure called powder of sympathy.
▪ Much environmental prediction is predicated upon a logical positivist or Newtonian deterministic basis.
▪ Plans for video on-demand and other applications are predicated on imaginary customers who are expected to buy multimedia services.
▪ Samuel Richardson's Pamela is predicated on the need for a servant to resist the master's will in some things.
be premised on/upon sth
▪ However, this is premised upon a notion of their independence.
▪ It was premised on a qualitative shift in the intellectual organization of medical concepts.
▪ This is premised on modern of visual communication which draw upon linguistics and, in particular, psychoanalysis.
▪ Traditional economic analysis is premised on the assumption that more is better.
▪ Ullman's work is premised on the phenomenological fact that human beings can experience apparent movement in several different ways.
▪ Where modernist consumption was premised on mass forms, postmodernist consumption is premised on niches.
be quick on the draw
▪ Amy was very quick on the draw in her interview.
be reared on sth
▪ We were reared on junk food and B-movies.
▪ Broilers are not kept in cages but are reared on deep-litter floors in large houses.
▪ The gilts are reared on land which is dry and exposed to the sun.
be riveted on/to/by sth
▪ All eyes were riveted on him, and anyone who had seating space sat down quietly.
▪ Armchair travellers will be riveted to their seats while the more adventurous will get itchy feet.
▪ Her eyes were riveted to the screen with the troubled innocence of a child.
▪ His eyes were riveted to the overhead screen while the heel of his right foot tapped nervously on the floor.
▪ His vision was riveted to one vanishing point on a particular horizon, and that was the story of avant-garde art.
▪ My eyes are riveted to that glorious old banner...
▪ Of course the country may be riveted by the latest video release or the latest Nintendo game.
be running on empty
be running short (of/on sth)
▪ Let's go - time's running short.
▪ Many stores are running short on bottled water.
▪ Our supply of firewood was running short.
▪ As we are running short of time, let me end with one area where there is a clear divide.
▪ He was running short of petrol and that route offered him the chance to capture replenishments along the way.
▪ He was running short of time.
▪ Nevertheless, Baldwin felt his time was running short.
▪ San Francisco may be running short of characters, but new communities pop up every day.
▪ Still, time is running short.
▪ Time was running short for Lievin.
be short on sth
▪ Sometimes I think he's a little short on common sense.
▪ Before Diller came in, they were short on cash and needed to get a product out fast.
▪ If your company is short on cash, it becomes very tempting not to remit these taxes.
▪ It might be short on intrigue and backstabbing but it would move at a cracking pace.
▪ It was short on ice and long on scotch.
▪ Seeking clarification from one who should know, we are told that Mr Smith is short on pessimism.
▪ The hospital was short on nurses.
▪ Useful vegetarian cafe to know about, as the area is short on cheap options.
be sitting on a goldmine
be skating on thin ice
be slow/quick on the uptake
be soft on sb
▪ But fathers are soft on daughters.
▪ He was coming up for reelection in Idaho and his opposition charged that he was soft on Communism.
▪ Made from strong, stretchy material that was soft on skin.
be stood on its head
be struck on sb/sth
▪ A fight breaks out and one man is struck on the head by a stick.
▪ A midday balance should be struck on the tabular ledger. 13.
▪ He was struck on the head with a club.
▪ I was struck on one of my artificial legs, damaging the calliper.
▪ In most cases, the balance is struck on the basis of judgement and experience.
▪ Profit is struck on an annual basis, and the time-frame and weighting of anticipated returns can vary greatly.
be stuck on sb
▪ Jane's really stuck on the new boy in her class.
▪ But my mind was stuck on this Martian theory.
▪ Co. was stuck on Santa Cruz.
▪ He must, of course, be stuck on the page where I left him.
▪ I was afraid I would be stuck on the medicine for ever.
▪ Now I was stuck on my northernmost hang-up.
▪ They were stuck on the outside like cheerleaders.
be sweet on sb
▪ Some of the girls were sweet on him.
be teetering on the brink/edge of sth
▪ The country is teetering on the brink of a massive financial crisis.
▪ A moment later, realising she was teetering on the brink of self-pity, she brought herself up short.
▪ As the piece opens, he is in an internment camp, and she is teetering on the edge of madness.
▪ He says that the country is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
▪ He was teetering on the brink of something serious.
▪ If it were as bad as its critics contend, our society would be teetering on the edge of extinction.
▪ Now he was teetering on the edge of the parapet.
▪ We are teetering on the edge of farce.
▪ Wednesday morning, during an hourlong session with reporters, Forbes appeared to be teetering on the edge of folding his campaign.
be the last thing on sb's mind
▪ Marriage is the last thing on my mind right now.
be thick on the ground
▪ If the security forces are thick on the ground and loyalist gunmen commit murder it is the result of collusion.
▪ It searches for heroes in the knowledge that villains are thick on the ground.
▪ They were thickest on the ground in Norfolk and the clothing places of Suffolk.
be thin on the ground
▪ Magazines about home improvement were very thin on the ground at the time - not like now.
▪ Our only problem is finding staff, because good programmers are really thin on the ground.
▪ By the mid-1970s, managers and executives in the late 30s to late 40s age group were thin on the ground.
▪ Even now, as in the beginning, women are thin on the ground in the service.
▪ Hard evidence is thin on the ground, and what there is, is not encouraging.
▪ Major launches were thin on the ground.
▪ New textbooks on nuclear and particle physics are thin on the ground.
▪ Not surprisingly, business news was thin on the ground.
▪ Systems integrators and resellers are thin on the ground, and there is little home-grown technology.
▪ The cabs were thinner on the ground now, so I kept a couple of cars between us.
be thrown back on sth
▪ For first time in his life, he was being thrown back on the his own resources.
▪ He was about to be thrown back on the bloody rubbish heap, or worse.
▪ The result is that they are thrown back on their own individual and collective resources.
be walking on air
▪ On my first day, I earned $190, and I was walking on air.
▪ Martha felt that she was walking on air and when she entered the kitchen, Annie looked up.
▪ She felt as though she was walking on air.
be walking/floating on air
▪ Martha felt that she was walking on air and when she entered the kitchen, Annie looked up.
▪ She felt as though she was floating on air.
be wasted on sb
▪ The irony of the situation was not wasted on me.
▪ At seventy-three, her days were too short to be wasted on slumber.
▪ Compassion could only lead to increased confusion, for it would be wasted on her.
▪ He explained this with his usual tact, but tact was wasted on Mrs. Bidwell.
▪ Her effort was wasted on me.
▪ I fear your quaint down-home speech is wasted on me, my friend.
▪ It also tends to be grown locally so that less fuel is wasted on transporting it.
▪ It must be a proper justification which shows that your time is not likely to be wasted on a low priority.
▪ Nor did this luxury stimulate local production: it was wasted on foreign imports which could never become productive at home.
be well up in/on sth
▪ But deep inside there was a brooding that was welling up in him.
▪ By eight o'clock, when the first pair was due to tee off, the sun was well up in a clear sky.
be well up in/on sth
▪ But deep inside there was a brooding that was welling up in him.
▪ By eight o'clock, when the first pair was due to tee off, the sun was well up in a clear sky.
be/come on the scene
▪ By then, there was a boyfriend on the scene.
▪ All this quickness of mind, all her decisiveness had turned to mush when Mac came on the scene.
▪ But we must keep in mind that millions of species arose and disappeared long before mankind came on the scene.
▪ By then, Wife Number Five had come on the scene.
▪ Etty with her friend Dolly Murchie, had come on the scene.
▪ I try to explain that Charles was only four when I came on the scene.
▪ No doubt when the subsidy commissioners came on the scene they were prevailed on to restore assessments to approximately the levels of 1515.
▪ That is where the plugger and press officer come on the scene.
be/feel on top of the world
▪ In the spring of 1995, Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell appeared to be on top of the world.
be/get back on your feet
▪ But we are reliably informed that Angus will be back on his feet and more importantly that seat tomorrow.
▪ He got back on his feet, and they all made another parade around the stage.
▪ In those early years, Macey helped Dole literally get back on his feet.
▪ It was an inexpensive, safe, stable environment for families while they got back on their feet.
▪ Never got back on her feet again, really.
▪ The Mirror Group would soon be back on its feet.
▪ We can get back on our feet.
be/get called on the carpet
▪ Demmons was called on the carpet by the Board of Supervisors to explain his excessive spending.
be/get in on sth
▪ An outside linebacker, Abe enjoys the position because he can be in on every play, pass or run.
▪ Even small independents are getting in on the act in a modest way, though.
▪ Leese was getting in on the other side, and my cyclic stick moved as he bumped his with his leg.
▪ That is neither right or wrong; we both have an interest and both want to be in on the decision.
▪ The kind of place not to be in on a Sunday afternoon.
▪ We had to make the game all-ticket so no-one came thinking they could get in on the day.
be/get in on the ground floor
be/get on your high horse
▪ All right, all right; don't get on your high horse.
▪ Don't get on your high horse with me.
▪ Oh, now he gets on his high horse and accuses me of being an anti-Semite!
be/go (out) on the razzle
be/go on (the) record as saying (that)
be/go on the fritz
▪ My TV is on the fritz.
▪ Their appliances go on the fritz.
be/go on the prowl (for sth/sb)
be/go on the wagon
▪ Sometimes I would go on the wagon for a few days then have a binge.
bear down on sb/sth
▪ A stillness which seemed to bear down on her like a physical presence.
▪ Five or six men, horsed, masked and well-armed, burst from a clump of trees and bore down on them.
▪ For those who find Christmas suddenly bearing down on them, the build-up to the day is one blur of activity.
▪ His eyes bore down on me out of a somewhat hawklike face, and I immediately became flustered.
▪ Meanwhile, the New Zealand Interislander Ferry is bearing down on us like a 350-foot long, 40-foot tall aquatic freight train.
▪ The Pequod bears down on the area and comes between the whale and the floundering seamen.
▪ These thoughts bear down on me as I sit here on this third night of writing.
▪ Yussuf bore down on her in a fury.
beat up on sb
▪ I used to beat up on my brothers when we were kids.
▪ Everybody beat up on him because he made the team.
▪ She's never going to get anywhere if she tries to beat up on males, especially a catch like me.
▪ There was no need to take the time to beat up on the new pioneers.
▪ They just love beating up on architects.
bent on sth
bit on the side
▪ Her husband's reaction to Lowell's bit on the side had been subdued.
blood on the carpet
blow the whistle on sb
▪ A few honest policemen were willing to blow the whistle on the captain.
▪ Anyone who tried to blow the whistle on the violence was intimidated or threatened.
▪ He claims the two are separate enough that he was in the clear to blow the whistle on the Rialto Theater project.
▪ Not withstanding that risk, under the Constitution, the judiciary is in the best position to blow the whistle on runaway majorities.
▪ So, why not blow the whistle on a thoroughly corrupt system sooner?
▪ Staff members have little interest in blowing the whistle on this situation.
▪ The report will question why medical staff working with him did not blow the whistle on his activities.
▪ There were even rebelliously honest policemen, who might blow the whistle on the dishonest ones.
▪ With great courage, Vasseur has blown the whistle on an unacceptable situation.
bring down the curtain on sth
▪ Now I think we should bring down the curtain on this little episode, and go to bed.
bring it on
bring pressure/influence to bear (on sb/sth)
▪ As consumers in a capitalist society we have great power to bring pressure to bear.
▪ In London Channel 4 journalists and Insight News, the production company, brought pressure to bear.
▪ It is no longer our job to criticize or bring pressure to bear.
▪ On his eastern border, Ine brought pressure to bear on the eastern Saxons who were sheltering exiles from his kingdom.
▪ Those groups have brought pressure to bear on government to provide resources or pursue policies to the benefit of their members.
▪ Workers have their own organisations which can bring pressure to bear on governments and make demands on the state.
bring sth to bear (on/upon sth)
▪ Campaigning can bring political influences to bear on the students that might affect them detrimentally. 3.
▪ Employers brought maximum pressure to bear on workers in order to restore order: recalcitrant strikers faced lock-outs.
▪ He brought undue pressure to bear on his parents by giving them an entirely misleading account of the documents.
▪ He could not bring his mind to bear on the distant world her handwriting suggested.
▪ He resisted the pain, tried to bring the weapon to bear.
▪ Mummy and I will bring our guns to bear.
▪ Short of a hostile military intervention in Kosovo, there are other ways of bringing outside power to bear.
▪ Workers have their own organisations which can bring pressure to bear on governments and make demands on the state.
build on sth
build sth on sth
call time (on sb/sth)
▪ Besides the unlimited license to overcharge, the prosecutor has a crowbar called time to hold over your head.
▪ It is tempting, then, to call time on G8 summits.
▪ Read in studio Britain's most exclusive clockmaker is about to call time on his business - because of the recession.
▪ Survey calls time on fears Government concerns that the 1988 Licensing Act would encourage greater consumption of alcohol have been proved unfounded.
▪ This is called time-dating.
▪ Washington State called time out, then had three chances from inside 10 feet but could not convert.
carry on sth
▪ Determined to carry on as if everything were normal, he responded with a kind of indifference.
▪ Generally you have two choices: where your debtor lives or carries on his business, or where the debt was incurred.
▪ I began several diaries, carrying on the entries in some of them as far as February.
▪ I hope she can carry on for a while longer.
▪ Likewise if the defendant carries on business here and the transaction related to that business.
▪ Once Scott was more comfortable with carrying on a logical dialogue, Deborah was able to move to the next challenge.
cash on delivery
▪ Cash with order or cash on delivery is always better than cash some time in the future.
▪ If you have reservations only accept orders on the basis of cash on delivery.
▪ Most people will offer something even if it is only a few percent for cash on delivery.
▪ Payment is to be made on a cash on delivery basis.
▪ Terms of cash on delivery or advance payment should be instituted for future sales to consistently delinquent accounts.
cast a spell on/over sb
▪ Meriwether cast a spell over the young traders who worked for him.
▪ They said she cast spells on them.
cast an eye on/over sth
▪ Since marrying her he hadn't cast an eye on anyone else.
▪ The professor shrugged, casting an eye over Davide's good jacket, to inform him that his information was unnecessary.
cast aspersions on sth/sb
▪ Criticism of a verdict which casts aspersions on the integrity of jurors may, of course, attract libel actions on that score.
cast doubt(s) on sth
▪ A foot abscess had cast doubts on the colt's participation in the Epsom Classic on Wednesday week.
▪ Both studies cast doubt on individuals' awareness of tax changes and therefore suggest a low labour response.
▪ But this very silence casts doubt on Mancini's central point that the council actually voted down the king's expressed wishes.
▪ Journalists and diplomatic sources, however, cast doubt on the government's version.
▪ Some are oversensitive, which leads to annoyance and casts doubt on readings which might not be inaccurate.
▪ That, the authors conclude, casts doubt on the refuge hypothesis.
▪ This casts doubt on the suggestion that Asclepiodatus was also responsible for the shorter prologue of Lex Salica.
▪ To cast doubt on the importance of production is thus to bring into questIon the foundation of the entire edifice.
cast light on/onto sth
▪ The convergence of the techniques will cast light on perspectives and how they are controlled.
▪ The different ways in which superantigens activate T cells casts light on the pathogenesis of infectious disease.
▪ The incident has cast light on the creeping privatisation of the drug war.
▪ The investigation explores the possibility of using probate inventories to cast light on this and related questions.
▪ We use this to cast light on a metaphor of which we are given no other interpretation.
catch sb on the hop
▪ Many politicians have been caught on the hop by a good interviewer.
▪ The dramatic fall in share prices caught even the experts on the hop.
▪ Sorry about the mess but you caught me on the hop like.
▪ They catch you on the hop.
▪ Yes, I think I caught her on the hop.
▪ You caught us on the hop there, ol' buddy.
catch/touch sb on the raw
▪ She had the fleeting impression that she'd caught him on the raw.
clamp sanctions/restrictions etc on sb
clap eyes on sb/sth
▪ And that's another thing, none of us have clapped eyes on him.
▪ But before I clap eyes on his miserable face, I intend to down as many cups of sack as I can!
▪ Even so I was surprised to know that Louise has never clapped eyes on her.
▪ I need you so much at times that I wish, sincerely wish I'd never clapped eyes on you.
▪ Peter Moores impresses more with bat and gloves every time I clap eyes on him.
climb/jump/get on the bandwagon
▪ And everyone tried to climb on the bandwagon.
▪ And other quick-serve restaurant chains, such as Boston Market, are jumping on the bandwagon.
▪ Companies such as Oracle are jumping on the bandwagon, too, with low-priced network computers.
▪ Competitors are certain to jump on the bandwagon with rival systems and Nimslo's much-vaunted patents could be unable to stop them.
▪ For a while, the seif-centred members of celebrity circles were falling over themselves in their eagerness to jump on the bandwagon.
▪ If the petition is advertised, more creditors may jump on the bandwagon.
▪ Just a preliminary communication first, without the experimental details, so that nobody can jump on the bandwagon right away.
▪ The Communists have climbed on the bandwagon, but only to put the brakes on.
close on sth/close to sth
▪ Cardinal Agagianian brought the debate to a sudden close on 30 October to forestall further public discussion outside the Council.
close on the heels of sth
▪ With another couple of laps he might have finished close on the heels of the two Dunlops.
close the book on sth
▪ And, by definitively closing the book on the past, the language of socialism also remains trapped in Stalinism's wreckage.
▪ Rady made a motion to close the book on the matter.
▪ The police have closed the book on the Hannah Davies case.
come down on sb like a ton of bricks
come down on the side of sb/sth
▪ I came down on the side of tax reform.
▪ I have been criticised for coming down on the side of the second alternative.
▪ Sheer orders of magnitude matter, and the orders of magnitude do not come down on the side of the real-balance effect.
▪ We have to come down on the side of the snowy plover.
come on in/over/up etc
▪ A light suddenly comes on in the closet, revealing the hidden police officers Loach and Escobar.
▪ Automatic lights had come on in various parts of the house.
▪ It sometimes comes on in the open air.
▪ It sounded good, it felt good to say, it made lights come on in my mouth.
▪ Lights came on in the Mootwalk shops as one by one they began to open.
▪ Street lights were starting to come on in the distance, crimson slivers slowly brightening to orange.
▪ Suddenly, all the lights came on in the hospital and they eventually opened a side-door and let her in.
▪ Sure, I said, come on over.
come on sb/sth
come on stream
▪ The new plant will come on stream at the end of the year.
▪ A seventy million pounds engine plant came on stream three years ago producing engines for Rover.
▪ If successful, the trust will come on stream in April, 1993.
▪ No new cases would come on stream for us to deal with.
▪ Norton believes privatisation of electricity and water companies means more funds will come on stream.
▪ The Lomond platform is due to come on stream in April.
▪ The plant is scheduled to come on stream in the spring of 1992.
▪ They will be concentrated in the same industries and come on stream as the economy is beginning its recovery from the depression.
▪ With more and more reactors coming on stream every year, it was inevitable that problems would begin to occur.
come on strong
▪ But the defense came on strong in the playoffs.
▪ He'd come on strong towards the end of his round to pull up within a shot of us.
▪ The Republicans were coming on strong.
come on!
▪ Come on! We're already late!
▪ Here boy, come on Pecos, good dog.
come out on top
▪ In a survey of customer preference, one model came consistently out on top.
▪ In all action movies, the hero always comes out on top.
▪ Usually the team with the most talent comes out on top.
▪ Anthony Courtney's warnings welled up again, coupled with a new determination to come out on top.
▪ Both individuals should feel they come out on top.
▪ But Tsongas turned those views around when he came out on top, beating rival Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.
▪ But WindowWorks comes out on top.
▪ The hero or heroine must ultimately come out on top.
▪ While Gladiator came out on top, the contest was far from a shoo-in.
▪ Yet, if they are in one, most men want to come out on top.
▪ You could sum up the event by saying a batch of first-time nominees came out on top this year.
come/be on stream
▪ A seventy million pounds engine plant came on stream three years ago producing engines for Rover.
▪ Norton believes privatisation of electricity and water companies means more funds will come on stream.
▪ The Lomond platform is due to come on stream in April.
▪ The plant is scheduled to come on stream in the spring of 1992.
▪ They will be concentrated in the same industries and come on stream as the economy is beginning its recovery from the depression.
▪ Those two plants came on stream at a time when we needed all the capacity they could provide.
▪ Two years later, the new developments are on stream, bringing the target of 400 job opportunities even closer.
▪ With more and more reactors coming on stream every year, it was inevitable that problems would begin to occur.
come/follow hot on the heels of sth
▪ It comes hot on the heels of the C5 saloon we showed you last week.
congratulate yourself (on sth)
▪ But the rivalry was friendly enough for all teams to congratulate each other on their performances.
▪ I do not say this in order to congratulate myself or to put my actions in a better light.
▪ On the dais all the boys were congratulating themselves.
▪ One by one they congratulated themselves.
▪ San Francisco is not in a position to congratulate itself on the success of its public schools.
▪ So both teams can congratulate themselves at doing so much better.
▪ The Government are in an extraordinarily poor position to congratulate themselves on an annusmirabilis.
▪ The Senior Management team were evidently congratulating themselves on having recruited such an able young lady.
cry on sb's shoulder
▪ At least she hadn't cried on his shoulder again.
cut your teeth (on sth)
▪ He cut his teeth at places like Claridges; the Carlton, Cannes.
▪ Sutton and Packford both cut their teeth on the old hot-metal newspaper production process.
▪ The entrepreneurial owner cut his teeth on a Schweizer 300 which he still owns.
dance attendance on sb
▪ Doctor Agrippa, who surprisingly had kept well out of our way, now came to dance attendance on us.
declare war (on sb/sth)
▪ Embassy, demanding they declare war on the Third World.
▪ Homosexuals, they claim, have declared war on nature, and nature has exacted an awful retribution.
▪ In 1686 they declared war on him in order to establish a separate company state from which they could trade.
▪ On questions of foreign policy, only Congress can declare war or appropriate the money necessary to fight it.
▪ There was little the Phoenix King could do but finally declare war against one of his own realms.
▪ They have all but declared war on three government initiatives planned in and around the town.
▪ When the Bush administration declared war on drugs, it had no idea what worked.
dine out on sth
▪ For years I dined out on these stories.
▪ You can spend it, you can dine out on it.
do a job on sb/sth
▪ The sun does quite a job on people's skin.
▪ I watch Maintenance do a job on a paper machine, shut the whole thing down to change a secondary valve.
▪ If you tell Spider yuh out, he may do a job on you.
do a number on sb/sth
▪ Danny did a real number on the car.
▪ It was a small piece of shrapnel, but it did a number on the left cheek of my hind end.
do sth on an empty stomach
▪ I overslept and had to go to class on an empty stomach.
▪ You shouldn't take the pills on an empty stomach.
▪ Alendronate must be taken only with a full glass of plain water, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
▪ I mean, neither of us had eaten since the early hours, and drinking on an empty stomach is dodgy.
▪ I tend to be very short-tempered on an empty stomach.
▪ No use mourning on an empty stomach.
▪ The next two got off more lightly: two spoonfuls of vinegar three times a day, also on an empty stomach.
▪ The sensation of nausea on an empty stomach was peculiarly unpleasant.
▪ There was little point, Manville decided, on a man eating on an empty stomach.
▪ They report to work at 8.30am on an empty stomach.
do sth on an empty stomach
▪ Alendronate must be taken only with a full glass of plain water, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
▪ I mean, neither of us had eaten since the early hours, and drinking on an empty stomach is dodgy.
▪ I tend to be very short-tempered on an empty stomach.
▪ No use mourning on an empty stomach.
▪ The next two got off more lightly: two spoonfuls of vinegar three times a day, also on an empty stomach.
▪ The sensation of nausea on an empty stomach was peculiarly unpleasant.
▪ There was little point, Manville decided, on a man eating on an empty stomach.
▪ They report to work at 8.30am on an empty stomach.
do sth on the run
▪ I always seem to eat on the run these days.
▪ He threw on some clothes; now he was on the run.
▪ I'd like to hear why you're on the run.
▪ If you want innovation, try more of that, and less of halfbacks and wide receivers throwing deep on the run.
▪ John Butcher says at this moment a man on bail for rape is on the run ine the Midlands.
▪ Meanwhile Mrs thomas's other grandson James Bellamy is now on the run after escaping from police custody.
▪ Mostly, he was a man on the run, sacked six times and scrambling countless others.
▪ They were on the run, and in haste, or we should all be dead men.
▪ Two escapees, on the run, with nothing to lose.
do sth on your own responsibility
▪ I discussed the matter with John Montgomerie and on my own responsibility decided to telephone Harold Wilson to seek his advice.
don't bet on it/I wouldn't bet on it
▪ Maybe he's really a nice guy, but I wouldn't bet on it.
draw a bead on sb/sth
▪ My adversary raised and very deliberately drew a bead on me.
draw a cheque (on sth)
▪ Alternatively, the importer's bank could draw a cheque on its correspondent bank in the exporter's country.
draw on a cigarette/cigar etc
draw on sth
draw on/upon sth
drunk on/with sth
▪ We were drunk with freedom.
dump (sth) on sb
dump sth on sb
early on
▪ I realized early on that the relationship wasn't going to work.
▪ Jonathon got an early start on getting to know his baby sister - he helped deliver her.
ease off on sb
easy on the eye/ear
▪ I like jazz because it's usually easy on the ear.
▪ Above all, it should be as physically comfortable and relaxing as it is easy on the eye.
▪ And frankly, she's pretty easy on the eyes, too.
▪ Garda Garda is a charming old village that is very easy on the eye.
▪ It's all been a bit too easy on the ear and eye.
▪ It was vital that they should be prompt and professional as well as easy on the eye.
▪ Ken Russell's production is certainly easy on the eye, but fans are expecting a bit more than a well-turned ankle.
▪ The layout and print is easy on the eye and the revision passages for dictation becomes increasingly difficult as the book progresses.
▪ This exhibit, Without Sanctuary, is not easy on the eyes.
end/finish/begin etc (sth) on a high note
err on the side of sth
▪ And so he negotiated with himself, and sometimes tortured himself, and he erred on the side of generosity.
▪ But travel agents are urging their clients to err on the side of caution.
▪ It is understandable for health authorities to err on the side of caution, as these guidelines will not apply to everyone.
▪ The therapist should always err on the side of caution; the hypotheses set up are merely shrewd guesses.
▪ Therefore, if the first two arguments were correct, it would be better to err on the side of generosity.
▪ Typically, Burgess says, forecasters err on the side of caution by issuing a severe storm warning.
▪ Voltaire's work is, arguably, offensive but one should err on the side of allowing it to be available.
▪ We should err on the side of restraint, rather than of excess.
exact revenge (on sb)
▪ And at the same time exact revenge on the whites he so despises?
▪ In fact, the farmer was so mean to this young man he determined to exact revenge.
▪ Instead of the children being the monsters, the parents become the monsters who threaten to take over and exact revenge.
fall flat on your/sth's face
▪ She fell flat on her face getting out of the car.
▪ The last time I wore high-heeled shoes I fell flat on my face outside a restaurant.
▪ As we were going out to the car Babe slipped and fell flat on her face.
▪ At last, after several near misses, I fall flat on my face.
▪ Because if you don't a fresh ambition or optimistic plan will fall flat on its face.
▪ But once the ball tips, the game falls flat on its face faster than a top-ranked team after a first-round upset.
▪ It is also a nation waiting for her to fall flat on her face.
▪ Writers strive for a universal experience distilled from personal memories and tend to fall flat on their faces.
▪ Yet there are certain composers who fall flat on their face unless the adrenalin really start to flow.
fall on deaf ears
▪ As rioting continued, Mayor Warren appealed for calm, but his words fell on deaf ears.
▪ His pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears.
▪ The workers' demand for a wage increase has fallen on deaf ears.
▪ Their requests fell on deaf ears.
▪ Arguments that some of the skills practised by pupils are obsolete fall on deaf ears, or are heeded only very slowly.
▪ But my suggestions fell on deaf ears.
▪ Invitations by Paredes to the various governors to second his plan fell on deaf ears.
▪ Pleas that the couple and their two young children will be homeless and facing financial ruin have fallen on deaf ears.
▪ They formulated a programme of demands, but these fell on deaf ears in Petrograd.
▪ Those words fell on deaf ears.
▪ Until Friday, such complaints appeared to fall on deaf ears at the Treasury.
fall on hard/bad times
▪ At 21 she is set for stardom, but she still finds time for people who have fallen on hard times.
▪ Even by political standards, Gingrich very quickly fell on hard times.
▪ I assumed that if a person fell on hard times some one else in the wider family would rescue them.
▪ Interestingly, though, the bottom 10 includes many household names fallen on hard times.
▪ The Cambridge University Automobile Club had clearly fallen on hard times, too.
▪ The model cities program fell on hard times soon after it began.
▪ With the outbreak of war, the shop fell on harder times.
▪ Worse, because of Jack the father has fallen on hard times and must meet all kinds of debts.
fall on stony ground
▪ Alan's charming smile fell on stony ground with her.
▪ Joseph's words fell on stony ground.
▪ Some initiatives have already fallen on stony ground, but, as we see in subsequent features, others keep coming.
▪ Their marriages had fallen on stony ground but it seemed to me there was still hope.
fall on stony ground
▪ Alan's charming smile fell on stony ground with her.
▪ Joseph's words fell on stony ground.
▪ Some initiatives have already fallen on stony ground, but, as we see in subsequent features, others keep coming.
▪ Their marriages had fallen on stony ground but it seemed to me there was still hope.
fall on your sword
fall/land on your feet
▪ After some ups and downs, young Mr Davison has landed on his feet.
▪ Even in an industry that shrinks faster than microwave bacon, the good people landed on their feet.
▪ Forgive the cliché, but for once I have fallen on my feet.
▪ He pushed the floor, and flipped over in the air, landing on his feet.
▪ However he landed on his feet.
▪ Jonathon is a trained musician filling in as a cleaner between jobs and he fell on his feet at the Oxford Playhouse.
▪ This is a company that tends to land on its feet.
fasten your attention on sb/sth
fasten your eyes/gaze on sb/sth
▪ Maggie fastened her eyes on him and tried to get control of her temper and her very stupidly lingering disappointment.
feast on/upon sth
▪ Hundreds of people, young and old, feasted on free hot dogs, hamburgers, and ice cream..
feast your eyes on sb/sth
▪ Just feast your eyes on the car's leather seats and walnut dashboard.
feel around/on/in etc sth (for sth)
▪ After she had put the phone down, she felt in a daze.
▪ I returned to my book, the hot feeling in my face returned to its rightful place.
▪ One of my reasons for becoming involved in Westland was that I felt in some respects that I owed them something.
▪ She was not feeling in the least cheerful however when the taxi dropped her off at Ven's home.
▪ She would understand; that was how he felt in the stores.
▪ This feeling in turn hardens into lack of interest in work.
▪ Whether you feel in any way responsible depends on your viewpoint.
fie on sb
fix your attention/eyes/mind etc on sb/sth
▪ I gulped, and fixed my eyes on the blood-red pen on the desk.
▪ She fixed her eyes on Mr Hollins's face and waited for his answer.
▪ She fixed her eyes on the jagged line of rocks to which she had to climb.
▪ She fixed her eyes on the street in an attempt to calm herself.
▪ She couldn't turn round so she fixed her eyes on her two brothers on the altar.
for days/weeks etc on end
▪ Big dumps frequently bury lift-control shacks and loading ramps for days on end.
▪ Chained in an upright stance for weeks on end, iron collars about their necks, with no hope of reprieve.
▪ He would go off into the mountains for days on end.
▪ How you hate being shipped off to Long Island for weeks on end during the summer.
▪ Lately she stays in her house for days on end, goes out only to get food.
▪ Sometimes he would not leave his room for days on end.
▪ They'd be talking for days on end.
▪ Untouched, and for days on end, ignored, he was not a child and not a man.
fortune/the gods etc smile on sb
▪ That means you are a magical person. The gods smile on twins.
from on high
▪ The advice from on high convinced Dustin to stay in school.
▪ A sudden radiance from on high fell on the two and made them look up.
▪ Also, everyone in a centralized organization gets conditioned to standing around and waiting for orders to come from on high.
▪ But a view from on high is not the most accurate.
▪ Directives come from on high, and the entire process is remote and out of reach.
▪ The people aren't being instructed from on high about their national interests.
▪ Then sharp words from on high were whispered in youthful ears.
▪ Was the word from on high that all plans for release had been shelved?
game on
get (your name) on the scoresheet
▪ Johansson got on the scoresheet himself just after the break to give Charlton the lead.
get a fix on sb/sth
▪ Have you managed to get a fix on the plane's position?
▪ I sat there, trying to get a fix on the situation.
▪ Another way to get a fix on people is to identify their heroes.
▪ He tried to get a fix on it.
▪ I sat and stared at him for a while, trying to get a fix on the situation.
▪ It may be a little harder to get a fix on calcium.
get a handle on sth
▪ At least they have a handle on what caused the power failure.
▪ Daily at five or six a. m. Mr Sammler woke up in Manhattan and tried to get a handle on the situation.
▪ From these activities they really get a handle on where I want them to go.
▪ Sun had difficulty getting a handle on the actual yield situation because week-to-week data on the silicon lots varied, Gadre said.
▪ You figure you've got a handle on all but the most aberrant human behaviour.
get a jump on sb/sth
▪ I want to get a jump on my Christmas shopping.
▪ Admitting defeat, her husband was working Sunday to get a jump on the week.
get a line on sb/sth
▪ Have we got any kind of line on that guy Marston?
get a move on
▪ Come on Sally, get a move on!
▪ Get a move on or we'll be late!
▪ I think we'd better get moving, it's only five minutes to boarding time.
▪ He'd better get a move on.
▪ If Sister doesn't get a move on, they could always content themselves with the shortest children's story ever told.
▪ If we didn't get a move on there wouldn't be a route left to do!
▪ My brother-in-law began setting up our platform, and I made the mistake of telling him to get a move on.
▪ Senior commission officials say that it is up to national governments to get a move on.
▪ She had to get a move on if she was going to make it to the city before noon.
▪ They keep shifting around and getting moved on and everyone acts like they're a general nuisance.
▪ We have heard recently that Trafford is working on the same lines, so we will have to get a move on.
get in on the act
▪ Democrats want tax cuts - now Republicans want to get in on the act.
▪ Movie theater chains are expanding rapidly, and even small local theaters are getting in on the act.
▪ Now that our exporting business to Eastern Europe has grown so successful, everyone wants to get in on the act.
▪ Produce stands sell exotic vegetables to Asian customers, and now even supermarkets are getting in on the act.
▪ As the child gets older, other agencies get in on the act.
▪ Even small independents are getting in on the act in a modest way, though.
▪ Now we want to get in on the act.
▪ The Hague Linker is getting in on the act.
▪ The Soviet Army, has also been getting in on the act.
▪ They are not anxious for others to get in on the act.
▪ With Boro in disarray, even Charlton's defenders got in on the act.
get it on
▪ Do you think those two are ever going to get it on?
▪ Be careful, though, not to get it on eyelashes.
▪ Now have you got it on the thing or have you got it on the bottom of the frame?
▪ Only he's actually got it on a scooter.
▪ Shoot, get it on, get it over with.
▪ Should he continue getting it on, then go for her.
▪ The point was to get it on, and never mind the fusses and frills.
▪ You get it on your hands.
get off on the wrong foot
▪ We just got off on the wrong foot the other day.
▪ Unfortunately, Pope got off on the wrong foot with his new troops.
▪ We got off on the wrong foot the other day and it was my fault.
get on sb's nerves
▪ I hope Emma isn't going to be there - she really gets on my nerves.
▪ Nick's whining is really starting to get on my nerves.
▪ The noise from the apartment upstairs was beginning to get on my nerves.
▪ Angry Dear Angry: We can understand how these kids can get on your nerves.
▪ As much as they got on her nerves, still she could not bring herself to talk behind their backs.
▪ But things now were really getting on his nerves.
▪ Everyone was getting on each other's nerves, and there was tension all the time.
▪ His son got on his nerves all the time.
▪ The noise and the smell were getting on his nerves.
▪ They really get on my nerves.
▪ This is really starting to get on my nerves.
get on sb's tits
get on sb's wick
▪ Ultimately, it just gets on your wick.
get on the stick
▪ We really need to get on the stick and get those trees planted.
get on the wrong side of sb
▪ If you get on the wrong side of Miss Trunchbull she can liquidise you like a carrot in a kitchen blender.
▪ Linda Smith got on the wrong side of the National Rifle Association recently.
▪ She was going to find out shortly that she couldn't get on the wrong side of Harry without paying for it.
▪ Travis, remind me not to get on the wrong side of you again.
get on the wrong side of sb
▪ If you get on the wrong side of Miss Trunchbull she can liquidise you like a carrot in a kitchen blender.
▪ Linda Smith got on the wrong side of the National Rifle Association recently.
▪ She was going to find out shortly that she couldn't get on the wrong side of Harry without paying for it.
▪ Travis, remind me not to get on the wrong side of you again.
get on the wrong side of the law
get on top of sb
get on with it!
get on/along famously
▪ By all accounts, she and Uncle Walter got on famously.
▪ Dorothy and Amelia got on famously.
▪ The ticket woman and I had got on famously.
▪ They spoke with me and we got on famously.
get on/along like a house on fire
get out of bed on the wrong side
get sth on
get your hands on sb
▪ I'd love to get my hands on the guy who slashed my tires.
▪ Besides, Ward's wife will want to get her hands on it.
▪ Competitors would love to get their hands on that $ 7 billion.
▪ He was an absolute nonreader until Rosalie got her hands on him the year before.
▪ I need to get my hands on a big lexicon.
▪ Maple Leaf has wanted to get its hands on some of Schneider's operations for years.
▪ The company may need all the products and sales techniques it can get its hands on.
▪ These days, Parkes finds fans scrapping to get their hands on set lists, drum sticks, and towels.
▪ They value everything they can get their hands on.
get your hands on sth
▪ The best seats in the house are $150, if you can get your hands on a ticket.
▪ Besides, Ward's wife will want to get her hands on it.
▪ Competitors would love to get their hands on that $ 7 billion.
▪ He was an absolute nonreader until Rosalie got her hands on him the year before.
▪ I need to get my hands on a big lexicon.
▪ Maple Leaf has wanted to get its hands on some of Schneider's operations for years.
▪ The company may need all the products and sales techniques it can get its hands on.
▪ These days, Parkes finds fans scrapping to get their hands on set lists, drum sticks, and towels.
▪ They value everything they can get their hands on.
get your own back (on sb)
▪ But you can get your own back.
▪ By launching the new forum Mr Heseltine is getting his own back on the now weakened Mr Lamont.
▪ I've gotta get my own back.
▪ I hope you haven't gone and done anything silly to it just to get your own back for me going away.
▪ The only way Scott could get his own back was by replacing my voice during the post-production.
▪ Tupac stoked the feud, claiming to have slept with Biggie Smalls's wife, Smalls threatened to get his own back.
▪ Was that a way of getting his own back?
▪ Women get their own back by borrowing their man's razor.
get/put bums on seats
▪ When you can put bums on seats, then you can come and tell me what flights you want to travel on.
get/put your skates on
get/take a grip on yourself
▪ Damn you, get a grip on yourself.
▪ He must take a grip on himself.
▪ I got a grip on myself and made it back to my office.
▪ I had to get a grip on myself and put this whole wretched business behind me.
▪ I must get a grip on myself, she told herself firmly.
▪ She took a grip on herself, physically pushed back the dark, claustrophobic horror at the point of drowning.
getting on for 90/10 o'clock/2,000 etc
give sb a smack on the lips/cheek
go easy on sb
▪ Go easy on Peter - he's having a hard time at school.
▪ After that, go easy on salty foods such as crisps, bacon, cheese and salted nuts.
▪ And go easy on the sugar, salt and alcohol.
▪ Fred must go easy on his eyes.
▪ He seemed to thrive under prison conditions, which caused the emperors to suspect their guards of going easy on the prisoner.
▪ We can go easy on him with the questions, but I want Nate to be impressed.
▪ We went easy on Baker and gave him the benefit of the doubt.
go easy on/with sth
▪ Go easy on the cheese - it has a lot of fat.
▪ After that, go easy on salty foods such as crisps, bacon, cheese and salted nuts.
▪ And go easy on the sugar, salt and alcohol.
▪ Fred must go easy on his eyes.
▪ He seemed to thrive under prison conditions, which caused the emperors to suspect their guards of going easy on the prisoner.
▪ We can go easy on him with the questions, but I want Nate to be impressed.
▪ We went easy on Baker and gave him the benefit of the doubt.
go halves (on sth)
▪ Do you want to go halves on a pizza?
▪ He generously agrees to go halves on you.
▪ She'd promised to go halves with him if he got anywhere in his negotiations.
go on
▪ As part of the class, they go on company tours and job shadows organized by the business partners.
▪ If student reports are anything to go on, the system does appear to work at Thayer.
▪ If you'd been with me, I might have stiffened myself and gone on with it.
▪ It has to do with not knowing what is going on.
▪ Marlon: What's going on?
▪ Their remit is not to charge or discipline officers, but to uncover exactly what has gone on.
▪ They were sharp and deadly and able to cut off anything that the Sparks tried to get going on offense.
go on forever
▪ The train just seemed to go on forever.
go on sth
▪ As part of the class, they go on company tours and job shadows organized by the business partners.
▪ If student reports are anything to go on, the system does appear to work at Thayer.
▪ If you'd been with me, I might have stiffened myself and gone on with it.
▪ It has to do with not knowing what is going on.
▪ Marlon: What's going on?
▪ Their remit is not to charge or discipline officers, but to uncover exactly what has gone on.
▪ They were sharp and deadly and able to cut off anything that the Sparks tried to get going on offense.
go on the block
go on the offensive
▪ But before Adamowski could get his campaign under way, Daley threw him off balance by going on the offensive.
▪ Hastily revising his plans for my career, he settled us into our Cape Cod retreat and went on the offensive.
▪ If she could find somewhere dry, she would be able to go on the offensive.
▪ So she did not need to go on the offensive and was not required to fight.
▪ Temperamentally unsuited for compromise, Tatum went on the offensive.
▪ When the Government hinted darkly about a privacy bill in the wake of the Mellor affair, MacKenzie went on the offensive.
go to town (on sth)
▪ Sandy went to town on the displays.
▪ Bénéteau went to town in their usual impressive way; it is, after all, their home patch.
▪ Bury that snout in Haagen-Dasz and go to town!
▪ In the United States of the early 1940s, women still donned hats and gloves to go to town.
▪ Over another cup of coffee we made plans to go to town.
▪ This month he goes to town on forms.
▪ When we used to go to town he used to get her out and carry her.
▪ Windows give you a chance to go to town.
gorge yourself (on sth)
▪ All fish love eating tubifex and will gorge themselves silly on the worm.
▪ He knew he would gorge himself on curry and dal and then want to sleep.
▪ In the wild they are opportunist feeders and at times of plenty they gorge themselves and then may fast for several weeks.
▪ Just because we appear to be gorging ourselves on war coverage doesn't mean to say that we swallow it whole.
▪ Once there they gorge themselves until they are so bloated they can hardly take off.
▪ The symbolism was extended to the gorge itself Blondin had literally caught it in his net.
grow fat on sth
▪ These stock brokers grow fat on other people's money.
▪ Magnus grew fat on brown wholemeal scraps and Gina gave up trying to keep him away.
▪ The bull grew fat on his salary and expense account, but his performance was disappointing to say the least.
▪ They could see themselves growing fat on large-scale construction payrolls.
hand/give/offer sb sth on a plate
hang (on) in there
▪ But I was hanging in there academically.
▪ Can you kind of hang in there to uh to maybe uh later on this evening, okay.
▪ Do you hang in there, or cut your losses?
▪ If this type of interviewer senses a weak spot he or she will hang on in there - mercilessly.
▪ In the meantime, just hang on in there.
▪ The hitter had to hang in there until he hit the ball or struck out.
▪ Ultimately, the more authentic, life-affirming religious manifestations hang in there amid, and despite, the darkness of human striving.
▪ When he is excited and enthusiastic, hang in there an extra minute to respond to his words and happy expressions.
hang on sb's words/every word
▪ And the children of Elvis did hang on his every word.
▪ As a result, you find yourself hanging on to every word and gesture.
▪ We weren't all hanging on your every word anyway, even back then.
hang on sth
▪ A few still hang on today, but in large sections of the mountains a living dogwood is nowhere to be seen.
▪ But hang on - there's Bambi!
▪ If she wanted to hang on to the shreds of her professional reputation she'd better start by controlling her haywire emotions.
▪ Pros: Lots of pyrotechnics and effects, plenty of twists and turns that keep you hanging on.
▪ The sight of him hanging on the Cross - are we really supposed to worship that, defeat and death?
▪ They are for ever hanging on by their fingernails.
▪ With just a few basic materials, I now have paintings hanging on walls in relatives homes.
▪ You can escape if you answer puzzles, games and questions about the great works of art hanging on the walls.
hang on!
hard upon/on sth
have (got) nothing on sb/sth
▪ Another time she seemed to have nothing on under a grass skirt as she danced on a mirrored floor.
▪ He realized she must have nothing on.
▪ She seemed to have nothing on underneath, which made the wheel in my stomach behave in an entirely crazy fashion.
▪ When it comes to conniving, deceptive control freaks, ex-boyfriends have nothing on record companies.
▪ Where that girl is concerned I have nothing on my conscience.
have (got) sth on
▪ All we have to go on is what other societies do.
▪ Expatriates should also take into account any fees that they will have to pay on buying a home.
▪ Indeed an inquiry of this sort should not, in my view, have been conducted on adversarial lines at all.
▪ It's thought around 70 travellers have been living on the site for several weeks.
▪ Maybe Desert Storm should have gone on at least to Basrah, if not indeed to Baghdad.
▪ Readers of the Financial Times will have noted reports on the forming of major and powerful consortia.
▪ The company has undergone an extensive reorganization since then, so the numbers have changed.
▪ We have been on a very high state of alert.
have (got) sth on
▪ All we have to go on is what other societies do.
▪ Expatriates should also take into account any fees that they will have to pay on buying a home.
▪ Indeed an inquiry of this sort should not, in my view, have been conducted on adversarial lines at all.
▪ It's thought around 70 travellers have been living on the site for several weeks.
▪ Maybe Desert Storm should have gone on at least to Basrah, if not indeed to Baghdad.
▪ Readers of the Financial Times will have noted reports on the forming of major and powerful consortia.
▪ The company has undergone an extensive reorganization since then, so the numbers have changed.
▪ We have been on a very high state of alert.
have (got) sth on sb
▪ All we have to go on is what other societies do.
▪ Expatriates should also take into account any fees that they will have to pay on buying a home.
▪ Indeed an inquiry of this sort should not, in my view, have been conducted on adversarial lines at all.
▪ It's thought around 70 travellers have been living on the site for several weeks.
▪ Maybe Desert Storm should have gone on at least to Basrah, if not indeed to Baghdad.
▪ Readers of the Financial Times will have noted reports on the forming of major and powerful consortia.
▪ The company has undergone an extensive reorganization since then, so the numbers have changed.
▪ We have been on a very high state of alert.
have (got) the TV/radio/washing machine etc on
have a chip on your shoulder
▪ The Doyle kid has had a chip on his shoulder ever since his mom and dad divorced.
▪ In some cases folks are just mad and have a chip on their shoulder.
have a down on sb
have a knock-on effect (on sth)
▪ Aid can have a knock-on effect in neighbouring countries which are also in great need.
▪ First, proposed increases in energy and payroll taxes could have a knock-on effect on wage demands and prices.
▪ It will cost hundreds of thousands of pounds, and may have a knock-on effect.
▪ Persecuting Nonconformists could have a knock-on effect in a community, hitting those who were loyal to the established Church.
▪ There are inevitable disruptions to deliveries such as vehicle breakdowns which have knock-on effects to delivery schedules.
▪ This will have a knock-on effect throughout the economy, and will drive up interest rates generally.
have a lot on
▪ He says he'll try and see you as soon as possible, but he has a lot going on this afternoon.
have a lot on your mind
▪ I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention, I have a lot on my mind at the moment.
▪ Since the divorce, Linda's had a lot on her mind.
▪ Stacy didn't go to the party on Saturday because she had a lot on her mind.
have a lot on your plate
▪ Don't bother your mother -- she's got a lot on her plate at the moment.
▪ Harris has a lot on his plate at the moment. Why don't we give the project to Melinda?
▪ Susan's had a lot on her plate recently, what with the car accident and everything.
have a lot/enough on your plate
▪ Beckham may have enough on his plate attempting to recapture his early-season form without being burdened with any extra responsibilities.
have a/some/no etc bearing on sth
▪ And that it might have some bearing on what has happened now.
▪ But the facts of the past seemed to have no bearing on the facts of the present.
▪ It has come to have a bearing on the larger questions of civilized survival.
▪ Party political factors, professionalism and the dispositions of key personalities all usually have some bearing on internal management structures.
▪ The availability of security may, however, have a bearing on whether or not a particular loan will be granted.
▪ The observations on immortality in Chapter Thirteen may be seen to have some bearing on this.
▪ The outside influences have no bearing on what you can do for your basketball team....
▪ This year's form will have a bearing on all future claims.
have designs on sb
have designs on sth
▪ Several developers have designs on the two-acre beachfront property.
have first call on sth
have nothing on sb
▪ Another time she seemed to have nothing on under a grass skirt as she danced on a mirrored floor.
▪ He realized she must have nothing on.
▪ She seemed to have nothing on underneath, which made the wheel in my stomach behave in an entirely crazy fashion.
▪ When it comes to conniving, deceptive control freaks, ex-boyfriends have nothing on record companies.
▪ Where that girl is concerned I have nothing on my conscience.
have sb on a string
▪ Lester claims to have several women on a string.
have sth on the brain
▪ It's unbelievable - you have sex on the brain 24 hours a day!
▪ You always have food on the brain.
▪ But the festering problem may have effects on the brain, just as it can elsewhere in the body.
▪ Must have maggots on the brain.
have sth on your side/sth is on your side
have sth/sb on your hands
▪ It is still instinctively held that those involved in engineering science should be useful handymen and will have oil on their hands.
▪ The Khedive is starting to realize that he might have trouble on his hands.
▪ They submitted lest they kill him; his death from the fast would have been on their hands.
have your eye on sth
▪ Rodrigues has his eye on the major leagues.
▪ We have our eyes on a nice little house near the beach.
▪ A few years more and white men will be all around you. they have their eyes on this land.
▪ As I told you, I have my eyes on a very different sort of market.
▪ He must have his eyes on a Ryder Cup spot.
have your head screwed on (straight/right)
▪ Cloughie probably gets closest to it - not he himself but the No. 9 seems to have his head screwed on.
▪ She seemed to have her head screwed on right, even if she was a girl.
have your heart/sights set on sth
▪ Teng is thought to have her sights set on the Board of Supervisors' presidency.
▪ But do the public have their sights set on an Urbanizer?
▪ If you have your hearts set on a joint endowment, you have two alternatives to cashing in the present one.
▪ Many of the Keishinkai parents have their hearts set on Keio.
▪ Movie sniper Jude Law and Rachel Weisz are covered in mud but still have their sights set on desire.
have/get a corner on sth
▪ Any other old drunk would have got a corner on the fourth page.
have/get the goods on sb
▪ The two detectives went undercover to get the goods on the Parducci family.
▪ It is get the goods on him.
have/give sb first refusal on sth
have/keep both feet on the ground
▪ She's really creative, but she also has her feet firmly on the ground.
▪ So I guess inversely he taught me the need to be prepared and keep both feet on the ground.
have/keep your beady eye(s) on sb/sth
have/keep your eye on sb
▪ As I told you, I have my eyes on a very different sort of market.
▪ He kept his eyes on Ezra, surveying him.
▪ He kept his eyes on his father, who had betrayed him.
▪ His face had grown serious, and he kept his eyes on the road.
▪ I kept my eyes on it the whole time, he wrote.
▪ It was not only Percy Makepeace who kept his eyes on Hilary.
▪ Mulcahey kept his eyes on the circles that widened out from the pebbles he dropped into the water.
▪ We have to keep our eyes on the sandy path.
have/keep your finger on the pulse (of sth)
heap praise/insults etc on sb
hear sth on the grapevine
hell on wheels
▪ Sean is an angelic little baby, but Sara is hell on wheels.
hit the nail on the head
▪ If Jack had been trying to find a way to impress Polly he had hit the nail on the head.
▪ My friend, you have hit the nail on the head.
▪ She might dislike Piers Morrison, but he had a knack of hitting the nail on the head.
hold/hang on for/like grim death
hot on sb's heels
▪ Conversely, victory for Bath leaves them very much in the title hunt, hot on the heels of Leicester.
▪ Critique followed hot on the heels of this pioneering work.
▪ It comes hot on the heels of the C5 saloon we showed you last week.
▪ Merchants followed hot on their heels selling fabrics and other manufactured goods in exchange for copra oil.
▪ Young Laura is hot on the heels of her brothers.
hot on sb's trail/tail
▪ But they were hot on the trail of a loathsome whine as the party in another mess pined for better days.
▪ Lieutenant Ward Bond was at the wheel of the police convertible hot on his tail.
▪ Once again Biddy / Beth flees, but both the Toddler and McGarr are hot on her trail.
hot on the trail of sth
▪ But they were hot on the trail of a loathsome whine as the party in another mess pined for better days.
inflict yourself/sb on sb
▪ Alcohol and tobacco inflict great harm on individual health and have a high social cost.
▪ And he was carrying no thunder-and-fire stick to inflict pain on them.
▪ From early childhood they are schooled not to inflict themselves on others.
▪ However, it is possible for other war engines and large monsters to inflict damage on them.
▪ No one wants to inflict this pressure on children.
▪ The second group comprises patients who inflict serious injuries on themselves with considerable suicidal intent.
▪ You are just lying there with these people washing, dressing and at the same time inflicting pain on you.
insist on doing sth
▪ Finally, he insisted on carrying it.
▪ For example, insisting on conditions that would in theory make the employment of women more likely often has the opposite effect.
▪ I declined, but she insisted on following me for several hundred yards.
▪ In fact, the only thing likely to take any time is deciding which to have. Insist on the best.
▪ She insisted on cleaning my flat very thoroughly every Tuesday and Thursday, and often left me a casserole in the oven.
▪ Surely Harrison would have insisted on having it pose with him.
▪ Tanya insists on moving in many circles and, above all, on thinking for herself.
▪ Together the two books test what can be gained and lost by insisting on either innocence or experience.
it is incumbent upon/on sb to do sth
it'll be all right on the night
it/money doesn't grow on trees
jam on the brakes
▪ Most people naively imagine they will stop immediately when they jam on the brakes.
judge/consider etc sth on its (own) merits
keep (close) tabs on sb/sth
▪ He keeps tabs on everyone in the building.
▪ A psychologist will keep tabs on teams of youngsters and will stop the operation if they show signs of stress.
▪ About the world Lenny Wilkens has been keeping tabs on world events, and one thing is clear.
▪ Although so little was heard from them, those who kept tabs on them were convinced that they were slowly fading away.
▪ Anne Dickson, a local politician, said people had been keeping tabs on Hamilton for years.
▪ But trappers will keep tabs on the extra traps until February, officials said.
▪ If she asked, he would accuse her of nagging, of wanting to keep tabs on him.
▪ They patrol land and keep tabs on the gangs after tip offs from gamekeepers and farmers.
▪ We try to keep close tabs on our boys in blue.
keep a sharp eye on sb
▪ Security guards kept a sharp eye on Mattson as he walked through the store.
▪ As a teen-ager, I kept a sharp eye on who was winning the prizes I wanted: Honor Roll.
▪ I keep a sharp eye on him.
keep a tight rein on sb/sth
keep a weather eye on sth
▪ Both, for different reasons, kept weather eyes on the cloning work.
▪ They dabble in composites, and keep a weather eye on the developments made by the small specialists.
▪ This lets you keep a weather eye on your finances.
keep a/the lid on sth
▪ A flurry of fists and boots followed as local referee Ignacio Silva struggled to keep the lid on.
▪ Additionally, falling prices for key commodities, like copper, are keeping a lid on most manufacturing costs.
▪ All this will combine to keep the lid on prices.
▪ He apparently hoped this would keep the lid on the operation.
▪ In the meantime, Father Glynn hoped that Jim Maier could keep a lid on the place.
▪ Support the possibility of keeping a lid on tax increases.
▪ Unlike Anthony, Geoffrey could keep a lid on his temper.
▪ Up with the lark and wanting to get out of town, I have to keep the lid on my impatience.
keep an eye on sth/sb
▪ But they can still learn a remarkable amount by keeping an eye on the east.
▪ He said Kaczynski would keep an eye on his property.
▪ I decided that I would keep an eye on Tom after that.
▪ Mark: No, but the doctor is keeping an eye on her.&.
▪ Meanwhile we shall keep an eye on him.
▪ The doctor thought it best if she checked into a small, private facility where he could keep an eye on her.
▪ Those with Internet access should keep an eye on a series of Usenet discussion groups that cater to Windows 95 issues.
▪ You keep an eye on her, and me or Nanny Ogg will drop in when we can.
keep on the right side of sb
▪ But those wanting to keep on the right side of the law will have to steer clear of the grape.
▪ They were keeping on the right side of the powers that be.
keep on trucking
keep sb on their toes
▪ With a test every Friday, she keeps her students on their toes.
▪ And, keeping them on their toes ... the doctors who walk eighteen miles a day.
▪ He keeps them on their toes.
▪ Inflation, which depletes the value of stocks and bonds, also keeps investors on their toes.
▪ Meetings are held every nineteen days, not necessarily Sundays, which must keep people on their toes.
▪ The general use of disapproval in order to keep people on their toes tends to be counterproductive after a time.
▪ Together, these threats are supposed to discipline managers and keep them on their toes.
▪ We have improved because a few extra players have come in and the bench is outstanding which keeps everyone on their toes.
▪ You have to have good people doing these jobs, and you have to keep folks on their toes.
keep sb ↔ on
keep your hair on
keep your hair/shirt on!
keep your mind on sth
▪ With all the talk of job losses, I was having trouble keeping my mind on my work.
▪ All good nurses were trained to keep their minds on their jobs, but even good nurses were human.
▪ But I can not keep my mind on the movie, which now seems false and cloying.
▪ He was numbed by the thought of this imaginary food and could hardly keep his mind on what the Padre was saying.
▪ Let's keep our mind on the job at hand.
▪ On Friday, the day of the fair, I had a dreadful time keeping my mind on my work.
▪ Primo has been trying to keep his mind on what they are doing in this moment.
▪ You are going to be hard pushed to keep your mind on whatever you're doing Tuesday.
keep your shirt on
keep/have one eye/half an eye on sb/sth
keep/have sb on a leash
keep/put something on ice
knock on doors
▪ All I've done since seems to be walk around and knock on doors.
▪ And gathering that information means knocking on doors and asking people questions.
▪ As a young girl I volunteered to knock on doors and enrol pets in the Tailwaggers Club.
▪ I could go up to Albany and knock on doors, and I could almost always get in.
▪ Landlords knocking on doors, demanding money.
▪ Peter: Well, cause trouble, you know; play knocking on doors, throw stones at windows and that.
▪ She sent Talivaldis to the store for a large loaf of Wonder Bread and knocked on doors, issuing invitations.
knock on wood
▪ I haven't had a cold all winter, knock on wood.
▪ Always ready to knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder, bite my tongue, cross my fingers.
▪ Hopefully, knock on wood, Lieby is going to be in there most of the time.
▪ KineHUHre is used as a verbal device similar to knocking on wood to ward off evil forces.
knock sth on the head
▪ Fortunately they didn't knock me on the head or anything which they could have done, couldn't they?
know which side your bread is buttered on
land on your feet
▪ Capra lost his job, but landed on his feet when Columbia Pictures hired him.
▪ After some ups and downs, young Mr Davison has landed on his feet.
▪ Even in an industry that shrinks faster than microwave bacon, the good people landed on their feet.
▪ He pushed the floor, and flipped over in the air, landing on his feet.
▪ However he landed on his feet.
▪ This is a company that tends to land on its feet.
later on
▪ Later on, I'll be interviewing the Prime Minister, but first here is a summary of the news.
▪ Label the pipes you will be working on to avoid confusion later on.
▪ She took notes so she could remember it all later on.
lay a guilt trip on sb
lay a hand/finger on sb
▪ He wouldn't dare lay a finger on any of us.
▪ I laid a hand on his hair.
▪ I lay a hand on his chest and felt him breathe, mile after mile through the Kentucky night.
▪ If she laid a hand on him, what could he do besides run for it?
▪ Some one laid a hand on me.
▪ Stuyvesant responded by laying hands on To bias Feake, who delivered the document, arresting and eventually banishing him.
▪ The odds are that the young man would not have laid a finger on her, but what if ...?
lay emphasis/stress on sth
▪ In addition to the need for humility, discipline and singleminded devotion in the quest for Truth Gandhi lays stress on prayer.
▪ In the matter of ultimate aesthetic evaluation it laid stress on the intuitive response of the general public.
▪ She said that her interview had laid stress on personal circumstances rather than experience and qualifications.
lay it on (thick)
▪ He laid it on top of one of the garbage cans lined up in front of his building.
▪ I laid it on soil; the shoulders managed a few slow twitches, pulled it an inch forward.
▪ I laid it on the line.
▪ I took a card out and laid it on the counter.
▪ She laid it on the floor of the car.
▪ She took her coat off and laid it on the bed.
▪ Tenderly she laid it on the bed.
▪ That way, unless I've really laid it on thick, I can get along at a cracking pace.
lay it on with a trowel
lay sb/sth on the line
▪ And Moonshake lay theirs on the line. right now; today, not yesterday.
▪ I laid it on the line.
▪ I couldn't blame her; she'd laid things on the line from the start, as I had.
▪ You give somebody else a chance, and guys lay it on the line for you.
lay sth on sb
lay sth ↔ on
lay your hands on sth
▪ Government reports, social legislation, anything she could lay her hands on that would better acquaint her with her work.
▪ He will sell anything he can lay his hands on in exchange for drugs, which includes any information he may have.
▪ I know exactly where to lay my hands on them.
▪ I like writing letters and reading anything I can lay my hands on!
▪ Kabari women use whatever birth control technology they can lay their hands on.
▪ Looters carried clothes out of shop windows along with anything else they could lay their hands on.
▪ Monday I felt driven to eat everything I could lay my hands on.
▪ Some one had to overturn the present political arrangements in the Limousin if he was ever to lay his hands on Hautefort.
lead on, Macduff
leave/make its mark on sb/sth
▪ Being on a Kindertransport was, in itself, a traumatic experience that left its mark on otherwise balanced and healthy children.
▪ Growing up in the shadow of Olivier had already left its mark on Richard professionally.
▪ History is what you live and it leaves its mark on how you die.
▪ I was only a boy of ten at the time, but it left its mark on me too.
▪ It's bound to leave its mark on a man.
▪ So Hackney has left its mark on the history of madness.
let sb get on with it
let sb loose on sth
▪ He seemed to have forgotten about only letting me loose on water.
▪ We let the Pacer loose on two testers - one fast, one slow.
▪ Who was feeding him or even letting him loose on occasions?
let's get this show on the road
lie heavy on sb
▪ The duties of leadership lay heavy on him.
▪ Smoke lay heavy on the far side of the water, laced eerily with threads of light from the blaze.
▪ The river, swollen and bloated, lay heavy on the sunken fields.
life goes on
▪ For them, life goes on.
▪ He knows that life goes on.
▪ In other words, life goes on.
▪ It ensures that life goes on.
▪ The personal construction of life goes on, however much undergirded by chemotherapeutic assistance.
▪ To be sure, life goes on.
▪ We all mourn their passing, but life goes on without them.
▪ While you were there you had a ball, and then life goes on.
like a cat on hot bricks
live high on the hog
▪ They've been living high on the hog since Jim got the money from his aunt.
live on sth
live on sth
long on sth
▪ DeSantos was long on hope, but his team lost anyway.
look kindly on sb/sth
▪ But tobacco is a wily and vengeful beast, and one not disposed to look kindly on those who jilt him.
▪ No skimping, and I'd look kindly on it if you'd provide her with petticoats.
▪ Penry was unlikely to look kindly on some one who landed on his island uninvited twice in a row.
look on sb/sth
look on the bright side
▪ Always look on the bright side of life.
▪ Another is that they have an in-built bias towards optimism, always looking on the bright side of life.
▪ But look on the bright side: we've finally found a way of getting rid of Liverpool, too.
▪ By the time supper rolls around, he has even begun to look on the bright side.
▪ Experts believe it is all part of a wartime spirit of looking on the bright side.
▪ She would look on the bright side.
▪ Still; look on the bright side: they'd have to order another one.
look/feel etc like nothing on earth
low man on the totem pole
luck is on sb's side
▪ With two kids and a beautiful wife, luck was on his side.
make a start (on sth)
▪ I should have mentioned that Joe Lawley and Graham Lloyd have already made a start with tree clearance.
▪ In the 1980s, we made a start, privatising those industries Government ran so badly.
▪ It was decided therefore, to make a start upon upgrading the existing fleet by adopting improved technology wherever possible.
▪ Mailing designs home to be printed on samples sewn by his mum, Wells made a start in sports couture.
▪ Nick made a start at restoring the ravaged wreck, but sadly died before much was done.
▪ Now we are pledged to cut tax rates again - and have made a start on the road to 20p Income Tax.
▪ That's why we should now make a start on reminding ourselves of the relevance of our own particular life story.
▪ We have paper and ink here - make a start now if you have not already.
make inroads into/on sth
▪ In the first, the discursive, the secondary process makes inroads into the primary process.
▪ Meanwhile, the big construction companies are trying to grow by making inroads into turf traditionally held by medium-size builders.
▪ Rodrigo and Motamid rapidly began to make inroads into the border territory separating the Caliphates of Saragossa and Lerida.
▪ The focus of interest here is the extent to which the building societies are likely to make inroads into traditional banking business.
▪ With Obote making inroads into its power, Buganda attempts to secede.
▪ With six shoes under £37, Diadora is likely to make inroads into the budget end of the market.
make sb's hair stand on end
▪ The thought of a lawsuit was enough to make his hair stand on end.
▪ He was so close to her, his arms brushing lightly against hers, making her hairs stand on end.
▪ I've been hearing rumours about his methods of taming his crew ... things to make your hair stand on end.
▪ Some of the stories people had told me in that room would make your hair stand on end.
▪ Yet here he was expecting to play a part that would make her hair stand on end.
model yourself on sb
▪ A number had decided to model themselves on the behaviors and demeanor of a favorite boss or company hero-a very reasonable strategy.
▪ As we grow up we model ourselves on our parents, identifying with them and imitating them.
▪ Dean was another rebel, no doubt modelling himself on his two idols.
▪ For men to model themselves on Ulysses rather than Hercules.
▪ If the C of E models itself on Parliament, the Methodists model themselves on a school prize-giving.
▪ Nobody's modelled themselves on us, they've gone more the Roses and the Mondays.
▪ Plenty of singers, wisely or otherwise, have modelled themselves on the heroes and villains of great literature.
▪ Thomas Becket modelled himself on Anselm - in his exile, his inflexibility, his austerities.
move sb on
my money's on sb/sth
▪ The smart money is on the A's to win the series.
need I ask/need I say more/need I go on etc?
need some (more) meat on your bones
▪ Matt, you need some more meat on your bones!
nigh on
no ... /nothing on earth
▪ But at the time, with my dad as he was, there might have been no such place on earth.
▪ Further, no nation on Earth presently has the ability to launch manned lunar missions.
▪ Gazza's goal convinced Maradona there is no greater player on earth than the irrepressible Geordie.
▪ No city on earth is quite like it.
▪ No nation on earth takes greater pride in its moral heritage than the United States.
▪ Obviously I couldn't mime to a voice of seventeen years ago, no way on earth!
▪ Oh no ... what on earth was there to cry for?
▪ There is no excitement on earth like it.
not an ounce of fat (on sb)
▪ He was surprised, there was not an ounce of fat on him, but he had shed five pounds.
▪ Under their chestnut coats there was not an ounce of fat and their muscles moved without effort.
not be a patch on sb/sth
not go a bundle on sth/sb
not harm/touch a hair of/on sb's head
not have a leg to stand on
▪ If you didn't sign a contract, you won't have a leg to stand on.
not have a stitch on
not lay a finger on sb
not on your life
not on your nelly
▪ Not dad, not on your Nelly!
not stand on ceremony
not to put too fine a point on it
▪ Everyone there - not to put too fine a point on it - was crazy.
▪ The dishes we tried tasted, not to put too fine a point on it, like gasoline.
not to put too fine a point on it
not worth the paper it is written on/printed on
off and on
▪ Rachel and Alan have been dating off and on for five years.
▪ And friendship with Clan Diarmaid, that we've been fighting off and on for five generations!
▪ Baltimore was foreign off and on.
▪ Beck and Phil Woods, both virtuosi, have played together off and on for years, and their rapport is magical.
▪ Even so, I thought about this man off and on for most of the week.
▪ He's lived in the King Edward off and on for 30 years.
▪ He dozed off and on but had no understanding of deeper sleep.
▪ The lights flicker off and on, off and on, the signal that the library is about to close.
▪ We've been together ever since, off and on, helping each other out.
on (my) tippytoes
on (the) alert (for sth/sb)
▪ Above, our full combat air patrol was on the alert.
▪ Bailey said that if even one of the fuel rods leaks, Palo Verde officials would put the plant on alert.
▪ Emergency services were put on alert.
▪ Only once was the congressional retreat beneath the Greenbrier Hotel put on alert and readied for possible occupancy.
▪ Report, page 11 Flu outbreak puts hospitals on alert.
▪ They were to stay on the alert for any soldier unlucky enough to go overboard.
on (the) television
▪ For years the central axiom of modern campaigning has been that elections are won and lost on television.
▪ He accused witnesses of fabricating sensational testimony just to get their faces on television.
▪ He had seen her on television.
▪ Keep your eyes peeled for policies, they don't show up so brightly on television.
▪ Later that evening we watched it all on television again.
▪ Naptime was from four to five, and then he watched the evening news on television in the recreation room.
▪ They arrived together, dressed with the studied perfection only achieved by gangsters and people about to appear on television.
▪ Viewers come to feel they know the people they meet on television almost as well as they know their friends and associates.
on British/French/foreign etc soil
▪ He was not a man to show public affection on foreign soil.
▪ Will your grandchildren forgive us, Erich, if we surrender our armies on foreign soil without a fight?
on a ... front
▪ Nor could he be left alone anymore in the late afternoons when he insisted on watering the front lawn.
▪ On the Home Front, women's tasks were diverse and often physically taxing.
▪ On this second front he goes beyond Parsons by expanding the opportunities of scholars with variant theoretical perspectives.
▪ She lined up the sights on her rifle on its empty front foot and fired twice.
▪ The Goldmans conceivably could benefit from the video on several fronts.
▪ The next day in the Tribune, there was my picture on the front page.
▪ The pressure exerted on that front foot when it is brought down in the bowling action is something like 10 times the bodyweight.
▪ The switch can be mounted on the front panel and will show when the unit is powered-up.
on a budget
▪ And, trendy painted furniture can be achieved on a budget.
▪ Best Game of 1991 already out on budget?
▪ I got drunk and dialled Hire-A-Heap and rented a scarred Boomerang on a budget four-day buy.
▪ It is absolutely essential that a knowledgeable person with budget experience examine your proposal section on budget.
▪ Refurbished on a budget of £20, the shop is kitted out with old tyres, corrugated iron and scaffolding.
▪ Roughly half the leading building societies' borrowers repay on budget schemes.
▪ The bipartisan Concord Coalition, a Washington-based interest group on budget balancing issues, has run newspaper ads against the Dole plan.
on a heroic scale/of heroic proportions
on a lighter note/in a lighter vein
on a need-to-know basis
▪ Access to the manufacturing process is on a strictly need-to-know basis.
on a regular/daily/weekly etc basis
▪ Among stocks, only the railroads paid dividends on a regular basis.
▪ Because of other demands on his time, the Chancellor will not usually be a leading participant on a regular basis.
▪ Both will prevent you from burning and tanning, provided they are reapplied on a regular basis.
▪ Counselling, information and advice giving, respite from caring on a regular basis can all help.
▪ I hear there are very few companies in our industry who carry out a comprehensive performance review on a regular basis.
▪ If you like going to concerts, do so on a regular basis. 3.
▪ Neither you nor I nor most people embrace behavior change on a regular basis.
▪ The president often raises it before heavily female audiences but not on a regular basis.
on a shoestring
▪ a shoestring budget
▪ Nearly all of our research had to be conducted on a shoestring.
▪ The paper started on a shoestring, but soon had a circulation of over 100,000 readers.
▪ The program was run on a shoestring for years until they found a sponsor.
▪ Adventures on a Shoestring has been offering a variety of 90-minute weekend walking tours of New York City for 34 years.
▪ Appleton was proud of having done much of his own research on a shoestring.
▪ He goes barnstorming, first on a shoestring.
▪ It was run on a shoestring at the best of times and Kelly was merely adding to his problems.
▪ Like many entrepreneurs on a shoestring, they are attempting to start a business while they continue to work full-time jobs.
▪ The books give all the insider know-how for staying and getting around a country on a shoestring budget.
▪ The center, which offers psychological services to children, teens and families, runs the grandparent-grandchild support groups on a shoestring.
on a silver platter
▪ Uluru sits on the desert like a cake on a silver platter.
on a voluntary/part-time/temporary etc basis
▪ After a period of full-time child-care, many women return to paid employment on a part-time basis.
▪ Herrera ordered that this inhuman practice must cease and proposed to put recruiting on a voluntary basis.
▪ However, to date this exciting new technology has only adopted on a voluntary basis.
▪ Social responsibility is thus not merely a matter of the adoption of changed standards on a voluntary basis.
▪ The numbers are growing and the club is doing well, but more help is needed on a voluntary basis.
▪ There had developed since Khrushchev's time policies to involve the populace more in low-level administrative activities on a voluntary basis.
▪ This reduction was largely achieved on a voluntary basis, and our employees showed remarkable resilience and loyalty, despite such difficulties.
▪ This was often done on a temporary basis at first, but usually the fences became permanent hedges or walls.
on a wing and a prayer
on account
on account of sth
▪ Games are often canceled on account of rain.
▪ But only on account of the smooth running of the business, she realised.
▪ Could this be on account of the incongruity between their neurons and mine?
▪ I studied her carefully on account of my special relationship with her son, Sylvester.
▪ Mere discriminations on account of race or color were not regarded as badges of slavery.
▪ Some sectors, moreover, lagged behind completely, by force of circumstances or on account of reluctance to abandon traditional ways.
▪ Today our hair is very red on account of the rain that is threatening us.
on all fours
▪ Billy was down on all fours playing with the puppy.
on all/several/both etc counts
▪ Bright was turned down on both counts by Field, whose principal consideration was the weather.
▪ By contrast, Gordon says, the Net fails on several counts.
▪ He had failed on both counts.
▪ He was convicted by a jury on all counts and sentenced to 41 months in prison.
▪ He was too ambitious on both counts.
▪ I am afraid that, on all counts, it is going to fall down.
▪ I find this unconvincing on several counts.
▪ Missing Valuables Dear Missing: Yes, on both counts.
on an even keel
▪ Confusion seems to reign in many areas of your life at present, so try to get on an even keel.
▪ I was supposed to be a caretaker, charged with setting the branch back on an even keel.
▪ In Chapter 11, companies' management usually remains in place while the company tries to get back on an even keel.
▪ So when we got up here, I was really enjoying sort of keeping things on an even keel at home.
▪ That Nigel was on an even keel again was a double comfort.
▪ Then maybe they are on an even keel.
▪ These two kept her on an even keel.
on approval
on attachment
on automatic pilot
▪ I wasn't really asleep - I was just kind of running on automatic pilot.
▪ I was on automatic pilot, doing what I do best.
▪ Tommy Blue was on automatic pilot.
on average
▪ Japanese people, on average, live longer than Europeans.
▪ On average, men are taller than women by several inches.
on balance
▪ On balance I think it would be better to cancel the arrangements.
▪ On balance, it's a useful program, despite the problems.
▪ Students have been very responsible, on balance, when choosing courses to provide a broad education.
on behalf of sb
▪ A class-action lawsuit on behalf of the men and their survivors was settled in 1974.
▪ A trader placed bets in the markets on behalf of Salomon Brothers.
▪ It was an old skill, employed in times past to protect herself and now honorably exercised on behalf of another.
▪ Mildred Pierce slaves on behalf of her child, and the ungrateful kid ends up seducing her husband!
▪ The court struck down limits on expenditures by candidates themselves, or those made independently on behalf of candidates.
▪ The latter speak out on behalf of the poor, women, our fellow creatures and the environment.
▪ With Ickes lobbying furiously on behalf of the Bureau, how-ever, the full Congress refused to go along.
on bended knee
▪ George asked her to marry him on bended knee.
▪ The TV network begged her on bended knee to return to the program.
on bended knee(s)
▪ And they vote and they vote and the politicians come on bended knees.
▪ I bet you beg for it on bended knees!
▪ No human being who wants to read and own a book should ever have to go on bended knee to get it.
▪ Oh ... I am looking for a people who will come on bended knee.
▪ Perhaps it was all of that singing on bended knees or from seated positions.
▪ We need not crawl on bended knees.
on board
▪ A light plane with four people on board crashed last night.
on celluloid
▪ Chaplin's comic genius is preserved on celluloid.
on consignment
on course
▪ We had to paddle hard to keep the canoes on course.
▪ Western leaders put the trade talks back on course.
on demand
▪ Rahmer is opposed to abortion on demand.
on display
on draught
on easy terms
▪ Harvey maintains a continual easy-reading knowingness for his audience, an intimacy on easy terms with everything he talks about.
on edge
▪ As reports of robberies continued to appear in the press, the whole community was increasingly on edge.
▪ Jerry had had a hard day and his nerves were on edge.
on either/every hand
▪ Ancient oak gave place to modern pine forest on either hand.
▪ Gaston was a fishmonger who left evidence of his occupation on every hand he shook.
▪ Mist curled from the water on either hand.
▪ The drive is spectacular: gorges and tropical rain forests and waterfalls on every hand, but I thought only of Poppy.
on equal terms/on an equal footing
on everyone's lips
▪ News of the divorce seems to be on everyone's lips.
on first acquaintance
▪ Most people are nicer than you think they are on first acquaintance.
▪ Route finding can also be difficult so caution is urged on first acquaintance.
▪ Their interpretability, however, must not be exaggerated; their meanings are not necessarily wholly predictable on first acquaintance.
on foot
▪ It's not far. It'll take you about ten minutes on foot.
▪ The best way to see Yosemite is on foot.
▪ The bus left us at the bottom of the hill, and we went the rest of the way on foot
▪ The two men had attempted to cross the mountains on foot.
on full beam
on hand
▪ Organizers of the fair have a nurse on hand in case of any injuries.
on heat
on high
on hold
▪ I put Dana on hold while I tried to find Steve.
▪ You're always on hold for about 10 minutes before you get to talk to anyone.
on horseback
on impact
▪ Their car burst into flames on impact.
on its last legs
▪ Your car sounds like it's on its last legs.
▪ It's an old established set-up, but I reckon it's on its last legs now.
▪ The battery, like the torch's owner, was on its last legs.
▪ Without some fresh thinking the G8 is probably on its last legs as an effective body.
on line
▪ All the classrooms are now on line.
on loan (from sb/sth)
▪ Daren Rowbotham has joined on loan from Birmingham and leads the attack.
▪ Services include making sure payments are collected and insurance and taxes are paid on loans that are packaged and resold to investors.
▪ The charge on loans to brokers on stock exchange collateral.
▪ The charge on loans to depository institutions by the Federal Reserve Banks.
▪ The Chelsea goalkeeper has found a new lease of life at Grimsby since joining them on loan.
▪ Ward has been searching for a winger for some time and last night he was hopeful of clinching a signing on loan.
▪ We have a lovely 14.3 Connemara cross thoroughbred mare on loan.
on manual
on mature reflection/consideration
▪ His men would carry their standard-issue M16 rifles, although on mature reflection he decided that they should not be loaded.
on neutral ground/territory
on no account/not on any account
▪ On no account should you attempt this exercise if you're pregnant.
▪ You shouldn't sign the contract unless you are sure you understand it. Not on any account.
on no condition
on occasion
▪ Julie drops by my place on occasion.
on offer
▪ We were disappointed by the standard of hotels on offer.
on paper
▪ As soon as you have an idea, get it down on paper so you don't forget it.
▪ Felton had made the same allegations on paper, and had sent a copy to the FBI.
▪ If you have any suggestions for improving the course, put them on paper and we'll discuss them.
▪ It looks simple enough on paper, but I doubt if it will actually work.
▪ On paper, the family is worth over $5 billion.
on prescription
on purpose
▪ Fire investigators believe the fire was set on purpose.
▪ I spilled my drink on purpose -- I needed an excuse to leave the room.
▪ Is he really that dumb or is he acting that way on purpose?
▪ Will always pronounces my name wrong. Do you think he does it on purpose?
▪ Consider in this connection the point I made earlier that comprehension is necessarily incomplete and dependent on purpose.
▪ He wasn't the kind of bloke to do it on purpose.
▪ If I throw one up in the zone, it's not on purpose.
▪ If it was on purpose, the culmination of some evil conspiracy, well of course it will happen again.
▪ Perhaps she had been dropped on to his path on purpose.
▪ The first time you step out, whether by accident or on purpose, a warning is imposed.
▪ Whether on purpose or by mistake, Kimberly was exchanged for the baby who came to be known as Arlena Twigg.
▪ Yeah, we keep it that way on purpose.
on sale
▪ "How much was your jacket?'' "I got it on sale in Montgomery Wards. It only cost $45.''
▪ His suit was bought in the sales for £100.
▪ I got my shoes on sale for half price.
▪ I need a new pair of shoes but I want to wait until they go on sale.
on sb's account
on sb's arm
on sb's knee
▪ I used to sit on Grandpa's knee and ask him read to me.
on sb's part/on the part of sb
on sb's say-so
▪ I'd feel terrible if anyone went to see the play on my say-so and hated it.
on sb's shoulders
▪ The blame rests squarely on Jim's shoulders.
on sb's/the doorstep
▪ Father worn out from the beating he had administered, sat on the doorstep smoking his pipe.
▪ For Elizabeth Gould, however, this ornithological cornucopia right on the doorstep did not hold the same all-encompassing fascination.
▪ Paul, much less consulting him as to where to live, she simply literally arrived on his doorstep.
▪ They say I had the vanity to go down to Croisset and make an embarrassing scene on his doorstep.
▪ Thomas Hewett was off duty and having a quiet glass of stout and a chinwag on his front doorstep.
▪ Two burly men were on the doorstep.
▪ When anyone anywhere had a question about leadership, he inevitably wound up on my doorstep.
▪ Yet here is a dark continent on our own doorstep, crying out for missionary endeavour.
on sb's/the radar (screen)
on second thoughts
▪ But perhaps, on second thoughts, it wasn't so strange: Luke was special, unique.
▪ He was decisive and never wasted time on second thoughts.
▪ In fact, on second thoughts, would it not be far more sensible to invite Emilia to come to Cambridge?
▪ No, on second thoughts, I wasn't sulking.
▪ Then, on second thoughts, she opened the lid just the tiniest fraction so that the creature could breathe.
▪ William Oh-right-on second thoughts maybe it wasn't that bad.
▪ You eventually work out that if ... on second thoughts, you can solve it yourself!
on show
▪ We have placed one of the pieces on show in the lobby.
on sight
▪ A lot of people assume on sight that Lisa's not American.
on site
▪ An engineer will be on site to supervise the construction.
on solid ground
▪ Our main objective is to get the city's finances onto solid ground.
▪ I sat on solid ground, my back against a tree.
▪ Similarly, when Dole asserts that Clinton reduced the office of drug czar by 83 percent, he is on solid ground.
▪ We are on solid ground when we say that we will oppose this Bill.
on spec
▪ Families moved west, essentially, on spec.
on standby
▪ City firefighters have been on standby for the past three days.
▪ Other airlines said they would accept the passengers on standby.
on sufferance
on tap
▪ Plenty of good food will be on tap for the Memorial Day celebration.
on that account/on this account
on that score
▪ You won't get any complaints from me on that score.
▪ An odd coincidence-if you believe in coincidences-changed his thinking on that score.
▪ At any rate Joan and I were having no problems on that score.
▪ He knew far more on that score than I, and I could not help but respect him.
▪ I was ever silent on that score, for it was the truth.
▪ Leeds had to think again on that score.
▪ No need to revise our predictions yet, on that score.
▪ Not that I've any complaints on that score.
on the back of sth
▪ Captions Never write directly on the back of a photograph.
▪ Clubs also look set to be given the option of having players' names on the back of their shirts.
▪ I feel moist breath on the back of my neck, and fingers touch my arm.
▪ It was strange to see his bag on the back of another caddie.
▪ Jack said, and he slapped Streeter on the back of the head with his gun hand.
▪ Mr Gregson took me home, jolting on the back of the wagon.
▪ Somebody runs out of the crowd and hits Mowat on the back of the neck.
on the backs of sb
▪ For a while she stood next to the coal stove and warmed her hands on the backs of her legs.
▪ He ignores the kids whose feet are propped on the backs of chairs.
▪ In toads, for instance, the males sit on the backs of females for a few days before the female lays her eggs.
▪ It is clearly unfair that so much tax in the Third World falls on the backs of those least able to pay.
▪ John Betjeman scribbled verses on the backs of envelopes and read them aloud in his car.
▪ Palm trees sway on the backs of countless cotton shirts.
▪ Print your music on candy wrappers or on the backs of daguerreotypes.
▪ The wood for the hedge arrived not on the backs of the hedge-builders but in the boot of their Ford Cortina.
on the ball
▪ A photographer who was on the ball got some great pictures of the incident.
▪ Calluses grow on the ball of the foot and do not have a nucleus.
▪ He was turning on the ball right away against veteran pitchers.
▪ Parks is a man who knows how to keep his eye on the ball.
▪ Super slow-motion replays appeared to show O'Driscoll did not apply downward pressure on the ball.
▪ The cricketer himself seems intent on something earlier; back on the ball by June.
▪ The thinking behind that extra half inch was it would give me better plate coverage on the ball away.
▪ There seemed to be no time on the ball, and poor Dylan Kerr was run ragged down the right wing.
▪ They were the black men who did, indeed, have it on the ball.
on the basis of sth
▪ Employers are not allowed to discriminate on the basis of race or sex.
▪ It seems as though Strachan and Sterland have got their shirts on the basis of length of service.
▪ Most employers require inspectors to have a high school diploma or equivalent even when they qualify on the basis of experience.
▪ Segregation on the basis of race is a denial of equal protection in violation of the Constitution. 38a.
▪ Spenser could consider himself a gentleman only on the basis of having been to university and acquired a Master of Arts degree.
▪ Student performance will be judged on the basis of degree examination results, thesis and continuous assessment, following current University regulations.
▪ The assessment is riddled with judgements made on the basis of professional experience or political choice.
▪ The employer is only allowed to discriminate on the basis of personal merit and suitability for the job.
▪ The provinces are drawn on the basis of radioactive ages.
on the bias
▪ cloth cut on the bias
▪ Slice on the bias and place on top of Minted White Beans.
on the blink
▪ The radio's on the blink again.
▪ No sooner does one learn to avoid one station than another goes on the blink.
▪ One of the North Sea rigs has gone on the blink.
▪ The blasted thing's on the blink again.
▪ Your computers must be on the blink.
▪ Your link's on the blink.
on the blower
▪ It was just me at home on the blower, learning about all the various bits of it.
▪ Or has rapper Puff been on the blower from New York with a few choice words?
▪ Wyatt turned on the blower and the image disappeared.
on the bone
▪ Decay leaves little modification on the bone.
▪ If there is some meat left on the bones, all the better.
▪ It came to rest with corpses of slow woolly mammoths frozen deep inside, it lay on the bones of sabre-toothed tigers.
▪ Meat left on the bones will only add to the flavor of the stock.
▪ The robes were stained and torn, but there still seemed to be some blood on the bones.
▪ There is some roughage on the bone that causes swelling and pain.
▪ They took great care and were concentrating on a small area, trying hard not to tread on the bones.
on the button
▪ She got to our house at two, on the button.
▪ The weather forecast was right on the button.
▪ Did he bank and dive, his finger on the button, his guns blazing from the wings?
▪ He made his birdie and he made his cut, right on the button.
▪ He was pressing hard on the button and standing patiently for the door to open.
▪ She clicked on the button to turn over the second card, and the second card was Death.
▪ So she pressed down on the button more firmly.
▪ The whole show, Dominic says, is about keeping your finger on the button.
on the cheap
▪ His new book tells how to visit New York on the cheap.
▪ It's impossible to provide good nursing care on the cheap.
▪ You only had to look at the houses to see that they'd been built on the cheap.
▪ He's probably counting on family connections to get you on the cheap!
▪ Here you are covered for your tank and any furnishings which are damaged, even on the cheapest, most basic policy.
▪ There is a temptation that voluntary organisations may be tempted into offering services on the cheap.
▪ There would be no way of doing it gradually or on the cheap.
▪ They were able to take a high line, look impressive, cut a dash - on the cheap.
▪ This added up to $ 290. 50, a great date on the cheap, in Motor City.
on the contrary/quite the contrary
on the credit side
▪ The telltale entry was the lone item on the credit side: £2,000, from deposit account.
on the cusp
▪ Claude Cheever, a young man on the cusp of 20&.
▪ Death becomes him, for ever frozen in time as a complex and charismatic 24-year-old on the cusp of greatness.
▪ Sing Sing seems constantly on the cusp of chaos.
▪ They will be on the cusp of puberty.
▪ With plans to add another 100 staff by April, it is on the cusp of breaking into the big league.
on the debit side
on the dot
▪ He gets annoyed if his lunch isn't ready at one o'clock on the dot.
▪ I'm leaving work at twelve-thirty on the dot.
▪ I expect you to arrive at 7:30 on the dot.
▪ She always leaves the office at 5.30 p.m. on the dot.
▪ At four-thirty on the dot Benny put on his coat and cap and bade William goodnight.
▪ At nine o'clock, on the dot, I went down to the station cafe to face whatever was going to happen.
▪ Eleven fifteen on the dot, wait for it to pick the phone up.
▪ He stood in it for fifteen minutes, until it rang on the dot of nine.
▪ However, before signing on the dotted line, you should think carefully about the risks and the costs.
▪ I was to be at the harbour at 8 a.m. on the dot.
▪ Jasper was always on the dot.
▪ The lucky 10, 000 have signed on the dotted line.
on the drawing board
▪ Additional programs in international studies and telecommunications were on the drawing board.
▪ Parisians remain unconvinced that the project will be approved, especially since it is not the only idea on the drawing board.
▪ Plans also are on the drawing board to develop chips for the cable industry.
▪ The balancing of these main curves is done on the drawing board.
▪ Until that changes, the Tobin tax will remain on the drawing board.
on the edge of sth
▪ But from where we stand, they appear to be teetering on the edge of financial -- and societal -- disaster.
▪ Gripsholm Castle is built on the edge of Lake Mälar, not far from Strängnäs.
▪ He was waiting for her answer, not exactly on the edge of his seat, though.
▪ I rested for a few minutes, then sat on the edge of the bed and looked around.
▪ It is a dangerous moment, pregnant with hope teetering on the edge of despair.
▪ She found a bathroom further along, and sat on the edge of the bath.
▪ She slid out of bed and sat on the edge of his cot.
▪ We're on the edge of our seats.
on the edge of your seat
▪ The movie's last scenes kept us on the edge of our seats.
▪ Chesarynth perched on the edge of her seat, fearing a poisoned needle in the cushions.
▪ From the moment he took the rostrum, Gergiev had his musicians tensely perched on the edge of their seats.
▪ He was waiting for her answer, not exactly on the edge of his seat, though.
▪ This dramatic opening had me on the edge of my seat!
▪ This keeps you on the edge of your seat.
▪ We're on the edge of our seats.
on the edge of your seat
▪ Chesarynth perched on the edge of her seat, fearing a poisoned needle in the cushions.
▪ From the moment he took the rostrum, Gergiev had his musicians tensely perched on the edge of their seats.
▪ He was waiting for her answer, not exactly on the edge of his seat, though.
▪ This dramatic opening had me on the edge of my seat!
▪ This keeps you on the edge of your seat.
▪ We're on the edge of our seats.
on the face of it
▪ It looks, on the face of it, like a pretty minor change in the regulations.
▪ On the face of it, he appeared to be an ideal candidate for the position.
▪ On the face of it, this seems like a perfectly good idea -- we must wait and see if it turns out well.
▪ A contractual obligation, such as an exchange rule gives rise on the face of it to strict liability.
▪ All three candidates were acceptable on the face of it.
▪ As I say, on the face of it obvious.
▪ Innocuous enough on the face of it.
▪ It is, on the face of it, a very considerable offer.
▪ They were not, on the face of it, a likely match.
▪ This seems a contradiction on the face of it.
on the face of the earth
on the flat
▪ A standby compass is mounted on the flat windscreens' central pillar.
▪ He rubbed his eyes and gazed out on the flat green countryside below.
▪ Miles per gallon Then, on a long haul, it wouldn't go up hill or overtake on the flat.
▪ Several of these graptolites are preserved on the flat bedding surfaces of a black shale.
▪ Skipper worked nicely on the flat, so John built us a six inch cross pole to trot over.
▪ The moon was shining brightly on the great stones, and between them, on the flat ground, lay the girl.
▪ Through the strips of waving screen he could see sunset in the palmettos, sunset on the flat sand.
▪ We follow a number of faint tracks that disappear on the flat and run into barriers of scrub brush and trees.
on the fly
▪ Sometimes you have to make decisions on the fly.
▪ Java applets are capable of handling a wide variety of graphic formats as well as creating graphics on the fly.
▪ Lee Ann took all her clothes off and lay down to sun herself on the flying bridge.
▪ Some one more determined could probably find some flat back-road routes, but doing it on the fly proved beyond us.
▪ Some systems still rely on a batch pagination method while others, like Interleaf, do the whole thing on the fly.
▪ Taco Bell: The burritos and fajitas are among the easiest foods to eat on the fly.
▪ The run-time code is loaded on to a real processor and translated on the fly into the chip's native instruction set.
▪ This root is then stored and may be accessed in the lexicon at run-time rather than determined on the fly.
▪ This time, I got it there on the fly.
on the fringes (of sth)
▪ Both teams are on the fringes of playoff contention, and that was reflected in the game.
▪ But they all remained on the fringes.
▪ He had served on numerous civic committees and dabbled on the fringes of politics, mainly at the name-dropping level.
▪ It is a monopoly with a little managed competition on the fringes.
▪ It is on the fringes of higher education, through its contribution to research, which provides an educational resource for students.
▪ Or only on the fringes, allowed in after promises of exemplary behaviour?
▪ The idea, indeed, was supported more by those on the fringes of political life than by those at the centre.
on the go
▪ My kids keep me always on the go.
▪ Here's the lowdown on these tasty treats: Wraps are the ideal meal for people on the go.
▪ I've been on the go all day.
▪ I have three or four on the go at once.
▪ Make a point of always having more than one project on the go.
▪ Room temperature exerted a powerful influence on the going rate of any timekeeper.
▪ She is constantly on the go, running around, pushing other kids, throwing toys.
▪ Some of these blokes have eight or nine houses on the go.
▪ We were always on the go.
on the ground
▪ But when you sleep on the ground a lot, you get to see all sorts of bugs.
▪ He sat cross-legged on the ground and stared into the black grid on the front of the radio. 2.25 p.m.
▪ Over five thousand dead and wounded men were on the ground, in every attitude of distress.
▪ People on the ground would be trying to blast us out of the air.
▪ Putting these things in place on the ground will be our job.
▪ That does not say much for the top chasers of the day, which are very thin on the ground.
▪ That marked the first time that solar neutrons were detected on the ground.
▪ The egg is infective on the ground in about two weeks at optimal temperatures.
on the hoof
▪ As sure as I have tusks, this is ontology on the hoof.
▪ Changes were being made on the hoof, and no records were being kept of what was being done and by whom.
▪ Diana, an unwilling international media celebrity, was having to learn on the hoof.
▪ Farmers wishing to sell finished stock on the hoof contact the company's field staff who video the animals intended for sale.
▪ It was one of those glorious moments when a politician is forced to make up policy on the hoof.
▪ Much of the beef from the United States in fact arrived in cattle ships on the hoof.
on the horizon
▪ Huge, black clouds rushed on the horizon.
▪ Marriage is on the horizon or meeting that special individual.
▪ Meanwhile, the absolute deadline of June 30, 1982, loomed on the horizon.
▪ Off on the horizon was the Soviet guided-missile destroyer Sovremennyy.
▪ Rivers flashed by, and mountains appeared on the horizon.
▪ Something slightly less flat than the flatness surrounding it appeared on the horizon.
▪ Then on the fifth day, mid-morning, a pool of light as pale and clear as moonstone appeared on the horizon.
▪ Two marker posts with winking lights had appeared on the horizon, and the bus was steering between them.
on the inside
▪ Bells hung on the inside which occasionally Ruth, when in residence, would strike.
▪ Condensation: normal levels - a light film on the inside of the fly but no droplets.
▪ Get rich quick schemes on the inside of matchbooks?
▪ He grabbed his overcoat which hung on the inside of the door.
▪ He stupidly took off on the outside of a wave when some one else had already established priority on the inside.
▪ They played Twenty-one; the scores were kept on the inside of a Lyons Green Label tea packet.
▪ Three narrow windows were locked on the inside, shades drawn.
▪ To those on the inside, the critique will probably seem unreasonable.
on the inside
▪ Bells hung on the inside which occasionally Ruth, when in residence, would strike.
▪ Condensation: normal levels - a light film on the inside of the fly but no droplets.
▪ Get rich quick schemes on the inside of matchbooks?
▪ He grabbed his overcoat which hung on the inside of the door.
▪ He stupidly took off on the outside of a wave when some one else had already established priority on the inside.
▪ They played Twenty-one; the scores were kept on the inside of a Lyons Green Label tea packet.
▪ Three narrow windows were locked on the inside, shades drawn.
▪ To those on the inside, the critique will probably seem unreasonable.
on the job
▪ on-the-job training
▪ Today's my first day on the job.
▪ He was making posters after hours on the job and sending them to the Socialist Workers Party.
▪ However, he also concentrated on the job in hand, sending Dodgy Dancer ahead well inside the final furlong.
▪ I put in the day on the job, which I like, and I go home at night.
▪ If any employee is sinking on the job, you need to respond in a businesslike way.
▪ She would concentrate on the job in hand instead, and get it done as quickly and cleanly as possible.
▪ They were on the job, see, your mum and Stephen's dad.
▪ When they go on sick leave, their aggregate take-home pay is actually higher than when they are on the job.
▪ Why else would they take on the job?
on the lam
▪ While on the lam, Benek worked as a waitress at a small diner.
▪ All of which leads her to suspect that he was either on the lam or in the Witness Protection Program.
▪ Does he turn her over to the cops, or ditch school and go on the lam with her?
on the lash
on the march
▪ Fascism is on the march again in some parts of Europe.
▪ By this time the Confederates had formed into columns and were on the march back to Corinth, Mississippi.
▪ Certainly my migraines were on the march, I missed two shows in the six-month run.
▪ He shot 3-for-9 and then resumed his ongoing discourse on the march to the playoffs.
▪ Imports were valued at £5,516m last month, down by over £100m on the March figure.
▪ Of all these horsemen, not a tenth, not even a twentieth eat meat on the march.
▪ Perhaps Louis was also stung by the threatened negation of his own youthful exploits on the March.
▪ The board adopted its own measure, which will go on the March ballot in opposition to the Kuper initiative.
▪ Well of course we protested and went on the March for Life and Peace, which was turned back by the military.
on the margin(s)
▪ Many mentally ill people have been forced to live on the margins of society.
▪ At each period new houses and streets have been added on the margins of the built-up area.
▪ Competition on the margin forces organizations shed their skins, time and again.
▪ In all, more than three out of five older women were living in or on the margins of poverty.
▪ Natural selection, which normally works on the margins, suddenly alters the core of the system.
▪ Since many exist on the margins of their environments, small changes may create big problems for them.
▪ The Bill provides a little extra competition and regulation on the margin, but it does not fundamentally transform the regime.
▪ The Loughborough research shows that librarians don't have to feel apologetic about being on the margins of school action.
▪ You get feedback written on the margins on your page or typed on a separate piece of paper.
on the market
▪ It's one of the cheapest computers on the market.
▪ The house was on the market for $475,000.
▪ There are thousands of different computer games on the market.
▪ There may be better shoes on the market, but this is the one the kids want.
▪ All are on the market today.
▪ All four prototypes used special tapes, and were incompatible with each other - as well as with every video system already on the market.
▪ But three weeks later he put it back on the market.
▪ Colors of the hybrids now on the market include shades of red and pink in addition to white.
▪ It was on the market for six months for $ 70, 000.
▪ It was put on the market more than two years ago at $ 12. 5 million.
▪ This may be the best scanner bargain on the market.
on the morrow of sth
on the nail
▪ I bet they paid their £1.80 on the nail when they got the magazine.
▪ Not paying on the nail could be extremely expensive.
▪ She brought the hammer down on the nail.
▪ The first one mounted the runway and briskly walked its length, barefoot on the nail points.
▪ The lavatories also had a birthday, and Dad left ours unlocked with plenty of fresh newspaper on the nail.
▪ The Tories got it absolutely on the nail.
on the never-never
▪ From thence he progressed into Formula Ford, with an Alexis that he bought on the never-never.
▪ They just let you go on buying on the never-never.
on the nod
▪ Everything went through on the nod.
▪ Funds for major projects and programmes have been approved virtually on the nod.
▪ Ira Sanchez offered a bet and the bookie took it on the nod.
on the nose
▪ He gets up at 6 a.m. on the nose every morning.
▪ Alan Keyes hits it on the nose.
▪ Bombay Coarse and raw on the nose with sweet rubbery notes but little perceptible juniper.
▪ Have you heard about the Tory moderate who hit the cheerful-looking palmist on the nose?
▪ He's had to be kept apart from the hamsters ever since one bit him on the nose.
▪ His nervously elegant hand made a shaking bridge over the tinted spectacles, adjusting them without need on the nose.
▪ In this, the Supreme Court is right on the nose.
▪ The ale is a bright amber colour with quite intense caramel and sweet hop characters on the nose.
on the occasion of sth
▪ Although it is not continuous, it is observed on the occasion of some miracles.
▪ In May 1985, on the occasion of the centenary, hundreds of people thronged the platform, many in Victorian costume.
▪ Ragged urchins, of course, sitting on those school benches on the occasions of her visits.
on the off chance
▪ I keep all of my old clothes on the off chance that they might come back into fashion.
▪ I asked him on the off chance.
▪ Much effort went into tracing remote family connections abroad on the off chance of identifying a benefactor.
▪ She thought of ringing him on the off chance of catching him at the flat, but shelved the possibility as unlikely.
on the off-chance
▪ I called on the off-chance that Patty might be home.
▪ I just came on the off-chance.
▪ I rang Otto on the off-chance.
▪ I walked over to the wardrobe and opened the door just on the off-chance.
▪ It was a long way to drive on the off-chance that something would come of it.
▪ The card is too expensive on the off-chance I could get in an away game during the season.
▪ There was no time to contact him, so I came on the off-chance.
on the open market
▪ Berryhill is back on the open market.
▪ HaL is unlikely to sell its chips on the open market.
▪ I hadn't been on the open market for so long.
▪ If the Bank wishes to reduce the money supply it will sell securities through its broker on the open market.
▪ It is likely to be some years before such a product is on the open market.
▪ It will sell the rest on the open market.
▪ Priced on the open market, they would sell for tens and tens of billions of dollars.
▪ They sell bonds on the open market.
on the other hand
▪ Nuclear power is relatively cheap. On the other hand, you could argue that it's not safe.
▪ The hamburger was tough and overcooked. The fries, on the other hand, were terrific, and well worth the money.
▪ You want to help your kids as much as you can, but on the other hand, you've got to be careful to help them learn on their own.
▪ Clinton on the other hand lacks the courage of his cynicism.
▪ Clinton, on the other hand, understands what Kathie Lee is going through.
▪ Lind, on the other hand, is a victim of the great urge to simplify.
▪ Ray, on the other hand, is more of a traditionalist.
▪ Rickenbacker's whole philosophy, on the other hand, is based upon never making guitars anywhere other than under their own roof.
▪ Salads on the other hand, are simple, satisfying and sizable.
▪ The Macintosh, on the other hand, uses the Motorola 68000 and was designed as a closed architecture.
▪ Your computer, on the other hand, is a digital device.
on the outs (with sb)
▪ Because of a dispute over a silver tea service, E1 and Rhoda had been on the outs for thirty years.
▪ But even in labor we were on the outs.
▪ I was always on the outs.
on the outside
▪ A coating is often then placed on the outside for additional protection.
▪ He uncurled her fingers and reset the fist with the thumb on the outside.
▪ I like music that's cold on the outside.
▪ I want to put the computer world around you on the outside.
▪ It was slightly charred on the outside, sweet in the center.
▪ They don't trust anyone on the outside, anyone who appears to be on the outside.
▪ They were stuck on the outside like cheerleaders.
on the payroll
▪ Burns will be on the payroll until January 31.
▪ All those taxes and regulations force small business to keep nonproductive employees on the payroll.
▪ And he defended eight of the 14 people listed as ghost employees on the payroll of then-Rep.
▪ Before going outside your organization look around to see whether there is anyone already on the payroll who could do the job.
▪ He asked Karloff, who was on the payroll for another three days, if he would do it.
▪ Levies on the payroll will not have that effect.
▪ The tax authorities insisted they put the women on the payroll.
▪ There are no employees with serious disabilities on the payroll either, though with regard to that issue also they are open-minded.
▪ To save money, many companies are putting their secretaries on the payroll of temporary personnel companies.
on the pull
on the q.t.
on the quiet
▪ He used to flirt with the two girls, on the quiet, when his wife wasn't looking.
▪ His doctor has told him he mustn't drink, but he still has the occasional brandy on the quiet.
▪ A little further on the quiet was broken by the rumble of a truck.
▪ A visiting dignitary on the quiet lonely street.
▪ He swills it down at times; of course, on the quiet, after Great-gran's safely tucked up in bed.
▪ It is best therefore to err on the quiet side and to use percussion sparingly rather than to excess.
▪ Outside, snow is falling on the quiet street, and everything has turned white.
▪ The dead man had been renting the house on the quiet estate for 18 months.
▪ There are almost no signs of Tarkmania on the quiet, flat, dust-blown campus.
▪ You and I felt welcome, shrouded in the warm dark, confident on the quiet block.
on the rack
▪ He himself was beginning to ache as though stretched on the rack, with the worst still to come.
▪ His characteristic attitude is one of close scrutiny and interrogation; he puts his documents on the rack, as it were.
▪ I'd put the bike on the rack at the back and secured it with a bungy strap.
▪ It smelt of camphor as if the old clothes hanging on the racks had just been taken out of ancient chests.
▪ The pound, however, was still on the rack.
▪ There were only face towels left on the rack.
▪ When the Babbel incident blew up, Liverpool really were on the rack.
▪ When the fire is hot, lay the mushrooms on the rack.
on the rampage
▪ And then in the second half they went on the rampage.
▪ Jaq scanned another swarm of these hybrids, on the rampage with guns and blades.
▪ Midway through the second half, Neath went on the rampage scoring another three tries in only eight minutes.
▪ Rangers beat Celtic and those Cath'lics will be on the rampage.
▪ Richard, on the rampage, must be an appalling bore.
▪ Second-placed Cardiff went on the rampage, crossing for six tries in an impressive 39-3 demolition of Newport at Rodney Parade.
▪ So long as radicals were on the rampage, staying in the centre meant leaning ever farther towards liberal reform.
▪ So we went on the rampage.
on the rebound
▪ Anderson scored the sixth goal on the rebound.
▪ John Travolta's acting career was on the rebound with "Look Who's Talking."
▪ We met when I was on the rebound from a very messy affair.
▪ Eadie pounced on the rebound and the tie was thus enlivened.
▪ It was on the rebound from Higginbotham that she took up with the first boy that she came near to liking.
▪ You've heard of love on the rebound, and falling for Fen could prove to be even more disastrous.
▪ You could say it was on the rebound but I had no reason to regret it.
on the right/wrong side of 30/40 etc
on the road
▪ Copper on the road to recovery in Spring 1990.
▪ Dara fled back to Agra and set off on the road to Delhi without daring to face his father.
▪ Detroit has never won on the road against Washington, losing in all 19 visits since 1938.
▪ It means getting out on the road with the sales people before they complain about call schedules.
▪ Owner Eddie DeBartolo has always insisted they stay in the finest hotels on the road.
▪ She jumps out and begins depositing my gear and groceries on the road as I fumble to pay her.
▪ The memorial is situated on the road from the village to Wansford. 8.
on the same page
▪ Birmingham and I are more often on the same page in the hymn book on the issues than I and Sen.
▪ Both words are on the same page of the dictionary, but of course you know that.
▪ I feel uncomfortable even writing about them on the same page.
▪ In several cases, we marked the same word more than once, even though the referenced are on the same page.
▪ Recognise a large number of different Fonts on the same page.
▪ Try to place them on the same page so you can see they all work together.
▪ WordPerfect will always keep that number of lines together on the same page.
on the scrapheap
▪ He liked the way female models were thrown on the scrapheap by their late twenties.
▪ What does it mean if you have been there for 20 years and feel you are thrown on the scrapheap?
on the shelf
▪ The basket of flowers was on the shelf behind them.
▪ The porcelain horse, the cactus, the blue bowl and the drinks were on the shelves.
▪ The saga centres on the tangled love life of a 30-year-old woman, who fears she will be left on the shelf.
▪ These were on the shelf and the bottom of the safe was stacked with pocket files.
▪ What was left on the shelves would not keep them alive.
on the side
▪ He sometimes does a bit of gardening on the side when he is short of money.
▪ It is difficult to estimate the number of people doing part-time jobs on the side.
▪ The blueberry pie came with a mound of whipped cream on the side.
▪ They run a catering business on the side.
▪ Aphrodite, of course, was on the side of Paris.
▪ Having contemplated the pro's and con's Darwin came down on the side in favour of marriage.
▪ In such cases, tests show that only the ear on the side of the blue eye is deaf.
▪ In this, Clinton is on the side of public health and Dole on the side of the status quo.
▪ It appeared to have something on the side.
▪ She had marks on the side of her face like as if being scratched.
▪ The Roosevelt administration, however, was emphatically on the side of the Bureau of Reclamation.
▪ The ward cars were converted from open parcel vans, already provided with sliding doors on the sides and ends.
on the sidelines
▪ How can we sit on the sidelines when thousands of innocent civilians are being killed.
▪ Tom stood on the sidelines , cheering his teammates.
▪ You can't just wait on the sidelines and hope things will improve.
▪ A bad tendon strain in Aldaniti's off-foreleg had to be fired, and he was on the sidelines for eighteen months.
▪ And Congress, with its hands in its pocket-wherein reside its true concern-stands mute1y on the sidelines.
▪ And I see companions and conviviality as much more on the sidelines of life than at the centre.
▪ Jody is standing on the sidelines watching the visitors go through their drills.
▪ Only McManaman, with a serious knee injury, will still be on the sidelines when they return to Villa Park tonight.
on the skids
▪ Car and truck sales have been on the skids.
▪ A medic jumped in as we got light on the skids.
▪ I was light on the skids, the troops were out.
▪ The ship hit and twisted on the skids, rocked over toward the left, hesitated precariously, and flopped back level.
▪ Water and electricity shares were on the skids.
on the slab
▪ Little piles of cartridges accumulated on the slab - there was nothing else whatever in any of the pockets.
▪ Once on the slab my boots failed to bite.
▪ The holds all take the form of bumps and ripples on the slab.
on the sly
▪ Dick had started drinking again on the sly.
▪ Elmer Gantry feels guilty for his vices: seeing people on the sly and drinking.
▪ He certainly wasn't dumping his pints on the floor on the sly.
▪ I won't be party to your bitching yourself on the sly.
▪ Sethe made a dress on the sly and Halle hung his hitching rope from a nail on the wall of her cabin.
▪ So we continued to meet on the sly.
▪ Sometimes she would give him money on the sly and he would help her with chores.
▪ The smartest girl passes answers on the sly to her table-mates.
▪ We try and slip him in on the sly when we think we've got them hooked.
on the small/high/heavy etc side
▪ Also on the small side is the 14-gallon fuel tank.
▪ Both versions have the same size fuel tank, which, at 14. 5 gallons, is on the small side.
▪ Burned by that experience, chip forecasters prepared their 1996 forecasts on the high side.
▪ For political reasons, these estimates are on the high side.
▪ The bedrooms, though on the small side, have recently been completed refurbished in sophisticated style.
▪ The clams and mussels-four of each-are on the small side, but flavorful.
▪ The little one's a bit on the small side.
▪ The only complaint we had with the shoe was the weight - it's on the heavy side.
on the spot
▪ I was so angry I almost resigned on the spot.
▪ Look, I can't give you a decision on the spot. I'll have to talk to my boss first.
▪ The Americans did not have troops on the spot and could not control events.
▪ The police can fine motorists on the spot for driving offences.
▪ They offered me a job on the spot.
▪ All is done to avoid being put on the spot or challenged.
▪ And he did, there and then, on the spot.
▪ I hiked across valleys so flat and wide it sometimes felt that I was walking on the spot.
▪ Impromptu teams are picked on the spot, with a knowledgeable captain to ensure a balance.
▪ My mom fired him on the spot and called in an orthopedic specialist.
▪ Often, everyone deals directly with the leader, who can make most decisions on the spot.
▪ One man announced that if Misner reached shore alone he would shoot him on the spot.
▪ The company agreed, a dozen people were filmed, each was paid on the spot, and all concerned were pleased.
on the spur of the moment
▪ I bought the car on the spur of the moment.
▪ It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
▪ On the spur of the moment, she decided to enter the race that she had come to watch.
▪ On the spur of the moment, we decided to head north that day instead of East.
▪ But airlines allow them to fly on the spur of the moment on a standby basis.
▪ He just took a calculated risk on the spur of the moment.
▪ I just reacted on the spur of the moment.
▪ I pledged to never again go home with some one on the spur of the moment.
▪ Now I could call other parents on the spur of the moment, arrange overnights for Janir or invite his friends over.
▪ They make quick changes and responses on the spur of the moment.
▪ This list wasn't compiled on the spur of the moment.
▪ When she got through he said he had taken a train on the spur of the moment and was in Bristol.
on the statute book
▪ Some of those old laws are still on the statute book.
▪ I repeat what I have said before: internment has been retained on the statute book.
▪ It is clear that the Government are determined that the Bill will be on the statute book before the general election.
▪ The Act enshrines principles social workers fought hard to get on the statute book.
▪ The fact remains that internment is on the statute book and is available to the Government to use.
▪ The hon. Gentleman said that I had said that we would keep internment on the statute book.
▪ The number of laws on the statute book increases cumulatively since governments repeal relatively few laws.
on the strength of sth
▪ Manuel was hired immediately on the strength of Cassidy's recommendation.
▪ Although it still has a stronger name on the track, the 1992 road range builds on the strength of previous years.
▪ Court testimony was seen as a formula to manipulate power and was evaluated on the strength of its effectiveness.
▪ He had no doubt that the case could be wound up on the strength of it.
▪ It is rare for an Indie band to take off big on the strength of a first record.
▪ She built her future business on the strength of that first success.
▪ Some bank stocks gained on the strength of J. P. Morgan&.
▪ The quantity depends on the strength of the essence.
on the stroke of seven/nine etc
▪ Arthur would be gone on the stroke of nine, and Ann too, if it was possible.
on the table
▪ Kelly hopes to have a proposal on the table within four months.
▪ Breakfast was already on the table when Stephen went downstairs.
▪ Explanation At the beginning of the demonstration, the stick was on the table.
▪ He straightened in his chair, palms flat on the table, cigarette jutting from his mouth.
▪ She took the two gifts from her handbag and set them on the table.
▪ Smith is happy just to get his bill on the table.
▪ The office fellows on the table behind laughed abruptly and in unison.
▪ We also came up with a laundry list of key issues that had always been there but never put on the table.
on the tiles
▪ Does working on the Big Breakfast mean no more nights on the tiles?
▪ I rested on the tiles and then went into the steam room.
▪ I took off my glasses, left them on my towel on the tiles, and went for a quick swim.
▪ Lincoln made his way in, the nails of his paws making clicking noises on the tiles.
▪ My boots squelch and squeak on the tiles.
▪ My feet made neat tracks on the tiles.
▪ The pattern, he remembered, echoed the one on the tiles of Patricia Hoskin's house in Clapham.
▪ They ran into the hall, Tom's boots clattering on the tiles.
on the tip of your tongue
on the trot
▪ Ballet Imaginaire sold out three nights on the trot in Lincoln.
▪ But Schuey was in top form and the triple world beater always looked odds-on to score his fifth win on the trot.
▪ David Rennie earned Birmingham their fourth win on the trot with his first goal for the club.
▪ In those days all the cutters were laid up on the trot piles in the river Hamble during the winter months.
▪ They may well crack altogether if Blackburn could win 3 or 4 games on the trot.
▪ We need to catch up 4 points. 4 wins on the trot will put us on course.
▪ What about the 10 superb games he had on the trot recently?
on the turn
▪ As the right leg is lifted on the turn, it should remain high and close to the body.
▪ Flo was denied a hat-trick when Austin McCann headed his shot on the turn off the line.
▪ Headlight controls are on the turn signal stalk, wiper controls on another stalk to the right of the steering wheel.
▪ In the passage she encountered the man who always smelt of meat on the turn.
▪ No wonder they reckon the beer's on the turn in here.
▪ Now they hope their luck is finally on the turn.
▪ The river black, flat, wide on the turn, and solid as a road.
▪ The tide was high but on the turn, lapping sluggishly against the rocks at the river's edge.
on the understanding that
▪ We said he could stay with us on the understanding that it would just be temporary.
▪ Darrel had mysteriously signed Littlecote over to Sir John in 1586 on the understanding that he would still be allowed to remain.
▪ It was possible for a person to be given a legacy on the understanding that he would manumit a slave.
▪ The reader who has bought your book has bought it on the understanding that this is what will happen.
▪ The work would be carried out on the understanding that the resulting products would be returned to the country of origin.
▪ They forget I took the job on the understanding that management of a national team can only be part-time employment.
▪ They hanged the couple on the understanding that Combe would become part of Berkshire and remain so.
▪ This expedition was sanctioned on the understanding that there was good money to be won at wrestling.
▪ This reaction was based on the understanding that atomic bombs cause widespread death and destruction and extreme human suffering.
on the wane
▪ Gonzales' power was on the wane.
▪ But I could see that the moon above my head was really on the wane.
▪ But the conservatives' influence has lately seemed on the wane.
▪ In the weeks beforehand, Mr Murdoch's use of e-mail had been on the wane.
▪ Ten years earlier, that might have been a good move, but now Chess was on the wane.
▪ The event coincided with New Zealand on the wane and Grant Fox paying the inevitable penalty.
▪ The influence of government agents and chief headmen, on the wane since 1920, declined still further.
▪ The vocational profession of Alpine shepherd is on the wane, an arduous life with unreliable income.
on the whole
▪ On the whole, he seems like an intelligent, likable person.
▪ Although the organized activists were not on the whole the very poor, the poorest joined the demonstration.
▪ But on the whole we had found less pollution than we anticipated.
▪ He appeared on the whole to be middle-aged.
▪ He next appears alone, and yet maintains his infected speech: The vengeance on the whole camp!
▪ If this transpires then the emergence of fairness really will have a substantial effect on the whole area of procedural due process.
▪ Nevertheless, he had met no one, could see no one on the whole spread of Foinmen's Plain.
▪ Nevertheless, on the whole audiences didn't get to notice.
on the wrong/right side of the law
▪ De Niro plays a lawyer, on the right side of the law.
on the/your way out
▪ A group of soldiers pushed past him on their way out.
▪ Alive three years ago, now all of them gone or on their way out.
▪ But drive-ins are on the way out.
▪ I fixed an interview time with Sylvia on my way out. 7 Emily Lightbody came back to work the following Monday.
▪ It also looks like Shutt is on his way out ... bit of a shame really.
▪ She hadn't merely failed to notice it on her way out.
▪ The old man could be on the way out, and anyone on the way out is inevitably a centre for drama.
▪ You would carry this in your sock and give it back to the man, reclaiming your clothes on your way out.
on the/your/its way
▪ A University is not some great machine which trundles on its way, going blindly about its purposes.
▪ Litchfield got up and patted his arm on the way to the closet.
▪ One member of the team must drink a pint of beer at the start and consume another four on the way.
▪ She looked at Bill questioningly, as though expecting him to confess on the way to the cemetery.
▪ The Community is now on the way to solving these problems on the following lines.
▪ The second went beyond this: it focused on the way archaeologists explain things, on the procedures used in archaeological reasoning.
▪ There is turbulence on the way back.
▪ They did not talk any more on the way to the hospital.
on tick
on time
▪ Did Philip pay up on time?
▪ I hate not being on time for class.
▪ McCoy did not show up on time for the trial.
▪ The company will lose money if the work isn't completed on time.
▪ The trains don't always arrive on time.
on tiptoe/on (your) tiptoes
on top
▪ Dallas was on top by 15 points at halftime.
▪ My hair's too long on top.
▪ On top of the cupboard was an old trunk, covered in dust.
▪ She brought me an enormous dish of ice cream with a bright red cherry on top.
▪ Sprinkle some Parmesan on top and grill.
▪ The church stood on top of a hill.
on top of sb
▪ Allen slipped and fell and was stabbed three times in his left shoulder and once on top of his head.
▪ Dry-fry the bacon, onion and mushrooms, then place on top of the cauliflower.
▪ Human beings are the same: they're piled on top of one another.
▪ The charge came on top of $ 200 million the firm already set aside in July.
▪ The weight of the air on top of the paper held it down with so much pressure that the stick broke.
▪ Then spread the cream cheese-nut filling on top of the honey-butter.
▪ Then they were lying against each other, on top of each other, inside each other.
▪ They laid the mattress over her, then piled pillows and coats on top of that.
on top of sth
▪ Allen slipped and fell and was stabbed three times in his left shoulder and once on top of his head.
▪ Dry-fry the bacon, onion and mushrooms, then place on top of the cauliflower.
▪ Human beings are the same: they're piled on top of one another.
▪ The charge came on top of $ 200 million the firm already set aside in July.
▪ The weight of the air on top of the paper held it down with so much pressure that the stick broke.
▪ Then spread the cream cheese-nut filling on top of the honey-butter.
▪ Then they were lying against each other, on top of each other, inside each other.
▪ They laid the mattress over her, then piled pillows and coats on top of that.
on top of the world
▪ After winning the batting title, Bagwell appeared to be on top of the world.
▪ In the spring of 1995, Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell appeared to be on top of the world.
▪ Noa was on top of the world.
▪ Standing there, on top of the world, my tiredness vanished.
▪ We are just sitting on top of the world.
▪ We were, for a time, on top of the world.
on trend
on your back
▪ For a lew moments I lay spread-eagled on my back, unable to change position.
▪ Forget Michelangelo, lying on his back high above the Sistine Chapel floor to paint his famous frescoes.
▪ He lay grinning up at me on the water, spreadeagled on his back with his arms splayed.
▪ He took Deianira on his back and in midstream insulted her.
▪ It appears to be a board-room decision and not his so let's not get on his back too quick.
▪ She lay on her back and laughed at the sky.
▪ Thousands of people have been practicing step aerobics, but over-enthusiasm could leave them flat on their backs.
on your bike!
on your conscience
▪ At least, he felt, an act of Providence had prevented him from having a death on his conscience.
▪ I have something on my conscience that I want to get off before I die.
▪ It has been on my conscience ever since.
▪ It is a terrible thing to have on your conscience.
▪ No female could live with that on her conscience.
▪ Rest it on your conscience if you wine and dine your lover and claim client entertainment.
▪ Where that girl is concerned I have nothing on my conscience.
on your feet
▪ She'd been on her feet all morning without once sitting down.
▪ You go. I've been on my feet all day, and I need a rest.
▪ A correspondent from the New York Times was on his feet.
▪ A socialist youth was on his feet, roaring with all the force and outrage of his years.
▪ Daley was on his feet, his arms waving, his mouth working.
▪ He was on his feet, gathering up books from his desk.
▪ He was on his feet, holding out his hand to Nick who went to him and took it trustingly.
▪ I was on my feet in the darkness, dressing quietly.
▪ The crowd was on its feet.
▪ The ones she had just knocked down were on their feet again, hopping on the steps around her.
on your guard
▪ But there are many cases where the merging of meanings are more and we have to be on our guard.
▪ I must always be on my guard.
▪ Police urged racegoers to be on their guard after six separate incidents of forged £20 notes were reported on the first day.
▪ That and Nils, to keep her on her guard.
▪ The boys in the institution had all been on their guard, searching for a way out.
▪ We'd better keep on our guard, all of us.
▪ Well, she had been warned, so she would be on her guard.
▪ When you read anything that any anthropologist has written on the topic of kinship terminology be on your guard.
on your honour
▪ Auguste would take it as a reflection on his honour if they were not, despite the unseasonable time of year.
▪ But I have placed the boy on his honour.
▪ They are a wild, free-spirited people, quick-tempered as Elves go, and swift to avenge any stain on their honour.
on your knees
▪ But now the Captain was on his knees beside the coffin praying.
▪ He gave no trouble and sat with his head down and his elbows on his knees, hands loose and empty.
▪ McAllister should be on his knees after a gruelling month at Elland Road.
▪ Painfully she wallows down on her knees and without diffidence soaps and rinses me all over.
▪ Pausing outside his living room door, he switched on the hall light and crouched down on his knees.
▪ Pearl had sat straight in her chair; her hands overturned on her knees.
▪ When I saw him a week later he got down on his knees and asked me to forgive him what he done.
▪ You know the lasting image: Hendrix on his knees, summoning fire from a flaming Stratocaster guitar.
on your last legs
▪ Sarah looks as if she's on her last legs.
▪ His exit, when he truly is on his last legs, is his most effective gambit.
▪ It's an old established set-up, but I reckon it's on its last legs now.
▪ It was a nightmare, anyone reading the papers would think I was on my last legs.
▪ Martin Glimmer is the 50-something horn player on his last legs.
▪ The battery, like the torch's owner, was on its last legs.
▪ The fenders flapped in the breeze, and the engine coughed and wheezed like an old man on his last legs.
▪ Without some fresh thinking the G8 is probably on its last legs as an effective body.
on your mark(s), get set, go!
on your mettle
▪ He had been on his mettle throughout.
▪ He thinks this keeps him on his mettle, but it often leaves him at a loss for the right word.
▪ I see now that it was just his way of keeping me on my mettle and making sure I didn't get big-headed.
▪ Variations in response put you on your mettle.
on your own account
▪ Carrie decided to do a little research on her own account.
▪ Although his ministers were never permitted to decide matters on their own account, Victor Amadeus delegated wide administrative powers to them.
▪ But if the operators are set against discounting it will not prevent the agencies from doing some on their own account.
▪ He advanced large sums to Parliament and later invested heavily on his own account in the purchase of bishops' lands.
▪ He was going to miss old Mr Schofield and he was disappointed on his own account too.
▪ In 1862 Smith set up in business on his own account.
▪ The company imposed regulations on its members, but individuals still traded on their own account.
▪ They may not set up in practice on their own account for a further three years.
on your own head be it
on your tod
▪ I had just had three weeks on my tod with company only in Reykjavik campsite.
on your/sb's mind
▪ But Alvin had a good deal else on his mind.
▪ But those who succeed him will have no such hold on hearts and minds, nor the same unity of purpose.
▪ Expansion is very much on the mind of Hahn, and always has been.
▪ I want to ask him about Gloria, but he has other things on his mind.
▪ It was probably inappropriate, dumb, or even rude, but it was the persistent question on my mind.
▪ Robyn lay, eyes closed, and concentrated on keeping her mind blank and her body relaxed.
▪ The last time I won was here and I had that on my mind most of the week.
▪ Visitors who come with only escape on their minds usually leave with a Chan Chich bird list.
on/about your person
▪ At the time he died he was carrying the bomb on his person.
▪ Away to the police surgeon to be probed for invisible cells hidden about her person.
▪ Don't worry, he's not about to escape with film concealed about his person.
▪ Her long blonde hair tumbled artistically about her person.
▪ His favourite weapons are a.357 Desert Eagle, which he always carries on his person, and a Franchi Spas shotgun.
▪ I distributed them properly about my person, and put on my hat.
▪ We healed them with our doctor's hands and placed them about our person.
on/at the periphery (of sth)
▪ He had never met Hindley Foster, some one who seemed very much on the periphery of their lives.
▪ Ken's friendships and the way he established them continued to surprise those who were on the periphery of his activities.
▪ Moss moved on the broken trees at the periphery of the golf grass.
▪ Now she was standing at the periphery of the crowd, wondering whether Cantor would even open the envelope she was clutching.
▪ That's always a very easy thing to do on the periphery.
▪ They may stay on the periphery watching the recess-time basketball games and jump-rope competitions from the sidelines of the playground.
on/by your lonesome
▪ Are you by your lonesome this weekend?
on/from all sides
▪ Add 6-8 chicken pieces and fry for 5 minutes on all sides.
▪ Add the kidneys when the foam subsides and sauté them quickly until browned on all sides, in about 5min. 2.
▪ Heat until water simmers, add sausages, and cook until water evaporates, 5 to 7 minutes, on all sides.
▪ In and out, on and off, they're coming at us from all sides.
▪ Press the rice into the tin, cover it with foil and press down on all sides until it is compressed.
▪ Realism was the order of the day on all sides.
▪ The great fires lighted on all sides continued to blaze until morning.
▪ The tower of flame over Orleans draws in winds from all sides.
on/off message
▪ Not one of them is focused, on message or safe to be left alone with a computer.
▪ So memories are made of spatiotemporal patterns like those on message boards.
on/onto the defensive
▪ He was tense now - on the defensive.
▪ It was the only time in her life that she had noticed her maternal grandmother at a disadvantage, on the defensive.
▪ Motta always put him on the defensive.
▪ The conference, held in a Protestant church, found Daley and his group on the defensive.
▪ The industry is on the defensive in Congress, in courts across the nation and in the war for public opinion.
▪ This immediately puts the farmer on the defensive and reinforces the public's perception of them as a complaining, dissatisfied group.
on/under pain of death
▪ In effect, each is swearing to keep it on pain of death.
on/upon (the) production of sth
▪ Based on the production of this absorption peak, it is possible to quantitate serum proteins by an ultraviolet-light technique.
▪ Employees are paid bonuses based upon the production of their work group over a predetermined standard.
▪ Health board workers can withdraw up to £100 each on production of their pay slip, their bank card and identification.
▪ Modern economies depend at least as much upon women's consumption of goods and services as upon production of any kind.
▪ Needless to say, the police were already familiar with the thief and absolutely delighted upon the production of such unambiguous evidence.
▪ The newly-christened Omnicoach will concentrate on the production of semi-ambulance vehicles.
▪ There are also a number of projects which concentrate on the production of materials and resources for educational use.
one on top of the other
▪ Banana trees dropped their rotting fruit, which lay one on top of the other, dying in layers.
▪ He taught Callie that when she added, she should stack the numbers one on top of the other.
▪ Soon our hands are together, perhaps one on top of the other, pointing to the words.
▪ The flour-dusted man with the two coats, one on top of the other, ran a grocery store.
▪ There were books piled on three shelves, one on top of the other.
open fire (on sth)
▪ Clothes are hung from nails, and cooking is done over an open fire.
▪ He is charged with ordering his subordinates to open fire on Tangi-Chu.
▪ Never stand over an open fire as Victorian fathers used to do.
▪ No wonder they had opened fire.
▪ Rebels hiding in jungle outside the village opened fire, killing one policeman.
▪ The battery... ascends the hill towards the Henry house and opens fire at close range.
▪ Then he opened fire at point-blank range, first at Cha, then at Park, severely wounding them both.
▪ There are two comfortable lounges with open fires, one with a large collection of books for guests to read.
open season (on sb)
▪ In the press, it seems to be open season on overpaid executives.
▪ It is open season for criticising UDCs for lack of planning, lack of strategic thinking and short termism.
▪ Payroll allocations can be changed only during an open season.
▪ That's the West Coast Trail, limited to 8,000 hikers during its open season from mid-April to the end of September.
▪ The grin meant it was open season.
▪ There would be an open season on scattered singletons.
out on a limb
▪ And the only way you're going to fail is if you get out on a limb.
▪ Breaking new ground often requires going out on a limb.
▪ But going out on a limb is one thing-this is going out on a twig, going out ona leaf.
▪ But only a purely wild man went out on a limb of four or five minutes.
▪ It was about ninety pounds and he went out on a limb for it, too.
▪ Junior was out on a limb.
▪ She was a chameleon, out on a limb, and had chosen a difficult camouflage.
▪ Until you came along, Century House was right out on a limb.
pass (a) sentence (on sb)
▪ I will pass sentence tomorrow when I have seen all the papers.
▪ Lord Taylor's main point is to suggest that judges should pass sentence with an eye to the public's expectations.
▪ Read in studio Magistrates watched the seven minute video before passing sentence.
▪ Stand while the judge passes sentence.
▪ The first is the abolition of the powers of courts to pass sentence of corporal punishment.
▪ The judge asked for more psychiatric reports on Borgois before passing sentence.
▪ The judge had 30 days to pass sentence.
pass judgment (on sb)
▪ He never passed judgment about the wishes; he just granted them impassively.
▪ I used to pass judgment on sight.
▪ Like everyone else, they will be able to pass judgment by means of the ballot box.
▪ Managers will often find it difficult not to pass judgment on subordinates automatically.
▪ No longer is it tainted as mystic, for here, with no one passing judgment, no experience is tainted.
▪ The duty of the court is neither to make nor to alter nor to pass judgment on the law.
▪ They pass judgment on an accused taking into account the gravity of the crime and the circumstances of the accused.
▪ We had filed suit to pass judgment on Harvester.
pass sth ↔ on
pass sth ↔ on
pass sth ↔ on
pat sb/yourself on the back
▪ She should pat herself on the back and take a well-earned break.
▪ Because when I pat myself on the back, the next sensation is usually a sharp kick lower down.
▪ Cliff Nudelman pats me on the back.
▪ Every person on the street will pat you on the back.
▪ For most of that ride it patted itself on the back.
▪ How dare she wave her bloody job at us like she wanted us to pat her on the back for it?
▪ I patted him on the back as hard as I dared but he still couldn't breathe.
▪ The manager patted Stuart on the back.
▪ This time I patted myself on the back all the way to the hotel.
peck sb on the cheek/forehead etc
▪ He pecked her on the cheek.
perch (yourself) on sth
▪ He had perched himself on a tall wooden stool.
▪ He was perched on top of a huge cage, looking at the visitors.
▪ He went straight into the bedroom, to the wall where the painted Asiatic doll was perched on the sideboard.
▪ Her doorman was perched on a folding chair, his attention largely given over to a supermarket tabloid.
▪ It was perched on a small promontory to the east of the town, overlooking the bay.
▪ Léonie perched on the cold wet edge of the white bath and leaned forwards.
▪ Manningham perched on a black leather stool by a well-stocked bar with a large mirror behind it.
▪ Thrush-sized, it perched on a bank.
▪ Waterlogged, he perched on top of the cabin and soon gurgled his song.
pick sb up on sth
▪ A Sergeant and four Corporals arrived from Orange to pick us up on the following Monday.
▪ He says they picked it up on the radar and had to take evasive action.
▪ We used to keep it round Nezzer Eyres's and pick it up on Sundays when we wanted it.
▪ When they went off the air in the evening, I picked it up on my program.
pile it on/pile on the drama
pile on the pounds
▪ Most comfort eaters enjoy it while they're eating, but the downside is they soon start to pile on the pounds.
▪ She did slim down a couple of years ago but has piled on the pounds again.
▪ To his relief the producers didn't want him to pile on the pounds.
pile on the pressure/agony
▪ And Walsh piled on the pressure to get promises of advertising business.
▪ He had four chances of piling on the agony for the Londoners but could not find a way past keeper Bob Bolder.
▪ It piled on the agony for Glasgow, who had passed up another chance two minutes before the break.
▪ Move round him, piling on the pressure from different directions.
▪ Pressure Gornei piled on the pressure from the start and by the end of the contest Griffin's face was badly swollen.
▪ Then we really pile on the pressure.
▪ They piled on the pressure to win handsomely by 30 shots.
▪ Woosnam piled on the agony with four successive birdies.
pin your hopes/faith on sth/sb
▪ Duregar pinned his hopes on Dwarven determination to keep the army safe.
▪ He seems to pin his hopes on it.
▪ Ministers are pinning their hopes on a big spending Christmas this year to give the High Street and struggling businesses a boost.
▪ Stores, pinning their hopes on a brighter Christmas, were cheerful.
▪ This year it is pinning its hopes on an 8% uplift in passenger growth to around the 82m mark.
▪ Those who pin their hopes on highly specified, short range solutions may or may not get it right.
▪ Treacy is pinning his hopes on Derry again falling victim to a goal famine of crisis proportions.
place value/importance/emphasis etc on sth
▪ A government department may place emphasis on careful administration and attention to detail, to research and to political manoeuvring.
▪ In fact, these words break the sentence rhythm, placing emphasis on the words that follow.
▪ It places emphasis on external evaluation and it undervalues the individual young reader's assessment.
▪ Some place emphasis on biotic, others on environmental factors.
play a hose/light on sth
play a joke/trick/prank on sb
▪ He had always played tricks on her.
▪ Her brain had to be playing tricks on her.
▪ In one of them, a man named Wakefield decides to play a joke on his wife.
▪ It allowed me to detect instances when time played tricks on the memory of some of the respondents.
▪ Jack felt edgy but convinced himself that his nerves were playing tricks on him.
▪ Somewhat perturbed, Ted flung the door open still believing that the platelayers were playing tricks on him.
▪ They delight in playing tricks on mortals, though they will cease to give trouble if politely requested to do so.
▪ Yes, fate was playing tricks on me.
play on words
▪ But most of all, children laugh at jokes that are a play on words.
▪ In this chapter, I hope to show that these distinctions are important and not merely a play on words.
▪ None the less the play on words is there in the text, and is appropriate.
▪ Perhaps the best solution is to see the place as a play on words.
▪ Some scholars believe that Matthew is making a play on words and that the original word was Nezer.
▪ Such, at least, is the suggestion of that play on words.
▪ This was a play on words.
▪ With Abraham's and Sarah's laughter the storyteller is indulging in another play on words.
play tricks (on you)
▪ He had always played tricks on her.
▪ He knew, too, that his head had been aching and that his mind was capable of playing tricks upon him.
▪ Her brain had to be playing tricks on her.
▪ It allowed me to detect instances when time played tricks on the memory of some of the respondents.
▪ Jack felt edgy but convinced himself that his nerves were playing tricks on him.
▪ Somewhat perturbed, Ted flung the door open still believing that the platelayers were playing tricks on him.
▪ They delight in playing tricks on mortals, though they will cease to give trouble if politely requested to do so.
▪ Yes, fate was playing tricks on me.
poach on sb's territory/preserve
pour cold water over/on sth
▪ Mieno is pouring cold water on the report before she's even seen it.
▪ Arsenal were in the final, but Chapman poured cold water on hopes for the Double.
▪ Clarisa picked him up and we poured cold water over his hand.
▪ He started to pour cold water over me, inpart to staunch the blood, inpart to revive me.
pour it on
▪ The Warriors continued to pour it on in the third quarter, taking a 20 point lead.
▪ Allow it to cool, and then pour it on a plate.
▪ Beat the eggs with the cream and pour it on.
▪ But instead of laying off, we were pouring it on.
▪ He tried to slow her down with gestures which she interpreted as signs of denial, and so she poured it on.
▪ If you pour it on certain plants, they will die.
▪ On the court, Red is pouring it on.
pour oil on troubled waters
pour on the charm
pour scorn on sb/sth
▪ Iraqi Radio poured scorn on the concept of "a new world order."
▪ But Washington last night poured scorn on Mr Chretien's veto claim.
▪ His complicity, if proved, would be a sensation, but even his critics poured scorn on the accusation.
▪ It was this last bit that caused the problem, and critics have poured scorn on the advice ever since.
pour scorn on sb/sth
▪ But Washington last night poured scorn on Mr Chretien's veto claim.
▪ His complicity, if proved, would be a sensation, but even his critics poured scorn on the accusation.
▪ It was this last bit that caused the problem, and critics have poured scorn on the advice ever since.
presume on/upon sb's friendship/generosity etc
▪ I will not presume upon your friendship any further.
prey on sb's mind
▪ But his main preoccupation was with the unfinished Requiem, which had begun to prey on his mind.
▪ Important items which are left have a habit of preying on the mind.
▪ It began to prey on my mind so much that I went to the casualty department of Charing Cross Hospital.
▪ It was Tatiana preying on his mind.
prey on sb's mind
▪ But his main preoccupation was with the unfinished Requiem, which had begun to prey on his mind.
▪ Important items which are left have a habit of preying on the mind.
▪ It began to prey on my mind so much that I went to the casualty department of Charing Cross Hospital.
▪ It was Tatiana preying on his mind.
price on sb's head
▪ As a soldier under the Whites there was a price on his head; some one would soon discover his true identity.
▪ Bream often have the biggest price on their heads but roach, rudd and hefty tench can provide a healthy bonus.
▪ He was also unusual among philologists in having had a price on his head.
pride yourself on (doing) sth
▪ As a nation we pride ourselves on our strong sense of sportsmanship and fair play.
▪ At Midland, we pride ourselves on establishing long term relationships with our customers.
▪ But then at Boots we pride ourselves on our usefulness to mums.
▪ Likud prides itself on being the party of the outsiders, and they are now a majority.
▪ The accommodation is cool and spotless and staff pride themselves on offering a warm welcome.
▪ The school prides itself on its ethnic diversity, Schaeffer said.
▪ We pride ourselves on the front seven and tackling people.
pull rank (on sb)
▪ She never acted like an authority figure or pulled rank on me.
▪ He pulled rank and went to bed at half past eleven, leaving me on for the late-night drinks.
▪ I do not enjoy pulling rank, but I do not tolerate unmanly gossip and back-biting.
▪ In the end, Naughtie pulled rank, and took on the task himself.
▪ Vi had the situation under control but the chief could, and probably would, pull rank.
pull the other one (it's got bells on)
pull the plug (on sth)
▪ But the firm pulled the plug on the scheme last week, leaving McAlpine fuming.
▪ George Bush pulled the plug out here fairly early.
▪ Mir guys, pull the plug.
▪ Practically, the banks are not wishing to pull the plug.
▪ The banks can pull the plug.
▪ Then, on March 28, 1980, with no warning to the workers, Harvester pulled the plug.
▪ They studied referees' reports and may recommend pulling the plug again after the final at Wembley on March 27.
▪ When the gap gets to two seconds or less, I pull the plug.
put (your) money on sth
▪ A lot of people are putting money on the line, hoping what Petruchio says he can do, he will do.
▪ Even the madmen wouldn't have him in real life, I'd put money on it.
▪ No one in their senses puts money on a horse other than in the hope of winning money.
▪ On the basis of what I told them, they put money on the line.
▪ She'd be willing to put money on that.
▪ The investor decides on the currency most likely to appreciate against sterling and puts money on deposit in that currency.
▪ The question this time, however, is would you still put your money on her?
▪ They put money on the table, too, perfect strangers expressing unmistakable monetary interest in the Tonelli Nation.
put a construction on sth
▪ The law does not say that specifically, but people have chosen to put that construction on it.
put a damper on sth
▪ The burglary put a damper on the family's Christmas.
▪ A couple of knee injuries put a damper on his football career.
▪ Analysts had figured the bad news from the giant microprocessor maker would put a damper on technology stocks.
▪ It really put a damper on everything.
▪ Lower prices for Treasury bonds helped put a damper on stock prices, traders said.
▪ Torrential rain put a damper on the event, sending bedraggled guests squelching across lawns to seek shelter.
put a different/new/fresh complexion on sth
▪ It may put a different complexion on things.
▪ To me, the fact that she hasn't been heard of again in seventeen years puts a different complexion on it.
put a figure on it/give an exact figure
put a human face on sth
▪ What he fails to do is to put a human face on these processes.
put a price on sth
▪ How can you put a price on Kryptonite, for instance?
▪ How do you put a price on nine years of being informed and entertained?
▪ Prominent ministers such as Henry Ward Beecher initially condemned the concept of putting a price on human life as sinful and sacrilegious.
▪ Then again, you can not put a price on what Augusta had to offer yesterday morning.
put a/the lid on sth
▪ Alan and I put the lid on the coffin and screwed it down.
▪ He had left the Phillips screwdriver in the spare room after we'd put the lid on.
▪ He put the lid on the pan and picked up his wine glass and drank before saying anything else.
▪ His new responsibilities have put the lid on this.
▪ If it passes, the measure would be the first time that an Arizona community has put a lid on building permits.
put flesh on sth
▪ Medical experts put flesh on the statistical data for the audience.
▪ Chen has now put flesh on his proposal in an interview with Business Week.
▪ The strength of this book is that it puts flesh on the bare bones of this argument.
put on a brave face/front
▪ He was shattered, though he put on a brave face.
▪ I suppose parents have to put on a brave face.
▪ Leaving the court the families all tried to put on a brave face.
▪ Meanwhile, Llandundo put on a brave face yesterday and struggled to get back to normal after last week's devastating floods.
▪ Newspaper staff put on a brave face.
▪ No one said a word all of us were consciously putting on a brave face.
▪ Whether in denial or putting on a brave face, the delegates professed to be unperturbed by those numbers.
put on the dog
put on weight/12 lbs/4 kg etc
put on your thinking cap
▪ Instead, put on your thinking cap, and turn those prepared ingredients into new dishes.
put one over on sb
▪ Cantor was pleased to have put one over on their first violinist, Sol Minskoff.
▪ They were trying to put one over on us and would no longer get away with it.
put one/sth over on sb
▪ They think they've found a way to put one over on the welfare office.
▪ Cantor was pleased to have put one over on their first violinist, Sol Minskoff.
▪ Just put him over on the couch.
▪ They were trying to put one over on us and would no longer get away with it.
put sb on a train/plane etc
put sb on the spot
▪ I don't want to put you on the spot, but I'm really curious about how you know Tim.
▪ The reporter's questions were clearly designed to put the Senator on the spot.
▪ You shouldn't put friends on the spot by asking them to hire your family members.
▪ Now the Supreme Court has put him on the spot.
▪ That sure put you on the spot.
▪ The aim was to put them on the spot - or at least to impress the Inspector with your knowledge and concern.
▪ This put Charles on the spot.
put sb ↔ on
put sth on sth
put sth on sth
put sth on sth
put sth on the map
▪ It was Ray Kroc that really put McDonald's restaurants on the map.
▪ The French town of Albertville hoped the winter Olympics would put the town on the map.
▪ It is already sixteen years since we left London specifically to help put Norfolk on the map in the Medau world.
▪ It was inspired by Brendan Foster and it brought international athletics to the town and put it on the map.
▪ Lady Diana's engagement to Prince Charles really put Althorp on the map, and it became a full-time job for me.
▪ That would put us on the map, give us more respect.
▪ The range improvement program, though, really put me on the map.
▪ This tournament has put us on the map and we are keen to develop it further.
▪ Whoever did, she says, put Nanaimo on the map.
put sth on the slate
▪ Can I put it on the slate, and I'll pay at the end of the week?
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put the brakes on sth
▪ It's the government's latest effort to put the brakes on rising prices.
▪ He managed to touch-down at the threshold and put the brakes on.
▪ If Peres and Labor are defeated, the Likud Party has vowed to put the brakes on the peace movement.
▪ Laid crops and unsettled weather put the brakes on harvest for many growers this week.
▪ The Communists have climbed on the bandwagon, but only to put the brakes on.
▪ There are indications, however, that the government is now trying to put the brakes on further expansion.
▪ Those cars with all those springs that rock back and forwards like a see-saw when you put the brakes on.
put the frighteners on sb
▪ The animals, yes, putting the frighteners on.
▪ Why should this female start putting the frighteners on him now, after all this time?
put the kibosh on sth
▪ The collapse of the junk-bond market has put the kibosh on a management buy-out of Wickes, an engineering and home-furnishings company.
put the mockers on sth
put the squeeze on sb
▪ Look, President Clinton might host some questionable coffees, but he never would put the squeeze on a Brownie!
▪ Secondly, its effect could only be to put the squeeze on landowners who sat in the path of the reservoir.
▪ The Treasury number two has targeted the most vulnerable in the drive to put the squeeze on government spending.
put the whammy on sb
put years on sb/take years off sb
put your face on
▪ Jill's still busy putting on her face.
▪ Then I put her face on her desk, supported by a heap of loose files.
put your finger on sth
▪ I can't put my finger on it, but there's something different about you.
▪ But what they were she could not quite put her finger on.
▪ Ezra put his finger on the photos.
▪ I can't put my finger on it.
▪ Lord Wyatt had put his finger on it: The hunts wouldn't let her in.
▪ Nightbreed almost does, but fails for some reason I can't quite put my finger on.
▪ One child put her finger on 17.
▪ Something was happening amongst the youth movement that so admired him and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
▪ The Captain of the Lymington-Yarmouth ferry could not quite put his finger on what was wrong.
put your head/neck on the block
put/bet/stake your shirt on sth
put/force sb on the defensive
▪ Motta always put him on the defensive.
▪ Simple as sneezing to put him on the defensive.
▪ The Conservative achievement in the 1980s was to put Labour on the defensive by presenting Thatcherism as a continuation of historic Conservatism.
▪ The Sangh has put Congress on the defensive by forcing it to dilute its secular tradition.
▪ These two seemed friendly enough, but their questions about Sweetheart put him on the defensive.
▪ This established licensing hours for the first time, and put brewers on the defensive.
▪ This puts people on the defensive, and they may become silent or get angry.
▪ You guys being a little bit aggressive at the beginning put him on the defensive.
put/lay your cards on the table
▪ If they're willing to put all their cards on the table and negotiate, that's good.
▪ If we want to reach an agreement, we'll have to lay all our cards on the table.
▪ They're willing to put all their cards on the table and negotiate.
▪ Come on, you can lay your cards on the table in this house.
▪ The new rules appear to encourage parties to lay their cards on the table and facilitate early settlements.
put/leave sth on the back burner
put/make a move on sb
put/place a premium on sth
▪ Modern economies place a premium on educated workers.
▪ Barbara, as usual, seemed to be placing a premium on maintaining her composure.
▪ In my own garden, I put a premium on fresh greens.
▪ International book-building puts a premium on intermediaries' experience and ability to sell to 300-odd investing institutions around the world.
▪ Up and down hill fences pose problems for the horse by placing a premium on balance and impulsion.
put/place sb on a pedestal
▪ My last boyfriend put me on a pedestal.
▪ Another will place philanthropy on a pedestal and yet have a resentful, unforgiving spirit.
▪ I was the most beautiful, wonderful woman and he put me on a pedestal.
▪ If it is going to be special, put it on a pedestal of sorts.
▪ Let's face it, possum, there are some who would put me on a pedestal.
put/tighten the screws on sb
rap sb on/over the knuckles
renege on an agreement/deal/promise etc
▪ Amid an increasingly hostile war of words, Finley has criticized Racicot for reneging on a promise to cooperate with federal authorities.
▪ They had been bitten too often by Congress reneging on agreements negotiated in good faith by the White House.
reserve (your) judgment (on sth)
▪ I think people should reserve judgment.
▪ Professor Furmston said he would reserve judgment until next week.
▪ Three appeal court judges reserved judgment.
rest on your laurels
▪ In such a competitive market, the leading company can't afford to rest on its laurels.
▪ But there is no room for resting on our laurels.
▪ But this generous accolade does not mean that we are resting on our laurels.
▪ Little time was granted to Lee and his men for resting on their laurels.
▪ Motorola has long been a leader in that as well, and it has never stopped to rest on its laurels.
▪ That is the only time when you can rest on your laurels.
▪ The religious authorities, who were very active during the nationalist struggle, rested on their laurels after independence.
▪ This evolution of Diamond Rio signals that the group is not ready to rest on its laurels -- at least not voluntarily.
▪ You can never rest on your laurels.
rest/sit on your laurels
▪ But there is no room for resting on our laurels.
▪ But this generous accolade does not mean that we are resting on our laurels.
▪ Little time was granted to Lee and his men for resting on their laurels.
▪ Motorola has long been a leader in that as well, and it has never stopped to rest on its laurels.
▪ That is the only time when you can rest on your laurels.
▪ The religious authorities, who were very active during the nationalist struggle, rested on their laurels after independence.
▪ This evolution of Diamond Rio signals that the group is not ready to rest on its laurels -- at least not voluntarily.
▪ You can never rest on your laurels.
ride on sb's shoulders/back
▪ Better than that was riding on his back while he went down on hands and knees and neighed like a horse.
▪ Dostoevsky wanted to stifle the thought that he was riding on the back of Nechacv's perverse glamour.
▪ Just by riding on your shoulders, Newt.
▪ Oblivious to the emotion riding on their backs, Aureole and Pinza came to Epsom with excellent credentials.
▪ Or you can ride on my back, if you prefer.
▪ People on welfare are not taking a ride on the backs of other people.
▪ Power can not ride on an upright back.
roll on sth
run late/early/on time
▪ Don called - he's running late, so we'll start without him.
▪ He makes our trains run on time.
▪ In other words: - Keep the job running on time.
▪ Maybe she could get the London Underground to run on time?
▪ Passenger trains never ran on time now.
▪ Station refurbishment seems a mere insult when the trains don't run on time.
sb can do sth standing on their head
sb doesn't have much meat on him/her
sb is (living) on another planet/what planet is sb on?
▪ As a replacement for the Bluebird, the Primera is on another planet.
▪ People in the Antelope Valley worry that most people south of the mountains think that their valley is on another planet.
sb puts his pants on one leg at a time
sb will be laughing on the other side of their face
sb wrote the book on sth
▪ Cheryl wrote the book on being irresponsible.
▪ Hartley wrote the book on self-serving.
▪ It wrote the book on quality control.
sb's eyes are out on stalks
sb's eyes/gaze settles on sb/sth
sb's eyes/gaze/glance fall(s) on sth
▪ A fierce, terrified elation raced through her veins as her eyes fell on the knife only an inch away from her hand.
▪ As he scanned the room for potential defenders his eyes fell on Father Ed Dougherty.
▪ Does the gaze fall on the impaired body or on social barriers?
▪ He greeted her, his eyes falling on her again for an instant and then skittering away.
▪ He helped me shift the tea-chests and his eyes fell on your clothes as though dazed in a perfumed garden.
▪ Its huge eyes fell on the scrap of paper on the floor.
▪ Looking around, his glance fell on the twigs scattered on the ground where Cassowary had thrown them.
▪ My eyes fell on the bed and to my horror something began slowly to stir under the blanket.
sb's memory is playing tricks on them
sb's mind is not on sth
▪ I was trying to study, but my mind just wasn't on it.
sb's take (on sth)
scotch/vodka etc on the rocks
seat yourself (in/on/beside etc sth)
▪ At two o'clock she seated herself at a window-table in a restaurant overlooking the Nile, near where the houseboat was moored.
▪ Hardin noted that thoughtfully and seated himself wearily in a corner just as far from the other five as possible.
▪ He seated himself at one end, and Emily sat beside him.
▪ He watched Ewen steadily, while the constable, who had seated himself at the kitchen table, was taking notes.
▪ She seated herself in a wicker chair and took her mug without speaking.
▪ She seats herself, opens it, begins to play.
▪ The pupils seat themselves in a square representing the doctor's office.
▪ Watson, and seat yourself precisely as you were overnight.
set on/upon/against (doing) sth
▪ A pail of cold water for washing was set on the floor so that performers had to bend over to use it.
▪ Lance Rees was set on as he passed the sorting office in Withernsea, Humberside, on his way to school.
▪ Manuel Perez's brother left after his house was set on fire.
▪ Margarett set upon the package, tearing at its wrappings, only to find beneath it another carton, then still another.
▪ Once again I detect a false opposition: an idealised reality set against the alien forces of darkness.
▪ They were hacked to death and their bodies set on fire.
▪ Time limits may be set on how long employees can leave their goods in storage and receive reimbursement from their employers.
▪ Were the limits set on their radiation exposure acceptable?
set out on sth
▪ After organising a group of locals and a dugout canoe, we set out on the week-long journey to Iau.
▪ But Charlie also sets out on a series of scandalous liaisons and unfortunate marriages with very young girls.
▪ But long before that jalopy set out on Route 66, the wild oat had done its landscape-altering work.
▪ Details of the amounts due to be billed and the properties concerned are set out on the attached sheet for your information.
▪ Details of the Company's principal subsidiary and associated undertakings are set out on page 47.
▪ In the end the woman chooses to renounce both men and sets out on her own path.
▪ Its founders were clinging to the wreckage, not setting out on a brave new voyage.
▪ The most obvious source of the necessary electrical energy would be solar panels set out on the lunar surface.
set sb on/onto sb
set sb's teeth on edge
▪ His high-pitched squeaky voice set my teeth on edge.
▪ At other times their self-evident frustration sets your teeth on edge.
▪ He w as filing arrow heads, and the sound of the metal on the whetstone set Burun's teeth on edge.
▪ It was all done so genteelly that it set McAllister's teeth on edge.
▪ That set our teeth on edge and bring our goose pimples rising like porpoises after mackerel.
set sb/sth on sb
set the Thames on fire
set the seal on sth
▪ His three-day tour set the seal on reconciliation between the two communities.
▪ It set the seal on his depression; he was almost ready to go home.
set the world on fire/alight
▪ And now we have Sliver which was the subject of much wrangling and hasn't exactly set the world on fire.
▪ But if Rhodes hasn't set the world on fire with his batting, he certainly has with his fielding.
▪ Either way, the speed and acceleration is not going to set the world on fire.
▪ It was a lovely accomplishment, of course, but nothing to set the world on fire with.
▪ None of the three papers was going to set the world on fire.
▪ The sonorities glow, and the whole thing is user-friendly without setting the world on fire.
set your heart on sth
▪ He's set his heart on a new bike for Christmas.
▪ By January 1768 they were back in Vienna, where Leopold had set his heart on securing an opera commission for Wolfgang.
▪ He's always set his heart on going to Simon's school.
▪ He was not a man to give way easily and he had clearly set his heart on making her recognise her father.
▪ I have held no office because Thou did not will it, and I never set my heart on office.
▪ So now, after all, there was something she had set her heart on.
set your heart/mind/sights on (doing) sth
▪ But where there are sellers there are buyers, and it was this latter rare species we had set our sights on.
▪ Gazing intently into her computer screen, Christine Montgomery has set her sights on the next generation of electronic language translators.
▪ He knew he was bound to pull any girl he set his mind on - he always had.
▪ Heath had set her sights on the U. S. Senate seat from Colorado.
▪ Her youth and beauty elicited a predictable reaction from my father, who set his sights on her at once.
▪ Sofa Head's greatest asset is the realisation that you don't have to set your sights on one target.
▪ Wagner set his sights on a degree in electrical engineering, and he followed his star with a fervid intensity.
▪ Yes, she thought, if Tamar had set her mind on something she would never rest until it was accomplished.
set/lay/clap eyes on sb/sth
▪ Bedford disliked Halsey the minute he set eyes on him.
▪ How could she possibly know, since he had not set eyes on the girl?
▪ I bonded on the second night I laid eyes on Hyakutake.
▪ Just hours earlier she had set eyes on the pretty two-year-old and sister Anna-Camilla, seven, for the first time.
▪ Never anywhere have I set eyes on such a one.
▪ No sooner did she set eyes on the gentleman than she recognised his pecuniary position to be merely temporary.
▪ The couple fell in love before they had even set eyes on each other during a six-month long distance courtship.
settle sth on sb
shame on you/him/them etc
▪ And if you haven't heard of Gus then shame on you!
▪ Fool me once, shame on you, the saying goes.
▪ If you fail to negotiate, shame on you.
shut the door/drawer etc on sth
▪ Come in, lads, come in and shut the door on the fog.
▪ Even so, Wickham was not ready to shut the door on the possibility.
▪ Everyone has been going for national contracts and that has shut the door on the small company.
▪ It watched her, unwinking, until she reached the room behind the shop and shut the door on its crimson gaze.
▪ Madeleine grimaced after she'd shut the door on him.
shut/close the door on sth
▪ A loss in this election will not necessarily close the door on the campaign.
▪ Come in, lads, come in and shut the door on the fog.
▪ Even so, Wickham was not ready to shut the door on the possibility.
▪ Imagine asking that they close the door on me so I can see what it feels like.
▪ It watched her, unwinking, until she reached the room behind the shop and shut the door on its crimson gaze.
▪ Lucker murmurs something to Jasper and leads him away closing the door on me.
▪ She closed the door on them.
▪ The previous owner had used a bathroom off one of the bedrooms as storage and simply closed the door on it.
sign on the dotted line
▪ But how many of these companies forget about you once you've signed on the dotted line.
▪ However, before signing on the dotted line, you should think carefully about the risks and the costs.
▪ It all seemed easy - they sign on the dotted line and Balbinder would be virtually taken out of their hands.
▪ The lucky 10, 000 have signed on the dotted line.
▪ You may want another approach to get people to sign on the dotted line.
sit in judgment (on/over sb)
▪ Certain Christians have also given the impression that they sit in judgment over others.
▪ Harrison presented himself and H-1 to the eight commissioners who sat in judgment of his work.
sit on the fence
▪ You can't sit on the fence any longer - what's it going to be?
▪ He is the obvious choice for those who wish to sit on the fence.
▪ If the encyclopaedia has a weakness it is that it sits on the fence on controversial issues.
sit on your hands
▪ Most delegates sat on their hands while a few radicals took control of the discussion.
▪ So we sat on our hands about Sally, because we thought the stakes were higher than the National Enquirer.
sit/be on the fence
▪ He is the obvious choice for those who wish to sit on the fence.
▪ If the encyclopaedia has a weakness it is that it sits on the fence on controversial issues.
slam on the brakes
▪ I slammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop.
▪ All she could do was to slam on the brakes and shut her eyes.
▪ Death Horror-struck, all he could do was slam on the brakes and pray.
▪ If they don't agree on promotion, the stadium's financial backers may slam on the brakes.
▪ My friend grabbed my arm and yelled and I slammed on the brakes.
▪ The driver slammed on the brakes; the Jeep screeched to a halt.
slap sb on the back
▪ Forbes slapped me on the back.
▪ He rushed over and slapped me on the back as I lifted a highball to my lips.
▪ I go to slap her on the back but she waves my arm away impatiently.
▪ In those days it was considered bad form even to slap you on the back.
▪ Jack said, and he slapped Streeter on the back of the head with his gun hand.
▪ She slapped him on the back.
▪ She intended to slap Elisabeth on the back, but she was too late.
sleep on it
▪ There's no obligation to do anything at all. Sleep on it, and tell me what you think in the morning.
▪ He asked if he could sleep on it.
▪ We decided to sleep on it.
▪ With so much within easy reach, we were clearly spoilt for choice and decided to sleep on it.
slip one over on sb
▪ How often have they bribed city workers to slip one over on an ignorant city council?
slow on the uptake
▪ A bit slow on the uptake, you might think, Haringey's finance department.
▪ And so, finally, to Anthony O'Hear, intellectual and all-round clever fellow, albeit a bit slow on the uptake.
▪ Could anyone really be that slow on the uptake? wondered Pascoe.
▪ In fact I've had to conclude that I am generally rather slow on the uptake.
▪ Sarah wasn't slow on the uptake this time.
stain on sb's character/name/reputation etc
▪ Buy him eine kleine Knackwurst and toddle home without a stain on your character.
▪ Duran dominated Leonard physically that night, but five months later the New Orleans farce put a huge stain on his reputation.
▪ Robert Lopez is released without a stain on his character.
▪ The massacre has left an indelible stain on the name of Clan Campbell.
▪ Whatever the outcome, he not unnaturally regarded his time in gaol as a stigma, as a stain on his character.
stand on your dignity
stand on your head/hands
▪ A malevolent demon was standing on his head.
▪ And the hoops were made by soldiers, who turned over and stood on their hands and feet.
▪ I can do it standing on my head, although I won't.
▪ Maybe I have to stand on my head to prove I mean it.
▪ She had a washboard stomach, and her boyfriend would stand on his hands on chairs balanced above her.
▪ Somehow the doctrine of the Fall had been stood on its head.
▪ Susan was teaching Wyatt how to stand on his hands.
▪ We did; the moment the car stopped there I jumped out and stood on my head in the grass.
stand on your own (two) feet
▪ Able to stand on her own feet.
▪ I guess I shall have to learn to stand on my own feet.
▪ Out-and-out competitive in the world market standing on our own feet?
▪ She's very kind, but we ought to stand on our own feet.
▪ She, who'd always stood on her own feet, fought her own battles.
▪ Such beliefs are able to stand on their own feet, without support from others.
▪ Using the market price means that each division must stand on its own feet, as though it were an independent company.
stand or fall by/on sth
▪ But the argument must stand or fall on its merits.
▪ For the government, acceptance of central planning did not stand or fall on the issue of nationalisation.
▪ It seems that this is a case that will stand or fall on its own particular facts.
▪ Mr Karimov knows that he will stand or fall on his ability to stave off economic collapse.
▪ The school has an outstanding and deserved reputation, which will stand or fall by the testimony of its pupils.
▪ The storyline was always going to stand or fall by the performance of Tim Guinee as Lazar.
▪ The success of the new News at Ten will stand or fall on his relationship with the seven million plus viewers.
▪ Their case would stand or fall on her reliability.
start sb on sth
start/get off on the wrong/right foot
steady on!
steal a march on sb
▪ But buyers there may simply have stolen a march on the market.
▪ It sounds simple but it is not, which is why for the time being Zurich seems to have stolen a march on its rivals.
▪ Mr Blackmore said stores that open on Sunday are stealing a march on their competitors.
step on it
▪ Step on it. We have a plane to catch.
▪ If you don't step on it we'll miss the plane.
▪ You'll have to step on it if you're going to be there by eleven thirty.
▪ Fader - Looks like a normal block, but crumbles away when you step on it!
▪ He was bold to ask that angels be sent, and step on it.
▪ The Corporal and I shouted at the Sergeant to step on it, as the explosions were getting closer.
▪ The third step creaked as he stepped on it.
step on sb's toes
▪ I'm new here, so I don't want to step on anyone's toes.
▪ I told Tony I didn't want to step on his toes.
▪ But that will make AT&T's service and equipment-manufacturing businesses step on each other's toes again.
▪ I had stepped on his toes.
▪ It is said the reason why Taurus ran into trouble was a reluctance to step on anyone's toes.
▪ This will involve stepping on the toes of the takeaway market.
sth has sb's name on it
▪ If a washer has a brand name on it, make sure that the smooth side comes into contact with the seating.
▪ They say if it has your name on it ... But who can write on a virus?
sth on steroids
▪ And the Alnico pickup sounds huge, almost like a Stratocaster neck pickup on steroids and three steaks a day.
▪ Finding no road, we leave the terrarium on steroids to enact Plan B, which begins in Oracle.
▪ I felt like a Pop Warner athlete on steroids.
▪ Near the pull-down machines I get a lecture on body parts from a guy who looks like Mel Gibson on steroids.
▪ Nineteen were also on steroids with or without azathioprine.
▪ The flavor is akin to anchovies on steroids.
stoke up on/with sth
strike out on your own
▪ It feels great to strike out on your own and find a job and a place to live.
▪ After problems in obtaining components, Comart struck out on its own, producing its Comart Communicator, a small business computer.
▪ And I was beginning to feel I wanted to strike out on my own.
▪ But she was right: it is time for him to strike out on his own.
▪ Glover was afraid Paul was going to strike out on his own with that suitcase, with that hat on his head.
▪ I found that I could quickly discard the handbook in favour of striking out on my own and was quite satisfied with the results.
▪ Or should I throw off all restraints and strike out on my own?
▪ So why not strike out on your own?
▪ The time was finally ripe, they decided, to strike out on their own.
tag sth ↔ on
take a rain check (on sth)
▪ I'm sorry but I'm busy on Saturday - can I take a rain check?
▪ The warning voice could go take a rain check, she thought.
take a turn in/on etc sth
▪ Hutson and Wright took turns on a machine gun.
▪ I said I never had to take turns in my old house with my mum and my dad.
▪ I took a turn on a rope slide and had to sit on a tractor tyre on the way down.
▪ In other collaborative activities individuals take turns in sitting vigilantly alert while others feed, thereby functioning as watchdogs or guards.
▪ In the teaching of the principles of group discussion, every member of the group should take turns in leading the discussion.
▪ Kelly took a turn in law school, then left academics and Pittsburgh behind.
▪ This year there is no such urgency that could save feds and retirees from taking a turn on the chopping block.
▪ When word slipped out that the governor would be taking a turn on stage, snickers abounded in the capital.
take it upon/on yourself to do sth
▪ He didn't dare take it upon himself to enlighten her further.
▪ He might be unwelcome, but he had taken it upon himself to come on over the first moment he heard.
▪ If we want our children to know certain information, perhaps we should take it upon ourselves to teach them.
▪ It is a dangerous path, however, when the executive takes it upon itself to qualify Parliament's decisions.
▪ Many problems can be prevented if you take it upon yourself to keep the lines of communication clear.
▪ Pius took it upon himself to proclaim the Dogma of the Assumption.
▪ Sir Herbert Morgan took it upon himself to act as chairman of an unofficial committee to help realise the three-year project.
▪ So I took it upon myself to tell her, old nosey-parker that I am.
take on/assume/wear the mantle of sth
▪ Against all expectations, it has not taken on the mantle of best pupil in the euro class.
take sb ↔ on
take sb ↔ on
take sth on board
▪ Our manager seemed to take our comments on board.
▪ And growers are only going to take precision farming on board if it can reduce the unit cost of production.
▪ At Hollybush we took information on board in a democratic, communal fashion, grouped with notebooks and pencils around visual aids.
▪ It is available from your Book, but so often the planet does not take it on board.
▪ The Chancellor has taken this on board, despite his predominantly male core of advisers.
▪ Then taking her on board they went where she directed and reached the sacred grove where the Fleece hung.
take sth on the chin
▪ He should have just taken it on the chin...
▪ Short sellers took it on the chin last year.
▪ The car's manufacturers are taking it on the chin.
take sth on trust
▪ He said he'd never been in trouble before, which I was content to take on trust.
▪ I'm afraid I can't let you see the letter, so you'll just have to take what I'm saying on trust.
▪ I just had to take it on trust that he would deliver the money.
▪ I had to take him on trust on that.
▪ Male speaker Don't take people on trust.
▪ She was petite, going silver-haired, vivacious, bright, and willing to take Richard on trust.
▪ So she thought that she might take it on trust.
▪ They learn not to take things on trust, but to make sure they fully comprehend in order to make their own assessments.
▪ You do not know me and so you can not be expected to take anything on trust.
take sth ↔ on
take sth ↔ on
take sth ↔ on
take up the cudgels (on behalf of sb/sth)
talk tough (on sth)
▪ Cell warrior: Prisoner who talks tough when safely in his cell but who is meek when out of it.
▪ Electioneering, he had talked tough about getting government off the backs of the people.
▪ Politicians enjoy an easy ride by provoking crime fear and talking tough about punishment.
▪ So far the Fed has talked tougher about inflation than it has acted.
▪ This Government talks tough for public consumption but has no stomach for action.
▪ You talk tough but inside you're just like all the rest of us.
▪ You karate the walls, you talk tough to the mirror.
the 411 on sth
the accent is on sth
▪ With the Royal Philharmonic, the accent is on the positive.
the biggest/tallest/most expensive etc ... on earth
the boot is on the other foot
the dope (on sb/sth)
▪ But, he gave me the dope on it.
▪ I suppose it was the dope that stopped us.
▪ Jo could imitate anybody and always made him crease up, even without the dope.
▪ So you'd slip into a shooting gallery to test the dope.
▪ The Tour did, however, continue, as did the doping revelations.
▪ They still got the dope though.
▪ When the dope was out everyone regarded it with silent respect.
the grass is greener (on the other side)
the icing on the cake
▪ A year ago, Holiday Inn put the icing on the cake at two of its Florida properties.
▪ And for the family business with such humble beginnings the expansion is just the icing on the cake.
▪ And just to put the icing on the cake he has named it Black Forest Chateau.
▪ Female speaker It's an added bonus, the icing on the cake.
▪ I would also endorse heartily our bikes, which provided the icing on the cake.
▪ Items such as these are the icing on the cake.
▪ The prospects of a change in government banking policy has been the icing on the cake.
▪ This is just the icing on the cake.
the joke's on sb
the jury is (still) out on sth
the lowdown (on sth/sb)
▪ Here's the lowdown on these tasty treats: Wraps are the ideal meal for people on the go.
▪ I didn't have the lowdown on every last one of these guys but presumably they were all bigshots.
▪ Would Old Chao consider giving them the lowdown on his new job?
the smart money is on sb/sth
the stress/accent/beat falls on sth
▪ In the word "spoken," the stress falls on the first syllable.
the writing is on the wall
▪ The writing is on the wall for old manufacturing industries.
▪ Although two points clear of the pack, the writing is on the wall for Aberdeen unless some one starts banging goals away.
there are no flies on sb
think on your feet
▪ He can think on his feet quicker than anyone I've ever met.
▪ I've always been good at thinking on my feet.
▪ Industry today needs workers who can think on their feet and relearn their jobs constantly.
▪ She clasped them and tried to think on her feet.
▪ She had to use a lot of initiative and think on her feet.
▪ Stay alert and think on your feet.
▪ Their ability to think on their feet impressed the boss.
▪ This will probably be to see if you can think on your feet and react well under stress.
▪ You must not be afraid of thinking on your feet and adding good ideas that occur to you as you speak.
throw doubt on sth
▪ In the sickroom or with Diniz, Nicholas never threw doubt on the arrival of Katelina's dream fleet.
▪ The market people passed comments on his wife and, he said, threw doubt on his ability to better her.
▪ Wallis further throws doubt on Gusfield's claim that he had in fact identified a status group.
▪ What they have to say throws doubt on previous inferences about how labour-intensive Maya agricultural techniques were, at least at San Antonio.
throw light on sth
▪ A comparison of the two will throw light on the crisis of conscience on both occasions.
▪ But I have not found anything in the careful judgment of Mustill L.J. which throws light on the issues presently under consideration.
▪ But my frantic, full-beamed Mayday signal only threw light on a de-iced porthole.
▪ Epidemiological studies sometimes threw light on preventable causes of cancer.
▪ Experiments to throw light on the processes at work must themselves be long-term.
▪ Geographical comparison of patterns of lawbreaking sometimes throws light on more general differences in social and economic conditions.
▪ It also seeks to throw light on the role assumed by planters and the planting lobby in society at large.
▪ Life-positions throw light on why it is that some people tend to be winners and some losers in life.
throw suspicion on sb
▪ Philby remained bitter towards Burgess, whose defection had thrown suspicion on him and ultimately led to his unmasking.
throw yourself at/on/into/down etc
▪ At this stage, the urge to do something was unfocused, but it was extraordinary how people threw themselves into it.
▪ Grief-stricken, he threw himself on her..
▪ He kicked it in, threw himself on the floor and rolled under the bed.
▪ I threw myself down on the bed and sobbed bitterly.
▪ I threw myself into organising the funeral, picking out the music I wanted played.
▪ Like Billy McFadzean who in 1916 threw himself on two bombs to save his comrades in the trenches of the Somme.
▪ They threw themselves down on the street or took shelter behind cars and in doorways.
▪ You put him in a situation where women are throwing themselves at him.
throw yourself on sb's mercy
▪ For a craven moment she was tempted to go back and throw herself on the mercy of the landlady.
▪ I would throw myself on the mercy of the circuit-house, usually reserved for traveling politicians and sundry bigwigs.
▪ You're so sweet I just wanted to throw myself on your mercy and beg you to help me.
throw/shed/cast light on sth
▪ Newly found Aztec artifacts may shed some light on their mysterious culture.
▪ A fretful wind was not enough to open them and shed light on the ruptured earth in which they lay.
▪ An analysis of the results should shed light on the workings of the Northern Ireland labour market.
▪ Geographical comparison of patterns of lawbreaking sometimes throws light on more general differences in social and economic conditions.
▪ He uses relativity to throw light on time and eternity, and indeterminacy to comment on free will.
▪ In addition, the research is expected to shed light on the social consequences of cities' changing economic roles.
▪ Owing to the small sample size, the results can only be expected to shed light on the trends.
▪ Therefore they shed light on the comparative institutional questions with which we are concerned.
▪ This may shed light on Soviet views of such zones.
tie one on
▪ Sunday, June 1: Boy did I tie one on last night.
tighten the screws (on sb)
tighten your grip/hold on sth
▪ He tightened his grip on the sub-machine-gun, waited for the helicopter to slow and swing towards him.
▪ His arm shook and he tightened his grip on the stock of the rifle to still it.
▪ However, planning permission is required, and legislation is tightening its grip on mast sites.
▪ It was only when they tensed, curling and tightening their grip on the floor, did he realise they were alive.
▪ Oats tightened his grip on the axe.
▪ The suspended despair inside her splintered into a shuddering sob and Fernando tightened his hold on her.
▪ There were months of interrogations, torture and repression as the military tightened its grip on the country.
▪ They tightened their grip on the girl.
time hangs/lies heavy on your hands
time is moving on
time is on your side
▪ But time is on your side if you can be gentle and good-naturedly persistent.
▪ For that matter, so could Rob, but then again, time is on his side.
▪ On the other hand, both Fujimori and Cerpa seem intent on showing that time is on their side.
▪ On this occasion, they also appear confident that time is on their side.
▪ When you begin identifying challenges at a relatively early age, time is on your side.
time marches on
▪ All of us face identity crises as time marches on.
to be going on with/to go on with
to be on the safe side
▪ Dougal had arranged to hire it for the Sunday and the Monday, just to be on the safe side.
▪ He cut a lot to be on the safe side.
▪ I've had a few copies made to be on the safe side: solicitors, banks ... you know.
▪ Just to be on the safe side, he may also have invoked topographical features behind which the sun disappears.
▪ Most employers, to be on the safe side, would have fired a lot more workers.
▪ She must fetch her raincoat, just to be on the safe side.
▪ She says do not worry, but it's wiser to be on the safe side.
▪ So this year, to be on the safe side, she had ordered a roll of chicken wire and metal stakes.
tread on sb's toes
▪ But I don't want us to tread on each other's toes.
▪ Danny's filthy fingernails were digging into his neck and his one foot was treading on Henry's toes.
▪ Don't know the rules, don't want to tread on any toes.
▪ I danced rigidly with Giacomo, kicking his shins and treading on his toes.
▪ She has a sharp cutting edge and woe betide the Europhile who treads on her toes.
try it on (with sb)
▪ As the older daughter in a family of nine children, she had tried it on her younger brothers without much success.
▪ I tried it on two teen-agers at a gas station.
▪ I hired one and went to try it on a mountain.
▪ No, he felt as old Sillerton Jackson felt; he did not think the Mingotts would have tried it on!
▪ Nobody could have blamed him for trying it on, could they?
▪ See my house - try it on for size, as it were?
▪ The man hadn't been stopped before and I wasn't about to try it on.
▪ When she married she had tried it on my father with no success at all.
turn it on
▪ As it stands, few serious runners are likely to take up the challenge to turn it on.
▪ For example, does watching the television start when we turn it on or when we sit down and face it?
▪ How do you turn it on?
▪ If only there were a radio she would have turned it on, loudly, but, of course, no such luck.
▪ Many of these taboos derive from patriarchal societies taking the power of women and turning it on its head.
▪ Then she went back into the living room and sat in front of the television set without turning it on.
▪ To be honest, I've seen potential for violence, although he's always turned it on himself.
▪ When does the guy who turns it on get to sleep?
turn on sb
turn on sth
turn on the charm
▪ Wayne certainly knows how to turn on the charm when he wants something out of you.
turn on the waterworks
▪ She was one of those people who could turn on the waterworks in order to get what they want.
▪ Before Reagan turned on the waterworks, crying in public was widely considered a sign of weakness.
turn sb on
▪ It's difficult telling your partner what actually turns you on.
▪ Men with long hair really turn me on.
▪ My last boyfriend always found nurses' uniforms a real turn-on.
turn sb on
turn sth ↔ on
turn sth ↔ on
turn the tables (on sb)
▪ Her record speed has turned the tables on Runyan, the defending champion.
▪ Antony has turned the tables completely and has now completely destroyed all hopes of the conspirators ever establishing themselves in Rome.
▪ Especially when such a rider turns the tables.
▪ Glenn Hoddle reckons Town are a good bet to turn the tables.
▪ Isn't it nice to see a couple turning the tables on a double-glazing salesman?
▪ It's time to turn the tables.
▪ So much for turning the tables.
▪ That turns the tables on movie ratings.
▪ That would certainly turn the tables, Blue thinks, that would certainly stand the whole business on its head.
turn your back (on sb/sth)
▪ He turned his back on Shauna and walked to the window.
▪ He would never turn his back on a fellow veteran.
▪ Many immigrants turn their back on the old ways.
▪ He turned his back abruptly and walked away.
▪ He acknowledged his paternity when he could have easily turned his back on him and told him he was a servant.
▪ I handed him back that hundred dollars and turned my back and took him in.
▪ Kissinger said it was disgraceful that the United States had turned its back on one of her oldest and closest friends.
▪ So in the end I turned my back on it and walked away.
▪ Weaken, turn your back for a moment and it could be lost for good.
▪ Wiltshire's Social Services department has promised not to turn its back on the problem of alcoholics.
turn/spin on your heel
▪ Seifert turned on his heels and stomped away in anger.
▪ Cooper turned on his heels and walked away.
▪ He turned on his heel and went into the dining room.
▪ I turned on my heel and left the room.
▪ She turned on her heel and vanished into the murk.
▪ Suddenly, the boar had been faced with a cliff too steep to climb and had turned on its heel.
▪ Then she turned on her heel and we marched back down the hall.
▪ Then, without a word, he turned on his heel and left the room.
turn/stand sth on its head
▪ "You stand logic on its head when you use arms control as an argument for a larger defense budget," Aspin said.
▪ Another basic political problem here is that the Dole message turns history on its head.
▪ In fact, it would turn Beveridge on its head and use the national insurance system as a tax system.
▪ It turns time on its head.
▪ Many of these taboos derive from patriarchal societies taking the power of women and turning it on its head.
▪ Rather than ignore Philips's cherished necessity principle, the Government turned it on its head.
▪ Resist that temptation by turning it on its head.
▪ That, of course, is to stand reality on its head, since the industrialised nations are manifestly the real environmental villains.
▪ The next step was to turn reality on its head.
under/on false pretences
under/on tow
▪ Maintenance costs on tow motors were slashed.
wait a minute/just a minute/hold on a minute/hang on a minute
wait on sb hand and foot
▪ Oliver expects us to wait on him hand and foot.
walk on eggshells
water on the brain/knee
▪ The youngster was destined to follow many of his ancestors by dying from the family curse hydrocephalus water on the brain.
wear your heart on your sleeve
whale into/on sb/sth
what/why/how etc on earth ...?
with (brass) knobs on
wither on the vine
work on the principle/assumption/basis etc that
▪ Gamekeepers worked on the principle that any other animals that preyed on pheasants must be ruthlessly eliminated.
▪ It works on the assumption that each side is willing to move from its starting point during the negotiations.
▪ It works on the principle that the pursuer will not be able to change direction as efficiently as the prey.
▪ Politicians seem to work on the assumption that the early bird catches the voter.
▪ The therapy works on the principle that like cures like.
▪ These devices work on the principle that the oscillating frequency of a crystal under an applied voltage changes with crystal mass.
▪ They work on the principle that most people pay up if they're pestered for long enough.
▪ When a crime is reported to the police they do not work on the assumption that anyone could have done it.
worship the ground sb walks on
wouldn't wish sth on/upon sb
▪ James says he wouldn't wish a military career on anyone.
wreak havoc/mayhem/destruction (on sth)
▪ And they wreak havoc with the goal of raising revenue efficiently.
▪ But we all know that a moment's overload, may wreak havoc.
▪ Did they hire a private eye to wreak havoc on the life of the harasser?
▪ Since elk can also wreak havoc in cropland and forestry plantations, a record 70,000 animals are being culled this hunting season.
▪ The goat, being a goat, wreaks havoc, and the tenant grows desperate.
▪ The storm wreaked havoc on trains and highways, making it unlikely thousands of investors and traders will arrive at work.
▪ This is a critical feature on such an instrument, as a badly cut nut here would wreak havoc on playability.
▪ Unassimilated, they might one day wreak havoc in her life.
wreak revenge/vengeance (on sb)
▪ First, Burghgesh could have survived and come back to wreak vengeance.
▪ It is hardly surprising that it should occasionally wreak vengeance on its executioner.
year on year
you're putting me on!
▪ Seth is moving to Alaska? You're putting me on!
you've made your bed and you must lie on it
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ a book on 19th century English Literature
▪ a book on China
▪ a lecture on Native American customs and folklore
▪ Are you doing anything special on Saturday night?
▪ Aren't you coming here on Christmas Day?
▪ Could you give some advice on what to wear?
▪ Could you stop by the store on your way home?
▪ Did you call dad on Father's Day?
▪ Did you make these graphs on a computer?
▪ Did you see that programme on South Africa last night?
▪ Didn't Jim grow up on a farm?
▪ Dinner's on me tonight.
▪ Do you have any ideas on where to eat tonight?
▪ Don't put your feet on my desk!
▪ El Paso is located on the U.S.-Mexico border.
▪ Finding parking on Main Street is impossible.
▪ Four bottles of wine were standing on the shelf.
▪ Granddad lives on meat and potatoes.
▪ Hal's on the swim team and the basketball team.
▪ Harry's the guy sitting on the sofa there.
II.adjectivePHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(hard/hot/close) on sb's heels
(hard/hot/close) on the heels of sth
▪ Critique followed hot on the heels of this pioneering work.
▪ On the heels of this came Mr J. to tell us that young Mrs P. had had her thighbone crushed.
▪ Then it seemed that the consummation would follow soon on the heels of its inauguration.
▪ With another couple of laps he might have finished close on the heels of the two Dunlops.
(have) egg on your face
▪ If we think they are easy meat we will end up with egg on our faces.
▪ Meanwhile, Hutcheson observed that in 1995 all the chip forecasters had varying degrees of egg on their face.
▪ People like me, who believed the firing squad had been assembled, were left with egg on our faces.
(have) sb's blood on your hands
▪ But I already have too much blood on my hands.
▪ Dad with blood on his hands.
▪ He hated to see her with blood on her hands.
▪ I want him to know he has my son's blood on his hands.
▪ Republicans spent eight years trying to prove President Clinton had blood on his hands.
▪ There's blood on my hands, mine or hers I don't know.
▪ There was blood on his hands and I thought he'd had an accident.
(on) Shanks's pony
(on) sale or return
▪ All are on full sale on January 23-Knave sale or return from Blackhorse.
▪ All available goods may be taken on a sale or return basis. 9.
▪ Booksellers normally order books on a sale or return basis.
▪ This may be on a sale or return agreement without asking for payment.
▪ What is the position, though, where the buyer resells the goods on sale or return terms?
(out) on the town
▪ A night on the town for the boys.
▪ But don't let that fool you - by nightfall people are waking up ready to go out on the town.
▪ Had trouble dragging yourself out on the town on Sunday night?
▪ Joy was a Saturday morning out on the town.
▪ Nowadays, the battlefield is an opera stage, at Sebastiani Theatre on the town square.
▪ The next time I saw him, I was out on the town with Peter Mbalu-Mukasa.
▪ The others have gone out on the town.
(right/as if) on cue
▪ And, as if on cue, I did.
▪ And, on cue, he heard the sound of hoofbeats ` on the wind.
▪ Dead on cue the runner hurries over to Eli to answer his question.
▪ Right on cue, a butterfly flew up to the plants we were looking at and landed!
▪ She passed a couple of groundskeepers, who turned as if on cue for a second look.
▪ She should have become angry with him for his persistence, on cue, but for some reason she didn't.
▪ The boys slashed, jumped, and shouted with enthusiasm and on cue.
▪ The sky, as if on cue, was overcast.
(send sb on) a fool's errand
I have it on good authority
▪ I have it on good authority that the school board wants to fire the principal.
I'd put (my) money on sth
▪ Even the madmen wouldn't have him in real life, I 'd put money on it.
▪ Personally, I 'd put my money on accidental death without a second thought.
I'd stake my life on it
I/you can count sb/sth on (the fingers of) one hand
a crack on the head
a drain on sth
▪ Owning this boat is a big drain on my finances.
▪ A second cost to the Free Church of its political involvement is a drain on leadership resources.
▪ But what a drain on parents.
▪ In addition they were perceived to be inefficient, measured in terms of productivity, and also unprofitable, causing a drain on public finances.
▪ It is a drain on their resources.
▪ The authorities feared he'd be a drain on the health service.
▪ The parish is a drain on resources, no doubt about it.
▪ There would be less of a drain on tax revenues.
▪ They are seen as a drain on the profit because they don't function in the labour market to produce profit.
a judgment (on sb/sth)
▪ A member is entitled to a judgment that is free from any extraneous or ulterior motive.
▪ Another aspect of the context of a judgment is the other tasks that were performed at the same time.
▪ Finally, an evaluative orientation involves your synthesis of facts and feelings into a judgment about some political phenomenon.
▪ How can a choice be made without making a judgment?
▪ In a judgment delivered by the late Hunter J.A. the court rejected this argument.
▪ In dealing with this immediate situation, your teammate has made a judgment that you can be dominated.
▪ Procedure: There were two phases to the experiment, a description phase and then a judgment phase.
▪ The court of appeals upheld all except the spousal-consent requirement, a judgment affirmed by the Court.
a lock on sth
▪ For security a lock on the front locks both the system and the keyboard.
▪ His parents were not surprised when he asked for a lock on his bedroom door before he had reached his teenage years.
▪ Republicans in Congress, used to having a lock on the White House, began attacking Clinton at once.
▪ Straightening, she reflected soberly that the only thing missing was a lock on the bedroom door.
▪ The lack of a lock on the one and only toilet was compensated for by the frosted glass panels in the door.
a mine of information (about/on sth)
▪ A trip to Brussels to meet the responsible officials can turn up a mine of information.
▪ His column in the Angling Times was the first thing that I turned to and what a mine of information.
▪ If used properly, the diary was a mine of information.
▪ Study a local map and the Ordnance Survey, which is a mine of information.
a monkey on your back
a pat on the back
▪ I think you all deserve a pat on the back for your hard work.
▪ I think we should give Fairclough a pat on the back for his performances in the last few games.
▪ It amounts to a pat on the back.
▪ Just a smile or a pat on the back may keep a student working.
▪ No one gets past him without an encouraging word, a pat on the back, a smile.
▪ Now congratulate your loved one and give yourself a pat on the back as well for your own agility around the course.
▪ That was intended to be a pat on the back - as one of several others - for me.
▪ The tournament-sponsoring Thunderbirds deserve a pat on the back.
▪ Try starting with a pat on the back to soften the blow of criticism.
a peg to hang sth on
a pox on sb
a rap on/over the knuckles
▪ Was it going to be a rap on the knuckles for quality?
a run on sth
▪ Since the break-ins, stores have reported a run on deadbolt locks.
▪ A sudden collapse could cause a run on mutual funds, which could in turn threaten the financial system.
▪ Growing nervousness among small investors also led to a run on some banks.
▪ In the late afternoon I came back from a run on the Mesa Trail to find Janir fuming.
▪ Suddenly there was a run on, and mice were going faster than nachos and salsa.
▪ The show has struggled all season, although ratings picked up during a run on Wednesday nights at 9: 30.
▪ There was a run on all major stock exchanges.
▪ There was a run on the Tuesday afternoon for the producers.
a run on the bank
a run on the dollar/pound etc
a shoulder to cry on
▪ If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, just call me.
▪ Remember, I'm always here if you need a shoulder to cry on.
▪ In past years, Diana knew that Earl Spencer would be a shoulder to cry on and a loving counsellor.
▪ The researcher could share enthusiasms, be a shoulder to cry on and help brainstorm alternatives.
a slap on the back
▪ a congratulatory slap on the back
a slap on the wrist
▪ In the past, officers who mistreated prisoners often received a mere slap on the wrist.
▪ The fine was so low, it was little more than a slap on the wrist.
▪ So instead of a slap on the wrist I got promoted to high-flying executive symptoms.
▪ They just gave him a slap on the wrist then and that enabled him to go out and kill my husband.
a week on Monday etc
▪ Suppose we say December the second, that's a week on Monday.
a window on/to the world
▪ Million views Television is a window on the world with a difference.
▪ Television is a window to the world.
▪ The news is also terrific for giving the boys a window on the world.
act as a brake on sth
▪ In April 1992 they persuaded Boris Yeltsin to put three industrialists into the government to act as a brake on the free-marketeers.
▪ Post-war development of parachutes acting as brakes on jet aircraft are also covered in this rarely written about subject.
▪ To what extent do girls act as brakes on, or motivators of, delinquent behaviour in masculine adolescent gang-culture, for example?
▪ Unfortunately, widespread foot-dragging continues to act as a brake on debt relief.
act for sb/act on sb's behalf
all eyes are on/watching/fixed on etc
all hands on deck
▪ It's all hands on deck as the crew work as team to make the show look its best.
▪ It was all hands on deck as they worked flat out over a weekend in March.
an attempt on sb's life
an eye for/on/to the main chance
and so on/forth
▪ A central zone leads to other areas where you can test yourself, gain information, do puzzles and so on.
▪ And so on and so on, the critiques having merit but missing the point.
▪ Asteroids contain a variety of rare radioactive isotopes of potassium, uranium, thorium, rubidium, and so on.
▪ I also become more mentally sensitive to social problems, the ills of the world and so on.
▪ It would have to be done very quietly and so forth and so on.
▪ Symbols are things that bear some resemblance to what they represent: drawings, silhouettes, and so forth.
back on the rails
▪ He was back on the rails, and moving again.
▪ It seems that matters have fallen behind schedule and need to be put back on the rails.
bang on
batten on sb
be (flat) on your back
▪ He's been flat on his back in the hospital for a week..
▪ After I was on its back, we all took off again on a run.
▪ Her eyes opened; she was on her back.
▪ His father was on his back night and day.
▪ The child was on her back, unconscious.
▪ The jelly cupboard was on its back, its contents lying in a heap in the corner of the bottom shelf.
▪ The result is that the liter pop bottle you tossed out six months ago may be on your back today.
▪ The sun was on his back as he swung himself over her and her long legs parted in expectation.
▪ What else would he need if he were going to be flat on his back or stomach?
be (right) on the money
▪ Carson was right on the money when he said people are tired of big-shot politicians.
▪ That was a case when Jobs's vision was on the money.
be (skating) on thin ice
▪ Legally, the company is on very thin ice with its actions.
▪ You're skating on thin ice, showing up late for work every day.
▪ He was on thin ice before.
▪ It had been granted grudgingly and she knew she was on thin ice as far as her superiors were concerned.
be a comment on sth
▪ The number of adults who cannot read is a sad comment on the quality of our schools.
▪ Costa del Sol is a comment on the package holiday, a couple being serenaded by Antonio.
▪ Each Chorus is commented on in turn.
▪ He was commenting on Game Three when he mentioned the horrible play of Mark Eaton.
▪ Interspersed were comments on what seems to be a favorite topic: the abuses perpetrated by the media.
▪ Only those strategies used to overcome difficulties arising from gender distinctions will be commented on.
▪ She would not be commenting on the anniversary until then.
▪ The accounting policies used should also be commented on if in any way unusual or conservative.
▪ The pressure group was commenting on suggestions that the Government is considering the abolition of pensioners' prescription exemptions.
be a drag on sb/sth
▪ Maggie thinks marriage would be a drag on her career.
▪ Moreover, the excessive resort to public ownership is a drag on economic development.
be a fly on the wall
▪ I wish I'd been a fly on the wall during that conversation.
▪ I wished I could be a fly on the wall.
▪ Oh, wouldn't I like to be a fly on the wall when you tell her the latest!
▪ You should be a fly on the wall and hear him sing your praises.
be a sad/tragic/devastating etc commentary on sth
▪ The experience of some Sunday morning services in competition with golf is a sad commentary on the bending of principle to person.
be blazoned across/on/over sth
▪ The manufacturer's name is blazoned across an event of worthwhile significance.
be down on sb/sth
▪ At the half-year stage profits are expected to be down on last year - around £35m against £39m.
▪ Constable Collins liked shrimp and often bought a tub of them when he was down on the Front.
▪ Copper producers were down on a drop in copper prices.
▪ Families that were down on their luck could get a small loan, food, a job referral.
▪ He was down on the shore, a shadow edged with silver light, combing the tide line.
▪ It wasn't that money was being stolen or sneaked - everything was down on paper.
▪ Ten minutes later I was down on the private beach.
be down on your luck
▪ Here, parents who are down on their luck can pick out toys for their children.
▪ In the film, Williams plays a down-on-his luck salesman whose wife has left him.
▪ The program is for motivated people who are temporarily down on their luck.
▪ We bought the necklace from an old man who was down on his luck and in need of a penny or two.
▪ All were down on their luck, all had been drinking and all had decided on an easy way out.
▪ Families that were down on their luck could get a small loan, food, a job referral.
▪ He was down on his luck and not a happy hedgehog.
be engraved in/on your memory/mind/heart
▪ The date was engraved on his heart.
be etched on/in your memory/mind
be firing on all cylinders
▪ The latter is a book in which the author is firing on all cylinders.
▪ This company is firing on all cylinders.
▪ Your Reticular Activating System is firing on all cylinders, your cortex is turning somersaults.
be firing/running on all cylinders
▪ The latter is a book in which the author is firing on all cylinders.
▪ This company is firing on all cylinders.
▪ Your Reticular Activating System is firing on all cylinders, your cortex is turning somersaults.
be founded on/upon sth
▪ Racism is not founded on rational thought, but on fear.
▪ The castle is founded on solid rock.
▪ The Soviet Union was originally founded on Socialism.
▪ After all, they are founded on previous experience.
▪ All grandeur, all power, all discipline are founded on the soldier.
▪ During these years race became the cultural flashpoint, and most political careers were founded on a rhetoric of purity and exclusion.
▪ In a functional sense, spillover was founded on the belief that contemporary economies were based upon a tangle of interrelated sectors.
▪ The economy of the vale was founded on livestock.
▪ The original Stoves company was founded on 14 February 1920.
▪ While Aristotle's scheme is founded on normative grounds, Finer's scheme is derived empirically.
▪ You could say it was founded on chili.
be getting on
▪ Cal is getting on a bit and doesn't play much golf anymore.
▪ Ethel's getting on in years now -- she must be in her late 60s.
▪ After numerous attempts I was getting on quite well, managing to get right up on to the bike.
▪ And you must be getting on with your exciting adventures.
▪ He wondered how she was getting on, she and Violet, and if she was happy in Mitford.
▪ It was getting on midnight now, and cold.
▪ She knew it was a stupid thing to say, but the presence of Magrat was getting on her nerves.
▪ That evening her son returned and came to see how she was getting on.
▪ This child was getting on my nerves.
▪ You may not want to risk breeding from such a mare, especially if she is getting on in years.
be going on (for) 5 o'clock/60/25 etc
be grounded in/on sth
▪ The group is committed to environmental policies that are grounded in science.
▪ In his day, he said, students were grounded in spelling and had learned poetry and the Bible by heart.
▪ Shaftesbury thought the opposite true: religion follows from, or is grounded in, man's innate sense of morality.
▪ The reason is grounded in the most basic issue of corporate finance.
▪ Theory needs to be grounded in practice.
▪ Visions must be grounded in strategy People need tremendous energy to get through periods of change; they need inspiration.
▪ Woman-centred psychology is grounded in a particular woman-centred form of western feminism.
▪ Yamaichi's Financial Science is grounded in the most advanced market theories and computer technology.
▪ Your understandings about politics and your decisions about whether to undertake specific political actions are grounded in your knowledge of politics.
be having sb on
▪ All this is having an effect on advertisers.
▪ At any rate Joan and I were having no problems on that score.
▪ Carlisle Flint are having problems on the test circuit.
▪ Gary Johnson to an array of liberals, and they are having an impact on public opinion.
▪ New technology is having an impact on aerial photography in different ways.
▪ Once again, it appears that the nature of the available remedies is having some effect on the character of the diagnosis.
▪ Once again, Orlando is having trouble winning on the road.
▪ Our 1985-6 pilot study suggested that coordinators were having to take on more roles than they could cope with.
be high/low on a list (of sth)
be in attendance on sb
▪ Mrs Wills, who was in attendance on Princess Margaret.
be knocking on the door
▪ But a kiss denied, for Phillis was knocking on the door.
▪ Soon Pugwash was knocking on the door.
be living on borrowed time
▪ As long as Moira was around, Tamar was living on borrowed time.
▪ But now, as long as they existed, he was living on borrowed time.
be modelled on sth
▪ Both are modelled on Labov's work in New York City.
▪ Even its uniforms are modelled on those of the Royal Navy.
▪ His remaining hair is modelled on a Dendix ski slope.
▪ Irene Hills's face is modelled on an Easter Island statue.
▪ Second-order constructs are similar to scientific constructs and are modelled on ideal-typical situations.
▪ The later extension of the differential principle to non-linguistic issues is modelled on its original linguistic formulation.
▪ The research method will be modelled on previous work of members of the Aesthetics Research Group published during the period 1973-82.
be murder on sth
▪ Among those in the group were the Avery family who were murdered on their farm in Ohio.
▪ Chico Mendes was murdered on 22 December 1989.
▪ Those corn-rows are murder on the vocal cords.
be not speaking/not be on speaking terms
be on (general) release
be on a collision course
▪ Newspaper reports say that the two nations are on a collision course that could lead to war.
▪ It needed no great powers of prophecy to realize that Nigel and I were on a collision course.
▪ Nurses lodge 10 Nurses are on a collision course with the Government after lodging a claim for a ten percent pay rise.
▪ Suddenly I found that he and I were on a collision course, both in Atlas aircraft.
▪ The Croatan was on a collision course with the twenty-foot branch and its two passengers.
▪ Union leaders representing more than 8,000 white-collar staff gave warning of more stoppages and said the company was on a collision course.
be on a downer
▪ Leeds can usually handle teams who are on a downer when we play them.
be on a fishing expedition
▪ If anyone asked what they were up to, they planned to say they were on a fishing expedition.
be on a guilt trip
be on a hiding to nothing
▪ But he was on a hiding to nothing really.
▪ Time was never called and the tide was soon to discover it was on a hiding to nothing.
be on a par (with sth)
▪ All human individuals are on a par, but each is separate from every other like the matches in a match box.
▪ At the 283-shop Meadowhall Centre, Sheffield, trade was on a par with 1991.
▪ At the business unit level profits should be on a par with last year, which was a record result.
▪ His creations are on a par with Mozart and the composers of the renaissance.
▪ Its bookshops are on a par, which means it is well catered for.
▪ Loss of self-control in cricket is on a par with evasion of payment for a television licence.
▪ The nice thing is that, at least in music, the girls are on par with the boys.
▪ The stripping action was on a par with other smaller models.
be on a razor/razor's edge
be on a roll
▪ Baseball owners, once thought to be shackled by tradition, are on a roll.
▪ Curve are on a roll now.
▪ Lee kept on the attack despite this and the fact that Nicklaus was on a roll.
▪ Small business is on a roll.
▪ The emergent thing is on a roll.
▪ The master and I were on a roll now, and it seemed that nothing could stop us anymore.
▪ The Toronto-born architect is on a roll.
▪ Two, which hold wooden blocks, are on rolling coasters, and they are permanently available.
be on call
▪ As a doctor, you will be on call regularly at weekends.
▪ Construction managers must be on call to deal with emergencies.
▪ Doctor Lalor won't be at the surgery this afternoon, but she's on call until midnight.
▪ If the machine breaks down at any time, there's always a technician on call.
▪ Resident managers live in hotels and are on call 24 hours a day.
▪ She's on call at the hospital every other night.
▪ There are four physiotherapists on call at the sports injury clinic.
▪ A federation representative is on call 24 hours a day by mobile phone.
▪ Arrange things so that there is always some one in the building who is on call for machine problems.
▪ He assumed that a porter or janitor was usually stationed there to be on call or to answer enquiries.
▪ In addition to their regular schedules, chief executives are on call at all hours to handle emergencies.
▪ She was on call to open and shut the gates at any hour, in any weather.
▪ The employees are on call seven days a week, 24 hours a day to respond to emergencies.
▪ The tour director usually stays in the hotel with the group, to be on call if anything should go wrong.
be on cloud nine
▪ Adam was on cloud nine after the birth of his son.
▪ I recognised it right away, and I was on Cloud Nine.
be on days
▪ I'm on days this week.
▪ But it was on days like these that one longed for a friend, hoped for a caller.
▪ It was on days like these that the emptiness came back and one grew desperate.
▪ It worked till Thursday, but then Amy was on days off and Joe had a cold.
▪ When you were on days, you had a bunch of forms.
be on fire
▪ Before long the neighboring houses were on fire too.
▪ Large areas of the forest are reported to be on fire.
▪ He stabbed his chips like a killer and poured beer down his throat as though his guts were on fire.
▪ Here, some bright spark thought Windsor Castle was on fire and called the fire brigade!
▪ If her cheeks had been hot when he arrived, they were on fire now.
▪ It was impossible that these two whose hearts were on fire should be kept apart.
▪ Miguel opened his door and lunged as though his head were on fire.
▪ The Steam Laundry was on fire.
▪ They make the skin crawl like it is on fire, even as it is bathed in sweat.
▪ They went willingly enough, but their hearts were on fire with jealousy.
be on first name terms (with sb)
▪ Voice over Even the governor is on first name terms with the inmates, although the staff still keep a respectful distance.
be on pins and needles
▪ I was on pins and needles until I found out I'd won.
be on sb's back
▪ Aunt Mimi was always on his back about him "wasting time playing that silly guitar".
▪ Nick knew that the coach would be on his back if he missed another training session.
▪ The boss has been on my back about that report.
▪ By this time the Confederates had formed into columns and were on the march back to Corinth, Mississippi.
▪ He must be on his way back by now.
▪ Her eyes opened; she was on her back.
▪ His father was on his back night and day.
▪ Instead of automated leisure, enforced unemployment was on its way back.
▪ Seeing that stately building on a hill and knowing the respirator center was on the back with the water view heartened me.
▪ The afternoon papers are on the back seat and he reads them until the limousine stops in front of a funeral home.
▪ Their other project, meanwhile, is on the back burner.
be on sb's case
▪ Dad's always on my case about getting a job.
▪ And Rathbone would be on the case, with his bloodhound and magnifying glass.
▪ And the National Guard were on the case now.
▪ Around 50 police officers are on the case.
▪ But Jack MacFarland was on the case.
▪ First you are on this case, then you are off.
▪ I dreamed I was on a case.
▪ In fact there was not much of a feeling that anyone was on my case at all.
be on sb's tail
be on skid row
be on tenterhooks
▪ After the interview Fran was on tenterhooks, wondering if she'd got the job.
▪ Agatha Christie keeps the reader on tenterhooks until the final pages of the story.
▪ Waiting for the outcome of the trial has kept the community on tenterhooks.
▪ Both of us were on tenterhooks for reasons both intellectual and commercial.
▪ For the remainder of the carol I was on tenterhooks, not daring to take my eyes from the lectern.
be on the books
▪ No company had yet lost government business for failure to comply, but the law was on the books.
▪ No such district-wide resolution is on the books for clothing that promotes alcohol.
▪ The five-bedroom house is on the books of Jackson-Stops & Staff with Stimsons at £250,000.
be on the cards
▪ I was hoping for a promotion, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards right now.
▪ No one was surprised when they got a divorce. It had been on the cards for years.
▪ They say that another recession is on the cards.
▪ Another closure that is on the cards is of Marylebone station.
▪ Cash is back ... or why dearer credit is on the cards Notebook.
▪ He has previously been linked with the Chargers and a move down the Calfornian coast may be on the cards.
▪ He took four of six rounds and yet without ever making his supporters believe that a decisive victory was on the cards.
▪ It was on the cards that he should be drawn into the circle of dissent.
▪ Perhaps an exchange type deal is on the cards.
▪ Suspicion intensified that a sell-out of its principles was on the cards.
▪ They will continue to decline in numbers and mergers with their big brothers are on the cards.
be on the case
▪ And Rathbone would be on the case, with his bloodhound and magnifying glass.
▪ And the National Guard were on the case now.
▪ Around 50 police officers are on the case.
▪ But Jack MacFarland was on the case.
be on the cusp of sth
▪ They will be on the cusp of puberty.
▪ With plans to add another 100 staff by April, it is on the cusp of breaking into the big league.
be on the danger list
be on the door
▪ Her name was on the door in a little metal card holder.
▪ Now the millworkers craned their necks to read what was on the doors.
▪ One of his hands was on the door, the other extended to her.
▪ The jury was told that Mr Johnson was on the door when the four arrived at his party at about three am.
be on the edge
▪ Apparently I was on the edge of the crater and the main blast had gone over me.
▪ Everything blended with everything else, trees and brush and sky, and already he was on the edge of lost.
▪ He liked the feeling they were on the edge.
▪ He sped to the line for the try after the ball evaded Packman and Northampton were on the edge of defeat.
▪ He was on the edge of the crowd, and not hiding his amusement.
▪ They went so fast sometimes he thought they were on the edge of no-control.
▪ They were on the edge of the mountain.
▪ Yet people ignore the plight of, say, the several species of bat which are on the edge of extinction.
be on the game
▪ She must be on the game, all right.
be on the horns of a dilemma
▪ Stirling, who had come direct from Eighth Army Headquarters, was on the horns of a dilemma.
be on the house
▪ On New Year's Eve, he offered a glass of champagne to everyone, on the house.
▪ The owner let us have the first bottle of wine on the house.
▪ First drink is on the house.
be on the level
▪ Do you think his offer is on the level?
▪ But he will have to persuade the Democrats that he is on the level before he can get very far.
▪ For those afflicted with the notion that national politics is on the level and two-dimensional, the following yarn is logical.
▪ He was obviously satisfied that I was on the level and reserved two birds on the spot, £35 each.
▪ It was on the level tonight.
▪ You're the only person mixed up in this business whom I believe to be on the level.
be on the line
▪ A company's reputation is on the line in the way it handles complaints.
▪ With the game on the line, Kansas City scored two touchdowns in five minutes.
▪ Your job's on the line in this case - you'd better make sure you're right.
▪ An hour later the Secretary of Defense was on the line asking me what on earth I was thinking of.
▪ Ego is on the line in front of this gaijin lady.
▪ Iain is on the line and wants Philip to meet him.
▪ More manufacturing jobs could be on the line.
▪ Now 350 jobs here and more than 5,000 at production bases in Birmingham and Lancashire are on the line.
▪ We decided that if the game was on the line and something dictated it, the streak was supposed to continue.
▪ When a game was on the line, Carr was nowhere to be found.
be on the lookout for sb/sth
▪ But Henry was not feeling like defending anyone today, rather he was on the lookout for attack.
▪ From February to July he was on the lookout for blossoms.
▪ I told Thompson to alert all the guards on duty to be on the lookout for a small brown rodent.
▪ Naturally, he was on the lookout for more exciting activity.
▪ Please be on the lookout for talent in your classes and give serious consideration to auditioning yourself.
▪ Police are also asking people to be on the lookout for bogus officials following several incidents in the area.
▪ Still, they will be on the lookout for opportunities to let members know about their achievements whenever appropriate.
▪ When we find that, we should be on the lookout for some ever-changing enemy, some arms-race rival.
be on the loose
▪ A killer-probably the greatest in history-is on the loose.
▪ A madman is on the loose.
▪ And now this young miss is on the loose.
▪ In a country that by world standards is almost crime-free, some wondered if a maniac was on the loose.
▪ The bull moose was on the loose.
▪ The devil grabbed it and was on the loose for ever after.
▪ The Great Seducer was on the loose and quietly and anonymously returned to a more vigorous social exchange.
be on the make
be on the mend
▪ I'm glad to see you're on the mend again.
▪ Increased sales are a sign that the housing market is on the mend.
▪ Kathy's been quite ill with flu, but I think she's on the mend now.
▪ Ron's still taking medication, but he's on the mend.
▪ And he was very keen on Sara Calvert while he was on the mend.
▪ He wanted his fans to know he was on the mend.
▪ Once he was on the mend, we decided to try and do something about his crooked leg.
▪ They are still unrepresented in great cities such as Manchester and Liverpool, but they seem at last to be on the mend.
▪ You are on the mend, I promise you.
be on the move
▪ Abbot lives in Manhattan, but he's usually on the move.
▪ He was always on the move, never staying in one town more than a few days.
▪ The economy is finally on the move.
▪ The guerrillas stay on the move to avoid capture.
▪ Those kids are always on the move.
▪ Thousands of refugees are on the move, fleeing heavy shelling in their home towns.
▪ But can they help to illuminate the question of what is on the move?
▪ Coal was on the move when Leith was first recognised as a port back in the days of Robert the Bruce.
▪ Even pronouns are on the move.
▪ In a mountain valley where arctic blasts have encased the grass in sheets of ice, wild bison are on the move.
▪ Once again, Bibby could be on the move in March.
▪ That Chip and his joie de vivre are on the move.
▪ The chasers join in the hunt once the monkeys are on the move.
▪ The whole population of the town seemed to be on the move.
be on the piss
be on the point of (doing) sth
▪ And I was on the point of telling you about Gwendoline.
▪ For a second she was on the point of executing Ace for insubordination.
▪ He thought she might be on the point of offering him a nip of whisky but she did not go that far.
▪ He was on the point of saying so when he despaired.
▪ Now Propane is on the point of pulling out because of insufficient interest.
▪ She was on the point of saying something but changed her mind.
▪ This was important, for Bonar Law's health was on the point of finally breaking up.
be on the right/wrong track
▪ A few people, though, were on the right track.
▪ And other signs helped convince me that I was on the right track.
▪ Dole was on the right track when he talked about tolerance, but he mysteriously dropped it once he got the nomination.
▪ He hoped the man was on the right track and did his best to believe that he was.
▪ I knew I was on the right track when I felt that thrill of pleasure at placing object, not painting it.
▪ The officers consequently had little idea whether they were on the right track or not.
▪ You are on the right track so follow your nose.
be on the rocks
▪ His third marriage was on the rocks.
▪ There had been signs that their marriage was on the rocks for years.
▪ He was a good soldier, but his marriage was on the rocks.
be on the ropes
▪ Primary election results show the governor is on the ropes.
▪ But behind the apparent success, the company was on the ropes.
▪ Even in the worst hours she never gave any public impression that she was on the ropes.
▪ The army claims the Tigers are on the ropes.
be on the run
▪ After the train robbery he spent three years on the run.
▪ Dean was a drug addict who was constantly on the run from the police.
▪ Mel had been on the run since he escaped from jail.
▪ But he could be on the run.
▪ He threw on some clothes; now he was on the run.
▪ John Butcher says at this moment a man on bail for rape is on the run ine the Midlands.
▪ Others are on the run with their families, leaving a hard core to take their guns and guard their property.
▪ The courthouse is still unfinished, most of the money is missing and the judge is on the run.
▪ Their adversaries were on the run.
▪ They were on the run, and in haste, or we should all be dead men.
▪ You would almost have thought that we were on the run from something.
be on the same/a different wavelength
be on the scrounge
be on the side of the angels
be on the stump
▪ The managers of such funds are on the stump, spreading the message that their day has come at last.
be on the take
▪ Clint Eastwood is usually threatened with dismissal in his detective movies, sometimes because his immediate superior is on the take.
▪ Not everybody was on the take.
be on the telephone
▪ From 6am Brown is on the telephone.
▪ I told him who I was on the telephone.
▪ She loves to be on the telephone.
▪ She must not ask who was on the telephone.
▪ The Sheikh arrived while the doctor was on the telephone to the hospital.
be on the track of sb/sth
▪ Police are on the track of a gang that has robbed five mini-marts in the last month.
▪ Were they really placed as milestones or could we be on the track of the elusive mark stones of great antiquity?
be on the trail of sb/sth
▪ Cutler and Johnson are on the trail of the killer.
▪ Especially if you consider he was on the trail of the man he believes had his family abducted and almost certainly murdered.
▪ He was on the trail of a stag, which turned to face him.
▪ It had not occurred to her that the newspapers might still be on the trail of Puddephat's widow.
be on the up
▪ All in all, it can only mean that tea time is on the up and up.
▪ I have my fingers crossed, but my own finances may be on the up.
▪ No. 1 is on the Up side, No. 2 is on the Down side and so on alternately.
▪ The worrying thing is that raids by customs and the Obscene Publications Squad are on the up.
▪ Which raises a further question, whether these activities are on the up too.
be on the up and up
▪ A gliding club that started in a local farmer's barn says business is on the up and up.
▪ We lost at Oxford, but since then we've been on the up and up and won our last four games.
be on the verge of sth
▪ About how the band were on the verge of splitting up.
▪ I was on the verge of making one last plea when I was propelled backward through the open door.
▪ Only if public order appeared to be on the verge of breaking down would the government contemplate restricting political liberty.
▪ Regrettably two of those who don't get it are on the verge of joining the Bush administration.
▪ She knew he was on the verge of losing his job.
▪ She was on the verge of tears, relieved yet unbelievably desolate.
▪ The Raiders and the Warriors are on the verge of pricing themselves into invisibility.
▪ Their debts were on the verge of managing them.
be on the warpath
▪ After two accidents in the same week outside the school, the Parents' Association is on the warpath.
▪ Processing Processing have got some gripes Joyce is on the warpath, cripes!
be on the wing
▪ May flies and caddis flies were on the wing.
▪ This area is noted for butterflies in the summer, and in August the purple hairstreak will be on the wing.
be on the/your way out
▪ Platform shoes are on the way out.
▪ All I know is that I am on my way out.
▪ As October 18 dawned, Joe felt confident that Stilwell was on his way out.
▪ But drive-ins are on the way out.
▪ But if Mr Mugabe is on the way out, he has little incentive to drop his assault on the farms.
▪ If your expenses are even one percent higher than your revenues, you are on your way out of business.
▪ It also looks like Shutt is on his way out ... bit of a shame really.
▪ Revue was on its way out.
▪ The old man could be on the way out, and anyone on the way out is inevitably a centre for drama.
be on track
▪ Five months after its opening, the operators of the hospital say those plans are on track, if incomplete.
▪ Gen Larry G.. Smith, who was on track to become the deputy inspector general of the Army.
▪ S.-sponsored Middle East peace process appeared to be on track.
▪ Soon, he was drinking too much, his marriage was on track for divorce and he remained addicted to television.
▪ The good news was that chief executive Crispin Davis insisted the company was on track to meet targets for 2002.
▪ Whenever you hear one of these figures you are on track, so make sure then that your heading is correct.
be on your best behaviour
▪ Dinner was very formal, with everyone on their best behaviour.
▪ And if what Cadfael suspected was indeed true, he had now good reason to be on his best behaviour.
▪ But everyone is on their best behaviour.
▪ So when we arrived hopefully at Loch Hope that morning, I was on my best behaviour.
▪ Use only our own girls and warn them to be on their best behaviour.
be on your uppers
▪ Auckland Park, he said, was now known as Sandshoe Alley because everyone up there was on his uppers.
▪ The poor chap is on his uppers, by all accounts, reduced to touting himself on the after-dinner circuit.
be on/at the receiving end (of sth)
▪ I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of that.
▪ On the other there was the undoubted fact that we would be on the receiving end.
▪ Otherwise, his supply unit would be on the receiving end of a simulated bomb or Tomahawk cruise missile.
▪ Talk show hosts can also be on the receiving end of questions.
▪ This is often best done in conjunction with those who are going to be on the receiving end of an appraisal interview.
▪ Today it was my turn to be on the receiving end.
▪ What was it like to be on the receiving end?
▪ You didn't have to be a client or a famous face to be on the receiving end.
be on/off (the) air
▪ We'll be on air in about three minutes.
▪ Broadcasting via a system of street loudspeakers the radio is on the air for three hours each Sunday.
▪ By this standard, half the sitcoms would be off the air.
▪ Gillroy could no longer raise Darwin, and Koepang seemed to be off the air.
▪ If left-wing radio talk show hosts got higher ratings, the right-wing hosts would be off the air.
▪ Ministers that were on the air selling prayer cloths.
▪ Sue was talking as they went, describing the scene, and Kathleen realised they were on air live again.
▪ The Channel 5 licence is expected to be awarded in early November and be on air at the latest in 1995.
▪ They're under a lot of pressure because they have to be on air 24 hours.
be on/off duty
▪ Boncoeur was on duty at the switchboard.
▪ The night shift goes off duty at six a.m.
▪ A skeleton staff was on duty to keep the world-wide operations of Royalbion ticking over.
▪ Although she loved her work, never before had she wished to be on duty on a day off.
▪ But it is believed he was off duty when the telex was sent.
▪ Chapman, Detective Steve Kring was on duty that day.
▪ He was on duty when his wife-to-be left her military hospital and was put on a troopship for home.
▪ It makes no difference which girl is on duty.
▪ She was off duty and I didn't call her.
▪ The night security man would be on duty.
be on/riding the crest of a wave
be one up (on sb)/get one up on sb
be out on your ear
▪ If you keep taking two-hour lunches, you'll be out on your ear.
▪ He, of course, will be out on his ear.
▪ Not at all: King went too far and was out on his ear in an overnight boardroom coup in 1968.
▪ She was no more secure than she'd ever been - one mistake, and she'd be out on her ear!
be patterned on/after sth
be perched on/above etc sth
▪ By the end of the show, the contestants are perched on piles of pillows of varying heights.
▪ He was perched on top of a huge cage, looking at the visitors.
▪ He went straight into the bedroom, to the wall where the painted Asiatic doll was perched on the sideboard.
▪ It was perched on a small promontory to the east of the town, overlooking the bay.
▪ Rows of large silent birds are perched on the mountain ledges - vultures.
▪ Steph and Joe are perched on their seats, leaning forward, alternately yelling plays and screaming at the officials.
▪ The old medieval part is perched on a hilltop, the modern quarters, below.
▪ Their house was perched on the brink of a canyon.
be predicated on/upon sth
▪ The company's $1.6 million budget was predicated on selling 10,000 subscriptions.
▪ A text's value rests partly then on the demand for it, and that demand is predicated on previous demand.
▪ And yet the redemption of humanity is predicated on this failure.
▪ Babylonian science was predicated on a tradition of astronomical record-keeping for strictly religious purposes.
▪ It could not be; it was predicated on the business rate.
▪ It was predicated on a quack cure called powder of sympathy.
▪ Much environmental prediction is predicated upon a logical positivist or Newtonian deterministic basis.
▪ Plans for video on-demand and other applications are predicated on imaginary customers who are expected to buy multimedia services.
▪ Samuel Richardson's Pamela is predicated on the need for a servant to resist the master's will in some things.
be reared on sth
▪ We were reared on junk food and B-movies.
▪ Broilers are not kept in cages but are reared on deep-litter floors in large houses.
▪ The gilts are reared on land which is dry and exposed to the sun.
be riveted on/to/by sth
▪ All eyes were riveted on him, and anyone who had seating space sat down quietly.
▪ Armchair travellers will be riveted to their seats while the more adventurous will get itchy feet.
▪ Her eyes were riveted to the screen with the troubled innocence of a child.
▪ His eyes were riveted to the overhead screen while the heel of his right foot tapped nervously on the floor.
▪ His vision was riveted to one vanishing point on a particular horizon, and that was the story of avant-garde art.
▪ My eyes are riveted to that glorious old banner...
▪ Of course the country may be riveted by the latest video release or the latest Nintendo game.
be running short (of/on sth)
▪ Let's go - time's running short.
▪ Many stores are running short on bottled water.
▪ Our supply of firewood was running short.
▪ As we are running short of time, let me end with one area where there is a clear divide.
▪ He was running short of petrol and that route offered him the chance to capture replenishments along the way.
▪ He was running short of time.
▪ Nevertheless, Baldwin felt his time was running short.
▪ San Francisco may be running short of characters, but new communities pop up every day.
▪ Still, time is running short.
▪ Time was running short for Lievin.
be sitting on a goldmine
be skating on thin ice
be slow/quick on the uptake
be stood on its head
be teetering on the brink/edge of sth
▪ The country is teetering on the brink of a massive financial crisis.
▪ A moment later, realising she was teetering on the brink of self-pity, she brought herself up short.
▪ As the piece opens, he is in an internment camp, and she is teetering on the edge of madness.
▪ He says that the country is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
▪ He was teetering on the brink of something serious.
▪ If it were as bad as its critics contend, our society would be teetering on the edge of extinction.
▪ Now he was teetering on the edge of the parapet.
▪ We are teetering on the edge of farce.
▪ Wednesday morning, during an hourlong session with reporters, Forbes appeared to be teetering on the edge of folding his campaign.
be the last thing on sb's mind
▪ Marriage is the last thing on my mind right now.
be thrown back on sth
▪ For first time in his life, he was being thrown back on the his own resources.
▪ He was about to be thrown back on the bloody rubbish heap, or worse.
▪ The result is that they are thrown back on their own individual and collective resources.
be walking on air
▪ On my first day, I earned $190, and I was walking on air.
▪ Martha felt that she was walking on air and when she entered the kitchen, Annie looked up.
▪ She felt as though she was walking on air.
be walking/floating on air
▪ Martha felt that she was walking on air and when she entered the kitchen, Annie looked up.
▪ She felt as though she was floating on air.
be wasted on sb
▪ The irony of the situation was not wasted on me.
▪ At seventy-three, her days were too short to be wasted on slumber.
▪ Compassion could only lead to increased confusion, for it would be wasted on her.
▪ He explained this with his usual tact, but tact was wasted on Mrs. Bidwell.
▪ Her effort was wasted on me.
▪ I fear your quaint down-home speech is wasted on me, my friend.
▪ It also tends to be grown locally so that less fuel is wasted on transporting it.
▪ It must be a proper justification which shows that your time is not likely to be wasted on a low priority.
▪ Nor did this luxury stimulate local production: it was wasted on foreign imports which could never become productive at home.
be well up in/on sth
▪ But deep inside there was a brooding that was welling up in him.
▪ By eight o'clock, when the first pair was due to tee off, the sun was well up in a clear sky.
be well up in/on sth
▪ But deep inside there was a brooding that was welling up in him.
▪ By eight o'clock, when the first pair was due to tee off, the sun was well up in a clear sky.
be/come on the scene
▪ By then, there was a boyfriend on the scene.
▪ All this quickness of mind, all her decisiveness had turned to mush when Mac came on the scene.
▪ But we must keep in mind that millions of species arose and disappeared long before mankind came on the scene.
▪ By then, Wife Number Five had come on the scene.
▪ Etty with her friend Dolly Murchie, had come on the scene.
▪ I try to explain that Charles was only four when I came on the scene.
▪ No doubt when the subsidy commissioners came on the scene they were prevailed on to restore assessments to approximately the levels of 1515.
▪ That is where the plugger and press officer come on the scene.
be/feel on top of the world
▪ In the spring of 1995, Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell appeared to be on top of the world.
be/get back on your feet
▪ But we are reliably informed that Angus will be back on his feet and more importantly that seat tomorrow.
▪ He got back on his feet, and they all made another parade around the stage.
▪ In those early years, Macey helped Dole literally get back on his feet.
▪ It was an inexpensive, safe, stable environment for families while they got back on their feet.
▪ Never got back on her feet again, really.
▪ The Mirror Group would soon be back on its feet.
▪ We can get back on our feet.
be/get called on the carpet
▪ Demmons was called on the carpet by the Board of Supervisors to explain his excessive spending.
be/get in on sth
▪ An outside linebacker, Abe enjoys the position because he can be in on every play, pass or run.
▪ Even small independents are getting in on the act in a modest way, though.
▪ Leese was getting in on the other side, and my cyclic stick moved as he bumped his with his leg.
▪ That is neither right or wrong; we both have an interest and both want to be in on the decision.
▪ The kind of place not to be in on a Sunday afternoon.
▪ We had to make the game all-ticket so no-one came thinking they could get in on the day.
be/get in on the ground floor
be/go (out) on the razzle
be/go on (the) record as saying (that)
be/go on the fritz
▪ My TV is on the fritz.
▪ Their appliances go on the fritz.
be/go on the prowl (for sth/sb)
be/go on the wagon
▪ Sometimes I would go on the wagon for a few days then have a binge.
bear down on sb/sth
▪ A stillness which seemed to bear down on her like a physical presence.
▪ Five or six men, horsed, masked and well-armed, burst from a clump of trees and bore down on them.
▪ For those who find Christmas suddenly bearing down on them, the build-up to the day is one blur of activity.
▪ His eyes bore down on me out of a somewhat hawklike face, and I immediately became flustered.
▪ Meanwhile, the New Zealand Interislander Ferry is bearing down on us like a 350-foot long, 40-foot tall aquatic freight train.
▪ The Pequod bears down on the area and comes between the whale and the floundering seamen.
▪ These thoughts bear down on me as I sit here on this third night of writing.
▪ Yussuf bore down on her in a fury.
beat up on sb
▪ I used to beat up on my brothers when we were kids.
▪ Everybody beat up on him because he made the team.
▪ She's never going to get anywhere if she tries to beat up on males, especially a catch like me.
▪ There was no need to take the time to beat up on the new pioneers.
▪ They just love beating up on architects.
bit on the side
▪ Her husband's reaction to Lowell's bit on the side had been subdued.
blood on the carpet
blow the whistle on sb
▪ A few honest policemen were willing to blow the whistle on the captain.
▪ Anyone who tried to blow the whistle on the violence was intimidated or threatened.
▪ He claims the two are separate enough that he was in the clear to blow the whistle on the Rialto Theater project.
▪ Not withstanding that risk, under the Constitution, the judiciary is in the best position to blow the whistle on runaway majorities.
▪ So, why not blow the whistle on a thoroughly corrupt system sooner?
▪ Staff members have little interest in blowing the whistle on this situation.
▪ The report will question why medical staff working with him did not blow the whistle on his activities.
▪ There were even rebelliously honest policemen, who might blow the whistle on the dishonest ones.
▪ With great courage, Vasseur has blown the whistle on an unacceptable situation.
bring down the curtain on sth
▪ Now I think we should bring down the curtain on this little episode, and go to bed.
bring it on
bring pressure/influence to bear (on sb/sth)
▪ As consumers in a capitalist society we have great power to bring pressure to bear.
▪ In London Channel 4 journalists and Insight News, the production company, brought pressure to bear.
▪ It is no longer our job to criticize or bring pressure to bear.
▪ On his eastern border, Ine brought pressure to bear on the eastern Saxons who were sheltering exiles from his kingdom.
▪ Those groups have brought pressure to bear on government to provide resources or pursue policies to the benefit of their members.
▪ Workers have their own organisations which can bring pressure to bear on governments and make demands on the state.
bring sth to bear (on/upon sth)
▪ Campaigning can bring political influences to bear on the students that might affect them detrimentally. 3.
▪ Employers brought maximum pressure to bear on workers in order to restore order: recalcitrant strikers faced lock-outs.
▪ He brought undue pressure to bear on his parents by giving them an entirely misleading account of the documents.
▪ He could not bring his mind to bear on the distant world her handwriting suggested.
▪ He resisted the pain, tried to bring the weapon to bear.
▪ Mummy and I will bring our guns to bear.
▪ Short of a hostile military intervention in Kosovo, there are other ways of bringing outside power to bear.
▪ Workers have their own organisations which can bring pressure to bear on governments and make demands on the state.
build on sth
build sth on sth
call time (on sb/sth)
▪ Besides the unlimited license to overcharge, the prosecutor has a crowbar called time to hold over your head.
▪ It is tempting, then, to call time on G8 summits.
▪ Read in studio Britain's most exclusive clockmaker is about to call time on his business - because of the recession.
▪ Survey calls time on fears Government concerns that the 1988 Licensing Act would encourage greater consumption of alcohol have been proved unfounded.
▪ This is called time-dating.
▪ Washington State called time out, then had three chances from inside 10 feet but could not convert.
carry on sth
▪ Determined to carry on as if everything were normal, he responded with a kind of indifference.
▪ Generally you have two choices: where your debtor lives or carries on his business, or where the debt was incurred.
▪ I began several diaries, carrying on the entries in some of them as far as February.
▪ I hope she can carry on for a while longer.
▪ Likewise if the defendant carries on business here and the transaction related to that business.
▪ Once Scott was more comfortable with carrying on a logical dialogue, Deborah was able to move to the next challenge.
cash on delivery
▪ Cash with order or cash on delivery is always better than cash some time in the future.
▪ If you have reservations only accept orders on the basis of cash on delivery.
▪ Most people will offer something even if it is only a few percent for cash on delivery.
▪ Payment is to be made on a cash on delivery basis.
▪ Terms of cash on delivery or advance payment should be instituted for future sales to consistently delinquent accounts.
cast a spell on/over sb
▪ Meriwether cast a spell over the young traders who worked for him.
▪ They said she cast spells on them.
cast an eye on/over sth
▪ Since marrying her he hadn't cast an eye on anyone else.
▪ The professor shrugged, casting an eye over Davide's good jacket, to inform him that his information was unnecessary.
cast aspersions on sth/sb
▪ Criticism of a verdict which casts aspersions on the integrity of jurors may, of course, attract libel actions on that score.
cast doubt(s) on sth
▪ A foot abscess had cast doubts on the colt's participation in the Epsom Classic on Wednesday week.
▪ Both studies cast doubt on individuals' awareness of tax changes and therefore suggest a low labour response.
▪ But this very silence casts doubt on Mancini's central point that the council actually voted down the king's expressed wishes.
▪ Journalists and diplomatic sources, however, cast doubt on the government's version.
▪ Some are oversensitive, which leads to annoyance and casts doubt on readings which might not be inaccurate.
▪ That, the authors conclude, casts doubt on the refuge hypothesis.
▪ This casts doubt on the suggestion that Asclepiodatus was also responsible for the shorter prologue of Lex Salica.
▪ To cast doubt on the importance of production is thus to bring into questIon the foundation of the entire edifice.
cast light on/onto sth
▪ The convergence of the techniques will cast light on perspectives and how they are controlled.
▪ The different ways in which superantigens activate T cells casts light on the pathogenesis of infectious disease.
▪ The incident has cast light on the creeping privatisation of the drug war.
▪ The investigation explores the possibility of using probate inventories to cast light on this and related questions.
▪ We use this to cast light on a metaphor of which we are given no other interpretation.
catch sb on the hop
▪ Many politicians have been caught on the hop by a good interviewer.
▪ The dramatic fall in share prices caught even the experts on the hop.
▪ Sorry about the mess but you caught me on the hop like.
▪ They catch you on the hop.
▪ Yes, I think I caught her on the hop.
▪ You caught us on the hop there, ol' buddy.
catch/touch sb on the raw
▪ She had the fleeting impression that she'd caught him on the raw.
clamp sanctions/restrictions etc on sb
clap eyes on sb/sth
▪ And that's another thing, none of us have clapped eyes on him.
▪ But before I clap eyes on his miserable face, I intend to down as many cups of sack as I can!
▪ Even so I was surprised to know that Louise has never clapped eyes on her.
▪ I need you so much at times that I wish, sincerely wish I'd never clapped eyes on you.
▪ Peter Moores impresses more with bat and gloves every time I clap eyes on him.
climb/jump/get on the bandwagon
▪ And everyone tried to climb on the bandwagon.
▪ And other quick-serve restaurant chains, such as Boston Market, are jumping on the bandwagon.
▪ Companies such as Oracle are jumping on the bandwagon, too, with low-priced network computers.
▪ Competitors are certain to jump on the bandwagon with rival systems and Nimslo's much-vaunted patents could be unable to stop them.
▪ For a while, the seif-centred members of celebrity circles were falling over themselves in their eagerness to jump on the bandwagon.
▪ If the petition is advertised, more creditors may jump on the bandwagon.
▪ Just a preliminary communication first, without the experimental details, so that nobody can jump on the bandwagon right away.
▪ The Communists have climbed on the bandwagon, but only to put the brakes on.
close on sth/close to sth
▪ Cardinal Agagianian brought the debate to a sudden close on 30 October to forestall further public discussion outside the Council.
close on the heels of sth
▪ With another couple of laps he might have finished close on the heels of the two Dunlops.
close the book on sth
▪ And, by definitively closing the book on the past, the language of socialism also remains trapped in Stalinism's wreckage.
▪ Rady made a motion to close the book on the matter.
▪ The police have closed the book on the Hannah Davies case.
come down on sb like a ton of bricks
come down on the side of sb/sth
▪ I came down on the side of tax reform.
▪ I have been criticised for coming down on the side of the second alternative.
▪ Sheer orders of magnitude matter, and the orders of magnitude do not come down on the side of the real-balance effect.
▪ We have to come down on the side of the snowy plover.
come on in/over/up etc
▪ A light suddenly comes on in the closet, revealing the hidden police officers Loach and Escobar.
▪ Automatic lights had come on in various parts of the house.
▪ It sometimes comes on in the open air.
▪ It sounded good, it felt good to say, it made lights come on in my mouth.
▪ Lights came on in the Mootwalk shops as one by one they began to open.
▪ Street lights were starting to come on in the distance, crimson slivers slowly brightening to orange.
▪ Suddenly, all the lights came on in the hospital and they eventually opened a side-door and let her in.
▪ Sure, I said, come on over.
come on sb/sth
come on stream
▪ The new plant will come on stream at the end of the year.
▪ A seventy million pounds engine plant came on stream three years ago producing engines for Rover.
▪ If successful, the trust will come on stream in April, 1993.
▪ No new cases would come on stream for us to deal with.
▪ Norton believes privatisation of electricity and water companies means more funds will come on stream.
▪ The Lomond platform is due to come on stream in April.
▪ The plant is scheduled to come on stream in the spring of 1992.
▪ They will be concentrated in the same industries and come on stream as the economy is beginning its recovery from the depression.
▪ With more and more reactors coming on stream every year, it was inevitable that problems would begin to occur.
come on strong
▪ But the defense came on strong in the playoffs.
▪ He'd come on strong towards the end of his round to pull up within a shot of us.
▪ The Republicans were coming on strong.
come on!
▪ Come on! We're already late!
▪ Here boy, come on Pecos, good dog.
come out on top
▪ In a survey of customer preference, one model came consistently out on top.
▪ In all action movies, the hero always comes out on top.
▪ Usually the team with the most talent comes out on top.
▪ Anthony Courtney's warnings welled up again, coupled with a new determination to come out on top.
▪ Both individuals should feel they come out on top.
▪ But Tsongas turned those views around when he came out on top, beating rival Clinton in the New Hampshire primary.
▪ But WindowWorks comes out on top.
▪ The hero or heroine must ultimately come out on top.
▪ While Gladiator came out on top, the contest was far from a shoo-in.
▪ Yet, if they are in one, most men want to come out on top.
▪ You could sum up the event by saying a batch of first-time nominees came out on top this year.
congratulate yourself (on sth)
▪ But the rivalry was friendly enough for all teams to congratulate each other on their performances.
▪ I do not say this in order to congratulate myself or to put my actions in a better light.
▪ On the dais all the boys were congratulating themselves.
▪ One by one they congratulated themselves.
▪ San Francisco is not in a position to congratulate itself on the success of its public schools.
▪ So both teams can congratulate themselves at doing so much better.
▪ The Government are in an extraordinarily poor position to congratulate themselves on an annusmirabilis.
▪ The Senior Management team were evidently congratulating themselves on having recruited such an able young lady.
cry on sb's shoulder
▪ At least she hadn't cried on his shoulder again.
cut your teeth (on sth)
▪ He cut his teeth at places like Claridges; the Carlton, Cannes.
▪ Sutton and Packford both cut their teeth on the old hot-metal newspaper production process.
▪ The entrepreneurial owner cut his teeth on a Schweizer 300 which he still owns.
dance attendance on sb
▪ Doctor Agrippa, who surprisingly had kept well out of our way, now came to dance attendance on us.
declare war (on sb/sth)
▪ Embassy, demanding they declare war on the Third World.
▪ Homosexuals, they claim, have declared war on nature, and nature has exacted an awful retribution.
▪ In 1686 they declared war on him in order to establish a separate company state from which they could trade.
▪ On questions of foreign policy, only Congress can declare war or appropriate the money necessary to fight it.
▪ There was little the Phoenix King could do but finally declare war against one of his own realms.
▪ They have all but declared war on three government initiatives planned in and around the town.
▪ When the Bush administration declared war on drugs, it had no idea what worked.
dine out on sth
▪ For years I dined out on these stories.
▪ You can spend it, you can dine out on it.
do a job on sb/sth
▪ The sun does quite a job on people's skin.
▪ I watch Maintenance do a job on a paper machine, shut the whole thing down to change a secondary valve.
▪ If you tell Spider yuh out, he may do a job on you.
do a number on sb/sth
▪ Danny did a real number on the car.
▪ It was a small piece of shrapnel, but it did a number on the left cheek of my hind end.
do sth on an empty stomach
▪ Alendronate must be taken only with a full glass of plain water, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
▪ I mean, neither of us had eaten since the early hours, and drinking on an empty stomach is dodgy.
▪ I tend to be very short-tempered on an empty stomach.
▪ No use mourning on an empty stomach.
▪ The next two got off more lightly: two spoonfuls of vinegar three times a day, also on an empty stomach.
▪ The sensation of nausea on an empty stomach was peculiarly unpleasant.
▪ There was little point, Manville decided, on a man eating on an empty stomach.
▪ They report to work at 8.30am on an empty stomach.
do sth on the run
▪ I always seem to eat on the run these days.
▪ He threw on some clothes; now he was on the run.
▪ I'd like to hear why you're on the run.
▪ If you want innovation, try more of that, and less of halfbacks and wide receivers throwing deep on the run.
▪ John Butcher says at this moment a man on bail for rape is on the run ine the Midlands.
▪ Meanwhile Mrs thomas's other grandson James Bellamy is now on the run after escaping from police custody.
▪ Mostly, he was a man on the run, sacked six times and scrambling countless others.
▪ They were on the run, and in haste, or we should all be dead men.
▪ Two escapees, on the run, with nothing to lose.
do sth on your own responsibility
▪ I discussed the matter with John Montgomerie and on my own responsibility decided to telephone Harold Wilson to seek his advice.
don't bet on it/I wouldn't bet on it
▪ Maybe he's really a nice guy, but I wouldn't bet on it.
draw a bead on sb/sth
▪ My adversary raised and very deliberately drew a bead on me.
draw a cheque (on sth)
▪ Alternatively, the importer's bank could draw a cheque on its correspondent bank in the exporter's country.
draw on a cigarette/cigar etc
draw on sth
draw on/upon sth
dump (sth) on sb
dump sth on sb
early on
▪ I realized early on that the relationship wasn't going to work.
▪ Jonathon got an early start on getting to know his baby sister - he helped deliver her.
ease off on sb
err on the side of sth
▪ And so he negotiated with himself, and sometimes tortured himself, and he erred on the side of generosity.
▪ But travel agents are urging their clients to err on the side of caution.
▪ It is understandable for health authorities to err on the side of caution, as these guidelines will not apply to everyone.
▪ The therapist should always err on the side of caution; the hypotheses set up are merely shrewd guesses.
▪ Therefore, if the first two arguments were correct, it would be better to err on the side of generosity.
▪ Typically, Burgess says, forecasters err on the side of caution by issuing a severe storm warning.
▪ Voltaire's work is, arguably, offensive but one should err on the side of allowing it to be available.
▪ We should err on the side of restraint, rather than of excess.
exact revenge (on sb)
▪ And at the same time exact revenge on the whites he so despises?
▪ In fact, the farmer was so mean to this young man he determined to exact revenge.
▪ Instead of the children being the monsters, the parents become the monsters who threaten to take over and exact revenge.
fall flat on your/sth's face
▪ She fell flat on her face getting out of the car.
▪ The last time I wore high-heeled shoes I fell flat on my face outside a restaurant.
▪ As we were going out to the car Babe slipped and fell flat on her face.
▪ At last, after several near misses, I fall flat on my face.
▪ Because if you don't a fresh ambition or optimistic plan will fall flat on its face.
▪ But once the ball tips, the game falls flat on its face faster than a top-ranked team after a first-round upset.
▪ It is also a nation waiting for her to fall flat on her face.
▪ Writers strive for a universal experience distilled from personal memories and tend to fall flat on their faces.
▪ Yet there are certain composers who fall flat on their face unless the adrenalin really start to flow.
fall on hard/bad times
▪ At 21 she is set for stardom, but she still finds time for people who have fallen on hard times.
▪ Even by political standards, Gingrich very quickly fell on hard times.
▪ I assumed that if a person fell on hard times some one else in the wider family would rescue them.
▪ Interestingly, though, the bottom 10 includes many household names fallen on hard times.
▪ The Cambridge University Automobile Club had clearly fallen on hard times, too.
▪ The model cities program fell on hard times soon after it began.
▪ With the outbreak of war, the shop fell on harder times.
▪ Worse, because of Jack the father has fallen on hard times and must meet all kinds of debts.
fall on stony ground
▪ Alan's charming smile fell on stony ground with her.
▪ Joseph's words fell on stony ground.
▪ Some initiatives have already fallen on stony ground, but, as we see in subsequent features, others keep coming.
▪ Their marriages had fallen on stony ground but it seemed to me there was still hope.
fall on your sword
fall/land on your feet
▪ After some ups and downs, young Mr Davison has landed on his feet.
▪ Even in an industry that shrinks faster than microwave bacon, the good people landed on their feet.
▪ Forgive the cliché, but for once I have fallen on my feet.
▪ He pushed the floor, and flipped over in the air, landing on his feet.
▪ However he landed on his feet.
▪ Jonathon is a trained musician filling in as a cleaner between jobs and he fell on his feet at the Oxford Playhouse.
▪ This is a company that tends to land on its feet.
fasten your attention on sb/sth
fasten your eyes/gaze on sb/sth
▪ Maggie fastened her eyes on him and tried to get control of her temper and her very stupidly lingering disappointment.
feast on/upon sth
▪ Hundreds of people, young and old, feasted on free hot dogs, hamburgers, and ice cream..
feast your eyes on sb/sth
▪ Just feast your eyes on the car's leather seats and walnut dashboard.
feel around/on/in etc sth (for sth)
▪ After she had put the phone down, she felt in a daze.
▪ I returned to my book, the hot feeling in my face returned to its rightful place.
▪ One of my reasons for becoming involved in Westland was that I felt in some respects that I owed them something.
▪ She was not feeling in the least cheerful however when the taxi dropped her off at Ven's home.
▪ She would understand; that was how he felt in the stores.
▪ This feeling in turn hardens into lack of interest in work.
▪ Whether you feel in any way responsible depends on your viewpoint.
fie on sb
fix your attention/eyes/mind etc on sb/sth
▪ I gulped, and fixed my eyes on the blood-red pen on the desk.
▪ She fixed her eyes on Mr Hollins's face and waited for his answer.
▪ She fixed her eyes on the jagged line of rocks to which she had to climb.
▪ She fixed her eyes on the street in an attempt to calm herself.
▪ She couldn't turn round so she fixed her eyes on her two brothers on the altar.
for days/weeks etc on end
▪ Big dumps frequently bury lift-control shacks and loading ramps for days on end.
▪ Chained in an upright stance for weeks on end, iron collars about their necks, with no hope of reprieve.
▪ He would go off into the mountains for days on end.
▪ How you hate being shipped off to Long Island for weeks on end during the summer.
▪ Lately she stays in her house for days on end, goes out only to get food.
▪ Sometimes he would not leave his room for days on end.
▪ They'd be talking for days on end.
▪ Untouched, and for days on end, ignored, he was not a child and not a man.
fortune/the gods etc smile on sb
▪ That means you are a magical person. The gods smile on twins.
from on high
▪ The advice from on high convinced Dustin to stay in school.
▪ A sudden radiance from on high fell on the two and made them look up.
▪ Also, everyone in a centralized organization gets conditioned to standing around and waiting for orders to come from on high.
▪ But a view from on high is not the most accurate.
▪ Directives come from on high, and the entire process is remote and out of reach.
▪ The people aren't being instructed from on high about their national interests.
▪ Then sharp words from on high were whispered in youthful ears.
▪ Was the word from on high that all plans for release had been shelved?
game on
get (your name) on the scoresheet
▪ Johansson got on the scoresheet himself just after the break to give Charlton the lead.
get a fix on sb/sth
▪ Have you managed to get a fix on the plane's position?
▪ I sat there, trying to get a fix on the situation.
▪ Another way to get a fix on people is to identify their heroes.
▪ He tried to get a fix on it.
▪ I sat and stared at him for a while, trying to get a fix on the situation.
▪ It may be a little harder to get a fix on calcium.
get a handle on sth
▪ At least they have a handle on what caused the power failure.
▪ Daily at five or six a. m. Mr Sammler woke up in Manhattan and tried to get a handle on the situation.
▪ From these activities they really get a handle on where I want them to go.
▪ Sun had difficulty getting a handle on the actual yield situation because week-to-week data on the silicon lots varied, Gadre said.
▪ You figure you've got a handle on all but the most aberrant human behaviour.
get a jump on sb/sth
▪ I want to get a jump on my Christmas shopping.
▪ Admitting defeat, her husband was working Sunday to get a jump on the week.
get a line on sb/sth
▪ Have we got any kind of line on that guy Marston?
get a move on
▪ Come on Sally, get a move on!
▪ Get a move on or we'll be late!
▪ I think we'd better get moving, it's only five minutes to boarding time.
▪ He'd better get a move on.
▪ If Sister doesn't get a move on, they could always content themselves with the shortest children's story ever told.
▪ If we didn't get a move on there wouldn't be a route left to do!
▪ My brother-in-law began setting up our platform, and I made the mistake of telling him to get a move on.
▪ Senior commission officials say that it is up to national governments to get a move on.
▪ She had to get a move on if she was going to make it to the city before noon.
▪ They keep shifting around and getting moved on and everyone acts like they're a general nuisance.
▪ We have heard recently that Trafford is working on the same lines, so we will have to get a move on.
get in on the act
▪ Democrats want tax cuts - now Republicans want to get in on the act.
▪ Movie theater chains are expanding rapidly, and even small local theaters are getting in on the act.
▪ Now that our exporting business to Eastern Europe has grown so successful, everyone wants to get in on the act.
▪ Produce stands sell exotic vegetables to Asian customers, and now even supermarkets are getting in on the act.
▪ As the child gets older, other agencies get in on the act.
▪ Even small independents are getting in on the act in a modest way, though.
▪ Now we want to get in on the act.
▪ The Hague Linker is getting in on the act.
▪ The Soviet Army, has also been getting in on the act.
▪ They are not anxious for others to get in on the act.
▪ With Boro in disarray, even Charlton's defenders got in on the act.
get it on
▪ Do you think those two are ever going to get it on?
▪ Be careful, though, not to get it on eyelashes.
▪ Now have you got it on the thing or have you got it on the bottom of the frame?
▪ Only he's actually got it on a scooter.
▪ Shoot, get it on, get it over with.
▪ Should he continue getting it on, then go for her.
▪ The point was to get it on, and never mind the fusses and frills.
▪ You get it on your hands.
get on sb's nerves
▪ I hope Emma isn't going to be there - she really gets on my nerves.
▪ Nick's whining is really starting to get on my nerves.
▪ The noise from the apartment upstairs was beginning to get on my nerves.
▪ Angry Dear Angry: We can understand how these kids can get on your nerves.
▪ As much as they got on her nerves, still she could not bring herself to talk behind their backs.
▪ But things now were really getting on his nerves.
▪ Everyone was getting on each other's nerves, and there was tension all the time.
▪ His son got on his nerves all the time.
▪ The noise and the smell were getting on his nerves.
▪ They really get on my nerves.
▪ This is really starting to get on my nerves.
get on sb's tits
get on sb's wick
▪ Ultimately, it just gets on your wick.
get on the stick
▪ We really need to get on the stick and get those trees planted.
get on the wrong side of sb
▪ If you get on the wrong side of Miss Trunchbull she can liquidise you like a carrot in a kitchen blender.
▪ Linda Smith got on the wrong side of the National Rifle Association recently.
▪ She was going to find out shortly that she couldn't get on the wrong side of Harry without paying for it.
▪ Travis, remind me not to get on the wrong side of you again.
get on top of sb
get on with it!
get on/along famously
▪ By all accounts, she and Uncle Walter got on famously.
▪ Dorothy and Amelia got on famously.
▪ The ticket woman and I had got on famously.
▪ They spoke with me and we got on famously.
get on/along like a house on fire
get out of bed on the wrong side
get sth on
get your hands on sb
▪ I'd love to get my hands on the guy who slashed my tires.
▪ Besides, Ward's wife will want to get her hands on it.
▪ Competitors would love to get their hands on that $ 7 billion.
▪ He was an absolute nonreader until Rosalie got her hands on him the year before.
▪ I need to get my hands on a big lexicon.
▪ Maple Leaf has wanted to get its hands on some of Schneider's operations for years.
▪ The company may need all the products and sales techniques it can get its hands on.
▪ These days, Parkes finds fans scrapping to get their hands on set lists, drum sticks, and towels.
▪ They value everything they can get their hands on.
get your hands on sth
▪ The best seats in the house are $150, if you can get your hands on a ticket.
▪ Besides, Ward's wife will want to get her hands on it.
▪ Competitors would love to get their hands on that $ 7 billion.
▪ He was an absolute nonreader until Rosalie got her hands on him the year before.
▪ I need to get my hands on a big lexicon.
▪ Maple Leaf has wanted to get its hands on some of Schneider's operations for years.
▪ The company may need all the products and sales techniques it can get its hands on.
▪ These days, Parkes finds fans scrapping to get their hands on set lists, drum sticks, and towels.
▪ They value everything they can get their hands on.
get/put bums on seats
▪ When you can put bums on seats, then you can come and tell me what flights you want to travel on.
get/put your skates on
get/take a grip on yourself
▪ Damn you, get a grip on yourself.
▪ He must take a grip on himself.
▪ I got a grip on myself and made it back to my office.
▪ I had to get a grip on myself and put this whole wretched business behind me.
▪ I must get a grip on myself, she told herself firmly.
▪ She took a grip on herself, physically pushed back the dark, claustrophobic horror at the point of drowning.
getting on for 90/10 o'clock/2,000 etc
give sb a smack on the lips/cheek
go easy on sb
▪ Go easy on Peter - he's having a hard time at school.
▪ After that, go easy on salty foods such as crisps, bacon, cheese and salted nuts.
▪ And go easy on the sugar, salt and alcohol.
▪ Fred must go easy on his eyes.
▪ He seemed to thrive under prison conditions, which caused the emperors to suspect their guards of going easy on the prisoner.
▪ We can go easy on him with the questions, but I want Nate to be impressed.
▪ We went easy on Baker and gave him the benefit of the doubt.
go easy on/with sth
▪ Go easy on the cheese - it has a lot of fat.
▪ After that, go easy on salty foods such as crisps, bacon, cheese and salted nuts.
▪ And go easy on the sugar, salt and alcohol.
▪ Fred must go easy on his eyes.
▪ He seemed to thrive under prison conditions, which caused the emperors to suspect their guards of going easy on the prisoner.
▪ We can go easy on him with the questions, but I want Nate to be impressed.
▪ We went easy on Baker and gave him the benefit of the doubt.
go halves (on sth)
▪ Do you want to go halves on a pizza?
▪ He generously agrees to go halves on you.
▪ She'd promised to go halves with him if he got anywhere in his negotiations.
go on
▪ As part of the class, they go on company tours and job shadows organized by the business partners.
▪ If student reports are anything to go on, the system does appear to work at Thayer.
▪ If you'd been with me, I might have stiffened myself and gone on with it.
▪ It has to do with not knowing what is going on.
▪ Marlon: What's going on?
▪ Their remit is not to charge or discipline officers, but to uncover exactly what has gone on.
▪ They were sharp and deadly and able to cut off anything that the Sparks tried to get going on offense.
go on forever
▪ The train just seemed to go on forever.
go on sth
▪ As part of the class, they go on company tours and job shadows organized by the business partners.
▪ If student reports are anything to go on, the system does appear to work at Thayer.
▪ If you'd been with me, I might have stiffened myself and gone on with it.
▪ It has to do with not knowing what is going on.
▪ Marlon: What's going on?
▪ Their remit is not to charge or discipline officers, but to uncover exactly what has gone on.
▪ They were sharp and deadly and able to cut off anything that the Sparks tried to get going on offense.
go on the block
go on the offensive
▪ But before Adamowski could get his campaign under way, Daley threw him off balance by going on the offensive.
▪ Hastily revising his plans for my career, he settled us into our Cape Cod retreat and went on the offensive.
▪ If she could find somewhere dry, she would be able to go on the offensive.
▪ So she did not need to go on the offensive and was not required to fight.
▪ Temperamentally unsuited for compromise, Tatum went on the offensive.
▪ When the Government hinted darkly about a privacy bill in the wake of the Mellor affair, MacKenzie went on the offensive.
go to town (on sth)
▪ Sandy went to town on the displays.
▪ Bénéteau went to town in their usual impressive way; it is, after all, their home patch.
▪ Bury that snout in Haagen-Dasz and go to town!
▪ In the United States of the early 1940s, women still donned hats and gloves to go to town.
▪ Over another cup of coffee we made plans to go to town.
▪ This month he goes to town on forms.
▪ When we used to go to town he used to get her out and carry her.
▪ Windows give you a chance to go to town.
gorge yourself (on sth)
▪ All fish love eating tubifex and will gorge themselves silly on the worm.
▪ He knew he would gorge himself on curry and dal and then want to sleep.
▪ In the wild they are opportunist feeders and at times of plenty they gorge themselves and then may fast for several weeks.
▪ Just because we appear to be gorging ourselves on war coverage doesn't mean to say that we swallow it whole.
▪ Once there they gorge themselves until they are so bloated they can hardly take off.
▪ The symbolism was extended to the gorge itself Blondin had literally caught it in his net.
hand/give/offer sb sth on a plate
hang (on) in there
▪ But I was hanging in there academically.
▪ Can you kind of hang in there to uh to maybe uh later on this evening, okay.
▪ Do you hang in there, or cut your losses?
▪ If this type of interviewer senses a weak spot he or she will hang on in there - mercilessly.
▪ In the meantime, just hang on in there.
▪ The hitter had to hang in there until he hit the ball or struck out.
▪ Ultimately, the more authentic, life-affirming religious manifestations hang in there amid, and despite, the darkness of human striving.
▪ When he is excited and enthusiastic, hang in there an extra minute to respond to his words and happy expressions.
hang on sb's words/every word
▪ And the children of Elvis did hang on his every word.
▪ As a result, you find yourself hanging on to every word and gesture.
▪ We weren't all hanging on your every word anyway, even back then.
hang on sth
▪ A few still hang on today, but in large sections of the mountains a living dogwood is nowhere to be seen.
▪ But hang on - there's Bambi!
▪ If she wanted to hang on to the shreds of her professional reputation she'd better start by controlling her haywire emotions.
▪ Pros: Lots of pyrotechnics and effects, plenty of twists and turns that keep you hanging on.
▪ The sight of him hanging on the Cross - are we really supposed to worship that, defeat and death?
▪ They are for ever hanging on by their fingernails.
▪ With just a few basic materials, I now have paintings hanging on walls in relatives homes.
▪ You can escape if you answer puzzles, games and questions about the great works of art hanging on the walls.
hang on!
hard upon/on sth
have (got) nothing on sb/sth
▪ Another time she seemed to have nothing on under a grass skirt as she danced on a mirrored floor.
▪ He realized she must have nothing on.
▪ She seemed to have nothing on underneath, which made the wheel in my stomach behave in an entirely crazy fashion.
▪ When it comes to conniving, deceptive control freaks, ex-boyfriends have nothing on record companies.
▪ Where that girl is concerned I have nothing on my conscience.
have (got) sth on
▪ All we have to go on is what other societies do.
▪ Expatriates should also take into account any fees that they will have to pay on buying a home.
▪ Indeed an inquiry of this sort should not, in my view, have been conducted on adversarial lines at all.
▪ It's thought around 70 travellers have been living on the site for several weeks.
▪ Maybe Desert Storm should have gone on at least to Basrah, if not indeed to Baghdad.
▪ Readers of the Financial Times will have noted reports on the forming of major and powerful consortia.
▪ The company has undergone an extensive reorganization since then, so the numbers have changed.
▪ We have been on a very high state of alert.
have (got) sth on
▪ All we have to go on is what other societies do.
▪ Expatriates should also take into account any fees that they will have to pay on buying a home.
▪ Indeed an inquiry of this sort should not, in my view, have been conducted on adversarial lines at all.
▪ It's thought around 70 travellers have been living on the site for several weeks.
▪ Maybe Desert Storm should have gone on at least to Basrah, if not indeed to Baghdad.
▪ Readers of the Financial Times will have noted reports on the forming of major and powerful consortia.
▪ The company has undergone an extensive reorganization since then, so the numbers have changed.
▪ We have been on a very high state of alert.
have (got) sth on sb
▪ All we have to go on is what other societies do.
▪ Expatriates should also take into account any fees that they will have to pay on buying a home.
▪ Indeed an inquiry of this sort should not, in my view, have been conducted on adversarial lines at all.
▪ It's thought around 70 travellers have been living on the site for several weeks.
▪ Maybe Desert Storm should have gone on at least to Basrah, if not indeed to Baghdad.
▪ Readers of the Financial Times will have noted reports on the forming of major and powerful consortia.
▪ The company has undergone an extensive reorganization since then, so the numbers have changed.
▪ We have been on a very high state of alert.
have (got) the TV/radio/washing machine etc on
have a chip on your shoulder
▪ The Doyle kid has had a chip on his shoulder ever since his mom and dad divorced.
▪ In some cases folks are just mad and have a chip on their shoulder.
have a down on sb
have a lot on
▪ He says he'll try and see you as soon as possible, but he has a lot going on this afternoon.
have a lot on your mind
▪ I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention, I have a lot on my mind at the moment.
▪ Since the divorce, Linda's had a lot on her mind.
▪ Stacy didn't go to the party on Saturday because she had a lot on her mind.
have a lot on your plate
▪ Don't bother your mother -- she's got a lot on her plate at the moment.
▪ Harris has a lot on his plate at the moment. Why don't we give the project to Melinda?
▪ Susan's had a lot on her plate recently, what with the car accident and everything.
have a lot/enough on your plate
▪ Beckham may have enough on his plate attempting to recapture his early-season form without being burdened with any extra responsibilities.
have a/some/no etc bearing on sth
▪ And that it might have some bearing on what has happened now.
▪ But the facts of the past seemed to have no bearing on the facts of the present.
▪ It has come to have a bearing on the larger questions of civilized survival.
▪ Party political factors, professionalism and the dispositions of key personalities all usually have some bearing on internal management structures.
▪ The availability of security may, however, have a bearing on whether or not a particular loan will be granted.
▪ The observations on immortality in Chapter Thirteen may be seen to have some bearing on this.
▪ The outside influences have no bearing on what you can do for your basketball team....
▪ This year's form will have a bearing on all future claims.
have designs on sb
have designs on sth
▪ Several developers have designs on the two-acre beachfront property.
have first call on sth
have nothing on sb
▪ Another time she seemed to have nothing on under a grass skirt as she danced on a mirrored floor.
▪ He realized she must have nothing on.
▪ She seemed to have nothing on underneath, which made the wheel in my stomach behave in an entirely crazy fashion.
▪ When it comes to conniving, deceptive control freaks, ex-boyfriends have nothing on record companies.
▪ Where that girl is concerned I have nothing on my conscience.
have sb on a string
▪ Lester claims to have several women on a string.
have sth on the brain
▪ It's unbelievable - you have sex on the brain 24 hours a day!
▪ You always have food on the brain.
▪ But the festering problem may have effects on the brain, just as it can elsewhere in the body.
▪ Must have maggots on the brain.
have sth on your side/sth is on your side
have sth/sb on your hands
▪ It is still instinctively held that those involved in engineering science should be useful handymen and will have oil on their hands.
▪ The Khedive is starting to realize that he might have trouble on his hands.
▪ They submitted lest they kill him; his death from the fast would have been on their hands.
have your eye on sth
▪ Rodrigues has his eye on the major leagues.
▪ We have our eyes on a nice little house near the beach.
▪ A few years more and white men will be all around you. they have their eyes on this land.
▪ As I told you, I have my eyes on a very different sort of market.
▪ He must have his eyes on a Ryder Cup spot.
have your head screwed on (straight/right)
▪ Cloughie probably gets closest to it - not he himself but the No. 9 seems to have his head screwed on.
▪ She seemed to have her head screwed on right, even if she was a girl.
have/get a corner on sth
▪ Any other old drunk would have got a corner on the fourth page.
have/get the goods on sb
▪ The two detectives went undercover to get the goods on the Parducci family.
▪ It is get the goods on him.
have/give sb first refusal on sth
have/keep both feet on the ground
▪ She's really creative, but she also has her feet firmly on the ground.
▪ So I guess inversely he taught me the need to be prepared and keep both feet on the ground.
have/keep your eye on sb
▪ As I told you, I have my eyes on a very different sort of market.
▪ He kept his eyes on Ezra, surveying him.
▪ He kept his eyes on his father, who had betrayed him.
▪ His face had grown serious, and he kept his eyes on the road.
▪ I kept my eyes on it the whole time, he wrote.
▪ It was not only Percy Makepeace who kept his eyes on Hilary.
▪ Mulcahey kept his eyes on the circles that widened out from the pebbles he dropped into the water.
▪ We have to keep our eyes on the sandy path.
have/keep your finger on the pulse (of sth)
heap praise/insults etc on sb
hear sth on the grapevine
hell on wheels
▪ Sean is an angelic little baby, but Sara is hell on wheels.
hit the nail on the head
▪ If Jack had been trying to find a way to impress Polly he had hit the nail on the head.
▪ My friend, you have hit the nail on the head.
▪ She might dislike Piers Morrison, but he had a knack of hitting the nail on the head.
inflict yourself/sb on sb
▪ Alcohol and tobacco inflict great harm on individual health and have a high social cost.
▪ And he was carrying no thunder-and-fire stick to inflict pain on them.
▪ From early childhood they are schooled not to inflict themselves on others.
▪ However, it is possible for other war engines and large monsters to inflict damage on them.
▪ No one wants to inflict this pressure on children.
▪ The second group comprises patients who inflict serious injuries on themselves with considerable suicidal intent.
▪ You are just lying there with these people washing, dressing and at the same time inflicting pain on you.
insist on doing sth
▪ Finally, he insisted on carrying it.
▪ For example, insisting on conditions that would in theory make the employment of women more likely often has the opposite effect.
▪ I declined, but she insisted on following me for several hundred yards.
▪ In fact, the only thing likely to take any time is deciding which to have. Insist on the best.
▪ She insisted on cleaning my flat very thoroughly every Tuesday and Thursday, and often left me a casserole in the oven.
▪ Surely Harrison would have insisted on having it pose with him.
▪ Tanya insists on moving in many circles and, above all, on thinking for herself.
▪ Together the two books test what can be gained and lost by insisting on either innocence or experience.
it/money doesn't grow on trees
jam on the brakes
▪ Most people naively imagine they will stop immediately when they jam on the brakes.
judge/consider etc sth on its (own) merits
keep (close) tabs on sb/sth
▪ He keeps tabs on everyone in the building.
▪ A psychologist will keep tabs on teams of youngsters and will stop the operation if they show signs of stress.
▪ About the world Lenny Wilkens has been keeping tabs on world events, and one thing is clear.
▪ Although so little was heard from them, those who kept tabs on them were convinced that they were slowly fading away.
▪ Anne Dickson, a local politician, said people had been keeping tabs on Hamilton for years.
▪ But trappers will keep tabs on the extra traps until February, officials said.
▪ If she asked, he would accuse her of nagging, of wanting to keep tabs on him.
▪ They patrol land and keep tabs on the gangs after tip offs from gamekeepers and farmers.
▪ We try to keep close tabs on our boys in blue.
keep a tight rein on sb/sth
keep a weather eye on sth
▪ Both, for different reasons, kept weather eyes on the cloning work.
▪ They dabble in composites, and keep a weather eye on the developments made by the small specialists.
▪ This lets you keep a weather eye on your finances.
keep a/the lid on sth
▪ A flurry of fists and boots followed as local referee Ignacio Silva struggled to keep the lid on.
▪ Additionally, falling prices for key commodities, like copper, are keeping a lid on most manufacturing costs.
▪ All this will combine to keep the lid on prices.
▪ He apparently hoped this would keep the lid on the operation.
▪ In the meantime, Father Glynn hoped that Jim Maier could keep a lid on the place.
▪ Support the possibility of keeping a lid on tax increases.
▪ Unlike Anthony, Geoffrey could keep a lid on his temper.
▪ Up with the lark and wanting to get out of town, I have to keep the lid on my impatience.
keep an eye on sth/sb
▪ But they can still learn a remarkable amount by keeping an eye on the east.
▪ He said Kaczynski would keep an eye on his property.
▪ I decided that I would keep an eye on Tom after that.
▪ Mark: No, but the doctor is keeping an eye on her.&.
▪ Meanwhile we shall keep an eye on him.
▪ The doctor thought it best if she checked into a small, private facility where he could keep an eye on her.
▪ Those with Internet access should keep an eye on a series of Usenet discussion groups that cater to Windows 95 issues.
▪ You keep an eye on her, and me or Nanny Ogg will drop in when we can.
keep on the right side of sb
▪ But those wanting to keep on the right side of the law will have to steer clear of the grape.
▪ They were keeping on the right side of the powers that be.
keep on trucking
keep sb on their toes
▪ With a test every Friday, she keeps her students on their toes.
▪ And, keeping them on their toes ... the doctors who walk eighteen miles a day.
▪ He keeps them on their toes.
▪ Inflation, which depletes the value of stocks and bonds, also keeps investors on their toes.
▪ Meetings are held every nineteen days, not necessarily Sundays, which must keep people on their toes.
▪ The general use of disapproval in order to keep people on their toes tends to be counterproductive after a time.
▪ Together, these threats are supposed to discipline managers and keep them on their toes.
▪ We have improved because a few extra players have come in and the bench is outstanding which keeps everyone on their toes.
▪ You have to have good people doing these jobs, and you have to keep folks on their toes.
keep sb ↔ on
keep your hair on
keep your hair/shirt on!
keep your mind on sth
▪ With all the talk of job losses, I was having trouble keeping my mind on my work.
▪ All good nurses were trained to keep their minds on their jobs, but even good nurses were human.
▪ But I can not keep my mind on the movie, which now seems false and cloying.
▪ He was numbed by the thought of this imaginary food and could hardly keep his mind on what the Padre was saying.
▪ Let's keep our mind on the job at hand.
▪ On Friday, the day of the fair, I had a dreadful time keeping my mind on my work.
▪ Primo has been trying to keep his mind on what they are doing in this moment.
▪ You are going to be hard pushed to keep your mind on whatever you're doing Tuesday.
keep your shirt on
keep/have one eye/half an eye on sb/sth
keep/have sb on a leash
keep/put something on ice
knock on doors
▪ All I've done since seems to be walk around and knock on doors.
▪ And gathering that information means knocking on doors and asking people questions.
▪ As a young girl I volunteered to knock on doors and enrol pets in the Tailwaggers Club.
▪ I could go up to Albany and knock on doors, and I could almost always get in.
▪ Landlords knocking on doors, demanding money.
▪ Peter: Well, cause trouble, you know; play knocking on doors, throw stones at windows and that.
▪ She sent Talivaldis to the store for a large loaf of Wonder Bread and knocked on doors, issuing invitations.
knock on wood
▪ I haven't had a cold all winter, knock on wood.
▪ Always ready to knock on wood, throw salt over my shoulder, bite my tongue, cross my fingers.
▪ Hopefully, knock on wood, Lieby is going to be in there most of the time.
▪ KineHUHre is used as a verbal device similar to knocking on wood to ward off evil forces.
knock sth on the head
▪ Fortunately they didn't knock me on the head or anything which they could have done, couldn't they?
know which side your bread is buttered on
land on your feet
▪ Capra lost his job, but landed on his feet when Columbia Pictures hired him.
▪ After some ups and downs, young Mr Davison has landed on his feet.
▪ Even in an industry that shrinks faster than microwave bacon, the good people landed on their feet.
▪ He pushed the floor, and flipped over in the air, landing on his feet.
▪ However he landed on his feet.
▪ This is a company that tends to land on its feet.
later on
▪ Later on, I'll be interviewing the Prime Minister, but first here is a summary of the news.
▪ Label the pipes you will be working on to avoid confusion later on.
▪ She took notes so she could remember it all later on.
lay a guilt trip on sb
lay a hand/finger on sb
▪ He wouldn't dare lay a finger on any of us.
▪ I laid a hand on his hair.
▪ I lay a hand on his chest and felt him breathe, mile after mile through the Kentucky night.
▪ If she laid a hand on him, what could he do besides run for it?
▪ Some one laid a hand on me.
▪ Stuyvesant responded by laying hands on To bias Feake, who delivered the document, arresting and eventually banishing him.
▪ The odds are that the young man would not have laid a finger on her, but what if ...?
lay emphasis/stress on sth
▪ In addition to the need for humility, discipline and singleminded devotion in the quest for Truth Gandhi lays stress on prayer.
▪ In the matter of ultimate aesthetic evaluation it laid stress on the intuitive response of the general public.
▪ She said that her interview had laid stress on personal circumstances rather than experience and qualifications.
lay it on (thick)
▪ He laid it on top of one of the garbage cans lined up in front of his building.
▪ I laid it on soil; the shoulders managed a few slow twitches, pulled it an inch forward.
▪ I laid it on the line.
▪ I took a card out and laid it on the counter.
▪ She laid it on the floor of the car.
▪ She took her coat off and laid it on the bed.
▪ Tenderly she laid it on the bed.
▪ That way, unless I've really laid it on thick, I can get along at a cracking pace.
lay it on with a trowel
lay sb/sth on the line
▪ And Moonshake lay theirs on the line. right now; today, not yesterday.
▪ I laid it on the line.
▪ I couldn't blame her; she'd laid things on the line from the start, as I had.
▪ You give somebody else a chance, and guys lay it on the line for you.
lay sth on sb
lay sth ↔ on
lay your hands on sth
▪ Government reports, social legislation, anything she could lay her hands on that would better acquaint her with her work.
▪ He will sell anything he can lay his hands on in exchange for drugs, which includes any information he may have.
▪ I know exactly where to lay my hands on them.
▪ I like writing letters and reading anything I can lay my hands on!
▪ Kabari women use whatever birth control technology they can lay their hands on.
▪ Looters carried clothes out of shop windows along with anything else they could lay their hands on.
▪ Monday I felt driven to eat everything I could lay my hands on.
▪ Some one had to overturn the present political arrangements in the Limousin if he was ever to lay his hands on Hautefort.
lead on, Macduff
leave/make its mark on sb/sth
▪ Being on a Kindertransport was, in itself, a traumatic experience that left its mark on otherwise balanced and healthy children.
▪ Growing up in the shadow of Olivier had already left its mark on Richard professionally.
▪ History is what you live and it leaves its mark on how you die.
▪ I was only a boy of ten at the time, but it left its mark on me too.
▪ It's bound to leave its mark on a man.
▪ So Hackney has left its mark on the history of madness.
let sb get on with it
let's get this show on the road
lie heavy on sb
▪ The duties of leadership lay heavy on him.
▪ Smoke lay heavy on the far side of the water, laced eerily with threads of light from the blaze.
▪ The river, swollen and bloated, lay heavy on the sunken fields.
life goes on
▪ For them, life goes on.
▪ He knows that life goes on.
▪ In other words, life goes on.
▪ It ensures that life goes on.
▪ The personal construction of life goes on, however much undergirded by chemotherapeutic assistance.
▪ To be sure, life goes on.
▪ We all mourn their passing, but life goes on without them.
▪ While you were there you had a ball, and then life goes on.
like a cat on hot bricks
live high on the hog
▪ They've been living high on the hog since Jim got the money from his aunt.
live on sth
live on sth
look kindly on sb/sth
▪ But tobacco is a wily and vengeful beast, and one not disposed to look kindly on those who jilt him.
▪ No skimping, and I'd look kindly on it if you'd provide her with petticoats.
▪ Penry was unlikely to look kindly on some one who landed on his island uninvited twice in a row.
look on sb/sth
look/feel etc like nothing on earth
low man on the totem pole
luck is on sb's side
▪ With two kids and a beautiful wife, luck was on his side.
make a start (on sth)
▪ I should have mentioned that Joe Lawley and Graham Lloyd have already made a start with tree clearance.
▪ In the 1980s, we made a start, privatising those industries Government ran so badly.
▪ It was decided therefore, to make a start upon upgrading the existing fleet by adopting improved technology wherever possible.
▪ Mailing designs home to be printed on samples sewn by his mum, Wells made a start in sports couture.
▪ Nick made a start at restoring the ravaged wreck, but sadly died before much was done.
▪ Now we are pledged to cut tax rates again - and have made a start on the road to 20p Income Tax.
▪ That's why we should now make a start on reminding ourselves of the relevance of our own particular life story.
▪ We have paper and ink here - make a start now if you have not already.
make inroads into/on sth
▪ In the first, the discursive, the secondary process makes inroads into the primary process.
▪ Meanwhile, the big construction companies are trying to grow by making inroads into turf traditionally held by medium-size builders.
▪ Rodrigo and Motamid rapidly began to make inroads into the border territory separating the Caliphates of Saragossa and Lerida.
▪ The focus of interest here is the extent to which the building societies are likely to make inroads into traditional banking business.
▪ With Obote making inroads into its power, Buganda attempts to secede.
▪ With six shoes under £37, Diadora is likely to make inroads into the budget end of the market.
make sb's hair stand on end
▪ The thought of a lawsuit was enough to make his hair stand on end.
▪ He was so close to her, his arms brushing lightly against hers, making her hairs stand on end.
▪ I've been hearing rumours about his methods of taming his crew ... things to make your hair stand on end.
▪ Some of the stories people had told me in that room would make your hair stand on end.
▪ Yet here he was expecting to play a part that would make her hair stand on end.
model yourself on sb
▪ A number had decided to model themselves on the behaviors and demeanor of a favorite boss or company hero-a very reasonable strategy.
▪ As we grow up we model ourselves on our parents, identifying with them and imitating them.
▪ Dean was another rebel, no doubt modelling himself on his two idols.
▪ For men to model themselves on Ulysses rather than Hercules.
▪ If the C of E models itself on Parliament, the Methodists model themselves on a school prize-giving.
▪ Nobody's modelled themselves on us, they've gone more the Roses and the Mondays.
▪ Plenty of singers, wisely or otherwise, have modelled themselves on the heroes and villains of great literature.
▪ Thomas Becket modelled himself on Anselm - in his exile, his inflexibility, his austerities.
move sb on
my money's on sb/sth
▪ The smart money is on the A's to win the series.
need I ask/need I say more/need I go on etc?
need some (more) meat on your bones
▪ Matt, you need some more meat on your bones!
nigh on
no ... /nothing on earth
▪ But at the time, with my dad as he was, there might have been no such place on earth.
▪ Further, no nation on Earth presently has the ability to launch manned lunar missions.
▪ Gazza's goal convinced Maradona there is no greater player on earth than the irrepressible Geordie.
▪ No city on earth is quite like it.
▪ No nation on earth takes greater pride in its moral heritage than the United States.
▪ Obviously I couldn't mime to a voice of seventeen years ago, no way on earth!
▪ Oh no ... what on earth was there to cry for?
▪ There is no excitement on earth like it.
not an ounce of fat (on sb)
▪ He was surprised, there was not an ounce of fat on him, but he had shed five pounds.
▪ Under their chestnut coats there was not an ounce of fat and their muscles moved without effort.
not be a patch on sb/sth
not go a bundle on sth/sb
not harm/touch a hair of/on sb's head
not have a leg to stand on
▪ If you didn't sign a contract, you won't have a leg to stand on.
not have a stitch on
not lay a finger on sb
not on your life
not on your nelly
▪ Not dad, not on your Nelly!
not stand on ceremony
not to put too fine a point on it
not worth the paper it is written on/printed on
off and on
▪ Rachel and Alan have been dating off and on for five years.
▪ And friendship with Clan Diarmaid, that we've been fighting off and on for five generations!
▪ Baltimore was foreign off and on.
▪ Beck and Phil Woods, both virtuosi, have played together off and on for years, and their rapport is magical.
▪ Even so, I thought about this man off and on for most of the week.
▪ He's lived in the King Edward off and on for 30 years.
▪ He dozed off and on but had no understanding of deeper sleep.
▪ The lights flicker off and on, off and on, the signal that the library is about to close.
▪ We've been together ever since, off and on, helping each other out.
on (my) tippytoes
on (the) alert (for sth/sb)
▪ Above, our full combat air patrol was on the alert.
▪ Bailey said that if even one of the fuel rods leaks, Palo Verde officials would put the plant on alert.
▪ Emergency services were put on alert.
▪ Only once was the congressional retreat beneath the Greenbrier Hotel put on alert and readied for possible occupancy.
▪ Report, page 11 Flu outbreak puts hospitals on alert.
▪ They were to stay on the alert for any soldier unlucky enough to go overboard.
on (the) television
▪ For years the central axiom of modern campaigning has been that elections are won and lost on television.
▪ He accused witnesses of fabricating sensational testimony just to get their faces on television.
▪ He had seen her on television.
▪ Keep your eyes peeled for policies, they don't show up so brightly on television.
▪ Later that evening we watched it all on television again.
▪ Naptime was from four to five, and then he watched the evening news on television in the recreation room.
▪ They arrived together, dressed with the studied perfection only achieved by gangsters and people about to appear on television.
▪ Viewers come to feel they know the people they meet on television almost as well as they know their friends and associates.
on British/French/foreign etc soil
▪ He was not a man to show public affection on foreign soil.
▪ Will your grandchildren forgive us, Erich, if we surrender our armies on foreign soil without a fight?
on a ... front
▪ Nor could he be left alone anymore in the late afternoons when he insisted on watering the front lawn.
▪ On the Home Front, women's tasks were diverse and often physically taxing.
▪ On this second front he goes beyond Parsons by expanding the opportunities of scholars with variant theoretical perspectives.
▪ She lined up the sights on her rifle on its empty front foot and fired twice.
▪ The Goldmans conceivably could benefit from the video on several fronts.
▪ The next day in the Tribune, there was my picture on the front page.
▪ The pressure exerted on that front foot when it is brought down in the bowling action is something like 10 times the bodyweight.
▪ The switch can be mounted on the front panel and will show when the unit is powered-up.
on a budget
▪ And, trendy painted furniture can be achieved on a budget.
▪ Best Game of 1991 already out on budget?
▪ I got drunk and dialled Hire-A-Heap and rented a scarred Boomerang on a budget four-day buy.
▪ It is absolutely essential that a knowledgeable person with budget experience examine your proposal section on budget.
▪ Refurbished on a budget of £20, the shop is kitted out with old tyres, corrugated iron and scaffolding.
▪ Roughly half the leading building societies' borrowers repay on budget schemes.
▪ The bipartisan Concord Coalition, a Washington-based interest group on budget balancing issues, has run newspaper ads against the Dole plan.
on a regular/daily/weekly etc basis
▪ Among stocks, only the railroads paid dividends on a regular basis.
▪ Because of other demands on his time, the Chancellor will not usually be a leading participant on a regular basis.
▪ Both will prevent you from burning and tanning, provided they are reapplied on a regular basis.
▪ Counselling, information and advice giving, respite from caring on a regular basis can all help.
▪ I hear there are very few companies in our industry who carry out a comprehensive performance review on a regular basis.
▪ If you like going to concerts, do so on a regular basis. 3.
▪ Neither you nor I nor most people embrace behavior change on a regular basis.
▪ The president often raises it before heavily female audiences but not on a regular basis.
on a shoestring
▪ a shoestring budget
▪ Nearly all of our research had to be conducted on a shoestring.
▪ The paper started on a shoestring, but soon had a circulation of over 100,000 readers.
▪ The program was run on a shoestring for years until they found a sponsor.
▪ Adventures on a Shoestring has been offering a variety of 90-minute weekend walking tours of New York City for 34 years.
▪ Appleton was proud of having done much of his own research on a shoestring.
▪ He goes barnstorming, first on a shoestring.
▪ It was run on a shoestring at the best of times and Kelly was merely adding to his problems.
▪ Like many entrepreneurs on a shoestring, they are attempting to start a business while they continue to work full-time jobs.
▪ The books give all the insider know-how for staying and getting around a country on a shoestring budget.
▪ The center, which offers psychological services to children, teens and families, runs the grandparent-grandchild support groups on a shoestring.
on a voluntary/part-time/temporary etc basis
▪ After a period of full-time child-care, many women return to paid employment on a part-time basis.
▪ Herrera ordered that this inhuman practice must cease and proposed to put recruiting on a voluntary basis.
▪ However, to date this exciting new technology has only adopted on a voluntary basis.
▪ Social responsibility is thus not merely a matter of the adoption of changed standards on a voluntary basis.
▪ The numbers are growing and the club is doing well, but more help is needed on a voluntary basis.
▪ There had developed since Khrushchev's time policies to involve the populace more in low-level administrative activities on a voluntary basis.
▪ This reduction was largely achieved on a voluntary basis, and our employees showed remarkable resilience and loyalty, despite such difficulties.
▪ This was often done on a temporary basis at first, but usually the fences became permanent hedges or walls.
on a wing and a prayer
on account
on account of sth
▪ Games are often canceled on account of rain.
▪ But only on account of the smooth running of the business, she realised.
▪ Could this be on account of the incongruity between their neurons and mine?
▪ I studied her carefully on account of my special relationship with her son, Sylvester.
▪ Mere discriminations on account of race or color were not regarded as badges of slavery.
▪ Some sectors, moreover, lagged behind completely, by force of circumstances or on account of reluctance to abandon traditional ways.
▪ Today our hair is very red on account of the rain that is threatening us.
on all fours
▪ Billy was down on all fours playing with the puppy.
on all/several/both etc counts
▪ Bright was turned down on both counts by Field, whose principal consideration was the weather.
▪ By contrast, Gordon says, the Net fails on several counts.
▪ He had failed on both counts.
▪ He was convicted by a jury on all counts and sentenced to 41 months in prison.
▪ He was too ambitious on both counts.
▪ I am afraid that, on all counts, it is going to fall down.
▪ I find this unconvincing on several counts.
▪ Missing Valuables Dear Missing: Yes, on both counts.
on an even keel
▪ Confusion seems to reign in many areas of your life at present, so try to get on an even keel.
▪ I was supposed to be a caretaker, charged with setting the branch back on an even keel.
▪ In Chapter 11, companies' management usually remains in place while the company tries to get back on an even keel.
▪ So when we got up here, I was really enjoying sort of keeping things on an even keel at home.
▪ That Nigel was on an even keel again was a double comfort.
▪ Then maybe they are on an even keel.
▪ These two kept her on an even keel.
on approval
on attachment
on automatic pilot
▪ I wasn't really asleep - I was just kind of running on automatic pilot.
▪ I was on automatic pilot, doing what I do best.
▪ Tommy Blue was on automatic pilot.
on average
▪ Japanese people, on average, live longer than Europeans.
▪ On average, men are taller than women by several inches.
on balance
▪ On balance I think it would be better to cancel the arrangements.
▪ On balance, it's a useful program, despite the problems.
▪ Students have been very responsible, on balance, when choosing courses to provide a broad education.
on behalf of sb
▪ A class-action lawsuit on behalf of the men and their survivors was settled in 1974.
▪ A trader placed bets in the markets on behalf of Salomon Brothers.
▪ It was an old skill, employed in times past to protect herself and now honorably exercised on behalf of another.
▪ Mildred Pierce slaves on behalf of her child, and the ungrateful kid ends up seducing her husband!
▪ The court struck down limits on expenditures by candidates themselves, or those made independently on behalf of candidates.
▪ The latter speak out on behalf of the poor, women, our fellow creatures and the environment.
▪ With Ickes lobbying furiously on behalf of the Bureau, how-ever, the full Congress refused to go along.
on bended knee
▪ George asked her to marry him on bended knee.
▪ The TV network begged her on bended knee to return to the program.
on bended knee(s)
▪ And they vote and they vote and the politicians come on bended knees.
▪ I bet you beg for it on bended knees!
▪ No human being who wants to read and own a book should ever have to go on bended knee to get it.
▪ Oh ... I am looking for a people who will come on bended knee.
▪ Perhaps it was all of that singing on bended knees or from seated positions.
▪ We need not crawl on bended knees.
on board
▪ A light plane with four people on board crashed last night.
on celluloid
▪ Chaplin's comic genius is preserved on celluloid.
on consignment
on course
▪ We had to paddle hard to keep the canoes on course.
▪ Western leaders put the trade talks back on course.
on demand
▪ Rahmer is opposed to abortion on demand.
on display
on draught
on edge
▪ As reports of robberies continued to appear in the press, the whole community was increasingly on edge.
▪ Jerry had had a hard day and his nerves were on edge.
on either/every hand
▪ Ancient oak gave place to modern pine forest on either hand.
▪ Gaston was a fishmonger who left evidence of his occupation on every hand he shook.
▪ Mist curled from the water on either hand.
▪ The drive is spectacular: gorges and tropical rain forests and waterfalls on every hand, but I thought only of Poppy.
on everyone's lips
▪ News of the divorce seems to be on everyone's lips.
on first acquaintance
▪ Most people are nicer than you think they are on first acquaintance.
▪ Route finding can also be difficult so caution is urged on first acquaintance.
▪ Their interpretability, however, must not be exaggerated; their meanings are not necessarily wholly predictable on first acquaintance.
on foot
▪ It's not far. It'll take you about ten minutes on foot.
▪ The best way to see Yosemite is on foot.
▪ The bus left us at the bottom of the hill, and we went the rest of the way on foot
▪ The two men had attempted to cross the mountains on foot.
on full beam
on hand
▪ Organizers of the fair have a nurse on hand in case of any injuries.
on heat
on high
on hold
▪ I put Dana on hold while I tried to find Steve.
▪ You're always on hold for about 10 minutes before you get to talk to anyone.
on horseback
on impact
▪ Their car burst into flames on impact.
on its last legs
▪ Your car sounds like it's on its last legs.
▪ It's an old established set-up, but I reckon it's on its last legs now.
▪ The battery, like the torch's owner, was on its last legs.
▪ Without some fresh thinking the G8 is probably on its last legs as an effective body.
on line
▪ All the classrooms are now on line.
on loan (from sb/sth)
▪ Daren Rowbotham has joined on loan from Birmingham and leads the attack.
▪ Services include making sure payments are collected and insurance and taxes are paid on loans that are packaged and resold to investors.
▪ The charge on loans to brokers on stock exchange collateral.
▪ The charge on loans to depository institutions by the Federal Reserve Banks.
▪ The Chelsea goalkeeper has found a new lease of life at Grimsby since joining them on loan.
▪ Ward has been searching for a winger for some time and last night he was hopeful of clinching a signing on loan.
▪ We have a lovely 14.3 Connemara cross thoroughbred mare on loan.
on manual
on no account/not on any account
▪ On no account should you attempt this exercise if you're pregnant.
▪ You shouldn't sign the contract unless you are sure you understand it. Not on any account.
on no condition
on occasion
▪ Julie drops by my place on occasion.
on offer
▪ We were disappointed by the standard of hotels on offer.
on paper
▪ As soon as you have an idea, get it down on paper so you don't forget it.
▪ Felton had made the same allegations on paper, and had sent a copy to the FBI.
▪ If you have any suggestions for improving the course, put them on paper and we'll discuss them.
▪ It looks simple enough on paper, but I doubt if it will actually work.
▪ On paper, the family is worth over $5 billion.
on prescription
on purpose
▪ Fire investigators believe the fire was set on purpose.
▪ I spilled my drink on purpose -- I needed an excuse to leave the room.
▪ Is he really that dumb or is he acting that way on purpose?
▪ Will always pronounces my name wrong. Do you think he does it on purpose?
▪ Consider in this connection the point I made earlier that comprehension is necessarily incomplete and dependent on purpose.
▪ He wasn't the kind of bloke to do it on purpose.
▪ If I throw one up in the zone, it's not on purpose.
▪ If it was on purpose, the culmination of some evil conspiracy, well of course it will happen again.
▪ Perhaps she had been dropped on to his path on purpose.
▪ The first time you step out, whether by accident or on purpose, a warning is imposed.
▪ Whether on purpose or by mistake, Kimberly was exchanged for the baby who came to be known as Arlena Twigg.
▪ Yeah, we keep it that way on purpose.
on sale
▪ "How much was your jacket?'' "I got it on sale in Montgomery Wards. It only cost $45.''
▪ His suit was bought in the sales for £100.
▪ I got my shoes on sale for half price.
▪ I need a new pair of shoes but I want to wait until they go on sale.
on sb's account
on sb's arm
on sb's knee
▪ I used to sit on Grandpa's knee and ask him read to me.
on sb's part/on the part of sb
on sb's say-so
▪ I'd feel terrible if anyone went to see the play on my say-so and hated it.
on sb's shoulders
▪ The blame rests squarely on Jim's shoulders.
on sb's/the doorstep
▪ Father worn out from the beating he had administered, sat on the doorstep smoking his pipe.
▪ For Elizabeth Gould, however, this ornithological cornucopia right on the doorstep did not hold the same all-encompassing fascination.
▪ Paul, much less consulting him as to where to live, she simply literally arrived on his doorstep.
▪ They say I had the vanity to go down to Croisset and make an embarrassing scene on his doorstep.
▪ Thomas Hewett was off duty and having a quiet glass of stout and a chinwag on his front doorstep.
▪ Two burly men were on the doorstep.
▪ When anyone anywhere had a question about leadership, he inevitably wound up on my doorstep.
▪ Yet here is a dark continent on our own doorstep, crying out for missionary endeavour.
on sb's/the radar (screen)
on second thoughts
▪ But perhaps, on second thoughts, it wasn't so strange: Luke was special, unique.
▪ He was decisive and never wasted time on second thoughts.
▪ In fact, on second thoughts, would it not be far more sensible to invite Emilia to come to Cambridge?
▪ No, on second thoughts, I wasn't sulking.
▪ Then, on second thoughts, she opened the lid just the tiniest fraction so that the creature could breathe.
▪ William Oh-right-on second thoughts maybe it wasn't that bad.
▪ You eventually work out that if ... on second thoughts, you can solve it yourself!
on show
▪ We have placed one of the pieces on show in the lobby.
on sight
▪ A lot of people assume on sight that Lisa's not American.
on site
▪ An engineer will be on site to supervise the construction.
on spec
▪ Families moved west, essentially, on spec.
on standby
▪ City firefighters have been on standby for the past three days.
▪ Other airlines said they would accept the passengers on standby.
on sufferance
on tap
▪ Plenty of good food will be on tap for the Memorial Day celebration.
on that account/on this account
on that score
▪ You won't get any complaints from me on that score.
▪ An odd coincidence-if you believe in coincidences-changed his thinking on that score.
▪ At any rate Joan and I were having no problems on that score.
▪ He knew far more on that score than I, and I could not help but respect him.
▪ I was ever silent on that score, for it was the truth.
▪ Leeds had to think again on that score.
▪ No need to revise our predictions yet, on that score.
▪ Not that I've any complaints on that score.
on the back of sth
▪ Captions Never write directly on the back of a photograph.
▪ Clubs also look set to be given the option of having players' names on the back of their shirts.
▪ I feel moist breath on the back of my neck, and fingers touch my arm.
▪ It was strange to see his bag on the back of another caddie.
▪ Jack said, and he slapped Streeter on the back of the head with his gun hand.
▪ Mr Gregson took me home, jolting on the back of the wagon.
▪ Somebody runs out of the crowd and hits Mowat on the back of the neck.
on the backs of sb
▪ For a while she stood next to the coal stove and warmed her hands on the backs of her legs.
▪ He ignores the kids whose feet are propped on the backs of chairs.
▪ In toads, for instance, the males sit on the backs of females for a few days before the female lays her eggs.
▪ It is clearly unfair that so much tax in the Third World falls on the backs of those least able to pay.
▪ John Betjeman scribbled verses on the backs of envelopes and read them aloud in his car.
▪ Palm trees sway on the backs of countless cotton shirts.
▪ Print your music on candy wrappers or on the backs of daguerreotypes.
▪ The wood for the hedge arrived not on the backs of the hedge-builders but in the boot of their Ford Cortina.
on the ball
▪ A photographer who was on the ball got some great pictures of the incident.
▪ Calluses grow on the ball of the foot and do not have a nucleus.
▪ He was turning on the ball right away against veteran pitchers.
▪ Parks is a man who knows how to keep his eye on the ball.
▪ Super slow-motion replays appeared to show O'Driscoll did not apply downward pressure on the ball.
▪ The cricketer himself seems intent on something earlier; back on the ball by June.
▪ The thinking behind that extra half inch was it would give me better plate coverage on the ball away.
▪ There seemed to be no time on the ball, and poor Dylan Kerr was run ragged down the right wing.
▪ They were the black men who did, indeed, have it on the ball.
on the basis of sth
▪ Employers are not allowed to discriminate on the basis of race or sex.
▪ It seems as though Strachan and Sterland have got their shirts on the basis of length of service.
▪ Most employers require inspectors to have a high school diploma or equivalent even when they qualify on the basis of experience.
▪ Segregation on the basis of race is a denial of equal protection in violation of the Constitution. 38a.
▪ Spenser could consider himself a gentleman only on the basis of having been to university and acquired a Master of Arts degree.
▪ Student performance will be judged on the basis of degree examination results, thesis and continuous assessment, following current University regulations.
▪ The assessment is riddled with judgements made on the basis of professional experience or political choice.
▪ The employer is only allowed to discriminate on the basis of personal merit and suitability for the job.
▪ The provinces are drawn on the basis of radioactive ages.
on the bias
▪ cloth cut on the bias
▪ Slice on the bias and place on top of Minted White Beans.
on the blink
▪ The radio's on the blink again.
▪ No sooner does one learn to avoid one station than another goes on the blink.
▪ One of the North Sea rigs has gone on the blink.
▪ The blasted thing's on the blink again.
▪ Your computers must be on the blink.
▪ Your link's on the blink.
on the blower
▪ It was just me at home on the blower, learning about all the various bits of it.
▪ Or has rapper Puff been on the blower from New York with a few choice words?
▪ Wyatt turned on the blower and the image disappeared.
on the bone
▪ Decay leaves little modification on the bone.
▪ If there is some meat left on the bones, all the better.
▪ It came to rest with corpses of slow woolly mammoths frozen deep inside, it lay on the bones of sabre-toothed tigers.
▪ Meat left on the bones will only add to the flavor of the stock.
▪ The robes were stained and torn, but there still seemed to be some blood on the bones.
▪ There is some roughage on the bone that causes swelling and pain.
▪ They took great care and were concentrating on a small area, trying hard not to tread on the bones.
on the button
▪ She got to our house at two, on the button.
▪ The weather forecast was right on the button.
▪ Did he bank and dive, his finger on the button, his guns blazing from the wings?
▪ He made his birdie and he made his cut, right on the button.
▪ He was pressing hard on the button and standing patiently for the door to open.
▪ She clicked on the button to turn over the second card, and the second card was Death.
▪ So she pressed down on the button more firmly.
▪ The whole show, Dominic says, is about keeping your finger on the button.
on the cheap
▪ His new book tells how to visit New York on the cheap.
▪ It's impossible to provide good nursing care on the cheap.
▪ You only had to look at the houses to see that they'd been built on the cheap.
▪ He's probably counting on family connections to get you on the cheap!
▪ Here you are covered for your tank and any furnishings which are damaged, even on the cheapest, most basic policy.
▪ There is a temptation that voluntary organisations may be tempted into offering services on the cheap.
▪ There would be no way of doing it gradually or on the cheap.
▪ They were able to take a high line, look impressive, cut a dash - on the cheap.
▪ This added up to $ 290. 50, a great date on the cheap, in Motor City.
on the contrary/quite the contrary
on the credit side
▪ The telltale entry was the lone item on the credit side: £2,000, from deposit account.
on the cusp
▪ Claude Cheever, a young man on the cusp of 20&.
▪ Death becomes him, for ever frozen in time as a complex and charismatic 24-year-old on the cusp of greatness.
▪ Sing Sing seems constantly on the cusp of chaos.
▪ They will be on the cusp of puberty.
▪ With plans to add another 100 staff by April, it is on the cusp of breaking into the big league.
on the debit side
on the dot
▪ He gets annoyed if his lunch isn't ready at one o'clock on the dot.
▪ I'm leaving work at twelve-thirty on the dot.
▪ I expect you to arrive at 7:30 on the dot.
▪ She always leaves the office at 5.30 p.m. on the dot.
▪ At four-thirty on the dot Benny put on his coat and cap and bade William goodnight.
▪ At nine o'clock, on the dot, I went down to the station cafe to face whatever was going to happen.
▪ Eleven fifteen on the dot, wait for it to pick the phone up.
▪ He stood in it for fifteen minutes, until it rang on the dot of nine.
▪ However, before signing on the dotted line, you should think carefully about the risks and the costs.
▪ I was to be at the harbour at 8 a.m. on the dot.
▪ Jasper was always on the dot.
▪ The lucky 10, 000 have signed on the dotted line.
on the drawing board
▪ Additional programs in international studies and telecommunications were on the drawing board.
▪ Parisians remain unconvinced that the project will be approved, especially since it is not the only idea on the drawing board.
▪ Plans also are on the drawing board to develop chips for the cable industry.
▪ The balancing of these main curves is done on the drawing board.
▪ Until that changes, the Tobin tax will remain on the drawing board.
on the edge of sth
▪ But from where we stand, they appear to be teetering on the edge of financial -- and societal -- disaster.
▪ Gripsholm Castle is built on the edge of Lake Mälar, not far from Strängnäs.
▪ He was waiting for her answer, not exactly on the edge of his seat, though.
▪ I rested for a few minutes, then sat on the edge of the bed and looked around.
▪ It is a dangerous moment, pregnant with hope teetering on the edge of despair.
▪ She found a bathroom further along, and sat on the edge of the bath.
▪ She slid out of bed and sat on the edge of his cot.
▪ We're on the edge of our seats.
on the edge of your seat
▪ The movie's last scenes kept us on the edge of our seats.
▪ Chesarynth perched on the edge of her seat, fearing a poisoned needle in the cushions.
▪ From the moment he took the rostrum, Gergiev had his musicians tensely perched on the edge of their seats.
▪ He was waiting for her answer, not exactly on the edge of his seat, though.
▪ This dramatic opening had me on the edge of my seat!
▪ This keeps you on the edge of your seat.
▪ We're on the edge of our seats.
on the edge of your seat
▪ Chesarynth perched on the edge of her seat, fearing a poisoned needle in the cushions.
▪ From the moment he took the rostrum, Gergiev had his musicians tensely perched on the edge of their seats.
▪ He was waiting for her answer, not exactly on the edge of his seat, though.
▪ This dramatic opening had me on the edge of my seat!
▪ This keeps you on the edge of your seat.
▪ We're on the edge of our seats.
on the face of it
▪ It looks, on the face of it, like a pretty minor change in the regulations.
▪ On the face of it, he appeared to be an ideal candidate for the position.
▪ On the face of it, this seems like a perfectly good idea -- we must wait and see if it turns out well.
▪ A contractual obligation, such as an exchange rule gives rise on the face of it to strict liability.
▪ All three candidates were acceptable on the face of it.
▪ As I say, on the face of it obvious.
▪ Innocuous enough on the face of it.
▪ It is, on the face of it, a very considerable offer.
▪ They were not, on the face of it, a likely match.
▪ This seems a contradiction on the face of it.
on the face of the earth
on the flat
▪ A standby compass is mounted on the flat windscreens' central pillar.
▪ He rubbed his eyes and gazed out on the flat green countryside below.
▪ Miles per gallon Then, on a long haul, it wouldn't go up hill or overtake on the flat.
▪ Several of these graptolites are preserved on the flat bedding surfaces of a black shale.
▪ Skipper worked nicely on the flat, so John built us a six inch cross pole to trot over.
▪ The moon was shining brightly on the great stones, and between them, on the flat ground, lay the girl.
▪ Through the strips of waving screen he could see sunset in the palmettos, sunset on the flat sand.
▪ We follow a number of faint tracks that disappear on the flat and run into barriers of scrub brush and trees.
on the fly
▪ Sometimes you have to make decisions on the fly.
▪ Java applets are capable of handling a wide variety of graphic formats as well as creating graphics on the fly.
▪ Lee Ann took all her clothes off and lay down to sun herself on the flying bridge.
▪ Some one more determined could probably find some flat back-road routes, but doing it on the fly proved beyond us.
▪ Some systems still rely on a batch pagination method while others, like Interleaf, do the whole thing on the fly.
▪ Taco Bell: The burritos and fajitas are among the easiest foods to eat on the fly.
▪ The run-time code is loaded on to a real processor and translated on the fly into the chip's native instruction set.
▪ This root is then stored and may be accessed in the lexicon at run-time rather than determined on the fly.
▪ This time, I got it there on the fly.
on the fringes (of sth)
▪ Both teams are on the fringes of playoff contention, and that was reflected in the game.
▪ But they all remained on the fringes.
▪ He had served on numerous civic committees and dabbled on the fringes of politics, mainly at the name-dropping level.
▪ It is a monopoly with a little managed competition on the fringes.
▪ It is on the fringes of higher education, through its contribution to research, which provides an educational resource for students.
▪ Or only on the fringes, allowed in after promises of exemplary behaviour?
▪ The idea, indeed, was supported more by those on the fringes of political life than by those at the centre.
on the go
▪ My kids keep me always on the go.
▪ Here's the lowdown on these tasty treats: Wraps are the ideal meal for people on the go.
▪ I've been on the go all day.
▪ I have three or four on the go at once.
▪ Make a point of always having more than one project on the go.
▪ Room temperature exerted a powerful influence on the going rate of any timekeeper.
▪ She is constantly on the go, running around, pushing other kids, throwing toys.
▪ Some of these blokes have eight or nine houses on the go.
▪ We were always on the go.
on the ground
▪ But when you sleep on the ground a lot, you get to see all sorts of bugs.
▪ He sat cross-legged on the ground and stared into the black grid on the front of the radio. 2.25 p.m.
▪ Over five thousand dead and wounded men were on the ground, in every attitude of distress.
▪ People on the ground would be trying to blast us out of the air.
▪ Putting these things in place on the ground will be our job.
▪ That does not say much for the top chasers of the day, which are very thin on the ground.
▪ That marked the first time that solar neutrons were detected on the ground.
▪ The egg is infective on the ground in about two weeks at optimal temperatures.
on the hoof
▪ As sure as I have tusks, this is ontology on the hoof.
▪ Changes were being made on the hoof, and no records were being kept of what was being done and by whom.
▪ Diana, an unwilling international media celebrity, was having to learn on the hoof.
▪ Farmers wishing to sell finished stock on the hoof contact the company's field staff who video the animals intended for sale.
▪ It was one of those glorious moments when a politician is forced to make up policy on the hoof.
▪ Much of the beef from the United States in fact arrived in cattle ships on the hoof.
on the horizon
▪ Huge, black clouds rushed on the horizon.
▪ Marriage is on the horizon or meeting that special individual.
▪ Meanwhile, the absolute deadline of June 30, 1982, loomed on the horizon.
▪ Off on the horizon was the Soviet guided-missile destroyer Sovremennyy.
▪ Rivers flashed by, and mountains appeared on the horizon.
▪ Something slightly less flat than the flatness surrounding it appeared on the horizon.
▪ Then on the fifth day, mid-morning, a pool of light as pale and clear as moonstone appeared on the horizon.
▪ Two marker posts with winking lights had appeared on the horizon, and the bus was steering between them.
on the inside
▪ Bells hung on the inside which occasionally Ruth, when in residence, would strike.
▪ Condensation: normal levels - a light film on the inside of the fly but no droplets.
▪ Get rich quick schemes on the inside of matchbooks?
▪ He grabbed his overcoat which hung on the inside of the door.
▪ He stupidly took off on the outside of a wave when some one else had already established priority on the inside.
▪ They played Twenty-one; the scores were kept on the inside of a Lyons Green Label tea packet.
▪ Three narrow windows were locked on the inside, shades drawn.
▪ To those on the inside, the critique will probably seem unreasonable.
on the inside
▪ Bells hung on the inside which occasionally Ruth, when in residence, would strike.
▪ Condensation: normal levels - a light film on the inside of the fly but no droplets.
▪ Get rich quick schemes on the inside of matchbooks?
▪ He grabbed his overcoat which hung on the inside of the door.
▪ He stupidly took off on the outside of a wave when some one else had already established priority on the inside.
▪ They played Twenty-one; the scores were kept on the inside of a Lyons Green Label tea packet.
▪ Three narrow windows were locked on the inside, shades drawn.
▪ To those on the inside, the critique will probably seem unreasonable.
on the job
▪ on-the-job training
▪ Today's my first day on the job.
▪ He was making posters after hours on the job and sending them to the Socialist Workers Party.
▪ However, he also concentrated on the job in hand, sending Dodgy Dancer ahead well inside the final furlong.
▪ I put in the day on the job, which I like, and I go home at night.
▪ If any employee is sinking on the job, you need to respond in a businesslike way.
▪ She would concentrate on the job in hand instead, and get it done as quickly and cleanly as possible.
▪ They were on the job, see, your mum and Stephen's dad.
▪ When they go on sick leave, their aggregate take-home pay is actually higher than when they are on the job.
▪ Why else would they take on the job?
on the lam
▪ While on the lam, Benek worked as a waitress at a small diner.
▪ All of which leads her to suspect that he was either on the lam or in the Witness Protection Program.
▪ Does he turn her over to the cops, or ditch school and go on the lam with her?
on the lash
on the march
▪ Fascism is on the march again in some parts of Europe.
▪ By this time the Confederates had formed into columns and were on the march back to Corinth, Mississippi.
▪ Certainly my migraines were on the march, I missed two shows in the six-month run.
▪ He shot 3-for-9 and then resumed his ongoing discourse on the march to the playoffs.
▪ Imports were valued at £5,516m last month, down by over £100m on the March figure.
▪ Of all these horsemen, not a tenth, not even a twentieth eat meat on the march.
▪ Perhaps Louis was also stung by the threatened negation of his own youthful exploits on the March.
▪ The board adopted its own measure, which will go on the March ballot in opposition to the Kuper initiative.
▪ Well of course we protested and went on the March for Life and Peace, which was turned back by the military.
on the margin(s)
▪ Many mentally ill people have been forced to live on the margins of society.
▪ At each period new houses and streets have been added on the margins of the built-up area.
▪ Competition on the margin forces organizations shed their skins, time and again.
▪ In all, more than three out of five older women were living in or on the margins of poverty.
▪ Natural selection, which normally works on the margins, suddenly alters the core of the system.
▪ Since many exist on the margins of their environments, small changes may create big problems for them.
▪ The Bill provides a little extra competition and regulation on the margin, but it does not fundamentally transform the regime.
▪ The Loughborough research shows that librarians don't have to feel apologetic about being on the margins of school action.
▪ You get feedback written on the margins on your page or typed on a separate piece of paper.
on the market
▪ It's one of the cheapest computers on the market.
▪ The house was on the market for $475,000.
▪ There are thousands of different computer games on the market.
▪ There may be better shoes on the market, but this is the one the kids want.
▪ All are on the market today.
▪ All four prototypes used special tapes, and were incompatible with each other - as well as with every video system already on the market.
▪ But three weeks later he put it back on the market.
▪ Colors of the hybrids now on the market include shades of red and pink in addition to white.
▪ It was on the market for six months for $ 70, 000.
▪ It was put on the market more than two years ago at $ 12. 5 million.
▪ This may be the best scanner bargain on the market.
on the morrow of sth
on the nail
▪ I bet they paid their £1.80 on the nail when they got the magazine.
▪ Not paying on the nail could be extremely expensive.
▪ She brought the hammer down on the nail.
▪ The first one mounted the runway and briskly walked its length, barefoot on the nail points.
▪ The lavatories also had a birthday, and Dad left ours unlocked with plenty of fresh newspaper on the nail.
▪ The Tories got it absolutely on the nail.
on the never-never
▪ From thence he progressed into Formula Ford, with an Alexis that he bought on the never-never.
▪ They just let you go on buying on the never-never.
on the nod
▪ Everything went through on the nod.
▪ Funds for major projects and programmes have been approved virtually on the nod.
▪ Ira Sanchez offered a bet and the bookie took it on the nod.
on the nose
▪ He gets up at 6 a.m. on the nose every morning.
▪ Alan Keyes hits it on the nose.
▪ Bombay Coarse and raw on the nose with sweet rubbery notes but little perceptible juniper.
▪ Have you heard about the Tory moderate who hit the cheerful-looking palmist on the nose?
▪ He's had to be kept apart from the hamsters ever since one bit him on the nose.
▪ His nervously elegant hand made a shaking bridge over the tinted spectacles, adjusting them without need on the nose.
▪ In this, the Supreme Court is right on the nose.
▪ The ale is a bright amber colour with quite intense caramel and sweet hop characters on the nose.
on the occasion of sth
▪ Although it is not continuous, it is observed on the occasion of some miracles.
▪ In May 1985, on the occasion of the centenary, hundreds of people thronged the platform, many in Victorian costume.
▪ Ragged urchins, of course, sitting on those school benches on the occasions of her visits.
on the off chance
▪ I keep all of my old clothes on the off chance that they might come back into fashion.
▪ I asked him on the off chance.
▪ Much effort went into tracing remote family connections abroad on the off chance of identifying a benefactor.
▪ She thought of ringing him on the off chance of catching him at the flat, but shelved the possibility as unlikely.
on the off-chance
▪ I called on the off-chance that Patty might be home.
▪ I just came on the off-chance.
▪ I rang Otto on the off-chance.
▪ I walked over to the wardrobe and opened the door just on the off-chance.
▪ It was a long way to drive on the off-chance that something would come of it.
▪ The card is too expensive on the off-chance I could get in an away game during the season.
▪ There was no time to contact him, so I came on the off-chance.
on the open market
▪ Berryhill is back on the open market.
▪ HaL is unlikely to sell its chips on the open market.
▪ I hadn't been on the open market for so long.
▪ If the Bank wishes to reduce the money supply it will sell securities through its broker on the open market.
▪ It is likely to be some years before such a product is on the open market.
▪ It will sell the rest on the open market.
▪ Priced on the open market, they would sell for tens and tens of billions of dollars.
▪ They sell bonds on the open market.
on the other hand
▪ Nuclear power is relatively cheap. On the other hand, you could argue that it's not safe.
▪ The hamburger was tough and overcooked. The fries, on the other hand, were terrific, and well worth the money.
▪ You want to help your kids as much as you can, but on the other hand, you've got to be careful to help them learn on their own.
▪ Clinton on the other hand lacks the courage of his cynicism.
▪ Clinton, on the other hand, understands what Kathie Lee is going through.
▪ Lind, on the other hand, is a victim of the great urge to simplify.
▪ Ray, on the other hand, is more of a traditionalist.
▪ Rickenbacker's whole philosophy, on the other hand, is based upon never making guitars anywhere other than under their own roof.
▪ Salads on the other hand, are simple, satisfying and sizable.
▪ The Macintosh, on the other hand, uses the Motorola 68000 and was designed as a closed architecture.
▪ Your computer, on the other hand, is a digital device.
on the outs (with sb)
▪ Because of a dispute over a silver tea service, E1 and Rhoda had been on the outs for thirty years.
▪ But even in labor we were on the outs.
▪ I was always on the outs.
on the outside
▪ A coating is often then placed on the outside for additional protection.
▪ He uncurled her fingers and reset the fist with the thumb on the outside.
▪ I like music that's cold on the outside.
▪ I want to put the computer world around you on the outside.
▪ It was slightly charred on the outside, sweet in the center.
▪ They don't trust anyone on the outside, anyone who appears to be on the outside.
▪ They were stuck on the outside like cheerleaders.
on the payroll
▪ Burns will be on the payroll until January 31.
▪ All those taxes and regulations force small business to keep nonproductive employees on the payroll.
▪ And he defended eight of the 14 people listed as ghost employees on the payroll of then-Rep.
▪ Before going outside your organization look around to see whether there is anyone already on the payroll who could do the job.
▪ He asked Karloff, who was on the payroll for another three days, if he would do it.
▪ Levies on the payroll will not have that effect.
▪ The tax authorities insisted they put the women on the payroll.
▪ There are no employees with serious disabilities on the payroll either, though with regard to that issue also they are open-minded.
▪ To save money, many companies are putting their secretaries on the payroll of temporary personnel companies.
on the pull
on the q.t.
on the quiet
▪ He used to flirt with the two girls, on the quiet, when his wife wasn't looking.
▪ His doctor has told him he mustn't drink, but he still has the occasional brandy on the quiet.
▪ A little further on the quiet was broken by the rumble of a truck.
▪ A visiting dignitary on the quiet lonely street.
▪ He swills it down at times; of course, on the quiet, after Great-gran's safely tucked up in bed.
▪ It is best therefore to err on the quiet side and to use percussion sparingly rather than to excess.
▪ Outside, snow is falling on the quiet street, and everything has turned white.
▪ The dead man had been renting the house on the quiet estate for 18 months.
▪ There are almost no signs of Tarkmania on the quiet, flat, dust-blown campus.
▪ You and I felt welcome, shrouded in the warm dark, confident on the quiet block.
on the rack
▪ He himself was beginning to ache as though stretched on the rack, with the worst still to come.
▪ His characteristic attitude is one of close scrutiny and interrogation; he puts his documents on the rack, as it were.
▪ I'd put the bike on the rack at the back and secured it with a bungy strap.
▪ It smelt of camphor as if the old clothes hanging on the racks had just been taken out of ancient chests.
▪ The pound, however, was still on the rack.
▪ There were only face towels left on the rack.
▪ When the Babbel incident blew up, Liverpool really were on the rack.
▪ When the fire is hot, lay the mushrooms on the rack.
on the rampage
▪ And then in the second half they went on the rampage.
▪ Jaq scanned another swarm of these hybrids, on the rampage with guns and blades.
▪ Midway through the second half, Neath went on the rampage scoring another three tries in only eight minutes.
▪ Rangers beat Celtic and those Cath'lics will be on the rampage.
▪ Richard, on the rampage, must be an appalling bore.
▪ Second-placed Cardiff went on the rampage, crossing for six tries in an impressive 39-3 demolition of Newport at Rodney Parade.
▪ So long as radicals were on the rampage, staying in the centre meant leaning ever farther towards liberal reform.
▪ So we went on the rampage.
on the rebound
▪ Anderson scored the sixth goal on the rebound.
▪ John Travolta's acting career was on the rebound with "Look Who's Talking."
▪ We met when I was on the rebound from a very messy affair.
▪ Eadie pounced on the rebound and the tie was thus enlivened.
▪ It was on the rebound from Higginbotham that she took up with the first boy that she came near to liking.
▪ You've heard of love on the rebound, and falling for Fen could prove to be even more disastrous.
▪ You could say it was on the rebound but I had no reason to regret it.
on the right/wrong side of 30/40 etc
on the road
▪ Copper on the road to recovery in Spring 1990.
▪ Dara fled back to Agra and set off on the road to Delhi without daring to face his father.
▪ Detroit has never won on the road against Washington, losing in all 19 visits since 1938.
▪ It means getting out on the road with the sales people before they complain about call schedules.
▪ Owner Eddie DeBartolo has always insisted they stay in the finest hotels on the road.
▪ She jumps out and begins depositing my gear and groceries on the road as I fumble to pay her.
▪ The memorial is situated on the road from the village to Wansford. 8.
on the same page
▪ Birmingham and I are more often on the same page in the hymn book on the issues than I and Sen.
▪ Both words are on the same page of the dictionary, but of course you know that.
▪ I feel uncomfortable even writing about them on the same page.
▪ In several cases, we marked the same word more than once, even though the referenced are on the same page.
▪ Recognise a large number of different Fonts on the same page.
▪ Try to place them on the same page so you can see they all work together.
▪ WordPerfect will always keep that number of lines together on the same page.
on the scrapheap
▪ He liked the way female models were thrown on the scrapheap by their late twenties.
▪ What does it mean if you have been there for 20 years and feel you are thrown on the scrapheap?
on the shelf
▪ The basket of flowers was on the shelf behind them.
▪ The porcelain horse, the cactus, the blue bowl and the drinks were on the shelves.
▪ The saga centres on the tangled love life of a 30-year-old woman, who fears she will be left on the shelf.
▪ These were on the shelf and the bottom of the safe was stacked with pocket files.
▪ What was left on the shelves would not keep them alive.
on the side
▪ He sometimes does a bit of gardening on the side when he is short of money.
▪ It is difficult to estimate the number of people doing part-time jobs on the side.
▪ The blueberry pie came with a mound of whipped cream on the side.
▪ They run a catering business on the side.
▪ Aphrodite, of course, was on the side of Paris.
▪ Having contemplated the pro's and con's Darwin came down on the side in favour of marriage.
▪ In such cases, tests show that only the ear on the side of the blue eye is deaf.
▪ In this, Clinton is on the side of public health and Dole on the side of the status quo.
▪ It appeared to have something on the side.
▪ She had marks on the side of her face like as if being scratched.
▪ The Roosevelt administration, however, was emphatically on the side of the Bureau of Reclamation.
▪ The ward cars were converted from open parcel vans, already provided with sliding doors on the sides and ends.
on the sidelines
▪ How can we sit on the sidelines when thousands of innocent civilians are being killed.
▪ Tom stood on the sidelines , cheering his teammates.
▪ You can't just wait on the sidelines and hope things will improve.
▪ A bad tendon strain in Aldaniti's off-foreleg had to be fired, and he was on the sidelines for eighteen months.
▪ And Congress, with its hands in its pocket-wherein reside its true concern-stands mute1y on the sidelines.
▪ And I see companions and conviviality as much more on the sidelines of life than at the centre.
▪ Jody is standing on the sidelines watching the visitors go through their drills.
▪ Only McManaman, with a serious knee injury, will still be on the sidelines when they return to Villa Park tonight.
on the skids
▪ Car and truck sales have been on the skids.
▪ A medic jumped in as we got light on the skids.
▪ I was light on the skids, the troops were out.
▪ The ship hit and twisted on the skids, rocked over toward the left, hesitated precariously, and flopped back level.
▪ Water and electricity shares were on the skids.
on the slab
▪ Little piles of cartridges accumulated on the slab - there was nothing else whatever in any of the pockets.
▪ Once on the slab my boots failed to bite.
▪ The holds all take the form of bumps and ripples on the slab.
on the small/high/heavy etc side
▪ Also on the small side is the 14-gallon fuel tank.
▪ Both versions have the same size fuel tank, which, at 14. 5 gallons, is on the small side.
▪ Burned by that experience, chip forecasters prepared their 1996 forecasts on the high side.
▪ For political reasons, these estimates are on the high side.
▪ The bedrooms, though on the small side, have recently been completed refurbished in sophisticated style.
▪ The clams and mussels-four of each-are on the small side, but flavorful.
▪ The little one's a bit on the small side.
▪ The only complaint we had with the shoe was the weight - it's on the heavy side.
on the spot
▪ I was so angry I almost resigned on the spot.
▪ Look, I can't give you a decision on the spot. I'll have to talk to my boss first.
▪ The Americans did not have troops on the spot and could not control events.
▪ The police can fine motorists on the spot for driving offences.
▪ They offered me a job on the spot.
▪ All is done to avoid being put on the spot or challenged.
▪ And he did, there and then, on the spot.
▪ I hiked across valleys so flat and wide it sometimes felt that I was walking on the spot.
▪ Impromptu teams are picked on the spot, with a knowledgeable captain to ensure a balance.
▪ My mom fired him on the spot and called in an orthopedic specialist.
▪ Often, everyone deals directly with the leader, who can make most decisions on the spot.
▪ One man announced that if Misner reached shore alone he would shoot him on the spot.
▪ The company agreed, a dozen people were filmed, each was paid on the spot, and all concerned were pleased.
on the spur of the moment
▪ I bought the car on the spur of the moment.
▪ It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
▪ On the spur of the moment, she decided to enter the race that she had come to watch.
▪ On the spur of the moment, we decided to head north that day instead of East.
▪ But airlines allow them to fly on the spur of the moment on a standby basis.
▪ He just took a calculated risk on the spur of the moment.
▪ I just reacted on the spur of the moment.
▪ I pledged to never again go home with some one on the spur of the moment.
▪ Now I could call other parents on the spur of the moment, arrange overnights for Janir or invite his friends over.
▪ They make quick changes and responses on the spur of the moment.
▪ This list wasn't compiled on the spur of the moment.
▪ When she got through he said he had taken a train on the spur of the moment and was in Bristol.
on the statute book
▪ Some of those old laws are still on the statute book.
▪ I repeat what I have said before: internment has been retained on the statute book.
▪ It is clear that the Government are determined that the Bill will be on the statute book before the general election.
▪ The Act enshrines principles social workers fought hard to get on the statute book.
▪ The fact remains that internment is on the statute book and is available to the Government to use.
▪ The hon. Gentleman said that I had said that we would keep internment on the statute book.
▪ The number of laws on the statute book increases cumulatively since governments repeal relatively few laws.
on the strength of sth
▪ Manuel was hired immediately on the strength of Cassidy's recommendation.
▪ Although it still has a stronger name on the track, the 1992 road range builds on the strength of previous years.
▪ Court testimony was seen as a formula to manipulate power and was evaluated on the strength of its effectiveness.
▪ He had no doubt that the case could be wound up on the strength of it.
▪ It is rare for an Indie band to take off big on the strength of a first record.
▪ She built her future business on the strength of that first success.
▪ Some bank stocks gained on the strength of J. P. Morgan&.
▪ The quantity depends on the strength of the essence.
on the stroke of seven/nine etc
▪ Arthur would be gone on the stroke of nine, and Ann too, if it was possible.
on the table
▪ Kelly hopes to have a proposal on the table within four months.
▪ Breakfast was already on the table when Stephen went downstairs.
▪ Explanation At the beginning of the demonstration, the stick was on the table.
▪ He straightened in his chair, palms flat on the table, cigarette jutting from his mouth.
▪ She took the two gifts from her handbag and set them on the table.
▪ Smith is happy just to get his bill on the table.
▪ The office fellows on the table behind laughed abruptly and in unison.
▪ We also came up with a laundry list of key issues that had always been there but never put on the table.
on the tiles
▪ Does working on the Big Breakfast mean no more nights on the tiles?
▪ I rested on the tiles and then went into the steam room.
▪ I took off my glasses, left them on my towel on the tiles, and went for a quick swim.
▪ Lincoln made his way in, the nails of his paws making clicking noises on the tiles.
▪ My boots squelch and squeak on the tiles.
▪ My feet made neat tracks on the tiles.
▪ The pattern, he remembered, echoed the one on the tiles of Patricia Hoskin's house in Clapham.
▪ They ran into the hall, Tom's boots clattering on the tiles.
on the tip of your tongue
on the trot
▪ Ballet Imaginaire sold out three nights on the trot in Lincoln.
▪ But Schuey was in top form and the triple world beater always looked odds-on to score his fifth win on the trot.
▪ David Rennie earned Birmingham their fourth win on the trot with his first goal for the club.
▪ In those days all the cutters were laid up on the trot piles in the river Hamble during the winter months.
▪ They may well crack altogether if Blackburn could win 3 or 4 games on the trot.
▪ We need to catch up 4 points. 4 wins on the trot will put us on course.
▪ What about the 10 superb games he had on the trot recently?
on the turn
▪ As the right leg is lifted on the turn, it should remain high and close to the body.
▪ Flo was denied a hat-trick when Austin McCann headed his shot on the turn off the line.
▪ Headlight controls are on the turn signal stalk, wiper controls on another stalk to the right of the steering wheel.
▪ In the passage she encountered the man who always smelt of meat on the turn.
▪ No wonder they reckon the beer's on the turn in here.
▪ Now they hope their luck is finally on the turn.
▪ The river black, flat, wide on the turn, and solid as a road.
▪ The tide was high but on the turn, lapping sluggishly against the rocks at the river's edge.
on the understanding that
▪ We said he could stay with us on the understanding that it would just be temporary.
▪ Darrel had mysteriously signed Littlecote over to Sir John in 1586 on the understanding that he would still be allowed to remain.
▪ It was possible for a person to be given a legacy on the understanding that he would manumit a slave.
▪ The reader who has bought your book has bought it on the understanding that this is what will happen.
▪ The work would be carried out on the understanding that the resulting products would be returned to the country of origin.
▪ They forget I took the job on the understanding that management of a national team can only be part-time employment.
▪ They hanged the couple on the understanding that Combe would become part of Berkshire and remain so.
▪ This expedition was sanctioned on the understanding that there was good money to be won at wrestling.
▪ This reaction was based on the understanding that atomic bombs cause widespread death and destruction and extreme human suffering.
on the wane
▪ Gonzales' power was on the wane.
▪ But I could see that the moon above my head was really on the wane.
▪ But the conservatives' influence has lately seemed on the wane.
▪ In the weeks beforehand, Mr Murdoch's use of e-mail had been on the wane.
▪ Ten years earlier, that might have been a good move, but now Chess was on the wane.
▪ The event coincided with New Zealand on the wane and Grant Fox paying the inevitable penalty.
▪ The influence of government agents and chief headmen, on the wane since 1920, declined still further.
▪ The vocational profession of Alpine shepherd is on the wane, an arduous life with unreliable income.
on the whole
▪ On the whole, he seems like an intelligent, likable person.
▪ Although the organized activists were not on the whole the very poor, the poorest joined the demonstration.
▪ But on the whole we had found less pollution than we anticipated.
▪ He appeared on the whole to be middle-aged.
▪ He next appears alone, and yet maintains his infected speech: The vengeance on the whole camp!
▪ If this transpires then the emergence of fairness really will have a substantial effect on the whole area of procedural due process.
▪ Nevertheless, he had met no one, could see no one on the whole spread of Foinmen's Plain.
▪ Nevertheless, on the whole audiences didn't get to notice.
on the wrong/right side of the law
▪ De Niro plays a lawyer, on the right side of the law.
on the/your way out
▪ A group of soldiers pushed past him on their way out.
▪ Alive three years ago, now all of them gone or on their way out.
▪ But drive-ins are on the way out.
▪ I fixed an interview time with Sylvia on my way out. 7 Emily Lightbody came back to work the following Monday.
▪ It also looks like Shutt is on his way out ... bit of a shame really.
▪ She hadn't merely failed to notice it on her way out.
▪ The old man could be on the way out, and anyone on the way out is inevitably a centre for drama.
▪ You would carry this in your sock and give it back to the man, reclaiming your clothes on your way out.
on the/your/its way
▪ A University is not some great machine which trundles on its way, going blindly about its purposes.
▪ Litchfield got up and patted his arm on the way to the closet.
▪ One member of the team must drink a pint of beer at the start and consume another four on the way.
▪ She looked at Bill questioningly, as though expecting him to confess on the way to the cemetery.
▪ The Community is now on the way to solving these problems on the following lines.
▪ The second went beyond this: it focused on the way archaeologists explain things, on the procedures used in archaeological reasoning.
▪ There is turbulence on the way back.
▪ They did not talk any more on the way to the hospital.
on tick
on time
▪ Did Philip pay up on time?
▪ I hate not being on time for class.
▪ McCoy did not show up on time for the trial.
▪ The company will lose money if the work isn't completed on time.
▪ The trains don't always arrive on time.
on tiptoe/on (your) tiptoes
on top
▪ Dallas was on top by 15 points at halftime.
▪ My hair's too long on top.
▪ On top of the cupboard was an old trunk, covered in dust.
▪ She brought me an enormous dish of ice cream with a bright red cherry on top.
▪ Sprinkle some Parmesan on top and grill.
▪ The church stood on top of a hill.
on top of sb
▪ Allen slipped and fell and was stabbed three times in his left shoulder and once on top of his head.
▪ Dry-fry the bacon, onion and mushrooms, then place on top of the cauliflower.
▪ Human beings are the same: they're piled on top of one another.
▪ The charge came on top of $ 200 million the firm already set aside in July.
▪ The weight of the air on top of the paper held it down with so much pressure that the stick broke.
▪ Then spread the cream cheese-nut filling on top of the honey-butter.
▪ Then they were lying against each other, on top of each other, inside each other.
▪ They laid the mattress over her, then piled pillows and coats on top of that.
on top of sth
▪ Allen slipped and fell and was stabbed three times in his left shoulder and once on top of his head.
▪ Dry-fry the bacon, onion and mushrooms, then place on top of the cauliflower.
▪ Human beings are the same: they're piled on top of one another.
▪ The charge came on top of $ 200 million the firm already set aside in July.
▪ The weight of the air on top of the paper held it down with so much pressure that the stick broke.
▪ Then spread the cream cheese-nut filling on top of the honey-butter.
▪ Then they were lying against each other, on top of each other, inside each other.
▪ They laid the mattress over her, then piled pillows and coats on top of that.
on top of the world
▪ After winning the batting title, Bagwell appeared to be on top of the world.
▪ In the spring of 1995, Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell appeared to be on top of the world.
▪ Noa was on top of the world.
▪ Standing there, on top of the world, my tiredness vanished.
▪ We are just sitting on top of the world.
▪ We were, for a time, on top of the world.
on trend
on your back
▪ For a lew moments I lay spread-eagled on my back, unable to change position.
▪ Forget Michelangelo, lying on his back high above the Sistine Chapel floor to paint his famous frescoes.
▪ He lay grinning up at me on the water, spreadeagled on his back with his arms splayed.
▪ He took Deianira on his back and in midstream insulted her.
▪ It appears to be a board-room decision and not his so let's not get on his back too quick.
▪ She lay on her back and laughed at the sky.
▪ Thousands of people have been practicing step aerobics, but over-enthusiasm could leave them flat on their backs.
on your bike!
on your conscience
▪ At least, he felt, an act of Providence had prevented him from having a death on his conscience.
▪ I have something on my conscience that I want to get off before I die.
▪ It has been on my conscience ever since.
▪ It is a terrible thing to have on your conscience.
▪ No female could live with that on her conscience.
▪ Rest it on your conscience if you wine and dine your lover and claim client entertainment.
▪ Where that girl is concerned I have nothing on my conscience.
on your feet
▪ She'd been on her feet all morning without once sitting down.
▪ You go. I've been on my feet all day, and I need a rest.
▪ A correspondent from the New York Times was on his feet.
▪ A socialist youth was on his feet, roaring with all the force and outrage of his years.
▪ Daley was on his feet, his arms waving, his mouth working.
▪ He was on his feet, gathering up books from his desk.
▪ He was on his feet, holding out his hand to Nick who went to him and took it trustingly.
▪ I was on my feet in the darkness, dressing quietly.
▪ The crowd was on its feet.
▪ The ones she had just knocked down were on their feet again, hopping on the steps around her.
on your guard
▪ But there are many cases where the merging of meanings are more and we have to be on our guard.
▪ I must always be on my guard.
▪ Police urged racegoers to be on their guard after six separate incidents of forged £20 notes were reported on the first day.
▪ That and Nils, to keep her on her guard.
▪ The boys in the institution had all been on their guard, searching for a way out.
▪ We'd better keep on our guard, all of us.
▪ Well, she had been warned, so she would be on her guard.
▪ When you read anything that any anthropologist has written on the topic of kinship terminology be on your guard.
on your honour
▪ Auguste would take it as a reflection on his honour if they were not, despite the unseasonable time of year.
▪ But I have placed the boy on his honour.
▪ They are a wild, free-spirited people, quick-tempered as Elves go, and swift to avenge any stain on their honour.
on your knees
▪ But now the Captain was on his knees beside the coffin praying.
▪ He gave no trouble and sat with his head down and his elbows on his knees, hands loose and empty.
▪ McAllister should be on his knees after a gruelling month at Elland Road.
▪ Painfully she wallows down on her knees and without diffidence soaps and rinses me all over.
▪ Pausing outside his living room door, he switched on the hall light and crouched down on his knees.
▪ Pearl had sat straight in her chair; her hands overturned on her knees.
▪ When I saw him a week later he got down on his knees and asked me to forgive him what he done.
▪ You know the lasting image: Hendrix on his knees, summoning fire from a flaming Stratocaster guitar.
on your last legs
▪ Sarah looks as if she's on her last legs.
▪ His exit, when he truly is on his last legs, is his most effective gambit.
▪ It's an old established set-up, but I reckon it's on its last legs now.
▪ It was a nightmare, anyone reading the papers would think I was on my last legs.
▪ Martin Glimmer is the 50-something horn player on his last legs.
▪ The battery, like the torch's owner, was on its last legs.
▪ The fenders flapped in the breeze, and the engine coughed and wheezed like an old man on his last legs.
▪ Without some fresh thinking the G8 is probably on its last legs as an effective body.
on your mark(s), get set, go!
on your mettle
▪ He had been on his mettle throughout.
▪ He thinks this keeps him on his mettle, but it often leaves him at a loss for the right word.
▪ I see now that it was just his way of keeping me on my mettle and making sure I didn't get big-headed.
▪ Variations in response put you on your mettle.
on your own account
▪ Carrie decided to do a little research on her own account.
▪ Although his ministers were never permitted to decide matters on their own account, Victor Amadeus delegated wide administrative powers to them.
▪ But if the operators are set against discounting it will not prevent the agencies from doing some on their own account.
▪ He advanced large sums to Parliament and later invested heavily on his own account in the purchase of bishops' lands.
▪ He was going to miss old Mr Schofield and he was disappointed on his own account too.
▪ In 1862 Smith set up in business on his own account.
▪ The company imposed regulations on its members, but individuals still traded on their own account.
▪ They may not set up in practice on their own account for a further three years.
on your own head be it
on your tod
▪ I had just had three weeks on my tod with company only in Reykjavik campsite.
on your/sb's mind
▪ But Alvin had a good deal else on his mind.
▪ But those who succeed him will have no such hold on hearts and minds, nor the same unity of purpose.
▪ Expansion is very much on the mind of Hahn, and always has been.
▪ I want to ask him about Gloria, but he has other things on his mind.
▪ It was probably inappropriate, dumb, or even rude, but it was the persistent question on my mind.
▪ Robyn lay, eyes closed, and concentrated on keeping her mind blank and her body relaxed.
▪ The last time I won was here and I had that on my mind most of the week.
▪ Visitors who come with only escape on their minds usually leave with a Chan Chich bird list.
on/about your person
▪ At the time he died he was carrying the bomb on his person.
▪ Away to the police surgeon to be probed for invisible cells hidden about her person.
▪ Don't worry, he's not about to escape with film concealed about his person.
▪ Her long blonde hair tumbled artistically about her person.
▪ His favourite weapons are a.357 Desert Eagle, which he always carries on his person, and a Franchi Spas shotgun.
▪ I distributed them properly about my person, and put on my hat.
▪ We healed them with our doctor's hands and placed them about our person.
on/at the periphery (of sth)
▪ He had never met Hindley Foster, some one who seemed very much on the periphery of their lives.
▪ Ken's friendships and the way he established them continued to surprise those who were on the periphery of his activities.
▪ Moss moved on the broken trees at the periphery of the golf grass.
▪ Now she was standing at the periphery of the crowd, wondering whether Cantor would even open the envelope she was clutching.
▪ That's always a very easy thing to do on the periphery.
▪ They may stay on the periphery watching the recess-time basketball games and jump-rope competitions from the sidelines of the playground.
on/from all sides
▪ Add 6-8 chicken pieces and fry for 5 minutes on all sides.
▪ Add the kidneys when the foam subsides and sauté them quickly until browned on all sides, in about 5min. 2.
▪ Heat until water simmers, add sausages, and cook until water evaporates, 5 to 7 minutes, on all sides.
▪ In and out, on and off, they're coming at us from all sides.
▪ Press the rice into the tin, cover it with foil and press down on all sides until it is compressed.
▪ Realism was the order of the day on all sides.
▪ The great fires lighted on all sides continued to blaze until morning.
▪ The tower of flame over Orleans draws in winds from all sides.
on/off message
▪ Not one of them is focused, on message or safe to be left alone with a computer.
▪ So memories are made of spatiotemporal patterns like those on message boards.
on/onto the defensive
▪ He was tense now - on the defensive.
▪ It was the only time in her life that she had noticed her maternal grandmother at a disadvantage, on the defensive.
▪ Motta always put him on the defensive.
▪ The conference, held in a Protestant church, found Daley and his group on the defensive.
▪ The industry is on the defensive in Congress, in courts across the nation and in the war for public opinion.
▪ This immediately puts the farmer on the defensive and reinforces the public's perception of them as a complaining, dissatisfied group.
on/under pain of death
▪ In effect, each is swearing to keep it on pain of death.
on/upon (the) production of sth
▪ Based on the production of this absorption peak, it is possible to quantitate serum proteins by an ultraviolet-light technique.
▪ Employees are paid bonuses based upon the production of their work group over a predetermined standard.
▪ Health board workers can withdraw up to £100 each on production of their pay slip, their bank card and identification.
▪ Modern economies depend at least as much upon women's consumption of goods and services as upon production of any kind.
▪ Needless to say, the police were already familiar with the thief and absolutely delighted upon the production of such unambiguous evidence.
▪ The newly-christened Omnicoach will concentrate on the production of semi-ambulance vehicles.
▪ There are also a number of projects which concentrate on the production of materials and resources for educational use.
one on top of the other
▪ Banana trees dropped their rotting fruit, which lay one on top of the other, dying in layers.
▪ He taught Callie that when she added, she should stack the numbers one on top of the other.
▪ Soon our hands are together, perhaps one on top of the other, pointing to the words.
▪ The flour-dusted man with the two coats, one on top of the other, ran a grocery store.
▪ There were books piled on three shelves, one on top of the other.
open fire (on sth)
▪ Clothes are hung from nails, and cooking is done over an open fire.
▪ He is charged with ordering his subordinates to open fire on Tangi-Chu.
▪ Never stand over an open fire as Victorian fathers used to do.
▪ No wonder they had opened fire.
▪ Rebels hiding in jungle outside the village opened fire, killing one policeman.
▪ The battery... ascends the hill towards the Henry house and opens fire at close range.
▪ Then he opened fire at point-blank range, first at Cha, then at Park, severely wounding them both.
▪ There are two comfortable lounges with open fires, one with a large collection of books for guests to read.
open season (on sb)
▪ In the press, it seems to be open season on overpaid executives.
▪ It is open season for criticising UDCs for lack of planning, lack of strategic thinking and short termism.
▪ Payroll allocations can be changed only during an open season.
▪ That's the West Coast Trail, limited to 8,000 hikers during its open season from mid-April to the end of September.
▪ The grin meant it was open season.
▪ There would be an open season on scattered singletons.
out on a limb
▪ And the only way you're going to fail is if you get out on a limb.
▪ Breaking new ground often requires going out on a limb.
▪ But going out on a limb is one thing-this is going out on a twig, going out ona leaf.
▪ But only a purely wild man went out on a limb of four or five minutes.
▪ It was about ninety pounds and he went out on a limb for it, too.
▪ Junior was out on a limb.
▪ She was a chameleon, out on a limb, and had chosen a difficult camouflage.
▪ Until you came along, Century House was right out on a limb.
pass (a) sentence (on sb)
▪ I will pass sentence tomorrow when I have seen all the papers.
▪ Lord Taylor's main point is to suggest that judges should pass sentence with an eye to the public's expectations.
▪ Read in studio Magistrates watched the seven minute video before passing sentence.
▪ Stand while the judge passes sentence.
▪ The first is the abolition of the powers of courts to pass sentence of corporal punishment.
▪ The judge asked for more psychiatric reports on Borgois before passing sentence.
▪ The judge had 30 days to pass sentence.
pass judgment (on sb)
▪ He never passed judgment about the wishes; he just granted them impassively.
▪ I used to pass judgment on sight.
▪ Like everyone else, they will be able to pass judgment by means of the ballot box.
▪ Managers will often find it difficult not to pass judgment on subordinates automatically.
▪ No longer is it tainted as mystic, for here, with no one passing judgment, no experience is tainted.
▪ The duty of the court is neither to make nor to alter nor to pass judgment on the law.
▪ They pass judgment on an accused taking into account the gravity of the crime and the circumstances of the accused.
▪ We had filed suit to pass judgment on Harvester.
pass sth ↔ on
pass sth ↔ on
pass sth ↔ on
pat sb/yourself on the back
▪ She should pat herself on the back and take a well-earned break.
▪ Because when I pat myself on the back, the next sensation is usually a sharp kick lower down.
▪ Cliff Nudelman pats me on the back.
▪ Every person on the street will pat you on the back.
▪ For most of that ride it patted itself on the back.
▪ How dare she wave her bloody job at us like she wanted us to pat her on the back for it?
▪ I patted him on the back as hard as I dared but he still couldn't breathe.
▪ The manager patted Stuart on the back.
▪ This time I patted myself on the back all the way to the hotel.
peck sb on the cheek/forehead etc
▪ He pecked her on the cheek.
perch (yourself) on sth
▪ He had perched himself on a tall wooden stool.
▪ He was perched on top of a huge cage, looking at the visitors.
▪ He went straight into the bedroom, to the wall where the painted Asiatic doll was perched on the sideboard.
▪ Her doorman was perched on a folding chair, his attention largely given over to a supermarket tabloid.
▪ It was perched on a small promontory to the east of the town, overlooking the bay.
▪ Léonie perched on the cold wet edge of the white bath and leaned forwards.
▪ Manningham perched on a black leather stool by a well-stocked bar with a large mirror behind it.
▪ Thrush-sized, it perched on a bank.
▪ Waterlogged, he perched on top of the cabin and soon gurgled his song.
pick sb up on sth
▪ A Sergeant and four Corporals arrived from Orange to pick us up on the following Monday.
▪ He says they picked it up on the radar and had to take evasive action.
▪ We used to keep it round Nezzer Eyres's and pick it up on Sundays when we wanted it.
▪ When they went off the air in the evening, I picked it up on my program.
pile it on/pile on the drama
pile on the pounds
▪ Most comfort eaters enjoy it while they're eating, but the downside is they soon start to pile on the pounds.
▪ She did slim down a couple of years ago but has piled on the pounds again.
▪ To his relief the producers didn't want him to pile on the pounds.
pile on the pressure/agony
▪ And Walsh piled on the pressure to get promises of advertising business.
▪ He had four chances of piling on the agony for the Londoners but could not find a way past keeper Bob Bolder.
▪ It piled on the agony for Glasgow, who had passed up another chance two minutes before the break.
▪ Move round him, piling on the pressure from different directions.
▪ Pressure Gornei piled on the pressure from the start and by the end of the contest Griffin's face was badly swollen.
▪ Then we really pile on the pressure.
▪ They piled on the pressure to win handsomely by 30 shots.
▪ Woosnam piled on the agony with four successive birdies.
pin your hopes/faith on sth/sb
▪ Duregar pinned his hopes on Dwarven determination to keep the army safe.
▪ He seems to pin his hopes on it.
▪ Ministers are pinning their hopes on a big spending Christmas this year to give the High Street and struggling businesses a boost.
▪ Stores, pinning their hopes on a brighter Christmas, were cheerful.
▪ This year it is pinning its hopes on an 8% uplift in passenger growth to around the 82m mark.
▪ Those who pin their hopes on highly specified, short range solutions may or may not get it right.
▪ Treacy is pinning his hopes on Derry again falling victim to a goal famine of crisis proportions.
place value/importance/emphasis etc on sth
▪ A government department may place emphasis on careful administration and attention to detail, to research and to political manoeuvring.
▪ In fact, these words break the sentence rhythm, placing emphasis on the words that follow.
▪ It places emphasis on external evaluation and it undervalues the individual young reader's assessment.
▪ Some place emphasis on biotic, others on environmental factors.
play a hose/light on sth
play a joke/trick/prank on sb
▪ He had always played tricks on her.
▪ Her brain had to be playing tricks on her.
▪ In one of them, a man named Wakefield decides to play a joke on his wife.
▪ It allowed me to detect instances when time played tricks on the memory of some of the respondents.
▪ Jack felt edgy but convinced himself that his nerves were playing tricks on him.
▪ Somewhat perturbed, Ted flung the door open still believing that the platelayers were playing tricks on him.
▪ They delight in playing tricks on mortals, though they will cease to give trouble if politely requested to do so.
▪ Yes, fate was playing tricks on me.
play on words
▪ But most of all, children laugh at jokes that are a play on words.
▪ In this chapter, I hope to show that these distinctions are important and not merely a play on words.
▪ None the less the play on words is there in the text, and is appropriate.
▪ Perhaps the best solution is to see the place as a play on words.
▪ Some scholars believe that Matthew is making a play on words and that the original word was Nezer.
▪ Such, at least, is the suggestion of that play on words.
▪ This was a play on words.
▪ With Abraham's and Sarah's laughter the storyteller is indulging in another play on words.
play tricks (on you)
▪ He had always played tricks on her.
▪ He knew, too, that his head had been aching and that his mind was capable of playing tricks upon him.
▪ Her brain had to be playing tricks on her.
▪ It allowed me to detect instances when time played tricks on the memory of some of the respondents.
▪ Jack felt edgy but convinced himself that his nerves were playing tricks on him.
▪ Somewhat perturbed, Ted flung the door open still believing that the platelayers were playing tricks on him.
▪ They delight in playing tricks on mortals, though they will cease to give trouble if politely requested to do so.
▪ Yes, fate was playing tricks on me.
poach on sb's territory/preserve
pour cold water over/on sth
▪ Mieno is pouring cold water on the report before she's even seen it.
▪ Arsenal were in the final, but Chapman poured cold water on hopes for the Double.
▪ Clarisa picked him up and we poured cold water over his hand.
▪ He started to pour cold water over me, inpart to staunch the blood, inpart to revive me.
pour it on
▪ The Warriors continued to pour it on in the third quarter, taking a 20 point lead.
▪ Allow it to cool, and then pour it on a plate.
▪ Beat the eggs with the cream and pour it on.
▪ But instead of laying off, we were pouring it on.
▪ He tried to slow her down with gestures which she interpreted as signs of denial, and so she poured it on.
▪ If you pour it on certain plants, they will die.
▪ On the court, Red is pouring it on.
pour oil on troubled waters
pour on the charm
pour scorn on sb/sth
▪ Iraqi Radio poured scorn on the concept of "a new world order."
▪ But Washington last night poured scorn on Mr Chretien's veto claim.
▪ His complicity, if proved, would be a sensation, but even his critics poured scorn on the accusation.
▪ It was this last bit that caused the problem, and critics have poured scorn on the advice ever since.
pour scorn on sb/sth
▪ But Washington last night poured scorn on Mr Chretien's veto claim.
▪ His complicity, if proved, would be a sensation, but even his critics poured scorn on the accusation.
▪ It was this last bit that caused the problem, and critics have poured scorn on the advice ever since.
presume on/upon sb's friendship/generosity etc
▪ I will not presume upon your friendship any further.
prey on sb's mind
▪ But his main preoccupation was with the unfinished Requiem, which had begun to prey on his mind.
▪ Important items which are left have a habit of preying on the mind.
▪ It began to prey on my mind so much that I went to the casualty department of Charing Cross Hospital.
▪ It was Tatiana preying on his mind.
prey on sb's mind
▪ But his main preoccupation was with the unfinished Requiem, which had begun to prey on his mind.
▪ Important items which are left have a habit of preying on the mind.
▪ It began to prey on my mind so much that I went to the casualty department of Charing Cross Hospital.
▪ It was Tatiana preying on his mind.
price on sb's head
▪ As a soldier under the Whites there was a price on his head; some one would soon discover his true identity.
▪ Bream often have the biggest price on their heads but roach, rudd and hefty tench can provide a healthy bonus.
▪ He was also unusual among philologists in having had a price on his head.
pride yourself on (doing) sth
▪ As a nation we pride ourselves on our strong sense of sportsmanship and fair play.
▪ At Midland, we pride ourselves on establishing long term relationships with our customers.
▪ But then at Boots we pride ourselves on our usefulness to mums.
▪ Likud prides itself on being the party of the outsiders, and they are now a majority.
▪ The accommodation is cool and spotless and staff pride themselves on offering a warm welcome.
▪ The school prides itself on its ethnic diversity, Schaeffer said.
▪ We pride ourselves on the front seven and tackling people.
pull rank (on sb)
▪ She never acted like an authority figure or pulled rank on me.
▪ He pulled rank and went to bed at half past eleven, leaving me on for the late-night drinks.
▪ I do not enjoy pulling rank, but I do not tolerate unmanly gossip and back-biting.
▪ In the end, Naughtie pulled rank, and took on the task himself.
▪ Vi had the situation under control but the chief could, and probably would, pull rank.
pull the other one (it's got bells on)
pull the plug (on sth)
▪ But the firm pulled the plug on the scheme last week, leaving McAlpine fuming.
▪ George Bush pulled the plug out here fairly early.
▪ Mir guys, pull the plug.
▪ Practically, the banks are not wishing to pull the plug.
▪ The banks can pull the plug.
▪ Then, on March 28, 1980, with no warning to the workers, Harvester pulled the plug.
▪ They studied referees' reports and may recommend pulling the plug again after the final at Wembley on March 27.
▪ When the gap gets to two seconds or less, I pull the plug.
put (your) money on sth
▪ A lot of people are putting money on the line, hoping what Petruchio says he can do, he will do.
▪ Even the madmen wouldn't have him in real life, I'd put money on it.
▪ No one in their senses puts money on a horse other than in the hope of winning money.
▪ On the basis of what I told them, they put money on the line.
▪ She'd be willing to put money on that.
▪ The investor decides on the currency most likely to appreciate against sterling and puts money on deposit in that currency.
▪ The question this time, however, is would you still put your money on her?
▪ They put money on the table, too, perfect strangers expressing unmistakable monetary interest in the Tonelli Nation.
put a construction on sth
▪ The law does not say that specifically, but people have chosen to put that construction on it.
put a damper on sth
▪ The burglary put a damper on the family's Christmas.
▪ A couple of knee injuries put a damper on his football career.
▪ Analysts had figured the bad news from the giant microprocessor maker would put a damper on technology stocks.
▪ It really put a damper on everything.
▪ Lower prices for Treasury bonds helped put a damper on stock prices, traders said.
▪ Torrential rain put a damper on the event, sending bedraggled guests squelching across lawns to seek shelter.
put a different/new/fresh complexion on sth
▪ It may put a different complexion on things.
▪ To me, the fact that she hasn't been heard of again in seventeen years puts a different complexion on it.
put a figure on it/give an exact figure
put a price on sth
▪ How can you put a price on Kryptonite, for instance?
▪ How do you put a price on nine years of being informed and entertained?
▪ Prominent ministers such as Henry Ward Beecher initially condemned the concept of putting a price on human life as sinful and sacrilegious.
▪ Then again, you can not put a price on what Augusta had to offer yesterday morning.
put a/the lid on sth
▪ Alan and I put the lid on the coffin and screwed it down.
▪ He had left the Phillips screwdriver in the spare room after we'd put the lid on.
▪ He put the lid on the pan and picked up his wine glass and drank before saying anything else.
▪ His new responsibilities have put the lid on this.
▪ If it passes, the measure would be the first time that an Arizona community has put a lid on building permits.
put flesh on sth
▪ Medical experts put flesh on the statistical data for the audience.
▪ Chen has now put flesh on his proposal in an interview with Business Week.
▪ The strength of this book is that it puts flesh on the bare bones of this argument.
put on the dog
put on weight/12 lbs/4 kg etc
put on your thinking cap
▪ Instead, put on your thinking cap, and turn those prepared ingredients into new dishes.
put one over on sb
▪ Cantor was pleased to have put one over on their first violinist, Sol Minskoff.
▪ They were trying to put one over on us and would no longer get away with it.
put one/sth over on sb
▪ They think they've found a way to put one over on the welfare office.
▪ Cantor was pleased to have put one over on their first violinist, Sol Minskoff.
▪ Just put him over on the couch.
▪ They were trying to put one over on us and would no longer get away with it.
put sb on a train/plane etc
put sb on the spot
▪ I don't want to put you on the spot, but I'm really curious about how you know Tim.
▪ The reporter's questions were clearly designed to put the Senator on the spot.
▪ You shouldn't put friends on the spot by asking them to hire your family members.
▪ Now the Supreme Court has put him on the spot.
▪ That sure put you on the spot.
▪ The aim was to put them on the spot - or at least to impress the Inspector with your knowledge and concern.
▪ This put Charles on the spot.
put sb ↔ on
put sth on sth
put sth on sth
put sth on sth
put sth on the map
▪ It was Ray Kroc that really put McDonald's restaurants on the map.
▪ The French town of Albertville hoped the winter Olympics would put the town on the map.
▪ It is already sixteen years since we left London specifically to help put Norfolk on the map in the Medau world.
▪ It was inspired by Brendan Foster and it brought international athletics to the town and put it on the map.
▪ Lady Diana's engagement to Prince Charles really put Althorp on the map, and it became a full-time job for me.
▪ That would put us on the map, give us more respect.
▪ The range improvement program, though, really put me on the map.
▪ This tournament has put us on the map and we are keen to develop it further.
▪ Whoever did, she says, put Nanaimo on the map.
put sth on the slate
▪ Can I put it on the slate, and I'll pay at the end of the week?
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put sth ↔ on
put the brakes on sth
▪ It's the government's latest effort to put the brakes on rising prices.
▪ He managed to touch-down at the threshold and put the brakes on.
▪ If Peres and Labor are defeated, the Likud Party has vowed to put the brakes on the peace movement.
▪ Laid crops and unsettled weather put the brakes on harvest for many growers this week.
▪ The Communists have climbed on the bandwagon, but only to put the brakes on.
▪ There are indications, however, that the government is now trying to put the brakes on further expansion.
▪ Those cars with all those springs that rock back and forwards like a see-saw when you put the brakes on.
put the frighteners on sb
▪ The animals, yes, putting the frighteners on.
▪ Why should this female start putting the frighteners on him now, after all this time?
put the kibosh on sth
▪ The collapse of the junk-bond market has put the kibosh on a management buy-out of Wickes, an engineering and home-furnishings company.
put the mockers on sth
put the squeeze on sb
▪ Look, President Clinton might host some questionable coffees, but he never would put the squeeze on a Brownie!
▪ Secondly, its effect could only be to put the squeeze on landowners who sat in the path of the reservoir.
▪ The Treasury number two has targeted the most vulnerable in the drive to put the squeeze on government spending.
put the whammy on sb
put years on sb/take years off sb
put your face on
▪ Jill's still busy putting on her face.
▪ Then I put her face on her desk, supported by a heap of loose files.
put your finger on sth
▪ I can't put my finger on it, but there's something different about you.
▪ But what they were she could not quite put her finger on.
▪ Ezra put his finger on the photos.
▪ I can't put my finger on it.
▪ Lord Wyatt had put his finger on it: The hunts wouldn't let her in.
▪ Nightbreed almost does, but fails for some reason I can't quite put my finger on.
▪ One child put her finger on 17.
▪ Something was happening amongst the youth movement that so admired him and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
▪ The Captain of the Lymington-Yarmouth ferry could not quite put his finger on what was wrong.
put your head/neck on the block
put/bet/stake your shirt on sth
put/force sb on the defensive
▪ Motta always put him on the defensive.
▪ Simple as sneezing to put him on the defensive.
▪ The Conservative achievement in the 1980s was to put Labour on the defensive by presenting Thatcherism as a continuation of historic Conservatism.
▪ The Sangh has put Congress on the defensive by forcing it to dilute its secular tradition.
▪ These two seemed friendly enough, but their questions about Sweetheart put him on the defensive.
▪ This established licensing hours for the first time, and put brewers on the defensive.
▪ This puts people on the defensive, and they may become silent or get angry.
▪ You guys being a little bit aggressive at the beginning put him on the defensive.
put/lay your cards on the table
▪ If they're willing to put all their cards on the table and negotiate, that's good.
▪ If we want to reach an agreement, we'll have to lay all our cards on the table.
▪ They're willing to put all their cards on the table and negotiate.
▪ Come on, you can lay your cards on the table in this house.
▪ The new rules appear to encourage parties to lay their cards on the table and facilitate early settlements.
put/leave sth on the back burner
put/make a move on sb
put/place a premium on sth
▪ Modern economies place a premium on educated workers.
▪ Barbara, as usual, seemed to be placing a premium on maintaining her composure.
▪ In my own garden, I put a premium on fresh greens.
▪ International book-building puts a premium on intermediaries' experience and ability to sell to 300-odd investing institutions around the world.
▪ Up and down hill fences pose problems for the horse by placing a premium on balance and impulsion.
put/place sb on a pedestal
▪ My last boyfriend put me on a pedestal.
▪ Another will place philanthropy on a pedestal and yet have a resentful, unforgiving spirit.
▪ I was the most beautiful, wonderful woman and he put me on a pedestal.
▪ If it is going to be special, put it on a pedestal of sorts.
▪ Let's face it, possum, there are some who would put me on a pedestal.
put/tighten the screws on sb
rap sb on/over the knuckles
renege on an agreement/deal/promise etc
▪ Amid an increasingly hostile war of words, Finley has criticized Racicot for reneging on a promise to cooperate with federal authorities.
▪ They had been bitten too often by Congress reneging on agreements negotiated in good faith by the White House.
reserve (your) judgment (on sth)
▪ I think people should reserve judgment.
▪ Professor Furmston said he would reserve judgment until next week.
▪ Three appeal court judges reserved judgment.
rest on your laurels
▪ In such a competitive market, the leading company can't afford to rest on its laurels.
▪ But there is no room for resting on our laurels.
▪ But this generous accolade does not mean that we are resting on our laurels.
▪ Little time was granted to Lee and his men for resting on their laurels.
▪ Motorola has long been a leader in that as well, and it has never stopped to rest on its laurels.
▪ That is the only time when you can rest on your laurels.
▪ The religious authorities, who were very active during the nationalist struggle, rested on their laurels after independence.
▪ This evolution of Diamond Rio signals that the group is not ready to rest on its laurels -- at least not voluntarily.
▪ You can never rest on your laurels.
rest/sit on your laurels
▪ But there is no room for resting on our laurels.
▪ But this generous accolade does not mean that we are resting on our laurels.
▪ Little time was granted to Lee and his men for resting on their laurels.
▪ Motorola has long been a leader in that as well, and it has never stopped to rest on its laurels.
▪ That is the only time when you can rest on your laurels.
▪ The religious authorities, who were very active during the nationalist struggle, rested on their laurels after independence.
▪ This evolution of Diamond Rio signals that the group is not ready to rest on its laurels -- at least not voluntarily.
▪ You can never rest on your laurels.
ride on sb's shoulders/back
▪ Better than that was riding on his back while he went down on hands and knees and neighed like a horse.
▪ Dostoevsky wanted to stifle the thought that he was riding on the back of Nechacv's perverse glamour.
▪ Just by riding on your shoulders, Newt.
▪ Oblivious to the emotion riding on their backs, Aureole and Pinza came to Epsom with excellent credentials.
▪ Or you can ride on my back, if you prefer.
▪ People on welfare are not taking a ride on the backs of other people.
▪ Power can not ride on an upright back.
roll on sth
run late/early/on time
▪ Don called - he's running late, so we'll start without him.
▪ He makes our trains run on time.
▪ In other words: - Keep the job running on time.
▪ Maybe she could get the London Underground to run on time?
▪ Passenger trains never ran on time now.
▪ Station refurbishment seems a mere insult when the trains don't run on time.
sb can do sth standing on their head
sb doesn't have much meat on him/her
sb is (living) on another planet/what planet is sb on?
▪ As a replacement for the Bluebird, the Primera is on another planet.
▪ People in the Antelope Valley worry that most people south of the mountains think that their valley is on another planet.
sb puts his pants on one leg at a time
sb will be laughing on the other side of their face
sb wrote the book on sth
▪ Cheryl wrote the book on being irresponsible.
▪ Hartley wrote the book on self-serving.
▪ It wrote the book on quality control.
sb's eyes are out on stalks
sb's eyes/gaze settles on sb/sth
sb's eyes/gaze/glance fall(s) on sth
▪ A fierce, terrified elation raced through her veins as her eyes fell on the knife only an inch away from her hand.
▪ As he scanned the room for potential defenders his eyes fell on Father Ed Dougherty.
▪ Does the gaze fall on the impaired body or on social barriers?
▪ He greeted her, his eyes falling on her again for an instant and then skittering away.
▪ He helped me shift the tea-chests and his eyes fell on your clothes as though dazed in a perfumed garden.
▪ Its huge eyes fell on the scrap of paper on the floor.
▪ Looking around, his glance fell on the twigs scattered on the ground where Cassowary had thrown them.
▪ My eyes fell on the bed and to my horror something began slowly to stir under the blanket.
sb's memory is playing tricks on them
sb's mind is not on sth
▪ I was trying to study, but my mind just wasn't on it.
sb's take (on sth)
scotch/vodka etc on the rocks
seat yourself (in/on/beside etc sth)
▪ At two o'clock she seated herself at a window-table in a restaurant overlooking the Nile, near where the houseboat was moored.
▪ Hardin noted that thoughtfully and seated himself wearily in a corner just as far from the other five as possible.
▪ He seated himself at one end, and Emily sat beside him.
▪ He watched Ewen steadily, while the constable, who had seated himself at the kitchen table, was taking notes.
▪ She seated herself in a wicker chair and took her mug without speaking.
▪ She seats herself, opens it, begins to play.
▪ The pupils seat themselves in a square representing the doctor's office.
▪ Watson, and seat yourself precisely as you were overnight.
set out on sth
▪ After organising a group of locals and a dugout canoe, we set out on the week-long journey to Iau.
▪ But Charlie also sets out on a series of scandalous liaisons and unfortunate marriages with very young girls.
▪ But long before that jalopy set out on Route 66, the wild oat had done its landscape-altering work.
▪ Details of the amounts due to be billed and the properties concerned are set out on the attached sheet for your information.
▪ Details of the Company's principal subsidiary and associated undertakings are set out on page 47.
▪ In the end the woman chooses to renounce both men and sets out on her own path.
▪ Its founders were clinging to the wreckage, not setting out on a brave new voyage.
▪ The most obvious source of the necessary electrical energy would be solar panels set out on the lunar surface.
set sb on/onto sb
set sb's teeth on edge
▪ His high-pitched squeaky voice set my teeth on edge.
▪ At other times their self-evident frustration sets your teeth on edge.
▪ He w as filing arrow heads, and the sound of the metal on the whetstone set Burun's teeth on edge.
▪ It was all done so genteelly that it set McAllister's teeth on edge.
▪ That set our teeth on edge and bring our goose pimples rising like porpoises after mackerel.
set sb/sth on sb
set the Thames on fire
set the seal on sth
▪ His three-day tour set the seal on reconciliation between the two communities.
▪ It set the seal on his depression; he was almost ready to go home.
set the world on fire/alight
▪ And now we have Sliver which was the subject of much wrangling and hasn't exactly set the world on fire.
▪ But if Rhodes hasn't set the world on fire with his batting, he certainly has with his fielding.
▪ Either way, the speed and acceleration is not going to set the world on fire.
▪ It was a lovely accomplishment, of course, but nothing to set the world on fire with.
▪ None of the three papers was going to set the world on fire.
▪ The sonorities glow, and the whole thing is user-friendly without setting the world on fire.
set your heart on sth
▪ He's set his heart on a new bike for Christmas.
▪ By January 1768 they were back in Vienna, where Leopold had set his heart on securing an opera commission for Wolfgang.
▪ He's always set his heart on going to Simon's school.
▪ He was not a man to give way easily and he had clearly set his heart on making her recognise her father.
▪ I have held no office because Thou did not will it, and I never set my heart on office.
▪ So now, after all, there was something she had set her heart on.
set your heart/mind/sights on (doing) sth
▪ But where there are sellers there are buyers, and it was this latter rare species we had set our sights on.
▪ Gazing intently into her computer screen, Christine Montgomery has set her sights on the next generation of electronic language translators.
▪ He knew he was bound to pull any girl he set his mind on - he always had.
▪ Heath had set her sights on the U. S. Senate seat from Colorado.
▪ Her youth and beauty elicited a predictable reaction from my father, who set his sights on her at once.
▪ Sofa Head's greatest asset is the realisation that you don't have to set your sights on one target.
▪ Wagner set his sights on a degree in electrical engineering, and he followed his star with a fervid intensity.
▪ Yes, she thought, if Tamar had set her mind on something she would never rest until it was accomplished.
set/lay/clap eyes on sb/sth
▪ Bedford disliked Halsey the minute he set eyes on him.
▪ How could she possibly know, since he had not set eyes on the girl?
▪ I bonded on the second night I laid eyes on Hyakutake.
▪ Just hours earlier she had set eyes on the pretty two-year-old and sister Anna-Camilla, seven, for the first time.
▪ Never anywhere have I set eyes on such a one.
▪ No sooner did she set eyes on the gentleman than she recognised his pecuniary position to be merely temporary.
▪ The couple fell in love before they had even set eyes on each other during a six-month long distance courtship.
settle sth on sb
shame on you/him/them etc
▪ And if you haven't heard of Gus then shame on you!
▪ Fool me once, shame on you, the saying goes.
▪ If you fail to negotiate, shame on you.
shut the door/drawer etc on sth
▪ Come in, lads, come in and shut the door on the fog.
▪ Even so, Wickham was not ready to shut the door on the possibility.
▪ Everyone has been going for national contracts and that has shut the door on the small company.
▪ It watched her, unwinking, until she reached the room behind the shop and shut the door on its crimson gaze.
▪ Madeleine grimaced after she'd shut the door on him.
shut/close the door on sth
▪ A loss in this election will not necessarily close the door on the campaign.
▪ Come in, lads, come in and shut the door on the fog.
▪ Even so, Wickham was not ready to shut the door on the possibility.
▪ Imagine asking that they close the door on me so I can see what it feels like.
▪ It watched her, unwinking, until she reached the room behind the shop and shut the door on its crimson gaze.
▪ Lucker murmurs something to Jasper and leads him away closing the door on me.
▪ She closed the door on them.
▪ The previous owner had used a bathroom off one of the bedrooms as storage and simply closed the door on it.
sign on the dotted line
▪ But how many of these companies forget about you once you've signed on the dotted line.
▪ However, before signing on the dotted line, you should think carefully about the risks and the costs.
▪ It all seemed easy - they sign on the dotted line and Balbinder would be virtually taken out of their hands.
▪ The lucky 10, 000 have signed on the dotted line.
▪ You may want another approach to get people to sign on the dotted line.
sit in judgment (on/over sb)
▪ Certain Christians have also given the impression that they sit in judgment over others.
▪ Harrison presented himself and H-1 to the eight commissioners who sat in judgment of his work.
sit on the fence
▪ You can't sit on the fence any longer - what's it going to be?
▪ He is the obvious choice for those who wish to sit on the fence.
▪ If the encyclopaedia has a weakness it is that it sits on the fence on controversial issues.
sit on your hands
▪ Most delegates sat on their hands while a few radicals took control of the discussion.
▪ So we sat on our hands about Sally, because we thought the stakes were higher than the National Enquirer.
sit/be on the fence
▪ He is the obvious choice for those who wish to sit on the fence.
▪ If the encyclopaedia has a weakness it is that it sits on the fence on controversial issues.
slam on the brakes
▪ I slammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop.
▪ All she could do was to slam on the brakes and shut her eyes.
▪ Death Horror-struck, all he could do was slam on the brakes and pray.
▪ If they don't agree on promotion, the stadium's financial backers may slam on the brakes.
▪ My friend grabbed my arm and yelled and I slammed on the brakes.
▪ The driver slammed on the brakes; the Jeep screeched to a halt.
slap sb on the back
▪ Forbes slapped me on the back.
▪ He rushed over and slapped me on the back as I lifted a highball to my lips.
▪ I go to slap her on the back but she waves my arm away impatiently.
▪ In those days it was considered bad form even to slap you on the back.
▪ Jack said, and he slapped Streeter on the back of the head with his gun hand.
▪ She slapped him on the back.
▪ She intended to slap Elisabeth on the back, but she was too late.
sleep on it
▪ There's no obligation to do anything at all. Sleep on it, and tell me what you think in the morning.
▪ He asked if he could sleep on it.
▪ We decided to sleep on it.
▪ With so much within easy reach, we were clearly spoilt for choice and decided to sleep on it.
slip one over on sb
▪ How often have they bribed city workers to slip one over on an ignorant city council?
stain on sb's character/name/reputation etc
▪ Buy him eine kleine Knackwurst and toddle home without a stain on your character.
▪ Duran dominated Leonard physically that night, but five months later the New Orleans farce put a huge stain on his reputation.
▪ Robert Lopez is released without a stain on his character.
▪ The massacre has left an indelible stain on the name of Clan Campbell.
▪ Whatever the outcome, he not unnaturally regarded his time in gaol as a stigma, as a stain on his character.
stand on your dignity
stand on your head/hands
▪ A malevolent demon was standing on his head.
▪ And the hoops were made by soldiers, who turned over and stood on their hands and feet.
▪ I can do it standing on my head, although I won't.
▪ Maybe I have to stand on my head to prove I mean it.
▪ She had a washboard stomach, and her boyfriend would stand on his hands on chairs balanced above her.
▪ Somehow the doctrine of the Fall had been stood on its head.
▪ Susan was teaching Wyatt how to stand on his hands.
▪ We did; the moment the car stopped there I jumped out and stood on my head in the grass.
stand on your own (two) feet
▪ Able to stand on her own feet.
▪ I guess I shall have to learn to stand on my own feet.
▪ Out-and-out competitive in the world market standing on our own feet?
▪ She's very kind, but we ought to stand on our own feet.
▪ She, who'd always stood on her own feet, fought her own battles.
▪ Such beliefs are able to stand on their own feet, without support from others.
▪ Using the market price means that each division must stand on its own feet, as though it were an independent company.
stand or fall by/on sth
▪ But the argument must stand or fall on its merits.
▪ For the government, acceptance of central planning did not stand or fall on the issue of nationalisation.
▪ It seems that this is a case that will stand or fall on its own particular facts.
▪ Mr Karimov knows that he will stand or fall on his ability to stave off economic collapse.
▪ The school has an outstanding and deserved reputation, which will stand or fall by the testimony of its pupils.
▪ The storyline was always going to stand or fall by the performance of Tim Guinee as Lazar.
▪ The success of the new News at Ten will stand or fall on his relationship with the seven million plus viewers.
▪ Their case would stand or fall on her reliability.
start sb on sth
start/get off on the wrong/right foot
steady on!
steal a march on sb
▪ But buyers there may simply have stolen a march on the market.
▪ It sounds simple but it is not, which is why for the time being Zurich seems to have stolen a march on its rivals.
▪ Mr Blackmore said stores that open on Sunday are stealing a march on their competitors.
step on it
▪ Step on it. We have a plane to catch.
▪ If you don't step on it we'll miss the plane.
▪ You'll have to step on it if you're going to be there by eleven thirty.
▪ Fader - Looks like a normal block, but crumbles away when you step on it!
▪ He was bold to ask that angels be sent, and step on it.
▪ The Corporal and I shouted at the Sergeant to step on it, as the explosions were getting closer.
▪ The third step creaked as he stepped on it.
step on sb's toes
▪ I'm new here, so I don't want to step on anyone's toes.
▪ I told Tony I didn't want to step on his toes.
▪ But that will make AT&T's service and equipment-manufacturing businesses step on each other's toes again.
▪ I had stepped on his toes.
▪ It is said the reason why Taurus ran into trouble was a reluctance to step on anyone's toes.
▪ This will involve stepping on the toes of the takeaway market.
sth has sb's name on it
▪ If a washer has a brand name on it, make sure that the smooth side comes into contact with the seating.
▪ They say if it has your name on it ... But who can write on a virus?
sth on steroids
▪ And the Alnico pickup sounds huge, almost like a Stratocaster neck pickup on steroids and three steaks a day.
▪ Finding no road, we leave the terrarium on steroids to enact Plan B, which begins in Oracle.
▪ I felt like a Pop Warner athlete on steroids.
▪ Near the pull-down machines I get a lecture on body parts from a guy who looks like Mel Gibson on steroids.
▪ Nineteen were also on steroids with or without azathioprine.
▪ The flavor is akin to anchovies on steroids.
stoke up on/with sth
strike out on your own
▪ It feels great to strike out on your own and find a job and a place to live.
▪ After problems in obtaining components, Comart struck out on its own, producing its Comart Communicator, a small business computer.
▪ And I was beginning to feel I wanted to strike out on my own.
▪ But she was right: it is time for him to strike out on his own.
▪ Glover was afraid Paul was going to strike out on his own with that suitcase, with that hat on his head.
▪ I found that I could quickly discard the handbook in favour of striking out on my own and was quite satisfied with the results.
▪ Or should I throw off all restraints and strike out on my own?
▪ So why not strike out on your own?
▪ The time was finally ripe, they decided, to strike out on their own.
tag sth ↔ on
take a rain check (on sth)
▪ I'm sorry but I'm busy on Saturday - can I take a rain check?
▪ The warning voice could go take a rain check, she thought.
take a turn in/on etc sth
▪ Hutson and Wright took turns on a machine gun.
▪ I said I never had to take turns in my old house with my mum and my dad.
▪ I took a turn on a rope slide and had to sit on a tractor tyre on the way down.
▪ In other collaborative activities individuals take turns in sitting vigilantly alert while others feed, thereby functioning as watchdogs or guards.
▪ In the teaching of the principles of group discussion, every member of the group should take turns in leading the discussion.
▪ Kelly took a turn in law school, then left academics and Pittsburgh behind.
▪ This year there is no such urgency that could save feds and retirees from taking a turn on the chopping block.
▪ When word slipped out that the governor would be taking a turn on stage, snickers abounded in the capital.
take it upon/on yourself to do sth
▪ He didn't dare take it upon himself to enlighten her further.
▪ He might be unwelcome, but he had taken it upon himself to come on over the first moment he heard.
▪ If we want our children to know certain information, perhaps we should take it upon ourselves to teach them.
▪ It is a dangerous path, however, when the executive takes it upon itself to qualify Parliament's decisions.
▪ Many problems can be prevented if you take it upon yourself to keep the lines of communication clear.
▪ Pius took it upon himself to proclaim the Dogma of the Assumption.
▪ Sir Herbert Morgan took it upon himself to act as chairman of an unofficial committee to help realise the three-year project.
▪ So I took it upon myself to tell her, old nosey-parker that I am.
take on/assume/wear the mantle of sth
▪ Against all expectations, it has not taken on the mantle of best pupil in the euro class.
take sb ↔ on
take sb ↔ on
take sth on board
▪ Our manager seemed to take our comments on board.
▪ And growers are only going to take precision farming on board if it can reduce the unit cost of production.
▪ At Hollybush we took information on board in a democratic, communal fashion, grouped with notebooks and pencils around visual aids.
▪ It is available from your Book, but so often the planet does not take it on board.
▪ The Chancellor has taken this on board, despite his predominantly male core of advisers.
▪ Then taking her on board they went where she directed and reached the sacred grove where the Fleece hung.
take sth on the chin
▪ He should have just taken it on the chin...
▪ Short sellers took it on the chin last year.
▪ The car's manufacturers are taking it on the chin.
take sth on trust
▪ He said he'd never been in trouble before, which I was content to take on trust.
▪ I'm afraid I can't let you see the letter, so you'll just have to take what I'm saying on trust.
▪ I just had to take it on trust that he would deliver the money.
▪ I had to take him on trust on that.
▪ Male speaker Don't take people on trust.
▪ She was petite, going silver-haired, vivacious, bright, and willing to take Richard on trust.
▪ So she thought that she might take it on trust.
▪ They learn not to take things on trust, but to make sure they fully comprehend in order to make their own assessments.
▪ You do not know me and so you can not be expected to take anything on trust.
take sth ↔ on
take sth ↔ on
take sth ↔ on
take up the cudgels (on behalf of sb/sth)
talk tough (on sth)
▪ Cell warrior: Prisoner who talks tough when safely in his cell but who is meek when out of it.
▪ Electioneering, he had talked tough about getting government off the backs of the people.
▪ Politicians enjoy an easy ride by provoking crime fear and talking tough about punishment.
▪ So far the Fed has talked tougher about inflation than it has acted.
▪ This Government talks tough for public consumption but has no stomach for action.
▪ You talk tough but inside you're just like all the rest of us.
▪ You karate the walls, you talk tough to the mirror.
the 411 on sth
the accent is on sth
▪ With the Royal Philharmonic, the accent is on the positive.
the biggest/tallest/most expensive etc ... on earth
the boot is on the other foot
the dope (on sb/sth)
▪ But, he gave me the dope on it.
▪ I suppose it was the dope that stopped us.
▪ Jo could imitate anybody and always made him crease up, even without the dope.
▪ So you'd slip into a shooting gallery to test the dope.
▪ The Tour did, however, continue, as did the doping revelations.
▪ They still got the dope though.
▪ When the dope was out everyone regarded it with silent respect.
the grass is greener (on the other side)
the icing on the cake
▪ A year ago, Holiday Inn put the icing on the cake at two of its Florida properties.
▪ And for the family business with such humble beginnings the expansion is just the icing on the cake.
▪ And just to put the icing on the cake he has named it Black Forest Chateau.
▪ Female speaker It's an added bonus, the icing on the cake.
▪ I would also endorse heartily our bikes, which provided the icing on the cake.
▪ Items such as these are the icing on the cake.
▪ The prospects of a change in government banking policy has been the icing on the cake.
▪ This is just the icing on the cake.
the joke's on sb
the jury is (still) out on sth
the lowdown (on sth/sb)
▪ Here's the lowdown on these tasty treats: Wraps are the ideal meal for people on the go.
▪ I didn't have the lowdown on every last one of these guys but presumably they were all bigshots.
▪ Would Old Chao consider giving them the lowdown on his new job?
the stress/accent/beat falls on sth
▪ In the word "spoken," the stress falls on the first syllable.
the writing is on the wall
▪ The writing is on the wall for old manufacturing industries.
▪ Although two points clear of the pack, the writing is on the wall for Aberdeen unless some one starts banging goals away.
there are no flies on sb
think on your feet
▪ He can think on his feet quicker than anyone I've ever met.
▪ I've always been good at thinking on my feet.
▪ Industry today needs workers who can think on their feet and relearn their jobs constantly.
▪ She clasped them and tried to think on her feet.
▪ She had to use a lot of initiative and think on her feet.
▪ Stay alert and think on your feet.
▪ Their ability to think on their feet impressed the boss.
▪ This will probably be to see if you can think on your feet and react well under stress.
▪ You must not be afraid of thinking on your feet and adding good ideas that occur to you as you speak.
throw doubt on sth
▪ In the sickroom or with Diniz, Nicholas never threw doubt on the arrival of Katelina's dream fleet.
▪ The market people passed comments on his wife and, he said, threw doubt on his ability to better her.
▪ Wallis further throws doubt on Gusfield's claim that he had in fact identified a status group.
▪ What they have to say throws doubt on previous inferences about how labour-intensive Maya agricultural techniques were, at least at San Antonio.
throw light on sth
▪ A comparison of the two will throw light on the crisis of conscience on both occasions.
▪ But I have not found anything in the careful judgment of Mustill L.J. which throws light on the issues presently under consideration.
▪ But my frantic, full-beamed Mayday signal only threw light on a de-iced porthole.
▪ Epidemiological studies sometimes threw light on preventable causes of cancer.
▪ Experiments to throw light on the processes at work must themselves be long-term.
▪ Geographical comparison of patterns of lawbreaking sometimes throws light on more general differences in social and economic conditions.
▪ It also seeks to throw light on the role assumed by planters and the planting lobby in society at large.
▪ Life-positions throw light on why it is that some people tend to be winners and some losers in life.
throw suspicion on sb
▪ Philby remained bitter towards Burgess, whose defection had thrown suspicion on him and ultimately led to his unmasking.
throw yourself at/on/into/down etc
▪ At this stage, the urge to do something was unfocused, but it was extraordinary how people threw themselves into it.
▪ Grief-stricken, he threw himself on her..
▪ He kicked it in, threw himself on the floor and rolled under the bed.
▪ I threw myself down on the bed and sobbed bitterly.
▪ I threw myself into organising the funeral, picking out the music I wanted played.
▪ Like Billy McFadzean who in 1916 threw himself on two bombs to save his comrades in the trenches of the Somme.
▪ They threw themselves down on the street or took shelter behind cars and in doorways.
▪ You put him in a situation where women are throwing themselves at him.
throw yourself on sb's mercy
▪ For a craven moment she was tempted to go back and throw herself on the mercy of the landlady.
▪ I would throw myself on the mercy of the circuit-house, usually reserved for traveling politicians and sundry bigwigs.
▪ You're so sweet I just wanted to throw myself on your mercy and beg you to help me.
throw/shed/cast light on sth
▪ Newly found Aztec artifacts may shed some light on their mysterious culture.
▪ A fretful wind was not enough to open them and shed light on the ruptured earth in which they lay.
▪ An analysis of the results should shed light on the workings of the Northern Ireland labour market.
▪ Geographical comparison of patterns of lawbreaking sometimes throws light on more general differences in social and economic conditions.
▪ He uses relativity to throw light on time and eternity, and indeterminacy to comment on free will.
▪ In addition, the research is expected to shed light on the social consequences of cities' changing economic roles.
▪ Owing to the small sample size, the results can only be expected to shed light on the trends.
▪ Therefore they shed light on the comparative institutional questions with which we are concerned.
▪ This may shed light on Soviet views of such zones.
tie one on
▪ Sunday, June 1: Boy did I tie one on last night.
tighten the screws (on sb)
tighten your grip/hold on sth
▪ He tightened his grip on the sub-machine-gun, waited for the helicopter to slow and swing towards him.
▪ His arm shook and he tightened his grip on the stock of the rifle to still it.
▪ However, planning permission is required, and legislation is tightening its grip on mast sites.
▪ It was only when they tensed, curling and tightening their grip on the floor, did he realise they were alive.
▪ Oats tightened his grip on the axe.
▪ The suspended despair inside her splintered into a shuddering sob and Fernando tightened his hold on her.
▪ There were months of interrogations, torture and repression as the military tightened its grip on the country.
▪ They tightened their grip on the girl.
time hangs/lies heavy on your hands
time is moving on
time is on your side
▪ But time is on your side if you can be gentle and good-naturedly persistent.
▪ For that matter, so could Rob, but then again, time is on his side.
▪ On the other hand, both Fujimori and Cerpa seem intent on showing that time is on their side.
▪ On this occasion, they also appear confident that time is on their side.
▪ When you begin identifying challenges at a relatively early age, time is on your side.
time marches on
▪ All of us face identity crises as time marches on.
to be going on with/to go on with
tread on sb's toes
▪ But I don't want us to tread on each other's toes.
▪ Danny's filthy fingernails were digging into his neck and his one foot was treading on Henry's toes.
▪ Don't know the rules, don't want to tread on any toes.
▪ I danced rigidly with Giacomo, kicking his shins and treading on his toes.
▪ She has a sharp cutting edge and woe betide the Europhile who treads on her toes.
try it on (with sb)
▪ As the older daughter in a family of nine children, she had tried it on her younger brothers without much success.
▪ I tried it on two teen-agers at a gas station.
▪ I hired one and went to try it on a mountain.
▪ No, he felt as old Sillerton Jackson felt; he did not think the Mingotts would have tried it on!
▪ Nobody could have blamed him for trying it on, could they?
▪ See my house - try it on for size, as it were?
▪ The man hadn't been stopped before and I wasn't about to try it on.
▪ When she married she had tried it on my father with no success at all.
turn it on
▪ As it stands, few serious runners are likely to take up the challenge to turn it on.
▪ For example, does watching the television start when we turn it on or when we sit down and face it?
▪ How do you turn it on?
▪ If only there were a radio she would have turned it on, loudly, but, of course, no such luck.
▪ Many of these taboos derive from patriarchal societies taking the power of women and turning it on its head.
▪ Then she went back into the living room and sat in front of the television set without turning it on.
▪ To be honest, I've seen potential for violence, although he's always turned it on himself.
▪ When does the guy who turns it on get to sleep?
turn on sb
turn on sth
turn on the charm
▪ Wayne certainly knows how to turn on the charm when he wants something out of you.
turn on the waterworks
▪ She was one of those people who could turn on the waterworks in order to get what they want.
▪ Before Reagan turned on the waterworks, crying in public was widely considered a sign of weakness.
turn sb on
▪ It's difficult telling your partner what actually turns you on.
▪ Men with long hair really turn me on.
▪ My last boyfriend always found nurses' uniforms a real turn-on.
turn sb on
turn sth ↔ on
turn sth ↔ on
turn the tables (on sb)
▪ Her record speed has turned the tables on Runyan, the defending champion.
▪ Antony has turned the tables completely and has now completely destroyed all hopes of the conspirators ever establishing themselves in Rome.
▪ Especially when such a rider turns the tables.
▪ Glenn Hoddle reckons Town are a good bet to turn the tables.
▪ Isn't it nice to see a couple turning the tables on a double-glazing salesman?
▪ It's time to turn the tables.
▪ So much for turning the tables.
▪ That turns the tables on movie ratings.
▪ That would certainly turn the tables, Blue thinks, that would certainly stand the whole business on its head.
turn your back (on sb/sth)
▪ He turned his back on Shauna and walked to the window.
▪ He would never turn his back on a fellow veteran.
▪ Many immigrants turn their back on the old ways.
▪ He turned his back abruptly and walked away.
▪ He acknowledged his paternity when he could have easily turned his back on him and told him he was a servant.
▪ I handed him back that hundred dollars and turned my back and took him in.
▪ Kissinger said it was disgraceful that the United States had turned its back on one of her oldest and closest friends.
▪ So in the end I turned my back on it and walked away.
▪ Weaken, turn your back for a moment and it could be lost for good.
▪ Wiltshire's Social Services department has promised not to turn its back on the problem of alcoholics.
turn/spin on your heel
▪ Seifert turned on his heels and stomped away in anger.
▪ Cooper turned on his heels and walked away.
▪ He turned on his heel and went into the dining room.
▪ I turned on my heel and left the room.
▪ She turned on her heel and vanished into the murk.
▪ Suddenly, the boar had been faced with a cliff too steep to climb and had turned on its heel.
▪ Then she turned on her heel and we marched back down the hall.
▪ Then, without a word, he turned on his heel and left the room.
turn/stand sth on its head
▪ "You stand logic on its head when you use arms control as an argument for a larger defense budget," Aspin said.
▪ Another basic political problem here is that the Dole message turns history on its head.
▪ In fact, it would turn Beveridge on its head and use the national insurance system as a tax system.
▪ It turns time on its head.
▪ Many of these taboos derive from patriarchal societies taking the power of women and turning it on its head.
▪ Rather than ignore Philips's cherished necessity principle, the Government turned it on its head.
▪ Resist that temptation by turning it on its head.
▪ That, of course, is to stand reality on its head, since the industrialised nations are manifestly the real environmental villains.
▪ The next step was to turn reality on its head.
under/on false pretences
under/on tow
▪ Maintenance costs on tow motors were slashed.
wait a minute/just a minute/hold on a minute/hang on a minute
wait on sb hand and foot
▪ Oliver expects us to wait on him hand and foot.
walk on eggshells
water on the brain/knee
▪ The youngster was destined to follow many of his ancestors by dying from the family curse hydrocephalus water on the brain.
wear your heart on your sleeve
whale into/on sb/sth
what/why/how etc on earth ...?
with (brass) knobs on
wither on the vine
work on the principle/assumption/basis etc that
▪ Gamekeepers worked on the principle that any other animals that preyed on pheasants must be ruthlessly eliminated.
▪ It works on the assumption that each side is willing to move from its starting point during the negotiations.
▪ It works on the principle that the pursuer will not be able to change direction as efficiently as the prey.
▪ Politicians seem to work on the assumption that the early bird catches the voter.
▪ The therapy works on the principle that like cures like.
▪ These devices work on the principle that the oscillating frequency of a crystal under an applied voltage changes with crystal mass.
▪ They work on the principle that most people pay up if they're pestered for long enough.
▪ When a crime is reported to the police they do not work on the assumption that anyone could have done it.
worship the ground sb walks on
wouldn't wish sth on/upon sb
▪ James says he wouldn't wish a military career on anyone.
wreak havoc/mayhem/destruction (on sth)
▪ And they wreak havoc with the goal of raising revenue efficiently.
▪ But we all know that a moment's overload, may wreak havoc.
▪ Did they hire a private eye to wreak havoc on the life of the harasser?
▪ Since elk can also wreak havoc in cropland and forestry plantations, a record 70,000 animals are being culled this hunting season.
▪ The goat, being a goat, wreaks havoc, and the tenant grows desperate.
▪ The storm wreaked havoc on trains and highways, making it unlikely thousands of investors and traders will arrive at work.
▪ This is a critical feature on such an instrument, as a badly cut nut here would wreak havoc on playability.
▪ Unassimilated, they might one day wreak havoc in her life.
wreak revenge/vengeance (on sb)
▪ First, Burghgesh could have survived and come back to wreak vengeance.
▪ It is hardly surprising that it should occasionally wreak vengeance on its executioner.
year on year
you're putting me on!
▪ Seth is moving to Alaska? You're putting me on!
you've made your bed and you must lie on it
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ As far as we know, the game is still on for tomorrow.
▪ I sent Dan on ahead to find us seats at the theater.
▪ I usually get on at Irving Street.
▪ Let's go on. I want to get home before it gets dark.
▪ OK, who left the lights on?
▪ Put your shoes on, and let's go.
▪ Rick was standing there with nothing on.
▪ There's a good comedy on at eight.
▪ You're on in two minutes.
▪ You should visit Chicago while the festival is on.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
on
Rub \Rub\, v. i.
To move along the surface of a body with pressure; to grate; as, a wheel rubs against the gatepost.
To fret; to chafe; as, to rub upon a sore.
-
To move or pass with difficulty; as, to rub through woods, as huntsmen; to rub through the world.
To rub along or on, to go on with difficulty; as, they manage, with strict economy, to rub along. [Colloq.]
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
on
Old English on, unstressed variant of an "in, on, into," from Proto-Germanic *ana "on" (cognates: Dutch aan, German an, Gothic ana "on, upon"), from PIE root *an- "on" (cognates: Avestan ana "on," Greek ana "on, upon," Latin an-, Old Church Slavonic na, Lithuanian nuo "down from"). Also used in Old English in many places where we would now use in. From 16c.-18c. (and still in northern England dialect) often reduced to o'. Phrase on to "aware" is from 1877. On time is from 1890.
Wiktionary
on
Etymology 1
1 In the state of being active, functioning or operate. 2 perform according to schedule. 3 (context UK informal English) Acceptable, appropriate. 4 (context informal English) destined, normally in the context of a challenge being accepted; involved, doomed. 5 (context baseball informal English) Having reached a base as a runner and being positioned there, awaiting further action from a subsequent batter. 6 (context euphemistic English) menstruating adv. 1 To an operate state. 2 Along, forwards (continuing an action). prep. 1 Positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above. 2 At or near; adjacent to. 3 covering. 4 At the date of. 5 Some time during the day of. 6 deal with the subject of, about, or concerning something. 7 touch; hanging from. 8 (context informal English) In the possession of. 9 Because of, or due to. 10 Immediately after. 11 Paid for by. 12 (non-gloss definition: Used to indicate a means or medium.) v
-
(context transitive Singapore English) To switch on. Etymology 2
alt. (context UK dialectal Scotland English) without. prep. (context UK dialectal Scotland English) without.
WordNet
on
adv. with a forward motion; "we drove along admiring the view"; "the horse trotted along at a steady pace"; "the circus traveled on to the next city"; "move along"; "march on" [syn: along]
indicates continuity or persistence or concentration; "his spirit lives on"; "shall I read on?"
in a state required for something to function or be effective; "turn the lights on"; "get a load on"
on
adj. in operation or operational; "left the oven on"; "the switch is in the on position" [ant: off]
(of events) planned or scheduled; "the picnic is on, rain or shine"; "we have nothing on for Friday night" [ant: off]
performing or scheduled for duties; "I'm on from five to midnight"; "Naval personnel on duty in Alaska"; "her on-duty hours were 11p.m. to 7 a.m." [syn: on(p), on duty(p), on-duty(a)]
Gazetteer
Wikipedia
On (Gary Glitter album)
On is Gary Glitter's last studio album to date. It contains songs that were only ever performed live during Glitter's last concerts in 1996 and 1997. The album was released in 2001, two years after Glitter's UK conviction for possession of child pornography. It was available only for a short time through Glitter's website, and sold around 5,000 copies worldwide, as since his conviction most major retailers had refused to stock his music.
Nine of the twelve titles on the album, including the ballad "Never Want The Rain", were co-written by Glitter and Martin Jenkins. The other three tracks were new recordings of earlier Gary Glitter titles; "Hooked On Hollywood" and "Hello, Hello, I'm Back Again" were co-written by Glitter and Mike Leander, and first recorded in the 1970s. "Ready To Rock" was originally recorded by Glitter for his 1992 album Leader 2. Though Glitter has not issued a new studio album since On, he has continued to release singles.
As children are a major audience of pop music, controversy arose around the release of On album due to assertions that Glitter was exploiting children. In response to the complaints, the British Phonographic Industry issued a statement saying Glitter was now a free man and could do what he wants as far as making music is concerned.
In 2013 a box of unsold copies of the album, pressed in 2001, were discovered in storage and sold through a Facebook fan page.
Ön
Ön is a 1966 Swedish drama film directed by Alf Sjöberg. At the 3rd Guldbagge Awards Sjöberg won the award for Best Director. The film was also entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival.
On (Boom Boom Satellites album)
On is the fifth studio album from Japanese electronica/ rock duo Boom Boom Satellites, released on May 17, 2006. The album was released in two editions: a regular edition and a limited edition that included a DVD.
On the Oricon rankings, the album reached a peak rank of 8 and charted for 12 weeks.
On (Imperial Teen album)
On is the third album by indie rock band Imperial Teen. It is the follow-up to their second full-length record What is Not to Love (1998), and was released in the U.S. on April 9, 2002 from Merge Records. On March 30, 2009 Amazon.com selected it as the 43rd greatest indie rock album of all time.
On (novel)
On is the second novel by Adam Roberts. According to the author's website, reviews of the novel were either extremely positive, or extremely negative.
On (Echobelly album)
On was the second album from English rock band Echobelly. Gaining a favourable response from critics the album reached number 4 in the UK Albums Chart. On 21 July 2014, a 2CD expanded edition of the album was released with B-sides and previously unreleased live performances.
On (Jean album)
On is the debut studio album by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Jean. It was released on May 16, 2006.
On (Elisa album)
On is the ninth studio album by Italiann singer-songwriter Elisa. It was released on March 25, 2016 by Sugar Music. It was produced by Elisa. It features collaborations with Jack Savoretti, Emma Marrone and Giuliano Sangiorgi.
On (EP)
On is the third EP and major label debut by the English electronic music producer Richard D. James, under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, released on 15 November 1993 by Warp Records in Europe and by Sire Records and Warner Bros. Records internationally. On Remixes, featuring remixes by James, Reload and µ-Ziq, was also released on the same day.
Released after his debut album Selected Ambient Works 85–92, On is often described as an ambient techno record despite the presence of harsh, abrasive beats on the title track. The title "On" is only mentioned once in the track list of the On EP.
On (band)
ON was a solo project of Ken Andrews, which he started after the breakup of his previous band, Failure. The music of ON was not unlike that of Failure, in terms of songwriting, but the overall sound was more based on electronics, with less emphasis on guitars and the typical heavy rock sound.
ON was signed to Epic Records in 1999, and the first single, "Soluble Words", was released late that year. It contains four versions of the song, including a remix by Martin Gore of Depeche Mode, and an exclusive track called "Your Sister Says John" (written by Andrews' friend Jordon Zadorozny of Blinker the Star).
After several months, ON's album Shifting Skin was released in June 2000. Ken then assembled a backing band, which consisted of drummer Tim Dow (ex- Shiner/ Season to Risk), bassist Tommy Walter ( Abandoned Pools), guitarist Joey Sykes, and keyboardist Kevin Moore, and took ON on tour. Another single, "Slingshot", was serviced to radio, bubbling just under the Alternative Top 50; but the album didn't sell well, and Epic eventually released Andrews from his contract.
A second ON album, Make Believe, was released in 2002 via CD Baby and the iTunes Store. Also in 2002, he (and Dow) formed a new group called Year of the Rabbit. Currently, Andrews is working both as a solo artist and as a member of Digital Noise Academy, as well as being a sought-after producer and session musician.
On (Japanese prosody)
The term "On" (rarely "Onji") refers to counting phonetic sounds in Japanese poetry. In the Japanese language, the word "on" (音) means "sound". It is used to mean the phonetic units counted in haiku, tanka, and other such poetic forms. Known as " morae" to English-speaking linguists, the modern Japanese term for the linguistic concept is either haku ( 拍) or mōra ( モーラ).
Ji (字) is Japanese for "symbol" or "character". The concatenation of the two words "on" and "ji" into "onji" (音字) was used by Meiji era grammarians to mean "phonic character" and was translated into English by Nishi Amane in 1870 as "letter". Since then, the term "onji" has become obsolete in Japan, and only survives in foreign-language discussion of Japanese poetry. Gilbert and Yoneoka call the use of the word "onji" "bizarre and mistaken". It was taken up after a 1978 letter to Frogpond: Journal of the Haiku Society of America decrying the then-current use of the word "jion", which itself appears to have arisen in error. The normal Japanese term in the context of counting sounds in poetry is "on".
Counting on in Japanese poetry is the same as counting characters when the text is transliterated into hiragana. In cases where a hiragana is represented by a pair of symbols each pair (or "digraph" e.g. "kyo" (きょ)) equates to a single on. When viewed this way, the term "ji" ("character") is used in Japanese.
In English-language discussions of Japanese poetry, the more familiar word " syllable" is sometimes used. Although the use of "syllable" is inaccurate, it often happens that the syllable count and the on count match in Japanese-language haiku. The disjunction between syllables and on becomes clearer when counting sounds in English-language versions of Japanese poetic forms, such as haiku in English. An English syllable may contain one, two or three morae and, because English word sounds are not readily representable in hiragana, a single syllable may require many more ji to be transliterated into hiragana.
There is disagreement among linguists as to the definitions of "syllable" and "mora". In contrast, ji (and hence on) is unambiguously defined by reference to hiragana.
Usage examples of "on".
Yet how should he not go to Utterbol with the Damsel abiding deliverance of him there: and yet again, if they met there and were espied on, would not that ruin everything for her as well as for him?
So Richard trotted on, and while they abode him, Ralph asked after his brethren, and Blaise told him that he had seen or heard naught of them.
Land Rovers screaming around the desert, men in black kit abseiling down embassy walls, or free fallers with all the kit on, leaping into the night.
The metal hoops of the accelerating cage sang lightly as the weight came on.
My eyes were a little blurry as I ran them over her femur, acetabulum, ilium, sacrum, and so on.
To begin with, the four different classes were not hereditary but in time they became so, probably led by the Brahmans, whose task of memorising the Vedas was more easily achieved if fathers could begin teaching their sons early on.
As time went on, I ran into many people who had had acrimonious dealings with Harlan Ellison.
The outlets I depend on, use for survival and have become addicted to are gone, replaced by Doctors and Nurses and Counselors and Rules and Regulations and Pills and Lectures and Mandatory Meals and Jobs in the morning and none of them do a fucking thing for me.
The topics insisted on, however, were for the most part identical with those which had for a series of years been repeatedly adduced in the commons, so that a repetition of them is unnecessary.
But we now know that it is the tip alone which is acted on, and that this part transmits some influence to the adjoining parts, causing them to curve downwards.
If a man examines only the external he sees only what he has committed to deed, and that he has not murdered or committed adultery or stolen or borne false witness, and so on.
They are available for businesses to advertise on, and their impact is enormous among local residents.
This was later on, in the aerology lab, when they were recounting to him and McDevitt all that had been said.
Mortlake, glancing back a short time before the sea appeared on the horizon, had seen the other aeroplane, and guessing at once what its appearance meant, had determined to keep on, even at the risk of plunging himself and his passenger into the sea.
Hearing the synchronized voices repeat the same formulas, evasive, affectless, cut off from whatever they had once been by promises of what they would never get to collect on?