on duty at work; currently doing one’s work.. on one’s honor on one’s solemn oath; [promised] sincerely, speak-ing as an honorable person.. on the button exactly right; in exactly the ri
Trang 1old ["old] 1 adj having been alive
for a long time; not recently born;
not young (Comp: older; sup:
old-est.) 2 adj having existed for a
long time; not recently made; not
new (Comp: older; sup: oldest.)
3 adj of a certain age (Follows
the age Comp: older.) 4 adj
pre-vious; former (Comp: older; sup:
oldest.)
→ (as) comfortable as an old shoe
→ be old hat
→ achip off the old block
→ from the old school
→ thegood old days
→ ripe old age
old age ["old "edZ] 1 n the period
when one is old (No plural.)
2 adj of or about Q
(Hyphen-ated.)
old-fashioned ["old "fAS @nd] adj.
belonging to the style, actions,
behavior, or rules of the past
(Adv: old-fashionedly.)
olive ["a lIv] 1 n a tree grown in
warm climates for its fruit 2 n.
the fruit of Q, used for food
→ hold out the olive branch
omelet ["am lIt] n a dish made of
beaten eggs, cooked flat and
folded over, sometimes stuffed
with other foods
omission [o "mIS @n] 1 n not
list-ing or not includlist-ing someone or
something; omitting someone or
something 2 n something that
has been left out; something that
has been omitted
omit [o "mIt] tv to leave someone
or something out; to forget to list
or include something
on ["On] 1 prep above and
sup-ported by someone or something;
covering or partially covering someone or something; touching the surface of someone or some-thing 2 prep traveling by [plane, train, boat, bus, motorcycle,
bicy-cle, etc.] (But one travels in an
automobile.) 3 prep near some-thing; at the edge of [a body of
water] 4 prep about someone or something 5 prep [happening] at
a specific time, identified by the
date or the day 6 prep as a mem-ber or part of some group 7 adj.
operating; turned onas in O
8 adj still happening; not
can-celed; continuing as scheduled
9 adv so that something operates;
so that something has the power
to operate
on a bias and on the bias on a
diagonal line; on a diagonal path-way or direction
on a fool’s errand involved in a
useless journey or task
on a shoestring with a very small
amount of money
on a waiting list [for someone’s
name to be] on a list of people waiting for an opportunity to do something
on active duty in battle or ready to
go into battle (Military.)
on all fours on one’s hands and
knees
on Broadway located in the
Broad-way (New York City) theater dis-trict; currently performing or being performed in the Broadway theater district
on campus located within the
campus of a college or university
on cloud nine very happy.
old
396
Trang 2on consignment [of goods]
hav-ing been placed in a store for sale,
without transferring the title of
the goods to the operator of the
store
on credit using credit; buying
something using credit
on duty at work; currently doing
one’s work
on earth and in creation; in the
world of all things, places, or
peo-ple; out of all the possibilities;
given all options (Used after who,
what, when, where, or how to
express surprise or amazement.)
on fire burning; being burned with
flames
on foot [running or walking] using
the feet
on impulse after having had an
impulse or thought
on land on the soil; on the land and
not at sea
on location in a place, located far
from a movie studio, where a
movie is filmed
on one’s feet 1 standing up;
stand-ing on one’s feet 2 well and
healthy, especially after an illness
on one’s honor on one’s solemn
oath; [promised] sincerely,
speak-ing as an honorable person
on one’s last legs and on its last
legs almost completely worn-out,
exhausted, or broken down; close
to dying or ending
on one’s mind occupying one’s
thoughts; currently being thought
about
on one’s person [of something]
carried with one
on one’s toes alert.
on patrol Go to (out) on patrol
on pins and needles anxious;
waiting eagerly and nervously
on probation 1 serving a period
of probation 2 serving a trial
period
on purpose [doing something] in a
way that is meant or planned; not
an accident
on sale available for purchase at a
reduced price
on second thought having given
something more thought; having reconsidered something
on someone’s doorstep Go to at someone’sdoorstep.
on someone’s say-so on someone’s
authority; with someone’s permis-sion
on someone’s shoulders [serving
as a burden] on someone (Usually
with responsibility On can be replaced with upon.)
on standby waiting for one’s turn,
especially describing travelers who wait near a train, plane, or bus, hoping that a seat will become available
on target on schedule; exactly as
predicted
on the air [relating to a radio,
tele-vision station] broadcasting; [relating to a radio or television program] being broadcast (Com-pare this with off the air.)
on the average generally; usually.
on the bench 1 directing a session
of court (Said of a judge.) 2
sit-ting, waiting for a chance to play
on the bench
397
Trang 3in a game (In team sports such as
basketball, football, and soccer.)
on the bias Go to on a bias.
on the block 1 on a city block.
2 on sale at auction; on the
auc-tion block
on the borderline in an uncertain
position between two statuses;
undecided
on the button exactly right; in
exactly the right place; at exactly
the right time
on the contrary in opposition to
what has just been said
on the defensive overly ready to
defend oneself
on the dot at exactly the right time.
on the go busy; moving about
busily
on the heels of something soon
after something
on the horizon soon to happen.
on the horns of a dilemma
hav-ing to decide between two thhav-ings,
people, etc.; balanced between one
choice and another
on the hour at the beginning of the
hour or of each hour; precisely
when the numbered hour
begins—for example, at 3:00, not
3:08 or 3:30
on the house [something that is]
given away free by a merchant
on the level Go to (strictly) on the
level.
on the market available for sale;
offered for sale
on the mend getting well; healing.
on the move moving; happening
busily
on the off chance because of a
slight possibility [that something may happen or might be the case]; just in case
on the QT quietly; secretly.
on the right track following the
right set of assumptions
on the spot 1 at exactly the right
place; at exactly the right time
2 in trouble; in a difficult
situa-tion
on the spur of the moment
sud-denly; spontaneously
on the tip of one’s tongue about
to be said; almost remembered
on the wagon not drinking
alco-hol; no longer drinking alcohol (Refers to a “water wagon.”)
on the wrong track going the
wrong way; following the wrong set of assumptions
on thin ice in a risky situation.
on tiptoe standing or walking on
the front part of the feet (the balls
of the feet) with no weight put on the heels (This is done to gain height or to walk quietly.)
on top victorious over something;
famous or notorious for some-thing
on top of the world feeling
won-derful; glorious; ecstatic
on trial being tried in court.
on vacation taking a trip; taking
time off from work
once ["w^ns] 1 adv one time.
2 adv at a time in the past;
formerly
once in a blue moon very rarely.
on the bias
398
Trang 4oncoming ["On k@m IN] adj coming
toward [oneself]; approaching
one ["w^n] 1 1 Go to four 2 n a
billE or noteE worth a single
dollar 3 adj happening on or at a
particular time (Prenominal
only.) 4 adj united; together;
joined (Not prenominal.) 5 pron.
a person or thing that is referred
to 6 pron you; anybody; a
per-son
→ thelast (one)
→ as one
→ at one fell swoop
→ go in one ear and out the other
→ have a one-track mind
→ ahole in one
→ in one ear and out the other
→ in one fell swoop
→ kill two birds with one stone
→ anew one on someone
→ six of one and half a dozen of
the other
→ wear more than one hat
→ with one hand tied behind one’s
back
one in a hundred Go to one in a
thousand.
one in a million Go to one in a
thousand.
one in a thousand and one in a
hundred; one in a million
unique; one of a very few
One thing leads to another One
event sets things up for another
event and so on
one thing or person after another
a series of people or things that
seems without limit
one’s back is to the wall one is in
a defensive position
One’s bark is worse than one’s
bite Although one appears
threatening, one will not actually
do much damage
one’s better half one’s spouse.
(Usually refers to a wife.)
one’s days are numbered one
faces death or dismissal
one’s deepest sympathy one’s
very sincere sympathy
one’s ears are red one has red ears
from embarrassment
One’s eyes are bigger than one’s stomach One has taken or asked
for more food than one can eat
one’s fair share the amount of
something that one is due relative
to what other people are receiving
one’s folks n relatives, especially
one’s own parents (Treated as plu-ral, but not countable.)
one’s hands are tied one is
pre-vented from doing something
one’s heart is in one’s mouth [for
one] to feel strongly emotional
one’s heart is set on something
one desires and expects some-thing
one’s labor(s) n one’s work or the
product of one’s work; effort (Singular or plural with the same meaning, but not countable.)
one’s mission in life one’s purpose
for living; the reason for which one lives on the earth
one’s number is up one’s time to
die—or to suffer some other unpleasantness—has come
one’s pet hate something that is
disliked intensely and is a constant
or repeated annoyance
one’s pet peeve a frequent
annoy-ance to someone; one’s “favorite”
one’s pet peeve
399
Trang 5or most-often encountered
annoy-ance
one’s tail is between one’s legs
one is acting frightened or cowed
one’s way n one’s desire; one’s wish.
(No plural.)
one’s wits n one’s intelligence; one’s
control of one’s thinking,
under-standing, temper, and actions
one’s word n someone’s promise;
someone’s pledge (No plural.)
one’s words stick in one’s throat
to find it difficult to speak because
of emotion
oneself [w@n "sElf] pron the
reflex-ive form of the pronoun oneY
(Used when one is the subject of
the sentence.)
onion ["^n j@n] 1 n a plant with a
large, round edible bulb and thin
green stalks 2 n the edible bulb
of Q, sometimes sliced or
chopped 3 adj made with or
fla-vored with W
only ["on li] 1 adj sole; single.
2 adv [this and] nothing more.
3 conj except that.
onset ["On sEt] n the beginning of
something; the start of something
onstage [On "stedZ] 1 adj located
or happening on a part of a stage
that an audience can see 2 adv.
on, to, or toward a part of the
stage that an audience can see
onto ["On tu] prep to a position that
is on something
onward ["On w#d] adv further in
space or time; forward in space or
time
ooze ["uz] 1 n mud; slime; a thick
liquid (No plural.) 2 iv to flow
slowly, like mud or a very thick liquid; to seep out of a hole slowly
opaque [o "pek] 1 adj not able to
be seen through; not allowing light to pass through; not clear
(Adv: opaquely.) 2 adj hard to
understand (Figurative on Q
Adv: opaquely.)
open ["o p@n] 1 adj not shut; not closed; not sealed 2 adj allowing
customers to enter; ready for
busi-ness 3 adj not decided 4 adj.
available; free and not restricted
(Adv: openly.) 5 adj sincere;
hon-est about one’s feelings (Adv:
openly.) 6 tv to cause something
to become Q; to allow a place to
be entered into or exited from
7 tv to establish the beginning of
something; to cause something to
start 8 iv to be accessible; to
become ready for business or use
→ be (out) in the open
→ keep one’sweather eye open
→ not open one’smouth
→ pry somethingopen
open a can of worms to uncover
a set of problems; to create unnec-essary complications
open a conversation to start a
conversation
an open book someone or
some-thing that is easy to understand
open for business [of a shop,
store, restaurant, etc.] operating and ready to do business
open one’s heart (to someone) to
reveal one’s private thoughts to someone
open (out) on(to) something [for
a building’s doors] to exit toward something
one’s tail is between one’s legs
400
Trang 6open secret something that is
sup-posed to be a secret but is known
to a great many people
open something up 1 to open
something that was closed 2 to
begin working on something for
which there are paper records,
such as a case, investigation, file,
etc
open something up (to someone)
to make something available to
someone; to permit someone to
join something or participate in
something
open to something agreeable to
hear or learn about new ideas or
suggestions
open up (to someone) 1 to tell
[everything] to someone; to
con-fess to someone 2 [for
opportu-nities] to become available to
someone (Figurative.)
open up (to someone or
some-thing) 1 [for doors] to become
open so someone, something, or
some creature can enter; to open
for someone or something 2 [for
someone] to become more
accept-ing of someone or somethaccept-ing
anopen-and-shut case
some-thing, usually a legal case or a
problem, that is simple and
straightforward
opener ["o p@ n#] n someone or
something that opens something
opening ["o p@ nIN] 1 n a way into
a container, compartment, or
room; a way through a wall or
bar-rier 2 n something that is
avail-able; a job that is available 3 n an
opportunity to do something or
say something (Figurative on Q.)
4 adj at the beginning; the first;
the earliest
opening gambit an opening
move-ment or statemove-ment that is made to secure a position that is to one’s advantage
opera ["a pr@] 1 n the branch of
theater or music in which lengthy performances include solo and choral singing, orchestra music, and sometimes dance (No plural.)
2 n a presentation or
perform-ance of a musical production as in Q
operate ["ap @ ret] 1 iv [for a
machine or device] to work or
function 2 iv to perform surgery;
to perform an operation 3 tv to
cause something to work or func-tion; to direct or manage some-thing
operate on someone or something
to perform surgery on a certain part of the body or on someone or something
operation [a p@ "re S@n] 1 n
sur-gery; a medical procedure where something is done to the body, usually involving cutting 2 n the way something works; the way something is used
operator ["ap @ ret #] 1 n some-one who operates a machine 2 n.
someone who handles telephone calls; the person one talks to when one dials “0” on a telephone
opinion [@ "pIn j@n] 1 n thoughts,
ideas, or attitudes concerning someone or something (Plural only for types and instances.) 2 n advice from a professional or an expert
opinion
401
Trang 7→ form an opinion
→ hazard an opinion
→ keep one’sopinions to oneself
→ amatter of opinion
opossum [@ "pas @m] n a small,
gray, furry animal with a hairless,
flexible tail
opponent [@ "pon @nt] n someone
who is on the opposite side in a
contest, fight, or argument
opportunity [ap # "tu n@ ti] n a
good chance for doing something;
a favorable time for doing
some-thing
oppose [@ "poz] tv to be against
someone or something; to fight
against someone or something; to
argue against someone or
some-thing (Often passive.)
opposite ["ap @ sIt] 1 adj
com-pletely different in at least one
major respect (Adv: oppositely.)
2 adj of or about a location that
is the farthest point away within a
defined area (Adv: oppositely.)
3 prep across from someone or
something; facing someone or
something 4 n someone or
something that is opposite as in Q
as compared to someone or
some-thing else
opposite sex ["ap @ s@t "sEks] n.
[from the point of view of a
female] a male; [from the point of
view of a male] a female
opposition [ap @ "zI S@n] 1 n a
state of being against someone or
something; resistance (No plural.)
2 n the people who are against
something (No plural.)
oppress [@ "prEs] tv to rule
some-one or a group of people harshly
or cruelly; to keep someone from succeeding
optic ["ap tIk] adj of or about the
eye or vision (Adv: optically [ Ik
li].)
optical ["ap tI k@l] adj of or about
the eye or vision (Adv: optically
[ Ik li].)
option ["ap S@n] n a choice;
some-thing [else] that is available for choosing
or ["or] 1 conj a word used in a list
of items to show a choice or
differ-ence 2 conj otherwise; if not.
3 conj that is to say.
or else or suffer the consequences.
oral ["or @l] 1 adj of or about the mouth (Adv: orally.) 2 adj
spo-ken (Adv: orally.)
orange ["or IndZ] 1 n a color of
the rainbow between red and yel-low, and the color of W (Plural only for types and instances.) 2 n
a round, juicy citrus fruit—of the color Q—that grows on a tree
3 adj of the color Q 4 adj.
made with W; flavored with W
orbit ["or bIt] 1 n a pathway
around a planet or a star, such as that taken by a planet, a moon, or
a rocket 2 tv to move in a circle
around a star or planet 3 iv to
move in a circle around a star or planet
orchard ["or tS#d] n a farm of fruit
or nut trees
orchestra ["or k@ str@] n a group
of several musicians and the instruments they play, usually including strings
opossum
402
Trang 8orchid ["or kId] n a flower with
unusually shaped and brightly
col-ored petals
ordain [or "den] 1 tv to confer the
status of being a priest or a
minis-ter on someone 2 tv to order
something; to make something a
law (The object can be a clause
with that U.)
ordeal [or "dil] n a very difficult
experience
order ["or d#] 1 n the sequence in
which a series of things is
arranged 2 n a state of
every-thing being in its proper place
(No plural.) 3 n a state of being
able to be used; condition (No
plural See also out of order.) 4 n.
a state wherein people are
follow-ing rules and behavfollow-ing properly
(No plural.) 5 n a command
6 n a request for certain goods or
services 7 n one serving of a
kind of food 8 tv to request
goods or services 9 tv to request
a serving of food or a full meal
10 tv to arrange someone or
something into a certain sequence
→ call a meeting to order
→ follow orders
→ in short order
→ just what the doctor ordered
→ out of order
→ place an order
the order of the day something
necessary or usual at a certain
time
order someone in(to something) to
command someone to get into
something
order something in to have
some-thing, usually food, brought into
one’s house or place of business
orderly ["or d# li] 1 adj neat; in order 2 n a hospital worker who
assists doctors and nurses in car-ing for patients
ordinal number Go to ordinal numeral.
ordinal numeral and ordinal number ["or dI n@l "nu m@ r@l, "or
dI n@l "n^m b#] n the number used to show rank or position in a
series, such as first, second, third,
etc (See also cardinal numeral.)
ordinary ["ord n nEr i] adj usual;
common; typical; regular (Adv:
ordinarily [ord n "nEr @ li].)
organ ["or g@n] 1 n a part of an
animal that performs a specific
function 2 n a musical
instru-ment with keyboards that control the air flow into many pipes of different lengths, each sounding a different note (Also pipe organ.)
organism ["or g@ nIz @m] n a plant
or an animal; a living thing
organization [or g@ n@ "ze S@n] n a
group of people, such as those in
a club or society; a company; a department of government
organize ["or g@ naIz] 1 tv to
arrange different parts in a way so that they work properly; to arrange different parts into a sys-tem 2 tv to form an organization
or meeting
origin ["or @ dZ@n] n the starting
point; something that other things develop from
original [@ "rIdZ @ n@l] 1 adj not
copied or based on something else
2 adj first; earliest (Adv: origi-nally.) 3 n something that copies
are made from; the first example
original
403
Trang 9of something that other examples
are based on
originate [@ "rIdZ @ net] 1 tv to
cause something to exist; to found
something; to establish something,
such as an organization 2 iv to
start; to begin
orphan ["or f@n] 1 n a young child
whose parents are dead or missing
2 tv to cause someone to become
Q (Typically passive.)
ostrich ["as trItS] n a large bird
that runs very quickly but cannot
fly
other ["^D #] 1 pron the second of
two people or things; the
remain-ing person or thremain-ings 2 the adj.
use of Q 3 adj more of the same
or similar kind of thing or people
→ every other person or thing
→ go in one ear and out the other
→ have other fish to fry
→ in one ear and out the other
→ laugh out of the other side of
one’smouth
→ look the other way
→ none other than someone
→ six of one and half a dozen of
the other
→ There are plenty of other fish in
the sea.
→ turn the other cheek
→ with every (other) breath
the other side of the tracks the
poorer part of a town, often near
the railroad tracks (Especially
with from the or live on the.)
otherwise ["^D # waIz] 1 conj or
else; or it is that 2 adv in another
way; in a different way; differently
3 adv in every regard except [this
one]; in every way except [this
one]
otter ["at #] 1 n a long, thin, furry
animal that lives in and near
water, and eats fish 2 n the skin and fur of Q (No plural.) 3 adj.
made from W
ought to do something ["Ot ] have
to do something; obliged to do something
ought to happen and ought to be
somehow ["Ot ] likely to happen; should happen; likely to be some-how
ounce ["aUns] 1 n a unit of
meas-urement of weight equal to ¹⁄₁₆ of
a pound or about 28 grams 2 n a
unit of measurement of liquid equal to ¹⁄₁₆ of a pint or ¹⁄₈ of a cup
our ["a#] pron the first-person
plu-ral possessive pronoun including the speaker or writer (Used as a modifier before a noun.)
ours pron the first-person plural
possessive pronoun (Used in place of a noun.)
ourselves ["a# "sElvz] 1 pron the
first-person plural reflexive
pro-noun 2 pron a form used to
emphasize we
→ by ourselves
oust ["aUst] tv to get rid of
some-one or something; to remove someone or something by force
out ["aUt] 1 adv away from a place;
not in a place; not in the usual condition; not at the usual posi-tion; to a point beyond a limit
2 adv in the open air; into the
open air; outside; not inside
3 adj not at the usual position;
to a point beyond a limit; not at home; not at work (Not prenomi-originate
404
Trang 10nal.) 4 adj no longer in style;
old-fashioned (Not prenominal.)
5 adj not a possible choice (Not
prenominal Informal.) 6 adj no
longer burning; no longer giving
off light (Not prenominal.) 7 adj.
not working; not functioning
properly (Not prenominal.)
8 adj [in baseball, of someone]
no longer permitted to play in a
particular turn (Not prenominal.)
9 adj used up; no longer having
more of a substance (Not
pre-nominal.) 10 adj unconscious;
not aware; not awake (Not
prenominal.)
out and about able to go out and
travel around; well enough to go
out
out cold and out like a light
unconscious; deeply asleep
out in left field offbeat; unusual
and eccentric
out like a light Go to out cold.
out of a clear blue sky and out
of the blue suddenly; without
warning
out of all proportion of an
exag-gerated proportion; of an
unrealis-tic proportion compared with
something else
out of circulation [of someone]
not interacting socially with other
people
out of control not manageable; not
restrained; disorderly
out of earshot too far from the
source of a sound to hear the
sound
out of gas tired; exhausted;
worn-out
out of luck without good luck;
having bad fortune
out of one’s element not in a
nat-ural or comfortable situation
out of one’s head Go to out of one’s mind.
out of one’s mind and out of one’s head; out of one’s senses
silly and senseless; crazy; irra-tional
out of one’s senses Go to out of one’smind.
out of order 1 not following cor-rect procedure in a meeting 2 not
working; not functioning; broken
out of practice performing poorly
due to a lack of practice
out of print [for a book] to be no
longer available for sale (Compare this with in print.)
out of proportion Go to in pro-portion.
out of season 1 not now available for sale 2 not now legally able to
be hunted or caught
out of service inoperable; not
cur-rently operating; out of order.
out of spite with the desire to
harm someone or something
out of the blue Go to out of a clear blue sky.
out of the corner of one’s eye
[seeing something] at a glance; glimpsing (something)
out of the frying pan into the fire from a bad situation to a
worse situation
out of the hole out of debt out of the question not possible;
not permitted
out of the question
405