201

for all I know

- according to the information that I have
"For all I know, my friend may have already quit his job."

for all intents and purposes

- practically speaking
For all intents and purposes the meeting was finished and everybody went home.

for all one is worth

- as hard as one can
"I will try for all I am worth to help you get the job at the supermarket."

for all practical purposes

- for what might be reasonably expected
For all practical purposes our car was no longer suitable for our large family.

for all the world

- for anything, for any price
For all the world I do not know what my friend is trying to tell me.

for better or worse

- depending on how one looks at a matter, including both the good or bad effects of

something
For better or worse I have decided to quit my job and move to Brazil.

for certain

- without doubt, certainly, surely
He will not be playing in the game tonight for certain.


202

for crying out loud

- used to show that you are surprised or angry
"For crying out loud please turn your radio down a little."

for days/hours on end

- for many days/hours
The man is able to go without sleep for days on end.

for dear life

- as though afraid of losing one`s life
The mountain climber held on to the rock for dear life as he waited for someone to
rescue him.

for fear of (something)

- because of the fear of something

We stayed home all weekend for fear of the big hurricane that was coming.

for free

- for no charge or cost
We were able to get a television set from our neighbor for free.

for good

- permanently
We have decided to move to Los Angeles for good.

for good measure

- a little extra, as a little more
The recipe called for one piece of garlic but for good measure we put in four pieces.


203

for instance

- for example
"For instance, you can go to the island by boat, plane or helicopter."

for keeps

- always, forever
I told the boy that he could have the baseball bat for keeps.


for kicks

- for fun
We decided to go to the airport to watch the airplanes for kicks.

for life

- for the remainder of one's life
They got married last year and they plan to stay married for life.

for love or money

- by any means available
We were not able to get our boss to agree to the proposal for love or money.

for once

- only one time
For once my friend listened to what I was saying. Usually he ignores me.

for one's (own) part

- from one's point of view
For my part I do not plan to help with the staff dinner.


204

for one's (own) sake


- for one's benefit
I told my aunt that for her own sake she must stop smoking.

for openers

- to start with
For openers we decided to start the weekend with a nice meal.

for real

- to be genuine, to be real
The attitude of the woman was not for real and nobody believed her.

for safekeeping

- in order to keep something safe
I put the valuable stamps in the bank for safekeeping.

for sale

- to be available to buy
There was a sign in front of the house that said it was for sale.

for short

- in a short form
The man always uses his nickname for short.

for sure


- without doubt, certainly, surely
I will go to the movie with you for sure next week.


205

for that matter

- about something, with regard to something
"I do not want to go shopping with you and for that matter I do not want to go
anywhere with you."

for the asking

- by asking, on request
You can get a free ticket to the concert from the sales manager for the asking.

for the better

- an improvement
It was for the better that the old hospital was closed down.

for the birds

- something you do not like, something that is not to be taken seriously
Getting up early every morning is for the birds.

for the duration (of something)

- for the whole time that something continues

We were forced to use the outside classroom for the duration of the semester.

for the good of (someone or something)

- for the benefit of someone or something
They added the physical fitness class to the school curriculum for the good of the
students.







206

for the heck/hell of it

- just for fun
We went down to the river to throw stones just for the heck of it.

for the life of (someone)

- even if one's life were threatened (used with a negative and usually used when trying
to remember something)
For the life of me I could not remember where I had put my house keys.

for the most part

- mostly, in general

I was finished my work for the most part so I decided to go home.

for the record

- a record of a particular fact is made
For the record I told the police officer about some of the events of the previous year.

for the sake of (someone or something)

- for the good of someone or something
My father decided to quit his job for the sake of his health.

for the time being

- for now, for awhile
We really need a new car but for the time being we will have to continue using our
old one.







207

for the world

- under any conditions
I would not want to sell my car for the world.


.



force (someone`s) hand

- to make someone do something sooner than planned
I forced the manager's hand and made him tell me about his plans for our company.

force (someone) to the wall

- to push someone to an extreme position
We were forced to the wall during the negotiations for the new contract.

force (something) down (someone's) throat

- to force someone to do or agree to something that he or she does not want
I wish that my friend would not force her ideas down my throat.

a force to be reckoned with

- someone or something that is important and should not be ignored
The young man is a force to be reckoned with in the boxing world.

foregone conclusion

- a conclusion that is already decided
It was a foregone conclusion that the opposition party would win the election.





208

forever and a day

- forever, always
It took forever and a day to get the book that we ordered from the bookstore.

forever and ever

- forever
The little boy promised that he would be a good boy forever and ever.

fork out money for (something)

- to pay money for something
I had to fork out much money to have my car fixed.

fork over (something)

- to hand over something, to give something
The robber told me to fork over my money or he was going to shoot me.

form an opinion

- to make an opinion
Everybody quickly formed an opinion about the new teacher.


forty winks

- a short nap, a short sleep
I grabbed forty winks as soon as I got home from work.

foul one's own nest

- to harm one's own interests
The union fouled their own nest with their dishonest behavior.


209

foul up

- to do badly, to mess something up
There was a problem with our tickets and our plans became fouled up.

one's frame of mind

- one`s mental state - either good or bad
I made sure that my boss was in a good frame of mind before I asked him for a
holiday.

fraught with danger

- to be full of something dangerous and unpleasant
Their adventure was fraught with danger when the two boys went to the mountains.

freak out


- to become angry or lose control of oneself
I freaked out when I discovered that my reservation had not been made.

free and clear

- without owing any money
The couple finally owned their house free and clear.

free and easy

- informal
The man's attitude toward his work is free and easy.

free as a bird

- completely free
We were as free as a bird so we decided to go on a long holiday.


210

free-for-all

- a disorganized fight or contest involving everyone
The players were involved in a free-for-all during the game and seven players were
suspended.

a free hand


- great freedom to do something
We had a free hand to design the sports program for the university.

a free translation

- a translation that is not totally accurate
The newspaper printed a free translation of what the foreign diplomat said.

freeload

- to accept food and housing at the expense of another
The boy was angry at his brother for freeloading and never trying to find a job.

freeze (someone) out

- to prevent someone from getting a share in something by unfriendly or dishonest
treatment
They froze the man out of the profits that they had made on the sale of the land.

fresh out of (something)

- to have used up all of something, to have sold the last of something
The bakery was fresh out of brown bread so we had to go to the supermarket.