821

split (someone) up

- to separate two or more people (from one another)
The teacher had to split the two boys up because they were fighting.

split (something) fifty-fifty

- to divide something into two equal parts
I decided to split the prize fifty-fifty with my friend.

split the difference

- to settle a money or other disagreement by dividing the difference
We had to pay extra money for the rental car so we decided to split the difference and
each pay half.

a split ticket

- a voting ticket with candidates from more than one political party
My friend always votes for a split ticket when he votes and never votes for only one
political party.

split up

- to separate
They seemed like a nice couple but they suddenly decided to split up last month.

splurge on (something)

- to spend a lot of money for something
He splurged on a beautiful present for his girlfriend.







822

spoken for

- to be taken/reserved
All of the tickets to the concert are spoken for.

spook (someone)

- to startle someone
The loud thunder and lightning spooked the horse.

spoon-feed (someone)

- to make something very easy for someone
He is a very strict teacher and never likes to spoon-feed his students.

sporting chance

- a reasonably good chance

The man does not have a sporting chance of winning any money in the lottery.

spout off about (someone or something)

- to talk too much about someone or something
The woman is always spouting off about her many problems.

spread like wildfire

- to spread rapidly and without control
The panic over the bad drinking water spread like wildfire throughout the city.

spread oneself too thin

- to try to do too many things at one time
My sister has been spreading herself too thin lately and is not accomplishing very
much of anything.


823

no spring chicken

- a young person (used with a negative)
My aunt is no spring chicken. She is almost 96-years old.

spring for (something)

- to buy something, to pay for something
I decided to spring for a new camera before I go on my vacation.


spring (something) on (someone)

- to surprise someone with something
I wish that my friend would not suddenly spring his crazy plans on me.

spruce (something) up

- to clean/redecorate something
We spruced up the community center for the summer holidays.

(on the) spur of the moment

- suddenly
We decided to go to Hong Kong on the spur of the moment.


square Idioms
square accounts with (someone)

- to settle one's financial accounts with someone, to get even with someone
I went to the store to square accounts with the manager.





824

square away (something)


- to put something away or in order, to take care of something, to square the yards of a
sailing vessel
"Have you squared away your plans for your holidays yet?"

a square deal

- a fair and honest transaction
I always receive a square deal when I do business with the local shops in my area.

a square meal

- a nourishing/filling meal
We sat down and ate our first square meal in many days when we visited my
grandparents.

square off to do (something)

- to get ready for an argument or fight
The two candidates squared off to debate the important issues of the election.

square one

- the beginning
We had to go back to square one and start the project over.

a square peg in a round hole

- a person who does not fit into a job or position
My friend was like a square peg in a round hole when he tried to do the job of an

accountant.






825

square things up with (someone)

- to pay someone what one owes him or her
I squared things up with my friend and gave him the money that I owed him.

square up to (someone or something)

- to face someone or something bravely
The young man was forced to square up to the mistakes that he had made.


.



squawk about (something)

- to complain about something
People are always squawking about the bad service in that restaurant.

squeak by (someone or something)


- to just barely get by someone or something
I was able to squeak by the deadline and submit my scholarship application on time.

squirrel (something) away

- to hide or store something
The boy was able to squirrel some extra food away before he left on the camping trip.

stab (someone) in the back

- to betray someone
I dislike that man because he tried to stab me in the back during the last meeting.



826

stack the cards/deck for or against (someone or something)

- to arrange things unfairly for or against someone or something
The company is stacking the cards against some people by demanding more and more
qualifications for the job.

stack up (something)

- to make a stack of things
I stacked up the magazines that I planned to give to the flea market.

stake a claim to (something)


- to make a claim for something
Everybody in our class tried to stake a claim to the extra textbooks that were offered
free.

stall off (someone or something)

- to put off or delay someone or something
I believe that I will be able to stall off the start of the meeting for several hours.

stamp out (something)

- to destroy something completely, to make something disappear
The government is making a great effort to stamp out smoking among teenagers.

one's stamping grounds

- a place where a person spends/spent much of his time
My cousin went back to his old stamping grounds which he remembered as a
teenager.






827

stand Idioms
(can`t) stand (someone or something)


- to not be able to tolerate someone or something, to dislike someone or something
(usually used in the negative)
My friend can`t stand the other people in her class.

stand a chance of (doing something)

- to have a possibility of doing something
Our team stands a good chance of winning the championship this year.

stand behind (someone or something)

- to endorse or guarantee something, to support someone
The company will always stand behind their products.

stand by

- to be near, to be waiting to do something when you are needed
There is a doctor standing by in case there is a medical emergency.

stand by (someone)

- to follow or keep one`s promise to someone, to be loyal to or support someone
The woman always stands by her husband when he has a problem.

stand clear of (something)

- to keep away from something
"Please stand clear of the door while we are moving the piano."






828

stand corrected

- to admit that one has been wrong
I was forced to stand corrected when I made a mistake about the time of the train.

stand for (something)

- to signify/mean something
I did not know what the letters stood for so I was not able to write the full name of the
company.

stand for (something)

- to speak in favor of something, to show that one supports something
All of the candidates stand for a platform of law and order.

not stand for (something)

- to not allow something to happen, to not permit something
Our teacher will not stand for somebody coming to his class late.

stand in awe of (someone or something)

- to look upon someone or something with wonder, to feel respect for someone or

something
Everybody stands in awe of the coach of the football team.

stand in for (someone)

- to be a substitute for someone
The other actor stood in for the famous actor when he was sick.







829

stand in (someone's) way

- to be a barrier to someone's desires or intentions
The woman did not want anyone to stand in her way of getting a promotion in the
company.

stand off from (someone or something)

- to stay at a distance from someone or something, to stay apart from someone or
something
He always stands off from the other students in his class.

stand off (someone or something)


- to keep someone or something from coming near or winning
We were able to stand off the other teams and win the tournament.

stand on ceremony

- to be formal
"You do not need to stand on ceremony here. You can relax."

stand on one`s own two feet

- to be independent
My friend learned to stand on his own two feet when he was very young.

stand one`s ground

- to maintain and defend one`s position
Our supervisor stood his ground over his decision to fire the employee.







830

stand out

- to be more noticeable than those around you
He likes to wear clothes that make him stand out from the crowd.


stand over (someone or something)

- to watch someone or something closely, to keep checking someone or something all
the time
The father stood over his son all day to make sure that he was studying for his final
exams.

stand pat

- to be satisfied with things, to be against changing
We should stand pat and not do anything to cause any problems with the negotiations.

stand (someone) in good stead with (someone or something)

- to be a great advantage to someone
It will stand you in good stead with the company if you do the extra work.

stand still for (something)

- to tolerate or endure something, to not move for something
The little boy refused to stand still for his medical examination.

stand to reason

- to make sense, to be logical
It stands to reason that the new employee will make an effort to work hard if his effort
is respected.