981

with the best of them

- as well as anyone
He can play soccer with the best of them when he makes the effort.
within a stone's throw of something

- very close (to something)
We could not find the house even though I knew we were within a stone's throw of it.
within an inch of one`s life

- almost dead
The elderly man was beaten to within an inch of his life.
within calling distance

- close enough to hear someone call
We were within calling distance of the men in the boat.
within reason

- sensible, reasonable
Within reason, you should be able to take as much time off from work as you want in
order to go to school.
without batting an eye

- casually
The criminal kept changing his story without batting an eye.
without fail

- absolutely, for certain

The postman came at noon everyday without fail.
without further ado

- without further talk
Without further ado they ended the meeting and began to serve coffee.

982

without question

- absolutely, certainly
Without question, the boy was the fastest runner on the team.
without rhyme or reason

- without purpose or reason
It seemed that the dispute between the two men was without rhyme or reason.
(be at one's) wit`s end

- not know what to do
I have been at my wit`s end all week trying to decide what to wear to the party.
wolf in sheep`s clothing

- a person who pretends to be good but is not
He is a wolf in sheep`s clothing and you should be very careful when you deal with
him.
word for word

- in exactly the same words
I described word for word exactly what had happened before the accident.
word of mouth


- passing information orally from one person to another
I heard about the new restaurant by word of mouth.
(a) word to the wise

- a good piece of advice
I gave my friend a word to the wise before he started on his journey.






983

work Idioms
work in

- rub in
We spent a long time trying to work the softening cream into the leather.
work in (someone or something)

- insert someone or something (into a schedule)
My doctor was very busy but she was able to work me into her schedule.
work into (something)

- force into something little by little
He was able to work his foot into his boot but it was still very tight.
work off


- make something go away (especially by working or exercise)
He was able to work off much weight and is now feeling better.
work on/upon

- have an effect on, try to influence
I am working on my boss to let me have some time off this summer.
work one`s fingers to the bone

- work very hard
She has been working her fingers to the bone raising her three children.
work out

- solve a problem
I was unable to work out the math problem on the final examination.





984

work out

- accomplish, arrange
Recently we worked out a unique system for filling out our expenses at work.
work out

- exercise
He spends most weekends working out at the health club.


work out (for the best)

- to end successfully
I hope that everything will work out for my friend when she moves to London next
week.

work over

- threaten or beat someone
The gang worked over the storeowner in order to get some money from him.
work up

- stir up, excite
He really likes to work up a sweat when he does his exercises.
work wonders (with someone or something)

- be very beneficial to someone or something
The vacation in Egypt worked wonders on the mental health of our boss.
worked up

- feeling excited, angry, worried
He is all worked up because he wasn`t invited to the party.





985

world is one`s oyster


- everything is possible for one
The world is her oyster now that she has received her MBA from Harvard University.
worm one's way out of something

- wiggle out of a problem or a responsibility
I was able to worm my way out of working on my friend's house repairs.
worse for wear

- not as good as new, worn out
I borrowed my friend`s canoe for a month and it is now beginning to look the worse
for wear.
(not) worth a cent

- not worth anything (usually negative)
His old car broke down and is not worth a cent now.
worth its weight in gold

- very valuable
The advice of my supervisor is always worth its weight in gold.
worth one`s salt

- worth what one is paid
The man is definitely worth his salt and is one of our best employees.
worth one's while

- worth one's time and trouble
It is not worth my while to go back and get my hat which I left at the restaurant.
worthy of the name


- good enough to enjoy a specific name
The restaurant is fantastic and more than worthy of the great chef's name.

986

would give one's right arm (for something)

- be willing to give something valuable for something
I would give my right arm to meet my favorite musician.
would just as soon

- prefer to do one thing rather than another
I would just as soon stay at home as go to a movie.
wouldn't touch (someone or something) with a ten-foot pole

- would not get involved with something for any reason
I wouldn't touch that used car salesman with a ten-foot pole.
wrap around one`s finger

- have complete control over someone and be able to make them do anything you
want
She has her boss wrapped around her finger and can do anything that she wants.
wrap up

- put on warm clothes, dress warmly
She wrapped herself up in her warm clothes and went out.
wrap (something) up

- bring something to an end
We wrapped up the meeting before dinner and went home.

wrapped up in

- thinking about or interested only in one thing
He is always wrapped up in playing with his computer.
wreak havoc with/on (something)

- cause a lot of trouble or damage to something
The hurricane wreaked havoc on the small town.

987

write off

- remove (an amount) from a business record, cancel (a debt)
The bank was forced to write off a large amount of its debt.
write off

- accept (a loss or trouble) and not worry any more about it
He decided to write off his bad experience at his old job.

write out (something)

- to write something on a piece of paper
I plan to write out the recipe that I saw on television.

write up (something)

- to write or describe something in writing (you usually write up something by using
your thoughts or some notes that you have written somewhere)
After our trip to Vietnam I spent a couple of weeks writing up our story for a travel

magazine.

wrong side of the tracks

- the poor side of town
He married a girl who was from the wrong side of the tracks because he loved her.









988

X
X marks the spot

- this is the exact spot
We looked at the map and saw that X marked the spot where the accident had taken
place.










































989

Y
yakety-yak

- a lot of talk about little things
We spent the whole evening in a yakety-yak session at my friends.
year after year

- for many years, one year after another
We went to the lake year after year until we finally got tired of it.

year in, year out

- every year
Year in and year out the city had to spend money to fix the old stadium.

year round

- during the entire year
We usually spend all summer at a year-round vacation resort.
yellow-bellied

- extremely timid, cowardly
He is a yellow-bellied person who is not good to have as a friend.
yellow journalism


- cheap and overly sensational newspaper writing
The article in the paper about the scandal was a good example of yellow journalism.
yellow streak

- cowardice in a person`s character
He has a yellow streak and will not help defend his friends.





990

yes-man

- a person who tries to be liked by agreeing with everything someone says (especially
by a boss)
He is a yes-man who will do anything that his boss asks him to do.
yield the right-of-way

- give the right to turn or move to another vehicle
We were forced to yield the right-of-way to the fire engine at the intersection.
yoke around someone's neck

- a burden for someone
The complaints from the apartment manager were a yoke around our neck for several
weeks.
You bet!/You bet your boots!/You bet your life!

- most certainly, without any doubt

"You bet your life I will be attending the conference next year."
You can't please everyone.

- it is not possible to make everyone happy
You can't please everyone and somebody in the class was always unhappy with what
the teacher chose to do.

You can't take it with you.

- use your money and enjoy life now because when you die it is no good
You can't take it with you and you should enjoy your money and life while you have
the chance.
You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

- people become used to their way of doing things and you can't get them to change
You can't teach an old dog new tricks and my grandfather will never miss drinking a
glass of milk before he goes to bed.