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[airquake] <n.> An explosive noise of undetermined origin usually heard in coastal communities and appearing to come from some higher point in elevation. * /What was that awful noise just now? - I guess it must have been an airquake./

[air shuttle] <n.>, <informal> Air service for regular commuters operating between major cities at not too far a distance, e.g., between Boston and New York City; such flights operate without reservation on a frequent schedule. * /My dad takes the air shuttle from Boston to New York once a week./

[a la] <prep.> In the same way as; like. * /Billy played ball like a champion today, a la the professional ball players./ * /Joe wanted to shoot an apple off my head a la William Tell./ (From French "a la", in the manner of.)

[albatross around one's neck] <n. phr.>, <literary> Guilt, the haunting past, an unforgettable problem. * /Even though it was an accident, John's father's death has been an albatross around John's neck./ Compare: MONKEY ON ONE'S BACK.

[alert] See: ON THE ALERT.

[a little] <n.> or <adj.> A small amount (of); some. - Usually "a little" is different in meaning from "little", which emphasizes the negative; "a little" means "some"; but "little" means "not much". We say * /"We thought that the paper was all gone, but a little was left."/ But we say, * /"We thought we still had a bag of flour, but little was left."/ Also, we say, * /"Bob was sick yesterday, but he is a little better today."/ But we say, * /"Bob was sick yesterday, and he is little better today."/ Sometimes "a little" is used with "only", and then it is negative. * /We thought we had a whole bag of flour, but only a little was left./ * /We have used most of the sugar; but a little is left./ * /We did not eat all the cake; we saved a little of it for you./ * /I'm tired; I need a little time to rest./ * /Where is the paper? I need a little more./ - Often used like an adverb. * /Usually the teacher just watched the dancing class, but sometimes she danced a little to show them how./ * /The children wanted to play a little longer./ - Sometimes used with "very" for emphasis. * /The sick girl could not eat anything, but she could drink a very little tea./ Syn.: A BIT. Compare: A FEW. Contrast: A LOT, QUITE A LITTLE.

[a little bird told me] To have learned something from a mysterious, unknown, or secret source. * /"Who told you that Dean Smith was resigning?" Peter asked. "A little bird told me," Jim answered./

[a little knowledge is a dangerous thing] <literary> A person who knows a little about something may think he knows it all and make bad mistakes. - A proverb. * /John has read a book on driving a car and now he thinks he can drive. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing./

[alive] See: COME ALIVE, KNOW --- IS ALIVE, LOOK ALIVE, SKIN ALIVE.

[alive and kicking] <adj. phr.> Very active; vigorous; full of energy. * /Grandpa was taken to the hospital with pneumonia, but he was discharged yesterday and is alive and kicking./

[alive with] <prep.>, <informal> Crowded with; filled with. * /The lake was alive with fish./ * /The stores were alive with people the Saturday before Christmas./

[all] See: AFTER ALL, AND ALL, AT ALL, BEAT ALL or BEAT THE DUTCH, FOR ALL, FOR ALL ONE IS WORTH, FOR ALL ONE KNOWS, FOR ALL THE WORLD, FOR GOOD also FOR GOOD AND ALL, FROM THE BOTTOM OF ONE'S HEART or WITH ALL ONE'S HEART, HAVE ALL ONE'S BUTTONS or HAVE ALL ONE'S MARBLES, IN ALL, JUMP ON or JUMP ALL OVER or LAND ALL OVER, KNOW-IT-ALL, ON ALL FOURS, ONCE AND FOR ALL, PUT ALL ONE'S EGGS IN ONE BASKET, STRIKE ALL OF A HEAP, WALK OVER or WALK ALL OVER or STEP ALL OVER.

[all along] or (<informal>) [right along] <adv. phr.> All the time; during the whole time. */I knew all along that we would win./ * /I knew right along that Jane would come./

[all at once] <adv. phr.> 1. At the same time; together. * /The teacher told the children to talk one at a time; if they all talked at one time, she could not understand them./ * /Bill can play the piano, sing, and lead his orchestra all at once./ 2. or [all of a sudden] Without warning; abruptly; suddenly; unexpectedly. * /All at once we heard a shot and the soldier fell to the ground./ * /All of a sudden the ship struck a rock./ Compare: AT ONCE.

[all better] <adj. phr.> Fully recovered; all well again; no longer painful. - Usually used to or by children. * /"All better now," he kept repeating to the little girl./

[all but] <adv. phr.> Very nearly; almost. * /Crows all but destroyed a farmer's field of corn./ * /The hikers were exhausted and all but frozen when they were found./

[all ears] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Very eager to hear; very attentive. - Used in the predicate. * /Go ahead with your story; we are all ears./ * /When John told about the circus, the boys were all ears./

[alley] See: BLIND ALLEY, DOWN ONE'S ALLEY or UP ONE'S ALLEY.

[alley cat] <n.>, <slang> 1. A stray cat. 2. A person (usually a female) of rather easy-going, or actually loose sexual morals; a promiscuous person. * /You'll have no problem dating her; she's a regular alley cat./

[all eyes] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Wide-eyed with surprise or curiosity; watching very closely. - Used in the predicate. * /At the circus the children were all eyes./

[all gone] <adj. phr.> Used up; exhausted (said of supplies); done with; over with. * /We used to travel a lot, but, alas, those days are all gone./

[all here] See: ALL THERE.

[all hours] <n. phr.>, <informal> Late or irregular times. * /The boy's mother said he must stop coming home for meals at all hours./ * /He stayed up till all hours of the night to finish his school work./

[all in] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Very tired; exhausted. * /The players were all in after their first afternoon of practice./ Syn.: PLAYED OUT, WORN OUT.

[all in a day's work] or [all in the day's work] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Unpleasant or bad but to be expected; not harder than usual; not unusual. * /Keeping ants away from a picnic lunch is all in the day's work./ * /When the car had a flat tire, Father said that it was all in a day's work./ Compare: PAR FOR THE COURSE, PUT UP WITH.

[all in all(1)] <n. phr.>, <literary> The person or thing that you love most. * /She was all in all to him./ * /Music was his all in all./

[all in all(2)] or [in all] <adv. phr.> When everything is thought about; in summary; altogether. * /All in all, it was a pleasant day's cruise./ * /All in all, the pilot of an airplane must have many abilities and years of experience before he can he appointed./ Compare: ON THE WHOLE 1. * /Counting the balls on the green, we have six golf balls in all./

[all in good time] <adv. phr.> Some time soon, when the time is ripe for an event to take place. * /"I want to get married, Dad," Mike said. "All in good time, Son," answered his father./

[all in one piece] <adv. phr.> Safely; without damage or harm. * /John's father was terribly concerned when his son was sent to war as a pilot, but he came home all in one piece./

[all kinds of] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Plenty of. * /People say that Mr. Fox has all kinds of money./ * /When Kathy was sick, she had all kinds of company./ Compare: GREAT DEAL.

[all manner of] <adj. phr.>, <formal> Many different kinds of; all sorts of. * /In a five-and-ten-cent store you can buy all manner of things./

[all of] <adj. phr.>, <informal> 1. At least the amount or number of; fully; no less than. * /It was all of ten o'clock before they finally started./ * /She must have paid all of $50 for that hat./ 2. Showing all the signs of; completely in. - Used with "a". * /The girls were all of a twitter before the dance./ * /Mother is all of a flutter because of the thunder and lightning./ * /The dog was all of a tremble with cold./

[all of a sudden] See: ALL AT ONCE 2.

[all out] <adv. phr.>, <informal> With all your strength, power, or determination; to the best of your ability; without holding back. Usually used in the phrase "go all out". * /We went all out to win the game./ * /John went all out to finish the job and was very tired afterwards./ Compare: ALL THE WAY 2, FULL TILT, GO THE WHOLE HOG, GO TO ANY LENGTH, LEAVE A STONE UNTURNED, WITH MIGHT AND MAIN.

[all-out effort] <n.> A great and thorough effort at solving a given problem. * /The President is making an all-out effort to convince Congress to pass the pending bill on health care./

[all-out war] <n.> Total war including civilian casualties as opposed to a war that is limited only to armies. * /Hitler was waging an all-out war when he invaded Poland./

[all over] <adv. phr.> 1. In every part; everywhere. * /He has a fever and aches all over./ * /I have looked all over for my glasses./ Compare: FAR AND WIDE. 2. <informal> In every way; completely. * /She is her mother all over./ 3. <informal> Coming into very close physical contact, as during a violent fight; wrestling. * /Before I noticed what happened, he was all over me./

[all over but the shouting] <adv. phr.,> <informal> Finally decided or won; brought to an end; not able to be changed. * /After Bill's touchdown, the game was all over but the shouting./ * /John and Tom both tried to win Jane, but after John's promotion it was all over but the shouting./

[all over someone] See: FALL ALL OVER SOMEONE.

[allowance] See: MAKE ALLOWANCE.

[allow for] <v.> To provide for; leave room for; give a chance to; permit. * /She cut the skirt four inches longer to allow for a wide hem./ * /Democracy allows for many differences of opinion./

[all right(1)] <adv. phr.> 1. Well enough. * /The new machine is running all right./ 2. <informal> I am willing; yes. * /"Shall we watch television?" "All right."/ Compare: VERY WELL. 3. <informal> Beyond question, certainly. - Used for emphasis and placed after the word it modifies. * /It's time to leave, all right, but the bus hasn't come./

[all right(2)] <adj. phr.> 1. Good enough; correct; suitable. * /His work is always all right./ 2. In good health or spirits; well. * /"How are you?" "I'm all right."/ 3. <slang> Good. * /He's an all right guy./

[all right for you] <interj.> I'm finished with you! That ends it between you and me! - Used by children. * /All right for you! I'm not playing with you any more!/

[all roads lead to Rome] <literary> The same end or goal may be reached by many different ways. - A proverb. * /"I don't care how you get the answer," said the teacher, "All roads lead to Rome."/

[all set] <adj. phr.> Ready to start. * /"Is the plane ready for take-off?" the bank president asked. "Yes, Sir," the pilot answered. "We're all set."/

[all shook up] also [shook up] <adj.>, <slang> In a state of great emotional upheaval; disturbed; agitated. * /What are you so shook up about?/

[all systems go] <Originally from space English, now general colloquial usage.> Everything is complete and ready for action; it is now all right to proceed. * /After they wrote out the invitations, it was all systems go for the wedding./

[all the(1)] <adj. phr.>, <dial.> The only. * /A hut was all the home he ever had./

[all the(2)] <adv. phr.> Than otherwise; even. - Used to emphasize comparative adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. * /Opening the windows made it all the hotter./ * /Take a bus instead of walking and get home all the sooner./ * /If you don't eat your dessert, all the more for us./

[all the better] See: ALL THE(2).

[all the ---er] <substandard> The ---est; as ... as. - Used with a comparative adjective or adverb and subordinate clause in place of a superlative adjective or adverb. * /That was all the bigger he grew./ * /Is that all the faster you can go?/

[all there] or [all here] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Understanding well; thinking clearly; not crazy. - Usually used in negative sentences, * /Joe acted queerly and talked wildly, so we thought he was not all there./

[all the same(1)] or [all one] <n. phr.> Something that makes no difference; a choice that you don't care about. * /If it's all the same to you, I would like to be waited on first./ * /You can get there by car or by bus - it's all one./

[all the same(2)] or [just the same] <adv. phr.>, <informal> As if the opposite were so; nevertheless; anyway; anyhow; still. * /Everyone opposed it, but Sally and Bob got married all the same./ * /Mary is deaf, but she takes tap dancing lessons just the same./ Compare: AT THAT 3, IN SPITE OF.

[all the thing] or [all the rage], [the in thing] <n. phr.> The fashionable or popular thing to do, the fashionable or most popular artist or form of art at a given time. * /After "The Graduate" Dustin Hoffman was all the rage in the movies./ * /It was all the thing in the late sixties to smoke pot and demonstrate against the war in Vietnam./

[all the time] <adv. phr.> 1. or [all the while] During the whole period; through the whole time. * /Mary went to college in her home town and lived at home all the while./ * /Most of us were surprised to hear that Mary and Tom had been engaged all year, but Sue said she knew it all the time./ 2. Without stopping; continuously * /Most traffic lights work all the time./ 3. Very often; many times. * /Ruth talks about her trip to Europe all the time, and her friends are tired of it./

[all the way] or [the whole way] <adv. phr.> 1. From start to finish during the whole distance or time. * /Jack climbed all the way to the top of the tree./ * /Joe has played the whole way in the football game and it's almost over./ 2. In complete agreement; with complete willingness to satisfy. - Often used in the phrase "go all the way with". * /I go all the way with what George says about Bill./ * /Mary said she was willing to kiss Bill, but that did not mean she was willing to go all the way with him./ * /The bank was willing to lend Mr. Jones money to enlarge his factory but it wasn 't willing to go all the way with his plans to build another in the next town./ Compare: ALL OUT, GO THE WHOLE HOG.

[all the worse] See: ALL THE 2.

[all thumbs] <adj.>, <informal> Awkward, especially with your hands; clumsy. * /Harry tried to fix the chair but he was all thumbs./

[all told] <adv. phr.>, <informal> Counting or including everything. * /Including candy sale profits we have collected $300 all told./

[all to the good] See: TO THE GOOD.

[all up] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Near to certain death or defeat without any more chance or hope. * /With their ammunition gone the patrol knew that it was all up with them./

[all very well] <adj.> All right; very good and correct; very true. - Usually followed by a "but" clause. * /It's all very well for you to complain but can you do any better?/ * /It's all very well if Jane comes with us, but how will she get back home?/ Compare: WELL AND GOOD.

[all walks of life] <n. phr.> All socioeconomic groups; all professions and lines of work. * /A good teacher has to be able to communicate with students from all walks of life./ * /A clever politician doesn't alienate people from any walk of life./