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[look daggers] <v. phr.> To show anger with a look; express hate or enmity by a look or stare; look fiercely. * /The other driver looked daggers at Morris for turning in before him./ * /Mary did not dare talk back to her father, but she looked daggers./

[look down on] also [look down upon] <v.> To think of (a person or thing) as less good or important; feel that (someone) is not as good as you are, or that (something) is not worth having or doing; consider inferior. * /Mary looked down on her classmates because she was better dressed than they were./ * /Jack looked down on Al for his poor manners./ * /Miss Tracy likes tennis but she looks down on football as too rough./

[look down one's nose at] <v. phr.>, <informal> To think of as worthless; feel scorn for. * /The banker's wife has beautiful china cups, and she looked down her nose at the plastic cups that Mrs. Brown used./ * /Harry has never had to work, and he looks down his nose at people in business./ * /Jerry was the athlete who looked down his nose at the weak student./

[look for] <v.> 1. To think likely; expect. * /We look for John to arrive any day now./ * /The frost killed many oranges, and housewives can look for an increase in their price./ * /Bob wouldn't go for a ride with the boys because he was looking for a phone call from Julie./ 2. To try to find; search for; hunt. * /Fred spent all day looking for a job./ * /Mary and Joe looked for the Smiths at the play./ 3. To do things that cause (your own trouble); make (trouble) for yourself; provoke. * /Joe often gets into fights because he is always looking for trouble./ * /If you say the opposite of everything that others say, you are looking for a quarrel./

[look for a needle in a haystack] See: NEEDLE IN A HAY STACK.

[look forward to] <v.> 1. To expect. * /At breakfast, John looked forward to a difficult day./ 2. To expect with hope or pleasure. * /Frank was looking forward to that evening's date./

[look high and low for] <v. phr.> To look everywhere; search all over. * /Everyone has been looking high and low for the lost key but no one could find it./

[look-in] <n.>, <informal> A chance or hope. - Usually used with a negative. * /It wasn't much of a look-in, but it was the only chance they let him have./ * /Charlie didn't realize it, but he never had a look-in with Bonnie./

[look in on] <v.> To go to see; make a short visit with; make a call on. * /On his way downtown, Jim looked in on his aunt./ * /The doctor looked in on Mary each day when he went by./

[look in the eye] or [look in the face] <v. phr.> To meet with a steady look; to face bravely or without shame. * /Mary looked the gangster in the eye, and he turned away without hurting her./ * /John had looked death in the face many times./ * /We often believe a person who looks us in the eye, but it does not prove he is truthful./ * /U promised Harry to write to him while I was on vacation, and if I don't do it, I won't be able to look him in the eye./

[look into] <v.> To find out the facts about; examine; study; inspect. * /The mayor felt he should look into the decrease of income from parking meters./ * /Mr. Jones said he was looking into the possibility of buying a house./ Compare: GO INTO(4), SEE ABOUT.

[look like a million dollars] <v. phr.>, <informal> To look well and prosperous; appear healthy and happy and lucky; look pretty and attractive. * /John came back from Florida driving a fine new car, tanned and glowing with health. He looked like a million dollars./ * /Dressed in the new formal and in a new hairdo, Betty looked like a million dollars./ Compare: FEEL LIKE A MILLION.

[look like the cat that ate the canary] or [look like the cat that swallowed the canary] <v. phr.> To seem very self-satisfied; look as if you had just had a great success. * /Peter bet on the poorest horse in the race and when it won, he looked like the cat that ate the canary./ * /When she won the prize, she went home looking like the cat that swallowed the canary./

[look on] or [look upon] <v.> 1. To regard; consider; think of. * /The stuff had always been looked on as a worthless factory waste./ * /Until the day Bob made the touchdown, the other boys had looked upon him as rather a sissy./ 2. To be an observer; watch without taking part. * /Fred had never been able to do more than look on at athletic sports./ * /The children played in the park while their mother looked on./ Compare: SIT IN.

[look oneself] <v. phr.> To appear self-possessed and well; look or seem in full possession of your abilities and in good health; to appear all right or normal. * /Mary had had a long illness, but now she looked quite herself again./ * /It had been a big night, and Uncle John had been drinking freely, but he looked entirely himself after a night's sleep./ - Often used in the negative. * /What's wrong with Larry? He doesn't look himself./

[lookout] See: ON THE LOOKOUT.

[look out] or [watch out] <v.> 1. To take care; be careful; be on guard. - Usually used as a command or warning. * /"Look out!" John called, as the car came toward me./ * /"Look out for the train," the sign at the railroad crossing warns./ 2. To be alert or watchful; keep watching. * /A collector of antique cars asked Frank to look out for a 1906 gas head lamp./ Compare: EYE OUT, ON THE WATCH. 3. <informal> To watch or keep (a person or thing) and do what is needed; provide protection and care. - Used with "for". * /Lillian looked out for her sister's children one afternoon a week./ * /Uncle Fred looked out for his brother's orphan son until the boy was through college./ Compare: LOOK AFTER.

[look out for] <v. phr.> To watch out for; be on the alert. * /There were signs along the highway warning drivers to look out for deer crossing./

[look over] <v.> To look at and try to learn something about; look at every part or piece of or at every one of; examine; inspect; study. * /I looked hurriedly over the apples in the basket and took one that looked good./ * /Mrs. Jones spent the evening looking over the month's bills and writing checks./ * /When a new boy comes to school, the others usually look him over rather carefully./ * /We looked over several kinds of new cars before deciding./ Compare: ONCE-OVER, SIZE UP.

[look sharp] <v.> To be alert; be very attentive; keep a close watch. * /It pays to look sharp in traffic./ * /The guide told us to look sharp because there were rattlesnakes around./

[look small] See: FEEL SMALL.

[look to] <v.> 1. To attend to; get ready for; take care of. * /Plans had been prepared that looked to every possibility./ * /The president assigned a man to look to our needs./ 2. To go for help to; depend on. * /The child looks to his mother to cure his hurts./ 3. See: SEE TO.

[look to one's laurels] To make sure that your reputation is not spoiled; protect your good name; keep your record from being beaten by others. * /Tom won the broad jump, but he had to look to his laurels./ * /Look to your laurels, Joan. Betty says she is going to run against you for head cheerleader./

[look up] <v.> 1. <informal> To improve in future chances; promise more success. * /The first year was tough, but business looked up after that./ 2. To search for; hunt for information about; find. * /It is a good habit to look up new words in a dictionary./ 3. To seek and find. * /While he was in Chicago, Henry looked up a friend of college days./

[look upon] See: LOOK ON(1).

[look up to] <v.> To think of (someone) as a good example to copy; honor; respect. * /Mr. Smith had taught for many years, and all the students looked up to him./ * /Young children look up to older ones, so older children should be good examples./

[loop] See: KNOCK FOR A LOOP or THROW FOR A LOOP.

[loose] See: AT LOOSE ENDS, CAST OFF or CAST LOOSE, CUT LOOSE, FAST AND LOOSE, HAVE A SCREW LOOSE, LET LOOSE or SET LOOSE or TURN LOOSE, ON THE LOOSE.

[loose ends] <n.> 1. Parts or things that should be finished or put together. * /Mary's composition had many loose ends./ * /When George came home after a long trip, he started picking up the loose ends./ 2. See: AT LOOSE ENDS.

[lord it over] <v. phr.> To act as the superior and master of; dominate; be bossy over; control. * /John learned early to lord it over other children./ * /The office manager lorded it over the clerks and typists./

[Lord knows] See: GOD KNOWS.

[lose] See: HEADS I WIN, TAILS YOU LOSE.

[lose face] <v.> To be embarrassed or shamed by an error or failure; lose dignity, influence or reputation; lose self-respect or the confidence of others. * /Many Japanese soldiers were killed in World War II because they believed that to give up or retreat would make them lose face./ * /John's careless work made him lose face with his employer./ * /The banker lost face when people found out he bet on horse races./

[lose ground] 1. To go backward; retreat. * /The soldiers began to lose ground when their leader was killed./ Compare: GIVE GROUND. 2. To become weaker; get worse; not improve. * /The sick man began to lose ground when his cough grew worse./ * /When the Democrats are in power, the Republicans lose ground./ Contrast: GAIN GROUND.

[lose heart] <v. phr.> To feel discouraged because of failure; to lose hope of success. * /The team had won no games and it lost heart./ Contrast: TAKE HEART.

[lose one's balance] Contrast: KEEP ONE'S BALANCE.

[lose oneself] <v. phr.> 1. To go wrong; miss your way; become unable to find the right direction. * /Fred lost himself in the confusion of downtown Boston streets./ 2. To conceal yourself; hide. * /The pick-pocket lost himself in the crowd and escaped the police./ 3. To become deeply interested and forget yourself; become absorbed. * /Sometimes Harry would lose himself in a book for an afternoon at a time./ Compare: IN A WORLD OF ONE'S OWN.

[lose one's grip] <v. phr.> To fail in control or command; lose your strength, force, or ability to lead. * /Mr. Jones began to lose his grip: he no longer wanted the hard jobs, and he left decisions to others./ * /When a locomotive engineer loses his grip, he is no longer trusted with express runs./

[lose one's head (over)] <v. phr.> 1. To panic. * /"Let's not lose our heads," the captain cried. "We have good lifeboats on this vessel."/ 2. To become deeply infatuated with someone. * /Don't lose your head over Jane; she is already married./ Contrast: KEEP ONE'S HEAD.

[lose one's heart] <v. phr.> To fall in love; begin to love. * /She lost her heart to the soldier with the broad shoulders and the deep voice./ * /Bill lost his heart to the puppy the first time he saw it./

[lose one's marbles] <v. phr.> To go mad; become crazed. * /Stan must have lost his marbles; he is hopelessly pursuing a happily married woman./

[lose one's shirt] <v. phr.>, <slang> To lose all or most of your money. * /Uncle Joe spent his life savings to buy a store, but it failed, and he lost his shirt./ * /Mr. Matthews lost his shirt betting on the horses./

[lose one's temper] <v. phr.> To lose control over one's anger; to get angry. * /He lost his temper when he broke the key in the lock./ Compare: BLOW A FUSE, FLY OFF THE HANDLE. Contrast: HOLD ONE'S TEMPER.

[lose one's tongue] <v. phr.>, informal To be so embarrassed or surprised that you cannot talk. * /The man would always lose his tongue when he was introduced to new people./ Compare: CAT GET ONE'S TONGUE.

[lose out] <v.> To fail to win; miss first place in a contest; lose to a rival. * /John lost out in the rivalry for Mary's hand in marriage./ * /Fred didn't want to lose out to the other salesman./ Compare: MISS OUT. Contrast: WIN OUT.

[loser] See: FINDERS KEEPERS or FINDERS KEEPERS LOSERS WEEPERS.

[lose sight of] <v. phr.> 1. Not to be able to see any longer. * /I lost sight of Mary in the crowd./ * /I watched the plane go higher and higher until I lost sight of it./ Contrast: CATCH SIGHT OF. 2. To forget; overlook. * /Johnny was so interested in the game he lost sight of the time./ * /No matter how rich and famous he became, he never lost sight of the fact that he had been born in the slums./

[lose touch] <v. phr.>, <informal> To fail to keep in contact or communication. - Usually used with "with". * /After she moved to another town, she lost touch with her childhood friends./ Compare: OUT OF TOUCH.

[lose track] <v. phr.> To forget about something; not stay informed; fail to keep a count or record. * /What's the score now? I've lost track./ - Usually used with "of". * /Mary lost track of her friends at camp after summer was over./ * /John lost track of the money he spent at the circus./ Compare: OUT OF TOUCH. Contrast: KEEP TRACK.

[loss] See: AT A LOSS, THROW FOR A LOSS.

[lost] See: GET LOST, NO LOVE LOST.

[lost cause] <n. phr.> A movement that has failed and has no chance to be revived. * /Communism in Eastern Europe has become a lost cause./

[lost upon] adj. Wasted. * /Tim's generosity is completely lost upon Sue; he can't expect any gratitude from her./

[lot] See: A LOT, CAST ONE'S LOT WITH, SAND LOT, THINK A GREAT DEAL OF or THINK A LOT OF, THROW IN ONE'S LOT WITH or CAST IN ONE'S LOT WITH.

[loud] See: ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, OUT LOUD, THINK ALOUD or THINK OUT LOUD.

[loud mouth] or [big mouth] <n.>, <slang> A noisy, boastful, or foolish talker. * /Fritz is a loud mouth who cannot be trusted with secrets./ * /When he has had a few drinks, Joe will make empty boasts like any other big mouth./

[loud-mouthed] or [big-mouthed] <adj.>, <slang> Talking noisily, boastfully, or foolishly. * /Fred was a loud-mouthed fellow, whose talk no one listened to./ * /If I were you, I would not listen to that loud-mouthed boy./

[lounge lizard] <n. phr.> A well-dressed male fortune hunter who sits around in bars and other public places, and attends many social events to try to pick up wealthy women through smart conversation. * /Harry has the reputation of being a lounge lizard; he is looking for a rich wife./

[louse up] <v.>, <slang> To throw into confusion; make a mess of; spoil; ruin. * /When the man who was considering John's house heard that the basement was wet, that was enough to louse up the sale./ * /Fred's failure in business not only lost him his business but loused him up with his wife./ * /The rain loused up the picnic./ See: MESS UP(2), FUCK UP.

[love] See: FOR LOVE OR MONEY, IN LOVE, LABOR OF LOVE, MAKE LOVE, NO LOVE LOST, PUPPY LOVE also CALF LOVE.

[love affair] <n.> A friendship between lovers; a romance or courtship. * /The love affair of Bob and Jane went on for months./ * /Harry had many love affairs, but he never married./

[love game] <n.> A game of tennis which is won without the opponent scoring. * /Britain took a love game on Songster's service./

[love-in] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> A festival or occasion to celebrate life, human sensuality, the beauty of nature, human sexuality, and universal love; affairs so conceived by some frequently deteriorate into obscenity and drug using sessions in parody of their stated purpose. * /The hippies gathered for a big love-in in the Halght-Ashbury district of San Francisco./