Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (43 page)

said when one changes one’s mind ♦
I was going to order the lasagna, but
on second thought,
I’ll have the spaghetti.
♦
I thought I knew how to get there, but
on second thought,
maybe I should look at a map.

interrogation; harsh questioning and possibly rough treatment to obtain information; usually put as
give someone the third degree
♦
My parents will give me
the third degree
if I come home too late.

(n, adj)
refers to undeveloped or developing countries; conditions or groups resembling the poverty and rural nature of third-world countries ♦
Riding on
third-world
buses with goats and chickens is a unique experience.
♦
Many people seldom think of the
third world.

the odd numbered or extra person, the single person in a group of couples. Often the
fifth wheel
is actually a third person, not a fifth person. ♦
They always invite me to join them, but since I don’t have a partner, I feel like
a
fifth wheel.

intuition, an innate or supernatural knowing; considered by some as another sense like sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell ♦
She has a
sixth sense
about people and knows who to trust or not trust.

delighted, overjoyed; very content ♦
I’ll be
in seventh heaven
if my photos are selected for publication in the book.
♦
Just give him a good book and a hot cup of tea, and he’s
in seventh heaven.

at the very last possible moment; almost too late; with very little time left ♦
He finally started his science project
at the eleventh hour,
but there wasn’t time to finish it.
♦
A lot of people mail their yearly tax returns
at the eleventh hour
— literally a few minutes before midnight on April 15.

a great number of, very many; too numerous to count. Also said like an ordinal number,
umteenth.
♦
We have
umpteen
things to do to before we can leave on vacation.
♦
For the
umpteenth
time, no, you can’t have a pet iguana.

a very large indefinite number ♦
There were
a gazillion
little kids at the children’s fair.
♦
There must have been
a gazillion
mosquitoes out today. I’ve got bites all over me!

to the extreme; to a large degree ♦
I don’t like her. She’s self-serving to the
nth degree. ♦
The reception was elaborate
to the nth degree.
I’ve never seen such elegant decorations and gourmet food.

the standard work day; a regular day job; a monotonous, humdrum job. Does not necessarily mean that a person works from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ♦
Working
nine to five
was my father’s life for 50 years.
♦
I like working for myself and setting my own hours. I’d go crazy in a
9-to-5
job
.

literally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; all the time; for a very long amount of time ♦
The main campus library is open
24-7
during final exam week.
♦
We’ve got to work
24/7
to finish these blueprints in time.

it’s not important, not serious; it’s nothing to worry about. Sometimes said in response to a request. ♦
I cut my finger, but it’s
no big deal. ♦
Todd: Mom, I just spilled milk all over the floor. Mom:
No big deal;
just clean it up.
♦
Sure, I can help you move. It’s
no big deal.

it’s easy, not hard to understand or figure out; it’s the obvious solution; it doesn’t take a lot of intelligence to understand ♦
It’s
a no-brainer:
More cars mean more pollution.
♦
Set your alarm earlier, and you won’t be late to work. It’s really
a no-brainer.

there is no doubt; it’s decided; it is going to happen; you can’t object or refuse the offer. Usually said when one offers a favor or gives a command and wants to stop the other person from objecting. This expression is similar to saying “I won’t take no for an answer.” ♦ No buts about it;
he should get the award. He has earned it.
♦
I said that I’m paying for everyone’s dinner.
No buts about it,
so put away your money.
♦
You have no choice — you have to improve your grades.
No buts about it.

means “it’s not possible”; “I can’t (or won’t) do it”; “I can’t (or won’t) make it happen” ♦
He wants the report tomorrow, but
no can do.
I don’t have all the data yet.
♦
Jan: Can you take care of my dog while I’m on vacation? Don: Sorry.
No can do.
I’ll be gone that week too.

it’s not going to happen; it’s been refused ♦
We asked for an extension on our loan, but
no dice;
the bank won’t give us an extension.
♦
I tried to buy some batteries for our flashlights, but
no dice.
The stores were sold out because of the storm.

there is no doubt about it, very probably. Often used to introduce a news-worthy or controversial topic. Also said as a reply meaning “You are undoubtedly right.” ♦ No doubt
you’ve already heard the good news.
♦
Mary: They went surfing, but I heard that the waves are flat today, so they’ll probably be back soon. Dan:
No doubt.

1.
(adv)
a lot, a great deal ♦
It rained
no end
last week.
♦
He loves that little dog
no end.

2.
seemingly without limit, too large an amount to count or calculate. Said as
no end of; no end to.
♦
There’s
no end
to the benefits of regular exercise.
♦
We’ve had
no end
of problems with our new car.

it’s not fair; not equitable; a complaint that something doesn’t seem equitable or that someone has an advantage over another ♦
It’s
no fair!
She never has to do as many chores as I do.
♦
Hey
no fair!
You can’t use the encyclopedia to find the answer!

it won’t or can’t happen. Also put as a
no go.
♦
After all of our preparation, the project is a
no go. ♦
It’s
no go.
The bad weather has forced us to cancel our plans.

I’m No Angel!

The word
no
can be placed in front of a noun to mean what a person is not. For example, “I’m
no angel!
” means that a person has a side that’s less than perfect. “I’m
no angel”
is similar to saying “I’m good, but I’m not perfect.” “I’m
no fool
” is another common expression. The word
no,
in this context, basically means not equal to. The noun or pronoun doesn’t have to be
I,
as the following expressions show:

• She’s
  no fool;
  she knows how to invest her money.
  
• Her son may be polite, but he’s
  no angel.
  

While
fool
and
angel
are the words most often used in this expression, the possibilities are almost endless. For example, you could convey that you don’t cook especially well by saying “I’m
no chef.
”

It’s common to place the name of a famous person who is known for being excellent in a particular area after
no.
Here are some more examples:

• I’m
  no Tiger Woods,
  but I like to play golf.
  (This means “I’m not an expert golfer, but I like to play anyway.”)
  
• I can’t believe they promoted him. He’s
  no Einstein. (This means “I’m surprised they promoted him, because he’s not particularly smart.”)
  

1.
spoiled or rotten; not good quality or character, said about a thing or a person ♦
Someone forgot to put the milk away, and now it’s
no good. ♦
That movie was
no good;
a complete waste of money.
♦
He was
no good
and often spent time in jail.

2.
inadequate, unsatisfactory; unsuccessful. Often put as
to do no good.
♦
We complained to the supervisor about the problem, but it did
no good;
nothing has changed.
♦
It’s
no good
trying to write a research paper in one night. You won’t have enough time to do an adequate job.

there’s no anger, resentment, or regret. Usually said as a way to forgive someone after resolving a problem or to let someone know that you don’t feel any resentment. ♦
Hey,
no hard feelings.
Okay? It was just a misunderstanding.
♦
I hope there will be
no hard feelings
if we don’t invite everyone.

No Fooling?

The expressions
no fooling, no kidding,
and
no lie
mean that the statement is indeed, a fact. Alternatively, they can also mean that the person isn’t joking or lying. The expressions are often added to a statement or question that is surprising or possibly unbelievable. For example, “
No lie,
I won the scholarship!” or “I heard that they’re getting married.
No fooling
.” Another common way to say that you are not lying or kidding is by saying
Would I lie to you?

When said as a question, these expressions ask “Is it true?” or “Is it real?” They’re often said to emphasize surprise. For example, “
No kidding?
You really won the scholarship? Congratulations!” or “
No lie?
They’re getting married?”

Another use of these expressions is as a scornful acknowledgment of something obvious. For example, when discussing a test, Matt says “Man, that was a hard test!” and Lisa replies “
No kidding!
I probably failed it!”

it’s not necessary; it’s useless; it won’t change anything. Sometimes said as a polite response to someone’s generosity, similar to “You shouldn’t have (done it).” ♦ No need
to call me back tonight; I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
♦
He brought a nice gift to our party, but there was
no need. ♦
There’s
no need
to get angry about it. That won’t change the situation.

without hard work or sacrifice, there won’t be any rewards or success ♦
I don’t like to exercise, but I want to stay healthy, so
no pain, no gain. ♦
Come on, you kids.
No pain, no gain.
Get back to your homework.

not fun; very unpleasant, but possibly necessary ♦
Going to the dentist
is no picnic,
but it’s necessary.
♦
Those long hot bus rides were
no picnic,
but it was a cheap way to travel.

it’s no trouble; it causes no problems; it’s easy. Often said in response to “Thank you” or to brag about one’s abilities, as in the last example that follows. ♦
Ann: Thanks for helping me. Sarah: Hey,
no problem. ♦
Jack: I’m sorry to dump all my work on you, but I have to leave early today for a dental appointment. Elliot:
No problem,
I owe you a favor anyway.
♦
I can do 50 push-ups —
no sweat!

there is no doubt about it; it’s certain ♦ No question.
This is the best meal I’ve ever had.
♦
Son, I’ll always be here for you,
no question
about it.

someone or something didn’t come or arrive as expected. Usually said as
a no show.
♦
We waited for the speaker, but he was
a no show. ♦
If we have any
no shows,
we can sell the tickets right before the performance.

an emphasized no; absolutely no. Sometimes said as
no siree Bob.
♦ No siree,
Eric. You’re not going to use your father’s car.
♦
Tim:
Do you want to sell some of your old blues records? Forrest:
No siree, Bob
. I’m keeping those.

it won’t affect, bother, or embarrass me; I don’t care ♦
Devon: Hey, I saw your ex-girlfriend with Tom. Matt: I don’t care who she sees. It’s
no skin off my nose. ♦
Lynn: They’re thinking about relocating the district office. Joyce: Well, it’s
no skin off my nose.
I work at home now.

it happened (or will happen) soon after the request or suggestion. Often said as a response to a request, meaning “I’ll do it immediately.” ♦
The kids are particularly helpful during the holidays. I asked them to clean their room, and it was
no sooner said than done. ♦
Patricia: Could you help me put away the groceries? Jacob:
No sooner said than done!

no longer young. Said about women more often than men. Generally intended to be slightly humorous, but may be considered impolite. ♦
She’s
no spring chicken,
but she sure can dance!
♦
We were
no spring chickens
when we met and fell in love.

there are no conditions, restrictions, or obligations connected with the item or event in discussion ♦
They’re giving away CDs at the music store.
No strings attached. ♦
He offered to help her buy a car,
no strings attached,
but she felt uncomfortable about accepting his money.

No Such Animal and No Such Thing

Both
no such animal
and
no such thing
mean that there is nothing like the item that is mentioned; that there is nothing of that kind; that nothing similar exists. For example, “My grandmother wants to buy a manual typewriter not an electric one, but there’s
no such animal
anymore.”
No such thing
can also mean on the contrary, no, or absolutely not, as in “My 14-year-old daughter wants to go to an all-night party. I said, ‘You’ll do
no such thing!’”

1.
it’s impossible; it can’t or didn’t succeed ♦ It’s no use!
I’ll never figure out how to program this stupid remote control!
♦
With sandbags, they tried to stop the water from coming into their house, but
it was no use.
Their house flooded anyway.

2.
it’s pointless; it serves no useful purpose ♦ It’s no use
worrying about the economy. Worrying won’t change anything.
♦ It’s no use
trying to talk to him when he’s in a bad mood. Wait until later.

Grammar Note:
When the idiom
no use
is followed by a verb, the verb is in the gerund form (verb +
-ing
).

absolutely no; it’s not going to happen; it’s not possible. This is sometimes said as
no way José.
♦ No way!
You can’t use my toothbrush. Are you crazy?
♦
My husband wants to rent out one of our bedrooms, but I said
“No way!
I like my privacy.”