OARS
— not have both oars in the water (sl.): be mentally unbalanced, be crazy >That poor old bag lady doesn’t have both oars in the water.
OATS
— feeling [one’s] oats (see FEELING)
OBIT
— obit (ō bit´) (colloq.): obituary >I read in the obits where old Mr. Drake died last week.
OBLIGED
— much obliged (colloq.): thank you >Much obliged for all your help.
O.D.
* O.D.1 (sl.): overdose (of a drug) >He was shootin’ heroin and died from an O.D.
* O.D.2 (vi) (sl.): overdose (on a drug), consume or experience (s/thing) in excess >She O.D.ed on cocaine and ended up in the hospital. >I think that kid is O.D.in’ on video games.
ODDBALL
* oddball (colloq.): strange or eccentric person (also adj.) >Some oddball lives there with forty cats. >You don’t really think his oddball plan will work, do you?
ODDS-ON
— odds-on (colloq.): most likely to win or succeed, best-bet, almost sure >Willy-Nilly is the odds-on favorite in the third race.
OFF
— off1 (vt) (sl.): murder, kill >They offed the dude ‘cause he tried to double-cross ‘em.
* off2 (colloq.): somewhat crazy, rather eccentric >If you ask me, that strange guy’s a little bit off.
— off (the) ... (see entry under ... noun)
OFF-AGAIN
— on-again, off-again (see ON-AGAIN)
OFFBEAT
* offbeat (colloq.): unconventional, nonconformist, odd >Timmy joined some offbeat commune up in the Northwest. >He hangs around with those offbeat characters in the park.
OFF-THE-CUFF
* off-the-cuff (colloq.): extemporaneous, unrehearsed, impromptu >You shouldn’t take those off-the-cuff remarks too seriously.
OFF-THE-WALL
* off-the-wall (sl.): very nonsensical or incongruent, very unconventional or eccentric >In the middle of the business meeting Hopkins made some off-the-wall comment about the asteroid belt. >That weird guy’s totally off-the-wall.
OH
— oh boy! (colloq.): (interj. to express joy or excitement) >Oh boy, I won the prize! >We’re having chocolate ice cream for dessert? Oh boy!
— oh, yeah? (see YEAH)
O.J.
* O.J. (colloq.): orange juice >Want a glass of O.J. with breakfast?
OK
** OK1 (colloq.): approval, agreement >All we need is an OK from the supervisor to get started.
** OK2 (vt) (colloq.): approve, authorize, agree to >The president OKed the plan yesterday.
** OK3 (colloq.): correct, right >Yeah, these figures add up—they’re OK. >Is this spelling OK?
** OK4 (colloq.): all right, that’s fine, go ahead, good, yes >OK, I’ll go with you if you want. >OK—you’re next. >I’m going to borrow your pencil, OK? >Twenty dollars an hour? OK!
** OK5 (colloq.): acceptable, satisfactory (also adv.) >He’s not real fast, but his work is OK. >She was sick, but she’s OK now. >The business is doing OK.
* OK6 (colloq.): likable, of good character >Your buddy’s an OK guy.
** OK? (colloq.): (interj. to reinforce [one’s] complaint in a contentious situation) >Hey, loudmouth, I’m trying to study here, OK? >I’m sick of your badmouthing me, OK?
* OK, ... (colloq.): (crutch word to introduce s/thing new) >OK, let’s say you’re at the movies and, OK, there’s a lady with a hat on in front of you, OK, and she’s with this really big guy, OK, and ...
OKAY
— okay (see “OK”)
OKEY-DOKE
— okey-doke (ō´kē dōk´) (colloq.): all right, that’s fine, go ahead, good, yes >Okey-doke—that should do it. >Pick you up at seven? Okey-doke.
OKEY-DOKEY
— okey-dokey (ō´kē dō´kē) (colloq.): all right, that’s fine, go ahead, good, yes >Okey-dokey—looks fine to me.
OLD
* old1 (freq. ōl) (colloq.): familiar and cherished >Old Jill’s a good worker. >This little old pipe’s my favorite.
— old2 (freq. ōl) (colloq.): contemptible, worthless >She says she doesn’t want to go to some old wedding shower.
— any old (see ANY)
— (as) old as the hills (colloq.): very old >Don’t you know any new jokes? That one’s as old as the hills.
— be a chip off the old block (see CHIP)
— old ... (see entry under ... noun)
OLDEST
* the oldest trick in the book (colloq.): a well-known deception or strategy >He claimed he ran out of gas? That’s the oldest trick in the book!
OLD HAT
* be old hat (colloq.): be old-fashioned or trite, no longer be new or exciting >Making tigers disappear is old hat for magicians now. >Trips to the moon will be old hat by the middle of the century.
OLDIE
* oldie (ōl´dē) (colloq.): s/thing popular in the past (but still of current interest) >Casablanca is an oldie, but people still love it. >They’re playing an oldie that we used to dance to when we were teenagers.
OLD-TIMER
— old-timer1 (colloq.): person with long experience (in a place or activity) >Henry’s an old-timer around here—he’s been with the company almost thirty years. >The old-timers in the business know better than to try that.
— old-timer2 (colloq., freq. pej.): old person (esp. a man) (also voc.) >Some old-timer was telling me this used to be a mining town. >Say, old-timer, you got a match?
OLE
— ole (ōl) (see “OLD”)
ON
* be on1 (colloq.): have (one’s) proposal or challenge accepted >Tennis tomorrow? You’re on. >If he wants to bet ten bucks to see which one of us finishes first, he’s on.
— be on2 (colloq.): behave in a theatrical or artificial way, act in an affected or attention-getting way >I wonder what Martha’s really like—she’s always on when she’s out in public.
— be on [s/one] (colloq.): be [s/one’s] fault, (for s/one) to be responsible or to blame (for s/thing) >That screwup’s on me—I should have been paying closer attention.
— be on [s/thing] (colloq.): be dealing with [s/thing], be ready to deal with [s/thing] >We found a leak under the sink this morning, but the plumber’s on it. >If you want me to take care of the problem, boss, I’m on it.
— be on to (colloq.): have discovered, be aware of (s/one or s/thing deceitful) >I’m on to you—you can’t fool me. >The cops are on to their mail fraud scheme.
— be on to something (colloq.): possibly be right (about s/thing), have a possible solution (to s/thing) >I think you’re on to something when you question the motive behind his proposal. >He’s on to something because he got better results this time.
— have [s/thing] on (see HAVE)
** on [s/one]1 (colloq.): being [s/one’s] treat, being paid for by [s/one] >Ed says dinner’s on him tonight. >The drinks are on me.
* on [s/one]2 (colloq.): in [s/one’s] immediate possession, being carried by [s/one] >I don’t have a pencil on me. >You got twenty dollars on you?
* on [s/one]3 (colloq.): to the detriment of [s/one], affecting [s/one] adversely >My stupid car quit on me! >Our dog up and died on us.
— on (a/the) ... (see entry under ... noun)
* on (for) (colloq.): having (a time or date) confirmed or scheduled >I reserved a tennis court. We’re on for five o’clock tomorrow afternoon. >How about our regular Friday night movie? Are we on this week or not?
ON-AGAIN
* on-again, off-again (colloq.): undecided, uncertain (as to whether or not s/thing will proceed) >The celebration they’re supposed to be planning has been on-again, off-again all year because the city’s had trouble getting the money together for it. >They’ve had an on-again, off-again romance for years.
ONCE-OVER
* once-over (colloq.): quick look, quick examination or evaluation >Would you give this letter a once-over and see if it sounds OK? >She gave me the once-over when I walked in.
ONE
* one1 (stressed) (colloq.): an extraordinarily, a very >Donny’s one smart kid! >That was one fine meal!
* one2 (stressed) (colloq.): an extraordinary, an impressive, a surprising >I tell you, that was one good-looking woman he went out with last night!
— do a one eighty (see “do a ONE-EIGHTY”)
— go [s/one] one better (see GO)
* have one too many (colloq.): drink a little too much, become drunk >Bart’s slurring his words—I’d say he’s had one too many.
— in one piece (see PIECE)
— [neg.] ... one (sl.): [neg.] even the first ..., [neg.] the least ... >He doesn’t have idea one about what to do. >I don’t know thing one about plumbing.
— [one’s] one and only (colloq.): [one’s] sweetheart, [one’s] true love >Josh is Patty’s one and only. She hasn’t dated anyone else since she met him.
— one for the book(s) (colloq.): a noteworthy thing or occurrence >That deadbeat actually paid you back? That’s one for the books!
— one for the road (colloq.): one last drink, a final drink before leaving >Hey, let’s have one for the road before you take off.
— one heck of a (see HECK)
— one hell of a (see HELL)
* one in a million (colloq.): a very good or impressive person or thing, a very valuable person or thing >My girlfriend’s one in a million. >I want that job—it’s one in a million.
— one jump ahead (of) (see JUMP)
— [neg.] one/a red cent (see RED CENT)
ONE-ARMED BANDIT
— one-armed bandit (colloq.): slot machine >That dang one-armed bandit got fifty dollars in quarters from me.
ONE-EIGHTY
— do a one-eighty (sl.): completely reverse (one’s) opinion or procedure, radically change (one’s) mind >The senator did a one-eighty on his proposal after hearing testimony from the experts.
ONE-NIGHT STAND
* one-night stand1 (colloq.): single sexual encounter (esp. overnight) >It was just a one-night stand last summer—we never saw each other again.
— one-night stand2 (colloq.): person with whom (one) has a single sexual encounter (esp. overnight) >He’s a one-night stand she had a couple of months ago.
ONE-SHOT
* one-shot (colloq.): occurring only once, having only one incidence or chance >This is a one-shot deal—we’ll never get another chance at it.
ONE-UPMANSHIP
— one-up(s)manship (wun´up(s)´mәn ship´) (colloq.): practice or art of gaining an advantage or showing superiority over another (esp. by way of status symbols or privilege) >Gerry and Hank spent the evening playing one-upmanship by bragging about their salaries and benefits at work. >He’s a master at one-upsmanship among the young executives.
ONLY
— only have eyes for (see EYES)
ONTO
* be onto (colloq.): be aware or informed of (esp. s/thing illicit or supposedly secret) >He recognized us—he’s onto us. >The cops are onto your scheme.
OODLES
— oodles (of ...) (ūd´lz ...) (colloq.): much (...), many (...) >That songwriter has oodles of talent. >Have one of my pencils—I’ve got oodles at home.
OOH
— ooh and ah (ū´ ... ä´) (vi) (colloq.): express praise, express admiration or wonder >Everyone oohed and ahed over her wedding dress.
OOMPH
— oomph (ūmf) (sl.): energy, vigor, enthusiasm >Ya gotta put some oomph into your bowling to do it right. >I like that new player—he’s got oomph.
OOPS
** oops! (ŭps/ūps) (colloq.): (interj. to express dismay or regret for having made a mistake or social blunder or caused an accident) >Oops! I’m sorry—I didn’t know your husband had died. >Oops! I dropped Mom’s favorite teapot.
OPEN
* open up1 (vi) (colloq.): speak frankly and without restraint (esp. about a personal problem) >She finally opened up to her sister and told her everything.
— open up2 (vt) (sl.): give full acceleration or power to, attain the top speed of >I’m gonna open this truck up when we hit the highway.
— wide open (see WIDE)
OPENERS
* for openers (colloq.): to begin with, in the first place >You want to know why Johnny shouldn’t drink? For openers, he’s not legally old enough. >I’ll have your soup of the day for openers.
OPERATE
— operate (vi) (colloq.): be manipulative to attain (one’s) ends (esp. by devious means) >Owens really knows how to operate to get people to invest in his schemes.
OPERATOR
— operator (colloq.): person who attains his/her ends through manipulation (esp. in a devious way) >The guy’s a real operator when it comes to getting his way with women.
— fast worker/operator (see FAST)
— smooth operator (see SMOOTH)
OR
— ... or else! (see ELSE)
— ..., or what? (see WHAT)
ORAL
* oral (colloq.): oral examination >Cecilia passed the written exam, so if she does OK on the oral she’ll be admitted.
ORDER
— tall order (see TALL)
ORNERY
— ornery (ôr´nә rē/on´rē) (colloq.): mean-spirited, mischievous, grouchily stubborn >That ornery old man just kicked my dog. >You’ll never change that ornery fool’s mind.
OUGHT
— ought/need to have [one’s] head examined (see HEAD)
OURSELVES
— ourselves (colloq.): we, us >Our friends and ourselves threw the party. >Their announcement surprised no one more than ourselves.
OUT
— out1 (colloq.): excuse, way to escape (s/thing unpleasant) >My out is that I wasn’t there when it was stolen. >His lawyer’s trying to find an out for him.
* out2 (colloq.): not in style, not fashionable, not currently popular >That style is out this year.
* out3 (colloq.): unconscious, sleeping deeply >Five martinis and he was out. >I went to bed so tired I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.
* out4 (colloq.): having suffered a loss or expense of (an amount of money) >I was out two grand when that stock fell. >It’s going to put us out six hundred bucks to get the motor fixed.
— out5 (vt) (sl): reveal the identity of (s/one) as a homosexual (esp. against his/her will) >They threatened to out him unless he came outta the closet on his own.
** be out of here (sl.): be leaving, be fired or evicted >It’s five o’clock—I’m outta here. >You screw up once more and you’re outta here.
— come out of the closet (see CLOSET)
— go out of [one’s] way (see GO)
— go out (on) (see GO)
— have it out (with) (see HAVE)
— ...ed-out (colloq.): having had an excess of ..., tired of ... >Not another cup for me—I’m coffeed-out. >All we’ve seen on this trip is old castles. I’m castled-out by now.
— (out) cold (see COLD)
* out from under (colloq.): free of (esp. a debt or responsibility) >I’m glad to be out from under that loan. I finally paid it off. >How are you going to get out from under chairing the new committee?
— out front (colloq.): straightforwardly, candidly >She told me out front that she was after my job.
— out in left field (see LEFT FIELD)
* out like a light (sl.): unconscious, sleeping deeply >I don’t know what Boomer took, but he was out like a light when I got here.
— out of (the/[one’s]/[s/one’s]) ... (see entry under ... noun)
* out of it1 (sl.): not fully conscious or aware, unconscious, not alert (esp. due to drugs or alcohol) >After three drinks she’s out of it. >I’m usually out of it until I have a cup of coffee in the morning.
* out of it2 (sl.): not conforming to fashion or popular values, socially deficient >What does she see in some nerd that’s totally out of it?
— out of this world (see WORLD)
— out on a limb (see LIMB)
— out on [one’s] ass (vulg.): fired, evicted, ejected >Don’t pay the rent and you’ll be out on your ass. >Crowley was out on his ass when they caught him takin’ company property.
— out on [one’s] butt (sl., freq. vulg.): fired, evicted, ejected >Start behavin’ yourself around here or you’ll find yourself out on your butt.
* out to get [s/one] (colloq.): wanting to hurt [s/one], searching for a way to cause [s/one] harm >Why is Adams out to get me? What have I ever done to him?
* out to lunch (sl.): not knowing what’s happening, eccentric, unfashionable or socially inept >Don’t invite Arnold to the party—that guy’s totally out to lunch.
OUT-A-SIGHT
— out-a-sight (see “out of SIGHT1”)
OUTFIT
* outfit (colloq.): association of persons, company >Clem worked for some oil drilling outfit in Oklahoma for a while.
OUT-FRONT
— out-front (colloq.): straightforward, honest, candid >Just be out-front with the boss—he’ll understand.
OUTIE
— outie (ou´tē) (colloq.): protruding navel (cf. “INNIE”) >Hey, look! Agnes has an outie.
OUT-OF-SIGHT
— out-of-sight (see “out of SIGHT”)
OUTS
— on the outs (with) (... outs ...) (colloq.): on unfriendly terms (with) (esp. s/one with whom one has had a previously friendly relationship) >They used to hang around together a lot, but now they’re on the outs. >She’s on the outs with her mother.
OUTSIDE
— think outside the box (see THINK)
OUTTA
** outta (ou´tә) (colloq.): out of >It’s five o’clock—I’m outta here!
OUT THERE
— out there (sl.): bizarre, fantastical, weird >Even the extremists think his conspiracy theories are pretty out there.
OVEN
— in the oven (sl.): (a fetus) in the womb, constituting pregnancy >He’s already got seven kids, and his wife’s got another one in the oven.
OVER
— all over [s/one] (see ALL)
— be all over but the shouting (see ALL)
— cannot get over (see GET)
** go over [s/one’s] head (colloq.): appeal to a higher authority than [s/one] (without regard for conventional hierarchical procedure) >I’m going over the manager’s head with this problem, straight to the president of the company.
— have it all over (see HAVE)
— over (a/the) ... (see entry under ... noun)
OVERBOARD
* go overboard (colloq.): go to extremes, be overly enthusiastic, become excessively involved >Giving to charity is great, but selling your house and giving away the money is going overboard.
OWE
* owe [s/one]1 (colloq.): be indebted to [s/one] (for a favor), feel obligated to repay [s/one] (for his/her help) >Boy, you really came through for me today—I owe you.
— owe [s/one]2 (sl.): have to pay [s/one] (for a wrong one has done to him/her), be subject to [s/one’s] revenge >He owes me for what he did to me on Friday, and I’m gonna get him.
OWN
— own (vt) (sl.): be responsible for (esp. s/thing neg.) >This whole mess was your doin’, so you own it.
* own up (to) (colloq.): confess (to), admit responsibility (for) >Why don’t you own up to taking the money? You did it, and everyone knows it.
OX
— ox (colloq.): large and strong man (esp. one who is not intelligent) >He has this big ox who doesn’t ask questions to do his dirty work for him.
— (as) strong as an ox (see STRONG)