[fish for a compliment]{v. phr.} To try to make someone pay acompliment. •/When Jim showed me his new car, I could tell that he wasfishing for a compliment./
[fish fry]{n.} An outdoor party or picnic at which fish are fried andeaten. •/The guests at the fish fry caught and cooked their own fish./
[fish in muddy] or [troubled waters]{v. phr.} To take advantage ofa troubled or confusing situation; seek personal advantage. •/With the policedisorganized after the collapse of communism in Europe, many criminals startedto fish in troubled waters./
[fish or cut bait]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. Decide what you want todo and stop wasting time; either act now or give someone else a chance or turn.•/Jack couldn’t decide whether to go to college or get a job, so his fathertold him to fish or cut bait./ •/"Buy the kind of ice cream you want orgive someone else in line a chance. Fish or cut bait!"/ Compare: MAKE UPONE’S MIND. 2. Either try hard and do your best, or quit. •/Frank missedfootball practice so often that the coach told him to fish or cut bait./
[fish out of water]{n. phr.} A person who is out of his proper placein life; someone who does not fit in. •/Because Ed could not swim, he feltlike a fish out of water at the beach./ •/She was the only girl at theparty not in a formal dress and she felt like a fish out of water./ Compare:OUT OF ONE’S ELEMENT, OUT OF PLACE.
[fish story]{n. phr.} An unlikely or improbable tale. •/Hunters andfishermen often exaggerate their successes by telling fish stories./
[fist] See: HARD-FISTED.
[fit] See: BY FITS AND STARTS, GIVE PITS, HAVE A FIT or HAVE FITS, IF THESHOE FITS, WEAR IT, SEE FIT also THINK FIT, SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.
[fit as a fiddle]{adj. phr.} In very good health. •/The man wasalmost 90 years old but fit as a fiddle./ •/Mary rested at home for a fewweeks after her operation; then she felt fit as a fiddle./
[fit for]{v. phr.} To be suited for; be prepared for. •/"What kindof job is Ted fit for?" the social worker asked./
[fit in with]{v. phr.} To fall into agreement or accord with. •/Hisplans to take a vacation in early July fit in perfectly with the universityschedule./
[fit like a glove]{v. phr.} To fit perfectly. •/Her new dress fitsher like a glove./
[fit out] or [fit up]{v.} To give things needed; furnish. •/Thesoldiers were fitted out with guns and clothing./ •/The government fittedout warships and got sailors for them./ •/The house was fitted out verynicely./ •/He fitted his room up as a photographic laboratory./
[fit the bill] See: FILL THE BILL.
[fit to a T] See: TO A T.
[fit to be tied(1)]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Very angry or upset.•/She was fit to be tied when she saw the broken glass./
[fit to be tied(2)]{adv. phr.}, {substandard} Very hard. — Usedfor emphasis. •/Uncle Willie was laughing fit to be tied at the surprisedlook on Mother’s face./
[five o’clock shadow]{n. phr.} A very short growth of beard on a man’sface who did shave in the morning but whose beard is so strong that it is againvisible in the afternoon. •/"You have a five o’clock shadow, honey," Irenesaid, "and we’re going to the opera. Why don’t you shave again quickly?"/
[fix] See: GET A FIX or GIVE SOMEONE A FIX, GET A FIX ON.
[fix someone’s wagon] or [fix someone’s little red wagon]{v.phr.}, {informal} 1. (Said to a child as a threat) to administer aspanking. •/Stop that right away or I’ll fix your (little red) wagon!/ 2.(Said of an adult) to thwart or frustrate another, to engineer his failure.•/If he sues me for slander, I will counter-sue him for maliciousprosecution. That will fix his wagon!/
[fix someone up with]{v. phr.}, {informal} To help another get adate with a woman or man by arranging a meeting for the two. •/Say Joe, canyou possibly fix me up with someone this weekend? I am so terribly lonesome!/
[fix up]{v. phr.} 1. To repair. •/The school is having the old gymfixed up./ 2. To arrange. •/I think I can fix it up with the company sothat John gets the transfer he desires. /3. To arrange a date that might leadto a romance or even to marriage. •/Mary is a great matchmaker; she fixed upRon and Betty at her recent party./
[fizzle out]{v.}, {informal} 1. To stop burning; die out. •/Thefuse fizzled out before exploding the firecracker./ 2. To fail after a goodstart; end in failure. •/The power mower worked fine for a while but then itfizzled out./ •/The party fizzled out when everyone went home early./
[flag down]{v.}, {informal} To stop by waving a signal flag or asif waving a signal flag. •/The signalman flagged down the freight train./•/A policeman flagged down the car with his flashlight./
[flakeball] or [flake]{n.}, {slang}, {drug culture} Adisjointed, or "flaky" person, who is forgetful and incoherent, as if under theinfluence of narcotics. •/Hermione is a regular flakeball./ Compare: SPACEDOUT.
[flame] See: ADD FUEL TO THE FLAME, GO UP IN FLAMES.
[flanker back]{n.} A football back who can play far to the outside ofhis regular place. •/The coach is still looking for a speedy boy to playflanker back./
[flare up]{v.} 1. To burn brightly for a short time especially afterhaving died down. •/The fire flared up again and then died./ 2. To becomesuddenly angry. •/The mayor flared up at the reporter’s remark./ •/Themother flared up at her children./ 3. To begin again suddenly, especially fora short time after a quiet time. •/Mr. Gray’s arthritis flared upsometimes./ •/Even after they had conquered the country, revolts sometimesflared up./
[flare-up]{n.} The reoccurrence of an infection or an armed conflict.•/He had a flare-up of his arthritis./ •/There was a bad flare-up ofhostilities in some countries./
[flash] See: IN A FLASH.
[flash card]{n.} A card with numbers or words on it that is used inteaching, a class. •/The teacher used flash cards to drill the class inaddition./
[flash in the pan]{n. phr.}, {slang} A person or thing that startsout well but does not continue. •/The new quarterback was a flash in thepan./ •/Mary got 100 on the first test in arithmetic but it was just aflash in the pan because she failed in arithmetic./
[flat] See: FALL FLAT, IN NO TIME or IN NOTHING FLAT, LEAVE FLAT.
[flat as a pancake]{adj. phr.} Very level; very flat; having nomountains or hills. •/A great part of the American Midwest is as flat as apancake./
[flat broke] See: STONE-BROKE.
[flatfoot]{n.}, {slang}, {derogatory} A policeman. •/"Whatdoes Joe do for a living? — He’s a flatfoot."/
[flat-footed]{adj.}, {informal} 1. Straightforward; forthright;direct; outright. •/The governor issued a flat-footed denial of theaccusation./ •/He came out flat-footed against the idea./ 2. Not ready;not prepared; — usually used with "catch". •/The teacher’s question caughtTim flat-footed./ •/Unexpected company at lunch time caught Mrs. Greenflat-footed./
[flat-out]{adv. phr.}, {informal} 1. Without hiding anything;plainly; openly. •/The student told his teacher flat-out that he was notlistening to her./ 2. At top speed; as fast as possible. •/He saw two menrunning flat-out from the wild rhinoceros./
[flatter oneself] To be sure of your own talent or skill; highly confident.•/I flatter myself that I am a better swimmer than he is./
[flea in one’s ear]{n. phr.}, {informal} An idea or answer that isnot welcome; an annoying or surprisingly sharp reply or hint. •/I’ll put aflea in his ear if he bothers me once more./
[flea market]{n. phr.} A place where antiques, second-hand things, andcheap articles are sold, and especially one in the open air. •/The localantique dealers held a flea market and fair on the high-school athleticfield./ •/There are many outdoor flea markets in Europe./
[flesh] See: IN PERSON also IN THE FLESH, NEITHER FISH NOR FOWL alsoNEITHER FISH, FLESH, NOR FOWL, PRESS THE FLESH, THORN IN THE FLESH.
[flesh and blood]{n.} 1. A close relative (as a father, daughter,brother); close relatives. Used in the phrase "one’s own flesh and blood".•/Such an answer from her — and she’s my own flesh and blood, too!/ 2. Theappearance of being real or alive. •/The author doesn’t give his charactersany flesh and blood./ 3. The human body. •/Before child labor laws, smallchildren often worked 50 or 60 hours a week in factories. It was more thanflesh and blood could bear./
[flesh out]{v.}, {informal} 1. To add to; make fuller, bigger, orlonger. •/The author fleshed out his story by adding more about his warexperiences./ 2. also [flesh up] To become heavier, put on weight, orflesh. •/He lost weight after his illness but is beginning to flesh outagain./ See: FILL OUT.
[flesh up] See: FLESH OUT(2).
[fling oneself at] See: THROW ONESELF AT.
[fling oneself at someone’s head]