ice be on ice if plans are on ice, they are not goingto be dealt with until some point in the future. Both projects are on ice until the question of funding is resolved. put sth on ice. Plans for a women-only film screening have been put on ice following threats of legal action. an ice-breaker • We usually start the session with an ice-breaker in theform of agame. cut no icewith sb if something cuts no icewith someone,it does not cause them to change their opinion or decision • I've heard her excuses and they cut no icewith me. ideas put ideas into sb's head to make someone want to do something they had not thought about doing before, especially something stupid • (often in continuous tenses) Don't go putting ideas into his head. Wehaven't got the moneyfor a car.• Whoput all these ideas into her head about becoming an actress? ifs no ifs and buts British & Australian no ifs, ands or buts American something that you say to a child to stop them arguing with you when you want them to dosomething. I want no ifs and buts, just tidyyour room like I toldyou to! • No ifs, ands or buts, you're going up to bednow! 203 inch ignorance Ignorance is bliss. something that you say which means if you do not know about a problem or an unpleasant fact, you do not worry about it • I wish the newspapers would stop telling us about the dangers of eating meat. It seems tome ignorance is bliss. ill be ill at ease X to feelanxious or embarrassed. (often + with) Healwaysfelt a little ill at easewith strangers. • (sometimes + in) The girl behind the bar looked ill at ease in her uniform. It's an ill wind (that blows nobody any good). something that you say which means most bad things that happen have a good result for someone. But it's an ill wind. The wettest June in history has replenished the reservoirs. in You're in there! British, informal something that you say in order to tell someone that another person is sexually attracted to thern » Did you see how that girl was looking at you? You're in there, mate! in absentia in absentia formal if something happens to someone in absentia, they are not present when it happens tothem> The court convicted her in absentia andfined her $500. inch be every inch sth to be a particular kind of person in every way > He looked every inch the slick, city businessman. An inch is a small measurement of length. It is used in the following phrases connected with a small amount. beat sbto within an inch of their life to attack someone so violently that they almost die. She was beaten to within an inch of her life on a back streetin London. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. indian not budge/give an inch to refuse to change your opinion or agree to even very small changes that another person wants 0 I keep asking her to think again, but she won't budge an inch. o (sometimes + on) He refuses to give an inch on health and safety issues. come within an inch of doing sth X' to very nearly do something, especially something dangerous or exciting oI came within an inch of losing my life on the rocks below. Give sban inch and they'll take a mile. something that yousaywhich meansthat if you allow someoneto behave badly at all, they will start to behave very badly ° I'm always wary about making concessions to these people. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile. not trust sban inch British & Australian to not trust someone at all, 0 He's charming enough but I wouldn't trust him an inch. indian an Indian summer a period of warm weather which sometimes happens in early autumn ° Both the UK and Ireland have been enjoying an Indian summer over the past few weeks. 2 a successful or pleasant period in someone's life, especially towards the end of their life ° The book describes the last 20years of Churchill's life, including his Indian summer as prime minister between 1951and 1955. in flagrante delicto in flagrante (delicto) humorous if someone is discovered in flagrante delicto. they are discovered doing something wrong, especially having sex with someone who is not their husband or wife ° She came home to catch her husband inflagrante delicto with the next- door neighbour. influence under the influence if someone is under the influence, they are drunk ° Wereyou serious last night about wanting a baby or was it just 204 because you were under the influence? ° Driving under the influence is a very serious offence. in loco parentis in loco parentis formal to be responsible for a child while the child's parents are absent ° Teachers are in loco parentis while children are at school. ins the ins and outs informal X the details or facts about something ° (usually + of) I don't know all the ins and outs of the situation but I gather Roger and Mark haven't been getting on toowell. inside an inside job X a crime committed by someone against the organization that they workfor ° (not used with the) The computers were taken from a locked room, which makes it look like an insidejob. have the inside track mainly American to have a special position within an organization or a special relationship with a person that gives you advantages that other people do not have ° (often + with) He thinks I have the inside track with the director so he keeps hassling me for information. insignificance .> fade/pale into insignificance \ if something pales into insignificance, it does not seem at all important when compared to something else ° When your child's ill, everything else pales into insignificance. ° With the outbreak of war all elsefades into insignificance. in situ in situ formal if something isin situ, it is in its original place ° The cavepaintings must be viewed in situ because they are considered too delicate to be moved toa museum. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. insult ,/ add insult to injury A to make a bad situation even worse for someone by doing something else to upset them • First of all he arrived an hour late and then, to add insult to injury, he proceeded to complain about my choice of restaurant. intents to all intents and purposes ><- in all the most important ways • We've got a few odd things tofinish, but to all intents and purposes the job is done. • They redesigned the old model and createdsomething which was toall intents and purposes a brand new car. interference run interference American to help someone achieve something by dealing with the peopleor problems that might prevent them from doing so • (usually + for) When it comes tofinding a hotel room, you'll be glad to have a tourist guide run interferencefor you. inverted in inverted commas British & Australian something that you say when a phrase you are using to describe something is the phrase that people usually use but it does not really show the truth ID Inverted commas are a pair of printed marks put at the beginning and end of a word or phrase to show that someone else has written or said it. • They were the kind of well-meaning people that wanted to 'dogood' in inverted commas. iron an iron fist/hand in a velvet glove something that you say when you are describing someone who seems to be gentle but is in fact severeand firm. To enforce each new law the president uses persuasion first, and thenforce - the iron hand in the velvetglove. an iron man American & Australian a man who is physicallyvery strong and can workhard for a longtime· Helikes to 205 ivory think of himself as somesort of iron man who doesn't needsleep like the rest of us. pump iron informal to lift heavy objectsfor exercise in order to increase your strength or to improve your appearance· These days, both men and womenpump ironfor fitness. rule (sb) with a rod of iron British, American & Australian rule (sb) with an iron fist/hand American & Australian to control a group of peoplevery firmly having complete power over everything that they do • For 17 years she ruled the country with a rodof iron.• My unclerules thefamily business with an iron hand. strike while the iron is hot to do something irmnediately while you have a goodchance of achieving success • Youmay not get a better offer- I'd strike while the iron's hot, if I wereyou. irons have [a few/a lot etc.] irons in the fire tohaveseveraljobs at the sametime or to have several possibilities of work • If that job application doesn't work out I've got acouplemore irons in thefire. itchy have itchy feet British & Australian, informal to want to travel or to do something different. Why'veyou got all these travel brochures?Doyou have itchyfeet? get itchy feet British & Australian, informal» He's beenin thesamejobfor too long and he'sgetting itchyfeet. ivories tickle/tinkle the ivories humorous to playthe piano ID Theparts of a piano that you press to play it used to be made of a hard white substance called ivory. • Grandma could tickle the ivories like a professional. ivory an ivory tower .>( if you are in an ivorytower,you are in a place or situation where you are separated from ordinary life and its Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. ivy problems • How much of the research done by academics in their ivory towers is ever read orpublished? ivy / the Ivy League American X, a group of old and very good colleges in 206 the north-east of the US • The company thinks the best management trainees come from theIvy League. Ivy League American. He doesn't have the Ivy League education of some of his opponents. • He hated the Ivy League conformity of the college. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. jack a jack of all trades X_ someone who has many skills or who does many different jobs • Bill can do plumbing, carpentry, or a bit of gardening - he's a jack of all trades, really. a Jack the Lad British, informal, old-fashioned a confident and not very serious young man who behaves as he wants to without thinking about other people • Three children with three different women? Well, he always was a bit of a Jack the Lad. jackpot hit the jackpot >C to be very successful, often in a way which means you make a lot of money • When my second book was published I thought I'd really hit thejackpot. jack robinson before you can say Jack Robinson old-fashioned if yousay that somethinghappens before you can say Jack Robinson, it happens very suddenly • I offered her a chocolate but before you could say Jack Robinson she'd eaten half the box. jam jam tomorrow British something that you want which you are told you will get soon but which never appears • Nobody will accept a pay cut, and it's not enough to promise jam tomorrow. be in (a bit of) a jam old-fashioned to be in a difficult situation. I'm in bit of a jam. Could you possibly lend me some money till next week? 207 jim crow Jane Doe Jane Doe American >< a woman or girl whose name must be kept secret or is not known, especially in a court of law • A former employee, referred to only as Jane Doe, is suing the companyfor unfair discrimination. jazz and all that jazz informal and other similar things • They sell televisions and all that jazz. Jekyll a Jekyll and Hyde someone whose personality has two different parts, one very nice and the other very unpleasant ;b This phrase comesfrom the book The Strange Caseof Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.• You can't depend on him to befriendly - he's a Jekyll and Hyde. Jekyll and Hyde • Many alcoholics developJekyll and Hydepersonalities. je ne sais quoi a je ne sa is quoi a pleasant quality which you cannot describe or name' He's not particularly attractive but he has a certain je ne sais quoi which uiomenfind irresistible. jewel the jewel in the crown the best or most valuable thing in a group of things • (often + of) The island of Tresco,with its beautiful tropicalgardens, is thejewel in thecrown of the Scilly Isles. j iggery-pokery jiggery-pokery old-fashioned secret activities that are not honest. We suspect there's been some financial jiggery-pokery going on in the accounts department. jim crow Jim Crow American a situation that existed until the 1960sin the south of the US. when black people were treated badly, especially by being separated from white people in public places ;b Jim Crow was the name of a black character in a 19th century song Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. jitters and dance act. • Jim Crow meant there were no black kids in white schools. Jim Crow American » (always before noun) As soon as he moved to Tenessee, he became aware of the Jim Crow laws. jitters get the jitters informal to feel anxious, especially before an important event. I always get the jitters before an interview. give sbthe jitters informal. Don't drive sofast; You 're giving me the jiuers. job a job lot British & Australian a collection of objectsthat are bought or sold together as a group s I bought a job lot of furniture at an auction. do a job on sb/sth mainly American, informal to hurt or damage someoneor something • He really did ajob on her, telling her how much he loved her and then leaving her. • Someone sure did a job on this table - there are scratches all over it. do the job informal x: if something does thejob, it is suitable for a particular purpose· Here, this knife should do the job .• I needed to tie the two parts together and an old stocking did the job perfectly. fall down on the job to fail to dosomething that you should do • The armed forces will take over if the local auihoritiesfall down on the job. It's more than my job's worth. British & Australian, informal something that you say in order to tell someone that you cannot do what they want you to do because you would lose your job if you did. I'm sorry, but it'd be more than my job's worth to take any money from you. a Job's comforter old-fashioned someone who tries to make you feel happier but makes youfeel worse instead tfb Job was a character in the Bible who had a lot of bad things happen to him. • She's a real Job's comforter. She keeps 208 telling me I'm going to die soon anyway so I shouldn't worry about a/Jything. lie down on the job .X to not work as hard at something as you should • The new Police Chief fired two officers he accused of lying down on thejob. jobs jobs for the boys British & Australian work that is given by someone who is in an important position to their friends or members of their farnily s They operated a system of jobs for the boys. Joe B1099s Joe Bloggs British & Australian an ordinary person • There's no point asking your average Joe Bloggs what he thinks about opera. Joe Blow Joe Blow American & Australian an ordinary person. Television today is geared to your average Joe Blow. Joe Public »<; Joe Public British, informal the public. The test of any new product is will Joe Public buy it? John Bull John Bull old-fashioned a character who represents a typical English man or the English people tfb This phrase comesfrom a bookcalled The History of John Bull written by John Arbuthnot in 1712.• In the cartoon, John Bull appears as a short, stocky figure wearing a waistcoat with the British flag on. John Doe ,,/ John Doe American ./~ a man or boy whose real name must be kept secret or is not known, especially in a court of law. The patient was referred to in court documents as John Doe. John Hancock your John Hancock American, humorous your signature tfb John Hancock's signature was the first signature on the American Declaration of Independence in 1776 • If you put your John Hancock on Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. the last page we'll be finished with the formalities. Johnny-come-Iately a Johnny-come-Iately old-fashioned someone who has only recently started a job or activity and has suddenly become very successful • She denies suggestions that she's a Johnny-come-lately; saying that she has worked for years to get her own show. Johnny-on-the-spot Johnny-on-the-spot American, informal someone who is immediately ready to do something, especially to help someone • This guy had just gotten a flat tire, and there I was, Johnnv-on-the-spot with my tools in the back of the car. John Q Public X John Q Public American, humorous the public> You have to ask yourself what John Q Public will think when he hears about the government overspending. joie de vivre joie de vivre a feeling of happiness and enjoyment of life • She will be remembered above all for her kindness and her great joie de oiore. joke get/go beyond a joke ).( if a situation gets beyond a joke, it becomes extremely serious and worrying • He's drunk more nights than he's sober these days - this has gone beyond a joke. the joke's on sb something that you say which means someone who tried to make other people seem silly has made themselves seem silly instead • The burglars managed to lock themselves into the house until the police arrived, so thejoke's on them! joker the joker in the pack someone or something that could change a situation in a way that you do not expect. The independent candidate is the joker in the pack in this election. 209 judgment joking You're joking! informal something that you say when you are very surprised by what someone has just told you > 'They're getting married, you know' 'You're joking! They've only known each other a month. ' jolly be jolly hockey sticks British, humorous if a woman or situation is jolly hockey sticks, the woman or the people involved in that situation belong to a high social class, and often talk in a very happy way that seems false· Well, she's okay, but a little jolly hockey sticks, if you know what I mean. Joneses keep up with the Joneses to try to own all the same things as people you know in order to seem as good as them • Her only concern in life was keeping up with the Joneses. joy jump for joy »; to be very happy about something good that has happened. Tina jumped for joy when shefound out she'd be in the team. judgment a judgment call American a decision someone has to make using their own ideas and opinions rb In sport, a judgment call is a decision made by an official in a competition using their own opinion of what they have seen.• It's a judgment call- do we go by plane or risk taking the car to the conference? sit in judgment on/over sb to say that what someone has done is morally wrong, believing yourself to be better· We none of us have the right to sit in judgment on our fellow man. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. jugular jugular go for the jugular informal to criticize someone very cruelly by talking about what you know will hurt them most tb Thejugular is a large vein that carries blood to the heart. Cunningham, who usually goes straight for the jugular, seemed strangely reluctant tosay anything. juice stew in your own juice/juices informal if youleavesomeoneto stew in their own juice, you leave them to worry about something bad that has happened or something stupid they have done' She'll calm down - just leave her to stew in her oumjuicesfor a bit. jump get althe jump on sb/sth mainly American, informal to start doing something before other people start, or before something happens, in order to get an advantage for yourself. If I leave work early onFridays I canget ajump on the traffic. 210 jury the jury is (still) out if the jury is still out on a subject, no decision has been made or the answer is not yet certain' (usually + on) Thejury's still out on whether animal experiments are really necessary.• Weasked people to comment on the latest malefashions, but it seems thejury's out. just not be just a pretty face humorous if someone is not just a pretty face,they are not onlyattractive but also intelligent • 'How did you know that?' 'Well,I'm not just apretty face, you know.' be just the job British & Australian be just the ticket British, old-fashioned tobe perfectfor a particular purpose' He needed a car topick her up in and Will's sports car seemedjust thejob. get your just deserts if you get your just deserts, something bad happens to you that you deserve because of something bad you have done • Did you read about the burglar whose own house was broken into? He really got his j ust deserts. Please purchase PDF Split-Merge on www.verypdf.com to remove this watermark. . valuable thing in a group of things • (often + of) The island of Tresco,with its beautiful tropicalgardens, is thejewel in thecrown of the Scilly Isles. j. workhard for a longtime· Helikes to 20 5 ivory think of himself as somesort of iron man who doesn't needsleep like the rest of us. pump iron informal to lift