[on an average] or [on the average] {adv. phr.} In most cases; usually. •/On an average Dan’s mother has to ask him three times before he helps with the dishes./ •/On the average, Mr. Blank trades in his car for a new one every three years./
[on and off] See: OFF AND ON.
[on an even keel]{adv. phr.}, {informal} In a well-ordered way or condition; orderly. •/When the football rally seemed almost ready to become a riot, the principal stepped to the platform and got things back on an even keel./
[on a pedestal]{adv. phr.} Lovingly honored and cared for. •/Mrs. Raymond’s children served her breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day and later took her out to dinner. She felt on a pedestal./ •/Bill is always waiting on his fiancee and bringing her flowers and candy. He has certainly put her on a pedestal./
[on approval]{adv. phr.} With the understanding that the thing may be refused. •/Mr. Grey bought his camera on approval./ •/The company offered to send a package of stamps on approval./
[on a scratched horse] See: PUT ONE’S MONEY ON A SCRATCHED HORSE.
[on a shoestring]{adv. phr.} With little money to spend; on a very low budget. •/The couple was seeing Europe on a shoestring./
[on a volcano] See: SIT ON A VOLCANO.
[on behalf of] See: IN BEHALF OP.
[on board(1)]{prep.} On (a ship). •/Joan was not on board the ship when it sailed./
[on board(2)]{adv.} or {adj. phr.} On a ship. •/The captain was not on board when the S.S. Flandre sailed./ •/A ship was leaving the harbor, and we saw the people on board waving./
[on borrowed time] See: LIVE ON BORROWED TIME.
[on call]{adj. phr.} 1. Having to be paid on demand. •/Jim didn’t have the money ready even though he knew the bill was on call./ 2. Ready and available. •/This is Dr. Kent’s day to be on call at the hospital./ •/The nurse is on call for emergency cases./
[once] See: AT ONCE, EVERY NOW AND THEN or EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.
[once and for all]{adv. phr.} 1. One time and never again; without any doubt; surely; certainly; definitely. •/Let me say, for once and for all, you may not go to the party Saturday./ •/For once and for all, I will not go swimming with you./ 2. Permanently. •/Bill and Tom asked the teacher to settle the argument once and for all./ •/The general decided that two bombs would destroy the enemy and end the war once and for all./
[once bitten, twice shy] See: BURNT CHILD DREADS THE FIRE.
[once for all] See: ONCE AND FOR ALL.
[once in a blue moon]{adv. phr.} Very rarely; very seldom; almost never. •/Coin collecting is interesting, hut you find a valuable coin only once in a blue moon./ •/Once in a blue moon someone grows a very pale marigold, but no truly white marigolds have been raised./
[once in a while]{adv. phr.} Not often; not regularly; sometimes; occasionally. •/We go for a picnic in the park once in a while./ •/Once in a while the puppy would run away, but usually he stayed in the yard./ Syn.: AT TIMES, FROM TIME TO TIME, NOW AND THEN.
[once-over]{n.}, {slang} 1. A quick look; a swift examination of someone or something. — Usually used with "give" or "get". •/The new boy got the once-over from the rest of the class when he came in./ •/Bob gave his paper the once-over before handing it in./ 2. or [once-over-lightly] A quick or careless job, especially of cleaning or straightening; work done hastily for now. •/Ann gave her room a quick once-over-lightty with the broom and dust cloth./ •/"Just give my hair the once-over," Al said to the barber./ Compare: LICK AND A PROMISE.
[once upon a time]{adv. phr.} Sometime before now, long ago. •/Once upon a time she was thought to be the most talented actress in the country./ — Often used at the beginning of fairy stories. •/Once upon a time there lived a king who had an ugly daughter./
[on cloud nine]{adj. phr.}, {slang} Too happy to think of anything else; very happy. •/Ada has been on cloud nine since the magazine printed the story she wrote./ •/We were on cloud nine when our team won the state championship./ Compare: ON TOP OF THE WORLD, WALK ON AIR.
[on condition that]{conj.} Providing that; if. •/I will lend you the money on condition that you pay it back in one month./ •/She agreed to act in the play on condition that she could keep her costumes./
[on deck]{adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1. On a floor of a ship open to the outdoors. •/The passengers were playing shufflehoard on deck./ •/The sailors kept busy cleaning and painting on deck./ 2. {informal} Ready to do something; present. •/The scout leader told the boys to be on deck at 8:00 Saturday morning for the hike./ •/Dick was at bat, and Bob was on deck./
[on deposit]{adv. phr.} In a bank. •/I have almost $500 on deposit in my account./ •/The children save their pennies and each month place them on deposit./
[on duty]{adj. phr.} Doing one’s job; supervising. •/Two soldiers are on duty guarding the gates./ •/There is always one teacher on duty during study hour./ Contrast: OFF DUTY.
[one] See: AT ONE, FOR ONE, GO IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER, HANG ONE ON, HOLE IN ONE, KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE, NUMBER ONE, SIX OF ONE AND HALF-A-DOZEN OF THE OTHER, SLIP ONE OVER ON, TEN TO ONE, TWO TO ONE, WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE.
[one and the same]{adj. phr.} The same; identical. •/Erle Stanley Gardner and A.A. Fair are one and the same person./ •/The spider lily and the Peruvian Daffodil are one and the same./
[one-armed bandit]{n.}, {slang} A slot machine, like those used in Las Vegas and other gambling places. •/Joe was playing the one-armed bandit all day — and he lost everything he had./
[on earth] See: IN THE WORLD.
[on easy street]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Having enough money to live very comfortably; rather rich. •/After years of hard work, the Grants found themselves on easy street./ •/Jim’s novel was a success and put him on easy street./ Compare: IN CLOVER, IN THE CHIPS, WELL-TO-DO.
[one damn thing after another] or [ODTAA] (pronounced owed-tay) {n. phr.} If there is one problem, there will be more. •/First I lost my wallet, then a kid broke the window, and, lastly, my car refused to start. It was just one damn thing after another!/ Compare: IF IT’S NOT ONE THING IT’S ANOTHER.
[on edge]{adj. phr.} Excited or nervous; impatient. •/The magician kept the children on edge all through his show./ •/We were all on edge as we listened to the TV for news of the election results./ •/Father was on edge after driving home through the heavy holiday traffic./ See: SET ONE’S TEETH ON EDGE. Contrast: AT EASE(2).
[one eye on]{informal} Watching or minding (a person or thing) while doing something else; part of your attention on. — Used after "have", "keep", or "with". •/Jane had one eye on the baby as she ironed./ •/Bill kept one eye on his books and the other on the clock./ •/Chris tried to study with one eye on the TV set./ Compare: KEEP AN EYE ON.
[one foot in the grave]{n. phr.} Near to death. •/The dog is fourteen years old, blind, and feeble. He has one foot in the grave./ •/Grandfather has never been sick a day in his life, but Mother cares for him as if he had one foot in the grave./
[one for the books]{n, phr.}, {informal} Very unusual; a remarkable something. •/The newspaper reporter fumed in a story that was one for the books./ •/Their trip through the Rocky Mountains was one for the books./
[one-horse]{adj. phr.} Insignificant; modest; provincial. •/Arnold’s business is a one-horse operation; he never had a single employee./
[one man’s meat is another man’s poison] What is good for one person is not necessarily good for another. — A proverb, •/Even though Jeff likes to swim in ice cold water, his brother Tun hates it. This is understandable, however, because one’s man’s meat is another man’s poison./ Contrast: WHAT’S SAUCE FOR THE GOOSE IS SAUCE FOR THE GANDER.
[on end]{adj. phr.} Seemingly endless. — Used with plural nouns of time. •/Judy spent hours on end writing and rewriting her essay./ •/During July and August there was no rain for weeks on end./
[one-night stand]{n. phr.} 1. A single performance given by a traveling company while on a tour. •/After they went bankrupt in the big cities, the traveling jazz quartet played one-night stands in the country./ 2. A brief affair or sexual encounter. •/"With AIDS all around us?" said Jane. "Nobody is having one-night stands anymore."/
[one of these days] or [some of these days] {adv. phr.} Someday; sometime soon. •/One of these days Herbert will be famous./ •/I’m going to do that sewing some of these days./
[one on the city]{n.}, {slang} A glass of water (which is provided free of charge, as a free gift from the city). •/What will you have? — Oh, just give me one on the city./
[one’s money’s worth]{n. phr.} A fair return on one’s money spent or invested. •/I wouldn’t say that the trip was a great bargain, but I feel that we got our money’s worth./
[one’s own row] See: HOE ONE’S OWN ROW.
[one-two]{n.} 1. A succession of two punches, the first a short left, followed by a hard right punch, usually in the jaw. •/Ali gave Frazir the one-two./ 2. Any quick or decisive action which takes the opposition by surprise, thereby ensuring victory. •/He gave us the old one-two and won the game./
[one up]{adj. phr.} Having an advantage; being one step ahead, •/John graduated from high school; he is one up on Bob, who dropped out./ •/The Platters are one up on their neighbors. They own the only color television set in their neighborhood./
[one-upmanship]{v.}, {informal} Always keeping ahead of others; trying to keep an advantage. •/No matter what I do, I find that Jim has already done it better. He’s an expert at one-upmanship./ •/Jack took the news to the principal while we were still talking about it. He’s very quick to practice one-upmanship./ Compare: ONE UP. (The word one-upmanship was made up by a British humorist, Stephen Potter, on the pattern of such words as sportsmanship and workmanship.)
[on faith]{adv. phr.} Without question or proof. •/He said he was twenty-one years old and the employment agency took him on faith./ •/He looked so honest that we accepted his story on faith./
[on file]{adv. phr.} Placed in a written or electronic file; on record. •/We are sorry we cannot hire you right now but we will keep your application on file./
[on fire] See: SET THE WORLD ON FIRE.
[on foot]{adv.} or {adj. phr.} 1. By walking. •/Sally’s bicycle broke and she had to return home on foot./ 2. Being planned. •/The reporter said that a civil rights demonstration was on foot./ •/Plans have been set on foot for a party for Miss Jackson, because she is retiring./
[on guard]{adj. phr.} Watchful; watching. •/The police warned people to he on guard for pickpockets during the Christmas rush./ •/Two men are on guard at the door./ Contrast: OFF GUARD.
[on hand]{adv. phr.} 1a. Nearby; within reach. •/Always have your dictionary on hand when you study./ 1b. Here. •/Soon school will end and vacation will be on hand./ 2. Present. •/Mr. Blake’s secretary is always on hand when he appears in public./ 3. In your possession; ready. •/The Girl Scouts have plenty of cookies on hand./ •/Tim had no cash on hand to pay for the gas./ Compare: IN STORE.
[on high cotton] See: ON TOP OF THE WORLD also SITTING ON HIGH COTTON.
[on hold]{adv. phr.} 1. Left waiting while making a telephone call. •/"Sorry sir," the secretary said, "I’ll have to put you on hold for a minute."/ 2. Waiting; temporarily halted. •/"Put your marriage plans on hold, son, and wait until after graduation," his father said seriously./
