[set sail]{v. phr.} To begin a sea voyage; start sailing. •/The ship set sail for Europe./
[set store by]{v. phr.}, {informal} To like or value; want to keep. Used with a qualifying word between "set" and "store". •/George sets great store by that old tennis racket./ •/Pat doesn’t set much store by Mike’s advice./
[set the ball rolling] See: GET THE BALL ROLLING.
[set the pace]{v. phr.} To decide on a rate of speed of travel or rules that are followed by others. •/The scoutmaster set the pace so that the shorter boys would not get tired trying to keep up./ •/Louise set the pace in selling tickets for the school play./ — [pace-setter] {n.} •/John is the pace-setter of the class./ — [pace-setting] {adj.} •/Bob’s time in the cross-country race was pace-setting./ •/The country is growing at a pace-setting rate./
[set the stage for]{v. phr.} To prepare the way or situation for (an event); to make a situation ready for something to happen. •/The country’s economic problems set the stage for a depression./
[set the world on fire]{v. phr.}, {informal} To do something outstanding; act in a way that attracts much attention or makes you famous. •/John works hard, but he will never set the world on fire./ •/Mary could set the world on fire with her piano playing./
[setting-up]{adj.} Done early in the morning to make you fresh and feel strong for the day. •/Tom jumped out of bed and did his setting-up exercises./ Compare: DAILY DOZEN.
[settle a score] also [wipe out an old score] To hurt (someone) in return for a wrong or loss. •/John settled an old score with Bob by beating him./ Compare: GET BACK AT, GET EVEN.
[settle down]{v.} 1. To live more quietly and sensibly; have a regular place to live and a regular job; stop acting wildly or carelessly, especially by growing up. •/John will settle down after he gets a job and gets married./ 2. To become quiet, calm, or comfortable. •/Father settled down with the newspaper./ •/The house settled down for the night after the children were put to bed./ •/The teacher told the students to settle down and study the lesson./
[settle for]{v.} To be satisfied with (less) agree to; accept. •/Jim wanted $200 for his old car, but he settled for $100./
[settle on]{v. phr.} To decide which one to choose among various alternatives. •/My parents have been debating what kind of a car to get and have finally settled on a BMW from Germany./
[settle up]{v. phr.} To pay up; conclude monetary or other transactions. •/"Let’s settle up," Carol’s attorney said, when she sued Don for a hefty sum of money after their divorce./
[set to]{v.} 1. To make a serious beginning. •/Charlie took a helping of turkey, grabbed his knife and fork, and set to./ 2. To start to fight. •/One man called the other a liar and they set to./
[set to music]{v. phr.} To compose a musical accompaniment to verse. •/Schubert and Beethoven both set to music many a famous poem by Goethe and Schiller./
[set to rights] See: PUT TO RIGHTS.
[set tongues wagging] See: TONGUES WAG.
[setup]{v.} 1. To provide the money for the necessities for. •/When he was twenty-one, his father set him up in the clothing business./ 2. To establish; start. •/The government has set up many hospitals for veterans of the armed forces./ 3. To make ready for use by putting the parts together or into their right place. •/The men set up the new printing press./ 4. To bring into being; cause. •/Ocean tides are set up by the pull between earth and the moon./ 5. To claim; pretend. •/He set himself up to be a graduate of a medical school, but he was not./ 6. To harm someone by entrapment or some other ruse. •/Joe was actually innocent of the robbery, but his "trusted friends" set him up, so the police found the gun in his car./
[setup]{n. phr.} (stress on "set") 1. Arrangement, management, circumstances. •/Boy, you really have a wonderful setup in your office!/ •/I just can’t do my work in such a messy setup!/ 2. Financial arrangement. •/It is a fairly generous setup sending your uncle $1,000 a month./
[set upon] See: SET ON.
[seven] See: AT SIXES AND SEVENS.
[seventh heaven]{n. phr.}, {literary} The pinnacle of happiness. •/We were in seventh heaven when the helicopter flew us over the magnificent Grand Canyon./
[sewed up]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Won or arranged as you wish; decided. •/They thought they had the game sewed up, but the other team won it with a touchdown in the last quarter./ •/Dick thought he had the job sewed up, but another boy got it./ Compare: IN THE BAG.
[sexual harassment]{n. phr.} The act of constantly making unwanted advances of a sexual nature for which the offended party may seek legal redress. •/The court fined Wilbur Catwallender $750,000 for sexual harassment of two of his female employees./
[shack up with]{v. phr.}, {slang} To move in with (someone) of the opposite sex without marrying the person. •/Did you know that Ollie and Sue aren’t married? They just decided to shack up for a while./ See: LIGHT HOUSEKEEPING.
[shadow] See: AFRAID OF ONE’S SHADOW, EYE SHADOW.
[shaggy dog (story)]{n. phr.} A special kind of joke whose long and often convoluted introduction and development delay the effect of the punch line. •/Uncle Joe only seems to bore his audiences with his long shaggy dog jokes, for when he comes to the long-awaited punch line, he gets very few laughs./
[shake] See: MORE THAN ONE COULD SHAKE A STICK AT.
[shake a leg]{v. phr.}, {slang} To go fast; hurry. •/Shake a leg! The bus won’t wait./ Compare: STEP ON IT.
[shakedown]{n.} 1. A test. •/Let’s take the new car out and give it a shakedown./ 2. An act of extorting money by threatening. •/It was a nasty shakedown, to get $500 from the old man, promising to protect him./
[shake down]{v. phr.} 1. To cause to fall by shaking. •/He shook some pears down from the free./ 2. {informal} To test, practice, get running smoothly (a ship or ship’s crew). •/The captain shook down his new ship on a voyage to the Mediterranean Sea./ 3. {slang} To get money from by threats. •/The gangsters shook the store owner down every month./
[shake in one’s shoes] or [shake in one’s boots] {v. phr.}, {informal} To be very much afraid. •/The robber shook in his boots when the police knocked on his door./
[shake off]{v.}, {informal} To get away from when followed; get rid of; escape from. •/A convict escaped from prison and shook off the officers trying to follow him./ •/Tom could not shake off his cold./
[shake the dust from one’s feet]{v. phr.} To depart or leave with some measure of disgust or displeasure. •/Jim was so unhappy in our small, provincial town that he was glad to shake the dust from his feet and move to New York./
[shake up]{v.}, {informal} To bother; worry; disturb. •/The notice about a cut in pay shook up everybody in the office./
[shake-up]{n.} A change; a reorganization. •/After the scandal there was a major shake-up in the Cabinet./
[shame] See: FOR SHAME, PUT TO SHAME.
[shape] See: IN SHAPE, OUT OF SHAPE, TAKE SHAPE.
[shape up]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To begin to act or work right; get along satisfactorily. •/If the new boy doesn’t begin to shape up soon, he’ll have to leave school./ •/"How is the building of the new gym coming along?" "Fine. It’s shaping up very well."/ 2. To show promise. •/Plans for our picnic are shaping up very well./
[shape up or ship out]{v. phr.}, {informal} To either improve one’s disposition or behavior, or quit or leave. •/When Paul neglected to carry out his part of the research work that Professor Brown had assigned him with for the fifth time, the professor cried, "Shape up, or ship out, Paul. I have lost my patience with you!"/
[sharp] See: LOOK SHARP.
[sharp as a tack]{adj. phr.} 1. Very neatly and stylishly dressed •/That new boy always looks sharp as a tack in class./ 2. Very intelligent; smart; quick-witted. •/Tom is sharp as a tack; he got 100 on every test./
[shed light on] or upon See: CAST LIGHT ON; THROW LIGHT ON.
[sheep] See: WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING.
[sheepskin]{n.} Diploma. •/Dr. Miller has half a dozen different sheepskins hanging on the wall of his office./
[sheet] See: SCANDAL SHEET, THREE SHEETS IN THE WIND or THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND.
[shelf] See: ON THE SHELF.
[shell] See: IN ONE’S SHELL or INTO ONE’S SHELL, OUT OF ONE’S SHELL.
[shell out]{v.}, {informal} To pay or spend. •/Dick had to shell out a lot of money for his new car./
[shift for oneself]{v. phr.} To live or act independently with no help, guidance or protection from others; take care of yourself. •/Mrs. McCarthy was forced to shift for herself after her husband died./
[shine] See: RAIN OR SHINE, TAKE A SHINE TO.
[shine up to]{v.}, {slang} To try to please; try to make friends with. •/Smedley shines up to all the pretty girls./
[shingle] See: HANG OUT ONE’S SHINGLE.
[ship] See: GIVE UP THE SHIP, LANDING SHIP.
[ship come in] All the money a person has wished for is received; wealth comes to a person. Used with a possessive. •/When my ship comes in, I will take a trip to Norway./ •/Mr. Brown is just waiting for his ship to come in./
[ship out]{v.} To begin a journey; leave. •/The army group shipped out for the Far East today./
[shipshape]{adj.} In perfect condition; in good order. •/After we left the islands, we left the rented car shipshape for the next driver./
[shirk one’s duty]{v. phr.} To be negligent or irresponsible. •/If you continue to shirk your duty, you can expect to be fired./
[shirt] See: GIVE THE SHIRT OFF ONE’S BACK, KEEP ONE’S SHIRT ON, LOSE ONE’S SHIRT.
[shoe] See: COMFORTABLE AS AN OLD SHOE, COMMON AS AN OLD SHOE, FILL ONE’S SHOES, IF THE SHOE FITS, WEAR IT, IN ONE’S SHOES, SHAKE IN ONE’S SHOES, SADDLE SHOE, STEP INTO ONE’S SHOES, WHERE THE SHOE PINCHES.
[shoe on the other foot] The opposite is true; places are changed. •/He was my captain in the army but now the shoe is on the other foot./
[shoestring] See: ON A SHOESTRING.
[shoestring catch]{n.} A catch of a hit baseball just before it hits the ground. •/The left fielder made a shoestring catch of a line drive to end the inning./
[shoo away]{v. phr.} To frighten or chase away. •/When the children gathered around the new sports car, we shooed them away./
[shoo-in]{n.}, {informal} Someone or something that is expected to win; a favorite; sure winner. •/Chris is a shoo-in to win a scholarship./ •/Do you think he will win the election? He’s a shoo-in./ •/This horse is a shoo-in. He can’t miss winning./ Syn.: SURE THING(1).
[shoot ahead of] or [past] or [through] or [alongside of] {v. phr.} To move or drive ahead rapidly. •/As we had to slow down before the tunnel, a red sports car shot ahead of us./
[shoot a line] See: DROP A LINE.
[shoot from the hip]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To fire a gun held at the hip without aiming by aligning the barrel with one’s eye. •/In many Western movies the heroic sheriff defeats the villains by shooting from the hip./ 2. To speak sincerely, frankly, and without subterfuge. •/"What kind of an administrator will Mr. Brown be?" the head of the search committee asked. "He shoots straight from the hip," he was assured./
