[talking book]{n.} A book recorded by voice on phonograph records for blind people. •/Billy, who was blind, learned history from a talking book./
[talking point]{n.} Something good about a person or thing that can be talked about in selling it. •/The streamlined shape of the car was one of its talking points./ •/John tried to get Mary to date Bill. One of his talking points was that Bill was captain of the football team./
[talk in circles]{v. phr.} To waste time by saying words that don’t mean very much. •/After three hours at the negotiating table, the parties decided to call it quits because they realized that they had been talking in circles./
[talk into]{v.} 1. To get (someone) to agree to; make (someone) decide on (doing something) by talking; persuade to. — Used with a verbal noun. •/Bob talked us into walking home with him./ Compare: TALK OVER(2). Contrast TALK OUT OF. 2. To cause to be in or to get into by talking. •/You talked us into this mess. Now get us out!/ •/Mr. Jones lost the customer in his store by arguing with him./ •/"You’ll talk us into the poor house yet!" said Mrs. Jones./ Contrast: TALK OUT OF.
[talk of the town]{n. phr.} Something that has become so popular or prominent that everyone is discussing it. •/Even after three decades, Picasso’s famous metal statue is still the talk of the town in Chicago./
[talk out]{v.} To talk all about and leave nothing out; discuss until everything is agreed on; settle. •/After their quarrel, Jill and John talked things out and reached full agreement./
[talk out of]{v.} 1. To persuade not to; make agree or decide not to. — Used with a verbal noun. •/Mary’s mother talked her out of quitting school./ Contrast: TALK INTO. 2. To allow to go or get out by talking; let escape by talking. •/Johnny is good at talking his way out of trouble./ Contrast: TALK INTO.
[talk out of turn] See: SPEAK OUT OF TURN.
[talk over]{v.} 1. To talk together about; try to agree about or decide by talking; discuss. •/Tom talked his plan over with his father before he bought the car./ •/The boys settled their argument by talking it over./ 2. To persuade; make agree or willing; talk and change the mind of. •/Fred is trying to talk Bill over to our side./ Compare: TALK INTO.
[talk rot]{v. phr.} To say silly things; talk nonsense. •/He’s talking rot when he says that our company is almost bankrupt./
[talk shop]{v. phr.}, {informal} To talk about things in your work or trade. •/Two chemists were talking shop, and I hardly understood a word they said./
[talk through one’s hat]{v. phr.}, {informal} To say something without knowing or understanding the facts; talk foolishly or ignorantly. •/John said that the earth is nearer the sun in summer, but the teacher said he was talking through his hat./
[talk turkey]{v. phr.}, {informal} To talk about something in a really businesslike way; talk with the aim of getting things done. •/Charles said, "Now, let’s talk turkey about the bus trip. The fact is, it will cost each student $1.50."/ •/The father always spoke gently to his son, but when the son broke the windshield of the car, the father talked turkey to him./
[talk up]{v.} 1. To speak in favor or support of. •/Let’s talk up the game and get a big crowd./ 2. To speak plainly or clearly. •/The teacher asked the student to talk up./ Syn.: SPEAK UP. 3. {informal} To say what you want or think; say what someone may not like. •/Talk up if you want more pie./ •/George isn’t afraid to talk up when he disagrees with the teacher./ Syn.: SPEAK UP. Compare: SPEAK OUT.
[tall order] See: LARGE ORDER.
[tall story] or [tale] {n. phr.} See: FISH STORY.
[tamper with]{v.} 1. To meddle with (something); handle ignorantly or foolishly. •/He tampered with the insides of his watch and ruined it./ 2. To secretly get someone to do or say wrong things, especially by giving him money, or by threatening to hurt him. •/A friend of the man being tried in court tampered with a witness./
[tank] See: THINK TANK.
[tan one’s hide]{v. phr.}, {informal} To give a beating to; spank hard. •/Bob’s father tanned his hide for staying out too late./
[tape] See: FRICTION TAPE, MASKING TAPE.
[taper down]{adj. phr.} To decrease; reduce. •/He has tapered down his drinking from three martinis to one beer a day./
[taper off]{v.} 1. To come to an end little by little; become smaller toward the end. •/The river tapers off here and becomes a brook./ 2. To stop a habit gradually; do something less and less often. •/Robert gave up smoking all at once instead of tapering off./ Contrast: COLD TURKEY.
[tar] See: BEAT THE --- OUT OF.
[tar and feather]{v.} To pour heated tar on and cover with feathers as a punishment. •/In the Old West bad men were sometimes tarred and feathered and driven out of town./
[task] See: TAKE TO TASK.
[taste] See: LEAVE A BAD TASTE IN ONE’S MOUTH.
[tat] See: TIT FOR TAT.
[tax trap]{n.}, {informal} Predicament in which taxpayers in middle-income brackets are required to pay steeply progressive rates of taxation as their earnings rise with inflation but their personal exemptions remain fixed, resulting in a loss of real disposable income. •/Everybody in my neighborhood has been caught in a tax trap./
[T-bone steak]{n.} A steak with a bone in it which looks like a "T". •/On Jim’s birthday we had T-bone steak for supper./
[tea] See: CUP OF TEA also DISH OF TEA.
[teach a lesson]{v. phr.} To show that bad behavior can be harmful. •/When Johnny pulled Mary’s hair, she taught him a lesson by breaking his toy boat./ •/The burns Tommy got from playing with matches taught him a lesson./
[teach the ropes] See: THE ROPES.
[team up with]{v. phr.} To join with; enter into companionship with. •/My brother prefers to do business by himself rather than to team up with anybody else./
[teapot] See: TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT.
[tear around]{v. phr.} To be constantly on the go; dash around. •/No one can understand how she manages to tear around from one social event to another and yet be a good mother to her children./
[tear down]{v.} 1. To take all down in pieces; destroy. •/The workmen tore down the old house and built a new house in its place./ 2. To take to pieces or parts. •/The mechanics had to tear down the engine, and fix it, and put it together again./ 3. To say bad things about; criticize. •/"Why do you always tear people down? Why don’t you try to say nice things about them?"/ •/Dorothy doesn’t like Sandra, and at the class meeting she tore down every idea Sandra suggested./
[tear into]{v. phr.} To attack vigorously, physically or verbally. •/The anxious buyers tore into the wedding gowns on sale at the famous department store./ See: RIP INTO.
[tearjerker]{n.} A sentimental novel or movie that makes one cry. •/Love Story, both in its novel form and as a movie, was a famous tearjerker./
[tear oneself away]{v. phr.} To force oneself to leave; leave reluctantly. •/The beaches in Hawaii are so lovely that I had to tear myself away from them in order to get back to my job in Chicago./
[tear one’s hair]{v. phr.} To show sorrow, anger, or defeat. •/Ben tore his hair when he saw the wrecked car./ •/The teacher tore his hair at the boy’s stupid answer./ •/It was time to go to class, but Mary had not finished the report she had to give, and she began tearing her hair./
[tears] See: BORE TO TEARS, CROCODILE TEARS.
[tear up]{v.} 1. To dig a hole in; remove the surface of; remove from the surface. •/The city tore up the street to lay a new water pipe./ •/Mother tore up the carpeting in the living room and had a new rug put in./ 2. To tear into pieces. •/Mary tore up the old sheets and made costumes for the play out of the pieces./ •/John tore up his test paper so that his mother wouldn’t see his low grade./
[tee off]{v.} 1. To hit the golf ball from a small wooden peg or tee to begin play for each hole. •/We got to the golf course just in time to see the champion tee off./ 2. {slang} To hit a ball, especially a baseball very hard or far. •/He teed off on the first pitch./ 3. {slang} To attack vigorously. •/The governor teed off on his opponent’s speech./ 4. {slang} To make (someone) angry or disgusted. •/It teed me off when Billy stole my candy./ •/Joe was teed off because he had to wait so long./
[teeth] See: TOOTH.
[tee up]{v.} To set the golf ball on the tee in preparation for hitting it toward the green. •/Arnold Palmer teed the ball up for the final hole./
[telepathy] See: MENTAL TELEPATHY.
[tell] See: DO TELL, I’LL SAY or I TELL YOU, I’LL TELL YOU WHAT, I’M TELLING YOU, YOU’RE TELLING ME, YOU TELL 'EM.
[tell apart]{v. phr.} To see the difference between; know each of. •/The teacher could not tell the twins apart./
[tell a thing or two]{v. phr.}, {informal} To tell in plain or angry words; scold. •/When John complained about the hard work, his father told him a thing or two./ •/If Bert thinks he would like to join the army, I’ll tell him a thing or two that will make him change his mind./ Compare: BAWL OUT, GIVE A PIECE OF ONE’S MIND, TELL OFF, THING OR TWO.
[tell it like it is]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To be honest, sincere; to tell the truth. •/Joe is the leader of our commune; he tells it like it is./
[tell it to the marines] or [tell it to Sweeney] {slang} I don’t believe you; Stop trying to fool me. •/John said, "My father knows the President of the United States." Dick answered, "Tell it to the marines."/
[tell off]{v.} 1. To name or count one by one and give some special duty to; give a share to. •/Five boy scouts were told off to clean the camp./ 2. {informal} To speak to angrily or sharply; attack with words; scold. •/Mr. Black got angry and told off the boss./ •/Bobby kept pulling Sally’s hair; finally she got angry and told him where to get off./ Syn.: TELL ONE WHERE TO GET OFF. Compare: GIVE A PIECE OF ONE’S MIND, LAY DOWN THE LAW, TELL A THING OR TWO.
[tell on]{v.} 1. To tire; wear out; make weak. •/The ten-mile hike told on Bill./ 2. {informal} To tell someone about another’s wrong or naughty acts. — Used mainly by children. •/Andy hit a little girl and John told the teacher on Andy./ •/If you hit me, I’ll tell Mother on you./
[tell tales out of school]{v. phr.} To tell something that is secret; tell others something that is not meant to be known. •/Don’t tell Jane anything. She is always telling tales out of school./ Compare: LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG, SPILL THE BEANS.
[tell one where to get off] or [tell one where to head in] {v. phr.}, {informal} To talk angrily to; speak to or answer with rough language; scold. •/Bob told Ted to get out of his way. Ted told Bob where to get off./ •/Mary laughed at Barbara’s hairdo. Barbara told Mary where to head in./ Compare: TELL A THING OR TWO, TELL OFF.
[tell time]{v. phr.} To read a clock or watch. •/Although Johnny is only three years old, he is already able to tell time./
[tell you what] See: I’LL TELL YOU WHAT.
[temper] See: GOD TEMPERS THE WIND TO THE SHORN LAMB, HOLD ONE’S TEMPER or KEEP ONE’S TEMPER, LOSE ONE’S TEMPER.
[temperature] See: RUN A TEMPERATURE.
[tempest in a teapot]{n. phr.} Great excitement about something not important. •/Bess tore her skirt a little and made a tempest in a teapot./
[tempt fate] or [tempt the fates] {v. phr.} To take a chance; run a risk; gamble. •/You’re tempting fate every time you drive that old wreck of a car./
