V
[vain] See: IN VAIN, TAKE ONE’S NAME IN VAIN.
[valor] See: DISCRETION IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR.
[value] See: FACE VALUE.
[vanish into thin air] See: DISAPPEAR INTO THIN AIR.
[vanishing cream]{n.} A cosmetic cream for the skin that is used chiefly before face powder. •/Mrs. Jones spread vanishing cream on her face before applying her face powder./
[vanity case]{n.} 1. A small case containing face powder, lipstick, and other things and usually carried in a woman’s handbag; a compact. •/She took out her vanity case and put lipstick on./ 2. A handbag or a small bag carried by a woman and holding various toilet articles. •/She had the porter carry her big bags and she herself carried her vanity case./
[variety show]{n.} A program that includes several different kinds of entertainment (as songs, dances, comic skits and little dramas). •/Jane’s father was the master of ceremonies of a variety show on TV./
[variety store]{n.} A store that sells many different kinds of things, especially items that are fairly small and in everyday use. •/I went into a variety store and bought some paint./ •/Five-and-ten cent stores are a kind of variety store./
[vein] See: FREEZE ONE’S BLOOD or FREEZE THE BLOOD IN ONE’S VEINS, FREEZE ONE’S VEINS.
[verbal diarrhea]{n. phr.} The inability to keep silent; over-talkativeness. •/Archibald is a nice guy but he’s got verbal diarrhea and he can’t shut up for a single minute./
[very] See: ALL VERY WELL.
[very well]{interj.}, {formal} Agreed; all right. — Used to show agreement or approval. •/Very well. You may go./ •/Very well, I will do as you say./ Compare: ALL RIGHT(2).
[vibrations] or [vibes] {n.} Psychic emanations radiating from an object, situation, or person. •/I don’t think this relationship will work out — this guy has given me bad vibes./
[vicious circle]{n. phr.} A kind of circular or chain reaction in which one negative thing leads to another. •/Some people take so many different kinds of medicine to cure an illness that they develop other illnesses from the medicine and are thus caught in a vicious circle./
[Vietnam syndrome]{n.}, {informal} An attitude in government circles that diplomacy may be more effective in solving local political problems in other countries than the use of military force, stemming from the failure of the U.S. military intervention in Vietnam. •/The pundits of Foggy Bottom display the Vietnam syndrome these days when it comes to Iran./
[view] See: IN VIEW, IN VIEW OF, TAKE A DIM VIEW OF.
[vine] See: DIE ON THE VINE or WITHER ON THE VINE, CLINGING VINE.
[virtue] See: BY VIRTUE OF, MAKE A VIRTUE OF NECESSITY.
[visiting nurse]{n.} A nurse who goes from home to home taking care of sick people or giving help with other health problems. •/After John returned home from the hospital, the visiting nurse came each day to change his bandages./
[voice] See: AT THE TOP OF ONE’S VOICE, GIVE VOICE.
[voice box]{n.} The part of the throat where the sound of your voice is made; the larynx. •/Mr. Smith’s voice box was taken out in an operation, and he could not talk after that./
[voiceprint]{n.}, {technological}, {colloquial} The graphic pattern derived from converting an individual’s voice into a visible graph used by the police for identification purposes, much as fingerprints. •/They have succeeded in identifying the murderer by using a voiceprint./
[volcano] See: SIT ON A VOLCANO.
[volume] See: SPEAK VOLUMES.
[vote a straight ticket]{v. phr.} To not differentiate one’s ballot according to individual names and posts, but to vote for all candidates for all positions of the same party. •/"I never have time.to study the ballot in detail," Marie said, "and so I tend to vote a straight Republican ticket."/
[vote in]{v. phr.} To elevate to the status of "Law of the Land" by special or general ballot. •/Congress has finally voted in the Brady Law that requires that prospective gun owners wait a special period of time before making their purchase./
[vote one out]{v. phr.} To terminate one’s elected office by casting a negative vote about that person (judge, congressman, etc.), mostly so that someone else might occupy the same position. •/Congressman Smith was voted out last November in favor of Congresswoman Bradley./
[wade in] or [wade into] {v.}, {informal} 1. To go busily to work. •/The house was a mess after the party, but Mother waded in and soon had it clean again./ 2. To attack. •/When Bill had heard Jim’s argument, he waded in and took it apart./ •/Jack waded into the boys with his fists flying./
[wade through]{v. phr.} To read through something long and laborious. •/It took John six months to wade through Tolstoy’s War and Peace in the original Russian./
[wag] See: TONGUES TO WAG or TONGUES WAG.
[wagon] See: FIX SOMEONE’S WAGON, HITCH ONE’S WAGON TO A STAR, JUMP ON THE BAND WAGON, OFF THE WAGON, ON THE WAGON.
[wag one’s chin] See: BEAT ONE’S GUMS, CHEW THE FAT, CHEW THE RAG, SHOOT THE BREEZE.
[wait] See: LIE IN WAIT.
[wait at table] or [wait on table] or [wait table] {v. phr.} To serve food. •/Mrs. Lake had to teach her new maid to wait on table properly./ •/The girls earn spending money by waiting at table in the school dining rooms./
[waiting list]{n.} A list of persons waiting to get into something (as a school). •/The nursery school enrollment was complete, so the director put our child’s name on the waiting list./ •/The landlord said there were no vacant apartments available, but that he would put the Rogers' name on the waiting list./
[waiting room]{n. phr.} The sitting area in a doctor’s, lawyer’s, accountant’s, etc. office, or in a hospital, or other workplace, where people wait their turn. •/Some doctor’s offices have elegantly furnished waiting rooms with magazines, newspapers, and coffee for the patients./
[wait on] or [wait upon] {v.} 1. To serve. •/Sue has a summer job waiting on an invalid./ •/The clerk in the store asked if we had been waited upon./ 2. {formal} To visit as a courtesy or for business. •/We waited upon the widow out of respect for her husband./ •/John waited upon the President with a letter of introduction./ 3. To follow. •/Success waits on hard work./
[wait on hand and foot]{v. phr.} To serve in every possible way; do everything for (someone). •/Sally is spoiled because her mother waits on her hand and foot./ •/The gentlemen had a valet to wait on him hand and foot./ Compare: HAND AND FOOT.
[wait on table] See: WAIT AT TABLE.
[wait up]{v. phr.} To not go to bed until a person one is worried about comes home (said by parents and marriage partners). •/My mother always waited up for me when I went out as a young student./ •/She always waits up for her husband when he’s out late./
[wait upon] See: WAIT ON.
[wake] See: IN THE WAKE OF.
[walk] See: WIN IN A WALK.
[walk all over] See: WALK OVER.
[walk a tightrope]{v. phr.} To be in a dangerous or awkward situation where one cannot afford to make a single mistake. •/"When we landed on the moon in 1969," Armstrong explained, "we were walking a tightrope till the very end."/
[walk away with] or [walk off with] {v.} 1. To take and go away with; take away; often: steal. •/When Father went to work, he accidentally walked off with Mother’s umbrella./ •/How can a thief walk off with a safe in broad daylight?/ 2. To take, get, or win easily. •/Jim walked away with all the honors on Class Night./ •/Our team walked off with the championship./
[walking dictionary]{n. phr.} A person highly knowledgeable in matters of language use. •/If you want to know what "serendipity" means, ask my Uncle Fred. He is a professor of English and is also a walking dictionary./
[walking encyclopedia]{n. phr.} A polymath; a person very well versed in a number of different disciplines. •/My uncle is a veritable walking encyclopedia when it comes to the history of World War II./ Contrast: WALKING DICTIONARY.
[walking papers] or [walking orders] also [walking ticket] {n.}, {informal} A statement that you are fired from your job; dismissal. •/The boss was not satisfied with Paul’s work and gave him his walking papers./ •/George is out of work. He picked up his walking ticket last Friday./
[walk off with] See: WALK AWAY WITH.
[walk of life]{n. phr.} Way of living; manner in which people live. •/Many rich people have yachts; people in their walk of life can afford them./ •/The banker did not want his son to marry a girl in a different walk of life./ •/People from every walk of life enjoy television./ Compare: THE TRACKS.
[walk on air]{v. phr.}, {informal} To feel happy and excited. •/Sue has been walking on air since she won the prize./ •/His father’s compliment left Jed walking on air./ Compare: ON CLOUD NINE, ON TOP OF THE WORLD.
[walk on eggs]{v. phr.} To act with utmost caution due to being in a precarious position. •/Tom has been walking on eggs ever since he started working for a new boss in Cincinnati./
[walk out]{v.} 1. To go on strike. •/When the company would not give them higher pay, the workers walked out./ 2. To leave suddenly; especially to desert. •/He didn’t say he wasn’t coming back; he just walked out./ — Often used informally with "on". •/The man walked out on his wife and children./ Compare: LEAVE FLAT, LEAVE IN THE LURCH.
[walk over] or [walk all over] or [step all over] {v. phr.} {informal} To make (someone) do whatever you wish; make selfish use of; treat like a slave; impose upon. •/Jill is so friendly and helpful that people walk all over her./ •/We wanted the man’s business, so we let him step all over us./ Compare: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.
[walk the chalk] or [walk the chalk line] or [walk the chalk mark] To act exactly as you are supposed to; behave properly; obey. •/That new teacher really makes the students walk the chalk./ •/In some classes the students play and talk, but Mr. Parker makes them walk the chalk./ •/That theater owner wants his place to be orderly, and if boys and girls don’t walk the chalk, he puts them out./ (From the fact that sailors used to be asked to walk a chalk line along the deck of the ship to prove they were not drunk.) Compare: TOE THE MARK.
[walk the floor]{v. phr.} To walk one direction and then the other across the floor, again and again; pace. •/Mr. Black walked the floor, trying to reach a decision./ •/The sick baby had his mother walking the floor all night./ •/Mrs. Black’s toothache hurt so much that she got up and walked the floor./
[walk the plank]{v. phr.} 1. To walk off a board extended over the side of a ship and be drowned. •/The pirates captured the ship and forced the crew to walk the plank./ 2. {informal} To resign from a job because someone makes you do it. •/When a new owner bought the store, the manager had to walk the plank./
[wall] See: BACK TO THE WALL, BEAT ONE’S HEAD AGAINST A WALL, CLIMB THE WALL, FORWARD WALL, HANDWRITING ON THE WALL, HOLE-IN-THE-WALL, STONE WALL or BRICK WALL, TO THE WALL.
[wallflower]{n.} A girl who has to sit out dances because nobody is asking her to dance. •/"I used to be a wallflower during my high school days," Valerie complained, "but my luck changed for better once I got into college."/
[wallop] See: PACK A PUNCH or PACK A WALLOP.
[walls have ears] Sometimes one’s most confidential conversations are overheard. •/"Be careful what you say," he whispered. "Remember that walls have ears."/
