[for keeps]{adv. phr.} 1. For the winner to keep. •/They played marbles for keeps./ 2. {informal} For always; forever, •/He left town for keeps./ Syn.: FOR GOOD. 3. Seriously, not just for fun. •/This is not a joke, it’s for keeps./ — Often used in the phrase "play for keeps". •/The policeman knew that the robber was trying to shoot him. He was playing for keeps./
[forked tongue] See: SPEAK WITH A FORKED TONGUE.
[fork over a lot of money]{v. phr.} To pay an excessive amount of money often unwillingly. •/"According to my divorce decree," Alan complained, "I have to fork over a lot of money to my ex-wife every month."/
[fork over] or [fork out] also [fork up] {v.} To pay; pay out. •/He had to fork over fifty dollars to have the car repaired./ Compare: HAND OVER.
[for laughs]{adv. phr.} For pleasure; for fun; as a joke. •/The college boys climbed up into the girls' dorms and stole some of their dresses just for laughs, but they were punished all the same./
[for love or money]{adv. phr.} For anything; for any price. Used in negative sentences. •/I wouldn’t give him my dog for love or money./ Compare: FOR ALL THE WORLD(1).
[form] See: RAN TRUE TO FORM.
[for no man] See: TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO MAN.
[for one] As the first of several possible examples; as one example. •/Manv people do not like certain foods. I for one do not like cabbage./ — Also used with similar words instead of "one". •/Several materials can be used to make the box: plywood, for one; masonite, for another; sheet metal, for a third./
[for one’s money]{prep. phr.} Regarding one’s endorsement or support; as far as one is concerned. •/For my money, the best candidate for Congress is Ms. Smith./
[for one’s part] also [on one’s part] {adv. phr.} As far as you are concerned; the way you feel or think. •/I don’t know about you, but for my part I don’t want to go to that place./ Compare: AS FOR.
[for one thing]{adv. phr.} As one thing of several; as one in a list of things. •/The teacher said, "You get a low mark, for one thing, because you did not do your homework."/ •/The house was poorly built; for one thing, the roof leaked./ Compare: FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE FIRST PLACE.
[for real(1)]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Not practice or play; earnest, real, serious. •/The war games were over now. This battle was for real./
[for real(2)]{adv. phr.}, {substandard} Not for practice; really; seriously. •/Let’s do our work for real./
[for one’s sake]{adv. phr.}, {informal} Used with different possessive nouns to show surprise, crossness, or impatience. •/For heaven’s sake, where did you come from?/ •/For Pete’s sake, look who’s here!/ •/Well, for pity’s sake, I wish you’d told me sooner./ •/Oh, for gosh sake, let me do it./
[for shame]{interj.} Shame on you; you should be ashamed of yourself. — An exclamation no longer in common use, having been largely replaced by "shame on you". •/"For shame, John, taking the toy from your baby brother!"/
[for short]{adv. phr.} So as to make shorter; as an abbreviation or nickname. •/The boy’s name was Humperdink, or "Dink" for short./ •/The National Broadcasting Company is called NBC for short./
[for sure] or [for certain] {adv. phr.} 1. Without doubt; certainly; surely. •/He couldn’t tell for sure from a distance whether it was George or Tom./ •/He didn’t know for certain which bus to take./ •/I know for certain that he has a car./ 2. {slang} Certain. •/"That car is smashed so badly it’s no good any more." "That’s for sure!"/ Compare: SURE THING.
[fort] See: HOLD THE FORT.
[forth] See: AND SO FORTH, BACK AND FORTH, CALL FORTH, HOLD FORTH, SET FORTH.
[for that matter]{adv. phr.} With regard to that; about that. •/I don’t know, and for that matter, I don’t care./ •/Alice didn’t come, and for that matter, she didn’t even telephone./ Compare: MATTER OP FACT,
[for the asking]{adv. phr.} By asking; by asking for it; on request. •/John said I could borrow his bike any time. It was mine for the asking./ •/Teacher said her advice was free for the asking./
[for the best]{adj.} or {adv. phr.} good or best; not bad as thought; lucky; well, happily. •/Maybe it’s for the best that your team lost; now you know how the other boys felt./ •/John’s parents thought it would be for the best if he stayed out of school for the rest of the year./ Often used in the phrase "turn out for the best". •/You feel unhappy now because you got sick and couldn’t go with your friends, but it will all turn out for the best./ Compare: TURN OUT(6). Contrast: FOR THE WORSE.
[for the better]{adj.} or {adv. phr.} With a better result; for something that is better. •/The doctor felt that moving Father to a dry climate would be for the better./ •/The new large print in the book is a change for the better./ Compare: TAKE A TURN. Contrast: FOR THE WORSE.
[for the birds]{adj. phr.}, {slang} Not interesting; dull; silly; foolish; stupid. •/I think history is for the birds./ •/I saw that movie. It’s for the birds./
[for the books] See: ONE FOR THE BOOKS.
[for the devil] or [heck] or [the hell of it] {adv. phr.} For no specific reason; just for sport and fun. •/We poured salt into Uncle Tom’s coffee, just for the heck of it./ See: DEVIL OF IT.
[for the hills] See: HEAD FOR THE HILLS.
[for the life of one]{adv.}, {informal} No matter how hard you try. — Used for emphasis with negative statements. •/I can’t for the life of me remember his name./
[for the moon] See: ASK FOR THE MOON or CRY FOR THE MOON.
[for the most part]{adv. phr.} In general; mostly; most of the time; commonly; generally. •/European countries are, for the most part, tired of war./ Syn.: BY AND LARGE, ON THE WHOLE.
[for the nonce] See: FOR THE TIME BEING.
[for the ride] See: ALONG FOR THE RIDE.
[for the sake of] or [for one’s sake] {adv. phr.} On behalf of; for the benefit of. •/For the sake of truth and freedom, Dr. Sakharov, the Soviet dissident, was willing to be banished from Moscow./ •/"Do it for my sake, please!" Tom begged./
[for the time being] also {literary} [for the nonce] {adv. phr.} For now; for a while; temporarily. •/I haven’t any note paper, but this envelope will do for the time being./ •/She hasn’t found an apartment yet; she’s staying with her aunt for the time being./
[for the world] See: NOT FOR THE WORLD.
[for the worse]{adj. phr.} or {adv. phr.} For something that is worse or not as good, with a worse result. •/He bought a new car but it turned out to be for the worse./ •/The sick man’s condition changed for the worse./ Compare: TAKE A TURN. Contrast: FOR THE BETTER.
[for to]{prep. phr.}, {dialect} So that you can; to. •/Simple Simon went a-fishing for to catch a whale./ Syn.: IN ORDER TO.
[forty winks]{n. phr.}, {informal} A short period of sleep; a nap. •/When the truck driver felt sleepy, he stopped by the side of the road to catch forty winks./ Compare: SHUT-EYE.
[forward] See: BACKWARD AND FORWARD, LOOK FORWARD TO, PUT ONE’S BEST FOOT FORWARD.
[forward wall]{n.} The line of a football team. •/Princeton 's line outplayed the Rutgers forward wall./
[for you] See: THAT’S --- FOR YOU.
[foul ball]{n.} A batted baseball that lands outside the foul line. •/Mickey hit a long foul ball that landed on the roof./
[foul line]{n.} 1. Either of two lines separating fair from foul ground in baseball. •/Willie hit the ball just inside the foul line for a double./ 2. A line across the upper end of a bowling alley across which a bowler must not step. •/John bowled a strike but it didn’t count because he stepped over the foul line./ 3. A line on the floor in front of the basket in basketball, from which foul shots are made. •/Tony scored eight points from the foul line./
[foul out]{v.} 1. To make an out in baseball by hitting a foul fly ball that is caught. •/He fouled out to the catcher./ 2. To be forced to leave a basketball game because of getting more than the limit number of personal fouls. •/A professional basketball player is allowed six personal fouls before fouling out./
[foul play]{n.} Treachery; a criminal act (such as murder). •/After they discovered the dead body, the police suspected foul play./ •/"She must have met with foul play," the chief inspector said when they couldn’t find the 12-year-old girl who had disappeared./
[foul shot]{n.} A free throw given in basketball to a player who has been fouled. •/Tony was given two foul shots when he was fouled while trying to shoot./ Compare: FIELD GOAL 2, FREE THROW.
[foul up]{v.}, {informal} 1. To make dirty. •/The birds fouled up his newly washed car./ 2. To tangle up. •/He tried to throw a lasso but he got the rope all fouled up./ 3. To ruin or spoil by stupid mistakes; botch. •/He fouled the whole play up by forgetting his part./ 4. To make a mistake; to blunder. •/Blue suit and brown socks! He had fouled up again./ 5. To go wrong. •/Why do some people foul up and become criminals?/
[foul-up]{n.} (stress on "foul") 1. {informal} A confused situation; confusion; mistake. •/The luncheon was handled with only one or two foul-ups./ 2. {informal} A breakdown. •/There was a foul-up in his car’s steering mechanism./ 3. {slang} A person who fouls up or mixes things. •/He had gotten a reputation as a foul-up./
[foundation garment]{n.} A close-fitting garment designed for women to wear underneath their clothes to make them look slim; a piece of woman’s underwear. •/Jane wears a foundation garment under her evening dress./
[four] See: HIT ON ALL FOUR, ON ALL FOURS.
[four bits]{n.}, {slang} Fifty cents. •/Tickets to the play are four bits," said Bill./ Compare: TWO BITS.
[four corners]{n.} All parts of a place. •/People came from the four corners of the world to see him./ •/He has been to the four corners of the country./ Compare: ALL OVER.
[four-eyes]{n.}, {slang} A person who wears glasses. — A rude expression, •/Hey, four-eyes, come over here./
[four-leaf clover]{n.} A small green plant with four leaves which many people think means good luck because clover plants usually have three leaves. •/John has a four-leaf clover in his pocket. He thinks he will have good luck now./
[fourth class]{n.} A class of mail that is not sealed and weighs a pound or more, that includes things that are bought and sold and sent in the mail, and printed things that are not second or third class mail. •/Bill sent away 98 cereal box tops and a dollar and got back a sheriff’s badge and gun in the mail by fourth class./
[fourth-class(1)]{adj.} Belonging to the fourth class of mail. •/The package weighed a pound and a half, so it had to be sent by fourth-class mail./
[fourth-class(2)]{adv.} By fourth-class mail. •/How did the company mail the package? Fourth-class./
[fourth world]{n.}, {informal} The poor nations of the world, as distinguished from the oil-rich nations of the third world. •/Sri Lanka will never join OPEC, since it is a fourth world nation./
[fowl] See: NEITHER FISH NOR FOWL.
[fox and geese]{n. phr.} A tag game in which the player representing the fox tries to catch one of the players representing geese as they run around the outside of a circle.
