[look after] also [see after] {v.} To watch over; attend to. •/John’s mother told him to look after his younger brother./ •/When he went to Europe, Mr. Jenkins left his son to see after the business./ Syn.: TAKE CARE OF(1). Compare: LOOK OUT(3).
[look a gift horse in the mouth] To complain if a gift is not perfect. — A proverb. Usually used with a negative. •/John gave Joe a baseball but Joe complained that the ball was old. His father told him not to look a gift horse in the mouth./
[look alive]{v.} Act lively; be quick; wake up and work; be busy; hurry. — Often used as a command. •/"Look alive there," the boss called./
[look as if butter wouldn’t melt in one’s mouth] See: BUTTER WOULDN’T MELT IN ONE’S MOUTH.
[look as if one has come out of a bandbox]{v. phr.}, {informal} To look very clean and fresh; look as if you had just had a bath and put on all-new clothing. •/In spite of the long, hot train ride, Jody arrived looking as if she had come out of a bandbox./ •/After a day at the rodeo we were all dusty and tired except for Hope, who looked as if she’d come out of a bandbox./
[look at]{v.} To have a way of thinking or feeling toward; think about something in a certain way. •/Is he a hero or a villain? That depends on how you look at it./ •/Depending on how you looked at it, the tea party could be called a pleasure or a bore./
[look at the world through rose-colored glasses] or [see with rose-colored glasses] {v. phr.} To see everything as good and pleasant; not see anything hard or bad. •/When Jean graduated from high school, she looked at the world through rose-colored glasses./ •/If you see everything through rose-colored glasses, you will often be disappointed./
[look back]{v.} To review the past; think of what has happened. •/As John looked back, his life seemed good to him./ •/Murphy looked back on his early struggles as having made him feel especially alive./ •/When Ed applied for a job and asked the school to recommend him, the principal looked back over his records./
[look bleak]{v.} To indicate misfortune; appear threatening or ruinous. •/As prices dropped lower and lower, things looked bleak for Henry’s company./ •/Many witnesses gave testimony against Jerry and his case looked bleak./ •/The future looked bleak when Father got hurt and could not work./
[look daggers]{v. phr.} To show anger with a look; express hate or enmity by a look or stare; look fiercely. •/The other driver looked daggers at Morris for turning in before him./ •/Mary did not dare talk back to her father, but she looked daggers./
[look down on] also [look down upon] {v.} To think of (a person or thing) as less good or important; feel that (someone) is not as good as you are, or that (something) is not worth having or doing; consider inferior. •/Mary looked down on her classmates because she was better dressed than they were./ •/Jack looked down on Al for his poor manners./ •/Miss Tracy likes tennis but she looks down on football as too rough./
[look down one’s nose at]{v. phr.}, {informal} To think of as worthless; feel scorn for. •/The banker’s wife has beautiful china cups, and she looked down her nose at the plastic cups that Mrs. Brown used./ •/Harry has never had to work, and he looks down his nose at people in business./ •/Jerry was the athlete who looked down his nose at the weak student./
[look for]{v.} 1. To think likely; expect. •/We look for John to arrive any day now./ •/The frost killed many oranges, and housewives can look for an increase in their price./ •/Bob wouldn’t go for a ride with the boys because he was looking for a phone call from Julie./ 2. To try to find; search for; hunt. •/Fred spent all day looking for a job./ •/Mary and Joe looked for the Smiths at the play./ 3. To do things that cause (your own trouble); make (trouble) for yourself; provoke. •/Joe often gets into fights because he is always looking for trouble./ •/If you say the opposite of everything that others say, you are looking for a quarrel./
[look for a needle in a haystack] See: NEEDLE IN A HAY STACK.
[look forward to]{v.} 1. To expect. •/At breakfast, John looked forward to a difficult day./ 2. To expect with hope or pleasure. •/Frank was looking forward to that evening’s date./
[look high and low for]{v. phr.} To look everywhere; search all over. •/Everyone has been looking high and low for the lost key but no one could find it./
[look-in]{n.}, {informal} A chance or hope. — Usually used with a negative. •/It wasn’t much of a look-in, but it was the only chance they let him have./ •/Charlie didn’t realize it, but he never had a look-in with Bonnie./
[look in on]{v.} To go to see; make a short visit with; make a call on. •/On his way downtown, Jim looked in on his aunt./ •/The doctor looked in on Mary each day when he went by./
[look in the eye] or [look in the face] {v. phr.} To meet with a steady look; to face bravely or without shame. •/Mary looked the gangster in the eye, and he turned away without hurting her./ •/John had looked death in the face many times./ •/We often believe a person who looks us in the eye, but it does not prove he is truthful./ •/U promised Harry to write to him while I was on vacation, and if I don’t do it, I won’t be able to look him in the eye./
[look into]{v.} To find out the facts about; examine; study; inspect. •/The mayor felt he should look into the decrease of income from parking meters./ •/Mr. Jones said he was looking into the possibility of buying a house./ Compare: GO INTO(4), SEE ABOUT.
[look like a million dollars]{v. phr.}, {informal} To look well and prosperous; appear healthy and happy and lucky; look pretty and attractive. •/John came back from Florida driving a fine new car, tanned and glowing with health. He looked like a million dollars./ •/Dressed in the new formal and in a new hairdo, Betty looked like a million dollars./ Compare: FEEL LIKE A MILLION.
[look like the cat that ate the canary] or [look like the cat that swallowed the canary] {v. phr.} To seem very self-satisfied; look as if you had just had a great success. •/Peter bet on the poorest horse in the race and when it won, he looked like the cat that ate the canary./ •/When she won the prize, she went home looking like the cat that swallowed the canary./
[look on] or [look upon] {v.} 1. To regard; consider; think of. •/The stuff had always been looked on as a worthless factory waste./ •/Until the day Bob made the touchdown, the other boys had looked upon him as rather a sissy./ 2. To be an observer; watch without taking part. •/Fred had never been able to do more than look on at athletic sports./ •/The children played in the park while their mother looked on./ Compare: SIT IN.
[look oneself]{v. phr.} To appear self-possessed and well; look or seem in full possession of your abilities and in good health; to appear all right or normal. •/Mary had had a long illness, but now she looked quite herself again./ •/It had been a big night, and Uncle John had been drinking freely, but he looked entirely himself after a night’s sleep./ — Often used in the negative. •/What’s wrong with Larry? He doesn’t look himself./
[lookout] See: ON THE LOOKOUT.
[look out] or [watch out] {v.} 1. To take care; be careful; be on guard. — Usually used as a command or warning. •/"Look out!" John called, as the car came toward me./ •/"Look out for the train," the sign at the railroad crossing warns./ 2. To be alert or watchful; keep watching. •/A collector of antique cars asked Frank to look out for a 1906 gas head lamp./ Compare: EYE OUT, ON THE WATCH. 3. {informal} To watch or keep (a person or thing) and do what is needed; provide protection and care. — Used with "for". •/Lillian looked out for her sister’s children one afternoon a week./ •/Uncle Fred looked out for his brother’s orphan son until the boy was through college./ Compare: LOOK AFTER.
[look out for]{v. phr.} To watch out for; be on the alert. •/There were signs along the highway warning drivers to look out for deer crossing./
[look over]{v.} To look at and try to learn something about; look at every part or piece of or at every one of; examine; inspect; study. •/I looked hurriedly over the apples in the basket and took one that looked good./ •/Mrs. Jones spent the evening looking over the month’s bills and writing checks./ •/When a new boy comes to school, the others usually look him over rather carefully./ •/We looked over several kinds of new cars before deciding./ Compare: ONCE-OVER, SIZE UP.
[look sharp]{v.} To be alert; be very attentive; keep a close watch. •/It pays to look sharp in traffic./ •/The guide told us to look sharp because there were rattlesnakes around./
[look small] See: FEEL SMALL.
[look to]{v.} 1. To attend to; get ready for; take care of. •/Plans had been prepared that looked to every possibility./ •/The president assigned a man to look to our needs./ 2. To go for help to; depend on. •/The child looks to his mother to cure his hurts./ 3. See: SEE TO.
[look to one’s laurels] To make sure that your reputation is not spoiled; protect your good name; keep your record from being beaten by others. •/Tom won the broad jump, but he had to look to his laurels./ •/Look to your laurels, Joan. Betty says she is going to run against you for head cheerleader./
[look up]{v.} 1. {informal} To improve in future chances; promise more success. •/The first year was tough, but business looked up after that./ 2. To search for; hunt for information about; find. •/It is a good habit to look up new words in a dictionary./ 3. To seek and find. •/While he was in Chicago, Henry looked up a friend of college days./
[look upon] See: LOOK ON(1).
[look up to]{v.} To think of (someone) as a good example to copy; honor; respect. •/Mr. Smith had taught for many years, and all the students looked up to him./ •/Young children look up to older ones, so older children should be good examples./
[loop] See: KNOCK FOR A LOOP or THROW FOR A LOOP.
[loose] See: AT LOOSE ENDS, CAST OFF or CAST LOOSE, CUT LOOSE, FAST AND LOOSE, HAVE A SCREW LOOSE, LET LOOSE or SET LOOSE or TURN LOOSE, ON THE LOOSE.
[loose ends]{n.} 1. Parts or things that should be finished or put together. •/Mary’s composition had many loose ends./ •/When George came home after a long trip, he started picking up the loose ends./ 2. See: AT LOOSE ENDS.
[lord it over]{v. phr.} To act as the superior and master of; dominate; be bossy over; control. •/John learned early to lord it over other children./ •/The office manager lorded it over the clerks and typists./
[Lord knows] See: GOD KNOWS.
[lose] See: HEADS I WIN, TAILS YOU LOSE.
[lose face]{v.} To be embarrassed or shamed by an error or failure; lose dignity, influence or reputation; lose self-respect or the confidence of others. •/Many Japanese soldiers were killed in World War II because they believed that to give up or retreat would make them lose face./ •/John’s careless work made him lose face with his employer./ •/The banker lost face when people found out he bet on horse races./
[lose ground] 1. To go backward; retreat. •/The soldiers began to lose ground when their leader was killed./ Compare: GIVE GROUND. 2. To become weaker; get worse; not improve. •/The sick man began to lose ground when his cough grew worse./ •/When the Democrats are in power, the Republicans lose ground./ Contrast: GAIN GROUND.
[lose heart]{v. phr.} To feel discouraged because of failure; to lose hope of success. •/The team had won no games and it lost heart./ Contrast: TAKE HEART.
[lose one’s balance] Contrast: KEEP ONE’S BALANCE.
[lose oneself]{v. phr.} 1. To go wrong; miss your way; become unable to find the right direction. •/Fred lost himself in the confusion of downtown Boston streets./ 2. To conceal yourself; hide. •/The pick-pocket lost himself in the crowd and escaped the police./ 3. To become deeply interested and forget yourself; become absorbed. •/Sometimes Harry would lose himself in a book for an afternoon at a time./ Compare: IN A WORLD OF ONE’S OWN.
