[tit for tat] <n. phr.> Equal treatment in return; a fair exchange. * /Billy hit me, so I gave him tit for tat./ * /I told him if he did me any harm I would return tit for tat./ * /They had a warm debate and the two boys gave each other tit for tat./ Compare: GET BACK AT, EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.
[to a conclusion] See: JUMP TO A CONCLUSION.
[to a crisp] See: BURN TO A CRISP.
[to a degree] <adv. phr.> 1. <Chiefly British> Very; to a large extent. * /In some things I am ignorant to a degree./ 2. Somewhat; slightly; in a small way; rather. * /His anger was, to a degree, a confession of defeat./ * /To a degree, Mary was to blame for Bob's failing mathematics, because he spent much time with her when he should have been studying./
[to advantage] <adv. phr.> So as to bring out the good qualities of; favorably; in a flattering way. * /The jeweler's window showed the diamonds to advantage./ * /The green dress showed up to advantage with her red hair./
[to a fault] <adv. phr.> So very well that it is in a way bad; to the point of being rather foolish; too well; too much. * /Aunt May wants everything in her house to be exactly right; she is neat to a fault./ * /Mary acts her part to a fault./ * /John carries thoroughness to a fault; he spends many hours writing his reports./
[to a halt] See: GRIND TO A HALT.
[to a large extent] See: IN GREAT MEASURE.
[to all intents and purposes] <adv. phr.> In most ways; in fact. * /The president is called the head of state, but the prime minister, to all intents and purposes, is the chief executive./
[to a man] <adv. phr.> Without exception; with all agreeing. * /The workers voted to a man to go on strike./ * /To a man John's friends stood by him in his trouble./ Compare: EVERY LAST MAN.
[to and fro] <adv. phr.> Forward and back again and again. * /Father pushed Judy in the swing, and she went to and fro./ * /Busses go to and fro between the center of the city and the city limits/ * /The man walked to and fro while he waited for his phone call./ Compare: BACK AND FORTH.
[to another tune] See: DANCE TO ANOTHER TUNE.
[to a T] or [to a turn] <adv. phr.> Just right; to perfection; exactly. * /The roast was done to a turn./ * /His nickname, Tiny, suited him to a T./ Compare: TO THE LETTER.
[to bat] See: GO TO BAT FOR.
[to bay] See: BRING TO BAY.
[to-be] <adj.> That is going to be; about to become. - Used after the noun it modifies. * /Bob kissed his bride-to-be./ * /The principal of the high school greeted the high school students-to-be on their last day in junior high./
[to bed] See: PUT TO BED, PUT TO BED WITH A SHOVEL.
[to be on the safe side] <adv. phr.> To take extra precautions; reduce or eliminate the possibility of a mistake, an error, or even danger. * /Dad always keeps his valuables in a bank's safe deposit box, just to be on the safe side./ Compare: JUST IN CASE.
[to be sure] <adv. phr.> Without a doubt; certainly; surely. * /"Didn't you say Mr. Smith would take us home?" "Oh, yes. To be sure, I did."/ - Often used before a clause beginning with "but". * /He works slowly, to be sure, but he does a good job./ * /To be sure, Jim is a fast skater, but he is not good at doing figures./ Syn.: OF COURSE.
[to blame] <adj. phr.> Having done something wrong; to be blamed; responsible. * /John was to blame for the broken window./ * /The teacher tried to find out who was to blame in the fight./
[to boot] <adv. phr.> In addition; besides; as something extra. * /He not only got fifty dollars, but they bought him dinner to boot./ Compare: FOR GOOD MEASURE, IN THE BARGAIN, THROW IN.
[to date] <adv.> or <adj. phr.> Up to the present time; until now. * /To date twenty students have been accepted into the school./ * /The police have not found the runaway to date./ * /Jim is shoveling snow to earn money, but his earnings to date are small./ Syn.: SO FAR.
[to death] <adv. phr.>, <informal> To the limit; to the greatest degree possible. - Used for emphasis with verbs such as "scare", "frighten", "bore". * /Cowboy stories bore me to death, but I like mysteries./ * /Sara is scared to death of snakes./ * /John is tickled to death with his new bike./
[to do] See: HAVE TO DO WITH.
[toe] See: CURL ONE'S HAIR or CURL ONE'S TOES, ON ONE'S TOES, STEP ON THE TOES OF.
[toe the line] or [toe the mark] <v. phr.> To be very careful to do just what you are supposed to do; obey the rules and do your duties. * /The new teacher will make Joe toe the line./ * /Bill's father is strict with him and he has to toe the mark./ Compare: WALK THE CHALK.
[to first base] See: GET TO FIRST BASE.
[together] See: GET IT ALL TOGETHER.
[together with] <prep.> In addition to; in the company of; along with. * /John, together with his brother, has gone to the party./ * /The police found a knife, together with the stolen money, hidden in a hollow tree./
[to grips] See: COME TO GRIPS WITH.
[to heart] See: TAKE TO HEART also LAY TO HEART.
[to heel] <adj. phr.> 1. Close behind. * /The dog ran after a rabbit, but Jack brought him to heel./ 2. Under control; to obedience. * /When Peter was sixteen, he thought he could do as he pleased, but his father cut off his allowance, and Peter soon came to heel./
[to hell with] or [the hell with] <prep. phr.>, <informal> Used to express disgusted rejection of something. * /It's slop; the hell with what the cook calls it./ Compare: FED UP, GIVE A HANG.
[to it] See: PUT ONE'S BACK TO IT.
[to light] See: BRING TO LIGHT, COME TO LIGHT.
[toll] See: TAKE ITS TOLL.
[toll call] <n. phr.> A long distance telephone call for which one has to pay. * /We had several toll calls on last month's telephone bill./
[toll free] <adv. phr.> Calling an (800) telephone number with the call paid by the business whose number one has dialed. * /You can call us day and night, seven days a week, toll free./
[Tom] See: PEEPING TOM.
[Tom, Dick, and Harry] <n. phr.> People in general; anyone; everyone. - Usually preceded by "every" and used to show scorn or disrespect. * /The drunk told his troubles to every Tom, Dick and Harry who passed by./
[tone down] <v.> To make softer or quieter; make less harsh or strong; moderate. * /He toned down the sound of the TV./ * /She wanted the bright colors in her house toned down./ * /When the ladies arrived, he toned down his language./ * /The strikers were asked to tone down their demands for higher pay so that there might be a quicker agreement and an end to the strike./
[tong] See: GO AT IT HAMMER AND TONGS.
[tongue] See: AT THE TIP OF ONE'S TONGUE, CAT GET ONE'S TONGUE, HOLD ONE'S TONGUE, KEEP A CIVIL TONGUE IN ONE'S HEAD, SLIP OF THE TONGUE.
[tongue-in-cheek] <adj. phr.> In an ironic or insincere manner. * /When the faculty complained about the poor salary increments, the university's president said that he was not a psychiatrist, thus making an inappropriate tongue-in-cheek remark./
[tongue-lashing] <n.> A sharp scolding or criticism. * /Jim's mother gave him a tongue-lashing for telling family secrets./ Syn.: PIECE OF ONE'S MIND.
[tongues wag] <informal> People speak in an excited or gossipy manner; people spread rumors. * /If married women go out with other men, tongues will wag./ * /When the bank clerk showed up in an expensive new car, tongues wagged./
[tongue-tied] See: TIGHT-LIPPED.
[tongue twister] <n.> A word or group of words difficult to pronounce whose meaning is irrelevant compared to the difficulty of enunciation. * /"She sells sea shells by the seashore" is a popular American tongue twister./
[to no avail] or [of no avail(1)] <adj. phr.>, <formal> Having no effect; useless, unsuccessful. * /Tom's practicing was of no avail. He was sick on the day of the game./ * /Mary's attempts to learn embroidering were to no avail./
[to no avail(2)] <adv. phr.>, <formal> Without result; unsuccessfully. * /John tried to pull the heavy cart, but to no avail./ * /Mary studied hard for the test but to no avail./ Compare: IN VAIN.
[too] See: EAT ONE'S CAKE AND HAVE IT TOO.
[too bad] <adj.> To be regretted; worthy of sorrow or regret; regrettable. - Used as a predicate. * /It is too bad that we are so often lazy./ * /It was too bad Bill had measles when the circus came to town./
[too big for one's breeches] or [too big for one's boots] <adj. phr.> Too sure of your own importance; feeling more important than you really are. * /That boy had grown too big for his breeches. I'll have to put him back in his place./ * /When the teacher made Bob a monitor, he got too big for his boots and she had to warn him./
[too ---- by half] <adj.> (<princ. British>) Much too; excessively. * /The heroine of the story is too nice by half; she is not believable./
[too close for comfort] <adj. phr.> Perilously near (said of bad things). * /When the sniper's bullet hit the road the journalist exclaimed, "Gosh, that was too close for comfort!"/ Compare: CLOSE CALL, CLOSE SHAVE.
[too many cooks spoil the broth] or [stew] A project is likely to go bad if managed by a multiplicity of primary movers. - A proverb. * /When several people acted all at once in trying to reshape the company's investment policy, Tom spoke up and said, "Let me do this by myself! Don't you know that too many cooks spoil the broth?"/
[too many irons in the fire] See: IRONS IN THE FIRE.
[to one] See: TEN TO ONE, TWO TO ONE.
[to oneself(1)] <adv. phr.> 1. Silently; in the thoughts; without making a sign that others can see; secretly. * /Tom thought to himself that he could win./ * /Mary said to herself that Joan was prettier than Ann./ * /Bill laughed to himself when John fell down./ 2. Without telling others; in private; as a secret. - Used after "keep". * /Mary keeps her affairs to herself./ * /John knew the answer to the problem, but he kept it to himself./
[to oneself(2)] <adj. phr.> 1. Without company; away from others; alone; deserted. * /The boys went home and John was left to himself./ * /When Mary first moved to her new neighborhood she was very shy and kept to herself./ 2. Following one's own beliefs or wishes; not stopped by others. * /When John insisted on going, Fred left him to himself./ * /The teacher left Mary to herself to solve the problem./
[to one's face] <adv. phr.> Directly to you; in your presence. * /I told him to his face that I didn't like the idea./ * /I called him a coward to his face./ Compare: IN ONE'S FACE. Contrast: BEHIND ONE'S BACK.
[to one's feet] <adv. phr.> To a standing position; up. * /After Henry had been tackled hard by four big players, he got to his feet slowly and painfully./ * /When Sally saw the bus coming, she jumped to her feet and ran out./ Compare: ON ONE'S FEET.
[to one's guns] See: STICK TO ONE'S GUNS.
[to one's heart's content] <adv. phr.> To the extent of one's wishes; one's complete satisfaction. * /There is a wonderful small restaurant nearby where you can eat to your heart's content./
[to one's heels] See: TAKE TO ONE'S HEELS.
[to one's name] <adv. phr.> In your ownership; of your own; as part of your belongings. * /David did not have a book to his name./ * /Ed had only one suit to his name./
[to one's ribs] See: STICK TO ONE'S RIBS.
[to one's senses] See: COME TO ONE'S SENSES.
[to order] <adv. phr.> According to directions given in an order in the way and size wanted. * /The manufacturer built the machine to order./ * /A very big man often has his suits made to order./ 2. See: CALL TO ORDER.
[tooth] See: BY THE SKIN OF ONE'S TEETH, CUT TEETH or CUT EYETEETH, EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH, FED TO THE GILLS or FED TO THE TEETH, GET ONE'S TEETH INTO or SINK ONE'S TEETH INTO, KICK IN THE PANTS or KICK IN THE TEETH, PULL ONE'S TEETH, SET ONE'S TEETH ON EDGE, TAKE THE BIT IN ONE'S TEETH, THROW SOMETHING IN ONE'S FACE or THROW SOMETHING IN ONE'S TEETH.
[tooth and nail] See: HAMMER AND TONGS.
[tooth and nail] <adv. phr.> With all weapons or ways of fighting as hard as possible; fiercely. - Used after "fight" or a similar word. * /When the Indian girl was captured, she fought tooth and nail to get away./ * /The farmers fought tooth and nail to save their crops from the grasshoppers./ * /His friends fought tooth and nail to elect him to Congress./
[toot one's own horn] See: BLOW ONE'S OWN HORN.
[top] See: AT THE TOP OF ONE'S VOICE, BIG TOP, BLOW A FUSE or BLOW ONE'S TOP, HARD-TOP, OFF THE TOP OF ONE'S HEAD, ON TOP, ON TOP OF, ON TOP OF THE WORLD, OVER THE TOP.
[top banana] or [top dog] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> The head of any business or organization; the most influential or most prestigious person in an establishment. * /Who's the top banana in this outfit?/ See: MAIN SQUEEZE.
[to pass] See: COME TO PASS.
[top-drawer] <adj.>, <informal> Of the best; or most important kind. * /Mary's art work was top-drawer material./ * /Mr. Rogers is a top-drawer executive and gets a very high salary./
[topflight] or [topnotch] See: TOP DRAWER.
[to pieces] <adv. phr.> 1. Into broken pieces or fragments; destroyed. * /The cannon shot the town to pieces./ * /The vase fell to pieces in Mary's hand./ 2. <informal> So as not to work; into a state of not operating. * /After 100,000 miles the car went to pieces./ * /When Mary heard of her mother's death, she went to pieces./ 3. <informal> Very much; greatly; exceedingly. * /Joan was thrilled to pieces to see Mary./ * /The noise scared Bob to pieces./ 4. See: PICK APART.
[top off] <v.> To come or bring to a special or unexpected ending; climax. * /John batted three runs and topped off the game with a home run./ * /Mary hadn't finished her homework, she was late to school, and to top it all off she missed a surprise test./ * /George had steak for dinner and topped it off with a fudge sundae./
[to put It mildly] See: TO SAY THE LEAST.
[torch] See: CARRY A TORCH.
[to reason] See: STAND TO REASON.
[to rest] See: LAY TO REST.
[to rights] See: PUT TO RIGHTS or SET TO RIGHTS.
[to Rome] See: ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME.
[to say nothing of] See: NOT TO MENTION.
[to say the least] <v. phr.> To understate; express as mildly as possible. * /After all we did for him, his behavior toward us, to say the least, was a poor way to show his appreciation./
[to scale] <adv. phr.> In the same proportions as in the true size; in the same shape, but not the same size. * /The statue was made to scale, one inch to a foot./ * /He drew the map to scale, making one inch represent fifty miles./
[to sea] See: PUT TO SEA.
[to shame] See: PUT TO SHAME.
[to size] See: CUT DOWN TO SIZE.
[to speak of] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Important; worth talking about; worth noticing. - Usually used in negative sentences. * /Did it rain yesterday? Not to speak of./ * /What happened at the meeting? Nothing to speak of./ * /Judy's injuries were nothing to speak of; just a few scratches./ Compare: NOT TO MENTION.
