sports car ["sports kar] n. a kind of expensive, stylish, small car, which can go very fast. sportsman ["sports m@n] n., irreg. a man who participates in sports events or various outdoor activi- ties. (Plural: sportsmen.) sportsmen ["sports m@n] plural of sportsman. sporty ["spor ti] adj. stylish; in fashion. (Adv: sportily. Comp: sportier; sup: sportiest.) spot ["spat] 1. n. a part (typically round) of a surface that is a differ- ent color from the rest of the sur- face. 2. n. a mark, as might be left by blood, paint, food, etc.; a dirty mark. 3. n. a specific location; a place; a position. 4. tv. to recog- nize someone or something; to happen to see someone or some- thing. → have a soft spot in one’s heart for someone or something → hit the spot → in a (tight) spot → on the spot → rooted to the spot spotless ["spat l@s] adj. totally clean; without spots. (Adv: spot- lessly.) spotlight ["spat laIt] 1. n. a spot or disk of strong, bright light. 2. n. a lamp that produces a circle of strong, bright light. 3. n. some- thing that is the focus of public attention. 4. tv. to place someone or something in the focus of atten- tion. → steal the spotlight spouse ["spaUs] n. a husband; a wife. spout ["spaUt] 1. n. the opening of something from which a liquid comes out. 2. tv. to push out something, especially a liquid; to force a liquid out, especially through a narrow pipe or tube. 3. iv. to flow into, out of, from, through, down, or onto someone or something. sprain ["spren] 1. tv. to twist a joint in the body in a way that causes injury or pain. 2. n. a joint that has been twisted in a way that causes injury or pain. sprang ["sprAN] past tense of spring. spray ["spre] 1. tv. to direct a stream of small drops of liquid onto a surface. 2. tv. to coat a sur- face with a stream of small drops of liquid. 3. n. liquid that is pushed through the air in small drops, especially under pressure. spread ["sprEd] 1. iv., irreg. to move outward; to become longer, wider, or broader; to extend to a larger or to the largest area possi- ble; to expand. (Past tense and past participle: spread.) 2. iv., irreg. to be passed on to many people. 3. tv., irreg. to pass along something to many people. 4. tv., irreg. to stretch something out; to cause something to become longer, wider, or broader. 5. tv., irreg. to apply something onto something else by moving it around, making an even layer. spread it on thick Go to lay it on thick. spread like wildfire to spread rapidly and without control. sports car 586 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 586 TLFeBOOK spread oneself too thin to do so many things that one can do none of them well; to spread one’s efforts or attention too widely. spread out to separate and distrib- ute over a wide area. spread something on(to some- thing ) to distribute a coating of something onto something. spread something out to open, unfold, or lay something over a wider area. spree ["spri] 1. n. a session of wild drinking, spending, or partying. 2. n. a period of activity and action. spring ["sprIN] 1. n. the season of the year between winter and sum- mer. 2. n. a natural source of water from the ground; a place where water comes out of the earth. 3. n. a metal coil; a metal object that is wound in the shape of a coil. 4. iv., irreg. to jump; to leap. (Past tense: sprang or sprung; past participle: sprung.) 5. iv., irreg. [for E] to fail and lose its elastic property. 6. the adj. use of Q. → no spring chicken spring up to appear or develop suddenly; to sprout, as with a seedling. sprout ["spraUt] 1. iv. [for a plant] to bud; [for a plant] to start grow- ing leaves, flowers, or buds; [for a plant] to grow from a seed. 2. tv. to grow something, such as a leaf or branch. 3. n. new growth; a new bud, leaf, flower, or stem. spruce ["sprus] 1. n. a type of pine tree having short needles. 2. n. the wood of Q. (No plural.) spruce someone or something up 1. to tidy up and groom someone or something. 2. to refurbish or renew someone or something. spruce up to make oneself or a place neat or clean. sprung ["spr^N] Past participle of spring; a past tense of spring. spun ["sp^n] past tense and past participle of spin. spur ["sp#] 1. n. a sharp object worn on the heel of a boot, used to make a horse that one is riding go faster. 2. n. a highway or railroad track that branches from the main one. 3. tv. to poke a horse with Q. → on the spur of the moment spy ["spaI] 1. n. someone whose job is to secretly watch other people, organizations, or governments in order to learn information. 2. tv. to see something; to discover something by sight; to secretly watch other people, organizations, or governments in order to learn information. squad ["skwad] n. a group of peo- ple who work together or who have been trained together for a job; a group of 11 soldiers and a leader who work together. square ["skwEr] 1. n. a shape made with four sides that are the same length and four right angles. 2. n. a four-sided area in a city sur- rounded by streets or buildings. 3. n. an L-shaped or T-shaped tool, used for drawing and meas- uring right angles. 4. n. a number square 587 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 587 TLFeBOOK that is the product of a number multiplied by itself. 5. adj. shaped like Q. (Adv: squarely.) 6. adj. forming a right angle; forming a 90-degree angle. (Adv: squarely.) 7. adj. [of an area] roughly equal in size and shape to Q that has sides of the requested or demanded length. (Follows the measurement of length.) 8. adj. [of an area shaped like Q] having four sides of a certain length. (A square inch is the area measured by a square that is one inch long and one inch wide. Adv: squarely.) 9. adj. having no debts; having set- tled all debts. 10. tv. to multiply a number by itself. 11. tv. to make something Y. square deal a fair and honest transaction; fair treatment. (Infor- mal.) square meal n. a meal that is com- plete and balanced. a square peg in a round hole a misfit; someone who does not seem to belong in a situation. square up to someone or some- thing to face someone or some- thing bravely; to tackle someone or something. square up with someone to pay someone what one owes; to pay one’s share of something to some- one. (Informal.) squash something down to crush something down; to pack some- thing down. squat ["skwat] 1. iv. to crouch; to rest, sitting with one’s feet on the ground and one’s legs bent under one’s body. 2. adj. shorter or thicker than normal or expected. (Adv: squatly. Comp: squatter; sup: squattest.) squawk ["skwOk] 1. n. a loud, harsh noise, especially one made by a bird. 2. iv. to make a loud, harsh noise. squeak ["skwik] 1. n. a short, soft, high-pitched noise. 2. iv. to make a short, soft, high-pitched noise. squeak by ( someone or something ) 1. to manage just to squeeze past someone or something. 2. to man- age just to get past a barrier repre- sented by a person or thing, such as a teacher or an examination. squeak something through to manage just to get something accepted or approved. squeak through ( something ) 1. to manage just to squeeze through an opening. 2. to manage just to get past a barrier, such as an examina- tion or interview. squeal ["skwil] 1. n. a loud, shrill noise or cry. 2. iv. to make Q. squeeze ["skwiz] 1. tv. to press something with force. 2. tv. to force the liquid from something by pressing it. squeeze someone or something up to press people or things close together. squeeze ( themselves ) up [for peo- ple] to press themselves closely together. squint ["skwInt] 1. tv. to close one’s eyes almost all the way when look- ing at someone or something. 2. iv. to have one’s eyes almost closed because the light is so bright. square deal 588 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 588 TLFeBOOK squirm ["skw#m] iv. to move around uncomfortably; to writhe. squirm out (of something ) 1. to crawl or wiggle out of something. 2. to escape doing something; to escape the responsibility for hav- ing done something. squirrel ["skw# @l] n. a rodent that lives in trees and has a large, bushy tail. squirt ["skw#t] 1. tv. to force liq- uid through the air in a stream; to cause liquid to stream through the air. 2. tv. to hit someone or some- thing with a stream of liquid. 3. n. a short stream of liquid that is sent through the air. stab ["stAb] 1. tv. to thrust a pointed object into someone or something. 2. n. a thrust of a pointed object. 3. n. a sharp, painful feeling. stab someone in the back to betray someone. stabilize ["steb @ laIz] 1. tv. to make something steady; to fix something in place; to keep some- thing from moving or changing. 2. iv. to become steady; to be fixed in place. stable ["steb @l] 1. adj. unlikely to fall, move, or shake; steady; firm. (Adv: stably.) 2. adj. not likely to change; constant; permanent. (Adv: stably.) 3. n. a building where horses are kept. stack ["stAk] 1. n. an orderly pile of something; a neat pile of some- thing. 2. tv. to place things in a neat, orderly pile; to arrange things into a neat, orderly pile. stack something up to make a stack of some things. stack up [for something] to accu- mulate, as in stacks. (Often used in reference to vehicular traffic.) stadium ["sted i @m] n. a playing field surrounded by rows of seats for spectators. staff ["stAf] 1. n. the workers who operate and manage an organiza- tion. (Plural but treat as singular.) 2. n. a large, heavy stick used for support; a large cane. 3. tv. to pro- vide something with enough workers so that a job can be done properly. 4. tv. [for workers] to provide services for a task. stage ["stedZ] 1. n. a period of development; one part of a pro- cess. 2. n. the floor, usually raised, in a theater where performers per- form. 3. tv. to produce a play at a theater; to put on a play. 4. tv. to plan and do something that attracts public attention. → at this stage (of the game) the stage n. theater; the business of producing and acting in live the- ater. (No plural. Treated as singu- lar.) stain ["sten] 1. tv. to change or add to the color of something; to make something dirty by changing its color. 2. tv. to coat a wooden sur- face with a liquid that gives it a color. 3. tv. to color tissue or an organism so it can be observed or identified. 4. iv. [for a substance] to have the ability to change the color of something permanently. 5. n. a mark, spot, or flaw. 6. n. a liquid that is used to give color to stain 589 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 589 TLFeBOOK wood. (Plural only for types and instances.) stair ["stEr] n. a step or series of steps that go from one level to another. (Usually plural.) staircase ["stEr kes] n. a set of stairs that allows one to go from one level of a building to another; a stairway. stairway ["stEr we] n. a set of stairs that allow one to go from one level of a building to another; a stair- case. stake ["stek] n. a pointed piece of wood or plastic that is driven into the ground. → burn someone at the stake → pull up stakes stake someone out (on someone ) to assign someone to watch some- one or to spy on someone. stake something off to mark out the boundaries of an area of land with stakes. stakes n. the amount of money bet in a game; the amount of risk involved in some activity. (Treated as plural, but not countable.) stale ["stel] adj. no longer fresh. (Adv: stalely. Comp: staler; sup: stalest.) stalk ["stOk] 1. n. the main stem of a plant, which is connected to the roots, and from which leaves grow. 2. tv. to pursue or approach an animal or a person without being seen or heard. stalk in(to someplace ) to stride into a place, perhaps indignantly. stalk out of someplace to stride out of a place indignantly. stall ["stOl] 1. n. a small, enclosed space. 2. n. a space within a barn or stable for one animal, especially a horse. 3. n. a booth in a market, or in a building with an open wall in front, where products are sold. 4. iv. [for a vehicle] to stop because of engine trouble. 5. iv. to wait a while so that one has more time; to evade something by tak- ing extra time. stall someone or something off to cause someone or something to wait; to hold someone or some- thing off; to postpone the action of someone or something. stammer something out to manage to say something, but only one word at a time. stamp ["stAmp] 1. n. a square of paper issued by the government that must be attached to certain documents to make them official or to indicate that a fee or tax has been paid, especially as used for postage. 2. n. a tool that prints a design (a picture or words) onto a surface. 3. n. the design that is printed onto a surface by W. 4. tv. to mark an object with W, usually to make it official or to make an acknowledgment that a fee has been paid or that requirements have been met. 5. tv. to put Q on an envelope. 6. tv. to hit some- thing or make something flat by bringing down one’s foot on it with force. 7. iv. to walk heavily somewhere; to walk with heavy steps. stampede [stAm "pid] 1. n. a sud- den rush of frightened horses or cattle. 2. n. a sudden rush of stair 590 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 590 TLFeBOOK excited, angry, or impatient peo- ple. (Figurative on Q.) 3. iv. to rush as part of a large crowd of people or creatures. 4. tv. to cause Q or W. stampede out of someplace [for a crowd of people or creatures] to move rapidly out of a place, as if in panic. stand ["stAnd] 1. iv., irreg. to be in a normal or typical vertical posi- tion. (Past tense and past partici- ple: stood.) 2. iv., irreg. to be a particular height when in a verti- cal position on one’s feet. 3. iv., irreg. to be in a particular location. 4. iv., irreg. [for a law] to remain in force. 5. tv., irreg. to move someone or something to a verti- cal position. 6. tv., irreg. to with- stand something; to endure something; to put up with some- thing. 7. n. the position one takes on an issue. 8. n. a base, frame, or piece of furniture that supports something. 9. n. the place where a witness sits in a court of law. (Short for witness stand.) → make someone’s hair stand on end → more than one can stand → not have a leg to stand on → take the stand → witness stand stand around to wait around, standing; to loiter. stand aside 1. to step aside; to get out of the way. 2. to withdraw and ignore something; to remain pas- sive while something happens. stand back (from someone or something ) to stand or move well away and to the rear of someone or something. stand by to wait in a state of readi- ness. stand corrected to admit that one has been wrong. stand down to step down, particu- larly from the witness stand in a courtroom. stand in (for someone ) to repre- sent someone; to substitute for someone. stand on one’s own two feet to be independent and self-sufficient, rather than being supported by someone else. stand one’s ground and hold one’s ground to defend and demand one’s rights; to resist an attack. stand out a mile Go to stick out a mile. stand out (from someone or some- thing ) to be prominent when com- pared to someone or something. stand up 1. to arise from a sitting or reclining position. 2. to be in a standing position. 3. to wear well; to remain sound and intact. 4. [for a statement] to remain believable. (Figurative.) stand up against someone or something to challenge or confront someone or something. stand up and be counted to state one’s support (for someone or something). standard ["stAn d#d] 1. n. some- thing against which something else is tested or measured; some- thing that is the basis of a compar- ison. 2. n. a degree of quality or excellence. 3. adj. ordinary; con- standard 591 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 591 TLFeBOOK forming to a certain degree or amount; normal. (Adv: standardly.) 4. adj. correct and acceptable according to the formal rules of a language. (Adv: stan- dardly.) standby ["stAnd baI] 1. n. an extra thing or person, nearby and ready. (Plural: standbys.) 2. n. a person traveling on standby. (Plural: standbys.) 3. adv. traveling when one is not able to reserve a seat and must travel as W. → on standby a standing joke a subject that reg- ularly and over a period of time causes amusement whenever it is mentioned. standstill ["stAnd "stIl] n. a com- plete stop; a condition in which nothing is moving. (No plural form.) → come to a standstill stank ["stANk] a past tense of stink. staple ["step @l] 1. n. a small, thin, U-shaped piece of wire that fas- tens papers together, or that fas- tens things to a surface. 2. n. any one of the most basic foods. 3. tv. to fasten papers together or to attach something to something else with Q. stapler ["step l#] n. a machine that drives staples through paper or into objects. star ["star] 1. n. a large object in space, such as the sun, that creates its own heat and light. 2. n. a celebrity; a famous entertainer. 3. n. a figure that has five or more points that radiate from a center point. 4. n. E used as a mark of a degree of quality. 5. tv. [for a movie, play, or television show] to feature a particular performer. 6. iv. [for a performer] to appear as a major performer in a movie, play, or television show. 7. adj. most outstanding; most excellent; best. → get stars in one’s eyes → see stars → thank one’s lucky stars starch ["startS] 1. n. a white food substance that is part of potatoes, rice, and other grains. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. a substance used to stiffen cloth. (Plural only for types and instances.) 3. n. a food that con- tains Q. 4. tv. to stiffen fabric or clothing by coating it with or soaking it in W. stare ["stEr] n. a long, direct look at someone or something with one’s eyes wide open. stare (at someone or something ) to look directly at someone or some- thing with one’s eyes wide open, as though in fear, shock, surprise, wonder, or stupidity. stare someone down to pressure someone to capitulate, back down, or yield by staring. stare someone in the face [for something] to be very obvious to someone; [for something] to be very easy for someone to see or understand. (Informal.) start ["start] 1. n. the beginning point of something; the time or place where something begins. 2. n. a shock that may bump, jerk, or jolt the body. 3. tv. to begin a process; to begin doing some- thing; to cause something to oper- standby 592 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 592 TLFeBOOK ate, work, or move. 4. tv. to origi- nate something. 5. iv. to begin a movement; to begin a journey; to begin a process; to begin at the lower limit of something. 6. iv. to move or jerk suddenly, as though one were surprised or scared; to be startled. → from start to finish → get off to a flying start → off to a running start start from scratch to start from the beginning; to start from noth- ing. start off to begin; to set out on a journey. start off (by doing something ) to begin a process by doing a partic- ular thing first. start off (on something ) 1. to begin a series or sequence. 2. to begin a journey. start (off) with a clean slate to start out again; to ignore the past and start over again. start out to begin. start out as something to begin one’s career as something. start over to begin again. start someone off (on something ) to cause someone to begin on a task or job. start something up to start some- thing, such as an engine or a motor. start up to begin; to begin running, as with an engine. startle ["start @l] tv. to cause some- one to move or jump suddenly because of fear or surprise. starvation [star "ve S@n] n. suffer- ing and possibly death caused by not having food. (No plural.) starve ["starv] 1. iv. to die because of a lack of food; to die because one does not or cannot eat. 2. tv. to cause someone or some creature to die of hunger. starving ["star vIN] 1. adj. very hungry. 2. adj. dying from a lack of food. stash ["stAS] tv. to hide something somewhere secretly for future use. state ["stet] 1. n. the condition that someone or something is in. 2. n. the government of a country. (No plural.) 3. n. a division of govern- ment within a country or a repub- lic. 4. the adj. use of W. 5. the adj. use of E. 6. tv. to express some- thing; to say something. (The object can be a clause with that U.) state trooper ["stet "tru p#] n. a state police officer. (Can be short- ened to trooper.) statement ["stet m@nt] 1. n. some- thing that is said; something that is stated. 2. n. a list showing the status of an account during a period of time. stateroom ["stet rum] n. a private cabin on a ship or train. static ["stAt Ik] 1. n. the buzzing noise made when a radio or televi- sion station is not tuned in prop- erly or when there is electronic interference. (No plural.) 2. adj. [of electricity] not flowing in an electrical current; tiny electric sparks as found indoors in cold, dry weather. 3. adj. not changing; static 593 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 593 TLFeBOOK stable; steady. (Adv: statically [ Ik li].) station ["ste S@n] 1. n. the building or platform where a train or bus stops to let people on and off. 2. n. a building where workers in a par- ticular service work. 3. n. the spe- cific location where a worker is assigned to work. 4. n. the build- ing or offices from which a televi- sion or radio broadcast is transmitted. 5. tv. to place some- one at a location for work; to assign someone to a location for work. → (as) busy as Grand Central Station stationary ["ste S@ nEr i] adj. remaining in place; not moving; standing still. (Compare this with stationery.) stationery ["ste S@ nEr i] n. writing paper; writing supplies, including paper, pen, ink, envelopes, etc. (No plural. Compare this with sta- tionary. ) statue ["stA tSu] n. a sculpture of someone or an animal, made of stone, clay, wood, plaster, etc. status ["stAt @s] n. someone’s posi- tion within society or business; rank. status quo ["stAt @s "kwo] n. the way things are; the current state of affairs. (No plural. Latin for “the state in which.”) stay ["ste] 1. iv. to remain in a place or position; to continue to be in a place or position. 2. iv. to live in a place for a while, especially as a guest. 3. iv. to continue being in a certain condition; to remain in a certain condition. 4. n. a visit; a period of time when one visits someplace or when one is a guest someplace; a period of time that one lives someplace. stay away (from someone or something ) to avoid someone or something. stay back (from something ) to keep one’s distance from someone or something. stay on (after someone or some- thing ) Go to linger on (after some- one or something ). stay out (of something ) 1. to keep out of something or someplace. 2. to remain uninvolved in some piece of business. stay put not to move; to stay where one is. (Informal.) stay up (for something ) to remain awake and out of bed for some nighttime event. steady ["stEd i] 1. adj. not changing in condition, place, or position; firm. (Adv: steadily. Comp: stead- ier; sup: steadiest.) 2. adj. moving at an even, smooth pace; not mov- ing in jerks and bursts. (Adv: steadily. Comp: steadier; sup: steadiest.) 3. adj. calm; not excited; not upset. (Adv: steadily. Comp: steadier; sup: steadiest.) 4. tv. to cause something to be sta- ble and not changing. steak ["stek] n. a slice or slab of a particular meat or fish, eaten as food. (A steak is beef unless stated otherwise.) steal ["stil] 1. tv., irreg. to take something that does not belong to one without paying for it or with- out permission. (Past tense: stole; station 594 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 594 TLFeBOOK past participle: stolen.) 2. tv., irreg. [in baseball] to reach the next base before the pitcher throws the ball to the batter. steal a base to advance from one base to another in baseball with- out the help of a hit or an error. steal a march (on someone ) to get some sort of an advantage over someone without being noticed. steal away to sneak away quietly. steal someone’s thunder to lessen someone’s force or authority. (Not literal.) steal the show Go to steal the spotlight. steal the spotlight and steal the show to give the best perfor- mance in a show, play, or some other event. steam ["stim] 1. n. the gas that water is changed into when it is boiled. (No plural.) 2. adj. pow- ered by Q; containing or using Q. 3. tv. to cook something in Q. 4. tv. to subject someone or some- thing to Q or very hot water vapor. 5. iv. to give off Q. 6. iv. [for food] to cook in Q. → blow off steam → full steam ahead → let off steam → steaming (mad) → under one’s own steam steam something off ((of) some- thing ) to loosen and remove some- thing by an application of steam. steam something out (of some- thing ) to remove something from something else, through an appli- cation of steam. steam something up to cause something to be covered with water vapor due to the presence of steam. steam up to become covered with a film of steam or water vapor. steamer ["stim #] 1. n. a ship that is powered by a steam engine. 2. n. an enclosed pot or pan that uses steam to cook food. steaming (mad) very angry; very mad; very upset. steel ["stil] 1. n. a very hard sub- stance made of iron, carbon, and other metals, used in constructing tools, machines, and buildings. (No plural.) 2. adj. made of Q. steep ["stip] 1. adj. slanted at a sharp angle, one that is almost straight up and down. (Adv: steeply. Comp: steeper; sup: steep- est.) 2. iv. [for something, such as tea] to soak in hot liquid for a period of time. 3. tv. to soak something in liquid; to immerse something. steeple ["stip @l] n. a tower on the roof of a church or other building, especially a tower that ends in a point. steer ["stIr] 1. tv. to cause some- thing to go in a certain direction; to guide someone or something to go in a certain direction. 2. tv. to guide someone toward or away from a course of action. (Figura- tive on Q.) 3. iv. to aim in a cer- tain direction. steering wheel ["stIr IN wil] n. the wheel that a driver or pilot turns to control the direction of a vehi- cle. (Can be shortened to wheel.) steering wheel 595 08 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 595 TLFeBOOK . sits in a court of law. (Short for witness stand.) → make someone’s hair stand on end → more than one can stand → not have a leg to stand on → take the stand → witness stand stand around to. to stand or move well away and to the rear of someone or something. stand by to wait in a state of readi- ness. stand corrected to admit that one has been wrong. stand down to step down, particu- larly. session of wild drinking, spending, or partying. 2. n. a period of activity and action. spring ["sprIN] 1. n. the season of the year between winter and sum- mer. 2. n. a natural source of water