[skeleton in the closet] <n. phr.> A shameful secret; someone or something kept hidden, especially by a family. * /The skeleton in our family closet was Uncle Willie. No one mentioned him because he drank too much./

[skid lid] <n.>, <slang> A crash helmet worn by motorcyclists and race drivers. * /How much did you pay for that handsome skid lid?/

[skid row] <n.> The poor part of a city where men live who have no jobs and drink too much liquor. * /That man was once rich, but he drank and gambled too much, and ended his life living on skid row./ * /The Bowery is New York City's skid row./

[skim the surface] <v. phr.> To do something very superficially. * /He seems knowledgeable in many different areas but his familiarity is very superficial, since he only skims the surface of everything he touches./

[skin] See: BY THE SKIN OF ONE'S TEETH, GET UNDER ONE'S SKIN, JUMP OUT OF ONE'S SKIN, KEEP ONE'S EYES PEELED or KEEP ONE'S EYES SKINNED, SAVE ONE'S NECK or SAVE ONE'S SKIN, WITH A WHOLE SKIN or IN A WHOLE SKIN.

[skin alive] <v. phr.> 1. <informal> To scold angrily. * /Mother will skin you alive when she sees your torn pants./ 2. <informal> To spank or beat. * /Dad was ready to skin us alive when he found we had ruined his saw./ 3. <slang> To defeat. * /We all did our best, but the visiting gymnastic team skinned us alive./

[skin and bones] <n.> A person or animal that is very thin; someone very skinny. * /The puppy is healthy now, but when we found him he was just skin and bones./ * /Have you been dieting? You're nothing but skin and bones!/

[skin-deep] <adj.> Only on the surface; not having any deep or honest meaning; not really or closely connected with what it seems to belong to. * /Mary's friendliness with Joan is only skin-deep./ * /Ralph crammed for the test and got a good grade, but his knowledge of the lesson is only skin-deep./ Contrast: BRED IN THE BONE.

[skin off one's nose] <n. phr.>, <slang> Matter of interest, concern, or trouble to you. Normally used in the negative. * /Go to Jake's party if you wish. It's no skin off my nose./ * /Grace didn't pay any attention to our argument. It wasn't any skin off her nose./ * /You could at least say hello to our visitor. It's no skin off your nose./

[skip] See: HEART SKIP A BEAT.

[skip bail] See: JUMP BAIL.

[skip it] <v. phr.>, <informal> To forget all about it. * /When Jack tried to reward him for returning his lost dog, the man said to skip it./ * /I asked what the fight was about, but the boys said to skip it./

[skip out] <v.>, <informal> To leave in a hurry; especially after cheating or taking money dishonestly; sneak away; leave without permission. * /The man skipped out of the hotel without paying his bill./ * /"How did you get out of the house after supper, Harry? " "I skipped out!"/

[skirt around] <v. phr.> To avoid something. * /"Let's not skirt around the facts," said the attorney to his client. "You must tell me the truth."/

[sky] See: OUT OF THE BLUE or OUT OF A CLEAR SKY or OUT OF A CLEAR BLUE SKY, REACH FOR THE SKY.

[sky is the limit] There is no upper limit to something. * /"Buy me the fastest racehorse in Hong Kong," Mr. Lee instructed his broker. "Spend whatever is necessary; the sky is the limit."/

[slack off] <v. phr.> 1. To become less active; grow lazy. * /Since construction work has been slacking off toward the end of the summer, many workers were dismissed./ 2. To gradually reduce; taper off. * /The snowstorms tend to slack off over the Great Lakes by the first of April./

[slam] See: GRAND SLAM.

[slap down] <v.>, <slang> 1. To stop (someone, usually in a lower position or job) from doing or saying something, in a rough way or with a scolding; silence. * /When Billy talked back, the teacher slapped him down./ 2. To put a quick stop to; refuse roughly. * /The boss slapped down our idea of taking a nap on the job every afternoon./

[slap in the face(1)] <n.> An insult; a disappointment. * /We felt that it was a slap in the face when our gift was returned unopened./ * /Doris thought it was a slap in the face when her boyfriend invited another girl to the dance./ Compare: KICK IN THE PANTS.

[slap in the face(2)] <v. phr.> To insult; embarrass; make feel bad. * /John slapped our club in the face by saying that everyone in it was stupid./ * /I don't want to slap her in the face by not coming to her party./

[slap one's wrist] <v. phr.> To receive a light punishment. * /She could have been fired for contradicting the company president in public, but all she got was a slap on the wrist./

[slap together] See: THROW TOGETHER(1).

[slate] See: CLEAN SLATE.

[slated for] or [slated to be] Going to be; planned or intended for. * /People think the governor is slated to be president./ * /That subject is slated for debate at the next meeting./

[slave driver] <n.> A cruel, merciless boss or employer who makes the people under him work extremely hard for little compensation. * /Mr. Catwallender is such a slave driver that nobody cares to work for him anymore./

[sledding] See: HARD SLEDDING or ROUGH SLEDDING or TOUGH SLEDDING.

[sleep] See: BEAUTY SLEEP, LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE, SLEEP A WINK.

[sleep around] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <vulgar>, <avoidable> To be free with one's sexual favors; to behave promiscuously. * /Sue Catwallender is a nice girl but she sleeps around an awful lot with all sorts of guys./

[sleep a wink] <v. phr.> To get a moment's sleep; enjoy a bit of sleep. - Used in negative and conditional statements and in questions. * /I didn't sleep a wink all night./

[sleep like a log] <v. phr.> To sleep very deeply and soundly. * /Although I am usually a light sleeper, I was so exhausted from the sixteen-hour transpacific flight that, once we got home, I slept like a log for twelve hours./

[sleep off] <v. phr.> To sleep until the effect of too much alcohol or drugs passes. * /George had too many beers last night and he is now sleeping off the effects./

[sleep on] <v.> To postpone a decision about. * /We asked Judy if she would join our club and she answered that she would sleep on it./ * /We will have to sleep on your invitation until we know whether we will be free Monday night./

[sleep out] <v.> 1. To sleep outdoors. * /The Scouts plan to sleep out next Saturday./ 2. To go home at night instead of sleeping at the place where you work. * /Mrs. Jones' maid sleeps in, but her cook sleeps out./

[sleep with] <v. phr.> To have a sexual affair with someone; have sex; copulate. * /It has been rumored in the office that the boss sleeps with all the girls he hires./

[sleeve] See: CARD UP ONE'S SLEEVE, LAUGH UP ONE'S SLEEVE or LAUGH IN ONE'S SLEEVE, ROLL UP ONE'S SLEEVES, UP ONE'S SLEEVE or IN ONE'S SLEEVE, WEAR ONE'S HEART ON ONE'S SLEEVE also PIN ONE'S HEART ON ONE'S SLEEVE.

[sling hash] <v.>, <slang> To serve food, especially in a cheap, small diner, a drive-in, or short-order restaurant. * /Jake got a job slinging hash at the new drive-in restaurant./ * /Jody earned money for college by slinging hash in a restaurant during the summer./ Compare: SHORT-ORDER COOK.

[slinging match] <n. phr.> A loud, angry quarrel. * /The debate deteriorated into a most unseemly slinging match./

[slip] See: GIVE THE SLIP, SALES CHECK or SALES SLIP.

[slip a cog] or [slip a gear] <v. phr.>, <slang> To make a mistake. * /I must have been slipping a cog when I said that I would run for mayor./ * /Jim hates to sleep outdoors. He's slipping his gears if he's promised to take the boys camping./ Compare: SLIP UP.

[slip away] <v. phr.> To leave unnoticed. * /The party was such a bore that we decided to quietly slip away./

[slip off] <v. phr.> 1. To slide off something. * /The children climbed up the hill but when it was time to come down, they didn't walk, but slipped off the smooth, old ledges./ 2. See: SLIP AWAY.

[slip of the lip] See: SLIP OF THE TONGUE.

[slip of the pen] <n. phr.> The mistake of writing something different from what you should or what you planned. * /That was a slip of the pen. I meant to write September, not November./ * /I wish you would forget it. That was a slip of the pen./

[slip of the tongue] also [slip of the lip] <n. phr.> The mistake of saying something you had not wanted or planned to say; an error of speech. * /No one would have known our plans if Kay hadn't made a slip of the tongue./ * /She didn't mean to tell our secret; it was a slip of the lip./

[slip one's mind] <v. phr.> To forget something. * /I meant to mail those letters but it entirely slipped my mind./

[slip over] See: PUT OVER(2).

[slip through one's fingers] <v. phr.> To escape without someone's knowing how. * /Policemen surrounded the building, but the thief managed to slip through their fingers./ * /Mike earns a good wage, but he doesn't save a penny. Money just slips through his fingers./

[slipup] <n.> A mistake. * /"I'm sorry, sir. That was an unfortunate slipup," the barber said when he scratched the client's face./

[slip up] <v. phr.> To make a mistake. * /Someone at the bank slipped up. There are only 48 pennies in this 50c roll of coins./ * /If he hadn't slipped up on the last questions, his score on the test would have been perfect./

[slow burn] <n.>, <informal> A slowly increasing feeling of anger. * /The boys kept teasing John, and watched him do a slow burn./ * /Barbara's slow burn ended only when Mary explained the misunderstanding./

[slowdown] <n.> A period of lesser activity, usually in the economic sphere. * /We all hope the current slowdown in the economy will soon be over./

[slow down] <v. phr.> To go more slowly than usual. * /The road was slippery, so Mr. Jones slowed down the car./ * /Pat once could run a mile in five minutes, but now that he's older he's slowing down./ Compare: LET UP(2). STEP DOWN. Contrast: SPEED UP.

[slow on the draw] <adj. phr.> Not very smart; having difficulty figuring things out. * /Poor Eric doesn't get very good grades in physics; when it comes to problem-solving, he is rather slow on the draw./

[slow on the uptake] See: SLOW ON THE DRAW.

[slow tune] See: STANDARD TIME.

[slow up] <v.> 1. To go more slowly. * /The truck slowed up as it approached the toll gate./ * /Construction on the road slows up traffic./ 2. To become less busy. * /Business slows up at the stores after Christmas./

[slug it out] <v. phr.> To have a strong verbal or physical battle with someone; to contest something most vigorously. * /The two contenders for the lightweight boxing championship were slugging it out in the ring./ * /The two candidates for Congress were slugging it out on radio and on television./

[sly] See: ON THE SLY.

[smack-dab] also <Southern> [smack-to-dab] <adv.>, <informal> Exactly; squarely. * /The ball landed smack-dab at our feet./ * /The plane landed smack-to-dab in the middle of the hay field./

[smack one's lips] <v. phr.> To reveal an appetite for; show enjoyment of. * /Eleanor smacked her lips over the dessert of strawberries and whipped cream./

[small] See: BIG FROG IN A SMALL POND.

[small frog in a big pond] See: LITTLE FROG IN A BIG POND.

[small fry] <n.> 1. Young children. * /In the park, a sandbox is provided for the small fry./ 2. Something or someone of little importance. * /Large dairies ignore the competition from the small fry who make only a few hundred pounds of cheese a year./

[small] or [wee hours] <n. phr.> The very early hours of the morning between 1 and 4 A.M. * /My brother was in trouble for coming home in the small hours./ See: WEE HOURS.

[small talk] <n. phr.> General idle conversation. * /At the party there was the usual kind of small talk about the cost of living increase and the war in Africa./

[small-time] <adj.>, <informal> Unimportant; minor; with little power or importance. * /He has a job as a drummer with a small-time band./ * /It is a small-time business, but it may grow./ Contrast: BIG-TIME.

[small wonder] See: NO WONDER.

[smash hit] <n.>, <informal> A very successful play, movie or opera. * /The school play was a smash hit./

[smell a rat] <v. phr.>, <informal> To be suspicious; feel that something is wrong. * /Every time Tom visits me, one of my ashtrays disappears. I'm beginning to smell a rat./ * /When the policeman saw a light go on in the store at midnight, he smelled a rat./

[smell out] See: FERRET OUT.

[smell up] <v.>, <informal> To make a bad smell. * /A skunk smelled up our yard last night./ * /Mr. Brodsky's cigar smelled up the living room./

[smile] See: CRACK A SMILE.

[smoke] See: CHAIN-SMOKE, GO UP IN FLAMES or GO UP IN SMOKE, PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT, WATCH ONE'S DUST or WATCH ONE'S SMOKE.

[smoke like a chimney] <v. phr.>, <informal> To smoke very heavily and continuously. * /"If you continue smoking like a chimney" the doctor told my uncle, "you'll wind up in the hospital with lung cancer."/

[smoke out] <v. phr.> 1. To force out with smoke. * /The boys smoked a squirrel out of a hollow tree./ * /The farmer tried to smoke some gophers out of their burrows./ 2. <informal> To find out the facts about. * /It took the reporter three weeks to smoke out the whole story./

[smoke-out] <n.> A successful conclusion of an act of investigative journalism revealing some long-kept secrets. * /Journalist Bob Woodward was the hero of the Watergate smoke-out./

[smoke screen] <n. phr.> A camouflage; a veil; something used to cover or hide something. * /June hides her commercial interests behind a smoke screen of religious piety./

[Smokey Bear] or [Smokey-the-Bear] or [the Smokies] <n.>, <slang>, <citizen's band radio jargon> A policeman; a patrol car; frequently abbreviated as Smokey. * /Slow down, Smokey's ahead!/ * /A Smokey is on the move, heading east./

[smooth away] <v.> To remove; (unpleasant feelings) take away. * /Mr. Jones' new job smoothed away his worry about money./

[smooth down] <v.> To make calm; calm down. * /Mrs. Smith's feelings were hurt and we couldn't smooth her down./

[smooth over] <v.> To make something seem better or more pleasant; try to excuse. * /Bill tried to smooth over his argument with Mary by making her laugh./ Syn.: GLOSS OVER. Compare: PATCH UP.

[smooth sailing] See: PLAIN SAILING.

[snail's pace] <n.> A very slow movement forward. * /Time moved at a snail's pace before the holidays./ * /The donkey on which he was riding moved at a snail's pace./

[snake in the grass] <n. phr.>, <informal> A person who cannot be trusted; an unfaithful traitor; rascal. * /Did Harry tell you that? He's a snake in the grass!/ * /Some snake in the grass told the teacher our plans./

[snap] See: COLD SNAP.

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