[stare in the face] <n. phr.> 1. To be about to meet or to happen to (you.) * /Grandmother became very sick and death was staring her in the face./ * /Defeat stared them in the face, but the soldiers fought on bravely./ 2. To be easy to see; be plain. * /Are you looking for your pencil? It's on your desk, staring you in the face./ * /Their friends all knew that Mary loved John, but John did not see it even though it was staring him in the face./

[stars in one's eyes] <n. phr.> 1. An appearance or feeling of very great happiness or expectation of happiness. * /Mary gets stars in her eyes when she thinks of her boyfriend./ 2. A belief in the possibility of quick and lasting reforms in people and life and an eagerness to make such changes. * /Some inexperienced people get stars in their eyes when they think of improving the world./ - [starry-eyed] <adj.> Very happy and excited, perhaps with little reason; eager and self-confident about improving human nature and general conditions of life. * /Young people are often starry-eyed and eager to improve the world; they do not know how hard it is./

[start] See: BY FITS AND STARTS, HEAD START, JACK-RABBIT START, RUNNING START.

[start from scratch] See: FROM SCRATCH.

[start in] <v.>, <informal> 1. To begin to do something; start. * /Fred started in weeding the garden./ * /The family started in eating supper./ Compare: GO AT. 2. To begin a career. * /Bob started in as an office boy and became president./ 3. To give a first job to. * /The bank started him in as a clerk./

[start out] <v.> 1. To begin to go somewhere. * /Bill started out for school on his bicycle./ * /Art started out on a voyage around the world./ Compare: SET OUT. 2. To begin a career or life. * /Harry started out as an errand boy in a business office./ * /We all start out in life as helpless infants./ Syn.: START IN. 3. <informal> To give one a first job. * /The garage man started Pete out as a grease rack man./ Syn.: START IN(3).

[start something] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make trouble; cause a quarrel or fight. * /John is always starting something./ * /Jack likes to play tricks on the other boys to start something./ Compare: MAKE SOMETHING OF.

[start the ball rolling] See: GET THE BALL ROLLING.

[start up] <v.> 1. To begin operating, * /The driver started up the motor of the car./ * /The engine started up with a roar./ 2. To begin to play (music). * /The conductor waved his baton, and the band started up./ * /The orchestra started up a waltz./ Compare: STRIKE UP. 3. To rise or stand suddenly. * /When he heard the bell, he started up from his chair./

[stash bag] or [stuff bag] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> 1. A small bag containing marijuana cigarettes or the ingredients for making them. * /The police are holding John because they found a stash bag full of the stuff on him./ 2. Any small bag resembling a stash bag used for small personal items such as lipstick, driver's license, etc. * /Do you have any room for my keys in your stash bag?/

[state] See: LIE IN STATE.

[state-of-the-art] <adj. phr.> The best and - the latest any field of research can offer; modem; the latest; the most advanced. * /State-of-the-art personal computers may cost a little more than older models, but may be worth the cost for those who need them./ Compare: UP TO DATE.

[status symbol] <v. phr.> Signs of wealth and prestige. * /A new yacht or airplane might be a status symbol to a bank manager./

[stead] See: STAND IN GOOD STEAD.

[stave off] <v.>, <literary> To keep from touching or hurting you. Syn.: WARD OFF. * /The white knight struck with his sword. The black knight staved it off with his own sword./ * /Bill's warm new coal staved off the cold./ * /They staved off starvation by eating two of the sled dogs./

[stay in] <v. phr.> To remain at home. * /The weather was so bad that we decided to stay in all day./

[stay out] <v. phr.> To stay away from home. * /Her father was very upset because Mary stayed out until 3 A.M. last night./

[stay put] <v. phr.> To stay in place; not leave. * /Harry's father told him to stay put until he came back./ * /The rocks can be glued to the bulletin board to make them stay put./ * /After Grandmother came home from her trip to visit Aunt May, she said she wanted to stay put for a while./

[stay up late] <v. phr.> To not go to bed until very late. * /Peter has to stay up late these days as he is preparing for his comprehensive exams./ See: BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL.

[stay with] See: STICK WITH.

[steady] See: GO STEADY.

[steak] See: SALISBURY STEAK, T-BONE STEAK.

[steal] See: LOCK THE BARN DOOR AFTER THE HORSE IS STOLEN.

[steal a march on] <v. phr.> To get ahead of someone by doing a thing unnoticed; get an advantage over. * /The army stole a march on the enemy by marching at night and attacking them in the morning./ * /Jack got the job by getting up earlier than Bill. He stole a march on him./ Compare: GET THE JUMP ON, GET THE BETTER OF, TAKE BY SURPRISE.

[steal away] See: SLIP AWAY.

[steal one's thunder] <v. phr.> To do or say something, intentionally or not, that another person has planned to say or do. * /Fred intended to nominate Bill for president, but John got up first and stole Fred's thunder./ * /Mary was going to sing "Oh! Susanna," but Ellen did it first and Mary said Ellen had stolen her thunder./ * /Smith heard that Jones was going to offer a new law which people wanted, so he himself proposed the law first, stealing Jones' thunder./

[steal the show] <v. phr.> To act or do so well in a performance that you get most of the attention and the other performers are unnoticed. * /Mary was in only one scene of the play, but she stole the show from the stars./

[steal the spotlight] <v. phr.> To attract attention away from a person or thing that people should be watching. * /When the maid walked on the stage and tripped over a rug, she stole the spotlight from the leading players./ * /Just as the speaker began, a little dog ran up the aisle, and stole the spotlight from him./

[steal up on] <v. phr.> To stealthily approach one; sneak up on someone. * /The thief stole up on his victim, snatched her purse, and ran away./

[steam] See: LET OFF STEAM or BLOW OFF STEAM, UNDER ONE'S OWN STEAM.

[steamed up] <adj.>, <informal> Excited or angry about or eager to do something. * /The coach gave the team a pep talk before the game, and he got them all steamed up to win the game./ * /When Mary found out that Jane had not kept their secret, she became all steamed up./ * /Bill was all steamed up about the movie he had just seen./

[steel] See: MIND LIKE A STEEL TRAP.

[steer clear of] <v.> 1. To steer a safe distance from; go around without touching. * /A ship steers clear of a rocky shore in stormy weather./ 2. <informal> To stay away from; keep from going near. * /Fred was angry at Bill, and Bill was steering clear of him./ * /Some words Martha always spells wrong. She tries to steer clear of them./

[stem the tide] <v. phr.> To resist; hold back something of great pressure or strength. * /The way to stem the tide of juvenile delinquency is to strengthen education and to pass a stiff gun control law./

[step] See: IN STEP, OUT OF STEP, TAKE STEPS.

[step all over] See: WALK OVER.

[step down] <v.> 1. To come down in one move from a higher position to a lower. * /As soon as the train stopped, the conductor stepped down to help the passengers off./ 2. To make go slower little by little. * /The train was approaching the station, so the engineer stepped it down./ Compare: SLOW DOWN, STEP UP. 3. To leave a job as an official or some other important position. * /When the judge became ill, he had to step down./

[step in] <v.> 1. To go inside for a quick visit. * /It was a cold night, and when the policeman passed, we invited him to step in for a cup of coffee./ 2. To begin to take part in a continuing action or discussion, especially without being asked. * /When the dogs began to fight, John stepped in to stop it before they were hurt./ * /When Bill had done as much as he was able to on his model plane, his father stepped in to help him./

[step inside] <v.> To come or go inside. * /Mother invited the callers to step inside./

[step into] <v.> 1. To come or go into. * /The taxi stopped, and we stepped into it./ * /Mr. Jones called to his secretary to step into his office./ 2. To begin to do, undertake. * /When the star became sick, his understudy stepped into his part./ * /When Bill graduates from college, he will step into a job in his father's bank./

[step into one's shoes] <v. phr.> To do what someone else usually does after he has stopped doing it. * /When Bill's father died, Bill had to step into his father's shoes to support his mother./ * /A coach trains the junior varsity to step into the shoes of the members of the varsity team when they graduate./ * /When the boss retires, his son will step into his shoes./ Compare: IN ONE'S SHOES.

[step off] <v.> 1. To walk or march quickly. * /The drum major lowered his baton and the band stepped off./ 2. or [pace off]. To measure by taking a series of steps in a line. * /The farmer stepped off the edge of the field to see how much fencing he would need./ * /The referee stepped off a five-yard penalty against our team./

[step on it] or [step on the gas] <v. phr.> 1. To push down on the gas pedal to make a car go faster. * /Be very careful when you step on the gas. Don't go too fast./ Compare: GIVE IT THE GUN. 2. <informal> To go faster; hurry. * /Step on it, or we'll be late for school./ * /John is a slow starter, but he can step on the gas when it looks as if he might lose the race./ * /Lee was wasting time at breakfast and his father told him to step on it or they would miss the bus./

[step on one's toes] or [tread on one's toes] <v. phr.> To do something that embarrasses or offends someone else. * /If you break in when other people are talking, you may step on their toes./ * /Mary is pretty, and she often treads on the toes of the girls by stealing their boyfriend./

[step on the gas] See: STEP ON IT.

[step out] <v. phr.> 1. To go out, particularly socially, as on a date. * /Paul said to Sylvia, "You look so dressed up tonight - you must be stepping out, eh?"/ 2. To leave for a short period during the work day to go to the lavatory or to get a cup of coffee. (Frequently said by secretaries over the phone.) * /"May I speak to Mr. Kotz?" Roy asked. "I'm sorry, sir. He just stepped out for a minute," the secretary answered./

[step out on] <v. phr.> To be unfaithful to one's marriage partner or steady lover. * /It is rumored that he has been stepping out on his wife. That's why she's so upset./

[stepped up] <adj.> Carried on at a faster or more active rate; increased. * /To fill the increase in orders, the factory had to operate at a stepped-up rate./

[step up] <v.> 1. To go from a lower to a higher place. * /John stepped up onto the platform and began to speak./ 2. To come towards or near; approach. * /The sergeant called for volunteers and Private Jones stepped up to volunteer./ * /John waited until the teacher had finished speaking to Mary, and then he stepped up./ 3. To go or to make (something) go faster or more actively. * /When John found he was going to be late, he stepped up his pace./ * /After we had reached the outskirts of town, we stepped up the engine./ * /The enemy was near, and the army stepped up its patrols to find them before they got too close./ 4. To rise to a higher or more important position; be promoted. * /This year Mary is secretary of the club, but I am sure she will step up to president next year./ Contrast: STEP DOWN(3).

[sterling character] <n. phr.> A person of irreproachable character; one of the highest professional standards. * /The nominee for the Supreme Court must be a sterling character in every possible way./

[stew in one's own juice] <v. phr.>, <informal> To suffer from something that you have caused to happen yourself. * /John lied to Tom, but Tom found out. Now Tom is making John stew in his own juice./ * /I warned you not to steal those apples. You got caught, and you can stew in your own juice./

[stick] See: CARROT AND STICK, MORE THAN ONE COULD SHAKE A STICK AT.

[stick around] <v.>, <informal> To stay or wait nearby. * /John's father told him to stick around and they would go fishing./ * /After work Mr. Harris stuck around to ride home with his friend./

[stick by one] <v. phr.> To support; remain loyal to. * /All of Peter's friends stuck by him faithfully, in spite of what has been said about him in the press./

[stick in one's craw] or [stuck in one's crop] <v. phr.> To make you angry; bother you; annoy you. * /His parents' praise of his brother stuck in Jerry's craw./ * /Sue's failure to get a better grade than Ann stuck in her crop./

[stick in one's throat] <v. phr.> To be something you do not want to say; be hard to say. * /Jean wanted to ask the teacher's pardon, but the words stuck in her throat./

[stick-in-the-mud] <n.>, <informal> An overcareful person; someone who is old-fashioned and fights change. * /Mabel said her mother was a real stick-in-the-mud to make a rule that she must be home by 10 o'clock on weeknights and 11:30 Saturdays./ * /Mr. Thomas is a stick-in-the-mud who plows with mules; he won't buy a tractor./

[stick one's neck out] or [stick one's chin out] <v. phr.>, <informal> To do something dangerous or risky. * /When I was in trouble, Paul was the only one who would stick his neck out to help me./ * /John is always sticking his chin out by saying something he shouldn't./

[stick one's nose into] See: NOSE INTO.

[stick out] <v.> 1a. To stand out from a wall or other surface; project; extend. * /The limb stuck out from the trunk of the tree./ 1b. To be seen or noticed more easily or quickly than others; be noticeable. * /My house is the only brick one on the street. It sticks out and you can't miss it./ * /Mary plays basketball very well. The others on the team are good, but she really sticks out./ 1c. Often used in the informal phrase stick out like a sore thumb. * /John is so shy and awkward that he sticks out like a sore thumb./ Syn.: STAND OUT. 2. <informal> To keep on doing something until it is done no matter how long, hard, or unpleasant. * /Bill is not a fast runner and he doesn't have a chance of winning the marathon, but he will stick out the race even if he finishes last./ - Often used in the phrase "stick it out". * /Mathematics is hard, but if you stick it out you will understand it./ Compare: HANG ON(2), STICK WITH(1).

[stick out like a sore thumb] <v. phr.> To be conspicuous; be different from the rest. * /When the foreign student was placed in an advanced English grammar class by mistake, it was no wonder that he stuck out like a sore thumb./

[stick together] <v.> To remain close together in a situation. * /Stick together in the cave so that no one gets lost./ * /The gang stuck together after the game./ * /Bill and Bob stick together in a game or in a fight./ Syn.: HANG TOGETHER(1).

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