[wade through] <v. phr.> To read through something long and laborious. * /It took John six months to wade through Tolstoy's War and Peace in the original Russian./

[wag] See: TONGUES TO WAG or TONGUES WAG.

[wagon] See: FIX SOMEONE'S WAGON, HITCH ONE'S WAGON TO A STAR, JUMP ON THE BAND WAGON, OFF THE WAGON, ON THE WAGON.

[wag one's chin] See: BEAT ONE'S GUMS, CHEW THE FAT, CHEW THE RAG, SHOOT THE BREEZE.

[wait] See: LIE IN WAIT.

[wait at table] or [wait on table] or [wait table] <v. phr.> To serve food. * /Mrs. Lake had to teach her new maid to wait on table properly./ * /The girls earn spending money by waiting at table in the school dining rooms./

[waiting list] <n.> A list of persons waiting to get into something (as a school). * /The nursery school enrollment was complete, so the director put our child's name on the waiting list./ * /The landlord said there were no vacant apartments available, but that he would put the Rogers' name on the waiting list./

[waiting room] <n. phr.> The sitting area in a doctor's, lawyer's, accountant's, etc. office, or in a hospital, or other workplace, where people wait their turn. * /Some doctor's offices have elegantly furnished waiting rooms with magazines, newspapers, and coffee for the patients./

[wait on] or [wait upon] <v.> 1. To serve. * /Sue has a summer job waiting on an invalid./ * /The clerk in the store asked if we had been waited upon./ 2. <formal> To visit as a courtesy or for business. * /We waited upon the widow out of respect for her husband./ * /John waited upon the President with a letter of introduction./ 3. To follow. * /Success waits on hard work./

[wait on hand and foot] <v. phr.> To serve in every possible way; do everything for (someone). * /Sally is spoiled because her mother waits on her hand and foot./ * /The gentlemen had a valet to wait on him hand and foot./ Compare: HAND AND FOOT.

[wait on table] See: WAIT AT TABLE.

[wait up] <v. phr.> To not go to bed until a person one is worried about comes home (said by parents and marriage partners). * /My mother always waited up for me when I went out as a young student./ * /She always waits up for her husband when he's out late./

[wait upon] See: WAIT ON.

[wake] See: IN THE WAKE OF.

[walk] See: WIN IN A WALK.

[walk all over] See: WALK OVER.

[walk a tightrope] <v. phr.> To be in a dangerous or awkward situation where one cannot afford to make a single mistake. * /"When we landed on the moon in 1969," Armstrong explained, "we were walking a tightrope till the very end."/

[walk away with] or [walk off with] <v.> 1. To take and go away with; take away; often: steal. * /When Father went to work, he accidentally walked off with Mother's umbrella./ * /How can a thief walk off with a safe in broad daylight?/ 2. To take, get, or win easily. * /Jim walked away with all the honors on Class Night./ * /Our team walked off with the championship./

[walking dictionary] <n. phr.> A person highly knowledgeable in matters of language use. * /If you want to know what "serendipity" means, ask my Uncle Fred. He is a professor of English and is also a walking dictionary./

[walking encyclopedia] <n. phr.> A polymath; a person very well versed in a number of different disciplines. * /My uncle is a veritable walking encyclopedia when it comes to the history of World War II./ Contrast: WALKING DICTIONARY.

[walking papers] or [walking orders] also [walking ticket] <n.>, <informal> A statement that you are fired from your job; dismissal. * /The boss was not satisfied with Paul's work and gave him his walking papers./ * /George is out of work. He picked up his walking ticket last Friday./

[walk off with] See: WALK AWAY WITH.

[walk of life] <n. phr.> Way of living; manner in which people live. * /Many rich people have yachts; people in their walk of life can afford them./ * /The banker did not want his son to marry a girl in a different walk of life./ * /People from every walk of life enjoy television./ Compare: THE TRACKS.

[walk on air] <v. phr.>, <informal> To feel happy and excited. * /Sue has been walking on air since she won the prize./ * /His father's compliment left Jed walking on air./ Compare: ON CLOUD NINE, ON TOP OF THE WORLD.

[walk on eggs] <v. phr.> To act with utmost caution due to being in a precarious position. * /Tom has been walking on eggs ever since he started working for a new boss in Cincinnati./

[walk out] <v.> 1. To go on strike. * /When the company would not give them higher pay, the workers walked out./ 2. To leave suddenly; especially to desert. * /He didn't say he wasn't coming back; he just walked out./ - Often used informally with "on". * /The man walked out on his wife and children./ Compare: LEAVE FLAT, LEAVE IN THE LURCH.

[walk over] or [walk all over] or [step all over] <v. phr.> <informal> To make (someone) do whatever you wish; make selfish use of; treat like a slave; impose upon. * /Jill is so friendly and helpful that people walk all over her./ * /We wanted the man's business, so we let him step all over us./ Compare: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.

[walk the chalk] or [walk the chalk line] or [walk the chalk mark] To act exactly as you are supposed to; behave properly; obey. * /That new teacher really makes the students walk the chalk./ * /In some classes the students play and talk, but Mr. Parker makes them walk the chalk./ * /That theater owner wants his place to be orderly, and if boys and girls don't walk the chalk, he puts them out./ (From the fact that sailors used to be asked to walk a chalk line along the deck of the ship to prove they were not drunk.) Compare: TOE THE MARK.

[walk the floor] <v. phr.> To walk one direction and then the other across the floor, again and again; pace. * /Mr. Black walked the floor, trying to reach a decision./ * /The sick baby had his mother walking the floor all night./ * /Mrs. Black's toothache hurt so much that she got up and walked the floor./

[walk the plank] <v. phr.> 1. To walk off a board extended over the side of a ship and be drowned. * /The pirates captured the ship and forced the crew to walk the plank./ 2. <informal> To resign from a job because someone makes you do it. * /When a new owner bought the store, the manager had to walk the plank./

[wall] See: BACK TO THE WALL, BEAT ONE'S HEAD AGAINST A WALL, CLIMB THE WALL, FORWARD WALL, HANDWRITING ON THE WALL, HOLE-IN-THE-WALL, STONE WALL or BRICK WALL, TO THE WALL.

[wallflower] <n.> A girl who has to sit out dances because nobody is asking her to dance. * /"I used to be a wallflower during my high school days," Valerie complained, "but my luck changed for better once I got into college."/

[wallop] See: PACK A PUNCH or PACK A WALLOP.

[walls have ears] Sometimes one's most confidential conversations are overheard. * /"Be careful what you say," he whispered. "Remember that walls have ears."/

[want ad] <n.> A small advertisement on a special page in a newspaper that offers employment opportunities and merchandise. * /"You want a temporary job?" he asked the recent arrival in town. "Go and look at the want ads!"/

[war] See: COLD WAR, TUG OF WAR.

[war baby] <n.>, <informal> A person born during a war. * /War babies began to increase college enrollments early in the 1960s./ * /The war babies forced many towns to build new schools./

[ward off] <v. phr.> To deflect; avert. * /Vitamin C is known to ward off the common cold./

[warmer] See: BENCH WARMER.

[warm one's blood] <v. phr.> To make you feel warm or excited. * /When the Bakers came to visit on a cold night, Mr. Harmon offered them a drink to warm their blood./

[warm the bench] <v. phr.>, <informal> To act as a substitute on an athletic team. * /Bill has been warming the bench for three football seasons; he hopes that the coach will let him play this year./ [bench warmer] <n.>, <informal> A substitute player. * /Last year Ted was only a bench warmer, but this year he is the team's star pitcher./

[warm up] <v.> 1. To reheat cooked food. * /Mr. Jones was so late that his dinner got cold; his wife had to warm it up./ * /When the children had left for school, their mother warmed up the breakfast coffee./ 2. To become friendly or interested. * /It takes an hour or so for some children to warm up to strangers./ * /As he warmed up to his subject, Tom forgot his bashfulness./ 3. To get ready for a game or other event by exercising or practicing. * /The dancers began to warm up fifteen minutes before the performance./ * /The coach told us to warm up before entering the pool./

[warm-up] <n.> A period of exercise or practice in preparation for a game or other event. * /During the warm-up the baseball players were throwing the ball around and running up and down the side of the field./ * /Before the television quiz program, there was a warm-up to prepare the contestants./

[warpath] See: ON THE WARPATH.

[warrant] See: SIGN ONE'S OWN DEATH WARRANT.

[wash and wear] <adj.> Not needing to be ironed. - Refers especially to synthetic and synthetic blend fabrics. * /Dick bought three wash and wear shirts to take on his trip./ * /Sally's dress is made of a wash and wear fabric./

[washed out] <adj.> Listless in appearance; pale, wan. * /Small wonder Harry looks so washed out; he has just recovered from major surgery./

[washed up] <adj.> Ruined; finished; a failure. * /Harry is looking awfully sad. I hear his business has collapsed and he is all washed up./

[wash one's dirty linen in public] See: AIR ONE'S DIRTY LINEN IN PUBLIC.

[wash one's hands of] <v. phr.> To withdraw from or refuse to be responsible for. * /We washed our hands of politics long ago./ * /The school washed its hands of the students' behavior during spring recess./

[washout] <n.> A dismal failure. * /As far as investments were concerned, Dick and his precious advice turned out to he a total washout./

[wash out] <v. phr.> To disappear; vanish. * /Do you think this stain will wash out?/

[waste] See: GO TO WASTE, LAY WASTE.

[waste away] <v.> To become more thin and weak every day. * /Jane is wasting away with tuberculosis./ * /After Mrs. Barnes died, her husband wasted away with grief./

[waste one's breath] <v. phr.> To speak or to argue with no result; do nothing by talking. * /The teacher saw that she was wasting her breath; the children refused to believe her./ * /I know what I want. You're wasting your breath./

[watch] See: BIRD WATCHER, BEAR WATCHING, ON THE WATCH.

[watched pot never boils] If you watch or wait for something to get done or to happen, it seems to take forever. - A proverb. * /Jane was nine months pregnant and Tom hovered over her anxiously. She said, "You might as well go away and play some golf. A watched pot never boils, you know!"/

[watcher] See: CLOCK WATCHER.

[watch every penny] See: PINCH PENNIES.

[watch it] <v. phr.>, <informal> To be careful. - Usually used as a command. * /You'd better watch it. If you get into trouble again, you'll be expelled./ * /Watch it - the bottom stair is loose!/

[watch one's dust] or [watch one's smoke] <v. phr.>, <slang> To notice your quick action; watch you do something quickly. * /Offer Bill a dollar to shovel your sidewalk, and watch his smoke!/ * /"We'll have your yard cleaned in a jiffy," the Boy Scouts told Mr. Truitt. "Watch our smoke!"/ * /"I can go to the store and be back in five minutes," bragged Tom. "Just watch my dust."/

[watch one's language] <v. phr.> To be careful of how one speaks; avoid saying impolite or vulgar things. * /"You boys watch your language," Mother said, "or you won't be watching television for a whole week!"/

[watch one's step] <v. phr.> To mend one's ways; exercise prudence, tact, and care. * /I have to watch my step with the new boss as he is a very proud and sensitive individual./

[watch out] See: LOOK OUT.

[watch over] <v. phr.> To guard; take care of. * /The museum guards carefully watch over the world-famous paintings./

[water] See: BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER, COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, DEEP WATER, FISH OUT OF WATER, GO THROUGH HELL AND HIGH WATER, HEAD ABOVE WATER, HOLD WATER, HELL AND HIGH WATER, HOT WATER, LIKE WATER, LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK'S BACK, MAKE ONE'S MOUTH WATER, OF THE FIRST WATER, POUR OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS, THROW COLD WATER ON, TREAD WATER.

[water down] <v.> To change and make weaker; weaken. * /The Senator argued that the House should water down the bill before passing it./ * /The African American did not accept watered down Civil Rights legislation./ * /After talking with the management about their demands, the workers agreed to water them down./ * /The teacher had to water down the course for a slow-learning class./

[watered down] <adj.> Weakened; diluted. * /The play was a disappointing, watered down version of Shakespeare's Othello./

[waterfront] See: COVER THE WATERFRONT.

[watering hole] or [place] <n. phr.> A bar, pub, or nightclub where people gather to drink and socialize. * /I like "The Silver Dollar" it is my favorite watering hole in all of Sidney, Nebraska./

[Waterloo] See: MEET ONE'S WATERLOO.

[water over the dam] or [water under the bridge] <n. phr.> Something that happened in the past and cannot be changed. * /Since the sweater is too small already, don't worry about its shrinking; that's water over the dam./ Compare: CRY OVER SPILLED MILK.

[water under the bridge] See: WATER OVER THE DAM.

[water wagon] See: ON THE WAGON.

[way] See: ALL THE WAY or THE WHOLE WAY, BY THE WAY, BY WAY OF, COME A LONG WAY, CUT BOTH WAYS or CUT TWO WAYS, EVERY WHICH WAY, FROM WAY BACK, GO OUT OF ONE'S WAY, HARD WAY, HAVE A WAY WITH, IN A BAD WAY, IN A BIG WAY, IN A FAMILY WAY, IN A WAY, IN ONE'S WAY or IN THE WAY, KNOW ONE'S WAY AROUND or KNOW ONE'S WAY ABOUT, LEAD THE WAY, MAKE ONE'S WAY, MAKE WAY, NOT KNOW WHICH WAY TO TURN, NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT, ON THE WAY or ON ONE'S WAY, PARTING OF THE WAYS, PUT IN THE WAY OF or PUT IN ONE'S WAY, PUT OUT OF THE WAY, RUB THE WRONG WAY, SEE ONE'S WAY CLEAR.

[way off] <adj. phr.> At a great distance from a particular point (said of a discrepancy). * /We were way off on our calculations; the house cost us twice as much as we had thought./

[wayside] See: FALL BY THE WAYSIDE.

[way the wind blows] or [how the wind blows] <n. phr.> The direction or course something may go; how things are; what may happen. * /Most senators find put which way the wind blows in their home state before voting on bills in Congress./

[ways and means] <n. plural> Methods of getting something done or getting money; how something can be done and paid for. * /The boys were trying to think of ways and means to go camping for the weekend./ * /The United States Senate has a committee on ways and means./

[wear] See: IF THE SHOE FITS - WEAR IT, WASH AND WEAR, WORSE FOR WEAR.

[wear and tear] <n. phr.> Deterioration through use. * /After 75,000 miles there is usually a lot of wear and tear on any car./

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