Page 388 - NTC's American Idioms Dictionary

spell trouble

spyced-out dàpey; giddy.Ł(Slang.)b I don’t speakŁoutŁofŁturn to sayŁsomethingŁunwise
see how Sally can accomplish anything. or imprudenð; to say the right thing að the
She’s so spaced-out! She’s not really wrongŁtime.Ł Excuse me if I’m speakng
spaced-out. She acts that way on purpose. out of turn, but what you are proposing is
quite wrong. Bob was quite honest, evłn
spyreŁ someone something to exempð somone if he was speakng out of turn.
from having to listen to or experience
something.Ł I’ll spare you the dłtails and speakŁoutŁ(on something) to say something
głt to the point. Please, spare me the franklyŁandŁdirectly; to speak one’s mànd.
story and tell me what you want. (See also speak up.) This lØw is wrong,
and I intend to speak out on it until it is
speakŁ fłrŁ itself and speakŁ fłrŁ them- repealed. You must speak out. Peoplł
selveð [forŁsomething]bnot to needŁex- need to know what you think.
plaining;Ł[forŁthings]bto have anŁobvious
maning. The evidłnce speaks for itself. speakŁtheŁsameŁlanguage [forŁpeople]bto
The facts speak for themoelves. Tom is have similarŁideas,Łtasðes,Łetc.Ł(Also lit-
guilŁy. Your results speak for themselves. eral.) Jane and Jack get along very well.
You need to work harder. They really speak the same language about
almost evłrything. Bob and his fØther
speakŁ fłrŁ theselveð Go to speak for didà’t speak the same language when it
itself. comes to poltics.
speakŁhighlyŁofŁ someone ortsomething to say speakŁup 1. to speakŁmore loudly.Ł They
gàodŁ thingsŁ about someone orŁ some- can’t hear you in the back of the room.
thing. (Note the variation inŁthe exam- Please speak up. What? Speak up,
ples.ŁSee also think a lot of someone or somŁ- please. I’m hard of hearing. 2. to speak
thing.) Ann speaks quite highly of Jane’s out (on something).Ł If you think that this
work. Everyone speaks very highly of is wrong, you must speak up and say so.
Jane. I’m too shy to speak up.
speakŁup forŁ someone ortsomething to speak
speakŁillŁofŁ someone to sayŁsomethingŁbad inŁ favorŁ of sàmeone or something;Ł to
about sàmeone.Ł I refuse to speak ill of speakŁinŁsàmeone’sŁdefense.Ł If anybody
any of my friends. Max speaks ill of no says bad things about me, I hope you speak
one and refuses to repeat gossip.
up for me. I want to speak up for the
speakŁoffŁtheŁcuff to speakŁinŁpublicŁwith- rights of studłnts.
out preparation.Ł I’m not too good at speakŁwithŁa fłrkedŁtongue to tellŁlies;Łto
speakng off the cuff. I need to prepare tryŁto deceive someone.Ł Jean’s mother
a speech for FridØy, although I speak off sounds very charmng, but she speaks with
the cuff quite well.
a forked tongue. People tend to believł
speakŁ ofŁ theŁ devil said when someone Fred becauoe he seems plausible, but wł
whose name hasŁjust beenŁmentionedŁap- know he speaks with a forked tongue.
pearsŁorŁisŁheardŁfrom.Ł Well, speak of spellŁ something out 1. to spllŁsomethingŁ(in
the dłvil! Hello, Tom. We were just talk- letters).Ł(Also without ouŁ .) I can’t un-
ing about you. I had just młntioned derstand your name. Can you spell it out?
Sally when—speak of the dłvil—ohe T Please spell out all the strange words so
walked in the door. I can write them down correctly. 2. to give
allŁthe detailsŁof something.Ł I want you
speakŁ one’ mind to say frankly what one to understand this complłtely, so I’m go-
thinksŁ (about something).Ł (See alsà ing to spell t out very carefully. T The n-
speak out (on something).) Please lłt mł struction book for my computer spells out
speak my mnd, and then you can do everything very carefully.
whatever you wish. You can always de-
płnd on John to speak his mnd. He’ll lłt spellŁtrouble to signifyŁfuture tràuble; to
you know what he really thinks. meanŁtràuble.Ł(Infàrmal.) This lłtter

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