Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[sponge] See: THROW IN THE SPONGE.

[sponge bath]{n.} A bath with a cloth or sponge and a little water. •/During the drought the family had only sponge baths./ •/The family took sponge baths because they had no bathtub./

[sponge on] or [off]{v. phr.} To exploit parasitically; depend upon for support. •/He is already forty years old, but he refuses to go to work and sponges off his retired parents./

[spoon] See: BORN WITH A SILVER SPOON IN ONE’S MOUTH.

[spoon-feed]{v.} 1. To feed with a spoon. •/Mothers spoon-feed their babies./ 2a. To make something too easy for (a person). •/Bill’s mother spoon-fed him and never let him think for himself./ •/Alice depended on her mother for all decisions because she had been spoon-fed./ 2b. To make (something) too easy for someone. •/Some students want the teacher to spoon-feed the lessons./

[sporting blood]{n.} Willingness to take risks; spirit of adventure. •/The cowboy’s sporting blood tempted him to try to ride the wild horse./ •/The boy’s sporting blood caused him to run away with a circus./

[spot] See: HIT THE HIGH SPOTS, HIT THE SPOT, JOHNNY-ON-THE-SPOT, ON THE SPOT or UPON THE SPOT also IN A SPOT, SORE SPOT.

[spot check]{n. phr.} A sample check or investigation. •/Internal Revenue Service employees often conduct a spot check of individual returns when the figures don’t add up./

[spotlight] See: STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT.

[spread it on thick] See: LAY IT ON or LAY IT ON THICK.

[spread like wildfire]{v. phr.} To spread uncontrollably and rapidly. •/Bad news has a tendency to spread like wildfire./

[spread oneself too thin]{v. phr.} To try to do too many things at one time. •/As the owner, chef, waiter, and dishwasher of his restaurant, Pierre was spreading himself too thin./

[spring a leak]{v. phr.} 1. To develop a hole (said of boats) through which water can enter, threatening the boat to sink. •/When our small boat sprang a leak, we rapidly returned to shore to fix it./ 2. To be threatened by some oncoming danger. •/Our firm sprang a leak when the vice president suddenly died of a heart attack./

[spring chicken]{n.}, {slang} A young person. — Usually used with "no". •/Mr. Brown is no spring chicken, but he can still play tennis well./ •/The coach is no spring chicken, but he can show the players what to do./

[spring on one]{v. phr.} To approach someone unexpectedly with an unpleasant idea or project. •/Our firm was merely six weeks old when they sprang the news on me that I had to go to Algiers to open a new branch there./

[spring up]{v. phr.} To arise suddenly. •/Small purple flowers were springing up all over our backyard./

[sprout wings]{v. phr.} 1. To enter the stage after a period of development when wings appear (said of larvae that turn into butterflies). •/The dragonflies suddenly sprouted wings and are flying all about in the park./ 2. To become good and virtuous (as if airborne). •/Joe has helped many colleagues in need; he seems to have sprouted wings./

[spruce up]{v.}, {informal} To make clean or neat. •/Mary spruced up the house before her company came./ •/John spruced himself up before he went out on his date./