Meaning: acanthurus chirurgus

n.
surgeon fish of the West Indies

hir Idiom, Proverb

dirty thirties

"1930s, when drought caused hardship on the prairie; dirty thirties" During the dirty thirties, soil drifted into the ditches and crops wouldn't grow.

eat my hat/shirt

be very surprised or shocked if it is true If the Vancouver Canucks win the Cup, I'll eat my hat!

get your shirt in a knot/ get your shit in a knot

want to hurry or rush, hurry up "If we asked Pop to hurry, he'd say, ""Don't get your shirt in a knot!"""

give it a whirl

try to do something, try your hand at When I saw the others dancing, I decided to give it a whirl.

give me the third degree

question me carefully, haul up on the carpet The police ask a lot of questions. They give you the third degree.

go down for the third time

drown, die, fail In Calculus 101, I'm going down for the third time. I'm failing.

hire on

get work, get a job, catch on Norm was hired on as a roughneck with an oil company.

hire out

rent to someone We rented out our boat last summer because we were too busy to use it.

hungry thirties

(See dirty thirties)

keep your shirt on

be calm, do not rush me, don't get your shirt... "When we asked Dad to hurry, he'd say, ""Keep your shirt on."""

like a dirty shirt

always there - like shirts that need to be washed If you have a garage sale, Jim will be there like a dirty shirt.

lose your shirt

lose most of the money you invested He invested in condominiums and nearly lost his shirt.

shirty

impolite, rude, cheeky, lippy Brad has an attitude. He gets a little shirty with teachers.

stuffed shirt

a person who is too rigid or too formal He is a stuffed shirt and I never feel comfortable to try and talk with him.

third degree

careful questioning, on the carpet If I'm late, I get the third degree. Mom asks me a lot of questions.

work up a thirst

become thirsty, work or play until you are thirsty Digging trenches at midday, the men soon worked up a thirst.

Bedfordshire

bed or bedtime

shirk one's duty

Idiom(s): shirk one's duty

Theme: RESPONSIBILITY

to neglect one's job or task.
• The guard was fired for shirking his duty.
• You cannot expect to continue shirking your duty without someone noticing.

lose one's shirt

Idiom(s): lose one's shirt

Theme: FAILURE

to lose all of one's assets (including one's shirt). (Slang.)
• I almost lost my shirt on that deal. I have to invest more wisely.
• No, I can't loan you $200. I just lost my shirt at the racetrack.

Keep your shirt on!

Idiom(s): Keep your shirt on!

Theme: PATIENCE

Be patient! (Slang. Usually considered rude.)
• Hey, keep your shirt on! I'll be with you in a minute.
• I'll bring you your hamburger when it's cooked, just keep your shirt on, friend.

give sb the third degree

Idiom(s): give sb the third degree

Theme: INTERROGATION

to question someone in great detail for a long period. (Slang.)
• The police gave Sally the third degree.
• Stop giving me the third degree. I told you what I know.

give sb the shirt off one's back

Idiom(s): give sb the shirt off one's back

Theme: GENEROSITY

to be very generous or solicitous to someone.
• Tom really likes Bill. He'd give Bill the shirt off his back.
• John is so friendly that he'd give anyone the shirt off his back.

get the third degree

Idiom(s): get the third degree

Theme: INTERROGATION

to be questioned in great detail for a long period. (Slang.)
• Why is it I get the third degree from you every time I come home late?
• Poor Sally spent all night at the police station getting the third degree.

Grin like a Cheshire cat

If someone has a very wide smile, they have a grin like a Cheshire cat.

Problem is thirty

If a problem is 30, the problem is the person who sits 30 cm from the computer screen. It is used to describe people that lack technical knowledge and can be used when you insult someone who's having computer problems.

Third rail

The third rail of something is dangerous to alter or change. Originally, the third rail is the one carrying the electricity for a train.

Third time's the charm

This is used when the third time one tries something, one achieves a successful outcome.

Third times a charm

After no success the first two times, the third try is a lucky one.

have the shirt off your back

to steal all you own: "He asked you for how much rent? He'd have the shirt off your back, if you let him."

get shirty

become angry with someone: "Don't get shirty with me! I'm only reporting the new rules."

give the shirt off one's back|give|shirt

v. phr., informal To give away something or everything that you own. He'd give you the shirt off his back.

hire out|hire

v., informal 1. To accept a job; take employment. Frank hired out as a saxophonist with a dance band. 2. To rent (as owner). John used to hire out his tractor sometimes when he didn't need it himself.

hired man|hired|man

n. phr. A man employed to do jobs every day about a house or farm. The hired man was sick, and a lot of the daily chores were not done.

keep one's shirt on|keep|shirt

v. phr., slang To calm down; keep from losing your temper or getting impatient or excited. Bob got very angry when John accidentally bumped into him, but John told him to keep his shirt on.

Usually used as a command; may be considered impolite. John said to Bob, "Keep your shirt on."
Antonym: GET ONE'S DANDER UP.

lose one's shirt|lose|shirt

v. phr., slang To lose all or most of your money. Uncle Joe spent his life savings to buy a store, but it failed, and he lost his shirt. Mr. Matthews lost his shirt betting on the horses.

shirk one's duty|duty|shirk

v. phr. To be negligent or irresponsible. If you continue to shirk your duty, you can expect to be fired.

stuffed shirt|shirt|stuffed

n. phr. A pretentious bore; a pompous, empty person. I think that Howard is a terrible stuffed shirt with no sense of humor.

third base|base|third

n. The base to be touched third in baseball. He reached third base standing up on a long triple.

third class|class|third

n. 1. The third best or highest group; the class next after the second class. Mary won the pie-making contest in the third class, for the youngest girls. 2. Mail that is printed, other than magazines and newspapers that are published regularly, and packages that are not sealed and weigh less than a pound. The company uses third class to mail free samples of soap. 3. The least expensive class of travel. I couldn't afford anything better than the third class on the ship coming home from France.
Compare: FIRST CLASS, SECOND CLASS.

third degree|degree|third

n. phr. A method of severe grilling used to extract information from an arrested suspect. "Why give me the third degree?" he asked indignantly. "All I did was come home late because I had a drink with my friends."

third sex|sex|third

n., euphemism, slang, informal Homosexual individuals who are either men or women. Billy is rumored to belong to the third sex.

third world|third|world

n. 1. The countries not aligned with either the former U.S.S.R.-dominated Communist bloc or the U.S.A.-dominated capitalist countries. New Zealand made a move toward third country status when it disallowed American nuclear submarines in its harbors. 2. The developing nations of the world where the industrial revolution has not yet been completed. Africa and the rest of the third world must be freed from starvation and illiteracy.

third-class|class|third

third-class¹ adj. Belonging to the third class; of the third highest or best class. Much advertising is sent by third-class mall. I bought a third-class airline ticket to Hawaii.
third-class² adv. By third class. How did you send the package? Third class. We traveled third-class on the train.

give something a whirl

give something a whirl
Make a brief or experimental try, as in I've never made a pie but I'll give it a whirl. [Colloquial; late 1800s]

give the shirt off one's back

give the shirt off one's back
Give anything and everything one possesses. For example, Tom is truly generous—he'll give you the shirt off his back. This hyperbolic idiom was first recorded in 1771.

hair shirt

hair shirt
A self-imposed punishment or penance, as in I apologized a dozen times—do you want me to wear a hair shirt forever? This term, mentioned from the 13th century on, alludes to wearing a coarse, scratchy hair shirt, the practice of religious ascetics. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s.

hire

hire
1.
for hire
available for work or use in return for payment
also on hire
2.
hire out
â
to work, esp. as a laborer, for payment

hired gun

hired gun
1) A person, especially a professional killer, employed to kill someone, as in They thought the murder had been done by a hired gun. The noun gun has been slang for a professional criminal since the mid-1800s.
2) A person with special knowledge or expertise who is employed to resolve a complex problem. For example, The legal team was looking for a hired gun to handle the antitrust angle of the case. [Slang; 1960s]

hired hand

hired hand
Also, hired man or girl. A person engaged to assist with farm or domestic chores, as in We need extra hired hands during the harvest, or She was looking for a hired girl to do the laundry. This use of hired dates from the 1200s and referred to someone employed for wages as opposed to a slave or serf. The use of girl now may be offensive.

keep one's shirt on

keep one's shirt on
Stay calm, be patient; not give way to temper or excitement. For example, Keep your shirt on, Bob, they'll be here in time for the wedding. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]

More Idioms/Phrases

keep one's powder dry keep one's shirt on keep oneself to oneself

English Vocalbulary

acanthus family acanthus mollis acanthuses acapnia acapnial acapnic acapnotic acapulco acapulco de juarez acapulco gold acaracide acardia acari acariases acariasis acaricide acarid acaridae