chain Идиома

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chain letter

a letter that is copied and sent to other people This letter says I will have bad luck if I break the chain.

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chain of command

order of those in power, line of authority If you are a lieutenant, the chain of command goes up and down.

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chain reaction

one event causing a sequence of events Abe sold his shares, causing a chain reaction in the market.

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chain smoker

a person who smokes one cigarette after another, smokes like a furnace """Do all chain smokers die of emphysema?"" ""No, but most of them do."""

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pull your chain

ask you what you think, ask for your opinion If we want your opinion we'll pull your chain. We'll ask you.

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rattle my chain

annoy me, anger me, get under my skin That woman rattles my chain, the way she gossips about me!

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ball and chain

derogatory term for a wife or girlfriend

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A chain is no stronger than its weakest link.

The strength of a group depends on each individual member.

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A chain is no stronger than its weakest link

This means that processes, organisations, etc, are vulnerable because the weakest person or part can always damage or break them.

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Yank my chain

If some one says this to another person (i.e. stop yanking my chain) it means for the other person to leave the person who said it alone and to stop bothering them.

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The strength of the chain is in the weakest link.

The most fragile point determines the quality of a structure.

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chain gang|chain|gang

n. A group of convicts or slaves in the old South who were chained together. Chain gangs are no longer an acceptable way of punishment, according to modem criminologists.

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chain letter|chain|letter

n. A letter which each person receiving it is asked to copy and send to several others. Most chain letters die out quickly.

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chain smoker|chain|smoker

n. Person who smokes many cigarettes in a row, person who continuously smokes. Mr. Jones is a chain smoker.

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chain stores|chain|store|stores

n. A series of stores in different locations, joined together under one ownership and general management. The goods in chain stores tend to be more uniform than in independent ones.

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chain-smoke|chain|smoke

v. To smoke cigarettes or cigars one after another without stopping. Mr. Jones is very nervous. He chain-smokes cigars.

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chain-smoking|chain|smoke|smoking

adj. or n. Chain smoking is very dangerous to health.

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chained to the oars|chain|chained|oar|oars

adj. phr. The condition of being forced to do strenuous and unwelcome labor against one's wishes for an extended period of time. Teachers in large public schools frequently complain that they feel as if they had been chained to the oars.

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chain

chain
In addition to the idioms beginning with chain, also see ball and chain; pull someone's chain.
* * *
- chain reaction
- chain smoker

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daisy chain

daisy chain
1) A series of connected events, activities, or experiences. For example, The daisy chain of lectures on art history encompassed the last 200 years. This metaphorical term alludes to a string of the flowers linked together. [Mid-1800s]
2) A line or circle of three or more persons engaged in simultaneous sexual activity. For example, A high-class call girl, she drew the line at daisy chains. [Vulgar slang; 1920s]
3) A series of securities transactions intended to give the impression of active trading so as to drive up the price. For example, The SEC is on the alert for unscrupulous brokers who are engaging in daisy chains. [1980s]

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pull someone's chain

pull someone's chain
1) Make someone speak out of turn, as in Who pulled your chain?—It's none of your business. [1920s]
2) Make someone angry, especially deliberately, as in Teenagers really know how to pull their parents' chains. [c. 1960] Both usages allude to the literal sense of chain-pulling, that is, “causing someone to do something, as though activated by a chain.”