[throw out] or [toss out] {v.} 1. To put somewhere to be destroyed because not wanted. •/He didn’t need the brush anymore so he threw it out./ Syn.: THROW AWAY(1). 2. To refuse to accept. •/The inspector tossed out all the parts that didn’t work./ 3. To force to leave; dismiss. •/When the employees complained too loudly, the owner threw them out./ Syn.: KICK OUT, TURN OUT(1). 4. To cause to be out in baseball by throwing the ball. •/The shortstop tossed the runner out./

[throw out of gear]{v. phr.} 1. To separate the gears of (a car or some other machine) when you want to stop it. •/When John wanted to stop, he threw the car out of gear and braked sharply./ 2. To stop or bother (what someone is doing or planning); confuse; upset. •/The whole country was thrown out of gear by the assassination of the President./ •/My mother’s illness threw my plans for the summer out of gear./

[throw over]{v.} To give up for another; break your loyalty or attachment to. •/Bob threw Mary over for a new girlfriend./ •/Tom threw over those who helped him run for class president after he was elected./

[throw the baby out with the bath (bathwater)]{v. phr.} To reject all of something because part is faulty. •/God knows that there are weaknesses in the program, but if they act too hastily they may cause the baby to be thrown out with the bathwater./

[throw the book at]{v. phr.}, {informal} To give the most severe penalty to (someone) for breaking the law or rules. •/Because it was the third time he had been caught speeding that month, the judge threw the book at him./

[throw together]{v.} 1. also [slap together] To make in a hurry and without care. •/Bill and Bob threw together a cabin out of old lumber./ •/The party was planned suddenly, and Mary threw together a meal out of leftovers./ 2. To put in with other people by chance. •/The group of strangers was thrown together when the storm trapped them on the highway./ •/Bill and Tom became friends when they were thrown together in the same cabin at camp./

[throw up]{v.} 1. {informal} or {slang} [heave up]. To vomit. •/The heat made him feel sick and he thought he would throw up./ •/He took the medicine but threw it up a minute later./ 2. {informal} To quit; leave; let go; give up. •/When she broke their engagement he threw up his job and left town./ 3. To build in a hurry. •/The contractor threw up some temporary sheds to hold the new equipment./ 4. To mention often as an insult. •/His father threw up John’s wastefulness to him./

[throw up one’s hands]{v. phr.} To give up trying; admit that you cannot succeed. •/Mrs. Jones threw up her hands when the children messed up the living room for the third time./ •/When Mary saw the number of dishes to be washed, she threw up her hands in dismay./

[throw up one’s hands in horror]{v. phr.} To be horrified; feel alarmed; give up hope of straightening things out; be shocked by something terrible. •/When Mrs. Brown saw the mess the children were making in her living room, she threw up her hands in horror./ •/Everybody threw up their hands in horror at the destruction caused by the hurricane./

[throw up the sponge] See: THROW IN THE SPONGE.

[thumb] See: ALL THUMBS, GREEN THUMB, TURN THUMBS DOWN, TWIDDLE ONE’S THUMBS, UNDER ONE’S THUMB or UNDER THE THUMB OF.

[thumb a ride]{v. phr.}, {informal} To get a ride by hitchhiking; hitchhike. •/Not having much money, Carl decided to thumb a ride to New York./

[thumb one’s nose]{v. phr.} 1. To hold one’s open hand in front of one’s face with one’s thumb pointed at one’s nose as a sign of scorn or dislike. •/After Bob ran into the house he thumbed his nose at Tom through the window./ 2. {informal} To look with disfavor or dislike; regard with scorn; refuse to obey. — Used with "at". •/Betty thumbed her nose at her mother’s command to stay home./ •/Mary thumbed her nose at convention by wearing odd clothes./ Compare: LOOK DOWN ON.

[thumb through]{v. phr.} To examine superficially; read cursorily. •/I have read "War and Peace" but Fran has only thumbed through it./

[thunder] See: BLOOD AND THUNDER, STEAL ONE’S THUNDER.

[thus and so] also [thus and thus] {adv. phr.} In a particular way; according to directions that have been given. •/The teacher is very fussy about the way you write your report. If you don’t do it thus and so, she gives you a lower mark./

[thus far] See: SO FAR.

[ticket] See: SPLIT TICKET, STRAIGHT TICKET, THE TICKET, WALKING PAPERS also WALKING TICKET.

[tickle pink]{v. phr.}, {informal} To please very much; thrill; delight. Usually used in the passive participle. •/Nancy was tickled pink with her new dress./

[tickle to death] See: TO DEATH.

[tick off]{v.} 1. To mention one after the other; list. •/The teacher ticked off the assignments that Jane had to do./ 2. To scold; rebuke. •/The boss ticked off the waitress for dropping her tray./ 3. To anger or upset. — Usually used as ticked off. •/She was ticked off at him for breaking their dinner date again./

[tide] See: TURN THE TIDE.

[tide over]{v.} To carry past a difficulty or danger; help in bad times or in trouble. •/He was out of work last winter but he had saved enough money to tide him over until spring./ •/An ice cream cone in the afternoon tided her over until supper./ Compare: SEE THROUGH.

[tide turn] See: TURN THE TIDE.

[tidy sum]{n. phr.} A large amount of money. •/The Smith’s big new home cost them a tidy sum./ Compare: PRETTY PENNY.

[tie] See: FIT TO BE TIED.

[tie down]{v.} To keep (someone) from going somewhere or doing something; prevent from leaving; keep in. •/Mrs. Brown can’t come to the party. She’s tied down at home with the children sick./ •/The navy tied the enemy down with big gunfire while the marines landed on the beach./ •/I can’t help you with history now! I’m tied down with these algebra problems./

[tied to one’s mother’s apron strings] Not independent of your mother; not able to do anything without asking your mother. •/Even after he grew up he was still tied to his mother’s apron strings./

[tie in]{v.} To connect with something else; make a connection for. — Often used with "with". •/The teacher tied in what she said with last week’s lesson./ •/The English teacher sometimes gives compositions that tie in with things we are studying in other classes./ •/The detectives tied in the fingerprints on the man’s gun with those found on the safe, so they knew that he was the thief./

[tie-in]{n.} A connection; a point of meeting. •/John’s essay on World War II provides a perfect tie-in with his earlier work on World War I./

[tie in knots]{v. phr.} To make (someone) very nervous or worried. •/The thought of having her tooth pulled tied Joan in knots./ •/The little boy’s experience with the kidnapper tied him in knots and it was hard for him to sleep well for a long time./

[tie into] See: LACE INTO.

[tie one’s hands]{v. phr.} To make (a person) unable to do anything. — Usually used in the passive. •/Since Mary would not tell her mother what was bothering her, her mother’s hands were tied./ •/Charles wanted to help John get elected president of the class, but his promise to another boy tied his hands./ •/Father hoped Jim would not quit school, but his hands were tied; Jim was old enough to quit if he wanted to./