[abide by]{v.} To accept and obey; be willing to follow. •/A basketball player may know he did not foul, but he must abide by the referee’s decision./ •/The members agree to abide by the rules of the club./

[a bit]{n., informal} A small amount; some. •/There’s no sugar in the sugar bowl, but you may find a bit in the bag./ •/If the ball had hit the window a bit harder, it would have broken it./ — Often used like an adverb. •/This sweater scratches a bit./ — Also used like an adjective before "less", "more". •/Janet thought she could lose weight by eating a bit less./ •/"Have some more cake?" "Thanks. A bit more won’t hurt me."/ — Often used adverbially after verbs in negative, interrogative, and conditional sentences, sometimes in the form "one bit". •/"Won’t your father be angry?" "No, he won’t care a bit."/ •/Helen feels like crying, but I’ll be surprised if she shows it one bit./ — Sometimes used with "little" for emphasis, also in the emphatic form "the least bit". •/"Wasn’t Bob even a little bit sorry he forgot his date?" "No, Bob wasn’t the least bit sorry."/ Syn.: A LITTLE. Compare: A FEW. Contrast: A LOT.

[about face]{n.} A sudden change of course or a decision opposite to what was decided earlier. •/Her decision to become an actress instead of a dentist was an about face from her original plans./

[about one’s ears] or [around one’s ears] {adv. phr.} To or into complete collapse, defeat, or ruin; to the destruction of a person’s plans, hopes, or happiness. •/They planned to have factories all over the world but the war brought their plans down about their ears./ •/John hoped to go to college and become a great scientist some day, but when his father died he had to get a job, and John’s dreams came crashing around his ears./ Compare: ON ONE’S HEAD.

[about time]{n. phr.} Finally, but later than it should have been; at last. •/Mother said, "It’s about time you got up, Mary."/ •/The basketball team won last night. About time./

[about to] 1. Close to; ready to. — Used with an infinitive. •/We were about to leave when the snow began./ •/I haven’t gone yet, but I’m about to./ Compare: GOING TO, ON THE POINT OF. 2. {informal} Having a wish or plan to. — Used with an infinitive in negative sentences. •/Freddy wasn’t about to give me any of his ice-cream cone./ •/"Will she come with us?" asked Bill. "She’s not about to," answered Mary./

[above all]{adv. phr.} Of first or highest importance; most especially. •/Children need many things, but above all they need love./ Syn.: FIRST AND LAST.

[above suspicion]{adj. phr.} Too good to be suspected; not likely to do wrong. •/The umpire in the game must be above suspicion of supporting one side over the other./

[absent without leave (AWOL)]{adj.} Absent without permission; used mostly in the military. •/Jack left Fort Sheridan without asking his commanding officer, and was punished for going AWOL./

[absentia] See: IN ABSENTIA.

[Acapulco gold]{n., slang} Marijuana of an exceptionally high quality. •/Jack doesn’t just smoke pot, he smokes Acapulco gold./

[accord] See: OF ONE’S OWN ACCORD or OF ONE’S OWN FREE WILL.

[according as]{conj.} 1. Depending on which; whichever. •/You may take an oral or written exam according as you prefer./ 1. Depending on whether; if. •/We will play golf or stay home according as the weather is good or bad./

[according to]{prep.} 1. So as to match or agree with; so as to be alike in. •/Many words are pronounced according to the spelling but some are not./ •/The boys were placed in three groups according to height./ 2. On the word or authority of. •/According to the Bible, Adam was the first man./

[according to one’s own lights]{adv. phr.} In accordance with one’s conscience or inclinations. •/Citizens should vote according to their own lights./

[account] See: CALL TO ACCOUNT, CHARGE ACCOUNT, LEAVE OUT OF ACCOUNT, ON ACCOUNT, ON ACCOUNT OF, ON ONE’S ACCOUNT, ON ONE’S OWN ACCOUNT, SAVINGS ACCOUNT, TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.

[ace] See: WITHIN AN ACE OF.

[ace in the hole]{n. phr.} 1. An ace given to a player face down so that other players in a card game cannot see it. •/When the cowboy bet all his money in the poker game he did not know that the gambler had an ace in the hole and would win it from him./ 2. {informal} Someone or something important that is kept as a surprise until the right time so as to bring victory or success. •/The football team has a new play that they are keeping as an ace in the hole for the big game./ •/The lawyer’s ace in the hole was a secret witness who saw the accident./ Compare: CARD UP ONE’S SLEEVE.

[Achilles' heel]{n. phr.}, {literary} A physical or psychological weakness named after the Greek hero Achilles who was invulnerable except for a spot on his heel. •/John’s Achilles' heel is his lack of talent with numbers and math./

[acid head]{n.}, {slang} A regular user of LSD on whom the hallucinogenic drug has left a visible effect. •/The reason John acts so funny is that he is a regular acid head./

[acid rock]{n.}, {slang} A characteristic kind of rock in which loudness and beat predominate over melody; especially such music as influenced by drug experiences. •/John is a regular acid rock freak./

[acorn] See: GREAT OAKS PROM LITTLE ACORNS GROW.

[acoustic perfume]{n.}, {slang} Sound for covering up unwanted noise, such as music over loudspeakers in a noisy construction area. •/Let’s get out of here — this acoustic perfume is too much for my ears./

[acquire a taste for]{v. phr.} To become fond of something; get to like something. •/Jack acquired a taste for ripe cheeses when he went to France./

[across the board]{adv. phr.} 1. So that equal amounts of money are bet on the same horse to win a race, to place second, or third. •/I bet $6 on the white horse across the board./ — Often used with hyphens as an adjective. •/I made an across-the-board bet on the white horse./ 2. {informal} Including everyone or all, so that all are included. •/Thе President wanted taxes lowered across the board./ — Often used with hyphens as an adjective. •/Thе workers at the store got an across-the-board pay raise./

[across the tracks] See: THE TRACKS.

[act] See: READ THE RIOT ACT.

[act high and mighty]{v. phr.} To wield power; act overbearingly; order others around; look down on others. •/Paul is an inexperienced teacher and he acts high and mighty with his students./

[actions speak louder than words] What you do shows your character better and is more important than what you say. — A proverb. •/John promised to help me, but he didn’t. Actions speak louder than words./ •/Joe is very quiet, but actions speak louder than words. He is the best player on the team./

[act of faith]{n. phr.} An act or a deed that shows unquestioning belief in someone or something. •/It was a real act of faith on Mary’s part to entrust her jewelry to her younger sister’s care./

[act of God]{n.} An occurrence (usually some sort of catastrophe) for which the people affected are not responsible; said of earthquakes, floods, etc. •/Hurricane Andrew destroyed many houses in Florida, but some types of insurance did not compensate the victims, claiming that the hurricane was an act of God./ See: FICKLE FINGER OF FATE.