[for shame]{interj.} Shame on you; you should be ashamed of yourself. — An exclamation no longer in common use, having been largely replaced by "shame on you". •/"For shame, John, taking the toy from your baby brother!"/

[for short]{adv. phr.} So as to make shorter; as an abbreviation or nickname. •/The boy’s name was Humperdink, or "Dink" for short./ •/The National Broadcasting Company is called NBC for short./

[for sure] or [for certain] {adv. phr.} 1. Without doubt; certainly; surely. •/He couldn’t tell for sure from a distance whether it was George or Tom./ •/He didn’t know for certain which bus to take./ •/I know for certain that he has a car./ 2. {slang} Certain. •/"That car is smashed so badly it’s no good any more." "That’s for sure!"/ Compare: SURE THING.

[fort] See: HOLD THE FORT.

[forth] See: AND SO FORTH, BACK AND FORTH, CALL FORTH, HOLD FORTH, SET FORTH.

[for that matter]{adv. phr.} With regard to that; about that. •/I don’t know, and for that matter, I don’t care./ •/Alice didn’t come, and for that matter, she didn’t even telephone./ Compare: MATTER OP FACT,

[for the asking]{adv. phr.} By asking; by asking for it; on request. •/John said I could borrow his bike any time. It was mine for the asking./ •/Teacher said her advice was free for the asking./

[for the best]{adj.} or {adv. phr.} good or best; not bad as thought; lucky; well, happily. •/Maybe it’s for the best that your team lost; now you know how the other boys felt./ •/John’s parents thought it would be for the best if he stayed out of school for the rest of the year./ Often used in the phrase "turn out for the best". •/You feel unhappy now because you got sick and couldn’t go with your friends, but it will all turn out for the best./ Compare: TURN OUT(6). Contrast: FOR THE WORSE.

[for the better]{adj.} or {adv. phr.} With a better result; for something that is better. •/The doctor felt that moving Father to a dry climate would be for the better./ •/The new large print in the book is a change for the better./ Compare: TAKE A TURN. Contrast: FOR THE WORSE.

[for the birds]{adj. phr.}, {slang} Not interesting; dull; silly; foolish; stupid. •/I think history is for the birds./ •/I saw that movie. It’s for the birds./

[for the books] See: ONE FOR THE BOOKS.

[for the devil] or [heck] or [the hell of it] {adv. phr.} For no specific reason; just for sport and fun. •/We poured salt into Uncle Tom’s coffee, just for the heck of it./ See: DEVIL OF IT.

[for the hills] See: HEAD FOR THE HILLS.

[for the life of one]{adv.}, {informal} No matter how hard you try. — Used for emphasis with negative statements. •/I can’t for the life of me remember his name./

[for the moon] See: ASK FOR THE MOON or CRY FOR THE MOON.

[for the most part]{adv. phr.} In general; mostly; most of the time; commonly; generally. •/European countries are, for the most part, tired of war./ Syn.: BY AND LARGE, ON THE WHOLE.

[for the nonce] See: FOR THE TIME BEING.

[for the ride] See: ALONG FOR THE RIDE.

[for the sake of] or [for one’s sake] {adv. phr.} On behalf of; for the benefit of. •/For the sake of truth and freedom, Dr. Sakharov, the Soviet dissident, was willing to be banished from Moscow./ •/"Do it for my sake, please!" Tom begged./

[for the time being] also {literary} [for the nonce] {adv. phr.} For now; for a while; temporarily. •/I haven’t any note paper, but this envelope will do for the time being./ •/She hasn’t found an apartment yet; she’s staying with her aunt for the time being./

[for the world] See: NOT FOR THE WORLD.

[for the worse]{adj. phr.} or {adv. phr.} For something that is worse or not as good, with a worse result. •/He bought a new car but it turned out to be for the worse./ •/The sick man’s condition changed for the worse./ Compare: TAKE A TURN. Contrast: FOR THE BETTER.

[for to]{prep. phr.}, {dialect} So that you can; to. •/Simple Simon went a-fishing for to catch a whale./ Syn.: IN ORDER TO.

[forty winks]{n. phr.}, {informal} A short period of sleep; a nap. •/When the truck driver felt sleepy, he stopped by the side of the road to catch forty winks./ Compare: SHUT-EYE.

[forward] See: BACKWARD AND FORWARD, LOOK FORWARD TO, PUT ONE’S BEST FOOT FORWARD.

[forward wall]{n.} The line of a football team. •/Princeton 's line outplayed the Rutgers forward wall./

[for you] See: THAT’S --- FOR YOU.

[foul ball]{n.} A batted baseball that lands outside the foul line. •/Mickey hit a long foul ball that landed on the roof./

[foul line]{n.} 1. Either of two lines separating fair from foul ground in baseball. •/Willie hit the ball just inside the foul line for a double./ 2. A line across the upper end of a bowling alley across which a bowler must not step. •/John bowled a strike but it didn’t count because he stepped over the foul line./ 3. A line on the floor in front of the basket in basketball, from which foul shots are made. •/Tony scored eight points from the foul line./

[foul out]{v.} 1. To make an out in baseball by hitting a foul fly ball that is caught. •/He fouled out to the catcher./ 2. To be forced to leave a basketball game because of getting more than the limit number of personal fouls. •/A professional basketball player is allowed six personal fouls before fouling out./

[foul play]{n.} Treachery; a criminal act (such as murder). •/After they discovered the dead body, the police suspected foul play./ •/"She must have met with foul play," the chief inspector said when they couldn’t find the 12-year-old girl who had disappeared./

[foul shot]{n.} A free throw given in basketball to a player who has been fouled. •/Tony was given two foul shots when he was fouled while trying to shoot./ Compare: FIELD GOAL 2, FREE THROW.

[foul up]{v.}, {informal} 1. To make dirty. •/The birds fouled up his newly washed car./ 2. To tangle up. •/He tried to throw a lasso but he got the rope all fouled up./ 3. To ruin or spoil by stupid mistakes; botch. •/He fouled the whole play up by forgetting his part./ 4. To make a mistake; to blunder. •/Blue suit and brown socks! He had fouled up again./ 5. To go wrong. •/Why do some people foul up and become criminals?/

[foul-up]{n.} (stress on "foul") 1. {informal} A confused situation; confusion; mistake. •/The luncheon was handled with only one or two foul-ups./ 2. {informal} A breakdown. •/There was a foul-up in his car’s steering mechanism./ 3. {slang} A person who fouls up or mixes things. •/He had gotten a reputation as a foul-up./

[foundation garment]{n.} A close-fitting garment designed for women to wear underneath their clothes to make them look slim; a piece of woman’s underwear. •/Jane wears a foundation garment under her evening dress./

[four] See: HIT ON ALL FOUR, ON ALL FOURS.

[four bits]{n.}, {slang} Fifty cents. •/Tickets to the play are four bits," said Bill./ Compare: TWO BITS.

[four corners]{n.} All parts of a place. •/People came from the four corners of the world to see him./ •/He has been to the four corners of the country./ Compare: ALL OVER.