[any] See: HARDLY ANY or SCARCELY ANY.
[any number]{n.}, {informal} A large number; many. •/There are any number of reasons for eating good food./ •/Don’t ask George what his excuse is. He can invent any number./ Compare: A LOT, A NUMBER, GOOD MANY.
[any old how] / [any old way] {adv. phr.}, {informal} Doing something in a casual, haphazard, or careless way. •/"John," the teacher said, "you can’t just do your homework any old way; you must pay attention to my instructions!"/
[any port in a storm] Any help is welcome in an emergency. — A proverb. •/The motel we stopped in was nothing to brag about, but we were so exhausted that it was a clear case of any port in a storm./
[anything] See: HAVE NOTHING ON or NOT HAVE ANYTHING ON, IF ANYTHING.
[anything but]{adv. phr.} Quite the opposite of; far from being. •/I don’t mean he’s lazy — anything but!/ •/The boys knew they had broken the rules, and they were anything but happy when they were called to the office./
[anything like] or [anywhere near] {adv.} Nearly. — Used in negative, interrogative, and conditional sentences, often in the negative forms "nothing like" or "nowhere near". •/It’s not anything like as hot today as it was yesterday./ •/Do you think that gold ring is worth anywhere near a hundred dollars?/ •/Today’s game was nowhere near as exciting as yesterday’s game./ •/Studying that lesson should take nothing like two hours./
[anywhere near] See: ANYTHING LIKE or ANYWHERE NEAR.
[any which way] See: EVERY WHICH WAY.
[apart] See: JOKING ASIDE or JOKING APART, POLES APART, TELL APART.
[apart from] or [aside from] {prep. phr.} Beside or besides; in addition to. •/The children hardly see anyone, apart from their parents./ •/Aside from being fun and good exercise, swimming is a very useful skill./ Syn.: EXCEPT FOR, OUTSIDE OF.
[ape] See: GO APE.
[appear] See: SPEAK OF THE DEVIL AND HE APPEARS.
[appearance] See: PUT IN AN APPEARANCE also MAKE AN APPEARANCE.
[apple] See: POLISH THE APPLE.
[applecart] See: UPSET THE APPLECART or UPSET ONE’S APPLECART.
[apple of one’s eye]{n. phr.} Something or someone that is adored; a cherished person or object. •/Charles is the apple of his mother’s eye./ •/John’s first car was the apple of his eye. He was always polishing it./
[apple-pie order]{n. phr.}, {informal} Exact orderly arrangement, neatness; tidy arrangement. •/The house was in apple-pie order./ •/Like a good secretary, she kept the boss’s desk in apple-pie order./
[apple polisher]; [apple polishing] See: POLISH THE APPLE.
[approval] See: ON APPROVAL.
[a pretty pass]{n. phr.} An unfortunate condition; a critical state. •/While the boss was away, things at the company had come to a pretty pass./
[apron] See: TIED TO ONE’S MOTHER’S APRON STRINGS.
[apropos of]{prep.}, {formal} In connection with; on the subject of, about; concerning. •/Apropos of higher tuition, Mr. Black told the boy about the educational loans that banks are offering./ •/Mr. White went to see Mr. Richards apropos of buying a car./
[arm] See: GIVE ONE’S RIGHT ARM, KEEP AT A DISTANCE Or KEEP AT ARM’S LENGTH, SHOT IN THE ARM, TAKE UP ARMS, TWIST ONE’S ARM, UP IN ARMS, WITH OPEN ARMS, COST AN ARM AND A LEG.
[arm and a leg]{n.}, {slang} An exorbitantly high price that must be paid for something that isn’t really worth it. •/It’s true that to get a decent apartment these days in New York you have to pay an arm and a leg./
[armed to the teeth]{adj. phr.} Having all needed weapons; fully armed. •/The paratroopers were armed to the teeth./
[arm in arm]{adv. phr.} With your arm under or around another person’s arm, especially in close comradeship or friendship. •/Sally and Joan were laughing and joking together as they walked arm in arm down the street./ •/When they arrived at the party, the partners walked arm in arm to meet the hosts./ Compare: HAND IN HAND.
[around one’s ears] See: ABOUT ONE’S EARS.
[around the clock] also [the clock around] {adv. phr.} For 24 hours a day continuously all day and all night. •/The factory operated around the clock until the order was filled./ •/He studied around the clock for his history exam./ — [round-the-clock] {adj.} •/That filling station has round-the-clock service./
[around the corner]{adv. phr.} Soon to come or happen; close by; near at hand. •/The fortuneteller told Jane that there was an adventure for her just around the corner./
[arrest] See: UNDER ARREST.
[as] See: FOR AS MUCH AS, IN AS MUCH AS.
[as a last resort]{adv. phr.} In lieu of better things; lacking better solutions. •/"We’ll sleep in our sleeping bags as a last resort," John said, "since all the motels are full."/
[as a matter of fact]{adv. phr.} Actually; really; in addition to what has been said; in reference to what was said. — Often used as an interjection. •/It’s not true that I cannot swim; as a matter of fact, I used to work as a lifeguard in Hawaii./ •/Do you think this costs too much? As a matter of fact, I think it is rather cheap./
[as an aside]{adv. phr.} Said as a remark in a low tone of voice; used in theaters where the actor turns toward the audience as if to "think out loud." •/During the concert Tim said to his wife as an aside, "The conductor has no idea how to conduct Beethoven."/
[as a rule]{adv. phr.} Generally; customarily. •/As a rule, the boss arrives at the office about 10 A.M./
[as an old shoe] See: COMFORTABLE AS AN OLD SHOE, COMMON AS AN OLD SHOE.
[as --- as ---] — Used with an adjective or adverb in a comparison or with the effect of a superlative. •/John is as tall as his father now./ •/I didn’t do as badly today as I did yesterday./ •/John’s father gave him a hard job and told him to do as well as possible./ •/The sick girl was not hungry, but her mother told her to eat as much as she could./ — Also used in the form "so --- as" in some sentences, especially negative sentences. •/This hill isn’t nearly so high as the last one we climbed./ — Often used in similes (comparisons that are figures of speech). •/The baby mouse looked as big as a minute./ •/Jim’s face was red as a beet after he made the foolish mistake./ — Most similes in conventional use are cliches, avoided by careful speakers and writers.