little madam • little woman little madam —said of a young girl who acts older than her years: You can see from the way she orders her brother about that she is a little madam . little woman —( coll.) a person’s wife: On Sunday afternoon Jack went off to play golf and the little woman hung some new curtains in the living room. little men • little men with hammers little men —(also: little people) 1. men who are not tall: For lack of weight they make up by speed, and if they are little men they are the smaller targets. 2. ordinary or undistin- guished people: Great men too often have greater faults than little men can find room for. 3. craftsmen or tradesmen doing business on a small scale: The potential customers are most numerous among the “little men ,” that is, owners of one-man businesses. 4. fairies; elves: The story of his sojourn in Fairy- land gradually leaked out, and men used to come and ask him about the land of the little men . little men with hammers—(drunk-caused) headache: Thankfully, there were no little men with hammers inside my head. I recalled the night with a grin. little talk • small talk little talk —1. a brief comment or address: Let me illustrate by a little talk , which I think will have the twang of realism about it. 2. a short conversation: “Mr. Baker and I had a little talk about you today,” Newton said. small talk—light social conversation about unimportant things: After Willoughby was gone, Karen tried to make small talk . Note: Neither expression is antonymous in meaning to the phrase big talk—(also: tall talk) boastful or pretentious talk: We don’t want big talk from an armchair critic. little thing • small thing little thing —1. a small child: There are the shops where she used to buy me toys when I was a little thing . 2. is used as a term of endearment: Poor little thing ! He misses his mammy, you know! 3. smth. unimportant; a mere trifle: I never saw such an excitement over a little thing in Arkansas as there was over that debate. small thing — = little thing 3: The First World War was fought over a small thing . A scrap of paper. Cf.: big thing—smth. of considerable importance: The big thing for guys is jeans or slacks, button-down shirts and brown loafers without socks. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase do that small thing—(coll.) do smth. indicated in a pre- vious statement: “I’m going to have a bath.” “Darling, you do that small thing !” little world • small world little world—1. the limited close circle of one’s family and friends: I see a chap who is a sort of great white chief in his own little world . 2. a group of things considered as constitut- ing a unity: The archipelago is a little world within itself, or rather a satellite attached to America. small world—(also: it’s a small world) used as a comment on an unexpected meeting with a person: “Small world ,” he said. “That bloke was in here yesterday.” See also: great world, the / greater world, the. live a cat and dog life • live a dog’s life live a cat and dog life—(of two people) engage in constant quarreling (also: lead a cat and dog life): The couple had lived a cat-and-dog life almost since their honeymoon. live a dog’s life—(also: lead a dog’s life) lead a wretched un- pleasant existence: Warr, unemployed and homeless, was left to live a “dog’s life ,” which ended in an unmarked pauper’s grave. live by oneself • live in oneself • live to oneself live by oneself —live alone: For twenty-two years Junker lived by himself , completely alone in rooms designed for a non- existent wife and children. live in oneself—(also: live within oneself ) rely on oneself for ideas, beliefs, etc.: They show us a man ... who lived in himself and for himself. All his opinions were his own, and there is no recorded instance in his long career in which he sought or desired counsel from others. live to oneself— be a loner; shun the company of other peo- ple: He shut himself up at the age of forty-five, disgusted, as he said, with his fellow men and determined to live to him - self . See also: live with oneself / live within oneself. live in a fishbowl • live in a glass house live in a fishbowl (also: live in a goldfish bowl)—have abso- lutely no privacy: Life on campus can be like living in a fish - bowl . Everyone knows what everyone else is doing. live in a glass house —be particularly vulnerable to criticism (with reference to the proverb “he who lives in a glass house shouldn’t throw stones”): Before we criticize, we should ask, “What role did I play in creating the condition that I choose to criticize?” …We all live in glass houses . Let’s take care in deciding when and how we throw stones. live in charity • live on charity live in charity—live in the state of generosity and love towards other people: We all have the task of trying to live in charity with one another. live on charity—live on money, food, etc. provided as help to the poor: The family is one of several in Darwin living on charity . live in the air • live in the open air live in the air—1. (of birds) spend part of their lives in the air: We have birds that live in the air , those that live on the earth and those that live in the sea. 2. (of viruses, etc.) be able to survive in the open air: Microorganisms can live in the air , on land, and in fresh or salt water environments. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase live on air—survive on very little food: Annick is one of those young Parisians who live on air and use the cafes as living rooms. live in the open air—1. said of people not living inside a house or building: The natural savages may live in the open air , and subsist on the ordinary products of the earth. 2. spend most of the time outdoors rather than indoors: Large orange trees with their dense shade shut out the sun so that we can sit, and walk, and live in the open air . live in the country • live on the country live in the country —live in an area that is farmed or remains in an undeveloped state, as distinct from cities: They both came from big cities before they met, and each dreamed of living in the country . live on the country —be able to survive from what one finds in the wild: We took with us provisions for about fifty days, for we hoped in part to live on the country —on fish, game, nuts, and palm-tops. live it down • live it up live it down—forget smth. bad or embarrassing, such as mistake, failure, etc.: If you were beaten by Jack, you would never live it down . live it up(coll.) have a very enjoyable and exciting time: Nobody lives for always, but when I live I like to live it up . Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase live up to itact in full accordance with principles, rules, etc.; reach the standard that may be expected: You will never live little madam – 220 –