a large round of enthusiastic applause: The audience gave Jason a big hand at the end of the performance. small hand—said of a style of writing belonging to a par- ticular person: The three folders with notebooks contained sheets carefully written in small hand . See also: short arm / short hand. big house • little house big house —1. (UK) the principal house of an estate; the res- idence of the squire: Cattle sheds were at Thriepland Hill, while the “big house ” and some other offices were at Branxton. 2. (U.S. sl.) a prison or federal penitentiary: I feel like a crim- inal who has been in a hideout, been caught, and has to go back to the Big House . 3. (UK hist.) an institution for the poor: As long as they kept out of the “big house ” (the work- house) she would not complain. little house —(euph.) the toilet, especially an outside one: A gate led from the first yard into another in which were the pig sty, the hen-house and what they called jocosely “the little house .” big shot • large shot big shot(sl.) 1. an important person: I was asked to dine with Thomas Lamont, along with a number of big-shots in the American newspaper world. 2. a substantial injection of a drug: The final chase scene hit me hard, like a big shot of heroin in the mainline vein. 3. a generous portion of liquor, etc.: He then poured himself a big shot of the finest Malt. large shot—1. = big shot 3: Add a large shot of vodka, a large shot of freshly made espresso coffee, and a dash of sugar syrup. 2. (hist.) cannon-balls: His musket balls reached us in every direction but his large shot either fell short or went consider- ably over us. big stick • big sticks big stick —a display of force or power: Happily the revolu- tion in Paraguay is too far down in South America to arouse the “big stick ” in Washington. big sticks—1. (Loggers) a forest or trees: Felling one of these “big sticks ” is a dangerous occupation, says Howard, a life- long logger. 2. (Austral. sl.) Australian rules football goal posts: Hall gathered a loose ball in a goal-line scrap and snapped be- tween the big sticks . big word • little word big word—1. a long word that is difficult to spell: Her gift [the dictionary] will always be there on the shelf, helping me to get the big words straight. 2. a rare word, especially when used in pompous speech: He is using the big words in an at- tempt to make himself look smart. 3. the most important word; the key-word: In the majority of the ads for new houses, “split-level” is the big word , the selling word. little word—(also: small word) 1. a short and simple word: Jerseymen turn every statement into a question with that little word “Ay?” 2. (coll.) a short conversation: I want to have a little word with you about last night. 3. (coll.) a short utter- ance: If anybody dares say one little word about you, I’ll tend to them. bite one’s tongue • bite the tongue bite one’s tongue—1. hold back a remark one was about to make: The thought … almost slipped out between his lips, but he bit his tongue in time. 2. refrain from discussing smth. embarrassing, etc.: However, one recent story proved ex- tremely hard to bite one’s tongue over. Note: The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase bite one’s lip—keep back one’s anger, annoyance, etc.; repress an emotion: It was quiet for a moment, and Robert bit his lip , trying not to giggle like a little girl. bite the tongue—(of food) be spicy or pungent: The cheese has a strong aroma and a lovely salty tang that really bites the tongue . bitten by the same bug • tarred with the same brush bitten by the same bug—said of people who have the same interest or hobby: My cousin and I were bitten by the same bug . We collect coins. tarred with the same brush—said of people considered to have similar objectionable qualities: As the numbers of immi- grants increase, refugees are tarred with the same brush as il- legal economic migrants. Cf.: painted with the tar brush — said of people or things represented as evil or harmful: The myth of the liberal media grew stronger and the Democrats were painted with the tar brush . Black Act, the • Black Acts, the Black Act, the—(UK hist.) the English statute of 1722, di- rected against certain lawless persons who designated them- selves “The Blacks”: The Waltham blacks committed such enormities, that Government was forced to interfere with that severe Act called the Black Act . Black Acts, the—(UK hist.) acts of the Scottish Parliament passed between the accession of James I and 1587: Under the administration of the Earl of Arran, a subservient Scottish Parliament passed the legislation known as the Black Acts , making the king supreme in all. black and tan • Black and Tans, the black and tan—(UK sl.) a drink composed of porter and ale: He asked for a pint of black and tan , and had to explain to the waiter what it was. Black and Tans, the—(UK hist.) an armed force specially re- cruited in 1921 to combat Sinn-Fein (an Irish movement dedi- cated to the unification of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland): I read a lot about the Black and Tans during my British and Irish politics class. black and white film • black film black and white film —a monochrome film or motion pic- ture: He submitted a strong script that led Fox to substitute color film and wide screen for black-and-white and the con- ventional small-screen ratio. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase black and white—(U.S. diners) chocolate soda with vanilla ice cream: Ever since a Philadelphia soda fountain man- ager whipped up the first “black and white ,” ice cream floats have been a favorite of sweet tooths of all ages. black film —1. a film typically featuring the dark, seedy side of the big city: French critics saw the five films as a group and, noticing a common theme of pessimism and darkness, called them film noir, or black film . 2. a film with predominantly black actors: The words are revealing; for this is a black film , not only with a mostly black cast but also with a black director, Mario Van Peebles. Note: The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase black comedy(also: dark comedy) a film that takes serious sub- ject matter (such as death, war, suffering, etc.) and addresses it in a humorous fashion, even when it may seem inappropriate: Frank Sinatra stars in a black comedy about the danger of ex- treme left and right wing politics. black bird • blackbird black bird—any of the birds that have black feathers: If we cross a black bird with a white, all the offspring are grey. blackbird—a common European songbird (Merula turdus): Black lark is another very large lark, more closely resembling a blackbird in size… – 49 – black bird