weather can be caused by whistling on board ship: Some can manipulate the forces of the weather, while others could no more whistle up the wind than call a bird to their hand. 2. entertain false hopes: If he thinks that I am going to take him back after what he has done to me, he is whistling up the wind . white as a sheet • white as snow white as a sheet—very pale, usually because of illness, shock or fear: He must have done a pretty good imitation of a gang- ster because the guy’s face turned white as a sheet . white as snow —is said of very pure white color: Anne walked with him to the house up the brook, over a field that was as white as snow with daisies. Note: Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase whiter than whitesaid of a good and righteous man: Having come to power promising to be “whiter than white ,” Blair’s government may find it difficult to redeem its once spotless reputation. white boy • white man white boy—(U.S. Drug users) heroin: Then there are the white boy drug dealers in the suburbs…. I know that only a small percentage of people is dangerous, but it’s best to be on the safe side. white man —(dated) said of a good and righteous man back in the colonization days: “Is it a marriage of true minds?” “It certainly is. Young Jon is a pretty white man .” Cf.: play the white man—(UK dated) be decent and trustworthy in one’s actions: When the enemy plays by different rules it is hard to play the white man . white cap • white hat white cap—1. (pl.) white foam on the crests of waves (in stormy weather): We had a strong head wind … the surface of the lake was covered with white-caps . 2. name for several birds having a white patch on the head: The male [Redstart] is called “whitecap ” in Shropshire, from its white forehead. 3. name for species of mushroom: These are the common mush- rooms you see in almost every supermarket these days. White caps are used raw in salads, and in cooking. white hat—1. (U.S. Navy) an enlisted man: There’s a white hat out here who has gone crazy. 2. (coll.) a good and righteous man: Nixon clung to the original plan against the urging of Garment, and other “white hats .” white foot • white leg white foot—(pl. whitefoots) a white-footed mouse of the genus Peromyscus: “Whitefoots ” are active all year round, even in cold weather. Their activities begin at dusk and continue through the night. white leg—(med.) thrombophlebitis of a femoral vein after child-birth: After our May was born she never walked properly again. She had what they called the white leg . white girl • white lady white girl —(U.S. Drug users) cocaine: When she gets to col- lege and doesn’t fit in with either white or black students, she turns instead to the cocaine (nicknamed White Girl ). white lady—1. cocktail made of gin, orange liqueur and lemon juice: He indicated a cocktail cabinet and proceeded to mix two “White Ladies .” 2. (Austral. sl.) a drink of methy- lated spirits mixed with other ingredients: Aborigines used to swill cheap wines and other concoctions like “White Lady ”— a fiendish brew of methylated spirit and powdered milk. 3. = white girl: White Boy, White Horse, White Lady : Those are just a handful of cocaine’s street names. white marriage • white wedding white marriage —a marriage union without sexual relations: Maybe I should have written that the union of Bill Paxon and Susan Molinari was rumored to be a “white marriage .” white wedding —1. used with reference to the white color of the wedding dress symbolizing purity and innocence: Mine was a white wedding too. In fact, my dress was very similar to the one Erica wears on screen. 2. a marriage ceremony in which the bride is still a virgin: I was 26 and my wife was 21 when we got married (and it was a “white wedding ” in the traditional meaning of the term.) white negro • white nigger white negro —1. a person with black ancestry who has a pale or albino complexion: He was one of that peculiar class called Albinos, or white negroes . 2. (U.S. dated sl., derog.) a white who defends the rights or interests of Black people: Both Clarksons were counted among the activists whom Pitt in a rare jest called the “white Negroes .” 3. (in nonce-use): The Jewish Defense organization became another white negro , which changed its color according to the political situation. white nigger —(U.S. dated sl.) 1. (derog.) a white person who does menial labor: “Ole Miss Meanses’ white nigger ,” as some of them called her, in allusion to her slavish life. 2. a Black person who defers to white people and regarded as betraying his social loyalty: Dr. Marcus Foster, a black suggested that the children be equipped with identity passes…. The unfor- tunate Foster was widely accused of being a white nigger . 3. = white negro 3: Hippies have openly proclaimed themselves “white niggers ” by which they seem to mean that, like blacks, they represent an alternative to the life style of majority-group American culture. white slave • white-collar slave white slave —a white girl procured for prostitution purposes, especially when brought to a foreign country: The conference was attended by representatives of the International Migration Organization and countries supplying white slaves . white-collar slave —(derog.) an office employee who works hard and continuously: You’re an adult now and are on your way to being a powerless pseudo intellectual white collar slave . who ever • whoever who ever—is used as a more emphatic variant of “who”: Who ever would have thought it would be so difficult to get people to support a charity?! whoever —no matter who; anyone who: Whatever and who - ever takes the credit becomes largely irrelevant when the qual- ity of the material is this good. whole lot, a • whole lot, the whole lot, a —a great amount or number: They did a whole lot of proving flights over the route before they put it into regular operation. whole lot, the—the total number or quantity: A net is put round a school of tuna, the base is closed and the whole lot hauled on board. wide open • widely open wide open —1. fully open: The living areas are very spacious with comfortable sofas and wide open doors welcoming in a fresh breeze and bright light. 2. (Boxing ) fully exposed; unpro- tected: Summers in an unguarded moment, left himself wide open and encountered one of the most decisive knock-out punches I ever saw. 3. vulnerable; off one’s guard: You never find me going in for favors…. It leaves you wide open . 4. (U.S.) said of a town characterized by a lack of restrictions on places for drinking, gambling, etc.: He has been elected three times because the citizens want a wide-open town. widely open — = wide open 1: We caught a glimpse through white as a sheet – 334 –