out of one’s element—in an environment or situation not naturally suited to a person: At first, I felt that I was out of my element because my background in science was not as broad as others. Cf.: in one’s element—in an environment or situation natural or suited to a person: He is in his element where he feels that he belongs, a small farming village. extravagant in something • extravagant with something extravagant in something—going beyond what is reasonable in smth. one does: Roger was a superb teacher of piano and his own students have frequently been extravagant in his praise. extravagant with something—going beyond what is reason- able in smth. one uses or spends: While unbelievably good- looking and extravagant with his money, his accent takes away from his affluent upbringing. eye dialect • eye language eye dialect—writing in which spellings are altered to repre- sent a dialectal or colloquial pronunciation: Which of the elo- cutionists could object to the vocalized result of enuff, probably the oftenest repeated of eye-dialect usages? eye language—interpersonal communication by means of the expression of the eyes: Although Fran had a stern look on her face, her eye language clearly indicated that she was not serious about her statement. eye shadow • eye-shade eye shadow —mascara (cosmetic preparation applied to the eye- lids): A makeup artist tells you tricks, rules and guidelines for perfect eye shadow application. eye-shade —1. a visor for shielding the eyes from strong light: The ladies this year wore half a flat hat as an eye-shade . 2. = eye shadow: Choose a base eye shade that matches your skin tone and apply all over the eyelid. eyeball someone • get an eyeball on someone eyeball someone—(coll.) look hard at smb.; stare at a person: “God!” burst from the lips of the man as he eyeballed his at- tendant. get an eyeball on someone—(coll.) spot a person; catch sight of smb.: When Jane first got an eyeball on her blind date, she almost cringed in disappointment. F face someone down • face up to someone face someone down—confront smb. in an attempt to subdue or dominate the person: The project is too important to be placed in jeopardy by the vanity of one man, and those who are too cowardly to face him down . face up to someone—challenge a person boldly; refuse to be intimidated: Confrontation may not be your desired choice but unless you face up to a person or situation your views will never be heard. face to face • head to head face to face —1. addressing smb. directly: There are some stu- dents who are shy and will only talk to you online, but others would rather talk face to face . 2. in direct encounter with a person: She toadied to her superiors when she really came face to face with them. head to head —1. in direct confrontation or conflict: On the same day the two candidates go head to head in their only joint televised debate. 2. competing so closely that the lead is virtually indistinguishable: He made an announcement saying that the two candidates were head to head so it wasn’t time to celebrate yet. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with its formal French counterpart tête-à-tête—a talk in private with only two people present: He had tête-à-tête with Maung Aye, the powerful Burmese army chief, when he visited Thailand. fact of life • facts of life fact of life—a thing, especially unpleasant, the existence of which cannot be ignored: The fact of someone’s presence on welfare rolls has sometimes been used against them. Cruel as that may seem it is a fact of life . facts of life —(euph.) details of the human sexual functions, especially as told to children: Telling a child of the facts of life was one of the tasks that the family had abdicated to the schools. faint at something • faint from something faint at something—feel giddy or lose consciousness at the thought or sight of smth.: A person almost giantlike in strength and stature may faint at the thoughts of the opera- tion. faint from something—feel giddy or lose consciousness be- cause of fatigue, the heat, etc.: They don’t want to faint from hunger, so they scarf up what they call a bite before they go. fair for someone • fair of someone fair for someone—quite good for a person: She can type two pages an hour, which is fair for a beginner. fair of someone—just or honest on the part of a person: I don’t think it is fair of you to ask me that. fair game • fair play fair game —(also: easy game) a suitable object for ridicule, mistreatment, or exploitation: They were women in a patri- archal society and that meant that they were fair game to be demeaned and marginalized by many men. fair play—behavior that conforms to generally accepted principles of justice: Traditional standards of fair play on the football field are so far eroded that terms of suspension for fouling are regarded as a hazard rather than as a stigma. fairy lantern • magic lantern fairy lantern —any of various plants of the genus Calochortus: The fairy lantern is similar to orchids, and quite a few orchids depend on fungi as much as they do on photosynthesis for their energy. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase fairy lamp— a candle-burning night light usually of col- ored glass: In the Amusement Compound they light a horse- shoe of fairy-lamps above the Jack and Jill. magic lantern —apparatus for throwing a magnified image of a picture, etc. on to a white screen: Usually some newly arrived acquisition occupied the center of the room—a magic lantern , a kaleidoscope or a game of puff-billiards. fall about someone’s ears • fall on someone’s ears fall about someone’s ears—1. come crashing down; collapse: Slabs of plaster left the ceilings and fell about our ears …. 2. fail suddenly: All our careful plans fell about our ears when the government changed the tax laws. fall on someone’s ears—(liter.) be heard: As we entered the temple, a curious chanting fell upon our ears . fall back • fall behind fall back—1. spring back; recoil: Mizuki watched Yukiko dig through her stuff, then she fell back when she saw her get – 115 – fall back