sage is printed on a paper tape: Some twenty men were crowd- ing round a “tape machine ” waiting for the result of the race to come through. tape recorder—an electronic apparatus for recording music, etc. on magnetic tape: A tape recorder offers the additional facility of actual recording, either personally or from the radio. taste like something • taste of something taste like something —have the same taste as smth. else: The cowish or biscuit root is somewhat larger than a walnut and tastes like a sweet potato. taste of something —have the hint of a certain specified flavor: If it tastes of the raw berry (as Egyptian coffee generally does), it is under-roasted. tax avoidance • tax evasion tax avoidance —the use of legal methods to pay the smallest amount of tax: I think that all these devices for tax avoidance ought to be stopped. tax evasion—the illegal non-payment or underpayment of income tax: Most crooked businesses rely on substantial tax evasion . tea boy • tea man tea boy —(UK) 1. a boy employed to run errands in an office, etc.: I left school at 17 and I started straight away in a recording studio, initially as a tea boy then trainee tape operator. 2. (coll.) a general assistant: Mr. Fenby says he began his career as a journalist employed as a “tea boy ” at Reuters news agency. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase tea girl—(also: tea lady) a woman employed to make and serve tea in an office: She started out as a tea girl , then office junior in a busy credit department. tea man —1. a merchant who deals in tea: The Chinese tea- men maintain a sort of incredulous nonchalance in the face of that almost complete capture of the market by the Indian teas. 2. (also: tea master) a man in charge of serving tea at a tea-party or other social occasion: In Kamakura for the first time a tea man did the tea ceremony for me. tea hostess • tea lady tea hostess— a woman in charge of serving tea at a tea-party or other social occasion: Mrs. Bowhill acted as model for the evening dress. Tea hostesses were Mrs. Kedge and Mrs. Wil- liams. tea lady —(also: tea girl) a woman employed to make and serve tea in an office: Two years ago, it seemed the ubiquitous tea lady was vanishing beneath a tide of vending machines. teach an old dog new tricks • teach one’s grandmother to suck eggs teach an old dog new tricks—is used to say that old people can hardly be expected to learn anything new: This computer is far too difficult for me. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks . Note: a) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase teach a pig to play the pianodo futile work at- tempting to deal with smb. who is absolutely hopeless: Teaching them democracy? It would be easier to teach a pig to play the piano . b) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase be an old dog at something—(Austral. sl.) be skilled at or well versed in smth. due to a long association with it: What I didn’t know was that Chicago attorney was an old dog at the game of cross-examination. He was in his elements. teach one’s grandmother to suck eggs—is used as a caution against offering advice to others who are more experienced: There are people who know much more about this, but at the risk of trying to teach my grandmother to suck eggs , I will make the following observations. tear someone down • tear someone up tear someone down —(U.S. coll.) criticize smb. severely; pun- ish a person: Why won’t a politician talk according to his con- science? Because the next day, media and the opposition will tear him down . tear someone up—(U.S. coll.) cause smb. much grief; up- set a person: She’s feeling really bad for Lodge because she knows how much it will tear him up once he realizes his mis- take. tear something down • tear something up tear something down—1. dismantle or demolish smth.: The old theater is to be torn down and replaced by offices. 2. remove smth. by pulling down roughly: Even doors, fences, and planks from the wooden houses were torn down to serve as fuel. 3. (of a machine, etc.) take to pieces: We shall have to tear the engine down completely. 4. (U.S. coll.) criticize smth. severely: The insolence of a writer tearing down a piece before it’s been performed! tear something up —1. rip smth. up into pieces; destroy smth. by pulling it roughly: The workmen are tearing up the road to lay new electric wires. 2. (of a contract, etc.) break off: The workers have torn up the agreement with the management. telephone girl • telephone man telephone girl—an operator in a telephone exchange: The telephone girl sits on her high stool as she produces alternate order and chaos at her switchboard. telephone man—telephone mechanic: Common usage among telephone men has led to the classification of telephone service as follows: local, suburban, toll and long distance. television serial • television series television serial —a story on television which appears in parts (usually at regular times): The novel has recently been dram- atized as a television serial . television series —a set of television programs, each complete in itself, that deal with the same subject: He is the co-author of the popular television series “Yes, Minister.” tell tales • tell the tale tell tales—1. tell about smb. who has done smth. wrong; inform upon a person: Teachers hate children who tell tales about their friends. 2. give away private information to out- siders: You’ve no business to know that. Somebody’s been telling tales . 3. tell a made-up story with the object of deceiv- ing or arousing sympathy: David’s mother was worried because he was always telling her tales . Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase tell tales out of school= tell tales 2: He had learned the eleventh commandment [do not tell tales out of school ] and was the safest confidant to be found. tell the tale—1. = tell tales 3: “What did you tell me when you borrowed the money?” “Oh, we all tell the tale when we want money.” 2. be significant or revealing: Had he been fired or had he quit. I flipped through the papers, looking for ref- erences that might tell the tale . Note: a) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase live to tell the talesurvive a very dangerous or frightening experience (and so be able to tell about it afterwards): Once she took a laxative overdose and the doctors did warn us that if she did it again there was no way she would live to tell the tale . b) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase talk the talk—(coll.) speak fluently or convincingly about smth. so as to please or impress others: They will hold seminars and they will talk the talk but in the end they will do nothing of substance to end the problem. taste like something – 318 –