A à la guerre comme à la guerre • c’est la guerre à la guerre comme à la guerre—(Fr.) is used to tell a person to make do with what one has or do what one has to do: She walked ... with a certain rebellion burning in her heart. It was not the right sort of heart to take to a love-meeting. But à la guerre comme à la guerre ! c’est la guerre—(Fr.) an ironic phrase to provide an excuse for anything that has not gone quite to plan: The long string of projects which were started were never brought to com- mercial viability.... But, c’est la guerre , eh? abandon ship • give up the ship abandon ship—1. leave the sinking ship: When the order was given to abandon ship many of the passengers were stunned. They felt that it was safer onboard... 2. (also: jump ship) leave a failing organization, etc. before it is too late: For weeks he worked eighteen-hour days, pleading with his staff not to abandon ship . give up the ship—quit trying and surrender; admit defeat: If you are sidetracked by small setbacks don’t be discouraged and give up the ship . abide by something • abide something abide by something—stand firm by smth.; remain true to smth.: The rules were fixed, and I must abide by them. abide something—(negat.) bear or endure smth.: She could not abide the country, and would not be tempted to leave London. abide someone • abide with someone abide someone—(negat.) dislike a person very much: In fact, I can’t abide him. Whenever I see him on television, I’m in- clined to change the channel. abide with someone—(liter.) remain or stay with a person: If the American dream is to abide with us, it will, at bottom, depend on the people themselves. above suspicion • under suspicion above suspicion—too highly respected to be suspected of a crime or wrongdoing: Navy secretary Welles was above suspi - cion , but he was inexperienced in nautical affairs. under suspicion—considered as possibly guilty of a crime or wrongdoing: He was under suspicion for other crimes, which gave the investigators the legal right to hold him in- definitely. Note: The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase on suspicion—(arrest or detain smb.) on the ground of suspicion: The police are now free to stop and search anyone merely on suspicion . absence from something • absence in something absence from something—being temporarily away from a place: I have no one capable of acting for me in my absence from home. absence in something —1. staying temporarily at some place: During my absence in France, I find that new words have been introduced into our parliamentary language. 2. lack or non- existence in smth.: For Jane, a salient consequence was the absence in her life of a satisfying intimate relationship. absence of mind • presence of mind absence of mind —the mental state of preoccupation, which causes one to do smth. without realizing it: Through absence of mind he walked out of the shop and left his purchases on the counter. presence of mind —mental alertness which enables one to act quickly in an emergency: With great presence of mind he grabbed the child and pulled it out of the path of the oncom- ing car. absorbed by something • absorbed with something absorbed by something—1. (of liquids) soaked up by smth.: The solution is absorbed by the brick through its untreated surface. 2. (of substances) taken up by chemical action: Whey protein is the best type of protein since it is quickly absorbed by the body. 3. (of people or things) incorporated into smth.: Better build the type of home that will be more quickly ab - sorbed by the market. absorbed with something—(also: absorbed in something ) deeply engrossed in smth.: They are often absorbed with their own thoughts and feelings and are fearful of intimacy with others. abut against something • abut on something abut against something—rest against the end part of smth. firmly: The mountains are volcanic, and sedimentary deposits abut against them at a lower level. abut on something —(of a plot of land, etc.) border on smth.; lie next to smth.: Our land abuts on the shopping center’s parking lot. academic junk food • junk food academic junk food(coll.) college degree courses of no ac- ademic value to students: He describes the disintegration of the curriculum into limitless numbers of “interdisciplinary studies” programs that are often academic junk food . junk food —food, as potato chips, hamburgers, and hot dogs, that is high in calories but of little nutritional value: Many schools are selling at break time nothing less than junk foods . accidents can happen • accidents will happen accidents can happen —is used to say that smth. unforeseen may always occur: Don’t commit yourself to completing the book this year—accidents can happen , you know. accidents will happen—is used to say that some unfortunate events must be accepted as inevitable: Stop going on so about that broken jug. Accidents will happen , you know. accommodate someone to something • accommo- date someone with something accommodate someone to something—adapt or adjust a person to smth.: One of the solutions [of housing] is to accommodate people to the multistory residential building. accommodate someone with something—provide a person with smth., especially as a favor: It was very good of you to accommodate me with the ticket for my journey. according to Cocker • according to Mrs. Beeton according to Cocker—(U.S. also: according to Gunter) ab- solutely correct; exactly as it should be: So you ought to be, according to Cocker , spending all your time in sick rooms. according to Mrs. Beeton—(UK) an advice of culinary per- fection according to Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Man- agement (1886): According to Mrs. Beeton , the jar has to be shaken once a week until Christmas when delicious drinks can be served. accurate in something • accurate with something accurate in something —free from mistakes in what one says or does: He was basically careful and accurate in his quotations and references to sources. accurate with something—careful about smth.; treating smth. with responsibility: When writing a composition, be accurate with your quotations. à la guerre comme à la guerre – 10 –