on end • on the end on end—1. in an upright position; standing erect: The houses gave to the outskirts of Paris an odd affinity to a city built of dominoes set on end . 2. (of time) continually; without intermission: For hours on end we were subjected to contin- uous attacks from bombers. on the end—(also: at the end) in the farthest part of smth.: An electric toothbrush is not very different in principle from an ordinary toothbrush. You still have a stick with a brush on the end . on fire • on the fire on fire —1. (of a house, etc.) aflame; burning: Never disturb the senior resident when he’s on his rounds, unless the place is on fire . 2. (of a part of the body) feeling very painful or sore: When I woke up the next morning my throat was on fire . I could barely swallow. 3. enthusiastic about smth.: Gregg, on fire with his idea, was going to the kitchen to bag scraps for his new pet. on the fire—1. (of food) on a hearth, etc.: So they got the blaze going, bacon sizzling, the frying-pan balanced on the fire . 2. (U.S.) in work; in process of preparation: In those days, as today, Lawrence had a dozen projects on the fire . on guard • on one’s guard on guard—1. doing duty as a guard: There are soldiers on guard at the gate, to prevent anyone getting in or out. 2. on the alert: The designers of the Sky-rocket had to be on guard against not only the sonic barrier. on one’s guard— = on guard 2: No one can be on his guard against that of which he has no experience. on hand • on one’s hands on hand—1. (also: in hand) available; in one’s possession: The college had $117,000 on hand for the stadium building fund. 2. (also: at hand) within easy reach; close by: Always have your dictionary on hand when you study. 3. present; in attendance: All his old friends will be on hand to see Jack receive the medal of honor. 4. said of smth. to be done: There’s a big job on hand for tomorrow; we must start early. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase on the arm—(U.S. sl.) free of charge: Murphy said he had got in touch with twelve lawyers to represent a cop when he is in trouble and to do it on the arm . on one’s hands—remaining under one’s care as a burden or unwelcome responsibility: The dealer found himself with twenty-five new cars on his hands which he had to sell at a big discount. on ice • on thin ice on ice—(coll.) 1. in reserve; in readiness: She’s never been able to find a man good enough for her, and so she’s keeping herself on ice . 2. said of smth. which is a sure thing, a cer- tainty: I haven’t signed on the dotted line yet, but it’s on ice . 3. in detention: Scotland Yard could not keep him on ice that long. He would have to be brought to a court to be charged. on thin ice—in a delicate or potentially difficult situation: Though he had a graduate business degree, he felt on thin ice when it came to financial investments. See also: in cold storage / in the deep freeze. on line • on the line on line—1. (U.S.) in a queue: Museums truly worth visiting are worth standing as New Yorkers say on line for. 2. in active service; operational: He lamented that at the current rate of progress there might be only two fast nuclear reactors on line by 2010. 3. connected to a computer network; available on the Internet: On-line education is now gradually complement- ing face-to-face education. on the line —1. in jeopardy; at stake: It was clear to the Pres- ident that his credibility was on the line . 2. on the phone: “The Jimmy on the line wasn’t the Jimmy I knew,” Shenker recalled later. 3. said of an assembly line at a plant: Each worker on the line would do one task, then wait as the line brought the next car. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase on the lines(also: along the lines) following a certain pattern or trend: Treatment will be given on the lines prescribed in this book. on my oath • on oath on my oath—is said to emphasize that one is telling the truth: I didn’t say anything to him about you, on my oath . on oath—(legal) having sworn to tell the truth (also: under oath): The judge reminded the witness that he was still on oath . on occasion • on the occasion on occasion—1. sometimes; from time to time: Three, four, or more forms of the same gene have on occasion been encoun- tered. 2. as need or opportunity arises: A member of the House of Lords … is prepared on occasion to assert his political rights. on the occasion—1. in this instance: The House proved will- ing to remove individual ministers and on the occasion the government itself. 2. in connection with some festive or solemn occurrence: Several promotions were made at St. Petersburg on the occasion of the Emperor’s name-day. on offer • under offer on offer—1. presented for sale: The few non-pedigree cattle on offer were of moderate class. 2. (of ideas, etc.) proposed; suggested: “How nice!” said Noni, with what passed with her for wit. “Any more great thoughts on offer ?” under offer—(of property) provisionally sold prior to the signing of a contract: Three of the farms were sold last year and a fourth is also under offer . on one’s ear • out on one’s ear on one’s ear—(Austral. sl.) in trouble or difficulties: My dad arrived with his two loads of cows last night. Mamma said he was on his ear when I wasn’t there to meet him. out on one’s ear—(sl.) said of smb. ejected unceremoniously; dismissed from a job, etc.: If you continue to be so late, you’ll find yourself out on your ear . on one’s feet • out on one’s feet on one’s feet—(also: on one’s legs) 1. standing up while work- ing: He’s on his feet all day at work, and he falls asleep in his chair as soon as he gets home. 2. getting up (to speak, etc.): Gavin had slept armed and was on his feet at once. 3. recov- ered after an illness: It’s good to see you back on your feet again. 4. (in the phrase “think on one’s feet”) react without much deliberation: The ability to think on one’s feet , organize one’s thoughts and articulate them is critical. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase on foot1. walking rather than using transport: The car wouldn’t start that day so we came on foot . 2. moving; in mo- tion: Though he got very close to his game, they were on foot before he saw them. 3. in progress; taking place: It was also pos- sible that some love intrigue was on foot . 4. being planned: The reporter also said that a civil rights demonstration was on foot . out on one’s feet—1. (of a boxer) dazed or barely conscious, although still in a standing position: For God’s sake keep an eye on John! He’s out on his feet but doesn’t realize it! 2. (coll.) barely able to stand; totally fatigued: You’re ill…. You may not know it, but you’re out on your feet . on one’s game • on the game on one’s game—(of a sportsman) playing very well: Their dis- regard of the rules was accentuated by the fact that neither man was on his game . on end – 250 –