mittal and not very positive judgment about smb. or smth.: The Badge was an entertaining movie, though I have seen bet - ter . It is worth catching if you want a mystery to watch. I have seen worse—(also: seen worse) is used as a noncom- mittal and not totally negative judgment about smb. or smth.: Based on the reviews I had read, I wasn’t expecting the restau- rant to be fancy looking—and it wasn’t, though I have seen worse . I say • I’ll say I say —1. is used preceding an utterance to call attention to it: Do you hear the rain, Mr. Caudle? I say , do you hear the rain? 2. is used as an exclamation of surprise, delight, or dis- may: I say , what on earth are you doing letting your eight year old watch a TV show you don’t approve of? Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase I’m telling you—used to say smth. firmly to a person: You are asking me to donate money to the party and I’m telling you I will not donate one red cent. I’ll say—(coll.) 1. is used to show complete agreement with what was said: “What a queer duck he is!” exclaimed Biff. “I’ll say he is!” ejaculated Chet Morton. 2. is used for emphasis: If they’re doing well in a class and I’m not (at least not as well), I’ll say it’s just because they’re working hard. ice house • ice palace ice house—1. an underground storage where blocks of ice are stored to be used in the summer: Every substantial country house had an ice house and it is surprising how many remain. 2. a morgue: The body was brought to the ice house , as planned, but the door would not lock. So the poor body was taken back to Mrs. McKnight’s house. ice palace—1. a huge castle-style building constructed of large blocks of ice: The city of St. Paul has played host to sev- eral ice palaces as part of the city’s Winter Carnival. 2. any large structure housing a skating rink: Here are some pictures taken over the years of the Ice Palace staff, friends and public skating. 3. a place of seclusion or retreat from the realities of life: You hide behind the pillars of your ice palace , pretending to be so unapproachable. ice man • snow man ice man—1. (U.S.) a man who retails and delivers ice (for use in ice-boxes, etc.): We played our games. I was the iceman and she was the housewife. 2. a man skilled in traversing ice (in Alpine or polar regions): We knew as icemen that the access to the land-ice from the floe was both toilsome and dangerous. 3. a person looking after the ice on a skating-pond: What becomes of icemen and skate-lenders in summer? 4. a hockey player: The ice men are through to the final of the Autumn trophy … they beat Swindon in the semi-final. 5. (Ice Man) man living in the Ice Age: The process will make it possible for fragile mummies such as the recently discovered Ice Man to be accessible to the public. 6. (Underworld) a hired killer; an assassin: Zen was sitting in a small white-curtained cubicle, thinking about Trotsky and the ice-man . snow man —1. a mass of snow made into the figure of a man: The daylight passed in snowman -making on the meadow. 2. (also: Abominable Snowman, the) a creature alleged to exist in the Himalayas: Mr. Smythe says that the snowman supersti- tion is known only to the Tibetan peoples. 3. (U.S. sl.) a person who deceives people with plausible words; a swindler: You’re a great snow man , Warren. But I’m not in dreamland yet. ice someone • put someone on ice ice someone—1. cause depressing influence over smb.: Her very enthusiasms were cold; she iced you by the tone of her conversation. 2. (Underworld) kill a person: The mobsters threatened to ice him if he went to the police. put someone on ice—(sl.) 1. (also: keep someone on ice) post- pone acting on a person: He keeps pestering you for an answer, but we’ll just have to put him on ice until we have more facts to go on. 2. put smb. in solitary confinement for a while before interrogation: He will for a considerable time be “put on ice ”—isolated from any contact with other members. identify oneself to someone • identify oneself with someone identify oneself to someone —say or prove (as to the police, etc.) who or what a person is: Shortly before he died, the man identified himself to the police as Michael Howard, 29 years old. identify oneself with someone —(also: identify with someone) feel that one shares the ideas, beliefs, problems, etc. of another person: The poet may be said, for the time, to identify himself with the character he wishes to represent. if a day • not a day over if a day—(also: if one is a day) is used to express certainty about a person’s age: Madeleine’s sister is a great age, too. Eighty, if a day . not a day over—one cannot be older than the age mentioned: “You look very well, not a day over forty,” Charlie said, stand- ing back. if any • if anything if any—supposing there is or are any: It is a cooperative venture with all the profits, if any , being invested in expanding community based broadcasting. Note: The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase if at all—supposing an action, event, etc. happens although it is very unlikely: Legislation is referred to a committee, only to be considered later, if at all . if anything —if in any degree: If anything , this approach puts those risks in the forefront, assuring that they will not be overlooked. if only • only if if only—1. is used to express a strong desire or hope that was not fulfilled: If only I knew at the time that she would be famous one day! 2. even though (is used to introduce the clause of concession): This may mean going on a trip, if only for a day or two, or an extended vacation of several weeks. only if —not at all unless: A Commonwealth citizen or other foreign nationals can apply but only if they are resident in the UK. if you fly with the crows, you get shot with the crows • if you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas if you fly with the crows, you get shot with the crows—(Proverb) if you wish to benefit from a high risk situation, you have to accept the consequences if things go wrong: The individual must demonstrate that he accepted a certain degree of respon- sibility, even if he feels that he is personally blameless. To put it crudely: If you fly with the crows, you get shot with the crows . if you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas—(Proverb) if you become involved with bad company, there will be neg- ative consequences: “If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas .” With those words in mind, I have always cho- sen my real friends wisely. impatient of something • impatient with something impatient of something —unable to endure smth.; unwilling to submit to smth.: His early orphanage was not without its – 183 – impatient of something