run up against someone—1. meet a person, especially by ac- cident: You can’t go anywhere in London without running up against him. 2. = come up against someone: I also had the sense that Tony would be a formidable adversary if you ran up against him in court. come up daisies • push up daisies come up daisies—(also: come up roses) turn out extremely well, especially when things seemed to be going badly at first: Once you’ve implemented an active job search, everything will come up daisies . push up daisies—(sl.) be dead and buried: We could argue about the details of science and politics till we pushed up daisies —and yet we would not come any closer to concilia- tion. come up for air • go up in the air come up for air —(U.S. sl.) take a break; have a rest: George decides to revisit the place in order to “come up for air ” and remember what the good life used to be. go up in the air—(coll.) become angry; lose one’s temper: He is so irritable these days that he goes up in the air for no reason at all. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase vanish into thin air—disappear completely from sight or existence: Speed, confidence, shooting ability, all seemed to have vanished into thin air . come up roses • come up smelling of roses come up roses—(also: come up daisies) turn out extremely well, especially when things seemed to be going badly at first: Everything has come up roses with the film and all the naysay- ers have been pretty much silenced. come up smelling of roses —(UK, also: come out smelling of roses) emerge from an unfavorable situation with one’s repu- tation undamaged: She gets into trouble all the time, but gen- erally seems to come up smelling of roses . Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase take time to smell the roses—(also: stop and smell the roses) slow down and relax; take time out and enjoy life: While he described Williams as a “phenomenal woman,” he also calls her a “workaholic.” “She just doesn’t take time to smell the roses ,” he said. See also: roses, roses all the way / roses round the door. come up to something • go up to something come up to something—1. reach as high as smth.: So, if you’re driving through water and it comes up to your grille, it’s get- ting to the stage where you may stall. 2. equal smth. in stan- dard: The meals cooked in most restaurants do not come up to those prepared at home. 3. (Progressive Tense) approach smth. in time: It is coming up to November which means Ash is about to head down the aisle and get married. go up to something —1. = come up to something 1: If the water goes up to your neck, you’re even much more slow, so the deeper the water, the heavier you are. 2. go to an important place: Women and children go up to town carrying buckets with fruit and river snails. 3. (UK) be allowed to move to the next higher class: You have to pass your end of year exam to go up to the next grade. 4. reach as far as smth.: The second chapter goes up to the end of the Great War; the third chapter discusses the ideological conflicts. See also: come down to something / go down to something. comic actor • comical actor comic actor—an actor who plays in comedies; a singer of comic songs: He has no idea who will replace Ritter but said it should be “a comic actor who is as beloved as John was.” comical actor—mirth-provoking, funny actor: I did really like all of the actors in the film, especially Ben Stiller, who appears to be solidifying his mark as a great comical actor . comings and goings • entrances and exits comings and goings —(also: coming and going ) 1. arrivals and departures: Fanny lived her own life, never commenting on her husband’s whirlwind comings and goings . 2. busy activi- ties: Along with all the comings and goings of the holidays we had plenty of time to just hang out and enjoy each other’s company. entrances and exits —(of actors) coming upon and leaving the stage: We are up on stage behind the scenes with the actors watching them make their entrances and exits . comment on a match • commentate on a match comment on a match—make comments or give an opinion on a sports contest: I can’t justifiably comment on a match I did not watch. commentate on a match—act as a sports commentator run- ning live commentary: I don’t associate women with football, so hearing one commentate on a match is odd. common knowledge • general knowledge common knowledge—said of smth. generally known to most people: It is common knowledge to most trout-fishers that the May Fly has decreased over many parts of the country. general knowledge—basic understanding of a subject or a variety of subjects: Many of them do not have familiarity with poetry, not to mention the general knowledge and cultural literacy. common man • common woman common man—1. an ordinary man, not distinguished by rank or position: Mr. Brooks is a common man . He is not a hero, he is not always fighting against dangerous criminals…. 2. said of ordinary people (both men and women) in general: The common man is portrayed as the helpless victim of op- portunistic politicians. common woman—1. an ordinary woman, not distinguished by rank or position: Rosa Parks was a common woman who had a huge effect on U.S. civil rights movements. 2. (euph., dated) a prostitute: She was a common woman when he met her, and had since become the most drunken creature it was possible to meet with. common property • community property common property—property owned by a group of tenants in a condominium; property which everyone has the right to use: The bicycles were common property and anyone in the apartment complex could use them. community property—property belonging jointly to a mar- ried couple: The couple decided to divide some of their com - munity property and give it to their children before they left to do volunteer work overseas. common sense • commonsense common sense—natural intelligence possessed by all people: Most people think they have enough common sense to deal with anything that might come their way. commonsense—(attrib.) said of smth. demonstrating com- mon sense: My commonsense idea is to have a safety net that protects the neediest in our society. community center • community home community center—a place providing social, recreational, and educational facilities for a neighborhood: A village hall provides a community center for concerts, dances and other events. community home—(UK euph.) a center for housing young – 85 – community center