NTC''''s Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases part 70 pps

travel ["trAv @l] 1. iv. to visit
[places other than where one
lives]; to journey.
2. iv. to move
through space; to move across a
distance.
3. tv. to move on a path
or route as one makes a journey.
4. tv. to move over a specific dis-
tance as one makes a journey.
5. n.
going to and visiting places other
than where one lives. (No plural.
See also
someone’s
travels.) 6. the
adj. use of T.
traveler ["trAv l#] n. someone who
travels; someone who goes on trips
or journeys.
a
travesty of justice a miscarriage
of justice; an act of the legal sys-
tem that is an insult to the system
of justice.
tray ["tre] n. a flat panel with a
slightly raised rim, used to carry
things, especially food.
tread on
someone’s
toes Go to

step on
someone’s
toes.
treasure ["trE Z#] 1. n. valuable
objects, especially ones that are
stored; someone or something that
is highly valued.
2. tv. to value
someone or something highly.
treasurer ["trE Z# #] n. someone
who is in charge of the money of
an organization or unit of govern-
ment.
treasury ["trE Z@ ri] 1. n. the money
that is owned by an organization
or unit of government.
2. n. the
department of a government in
charge of spending and saving
public money.
treat ["trit] 1. n. a bit of tasty food,
such as candy or ice cream.
2. n.
something that is pleasing.
3. tv. to
handle or consider someone or
something in a certain way.
4. tv.
to try to cure something.
→

Dutch treat
→
someone’s
treat
treatment ["trit m@nt] 1. n. the
way someone or something is dealt
with. (No plural.)
2. n. the
method by which someone tries to
cure someone.
3. n. the way in
which a story or script is pre-
sented.
→
get the red-carpet treatment
→ give
someone
the red-carpet
treatment
→ the royal treatment
treaty ["trit i] n. a formal agree-
ment between two or more
nations.
tree ["tri] 1. n. a tall plant whose
stem and branches are made of
wood, and that often has leaves
growing from the branches.
2. n. a
diagram that represents the rela-
tionship between different levels

or positions of power by express-
ing them as branches at different
levels.
→
bark up the wrong tree
→ not able to see the forest for
the trees
→ palm tree
tree house ["tri haUs] n., irreg. a
platform or structure built in a
tree for children to play in.
(Plural: [
haU z@z].)
treetop ["tri tap] n. the top of a
tree.
trek ["trEk] 1. n. a long journey,
often done walking.
2. iv. to travel
on a long journey, often on foot.
tremendous [trI "mEn d@s] 1. adj.
huge; enormous; very large;
immense. (Adv: tremendously.)
travel
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2. adj. wonderful; excellent;
superb. (Adv: tremendously.)
trial ["traIl] 1. n. the examination
of evidence in a court of law by a

judge or jury to settle a legal ques-
tion, such as guilt or innocence.
2. n. an experiment; a test to see if
something works; a test to see if
something provides a benefit.
3. n.
a difficult ordeal; a problem; a dis-
ease and the problems it causes.
4. adj. concerning the first test or
an early attempt to get results.
5. the adj. use of Q, W, or E.
→
on trial
triangle ["traI AN g@l] 1. n. a figure
that has three sides and three
angles.
2. n. a flat, three-sided
object with three sides, used for
drawing lines and angles.
3. n. a
metallic musical instrument in the
shape of Q, that is struck with a
small rod to make a ringing noise.
tribe ["traIb] n. a group of people
having the same customs, religion,
language, and culture; a local divi-
sion of a larger ethnic group.
tribute ["trIb jut] n. a show of
respect or honor.
trick ["trIk] 1. n. something that is

done to deceive someone.
2. adj.
made to be used in Q; intended to
deceive.
→
bag of tricks
→ know (all) the tricks of the
trade
→ play a trick on
someone
→ use every trick in the book
trick
someone
into
something
to
deceive someone into doing some-
thing.
trick
someone
out of
something
and trick
something
out of
someone
to get something from
someone by deception.
trick
something

out of
someone
Go to trick
someone
out of
something
.
tricky ["trIk i] 1. adj. difficult to do;
puzzling; hard to deal with. (Adv:
trickily. Comp: trickier; sup: tricki-
est.)
2. adj. full of tricks; clever
and good at deceiving people.
(Adv: trickily. Comp: trickier; sup:
trickiest.)
tricycle ["traI sIk @l] n. a small
vehicle with three wheels, two in
back and one in front, made for
young children to ride on.
trigger ["trIg #] 1. n. the small
lever on a gun, used to fire the
gun.
2. n. something that causes
something else to happen. (Figu-
rative on Q.)
3. tv. to cause some-
thing to happen; to cause
something that starts a sequence
of events.
→

quick on the trigger
trigger
something
off to set some-
thing off, such as an explosion.
trillion ["trIl j@n] 1. n. the number
1,000,000,000,000. (Additional
numbers formed as with two tril-
lion, three trillion, four trillion,
etc.)
2. n. a group or collection
of 1,000,000,000,000 people or
things.
3. adj. consisting of
1,000,000,000,000 things.
trillionth ["trIl j@nT]
1,000,000,000,000th. Go to
fourth.
trilogy ["trIl @ dZi] n. a set of three
books, plays, movies, etc., that
share a common theme or charac-
ters and events.
trilogy
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trim ["trIm] 1. tv. to make some-
thing neat by cutting; to cut some-
thing neatly.
2. tv. to reduce

something; to decrease something.
3. tv. to decorate something.
4. adj. [of someone] thin and of
the proper weight. (Adv: trimly.
Comp: trimmer; sup: trimmest.)
5. n. the wood around a door or
window or along the floor.
trim
something
away (from
some-
thing
) to cut something away
(from something).
trim
something
off ((of)
someone
or something
) to cut something off
someone or something.
trio ["tri o] 1. n. a group of three,
especially a group of three per-
formers. (Plural ends in -s.)
2. n. a
piece of music written for three
instruments or three voices.
(Plural ends in -s.)
trip ["trIp] 1. n. a journey between
two places; a journey from one

place to another.
2. iv. to stumble;
to fall over something; to hit one’s
foot against someone or some-
thing, causing a loss of balance.
3. tv. to cause someone to fall; to
cause someone to stumble and lose
balance.
4. tv. to release a lever or
a switch, thus causing something
to function.
trip
someone
up 1. to cause some-
one to trip; to tangle someone’s
feet.
2. to cause someone to
become confused and awkward,
especially when talking or reason-
ing.
tripod ["traI pad] n. a support or
stand that has three legs, especially
one that supports a camera.
trite ["traIt] adj. [of an expression]
shallow and simple-minded. (Adv:
tritely. Comp: triter; sup: tritest.)
triumph ["traI @mf] 1. n. celebra-
tion; the glory of victory; a vic-
tory. (Plural only for types and
instances.)

2. iv. to win; to be very
successful.
trivial ["trIv i @l] adj. not impor-
tant; not significant. (Adv: triv-
ially.)
trolley ["tra li] n. a vehicle that is
operated by electricity and runs
along a track in the street.
trombone [tram "bon] n. a brass
musical instrument, played by
blowing air into one end with
tensed lips, while moving a long
sliding part into different posi-
tions.
troop ["trup] 1. n. a group of peo-
ple or animals, especially a group
of soldiers.
2. iv. to walk or move
as a group.
trooper ["trup #] n. an officer in
the state police, usually the high-
way patrol. (Short for
state
trooper.
)
→
state trooper
troops n. soldiers. (Treated as plu-
ral, but not countable.)
trophy ["tro fi] 1. n. something that

is taken from a battle or a hunt as
a symbol of one’s success.
2. n. a
small statue or prize that is given
to the winner of an event or con-
test.
tropic ["trap Ik] 1. n. one of two
imaginary circles around the
earth, 23.45 degrees north and
south of the equator.
2. adj. tropi-
cal;
hot and humid.
trim
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tropical ["trap I k@l] adj. of or
about the tropics; of or about the
weather conditions of the tropics;
found in the tropics. (Adv: tropi-
cally [
Ik li].)
the
tropics n. the area between the
two
tropics Q; the areas of the
earth near the equator. (Treated as
singular or plural.)
trot ["trat] 1. n. the movement of a

horse between a walk and a gallop;
the movement of a human
between a walk and a run.
2. iv. to
move faster than walking, but not
as fast as running.
trot
someone or something
out to
bring out and display someone or
something. (Figurative.)
trot
something
out to mention
something regularly or habitually,
without giving it much thought.
trouble ["tr^b @l] 1. n. worry; diffi-
culty; anxiety.
2. n. annoyance;
bother.
3. n. a sickness; a health
problem.
4. n. someone or some-
thing that causes worry, difficulty,
anxiety, irritation, bother, or
problems.
5. tv. to worry someone;
to cause someone difficulty or
anxiety.
6. tv. to bother or delay

someone with an inquiry.
7. tv. to
cause someone to feel pain.
→
ask for trouble
→ drown
one’s
troubles
→ fish in troubled waters
→ in trouble
→ not worth the trouble
→ pour oil on troubled water
→ teething troubles
troublesome ["tr^b @l s@m] adj.
causing trouble; causing problems.
(Adv: troublesomely.)
trousers ["traU z#z] n. pants; a
piece of clothing worn below the
waist, having a separate tube, hole,
or compartment for each leg and
extending to the ankles. (Treated
as plural. Number is expressed
with pair(s) of trousers. Rarely sin-
gular.)
trout ["traUt] 1. n., irreg. a freshwa-
ter fish commonly eaten as food.
(Plural: trout.)
2. n. the flesh of
Q, eaten as food. (No plural.)
trowel ["traU @l] 1. n. a tool used to

apply and smooth mortar or plas-
ter.
2. n. a tool used in gardening
for digging small holes and plant-
ing individual plants.
truant ["tru @nt] 1. adj. absent from
school without permission. (Adv:
truantly.)
2. n. someone who is
absent from school without per-
mission.
truce ["trus] n. an agreement to
stop fighting.
truck ["tr^k] 1. n. a large motor
vehicle designed to carry objects
or cargo rather than people.
2. the
adj. use of Q.
3. tv. to transport
something by Q.
true ["tru] 1. adj. being a fact;
actual; real; not false. (Adv: truly.
Comp: truer; sup: truest.)
2. adj.
sincere; genuine; not fake; not
artificial. (Adv: truly. Comp: truer;
sup: truest.)
3. adj. properly fitted;
at the proper angle. (Adv: truly.
Comp: truer; sup: truest.)

→
come true
→ a dream come true
→ hold true
→ ring true
→ show
one’s
(true) colors
→ too good to be true
true
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true to
one’s
word keeping one’s
promise.
truly ["tru li] adv. really; honestly;
genuinely.
trumpet ["tr^mp It] 1. n. a brass
musical instrument on which dif-
ferent notes are produced by blow-
ing air into one end while pressing
different combinations of three
valves.
2. iv. [for an elephant] to
make a characteristic elephant
noise.
trunk ["tr^Nk] 1. n. the main stem
of a tree.

2. n. the body of a
human without its head, arms, or
legs.
3. n. a large, sturdy box for
transporting or storing clothes or
other objects.
4. n. the long, tube-
shaped nose of an elephant.
trunks n. a swimming suit for men.
(Treated as plural. Number is
expressed with pair(s) of trunks.)
trust ["tr^st] 1. n. a strong belief in
the honesty of someone or some-
thing. (No plural.)
2. tv. to believe
in the honesty of someone or
something.
3. tv. to hope some-
thing. (The object is a clause with
that U.)
truth ["truT] 1. n. the quality of
being true or a fact. (No plural.)
2. n. a fact; a true state.
→ the
gospel truth
→ a grain of truth
→ moment of truth
truthful ["truT fUl] 1. adj. [of a
statement] able to be proven as
true. (Adv: truthfully.)

2. adj. reg-
ularly telling the truth; honest.
(Adv: truthfully.)
try ["traI] 1. iv. to make an attempt.
2. tv. to use something to see if
one likes it; to test something to
see if it works well.
3. tv. [for a
judge or jury] to hear a [legal] case
in a court of law. (E.g., try a case.)
4. tv. [for a judge or jury] to sub-
ject an accused person to a trial in
a court of law. (E.g., try someone
for a crime.)
5. n. an attempt; an
effort to do something.
try
one’s
wings (out) to try to do
something one has recently
become qualified to do.
try out (for
something
) to audition
for a part in some performance or
other activity requiring skill.
try
someone’s
patience to do
something annoying that may

cause someone to lose patience; to
cause someone to be annoyed.
try
something
out on
someone
to
see how someone responds to
something or some idea.
try to
do something
to attempt to
do something.
tsar Go to czar.
T-shirt ["ti S#t] n. a light, cotton
shirt with short sleeves and no col-
lar.
tub ["t^b] 1. n. a large, round or
oval container with a flat bottom.
2. n. a bathtub.
tuba ["tub @] n. a large brass instru-
ment that makes very low notes.
(
Tubas are also sometimes made of
lighter-weight material.)
tube ["tub] 1. n. a hollow pipe used
for holding or conveying some-
thing.
2. n. a soft container that
holds paste, such as toothpaste,

icing, or medicine.
→
down the tube
true to one’s word
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tuck ["t^k] n. a fold that is sewn
shut to make an item of clothing
shorter or fit tighter.
→
nip and tuck
tuck
something
in((to)
something
)
to fold or stuff something into
something else.
Tuesday ["tjuz de] Go to day.
tug ["t^g] n. a hard pull; a yank.
tug at
someone or something
and
tug on
someone or something
to
pull at someone or something with
force.
tug on

someone or something
Go to
tug at
someone or something
.
tulip ["tu l@p] n. a flower with a
bright, colorful, cup-shaped
bloom.
tumble ["t^m b@l] 1. n. a fall. 2. iv.
to fall over; to fall accidentally; to
fall helplessly.
tumble out of
something
to fall,
topple, or drop out of something.
tumble over (
something
) to fall
over the edge of something.
tummy ["t^m i] n. the stomach or
belly. (Informal; used especially
with children.)
tumor ["tu m#] n. a group or clus-
ter of diseased cells in a body that
grow independently of the sur-
rounding tissue or structure.
tuna (fish) ["tu n@ "fISh] 1. n.,
irreg. a large ocean fish, com-
monly used for food. (Plural: tuna
or tunas.)

2 n., irreg. the flesh of a
Q, eaten as food. (No plural.)
3. the adj. use of Q or W.
(Hyphenated.)
tune ["tun] 1. n. a melody; a piece
of music or a song.
2. tv. to adjust
a musical instrument so that its
tones are at the proper intervals
from each other.
3. tv. to adjust
something so that it works prop-
erly.
→
can’t carry a tune
→ dance to another tune
→ in tune
→ out of tune
→ out of tune (with
someone or
something
)
tunnel ["t^n @l] 1. n. a passage that
is underground, underwater, or
through a mountain.
2. iv. to make
a passage that goes underground,
underwater, or through a moun-
tain.
→

see the light (at the end of the
tunnel)
turbine ["t# bIn] n. a large engine
or motor that is powered by pres-
sure from wind, water, or some
other liquid or gas.
turd ["t#d] n. a lump of fecal mate-
rial. (Potentially offensive. Use
only with care. Colloquial.)
turf ["t#f] 1. n. the surface of soil
with plants or grass growing on it.
(No plural.)
2. n. the area that is
controlled by a person or group of
people. (Usually singular.)
turkey ["t# ki] 1. n. a large fowl
that is often raised for its meat.
2. n. the meat of Q used as food.
(No plural.)
3. adj. made with W.
turn ["t#n] 1. tv. to move some-
thing around in a circle or an arc;
to cause something to move in a
circle or an arc.
2. tv. to aim a
moving object or vehicle in a dif-
ferent direction.
3. tv. to change
the position of something, such as
an electrical switch, lever, or han-

dle.
4. tv. to reach a certain age.
turn
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5. iv. to go in a different direction;
to change direction.
6. iv. to
change position by moving in a
circle or an arc; to change position
to face a different direction.
7. iv.
to change, especially in form,
state, color, or quality; to become
some form, state, color, or quality.
8. n. the movement of something
that is going in a circle.
9. n. a
change in direction.
10. n. a
change in a situation; a change in
circumstances.
11. n. a chance to
do something, especially when
two or more people alternate an
action.
→
do
someone

a good turn
→ out of turn
turn a blind eye to
someone or
something
to ignore something
and pretend one does not see it.
turn a deaf ear (to
something
) to
ignore what someone says; to
ignore a cry for help.
turn about Go to turn around.
turn against
someone or some-
thing
to attack, defy, or revolt
against someone or something.
turn around and turn about to
reverse; to face the opposite direc-
tion; to change direction of
motion.
turn back (from
someplace
) to
stop one’s journey and return.
turn in((to)
someplace
) to walk or
steer one’s vehicle into a place.

turn into
something
to change to a
particular condition or state; to
become something.
turn off [for something] to go off;
to switch off.
turn on [for something] to switch
on and start running.
turn on a dime to turn in a very
tight turn.
turn
one’s
nose up at
someone or
something
to sneer at someone or
something; to reject someone or
something.
turn out (for
something
) [for peo-
ple, especially an audience, to
leave home] to attend some event.
turn over a new leaf to start
again with the intention of doing
better; to begin again, ignoring
past errors.
turn over in
one’s

grave [for a
dead person] to be shocked or
horrified. (Figurative.)
turn
someone
down to issue a
refusal to someone.
turn
someone or something
back to
cause someone or something to
stop and go back; to cause some-
one or something to retreat.
turn
someone or something
over to
someone or something
to release
or assign someone or something to
someone or something else; to
transfer or deliver someone or
something to someone or some-
thing else.
turn
someone or something
up
1. to increase the volume of a
device emitting the sound of
someone or something.
2. to dis-

cover or locate someone or some-
thing.
turn
someone
out 1. to train or
produce someone with certain
skills or talents.
2. to force some-
one to leave a place.
turn a blind eye to someone or something
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turn
someone’s
head to make
someone conceited.
turn
someone’s
stomach to make
someone (figuratively or literally)
ill.
turn
something
down 1. to bend or
fold something down.
2. to
decrease the volume of something.
3. to reject something.
turn

something
on to switch on
something to make it run.
turn
something
out 1. to manufac-
ture or produce something in
great numbers.
2. to turn off a
light.
turn
something
to good account
to use something in such a way
that it is to one’s advantage; to
make good use of a situation,
experience, etc.
turn
something
to
one’s
advan-
tage to make an advantage for
oneself out of something that
might otherwise be a disadvan-
tage.
turn
something
up 1. to bend or
fold something up.

2. to turn play-
ing cards face up.
turn the other cheek to ignore
abuse or an insult directed at one.
(Biblical.)
turn the tide to cause a reversal in
the direction of events; to cause a
reversal in public opinion.
turn to to start working; to start
doing one’s job.
turn up
1.
[for part of something]
to point upward.
2. to happen.
turn up (
somewhere
) [for someone
or something] to appear in a place.
turtle ["t#t @l] n. a reptile with a
round body that is protected by a
thick, hard, rounded shell.
tusk ["t^sk] n. a very long, pointed
tooth that projects from the face
of some kinds of animals.
tutor ["tut #] 1. n. someone who is
employed as a private teacher; a
teacher who gives private lessons.
2. tv. to teach someone privately.
3. iv. to work as Q.

tuxedo [t@k "si do] n. a man’s outfit
for very formal occasions, includ-
ing a black jacket, a white shirt, a
black bow tie, and pants. (Plural
ends in -s.)
tv. an abbreviation of transitive
verb
.
TV ["ti "vi] an abbreviation of televi-
sion, television set.
tweed ["twid] 1. n. a rough wool
fabric.
2. adj. made of Q.
twelfth ["twElfT] 12th. Go to
fourth.
twelve ["twElv] 12. Go to four.
twentieth ["twEn ti @T] 20th. Go to
fourth.
twenty ["twEn ti] 20. Go to forty.
twice ["twaIs] 1. adv. two times; on
two occasions.
2. adv. two times as
much; double.
twiddle
one’s
thumbs to fill up
time by playing with one’s fingers.
twig ["twIg] n. a small branch.
twilight ["twaI laIt] 1. n. the time
of day after the sun sets and before

the sky is completely dark. (No
plural.)
2. n. the dim light at Q.
twin ["twIn] 1. n. one of two chil-
dren born at the same time from
the same mother; one of two off-
twin
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spring born at the same time from
the same mother.
2. n. one of two
things that are part of a matched
set.
3. adj. [of two offspring] born
at the same time from the same
mother.
4. adj. forming a pair of
two things that are similar or
matching.
twine ["twaIn] n. strong string
made of two or more strands that
are twisted together. (Plural only
for types and instances.)
twinkle ["twIN k@l] 1. iv. to alter-
nate between shining brightly and
not so brightly; to flicker; to
sparkle.
2. n. a light that alternates

between shining brightly and
dimly; a flicker.
→
in the twinkling of an eye
twirl ["tw#l] 1. tv. to spin some-
thing; to move something in cir-
cles.
2. iv. to spin; to turn in
circles.
3. n. a spin; a circular
movement.
twist ["twIst] 1. tv. to turn some-
thing; to rotate something in an
arc.
2. tv. to injure a body part by
turning it sharply.
3. tv. to bend
and turn part of something to
change its shape.
4. iv. to curve; to
bend; to change shape or direc-
tion; to turn one part of a length
of something while keeping the
other part in place.
5. n. a curve; a
state resulting when one part of a
length has been turned while the
other part stays in one place.
6. n.
the movement of twisting as in Q.

twist
someone
around
one’s
little
finger to manipulate and control
someone.
twist
someone’s
arm to force or
persuade someone.
twist
someone’s
words (around)
to restate someone’s words inaccu-
rately when quoting them or try-
ing to understand them.
two ["tu] 2. Go to four.
→
fall between two stools
→ get two strikes against
one
→ in two shakes of a lamb’s tail
→ kill two birds with one stone
→ the lesser (of the two)
→ the lesser of two evils
→ put in
one’s
two cents(’ worth)
→ put two and two together

→ stand on
one’s
own two feet
→ strike a balance (between two
things)
→ Two’s company(, three’s a
crowd).
two of a kind people or things that
are the same type or similar in
character, attitude, etc.
Two’s company(, three’s a
crowd).
a saying meaning that
two people want to be alone and a
third person would be in the way.
type ["taIp] 1. n. a kind, sort, or
category; a group of related people
or things.
2. n. a block of wood or
metal, with the raised shape of a
letter or number on it, used in
printing. (No plural.)
3. n. a style
or kind of print, especially the
shape or darkness that printed let-
ters have. (No plural.)
4. tv. to
write something using a keyboard.
5. iv. to use a keyboard.
→

set type
type
something
up to type a new
version of a handwritten docu-
ment.
typewriter ["taIp raI t#] n. a
machine for printing letters onto
paper.
typical ["tIp I k@l] adj. average;
usual; ordinary; regular; having
twine
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the main qualities of a type of
something. (Adv: typically [
Ik
li
].)
typo ["taIp o] n. an error made in
printing or typing. (Plural ends in
-s. Short for typographical error.)
tyranny ["tIr @ ni] n. the cruel and
unfair use of government power.
(No plural.)
tyrant ["taI r@nt] n. a ruler who is
cruel and unfair.
tyrant
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