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an act of God – an event caused by natural forces which people cannot control or prevent, for example a hurricane, earthquake, etc: The insurance policy covers your house against all types of damage, excluding those caused by acts of God.
a balancing/ juggling act – a process in which sb tries to please two or more people or groups who want different things: The UN must perform a delicate balancing act between the different sides involved in the conflict.
be/get in on the act (informal) –be/become involved in a particular activity only after it has become successful: Sales of “ green” products have increased dramatically and now a lot of manufactures are trying to get in on the act.
do/ perform/ stage a disappearing/vanishing act (informal) – go away or be impossible to find when people need or want you: Ian always does a disappearing act when it’s time to wash the dishes.
get your act together; get sth/it together (informal) –manage organize or control sth (better than you have done previously): If Sally got her act together she’d be a great musician.
He’s been trying to get his life together.
a hard/ tough act to follow – a person or a group that is so good or successful at sth that it will be difficult for anyone else who comes after them to be as good or successful:
The last head teacher achieved a lot – she’ll be a hard act to follow.
act/be your age (informal) – (often used as a command) stop behaving in a childish way:
Paul, act your age or I won’t take you to the cinema again!
act/ play the fool – behave in a stupid way to make people laugh, especially in a way that may also annoy them: It’s impossible to have a decent game of tennis with Frank – he acts the fool the whole time.
act/play the goat (informal) –deliberately behave in a silly or foolish
way: Stop acting the goat or I’ll send you out! I’m warning you.
act/ behave as if you own the place (also think you own the place) (disapproving) – behave in a very confident way that annoys other people, for example by telling them what to do:
What does she think she’s doing, coming in here acting as if she owns the place!
catch sb in the act (of doing sth) – find sb while they are doing sth they should not be doing:
She turned round to catch him in the act of trying to run upstairs.
clean up your act (informal) – start behaving in a moral or responsible way:
He cleaned up his act and gave up the cigarettes and alcohol.
a piece/ slice of the action (informal) – a share or role in an interesting or exciting activity, especially in order to make money: Foreign firms will all want a piece of the action if the new airport goes ahead.
act as someone – to perform in the capacity of someone, temporarily or permanently:
This is Mr. Brown. He’ll act as manager from now on.
I’ll act as your supervisor until Mrs. Smith returns from vacation.
act high and mighty (informal) – to act proud and powerful:
Why does the doctor always have to act so high and mighty?
act up – to misbehave; to run or act badly:
My car is acting up. I could hardly get it started this morning.
act sth out AND act out sth – to perform an imaginary event as if one were in a play:
The psychiatrist asked Bill to act out the way he felt about getting fired.
Actions speak louder than words – a proverb meaning that it is better to do sth about a problem than just talk about it: Mary kept promising to get a job. John finally looked her in the eye and said, “Actions speak louder than words!”
bring/call/put sth into play -make sth begin to work or operate; involve sth in sth:
The exercise brings many skills into play. This latest decision calls many new factors into play.
come into play -(begin to) operate or be active; have an effect or influence: It's time for the first part of our plan to come into play. A lot of different factors came into play in making this decision.
have (got) money, time, etc. to play with (informal) -have plenty of money, time, etc. for doing sth: We need to make a decision now, as we haven't got much time to play with.
in/out off play - (of the ball) in/out of a position where it can be played according to the rules of the game: The defender kicked the ball out of play. The ball's in play, so play on.
make great, much, etc. play of/with sth -put a lot of emphasis on sth; behave as if sth is very important: The English love of gardening is something he makes great play of in his latest book.
He always makes great play of the fact that he went to a famous school.
make a play for sb/sth (especially AmE) - make a well-planned attempt to get sth you want:
He was making a play for a top government position. If you want to make a play for her, send her flowers.
play your ace -use your best argument, etc. in order to get an advantage in a situation:
I think it's time we played our ace, which is the fact that without us they wouldn't be able to run this place.
play ball (with sb) (i nformal) - be willing to work with other people in a helpful way, especially so that sb can get what they want: We need their help, but will they play ball? So he won't play ball, eh? He'll soon realize he can't manage without us.
play (sth) by ear
1 play (music) which you have heard or remembered but which you have not seen written down:
She can't read music very well, so she plays all the tunes by ear.
2 (also play it by ear ) (informal) - decide how to act in a situation as it happens or develops, rather than by planning in advance: You can't really prepare for the questions the interviewer will ask— you'll just have to play it by ear, I'm afraid.
play by sb's (own) rules - if sb plays by their own rules or makes other people play by their rules, they set the conditions for doing business or having a relationship: If we want to win this contract, we're going to have to play by their rules for a while.
play by the rules -deal fairly and honestly with people:
You know how we conduct business here, and I expect you all to play by the rules in future.
play your cards right (informal) - deal successfully with a particular situation so that you achieve some advantage or sth that you want: If you play your cards right you couId get promotion in a year or two.
play Cupid -try to start a romantic relationship between two people:
Martha was busy playing Cupid as usual, trying to get me to go out with her cousin Terry.
play fair/ straight (with sb)- act honestly and fairly: don't think it's playing fair to blame her for other people's mistakes.
play fast and loose (with sb/sth) (old-fashioned) - treat sb/sth in a way that shows that you feel no responsibility or respect for them: If he plays fast and loose with my daughter's feelings, I'll make sure he regrets it.
play the field (informal)- have romantic or sexual relationships with a lot of different people: He told me he didn't want to get married yet because he was having too much fun playing the field.
play footsie (with sb) - touch sb's feet lightly with your own feet, especially under a table, as an expression of affection or sexual interest: They were very embarrassed when her mother caught them playing footsie under the dinner table
play for time -try to delay sth or prevent sth from happening now because you think there will be an advantage to you if you act later: If I can play for time a bit longer, they might lower their price
play the game -behave in a fair and honest way: That's the third time this week you've left me to finish all your work You're not playing the game, Luke
play sb's game; play the same game (as sb) (also play sb at their own game )- use the same methods as a competitor, opponent, enemy, etc: Safeway started cutting their food prices, so Asda decided to play them at their own game by cutting prices even more
play (silly) games (with sb) - not treat a situation seriously, especially in order to cheat or deceive sb: Don't play silly games with me, I know you did it
play God -behave as if you control events or other people's lives
It is unfair to ask doctors to play God and end someone's life
play gooseberry (BrE) - be a third person with two people who have a romantic relationship and want to be alone together: Dave and Michelle invited me to go out with them but I don't want to play gooseberry all evening
play hard to get (informal) pretend not to be interested in sb/sth in order to increase sb's interest in or desire for you: She's playing hard to get, but I'm sure she really wants to go out with me. My advice is, play hard to get for a while and they might offer you more money
play (merry) hell with sb/sth (BrE, informal) disturb, upset or trouble sb/sth very much
These storms play merry hell with our TV reception
play (right) into sb's hands - do exactly what an enemy, opponent, etc wants so that they gain the advantage in a particular situation: The thieves played right into the hands of the law by trying to sell stolen property to a police informer
play it cool (i nforma l)- not appear excited, worried, angry, etc If you play it cool and don't seem too interested, he might lower the price. He was shouting at me, but I played it cool—I didn't want him to see how angry I was
play it straight (also play a straight bat ) be honest and not try to deceive sb 'Do you think we should try and hide this from the newspapers?' 'No, play it straight; I'm sure the public will see our point of view.'
play the market -buy and sell stocks and shares in order to make a profit: He's been playing the market for 30 years, but is quick to warn people of the risks involved.
a play on words -a clever or amusing use of a word that has more than one meaning, or of words that have different meanings but sound similar/the same: When Elvis Presley had his hair cut off in the army he said, 'Hair today and gone tomorrow'. It was a play on words—the usual expression is 'here today and gone tomorrow.'
play a/your part (in sth) be involved in sth; be a reason for sth happening: You too can play a part in helping your community. Arguments within the party played a part in the downfall of the government.
play possum (informal) pretend to be asleep or not aware of sth, in order to deceive sb: Jake decided that his best course of action would be to play possum and wait for her to give up.
play (it) safe -avoid danger; act safely, even if another course of action would be quicker, more successful, etc: know all these locks seem unnecessary but I believeit's always better to play safe.
play second fiddle -have a lower or less important position than another person: She wants to be the boss, not playsecond fiddle to somebody else
play silly buggers (with sth) (BrE, informal) behave in a stupid and annoying way:
Stop playing silly buggers and answer the question
play to the gallery -behave in an exaggerated way to attract ordinary people's attention: The most popular and successful politicians in our history have always known how to play to the gallery.
play truant ( BrE) (AmE play hookey/ hooky informal) (old-fashioned) - stay away from school without permission: Is she off school because she's ill, or is she playing truant?
play with fire -take unnecessary and dangerous risks: Be very careful, Mike. You're playing with fire. If you ask me she's playing with fire, getting involved with a married man.
&?12. Read the text. Write a summary of it.
Break a Leg (and Other Theatre Superstitions)
The average person might be somewhat superstitious with some things, but thespians are known for their superstitious nature. Probably the most well known superstition involves William Shakespeare's Macbeth, which is often called "the Scottish play" by actors. The superstition says that any group putting on this play will suffer bad luck, ranging from minor mishaps to major catastrophes! Not just performing the play is bad luck, though - if anyone mentions Macbeth in a theatre or recites quotes from the play, BEWARE!
In addition to this most famous superstition, hundreds of other theatre superstitions and rituals exist. Take a look at this list of superstitions - some normal, others crazy.
Do not wish another actor good luck - instead say "break a leg." This comes from "bending a knee" (for taking a bow).
It is bad luck for an actor to receive flowers before the play begins, though flowers given after the play has ended is considered good luck.
Only fake flowers will be used on stage. Real flowers must be replaced too often because they can't get enough light, plus some actors may be allergic to them.
It is unlucky for an actor to knit while on the side of the stage. This is because knitting needles are pointy and can rip expensive costumes, or the needle may fall on the floor and cause someone to fall onstage.
It is unlucky to use real mirrors or real jewelry onstage. Why? Because both items can cause problems with the onstage lighting, so fake mirrors and jewelry should be used.
Before an actor takes the stage for the first time, it is good luck for him/her to be pinched for luck. This comes from the old wives' tale that pinching is good luck.
It is considered bad luck to speak the last line of the play anytime before opening night. This is because a production is never complete until it's performed for an audience, so the completing line of the play shouldn't be spoken before an audience sees the play.
If an actress trips on the hem of her dress, she should pick it up and kiss the hem for good luck.
You should not whistle while you're in the theatre, especially in the dressing rooms. It is said that someone will soon be out of work if whistling occurs in the theatre.
Actors are very superstitious about ghosts and the theatre. Most theatres are reported to have at least one ghost roaming about. Monday night is considered Ghost Night. Most theatres don't have productions on this night so the ghosts will have their own night to perform their plays.
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