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[washed out] <adj.> Listless in appearance; pale, wan. * /Small wonder Harry looks so washed out; he has just recovered from major surgery./

[washed up] <adj.> Ruined; finished; a failure. * /Harry is looking awfully sad. I hear his business has collapsed and he is all washed up./

[wash one's dirty linen in public] See: AIR ONE'S DIRTY LINEN IN PUBLIC.

[wash one's hands of] <v. phr.> To withdraw from or refuse to be responsible for. * /We washed our hands of politics long ago./ * /The school washed its hands of the students' behavior during spring recess./

[washout] <n.> A dismal failure. * /As far as investments were concerned, Dick and his precious advice turned out to he a total washout./

[wash out] <v. phr.> To disappear; vanish. * /Do you think this stain will wash out?/

[waste] See: GO TO WASTE, LAY WASTE.

[waste away] <v.> To become more thin and weak every day. * /Jane is wasting away with tuberculosis./ * /After Mrs. Barnes died, her husband wasted away with grief./

[waste one's breath] <v. phr.> To speak or to argue with no result; do nothing by talking. * /The teacher saw that she was wasting her breath; the children refused to believe her./ * /I know what I want. You're wasting your breath./

[watch] See: BIRD WATCHER, BEAR WATCHING, ON THE WATCH.

[watched pot never boils] If you watch or wait for something to get done or to happen, it seems to take forever.
– A proverb. * /Jane was nine months pregnant and Tom hovered over her anxiously. She said, "You might as well go away and play some golf. A watched pot never boils, you know!"/

[watcher] See: CLOCK WATCHER.

[watch every penny] See: PINCH PENNIES.

[watch it] <v. phr.>, <informal> To be careful.
– Usually used as a command. * /You'd better watch it. If you get into trouble again, you'll be expelled./ * /Watch it - the bottom stair is loose!/

[watch one's dust] or [watch one's smoke] <v. phr.>, <slang> To notice your quick action; watch you do something quickly. * /Offer Bill a dollar to shovel your sidewalk, and watch his smoke!/ * /"We'll have your yard cleaned in a jiffy," the Boy Scouts told Mr. Truitt. "Watch our smoke!"/ * /"I can go to the store and be back in five minutes," bragged Tom. "Just watch my dust."/

[watch one's language] <v. phr.> To be careful of how one speaks; avoid saying impolite or vulgar things. * /"You boys watch your language," Mother said, "or you won't be watching television for a whole week!"/

[watch one's step] <v. phr.> To mend one's ways; exercise prudence, tact, and care. * /I have to watch my step with the new boss as he is a very proud and sensitive individual./

[watch out] See: LOOK OUT.

[watch over] <v. phr.> To guard; take care of. * /The museum guards carefully watch over the world-famous paintings./

[water] See: BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER, COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, DEEP WATER, FISH OUT OF WATER, GO THROUGH HELL AND HIGH WATER, HEAD ABOVE WATER, HOLD WATER, HELL AND HIGH WATER, HOT WATER, LIKE WATER, LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK'S BACK, MAKE ONE'S MOUTH WATER, OF THE FIRST WATER, POUR OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS, THROW COLD WATER ON, TREAD WATER.

[water down] <v.> To change and make weaker; weaken. * /The Senator argued that the House should water down the bill before passing it./ * /The African American did not accept watered down Civil Rights legislation./ * /After talking with the management about their demands, the workers agreed to water them down./ * /The teacher had to water down the course for a slow-learning class./

[watered down] <adj.> Weakened; diluted. * /The play was a disappointing, watered down version of Shakespeare's Othello./

[waterfront] See: COVER THE WATERFRONT.

[watering hole] or [place] <n. phr.> A bar, pub, or nightclub where people gather to drink and socialize. * /I like "The Silver Dollar" it is my favorite watering hole in all of Sidney, Nebraska./

[Waterloo] See: MEET ONE'S WATERLOO.

[water over the dam] or [water under the bridge] <n. phr.> Something that happened in the past and cannot be changed. * /Since the sweater is too small already, don't worry about its shrinking; that's water over the dam./ Compare: CRY OVER SPILLED MILK.

[water under the bridge] See: WATER OVER THE DAM.

[water wagon] See: ON THE WAGON.

[way] See: ALL THE WAY or THE WHOLE WAY, BY THE WAY, BY WAY OF, COME A LONG WAY, CUT BOTH WAYS or CUT TWO WAYS, EVERY WHICH WAY, FROM WAY BACK, GO OUT OF ONE'S WAY, HARD WAY, HAVE A WAY WITH, IN A BAD WAY, IN A BIG WAY, IN A FAMILY WAY, IN A WAY, IN ONE'S WAY or IN THE WAY, KNOW ONE'S WAY AROUND or KNOW ONE'S WAY ABOUT, LEAD THE WAY, MAKE ONE'S WAY, MAKE WAY, NOT KNOW WHICH WAY TO TURN, NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT, ON THE WAY or ON ONE'S WAY, PARTING OF THE WAYS, PUT IN THE WAY OF or PUT IN ONE'S WAY, PUT OUT OF THE WAY, RUB THE WRONG WAY, SEE ONE'S WAY CLEAR.

[way off] <adj. phr.> At a great distance from a particular point (said of a discrepancy). * /We were way off on our calculations; the house cost us twice as much as we had thought./

[wayside] See: FALL BY THE WAYSIDE.

[way the wind blows] or [how the wind blows] <n. phr.> The direction or course something may go; how things are; what may happen. * /Most senators find put which way the wind blows in their home state before voting on bills in Congress./

[ways and means] <n. plural> Methods of getting something done or getting money; how something can be done and paid for. * /The boys were trying to think of ways and means to go camping for the weekend./ * /The United States Senate has a committee on ways and means./

[wear] See: IF THE SHOE FITS - WEAR IT, WASH AND WEAR, WORSE FOR WEAR.

[wear and tear] <n. phr.> Deterioration through use. * /After 75,000 miles there is usually a lot of wear and tear on any car./

[wear away] See: WEAR DOWN.

[wear blinders] or [blinkers] <v. phr.> To refuse or be unable to consider alternative ways of thinking or acting. * /Anybody who disputes the importance of learning languages is wearing blinders./

[wear down], [wear off] or [wear away] <v.> 1. To remove or disappear little by little through use, time, or the action of weather. * /Time and weather have worn off the name on the gravestone./ * /The eraser has worn off my pencil./ * /The grass has worn away from the path near the house./ 2. To lessen; become less little by little. * /The people went home as the excitement of the fire wore off./ * /John could feel the pain again as the dentist's medicine wore away./ 3. To exhaust; tire out, win over or persuade by making tired. * /Mary wore her mother down by begging so that she let Mary go to the movies./ Compare: DIE OUT.

[wear on] <v.> 1. To anger or annoy; tire. * /Having to stay indoors all day long is tiresome for the children and wears on their mother's nerves./ 2. To drag on; pass gradually or slowly; continue in the same old way. * /Johnny tried to wait up for Santa Claus but as the night wore on, he couldn't keep his eyes open./ * /As the years wore on, the man in prison grew old./ * /The boys' quarrel wore on all afternoon./

[wear one's heart on one's sleeve] also [pin one's heart on one's sleeve] <v. phr.> To show your feelings openly; show everyone how you feel; not hide your feelings. * /She wears her heart on her sleeve. It's easy to see if she is sad or happy./ * /Sometimes it is better not to pin your heart on your sleeve./ Compare: OPEN ONE'S HEART.