释义 |
to the teeth
toothtop: cross section of a human toothbottom: teeth on mechanical gearstooth T0266900 (to͞oth)n. pl. teeth (tēth) 1. a. One of a set of hard, bonelike structures in the mouths of vertebrates, usually attached to the jaw or rooted in sockets and typically composed of a core of soft pulp surrounded by a layer of hard dentin that is coated with cementum or enamel at the crown and used for biting or chewing food or as a means of attack or defense.b. A similar hard projection in an invertebrate, such as one of a set of projections on the hinge of a bivalve or on the radula of a snail.2. A projecting part resembling a tooth in shape or function, as on a comb, gear, or saw.3. A small, notched projection along a margin, especially of a leaf. Also called dent2.4. A rough surface, as of paper or metal.5. a. often teeth Something that injures or destroys with force: the teeth of the blizzard.b. teeth Effective means of enforcement; muscle: "This ... puts real teeth into something where there has been only lip service" (Ellen Convisser).v. (to͞oth, to͞oth) toothed, tooth·ing, tooths v.tr.1. To furnish (a tool, for example) with teeth.2. To make a jagged edge on.v.intr. To become interlocked; mesh.Idioms: get/sink (one's) teeth into Slang To be actively involved in; get a firm grasp of. show/bare (one's) teeth To express a readiness to fight; threaten defiantly. to the teeth Lacking nothing; completely: armed to the teeth; dressed to the teeth. [Middle English toth, from Old English tōth; see dent- in Indo-European roots.]to the teeth
to the teethTo the greatest degree or extent; extremely, completely, or utterly. I know it takes me a long time getting ready, but nothing feels better than being dressed to the teeth for a night out on the town. Everyone in the bar was armed to the teeth, so we felt a little bit nervous sitting down for a drink in there. I have to say, I'm fed up to the teeth with all the people littering on campus!See also: teethto the teeth1. Completely, fully, as in Obviously new to skiing, they were equipped to the teeth with the latest gear. This idiom dates from the late 1300s. Also see armed to the teeth; fed to the gills. 2. Also, up to the or one's teeth . Fully committed, as in We're in this collaboration up to our teeth. [First half of 1900s] Both of these hyperbolic usages allude to being fully covered or immersed in something up to one's teeth. See also: teeth to the teeth Lacking nothing; completely: armed to the teeth; dressed to the teeth.See also: teethEncyclopediaSeetoothFinancialSeeTooth |