[walk the floor]{v. phr.} To walk one direction and then the other across the floor, again and again; pace. •/Mr. Black walked the floor, trying to reach a decision./ •/The sick baby had his mother walking the floor all night./ •/Mrs. Black’s toothache hurt so much that she got up and walked the floor./
[walk the plank]{v. phr.} 1. To walk off a board extended over the side of a ship and be drowned. •/The pirates captured the ship and forced the crew to walk the plank./ 2. {informal} To resign from a job because someone makes you do it. •/When a new owner bought the store, the manager had to walk the plank./
[wall] See: BACK TO THE WALL, BEAT ONE’S HEAD AGAINST A WALL, CLIMB THE WALL, FORWARD WALL, HANDWRITING ON THE WALL, HOLE-IN-THE-WALL, STONE WALL or BRICK WALL, TO THE WALL.
[wallflower]{n.} A girl who has to sit out dances because nobody is asking her to dance. •/"I used to be a wallflower during my high school days," Valerie complained, "but my luck changed for better once I got into college."/
[wallop] See: PACK A PUNCH or PACK A WALLOP.
[walls have ears] Sometimes one’s most confidential conversations are overheard. •/"Be careful what you say," he whispered. "Remember that walls have ears."/
[want ad]{n.} A small advertisement on a special page in a newspaper that offers employment opportunities and merchandise. •/"You want a temporary job?" he asked the recent arrival in town. "Go and look at the want ads!"/
[war] See: COLD WAR, TUG OF WAR.
[war baby]{n.}, {informal} A person born during a war. •/War babies began to increase college enrollments early in the 1960s./ •/The war babies forced many towns to build new schools./
[ward off]{v. phr.} To deflect; avert. •/Vitamin C is known to ward off the common cold./
[warmer] See: BENCH WARMER.
[warm one’s blood]{v. phr.} To make you feel warm or excited. •/When the Bakers came to visit on a cold night, Mr. Harmon offered them a drink to warm their blood./
[warm the bench]{v. phr.}, {informal} To act as a substitute on an athletic team. •/Bill has been warming the bench for three football seasons; he hopes that the coach will let him play this year./ — [bench warmer] {n.}, {informal} A substitute player. •/Last year Ted was only a bench warmer, but this year he is the team’s star pitcher./
[warm up]{v.} 1. To reheat cooked food. •/Mr. Jones was so late that his dinner got cold; his wife had to warm it up./ •/When the children had left for school, their mother warmed up the breakfast coffee./ 2. To become friendly or interested. •/It takes an hour or so for some children to warm up to strangers./ •/As he warmed up to his subject, Tom forgot his bashfulness./ 3. To get ready for a game or other event by exercising or practicing. •/The dancers began to warm up fifteen minutes before the performance./ •/The coach told us to warm up before entering the pool./
[warm-up]{n.} A period of exercise or practice in preparation for a game or other event. •/During the warm-up the baseball players were throwing the ball around and running up and down the side of the field./ •/Before the television quiz program, there was a warm-up to prepare the contestants./
[warpath] See: ON THE WARPATH.
[warrant] See: SIGN ONE’S OWN DEATH WARRANT.
[wash and wear]{adj.} Not needing to be ironed. — Refers especially to synthetic and synthetic blend fabrics. •/Dick bought three wash and wear shirts to take on his trip./ •/Sally’s dress is made of a wash and wear fabric./
[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!"/