[touchup]{n.} 1. A small repair; a small amount of paint. •/Just asmall touchup here and there and your novel may be publishable./ 2. Redoingthe color of one’s hair. •/My roots are showing; I need a touchup./

[touch up]{v.} 1. To paint over (small imperfections.) •/I want totouch up that scratch on the fender./ •/The woodwork is done, but there area few places he has to touch up./ 2. To improve with small additions orchanges. •/He touched up the photographic negative to make a sharperprint./ •/It’s a good speech, but it needs a little touching up./ 3.{slang} To talk into lending; wheedle from. •/He touched George up forfive bucks./

[tough act to follow]{n. phr.} A speech, performance, or activity ofsuch superior quality that the person next in line feels and thinks that itwould be very difficult to match it in quality. •/Sir Lawrence Olivier’sperformance of Hamlet was a tough act to follow in every sense./

[tough break] See: TOUGH LUCK, TOUGH SHIT.

[tough cat]{n.}, {slang} A man who is very individualistic and, asa result, highly successful with women. •/Joe is a real tough cat, man./

[tough cookie]{n. phr.} An extremely determined, hardheaded person, orsomeone with whom it is unusually difficult to deal. •/Marjorie is a verypretty girl, but when it comes to business she sure is one tough cookie./

[tough it out]{v. phr.} To live through and endure a trying situation.•/The tourists got lost in the desert without a compass, and they had totough it out for three days on a single bottle of water./

[tough luck]{n. phr.} An informal way to say that one had that coming;it serves one right. •/So your date didn’t show up, eh? Tough luck,fellow./

[tough nut to crack] See: HARD NUT TO CRACK.

[tough row to hoe] See: HARD ROW TO HOE.

[tough shit]{n. phr.}, {vulgar}, {avoidable} See: HARD CHEESE,TOUGH LUCK.

[tough sledding] See: HARD SLEDDING.

[tourist trap] See: CLIP JOINT.

[to use] See: PUT TO USE.

[tow] See: IN TOW.

[towel] See: THROW IN THE SPONGE or THROW IN THE TOWEL.

[tower of strength]{n. phr.} Someone who is strong, helpful, andsympathetic, and can always be relied on in times of trouble. •/John was averitable tower of strength to our family while my father was in the war and mymother lay ill in the hospital./

[town] See: GO TO TOWN, ON THE TOWN, PAINT THE TOWN RED.

[town and gown]{n.} The residents of a college town and the studentsand teachers of the college. •/The senator made a speech attended by bothtown and gown./ •/There were fights between town and gown./

[toy with an] or [the idea] {v. phr.} To consider an idea or anoffer periodically without coming to a decision. •/He was toying with theidea of accepting the company’s offer of the vice presidency in Tokyo, but hewas unable to decide./

[to your hat] See: HANG ON TO YOUR HAT or HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT.

[trace] See: KICK OVER THE TRACES also JUMP THE TRACES.

[track] See: COVER ONE’S TRACKS, IN ONE’S TRACKS, INSIDE TRACK, JUMP THETRACK, KEEP TRACK, LOSE TRACK, MAKE TRACKS, OFF THE BEATEN TRACK, ON THE TRACKOF, THE TRACKS.

[track down]{v.} To find by or as if by following tracks or a trail.•/The hunters tracked down game in the forest./ •/She spent weeks in thelibrary tracking the reference down in all their hooks on the subject./Compare: HUNT DOWN.

[trade] See: CARRIAGE TRADE, HORSE TRADE, TRICKS OF THE TRADE.

[trade in]{v.} To give something to a seller as part payment foranother thing of greater value. •/The Browns traded their old car in on a newone./ Syn.: TURN IN(3).

[trade-in]{n.} Something given as part payment on something better.•/The dealer took our old car as a trade-in./ — Often used like anadjective. •/We cleaned up the car at trade-in time./

[trade on]{v.} To use as a way of helping yourself. •/The coachtraded on the pitcher’s weakness for left-handed batters by using all hissouthpaws./ •/The senator’s son traded on his father’s name when he ran formayor./

[trading stamp]{n.} One of the stamps that you get (as from a store orgas station) because you buy something there; a stamp you get with a purchaseand save in special books until you have enough to take to a special store andtrade for something you want. •/Mother always buys things in stores wherethey give trading stamps./

[trail] See: BLAZE A TRAIL, ON THE TRACK OF or ON THE TRAIL OF.

[trail-blazer] See: BLAZE A TRAIL.

[trap] See: MIND LIKE A STEEL TRAP, SAND TRAP, SPEED TRAP.

[travel light]{v. phr.} To travel with very little luggage or withvery little to carry. •/Plane passengers must travel light./ •/Tom andFred traveled light on their camping trip./

[tread on the toes of] or [tread on one’s toes] See: STEP ON THE TOESOF or STEP ON ONE’S TOES.

[tread water]{v. phr.} To keep the head above water with the body inan upright position by moving the feet as if walking. •/He kept afloat bytreading water./

[treat] See: TRICK OR TREAT.

[tree] See: BARK UP THE WRONG TREE, CAN’T SEE THE WOOD FOR THE TREES, UP ATREE.

[trembling] See: FEAR AND TREMBLING.

[trial] See: ON TRIAL.

[trial and error]{n.} A way of solving problems by trying differentpossible solutions until you find one that works. •/John found the shortcircuit by trial and error./ •/The only way Tom could solve the algebraproblem was by the method of trial and error./

[trial balloon]{n.} A hint about a plan of action that is given out tofind out what people will say. •/John mentioned the class presidency to Billas a trial balloon to see if Bill might be interested in running./ •/Theeditorial was a trial balloon to test the public’s reaction to a change in theschool day./

[trice] See: IN A FLASH also IN A TRICE.

[trick] See: DO THE TRICK, TURN THE TRICK.

[trick of the trade]{n. phr.}, {usually in plural}, {informal}1. A piece of expert knowledge; a smart, quick, or skillful way of working at atrade or job. •/Mr. Olson spent years learning the tricks of the trade as acarpenter./ •/Any one can learn how to hang wallpaper, but only an expertcan show you the tricks of the trade./ 2. A smart and sometimes tricky ordishonest way of doing something in order to succeed or win. •/The championknows all the tricks of the boxing trade; he knows many ways to hurt hisopponent and to get him mixed up./

[trick or treat]{n.} The custom of going from house to house onHalloween asking for small gifts and playing tricks on people who refuse togive. •/When Mrs. Jones answered the doorbell, the children yelled "Trick ortreat." Mrs. Jones gave them all some candy./ •/On Halloween Bill and Tomwent out playing trick or treat./

[trigger] See: QUICK ON THE TRIGGER.

[trigger happy] See: QUICK ON THE TRIGGER(1).

[triple threat]{n.} A football player who is able to pass, kick, andrun all very well. •/The triple threat halfback was the star of the team./

[tripped out]{adj.}, {slang}, {informal} Incoherent, confused,faulty of speech, illogical; as if under the influence of drugs or alcohol.•/It was hard to make sense of anything Fred said yesterday, he sounded sotripped out./ See: SPACED OUT.