[walk the chalk] or [walk the chalk line] or [walk the chalk mark]To act exactly as you are supposed to; behave properly; obey. •/That newteacher really makes the students walk the chalk./ •/In some classes thestudents play and talk, but Mr. Parker makes them walk the chalk./ •/Thattheater owner wants his place to be orderly, and if boys and girls don’t walkthe chalk, he puts them out./ (From the fact that sailors used to be asked towalk a chalk line along the deck of the ship to prove they were not drunk.)Compare: TOE THE MARK.

[walk the floor]{v. phr.} To walk one direction and then the otheracross the floor, again and again; pace. •/Mr. Black walked the floor, tryingto reach a decision./ •/The sick baby had his mother walking the floor allnight./ •/Mrs. Black’s toothache hurt so much that she got up and walkedthe floor./

[walk the plank]{v. phr.} 1. To walk off a board extended over theside of a ship and be drowned. •/The pirates captured the ship and forced thecrew to walk the plank./ 2. {informal} To resign from a job becausesomeone makes you do it. •/When a new owner bought the store, the manager hadto walk the plank./

[wall] See: BACK TO THE WALL, BEAT ONE’S HEAD AGAINST A WALL, CLIMB THEWALL, FORWARD WALL, HANDWRITING ON THE WALL, HOLE-IN-THE-WALL, STONE WALL orBRICK WALL, TO THE WALL.

[wallflower]{n.} A girl who has to sit out dances because nobody isasking her to dance. •/"I used to be a wallflower during my high schooldays," Valerie complained, "but my luck changed for better once I got intocollege."/

[wallop] See: PACK A PUNCH or PACK A WALLOP.

[walls have ears] Sometimes one’s most confidential conversations areoverheard. •/"Be careful what you say," he whispered. "Remember that wallshave ears."/

[want ad]{n.} A small advertisement on a special page in a newspaperthat offers employment opportunities and merchandise. •/"You want a temporaryjob?" 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. •/Warbabies began to increase college enrollments early in the 1960s./ •/The warbabies forced many towns to build new schools./

[ward off]{v. phr.} To deflect; avert. •/Vitamin C is known to wardoff the common cold./

[warmer] See: BENCH WARMER.

[warm one’s blood]{v. phr.} To make you feel warm or excited. •/Whenthe Bakers came to visit on a cold night, Mr. Harmon offered them a drink towarm their blood./

[warm the bench]{v. phr.}, {informal} To act as a substitute on anathletic 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 abench warmer, but this year he is the team’s star pitcher./

[warm up]{v.} 1. To reheat cooked food. •/Mr. Jones was so late thathis dinner got cold; his wife had to warm it up./ •/When the children hadleft for school, their mother warmed up the breakfast coffee./ 2. To becomefriendly or interested. •/It takes an hour or so for some children to warm upto strangers./ •/As he warmed up to his subject, Tom forgot hisbashfulness./ 3. To get ready for a game or other event by exercising orpracticing. •/The dancers began to warm up fifteen minutes before theperformance./ •/The coach told us to warm up before entering the pool./

[warm-up]{n.} A period of exercise or practice in preparation for agame or other event. •/During the warm-up the baseball players were throwingthe ball around and running up and down the side of the field./ •/Beforethe 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 especiallyto synthetic and synthetic blend fabrics. •/Dick bought three wash and wearshirts to take on his trip./ •/Sally’s dress is made of a wash and wearfabric./

[washed out]{adj.} Listless in appearance; pale, wan. •/Small wonderHarry looks so washed out; he has just recovered from major surgery./

[washed up]{adj.} Ruined; finished; a failure. •/Harry is lookingawfully 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 beresponsible for. •/We washed our hands of politics long ago./ •/Theschool washed its hands of the students' behavior during spring recess./

[washout]{n.} A dismal failure. •/As far as investments wereconcerned, Dick and his precious advice turned out to he a total washout./

[wash out]{v. phr.} To disappear; vanish. •/Do you think this stainwill wash out?/

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

[waste away]{v.} To become more thin and weak every day. •/Jane iswasting away with tuberculosis./ •/After Mrs. Barnes died, her husbandwasted away with grief./

[waste one’s breath]{v. phr.} To speak or to argue with no result; donothing by talking. •/The teacher saw that she was wasting her breath; thechildren refused to believe her./ •/I know what I want. You’re wasting yourbreath./

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

[watched pot never boils] If you watch or wait for something to get done orto happen, it seems to take forever. — A proverb. •/Jane was nine monthspregnant and Tom hovered over her anxiously. She said, "You might as well goaway 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 asa command. •/You’d better watch it. If you get into trouble again, you’ll beexpelled./ •/Watch it — the bottom stair is loose!/

[watch one’s dust] or [watch one’s smoke] {v. phr.}, {slang} Tonotice your quick action; watch you do something quickly. •/Offer Bill adollar to shovel your sidewalk, and watch his smoke!/ •/"We’ll have youryard 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. "Justwatch my dust."/

[watch one’s language]{v. phr.} To be careful of how one speaks; avoidsaying impolite or vulgar things. •/"You boys watch your language," Mothersaid, "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 veryproud and sensitive individual./

[watch out] See: LOOK OUT.

[watch over]{v. phr.} To guard; take care of. •/The museum guardscarefully watch over the world-famous paintings./

[water] See: BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER, COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, DEEPWATER, 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’SBACK, MAKE ONE’S MOUTH WATER, OF THE FIRST WATER, POUR OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS,THROW COLD WATER ON, TREAD WATER.