air

airs and graces

false ways of behaving that are intended to make other people feel that you are important and belong to a high social class. The other children started calling her 'princess' because of her airs and graces. It's no good putting on airs and graces with me. I knew you when you were working in a shop! Look at you giving yourself airs and graces - think you're better than us, do you?

See also: grace

be floating/walking on air

to be very happy and excited because something very pleasant has happened to you. When the doctor told me I was going to have a baby, I was walking on air.

See also: walking

be in the air

1. if a feeling, especially excitement, is in the air, everyone is feeling it at the same time. There was excitement in the air as people gathered in the main square to hear the proclamation.

2. to be going to happen very soon. The daffodils are in flower and spring is definitely in the air. I get the feeling that change is in the air.

be left hanging (in the air/in midair)

if a problem or question is left hanging in the air, it is not dealt with or answered. We failed to resolve the issue at the last meeting and it was left hanging in the air.

See also: hanging, left

be up in the air

if a matter is up in the air, no decision has been made, often because other matters have to be decided first. I may be moving to New Zealand, but it's still up in the air.

a breath of fresh air

someone or something that is new and different and makes everything seem more exciting. Angela's like a breath of fresh air when she comes to stay. After all the criticism, his positive comments came as a breath of fresh air.

See also: breath, fresh

castles in the air

plans or hopes that have very little chance of happening. She tells me she's planned out her whole career, but as far as I can see it's all just castles in the air. Before you start building castles in the air, just think how much all this is likely to cost.

See also: castle

clear the air

if an argument or discussion clears the air, it causes bad feelings between people to disappear. The meeting didn't solve anything, but at least it cleared the air.

See also: clear

disappear/vanish into thin air

out of thin air - if something appears or is made out of thin air, it suddenly and mysteriously appears or is made. He ran away eight years ago and it was as though he vanished into thin air. Have you seen my calculator? It seems to have disappeared into thin air.

See also: disappear, thin, vanish

have your nose in the air

with your nose in the air - behaving as if you think you are better than other people and do not want to speak to them. Every inch the aristocrat, he always has his nose in the air.

See also: nose

hot air (informal)

if something that someone says is just hot air, it is not sincere and will have no practical results. Their promises turned out to be just so much hot air.

See also: hot

a nip in the air

if there is a nip in the air, the air is cold. There's quite a nip in the air. I think you'll need your jacket on.

See also: nip

out of thin air

if something appears or is made out of thin air, it suddenly and mysteriously appears or is made. Using volunteers from the audience, he makes cards appear out of thin air. You can't just create wealth from thin air.

See also: thin

pluck something out of the air

if you pluck a number out of the air, you say any number and not one that is the result of careful calculation. That figure of eighty thousand pounds isn't something we've just plucked out of the air. We've done a detailed costing of the project.

wash your dirty laundry/linen in public (British & Australian, American & Australian)

to talk to other people about personal things that you should keep private. I was brought up to believe that it was wrong to wash your dirty linen in public.

See also: dirty, laundry, public, wash

with your nose in the air

behaving as if you think you are better than other people and do not want to speak to them. I quite often see him in the street and he always walks past with his nose in the air.

See also: nose

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(like) a breath of fresh air

pleasantly different. Selena was a talented and beautiful entertainer, a breath of fresh air in an industry full of people all trying to copy each other.

See also: breath, fresh

clear the air

1. to explain something that someone disagreed with or did not understand. To help clear the air, Mills will meet with all employees to discuss the new contract.

2. to remove any doubt about something that happened. An investigation may be needed to uncover the facts and clear the air.

See also: clear

disappear into thin air

to suddenly become impossible to see or find. Police say the suspect seems to have disappeared into thin air. When Jim opened his eyes, the bear had vanished into thin air.

See also: disappear, thin

in the air

able to be felt or noticed. Spring is in the air, and many people's thoughts are turning to travel.

off the air

1. not broadcasting. The radio station went off the air at midnight.

2. not being broadcast. Many people were angry when they heard the program was off the air.

on the air

1. broadcasting. Channel 4 stayed on the air all night to cover the breaking news.

2. being broadcast. At least for this season the program will still be on the air.

out of thin air

from nowhere or nothing. How can magicians produce coins out of thin air? Pascal's discoveries did not come from thin air — they're based on the work of earlier mathematicians.

out of the blue

See also: thin

up in the air

not decided or completely developed. We have no idea which school she'll be attending in September — everything is still up in the air. Will a strike take place? That's up in the air.

leave something hanging

walk on air

to be very happy. Editors of the school's newspaper were walking on air when they heard that the "Tigers News" was judged the best in the country.

See also: walk