zip
1. noun Nothing; zero. A: "Did any payments come through today?" B: "Zip. I don't know how we're going to pay our rent." I knew I did horribly on that test, but I can't believe I actually scored zip.
2. noun Energy; vitality; vigor. The self-help book promises to put some zip back into your marriage. Come on, put a little zip in your step!
3. noun Speed. Wow, for such a tiny car, it's got a lot of zip!
4. verb To move with great speed. He zipped past me before I could ask him about our paychecks. I just need to zip to the bank and deposit this check.
Zip (up) your lip(s)!
slang Stop talking; shut up. A: "But Mom, I don't want to go!" B: "Zip your lip, Charlie! You're going to math camp, and that's final!" All right, everyone, zip up your lips! I don't want to hear another sound until the presentation is over.
Zip (up) your mouth(s)!
slang Stop talking; shut up. A: "But Mom, I don't want to go!" B: "Zip your mouth, Charlie! You're going to math camp, and that's final!" All right, everyone, zip up your mouths! I don't want to hear another sound until the presentation is over.
zip along
1. To move very speedily. I used to see him zipping along on his motorbike each morning. The runners zipped along on the race course.
2. To get moving; to leave promptly. You zip along and try those problems on your own—if you still have questions, we can go over them tomorrow during my office hours. I had better zip along before the bank closes.
zip by
1. To pass physically by (someone or something) with great speed. He zipped by before I could ask him about our paychecks. The police cars zipped by our house in pursuit of the criminals.
2. Of time, to pass very easily or pleasantly, as if going fast. Wow, the afternoon completely zipped by! Being stuck inside with the kids when it's raining can be a drag, but try coming up with inventive new games to play with them and the day will zip by.
3. To visit someone or some place for a brief period of time or for a particular purpose. Mary said she'd zip by for a quick visit. I just want to zip by the bank on the way home to deposit this check.
zip down
1. To unzip something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "zip" and "down." For some reason I couldn't zip down the fly on my pants. Would you mind helping me zip this dress down?
2. To travel very quickly or briefly to some location, especially some lower or southerly place. I need to zip down to the supermarket to pick up some milk. Let me zip down and see if I still have that stuff in the basement. I'm just zipping down to Florida for a few days to work out a new deal with our distributors.
zip gun
informal An inexpensive homemade, makeshift, or improvised firearm. The extremist group had been assembling and stock-piling zip guns in preparation for the attack. Apparently, a zip gun the man had built himself went off in his backpack, causing everyone in the building to think that something had exploded.
Zip it (up)!
Stop talking; shut up. A: "But Mom, I don't want to go!" B: "Zip it, Charlie! You're going to math camp, and that's final!" All right, everyone, zip it up! I don't want to hear another sound until the presentation is over.
zip on
To put on and close up a piece of clothing using a zipper. A noun or pronoun can be used between "zip" and "on." Make sure you zip your jacket on before you go—it's cold outside! I zipped on a fur coat and headed out into the snowstorm.
zip past
1. To move past (someone or something) very speedily. I used to see him zipping past on his motorbike each morning. The runner zipped past me on the trail. A bullet zipped past her head, missing her by a matter of millimeters.
2. Of some period or amount of time, to seem to pass very quickly. Is it time to go already? Wow, class really zipped past today. I remember when I was a kid and summer felt like an eternity. Now it just zooms past.
zip through
1. To move through something or some place with great quickness. He zipped through the office and out the door as soon as the clock struck five. She zipped through the streets in his bicycle to deliver the package.
2. To complete, accomplish, or work through something with great speed or ease. Don't just zip through the book like that, or you won't remember anything that happens a week later. Thanks to all my studying, I was able to zip through the test in less than an hour.
zip up
1. To fasten two pieces of fabric together using a zipper, especially on a piece of clothing. A noun or pronoun can be used between "zip" and "up." Make sure you zip up the entrance to the tent when you leave, or the mosquitoes will get in! I zipped up my fur coat and headed out into the snowstorm.
2. slang To stop talking; to shut up. Usually used as an imperative. In this usage, "it," "your mouth," or "your lip(s)" is always used before or after "up." A: "But Mom, I don't want to go!" B: "Zip your mouth up, Charlie! You're going to math camp, and that's final!" All right, everyone, zip up your lips! I don't want to hear another sound until the presentation is over.
3. To travel very quickly or briefly to some higher or northerly location. I need to zip up to Chicago to meet with our business partners. I think I still have those toys in the attic. Let me zip up there and check.
Zip your lip(s) up!
slang Stop talking; shut up. A: "But Mom, I don't want to go!" B: "Zip your lip up, Charlie! You're going to math camp, and that's final!" All right, everyone, zip your lips up! I don't want to hear another sound until the presentation is over.
Zip your trap!
slang Stop talking; shut up. A: "But Mom, I don't want to go!" B: "Zip your trap, Charlie! You're going to math camp, and that's final!" All right, everyone, zip your traps! I don't want to hear another sound until the presentation is over.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.