shut (redirected from shutting up)

close/shut your eyes to something

to pretend that something bad does not exist because you do not want to deal with it. She was besotted with him and closed her eyes to his character defects. You can't just shut your eyes to your problems and hope that they'll go away.

See also: close, eye

close/shut the door on something

to make it impossible for something to happen, especially a plan or a solution to a problem. There are fears that this latest move might have closed the door on a peaceful solution.

See also: close, door

closing/shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted

trying to stop something bad happening when it has already happened and the situation cannot be changed. Improving security after a major theft would seem to be a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

See also: after, bolt, door, has, horse

someone could do something with their eyes closed/shut

if someone could do something with their eyes shut, they can do it very easily, usually because they have done it so many times before. I've driven along this route so often, I could do it with my eyes shut.

See also: closed, could, eye

keep your mouth shut (informal)

to keep something secret. You can trust Sarah - she knows how to keep her mouth shut. Do you think I should keep my mouth shut about seeing Jim with another woman? (sometimes + about)

See also: keep, mouth

open and shut

if a legal case or problem is open and shut, the facts are very clear and it is easy to make a decision or find a solution. The police think the case is open and shut: five witnesses saw the man stealing the car. It's going to take a lot of work to deal with this problem. It certainly isn't an open-and-shut matter.

See also: open

put up or shut up (informal)

if you say someone should put up or shut up, you mean they should either take action in order to do what they have been talking about or stop talking about it. You keep saying you're going to ask her out. Well, put up or shut up.

Shut your face/gob/mouth/trap! (very informal)

an impolite way of telling someone to stop talking. 'That was a really stupid thing to do.' 'Oh, shut your trap!' 'Shut your face, will you? I'm trying to watch TV.'

See also: face, mouth, trap

shut up like a clam

to suddenly stop talking and to refuse to say any more. When I asked him about his trip to Korea, he shut up like a clam.

See also: clam, like

shut up shop (British & Australian, mainly American)

to stop doing business, either temporarily or permanently. They were forced to shut up shop because they weren't getting enough customers.

See also: shop

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keep your mouth shut

to say nothing. I just keep my mouth shut and do my job, and I only offer an opinion if someone asks me for one. It's important to be a good listener, and that means you shut your mouth and let her talk.

See also: keep, mouth

put up or shut up

either improve a bad situation or stop complaining about it. My father would not say, “Put up or shut up,” but that's what he clearly meant.

shut down

to stop working or operating. If the air conditioning system fails to turn on, the computers will overheat and shut down. The radio station shut down all broadcasting last week.

See also: down

shut someone/something off

to separate someone or something from others. A major interstate highway shuts the area off from the rest of the city. When her husband died she shut herself off from everyone. They just wanted to shut off all the people who had serious mental illnesses.

shut off (something)

to stop the operation of a machine or system. Did you shut off the light in the bedroom? To repair the leak they have to shut the water off in the entire building.

shut someone out

1. to prevent a competitor from scoring any points. The Braves shut out the Dodgers today, 7–0.

2. to prevent someone from being a part of something. She shut him out of her world and had nothing to do with him. A group of African-American lawyers charged that the law firm shut them out. Movies like his are so unusual that they're basically shut out of consideration for an Oscar.

shut out something

1. to prevent something from entering a place. The thick glass windows shut out most of the traffic noise. My eyes can't stand bright light, so I keep the curtains closed to shut the sunlight out.

2. to not think about something. She can't shut out the memory of the accident.

shut (someone) up

to stop talking or making noise, or to make someone do this. I wish you'd shut up and listen. He called me a fool, and that shut me up.

shut someone/something up

to keep people or animals in a separate place. Every day she went up to a little room on the third floor where she shut herself up to work. At night we always kept the dog shut up in its cage.