[إشراق]

The Letter F



fall for

Definition
To become infatuated with somebody; to develop intense feelings for someone; to become romantically attached.

Example
I think I fell for that cute guy I met last night.

Definition
To be fooled; to believe a false story.
Example
You didn't fall for that advertisement about making money on the Internet, did you?

===




fat cat

Definition
A person who has great wealth and power; a tycoon.

Example
1)
Many of the city's fat cats eat at that steak restaurant on First Avenue.

2)
Those fat cats in Washington are going to keep pressuring Congress to pass the tax bill.

Etymology
This term comes from the 1920s, when it was used to describe wealthy contributors to American political parties.

Synonyms
big shot

====




five o' clock

Definition
Facial stubble; a man's beard at the end of the day.

Example
Peter has a very heavy beard -- even though he shaves every morning, he gets a five o'clock shadow by lunchtime!

Etymology
The typical American workday ends at 'five o'clock' in the afternoon. A 'shadow' is a patch of darkness, or a hint of the presence of something. After spending a full day at work for eight or more hours, many men have a noticeable growth of facial hair, which is dark like a 'shadow' and hints at the beard that would grow if left unshaven.

====



freak

Definition
A social outcast or misfit; a strange person

Example
1)
Stephan has no friends and spends all his time in the basement. What a freak !

2)
The protest rally was filled with hippies and freaks.

Etymology
In the 1700s, 'freaked' meant 'covered with spots or colors'. By 1900, 'freak' meant 'irregular' or 'not normal', perhaps in reference to spots of color as imperfections in a manufacturing process. Today, 'freak' has a surprising number of meanings, all coming from the sense of 'irregular', including: an hippie, a drug addict, crazy behavior ( as in 'He freaked when I told him I wrecked his car'), a ***ually promiscuous person, an unusually beautiful woman.