ugly duckling
- an ugly or plain child who grows up to be attractive
She was an ugly duckling when she was a child but now she is very beautiful.unaccustomed to (someone or something)
- not used to someone or something
The man was unaccustomed to waking up early in the morning.under a cloud
- depressed, sad
She has been under a cloud of depression since her cat died.under a cloud (of suspicion)
- not trusted, suspected of doing something wrong
The politician has been under a cloud of suspicion over the possibility of taking bribes.under arrest
- arrested by the police before being charged with a crime
The three men were under arrest for robbing a bank.under certain circumstances/conditions
- depending on or influenced by something
Under certain circumstances the children were permitted to use the indoor stadium for practice.under (close) scrutiny
- being watched or examined closely
The business owner was under close scrutiny after the accounting scandal.under construction
- being built or repaired
The hotel was still under construction, two years after it began.under control
- not out of control, manageable
The fire was under control after the fire department arrived.under cover
- hidden, concealed
The police officer went under cover to look for the drug dealers.under fire
- being shot at or attacked, under (verbal) attack
The owner of the company is under fire for not paying his employees a fair salary.under oath
- having taken an oath (solemn promise)
The man was under oath when he spoke before the judge.under one`s belt
- in one`s experience, memory or possession
When he has more experience as a cook under his belt he will begin to look for a job.under one`s belt
- in one`s stomach
After he had a big breakfast under his belt he was ready for work.under one`s breath
- in a whisper, with a low voice
He was talking under his breath in the movie theater and somebody complained.under one`s nose
- within sight of someone, easily seen or found
He found his driver`s license right under his nose where he had left it.under one`s own steam
- by one`s own efforts, without help
He was able to go home under his own steam even though he was feeling very sick.under one`s thumb
- obedient to someone, controlled by someone
He is only an assistant salesman but he has his boss under his thumb.under one`s wing
- under the care or protection of (someone)
He took the new employee under his wing to help him in the new job.under pressure
- experiencing something that causes stress or anxiety
The boy's father is always under pressure at work.under the circumstances
- because of the circumstances
The girl was very sick and under the circumstances did not have to take the exam.under the counter
- secretly bought or sold
The drugs are being sold under the counter although the government has not given its approval.under the hammer
- up for sale at an auction
The painting went under the hammer and sold for a very high price.under the influence of (something)
- experiencing the effects of alcohol/drugs/a controlling power or person
The driver was under the influence of alcohol when he hit the young child.under the sun
- anywhere on earth at all, everywhere
We looked for my wallet everywhere under the sun.under the table
- in secret and usually illegal
He paid some money under the table in order to get his product imported into the country.under the weather
- feel ill (but not seriously ill)
He is feeling under the weather so he is going to bed early tonight.under the wire
- just barely in time or on time
We were able to send in our payment for the school fees just under the wire.under wraps
- not allowed to be seen until the right time, in secrecy
The new car was still under wraps when the car show started.unearthly hour
- absurdly early or inconvenient
We got up at an unearthly hour this morning so we could get ready to go camping.unfamiliar territory
- an area of knowledge unknown to the speaker
Trying to pilot an airplane was unfamiliar territory for the flight attendant.unknown quantity
- a person or thing which nobody knows much about
The new mayor was an unknown quantity and nobody knew what to expect.until all hours (of the day or night)
- until very late
We stayed up until all hours playing cards.until hell freezes over
- forever
He said that he would not talk to his girlfriend again until hell freezes over.until the cows come home
- until very late
It is my birthday today so I plan to stay out and party until the cows come home.up a blind alley
- on a route that leads nowhere, at a dead end
The police were up a blind alley in their search for evidence of the crime.up against
- having trouble with
He came up against many problems when he went to university.up against (something)
- close to
The ladder was standing up against the tree in the yard.up and about
- recovered from an illness
He has been up and about for a couple of days since he left the hospital.up and around
- out of bed and moving about, moving from one place to another
I was up and around before 6:00 AM this morning.up and at 'em/them
- get active and get busy
We will be up and at 'em very early tomorrow morning.up and away
- up into the air and into flight
My parents got on the airplane and were up and away before we knew it.up-and-coming
- new
The woman is an up-and-coming singer.up for (something)
- enthusiastic about something
The entire school was up for the final football game of the season.up for grabs
- available for anyone
The new championship of the city is up for grabs.up front
- honest, correct
He was very up front when giving me the information about the new office.up in arms
- equipped with guns or weapons and ready to fight, very angry
The villagers were up in arms over the proposal to take some of their land away from them.up in the air (about something)
- not settled, undecided
Whether or not I will be able to go to London is still up in the air.up in years
- old, elderly
Although our grandparents are up in years they still have much energy.up one`s alley
- something one is good at or enjoys
Computer programming is right up his alley and he is very good at it.up one`s sleeve
- kept secretly ready for the right time or for a time when needed
He probably has something up his sleeve and will be able to find a job when he needs one.up the creek
- in trouble
She is up the creek now that she has lost her passport.up the river/creek with no paddle
- in trouble and unable to do anything about it
I think that we are up the river with no paddle now that our car has run out of gasoline.up to
- as far as, as deep or as high as
The water in the swimming pool came up to my waist.up to
- until, as far as a certain point, approaching a certain point
Up to last week I had never been inside a bowling alley.up-to-date
- modern, the latest standards of fashion
The kitchen in our apartment is not up-to-date at all.up to here with (someone/something)
- sick of some continual bad or irritating behavior
I have had it up to here with his coming late to work.up to it/the job
- capable or fit for something
If he is up to it we can let him drive the truck to the new office.up to no good
- doing something bad
The boys were up to no good after school.up to one's chin
- very busy with, deeply involved in something
He has been up to his chin in the project to build a new convention center.up to one`s ears in work
- have a lot of work to do
I`d like to go with you but I`m up to my ears in work at the moment.up to par/scratch/snuff
- meeting normal standards, equal to the usual level or quality
The man's work was not up to par and he was asked to leave his job.up to (someone) to decide (something)
- to be responsible to choose or decide something
It is up to the manager to decide when the meeting will start.up to (someone) to do (something)
- to be responsible to do something
It is up to the manager to clean the apartment lobby.up to (something)
- occupied in or planning some activity that is often bad
I don`t know what he was up to last night but it was probably something bad.up to the mark
- meeting normal standards, equal to the usual level or quality
The work was not up to the mark and the company would not pay for it.up-to-the-minute
- the very latest or most recent
We always try to get an up-to-the-minute weather report before we go skiing.up until
- until
I was in the library up until midnight last night.upper crust
- rich and famous people, the highest class of people
The private club was full of what looked like the upper crust of the city.upper hand
- controlling power, advantage
The union members have the upper hand in their negotiations with the company.ups and downs
- good fortune and bad fortune
He is having a few ups and downs but generally he is doing well.upset the applecart
- ruin or spoil a plan or idea
Try not to upset the applecart as we have spent a lot of time working on this project.upshot of (something)
- result or outcome of something
The upshot of the meeting was that we would no longer continue to keep the store open.uptight
- worried, irritated, anxious
My sister has been uptight all week because of her exams.use every trick in the book
- use every method possible
The apartment manager used every trick in the book to try and make the young family leave.use one`s head/bean/noodle/noggin
- think carefully about (something)
You should use your head a little more and try not to make the same mistake again.use some elbow grease
- use some effort
We used a lot of elbow grease to clean the oven.use (someone or something) as an excuse
- blame someone or something
My friend always uses his busy schedule as an excuse not to help us.use strong language
- use abusive or forceful language
The teacher used very strong language to make the children behave.use up
- use until nothing is left, spend or consume completely
They used up all of the paper in the copy machine this morning.used to
- accustomed to
He is not used to living in such a big city.