salute
one-finger salute
A raising of the middle finger, a rude gesture of anger, displeasure, or dismissal; "the finger." The car behind me was honking at me to go faster, so I just gave him a one-finger salute.
See also: salute
run up
1. verb To hoist or raise something, especially a flag. A noun or pronoun can be used between "run" and "up." Make sure the flag does not touch the ground as you run it up in the mornings.
2. verb To accumulate a large bill or debt that one is obliged to pay. We ran up a huge bill staying in that luxury resort in Las Vegas, but Jake insisted on paying for it. Apparently, he ran up a lot of credit card debts that he couldn't pay off, so he slipped across the border to Canada.
3. verb To cause the value of something to increase. A noun or pronoun can be used between "run" and "up." News of the company doubling production of their very popular tablet device has run their shares up to record highs.
4. verb To run and stop in front of someone or something. I just saw the neighbor kid run up and ring our doorbell. She ran up to me and gave me a huge hug.
5. verb In sports, to continue adding to one's score despite an assured victory due to a large lead, a practice considered poor sportsmanship. They're already ahead by 30, and now they're just running up the score.
6. noun An increase, perhaps a rapid or sudden one. Experts are attributing the run-up in price to a sudden surge in demand.
7. noun The period of time before an event or occurrence. There was no shortage of predictions in the run-up to the election.
See also: run, up
salute (one) with (something)
1. To recognize a superior with a particular or prescribed gesture. The soldiers all saluted the king with outstretched hands. We always salute the president of the organization with a raising of the flags whenever she arrives or departs.
2. To greet, recognize, or address one with some kind of gesture. I saluted him with a tip of my hat as I walked by. She didn't salute me with so much as a smile or a nod of the head.
3. To honor or pay respect to one with some kind of gesture. Each Memorial Day, military batteries salute soldiers who fell in battle with a 21-gun salute. The newspapers saluted the pilot with headlines proclaiming her a national hero.
See also: salute
three-finger salute
The computer keystroke control-alt-delete, commonly used to force programs to close or the computer to restart. (A jocular play on the expression "one-finger salute," referring to the raising of the middle finger, a rude gesture commonly known as "the finger.") This computer is so janky that I have to give it the three-finger salute pretty much every day.
See also: salute
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
run something up
1. Lit. to raise or hoist something, such as a flag. Harry ran the flag up the flagpole each morning. Will you please run up the flag today?
2. Fig. to cause something to go higher, such as the price of stocks or commodities. A rumor about higher earnings ran the price of the computer stocks up early in the afternoon. They ran up the price too high.
3. Fig. to accumulate indebtedness. I ran up a huge phone bill last month. Walter ran up a bar bill at the hotel that made his boss angry.
4. to stitch something together quickly. She's very clever. I'm sure she can run up a costume for you. The seamstress ran up a party dress in one afternoon.
See also: run, up
run up (to someone or something)
to run as far as someone or something and stop; to run to the front of someone or something. I ran up to the mailman and said hello to him. I ran up and said hello.
See also: run, up
salute someone with something
1. Lit. to greet someone with a formal hand salute. He failed to salute the officer with the proper salute and was reprimanded. David saluted the captain with the appropriate salute and passed on by.
2. Fig. to greet or honor someone with the firing of guns or an over flight of airplanes. (Military or government.) The government saluted the visiting dignitary with a twenty-one gun salute. They saluted the prime minister with a flight of acrobatic jets.
See also: salute
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
run up
1. Make or become greater or larger, as in That offer will run up the price of the stock. [Late 1500s]
2. Accumulate, as in She ran up huge bills at the florist. [First half of 1700s]
3. Sew rapidly, as in I can run up some new curtains for the kitchen. [Mid-1800s]
4. Raise a flag, as in Let's run up the flag in time for the holiday. This usage, originating in the navy about 1900, gave rise to the slangy phrase, Let's run it up the flagpole and see if anybody salutes, meaning, "Let's try this out." The latter originated about 1960 as advertising jargon.
See also: run, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
run up
v.
1. To cause some debt to accumulate: Don't run up such a big bill next time you go out to eat! He has been running a large debt up for months.
2. To increase some value: The craze for this company's stock will run up its price. The bidders ran the price up to $100.
See also: run, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
one-finger salute
and OFS phr. & comp. abb. the finger; the digitus impudicus. And an OFS to you, sir.
See also: salute
a three-finger salute
and TFS n. & comp. abb. The keyboard keys Control, Alternate, Delete pressed at the same time when a program fails under the Windows operating system. (This is a play on one-finger salute, the digitus impudicus.) I had to give the TFS twice before the program would run.
See also: salute
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
run it up the flagpole (and see who salutes), let's
Let’s try this out and see what the reaction is. This cliché, alluding to raising an actual flag up a mast or flagpole, is one of a number of phrases coined in the mid-1900s in the Madison Avenue advertising industry for trying out ads, campaigns, slogans, and the like. Another is that’s how the cookie crumbles. The New Statesman so identified it on March 25, 1966: “The decision was made—in the admen’s jargon that comes naturally to Tory strategists—to run it up the flagpole and see if anyone saluted.” It may be dying out, replaced by the simpler run it by/ past someone. For example, “Bill wanted me to run his new plan by you and see what you think of it,” or “You’d better run it by the teacher before you order any supplies.”
See also: flagpole, run, see, up, who
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- one-finger salute
- OFS
- give (one) the finger
- give somebody the finger
- give someone the finger
- give someone/something the finger
- give the finger
- point at
- pull my finger
- the finger