-
1 close
I [kləʊs]1) (with tight links) [ relative] prossimo, stretto; [link, contact] strettoto bear a close resemblance to sb. — assomigliare molto a qcn
2) (intimate) [ friend] intimo (to di)3) (almost equal) [ result] simile, vicino4) (careful) [examination, supervision] attento, accurato, precisoto pay close attention to sth. — prestare molta attenzione a qcs.
to keep a close watch o eye on sb., sth. — tener d'occhio attentamente qcn., qcs
5) (compact) [texture, print] fitto; [ military formation] serrato7) colloq. (secretive)••II [kləʊs]it was a close call o shave — colloq. c'è mancato poco o un pelo
1) (nearby)to bring sth. closer — portare qcs. più vicino
to hold sb. close — stringere qcn
2) (temporally)3) (almost)"is the answer three?" - "close!" — "la risposta è tre?" - "ti sei avvicinato molto!"
4) close by vicino a [wall, bridge]5) close enoughthat's close enough — (no nearer) è vicino abbastanza; (acceptable) può andare
6) close to vicino a [place, person, object]how close are we to...? — a quale distanza siamo da...?
to be, come close to doing — stare per o essere sul punto di fare
how close are you to completing...? — quanto ti manca per completare...?
it's coming close to the time when... — si sta avvicinando il momento in cui...
close to o on 60 people, a century ago — colloq. più o meno 60 persone, un secolo fa
••III [kləʊs](from) close to o (from) close up — colloq. da vicino
1) (road) strada f. privata2) (of cathedral) = terreno cintato circostante una cattedraleIV [kləʊz]1) (end)to bring sth. to a close — portare a termine qcs.
to draw o come to a close finire, terminare; at the close of day — lett. sul finire del giorno
2) econ.V 1. [kləʊz]1) (shut) chiudere [door, eyes, book, file, shop]2) (block) chiudere [airport, pipe, opening]; chiudere, impedire l'accesso a [road, area]3) (bring to an end) chiudere, concludere [ meeting]; chiudere [account, case]; concludere [ deal]4) (reduce)2.to close the gap — fig. ridurre lo scarto
1) (shut) [airport, shop, museum] chiudere; [door, container, eyes] chiudersi2) (cease to operate) [business, mine] chiudere3) (end) [meeting, play] finire, terminare4) econ. [currency, index, market] chiudereto close down, up — chiudere al ribasso, al rialzo
5) (get smaller) [ gap] ridursi6) (get closer) [ enemy] avvicinarsi (on a)•- close in- close up* * *I 1. [kləus] adverb1) (near in time, place etc: He stood close to his mother; Follow close behind.)2) (tightly; neatly: a close-fitting dress.)2. adjective1) (near in relationship: a close friend.)2) (having a narrow difference between winner and loser: a close contest; The result was close.)3) (thorough: a close examination of the facts; Keep a close watch on him.)4) (tight: a close fit.)5) (without fresh air: a close atmosphere; The weather was close and thundery.)6) (mean: He's very close (with his money).)7) (secretive: They're keeping very close about the business.)•- closely- closeness
- close call/shave
- close-set
- close-up
- close at hand
- close on
- close to II 1. [kləuz] verb1) (to make or become shut, often by bringing together two parts so as to cover an opening: The baby closed his eyes; Close the door; The shops close on Sundays.)2) (to finish; to come or bring to an end: The meeting closed with everyone in agreement.)3) (to complete or settle (a business deal).)2. noun(a stop, end or finish: the close of day; towards the close of the nineteenth century.)- close up* * *I [kləʊs]1) (with tight links) [ relative] prossimo, stretto; [link, contact] strettoto bear a close resemblance to sb. — assomigliare molto a qcn
2) (intimate) [ friend] intimo (to di)3) (almost equal) [ result] simile, vicino4) (careful) [examination, supervision] attento, accurato, precisoto pay close attention to sth. — prestare molta attenzione a qcs.
to keep a close watch o eye on sb., sth. — tener d'occhio attentamente qcn., qcs
5) (compact) [texture, print] fitto; [ military formation] serrato7) colloq. (secretive)••II [kləʊs]it was a close call o shave — colloq. c'è mancato poco o un pelo
1) (nearby)to bring sth. closer — portare qcs. più vicino
to hold sb. close — stringere qcn
2) (temporally)3) (almost)"is the answer three?" - "close!" — "la risposta è tre?" - "ti sei avvicinato molto!"
4) close by vicino a [wall, bridge]5) close enoughthat's close enough — (no nearer) è vicino abbastanza; (acceptable) può andare
6) close to vicino a [place, person, object]how close are we to...? — a quale distanza siamo da...?
to be, come close to doing — stare per o essere sul punto di fare
how close are you to completing...? — quanto ti manca per completare...?
it's coming close to the time when... — si sta avvicinando il momento in cui...
close to o on 60 people, a century ago — colloq. più o meno 60 persone, un secolo fa
••III [kləʊs](from) close to o (from) close up — colloq. da vicino
1) (road) strada f. privata2) (of cathedral) = terreno cintato circostante una cattedraleIV [kləʊz]1) (end)to bring sth. to a close — portare a termine qcs.
to draw o come to a close finire, terminare; at the close of day — lett. sul finire del giorno
2) econ.V 1. [kləʊz]1) (shut) chiudere [door, eyes, book, file, shop]2) (block) chiudere [airport, pipe, opening]; chiudere, impedire l'accesso a [road, area]3) (bring to an end) chiudere, concludere [ meeting]; chiudere [account, case]; concludere [ deal]4) (reduce)2.to close the gap — fig. ridurre lo scarto
1) (shut) [airport, shop, museum] chiudere; [door, container, eyes] chiudersi2) (cease to operate) [business, mine] chiudere3) (end) [meeting, play] finire, terminare4) econ. [currency, index, market] chiudereto close down, up — chiudere al ribasso, al rialzo
5) (get smaller) [ gap] ridursi6) (get closer) [ enemy] avvicinarsi (on a)•- close in- close up -
2 pass
I [pɑːs] [AE pæs]1) (to enter, leave) lasciapassare m.; (for journalists) pass m.; (to be absent) permesso m. (anche mil.); (of safe conduct) salvacondotto m., passi m.2) (travel document) abbonamento m., tessera f. d'abbonamento3) scol. univ. promozione f., sufficienza f.to get a pass in physics — superare l'esame di fisica, prendere la sufficienza in fisica
••to come to such a pass that... — giungere a tale punto che...
II [pɑːs] [AE pæs]to make a pass at sb. — provarci con qcn., fare delle avances a qcn
1) (in mountains) passo m., valico m., gola f.2) aer.III 1. [pɑːs] [AE pæs]to make a pass over sth. — sorvolare qcs., fare un volo di ricognizione su qcs
1) (go past) (to far side) passare [checkpoint, customs]; (alongside and beyond) passare davanti, accanto a, superare, oltrepassare [building, area]; [ vehicle] superare, sorpassare [ vehicle]; superare [ level]; superare, andare al di là di [understanding, expectation]to pass sb. in the street — incrociare qcn. per strada
2) (hand over) (directly) passare, porgere; (indirectly) fare passare3) (move) (fare) passare6) (succeed in) [ person] passare, superare [ exam]; [car, machine] superare [ test]7) (declare satisfactory) approvare, promuovere [ candidate]; approvare, accettare [ invoice]to pass sth. (as being) safe — giudicare qcs. come sicuro
8) (vote in) approvare, fare passare [bill, motion]9) (pronounce) pronunciare, emettere [judgment, sentence]10) med.2.to pass blood — avere sangue nelle urine, nelle feci
1) (go past) [person, car] passare, andare oltre2) (move) passareto pass through sth. — passare attraverso qcs., attraversare qcs.
let the remark pass — lascia correre, chiudi un occhio
4) (be transferred) [title, property] passare (in eredità), essere trasmesso; [letter, knowing look] essere scambiato5) sport passare, effettuare un passaggio6) gioc. passareI'm afraid I must pass on that one — fig. (in discussion) temo di dover passare la mano
7) lett. (happen) accadere, succedere8) (in exam) passare, essere promosso9) (be accepted) [person, behaviour] essere accettato•- pass by- pass off- pass on- pass out- pass up••* * *1. verb1) (to move towards and then beyond (something, by going past, through, by, over etc): I pass the shops on my way to work; The procession passed along the corridor.) passare2) (to move, give etc from one person, state etc to another: They passed the photographs around; The tradition is passed (on/down) from father to son.) passare, trasmettere3) (to go or be beyond: This passes my understanding.) oltrepassare, superare4) ((of vehicles etc on a road) to overtake: The sports car passed me at a dangerous bend in the road.) sorpassare, superare5) (to spend (time): They passed several weeks in the country.) passare6) ((of an official group, government etc) to accept or approve: The government has passed a resolution.) approvare7) (to give or announce (a judgement or sentence): The magistrate passed judgement on the prisoner.) pronunciare8) (to end or go away: His sickness soon passed.) passare9) (to (judge to) be successful in (an examination etc): I passed my driving test.) passare, superare2. noun1) (a narrow path between mountains: a mountain pass.) passo, valico2) (a ticket or card allowing a person to do something, eg to travel free or to get in to a building: You must show your pass before entering.) lasciapassare3) (a successful result in an examination, especially when below a distinction, honours etc: There were ten passes and no fails.) (promozione)4) ((in ball games) a throw, kick, hit etc of the ball from one player to another: The centre-forward made a pass towards the goal.) passaggio•- passable- passing
- passer-by
- password
- in passing
- let something pass
- let pass
- pass as/for
- pass away
- pass the buck
- pass by
- pass off
- pass something or someone off as
- pass off as
- pass on
- pass out
- pass over
- pass up* * *pass (1) /pɑ:s/n.3 (mil.) lasciapassare; salvacondotto; permesso5 ( di solito free pass) biglietto gratuito ( in ferrovia, a teatr., ecc.); tessera di libero ingresso (o circolazione)6 (tecn.) passata10 ( sport) passaggio; lancio; appoggio; suggerimento; assist; tocco; imbeccata: a pass forward, un passaggio (o un tocco) in avanti; a through pass, un passaggio filtrante14 ( di illusionista, d'ipnotizzatore) il passare le mani davanti a (o sopra: un oggetto, una persona)● (elettron.) pass band, banda passante □ ( università) pass degree, laurea senza gli ► «honours» (► honour) □ pass-fail, promosso o bocciato ( metodo di valutazione scolastica) □ pass key ► passkey □ pass-rate, percentuale dei candidati promossi □ ( sport) to exchange passes, scambiarsi passaggi; palleggiare ( tra due); fraseggiare (fig.) □ (fam.) to make a pass at sb., fare proposte indiscrete (o importune) a q. □ Things have come to a sorry pass, le cose si mettono male; mala tempora currunt (lat.).pass (2) /pɑ:s/n.2 (mil.) passo fortificato; fortezza di confine● (fig.) to hold the pass, tener duro; resistere □ (fig.) to sell the pass, tradire una causa; passare al nemico.♦ (to) pass /pɑ:s/A v. i.1 passare; andare oltre; procedere; finire; trascorrere; terminare; essere approvato; essere ammesso; essere promosso: We passed through several towns, abbiamo attraversato parecchie città; A lot of time has passed, è trascorso molto tempo; My words passed unnoticed, le mie parole sono passate inosservate; The estate passed to his heirs, la proprietà è passata ai suoi eredi; The bill has passed, il disegno di legge è stato approvato NOTA D'USO: - to pass o to pass by?-2 accadere; capitare; succedere5 (autom., ecc.) superare, sorpassare; fare un sorpasso: to pass on the inside, sorpassare all'internoB v. t.1 passare; trascorrere; attraversare; oltrepassare; sorpassare, superare: Pass me the salt, please, passami il sale, per favore; to pass the sea [the frontier], passare il mare [il confine]; to pass the time chatting, passare il tempo a chiacchierare; We have passed their house, abbiamo oltrepassato la loro casa2 approvare; varare ( una legge); ammettere; promuovere; sanzionare: The House of Commons passed the bill, la Camera dei Comuni ha approvato il disegno di legge; He passed eight students out of ten, promosse otto studenti su dieci3 superare; essere approvato in: to pass an exam [a test], superare un esame [una prova]4 far passare; trapassare; passare; trafiggere5 far circolare; mettere in circolazione: They were arrested for passing forged banknotes, sono stati arrestati per aver messo in circolazione banconote false6 (leg.) emettere; dare; dire; pronunciare; irrogare ( una pena): to pass judgement on sb. [for sb.], pronunciare una sentenza contro q. [a favore di q.]; to pass an opinion on st., dare il proprio parere su qc.8 (fam.) affibbiare, appioppare, sbolognare (fam.)10 (autom., ecc.) superare; sorpassare: He passed his rival on the outside, ha sorpassato il concorrente all'esterno● (fig.) to pass the buck, palleggiarsi le responsabilità; fare a scaricabarile □ (fig.) to pass the buck on sb., scaricare la responsabilità sulle spalle di q. □ to pass criticism on st., criticare qc. □ (fin.: di una società) to pass a dividend, non dichiarare (o ritenere) un dividendo □ to pass one's oath, impegnarsi con giuramento; giurare □ to pass a remark, fare un'osservazione; dire la propria □ (eufem.) to pass water, far acqua; orinare □ (eufem.) to pass wind, fare un vento (o un peto) □ to come to pass, succedere; accadere □ (fig.) to have passed the chair, non esser più presidente; aver lasciato la presidenza □ to let st. pass, lasciar correre qc.; lasciar perdere □ It passes belief!, è incredibile!* * *I [pɑːs] [AE pæs]1) (to enter, leave) lasciapassare m.; (for journalists) pass m.; (to be absent) permesso m. (anche mil.); (of safe conduct) salvacondotto m., passi m.2) (travel document) abbonamento m., tessera f. d'abbonamento3) scol. univ. promozione f., sufficienza f.to get a pass in physics — superare l'esame di fisica, prendere la sufficienza in fisica
••to come to such a pass that... — giungere a tale punto che...
II [pɑːs] [AE pæs]to make a pass at sb. — provarci con qcn., fare delle avances a qcn
1) (in mountains) passo m., valico m., gola f.2) aer.III 1. [pɑːs] [AE pæs]to make a pass over sth. — sorvolare qcs., fare un volo di ricognizione su qcs
1) (go past) (to far side) passare [checkpoint, customs]; (alongside and beyond) passare davanti, accanto a, superare, oltrepassare [building, area]; [ vehicle] superare, sorpassare [ vehicle]; superare [ level]; superare, andare al di là di [understanding, expectation]to pass sb. in the street — incrociare qcn. per strada
2) (hand over) (directly) passare, porgere; (indirectly) fare passare3) (move) (fare) passare6) (succeed in) [ person] passare, superare [ exam]; [car, machine] superare [ test]7) (declare satisfactory) approvare, promuovere [ candidate]; approvare, accettare [ invoice]to pass sth. (as being) safe — giudicare qcs. come sicuro
8) (vote in) approvare, fare passare [bill, motion]9) (pronounce) pronunciare, emettere [judgment, sentence]10) med.2.to pass blood — avere sangue nelle urine, nelle feci
1) (go past) [person, car] passare, andare oltre2) (move) passareto pass through sth. — passare attraverso qcs., attraversare qcs.
let the remark pass — lascia correre, chiudi un occhio
4) (be transferred) [title, property] passare (in eredità), essere trasmesso; [letter, knowing look] essere scambiato5) sport passare, effettuare un passaggio6) gioc. passareI'm afraid I must pass on that one — fig. (in discussion) temo di dover passare la mano
7) lett. (happen) accadere, succedere8) (in exam) passare, essere promosso9) (be accepted) [person, behaviour] essere accettato•- pass by- pass off- pass on- pass out- pass up•• -
3 sit
[sɪt] 1.1) (put)to sit sb. in, near sth. — mettere a sedere qcn. in qcs., vicino a qcs.
to sit sth. on, near sth. — mettere qcs. su qcs., vicino a qcs
2) BE scol. univ. sostenere, dare [ exam]2.1) (take a seat) sedersi2) (be seated) essere seduto; [ bird] essere appollaiatoto sit over — essere chino su [ books]
3) (meet) [committee, court] riunirsito sit as — essere [judge, magistrate]
to sit on — fare parte di [committee, jury]
5) (fit)to sit well, badly (on sb.) — [ jacket] cadere bene, male (addosso a qcn.)
power sits lightly on her — fig. il potere non le pesa
7) zool.•- sit back- sit down- sit in- sit on- sit out- sit up* * *[sit]present participle - sitting; verb1) (to (cause to) rest on the buttocks; to (cause to) be seated: He likes sitting on the floor; They sat me in the chair and started asking questions.) sedersi, far sedere2) (to lie or rest; to have a certain position: The parcel is sitting on the table.) stare3) ((with on) to be an official member of (a board, committee etc): He sat on several committees.) (fare parte), (essere in carica)4) ((of birds) to perch: An owl was sitting in the tree by the window.) (essere appollaiato)5) (to undergo (an examination).) presentarsi6) (to take up a position, or act as a model, in order to have one's picture painted or one's photograph taken: She is sitting for a portrait/photograph.) posare7) ((of a committee, parliament etc) to be in session: Parliament sits from now until Christmas.) (essere in seduta)•- sitter- sitting
- sit-in
- sitting-room
- sitting target
- sitting duck
- sit back
- sit down
- sit out
- sit tight
- sit up* * *sit /sɪt/n.3 avvallamento; cedimento; subsidenza.♦ (to) sit /sɪt/(pass. e p. p. sat)A v. i.1 sedere; essere (o stare) seduto: to sit on a chair [in an armchair, on the sofa], sedere (o essere seduto) su una sedia [in poltrona, sul divano]; to sit at table [at one's desk], sedere a tavola [alla scrivania]; She was sitting next to me, era seduta accanto a me; The cat was sitting under the table, il gatto era seduto sotto la tavola; He just sat there watching, se ne stava seduto a guardare; They were sitting round the camp fire, erano seduti intorno al fuoco dell'accampamento2 sedersi; mettersi a sedere: He came into the room and sat beside me, è entrato nella stanza e mi si è seduto accanto; Sit over there!, siediti laggiù; ( a un cane) Sit!, seduto! (cfr. sit down, per le persone)3 ( di uccelli, polli, ecc.) appollaiarsi, posarsi ( su un ramo, ecc.); esserci, essere appollaiato: The thrush was sitting on the tallest branch, il merlo era appollaiato sul ramo più alto5 posare ( per una foto, un ritratto); (pitt.) fare da modello: She sat for a famous painter, fece la modella per un pittore famoso6 (polit.) avere un seggio; essere in carica: to sit in Parliament, avere un seggio in parlamento; essere un deputato; a sitting member, un deputato in carica7 essere in seduta; tenere udienza; essere riunito: Parliament is sitting now, il parlamento è in seduta; (leg.) The court was sitting yesterday, ieri il tribunale ha tenuto udienza8 ( d'abito e fig.) stare; cadere ( bene, ecc.): The dress sat beautifully on her, il vestito le stava magnificamente9 ( di un oggetto) stare; rimanere; restare: My car sat unused in the garage for a month, la mia auto rimase ferma in garage per un mese10 (poet.) essere situato; trovarsi: The cottage sits next to a little creek, la casetta si trova presso un ruscelloB v. t.1 far sedere; mettere a sedere: Sit the baby in the high-chair!, metti il bambino a sedere sul seggiolone!; DIALOGO → - Offering a drink2- Sit yourself down and tell me what's been going on, mettiti a sedere e raccontami come vanno le cose2 (equit.) stare in sella a ( un cavallo); cavalcare: He cannot sit his horse properly, non sa stare in sella come si deve4 ( di un veicolo, ecc.) avere posti a sedere per: This bus can sit forty people, in questo autobus ci sono quaranta posti a sedere6 (nei composti) assistere; badare a: to baby-sit, badare ai bambini; to granny-sit, assistere la nonnina● (autom.) to sit again at the wheel, rimettersi al volante □ (fig.) to sit at sb. 's feet, pendere dalle labbra di q. (spec. un insegnante); essere allievo di q. □ to sit at home, starsene (a casa) in ozio; essere disoccupato □ (fig.) to sit in judgment, impancarsi a giudice □ to sit tight, star seduto senza muoversi; non fare nulla, non prendere iniziative; star fermo al proprio posto; (fam.) tener duro, non mollare; resistere, essere tetragono □ to be sitting on a fortune, avere un sacco di soldi; avere un oggetto preziosissimo □ (fam.) to be sitting pretty, passarsela bene ( a soldi); ( di un'azienda) andare bene (o a gonfie vele); prosperare □ We were sitting at tea [at dinner], stavamo prendendo il tè [eravamo a tavola].* * *[sɪt] 1.1) (put)to sit sb. in, near sth. — mettere a sedere qcn. in qcs., vicino a qcs.
to sit sth. on, near sth. — mettere qcs. su qcs., vicino a qcs
2) BE scol. univ. sostenere, dare [ exam]2.1) (take a seat) sedersi2) (be seated) essere seduto; [ bird] essere appollaiatoto sit over — essere chino su [ books]
3) (meet) [committee, court] riunirsito sit as — essere [judge, magistrate]
to sit on — fare parte di [committee, jury]
5) (fit)to sit well, badly (on sb.) — [ jacket] cadere bene, male (addosso a qcn.)
power sits lightly on her — fig. il potere non le pesa
7) zool.•- sit back- sit down- sit in- sit on- sit out- sit up -
4 close ***
I [kləʊs]1. advvicino, dappressoclose by; close at hand — qui or lì vicino
2. adj1) (near) vicino (-a), (relative, connection, resemblance) stretto (-a), (friend) intimo (-a), (almost equal: result) quasi pari, (fight, contest, election, race) combattuto (-a)they're very close — (in age) sono molto vicini come età, (emotionally) sono molto uniti
that was a close shave fig fam — l'ho (or l'hai etc) scampata per un pelo
2) (exact, detailed: examination, study) accurato (-a), attento (-a), (investigation, questioning) approfondito (-a), (surveillance, control, watch) stretto (-a)to pay close attention to sb/sth — stare ben attento (-a) a qn/qc
3) (handwriting, texture, weave) fitto (-a)4) (stuffy: atmosphere, room) soffocante, (weather) afoso (-a)II [kləʊz]1. n(end) fine f, chiusura2. vi3. vt1) (shut: door, road, shop etc) chiudereplease close the door — chiudi la porta, per favore
2) (end: discussion, meeting) chiudere, concludere, (bank account) chiudere, estinguere, (bargain, deal) concludere•- close in- close up
См. также в других словарях:
Examination — • A process prescribed or assigned for testing qualification; an investigation, inquiry Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Examination Examination … Catholic encyclopedia
hold — I [[t]ho͟ʊld[/t]] PHYSICALLY TOUCHING, SUPPORTING, OR CONTAINING ♦ holds, holding, held 1) VERB When you hold something, you carry or support it, using your hands or your arms. [V n prep/adv] Hold the knife at an angle... [V n] She is holding her … English dictionary
hold — I. /hoʊld / (say hohld) verb (held, held or, Archaic, holden, holding) –verb (t) 1. to have or keep in the hand; keep fast; grasp. 2. to reserve; retain; set aside. 3. to bear, sustai …
examination — An investigation; search; inspection; interrogation. Abstract of title. An investigation of the abstract of title made by or for a person who intends to purchase real estate, to ascertain the history and present condition of the title to such… … Black's law dictionary
examination — An investigation; search; inspection; interrogation. Abstract of title. An investigation of the abstract of title made by or for a person who intends to purchase real estate, to ascertain the history and present condition of the title to such… … Black's law dictionary
hold — 1. v. & n. v. (past and past part. held) 1 tr. a keep fast; grasp (esp. in the hands or arms). b (also refl.) keep or sustain (a thing, oneself, one s head, etc.) in a particular position (hold it to the light; held himself erect). c grasp so as… … Useful english dictionary
hold water — verb resist or withstand wear, criticism, etc. Her shoes won t hold up This theory won t hold water • Syn: ↑stand up, ↑hold up • Hypernyms: ↑survive, ↑last, ↑live … Useful english dictionary
hold up — 1) PHRASAL VERB If you hold up your hand or something you have in your hand, you move it upwards into a particular position and keep it there. [V P n (not pron)] She held up her hand stiffly... [V n P] Hold it up so that we can see it. 2) PHRASAL … English dictionary
hold up — 1) the argument doesn t hold up Syn: be convincing, be logical, hold water, bear examination, be sound 2) they held up the trophy Syn: display, hold aloft, exhibit, show (off), flourish, brandish; informal flash … Thesaurus of popular words
Examination of Apollo moon photos — Those who believe that the Apollo Moon Landing was a hoax often engage in examination of Apollo moon photos. Their accusations and common responses from landing believers are listed here. See the main article for accusations unrelated to… … Wikipedia
hold water — {v. phr.} 1. To keep water without leaking. * /That pail still holds water./ 2. {informal} To prove true; stand testing; bear examination. Usually used in negative, interrogative, or conditional sentences. * /Ernest told the police a story that… … Dictionary of American idioms