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fancy
I don't fancy yours (much)
Said by one man to another to indicate a woman he thinks is unattractive. Primarily heard in UK. I was mortified when Bob said, "I don't fancy yours much," as a young woman passed by us on the street.
a passing fancy
Something that captures one's interest or enthusiasm for only a brief period of time. Jim was really into learning about horticulture for a while, but it turned out to be only a passing fancy. I played a few sports during college, but they were all just passing fancies.
catch (someone's) fancy
To be appealing or pleasant to someone; to be intriguing or of interest to someone. A: "Do you want to go to a movie later on?" B: "I don't know, there's nothing that really catches my fancy in theaters right now." I'm not going to declare my major until I've had a couple years in college to see what ends up catching my fancy.
flight of fancy
An imaginative but unrealistic idea. No one took his campaign for office seriously because his proposed solutions to problems were filled with flights of fancy.
be footloose and fancy-free
To be free of responsibilities, including romantic commitments (a fact that is often highlighted when this phrase is used). I love being a single woman, so I intend to be footloose and fancy-free for a long time. Now that I have a family and a mortgage, I miss being footloose and fancy-free.
fancy footwork
1. Lit. clever and intricate dance steps. The old man was known for his fancy footwork when he was on Broadway.
2. Lit. adroit movements of the feet that help someone retain balance or move through treacherous territory. It took some fancy footwork to get down the mountain carrying the injured child.
3. Fig. a clever and intricate strategy that helps someone get out of trouble. The governor did some fancy footwork to keep from getting blamed for the scandal.
Fancy meeting you here!
I am very surprised to meet you here! Tom: Hi, Sue! Fancy meeting you here! Sue: Hi, Tom. I was thinking the same thing about you. "Fancy meeting you here," said Mr. Franklin when he bumped into the company president at the racetrack.
fancy someone as someone or something
to imagine that someone were someone else or some particular type of person. Can you fancy her as a zookeeper? I can fancy him as a tall, dark stranger. I really don't fancy myself as a farmer.
fancy someone's chances
to have confidence in someone's [including one's own] ability to be successful. We all think she will refuse to go out with him, but he certainly fancies his own chances. The other contestants are so talented that I don't fancy his chances at all.
Fancy that!
and Imagine that!I am very surprised to hear that.; That is hard to imagine or believe. Mary: My father was elected president of the board. Sally: Fancy that! Sue: This computer is ten times faster than the one we had before. Jane: Imagine that! Is it easy to operate? Sue: Of course not.
flight of fancy
an idea or suggestion that is out of touch with reality or possibility. What is the point in indulging in flights of fancy about exotic vacations when you cannot even afford the rent?
footloose and fancy-free
Fig. without long-term responsibilities or commitments. All the rest of them have wives, but John is footloose and fancy-free. Mary never stays long in any job. She likes being footloose and fancy-free.
strike someone's fancy
to appeal to someone. I'll have some ice cream, please. Chocolate strikes my fancy right now. Why don't you go to the store and buy a CD that strikes your fancy?
suit someone's fancy
to appeal to someone's imagination, fantasy, or preferences. Does this handbag suit your fancy, or would you prefer something larger? I think a big bowl of ice cream would suit my fancy quite nicely.
take a fancy to someone or something
and take a liking to someone or something; take a shine to someone or somethingto develop a fondness or a preference for someone or something. John began to take a fancy to Sally late last August at the picnic. I've never taken a liking to cooked carrots. I think my teacher has taken a shine to me.
tickle someone's fancy
to interest someone; to make someone curious. I have an interesting problem here that I think will tickle your fancy. This doesn't tickle my fancy at all. This is dull and boring.
strike somebody's fancy
also catch somebody's fancy to seem interesting or pleasing to someone
She has enough money to buy whatever strikes her fancy. Usage notes: sometimes used in the form tickle someone's fancy: Look through the gift catalog and see if anything tickles your fancy.
take a fancy to somebody/something
to start liking someone or wanting something very much I think my sister has taken a fancy to you.
take/tickle somebody's fancy
(informal) if something takes someone's fancy, they suddenly think it seems interesting She's got enough money to buy whatever takes her fancy.
fancy-pants
(American & Australian informal) trying to seem too attractive or too clever in a way that is false (always before noun) We liked the restaurant's food but not the fancy-pants decor. I don't know what she sees in that fancy-pants college professor of hers.
a flight of fancy/fantasy/imagination
an idea which shows a lot of imagination but which is not practical or useful in real situations You were talking about cycling across the US, or was that just another flight of fancy?
be footloose and fancy-free
(old-fashioned) if someone is footloose and fancy-free, they can do what they want because they are not married or do not have many responsibilities Jane's planning to go to parties and clubs every night now that she's footloose and fancy-free.
flight of fancy
An unrealistic idea or fantastic notion, a pipe dream. For example, She engaged in flights of fancy, such as owning a million-dollar house. This idiom uses flight in the sense of "a soaring of the imagination," a usage dating from the mid-1600s.
footloose and fancy-free
Having no attachments, especially romantic ones, and free to do as one pleases. For example, When I was in my twenties, footloose and fancy-free, I would travel at the drop of a hat . Both of these words have long been used separately; their pairing dates only from the 1900s.
take a fancy to
Also, take a liking or shine to . Be attracted to someone or something, as in They took a fancy to spicy foods after their Mexican vacation, or I'm hoping he'll take a liking to the water, now that we have a cottage on a lake, or We think Bill's taken a shine to Betsy. The first term was first recorded in 1541, the first variant in 1570, and the last, a colloquialism, in 1850.
tickle one's fancy
Appeal to one, be to one's liking, as in That joke tickled my fancy. This term uses fancy in the sense of "liking" or "taste." [Second half of 1700s]
fancy footwork
and fast footwork n. artful maneuvering; fast and clever thinking. Ken did a lot of fancy footwork to get out of that one.
Fancy that!
exclam. Imagine that! Fancy that! There’s a piece of pie left in the fridge.
fancy-schmancy
(ˈfæntsiˈʃmæntsi) mod. fancy; very fancy. This one is just too fancy-schmancy for Heidi.
footloose and fancy free
Unattached, especially romantically, and able to move and act without responsibilities. The “foot” is the bottom of a sail, and a sail that is footloose is free to move whichever way the wind blows. So is a person who is “footloose and fancy free,” at liberty to follow any and all whims. (Such a state sounds enviable, but keep in mind the fable about “The Grasshopper and the Ant.”)