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stock
not take stock in (something)
To not pay any attention to something; to have or invest no faith or belief in something; to not accept something. I wouldn't take stock in John's promises if I were you because, more often than not, he'll end up letting you down. I don't know how a company expects its managers to perform well when it doesn't take stock in their abilities.
not put stock in (something)
To not pay any attention to something; to have or invest no faith or belief in something; to not accept something. I wouldn't put stock in John's promises if I were you because, more often than not, he'll end up letting you down. I don't know how the company expects its managers to perform well when it doesn't put stock in their abilities.
put no stock in (something)
To not pay any attention to something; to have or invest no faith or belief in something; to not accept something. You'll put no stock in John's promises if you know what's good for you because, more often than not, he'll end up letting you down. I don't know how the company expects its managers to perform well when it puts no stock in their abilities.
laughing stock
A person who is the subject of mockery after a blunder. If I mess up this speech, I'll be the laughing stock of the school!
stand stock still
To not move at all. You kids need to stand stock still out here until the firemen are done investigating the building, OK? I didn't want my grandmother to catch me rooting through her jewelry box, so when I heard her in the hallway, I leaped into the closet and stood stock still.
stock phrase
A well-known, overused phrase; a cliché. As this is a creative writing class, I don't want to see any stock phrases in your stories. Please rewrite this paragraph in your own words, instead of using stock phrases like "think outside the box."
put stock in
To pay attention to something; to have or invest faith or belief in something; to accept something. Often used in the negative. Oh, John is very dependable—I would put stock in his promises. Our managers put stock in their employees' abilities, and I think that definitely contributes to our company's success. Don't put stock in their criticism—they're just jealous.
have (something) in stock
to have merchandise available and ready for sale. Do you have extra large sizes in stock? Of course, we have all sizes and colors in stock.
in stock
to have merchandise available and ready for sale. Do you have extra-large sizes in stock? Of course, we have all sizes and colors in stock.
lock, stock, and barrel
Cliché everything. We had to move everything out of the house—lock, stock, and barrel. We lost everything—lock, stock, and barrel—in the fire.
out of stock
not immediately available in a store; [for goods] to be temporarily unavailable. Those items are out of stock, but a new supply will be delivered on Thursday. I'm sorry, but the red ones are out of stock. Would a blue one do?
stock in trade
whatever goods, skills, etc., are necessary to undertake an activity of some kind. Of course I am glad to help. Packing household goods is my stock in trade.
stock something (up) with something
to load something with a supply of something. Let's stock the wine cellar with good vintages this year. We will stock up our wine cellar with whatever is on sale.
stock up (with something)
to build up a supply of something. You had better stock up with firewood before the first snowstorm. Yes, I will stock up today.
stock up (with something)
to build up a supply of something. You had better stock up with firewood before the first snowstorm. Yes, I will stock up today.
take no stock in something
and not take stock in something; not put (a lot) of stock in somethingto pay no attention to someone; not to believe or accept something. I take no stock in anything John has to say. He doesn't take stock in your opinions either.
take stock (of something)
to make an appraisal of resources and potentialities. I spent some time yesterday taking stock of my good and bad qualities. We all need to take stock now and then.
lock, stock, and barrel
taking or including everything The soldiers received orders that they were to move, lock, stock and barrel, some 600 miles west.
stock up (on something)
to buy a large amount of something so that you will have enough for future use When there's a storm coming we always stock up on food and candles.
take stock (of something)
to examine a situation carefully After two days of record snowfalls, millions of Americans began digging out and taking stock of storm damage.
a laughing stock
someone who does something very stupid which makes other people laugh at them (usually + of ) I can't cycle around on that old thing! I'll be the laughing stock of the neighbourhood.
lock, stock, and barrel
including all or every part of something He's been pressing for the organization to move, lock, stock, and barrel, from Paris to Brussels.
cross as a bear
Grumpy, ill-humored, annoyed, as in Stay away from Claire; she's cross as a bear this morning. Unlike the earlier cross as two stocks, this survives even though the adjective cross for "ill-tempered" is otherwise not used much in America. It is sometimes amplified as cross as a bear with a sore head. [Early 1700s]
in stock
Available for sale or use, on hand, as in We have several dozen tires in stock. The antonym, out of stock, means "not available for sale," usually only temporarily. For example, This item is out of stock now, but we expect a new order next week. [Early 1600s]
lock, stock, and barrel
The entirety; all of something. For example, Jean moved out of the house, lock, stock, and barrel. This expression alludes to the three elements of a firearm-the lock or firing mechanism, the stock or handle, and the barrel or tube. [Early 1800s]
out of stock
take stock
Make an estimate or appraisal, as in We have to take stock of our finances before we can undertake a new project, or The career counselor advised Mark to take stock before changing his plans. This expression transfers making an inventory of goods ( stock) to other kinds of appraisal. [Early 1800s]
take stock in
Trust, believe, attach importance to, as in He exaggerates so much that I don't take stock in anything he says. This term uses stock in the sense of "capital." [Second half of 1800s]
stock up
v.1. To provide or furnish something with supplies: The bartender stocked up the bar with vodka. We stocked the house up with emergency supplies.
2. stock up on To gather and store a supply of something: We stocked up on canned goods before the storm came.
deal stock
n. a stock that is a takeover candidate. (Securities markets.) I try to spot the deal stocks early and buy them before others do.
story stock
n. shares in a company that are bought because of an appealing story about the company. I never buy a story stock. By the time I hear about it, it’s already gone up as much as it ever will.
lock, stock, and barrel
To the greatest or most complete extent; wholly: an estate that was auctioned off lock, stock, and barrel.
take stock
1. To take an inventory.
2. To make an estimate or appraisal, as of resources or of oneself.
take stock in
To trust, believe in, or attach importance to.
in stock
Available for sale or use; on hand.
out of stock
Not available for sale or use.
lock, stock, and barrel
The whole thing. A musket was made up of a flintlock mechanism that produced the power to launch the ball, a wooden stock that held the lock and the barrel, and the barrel through which the musket ball was propelled en route to its target. Put all three together and you have the whole shooting match. The phrase was first used in the early 19th century to mean an entire entity or quantity.