[walk the chalk] or [walk the chalk line] or [walk the chalk mark] To act exactly as you are supposed to; behave properly; obey. •/That new teacher really makes the students walk the chalk./ •/In some classes the students play and talk, but Mr. Parker makes them walk the chalk./ •/That theater owner wants his place to be orderly, and if boys and girls don’t walk the chalk, he puts them out./ (From the fact that sailors used to be asked to walk a chalk line along the deck of the ship to prove they were not drunk.) Compare: TOE THE MARK.

[walk the floor]{v. phr.} To walk one direction and then the other across the floor, again and again; pace. •/Mr. Black walked the floor, trying to reach a decision./ •/The sick baby had his mother walking the floor all night./ •/Mrs. Black’s toothache hurt so much that she got up and walked the floor./

[walk the plank]{v. phr.} 1. To walk off a board extended over the side of a ship and be drowned. •/The pirates captured the ship and forced the crew to walk the plank./ 2. {informal} To resign from a job because someone makes you do it. •/When a new owner bought the store, the manager had to walk the plank./

[wall] See: BACK TO THE WALL, BEAT ONE’S HEAD AGAINST A WALL, CLIMB THE WALL, FORWARD WALL, HANDWRITING ON THE WALL, HOLE-IN-THE-WALL, STONE WALL or BRICK WALL, TO THE WALL.

[wallflower]{n.} A girl who has to sit out dances because nobody is asking her to dance. •/"I used to be a wallflower during my high school days," Valerie complained, "but my luck changed for better once I got into college."/

[wallop] See: PACK A PUNCH or PACK A WALLOP.

[walls have ears] Sometimes one’s most confidential conversations are overheard. •/"Be careful what you say," he whispered. "Remember that walls have ears."/

[want ad]{n.} A small advertisement on a special page in a newspaper that offers employment opportunities and merchandise. •/"You want a temporary job?" he asked the recent arrival in town. "Go and look at the want ads!"/

[war] See: COLD WAR, TUG OF WAR.

[war baby]{n.}, {informal} A person born during a war. •/War babies began to increase college enrollments early in the 1960s./ •/The war babies forced many towns to build new schools./

[ward off]{v. phr.} To deflect; avert. •/Vitamin C is known to ward off the common cold./

[warmer] See: BENCH WARMER.

[warm one’s blood]{v. phr.} To make you feel warm or excited. •/When the Bakers came to visit on a cold night, Mr. Harmon offered them a drink to warm their blood./

[warm the bench]{v. phr.}, {informal} To act as a substitute on an athletic team. •/Bill has been warming the bench for three football seasons; he hopes that the coach will let him play this year./ — [bench warmer] {n.}, {informal} A substitute player. •/Last year Ted was only a bench warmer, but this year he is the team’s star pitcher./

[warm up]{v.} 1. To reheat cooked food. •/Mr. Jones was so late that his dinner got cold; his wife had to warm it up./ •/When the children had left for school, their mother warmed up the breakfast coffee./ 2. To become friendly or interested. •/It takes an hour or so for some children to warm up to strangers./ •/As he warmed up to his subject, Tom forgot his bashfulness./ 3. To get ready for a game or other event by exercising or practicing. •/The dancers began to warm up fifteen minutes before the performance./ •/The coach told us to warm up before entering the pool./

[warm-up]{n.} A period of exercise or practice in preparation for a game or other event. •/During the warm-up the baseball players were throwing the ball around and running up and down the side of the field./ •/Before the television quiz program, there was a warm-up to prepare the contestants./

[warpath] See: ON THE WARPATH.

[warrant] See: SIGN ONE’S OWN DEATH WARRANT.

[wash and wear]{adj.} Not needing to be ironed. — Refers especially to synthetic and synthetic blend fabrics. •/Dick bought three wash and wear shirts to take on his trip./ •/Sally’s dress is made of a wash and wear fabric./

[washed out]{adj.} Listless in appearance; pale, wan. •/Small wonder Harry looks so washed out; he has just recovered from major surgery./

[washed up]{adj.} Ruined; finished; a failure. •/Harry is looking awfully sad. I hear his business has collapsed and he is all washed up./

[wash one’s dirty linen in public] See: AIR ONE’S DIRTY LINEN IN PUBLIC.

[wash one’s hands of]{v. phr.} To withdraw from or refuse to be responsible for. •/We washed our hands of politics long ago./ •/The school washed its hands of the students' behavior during spring recess./

[washout]{n.} A dismal failure. •/As far as investments were concerned, Dick and his precious advice turned out to he a total washout./

[wash out]{v. phr.} To disappear; vanish. •/Do you think this stain will wash out?/

[waste] See: GO TO WASTE, LAY WASTE.

[waste away]{v.} To become more thin and weak every day. •/Jane is wasting away with tuberculosis./ •/After Mrs. Barnes died, her husband wasted away with grief./

[waste one’s breath]{v. phr.} To speak or to argue with no result; do nothing by talking. •/The teacher saw that she was wasting her breath; the children refused to believe her./ •/I know what I want. You’re wasting your breath./

[watch] See: BIRD WATCHER, BEAR WATCHING, ON THE WATCH.

[watched pot never boils] If you watch or wait for something to get done or to happen, it seems to take forever. — A proverb. •/Jane was nine months pregnant and Tom hovered over her anxiously. She said, "You might as well go away and play some golf. A watched pot never boils, you know!"/

[watcher] See: CLOCK WATCHER.

[watch every penny] See: PINCH PENNIES.

[watch it]{v. phr.}, {informal} To be careful. — Usually used as a command. •/You’d better watch it. If you get into trouble again, you’ll be expelled./ •/Watch it — the bottom stair is loose!/

[watch one’s dust] or [watch one’s smoke] {v. phr.}, {slang} To notice your quick action; watch you do something quickly. •/Offer Bill a dollar to shovel your sidewalk, and watch his smoke!/ •/"We’ll have your yard cleaned in a jiffy," the Boy Scouts told Mr. Truitt. "Watch our smoke!"/ •/"I can go to the store and be back in five minutes," bragged Tom. "Just watch my dust."/

[watch one’s language]{v. phr.} To be careful of how one speaks; avoid saying impolite or vulgar things. •/"You boys watch your language," Mother said, "or you won’t be watching television for a whole week!"/

[watch one’s step]{v. phr.} To mend one’s ways; exercise prudence, tact, and care. •/I have to watch my step with the new boss as he is a very proud and sensitive individual./

[watch out] See: LOOK OUT.

[watch over]{v. phr.} To guard; take care of. •/The museum guards carefully watch over the world-famous paintings./

[water] See: BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER, COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, DEEP WATER, FISH OUT OF WATER, GO THROUGH HELL AND HIGH WATER, HEAD ABOVE WATER, HOLD WATER, HELL AND HIGH WATER, HOT WATER, LIKE WATER, LIKE WATER OFF A DUCK’S BACK, MAKE ONE’S MOUTH WATER, OF THE FIRST WATER, POUR OIL ON TROUBLED WATERS, THROW COLD WATER ON, TREAD WATER.