speak\ for

speak\ for
v
1. To speak in favor of or in support of.

At the meeting John spoke for the change in the rules.

The other girls made jokes about Jane, but Mary spoke for her.

2. To make a request for; to ask for.

The teacher was giving away some books. Fred and Charlie spoke for the same one.

3. To give an impression of; be evidence that (smth) is or will be said. - Used with the words "well" or "ill".

It seems that it will rain today. that speaks ill for the picnic this afternoon.

Who robbed the cookie jar? the crumbs on your shirt speak ill for you, Billy.

John wore a clean shirt and a tie when he went to ask for a job, and that spoke well for him.

It speaks well for Mary that she always does her homework.


Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • speak for — (yourself) to say what you really believe or think is true. She should tell us what happened – I mean, she s an adult, she can speak for herself. Usage notes: sometimes used to say you do not agree with what someone else has said: “Without makeup …   New idioms dictionary

  • speak for — index plead (argue a case), promote (organize), represent (substitute), uphold Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C …   Law dictionary

  • speak for — verb be a spokesperson for (Freq. 6) He represents the Government s position • Hypernyms: ↑represent • Verb Frames: Somebody s something Something s somebody * * * 1 …   Useful english dictionary

  • speak for — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms speak for : present tense I/you/we/they speak for he/she/it speaks for present participle speaking for past tense spoke for past participle spoken for speak for someone/something to represent the feelings or… …   English dictionary

  • speak for — verb a) To speak on somebodys behalf. I think I speak for the whole group when I say that were glad you came. b) To claim, reserve, or occupy. Be sure to speak for a seat early, if you plan to attend …   Wiktionary

  • speak for — phr verb Speak for is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑record …   Collocations dictionary

  • speak for yourself — spoken phrase used for telling someone that your opinion about something is different from theirs ‘No one wants pizza again tonight.’ ‘Speak for yourself! I do!’ Thesaurus: expressions showing anger and used in argumentshyponym arguments and… …   Useful english dictionary

  • speak for itself — phrase if something speaks for itself, it is clearly so good or effective that no additional argument about it is necessary His success as a lawyer speaks for itself. Thesaurus: to be good enough or as good as expectedsynonym Main entry: speak *… …   Useful english dictionary

  • speak for someone — speak for (someone/something) to express the opinions or wishes of someone. I can t speak for my boss on something that is so personal. Tokarczyk believed that her poetry could speak for the nation …   New idioms dictionary

  • speak for something — speak for (someone/something) to express the opinions or wishes of someone. I can t speak for my boss on something that is so personal. Tokarczyk believed that her poetry could speak for the nation …   New idioms dictionary

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