Works in English
- works⇄expr. give (one) the works, (U.S. Slang.)
a. to attack, criticize, or beat soundly; punish severely.
Ex. I asked to whom I should give the works and he said that we took no guff from anybody (Ernest Cuneo).
b. to kill.
Ex. They - works⇄expr. in the works, (Informal.) in the planning stage; upcoming.
Ex. The usual struggle over public housing and slum clearance legislation is in the works (Newsweek). - works⇄expr. shoot the works, (U.S. Slang.) to go to the limit; go all-out in something; use or spend completely.
Ex. She suddenly decides to shoot the works with the little fortune he left behind (New Yorker). - works⇄expr. the works, (U.S. Slang.) everything.
Ex. He had all the paraphernalia ... that a German intellectual ought to have. Encyclopedias, dictionaries, books on medicine--the works (New Yorker). - works⇄works, noun pl.
1. a factory or other place for doing some kind of work.
Ex. the Beloit Iron Works.
2. the moving parts of a machine or device.
Ex. the works of a watch.
3. buildings, bridges, docks, and other large industr