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[answer the call of nature] or [obey the call of nature] {v. phr.}, {slang} To go to the bathroom to relieve oneself by urinating or defecating. •/Ted was hiking in the mountains when suddenly he had to answer the call of nature but since there was no bathroom in the woods, he excused himself and disappeared behind the bushes./

[answer to]{v.} To be named; go by a certain name or designation; be accountable. •/When you walk my dog, please remember that he answers to the name "Caesar."/ •/As head of the company she does not have to answer to anyone./

[ante up]{v.}, {informal} To produce the required amount of money in order to close a transaction; to pay what one owes. •/"I guess I’d better ante up if I want to stay an active member of the Association", Max said./

[ants in one’s pants]{n. phr.}, {slang} Nervous over-activity; restlessness. •/Jane can not sit still; she has ants in her pants./ •/You have ants in your pants today. Is something wrong?/

[a number]{n.} A rather large number; numbers. — Used when there arc more than several and fewer than many. •/The parents were invited to see the program, and a number came./ •/We knew the Smiths rattier well; we had visited them a number of times./ — Used like an adjective before "less", "more". •/We have not set up enough folding chairs; we need a number more./ Compare: QUITE A FEW.

[any] See: HARDLY ANY or SCARCELY ANY.

[any number]{n.}, {informal} A large number; many. •/There are any number of reasons for eating good food./ •/Don’t ask George what his excuse is. He can invent any number./ Compare: A LOT, A NUMBER, GOOD MANY.

[any old how] / [any old way] {adv. phr.}, {informal} Doing something in a casual, haphazard, or careless way. •/"John," the teacher said, "you can’t just do your homework any old way; you must pay attention to my instructions!"/

[any port in a storm] Any help is welcome in an emergency. — A proverb. •/The motel we stopped in was nothing to brag about, but we were so exhausted that it was a clear case of any port in a storm./

[anything] See: HAVE NOTHING ON or NOT HAVE ANYTHING ON, IF ANYTHING.

[anything but]{adv. phr.} Quite the opposite of; far from being. •/I don’t mean he’s lazy — anything but!/ •/The boys knew they had broken the rules, and they were anything but happy when they were called to the office./

[anything like] or [anywhere near] {adv.} Nearly. — Used in negative, interrogative, and conditional sentences, often in the negative forms "nothing like" or "nowhere near". •/It’s not anything like as hot today as it was yesterday./ •/Do you think that gold ring is worth anywhere near a hundred dollars?/ •/Today’s game was nowhere near as exciting as yesterday’s game./ •/Studying that lesson should take nothing like two hours./

[anywhere near] See: ANYTHING LIKE or ANYWHERE NEAR.