O

[on the increase]

See: [ON THE WAX].

Contrast: [ON THE DECREASE], [ON THE WANE].

[on the job]  {adj. phr.},  {informal}

Working hard; not wasting time.

Joe was on the job all of the time that he was at work.

[on the knees of the gods]

See: [IN THE LAP OF THE GODS].

[on the lam]  {adj.} or  {adv. phr.},  {slang}

Running away, especially from the law; in flight.

The bank robber was on the lam for ten months before the police caught him.

- Sometimes used in the phrase "take it on the lam".

* /After a big quarrel  […]

[on the level]  {adj. phr.},  {informal}

Honest and fair; telling the whole truth.

Our teacher respects the students who are on the level with her.

[on the line]

See: [LAY ON THE LINE] or [PUT ON THE LINE].

[on the lips]

See: [HANG ON THE WORDS OF] or [HANG ON THE LIPS OF].

[on the lookout]  {adj. phr.}

Watching closely.

The little boy was on the lookout for his father.

Forest rangers are always on the lookout for forest fires.

[on the loose]  {adj. phr.},  {informal}

Free to go; not shut in or stopped by anything.

The zookeeper forgot to close the gate to the monkey cage and the monkeys were on the loose.

[on the make]  {adj.},  {slang}

1. Promiscuous or aggressive in one's sexual advances.

I can't stand Murray; he's always on the make.

2. Pushing to get ahead in one's career; doing anything to succeed.

* /The new department head is a young man on  […]