ring true
To have a tone of genuineness; sound convincing.
I believed his sob story about how he lost his fortune, because somehow it all rang true.
ring up
To add and record on a cash register.
The supermarket clerk rang up Mrs. Smith's purchases and told her she owed $33.
Business was bad Tuesday; we didn't ring up a sale all morning.
To telephone.
Sally rang up Sue and told her the news.
ringleader
The chief of an unsavory group; a higher-up.
The FBI finally caught up with the ringleader of the dope smugglers from South America.
run circles around
run rings around
To show that you can do a task much better than; do better than (someone) very easily.
In spelling, Ruth could run circles around Barbara any day.
Frank ran rings around the other boys on the basketball team.
shoestring catch
A catch of a hit baseball just before it hits the ground.
The left fielder made a shoestring catch of a line drive to end the inning.
spring a leak
To develop a hole (said of boats) through which water can enter, threatening the boat to sink.
When our small boat sprang a leak, we rapidly returned to shore to fix it.
To be threatened by some oncoming danger.
Our firm sprang a leak when the vice president suddenly died of a heart attack.
spring chicken
A young person. Usually used with no.
Mr. Brown is no spring chicken, but he can still play tennis well.
The coach is no spring chicken, but he can show the players what to do.
spring on one
To approach someone unexpectedly with an unpleasant idea or project.
Our firm was merely six weeks old when they sprang the news on me that I had to go to Algiers to open a new branch there.