speak for
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.
To make a request for; to ask for.
The teacher was giving away some books. Fred and Charlie spoke for the same one.
To give an impression of; be evidence that (something) 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.
speak with a forked tongue
To lie; to say one thing while thinking of the opposite.
Лгать; быть лжецом, лицемерным человеком.
I have learned not to trust Peter's promises because he speaks with a forked tongue.
This man is always speaking with a forked tongue and nobody trusts him.
Этот мужчина всегда лжет и ему никто не доверяет.
spoil for
To want something very badly; be belligerent or pugnacious about something.
After a few drinks it became embarrassingly evident that Hal was spoiling for a fight.
spoken for
Occupied; reserved; taken; already engaged or married.
"Sorry, my boy," Mr. Jones said condescendingly, "but my daughter is already spoken for. She will marry Fred Wilcox next month."
stand for
To be a sign of; make you think of; mean.
The letters "U.S.A." stand for "United States of America."
The written sign "=" in an arithmetic problem stands for "equals."
Our flag stands for our country.
The owl stands for wisdom.
On the American flag, each star stands for one of the fifty states, and each stripe stands for one of the original thirteen colonies of the 1800s.
To speak in favor of something, or show that you support it.
The new President stood for honest government.
John always stands for what is right.
To try to be elected for.
Three men from London are standing for parliament.
The governor did not stand for reelection.
To allow to happen or to be done; permit. Usually used in the negative.
The teacher will not stand for fooling in the classroom.
The citizens wouldn’t stand for the increase in crime in their city, so they hired more police officers and built another jail.
stand in for
To substitute for someone.
The famous brain surgeon was called out of town so his assistant had to stand in for him during the operation.
stand up for
stick up for
To defend against attack; fight for.
John always stands up for his rights.
When Mary was being criticized, Jane stuck up for her.
If you don’t stand up for your rights in court, the lawyers will try to stick it to you.
Frank stood up for his friend, who was being put down by other teenagers nearby.
strapped for
Broke; out of funds.
My brother is so extravagant that he is always strapped for cash.