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What is "about"

Crossword clues for about

about
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
about
I.preposition
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a situation comes about (=it happens)
▪ I don’t know how this situation has come about.
about/almost equal
▪ They are about equal in height and weight.
be in no/any doubt about sth
▪ The government is in no doubt about the seriousness of the situation.
be quick about it
▪ ‘Can I just finish this first?’ ‘OK, but be quick about it.’
be/get out and about (=go to places where you can meet people)
▪ Most teenagers would rather be out and about with their friends.
bring (about) change (also effect a changeformal) (= cause change)
▪ The war brought about radical social change.
▪ Treatment is aimed at effecting a change in the child’s negative behaviour.
cause/bring about a shift
▪ The affair has brought about a shift in the government’s attitude towards immigration.
cause/bring about an increase
▪ The heatwave brought about a massive increase in water consumption.
cause/lead to/bring about destruction
▪ It's clear that the bomb was intended to cause death and destruction.
discuss/talk about a subject
▪ Have you discussed the subject with your husband?
don’t know the first thing about (=I know nothing about)
▪ I don’t know the first thing about looking after children.
doubtful about (doing) sth
▪ At first we were doubtful about employing Charlie.
draw/make inferences (about/from sth)
▪ What inferences have you drawn from this evidence?
fall about laughingBritish English (= laugh a lot)
▪ He saw the look on my face and he just fell about laughing.
fell about laughing
▪ It was so funny everyone just fell about laughing.
go about your chores (=do your chores)
▪ I got up and went about my chores, feeding the cats and making tea.
going about their business
▪ The villagers were going about their business as usual.
got enough to worry about (=she already has a lot of problems or is very busy)
▪ Don’t tell Mum about this – she’s got enough to worry about.
had no illusions about
▪ She had no illusions about her physical attractiveness.
has...qualms about
▪ The manager has no qualms about dropping players who do not perform well.
have a laugh about/at/over sth (=laugh about something)
▪ The farmer had a good laugh at our attempts to catch the horse.
have fantasies about
▪ I used to have fantasies about living in Paris with an artist.
Have you heard the one about
▪ Have you heard the one about the chicken who tried to cross the road?
have/feel no compunction about (doing) sth
▪ He had no compunction about interfering in her private affairs.
how’s about ... ?American English
▪ How’s about going to the beach this afternoon?
It's a shame about
▪ It's a shame about the weather.
keep/have your wits about you (=be ready to think quickly and do what is necessary in a difficult situation)
know all about
▪ I know all about David and what he’s been up to!
know all about
▪ Politicians know all about the power of language.
know nothing about
▪ We know nothing about her family.
know what...are talking about
▪ The staff are dedicated people who clearly know what they are talking about.
leave...lying about
▪ Don’t leave tools lying about.
look green about/around the gills (=look pale and ill)
nothing to get excited about (=not very good or special)
▪ The food was nothing to get excited about.
One of the nice things about
▪ One of the nice things about Christmas is having all the family together.
only dream about
▪ He’s got the sort of money that you and I can only dream about.
prattling on about
▪ What’s Sarah prattling on about?
raise doubts about sth (=make people unsure about something)
▪ His handling of the matter has raised doubts about his competence.
round about (=in the surrounding area)
▪ He owned all the land round about.
sb’s worries/concerns about the future
▪ their worries about the future of the English countryside
something strange about
▪ She felt there was something strange about Dexter’s voice.
(there is) something different/odd/unusual about sb/sth
▪ There was something rather odd about him.
there is something/nothing sinister about sb/sth
▪ There was something sinister about Mr Scott’s death.
There’s something about
▪ There’s something about her voice that I find really sexy.
up and about (=out of bed after an illness and moving around normally)
▪ It’s good to see you up and about again .
went on and on about
▪ He just went on and on about his new girlfriend.
what all the fuss was about (=why people liked it so much)
▪ Until I heard her sing I couldn’t see what all the fuss was about.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(make) encouraging/optimistic etc noises (about sth)
(there are) no two ways about it
▪ No two ways about it, Blue says to himself: he knows everything.
▪ No two ways about it, Clint Schneider was dynamite.
▪ That was the job description, no two ways about it.
▪ There are no two ways about it.
I don't know about you, but ...
I'm/we're/you're talking (about) sth
a mine of information (about/on sth)
▪ A trip to Brussels to meet the responsible officials can turn up a mine of information.
▪ His column in the Angling Times was the first thing that I turned to and what a mine of information.
▪ If used properly, the diary was a mine of information.
▪ Study a local map and the Ordnance Survey, which is a mine of information.
a song and dance (about sth)
▪ Barney, he had these two sons - tried to set up a song and dance act.
▪ But to the children of Gloucestershire, it's just making a song and dance about having fun.
▪ I think most conductors would have stopped and made a song and dance.
▪ If she had wanted to stay she'd have made a song and dance, but it was better to move.
▪ Look here, there's no need to make a song and dance of it.
▪ This theme has a curious persistence, but one does not need a song and dance about it.
be daft about sth
be hung-up about/on sth
be in two minds (about sth)
▪ As ever, he was in two minds about Clarac's value to the project.
▪ Do you know, he was in two minds about accepting?
▪ For a second he was in two minds about it.
▪ I am in two minds whether to change the engine or repair it.
▪ In her own cottage a few miles away the witch Agnes Nitt was in two minds about her new pointy hat.
▪ Please be warned: they are capable of getting through that gap which you are in two minds about bothering to block.
▪ They were not to be in two minds.
▪ This time she seemed to be in two minds about what to do.
be mad about/for/on sb/sth
▪ Everyone was mad about youth nowadays.
▪ Floyd was mad for her, but his father refused to let him borrow the car.
▪ I was mad about her being killed, mad at whoever killed her.
▪ Maybe he was mad for a while, then not mad.
▪ She insisted she only wanted a memento, but I think she was mad about the parking surcharge.
▪ Somehow the word got round that I was mad about maritime art.
▪ Well, of course, she must take it up ... his wife was mad on it.
be noised abroad/about/around
be nuts about/over sb/sth
be obsessing about/over sth/sb
be potty about sb/sth
be soppy about sb/sth
be unclear about sth
▪ If not, those involved will be unclear about what is expected and monitoring and control will be ineffective.
▪ In those days we still were unclear about how the work would develop and whether we would move towards independence or not.
▪ Many young people - I am in no way blaming them - are unclear about their personal plans.
▪ Most of the applicants I interview either do not know about it or are unclear about the details.
▪ Most workers were unclear about what their marginal tax rates were, and consequently did not have any very clearly calculated response.
be wild about sth/sb
be wrong (about sb/sth)
▪ But even if I was wrong about Bryce, it's impossible I could be wrong about Magee.
▪ But now, for the first time, she begins to think she might be wrong.
▪ I want Mum to ask the doctor why they keep testing me - what do they think is wrong?
▪ They argue that the legislated-excellence movement is wrong not only about how children learn, but also about what they should learn.
▪ This turns out to be wrong.
▪ Well, actually you could be forgiven for thinking that, and actually you'd be wrong.
▪ What if the man who designed them was wrong?
be/feel conflicted (about sth)
be/go/keep on about sth
▪ And they don't go on about his obvious flaws, like him being a doctor and having three dozen girlfriends.
▪ Everyone goes on about Cher's dresses, showing her navel.
▪ However, this is the party that goes on about unemployment as though it had a good record on unemployment.
▪ It sounded stupid the way she went on about loving the sea.
▪ It went on about 15 minutes too long.
▪ The first I knew about it was Malcolm going on about rubber.
▪ This made him wary as he went on about his chores and tried not to let Lucky see him.
▪ Why do I go on about this, I wonder.
beat about/around the bush
▪ Don't beat about the bush.
▪ Eliot did not beat about the bush.
▪ I am not a person to beat about the bush.
▪ I meant to be open with him but when it came to it I beat about the bush.
▪ Let us stop beating about the bush.
▪ No need to beat about the bush sweetie.
▪ She winced at their infelicities, at the clumsy way they beat about the bush.
bugger sb about
concern yourself with/about sth
▪ Our country's leaders must concern themselves with environmental protection.
▪ Back in the days when he had yet concerned himself with the world.
▪ Burun Khan may have told you that we know of such machines, but do not concern ourselves with them.
▪ By contrast, total quality and continuous improvement concern themselves with improving performance in smaller chunks.
▪ For several weeks I did not concern myself with any thought of the future.
▪ In its pure form, a no-fault system, as its name suggests, does not concern itself with blame.
▪ The committee will concern itself with matters relating to administration, marketing, finance, playing, development, and public relations.
▪ The physical anthropologists concern themselves with the history and distribution of the varieties of mankind considered as species and sub-species.
▪ What has been at stake that we concerned ourselves with this?
crazy about sb/sth
dotty about sb/sth
fuck sb around/about
go about sth
go about sth
go about your business
▪ The street was filled with ordinary people going about their business.
▪ He was indifferent to the attention he received, calmly going about his business, never using his influence to manipulate others.
▪ Normally it went about its business either on foot or in an arabeah, the horse-drawn cab distinctive to the city.
▪ Sara went about her business, more troubled than ever about Jenny's imminent arrival.
▪ The 49ers are counting on Deese to epitomize that professionalism as he goes about his business with Smith.
▪ They went about their business, expecting him to appear at any moment.
▪ While Deion Sanders received most of the pre-game ballyhoo, his bookend Brown went about his business with little or no fanfare.
▪ Yesterday, as the group of pickers went about their business, police said there had been no further incidents.
▪ You have to laugh about it and go about your business.
hang about (sth)
▪ For a while they hang about on trees; then they die, fall off and lie about on the ground.
▪ I didn't hang about getting to Armstrong and getting him started and headed back to Plumstead Road.
▪ I used to hang about the school waiting for him to come out.
▪ No birds, no booze, no groupies hanging about.
▪ Now they're off and married, so we hang about and get the trouble.
▪ Sometimes the men hang about, especially around the younger women.
▪ There the loading was still under way and the women were still hanging about.
▪ This one had lustreless brown hair, very straight, hanging about a pale, underground face.
hang about!
have a bee in your bonnet (about sth)
have a moan (about sth)
have a thing about sb/sth
▪ Judith has a thing about people chewing gum.
▪ But, in this country, we used to have a thing about self-sufficiency.
have something to say about sth
▪ You'd better tell your dad about the dent in the car - I'm sure he'll have something to say about it.
▪ However, Trevor Francis' Birmingham will have something to say about that.
▪ I shall have something to say about original boards a little later.
▪ Jen looked at me as if I ought to have something to say about this.
▪ Jerome would have something to say about that...
▪ Mind you, Sunderland, of course, could have something to say about that at Hillsborough tomorrow afternoon.
▪ Rodman would have something to say about juvenile fantasies of self-reliance if I told him that one.
have you heard the one about ...
how about ... ?
▪ How about if I read you and Mia a story?
▪ How about some iced tea?
how about if ... ?
how about that!/how do you like that!
it's about time
▪ "Joey's home." "Well, it's about time."
▪ A case of bread and circuses, and it's about time some one said it for the rave generation.
▪ All we can say is, it's about time!
▪ But I was thinking it's about time we got back to Nurse's house.
▪ But it isn't, and it's about time the public knew that.
▪ I think it's about time I went back home.
▪ I was hoping there was, cos it's about time I got back home - it's getting pretty late.
▪ Yes, it's about time that was stopped.
just about
▪ Building community Gross inequality is not just about economics, it is about moral choice.
▪ But the debate over free candidate time is not just about good government.
▪ It was just about to dive as the train ran on.
▪ Landowners became anxious not just about the birds but about access to their habitat.
▪ Preston employees got the same type of information, not just about specific behavior, but about the company as a whole.
▪ Shrimp takes a starring role on the menu at just about every restaurant in town.
▪ Whiners are hard to like and hard to take seriously by just about everyone they work with.
keep sth quiet/keep quiet (about sth)
keep sth quiet/keep quiet about sth
know what you are talking about
▪ Look, I know what I'm talking about because I was there when it happened.
▪ Pilger knows what he is talking about, having spent several years as a reporter in Vietnam.
▪ Rolim seemed to know what he was talking about, but his theories raised some questions for me.
▪ Wayne, you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
▪ And those who hint that this approach increases the guilt of the patient simply do not know what they are talking about.
▪ But the debate will be between two insiders who know what they are talking about.
▪ But we ensure we first know what we are talking about.
▪ Engineers should only offer an opinion if they know what they are talking about.
▪ They are not the only people who know what they are talking about when it comes to children and education.
▪ They have demonstrated publicly, through close scrutiny by their peers, that they know what they are talking about.
make (all) the right noises (about sth)
make a (lot of) noise about sth
▪ Apparently Bradford is interested in having it and Bristol has also made noises about it.
▪ I made noises about the absence of a bank in this so-called international airport; but what choice did I have?
▪ It was extended, but the Provisionals continued to make noises about renewing the violence.
▪ Kirchberg is where the peace and quiet is worth making a noise about.
make a big deal of/out of/about sth
▪ But Vassar taught me that I could do whatever I wanted to do without making a big deal out of it.
make a big thing of/about/out of sth
▪ It was Arbor Day, and their teacher, Miss Ellis, made a big thing out of it.
make a fuss/kick up a fuss (about sth)
make no bones about (doing) sth
▪ Mr. Stutzman makes no bones about his religious beliefs.
▪ At least he made no bones about it.
▪ He made no bones about displaying his artistic temperament.
▪ He made no bones about stating his own views or criticising theirs.
▪ I make no apology or make no bones about being partisan.
▪ The secretary was enormously dissatisfied with how some of our programs were being managed, and made no bones about it.
▪ These five women made no bones about national honor or scientific achievement.
▪ Well, the two of them had made no bones about what they thought of her.
make no mistake (about it)
▪ Make no mistake about it - I am not going to put up with this anymore.
▪ And make no mistake about it, she knew I was there.
▪ And make no mistake, the family works overtime to make its instructions felt.
▪ And make no mistake, there will be plenty of bets.
▪ I tried to make no mistakes, but they called me naughty every moment of the day.
▪ In the second 250 race Robert made no mistakes, leading all the way to win from McCallen and Coulter.
▪ The Pinot Noirs from Burgundy are often expensive, make no mistake.
make noises about doing sth
▪ Apparently Bradford is interested in having it and Bristol has also made noises about it.
▪ I made noises about the absence of a bank in this so-called international airport; but what choice did I have?
▪ It was extended, but the Provisionals continued to make noises about renewing the violence.
muck sb about/around
nice ... shame about the ...
▪ Nice lips, shame about the teeth.
▪ Nice smile, shame about the lies, the splits and the job losses.
not be fussed (about sth)
not before time/and about time (too)
not give a damn (about sb/sth)
▪ For opening doors and not giving a damn about what anybody else has to say to it.
▪ I think their nonchalance about not caring or not giving a damn about record sales is just not true.
▪ It was nature that had turned her grey, she said, and she did not give a damn.
▪ My ideal would be to not give a damn as much as possible.
▪ This time she yelled his name, not giving a damn if she looked a fool, and dived after him.
not give a fig/not care a fig (about/for sth/sb)
not give a shit (what/whether/about etc)
▪ As David said, the union simply does not give a shit.
not have a bad word to say about/against sb
not have the first idea about sth
not know/care beans (about sb/sth)
nothing to worry about
▪ It's just a simple check-up. There's nothing to worry about.
▪ You're a bright girl, and you've got nothing to worry about, as long as you finish all your assignments.
▪ As long as those trousers were still in circulation, I felt sure there was nothing to worry about.
▪ Bland reassurances came from the officials in charge of the spraying, who said there was nothing to worry about.
▪ But Mel still insisted they had nothing to worry about.
▪ I can reassure you that your sexy dreams are nothing to worry about.
▪ Nine times out of ten, using this tactic, you discover that there's nothing to worry about.
▪ There was nothing to worry about: if there had been, the fuzz would have come in with a warrant.
▪ You can then realistically reassure yourself that you have nothing to worry about.
▪ You have nothing to worry about.
nothing to write home about
▪ Jim and Marcia's new house is nothing to write home about.
▪ A few long-range efforts, but nothing to write home about.
▪ Three, it is nothing to write home about ... Home ... What's the first thing you remember?
on/about your person
▪ At the time he died he was carrying the bomb on his person.
▪ Away to the police surgeon to be probed for invisible cells hidden about her person.
▪ Don't worry, he's not about to escape with film concealed about his person.
▪ Her long blonde hair tumbled artistically about her person.
▪ His favourite weapons are a.357 Desert Eagle, which he always carries on his person, and a Franchi Spas shotgun.
▪ I distributed them properly about my person, and put on my hat.
▪ We healed them with our doctor's hands and placed them about our person.
piss sb about/around
put (sth) about
▪ Due in part to unrelenting rain throughout the month, drivers have put in only about 9, 000 laps during practice.
▪ Early in the welfare debate, assorted government agencies began putting it about that the teen-age birth rate was dropping.
▪ Edward, utterly wretched, put his arms about her and she raised her mouth to his.
▪ He put his arm about her then, and drew her close.
▪ It was actually put up about 1670 after a sketch by Francesco Caratti.
▪ The hazardous weather conditions put concerns about budget developments and the economy on the back burner.
▪ The two partners put up about $ 60 million for the new venture.
▪ We ask that you use this evening to put any questions about our industry to any of the staff here.
put sth about
▪ Due in part to unrelenting rain throughout the month, drivers have put in only about 9, 000 laps during practice.
▪ Early in the welfare debate, assorted government agencies began putting it about that the teen-age birth rate was dropping.
▪ Edward, utterly wretched, put his arms about her and she raised her mouth to his.
▪ He put his arm about her then, and drew her close.
▪ It was actually put up about 1670 after a sketch by Francesco Caratti.
▪ The hazardous weather conditions put concerns about budget developments and the economy on the back burner.
▪ The two partners put up about $ 60 million for the new venture.
▪ We ask that you use this evening to put any questions about our industry to any of the staff here.
put yourself about
rave about/over sth
round about
sb is not shy about (doing) sth
something about sb/sth
▪ Something about Frank's attitude just makes you want to hit him.
▪ There's something strange about the woman's eyes in the painting.
▪ After witnessing scurvy's dire effects, naval surgeon James Lind decided to do something about it.
▪ I know something about him that he doesn't know I know.
▪ If the result is none too pleasant, it's time to do something about it.
▪ Once you know how others perceive you, you can do something about it.
▪ Some may see them entirely differently, arguing that they prove something about homophobia or how gay men react to anti-gay oppression.
▪ That night I recognized at once something about him.
▪ The only current team in the majors never to have appeared in postseason play decided to do something about it.
▪ When will he do something about that deplorable record?
speak volumes (about/for sth)
▪ But the juxtaposition of the two buildings speaks volumes about the rapid disappearance of regional, vernacular, even weirdo architecture.
▪ His grin spoke volumes to the back row.
▪ Jack's tone spoke volumes, but Polly was trying not to listen.
▪ Often, though, he speaks volumes when he chooses not to speak at all.
▪ Other than the face, hands are the most visible part of one's body and invariably speak volumes about a person.
▪ The 8 successful trips so far speak volumes.
▪ The perpetual grin and I-just-won-the-lottery look on his face spoke volumes: The guy was ecstatic.
▪ Your body language will speak volumes about your happy state. 4 Inhibition decreases.
sth doesn't bear thinking about
▪ The reaction I'll get when my parents find out doesn't even bear thinking about.
talk about lazy/cheap/hungry etc
talking of/about sth
tell me about it
▪ "I'm totally sick of my boss." "Yeah, tell me about it."
▪ But I was pleased they had told me about it once.
▪ Can you tell me about it?
▪ Her father, Meir Ahronson, told me about it himself.
▪ I remember the day when they told me about it.
▪ She had had a rewarding session with the dressmaker and wanted to tell me about it.
▪ You got problems, man, you tell me about it.
that (about) sums it up
▪ This was their task but that sums it up too simply.
that's about the size of it
the one about ...
▪ And then the one about Mum.
▪ Did you read the one about his Christmas cards?
▪ He says his favourite Monty Python sketch is the one about Jean-Paul Sartre.
▪ She is still processing his last statement, the one about needing an operation.
▪ They would in fact be applying a test for review not dissimilar to the one about to be examined. 2.
the thing about/with sb/sth
▪ As usual Eva entered into the spirit of the thing with energy and determination.
▪ I knew all the things about it that are unique.
▪ Power: that was the thing about magic.
▪ She had shredded the thing with her hips.
▪ That was one of the things with black and white, the shadows, the dimension that you can get.
▪ That was the thing about Alice: she saw my life before I did.
▪ The strength of our feelings is one of the things about women that most unnerve men.
▪ Yes, will is the thing with Seve.
think of/about doing sth
▪ I've often thought about starting my own business.
throw your weight about/around
▪ But being annual they would be open to reprisals if they threw their weight around too much.
▪ But that bloody Caitlin, he had to throw his weight around.
▪ Do we in petty ways throw our weight around?
▪ How dare the Nottinghamshire police suppose they can throw their weight around in this way?
▪ It's a chance for rugby to throw its weight around.
▪ Maybe she could have handled that a little more tactfully instead of sounding as though she was throwing her weight around.
▪ Mortgage traders were the sort of fat people who grunt from the belly and throw their weight around, like sumo wrestlers.
▪ Very strong in his own way, not swaggering or throwing his weight about, but a great inner strength.
we'll see about that
▪ "I want to go to Joshua's tonight." "Well, we'll have to see about that."
▪ Kim wants to go to this party, huh? Well, we'll see about that!
what about ...?
what are you talking about?
▪ What are you talking about? - Ron has lots of money.
▪ And I was like, I was just like, what are you talking about?
▪ And, anyway, what are you talking about, the rich man in his castle?
while I'm/you're etc at/about it
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ About this weekend - is everyone still going?
▪ an article about the famine
▪ Basically, the job's all about helping people get off welfare.
▪ I'm not sure what it is about her, but guys really like her.
▪ I'm reading a really good book at the moment - it's about the French Revolution.
▪ I've been thinking about what you said, and I've decided that you're right.
▪ There was death all about her.
▪ They were talking about music.
▪ This leaflet should answer all the questions you have about switching to digital TV.
▪ Toby talks about you all the time.
▪ Trash and food were strewn about the room.
▪ What's all the fuss about?
▪ What did you like best about the book?
II.adverb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ VERB
bring
▪ And hope persists that the group's larger political efforts will bring about positive change in their own lives.
▪ The Incas also had gold, but it helped bring about their downfall.
▪ It could bring about greater price transparency and so more competition for consumers.
▪ And a combined navy and army operation brought about the fall of the stronger Fort Morgan on August 23.
▪ Such a transfer could and would only be brought about by a bourgeois-democratic revolution.
▪ Practice leadership based on the courage to live the change you wish to bring about.
▪ A definition which fails to confront abuse fails to bring about effective interventions and risks increasing the incidence of abuse.
▪ Thus began a series of violent public demonstrations that brought about severe property damage, bloodshed, and death.
care
▪ I don't care about anything but being safe, she thought.
▪ In the end, all you really cared about was what the Krausses of this world would think.
▪ Even the cash-flow predictions they cared about so much were nothing to her but answers she wanted ticked.
▪ He looked momentarily intrigued as he saw her, as though he actually cared about what she might be doing.
▪ Maybe they're songwriters - they don't really care about really good guitar players.
▪ There is one special boy I care about.
▪ This is a domestic drama, with characters you come to care about as people.
▪ These are the things I care about, on one of my two or three favorite sports days of the year.
come
▪ On the other hand, a reduction in costs can come about through elimination of waste.
▪ But the record clearly indicates that ordinance came about primarily due to the efforts of McKasson and Councilman Steve Leal.
▪ His next big career break came about almost by accident.
▪ They know that what they have learned came about through extended effort, in concert with others, on topics that mattered.
▪ Britain should therefore not hesitate to use whatever powers and diplomatic skills she possesses to ensure that it does not come about.
▪ The addition of neural network methods came about because of several problems.
▪ In the event the anticipated collapse of the first genetic engineering company amid a pile of bad debts did not come about.
▪ It is logically possible that any degree of perfection may come about.
complain
▪ It has put together a machine with little to complain about.
▪ So what do we have to complain about?
▪ The bishop has complained about commercialised money-making projects in the past.
▪ He also agreed to revise training operations to quell noise that Okinawans have complained about for years.
▪ Those who complain about dear money and strong sterling would doubtless see this as an even worse regime.
▪ Actresses complain about not having challenges.
▪ Thus, it is a reasonable thing to complain about.
concern
▪ But this has already given rise to concern about hidden or back-door sponsorship.
▪ Not the First Lady because all she was concerned about was cutting waste and saving taxpayer money.
▪ None the less, there is still concern about exactly how the 80 percent is to be measured.
▪ The bill was blocked last year by conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats concerned about over-zealous federal law enforcement.
▪ Researchers, however, are less concerned about radioactivity than the toxic nature of depleted uranium, a heavy metal.
▪ Perhaps concern about the environment has induced them to learn more about a key environmental science.
forget
▪ This man with an interest in the murder everyone had forgotten about.
▪ For a blissful three hours I completely forgot about Alistair Dodge.
▪ Disposal of our domestic rubbish is something we tend to forget about once it's been picked up by the dust-cart.
▪ Richard realized that he would have to forget about electrical engineering, but he had no idea what else to major in.
▪ He seemed to have forgotten about only letting me loose on water.
▪ But now what we have to do is forget about the past and build on the present.
▪ The dress was put in a drawer, unfinished but not forgotten about.
▪ You then put it out of the way and forget about it for about an hour and a half.
hear
▪ Doyle confirms this: Most of the good songs which I heard about came to me that way.
▪ And it did more for baseball than the impending labor agreement we keep hearing about.
▪ I think I heard about thirty.
▪ There was a time when I heard about good things only.
▪ IRs hears about a lot of young acts from prestige Talent.
▪ Yet how often have you experienced or heard about organization change efforts that seem to have no connection to performance at all?
▪ If Mr Gore had even managed to carry his home state, we wouldn't be hearing about dimpled chads now.
▪ I can hardly wait to hear about left temporal lobe epileptics.
know
▪ This policy has paid clear dividends which we all know about.
▪ The Sumerians are the most ancient users of alcohol that we know about.
▪ He enjoyed educating himself in the things he wanted to know about.
▪ The Rainbow and Princess are ones I only know about.
▪ I dared not go down myself ... nobody knew about our relationship.
▪ How much did these men know about Oliver?
▪ Is there a cure that they do not know about?
▪ Just knowing about it had given her a new sense of calm.
learn
▪ You need to learn about good breeding.
▪ Carbon paper executives probably jumped off buildings when they learned about Xerox copiers.
▪ There are three important things to learn about bullies from the Bible's description of Herod.
▪ In the WhoUs Who section, you learn about famous scientists.
▪ We have so much to learn about female nutrition.
▪ I learned about editing, and, because the magazine had a staff of six, I learned some-thing about management.
▪ Pupils learn about how a printing press works.
▪ We did not learn about the war until the following day when my mother heard the news on the radio.
move
▪ She spotted other figures moving about, and from some place close by she heard agonized sobbing.
▪ We moved about a hundred feet at a slow walk.
▪ All the lights were on and people seemed to be moving about in every room.
▪ He could also move about in a battery-operated wheelchair, which was designed to look like a toy car.
▪ A gas exerts pressure because its molecules are moving about rapidly and in random directions.
▪ The prehensile pectoral fins actually grasp the weed as the fish moves about.
▪ His temperament, his drive for action and for moving about are moderate.
▪ They thus built on the momentum they had gained in convention by moving about among the people.
read
▪ So the following six months to a year I spent the time abroad walking and seeing the places I had read about.
▪ I used to send my songs off to outfits in Hollywood that I had read about in magazines.
▪ I knew what she was reading about.
▪ Years later, I would think of their sheen as being rather like the membranes enclosing viruses I had read about.
▪ Then there's new positions I've been reading about, yaar.
▪ Even the mythic good guys you read about have warts.
▪ My mentors were people I read about, such as Richard Byrd, the explorer, rather than people I knew.
▪ I think of a starving boy I read about in the newspaper.
set
▪ He set about trying to expel me.
▪ Amelia, her finances considerably reduced, saw an opportunity and set about getting her Kinner.
▪ With single-minded purpose and consummate skill, Morel set about organizing a movement.
▪ As he watched her, he set about encouraging that quality in her sculpture.
▪ Then she settled Victoria in the big chair and set about making tea.
▪ From there he set about recording his solo debut.
▪ He must set about getting something like that himself.
▪ When Physioc refused to sell his property, the government condemned it and set about to take it under eminent domain laws.
speak
▪ Yes, this now celebrated affair, which I've not spoken about before, did actually happen.
▪ As they arrived, he asked the local candidate, with whom he was travelling, what he should speak about.
▪ I could also not speak about what was severed between my mother and me that morning and neither could she.
▪ Rain wondered what they had spoken about, how long the conversation had lapsed before she joined them.
▪ It is fear, or rather fears, that I want to speak about in this book.
▪ Unilateralism is refreshing, if it means plain speaking about inadequate treaties or misguided policies.
▪ Black leaders will refrain from hammering at the issue out of an uneasiness at speaking about intergenerational oppression.
talk
▪ I do not understand what they are talking about, and I do not have the knowledge to take up their suggestions.
▪ Some boys I know in Philly talk about you a lot.
▪ He would talk about what is going on in the budget battle, what is going on in the Medicare debate.
▪ Barron and Miller both talk about a 1994 fire in Idaho.
▪ But the debate will be between two insiders who know what they are talking about.
think
▪ When Mohibullah went to prison I was so upset I thought about giving up squash completely.
▪ But I also wanted Leanne to think about what she was saying.
▪ You don't have a family to think about of course, he said.
▪ Now, there are other things to think about if we want to make this a better place.
▪ Just thinking about it overwhelms me with its complexity.
▪ I sensed all this profoundly when I first began to think about what might lie beneath the surface of the oceans.
▪ Is that all you ever think about?
▪ It might give John a few things to think about.
worry
▪ Oh, don't worry about it-I've heard it all before.
▪ They worry about not receiving the approval of teachers, parents, and peers.
▪ It is the criminal activity surrounding the supply of illegal drugs that we should really worry about.
▪ She worries about him all the time. 1943 I am fourteen months old when my father goes away to war.
▪ I only had the first one to worry about.
▪ I so worry about her, I sometimes cry for hours to myself.
▪ All you're worried about is when you're gon na get your next hit.
▪ I had enough people to worry about.
write
▪ But what among all the streaks of wickedness in human nature are you going to write about?
▪ His madness and his recovery were still very much present to him, and he would occasionally talk or write about both.
▪ You can think about it, talk about it, write about it, dedicate your life to it.
▪ When describing their feelings about writing, my clients have used such words as agonizing, excruciating, and torturous.
▪ Some students may write about the avoidance of a major depression, others about the decision to focus on high employment.
▪ But most of the philosophers who have written about and explored the nature of being have not been so crude.
▪ I write about how I have to write about my life to give it some shape, some order.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ About six months ago he suffered a major heart attack.
▪ He left the house round about four o'clock.
▪ Her music lesson is about 45 minutes long.
▪ It's been about five years since I've seen Linda.
▪ It's two-thirty. They should be arriving about now.
▪ It should cost about $1500.
▪ She's 11 months old and just about ready to start walking.
▪ The cathedral was completed in about the middle of the 16th century.
▪ The chance of men being born colourblind is about 1 in 12.
▪ The church is about a mile away.
▪ The job should be finished round about March next year.
▪ Tim's about 25 years old.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ For about $ 30, 000.
▪ The first such creature appeared about 550 million years ago.
▪ The two-month trip will take her more than 26, 000 miles in about three dozen legs.
▪ Yes, we've got about twenty drawings.
III.adjective
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(make) encouraging/optimistic etc noises (about sth)
(there are) no two ways about it
▪ No two ways about it, Blue says to himself: he knows everything.
▪ No two ways about it, Clint Schneider was dynamite.
▪ That was the job description, no two ways about it.
▪ There are no two ways about it.
I don't know about you, but ...
I'm/we're/you're talking (about) sth
a mine of information (about/on sth)
▪ A trip to Brussels to meet the responsible officials can turn up a mine of information.
▪ His column in the Angling Times was the first thing that I turned to and what a mine of information.
▪ If used properly, the diary was a mine of information.
▪ Study a local map and the Ordnance Survey, which is a mine of information.
a song and dance (about sth)
▪ Barney, he had these two sons - tried to set up a song and dance act.
▪ But to the children of Gloucestershire, it's just making a song and dance about having fun.
▪ I think most conductors would have stopped and made a song and dance.
▪ If she had wanted to stay she'd have made a song and dance, but it was better to move.
▪ Look here, there's no need to make a song and dance of it.
▪ This theme has a curious persistence, but one does not need a song and dance about it.
be in two minds (about sth)
▪ As ever, he was in two minds about Clarac's value to the project.
▪ Do you know, he was in two minds about accepting?
▪ For a second he was in two minds about it.
▪ I am in two minds whether to change the engine or repair it.
▪ In her own cottage a few miles away the witch Agnes Nitt was in two minds about her new pointy hat.
▪ Please be warned: they are capable of getting through that gap which you are in two minds about bothering to block.
▪ They were not to be in two minds.
▪ This time she seemed to be in two minds about what to do.
be noised abroad/about/around
be obsessing about/over sth/sb
beat about/around the bush
▪ Don't beat about the bush.
▪ Eliot did not beat about the bush.
▪ I am not a person to beat about the bush.
▪ I meant to be open with him but when it came to it I beat about the bush.
▪ Let us stop beating about the bush.
▪ No need to beat about the bush sweetie.
▪ She winced at their infelicities, at the clumsy way they beat about the bush.
bugger sb about
concern yourself with/about sth
▪ Our country's leaders must concern themselves with environmental protection.
▪ Back in the days when he had yet concerned himself with the world.
▪ Burun Khan may have told you that we know of such machines, but do not concern ourselves with them.
▪ By contrast, total quality and continuous improvement concern themselves with improving performance in smaller chunks.
▪ For several weeks I did not concern myself with any thought of the future.
▪ In its pure form, a no-fault system, as its name suggests, does not concern itself with blame.
▪ The committee will concern itself with matters relating to administration, marketing, finance, playing, development, and public relations.
▪ The physical anthropologists concern themselves with the history and distribution of the varieties of mankind considered as species and sub-species.
▪ What has been at stake that we concerned ourselves with this?
fuck sb around/about
go about sth
go about sth
go about your business
▪ The street was filled with ordinary people going about their business.
▪ He was indifferent to the attention he received, calmly going about his business, never using his influence to manipulate others.
▪ Normally it went about its business either on foot or in an arabeah, the horse-drawn cab distinctive to the city.
▪ Sara went about her business, more troubled than ever about Jenny's imminent arrival.
▪ The 49ers are counting on Deese to epitomize that professionalism as he goes about his business with Smith.
▪ They went about their business, expecting him to appear at any moment.
▪ While Deion Sanders received most of the pre-game ballyhoo, his bookend Brown went about his business with little or no fanfare.
▪ Yesterday, as the group of pickers went about their business, police said there had been no further incidents.
▪ You have to laugh about it and go about your business.
hang about (sth)
▪ For a while they hang about on trees; then they die, fall off and lie about on the ground.
▪ I didn't hang about getting to Armstrong and getting him started and headed back to Plumstead Road.
▪ I used to hang about the school waiting for him to come out.
▪ No birds, no booze, no groupies hanging about.
▪ Now they're off and married, so we hang about and get the trouble.
▪ Sometimes the men hang about, especially around the younger women.
▪ There the loading was still under way and the women were still hanging about.
▪ This one had lustreless brown hair, very straight, hanging about a pale, underground face.
hang about!
have a bee in your bonnet (about sth)
have a moan (about sth)
have a thing about sb/sth
▪ Judith has a thing about people chewing gum.
▪ But, in this country, we used to have a thing about self-sufficiency.
have something to say about sth
▪ You'd better tell your dad about the dent in the car - I'm sure he'll have something to say about it.
▪ However, Trevor Francis' Birmingham will have something to say about that.
▪ I shall have something to say about original boards a little later.
▪ Jen looked at me as if I ought to have something to say about this.
▪ Jerome would have something to say about that...
▪ Mind you, Sunderland, of course, could have something to say about that at Hillsborough tomorrow afternoon.
▪ Rodman would have something to say about juvenile fantasies of self-reliance if I told him that one.
have you heard the one about ...
how about ... ?
▪ How about if I read you and Mia a story?
▪ How about some iced tea?
how about if ... ?
how about that!/how do you like that!
it's about time
▪ "Joey's home." "Well, it's about time."
▪ A case of bread and circuses, and it's about time some one said it for the rave generation.
▪ All we can say is, it's about time!
▪ But I was thinking it's about time we got back to Nurse's house.
▪ But it isn't, and it's about time the public knew that.
▪ I think it's about time I went back home.
▪ I was hoping there was, cos it's about time I got back home - it's getting pretty late.
▪ Yes, it's about time that was stopped.
just about
▪ Building community Gross inequality is not just about economics, it is about moral choice.
▪ But the debate over free candidate time is not just about good government.
▪ It was just about to dive as the train ran on.
▪ Landowners became anxious not just about the birds but about access to their habitat.
▪ Preston employees got the same type of information, not just about specific behavior, but about the company as a whole.
▪ Shrimp takes a starring role on the menu at just about every restaurant in town.
▪ Whiners are hard to like and hard to take seriously by just about everyone they work with.
keep sth quiet/keep quiet (about sth)
know what you are talking about
▪ Look, I know what I'm talking about because I was there when it happened.
▪ Pilger knows what he is talking about, having spent several years as a reporter in Vietnam.
▪ Rolim seemed to know what he was talking about, but his theories raised some questions for me.
▪ Wayne, you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
▪ And those who hint that this approach increases the guilt of the patient simply do not know what they are talking about.
▪ But the debate will be between two insiders who know what they are talking about.
▪ But we ensure we first know what we are talking about.
▪ Engineers should only offer an opinion if they know what they are talking about.
▪ They are not the only people who know what they are talking about when it comes to children and education.
▪ They have demonstrated publicly, through close scrutiny by their peers, that they know what they are talking about.
make (all) the right noises (about sth)
make a (lot of) noise about sth
▪ Apparently Bradford is interested in having it and Bristol has also made noises about it.
▪ I made noises about the absence of a bank in this so-called international airport; but what choice did I have?
▪ It was extended, but the Provisionals continued to make noises about renewing the violence.
▪ Kirchberg is where the peace and quiet is worth making a noise about.
make a big deal of/out of/about sth
▪ But Vassar taught me that I could do whatever I wanted to do without making a big deal out of it.
make a big thing of/about/out of sth
▪ It was Arbor Day, and their teacher, Miss Ellis, made a big thing out of it.
make a fuss/kick up a fuss (about sth)
make no bones about (doing) sth
▪ Mr. Stutzman makes no bones about his religious beliefs.
▪ At least he made no bones about it.
▪ He made no bones about displaying his artistic temperament.
▪ He made no bones about stating his own views or criticising theirs.
▪ I make no apology or make no bones about being partisan.
▪ The secretary was enormously dissatisfied with how some of our programs were being managed, and made no bones about it.
▪ These five women made no bones about national honor or scientific achievement.
▪ Well, the two of them had made no bones about what they thought of her.
make no mistake (about it)
▪ Make no mistake about it - I am not going to put up with this anymore.
▪ And make no mistake about it, she knew I was there.
▪ And make no mistake, the family works overtime to make its instructions felt.
▪ And make no mistake, there will be plenty of bets.
▪ I tried to make no mistakes, but they called me naughty every moment of the day.
▪ In the second 250 race Robert made no mistakes, leading all the way to win from McCallen and Coulter.
▪ The Pinot Noirs from Burgundy are often expensive, make no mistake.
make noises about doing sth
▪ Apparently Bradford is interested in having it and Bristol has also made noises about it.
▪ I made noises about the absence of a bank in this so-called international airport; but what choice did I have?
▪ It was extended, but the Provisionals continued to make noises about renewing the violence.
muck sb about/around
not before time/and about time (too)
not give a damn (about sb/sth)
▪ For opening doors and not giving a damn about what anybody else has to say to it.
▪ I think their nonchalance about not caring or not giving a damn about record sales is just not true.
▪ It was nature that had turned her grey, she said, and she did not give a damn.
▪ My ideal would be to not give a damn as much as possible.
▪ This time she yelled his name, not giving a damn if she looked a fool, and dived after him.
not give a fig/not care a fig (about/for sth/sb)
not give a shit (what/whether/about etc)
▪ As David said, the union simply does not give a shit.
not know/care beans (about sb/sth)
nothing to worry about
▪ It's just a simple check-up. There's nothing to worry about.
▪ You're a bright girl, and you've got nothing to worry about, as long as you finish all your assignments.
▪ As long as those trousers were still in circulation, I felt sure there was nothing to worry about.
▪ Bland reassurances came from the officials in charge of the spraying, who said there was nothing to worry about.
▪ But Mel still insisted they had nothing to worry about.
▪ I can reassure you that your sexy dreams are nothing to worry about.
▪ Nine times out of ten, using this tactic, you discover that there's nothing to worry about.
▪ There was nothing to worry about: if there had been, the fuzz would have come in with a warrant.
▪ You can then realistically reassure yourself that you have nothing to worry about.
▪ You have nothing to worry about.
nothing to write home about
▪ Jim and Marcia's new house is nothing to write home about.
▪ A few long-range efforts, but nothing to write home about.
▪ Three, it is nothing to write home about ... Home ... What's the first thing you remember?
on/about your person
▪ At the time he died he was carrying the bomb on his person.
▪ Away to the police surgeon to be probed for invisible cells hidden about her person.
▪ Don't worry, he's not about to escape with film concealed about his person.
▪ Her long blonde hair tumbled artistically about her person.
▪ His favourite weapons are a.357 Desert Eagle, which he always carries on his person, and a Franchi Spas shotgun.
▪ I distributed them properly about my person, and put on my hat.
▪ We healed them with our doctor's hands and placed them about our person.
piss sb about/around
put (sth) about
▪ Due in part to unrelenting rain throughout the month, drivers have put in only about 9, 000 laps during practice.
▪ Early in the welfare debate, assorted government agencies began putting it about that the teen-age birth rate was dropping.
▪ Edward, utterly wretched, put his arms about her and she raised her mouth to his.
▪ He put his arm about her then, and drew her close.
▪ It was actually put up about 1670 after a sketch by Francesco Caratti.
▪ The hazardous weather conditions put concerns about budget developments and the economy on the back burner.
▪ The two partners put up about $ 60 million for the new venture.
▪ We ask that you use this evening to put any questions about our industry to any of the staff here.
put sth about
▪ Due in part to unrelenting rain throughout the month, drivers have put in only about 9, 000 laps during practice.
▪ Early in the welfare debate, assorted government agencies began putting it about that the teen-age birth rate was dropping.
▪ Edward, utterly wretched, put his arms about her and she raised her mouth to his.
▪ He put his arm about her then, and drew her close.
▪ It was actually put up about 1670 after a sketch by Francesco Caratti.
▪ The hazardous weather conditions put concerns about budget developments and the economy on the back burner.
▪ The two partners put up about $ 60 million for the new venture.
▪ We ask that you use this evening to put any questions about our industry to any of the staff here.
put yourself about
rave about/over sth
round about
something about sb/sth
▪ Something about Frank's attitude just makes you want to hit him.
▪ There's something strange about the woman's eyes in the painting.
▪ After witnessing scurvy's dire effects, naval surgeon James Lind decided to do something about it.
▪ I know something about him that he doesn't know I know.
▪ If the result is none too pleasant, it's time to do something about it.
▪ Once you know how others perceive you, you can do something about it.
▪ Some may see them entirely differently, arguing that they prove something about homophobia or how gay men react to anti-gay oppression.
▪ That night I recognized at once something about him.
▪ The only current team in the majors never to have appeared in postseason play decided to do something about it.
▪ When will he do something about that deplorable record?
speak volumes (about/for sth)
▪ But the juxtaposition of the two buildings speaks volumes about the rapid disappearance of regional, vernacular, even weirdo architecture.
▪ His grin spoke volumes to the back row.
▪ Jack's tone spoke volumes, but Polly was trying not to listen.
▪ Often, though, he speaks volumes when he chooses not to speak at all.
▪ Other than the face, hands are the most visible part of one's body and invariably speak volumes about a person.
▪ The 8 successful trips so far speak volumes.
▪ The perpetual grin and I-just-won-the-lottery look on his face spoke volumes: The guy was ecstatic.
▪ Your body language will speak volumes about your happy state. 4 Inhibition decreases.
sth doesn't bear thinking about
▪ The reaction I'll get when my parents find out doesn't even bear thinking about.
talk about lazy/cheap/hungry etc
talking of/about sth
tell me about it
▪ "I'm totally sick of my boss." "Yeah, tell me about it."
▪ But I was pleased they had told me about it once.
▪ Can you tell me about it?
▪ Her father, Meir Ahronson, told me about it himself.
▪ I remember the day when they told me about it.
▪ She had had a rewarding session with the dressmaker and wanted to tell me about it.
▪ You got problems, man, you tell me about it.
that (about) sums it up
▪ This was their task but that sums it up too simply.
that's about the size of it
the one about ...
▪ And then the one about Mum.
▪ Did you read the one about his Christmas cards?
▪ He says his favourite Monty Python sketch is the one about Jean-Paul Sartre.
▪ She is still processing his last statement, the one about needing an operation.
▪ They would in fact be applying a test for review not dissimilar to the one about to be examined. 2.
the thing about/with sb/sth
▪ As usual Eva entered into the spirit of the thing with energy and determination.
▪ I knew all the things about it that are unique.
▪ Power: that was the thing about magic.
▪ She had shredded the thing with her hips.
▪ That was one of the things with black and white, the shadows, the dimension that you can get.
▪ That was the thing about Alice: she saw my life before I did.
▪ The strength of our feelings is one of the things about women that most unnerve men.
▪ Yes, will is the thing with Seve.
think of/about doing sth
▪ I've often thought about starting my own business.
throw your weight about/around
▪ But being annual they would be open to reprisals if they threw their weight around too much.
▪ But that bloody Caitlin, he had to throw his weight around.
▪ Do we in petty ways throw our weight around?
▪ How dare the Nottinghamshire police suppose they can throw their weight around in this way?
▪ It's a chance for rugby to throw its weight around.
▪ Maybe she could have handled that a little more tactfully instead of sounding as though she was throwing her weight around.
▪ Mortgage traders were the sort of fat people who grunt from the belly and throw their weight around, like sumo wrestlers.
▪ Very strong in his own way, not swaggering or throwing his weight about, but a great inner strength.
we'll see about that
▪ "I want to go to Joshua's tonight." "Well, we'll have to see about that."
▪ Kim wants to go to this party, huh? Well, we'll see about that!
what about ...?
what are you talking about?
▪ What are you talking about? - Ron has lots of money.
▪ And I was like, I was just like, what are you talking about?
▪ And, anyway, what are you talking about, the rich man in his castle?
while I'm/you're etc at/about it
The Collaborative International Dictionary
About

About \A*bout"\, prep. [OE. aboute, abouten, abuten; AS. [=a]butan, onbutan; on + butan, which is from be by + utan outward, from ut out. See But, Out.]

  1. Around; all round; on every side of. ``Look about you.''
    --Shak. ``Bind them about thy neck.''
    --Prov. iii. 3.

  2. In the immediate neighborhood of; in contiguity or proximity to; near, as to place; by or on (one's person). ``Have you much money about you?''
    --Bulwer.

  3. Over or upon different parts of; through or over in various directions; here and there in; to and fro in; throughout.

    Lampoons . . . were handed about the coffeehouses.
    --Macaulay.

    Roving still about the world.
    --Milton.

  4. Near; not far from; -- determining approximately time, size, quantity. ``To-morrow, about this time.''
    --Exod. ix. 18. ``About my stature.''
    --Shak.

    He went out about the third hour.
    --Matt. xx. 3.

    Note: This use passes into the adverbial sense.

  5. In concern with; engaged in; intent on.

    I must be about my Father's business.
    --Luke ii. 49.

  6. Before a verbal noun or an infinitive: On the point or verge of; going; in act of.

    Paul was now aboutto open his mouth.
    --Acts xviii. 14.

  7. Concerning; with regard to; on account of; touching. ``To treat about thy ransom.''
    --Milton.

    She must have her way about Sarah.
    --Trollope.

About

About \A*bout"\, adv.

  1. On all sides; around.

    'Tis time to look about.
    --Shak.

  2. In circuit; circularly; by a circuitous way; around the outside; as, a mile about, and a third of a mile across.

  3. Here and there; around; in one place and another.

    Wandering about from house to house.
    --1 Tim. v. 13.

  4. Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence, in quality, manner, degree, etc.; as, about as cold; about as high; -- also of quantity, number, time. ``There fell . . . about three thousand men.''
    --Exod. xxii. 28.

  5. To a reserved position; half round; in the opposite direction; on the opposite tack; as, to face about; to turn one's self about.

    To bring about, to cause to take place; to accomplish.

    To come about, to occur; to take place. See under Come.

    To go about, To set about, to undertake; to arrange; to prepare. ``Shall we set about some revels?''
    --Shak.

    Round about, in every direction around.

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
about

Old English abutan, earlier onbutan "on the outside of," from on (see on; also see a- (1)) + be "by" (see by) + utan "outside," from ut (see out (adv.)). By 13c. it had forced out Old English ymbe, ymbutan for meaning "in the neighborhood of." Abouts, with adverbial genitive, still found in hereabouts, etc., probably is a northern dialectal form. About face as a military command (short for right about face) is first attested 1861, American English.

Wiktionary
about

Etymology 1 adv. 1 Not distant; approximate. 2 # On all sides; around. (First attested before 1150.) 3 # Here and there; around; in one place and another; up and down. (First attested before 1150.) 4 # Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence, in quality, manner, degree, quantity, or time; almost. (First attested before 1150.) 5 # near; in the vicinity. (First attested around 1150 to 1350.) 6 In succession; one after another; in the course of events. (First attested before 1150.) 7 On the move; active; astir. (First attested around 1150 to 1350.) 8 To a reversed order; half round; facing in the opposite direction; from a contrary point of view. (First attested around 1150 to 1350.) 9 # (lb en nautical) To the opposite tack. (First attested in the late 15th century.) 10 (lb en obsolete) Preparing; planning. (Attested from around 1150 to 1350 until the late 18th century.) 11 (lb en archaic) In circuit; circularly; by a circuitous way; around the outside; in circumference. (First attested around 1350 to 1470.) 12 (lb en chiefly North America colloquial) Going to; on the verge of; intending to. (First attested in the early 16th century.) prep. 1 In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of. (First attested prior to 1150.) 2 Near; not far from; regarding approximately time, size, quantity. (First attested prior to 1150.) Etymology 2

a. 1 Moving around; astir. 2 In existence; being in evidence; apparent; 3 Normally active and capable.

Related phrases:
WordNet
about

adj. on the move; "up and about"; "the whole town was astir over the incident" [syn: about(p), astir(p)]

about

  1. adv. (of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct; "lasted approximately an hour"; "in just about a minute"; "he's about 30 years old"; "I've had about all I can stand"; "we meet about once a month"; "some forty people came"; "weighs around a hundred pounds"; "roughly $3,000"; "holds 3 gallons, more or less"; "20 or so people were at the party" [syn: approximately, close to, just about, some, roughly, more or less, around, or so]

  2. all around or on all sides; "dirty clothes lying around (or about)"; "let's look about for help"; "There were trees growing all around"; "she looked around her" [syn: around]

  3. in the area or vicinity; "a few spectators standing about"; "hanging around"; "waited around for the next flight" [syn: around]

  4. to or among many different places or in no particular direction; "wandering about with no place to go"; "people were rushing about"; "news gets around (or about)"; "traveled around in Asia"; "he needs advice from someone who's been around"; "she sleeps around" [syn: around]

  5. in or to a reversed position or direction; "about face"; "brought the ship about"; "suddenly she turned around" [syn: around]

  6. in rotation or succession; "turn about is fair play"

  7. (of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; `near' is sometimes used informally for `nearly' and `most' is sometimes used informally for `almost'; "the job is (just) about done"; "the baby was almost asleep when the alarm sounded"; "we're almost finished"; "the car all but ran her down"; "he nearly fainted"; "talked for nigh onto 2 hours"; "the recording is well-nigh perfect"; "virtually all the parties signed the contract"; "I was near exhausted by the run"; "most everyone agrees" [syn: just about, almost, most, all but, nearly, near, nigh, virtually, well-nigh]

Related phrases:
Wikipedia
About (surname)

About is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include:

  • Edmond François Valentin About, French novelist
  • Nicolas About, French politician

Category:French-language surnames

AbOUT

abOUT was a Toronto-based online biweekly lifestyles and current affairs magazine, serving the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities of North America.

abOUT was founded in Buffalo, New York, in late 2003 by four partners, including Canadian journalist Duane Booth. The first edition of the magazine was released on January 19, 2004. In 2006, Booth became majority shareholder when he acquired the shares of two of the business partners, and the magazine's operations were fully moved to Toronto at the same time. The magazine continued in print until February 2010, when it was changed to an online-only publication.

abOUT covered LGBT-related news and culture.

abOUT covered a range of topics relating to the LGBT community including politics, activism, pop culture, arts, entertainment, health, fashion, fitness and more. The magazine has become known for political stands that are often contrary to those seen in other gay press outlets as well as featuring celebrity interview with artists such as Mary J. Blige, Pussycat Dolls and Felicity Huffman.

The website closed in 2011.

Related phrases:

Usage examples of "about".

The rest I was prepared to dismiss airily as some sort of unfortunate aberration brought about by the exceptional circumstances of the tornado.

We wondered for a long while why Kadra was so adamant about evacuating Tenua to the Abesse and sending her people straight into Volan hands.

On this occasion it was unlocked, and Marian was about to rush forward in eager anticipation of a peep at its interior, when, child as she was, the reflection struck her that she would stand abetter chance of carrying her point by remaining perdue.

I will not wear thy soul with words about my grief and sorrow: but it is to be told that I sat now in a perilous place, and yet I might not step down from it and abide in that land, for then it was a sure thing, that some of my foes would have laid hand on me and brought me to judgment for being but myself, and I should have ended miserably.

I will now go and skin that troll who went so nigh to slay thee, and break up the carcase, if thou wilt promise to abide about the door of the house, and have thy sword and the spear ready to hand, and to don thine helm and hauberk to boot.

Thinking about him interfered with her ability to concentrate on helping him.

Aunt Pol, her splendid eyes ablaze and a fiery nimbus about her, strode through the hall.

He was apparently about thirty years old, with a sallow, olive complexion and fairly good features, but an abnormally high forehead.

Harry, is that if the orders were lying about for all to see, with sailors being the gossips they are then the men aboard any ship in the harbour would soon be appraised of their contents.

Forsooth of all the years that I abode about the Land of Tower those were the happiest.

So they abode there, and made a fire by the waterside, and watched there, turn and turn about, till it was broad day.

Thus then they abode a-feasting till the sun was westering and the shadows waxed about them, and then at last Ralph rose up and called to horse, and the other wayfarers arose also, and the horses were led up to them.

The abomination of it all, the vengeance of destiny which exacted this sacrilege, filled her with such a feeling of revolt that at the moment when vertigo was about to seize her and the flooring began to flee from beneath her feet, she was lashed by it and kept erect.

I had not tried to get myself on the uneditable tape, to provide the watchers some clue about where this abomination was taking place .

I mind was inside the bar of San Lucar, and he and I were boys about a ten year old, aboord of a Dartmouth ship, and went for wine, and there come in over the bar he that was the beginning of it all.