Crossword clues for good
good
- Word that may be written on a B+ paper
- Word before "gravy" or "grief"
- What "no news" is
- Term-paper notation
- Superhero's side
- Something for nothing?
- Short of great
- Selena Gomez "___ for You"
- Report-card rating
- Rating between excellent and fair
- Old-boy descriptive
- Notation on a theme
- Not quite great
- Not misbehaving (1)
- More than satisfactory
- More than fair, less than great
- Like Glinda of Oz
- Like Anakin Skywalker
- Like advice, ideally
- Hero's side
- Fine Young Cannibals "___ Thing"
- Expertly done
- Exclamatory endorsement
- Evil opposition
- Enjoyable — moral
- Deserving a B
- Certain Friday
- Cape of ___ Hope
- Beyond passable
- Batter's command of the strike zone, in baseball lingo
- B or B-plus
- Allman Bros. "___ Clean Fun"
- Above the crossbar and between the uprights
- & 46. What a considerate speaker tries to strike
- "You're a __ Man, Charlie Brown"
- "Well done"
- "This had better be ___!"
- "The ___, the Bad and the Ugly"
- "The ___ Wife" (CBS drama)
- "The ___ Place" (Kristen Bell sitcom)
- "One ___ turn deserves another"
- "No news is ___ news!"
- "No news is __ news"
- "Lady Be ___"
- "It's ___ to shut up sometimes" (Marcel Marceau)
- "I'm ___" ("No thanks")
- "I approve!"
- "Glad to hear that"
- "--- gravy!"
- "___ Will Hunting" (1997 movie)
- "___ show!"
- "___ Morning, Vietnam" (1987 movie)
- "___ Morning America"
- "___ grief!"
- "__ for you!"
- _____ as gold
- ___ Housekeeping magazine
- ___ Housekeeping ("Seal of Approval" magazine)
- __ Samaritan
- Curious (but appropriate!) duck logo as encouraging message
- Could go badly, King’s message of support
- Gambler leaving richer
- Items for sale to public
- Virtually the same, morally?
- Very popular book
- Permanently in favour of rectitude
- Do without overdose permanently
- Decent PM’s opening words?
- A dragon aims to, changing into a very helpful person
- Charitable individual
- I go to a sad man in distress? That could be about right
- He crossed the road again, road most strange
- Repair; be successful
- Wife out of hospital perhaps in need of a little drink
- Dutch gambler having modest amount of ale?
- Fine set of clothes
- Under most favourable circumstances, second grade in an exam
- Favour sentimental stuff, dulcet in the extreme, on vessel
- Soon enough exhausted, pleasure-seeking
- In due course, exhausted by enjoyment?
- In due course, no-one late?
- Type of wrestling I do got me out of shape eventually
- Good luck for an elite?
- Fine person
- Healthy? Congratulations!
- Exclamation of surprise or dismay
- Enjoy yourself, playing a hot video game
- Gambler with small beers for spouses
- Well-mannered
- Saintly
- B or better
- B, gradewise
- Tasty
- Fair beater
- Close, as friends
- Yummy
- With 53-Down, smarts
- Not counterfeit
- Sound
- Philanthropy
- Well-behaved
- Deserving a thumbs-up
- Fine and dandy
- In bounds
- "Well done!"
- Dandy
- B or B+, say
- Through the uprights
- With 44-Down, kindness
- With 37-Down, what 17-, 24-, 47- and 58-Across are all said to bring
- With 65-Across, comment that might be heard after the start of 17-, 28-, 45- or 59-Across
- The "G" in EGBDF
- "I'm glad!"
- Not too shabby
- Benefit
- Moral excellence or admirableness
- Choice
- Beneficial
- Like Whitman
- Benign
- Adjective for "no news"
- Kern's "Very ___, Eddie"
- Worthwhile
- Valid
- Virtuous
- Moral righteousness
- Describing Ford Maddox Ford's soldier
- An adjective for Whitman
- Benevolent
- Kind of times or news
- Whitman, the ___ Gray Poet
- Word of approval
- "The ___ Earth"
- Virtuous; well-behaved
- Great crack - take too much of it?
- Enjoyable - moral
- Oscar has to follow up housing benefit
- Worthy attempt to use too much
- Suitable travel make-up
- Sound virtuous
- Like King Wenceslas
- Pleasing; virtuous
- Benevolent group of creatures in Dr Who
- To be desired; pleasing
- Encouraging word
- Not bad
- Shout of approval
- Kind of egg
- Better than fair
- "That's correct"
- Better than average
- Kind of book or will
- Like the pastor's book
- Exclamation of satisfaction
- Evil opponent
- Evil fighter
- EGBDF part
- The Beach Boys' "___ Vibrations"
- Misbehaving, up to no ...
- Like no news?
- Friday preceder
- _____ Friday
- Part 4 of our quote
- Part 2 of a Layton quote
- Opposite of bad
- Not spoiled
- Kind of Friday
- Kind of book or friends
- God's handy work, according to God
- "I approve"
- "Glad to hear it!"
- "___ Luck Chuck" (2007 romcom)
- "___ for you!"
- Worthy of a B+, maybe
- Worth a B
- Word with will or faith
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
good
I.adjective
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a better/greater/deeper understanding
▪ All of this will lead to a better understanding of the overseas market.
a bit better/older/easier etc
▪ I feel a bit better now.
a clear/good picture
▪ He still didn’t have a clear picture of what had happened.
a freight/goods train
▪ a freight train carrying hazardous chemicals
a good atmosphere
▪ The club has a good atmosphere.
a good base
▪ This data provided a good base for further research.
a good basis
▪ Love and trust form a good basis for marriage.
a good businessman (=good at doing business)
▪ He had researched the costs, like any good businessman.
a good cause (=one that is worth supporting, for example a charity)
▪ The money we are raising is for a good cause.
a good chance (=when something is likely)
▪ I think there is a good chance that he will say yes.
a good citizen
▪ One of the aims of education is to produce good citizens.
a good compromise
▪ I hope we can reach a good compromise.
a good copy (=one that is very like the original)
▪ The painting is a good copy of the original.
a good crowd (=a big one)
▪ There was a good crowd on the first night of the show.
a good customer (=who buys a lot from you, or uses your service a lot)
▪ Good products attract good customers.
a good day (=in which things have happened in the way you want)
▪ Have you had a good day at work?
a good deal (=a good price, offer, or arrangement)
▪ You can buy two for £10, which sounds like a good deal.
a good decision
▪ It was a good decision to change the name of the product.
a good degree (=that you pass at a good level)
▪ Mature students are more likely to get a good degree.
a good driver
▪ He thinks he’s a very good driver.
a good eater (=someone who eats all the food on their plate)
▪ All her children were good eaters.
a good education
▪ All parents want a good education for their children.
a good excuse
▪ A sunny day is a good excuse to go to the beach.
a good grip (=a grip with which you can keep hold of something)
▪ The rocks were wet and slippery and it was difficult to get a good grip.
a good guess (=one that is likely to be right)
▪ I'm not sure how old she is, but I can make a good guess!
a good imagination
▪ She's a lively child, with a good imagination.
a good investment
▪ Property is usually a good investment.
a good kick (=a strong kick)
▪ The only way to make the drinks dispenser work is to give it a good kick.
a good laugh
▪ We all got a good laugh out of it later.
a good liar (also an accomplished liarformal) (= someone who tells believable lies)
▪ He's an accomplished liar who lies as easily as other men breathe.
a good meal (=a meal that is large enough and tastes good)
▪ We’ll get a good meal there.
a good mood
▪ He was in a good mood when he got home from work.
a good name
▪ The company wants to maintain its good name.
a good night’s sleep (=when you sleep well)
▪ I woke up refreshed after a good night’s sleep.
a good number (=quite a lot)
▪ He has written a good number of books for children.
a good part
▪ Every time we do a play, the boys get all the good parts.
a good partnership
▪ It’s a good partnership and we think it’s going to get better.
a good point
▪ I think that’s a very good point.
a good portion (=large)
▪ She spends a good portion of her paycheck on clothes and entertainment.
a good price (=quite high)
▪ Did you get a good price for your car?
a good profit
▪ There is a good profit to be made in selling cars.
a good punch
▪ Tyson landed one good punch but it wasn’t enough.
a good question (=interesting or difficult to answer)
▪ That’s a good question.
a good reader
▪ He's not a good reader but he wants to try a new story.
a good reason
▪ There is usually a good reason why the price is so cheap.
a good rest (=a complete rest that relaxes you)
▪ I’m sure you need a good rest.
a good seat (=one from which you can see well)
▪ I managed to get a fairly good seat, near the front.
a good selection
▪ There is a good selection of bars and cafés nearby.
a good shot (=one that hits what you aim at)
▪ It was difficult to get a good shot in the dense forest.
a good solution
▪ A good solution is to harvest the crop early in September.
a good supply
▪ In hot countries, always carry a good supply of water.
a good talk (=a long talk about important or interesting things)
▪ She was upset, but we’ve had a good talk and things are okay now.
a good try
▪ ‘Do you really think you can win?’ ‘I’m going to have a darn good try.’
a good understanding
▪ The sales force has a good understanding of the market.
a good upbringing
▪ However good their upbringing, young people may still behave badly.
a good view
▪ From here we get a good view of the fortress.
a good wash (=a thorough wash)
▪ Those jeans need a good wash.
a good way
▪ Parent and toddler groups are a good way to meet other mums.
a good/attractive alternative
▪ If you don’t want curtains, blinds are a good alternative.
a good/bad child
▪ Be a good child and sit down!
a good/bad etc kisser
a good/bad experience
▪ On the whole, going to boarding school was a good experience for him.
▪ I've had some bad experiences when I've been travelling on my own.
a good/bad habit
▪ Eating healthy food as snacks is a good habit to get into.
a good/bad idea
▪ Keeping the drinks cold in the bath was a good idea.
▪ Knocking down this wall was a really bad idea.
a good/bad spell
▪ The team had some good spells during the match.
a good/bad/ill omen
▪ The mist seemed like a bad omen and Sara’s heart sank a little.
a good/better option
▪ Renting a house may be a better option than buying.
a good/better option
▪ Renting a house may be a better option than buying.
a good/close friend (=one of the friends you like the most)
▪ She’s a good friend of mine.
a good/close/reasonable approximation
a good/decent living (=enough money)
▪ Her husband makes a good living.
a good/effective leader
▪ What characteristics make a good leader?
a good/encouraging response (=when people like something or show interest)
▪ We’ve had a good response from the public.
a good/excellent etc buy
▪ The wine is a good buy at $6.50.
▪ It’s worth shopping around for the best buy what you want at the lowest price.
a good/excellent suggestion
▪ I think that’s an excellent suggestion.
a good/excellent/interesting article
▪ There was an interesting article on Russia in the paper today.
a good/excellent/rich source (=a source that provides a lot of something)
▪ Milk is a good source of calcium.
a good/fair/nice size (=fairly big)
▪ The garden is a good size.
a good/fine/great actor
▪ He had a reputation as a fine actor.
a good/firm/thorough etc grasp of sth
▪ Steve has a good grasp of the European legal system.
a good/funny joke
▪ I heard a really good joke the other day.
a good/great sense of sth
▪ He is a popular boy with a good sense of humour.
a good/great start
▪ A 3-0 win is a good start for the team.
a good/great writer
▪ She was a very good writer.
▪ Dr Johnson was already a great writer at the age of thirty-five.
a good/great/wonderful etc feeling
▪ It's a great feeling when you try something new and it works.
a good/great/wonderful etc opportunity
▪ It's a great opportunity to try new things.
a good/healthy appetite
▪ Growing children should have a healthy appetite.
a good/healthy balance
▪ You should eat a good balance of carbohydrates and protein.
▪ Are you eating a healthy balance of foods?
a good/keen/acute sense of sth
▪ Pigs have a keen sense of smell.
a good/kind heart (=a kind character)
▪ My father had a good heart.
a good/nice Christmas
▪ Did you have a good Christmas?
a good/perfect/wonderful companion
▪ For older people a pet cat can be a very good companion.
a good/positive example
▪ The older boys should set a positive example for the rest of the school.
a good/positive image
▪ We want to give people a positive image of the town.
a good/positive impression
▪ He was keen to make a good impression on his boss.
a good/positive influence
▪ Television can have a positive influence on young people.
a good/positive/encouraging/hopeful sign
▪ If she can move her legs, that’s a good sign.
a good/proper breakfast (=big and healthy)
▪ I think kids need a good breakfast before they go to school.
a good/quick brain
▪ It was obvious that Ann had a good brain.
a good/satisfactory recovery
▪ He is making a good recovery from a knee injury.
a good/smart/wise move (=sensible)
▪ I’m not sure it was a good move giving him the job.
a good/strong melody
▪ It’s hard to find rules about what makes a good melody.
a good/strong team
▪ We have a very strong sales team.
a good/successful season
▪ The club has had another successful season.
a good/thorough/solid etc grounding
▪ The aim of the course is to give students a thorough grounding in English pronunciation.
a good/typical example
▪ This painting is a good example of his early work.
a good/useful/helpful/handy tip
▪ Go to their website to find useful tips on buying and selling a home.
a great many/a good many/very many (=a very large number)
▪ Most of the young men went off to the war, and a great many never came back.
▪ It all happened a good many years ago.
a little more/better/further etc
▪ We’ll have to wait a little longer to see what happens.
a nice/good guy
▪ People say he’s a nice guy.
a run of good/bad luck (=a series of good or bad things)
▪ The team has had a run of bad luck lately, losing their last five games.
a shade better/quicker/faster etc
▪ The results were a shade better than we expected.
a strong/good position (=a situation in which you have an advantage)
▪ A victory tonight will put them in a very strong position to win the cup.
a strong/good possibility (=something that is very likely)
▪ There is a strong possibility that the drug causes similar damage in humans.
a substantial/good discount (=a fairly big one)
▪ Insurance companies give substantial discounts to mature drivers.
acted in good faith
▪ The company had acted in good faith.
against your better judgment (=even though you think your action might be wrong)
▪ I lent him the money, against my better judgment.
are better left unsaid (=it is better not to mention them)
▪ Some things are better left unsaid.
artistic/nervous/good etc temperament
▪ Jill has such a lovely relaxed temperament.
at best...at worst
▪ Choosing the right software can be time-consuming at best and confusing or frustrating at worst.
be better off doing sth (=used to give advice or an opinion)
▪ He’d be better off starting with something simpler.
be good/bad for morale
▪ Well-deserved praise is always good for morale.
be good/bad for the environment
▪ Plastic bags are bad for the environment.
be good/bad for your health
▪ Eating plenty of vegetables is good for your health.
be good/pleasant company (=be a cheerful person who is enjoyable to be with)
▪ I always liked seeing Rob – he was such good company.
be in good heart (=to be happy and confident)
▪ The team was in good heart, despite their loss this weekend.
be in good/perfect/full etc working order
▪ The car was old, but the engine was still in good working order.
be in good/poor health (=be healthy/unhealthy)
▪ Her parents were elderly and in poor health.
be onto a good thing/a winner
▪ I think she’s onto a real winner with this song.
best endeavours
▪ Despite our best endeavours, we couldn’t start the car.
best man
best practice
better nature (=his feelings of kindness)
▪ I tried appealing to his better nature but he wouldn’t agree to help us.
better off
▪ She’ll be about £50 a week better off.
better or worse
▪ I wasn’t sure whether his behaviour was getting better or worse.
bring sb (good/bad) luck
▪ He always carried the stone in his pocket; he reckoned it brought him luck.
brown goods
capital goods
clear/good
▪ His directions were very clear and easy to follow.
clear/perfect/good etc diction
▪ She had perfect diction.
come off second best (=lose a game or competition, or not be as successful as someone else)
consumer goods
consumer goods/products (=things that people buy for their own use)
▪ Our demand for consumer goods increases all the time.
counterfeit goods/software etc
create a good/bad atmosphere
▪ Lighting is one of the most effective ways of creating a good atmosphere.
curiosity gets the better of sb/overcomes sb (=makes you do something that you are trying not to do)
▪ Curiosity got the better of me and I opened her diary.
deliver the goods (=do what they have promised)
▪ the failure of some services to deliver the goods
deserve better (also deserve a better deal) (= deserve to be treated better or to be in a better situation)
▪ They treated him badly at work and I thought he deserved better.
do more harm than good (=used to say that something had a bad effect rather than a good one)
▪ I followed his advice but it did more harm than good.
do more harm than good (=cause more problems rather than improve a situation)
▪ If you don’t warm up properly, exercise may do more harm than good.
do sb good (=make someone feel better)
do some/any/no good (=improve a situation)
▪ It might do some good if you talk to him about the problem.
▪ The fresh air has done me good.
dry goods
▪ a dry goods store
durable goods
earn good money (=earn a lot of money)
▪ You can earn good money working in London.
electrical equipment/goods/appliances etc
enjoy good relations (=have good relations)
▪ For years, the company enjoyed good relations with its workers
far better/easier etc
▪ The new system is far better than the old one.
▪ There are a far greater number of women working in television than twenty years ago.
feel fine/good/comfortable etc
▪ I’m feeling a little better today.
▪ Marie immediately felt guilty.
fetch a good/high etc priceBritish English, bring a good, high etc price American English (= be sold for a particular amount of money)
▪ I’m sure the painting would fetch a good price in London.
food smells good
▪ The food smelt good to her.
food tastes good/delicious etc
▪ The food at Jan’s house always tastes good.
for reasons best known to sb (=used when you do not understand someone’s behaviour)
▪ For reasons best known to herself, she decided to sell the house.
get a good deal (=buy something at a good price)
▪ He thought he had got a good deal.
get a good hiding
▪ You’ll get a good hiding when you come home!
get a good price for
▪ Did you get a good price for it?
get a good/reasonable etc price (=be paid a particular amount for something)
▪ Farmers now get a decent price for their crop.
get off to a good/bad etc start
▪ On your first day at work, you want to get off to a good start.
give good/excellent etc service (=work well and last a long time)
▪ Steel tools give good service for years.
good afternoon
good and evil
▪ You have to teach your kids about right and wrong, good and evil.
good breeding
▪ The young lieutenant had an air of wealth and good breeding.
good cheer
▪ ‘Hello,’ said Auguste cheerily. His good cheer was not returned.
good cholesterol
good citizenship
▪ The schools should be responsible for teaching our children good citizenship.
good clean funBritish English (= not offensive or not involving sex)
▪ The show is good clean fun for all the family.
good communication
▪ In our company, there is good communication between the various departments.
Good day to you
▪ I must get back. Good day to you.
good day
▪ I must get back. Good day to you.
good deeds
▪ After the morning’s good deeds he deserved a rest.
Good dog! (=said to a dog when it obeys you)
▪ Sit! Good dog!
good evening
good exercise
▪ Swimming is very good exercise for your muscles.
good faith
▪ The company had acted in good faith.
Good Friday
good funBritish English
▪ I never realized what good fun fishing could be.
good going/not bad going
▪ We climbed the mountain in three hours, which wasn’t bad going.
good hard
▪ Jane gave the door a good hard push.
good humour
▪ At 80 her eyes still sparkled with good humour.
good intentions/the best (of) intentions (=intentions to do something good or kind, especially when you do not succeed in doing it)
▪ He thinks the minister is full of good intentions that won’t be carried out.
good intentions/the best (of) intentions (=intentions to do something good or kind, especially when you do not succeed in doing it)
▪ He thinks the minister is full of good intentions that won’t be carried out.
good look (=searched carefully)
▪ She had a good look through the files.
good looks
▪ his natural good looks
good looks
▪ You get your good looks from your mother.
good luck
▪ These birds are said to bring good luck.
good manners
▪ Good manners could not prevent her from asking the question.
good money (=a lot of money)
▪ Preston earns good money as a lawyer.
good morning
good name
▪ It threatened to damage the good name of the firm.
good nature
▪ He had his father’s good looks and his mother’s good nature.
good neighbourliness
good news
▪ He’s feeling much better, so that’s good news.
good night
▪ Good night. Sleep well.
good planning
▪ Good planning will ensure the move is as trouble-free as possible.
good points
▪ Every system has its good points and its drawbacks.
good PR
▪ The band have been getting a lot of good PR recently.
good protection
▪ This lightweight jacket gives good protection from the rain and wind.
good publicity
▪ Top exam results are good publicity for schools.
good sense
▪ Mrs Booth showed a lot of good sense.
good sight
▪ Many types of fish have good sight.
good skills
▪ He’s got good management skills.
good stuffBritish English (= used to tell someone that their work is good)
▪ This is good stuff.
good theatre (=good entertainment)
▪ Yeats’ plays are great poetry but they are not good theatre.
good thinking (=used to say that an idea is good)
▪ ‘We’d better lock the door.’ ‘Good thinking.’
good track record
▪ The fund has a good track record of investing in the equity market.
good working knowledge
▪ A good working knowledge of the building regulations is necessary for the job.
good write-up (=it was praised)
▪ The play got a really good write-up in the press.
good
▪ Good design is very important in a house.
good
▪ Her descriptions of the natural world are very good.
good
▪ He is out of hospital and making good progress.
good
▪ England needs to produce another good performance against France.
good
▪ The work was steady and the pay was pretty good.
good
▪ Inflation can sometimes have some good effects on the economy.
good
▪ Your eyesight must be very good if you can read the sign from here.
good
▪ If you study hard, you get good grades, and you get into good schools.
good
▪ The late frosts ended hopes of a good harvest that year.
good
▪ Physical exercise is essential to good health.
good
▪ Relations between neighbours on the estate are very good.
good
▪ They were earning good wages.
▪ Wages are good compared to other occupations.
good
▪ I have good vision in my right eye.
good (=bright enough)
▪ Stand over here where the light is good.
good/bad circulation
▪ Doctors had to remove her leg because of bad circulation.
good/bad dancer
▪ Dave’s a good dancer.
good/bad etc at (doing) sth
▪ I’ve always been good at maths.
▪ Matt’s bad at handling people.
good/bad etc memories
▪ He left school with good memories of his time there.
good/bad etc posture
▪ Poor posture can lead to muscular problems.
good/bad etc vibes
▪ I have good vibes about this contract.
good/bad karma
▪ The house had a lot of bad karma.
good/bad loser (=someone who behaves well or badly after losing)
good/bad management
▪ good management and co-operation with staff
good/bad
▪ The boys were suspended from school for bad behaviour.
▪ His good behaviour did not last long.
good/bad
▪ a lazy student with a bad attitude
good/bad/poor sportsmanship (=good or bad behaviour in a sport)
▪ We try to teach the kids good sportsmanship.
good/bad/slow etc service
▪ The service was terrible and so was the food.
good/best mate
▪ He’s good mates with John.
good/best mate
▪ He’s good mates with John.
good/clear/strong evidence
▪ There is clear evidence that smoking causes heart disease.
good/close/effective etc working relationship
▪ We have a close working relationship with other voluntary groups.
good/excellent qualifications
▪ Good qualifications are a passport to success.
good/excellent
▪ The hotel was nice and the food was really good.
good/excellent
▪ I wish my memory was as good as yours.
good/excellent
▪ The university has a very good reputation.
good/excellent/useful/helpful
▪ The book is full of good advice.
good/glad tidings (=good news)
good/great
▪ Over the years, we’ve developed a good relationship.
good/great
▪ That’s a great song!
good/healthy/clear (=smooth and without any red spots)
▪ Vitamin E helps keep your skin healthy.
good/high
▪ I was impressed that the quality of their work was so high.
good/ideal preparation (=very useful)
▪ The game was good preparation for our match at Torquay next week.
good/lovely/beautiful
▪ He wrote, in his lovely handwriting, a letter asking Ramsey to visit him.
good/neat/fancy etc footwork
▪ The England keeper revealed some fancy footwork in the victory over Nottingham Forest.
good/nice/lovely (=not wet)
▪ We’ll go out if the weather is good.
good/perfect
▪ She smiled, showing a mouthful of perfect teeth.
good/perfect/true etc likeness
good/pleasant/comfortable
▪ Have a good flight!
good/poor prognosis
▪ Doctors said Blake’s long-term prognosis is good.
good/poor visibility
▪ The search for survivors was abandoned because of poor visibility.
good/poor/proper hygiene
▪ The Consumers’ Association blames poor hygiene standards.
good/rich/fertile (=good for growing plants)
▪ The fertile soil produces delicious wines.
goods and chattels
good/sharp/acute
▪ My hearing isn't as good as it used to be.
▪ Owls and other predatory birds have very acute hearing.
good/strong swimmer
▪ Peter’s a very strong swimmer.
good/strong/firm discipline (=clear rules that people understand and must obey)
▪ Without good discipline in a school, the standard of teaching suffers.
greater/better protection
▪ The law should give greater protection to victims.
great/good
▪ The country has a great future.
had a good go (=tried hard)
▪ I had a good go at cleaning the silver.
handling stolen goods
▪ Bennet was charged with handling stolen goods.
have a good/bad etc reputation
▪ The law firm has an excellent reputation.
have a good/bad etc start
▪ We’ve had a disappointing start but we are hoping to improve.
have a good/bad/long etc day
▪ Simon looked as if he’d had a bad day at the office.
have a good/long/unusual etc menu
▪ The new restaurant on Fifth Street has an excellent menu.
have a good/nice etc birthday
▪ Did you have a nice birthday?
have a good/religious/tough etc upbringing
▪ He had a rather unsettled upbringing, moving with his father from town to town.
have a good/terrible etc time
▪ Thanks for everything – we had a great time.
have a nice/good day!spoken (= used when saying goodbye to someone in a friendly way)
▪ Bye Sam! Have a good day!
have (good) reason to complain
▪ We felt we had good reason to complain about the food at the hotel.
have good/bad etc hearing
▪ Dogs have excellent hearing.
have good/bad etc weather
▪ We have had lovely weather all week.
have good/bad luck
▪ I’ve had a bit of bad luck.
have good/bad manners
▪ All their children have such good manners.
have good/quick/slow reflexes
▪ A tennis player needs to have very quick reflexes.
have the (good/bad) luck to do sth
▪ He had the good luck to meet a man who could help him.
healthy/good
▪ A healthy diet includes plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
heaps better/bigger etc (=much better, bigger etc)
heavy goods vehicle
higher/better
▪ Workers demanded higher pay.
high/good
▪ Morale among the staff was high.
high/good
▪ She moved to a job with a higher salary.
high/good (=used when saying that someone is happy and excited)
▪ The players were all in high spirits.
high/good
▪ The standard of their work was generally very high.
hold true/good
▪ Twenty years on, his advice still holds good.
hope for the best (=hope that a situation will end well when there is a risk of things going wrong)
▪ Liam decided to ignore the warning and just hope for the best.
household goods/products/items etc
▪ washing powder and other household products
▪ household chores
how best (=the best way)
▪ advice on how best to invest your money
how much better/nicer/easier etc
▪ I was surprised to see how much better she was looking.
▪ How much better life would be if we returned to the values of the past!
in a good/positive/relaxed etc frame of mind
▪ She returned from lunch in a happier frame of mind.
in good/bad/terrible etc condition
▪ How do you keep your hair in such perfect condition?
in good/fine/great form
▪ He’s been in good form all this season.
inferior goods/products
▪ The public are being deceived into buying inferior goods.
is best known for (=people are most likely to be familiar with)
▪ Hepburn is best known for her roles in classic films such as ‘My Fair Lady’.
it seemed like a good idea
▪ Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
it’s good/bad manners to do sth
▪ It’s bad manners to chew with your mouth open.
jolly good fun
▪ It was all jolly good fun.
jolly good
▪ Sounds like a jolly good idea to me.
judge it best/better to do sth (=think that something is the best thing to do)
▪ Robert wanted to go and help him, but judged it best to stay where he was.
judge it best/better to do sth (=think that something is the best thing to do)
▪ Robert wanted to go and help him, but judged it best to stay where he was.
keep up the good work! (=continue to work hard and well)
kiss sb goodbye/good night etc
▪ Kiss Daddy good night.
knew better than to
▪ Eva knew better than to interrupt one of Mark’s jokes.
like best (=like most of all)
▪ The time I like best is the evening when it’s cool.
little more/better etc (than sth)
▪ His voice was little more than a whisper.
look good/bad etc
▪ The future’s looking good.
luxury items/goods (=expensive things)
▪ At Christmas we try to afford a few luxury items.
make a good team (=work well together as a team)
▪ You and I make a good team.
make a good/bad/early etc start
▪ He made a flying start at college, but then he didn't manage to keep it up.
make good your escapeliterary (= to succeed in escaping)
▪ Dillinger handcuffed the deputy to the desk and made good his escape.
make good/ideal etc pets (=be good/very good as pets)
▪ Do rabbits make good pets?
make sth the best/worst/most expensive etc
▪ Over 80,000 people attended, making it the biggest sporting event in the area.
makes good sense (=is sensible)
▪ It makes good sense to do some research before buying.
material goods/possessions/wealth etc
▪ The spiritual life is more important than material possessions.
▪ a society that places high importance on material rewards
meant it for the best (=wanted to be helpful, although my actions had the wrong effect)
▪ I wasn’t criticizing you, I really meant it for the best.
move on to higher/better things (=get a better job or social position – used humorously)
▪ Jeremy’s leaving the company to move on to higher things.
much better/greater/easier etc
▪ Henry’s room is much bigger than mine.
▪ These shoes are much more comfortable.
much the best/most interesting etcBritish English
▪ It’s much the best way to do it.
need a (good) wash/clean/cut etc (=ought to be washed, cleaned etc)
▪ His hair needs a wash.
not good enough (=not satisfactory or acceptable)
▪ You’re late. It’s just not good enough.
of good/high/international etc repute
▪ a man of high repute
of the worst/best etc kind
▪ This is hypocrisy of the worst kind.
oh, good/great
▪ Oh, good, you’re still here.
opportunity...too good to miss
▪ The opportunity was too good to miss so we left immediately.
pay a good/low etc price
▪ I paid a very reasonable price for my guitar.
perfect/good/bad etc timing
▪ He was just walking into the restaurant when we got there. Perfect timing.
piece of luck/good fortune
▪ It really was an extraordinary piece of luck.
poor/good nutrition
▪ Poor nutrition can cause heart disease in later life.
positive/good/poor/negative self-image
▪ Depression affects people with a poor self-image.
prevention is better than cureBritish English, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure American English (= used to say that it is better to prevent illness than to cure it)
prevention is better than cure (=it is better to stop something bad from happening than to remove the problem once it has happened)
▪ You know what they say, prevention is better than cure.
put in/up a (good/bad etc) performance
▪ Liverpool put in a marvellous performance in the second half.
put/place sb in a good/awkward etc position
▪ I'm sorry if I put you in an awkward position.
run of good/bad luck
▪ Losing my job was the start of a run of bad luck that year.
sb is old enough to know better (=used when you think someone should behave more sensibly)
▪ He’s old enough to know better, but he went and did it anyway!
sb’s best clothes
▪ They wore their best clothes for the photograph.
sb’s best friend (=the friend you like the most)
▪ Fiona was her best friend.
sb’s best guess (=one that you think is most likely to be right)
▪ My best guess is that it will take around six months.
sb’s best handwriting
▪ In his best handwriting, he wrote, 'Happy Father’s Day, Dad'.
second best
▪ Allie was the second best shooter on the rifle team.
second best
▪ I’m not going to settle for second best.
settle for second best
▪ I’m not going to settle for second best.
shoddy goods/service/workmanship etc
▪ We’re not paying good money for shoddy goods.
should know better
▪ It’s just prejudice from educated people who should know better.
significantly better/greater/worse etc
▪ Delia’s work has been significantly better this year.
sign/show/gesture etc of good faith
▪ A ceasefire was declared as a sign of good faith.
slightly higher/lower/better/larger etc
▪ January’s sales were slightly better than average.
smell good/nice etc
▪ The food smelled good.
somebody new/different/good etc
▪ We need somebody neutral to sort this out.
something new/old/good etc
▪ It’s a good car, but I’m looking for something newer.
sporting goodsAmerican English
▪ a sporting goods store
take a turn for the worse/better
▪ Two days after the operation, Dad took a turn for the worse.
taste good/nice/delicious/great
▪ The apples weren’t very big but they tasted good.
the best available
▪ We use the best available technology.
the best means
▪ Is this really the best means of achieving our goal?
the best plan British English (= the best thing to do)
▪ I think the best plan is to take the train.
the best route
▪ Let's look at the map and work out the best route.
the best way
▪ Doing the job is often regarded as the best way of learning the job.
the best/greatest etc that/who ever lived (=the best, greatest etc who has been alive at any time)
▪ He’s probably the best journalist who ever lived.
the best/perfect/ideal solution
▪ Locking people in prison is not necessarily the ideal solution.
the best/tallest etc in the world
▪ We want to become the best team in the world.
the best/worst kind
▪ Not knowing what had happened to her was the worst kind of torture.
the best/worst part
▪ The worst part was having to work even when it was raining.
the future looks good/bright etc
▪ The future looks good for the company.
the good guy (=a man in a book or movie who does good things and beats the bad characters)
▪ He’s one of the good guys in the 'Star Wars' films.
the good news is …/the bad news is ... (=used to introduce a piece of good and bad news)
▪ The good news is that most stores have the game in stock; the bad news is that it's not cheap.
the very best/latest/worst etc
▪ We only use the very best ingredients.
the world’s best/tallest etc
▪ It is the world’s largest car manufacturer.
to (the best of) my recollection (=used when you are unsure if you remember correctly)
▪ To the best of my recollection, she drives a Mercedes.
▪ Noone, to my recollection, gave a second thought to the risks involved.
try your best/hardest (=make as much effort as possible)
▪ Try your best to block out other distractions.
unfailing good humour
▪ She battled against cancer with unfailing good humour.
up to no good (=doing something bad)
▪ I always suspected that he was up to no good.
white goods
wide/broad/good spread of sth
▪ We have a good spread of ages in the department.
▪ a broad spread of investments
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
as
▪ For its weight, therefore, the strength of timber is as good or better than most of its competitors.
▪ But the great ones always can be as good as somebody, even at the end.
▪ Anything's only as good as the foundation it's built on.
▪ Now she proved to be as good as, or even better than, her word!
▪ Would they stop a great painter painting just because his eyes were going and his brushwork wasn't as good?
▪ Zack was right, the hamburgers were as good as he had promised.
▪ This is about as good as figurative painting gets.
▪ He's playing in the Olympics a couple of weeks ago, and he looks as good as ever.
even
▪ Molecular nitrogen, a very stable molecule, is even better.
▪ Many companies do so because smart managers know the importance of rewarding good work and inspiring even better efforts.
▪ We are not concerned to turn out good workmen or even good citizens, but a complete individual.
▪ Visually, the series is even better than Hollywood special effects.
▪ This show will be even better than the last one and is not to be missed!
▪ This year could be even better.
▪ The news was even better for producer prices.
far
▪ Sometimes a crisis focuses the attention far better than if you're doing well.
▪ Some bond funds performed far better than others last year.
▪ They did far better than that, with about 600.
▪ Now their earnings prospects look bright, and they have lately done far better than the giants.
▪ Felicity loves it too, and probably takes far better care of it than I ever did.
▪ A far better alternative was to walk the back roads and country lanes.
▪ The Museum's policy is that it is far better to leave such time-capsules undisturbed.
▪ A good mineralogical museum is a far better place to see good crystals.
much
▪ Yes, that was a much better way to think.
▪ He has lost some weight, and his blood pressure is under much better control.
▪ And at the end he said, they're not much good.
▪ Son, you never was much good at lying.
▪ But in fact I knew you much better.
▪ And I think individual clubs can do a much better job of that than the league.
▪ I found that if I did this, I felt much better and had the feeling that everything would be all right.
▪ How much better a living baby smelled!
pretty
▪ I had tried to make myself look pretty good.
▪ Robert has turned out to be a pretty good father.
▪ The surviving trio, it must be said, looked pretty good.
▪ That might be a pretty good arrangement, just to help make associations.
▪ It's pretty good fun - I like the noise it makes when it breaks.
▪ More than half were pretty good, with two rising to the top of the taste test.
▪ She was getting pretty good at inventing details for him to note down.
▪ I once had one of my speeches transcribed, one that sounded pretty good.
really
▪ If thicker shells are really better for the snail, why don't they have them anyway?
▪ The next few years were really good, I guess you might say.
▪ Male speaker It's absolutely excellent, really good fun, very realistic.
▪ Belis is a really good name.
▪ It was excellent fun and a really good chance to catch up with friends I hadn't seen since graduation.
▪ Our educational system is really better at training than educating.
▪ Conclusion On the good side, the Lakewood amp is crammed with features and it essentially sounds really good.
▪ I felt really good about our chances.
so
▪ It's not quite so good the second time around, never mind the fourth or fifth.
▪ This place is so good that some Peak activists reckon they will take their holidays indoors next year!
▪ He was so good in every department, they figured it would be easy for him to learn this one little thing.
▪ It simply was not fair that anyone could look so good in absolutely everything!
▪ The Super Bowl should be so good.
▪ It is not so good at knowing how to do it.
▪ They're so good you could actually enjoy them just by reading them.
too
▪ A golf tournament with royal patronage was too good an opportunity for a publicity-minded company to miss.
▪ This is too good to be true, you figure.
▪ It was, had been, too good an evening to spoil it with a half-soaked wrangle.
▪ He had been let to get too good a start on a wrong path.
▪ It was too good an opportunity to miss.
▪ Being left-handed, he was too good to release, but never good enough to hold his place.
▪ Much too good for the animals.
▪ Sound too good to be true?
very
▪ This can cause problems on the news desk and does not create a very good impression.
▪ She graduated with very good grades and went on to graduate school.
▪ Finally, I admit our shared deficiency: that of not being very good at snooker.
▪ Suddenly, for the first time in months, I found myself in a very good mood.
▪ We finished with some very good summer pudding and an okay cheese board.
▪ Ride, acceleration and handling: Very good all around.
▪ The sun is a very good symbol and can be used to show the contrast in the tone between the stanzas.
▪ Economics is very good when it comes to assessing fundamental forces and pressures.
■ NOUN
chance
▪ They also have a slim but slightly better chance of winning a vote for a referendum.
▪ Then there is a good chance of finding the global energy minimum.
▪ You make more plays than the other guys, you got a good chance to win the football game.
▪ Portsmouth soon equalised and a stalemate followed in the second half, although Alton had some good chances.
▪ Look for anything that gives them a better chance of following the plot.
▪ You have a much better chance of success next time because you will have learnt from your previous experience.
▪ We believe that the best chance of keeping out imports is to improve the efficiency and productivity of the industry.
condition
▪ It is all made of wood and is in good condition.
▪ He is in very good condition.
▪ All your gear must be in good condition and regular checks cost nothing.
▪ Now times are hard and selling the family silver is one way of keeping Harcourt Manor in good condition.
▪ A Lycoming in good condition is usually easy to fire up and these were no exception.
▪ Ovation Legend Custom acoustic, 9 years old, good condition, with case, £850.
▪ If in good condition, each coin should fetch between £60.00 and £70.00.
day
▪ Not a good day, one of the worst.
▪ March 16 dawned bright and sunny, the first really good day of the year.
▪ Today had been a good day.
▪ Not all good day care is so costly.
▪ Karpov's play in game 17 was a text book model of strategy, redolent of his very best days.
▪ I have heard many good speakers in my life, but no one any better than Ed Sadlowski on a good day.
▪ He chose a good day to raise the matter, because only yesterday the hospital opened a new out-patients department.
▪ But the pay is paltry compared with the hundreds that can be made on a good day of lobstering.
deal
▪ This is hardly surprising amongst members of a profession who earn a good deal of their living by talking.
▪ Apollonius influenced Virgil a good deal.
▪ However, this still leaves the court a good deal of scope for readjusting the express rules.
▪ He turned down what any of his peers would have called a much better deal today.
▪ There was a good deal of quarrelling - an average of about eight fights, or potential fights, per hour.
▪ A dime taken from any other kid was a good deal.
▪ A good deal of straight forward social activity is almost always associated with the actual political engagement.
example
▪ Pusch Ridge is a good example.
▪ A good example is the construction of teeth, about which a certain amount is known.
▪ A better example, of course, is Fife Symington.
▪ It was quite a good example of lobbying, in fact.
▪ NETtalk is a good example of applying neural networks to problems handled well by this technology.
▪ Perhaps the best example of the problems that this approach can cause is the Atari desktop publishing system.
▪ The annual crowd of movers and shakers at the National Press Foundation dinner presents a good example.
faith
▪ Professionalism implies a contract with society; a promise that good faith will be justified.
▪ To show his good faith, White even gives Blue an advance of ten fifty-dollar bills.
▪ Check that promises made in good faith in your first paragraph have been delivered by your last paragraph. 2.
▪ Whilst still in employment, there was an implied term imposing a duty of good faith.
▪ The clause was not framed as an obligation on the vendor to negotiate with the purchaser in good faith.
▪ Such a State should act in good faith so as not to frustrate the objects of the treaty.
▪ Have both the parties acted in good faith?
fortune
▪ There weren't all that many twenty-four-year-old graduates with the good fortune to run their own successful public relations business in London.
▪ Through a stroke of geologic good fortune, hydrothermal water percolates up through the landscape and feeds into the Colorado.
▪ In the summer of 1962, I had another piece of good fortune.
▪ He told her that he could see that she was highly born and blessed by good fortune.
▪ Anthony Coburn got the commission to write the first story by a notable stroke of good fortune.
▪ Given better fortune, shots that bounced off hillocks and into bunkers might have bounced on to greens.
▪ But after eight issues, early in 1967, the paper had a stroke of good fortune.
▪ It was necessary to appear as though innate good fortune made one invulnerable.
friend
▪ Was it possible her friend had been matchmaking - her stepbrother and her best friend?
▪ He was a man whose birthday was being celebrated by his wife, his daughter, and his best friend.
▪ Didn't any of his best friends tell him?
▪ She is anticipating a visit from Varvara, her best friend, who will arrive later this summer.
▪ You don't imagine I could confide in my best friends, do you?
▪ Q: You and Faye Dunaway are good friends.
▪ Suzy Levine and Seth had been lovers when he was writing Homeboy, best friends ever since.
▪ For eight or nine years we were not only collaborators and partners, we were best friends.
health
▪ The fact is that we are contemplating not a two-tier health service but a better health service.
▪ On paper, the banks' appear in good health.
▪ The child was born three weeks premature, but is believed to be in good health.
▪ With muscles showing complete or near-complete return of potential, bed rest, exercise, and overall good health formed the pattern.
▪ Six foot one; grey hair; good health.
▪ I am 64 and in good health.
▪ Anyone can start giving blood as long as they are between 18 and 60 years old and in good health.
idea
▪ His involvement with Cairngorm Rope coincided with Dave Wotherspoon having a very good idea indeed.
▪ Often, it happens because good ideas bubble up from employees who actually do the work and deal with the customers.
▪ We must ensure Brian Wilson's blank sheet of paper is full of good ideas before too long.
▪ If we had a good idea, it would be put into action.
▪ First, it's a good idea to decide where you want to live.
▪ We have some fairly good ideas of where it goes instead.
▪ There is general agreement that copyright is a good idea.
▪ The whole proposal was unsatisfying, but no one came up with a better idea than this Half-Way Covenant.
job
▪ Despite the demands they face, all Red Arrows will tell you it's the best job in the world.
▪ The other believed you use money to enhance the business to get people-to do the very best job for you.
▪ I have no doubt you will do a good job, but things are run a little differently out here.
▪ For an eagle who had been so ill Minch was doing a good job being terrifying.
▪ The way I grew up, success means having a good job, having money.
▪ With your qualifications you could have had a much better job, a better salary.
▪ And I think individual clubs can do a much better job of that than the league.
life
▪ Cycling makes you fitter and gives you a better life expectancy.
▪ He and his family had a good life in the country.
▪ Writers have described their versions of the good life and suggested ways of achieving them.
▪ She was driven to provide a good life for the two of them, no matter the cost.
▪ Can we define the good life?
▪ When she got pregnant again, she decided she wanted a better life for her child.
▪ And bananas about Hickory ... the baby monkey getting a taste of the good life.
▪ She knows how good life is and how hard it is to make life good.
luck
▪ I sometimes could not believe my good luck, and was grateful for it.
▪ But had we sat down with her, we would have wished her good luck.
▪ Pausing at the Lagonda, he touched the steering-wheel for good luck.
▪ The elves never returned, but the shoemaker continued to prosper and had good luck in everything he did.
▪ Simon did well after that but made a pretence of simple good luck to anyone who questioned his apparent good fortune.
▪ In April 1911, he seemingly had better luck.
▪ Superstitious attachment good luck symbols and mascots are attempts to keep fear at bay.
▪ I want to know about good luck and bad luck.
man
▪ Couldn't ask to have a better man around.
▪ As he said, he was a good man, even if he was a bad Wizard.
▪ He's a good man, you've probably heard of him.
▪ Front forces, in particular, lost a very high percentage of their best men in 1968.
▪ How crowded it is with pictures of our good men, whose hearts gave out to disease in the end.
▪ At the beginning, Ben Corum, one of our best men, had gone down to Texas.
▪ Because Kenamun has lost his best man, and I have no faith in his ability to solve this on his own.
news
▪ For the good news see Helpful behaviour on page 84.
▪ They say that it's good news ... there's going to be some celebrating tonight!
▪ The good news is that people who practice the principles give themselves a real chance to change and perform.
▪ She wished so desperately that she was coming home with good news.
▪ The good news is that there are more well-made dry kosher wines than ever before.
▪ It's good news for the Chancellor ahead of the budget.
▪ The good news is that dairy foods, like milk, yogurt and cheese, help protect teeth from cavities.
night
▪ Dunne excused himself, said good night to Cassidy, nodded to the Gallaghers, and went upstairs.
▪ Cats have good night vision but can't see colour very well.
▪ It was not a good night for the vice president.
▪ Mrs Atkins had just bidden them good night and gone across to her rooms.
▪ Or else the very following things will happen: This kid came up to me and gave me a hug good night.
▪ He held hands occasionally or, if he was lucky, was granted a good night kiss on the cheek.
part
▪ For the better part of the next forty years they were to be the decisive restraints.
▪ And the best part of visiting both is that eating haggis is not mandatory.
▪ By slow degrees, the world of the bloodstock sales lost the best part of its consuming interest for Dada.
▪ The West would be in good part built and some think ruined by that cement.
▪ They had been drinking for the best part of an hour but none were drunk.
▪ The place used to stretch for the best part of a quarter of a mile away from the town.
▪ He and his wife Billie live in a beautiful, spacious home decorated in good part with boxing memorabilia.
performance
▪ She tells me that unless you are in a state of tension you don't give your best performance.
▪ The Dow climbed 33 percent last year, one of the best performances in history.
▪ In one of the evening's best performances, she recounts a recent audition in a hilariously stilted delivery.
▪ Net margins were 14% of turnover, a very good performance considering the very unfavourable worldwide economic climate.
▪ It is doubtful that Stilwell could have prevailed even if he had managed a better performance.
▪ The best performance might relate to daily production goals, sales targets or inventory levels.
▪ Possible, although McGinest had his best performances as a Patriot the final three games of this season.
place
▪ Not only should school be a good place for children but a good place for teachers and other adult workers too!
▪ I mean, what better place to put ketchup packets under car tires?
▪ The sky seemed a good place to put my promise.
▪ Probably this text on the ancient civilization of Sumer would not be a good place to begin.
▪ Slide Sorter view is also a good place in which to make global changes.
▪ Small dreams are a good place to start.
▪ And the best place to do that, it suddenly struck her, was London.
position
▪ They collided, Hughes sensed McClair was in a better position to punish the error, but Laws recovered.
▪ If affiliated, they are in a better position to negotiate with insurers on prices of treatment.
▪ The permanent ward staff are in the best position to encourage learning.
▪ Being majority leader is a good position to be in.
▪ The best position for wall fittings is near to the centre line of the bed, with the light sources focused outwards.
▪ What needs to be discussed and understood is who is in the best position to make the final decision.
▪ It puts us in good position to make a run for the playoffs.
practice
▪ Guideline 7, Management, discusses this in more detail and sets out examples of good practice.
▪ A good practice is to salt only at the end of a recipe.
▪ The full texts of eight relocation policies from named companies are given as examples of good practice in Appendix 1.
▪ She has just finished a good practice.
▪ There was an even more profound sense in which the prevailing version of good practice was deficient.
▪ There is a danger in the search for good practice of looking only at those schools with good academic records.
▪ An example of good practice in incorporating disabled people into an allocations policy was again provided by Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council.
▪ A continuing programme to investigate, evaluate, and disseminate best practice information on teaching large classes has also been developed.
quality
▪ They know that if an item has the Royal Navy's endorsement it is bound to be of good quality.
▪ On the surface, at least, Bonita Vista has all the best qualities of a racially diverse campus.
▪ The glass is of good quality.
▪ Try to obtain a good quality plug, preferably gold-plated, to replace the existing one.
▪ A good quality tape-measure that will not stretch is necessary for general sewing use.
▪ Make sure it has been made with ripstop nylon and has good quality spars and reinforced pockets to receive them.
▪ Eaten raw in salads, it becomes more interesting if it is topped with herbs and a good quality olive oil.
reason
▪ He had good reason, of course.
▪ You had a good reason for every dumb thing you did which you said I would understand someday.
▪ They also have good reason to be optimistic.
▪ They are states that all sentient beings have a good reason to want.
▪ There was a good reason for this.
▪ Until 1993, the Pusch Ridge bighorns had good reason to avoid people, since they could be legally hunted.
▪ Sean O'Dwyer, deputy chairman of Desmond &038; Sons, has good reason to agree.
▪ Three good reasons to write, I think.
sense
▪ That's perfectly understandable, but it's not good sense.
▪ He is however a Man of good sense, plain in his manners, and sincere in his friendships.
▪ Are you a jolly person; do you have a good sense of humour?
▪ In his zeal, he almost lost his good sense.
▪ The end result made solid good sense.
▪ He had a nice touch, a good sense of how to execute his shots.
▪ So, on that basis, it makes good sense to start on the bigger warrens.
▪ This bending of the rules was typical of Rabari thrift and good sense.
service
▪ Aberdeen Royal Infirmary patients are to be surveyed in a bid to provide a better service.
▪ At least as important will be who can provide the best service?
▪ Furthermore, although charges are low, standards are going up as hosts recognise that it pays to provide a better service.
▪ In this context their role is not negative, even though you get a bag of nonsense with that good service.
▪ There is a highly-recommended restaurant and good service throughout.
▪ The Charter's commitment to modern, open services will help them to win the respect that good service deserves.
▪ For example we need to provide our Members with better services and facilities, with larger branches and with more automation.
▪ They, too, have a right to the best service we can offer.
shape
▪ All of the houses are in good shape, and there should be no trouble.
▪ He could still be in good shape.
▪ We are in much better shape than we were a year ago.
▪ Q: I have remained in good shape at age 66 by jogging regularly for the past 10 years.
▪ Choose potatoes which have shallow eyes and are of a good shape.
▪ But three hikers missing on Mount Shasta since Dec. 26 were found safe and in good shape.
▪ Oxford University are looking in good shape for Sunday's womens boat race.
▪ Make sure your car is in good shape before embarking on this trip.
start
▪ He'd made a good start but now he was faltering, and the focus of attention was drifting slowly away from him.
▪ The program was a good start, but Rowley saw it only as a prototype-and an expensive one at that.
▪ Senna said he realised that a good start was vital.
▪ The Bears had better start grabbing on to something, anything, as the outlook on the season suddenly turned very grim.
▪ Well, that was a good start - they wouldn't be difficult to sell.
▪ Having Goldberger on his side was a good start for Childs, but there were already other opinions.
▪ John had a good start in the game.
▪ The answer: a good start.
thing
▪ But he has, nevertheless, selected some good things.
▪ But the best thing about New York apartments is that you don't spend much time in them.
▪ After all, you've probably got better things to do.
▪ Also, it is important all day long to notice all the good things he does.
▪ Perhaps getting away from her for a little while would be the best thing that could happen.
▪ The best thing a leader can do for a Great Group is allow its members to discover their own greatness.
▪ However, if sterile or individual equipment is not available, the next best thing is to clean equipment using disinfectant.
▪ What good things come, surprisingly, from the trials of life...
time
▪ Sam Smith is one of many natives who wish good times had never come to Williamson County.
▪ Christmas is a good time for considering how to change ourselves and our businesses in 1999.
▪ Dimon has been loyal to Weill in good times and bad.
▪ In good times trade and investment links set up a virtuous circle where growth in one economy boosts others.
▪ Life was hard, but people found ways to have a good time.
▪ With all the new and reintroduced varieties now on the market there has never been a better time to grow from seed.
▪ He was having a whale of a good time.
use
▪ The most attractive of the prospectuses made good use of photographs.
▪ Gallegos said the region has made good use of that money.
▪ This allows good use of space, but high winds compress the sides.
▪ They also learn something apart from better skills: They learn about some better uses for their skills.
▪ Included are some suggestions for making the best use of the opportunities and for overcoming the problems.
▪ What their assets are worth is relevant for decisions about making the best use of them.
▪ Choose larger packs - these make better use of resources.
▪ Get the truth from Piper, make the best use of it, then unload a few unnecessary encumbrances.
value
▪ But, you've been good value for money.
▪ First, it has to be good value.
▪ Political scribblers were usually better value than politicians, most of them being irreverent and much better informed.
▪ It is rather faster than a Commodore 64, and has similar graphics and sound, which makes the hardware good value.
▪ The shares have recovered a bit since it was clear that the merger was doomed but still look good value.
▪ The organisers say the 4-day trip is good value at £190.
▪ The jacket is light, well made and very good value for money.
way
▪ It states that the best way to improve public services is to increase competition.
▪ The best way is to set a good example.
▪ Bricks and mortar used to much more than a sound investment - it was the best way to make serious money.
▪ There is no better way to reduce those doubts than by acting swiftly to pass clear and tough campaign finance reform laws.
▪ There is no better way to help people in need than through supporting Care.
▪ For the first time having wealth was the best way to get wealth.
▪ The best way to get scars to fade is to leave them alone.
▪ The problem was that there seemed to be all sorts of better ways of reproducing.
work
▪ Keep up the good work as I still have a lot to learn.
▪ No enduring stars did their best work under any of his logos.
▪ It would be sad to see all your good work wasted, and the place revert to its former wilderness.
▪ But it looks like he did his best work the day he fired for qualification.
▪ Eventually, Mellor gave a nod towards the good work done by the Press Fund - then made his excuses and left.
▪ Their best work is original: That talking mouse with the big ears, that cranky duck with the three nephews.
▪ Sir Charles' good work must go on.
▪ The Salvation Army is an institution that performs good works, and it is entitled to its views of homosexuality.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
good/bad timekeeper
(Good) Lord!/Oh Lord!
▪ Good Lord, Tom! What are you doing?
(get) a bigger/better etc bang for your buck
(jolly) good show
▪ Although his forecasts have been close in the past, this is his best showing.
▪ And he may have acquired an added incentive for wanting to make a good showing.
▪ It's the best show they've got.
▪ Just how good shows in the figures.
▪ The royals will try to shrug off their problems and put on a good show for Margaret.
(that's a) good question!
▪ "Does the program allow you to do that?" "That's a good question - I don't know."
God/oh (my) God/good God (almighty)
God/oh (my) God/good God/God almighty
I couldn't wish for a nicer/better etc ...
I have it on good authority
▪ I have it on good authority that the school board wants to fire the principal.
I must/I'd better be getting along
I'd better mosey along/be moseying along
I/you can't/couldn't ask for a better sth
a (damn/darned/darn) sight more/better etc
▪ Actually, a damn sight more than from that stiff gherkin Smott.
▪ I prefer my women a little older and a damn sight more sober.
▪ If he listened to Anthony Scrivener, he would be a darned sight better.
▪ Perhaps not up there with Wilburforce but a damn sight more daring than anything Diana ever did!
▪ The Galapagos finch was a darn sight more valuable than Sandra Willmot.
▪ We were a darned sight better than them.
a (good) catch
▪ A man in a uniform was a good catch in these parts.
▪ And keep medicines up high, also with a catch on the cupboard.
▪ He caught 89 passes last year, but he averaged just 7. 7 yards a catch.
▪ He went to it at once, looking for a catch, a way of releasing it, but there was nothing.
▪ Since a doctor or a lawyer is a good catch, he can attract a woman whose family is wealthy.
▪ The law has a catch, however.
▪ There is a catch, however!
▪ Within minutes, Honaker felt the telltale movement of a catch moving up the tube.
a difficult/hard/good etc one
▪ But what is temperament, and how do we define what is a good one?
▪ I knew there was no sense in trying to do a better one.
▪ Maybe it was a crackpot theory, but it was a good one.
▪ Nevertheless, it was always clear that Schmidt's third term in office would prove a difficult one.
▪ Payno was gleeful, for his idea was a good one.
▪ The belief that hierarchical organizational structure makes for good business is a difficult one to give up.
▪ The Berlin Philharmonic as it exists today may be a happier orchestra, but it is in no way a better one.
▪ Then I became a lead project manager and, I have to say, I was a good one.
a fast/good/long etc ball
▪ A bit like Dorigo ie he can cross a good ball when necessary.
▪ Anyway he is 24, is a good ball winner and throws himself around a bit.
▪ Jackson will supplant Charlie Ward as the starting point guard, giving the team a better ball distributor.
▪ Leeds do play a lot of football, but they hit a long ball as well.
▪ Phillips seized on a long ball and found himself with only Manninger to beat.
▪ Pow, Janir hit a long ball into the blackberry bushes beside the creek.
▪ Root threw me a fast ball.
a good night's sleep
▪ All you need is a good night's sleep.
▪ Night before 1 Try to ensure a good night's sleep. 2 Alleviate any anxiety if possible.
a good read
▪ It's not great literature, but it's a good read.
▪ Barnes and Hughes for a good read, Levin ton for the examinations.
▪ He seems to have a good read on his players and good rapport with them.
▪ I just sit and have a good read until they are done.
▪ It is certainly worth a good read, and I can recommend it to anyone interested in this subject.
▪ Journal in double triumph Roy Castle takes a break from record-breaking and relaxes with a good read.
▪ Le Carre can always be counted on to deliver a good read.
▪ Taken as a good read, this is an excellent book.
a good screw
a good sport
▪ I don't like playing with him - he's not a very good sport.
▪ All in all, Fred was a good sport and said he enjoyed the meal.
▪ But she was such a good sport about it.
a good/bad etc shot
▪ But Nogai's a good shot.
▪ Ed Kelley was a good shot.
▪ He made a good shot from there and holed a three-foot putt for a quadruple-bogey eight.
▪ If I hit a bad shot, I try to minimize its effect.
▪ Klingler made it clear at the end of 1996 that he wanted a better shot at moving up the depth chart.
▪ That much was the least expected of a hunter who had made a bad shot.
▪ They have a better shot at claiming the governorship.
▪ Tom played a bad shot out of the bunker, and he does no more than charge straight at this press guy.
a good/bad judge of sth
▪ Sarah's not a very good judge of character.
▪ And for all his imagination, he was not a good judge of character on limited acquaintance.
▪ But Anya's a better judge of character than she used to be, back in the old homeland.
▪ He's also a good judge of a quick run.
▪ He was a good judge of character, hated hypocrisy, and had no time for conceit.
▪ I didn't protest as it was his fence officially, and he was supposed to be a good judge of torque.
▪ It was not that he was too sure of himself simply that he was a good judge of the possible.
▪ Munnings, he told reporters, was a better judge of horses than paintings.
a good/large part of sth
▪ Married couples make up a large part of the church's congregation.
▪ Checheno-Ingushetia was abolished, and a large part of the Ingushi lands had been ceded to North Ossetia and repopulated by Ossetes.
▪ Had Therese spent a large part of her salary on a dress she would never wear again?
▪ His energies were never enormous, but limited though they were, he used a large part of them outside the business.
▪ Many young people are now attracted to the idea of producing a large part of their own food.
▪ So did a large part of the local population, including Morag Paterson.
▪ So that a large part of every day is not determined by thought at all, it more or less just happens because of habit.
▪ Social services take up a large part of the council budget.
▪ Ten black men took a sledge-hammer to the work, and knocked off a large part of his face.
a good/safe bet
▪ The earrings seemed like a good bet for a birthday present.
▪ Cohen says companies like PictureTel have improved transmission quality, making video conferencing a better bet than in years past.
▪ Even if you spend more and risk recurring sticker shock, the place is a good bet to tranquilize you.
▪ It was always a safe bet, of course, that Hillsborough would be just about the least dangerous place in Britain yesterday.
▪ Only a few months ago he had looked like a good bet.
▪ Still, if a well-equipped sporty car is in your heart, the fifth-generation Prelude probably is a good bet.
▪ That makes them a good bet if you travel with a laptop computer.
▪ The supermodels are a safe bet and, in times of recession, that is what matters.
a good/sympathetic listener
▪ And apart from the information you get, being a good listener helps the other side to relax and have confidence in you.
▪ Be a good listener and do not demand that children reveal all that they do or think.
▪ In the Collins family, Kevin was not actually told stories about how he, too, was a good listener.
▪ It will give you the opportunity to discuss your problems with a sympathetic listener.
▪ Lady Thatcher never drew breath, while John Major was a good listener.
▪ People liked her because she was steady, sensible, a good listener.
▪ Seek not only to be understood but to understand-be a good listener.
▪ Zach said he was a good listener and that he was a sensitive being.
a great/good deal
▪ A single incident suggests a great deal about Hennepinhis prudery, his belligerence, his sensitivity.
▪ In the last ten years, we have learned a great deal more about this interplay.
▪ Neither girl took a great deal of interest in me.
▪ One particular candidate responding to the survey went to a great deal of trouble to commit his decidedly anti-headhunting views to paper.
▪ She spoke a great deal about poetry.
▪ Teachers also received a great deal of support and help from both popular organizations and from communities to ease their situation.
▪ The movement of earthworms throughout layers can also cause a great deal of disruption, blurring the divisions.
▪ Very frequently, speechwriters are recruited from the ranks of journalism, which accounts for a great deal.
a happy/good hunting ground (for sth)
▪ I pass up a roadside rest area, a happy hunting ground for new cars and ready cash.
▪ In the early years of this century, many a collector found Madeira a happy hunting ground.
▪ Scandinavia was a happy hunting ground for him and he did the same for Nicolai Gedda.
a nod's as good as a wink
a rattling good yarn/story/read
▪ On one level, it is vastly entertaining and a rattling good read.
▪ We bet the Weatherfield Advertiser was a rattling good read under Ken's editorship.
all in good time
▪ But don't fret, you shall have a puppy all in good time.
all the best
▪ Tell him I said goodbye and wish him all the best.
▪ A facility that's said to represent all the best in car manufacturing worldwide.
▪ He wanted to give it all the best that was in him, of which he had more than he needed.
▪ In fact they are regularly seen around all the best joints.
▪ Maybe it was true that the Devil got all the best lines.
▪ On the surface, at least, Bonita Vista has all the best qualities of a racially diverse campus.
▪ The movement has got all the best stories, even if it's a little short on facts.
▪ They came, all the best and noblest, to join the company.
▪ They still kept almost all the best in-state players.
all the better/easier/more etc
▪ He offsets Roberts' operatic evil with a performance that commands all the more notice for its minimalism.
▪ His job was made all the more easier by drivers who hadn't bothered to take measures to stop people like him.
▪ If there is some meat left on the bones, all the better.
▪ It makes it all the more opportune.
▪ Superb defence by Karpov, all the more praiseworthy in that he was now in desperate time trouble.
▪ The dispute was all the more bitter because a prize was at stake.
▪ The inadequacy and treachery of the old leaderships of the working class have made the need all the more imperative.
▪ Weather experts say it was a relatively dry winter which makes the water recovery all the more remarkable.
appeal to sb's better nature/sense of justice etc
as best you can
▪ I'll deal with the problem as best I can.
▪ I cleaned the car up as best I could, but it still looked a mess.
▪ We'll have to manage as best we can without you.
▪ And her reaction to her illness was, as best I can glean, fraught with fear, discouragement, and depression.
▪ I would therefore be grateful if you could refer back to the letter I wrote and respond as best you can.
▪ It is therefore necessary to locate as best we can the final resting place or incidence of the major types of taxes.
▪ Only a proportion of them are successful and the rest must struggle as best they can to obtain mates.
▪ Our culture has no Obon ready-made, but we are filling in as best we can.
▪ Then you gently and gradually work the new feather on, positioning it to match the original plumage as best you can.
▪ We must also imagine our way into myth, as best we can, like actors in a play.
▪ You just have to wait and catch your moment or piece things together as best you can.
at a good/rapid/fast etc clip
▪ He was walking along at a good clip, his eyes idly panning the facades of the brownstone houses.
▪ Up ahead, a thoroughfare Traffic was going across the intersection at a good clip in both directions.
at best
▪ At best, sales have been good but not great.
▪ Public transportation is at best limited.
at the best of times
▪ Even at the best of times the roads are dangerous.
▪ A salmon is slippery enough to handle at the best of times, but one of this size ....
▪ But reason told her it was a precarious business at the best of times.
▪ In fact Polanski, unconventional at the best of times, takes us to the limit - and beyond.
▪ It was run on a shoestring at the best of times and Kelly was merely adding to his problems.
▪ Listening is a difficult and complex skill at the best of times.
▪ Memory was mischievously selective at the best of times Trivia stuck limpet-like and the useful filtered away.
▪ Rising living standards and well-being are ambiguously related at the best of times, and not simply for ecological reasons.
▪ The mind was a delicate mechanism that he disliked interfering with at the best of times.
at your best
▪ At his best, he's one of the most exciting tennis players in the world.
▪ This recording captures Grappelli at his very best.
▪ And if I sometimes see them at their worst, I sometimes see them at their best as well.
▪ Augusta was not at her best yesterday on a drab, grey day.
▪ But like Natalie Merchant, Cerbone is at her best when composing character sketches.
▪ Still, quarterbacks are not at their best when their throwing motion is impeded.
▪ The answer, in brief, is the method of empirical inquiry, at its best the method of science.
▪ The early 1960s showed such policy at its best.
▪ The formal work of the House is often seen at its best in committee.
▪ The Machine is at its best in primaries, but Daley was taking no chances.
at your best/worst/most effective etc
bad/good sailor
▪ Although he was a good sailor, Columbus was a bad governor.
▪ As a yacht delivery skipper he had to be a damn good sailor.
▪ Even the best sailors can be swept into them, apart from which they can cause all sorts of damage to your equipment.
▪ How he got there no-one knows, but he was a very good sailor and an even better artist.
▪ I have never been a good sailor, and kept to my bunk for the first part of the journey.
▪ Ironically I do not make a very good sailor.
▪ Turns out all of us are pretty good sailors.
be a good/quick/easy etc lay
▪ I don't deny it was a good lay.
be a good/wonderful/terrible etc cook
▪ As a result, the adult John is obsessed with food, has an overstocked fridge and is a good cook.
▪ Franca, said to be a good cook, was not a good cook, just an ingenious cook.
▪ He is a good cook, isn't he?
▪ My aunt and I are good cooks.
▪ Nils may be a good cook, but his time will be better spent away from the galley.
▪ Of motivation to get good grades in school or to be a good cook?
▪ To be a good cook you have to do a lot of things precisely, but it requires no understanding.
▪ Zelah was a good cook and he enjoyed the meal.
be all the better for sth
▪ And it was all the better for being hosted by real-deal Alice Cooper rather than fat phoney Phill Jupitus.
▪ And the piece was all the better for it.
▪ My grandmother therefore moulded my life, and I believe I am all the better for it.
▪ Spa towns, though, are all the better for looking somewhat passé and Eaux-Bonnes is more passé than most.
▪ The game at Twickenham today will be all the better for the inclusion of the National Anthem.
▪ Well, a statement like that is all the better for proof, but go on, anyway.
be for the best
▪ Even though I lost my job, I knew it was for the best. It gave me the chance to start again.
▪ After all, it may be for the best.
▪ Anything that spurs creativity behind the bar must be for the best.
▪ He can smell nothing, which is for the best.
▪ I decided to decide that it was for the best.
▪ It may well be for the best.
▪ Maybe it is for the best.
▪ No one has been so heartless as to suggest we skip the picnic, but it is for the best.
▪ Still, perhaps it was for the best.
be good for the soul
▪ Confession is good for the soul, particularly when it comes from journalists, who have a notoriously difficult time admitting error.
▪ Heat lightning was breaking outside and there was a breeze from the ocean that was good for the soul.
▪ Perhaps some teachers and others believe that, nevertheless, such practice is good for the soul!
▪ What happened Saturday night was good for the soul.
▪ Which was good for the soul, but bad for knees and dignity.
be good/bad news for sb
▪ House prices are very low, which is good news for first-time buyers.
▪ Although the licensing agreement is good news for Apple, some wonder whether it is too little, too late.
▪ As Ohio goes, so goes the nation, and that may be good news for President Clinton.
▪ Gordon Brown also promised Labour would be good news for big employers ... like the nearby Rover plant in Cowley.
▪ Growing demand for such equipment is good news for the helicopter's distributors McAlpine based at Kidlington in Oxfordshire.
▪ Paperwork for files has been reduced and the threshold for compliance raised; both changes are good news for filers.
▪ The latest financial results are good news for a company that has struggled for years.
▪ This is good news for the hotelier who is prepared.
▪ This theft can only be bad news for the preservation movement.
be in (good) working/running order
▪ Hall of Power - a range of engines and heavy machinery, most of which are in working order and operated daily.
▪ The locomotive was in working order at the time and negotiations proceeded which resulted in transportation to Swanage as described above.
▪ To this day the milling machinery is in working order.
▪ Two isn't multiplicity and Castelfonte never was in running order, and now they were living in hotels.
be in a good/bad etc place
be in good company
▪ If you can't program your VCR, you're in good company.
▪ But even if she never escapes from its shadow, history shows her to be in good company.
▪ But for the United States, to be alone is to be in good company.
▪ Clinton is in good company, but I think he wants to be remembered for more than that.
▪ He is in good company when it comes to losing Tests that do not mat ter all that much.
▪ If these are your worries you are in good company.
▪ If you are, you are in good company with some one like Alfred North Whitehead.
▪ The new managers were in good company.
▪ We were in good company, though.
be in good heart
▪ Far from bumping along on the bottom, desperate for money, it is in good heart.
▪ I can see the land is in good heart, and I remember enough to know the extent of the estates.
▪ The gelding show-ed he was in good heart this week by winning at Edinburgh on Thursday.
▪ With the prospect of William and Harry joining them for a holiday afterwards, Diana was in good heart.
be in good/fine/great etc form
▪ At least he is in good form again.
▪ Davies, now in his 80s, is in fine form.
▪ Fortunately, Alan Judge was in fine form, pulling off a great save to keep Hereford in the game.
▪ Health Management Associates Inc., known as the Wal-Mart of hospital operators, appears to be in fine form.
▪ I was in good form that night.
▪ Office manager is on holiday this week., and assistant manager are in good form.
▪ That is our strength and our forwards are in good form at the moment.
be in sb's good/bad books
be just (good) friends
▪ ""Are you going out with Liam?'' ""No, we're just good friends.''
▪ I'm not going out with Nathan, you know - we're just friends.
▪ I keep telling my mother that Peter and I are just friends but she doesn't seem to believe me.
▪ Billy and I were just good friends, really good mates.
▪ But maybe he and Jane were just friends.
▪ Maureen and I - we thought we were just friends.
▪ My wife and I are just good friends.
▪ They were just friends, and he was fun to be with.
be meant to be good/excellent/bad etc
be of Scottish/Protestant/good etc stock
be on your best behaviour
▪ Dinner was very formal, with everyone on their best behaviour.
▪ And if what Cadfael suspected was indeed true, he had now good reason to be on his best behaviour.
▪ But everyone is on their best behaviour.
▪ So when we arrived hopefully at Loch Hope that morning, I was on my best behaviour.
▪ Use only our own girls and warn them to be on their best behaviour.
be onto a good thing
▪ His senses told him he was onto a good thing and his senses were rarely wrong.
▪ Many directors who take dividends in lieu of salary may think they are onto a good thing.
▪ Maybe he thought he was onto a good thing.
▪ Multiply that up by two or three hundred stores, and you will see he was onto a good thing.
▪ The plots were essentially the same; like any successful entrepreneur, Alger knew when he was onto a good thing.
▪ They felt they might be onto a good thing.
be sb's last/only/best hope
▪ Advocates just seem to take it on faith that annexation is the only hope of salvation for this city.
▪ But mad or not, you are my only hope, Meg.
▪ But Thomas Sachs was now her only hope.
▪ I expected to be disappointed, though the letter was now my only hope.
▪ In the long term, Mr Heseltine said that privatisation was the only hope for the industry.
▪ Is he only hoping to make money?
▪ Robert Urquhart was her only hope, her only ally.
▪ That was the only hope I had of reaching the doctor.
best/good/warmest etc wishes
▪ A former miner, Joe was presented with a cheque together with good wishes for a long and happy retirement.
▪ And while babies are on my mind, my best wishes to Patsy Kensit on the birth of her son.
▪ Meanwhile, may I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for the coming year.
▪ My best wishes to Madame Zborowska and warm greetings to you.
▪ Our best wishes to his family and friends.
▪ She hadn't deserved their kindness, their good wishes - she'd hardly been a boon companion of late.
▪ Spare me your shock and good wishes.
▪ With best wishes for success and prosperity.
best/well/ideally/perfectly etc suited to/for sth
▪ Boar chops are best suited to grilling or sauteing.
▪ If I were a free agent, those are the places I would go, a place best suited for my needs.
▪ It is not however so well suited to an intensive, detailed study of spoken language.
▪ Nevertheless, it is an early maturing variety well suited to the long ripening period of a northern wine region.
▪ Secondly, the adversary nature of the adjudicative process may not be well suited to this area.
▪ The farmer's wife was well suited to tackling this considerable undertaking.
▪ Use the systems best suited to their talent, both offensively and defensively.
▪ We have large quantities of plutonium already separated and in forms ideally suited for nuclear weapons.
better late than never
▪ While ongoing self-monitoring is urged, it is always better late than never.
better luck next time
▪ Ah well, better luck next time, Andy.
▪ And if you didn't win, better luck next time.
▪ Back to the West Indies with it, and better luck next time.
better the devil you know (than the devil you don't)
better yourself
▪ A lot of people are trying to better themselves.
▪ And she feels better herself - after two weeks, her headaches and tiredness have gone.
▪ He doesn't criticize the vice-president marketing's expert judgement nor pretend he could do better himself.
▪ I couldn't have done better myself.
▪ I teach them to better themselves.
▪ It is a way in which diversity and the desire to better oneself can be accommodated.
▪ She would do anything to better herself.
▪ Wilson speeches often praise the gumption of illegal immigrants who take risks and endure hardships to better themselves and their families.
better/harder/worse etc still
▪ And 245 specialty stock funds that focus on particular industries did better still, averaging a 6. 5 percent gain.
▪ But perhaps the early evening was better still?
▪ He didn't talk because he was afraid of losing the pole or, worse still, falling in.
▪ I started to hunt for a cheap restaurant or, better still, a snack shop.
▪ I thought that it would soon pass, and it did - for you to work harder still.
▪ Or better still, make a real talent show instead.
▪ Or better still, there was the village school practically next door!
▪ With hindsight, it would have better still to lock in a few more gains.
bid sb good afternoon/good morning etc
bring out the best/worst in sb
▪ Ingram always seems to bring out the best in his players.
▪ And Vince was obviously a great coach; he brought out the best in his team and whoever played him.
▪ But the Washington Wizards have a way of bringing out the best in their opponents.
▪ But, says Markert, there is something about one-way communication that can also bring out the worst in people.
▪ Campaigns seem to bring out the worst in Bob Dole.
▪ It brings out the best in us.
▪ Maybe something like they tend to bring out the best in us.
▪ So, to bring out the best in your cooking make sure you use the purest soy sauce, Kikkoman Soy Sauce.
▪ Yet it was not an unsuccessful attempt to bring out the best in his audience.
come good/right
▪ In both cases, prices came right back down within three months.
▪ It seemed clear Corbett wanted me to work at Salomon, but he never came right out and proposed.
▪ It will all come right, now that a different period of history has begun.
▪ More generally, the logistical strengths that the Dole campaign had counted on began to come good.
▪ Periodically, these letters come right out of the woodwork.
▪ Since I was the best spinner of my type in the world, eventually it would all come right.
▪ The light comes right through our curtains and makes sleeping difficult.
▪ The wasp took off as if in fright, but she came right back.
come off best/better/worst etc
▪ Alec Davidson, for example, was one of those who came off worst.
▪ Bullock comes off best because her complaining seems so valid.
▪ His foster-child comes off best, but in addition each of two nurses receives a tenth of his estate.
▪ It may seem, so far, that in terms of clearly defined benefits, the client comes off best out of the deal.
▪ Prior to that Meath had come off best when they accounted for Down in the 1990 league decider.
▪ The lightning, it seemed to Lydia, had undoubtedly come off best in that encounter.
▪ The problem is that history sometimes comes off better.
come up with the goods/deliver the goods
▪ Neil Young's annual fall concert always delivers the goods with famous musicians and good music.
couldn't be better/worse/more pleased etc
damaged goods
▪ If there was actual combustion of the damaged goods, however caused, there has been damage by fire.
▪ On 5 September a credit note No. 19 was received from A. Creditor in respect of damaged goods valued £5.00 returned by the hotel.
▪ She didn't, but something about the way she moved confirmed my suspicion that she saw herself as damaged goods.
▪ We all pass through this life as damaged goods, and the repair work is ongoing.
discretion is the better part of valour
do better
▪ Harris argued that the economy is doing better than it was five years ago.
▪ I was convinced that many of the students could have done better if they'd tried.
▪ If you are saving 5 percent of your income each year, you're doing better than most people.
▪ Mark ran the distance in 30 minutes in the fall, but we're hoping he'll do better this season.
▪ Some roses do better in different types of soil.
▪ The British champion has completed the course in three minutes -- let's see if his Canadian rival can do better.
▪ We did better than we expected.
▪ Alamaro and Patrick think they can do better.
▪ Incumbents who vote against new regulations, paperwork and taxes -- usually conservatives -- do better on the scorecard.
▪ It leads to a lethargy I think we do better without.
▪ Some may do better than our scenario represents.
▪ Surely we can do better for people with mental problems and their families?
▪ The index did better than the broader market.
▪ We can do better than that now.
▪ We need to do better than that, and we can.
do sb a good/bad turn
▪ She was only trying to do James a good turn.
do sb a power of good
▪ It can also be funny and it can do you a power of good.
▪ Yeltsin could do his country a power of good by directing public attention to these issues.
do sb a world of good
▪ A week by the ocean will do you a world of good.
▪ A good run in pastures new would do you a world of good.
▪ All of them stressed that a holiday would do Valerie the world of good.
▪ All the family can enjoy eating the low-fat way and it will do everyone a world of good.
▪ But physically - this type of exercise will do you the world of good.
▪ Come on a Club 18-30 holiday and there's every chance it will do you the world of good.
▪ He could become so unaccountably miserable that a small amount of collusion some-times did him a world of good.
▪ Not only do they do you a world of good if you drink them but they also have cosmetic uses.
do your best
▪ But I did my best to feed them both.
▪ He wanted to do his best the first time he performed, and knew he was not in peak condition.
▪ Like Truman two decades earlier, Humphrey did his best to overcome the severe handicap of a badly split party.
▪ Once there, Drachenfels will do his best to isolate the crystal-wielding characters and rob them of their treasures.
▪ Remember, always do your best, don't let them hook you, however tempting the bait.
▪ We can only do our best.
▪ What I learned from them specifically of the techniques of teaching I have had to do my best to unlearn since.
easily the best/biggest etc
▪ Aluminium benching is easily the best, as it virtually lasts for ever and is easily cleaned.
▪ He's easily the best military brain in the country.
▪ It's easily the best Fermanagh side I've played on.
▪ It gave easily the best value.
▪ Johnny Hero played the between set music - again proving that he hosts easily the best disco in town.
▪ Natural gas forms easily the biggest world reserve of methane-rich fuel.
▪ The greens were easily the best part of the dish.
▪ The pension is easily the biggest single cash benefit.
even bigger/better/brighter etc
▪ But he actually proved even better than I thought.
▪ He had hoped to play an even bigger, more traditional role.
▪ I sort of thought the accident would make us play even better.
▪ It was even better when I got a hug and a kiss from the former Miss Minnesota!
▪ Many companies do so because smart managers know the importance of rewarding good work and inspiring even better efforts.
▪ There was something spontaneous and lively in his manner of speaking that made whatever he was saying sound even better.
▪ This show will be even better than the last one and is not to be missed!
▪ What is the best way of stemming this decline or, even better, of regenerating the economy?
every bit as good/important etc
▪ Barbara was every bit as good as she sounded.
▪ Here, the Fund runs many family projects that are less well-known but doing work that is every bit as important.
▪ If you looked through a microscope you could see that they had cheekbones every bit as good as Hope Steadman's.
▪ In terms of predicting and controlling the social environment, high technology can quite clearly be every bit as important as brute force.
▪ It is for this reason that good balanced design is every bit as important as meticulous craftsmanship.
▪ It takes no more than five minutes and tastes every bit as good at the oven-baked variety.
▪ The explanation is every bit as important as the numbers!
every bit as important/bad/good etc
▪ Barbara was every bit as good as she sounded.
▪ Here, the Fund runs many family projects that are less well-known but doing work that is every bit as important.
▪ It is for this reason that good balanced design is every bit as important as meticulous craftsmanship.
▪ It takes no more than five minutes and tastes every bit as good at the oven-baked variety.
▪ The explanation is every bit as important as the numbers!
▪ The traffic was every bit as bad as had been predicted.
▪ Things every bit as bad happen there, too.
▪ To her horror it was every bit as bad as she'd feared, and possibly even a tiny bit worse.
fare well/badly/better etc
▪ I think the men fared better than the women.
▪ It can be seen that, whilst all regions reflected the higher national unemployment rate, some regions fared better than others.
▪ It still fared better than the broader market.
▪ Life may be regarded as an austere struggle, blighted by fate, where only the rich and the lucky fare well.
▪ Not faring well, but resting.
▪ Obviously some clothiers fared better than others for there were quite a large number of bankruptcies between 1800 and 1840.
▪ The Bloomberg Indiana Index fared better than the benchmark Standard&.
▪ There is no reason to believe that diabetic patients fare better and they may do less well.
for better or (for) worse
▪ The reality is that, for better or worse, the world of publishing has changed.
▪ All five, for better or worse, have received recent votes of confidence from their respective general managers or team presidents.
▪ And for better or worse, the new interactivity brings enormous political leverage to ordinary citizens at relatively little cost.
▪ And the consequences could be even more startling, for better or for worse.
▪ Decisions made in any of these places can hit our pocketbooks and our peace of mind, for better or for worse.
▪ He has toted the ball and the expectations, for better or worse.
▪ He was her husband ... for better or worse, he was her husband.
▪ Medical students in prolonged contact with junior doctors learn attitudes by example, for better or for worse.
▪ Today we know for better or for worse that cops, like doctors and priests, are merely human.
for good measure
▪ Why don't you try calling them one more time, for good measure.
▪ Add David Robinson for good measure.
▪ And let's add Godel for good measure.
▪ Even old Henry Spalding, who had returned to Lapwai in the spring, added his signature for good measure.
▪ For the rest it's twenty five minutes of speed and skill ... and then two more laps for good measure.
▪ I gave her a good strong look just for good measure.
▪ Network South East has its patriotic red, white, and blue bands with grey thrown in for good measure.
▪ Take your governing body licence along for good measure.
▪ This pudding also includes a little cocoa powder for good measure.
for the better
▪ Anything they can do to improve children's health is for the better.
▪ Besides, in some ways the change was for the better.
▪ Cloud changed things, all right, and not all for the better.
▪ That may be for the better.
▪ The formal dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 did not automatically change any of that for the better.
▪ The way was set for much-needed change, but would things change for the better?
▪ This change has not necessarily been one for the better.
▪ What about learning how to change things for the better rather than merely learning to adapt to the way things are now?
for want of a better word/phrase etc
▪ Just horses and ploughs and, for want of a better word, peasants.
▪ Now, hands are, well, handed for want of a better word.
for want of anything better (to do)
get off to a good/bad etc start
get the better of sb
▪ Alison Leigh refuses to let circumstances get the better of her.
▪ Kramer's temper sometimes gets the better of him.
▪ At the same time he said he had had to select his shots wisely to get the better of Chesnokov.
▪ Blaise Cendrars witnessed a fight in which she was getting the better of Modigliani.
▪ Bored in the isolation of his taxi, curiosity and perhaps hunger got the better of him.
▪ But kids have a long tradition of getting the better of adults, going back to the Famous Five and beyond.
▪ I allowed my feelings to get the better of me.
▪ I run my fingers over this invisible object, and little by little curiosity gets the better of me.
▪ So mortals learned that it is not possible to get the better of Zeus or ever deceive him.
▪ We killed him, but that really got the better of us.
get/have a good press
▪ Because officials are so anxious to get good press, there is often tremendous pressure on the government press agent.
▪ Even Quayle is getting better press than me.
▪ Even testosterone, so often blamed for aggressive behavior in men, is getting better press.
▪ For now Harriet's keener on seeing chess get a better press.
give a good/poor account of yourself
▪ Cooper gave a good account of himself in the fight.
▪ Sussex's Wood gave a good account of herself and should have claimed the second set.
▪ Thirteen-year-old Patsy, who could always give a good account of herself, looked upset.
▪ Though it gave a good account of itself, Dave gently persuaded the fish close enough to be lifted aboard the boat.
give as good as you get
▪ At 87, Juran is still able to give as good as he gets.
▪ Don't you worry about Tim. He may be small but he gives as good as he gets!
▪ It was a tough interview, but I thought the President gave as good as he got.
▪ The youngest of three sons, Dave can give as good as he gets.
give sb a (good) run for their money
▪ Slosser gave Boyd a run for his money in the 1996 GOP primary.
give sth your best shot
▪ I'm not promising I'll succeed, but I'll give it my best shot.
▪ Hopefully he can recover and regain his test place and give it his best shot.
▪ I'd have given it my best shot, and that was all anyone could demand from me.
▪ I just have a feeling that we have given it our best shot.
▪ The band gave it their best shot, until the arrival of the blue meanies put an end to the proceedings.
▪ You were never entirely safe from prying fingers in Chinatown, but I had to give it my best shot.
go one better (than sb)
▪ Beth Wolff, president of her own residential real estate company, likes to go one better.
▪ But even if Forbes loses his quest for the Republican presidential nomination, he may still go one better than his father.
▪ Ford went one better and put 60 two-stroke Fiestas on the roads.
▪ Laker's return of 9 for 37 was outstanding, but he was to go one better when the Aussies followed on.
▪ Like an aphid, then, the caterpillar employs ants as bodyguards, but it goes one better.
▪ She goes one better than last year.
▪ The Bristol & West have now gone one better than the standard endowment mortgage.
▪ They have followed each other up the ladder, but whenever he has reached the same rung she has gone one better.
good 'un/bad 'un/little 'un etc
good Samaritan
▪ Had she been prompted by curiosity or the instincts of the good Samaritan, Theodora wondered.
good and proper
▪ Now, eight years after the original bike was launched, Ducati has addressed the issue good and proper.
▪ We got our revenge on Kel for 1960 good and proper, and no one else was in it.
▪ Well, they both got it around in 75 and the crowd was on Seve's side good and proper.
good copy
▪ A good copy, painted by a twentieth-century court painter, but nevertheless a copy.
▪ Even those students intending to make a good copy of their rough essay may plan their writing.
▪ For, if he used her as a model, she used him as good copy.
▪ He told himself it was all good copy for his next novel.
▪ He wanted to make good copy for himself and his plays.
▪ Insipid daft doesn't make good copy.
▪ It may not be a very good copy of this, of this thing for your thing.
▪ Once the original is lost, the best copy you can make is less good than it was before.
good egg
▪ What a good egg she was!
good evening
▪ A bad morning, a good afternoon and - perhaps - an even better evening.
▪ A policeman walked by, wished me good evening and ushered a warning.
▪ Ah, good evening, Lestrade!
▪ Behind the glass I see her tell everyone good evening.
▪ But for now from all the team, have a very good evening.
▪ Dearest Timothy: It is a good evening to sit in this pleasant room and write a letter.
▪ Have a good evening. 1904 How can you, you have class tomorrow night?
▪ We exchange slightly embarrassed good evenings with them as we leave.
good faith
▪ As a sign of his good faith, the company has agreed to replace the defective parts for free.
▪ And I believe President Clinton is a person of good faith as well.
▪ As a result, both parties should always behave in good faith.
▪ Avoid apologizing if you've made a criticism in good faith.
▪ However, we judge the Government's good faith in terms of their track record.
▪ So we paid an exorbitant price for the decisions that were made in good faith and for good purpose.
▪ Special offers are quoted in good faith based on information supplied by retailers.
▪ These duties seek to regulate the conduct of partners and promote good faith between them.
▪ Whilst still in employment, there was an implied term imposing a duty of good faith.
good grief!
▪ Good grief! Look the mess in here!
good luck to sb
▪ And finally good luck to Woodstock-based football manager Jim Smith the on Sunday.
▪ Anyway, good-by and good luck to you.
▪ If they start talking high teens, good luck to them.
▪ In which case, good luck to them both.
▪ Simon did well after that but made a pretence of simple good luck to anyone who questioned his apparent good fortune.
▪ So good luck to you, Susan.
▪ We can only wish good luck to the chairmen or directors of Morgan Grenfell, Amec.
▪ Well, cheers and good luck to you both.
good luck/best of luck
▪ Best of luck with your driving test.
▪ Good luck Archie! Enjoy your new job.
good mixer
▪ Moore Councill says each piece is designed to be a stand-alone winner, as well as a good mixer.
good morrow
▪ King: How now, my noble lords, good morrow!
good riddance (to sb)
▪ But if this is what the club resorts to than good riddance to them.
▪ If they can't accept me as I am, good riddance.
▪ So any docks, dandelions and creeping buttercup go straight to the tip and good riddance to them too.
▪ Then I thought: good riddance.
▪ To man qua man we readily say good riddance.
▪ We were all annoyed with him over not helping with the hay, and I thought good riddance.
good with your hands
▪ He was good with his hands.
▪ The psychologist had said he was good with his hands.
good/bad/poor etc effort
▪ Batter Up Despite my best efforts, I could not stop eating the skinny fries that came with the combination.
▪ Dealing with these individual and family concerns will require the best efforts of mental health professionals.
▪ Football is a team game; offense and defense must work together to produce the best effort.
▪ However, objects decay despite our best efforts to conserve them.
▪ In spite of Holford-Walker's best efforts, the moran evaded his supervision.
▪ In spite of the rain's best efforts, I was pleased that I had been able to observe and film interesting mink behaviour.
▪ Or maybe they disapproved of or were indifferent to your best efforts.
▪ Peter Pike and Davern Lambert had good efforts before Musgrove completed his hat-trick with a good shot on the turn.
good/bad/poor etc seller
▪ Alcohol and western cigarettes are best sellers.
▪ Convinced it had a best seller on its hands, Random House came up with the unorthodox idea of relaunching the book.
▪ Drosnin is an investigative newspaper reporter who once wrote a best seller about Howard Hughes.
▪ His album Stars was last year's best seller and spawned a string of hit singles.
▪ It was the earliest best seller.
▪ Q.. What makes a book a best seller?
▪ The man who made a best seller out of a defamatory rant now wants to make a best seller out of repentance.
▪ Voice over Mrs De Winter is already tipped as being one of the best sellers this year.
good/bad/poor etc speller
▪ Only good spellers can spell easily orally.
▪ They give the good speller a chance to use his skill, but may depress a poor speller.
good/best/bad practice
▪ An annex citing examples of good practice would also be helpful.
▪ Carlesimo said Tuesday, adding that Marshall had just put in his best practice of camp.
▪ It is good practice to make a note of the client's telephone number on the file.
▪ Supporters of those with special needs should be exemplars of such good practice.
▪ The good practice presented in Table 2 and Appendix 3 addresses many of the factors important to the control of risk.
▪ There is a danger in the search for good practice of looking only at those schools with good academic records.
▪ These premises are often inadequate to support good practice.
▪ This week, for example, the permanent secretaries of all government departments will meet to discuss best practice in procurement.
good/better/healthy etc start (in life)
▪ A good start is one where you pass close behind the start boat going at speed.
▪ But it wasn't a good start in the lessons of love, and left me very arid in such matters.
▪ He had better start by accepting that if he does the right things, they will not be popular ones.
▪ It wasn't a very good start.
▪ Not a good start, but a start, nevertheless.
▪ The auditor may enjoy the gifts, but he had better start looking for a sympathy engram not yet suspected or tapped.
▪ The problem was the middle and end, when the team sacrificed rebounding for getting out to a good start.
▪ They will, however, be getting a new center, and that is a good start, he believes.
good/hard/quick etc worker
▪ He is supposedly not the hardest worker ever.
▪ He made Mrs Timms look uninterested in her store, the Reliance Market, and she was a hard worker.
▪ He was a good, hard worker.
▪ She was known to be very tough and a very hard worker.
▪ She was such a hard worker and a wonderful cook.
▪ The girl was a good worker who came and went quietly about her business.
good/top/poor etc performer
▪ Almost all the poor performers were to be found in the economically-disadvantaged regions.
▪ Both Cisco and Stratacom are among the top performers on Wall Street.
▪ But these top performers are aware of the requirements for effective training as well as its limitations.
▪ Deals are also being offered to companies as alternative incentive perks to top performers.
▪ He chose an all-or-nothing strategy to put himself in the top performers in the Great Grain Challenge.
▪ It took me seven months to really understand that I have an individual who is a good performer.
▪ Strasser pointed to the construction, cable, chemical, tire and engineering industries as the likely best performers this year.
▪ The poorer performers tend to die; the better ones, to reproduce.
greater/more/better etc than the sum of its parts
▪ Or is the organisation more than the sum of its parts?
had best
▪ They had best be careful.
▪ All due, of course, to the fact that she had bested Travis McKenna.
▪ But pitchers had best take note as well.
▪ If so, we had best listen closely, since we will not get another chance.
▪ Meanwhile we had best prepare the way by showing that a medicine beyond verbal shamanism is an aching need.
▪ Perhaps we had best ask ourselves why our political institutions function as they do.
▪ Poets like Woodhouse had best go back to their jobs.
▪ The concept of differentiation is a key theme of our work, and we had best discuss it as the book unfolds.
had better
▪ I'd better not go out tonight; I'm really tired.
▪ You'd better phone Julie to say you'll be late.
▪ After what he has now said about a referendum, he had better watch out.
▪ Any organisation dismissing that vision as science-fiction had better look out.
▪ But Walter is a poor shade of what we have had better done.
▪ He thought he had better reread that part of the book.
▪ I did not want to go, but Dana said we had better do as they asked.
▪ I realized I had better hustle him out of there before he was asked about his acting career.
▪ In April 1911, he seemingly had better luck.
▪ They told Weary that he and Billy had better find somebody to surrender to.
half a loaf (is better than none)
have a (good) head for figures/facts/business etc
have a (good) nose for sth
▪ He must have a nose for money better than any hound for any fox.
▪ I have a nose for one thing.
have a (good) root round
have a (good) run for your money
have a good/fine/thick etc head of hair
have a high/low/good/bad etc opinion of sb/sth
▪ All I can say to that is that I have a higher opinion of your judgement than he has.
▪ He did not, in any case, have a high opinion of Santayana - an animus which Santayana reciprocated towards Eliot.
▪ Politicians generally have a low opinion of the press, just as the press generally has a low opinion of lawmakers.
▪ She does not seem to have a high opinion of married life.
have an eye/a good eye for sth
▪ Greene has an eye for detail.
▪ Confidence men always have an eye for extra exits.
▪ She says women have an eye for minutiae, they see the curtain hasn't been drawn or the untied shoelace.
▪ They also have an eye for a catchy phrase.
have seen better days
▪ Ms. Davis's car had certainly seen better days.
▪ Virginia's car had definitely seen better days.
▪ We are working at Nanking University, in rather cramped and primitive conditions, for the buildings have seen better days.
have/get the goods on sb
▪ The two detectives went undercover to get the goods on the Parducci family.
▪ It is get the goods on him.
he/she had a good innings
hotter/colder/better etc than ever
▪ And that incentive was increased when they got personal recognition and satisfaction from doing it better than ever before.
▪ He says the new films are better than ever.
▪ Organised by the Alton and District Arts Council, the week promises to be better than ever.
▪ The moviemaking machine that Walt Disney created sixty years ago is working better than ever today.
▪ The National Health Service is now better than ever.
▪ The opportunities now are better than ever.
▪ This year's attractions are bigger and better than ever, with events running from Tuesday to Saturday.
▪ Watermen talked about their catches so far this year, which they said have been better than ever.
if you know what's good for you
in (good) trim
▪ All that time I've kept myself in trim.
▪ Fruit bushes, roses and other plants can be kept in trim with ease, keeping your garden tidy all year round.
▪ I need to keep my voice in trim since I still perform as a narrator.
▪ It is, and keeping yourself in trim is very important when you're not working.
▪ The 6, 000 middle-grade employees who work there are technically outstanding and in good trim.
▪ To this day Souness is obsessed with fitness, healthy dieting, pectoral pride and keeping his body in trim.
▪ You get in trim, he gets to drink more turpentine, and everybody's happy.
in a good/an ill/a bad humour
in fine/good fettle
▪ When I visited Mahatma Gandhi again at the end of June, 1946, he was in fine fettle.
in good nick/in bad nick etc
in good/bad/poor etc shape
▪ But if I was in better shape, I'd be sitting up there.
▪ He could still be in good shape.
▪ He said Texpool is in good shape now.
▪ If only he could tell them he was all right, in good shape, considering ....
▪ This saw the band in good shape, retaining their traditions of twisted passions and bleak emotional narratives.
▪ This year, however, Dole appears in good shape in both locations.
▪ Uptown was still in bad shape.
▪ We found he was in good shape, but had no food in his intestines.
in good/poor etc repair
▪ Almost 40% of unfit properties, and 35% of properties in poor repair, were occupied by people aged 60 and over.
▪ Drains: A properly constructed system, in good repair, does not normally require cleaning.
▪ It was the only door on Dreadnought which could be considered in good repair.
▪ Or Arthur McAlister; who had taken the responsibility of having their lawn mowed and keeping the house in good repair.
▪ Specific buildings, notably those on Castle Hill, including the cathedral and palaces, are restored and in good repair.
▪ The fences on either side of the track were in poor repair and in April 1965 children were seen on the line.
▪ The gallery is a very fine example and in good repair.
▪ The power station was in poor repair, and Smith set about installing new insulators and restoring good practice.
in your own (good) time
▪ Before, they used to count their breaks in the twelve hours, now their breaks are in their own time.
▪ Blue Mooney, a living legend in his own time.
▪ He should take his own route in his own time and avoid the tendency to see through others' eyes.
▪ Let me tell them myself, in my own time.
▪ Nurses in training who work hard physically, study in their own time and have numerous personal commitments are under pressure.
▪ The recognition that exceptional holiness and spirituality continue to manifest themselves in our own time is also a central pentecostal conviction.
▪ There were realistic hopes for Surrey as Mark Butcher and Stewart appeared to be building a stand in their own time.
▪ You would be healthy in your own time.
it does your heart good to see/hear sth
it's a good thing (that)
▪ But it's a good thing it happened now...
▪ I decide it's a good thing that I don't see Sean try to capture Ian's incandescent dance.
▪ I think it's a good thing.
▪ So it's a good thing to get one's mind off in one's spare time.
▪ Still, it's a good thing from the hunt's point of view that new blood is coming along, surely?
jolly good!
just as good/bad/big etc
▪ And you men and half of Terminus as well are just as bad.
▪ At home it was just as bad.
▪ I would say the top teams are just as good, but the lesser teams have caught up a little bit.
▪ It was just as good a place as any to get away from Julius for a while.
▪ Now Allan Ahlberg has written two more stories about the same skeletons, and they're just as good.
▪ Or something else, just as bad, could happen.
▪ People accuse the whites of being prejudiced, but blacks can be just as bad.
▪ Virginia says sending them to a sister training program it has established at nearby Mary Baldwin College is just as good.
keep perfect/good etc time
▪ But like a single gear in a mechanical clock, timeless can not keep good time all by itself.
▪ Nothing unusual - clocks behaving as before, keeping good time and continuing to emit their light beams.
▪ Running in a clump through a crowded station, like the Bash Street Kids, keeping perfect time with chant and clap.
kiss sth better
know better
▪ Parents should know better than their children, but they don't always necessarily do.
▪ The man said it was an 18 carat diamond, but Dina knew better.
▪ But there were some rules he knew better than she ever would.
▪ Even people who should know better have ended up paying a price for denying what they are feeling.
▪ Guess he should have known better.
▪ Now you know better, thass all.
▪ Then I would have known better.
▪ Time you knew better, young lady.
▪ Yamazaki seems unconcerned by the fact that he's taking on problems that have defeated many who should have known better.
let the good times roll
light years ahead/better etc than sth
make a good/bad fist of sth
make good time
▪ Once we got on the freeway, we made good time.
▪ After the ferry incident, we make good time.
▪ But DeLatorre, leading the convoy, made better time than he expected.
▪ I made good time back over the motorway.
▪ I was no weight, we made good time.
▪ The weather was not too promising, but we made good time and were soon at the first terrace.
▪ They made good time thereafter, considering the darkness, encountering no problems.
▪ We had made good time and had to ease speed to avoid closing the island in darkness.
▪ We were making good time through the foothills.
make the best of sth
▪ It's not going to be fun, but we might as well make the best of it.
▪ A good travel partner laughs and makes the best of it.
▪ For the most part, however, he made the best of contemporary information.
▪ In these circumstances one makes the best of limited information.
▪ Jack made the best of his bad luck at being captured and found plenty to occupy his time.
▪ One has to make the best of a situation, after all.
▪ When Miihlenberg learned that it was indeed a free country, he made the best of things.
▪ Yet despite her palpable alienation from suburban stay-at-home motherhood, she is determined to make the best of it.
man's best friend
miles older/better/too difficult etc
my (good) man
▪ As for fitzAlan ... did you think killing three of my men would go unnoticed?
▪ But my man fires his gun.
▪ But was it necessary to kill my men in cold blood?
▪ Hey Timmy, how are you, my man?
▪ I called my men to drive them back.
▪ I decided like a good captain to remain with my men.
▪ I heard my men going after him with their guns - and then everything went black.
no news is good news
▪ I always say, no news is good news.
none the worse/better etc (for sth)
▪ Although the animal glowed rosy-pink, it appeared none the worse for its ordeal.
▪ I recovered, my mouth none the worse for it, after all.
▪ Peter's little pet was clearly none the worse for its time in the underworld.
not half as/so good/interesting etc (as sb/sth)
not in (all/good) conscience
▪ And apologists for Labour's refusal to organise in Northern Ireland can not in all conscience describe themselves as democrats.
▪ I have a hard time separating one statement resulting from torture from another and I can not in good conscience do so.
▪ Yet as Dunkers they could not in conscience support the use of force or pay disrespect to the Crown.
not know any better
▪ Before Sinai, one could argue, the people had the excuse of not knowing any better.
not so big/good/bad etc
▪ But so happen, one little boy not so good.
▪ But it's not so bad down here.
▪ Compared to how I feel, how I look is not so bad.
▪ It is not so good at knowing how to do it.
▪ My tongue not so good anyway.
▪ She began to think that perhaps village life was not so bad.
▪ Some years it was bad, other years not so bad.
▪ When he was hot, he was hot, but for me the whole thing was not so good.
not very good/happy/far etc
▪ Are you - very happy, fairly happy, not very happy, or not happy at all?
▪ Governments are not very good at tinkering.
▪ He says his technique is not very good.
▪ Most humans are not very good at keeping secrets.
▪ My breathing was not very good at all.
▪ Other kids were not very good either, and we all inadvertently inhaled the pool again and again.
▪ Paul is not very good at pushing it yet.
▪ Relations with Admiral Boyd of the Joint Chiefs were not very good either.
one good turn deserves another
pay good money for sth
▪ I paid good money for that sofa, so it should last.
▪ And we'd say, we're paying good money for this.
▪ Consumer information is an asset which marketers are prepared to pay good money for.
▪ I paid good money for that, I said, can't I just have a last go on it?
▪ I paid good money for this vehicle and I won't have the likes of you doing what you're doing!
▪ It hardly surprised him that people were not too keen on paying good money for that.
▪ Why pay good money for the same effect?
▪ Women would pay good money for a glimpse of his guardsman's helmet.
put in a (good) word for sb
▪ I'll put in a good word for you with the management.
▪ He put in a good word for him at meetings of the Jockey Club.
▪ Only those who keep a dialogue going will be able to put in a word for persons in need of intercession.
put sth to (good) use
▪ I'd like a job where I could put my degree in languages to good use.
▪ But I am putting it to use.
▪ How do you put it to use in daily practice?
▪ It does not seem regressive to put it to use in the service of gay survival as well.
▪ Many large and medium size companies, government departments and Local authorities are putting Dataease to use somewhere within their organisations.
▪ Much of ecology is about this process: finding energy; putting it to use.
▪ The time has come to put your skills to use by developing a more useful and complex object orientated program.
▪ The trouble is we never stop long enough to put them to good use.
▪ Throughout the 1980s, researchers and company executives struggled with how to put Al to use.
put up a good fight
put up a good/poor etc show
▪ He might have put up a good show the other day, but that was because he was frightened.
▪ She put up a better show in the 1980s.
put/turn sth to good account
▪ The extra time was turned to good account.
quite a few/a good few/not a few
sb had better/best do sth
sb is (great/good) fun
▪ But it is fun for me to look up from my Sunday paper and watch them try to cope.
▪ Chasing and racing is fun for a time but you end up yearning for something different.
▪ In beautifully landscaped settings, this unique zoo is great fun for all the family.
▪ It is fun to have competitions to see who can sleep their yo-yo longer.
▪ Much of the film is fun, but a lot is confusing.
▪ Some of this is great fun, but it pulls the production two ways, blunting its focus.
▪ This is fun, unfussy, honest fare that calls for a glass of cold beer.
▪ This is just a whim but it is great fun.
sb is a (good) laugh
▪ Across the room, a table of young men in fitted shirts is laughing heartily and splashing out wine.
▪ Dennis is laughing, head held back.
▪ Her head is thrown back, and she is laughing.
▪ I can't understand what is said, but one of the technicians is laughing.
▪ I notice Harding is collapsed beside McMurphy and is laughs ing too.
▪ The banter between us is a laugh.
▪ What you want to do is laugh, but everyone is afraid to laugh.
sb knows best
sb's good offices/the good offices of sb
send your love/regards/best wishes etc
▪ He sends his best wishes to everybody at home.
▪ Mr Mason sends his best wishes for the success of the event.
show sb in a good/bad etc light
show sth to (good/great) advantage
▪ He has joined to a fine genius all that can set him off and show him to advantage.
▪ It may be that the product would be shown off to best advantage in use.
so far so good
▪ "How's your new job?" "So far so good."
so much the better
▪ If it makes illegal drug use even more difficult, so much the better.
▪ You can use dried parsley, but if you have fresh, so much the better.
▪ And if I am Peter, so much the better.
▪ And if that can change things, so much the better Female speaker He's the little man having a kick.
▪ But if I can manage with fewer trips to the store, so much the better.
▪ If love eventually grows, so much the better.
▪ If they are alive so much the better, but they can be persuaded to take dead ones.
▪ If they can fit in with the room's general style, so much the better.
▪ If we can improve the team another way, so much the better.
▪ So a single fluorescent tube will be adequate, and if you have used floating plants, so much the better.
stand/serve/hold sb in good stead
▪ As a small boy, I devised my own set of cartoon animals, and they now stood me in good stead.
▪ But her beloved circus may have served her in better stead than regular outings to, say, the ballet.
▪ Despite his lack of political experience, Clouthier's 20-year leadership of business organisations stood him in good stead.
▪ Insomnia would stand him in good stead in this expanse of knee-high cover.
▪ Now we had moved on to bigger and better things, this predictability still stood us in good stead.
▪ These shoes had stood him in good stead.
▪ This habit of work, which is by now natural to me, has stood me in good stead.
▪ Those contacts, he says, still serve him in good stead today.
take sth in good part
that's a good girl/that's a clever dog etc
the (good ol') U.S. of A.
the Good Book
the best
▪ I chose a Japanese camera because I wanted to have the best.
▪ She's the best of the new young writers.
▪ She was the best in her class at college.
▪ When it comes to cancer research, Professor Williams is probably the best in her field.
the best medicine
▪ Laughter is the best medicine.
▪ A former teacher at Longlands College, Middlesbrough, Pat always believes in laughter as the best medicine for loneliness.
▪ Besides, it is the best medicine.
▪ Having Louella come and live with me will be the best medicine in the world.
▪ Recovery is the best medicine for the market, but it must be sustainable.
the best of a bad lot/bunch
the best of both worlds
▪ Job-sharing gives me the best of both worlds - I can be with my children and keep my professional status.
▪ All in all, a great place to enjoy the best of both worlds.
▪ An arrangement like this can often be the best of both worlds.
▪ And taking into account the prices of both the ME-6 and ME-10 they really are the best of both worlds.
▪ But if the eye can remain open without being seen, then the prey has the best of both worlds.
▪ Supporters say this type of extended day is the best of both worlds.
▪ This is the best of both worlds.
▪ Used in conjunction with a moisturising conditioner, it will give your lank locks the best of both worlds.
▪ You get the best of both worlds in a job like this: use your strong back and your agile mind.
the best of sth
▪ At the best of times, the industry is very competitive, but this is not the best of times.
▪ But Black Mountain was often not the best of all possible worlds.
▪ But they clearly were not the best of their time, and that should be the No. 1 voting criterion.
▪ He is the first to admit that he was not the best of patients.
▪ Obviously, not the best of plans.
▪ Seb was not the best of patients.
the best/better part of sth
▪ Almost any child will assert that recess is the best part of the school day.
▪ Another child makes the family wretched with his crying for the better part of an hour.
▪ Converse drank the better part of the rum.
▪ For the better part of the next forty years they were to be the decisive restraints.
▪ I spent the better part of my time moping around the house, too dejected to think about practicing my stunts.
▪ It is not widely taught or particularly popular be-cause it takes the better part of a lifetime to master.
▪ This was it, the confrontation-point which he had been dreading for the best part of a week.
the best/biggest etc ... of all time
▪ And seeing as it was my brainchild, would you not say it was possibly the best commercial of all time?
▪ Surely the biggest robbery of all time was the $ 900m that the Dome stole from lottery funds?
▪ That's the biggest understatement of all time!
▪ You could call that round the biggest fluke of all time....
the best/biggest etc ... this side of sth
the best/greatest thing since sliced bread
▪ Now, I didn't get it because I was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
the best/pick of the bunch
▪ But me third was the best of the bunch.
▪ Either they are one of the best of the bunch at home, or they make their name abroad.
▪ Even these modest broadcasts show only the best of the bunch.
▪ He may be the best of the bunch.
▪ It's also the best of the bunch for multi-processing, he says.
▪ Nevertheless as an introduction it is the best of the bunch.
▪ Woolwich is the best of the bunch, trading at a multiple to future earnings of 10.3.
the better
the forces of good/evil etc
▪ At the core of Hampden Babylon is a titanic struggle between the forces of good and evil.
▪ It could fight the forces of evil.
▪ It is an age-old heresy to see the world as a battleground between the forces of good and evil.
▪ It will be a struggle between your hero and whatever associates he may have and the forces of evil opposed to him.
▪ Now he's restating his submission to the Bara Bhai and the forces of good.
▪ Television is therefore seen to be taking the moral high ground, the side of the punter against the forces of evil.
the great and the good
the next best thing
▪ He can't ask them, so he is doing the next best thing.
▪ I guess they figured calling their game Arnie was the next best thing to having a blockbusting movie title.
▪ It is the next best thing to crossing the deserts of the world oneself.
▪ The new switch is the next best thing we could do to moving.
▪ The room is the next best thing to being outside.
▪ Video may seem like the next best thing to being there, but electronically mediated interactions are different from real-life meetings.
▪ We do, however, have the next best thing: a place to go for more information.
▪ We went to the bookshelves to find the next best thing.
the powers of good/evil/darkness
▪ May we seek to develop the powers of good that lie within us.
▪ So close to the powers of evil she must have lived that she still breathed more freely in their air.
the sooner ( ... ) the better
▪ The sooner we get these bills paid off, the better.
▪ They knew they had to leave town, and the sooner the better.
the sooner the better/the bigger the better etc
there's a good boy/clever dog etc
think better of it
▪ She felt like slapping him in the face, but thought better of it.
▪ But he thought better of it and slowly breathed out the air through his nose.
▪ But then she thought better of it.
▪ Cowher said later he momentarily contemplated tackling Hudson, but thought better of it.
▪ He thought better of it, and despite a case of galloping homesickness, decided not to go home at all.
▪ He could have forced the window in time, anyone could, but he seemed suddenly to think better of it.
▪ He passed Miguel the joint but Miguel thought better of it.
▪ Then he thought better of it.
think the best/worst of sb
▪ Ellie's the type of person that always thinks the best of people.
▪ He thought the worst of Mitch and clearly thought that left to herself she would ring London at once.
▪ I was so ready to think the worst of him, she wailed inwardly.
▪ My immediate reaction, whether it be a man or a woman, is to think the worst of them.
▪ The prospect of Guy leaving, thinking the worst of her, was unbearable.
▪ Why should you think the worst of me?
▪ You always think the worst of me.
to good/great/no etc effect
▪ And the book eschews alphabetical order in favour of thematic logic - to good effect.
▪ Any ball direct to deane was usually flicked on to no effect.
▪ But nobody demonized the opposition to greater effect than did Clinton strategist James Carville during the 1992 presidential campaign.
▪ Jones has turned the Trust's restrictions on the use of agrochemicals to good effect.
▪ The bi-colour l.e.d. can utilise a transparent lens-clip to good effect.
▪ The task of management is to use these to greatest effect.
▪ The threefold model of church growth of cell, congregation and celebration works at Ichthus to great effect.
▪ Video is a relatively new medium for in-house communications and is used by some companies to great effect.
to the best of your ability
▪ All the children competed and performed to the best of their ability.
▪ I have always done my work to the best of my ability.
to the best of your knowledge/belief/ability etc
too clever/rich/good etc by half
▪ The arithmetic can not be faulted - and may well be judged too clever by half.
trump/best/strongest card
▪ And perhaps it was time to play the trump card up his sleeve.
▪ In the struggle for development, every economy has certain advantages or trump cards.
▪ Parents must recognize that if a child does not want to do homework, the child holds the trump card.
▪ That night, though, our sincerity was our trump card.
▪ That was why Gorbachev wanted to negotiate-and that is why, in my opinion, President Reagan was holding the trump card.
▪ The citizens of Hebron, by contrast, hold all the trump cards.
▪ This was one of the trump cards of News International in its dispute with the print workers in 1986-87.
▪ We had beaten him, but he played a final trump card.
two heads are better than one
use/turn sth to your/good advantage
▪ First and foremost, Borland have taken the Windows interface and used it to good advantage.
▪ Homeloans are one of the cheapest ways of borrowing money - find out how to use them to your advantage.
▪ If you would like to reassess your life and learn how to use stress to your advantage, come along.
▪ Parents may feel suspicious of these, or resentful, and will need help in using them to best advantage.
▪ Professionals need to be aware of such things and use them to good advantage.
vote sth a success/the best etc
▪ But they will be in costume, and all party goers will have a chance to vote on the best disguise.
▪ They also voted the Cappuccino the best sub-£20,000 sports car in the show.
while the going's good
▪ Let's get out while the going's good.
wish sb (the best of) luck
▪ But had we sat down with her, we would have wished her good luck.
▪ Everyone wished each other good luck and Mould, Matron and Endill headed off to the library.
▪ I wish him luck and hope that after a couple of years he is transferred back!
▪ James wished me good luck and dashed off home.
▪ Lineker and Paul Gascoigne have both been in touch with Spurs to wish them good luck for the new season.
▪ She wishes me luck, opens the door to the bathroom, and disappears into a cloud of steam.
▪ Well, I wish you luck.
▪ Yet at the start of the day both sides had wished each other luck.
with (a) good/bad grace
▪ Admit temporary defeat with good grace, retreat, reconsider and wait.
▪ But he tucked his manuscript away with a good grace.
▪ He threw himself with good grace into everything, even this.
▪ Life is very crude, and bonnie Princes Street a dream, but we soldier on with a good grace.
▪ Mr Macmillan was, according to colleagues, prepared to give way with good grace when he could not carry the Cabinet.
▪ Sport only thrives if both parties play by the rules, and accept the results with good grace.
▪ They accept his habitual interruptions with good grace.
▪ This must have been irksome for them, but Mrs Webster accepted it as her war work with good grace.
with the best of intentions/for the best of reasons
with the best will in the world
▪ And, David, with the best will in the world, you can't teach him.
▪ Even with the best will in the world, we could not do it.
withdraw/retreat in good order
would you be good/kind enough to do sth?
you'd better believe it!
▪ "Do they make money on them?" "You'd better believe it!"
your Sunday best
your Sunday best
your best bet
▪ For getting around the city centre, a bicycle's your best bet.
▪ We decided that our best bet was to leave him where he was and go and get help.
▪ Well, your best bet would be to go back to Highway 218 and turn left.
your best bib and tucker
your better half/other half
your good deed for the day
your guess is as good as mine
▪ "When's the next bus coming?" "Your guess is as good as mine."
▪ "Who do you think will win the World Cup?" "Your guess is as good as mine."
your/her/my etc Sunday best
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ "Why don't you write to your bank and ask for a loan?'' "That's a good idea.''
▪ Good music seems to be a thing of the past.
▪ good weather
▪ a good-sized house
▪ a good quality car
▪ a good woman
▪ Andrea is a good cook.
▪ Bates would be a good person to have on the team.
▪ Be a good boy and eat your vegetables.
▪ Bye now Jessie. Be good.
▪ Did you have good weather in France?
▪ Did you have a good weekend?
▪ Everyone has the capability of making themselves something good to eat when they get home in the evening.
▪ Frank had always been a good football player, and it was no surprise when he was chosen for the team.
▪ Harry's work is always very good.
▪ Have a good weekend!
▪ He's a good little boy.
▪ He had always tried to lead a good life.
▪ Her early work is much better than her more recent stuff.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Actually, every good family has a story of a spectacular plumbing disaster.
▪ But a good time wasn't to be.
▪ Noticing good behaviour Look actively for the good in your child.
▪ On Sunday we rose early and after a good breakfast were eager to get out on the hills.
▪ Our best wishes to his family and friends.
▪ The more you practise the better you will become at selecting historical information to suit firstly your essay and secondly your argument.
▪ To Our Readers, Publications, like people, have good years and better years.
II.nounCOLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
great
▪ That generosity is a greater good than selfishness.
▪ This, I learned, was standard practice when a customer was about to be sacrificed for the greater good of Salomon.
■ VERB
do
▪ Some of those wishing to do good embarked on the road to hell and dragged others along with them.
▪ We could do a little business, do us both some good.
▪ Even moving up in weight did no good.
▪ I had to run under some pines to take cover; this did no good.
▪ Checking more than one box does no one any good.
▪ Actually, the stove did little good unless you stood right in front of it.
produce
▪ Suppose that the number of firms competing to produce a good in one country is smaller than the number in another.
▪ And the sacrifice they make by not producing a good is their opportunity cost.
▪ So if R is to be the same in all countries, all firms producing a good must have the same output.
▪ A firm might be a single individual who produces a good from her own resources.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
good/bad timekeeper
(Good) Lord!/Oh Lord!
▪ Good Lord, Tom! What are you doing?
(a) fat lot of good/use
▪ A fat lot of good it did me!
▪ Frederick Bissett was a member of the Institute of Professional Scientists, and a fat lot of good that did him.
▪ Getting the pound down was what Labour governments did with metronomic regularity. Fat lot of good it did them.
(get) a bigger/better etc bang for your buck
(jolly) good show
▪ Although his forecasts have been close in the past, this is his best showing.
▪ And he may have acquired an added incentive for wanting to make a good showing.
▪ It's the best show they've got.
▪ Just how good shows in the figures.
▪ The royals will try to shrug off their problems and put on a good show for Margaret.
(just) that little bit better/easier etc
▪ We have put together a few of the most popular itineraries to help make your choice that little bit easier.
(that's a) good question!
▪ "Does the program allow you to do that?" "That's a good question - I don't know."
God/oh (my) God/good God (almighty)
God/oh (my) God/good God/God almighty
I couldn't wish for a nicer/better etc ...
I have it on good authority
▪ I have it on good authority that the school board wants to fire the principal.
I must/I'd better be getting along
I'd better mosey along/be moseying along
I/you can't/couldn't ask for a better sth
a (damn/darned/darn) sight more/better etc
▪ Actually, a damn sight more than from that stiff gherkin Smott.
▪ I prefer my women a little older and a damn sight more sober.
▪ If he listened to Anthony Scrivener, he would be a darned sight better.
▪ Perhaps not up there with Wilburforce but a damn sight more daring than anything Diana ever did!
▪ The Galapagos finch was a darn sight more valuable than Sandra Willmot.
▪ We were a darned sight better than them.
a (good) catch
▪ A man in a uniform was a good catch in these parts.
▪ And keep medicines up high, also with a catch on the cupboard.
▪ He caught 89 passes last year, but he averaged just 7. 7 yards a catch.
▪ He went to it at once, looking for a catch, a way of releasing it, but there was nothing.
▪ Since a doctor or a lawyer is a good catch, he can attract a woman whose family is wealthy.
▪ The law has a catch, however.
▪ There is a catch, however!
▪ Within minutes, Honaker felt the telltale movement of a catch moving up the tube.
a damn sight more/better etc
▪ Actually, a damn sight more than from that stiff gherkin Smott.
▪ I prefer my women a little older and a damn sight more sober.
▪ Perhaps not up there with Wilburforce but a damn sight more daring than anything Diana ever did!
a darn sight better/harder etc
a difficult/hard/good etc one
▪ But what is temperament, and how do we define what is a good one?
▪ I knew there was no sense in trying to do a better one.
▪ Maybe it was a crackpot theory, but it was a good one.
▪ Nevertheless, it was always clear that Schmidt's third term in office would prove a difficult one.
▪ Payno was gleeful, for his idea was a good one.
▪ The belief that hierarchical organizational structure makes for good business is a difficult one to give up.
▪ The Berlin Philharmonic as it exists today may be a happier orchestra, but it is in no way a better one.
▪ Then I became a lead project manager and, I have to say, I was a good one.
a fast/good/long etc ball
▪ A bit like Dorigo ie he can cross a good ball when necessary.
▪ Anyway he is 24, is a good ball winner and throws himself around a bit.
▪ Jackson will supplant Charlie Ward as the starting point guard, giving the team a better ball distributor.
▪ Leeds do play a lot of football, but they hit a long ball as well.
▪ Phillips seized on a long ball and found himself with only Manninger to beat.
▪ Pow, Janir hit a long ball into the blackberry bushes beside the creek.
▪ Root threw me a fast ball.
a good night's sleep
▪ All you need is a good night's sleep.
▪ Night before 1 Try to ensure a good night's sleep. 2 Alleviate any anxiety if possible.
a good old sth
▪ We had a good old time at the reunion.
▪ But even marriage to a good old boy has not opened all arms to Fonda.
▪ He was a good old man, and I still miss him.
▪ He was a good old mule.
▪ If you need thrills, excitement and a good old dose of adrenalin, then the Ducati is a top option.
▪ It was high time, he intimated, that he and old Barney got together for a good old chinwag.
▪ One of these days Sam is going to come up against a good old time proper door.
▪ Our only hope is a good old winter storm over the Christmas holiday.
a good read
▪ It's not great literature, but it's a good read.
▪ Barnes and Hughes for a good read, Levin ton for the examinations.
▪ He seems to have a good read on his players and good rapport with them.
▪ I just sit and have a good read until they are done.
▪ It is certainly worth a good read, and I can recommend it to anyone interested in this subject.
▪ Journal in double triumph Roy Castle takes a break from record-breaking and relaxes with a good read.
▪ Le Carre can always be counted on to deliver a good read.
▪ Taken as a good read, this is an excellent book.
a good screw
a good sport
▪ I don't like playing with him - he's not a very good sport.
▪ All in all, Fred was a good sport and said he enjoyed the meal.
▪ But she was such a good sport about it.
a good/bad etc shot
▪ But Nogai's a good shot.
▪ Ed Kelley was a good shot.
▪ He made a good shot from there and holed a three-foot putt for a quadruple-bogey eight.
▪ If I hit a bad shot, I try to minimize its effect.
▪ Klingler made it clear at the end of 1996 that he wanted a better shot at moving up the depth chart.
▪ That much was the least expected of a hunter who had made a bad shot.
▪ They have a better shot at claiming the governorship.
▪ Tom played a bad shot out of the bunker, and he does no more than charge straight at this press guy.
a good/bad judge of sth
▪ Sarah's not a very good judge of character.
▪ And for all his imagination, he was not a good judge of character on limited acquaintance.
▪ But Anya's a better judge of character than she used to be, back in the old homeland.
▪ He's also a good judge of a quick run.
▪ He was a good judge of character, hated hypocrisy, and had no time for conceit.
▪ I didn't protest as it was his fence officially, and he was supposed to be a good judge of torque.
▪ It was not that he was too sure of himself simply that he was a good judge of the possible.
▪ Munnings, he told reporters, was a better judge of horses than paintings.
a good/large part of sth
▪ Married couples make up a large part of the church's congregation.
▪ Checheno-Ingushetia was abolished, and a large part of the Ingushi lands had been ceded to North Ossetia and repopulated by Ossetes.
▪ Had Therese spent a large part of her salary on a dress she would never wear again?
▪ His energies were never enormous, but limited though they were, he used a large part of them outside the business.
▪ Many young people are now attracted to the idea of producing a large part of their own food.
▪ So did a large part of the local population, including Morag Paterson.
▪ So that a large part of every day is not determined by thought at all, it more or less just happens because of habit.
▪ Social services take up a large part of the council budget.
▪ Ten black men took a sledge-hammer to the work, and knocked off a large part of his face.
a good/safe bet
▪ The earrings seemed like a good bet for a birthday present.
▪ Cohen says companies like PictureTel have improved transmission quality, making video conferencing a better bet than in years past.
▪ Even if you spend more and risk recurring sticker shock, the place is a good bet to tranquilize you.
▪ It was always a safe bet, of course, that Hillsborough would be just about the least dangerous place in Britain yesterday.
▪ Only a few months ago he had looked like a good bet.
▪ Still, if a well-equipped sporty car is in your heart, the fifth-generation Prelude probably is a good bet.
▪ That makes them a good bet if you travel with a laptop computer.
▪ The supermodels are a safe bet and, in times of recession, that is what matters.
a good/sympathetic listener
▪ And apart from the information you get, being a good listener helps the other side to relax and have confidence in you.
▪ Be a good listener and do not demand that children reveal all that they do or think.
▪ In the Collins family, Kevin was not actually told stories about how he, too, was a good listener.
▪ It will give you the opportunity to discuss your problems with a sympathetic listener.
▪ Lady Thatcher never drew breath, while John Major was a good listener.
▪ People liked her because she was steady, sensible, a good listener.
▪ Seek not only to be understood but to understand-be a good listener.
▪ Zach said he was a good listener and that he was a sensitive being.
a great/good deal
▪ A single incident suggests a great deal about Hennepinhis prudery, his belligerence, his sensitivity.
▪ In the last ten years, we have learned a great deal more about this interplay.
▪ Neither girl took a great deal of interest in me.
▪ One particular candidate responding to the survey went to a great deal of trouble to commit his decidedly anti-headhunting views to paper.
▪ She spoke a great deal about poetry.
▪ Teachers also received a great deal of support and help from both popular organizations and from communities to ease their situation.
▪ The movement of earthworms throughout layers can also cause a great deal of disruption, blurring the divisions.
▪ Very frequently, speechwriters are recruited from the ranks of journalism, which accounts for a great deal.
a happy/good hunting ground (for sth)
▪ I pass up a roadside rest area, a happy hunting ground for new cars and ready cash.
▪ In the early years of this century, many a collector found Madeira a happy hunting ground.
▪ Scandinavia was a happy hunting ground for him and he did the same for Nicolai Gedda.
a nod's as good as a wink
a rattling good yarn/story/read
▪ On one level, it is vastly entertaining and a rattling good read.
▪ We bet the Weatherfield Advertiser was a rattling good read under Ken's editorship.
all in good time
▪ But don't fret, you shall have a puppy all in good time.
all the best
▪ Tell him I said goodbye and wish him all the best.
▪ A facility that's said to represent all the best in car manufacturing worldwide.
▪ He wanted to give it all the best that was in him, of which he had more than he needed.
▪ In fact they are regularly seen around all the best joints.
▪ Maybe it was true that the Devil got all the best lines.
▪ On the surface, at least, Bonita Vista has all the best qualities of a racially diverse campus.
▪ The movement has got all the best stories, even if it's a little short on facts.
▪ They came, all the best and noblest, to join the company.
▪ They still kept almost all the best in-state players.
all the better/easier/more etc
▪ He offsets Roberts' operatic evil with a performance that commands all the more notice for its minimalism.
▪ His job was made all the more easier by drivers who hadn't bothered to take measures to stop people like him.
▪ If there is some meat left on the bones, all the better.
▪ It makes it all the more opportune.
▪ Superb defence by Karpov, all the more praiseworthy in that he was now in desperate time trouble.
▪ The dispute was all the more bitter because a prize was at stake.
▪ The inadequacy and treachery of the old leaderships of the working class have made the need all the more imperative.
▪ Weather experts say it was a relatively dry winter which makes the water recovery all the more remarkable.
appeal to sb's better nature/sense of justice etc
as best you can
▪ I'll deal with the problem as best I can.
▪ I cleaned the car up as best I could, but it still looked a mess.
▪ We'll have to manage as best we can without you.
▪ And her reaction to her illness was, as best I can glean, fraught with fear, discouragement, and depression.
▪ I would therefore be grateful if you could refer back to the letter I wrote and respond as best you can.
▪ It is therefore necessary to locate as best we can the final resting place or incidence of the major types of taxes.
▪ Only a proportion of them are successful and the rest must struggle as best they can to obtain mates.
▪ Our culture has no Obon ready-made, but we are filling in as best we can.
▪ Then you gently and gradually work the new feather on, positioning it to match the original plumage as best you can.
▪ We must also imagine our way into myth, as best we can, like actors in a play.
▪ You just have to wait and catch your moment or piece things together as best you can.
at a good/rapid/fast etc clip
▪ He was walking along at a good clip, his eyes idly panning the facades of the brownstone houses.
▪ Up ahead, a thoroughfare Traffic was going across the intersection at a good clip in both directions.
at best
▪ At best, sales have been good but not great.
▪ Public transportation is at best limited.
at the best of times
▪ Even at the best of times the roads are dangerous.
▪ A salmon is slippery enough to handle at the best of times, but one of this size ....
▪ But reason told her it was a precarious business at the best of times.
▪ In fact Polanski, unconventional at the best of times, takes us to the limit - and beyond.
▪ It was run on a shoestring at the best of times and Kelly was merely adding to his problems.
▪ Listening is a difficult and complex skill at the best of times.
▪ Memory was mischievously selective at the best of times Trivia stuck limpet-like and the useful filtered away.
▪ Rising living standards and well-being are ambiguously related at the best of times, and not simply for ecological reasons.
▪ The mind was a delicate mechanism that he disliked interfering with at the best of times.
at your best
▪ At his best, he's one of the most exciting tennis players in the world.
▪ This recording captures Grappelli at his very best.
▪ And if I sometimes see them at their worst, I sometimes see them at their best as well.
▪ Augusta was not at her best yesterday on a drab, grey day.
▪ But like Natalie Merchant, Cerbone is at her best when composing character sketches.
▪ Still, quarterbacks are not at their best when their throwing motion is impeded.
▪ The answer, in brief, is the method of empirical inquiry, at its best the method of science.
▪ The early 1960s showed such policy at its best.
▪ The formal work of the House is often seen at its best in committee.
▪ The Machine is at its best in primaries, but Daley was taking no chances.
at your best/worst/most effective etc
bad/good sailor
▪ Although he was a good sailor, Columbus was a bad governor.
▪ As a yacht delivery skipper he had to be a damn good sailor.
▪ Even the best sailors can be swept into them, apart from which they can cause all sorts of damage to your equipment.
▪ How he got there no-one knows, but he was a very good sailor and an even better artist.
▪ I have never been a good sailor, and kept to my bunk for the first part of the journey.
▪ Ironically I do not make a very good sailor.
▪ Turns out all of us are pretty good sailors.
be a good/quick/easy etc lay
▪ I don't deny it was a good lay.
be a good/wonderful/terrible etc cook
▪ As a result, the adult John is obsessed with food, has an overstocked fridge and is a good cook.
▪ Franca, said to be a good cook, was not a good cook, just an ingenious cook.
▪ He is a good cook, isn't he?
▪ My aunt and I are good cooks.
▪ Nils may be a good cook, but his time will be better spent away from the galley.
▪ Of motivation to get good grades in school or to be a good cook?
▪ To be a good cook you have to do a lot of things precisely, but it requires no understanding.
▪ Zelah was a good cook and he enjoyed the meal.
be all the better for sth
▪ And it was all the better for being hosted by real-deal Alice Cooper rather than fat phoney Phill Jupitus.
▪ And the piece was all the better for it.
▪ My grandmother therefore moulded my life, and I believe I am all the better for it.
▪ Spa towns, though, are all the better for looking somewhat passé and Eaux-Bonnes is more passé than most.
▪ The game at Twickenham today will be all the better for the inclusion of the National Anthem.
▪ Well, a statement like that is all the better for proof, but go on, anyway.
be for the best
▪ Even though I lost my job, I knew it was for the best. It gave me the chance to start again.
▪ After all, it may be for the best.
▪ Anything that spurs creativity behind the bar must be for the best.
▪ He can smell nothing, which is for the best.
▪ I decided to decide that it was for the best.
▪ It may well be for the best.
▪ Maybe it is for the best.
▪ No one has been so heartless as to suggest we skip the picnic, but it is for the best.
▪ Still, perhaps it was for the best.
be in (good) working/running order
▪ Hall of Power - a range of engines and heavy machinery, most of which are in working order and operated daily.
▪ The locomotive was in working order at the time and negotiations proceeded which resulted in transportation to Swanage as described above.
▪ To this day the milling machinery is in working order.
▪ Two isn't multiplicity and Castelfonte never was in running order, and now they were living in hotels.
be in a good/bad etc place
be in good company
▪ If you can't program your VCR, you're in good company.
▪ But even if she never escapes from its shadow, history shows her to be in good company.
▪ But for the United States, to be alone is to be in good company.
▪ Clinton is in good company, but I think he wants to be remembered for more than that.
▪ He is in good company when it comes to losing Tests that do not mat ter all that much.
▪ If these are your worries you are in good company.
▪ If you are, you are in good company with some one like Alfred North Whitehead.
▪ The new managers were in good company.
▪ We were in good company, though.
be in good heart
▪ Far from bumping along on the bottom, desperate for money, it is in good heart.
▪ I can see the land is in good heart, and I remember enough to know the extent of the estates.
▪ The gelding show-ed he was in good heart this week by winning at Edinburgh on Thursday.
▪ With the prospect of William and Harry joining them for a holiday afterwards, Diana was in good heart.
be in good/fine/great etc form
▪ At least he is in good form again.
▪ Davies, now in his 80s, is in fine form.
▪ Fortunately, Alan Judge was in fine form, pulling off a great save to keep Hereford in the game.
▪ Health Management Associates Inc., known as the Wal-Mart of hospital operators, appears to be in fine form.
▪ I was in good form that night.
▪ Office manager is on holiday this week., and assistant manager are in good form.
▪ That is our strength and our forwards are in good form at the moment.
be in sb's good/bad books
be just (good) friends
▪ ""Are you going out with Liam?'' ""No, we're just good friends.''
▪ I'm not going out with Nathan, you know - we're just friends.
▪ I keep telling my mother that Peter and I are just friends but she doesn't seem to believe me.
▪ Billy and I were just good friends, really good mates.
▪ But maybe he and Jane were just friends.
▪ Maureen and I - we thought we were just friends.
▪ My wife and I are just good friends.
▪ They were just friends, and he was fun to be with.
be meant to be good/excellent/bad etc
be of Scottish/Protestant/good etc stock
be on your best behaviour
▪ Dinner was very formal, with everyone on their best behaviour.
▪ And if what Cadfael suspected was indeed true, he had now good reason to be on his best behaviour.
▪ But everyone is on their best behaviour.
▪ So when we arrived hopefully at Loch Hope that morning, I was on my best behaviour.
▪ Use only our own girls and warn them to be on their best behaviour.
be onto a good thing
▪ His senses told him he was onto a good thing and his senses were rarely wrong.
▪ Many directors who take dividends in lieu of salary may think they are onto a good thing.
▪ Maybe he thought he was onto a good thing.
▪ Multiply that up by two or three hundred stores, and you will see he was onto a good thing.
▪ The plots were essentially the same; like any successful entrepreneur, Alger knew when he was onto a good thing.
▪ They felt they might be onto a good thing.
be sb's last/only/best hope
▪ Advocates just seem to take it on faith that annexation is the only hope of salvation for this city.
▪ But mad or not, you are my only hope, Meg.
▪ But Thomas Sachs was now her only hope.
▪ I expected to be disappointed, though the letter was now my only hope.
▪ In the long term, Mr Heseltine said that privatisation was the only hope for the industry.
▪ Is he only hoping to make money?
▪ Robert Urquhart was her only hope, her only ally.
▪ That was the only hope I had of reaching the doctor.
best before
best dress/shoes/clothes etc
▪ Everyone was in black because their best clothes were for funerals, and everyone danced.
▪ I washed them, then dressed them in their best clothes, but never new ones.
▪ She had her best shoes on, and a new hat.
▪ She had the best dress sense of any girl in Benedict's and a passion for altering the colour of her hair.
▪ The best car, the wittiest put-down, and the best dress.
▪ The first best clothes were only for Sunday and when visitors came.
▪ The princess arrayed herself in her best clothes and jewels.
▪ They would never let you in alone, even though you are wearing your best clothes.
best friend
▪ Caroline and her best friend both had babies within three weeks of each other.
▪ Stuart is just my brother's best friend - I've known him since I was six.
▪ We lived next door to each other when we were kids, and we've been best friends ever since.
▪ After all - the man was one of his best friends, wasn't he?
▪ Although many people would disagree, radio is without doubt the musician's best friend.
▪ Didn't any of his best friends tell him?
▪ He was like a kid who had found a new best friend, and she was it.
▪ He was not allowed to mention the slaughtering to anyone, not even as a special secret between best friends.
▪ I also learned to become my own best friend.
▪ Trials so that her injured best friend Kay Poe could advance.
▪ When Julie had a home problem, her two best friends at work tried to offer advice based on their own experiences.
best of all
▪ You can lose five pounds a week on this diet. And best of all, you never have to feel hungry.
▪ But Black Mountain was often not the best of all possible worlds.
▪ I'd have liked best of all to have stuffed his mouth with hay.
▪ I appeal to all who have ever known this best of all hospitals - fight for Bart's.
▪ Of all the participants Reagan came out best of all.
▪ Oh, but best of all was the chair in which I myself was destined momentarily to sit.
▪ That was the thing he loved best of all: running free.
▪ The Corps was a know-how, can-do outfit, possibly the best of all the outfits that came to town.
best/good/warmest etc wishes
▪ A former miner, Joe was presented with a cheque together with good wishes for a long and happy retirement.
▪ And while babies are on my mind, my best wishes to Patsy Kensit on the birth of her son.
▪ Meanwhile, may I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for the coming year.
▪ My best wishes to Madame Zborowska and warm greetings to you.
▪ Our best wishes to his family and friends.
▪ She hadn't deserved their kindness, their good wishes - she'd hardly been a boon companion of late.
▪ Spare me your shock and good wishes.
▪ With best wishes for success and prosperity.
best/well/ideally/perfectly etc suited to/for sth
▪ Boar chops are best suited to grilling or sauteing.
▪ If I were a free agent, those are the places I would go, a place best suited for my needs.
▪ It is not however so well suited to an intensive, detailed study of spoken language.
▪ Nevertheless, it is an early maturing variety well suited to the long ripening period of a northern wine region.
▪ Secondly, the adversary nature of the adjudicative process may not be well suited to this area.
▪ The farmer's wife was well suited to tackling this considerable undertaking.
▪ Use the systems best suited to their talent, both offensively and defensively.
▪ We have large quantities of plutonium already separated and in forms ideally suited for nuclear weapons.
better (to be) safe than sorry
▪ I think I'll take my umbrella along - better safe than sorry.
▪ Anyway, better safe than sorry.
▪ The overall message of precaution-better safe than sorry-has intuitive appeal.
better Red than dead
better late than never
▪ "The pictures have finally arrived.'' "Well, better late than never.''
▪ While ongoing self-monitoring is urged, it is always better late than never.
better late than never
▪ While ongoing self-monitoring is urged, it is always better late than never.
better luck next time
▪ Ah well, better luck next time, Andy.
▪ And if you didn't win, better luck next time.
▪ Back to the West Indies with it, and better luck next time.
better yourself
▪ A lot of people are trying to better themselves.
▪ And she feels better herself - after two weeks, her headaches and tiredness have gone.
▪ He doesn't criticize the vice-president marketing's expert judgement nor pretend he could do better himself.
▪ I couldn't have done better myself.
▪ I teach them to better themselves.
▪ It is a way in which diversity and the desire to better oneself can be accommodated.
▪ She would do anything to better herself.
▪ Wilson speeches often praise the gumption of illegal immigrants who take risks and endure hardships to better themselves and their families.
better/harder/worse etc still
▪ And 245 specialty stock funds that focus on particular industries did better still, averaging a 6. 5 percent gain.
▪ But perhaps the early evening was better still?
▪ He didn't talk because he was afraid of losing the pole or, worse still, falling in.
▪ I started to hunt for a cheap restaurant or, better still, a snack shop.
▪ I thought that it would soon pass, and it did - for you to work harder still.
▪ Or better still, make a real talent show instead.
▪ Or better still, there was the village school practically next door!
▪ With hindsight, it would have better still to lock in a few more gains.
bid sb good afternoon/good morning etc
bring out the best/worst in sb
▪ Ingram always seems to bring out the best in his players.
▪ And Vince was obviously a great coach; he brought out the best in his team and whoever played him.
▪ But the Washington Wizards have a way of bringing out the best in their opponents.
▪ But, says Markert, there is something about one-way communication that can also bring out the worst in people.
▪ Campaigns seem to bring out the worst in Bob Dole.
▪ It brings out the best in us.
▪ Maybe something like they tend to bring out the best in us.
▪ So, to bring out the best in your cooking make sure you use the purest soy sauce, Kikkoman Soy Sauce.
▪ Yet it was not an unsuccessful attempt to bring out the best in his audience.
come good/right
▪ In both cases, prices came right back down within three months.
▪ It seemed clear Corbett wanted me to work at Salomon, but he never came right out and proposed.
▪ It will all come right, now that a different period of history has begun.
▪ More generally, the logistical strengths that the Dole campaign had counted on began to come good.
▪ Periodically, these letters come right out of the woodwork.
▪ Since I was the best spinner of my type in the world, eventually it would all come right.
▪ The light comes right through our curtains and makes sleeping difficult.
▪ The wasp took off as if in fright, but she came right back.
come off best/better/worst etc
▪ Alec Davidson, for example, was one of those who came off worst.
▪ Bullock comes off best because her complaining seems so valid.
▪ His foster-child comes off best, but in addition each of two nurses receives a tenth of his estate.
▪ It may seem, so far, that in terms of clearly defined benefits, the client comes off best out of the deal.
▪ Prior to that Meath had come off best when they accounted for Down in the 1990 league decider.
▪ The lightning, it seemed to Lydia, had undoubtedly come off best in that encounter.
▪ The problem is that history sometimes comes off better.
come up with the goods/deliver the goods
▪ Neil Young's annual fall concert always delivers the goods with famous musicians and good music.
couldn't be better/worse/more pleased etc
damaged goods
▪ If there was actual combustion of the damaged goods, however caused, there has been damage by fire.
▪ On 5 September a credit note No. 19 was received from A. Creditor in respect of damaged goods valued £5.00 returned by the hotel.
▪ She didn't, but something about the way she moved confirmed my suspicion that she saw herself as damaged goods.
▪ We all pass through this life as damaged goods, and the repair work is ongoing.
discretion is the better part of valour
do better
▪ Harris argued that the economy is doing better than it was five years ago.
▪ I was convinced that many of the students could have done better if they'd tried.
▪ If you are saving 5 percent of your income each year, you're doing better than most people.
▪ Mark ran the distance in 30 minutes in the fall, but we're hoping he'll do better this season.
▪ Some roses do better in different types of soil.
▪ The British champion has completed the course in three minutes -- let's see if his Canadian rival can do better.
▪ We did better than we expected.
▪ Alamaro and Patrick think they can do better.
▪ Incumbents who vote against new regulations, paperwork and taxes -- usually conservatives -- do better on the scorecard.
▪ It leads to a lethargy I think we do better without.
▪ Some may do better than our scenario represents.
▪ Surely we can do better for people with mental problems and their families?
▪ The index did better than the broader market.
▪ We can do better than that now.
▪ We need to do better than that, and we can.
do sb a good/bad turn
▪ She was only trying to do James a good turn.
do sb a power of good
▪ It can also be funny and it can do you a power of good.
▪ Yeltsin could do his country a power of good by directing public attention to these issues.
do sb a world of good
▪ A week by the ocean will do you a world of good.
▪ A good run in pastures new would do you a world of good.
▪ All of them stressed that a holiday would do Valerie the world of good.
▪ All the family can enjoy eating the low-fat way and it will do everyone a world of good.
▪ But physically - this type of exercise will do you the world of good.
▪ Come on a Club 18-30 holiday and there's every chance it will do you the world of good.
▪ He could become so unaccountably miserable that a small amount of collusion some-times did him a world of good.
▪ Not only do they do you a world of good if you drink them but they also have cosmetic uses.
do your best
▪ But I did my best to feed them both.
▪ He wanted to do his best the first time he performed, and knew he was not in peak condition.
▪ Like Truman two decades earlier, Humphrey did his best to overcome the severe handicap of a badly split party.
▪ Once there, Drachenfels will do his best to isolate the crystal-wielding characters and rob them of their treasures.
▪ Remember, always do your best, don't let them hook you, however tempting the bait.
▪ We can only do our best.
▪ What I learned from them specifically of the techniques of teaching I have had to do my best to unlearn since.
do your level best (to do sth)
▪ Even so he did his level best with the new ball.
▪ We did our level best to look fascinated.
easily the best/biggest etc
▪ Aluminium benching is easily the best, as it virtually lasts for ever and is easily cleaned.
▪ He's easily the best military brain in the country.
▪ It's easily the best Fermanagh side I've played on.
▪ It gave easily the best value.
▪ Johnny Hero played the between set music - again proving that he hosts easily the best disco in town.
▪ Natural gas forms easily the biggest world reserve of methane-rich fuel.
▪ The greens were easily the best part of the dish.
▪ The pension is easily the biggest single cash benefit.
even bigger/better/brighter etc
▪ But he actually proved even better than I thought.
▪ He had hoped to play an even bigger, more traditional role.
▪ I sort of thought the accident would make us play even better.
▪ It was even better when I got a hug and a kiss from the former Miss Minnesota!
▪ Many companies do so because smart managers know the importance of rewarding good work and inspiring even better efforts.
▪ There was something spontaneous and lively in his manner of speaking that made whatever he was saying sound even better.
▪ This show will be even better than the last one and is not to be missed!
▪ What is the best way of stemming this decline or, even better, of regenerating the economy?
every bit as good/important etc
▪ Barbara was every bit as good as she sounded.
▪ Here, the Fund runs many family projects that are less well-known but doing work that is every bit as important.
▪ If you looked through a microscope you could see that they had cheekbones every bit as good as Hope Steadman's.
▪ In terms of predicting and controlling the social environment, high technology can quite clearly be every bit as important as brute force.
▪ It is for this reason that good balanced design is every bit as important as meticulous craftsmanship.
▪ It takes no more than five minutes and tastes every bit as good at the oven-baked variety.
▪ The explanation is every bit as important as the numbers!
every bit as important/bad/good etc
▪ Barbara was every bit as good as she sounded.
▪ Here, the Fund runs many family projects that are less well-known but doing work that is every bit as important.
▪ It is for this reason that good balanced design is every bit as important as meticulous craftsmanship.
▪ It takes no more than five minutes and tastes every bit as good at the oven-baked variety.
▪ The explanation is every bit as important as the numbers!
▪ The traffic was every bit as bad as had been predicted.
▪ Things every bit as bad happen there, too.
▪ To her horror it was every bit as bad as she'd feared, and possibly even a tiny bit worse.
fare well/badly/better etc
▪ I think the men fared better than the women.
▪ It can be seen that, whilst all regions reflected the higher national unemployment rate, some regions fared better than others.
▪ It still fared better than the broader market.
▪ Life may be regarded as an austere struggle, blighted by fate, where only the rich and the lucky fare well.
▪ Not faring well, but resting.
▪ Obviously some clothiers fared better than others for there were quite a large number of bankruptcies between 1800 and 1840.
▪ The Bloomberg Indiana Index fared better than the benchmark Standard&.
▪ There is no reason to believe that diabetic patients fare better and they may do less well.
for better or (for) worse
▪ The reality is that, for better or worse, the world of publishing has changed.
▪ All five, for better or worse, have received recent votes of confidence from their respective general managers or team presidents.
▪ And for better or worse, the new interactivity brings enormous political leverage to ordinary citizens at relatively little cost.
▪ And the consequences could be even more startling, for better or for worse.
▪ Decisions made in any of these places can hit our pocketbooks and our peace of mind, for better or for worse.
▪ He has toted the ball and the expectations, for better or worse.
▪ He was her husband ... for better or worse, he was her husband.
▪ Medical students in prolonged contact with junior doctors learn attitudes by example, for better or for worse.
▪ Today we know for better or for worse that cops, like doctors and priests, are merely human.
for good measure
▪ Why don't you try calling them one more time, for good measure.
▪ Add David Robinson for good measure.
▪ And let's add Godel for good measure.
▪ Even old Henry Spalding, who had returned to Lapwai in the spring, added his signature for good measure.
▪ For the rest it's twenty five minutes of speed and skill ... and then two more laps for good measure.
▪ I gave her a good strong look just for good measure.
▪ Network South East has its patriotic red, white, and blue bands with grey thrown in for good measure.
▪ Take your governing body licence along for good measure.
▪ This pudding also includes a little cocoa powder for good measure.
for the better
▪ Anything they can do to improve children's health is for the better.
▪ Besides, in some ways the change was for the better.
▪ Cloud changed things, all right, and not all for the better.
▪ That may be for the better.
▪ The formal dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 did not automatically change any of that for the better.
▪ The way was set for much-needed change, but would things change for the better?
▪ This change has not necessarily been one for the better.
▪ What about learning how to change things for the better rather than merely learning to adapt to the way things are now?
for want of a better word/phrase etc
▪ Just horses and ploughs and, for want of a better word, peasants.
▪ Now, hands are, well, handed for want of a better word.
for want of anything better (to do)
for your own good/safety/benefit etc
▪ He will work for your financial independence and will never take advantage or misuse your money for his own good.
▪ Intelligent Buildings Too smart for their own good?
▪ It looked as if the transports were advancing too fast for their own safety.
▪ Lewin and Nnah were also led away for their own safety.
▪ Of course they kept a sharp lookout in such congested waters for their own safety.
▪ Often one step too many for his own good.
▪ We got too famous for our own good.
▪ You might be just a wee bit too clever for your own good now.
get better
▪ Braden's teams always get better as the season goes on.
▪ Get some rest and get better, okay?
▪ I didn't remember anything about the accident, but little by little, as I got better, memories started coming back to me.
▪ I don't mind training hard, because you get better and better all the time.
▪ I hope the weather gets better soon.
▪ I hope you get better soon.
▪ If things don't get better, we may end up having to sell the house.
▪ Living conditions may get worse before they get better.
▪ My back has been quite bad recently, but it's getting better slowly.
▪ The first part of the book is pretty boring, but it gets a lot better as the story goes on.
▪ And has it got better or worse?
▪ At school I sometimes used to get better marks than him, but that was when he chose not to exert himself.
▪ Even Quayle is getting better press than me.
▪ Four decades ago in Britain girls were getting better results than boys in the 11-plus exam.
▪ He was getting better every day, so much better, and yet business got worse and worse.
▪ So the Giants do have to get better, and history suggests rather strongly that better means not staying the same.
▪ To keep getting better, you must improve.
▪ When you've been blown to bits, as Zimmerman had, you either train hard or you don't get better.
get off to a good/bad etc start
get the better of sb
▪ Alison Leigh refuses to let circumstances get the better of her.
▪ Kramer's temper sometimes gets the better of him.
▪ At the same time he said he had had to select his shots wisely to get the better of Chesnokov.
▪ Blaise Cendrars witnessed a fight in which she was getting the better of Modigliani.
▪ Bored in the isolation of his taxi, curiosity and perhaps hunger got the better of him.
▪ But kids have a long tradition of getting the better of adults, going back to the Famous Five and beyond.
▪ I allowed my feelings to get the better of me.
▪ I run my fingers over this invisible object, and little by little curiosity gets the better of me.
▪ So mortals learned that it is not possible to get the better of Zeus or ever deceive him.
▪ We killed him, but that really got the better of us.
get/have a good press
▪ Because officials are so anxious to get good press, there is often tremendous pressure on the government press agent.
▪ Even Quayle is getting better press than me.
▪ Even testosterone, so often blamed for aggressive behavior in men, is getting better press.
▪ For now Harriet's keener on seeing chess get a better press.
give a good/poor account of yourself
▪ Cooper gave a good account of himself in the fight.
▪ Sussex's Wood gave a good account of herself and should have claimed the second set.
▪ Thirteen-year-old Patsy, who could always give a good account of herself, looked upset.
▪ Though it gave a good account of itself, Dave gently persuaded the fish close enough to be lifted aboard the boat.
give as good as you get
▪ At 87, Juran is still able to give as good as he gets.
▪ Don't you worry about Tim. He may be small but he gives as good as he gets!
▪ It was a tough interview, but I thought the President gave as good as he got.
▪ The youngest of three sons, Dave can give as good as he gets.
give sb a (good) run for their money
▪ Slosser gave Boyd a run for his money in the 1996 GOP primary.
give sth your best shot
▪ I'm not promising I'll succeed, but I'll give it my best shot.
▪ Hopefully he can recover and regain his test place and give it his best shot.
▪ I'd have given it my best shot, and that was all anyone could demand from me.
▪ I just have a feeling that we have given it our best shot.
▪ The band gave it their best shot, until the arrival of the blue meanies put an end to the proceedings.
▪ You were never entirely safe from prying fingers in Chinatown, but I had to give it my best shot.
go one better (than sb)
▪ Beth Wolff, president of her own residential real estate company, likes to go one better.
▪ But even if Forbes loses his quest for the Republican presidential nomination, he may still go one better than his father.
▪ Ford went one better and put 60 two-stroke Fiestas on the roads.
▪ Laker's return of 9 for 37 was outstanding, but he was to go one better when the Aussies followed on.
▪ Like an aphid, then, the caterpillar employs ants as bodyguards, but it goes one better.
▪ She goes one better than last year.
▪ The Bristol & West have now gone one better than the standard endowment mortgage.
▪ They have followed each other up the ladder, but whenever he has reached the same rung she has gone one better.
good 'un/bad 'un/little 'un etc
good Samaritan
▪ Had she been prompted by curiosity or the instincts of the good Samaritan, Theodora wondered.
good and proper
▪ Now, eight years after the original bike was launched, Ducati has addressed the issue good and proper.
▪ We got our revenge on Kel for 1960 good and proper, and no one else was in it.
▪ Well, they both got it around in 75 and the crowd was on Seve's side good and proper.
good copy
▪ A good copy, painted by a twentieth-century court painter, but nevertheless a copy.
▪ Even those students intending to make a good copy of their rough essay may plan their writing.
▪ For, if he used her as a model, she used him as good copy.
▪ He told himself it was all good copy for his next novel.
▪ He wanted to make good copy for himself and his plays.
▪ Insipid daft doesn't make good copy.
▪ It may not be a very good copy of this, of this thing for your thing.
▪ Once the original is lost, the best copy you can make is less good than it was before.
good egg
▪ What a good egg she was!
good evening
▪ A bad morning, a good afternoon and - perhaps - an even better evening.
▪ A policeman walked by, wished me good evening and ushered a warning.
▪ Ah, good evening, Lestrade!
▪ Behind the glass I see her tell everyone good evening.
▪ But for now from all the team, have a very good evening.
▪ Dearest Timothy: It is a good evening to sit in this pleasant room and write a letter.
▪ Have a good evening. 1904 How can you, you have class tomorrow night?
▪ We exchange slightly embarrassed good evenings with them as we leave.
good faith
▪ As a sign of his good faith, the company has agreed to replace the defective parts for free.
▪ And I believe President Clinton is a person of good faith as well.
▪ As a result, both parties should always behave in good faith.
▪ Avoid apologizing if you've made a criticism in good faith.
▪ However, we judge the Government's good faith in terms of their track record.
▪ So we paid an exorbitant price for the decisions that were made in good faith and for good purpose.
▪ Special offers are quoted in good faith based on information supplied by retailers.
▪ These duties seek to regulate the conduct of partners and promote good faith between them.
▪ Whilst still in employment, there was an implied term imposing a duty of good faith.
good grief!
▪ Good grief! Look the mess in here!
good luck to sb
▪ And finally good luck to Woodstock-based football manager Jim Smith the on Sunday.
▪ Anyway, good-by and good luck to you.
▪ If they start talking high teens, good luck to them.
▪ In which case, good luck to them both.
▪ Simon did well after that but made a pretence of simple good luck to anyone who questioned his apparent good fortune.
▪ So good luck to you, Susan.
▪ We can only wish good luck to the chairmen or directors of Morgan Grenfell, Amec.
▪ Well, cheers and good luck to you both.
good luck/best of luck
▪ Best of luck with your driving test.
▪ Good luck Archie! Enjoy your new job.
good mixer
▪ Moore Councill says each piece is designed to be a stand-alone winner, as well as a good mixer.
good morrow
▪ King: How now, my noble lords, good morrow!
good riddance (to sb)
▪ But if this is what the club resorts to than good riddance to them.
▪ If they can't accept me as I am, good riddance.
▪ So any docks, dandelions and creeping buttercup go straight to the tip and good riddance to them too.
▪ Then I thought: good riddance.
▪ To man qua man we readily say good riddance.
▪ We were all annoyed with him over not helping with the hay, and I thought good riddance.
good with your hands
▪ He was good with his hands.
▪ The psychologist had said he was good with his hands.
good/bad/poor etc effort
▪ Batter Up Despite my best efforts, I could not stop eating the skinny fries that came with the combination.
▪ Dealing with these individual and family concerns will require the best efforts of mental health professionals.
▪ Football is a team game; offense and defense must work together to produce the best effort.
▪ However, objects decay despite our best efforts to conserve them.
▪ In spite of Holford-Walker's best efforts, the moran evaded his supervision.
▪ In spite of the rain's best efforts, I was pleased that I had been able to observe and film interesting mink behaviour.
▪ Or maybe they disapproved of or were indifferent to your best efforts.
▪ Peter Pike and Davern Lambert had good efforts before Musgrove completed his hat-trick with a good shot on the turn.
good/bad/poor etc seller
▪ Alcohol and western cigarettes are best sellers.
▪ Convinced it had a best seller on its hands, Random House came up with the unorthodox idea of relaunching the book.
▪ Drosnin is an investigative newspaper reporter who once wrote a best seller about Howard Hughes.
▪ His album Stars was last year's best seller and spawned a string of hit singles.
▪ It was the earliest best seller.
▪ Q.. What makes a book a best seller?
▪ The man who made a best seller out of a defamatory rant now wants to make a best seller out of repentance.
▪ Voice over Mrs De Winter is already tipped as being one of the best sellers this year.
good/bad/poor etc speller
▪ Only good spellers can spell easily orally.
▪ They give the good speller a chance to use his skill, but may depress a poor speller.
good/best/bad practice
▪ An annex citing examples of good practice would also be helpful.
▪ Carlesimo said Tuesday, adding that Marshall had just put in his best practice of camp.
▪ It is good practice to make a note of the client's telephone number on the file.
▪ Supporters of those with special needs should be exemplars of such good practice.
▪ The good practice presented in Table 2 and Appendix 3 addresses many of the factors important to the control of risk.
▪ There is a danger in the search for good practice of looking only at those schools with good academic records.
▪ These premises are often inadequate to support good practice.
▪ This week, for example, the permanent secretaries of all government departments will meet to discuss best practice in procurement.
good/better/healthy etc start (in life)
▪ A good start is one where you pass close behind the start boat going at speed.
▪ But it wasn't a good start in the lessons of love, and left me very arid in such matters.
▪ He had better start by accepting that if he does the right things, they will not be popular ones.
▪ It wasn't a very good start.
▪ Not a good start, but a start, nevertheless.
▪ The auditor may enjoy the gifts, but he had better start looking for a sympathy engram not yet suspected or tapped.
▪ The problem was the middle and end, when the team sacrificed rebounding for getting out to a good start.
▪ They will, however, be getting a new center, and that is a good start, he believes.
good/hard/quick etc worker
▪ He is supposedly not the hardest worker ever.
▪ He made Mrs Timms look uninterested in her store, the Reliance Market, and she was a hard worker.
▪ He was a good, hard worker.
▪ She was known to be very tough and a very hard worker.
▪ She was such a hard worker and a wonderful cook.
▪ The girl was a good worker who came and went quietly about her business.
good/poor/silly old etc sb
good/top/poor etc performer
▪ Almost all the poor performers were to be found in the economically-disadvantaged regions.
▪ Both Cisco and Stratacom are among the top performers on Wall Street.
▪ But these top performers are aware of the requirements for effective training as well as its limitations.
▪ Deals are also being offered to companies as alternative incentive perks to top performers.
▪ He chose an all-or-nothing strategy to put himself in the top performers in the Great Grain Challenge.
▪ It took me seven months to really understand that I have an individual who is a good performer.
▪ Strasser pointed to the construction, cable, chemical, tire and engineering industries as the likely best performers this year.
▪ The poorer performers tend to die; the better ones, to reproduce.
gracious (me)!/good gracious!/goodness gracious!
greater/more/better etc than the sum of its parts
▪ Or is the organisation more than the sum of its parts?
had best
▪ They had best be careful.
▪ All due, of course, to the fact that she had bested Travis McKenna.
▪ But pitchers had best take note as well.
▪ If so, we had best listen closely, since we will not get another chance.
▪ Meanwhile we had best prepare the way by showing that a medicine beyond verbal shamanism is an aching need.
▪ Perhaps we had best ask ourselves why our political institutions function as they do.
▪ Poets like Woodhouse had best go back to their jobs.
▪ The concept of differentiation is a key theme of our work, and we had best discuss it as the book unfolds.
had better
▪ I'd better not go out tonight; I'm really tired.
▪ You'd better phone Julie to say you'll be late.
▪ After what he has now said about a referendum, he had better watch out.
▪ Any organisation dismissing that vision as science-fiction had better look out.
▪ But Walter is a poor shade of what we have had better done.
▪ He thought he had better reread that part of the book.
▪ I did not want to go, but Dana said we had better do as they asked.
▪ I realized I had better hustle him out of there before he was asked about his acting career.
▪ In April 1911, he seemingly had better luck.
▪ They told Weary that he and Billy had better find somebody to surrender to.
half a loaf (is better than none)
have a (good) head for figures/facts/business etc
have a (good) nose for sth
▪ He must have a nose for money better than any hound for any fox.
▪ I have a nose for one thing.
have a (good) root round
have a (good) run for your money
have a good/fine/thick etc head of hair
have a high/low/good/bad etc opinion of sb/sth
▪ All I can say to that is that I have a higher opinion of your judgement than he has.
▪ He did not, in any case, have a high opinion of Santayana - an animus which Santayana reciprocated towards Eliot.
▪ Politicians generally have a low opinion of the press, just as the press generally has a low opinion of lawmakers.
▪ She does not seem to have a high opinion of married life.
have an eye/a good eye for sth
▪ Greene has an eye for detail.
▪ Confidence men always have an eye for extra exits.
▪ She says women have an eye for minutiae, they see the curtain hasn't been drawn or the untied shoelace.
▪ They also have an eye for a catchy phrase.
have seen better days
▪ Ms. Davis's car had certainly seen better days.
▪ Virginia's car had definitely seen better days.
▪ We are working at Nanking University, in rather cramped and primitive conditions, for the buildings have seen better days.
have/get the goods on sb
▪ The two detectives went undercover to get the goods on the Parducci family.
▪ It is get the goods on him.
he/she had a good innings
hotter/colder/better etc than ever
▪ And that incentive was increased when they got personal recognition and satisfaction from doing it better than ever before.
▪ He says the new films are better than ever.
▪ Organised by the Alton and District Arts Council, the week promises to be better than ever.
▪ The moviemaking machine that Walt Disney created sixty years ago is working better than ever today.
▪ The National Health Service is now better than ever.
▪ The opportunities now are better than ever.
▪ This year's attractions are bigger and better than ever, with events running from Tuesday to Saturday.
▪ Watermen talked about their catches so far this year, which they said have been better than ever.
if you know what's good for you
in (good) trim
▪ All that time I've kept myself in trim.
▪ Fruit bushes, roses and other plants can be kept in trim with ease, keeping your garden tidy all year round.
▪ I need to keep my voice in trim since I still perform as a narrator.
▪ It is, and keeping yourself in trim is very important when you're not working.
▪ The 6, 000 middle-grade employees who work there are technically outstanding and in good trim.
▪ To this day Souness is obsessed with fitness, healthy dieting, pectoral pride and keeping his body in trim.
▪ You get in trim, he gets to drink more turpentine, and everybody's happy.
in a good/an ill/a bad humour
in fine/good fettle
▪ When I visited Mahatma Gandhi again at the end of June, 1946, he was in fine fettle.
in good nick/in bad nick etc
in good/bad/poor etc shape
▪ But if I was in better shape, I'd be sitting up there.
▪ He could still be in good shape.
▪ He said Texpool is in good shape now.
▪ If only he could tell them he was all right, in good shape, considering ....
▪ This saw the band in good shape, retaining their traditions of twisted passions and bleak emotional narratives.
▪ This year, however, Dole appears in good shape in both locations.
▪ Uptown was still in bad shape.
▪ We found he was in good shape, but had no food in his intestines.
in good/poor etc repair
▪ Almost 40% of unfit properties, and 35% of properties in poor repair, were occupied by people aged 60 and over.
▪ Drains: A properly constructed system, in good repair, does not normally require cleaning.
▪ It was the only door on Dreadnought which could be considered in good repair.
▪ Or Arthur McAlister; who had taken the responsibility of having their lawn mowed and keeping the house in good repair.
▪ Specific buildings, notably those on Castle Hill, including the cathedral and palaces, are restored and in good repair.
▪ The fences on either side of the track were in poor repair and in April 1965 children were seen on the line.
▪ The gallery is a very fine example and in good repair.
▪ The power station was in poor repair, and Smith set about installing new insulators and restoring good practice.
in your own (good) time
▪ Before, they used to count their breaks in the twelve hours, now their breaks are in their own time.
▪ Blue Mooney, a living legend in his own time.
▪ He should take his own route in his own time and avoid the tendency to see through others' eyes.
▪ Let me tell them myself, in my own time.
▪ Nurses in training who work hard physically, study in their own time and have numerous personal commitments are under pressure.
▪ The recognition that exceptional holiness and spirituality continue to manifest themselves in our own time is also a central pentecostal conviction.
▪ There were realistic hopes for Surrey as Mark Butcher and Stewart appeared to be building a stand in their own time.
▪ You would be healthy in your own time.
it does your heart good to see/hear sth
it is better/it would be better
it's a good thing (that)
▪ But it's a good thing it happened now...
▪ I decide it's a good thing that I don't see Sean try to capture Ian's incandescent dance.
▪ I think it's a good thing.
▪ So it's a good thing to get one's mind off in one's spare time.
▪ Still, it's a good thing from the hunt's point of view that new blood is coming along, surely?
it's an ill wind (that blows nobody any good)
jolly good!
just as good/bad/big etc
▪ And you men and half of Terminus as well are just as bad.
▪ At home it was just as bad.
▪ I would say the top teams are just as good, but the lesser teams have caught up a little bit.
▪ It was just as good a place as any to get away from Julius for a while.
▪ Now Allan Ahlberg has written two more stories about the same skeletons, and they're just as good.
▪ Or something else, just as bad, could happen.
▪ People accuse the whites of being prejudiced, but blacks can be just as bad.
▪ Virginia says sending them to a sister training program it has established at nearby Mary Baldwin College is just as good.
keep perfect/good etc time
▪ But like a single gear in a mechanical clock, timeless can not keep good time all by itself.
▪ Nothing unusual - clocks behaving as before, keeping good time and continuing to emit their light beams.
▪ Running in a clump through a crowded station, like the Bash Street Kids, keeping perfect time with chant and clap.
kiss sth better
know better
▪ Parents should know better than their children, but they don't always necessarily do.
▪ The man said it was an 18 carat diamond, but Dina knew better.
▪ But there were some rules he knew better than she ever would.
▪ Even people who should know better have ended up paying a price for denying what they are feeling.
▪ Guess he should have known better.
▪ Now you know better, thass all.
▪ Then I would have known better.
▪ Time you knew better, young lady.
▪ Yamazaki seems unconcerned by the fact that he's taking on problems that have defeated many who should have known better.
let the good times roll
light years ahead/better etc than sth
like new/as good as new
make a good/bad fist of sth
make good time
▪ Once we got on the freeway, we made good time.
▪ After the ferry incident, we make good time.
▪ But DeLatorre, leading the convoy, made better time than he expected.
▪ I made good time back over the motorway.
▪ I was no weight, we made good time.
▪ The weather was not too promising, but we made good time and were soon at the first terrace.
▪ They made good time thereafter, considering the darkness, encountering no problems.
▪ We had made good time and had to ease speed to avoid closing the island in darkness.
▪ We were making good time through the foothills.
make the best of sth
▪ It's not going to be fun, but we might as well make the best of it.
▪ A good travel partner laughs and makes the best of it.
▪ For the most part, however, he made the best of contemporary information.
▪ In these circumstances one makes the best of limited information.
▪ Jack made the best of his bad luck at being captured and found plenty to occupy his time.
▪ One has to make the best of a situation, after all.
▪ When Miihlenberg learned that it was indeed a free country, he made the best of things.
▪ Yet despite her palpable alienation from suburban stay-at-home motherhood, she is determined to make the best of it.
man's best friend
miles older/better/too difficult etc
my (good) man
▪ As for fitzAlan ... did you think killing three of my men would go unnoticed?
▪ But my man fires his gun.
▪ But was it necessary to kill my men in cold blood?
▪ Hey Timmy, how are you, my man?
▪ I called my men to drive them back.
▪ I decided like a good captain to remain with my men.
▪ I heard my men going after him with their guns - and then everything went black.
no better
▪ Caffeine received no better press in the twentieth century.
▪ Conditions were no better in the cities.
▪ Experts agree that in reality, the company looked after the workforce no better than most other employers of that time.
▪ Havvie Blaine, for all his name and lineage, was no better than Terry Rourke.
▪ If you turned to domestic politics, the news was no better.
▪ In fact, it was no better and no worse than other Air Force major commands.
▪ Nearly a decade later, our educational system was no better off than it had been when the commission issued its report.
▪ The problem with network computers is that they are no better than the networks they are connected to.
no news is good news
▪ I always say, no news is good news.
none the worse/better etc (for sth)
▪ Although the animal glowed rosy-pink, it appeared none the worse for its ordeal.
▪ I recovered, my mouth none the worse for it, after all.
▪ Peter's little pet was clearly none the worse for its time in the underworld.
not half as/so good/interesting etc (as sb/sth)
not in (all/good) conscience
▪ And apologists for Labour's refusal to organise in Northern Ireland can not in all conscience describe themselves as democrats.
▪ I have a hard time separating one statement resulting from torture from another and I can not in good conscience do so.
▪ Yet as Dunkers they could not in conscience support the use of force or pay disrespect to the Crown.
not know any better
▪ Before Sinai, one could argue, the people had the excuse of not knowing any better.
not so big/good/bad etc
▪ But so happen, one little boy not so good.
▪ But it's not so bad down here.
▪ Compared to how I feel, how I look is not so bad.
▪ It is not so good at knowing how to do it.
▪ My tongue not so good anyway.
▪ She began to think that perhaps village life was not so bad.
▪ Some years it was bad, other years not so bad.
▪ When he was hot, he was hot, but for me the whole thing was not so good.
not very good/happy/far etc
▪ Are you - very happy, fairly happy, not very happy, or not happy at all?
▪ Governments are not very good at tinkering.
▪ He says his technique is not very good.
▪ Most humans are not very good at keeping secrets.
▪ My breathing was not very good at all.
▪ Other kids were not very good either, and we all inadvertently inhaled the pool again and again.
▪ Paul is not very good at pushing it yet.
▪ Relations with Admiral Boyd of the Joint Chiefs were not very good either.
nothing better
▪ Analysts in Harare believe Mr Mugabe would like nothing better than the chance to declare a nationwide state of emergency.
▪ For sleeping there is nothing better than cotton.
▪ He had nothing better to do.
▪ I should have remembered: our new management likes nothing better than doing things on the cheap.
▪ Learn to tie it and you will realise there is nothing better.
▪ Rowland moves outside the establishment - in fact, he likes nothing better than upsetting it.
▪ The reporters, oddly enough, just happen to be sitting there in the line of fire with nothing better to do.
▪ With nothing better to do, Billy shuffled in their direction.
one good turn deserves another
pay good money for sth
▪ I paid good money for that sofa, so it should last.
▪ And we'd say, we're paying good money for this.
▪ Consumer information is an asset which marketers are prepared to pay good money for.
▪ I paid good money for that, I said, can't I just have a last go on it?
▪ I paid good money for this vehicle and I won't have the likes of you doing what you're doing!
▪ It hardly surprised him that people were not too keen on paying good money for that.
▪ Why pay good money for the same effect?
▪ Women would pay good money for a glimpse of his guardsman's helmet.
personal best
▪ But I still ran 20.51 seconds for a personal best, so I was happy.
▪ Conrad Allen came up trumps again, finishing fourth in the boys 800 metres in a personal best 2 mins. 22.
▪ Fredericks' 19. 68 was 0. 14 seconds lower than his personal best.
▪ His personal best before this season was 10. 08.
▪ I next ran at Oslo where I set a personal best for 200 metres, so that was encouraging.
▪ Ron and I take each year as it comes and we always plan for me to run a personal best every season.
▪ Sammy also collected a 50 freestyle bronze with 31.44-a personal best along with her 43.95 in the 50 breaststroke.
▪ That means that their motives are clean and their actions represent their personal best.
put in a (good) word for sb
▪ I'll put in a good word for you with the management.
▪ He put in a good word for him at meetings of the Jockey Club.
▪ Only those who keep a dialogue going will be able to put in a word for persons in need of intercession.
put sth to (good) use
▪ I'd like a job where I could put my degree in languages to good use.
▪ But I am putting it to use.
▪ How do you put it to use in daily practice?
▪ It does not seem regressive to put it to use in the service of gay survival as well.
▪ Many large and medium size companies, government departments and Local authorities are putting Dataease to use somewhere within their organisations.
▪ Much of ecology is about this process: finding energy; putting it to use.
▪ The time has come to put your skills to use by developing a more useful and complex object orientated program.
▪ The trouble is we never stop long enough to put them to good use.
▪ Throughout the 1980s, researchers and company executives struggled with how to put Al to use.
put up a good fight
put up a good/poor etc show
▪ He might have put up a good show the other day, but that was because he was frightened.
▪ She put up a better show in the 1980s.
put/turn sth to good account
▪ The extra time was turned to good account.
quite a few/a good few/not a few
sb had better/best do sth
sb is (great/good) fun
▪ But it is fun for me to look up from my Sunday paper and watch them try to cope.
▪ Chasing and racing is fun for a time but you end up yearning for something different.
▪ In beautifully landscaped settings, this unique zoo is great fun for all the family.
▪ It is fun to have competitions to see who can sleep their yo-yo longer.
▪ Much of the film is fun, but a lot is confusing.
▪ Some of this is great fun, but it pulls the production two ways, blunting its focus.
▪ This is fun, unfussy, honest fare that calls for a glass of cold beer.
▪ This is just a whim but it is great fun.
sb is a (good) laugh
▪ Across the room, a table of young men in fitted shirts is laughing heartily and splashing out wine.
▪ Dennis is laughing, head held back.
▪ Her head is thrown back, and she is laughing.
▪ I can't understand what is said, but one of the technicians is laughing.
▪ I notice Harding is collapsed beside McMurphy and is laughs ing too.
▪ The banter between us is a laugh.
▪ What you want to do is laugh, but everyone is afraid to laugh.
sb knows best
sb's good offices/the good offices of sb
send your love/regards/best wishes etc
▪ He sends his best wishes to everybody at home.
▪ Mr Mason sends his best wishes for the success of the event.
show sb in a good/bad etc light
show sth to (good/great) advantage
▪ He has joined to a fine genius all that can set him off and show him to advantage.
▪ It may be that the product would be shown off to best advantage in use.
so far so good
▪ "How's your new job?" "So far so good."
so much the better
▪ If it makes illegal drug use even more difficult, so much the better.
▪ You can use dried parsley, but if you have fresh, so much the better.
▪ And if I am Peter, so much the better.
▪ And if that can change things, so much the better Female speaker He's the little man having a kick.
▪ But if I can manage with fewer trips to the store, so much the better.
▪ If love eventually grows, so much the better.
▪ If they are alive so much the better, but they can be persuaded to take dead ones.
▪ If they can fit in with the room's general style, so much the better.
▪ If we can improve the team another way, so much the better.
▪ So a single fluorescent tube will be adequate, and if you have used floating plants, so much the better.
stand/serve/hold sb in good stead
▪ As a small boy, I devised my own set of cartoon animals, and they now stood me in good stead.
▪ But her beloved circus may have served her in better stead than regular outings to, say, the ballet.
▪ Despite his lack of political experience, Clouthier's 20-year leadership of business organisations stood him in good stead.
▪ Insomnia would stand him in good stead in this expanse of knee-high cover.
▪ Now we had moved on to bigger and better things, this predictability still stood us in good stead.
▪ These shoes had stood him in good stead.
▪ This habit of work, which is by now natural to me, has stood me in good stead.
▪ Those contacts, he says, still serve him in good stead today.
take sth in good part
that's a good girl/that's a clever dog etc
that's better
▪ Come on, give me a hug. There, that's better, isn't it?
▪ Try keeping your arm straight when you hit the ball. That's better!
▪ But that's better than none.
▪ She had half drained her mug when she said, ` Ah, that's better!
▪ So let's try: That's better. the pages now contain both words.
▪ Surely that's better than fading away in a hospital bed somewhere?
▪ That's better, the waist is accentuated now.
▪ Well, that's better than finding half a worm!
that's/it's all well and good
▪ If that helps the government keep up with their debt repayments, that's all well and good.
the (good ol') U.S. of A.
the Good Book
the best
▪ I chose a Japanese camera because I wanted to have the best.
▪ She's the best of the new young writers.
▪ She was the best in her class at college.
▪ When it comes to cancer research, Professor Williams is probably the best in her field.
the best medicine
▪ Laughter is the best medicine.
▪ A former teacher at Longlands College, Middlesbrough, Pat always believes in laughter as the best medicine for loneliness.
▪ Besides, it is the best medicine.
▪ Having Louella come and live with me will be the best medicine in the world.
▪ Recovery is the best medicine for the market, but it must be sustainable.
the best of a bad lot/bunch
the best of both worlds
▪ Job-sharing gives me the best of both worlds - I can be with my children and keep my professional status.
▪ All in all, a great place to enjoy the best of both worlds.
▪ An arrangement like this can often be the best of both worlds.
▪ And taking into account the prices of both the ME-6 and ME-10 they really are the best of both worlds.
▪ But if the eye can remain open without being seen, then the prey has the best of both worlds.
▪ Supporters say this type of extended day is the best of both worlds.
▪ This is the best of both worlds.
▪ Used in conjunction with a moisturising conditioner, it will give your lank locks the best of both worlds.
▪ You get the best of both worlds in a job like this: use your strong back and your agile mind.
the best of sth
▪ At the best of times, the industry is very competitive, but this is not the best of times.
▪ But Black Mountain was often not the best of all possible worlds.
▪ But they clearly were not the best of their time, and that should be the No. 1 voting criterion.
▪ He is the first to admit that he was not the best of patients.
▪ Obviously, not the best of plans.
▪ Seb was not the best of patients.
the best/better part of sth
▪ Almost any child will assert that recess is the best part of the school day.
▪ Another child makes the family wretched with his crying for the better part of an hour.
▪ Converse drank the better part of the rum.
▪ For the better part of the next forty years they were to be the decisive restraints.
▪ I spent the better part of my time moping around the house, too dejected to think about practicing my stunts.
▪ It is not widely taught or particularly popular be-cause it takes the better part of a lifetime to master.
▪ This was it, the confrontation-point which he had been dreading for the best part of a week.
the best/biggest etc ... of all time
▪ And seeing as it was my brainchild, would you not say it was possibly the best commercial of all time?
▪ Surely the biggest robbery of all time was the $ 900m that the Dome stole from lottery funds?
▪ That's the biggest understatement of all time!
▪ You could call that round the biggest fluke of all time....
the best/biggest etc ... this side of sth
the best/biggest/fastest etc possible
▪ Any successful entrepreneurial venture starts with making sure that the entrepreneur is in the best possible mental and physical health.
▪ But the psychologist was never confident that he had obtained the best possible scores from Nelson.
▪ For a moment, I imagined the best possible to the worst possible reply.
▪ Obviously, the purpose is to ensure that the best possible pensions arrangements are reached.
▪ That way it will have the best possible start in life.
▪ The additional value farmers receive is the best possible free advice on both inputs and marketing.
▪ The horrifying news sent the Ciprianos on a nationwide search to find the best possible treatment for their daughter.
▪ This at once enhances the contribution which the court or parents can make towards reaching the best possible decision in all the circumstances.
the best/greatest thing since sliced bread
▪ Now, I didn't get it because I was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
the best/pick of the bunch
▪ But me third was the best of the bunch.
▪ Either they are one of the best of the bunch at home, or they make their name abroad.
▪ Even these modest broadcasts show only the best of the bunch.
▪ He may be the best of the bunch.
▪ It's also the best of the bunch for multi-processing, he says.
▪ Nevertheless as an introduction it is the best of the bunch.
▪ Woolwich is the best of the bunch, trading at a multiple to future earnings of 10.3.
the better
the biggest/best/nicest etc sth going
▪ A few hundred metres off-shore we congregate so that Tor can explain the best way of going ashore.
▪ Are the best bargains going to petrol buyers?
▪ But in those years, they were always the team with the best record going into the playoffs.
▪ Its got to be the best ticket office going.
▪ Perhaps the biggest thing going was the harp played by JoAnn Turovsky, sounding positively, well, huge.
▪ There was a wide range of scores with the best individual score going to George McCallum of Douglas Reyburn with 37 points.
▪ This, so I was led to believe, was the best it was going to get.
▪ What is the best way of going forward? - Ideas from within I hear you say!
the common good
▪ Drunk-driving laws were made for the common good.
▪ The government creates laws for the common good.
the forces of good/evil etc
▪ At the core of Hampden Babylon is a titanic struggle between the forces of good and evil.
▪ It could fight the forces of evil.
▪ It is an age-old heresy to see the world as a battleground between the forces of good and evil.
▪ It will be a struggle between your hero and whatever associates he may have and the forces of evil opposed to him.
▪ Now he's restating his submission to the Bara Bhai and the forces of good.
▪ Television is therefore seen to be taking the moral high ground, the side of the punter against the forces of evil.
the good old days/the bad old days
the great and the good
the greater good
▪ For the greater good of the parish or because he knew something?
▪ This, I learned, was standard practice when a customer was about to be sacrificed for the greater good of Salomon.
the next best thing
▪ If I can't be home for Christmas, this is the next best thing.
▪ He can't ask them, so he is doing the next best thing.
▪ I guess they figured calling their game Arnie was the next best thing to having a blockbusting movie title.
▪ It is the next best thing to crossing the deserts of the world oneself.
▪ The new switch is the next best thing we could do to moving.
▪ The room is the next best thing to being outside.
▪ Video may seem like the next best thing to being there, but electronically mediated interactions are different from real-life meetings.
▪ We do, however, have the next best thing: a place to go for more information.
▪ We went to the bookshelves to find the next best thing.
the next best thing
▪ He can't ask them, so he is doing the next best thing.
▪ I guess they figured calling their game Arnie was the next best thing to having a blockbusting movie title.
▪ It is the next best thing to crossing the deserts of the world oneself.
▪ The new switch is the next best thing we could do to moving.
▪ The room is the next best thing to being outside.
▪ Video may seem like the next best thing to being there, but electronically mediated interactions are different from real-life meetings.
▪ We do, however, have the next best thing: a place to go for more information.
▪ We went to the bookshelves to find the next best thing.
the powers of good/evil/darkness
▪ May we seek to develop the powers of good that lie within us.
▪ So close to the powers of evil she must have lived that she still breathed more freely in their air.
the sooner ( ... ) the better
▪ The sooner we get these bills paid off, the better.
▪ They knew they had to leave town, and the sooner the better.
the sooner the better/the bigger the better etc
there's a good boy/clever dog etc
think better of it
▪ She felt like slapping him in the face, but thought better of it.
▪ But he thought better of it and slowly breathed out the air through his nose.
▪ But then she thought better of it.
▪ Cowher said later he momentarily contemplated tackling Hudson, but thought better of it.
▪ He thought better of it, and despite a case of galloping homesickness, decided not to go home at all.
▪ He could have forced the window in time, anyone could, but he seemed suddenly to think better of it.
▪ He passed Miguel the joint but Miguel thought better of it.
▪ Then he thought better of it.
think the best/worst of sb
▪ Ellie's the type of person that always thinks the best of people.
▪ He thought the worst of Mitch and clearly thought that left to herself she would ring London at once.
▪ I was so ready to think the worst of him, she wailed inwardly.
▪ My immediate reaction, whether it be a man or a woman, is to think the worst of them.
▪ The prospect of Guy leaving, thinking the worst of her, was unbearable.
▪ Why should you think the worst of me?
▪ You always think the worst of me.
to good/great/no etc effect
▪ And the book eschews alphabetical order in favour of thematic logic - to good effect.
▪ Any ball direct to deane was usually flicked on to no effect.
▪ But nobody demonized the opposition to greater effect than did Clinton strategist James Carville during the 1992 presidential campaign.
▪ Jones has turned the Trust's restrictions on the use of agrochemicals to good effect.
▪ The bi-colour l.e.d. can utilise a transparent lens-clip to good effect.
▪ The task of management is to use these to greatest effect.
▪ The threefold model of church growth of cell, congregation and celebration works at Ichthus to great effect.
▪ Video is a relatively new medium for in-house communications and is used by some companies to great effect.
to the best of your ability
▪ All the children competed and performed to the best of their ability.
▪ I have always done my work to the best of my ability.
to the best of your knowledge/belief/ability etc
too clever/rich/good etc by half
▪ The arithmetic can not be faulted - and may well be judged too clever by half.
too nice/clever etc for your own good
▪ According to her, he was too clever for his own good.
▪ That Tom was too nice for his own good.
▪ They were both too nice for their own good.
▪ You might be just a wee bit too clever for your own good now.
trump/best/strongest card
▪ And perhaps it was time to play the trump card up his sleeve.
▪ In the struggle for development, every economy has certain advantages or trump cards.
▪ Parents must recognize that if a child does not want to do homework, the child holds the trump card.
▪ That night, though, our sincerity was our trump card.
▪ That was why Gorbachev wanted to negotiate-and that is why, in my opinion, President Reagan was holding the trump card.
▪ The citizens of Hebron, by contrast, hold all the trump cards.
▪ This was one of the trump cards of News International in its dispute with the print workers in 1986-87.
▪ We had beaten him, but he played a final trump card.
two heads are better than one
use/turn sth to your/good advantage
▪ First and foremost, Borland have taken the Windows interface and used it to good advantage.
▪ Homeloans are one of the cheapest ways of borrowing money - find out how to use them to your advantage.
▪ If you would like to reassess your life and learn how to use stress to your advantage, come along.
▪ Parents may feel suspicious of these, or resentful, and will need help in using them to best advantage.
▪ Professionals need to be aware of such things and use them to good advantage.
vote sth a success/the best etc
▪ But they will be in costume, and all party goers will have a chance to vote on the best disguise.
▪ They also voted the Cappuccino the best sub-£20,000 sports car in the show.
while the going's good
▪ Let's get out while the going's good.
wish sb (the best of) luck
▪ But had we sat down with her, we would have wished her good luck.
▪ Everyone wished each other good luck and Mould, Matron and Endill headed off to the library.
▪ I wish him luck and hope that after a couple of years he is transferred back!
▪ James wished me good luck and dashed off home.
▪ Lineker and Paul Gascoigne have both been in touch with Spurs to wish them good luck for the new season.
▪ She wishes me luck, opens the door to the bathroom, and disappears into a cloud of steam.
▪ Well, I wish you luck.
▪ Yet at the start of the day both sides had wished each other luck.
with (a) good/bad grace
▪ Admit temporary defeat with good grace, retreat, reconsider and wait.
▪ But he tucked his manuscript away with a good grace.
▪ He threw himself with good grace into everything, even this.
▪ Life is very crude, and bonnie Princes Street a dream, but we soldier on with a good grace.
▪ Mr Macmillan was, according to colleagues, prepared to give way with good grace when he could not carry the Cabinet.
▪ Sport only thrives if both parties play by the rules, and accept the results with good grace.
▪ They accept his habitual interruptions with good grace.
▪ This must have been irksome for them, but Mrs Webster accepted it as her war work with good grace.
with the best of intentions/for the best of reasons
with the best will in the world
▪ And, David, with the best will in the world, you can't teach him.
▪ Even with the best will in the world, we could not do it.
withdraw/retreat in good order
worldly goods/possessions
▪ A great number of emigres arrived daily from the mainland, left homeless and often destitute of all worldly possessions.
▪ But he bought no worldly goods.
▪ He loses all his worldly goods because a law suit is not decided in his favor.
▪ My worldly goods, my total possessions.
▪ Returned that same evening to Brigade Headquarters to collect my rucksack containing all my worldly possessions and, of course, the bagpipes.
▪ They tear our houses down, burn up our worldly possessions, and sometimes even kill us.
▪ We generally promise each other all our worldly goods.
▪ Why, of course you must leave all your worldly goods to him.
would you be good/kind enough to do sth?
you'd better believe it!
▪ "Do they make money on them?" "You'd better believe it!"
your Sunday best
your Sunday best
your best bet
▪ For getting around the city centre, a bicycle's your best bet.
▪ We decided that our best bet was to leave him where he was and go and get help.
▪ Well, your best bet would be to go back to Highway 218 and turn left.
your best bib and tucker
your better half/other half
your good deed for the day
your guess is as good as mine
▪ "When's the next bus coming?" "Your guess is as good as mine."
▪ "Who do you think will win the World Cup?" "Your guess is as good as mine."
your/her/my etc Sunday best
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Everyone has a choice between good and evil.
▪ I just can't see any good in these people at all.
▪ In spite of his rudeness, there's a lot of good in him.
▪ the battle between good and evil
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Do you agree with those who contend that capitalism is so individualistic that it fails to protect the collective good?
▪ I can not help feeling that any good done might have been cancelled out by oil fires in the Gulf.
III.adverbPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
good/bad timekeeper
(Good) Lord!/Oh Lord!
▪ Good Lord, Tom! What are you doing?
(a) fat lot of good/use
▪ A fat lot of good it did me!
▪ Frederick Bissett was a member of the Institute of Professional Scientists, and a fat lot of good that did him.
▪ Getting the pound down was what Labour governments did with metronomic regularity. Fat lot of good it did them.
(get) a bigger/better etc bang for your buck
(jolly) good show
▪ Although his forecasts have been close in the past, this is his best showing.
▪ And he may have acquired an added incentive for wanting to make a good showing.
▪ It's the best show they've got.
▪ Just how good shows in the figures.
▪ The royals will try to shrug off their problems and put on a good show for Margaret.
(just) that little bit better/easier etc
▪ We have put together a few of the most popular itineraries to help make your choice that little bit easier.
(that's a) good question!
▪ "Does the program allow you to do that?" "That's a good question - I don't know."
God/oh (my) God/good God (almighty)
God/oh (my) God/good God/God almighty
I couldn't wish for a nicer/better etc ...
I have it on good authority
▪ I have it on good authority that the school board wants to fire the principal.
I must/I'd better be getting along
I'd better mosey along/be moseying along
I/you can't/couldn't ask for a better sth
a (damn/darned/darn) sight more/better etc
▪ Actually, a damn sight more than from that stiff gherkin Smott.
▪ I prefer my women a little older and a damn sight more sober.
▪ If he listened to Anthony Scrivener, he would be a darned sight better.
▪ Perhaps not up there with Wilburforce but a damn sight more daring than anything Diana ever did!
▪ The Galapagos finch was a darn sight more valuable than Sandra Willmot.
▪ We were a darned sight better than them.
a (good) catch
▪ A man in a uniform was a good catch in these parts.
▪ And keep medicines up high, also with a catch on the cupboard.
▪ He caught 89 passes last year, but he averaged just 7. 7 yards a catch.
▪ He went to it at once, looking for a catch, a way of releasing it, but there was nothing.
▪ Since a doctor or a lawyer is a good catch, he can attract a woman whose family is wealthy.
▪ The law has a catch, however.
▪ There is a catch, however!
▪ Within minutes, Honaker felt the telltale movement of a catch moving up the tube.
a damn sight more/better etc
▪ Actually, a damn sight more than from that stiff gherkin Smott.
▪ I prefer my women a little older and a damn sight more sober.
▪ Perhaps not up there with Wilburforce but a damn sight more daring than anything Diana ever did!
a darn sight better/harder etc
a difficult/hard/good etc one
▪ But what is temperament, and how do we define what is a good one?
▪ I knew there was no sense in trying to do a better one.
▪ Maybe it was a crackpot theory, but it was a good one.
▪ Nevertheless, it was always clear that Schmidt's third term in office would prove a difficult one.
▪ Payno was gleeful, for his idea was a good one.
▪ The belief that hierarchical organizational structure makes for good business is a difficult one to give up.
▪ The Berlin Philharmonic as it exists today may be a happier orchestra, but it is in no way a better one.
▪ Then I became a lead project manager and, I have to say, I was a good one.
a fast/good/long etc ball
▪ A bit like Dorigo ie he can cross a good ball when necessary.
▪ Anyway he is 24, is a good ball winner and throws himself around a bit.
▪ Jackson will supplant Charlie Ward as the starting point guard, giving the team a better ball distributor.
▪ Leeds do play a lot of football, but they hit a long ball as well.
▪ Phillips seized on a long ball and found himself with only Manninger to beat.
▪ Pow, Janir hit a long ball into the blackberry bushes beside the creek.
▪ Root threw me a fast ball.
a good night's sleep
▪ All you need is a good night's sleep.
▪ Night before 1 Try to ensure a good night's sleep. 2 Alleviate any anxiety if possible.
a good old sth
▪ We had a good old time at the reunion.
▪ But even marriage to a good old boy has not opened all arms to Fonda.
▪ He was a good old man, and I still miss him.
▪ He was a good old mule.
▪ If you need thrills, excitement and a good old dose of adrenalin, then the Ducati is a top option.
▪ It was high time, he intimated, that he and old Barney got together for a good old chinwag.
▪ One of these days Sam is going to come up against a good old time proper door.
▪ Our only hope is a good old winter storm over the Christmas holiday.
a good read
▪ It's not great literature, but it's a good read.
▪ Barnes and Hughes for a good read, Levin ton for the examinations.
▪ He seems to have a good read on his players and good rapport with them.
▪ I just sit and have a good read until they are done.
▪ It is certainly worth a good read, and I can recommend it to anyone interested in this subject.
▪ Journal in double triumph Roy Castle takes a break from record-breaking and relaxes with a good read.
▪ Le Carre can always be counted on to deliver a good read.
▪ Taken as a good read, this is an excellent book.
a good screw
a good sport
▪ I don't like playing with him - he's not a very good sport.
▪ All in all, Fred was a good sport and said he enjoyed the meal.
▪ But she was such a good sport about it.
a good/bad etc shot
▪ But Nogai's a good shot.
▪ Ed Kelley was a good shot.
▪ He made a good shot from there and holed a three-foot putt for a quadruple-bogey eight.
▪ If I hit a bad shot, I try to minimize its effect.
▪ Klingler made it clear at the end of 1996 that he wanted a better shot at moving up the depth chart.
▪ That much was the least expected of a hunter who had made a bad shot.
▪ They have a better shot at claiming the governorship.
▪ Tom played a bad shot out of the bunker, and he does no more than charge straight at this press guy.
a good/bad judge of sth
▪ Sarah's not a very good judge of character.
▪ And for all his imagination, he was not a good judge of character on limited acquaintance.
▪ But Anya's a better judge of character than she used to be, back in the old homeland.
▪ He's also a good judge of a quick run.
▪ He was a good judge of character, hated hypocrisy, and had no time for conceit.
▪ I didn't protest as it was his fence officially, and he was supposed to be a good judge of torque.
▪ It was not that he was too sure of himself simply that he was a good judge of the possible.
▪ Munnings, he told reporters, was a better judge of horses than paintings.
a good/large part of sth
▪ Married couples make up a large part of the church's congregation.
▪ Checheno-Ingushetia was abolished, and a large part of the Ingushi lands had been ceded to North Ossetia and repopulated by Ossetes.
▪ Had Therese spent a large part of her salary on a dress she would never wear again?
▪ His energies were never enormous, but limited though they were, he used a large part of them outside the business.
▪ Many young people are now attracted to the idea of producing a large part of their own food.
▪ So did a large part of the local population, including Morag Paterson.
▪ So that a large part of every day is not determined by thought at all, it more or less just happens because of habit.
▪ Social services take up a large part of the council budget.
▪ Ten black men took a sledge-hammer to the work, and knocked off a large part of his face.
a good/safe bet
▪ The earrings seemed like a good bet for a birthday present.
▪ Cohen says companies like PictureTel have improved transmission quality, making video conferencing a better bet than in years past.
▪ Even if you spend more and risk recurring sticker shock, the place is a good bet to tranquilize you.
▪ It was always a safe bet, of course, that Hillsborough would be just about the least dangerous place in Britain yesterday.
▪ Only a few months ago he had looked like a good bet.
▪ Still, if a well-equipped sporty car is in your heart, the fifth-generation Prelude probably is a good bet.
▪ That makes them a good bet if you travel with a laptop computer.
▪ The supermodels are a safe bet and, in times of recession, that is what matters.
a good/sympathetic listener
▪ And apart from the information you get, being a good listener helps the other side to relax and have confidence in you.
▪ Be a good listener and do not demand that children reveal all that they do or think.
▪ In the Collins family, Kevin was not actually told stories about how he, too, was a good listener.
▪ It will give you the opportunity to discuss your problems with a sympathetic listener.
▪ Lady Thatcher never drew breath, while John Major was a good listener.
▪ People liked her because she was steady, sensible, a good listener.
▪ Seek not only to be understood but to understand-be a good listener.
▪ Zach said he was a good listener and that he was a sensitive being.
a great/good deal
▪ A single incident suggests a great deal about Hennepinhis prudery, his belligerence, his sensitivity.
▪ In the last ten years, we have learned a great deal more about this interplay.
▪ Neither girl took a great deal of interest in me.
▪ One particular candidate responding to the survey went to a great deal of trouble to commit his decidedly anti-headhunting views to paper.
▪ She spoke a great deal about poetry.
▪ Teachers also received a great deal of support and help from both popular organizations and from communities to ease their situation.
▪ The movement of earthworms throughout layers can also cause a great deal of disruption, blurring the divisions.
▪ Very frequently, speechwriters are recruited from the ranks of journalism, which accounts for a great deal.
a happy/good hunting ground (for sth)
▪ I pass up a roadside rest area, a happy hunting ground for new cars and ready cash.
▪ In the early years of this century, many a collector found Madeira a happy hunting ground.
▪ Scandinavia was a happy hunting ground for him and he did the same for Nicolai Gedda.
a nod's as good as a wink
a rattling good yarn/story/read
▪ On one level, it is vastly entertaining and a rattling good read.
▪ We bet the Weatherfield Advertiser was a rattling good read under Ken's editorship.
all in good time
▪ But don't fret, you shall have a puppy all in good time.
all the best
▪ Tell him I said goodbye and wish him all the best.
▪ A facility that's said to represent all the best in car manufacturing worldwide.
▪ He wanted to give it all the best that was in him, of which he had more than he needed.
▪ In fact they are regularly seen around all the best joints.
▪ Maybe it was true that the Devil got all the best lines.
▪ On the surface, at least, Bonita Vista has all the best qualities of a racially diverse campus.
▪ The movement has got all the best stories, even if it's a little short on facts.
▪ They came, all the best and noblest, to join the company.
▪ They still kept almost all the best in-state players.
all the better/easier/more etc
▪ He offsets Roberts' operatic evil with a performance that commands all the more notice for its minimalism.
▪ His job was made all the more easier by drivers who hadn't bothered to take measures to stop people like him.
▪ If there is some meat left on the bones, all the better.
▪ It makes it all the more opportune.
▪ Superb defence by Karpov, all the more praiseworthy in that he was now in desperate time trouble.
▪ The dispute was all the more bitter because a prize was at stake.
▪ The inadequacy and treachery of the old leaderships of the working class have made the need all the more imperative.
▪ Weather experts say it was a relatively dry winter which makes the water recovery all the more remarkable.
appeal to sb's better nature/sense of justice etc
as best you can
▪ I'll deal with the problem as best I can.
▪ I cleaned the car up as best I could, but it still looked a mess.
▪ We'll have to manage as best we can without you.
▪ And her reaction to her illness was, as best I can glean, fraught with fear, discouragement, and depression.
▪ I would therefore be grateful if you could refer back to the letter I wrote and respond as best you can.
▪ It is therefore necessary to locate as best we can the final resting place or incidence of the major types of taxes.
▪ Only a proportion of them are successful and the rest must struggle as best they can to obtain mates.
▪ Our culture has no Obon ready-made, but we are filling in as best we can.
▪ Then you gently and gradually work the new feather on, positioning it to match the original plumage as best you can.
▪ We must also imagine our way into myth, as best we can, like actors in a play.
▪ You just have to wait and catch your moment or piece things together as best you can.
at a good/rapid/fast etc clip
▪ He was walking along at a good clip, his eyes idly panning the facades of the brownstone houses.
▪ Up ahead, a thoroughfare Traffic was going across the intersection at a good clip in both directions.
at best
▪ At best, sales have been good but not great.
▪ Public transportation is at best limited.
at the best of times
▪ Even at the best of times the roads are dangerous.
▪ A salmon is slippery enough to handle at the best of times, but one of this size ....
▪ But reason told her it was a precarious business at the best of times.
▪ In fact Polanski, unconventional at the best of times, takes us to the limit - and beyond.
▪ It was run on a shoestring at the best of times and Kelly was merely adding to his problems.
▪ Listening is a difficult and complex skill at the best of times.
▪ Memory was mischievously selective at the best of times Trivia stuck limpet-like and the useful filtered away.
▪ Rising living standards and well-being are ambiguously related at the best of times, and not simply for ecological reasons.
▪ The mind was a delicate mechanism that he disliked interfering with at the best of times.
at your best
▪ At his best, he's one of the most exciting tennis players in the world.
▪ This recording captures Grappelli at his very best.
▪ And if I sometimes see them at their worst, I sometimes see them at their best as well.
▪ Augusta was not at her best yesterday on a drab, grey day.
▪ But like Natalie Merchant, Cerbone is at her best when composing character sketches.
▪ Still, quarterbacks are not at their best when their throwing motion is impeded.
▪ The answer, in brief, is the method of empirical inquiry, at its best the method of science.
▪ The early 1960s showed such policy at its best.
▪ The formal work of the House is often seen at its best in committee.
▪ The Machine is at its best in primaries, but Daley was taking no chances.
at your best/worst/most effective etc
bad/good sailor
▪ Although he was a good sailor, Columbus was a bad governor.
▪ As a yacht delivery skipper he had to be a damn good sailor.
▪ Even the best sailors can be swept into them, apart from which they can cause all sorts of damage to your equipment.
▪ How he got there no-one knows, but he was a very good sailor and an even better artist.
▪ I have never been a good sailor, and kept to my bunk for the first part of the journey.
▪ Ironically I do not make a very good sailor.
▪ Turns out all of us are pretty good sailors.
be a good/quick/easy etc lay
▪ I don't deny it was a good lay.
be a good/wonderful/terrible etc cook
▪ As a result, the adult John is obsessed with food, has an overstocked fridge and is a good cook.
▪ Franca, said to be a good cook, was not a good cook, just an ingenious cook.
▪ He is a good cook, isn't he?
▪ My aunt and I are good cooks.
▪ Nils may be a good cook, but his time will be better spent away from the galley.
▪ Of motivation to get good grades in school or to be a good cook?
▪ To be a good cook you have to do a lot of things precisely, but it requires no understanding.
▪ Zelah was a good cook and he enjoyed the meal.
be all the better for sth
▪ And it was all the better for being hosted by real-deal Alice Cooper rather than fat phoney Phill Jupitus.
▪ And the piece was all the better for it.
▪ My grandmother therefore moulded my life, and I believe I am all the better for it.
▪ Spa towns, though, are all the better for looking somewhat passé and Eaux-Bonnes is more passé than most.
▪ The game at Twickenham today will be all the better for the inclusion of the National Anthem.
▪ Well, a statement like that is all the better for proof, but go on, anyway.
be for the best
▪ Even though I lost my job, I knew it was for the best. It gave me the chance to start again.
▪ After all, it may be for the best.
▪ Anything that spurs creativity behind the bar must be for the best.
▪ He can smell nothing, which is for the best.
▪ I decided to decide that it was for the best.
▪ It may well be for the best.
▪ Maybe it is for the best.
▪ No one has been so heartless as to suggest we skip the picnic, but it is for the best.
▪ Still, perhaps it was for the best.
be good for the soul
▪ Confession is good for the soul, particularly when it comes from journalists, who have a notoriously difficult time admitting error.
▪ Heat lightning was breaking outside and there was a breeze from the ocean that was good for the soul.
▪ Perhaps some teachers and others believe that, nevertheless, such practice is good for the soul!
▪ What happened Saturday night was good for the soul.
▪ Which was good for the soul, but bad for knees and dignity.
be good/bad news for sb
▪ House prices are very low, which is good news for first-time buyers.
▪ Although the licensing agreement is good news for Apple, some wonder whether it is too little, too late.
▪ As Ohio goes, so goes the nation, and that may be good news for President Clinton.
▪ Gordon Brown also promised Labour would be good news for big employers ... like the nearby Rover plant in Cowley.
▪ Growing demand for such equipment is good news for the helicopter's distributors McAlpine based at Kidlington in Oxfordshire.
▪ Paperwork for files has been reduced and the threshold for compliance raised; both changes are good news for filers.
▪ The latest financial results are good news for a company that has struggled for years.
▪ This is good news for the hotelier who is prepared.
▪ This theft can only be bad news for the preservation movement.
be in (good) working/running order
▪ Hall of Power - a range of engines and heavy machinery, most of which are in working order and operated daily.
▪ The locomotive was in working order at the time and negotiations proceeded which resulted in transportation to Swanage as described above.
▪ To this day the milling machinery is in working order.
▪ Two isn't multiplicity and Castelfonte never was in running order, and now they were living in hotels.
be in a good/bad etc place
be in good company
▪ If you can't program your VCR, you're in good company.
▪ But even if she never escapes from its shadow, history shows her to be in good company.
▪ But for the United States, to be alone is to be in good company.
▪ Clinton is in good company, but I think he wants to be remembered for more than that.
▪ He is in good company when it comes to losing Tests that do not mat ter all that much.
▪ If these are your worries you are in good company.
▪ If you are, you are in good company with some one like Alfred North Whitehead.
▪ The new managers were in good company.
▪ We were in good company, though.
be in good heart
▪ Far from bumping along on the bottom, desperate for money, it is in good heart.
▪ I can see the land is in good heart, and I remember enough to know the extent of the estates.
▪ The gelding show-ed he was in good heart this week by winning at Edinburgh on Thursday.
▪ With the prospect of William and Harry joining them for a holiday afterwards, Diana was in good heart.
be in good/fine/great etc form
▪ At least he is in good form again.
▪ Davies, now in his 80s, is in fine form.
▪ Fortunately, Alan Judge was in fine form, pulling off a great save to keep Hereford in the game.
▪ Health Management Associates Inc., known as the Wal-Mart of hospital operators, appears to be in fine form.
▪ I was in good form that night.
▪ Office manager is on holiday this week., and assistant manager are in good form.
▪ That is our strength and our forwards are in good form at the moment.
be in sb's good/bad books
be just (good) friends
▪ ""Are you going out with Liam?'' ""No, we're just good friends.''
▪ I'm not going out with Nathan, you know - we're just friends.
▪ I keep telling my mother that Peter and I are just friends but she doesn't seem to believe me.
▪ Billy and I were just good friends, really good mates.
▪ But maybe he and Jane were just friends.
▪ Maureen and I - we thought we were just friends.
▪ My wife and I are just good friends.
▪ They were just friends, and he was fun to be with.
be meant to be good/excellent/bad etc
be of Scottish/Protestant/good etc stock
be on your best behaviour
▪ Dinner was very formal, with everyone on their best behaviour.
▪ And if what Cadfael suspected was indeed true, he had now good reason to be on his best behaviour.
▪ But everyone is on their best behaviour.
▪ So when we arrived hopefully at Loch Hope that morning, I was on my best behaviour.
▪ Use only our own girls and warn them to be on their best behaviour.
be onto a good thing
▪ His senses told him he was onto a good thing and his senses were rarely wrong.
▪ Many directors who take dividends in lieu of salary may think they are onto a good thing.
▪ Maybe he thought he was onto a good thing.
▪ Multiply that up by two or three hundred stores, and you will see he was onto a good thing.
▪ The plots were essentially the same; like any successful entrepreneur, Alger knew when he was onto a good thing.
▪ They felt they might be onto a good thing.
be sb's last/only/best hope
▪ Advocates just seem to take it on faith that annexation is the only hope of salvation for this city.
▪ But mad or not, you are my only hope, Meg.
▪ But Thomas Sachs was now her only hope.
▪ I expected to be disappointed, though the letter was now my only hope.
▪ In the long term, Mr Heseltine said that privatisation was the only hope for the industry.
▪ Is he only hoping to make money?
▪ Robert Urquhart was her only hope, her only ally.
▪ That was the only hope I had of reaching the doctor.
best before
best dress/shoes/clothes etc
▪ Everyone was in black because their best clothes were for funerals, and everyone danced.
▪ I washed them, then dressed them in their best clothes, but never new ones.
▪ She had her best shoes on, and a new hat.
▪ She had the best dress sense of any girl in Benedict's and a passion for altering the colour of her hair.
▪ The best car, the wittiest put-down, and the best dress.
▪ The first best clothes were only for Sunday and when visitors came.
▪ The princess arrayed herself in her best clothes and jewels.
▪ They would never let you in alone, even though you are wearing your best clothes.
best friend
▪ Caroline and her best friend both had babies within three weeks of each other.
▪ Stuart is just my brother's best friend - I've known him since I was six.
▪ We lived next door to each other when we were kids, and we've been best friends ever since.
▪ After all - the man was one of his best friends, wasn't he?
▪ Although many people would disagree, radio is without doubt the musician's best friend.
▪ Didn't any of his best friends tell him?
▪ He was like a kid who had found a new best friend, and she was it.
▪ He was not allowed to mention the slaughtering to anyone, not even as a special secret between best friends.
▪ I also learned to become my own best friend.
▪ Trials so that her injured best friend Kay Poe could advance.
▪ When Julie had a home problem, her two best friends at work tried to offer advice based on their own experiences.
best of all
▪ You can lose five pounds a week on this diet. And best of all, you never have to feel hungry.
▪ But Black Mountain was often not the best of all possible worlds.
▪ I'd have liked best of all to have stuffed his mouth with hay.
▪ I appeal to all who have ever known this best of all hospitals - fight for Bart's.
▪ Of all the participants Reagan came out best of all.
▪ Oh, but best of all was the chair in which I myself was destined momentarily to sit.
▪ That was the thing he loved best of all: running free.
▪ The Corps was a know-how, can-do outfit, possibly the best of all the outfits that came to town.
best/good/warmest etc wishes
▪ A former miner, Joe was presented with a cheque together with good wishes for a long and happy retirement.
▪ And while babies are on my mind, my best wishes to Patsy Kensit on the birth of her son.
▪ Meanwhile, may I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for the coming year.
▪ My best wishes to Madame Zborowska and warm greetings to you.
▪ Our best wishes to his family and friends.
▪ She hadn't deserved their kindness, their good wishes - she'd hardly been a boon companion of late.
▪ Spare me your shock and good wishes.
▪ With best wishes for success and prosperity.
best/well/ideally/perfectly etc suited to/for sth
▪ Boar chops are best suited to grilling or sauteing.
▪ If I were a free agent, those are the places I would go, a place best suited for my needs.
▪ It is not however so well suited to an intensive, detailed study of spoken language.
▪ Nevertheless, it is an early maturing variety well suited to the long ripening period of a northern wine region.
▪ Secondly, the adversary nature of the adjudicative process may not be well suited to this area.
▪ The farmer's wife was well suited to tackling this considerable undertaking.
▪ Use the systems best suited to their talent, both offensively and defensively.
▪ We have large quantities of plutonium already separated and in forms ideally suited for nuclear weapons.
better (to be) safe than sorry
▪ I think I'll take my umbrella along - better safe than sorry.
▪ Anyway, better safe than sorry.
▪ The overall message of precaution-better safe than sorry-has intuitive appeal.
better Red than dead
better late than never
▪ "The pictures have finally arrived.'' "Well, better late than never.''
▪ While ongoing self-monitoring is urged, it is always better late than never.
better late than never
▪ While ongoing self-monitoring is urged, it is always better late than never.
better luck next time
▪ Ah well, better luck next time, Andy.
▪ And if you didn't win, better luck next time.
▪ Back to the West Indies with it, and better luck next time.
better the devil you know (than the devil you don't)
better yourself
▪ A lot of people are trying to better themselves.
▪ And she feels better herself - after two weeks, her headaches and tiredness have gone.
▪ He doesn't criticize the vice-president marketing's expert judgement nor pretend he could do better himself.
▪ I couldn't have done better myself.
▪ I teach them to better themselves.
▪ It is a way in which diversity and the desire to better oneself can be accommodated.
▪ She would do anything to better herself.
▪ Wilson speeches often praise the gumption of illegal immigrants who take risks and endure hardships to better themselves and their families.
better/harder/worse etc still
▪ And 245 specialty stock funds that focus on particular industries did better still, averaging a 6. 5 percent gain.
▪ But perhaps the early evening was better still?
▪ He didn't talk because he was afraid of losing the pole or, worse still, falling in.
▪ I started to hunt for a cheap restaurant or, better still, a snack shop.
▪ I thought that it would soon pass, and it did - for you to work harder still.
▪ Or better still, make a real talent show instead.
▪ Or better still, there was the village school practically next door!
▪ With hindsight, it would have better still to lock in a few more gains.
bid sb good afternoon/good morning etc
bring out the best/worst in sb
▪ Ingram always seems to bring out the best in his players.
▪ And Vince was obviously a great coach; he brought out the best in his team and whoever played him.
▪ But the Washington Wizards have a way of bringing out the best in their opponents.
▪ But, says Markert, there is something about one-way communication that can also bring out the worst in people.
▪ Campaigns seem to bring out the worst in Bob Dole.
▪ It brings out the best in us.
▪ Maybe something like they tend to bring out the best in us.
▪ So, to bring out the best in your cooking make sure you use the purest soy sauce, Kikkoman Soy Sauce.
▪ Yet it was not an unsuccessful attempt to bring out the best in his audience.
come good/right
▪ In both cases, prices came right back down within three months.
▪ It seemed clear Corbett wanted me to work at Salomon, but he never came right out and proposed.
▪ It will all come right, now that a different period of history has begun.
▪ More generally, the logistical strengths that the Dole campaign had counted on began to come good.
▪ Periodically, these letters come right out of the woodwork.
▪ Since I was the best spinner of my type in the world, eventually it would all come right.
▪ The light comes right through our curtains and makes sleeping difficult.
▪ The wasp took off as if in fright, but she came right back.
come off best/better/worst etc
▪ Alec Davidson, for example, was one of those who came off worst.
▪ Bullock comes off best because her complaining seems so valid.
▪ His foster-child comes off best, but in addition each of two nurses receives a tenth of his estate.
▪ It may seem, so far, that in terms of clearly defined benefits, the client comes off best out of the deal.
▪ Prior to that Meath had come off best when they accounted for Down in the 1990 league decider.
▪ The lightning, it seemed to Lydia, had undoubtedly come off best in that encounter.
▪ The problem is that history sometimes comes off better.
come up with the goods/deliver the goods
▪ Neil Young's annual fall concert always delivers the goods with famous musicians and good music.
couldn't be better/worse/more pleased etc
damaged goods
▪ If there was actual combustion of the damaged goods, however caused, there has been damage by fire.
▪ On 5 September a credit note No. 19 was received from A. Creditor in respect of damaged goods valued £5.00 returned by the hotel.
▪ She didn't, but something about the way she moved confirmed my suspicion that she saw herself as damaged goods.
▪ We all pass through this life as damaged goods, and the repair work is ongoing.
discretion is the better part of valour
do better
▪ Harris argued that the economy is doing better than it was five years ago.
▪ I was convinced that many of the students could have done better if they'd tried.
▪ If you are saving 5 percent of your income each year, you're doing better than most people.
▪ Mark ran the distance in 30 minutes in the fall, but we're hoping he'll do better this season.
▪ Some roses do better in different types of soil.
▪ The British champion has completed the course in three minutes -- let's see if his Canadian rival can do better.
▪ We did better than we expected.
▪ Alamaro and Patrick think they can do better.
▪ Incumbents who vote against new regulations, paperwork and taxes -- usually conservatives -- do better on the scorecard.
▪ It leads to a lethargy I think we do better without.
▪ Some may do better than our scenario represents.
▪ Surely we can do better for people with mental problems and their families?
▪ The index did better than the broader market.
▪ We can do better than that now.
▪ We need to do better than that, and we can.
do sb a good/bad turn
▪ She was only trying to do James a good turn.
do sb a power of good
▪ It can also be funny and it can do you a power of good.
▪ Yeltsin could do his country a power of good by directing public attention to these issues.
do sb a world of good
▪ A week by the ocean will do you a world of good.
▪ A good run in pastures new would do you a world of good.
▪ All of them stressed that a holiday would do Valerie the world of good.
▪ All the family can enjoy eating the low-fat way and it will do everyone a world of good.
▪ But physically - this type of exercise will do you the world of good.
▪ Come on a Club 18-30 holiday and there's every chance it will do you the world of good.
▪ He could become so unaccountably miserable that a small amount of collusion some-times did him a world of good.
▪ Not only do they do you a world of good if you drink them but they also have cosmetic uses.
do your best
▪ But I did my best to feed them both.
▪ He wanted to do his best the first time he performed, and knew he was not in peak condition.
▪ Like Truman two decades earlier, Humphrey did his best to overcome the severe handicap of a badly split party.
▪ Once there, Drachenfels will do his best to isolate the crystal-wielding characters and rob them of their treasures.
▪ Remember, always do your best, don't let them hook you, however tempting the bait.
▪ We can only do our best.
▪ What I learned from them specifically of the techniques of teaching I have had to do my best to unlearn since.
do your level best (to do sth)
▪ Even so he did his level best with the new ball.
▪ We did our level best to look fascinated.
easily the best/biggest etc
▪ Aluminium benching is easily the best, as it virtually lasts for ever and is easily cleaned.
▪ He's easily the best military brain in the country.
▪ It's easily the best Fermanagh side I've played on.
▪ It gave easily the best value.
▪ Johnny Hero played the between set music - again proving that he hosts easily the best disco in town.
▪ Natural gas forms easily the biggest world reserve of methane-rich fuel.
▪ The greens were easily the best part of the dish.
▪ The pension is easily the biggest single cash benefit.
even bigger/better/brighter etc
▪ But he actually proved even better than I thought.
▪ He had hoped to play an even bigger, more traditional role.
▪ I sort of thought the accident would make us play even better.
▪ It was even better when I got a hug and a kiss from the former Miss Minnesota!
▪ Many companies do so because smart managers know the importance of rewarding good work and inspiring even better efforts.
▪ There was something spontaneous and lively in his manner of speaking that made whatever he was saying sound even better.
▪ This show will be even better than the last one and is not to be missed!
▪ What is the best way of stemming this decline or, even better, of regenerating the economy?
every bit as good/important etc
▪ Barbara was every bit as good as she sounded.
▪ Here, the Fund runs many family projects that are less well-known but doing work that is every bit as important.
▪ If you looked through a microscope you could see that they had cheekbones every bit as good as Hope Steadman's.
▪ In terms of predicting and controlling the social environment, high technology can quite clearly be every bit as important as brute force.
▪ It is for this reason that good balanced design is every bit as important as meticulous craftsmanship.
▪ It takes no more than five minutes and tastes every bit as good at the oven-baked variety.
▪ The explanation is every bit as important as the numbers!
every bit as important/bad/good etc
▪ Barbara was every bit as good as she sounded.
▪ Here, the Fund runs many family projects that are less well-known but doing work that is every bit as important.
▪ It is for this reason that good balanced design is every bit as important as meticulous craftsmanship.
▪ It takes no more than five minutes and tastes every bit as good at the oven-baked variety.
▪ The explanation is every bit as important as the numbers!
▪ The traffic was every bit as bad as had been predicted.
▪ Things every bit as bad happen there, too.
▪ To her horror it was every bit as bad as she'd feared, and possibly even a tiny bit worse.
fare well/badly/better etc
▪ I think the men fared better than the women.
▪ It can be seen that, whilst all regions reflected the higher national unemployment rate, some regions fared better than others.
▪ It still fared better than the broader market.
▪ Life may be regarded as an austere struggle, blighted by fate, where only the rich and the lucky fare well.
▪ Not faring well, but resting.
▪ Obviously some clothiers fared better than others for there were quite a large number of bankruptcies between 1800 and 1840.
▪ The Bloomberg Indiana Index fared better than the benchmark Standard&.
▪ There is no reason to believe that diabetic patients fare better and they may do less well.
for better or (for) worse
▪ The reality is that, for better or worse, the world of publishing has changed.
▪ All five, for better or worse, have received recent votes of confidence from their respective general managers or team presidents.
▪ And for better or worse, the new interactivity brings enormous political leverage to ordinary citizens at relatively little cost.
▪ And the consequences could be even more startling, for better or for worse.
▪ Decisions made in any of these places can hit our pocketbooks and our peace of mind, for better or for worse.
▪ He has toted the ball and the expectations, for better or worse.
▪ He was her husband ... for better or worse, he was her husband.
▪ Medical students in prolonged contact with junior doctors learn attitudes by example, for better or for worse.
▪ Today we know for better or for worse that cops, like doctors and priests, are merely human.
for good measure
▪ Why don't you try calling them one more time, for good measure.
▪ Add David Robinson for good measure.
▪ And let's add Godel for good measure.
▪ Even old Henry Spalding, who had returned to Lapwai in the spring, added his signature for good measure.
▪ For the rest it's twenty five minutes of speed and skill ... and then two more laps for good measure.
▪ I gave her a good strong look just for good measure.
▪ Network South East has its patriotic red, white, and blue bands with grey thrown in for good measure.
▪ Take your governing body licence along for good measure.
▪ This pudding also includes a little cocoa powder for good measure.
for the better
▪ Anything they can do to improve children's health is for the better.
▪ Besides, in some ways the change was for the better.
▪ Cloud changed things, all right, and not all for the better.
▪ That may be for the better.
▪ The formal dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 did not automatically change any of that for the better.
▪ The way was set for much-needed change, but would things change for the better?
▪ This change has not necessarily been one for the better.
▪ What about learning how to change things for the better rather than merely learning to adapt to the way things are now?
for want of a better word/phrase etc
▪ Just horses and ploughs and, for want of a better word, peasants.
▪ Now, hands are, well, handed for want of a better word.
for want of anything better (to do)
for your own good/safety/benefit etc
▪ He will work for your financial independence and will never take advantage or misuse your money for his own good.
▪ Intelligent Buildings Too smart for their own good?
▪ It looked as if the transports were advancing too fast for their own safety.
▪ Lewin and Nnah were also led away for their own safety.
▪ Of course they kept a sharp lookout in such congested waters for their own safety.
▪ Often one step too many for his own good.
▪ We got too famous for our own good.
▪ You might be just a wee bit too clever for your own good now.
get better
▪ Braden's teams always get better as the season goes on.
▪ Get some rest and get better, okay?
▪ I didn't remember anything about the accident, but little by little, as I got better, memories started coming back to me.
▪ I don't mind training hard, because you get better and better all the time.
▪ I hope the weather gets better soon.
▪ I hope you get better soon.
▪ If things don't get better, we may end up having to sell the house.
▪ Living conditions may get worse before they get better.
▪ My back has been quite bad recently, but it's getting better slowly.
▪ The first part of the book is pretty boring, but it gets a lot better as the story goes on.
▪ And has it got better or worse?
▪ At school I sometimes used to get better marks than him, but that was when he chose not to exert himself.
▪ Even Quayle is getting better press than me.
▪ Four decades ago in Britain girls were getting better results than boys in the 11-plus exam.
▪ He was getting better every day, so much better, and yet business got worse and worse.
▪ So the Giants do have to get better, and history suggests rather strongly that better means not staying the same.
▪ To keep getting better, you must improve.
▪ When you've been blown to bits, as Zimmerman had, you either train hard or you don't get better.
get off to a good/bad etc start
get the better of sb
▪ Alison Leigh refuses to let circumstances get the better of her.
▪ Kramer's temper sometimes gets the better of him.
▪ At the same time he said he had had to select his shots wisely to get the better of Chesnokov.
▪ Blaise Cendrars witnessed a fight in which she was getting the better of Modigliani.
▪ Bored in the isolation of his taxi, curiosity and perhaps hunger got the better of him.
▪ But kids have a long tradition of getting the better of adults, going back to the Famous Five and beyond.
▪ I allowed my feelings to get the better of me.
▪ I run my fingers over this invisible object, and little by little curiosity gets the better of me.
▪ So mortals learned that it is not possible to get the better of Zeus or ever deceive him.
▪ We killed him, but that really got the better of us.
get/have a good press
▪ Because officials are so anxious to get good press, there is often tremendous pressure on the government press agent.
▪ Even Quayle is getting better press than me.
▪ Even testosterone, so often blamed for aggressive behavior in men, is getting better press.
▪ For now Harriet's keener on seeing chess get a better press.
give a good/poor account of yourself
▪ Cooper gave a good account of himself in the fight.
▪ Sussex's Wood gave a good account of herself and should have claimed the second set.
▪ Thirteen-year-old Patsy, who could always give a good account of herself, looked upset.
▪ Though it gave a good account of itself, Dave gently persuaded the fish close enough to be lifted aboard the boat.
give as good as you get
▪ At 87, Juran is still able to give as good as he gets.
▪ Don't you worry about Tim. He may be small but he gives as good as he gets!
▪ It was a tough interview, but I thought the President gave as good as he got.
▪ The youngest of three sons, Dave can give as good as he gets.
give sb a (good) run for their money
▪ Slosser gave Boyd a run for his money in the 1996 GOP primary.
give sth your best shot
▪ I'm not promising I'll succeed, but I'll give it my best shot.
▪ Hopefully he can recover and regain his test place and give it his best shot.
▪ I'd have given it my best shot, and that was all anyone could demand from me.
▪ I just have a feeling that we have given it our best shot.
▪ The band gave it their best shot, until the arrival of the blue meanies put an end to the proceedings.
▪ You were never entirely safe from prying fingers in Chinatown, but I had to give it my best shot.
go one better (than sb)
▪ Beth Wolff, president of her own residential real estate company, likes to go one better.
▪ But even if Forbes loses his quest for the Republican presidential nomination, he may still go one better than his father.
▪ Ford went one better and put 60 two-stroke Fiestas on the roads.
▪ Laker's return of 9 for 37 was outstanding, but he was to go one better when the Aussies followed on.
▪ Like an aphid, then, the caterpillar employs ants as bodyguards, but it goes one better.
▪ She goes one better than last year.
▪ The Bristol & West have now gone one better than the standard endowment mortgage.
▪ They have followed each other up the ladder, but whenever he has reached the same rung she has gone one better.
good 'un/bad 'un/little 'un etc
good Samaritan
▪ Had she been prompted by curiosity or the instincts of the good Samaritan, Theodora wondered.
good and proper
▪ Now, eight years after the original bike was launched, Ducati has addressed the issue good and proper.
▪ We got our revenge on Kel for 1960 good and proper, and no one else was in it.
▪ Well, they both got it around in 75 and the crowd was on Seve's side good and proper.
good copy
▪ A good copy, painted by a twentieth-century court painter, but nevertheless a copy.
▪ Even those students intending to make a good copy of their rough essay may plan their writing.
▪ For, if he used her as a model, she used him as good copy.
▪ He told himself it was all good copy for his next novel.
▪ He wanted to make good copy for himself and his plays.
▪ Insipid daft doesn't make good copy.
▪ It may not be a very good copy of this, of this thing for your thing.
▪ Once the original is lost, the best copy you can make is less good than it was before.
good egg
▪ What a good egg she was!
good evening
▪ A bad morning, a good afternoon and - perhaps - an even better evening.
▪ A policeman walked by, wished me good evening and ushered a warning.
▪ Ah, good evening, Lestrade!
▪ Behind the glass I see her tell everyone good evening.
▪ But for now from all the team, have a very good evening.
▪ Dearest Timothy: It is a good evening to sit in this pleasant room and write a letter.
▪ Have a good evening. 1904 How can you, you have class tomorrow night?
▪ We exchange slightly embarrassed good evenings with them as we leave.
good faith
▪ As a sign of his good faith, the company has agreed to replace the defective parts for free.
▪ And I believe President Clinton is a person of good faith as well.
▪ As a result, both parties should always behave in good faith.
▪ Avoid apologizing if you've made a criticism in good faith.
▪ However, we judge the Government's good faith in terms of their track record.
▪ So we paid an exorbitant price for the decisions that were made in good faith and for good purpose.
▪ Special offers are quoted in good faith based on information supplied by retailers.
▪ These duties seek to regulate the conduct of partners and promote good faith between them.
▪ Whilst still in employment, there was an implied term imposing a duty of good faith.
good grief!
▪ Good grief! Look the mess in here!
good luck to sb
▪ And finally good luck to Woodstock-based football manager Jim Smith the on Sunday.
▪ Anyway, good-by and good luck to you.
▪ If they start talking high teens, good luck to them.
▪ In which case, good luck to them both.
▪ Simon did well after that but made a pretence of simple good luck to anyone who questioned his apparent good fortune.
▪ So good luck to you, Susan.
▪ We can only wish good luck to the chairmen or directors of Morgan Grenfell, Amec.
▪ Well, cheers and good luck to you both.
good luck/best of luck
▪ Best of luck with your driving test.
▪ Good luck Archie! Enjoy your new job.
good mixer
▪ Moore Councill says each piece is designed to be a stand-alone winner, as well as a good mixer.
good morrow
▪ King: How now, my noble lords, good morrow!
good riddance (to sb)
▪ But if this is what the club resorts to than good riddance to them.
▪ If they can't accept me as I am, good riddance.
▪ So any docks, dandelions and creeping buttercup go straight to the tip and good riddance to them too.
▪ Then I thought: good riddance.
▪ To man qua man we readily say good riddance.
▪ We were all annoyed with him over not helping with the hay, and I thought good riddance.
good with your hands
▪ He was good with his hands.
▪ The psychologist had said he was good with his hands.
good/bad/poor etc effort
▪ Batter Up Despite my best efforts, I could not stop eating the skinny fries that came with the combination.
▪ Dealing with these individual and family concerns will require the best efforts of mental health professionals.
▪ Football is a team game; offense and defense must work together to produce the best effort.
▪ However, objects decay despite our best efforts to conserve them.
▪ In spite of Holford-Walker's best efforts, the moran evaded his supervision.
▪ In spite of the rain's best efforts, I was pleased that I had been able to observe and film interesting mink behaviour.
▪ Or maybe they disapproved of or were indifferent to your best efforts.
▪ Peter Pike and Davern Lambert had good efforts before Musgrove completed his hat-trick with a good shot on the turn.
good/bad/poor etc seller
▪ Alcohol and western cigarettes are best sellers.
▪ Convinced it had a best seller on its hands, Random House came up with the unorthodox idea of relaunching the book.
▪ Drosnin is an investigative newspaper reporter who once wrote a best seller about Howard Hughes.
▪ His album Stars was last year's best seller and spawned a string of hit singles.
▪ It was the earliest best seller.
▪ Q.. What makes a book a best seller?
▪ The man who made a best seller out of a defamatory rant now wants to make a best seller out of repentance.
▪ Voice over Mrs De Winter is already tipped as being one of the best sellers this year.
good/bad/poor etc speller
▪ Only good spellers can spell easily orally.
▪ They give the good speller a chance to use his skill, but may depress a poor speller.
good/best/bad practice
▪ An annex citing examples of good practice would also be helpful.
▪ Carlesimo said Tuesday, adding that Marshall had just put in his best practice of camp.
▪ It is good practice to make a note of the client's telephone number on the file.
▪ Supporters of those with special needs should be exemplars of such good practice.
▪ The good practice presented in Table 2 and Appendix 3 addresses many of the factors important to the control of risk.
▪ There is a danger in the search for good practice of looking only at those schools with good academic records.
▪ These premises are often inadequate to support good practice.
▪ This week, for example, the permanent secretaries of all government departments will meet to discuss best practice in procurement.
good/better/healthy etc start (in life)
▪ A good start is one where you pass close behind the start boat going at speed.
▪ But it wasn't a good start in the lessons of love, and left me very arid in such matters.
▪ He had better start by accepting that if he does the right things, they will not be popular ones.
▪ It wasn't a very good start.
▪ Not a good start, but a start, nevertheless.
▪ The auditor may enjoy the gifts, but he had better start looking for a sympathy engram not yet suspected or tapped.
▪ The problem was the middle and end, when the team sacrificed rebounding for getting out to a good start.
▪ They will, however, be getting a new center, and that is a good start, he believes.
good/hard/quick etc worker
▪ He is supposedly not the hardest worker ever.
▪ He made Mrs Timms look uninterested in her store, the Reliance Market, and she was a hard worker.
▪ He was a good, hard worker.
▪ She was known to be very tough and a very hard worker.
▪ She was such a hard worker and a wonderful cook.
▪ The girl was a good worker who came and went quietly about her business.
good/poor/silly old etc sb
good/top/poor etc performer
▪ Almost all the poor performers were to be found in the economically-disadvantaged regions.
▪ Both Cisco and Stratacom are among the top performers on Wall Street.
▪ But these top performers are aware of the requirements for effective training as well as its limitations.
▪ Deals are also being offered to companies as alternative incentive perks to top performers.
▪ He chose an all-or-nothing strategy to put himself in the top performers in the Great Grain Challenge.
▪ It took me seven months to really understand that I have an individual who is a good performer.
▪ Strasser pointed to the construction, cable, chemical, tire and engineering industries as the likely best performers this year.
▪ The poorer performers tend to die; the better ones, to reproduce.
gracious (me)!/good gracious!/goodness gracious!
greater/more/better etc than the sum of its parts
▪ Or is the organisation more than the sum of its parts?
had best
▪ They had best be careful.
▪ All due, of course, to the fact that she had bested Travis McKenna.
▪ But pitchers had best take note as well.
▪ If so, we had best listen closely, since we will not get another chance.
▪ Meanwhile we had best prepare the way by showing that a medicine beyond verbal shamanism is an aching need.
▪ Perhaps we had best ask ourselves why our political institutions function as they do.
▪ Poets like Woodhouse had best go back to their jobs.
▪ The concept of differentiation is a key theme of our work, and we had best discuss it as the book unfolds.
had better
▪ I'd better not go out tonight; I'm really tired.
▪ You'd better phone Julie to say you'll be late.
▪ After what he has now said about a referendum, he had better watch out.
▪ Any organisation dismissing that vision as science-fiction had better look out.
▪ But Walter is a poor shade of what we have had better done.
▪ He thought he had better reread that part of the book.
▪ I did not want to go, but Dana said we had better do as they asked.
▪ I realized I had better hustle him out of there before he was asked about his acting career.
▪ In April 1911, he seemingly had better luck.
▪ They told Weary that he and Billy had better find somebody to surrender to.
half a loaf (is better than none)
have a (good) head for figures/facts/business etc
have a (good) nose for sth
▪ He must have a nose for money better than any hound for any fox.
▪ I have a nose for one thing.
have a (good) root round
have a (good) run for your money
have a good/fine/thick etc head of hair
have a high/low/good/bad etc opinion of sb/sth
▪ All I can say to that is that I have a higher opinion of your judgement than he has.
▪ He did not, in any case, have a high opinion of Santayana - an animus which Santayana reciprocated towards Eliot.
▪ Politicians generally have a low opinion of the press, just as the press generally has a low opinion of lawmakers.
▪ She does not seem to have a high opinion of married life.
have an eye/a good eye for sth
▪ Greene has an eye for detail.
▪ Confidence men always have an eye for extra exits.
▪ She says women have an eye for minutiae, they see the curtain hasn't been drawn or the untied shoelace.
▪ They also have an eye for a catchy phrase.
have seen better days
▪ Ms. Davis's car had certainly seen better days.
▪ Virginia's car had definitely seen better days.
▪ We are working at Nanking University, in rather cramped and primitive conditions, for the buildings have seen better days.
have/get the goods on sb
▪ The two detectives went undercover to get the goods on the Parducci family.
▪ It is get the goods on him.
he/she had a good innings
hotter/colder/better etc than ever
▪ And that incentive was increased when they got personal recognition and satisfaction from doing it better than ever before.
▪ He says the new films are better than ever.
▪ Organised by the Alton and District Arts Council, the week promises to be better than ever.
▪ The moviemaking machine that Walt Disney created sixty years ago is working better than ever today.
▪ The National Health Service is now better than ever.
▪ The opportunities now are better than ever.
▪ This year's attractions are bigger and better than ever, with events running from Tuesday to Saturday.
▪ Watermen talked about their catches so far this year, which they said have been better than ever.
if you know what's good for you
in (good) trim
▪ All that time I've kept myself in trim.
▪ Fruit bushes, roses and other plants can be kept in trim with ease, keeping your garden tidy all year round.
▪ I need to keep my voice in trim since I still perform as a narrator.
▪ It is, and keeping yourself in trim is very important when you're not working.
▪ The 6, 000 middle-grade employees who work there are technically outstanding and in good trim.
▪ To this day Souness is obsessed with fitness, healthy dieting, pectoral pride and keeping his body in trim.
▪ You get in trim, he gets to drink more turpentine, and everybody's happy.
in a good/an ill/a bad humour
in fine/good fettle
▪ When I visited Mahatma Gandhi again at the end of June, 1946, he was in fine fettle.
in good nick/in bad nick etc
in good/bad/poor etc shape
▪ But if I was in better shape, I'd be sitting up there.
▪ He could still be in good shape.
▪ He said Texpool is in good shape now.
▪ If only he could tell them he was all right, in good shape, considering ....
▪ This saw the band in good shape, retaining their traditions of twisted passions and bleak emotional narratives.
▪ This year, however, Dole appears in good shape in both locations.
▪ Uptown was still in bad shape.
▪ We found he was in good shape, but had no food in his intestines.
in good/poor etc repair
▪ Almost 40% of unfit properties, and 35% of properties in poor repair, were occupied by people aged 60 and over.
▪ Drains: A properly constructed system, in good repair, does not normally require cleaning.
▪ It was the only door on Dreadnought which could be considered in good repair.
▪ Or Arthur McAlister; who had taken the responsibility of having their lawn mowed and keeping the house in good repair.
▪ Specific buildings, notably those on Castle Hill, including the cathedral and palaces, are restored and in good repair.
▪ The fences on either side of the track were in poor repair and in April 1965 children were seen on the line.
▪ The gallery is a very fine example and in good repair.
▪ The power station was in poor repair, and Smith set about installing new insulators and restoring good practice.
in your own (good) time
▪ Before, they used to count their breaks in the twelve hours, now their breaks are in their own time.
▪ Blue Mooney, a living legend in his own time.
▪ He should take his own route in his own time and avoid the tendency to see through others' eyes.
▪ Let me tell them myself, in my own time.
▪ Nurses in training who work hard physically, study in their own time and have numerous personal commitments are under pressure.
▪ The recognition that exceptional holiness and spirituality continue to manifest themselves in our own time is also a central pentecostal conviction.
▪ There were realistic hopes for Surrey as Mark Butcher and Stewart appeared to be building a stand in their own time.
▪ You would be healthy in your own time.
it does your heart good to see/hear sth
it is better/it would be better
it's a good thing (that)
▪ But it's a good thing it happened now...
▪ I decide it's a good thing that I don't see Sean try to capture Ian's incandescent dance.
▪ I think it's a good thing.
▪ So it's a good thing to get one's mind off in one's spare time.
▪ Still, it's a good thing from the hunt's point of view that new blood is coming along, surely?
it's an ill wind (that blows nobody any good)
jolly good!
just as good/bad/big etc
▪ And you men and half of Terminus as well are just as bad.
▪ At home it was just as bad.
▪ I would say the top teams are just as good, but the lesser teams have caught up a little bit.
▪ It was just as good a place as any to get away from Julius for a while.
▪ Now Allan Ahlberg has written two more stories about the same skeletons, and they're just as good.
▪ Or something else, just as bad, could happen.
▪ People accuse the whites of being prejudiced, but blacks can be just as bad.
▪ Virginia says sending them to a sister training program it has established at nearby Mary Baldwin College is just as good.
keep perfect/good etc time
▪ But like a single gear in a mechanical clock, timeless can not keep good time all by itself.
▪ Nothing unusual - clocks behaving as before, keeping good time and continuing to emit their light beams.
▪ Running in a clump through a crowded station, like the Bash Street Kids, keeping perfect time with chant and clap.
kiss sth better
know better
▪ Parents should know better than their children, but they don't always necessarily do.
▪ The man said it was an 18 carat diamond, but Dina knew better.
▪ But there were some rules he knew better than she ever would.
▪ Even people who should know better have ended up paying a price for denying what they are feeling.
▪ Guess he should have known better.
▪ Now you know better, thass all.
▪ Then I would have known better.
▪ Time you knew better, young lady.
▪ Yamazaki seems unconcerned by the fact that he's taking on problems that have defeated many who should have known better.
let the good times roll
light years ahead/better etc than sth
like new/as good as new
make a good/bad fist of sth
make good time
▪ Once we got on the freeway, we made good time.
▪ After the ferry incident, we make good time.
▪ But DeLatorre, leading the convoy, made better time than he expected.
▪ I made good time back over the motorway.
▪ I was no weight, we made good time.
▪ The weather was not too promising, but we made good time and were soon at the first terrace.
▪ They made good time thereafter, considering the darkness, encountering no problems.
▪ We had made good time and had to ease speed to avoid closing the island in darkness.
▪ We were making good time through the foothills.
make the best of sth
▪ It's not going to be fun, but we might as well make the best of it.
▪ A good travel partner laughs and makes the best of it.
▪ For the most part, however, he made the best of contemporary information.
▪ In these circumstances one makes the best of limited information.
▪ Jack made the best of his bad luck at being captured and found plenty to occupy his time.
▪ One has to make the best of a situation, after all.
▪ When Miihlenberg learned that it was indeed a free country, he made the best of things.
▪ Yet despite her palpable alienation from suburban stay-at-home motherhood, she is determined to make the best of it.
man's best friend
miles older/better/too difficult etc
my (good) man
▪ As for fitzAlan ... did you think killing three of my men would go unnoticed?
▪ But my man fires his gun.
▪ But was it necessary to kill my men in cold blood?
▪ Hey Timmy, how are you, my man?
▪ I called my men to drive them back.
▪ I decided like a good captain to remain with my men.
▪ I heard my men going after him with their guns - and then everything went black.
no better
▪ Caffeine received no better press in the twentieth century.
▪ Conditions were no better in the cities.
▪ Experts agree that in reality, the company looked after the workforce no better than most other employers of that time.
▪ Havvie Blaine, for all his name and lineage, was no better than Terry Rourke.
▪ If you turned to domestic politics, the news was no better.
▪ In fact, it was no better and no worse than other Air Force major commands.
▪ Nearly a decade later, our educational system was no better off than it had been when the commission issued its report.
▪ The problem with network computers is that they are no better than the networks they are connected to.
no news is good news
▪ I always say, no news is good news.
none the worse/better etc (for sth)
▪ Although the animal glowed rosy-pink, it appeared none the worse for its ordeal.
▪ I recovered, my mouth none the worse for it, after all.
▪ Peter's little pet was clearly none the worse for its time in the underworld.
not half as/so good/interesting etc (as sb/sth)
not in (all/good) conscience
▪ And apologists for Labour's refusal to organise in Northern Ireland can not in all conscience describe themselves as democrats.
▪ I have a hard time separating one statement resulting from torture from another and I can not in good conscience do so.
▪ Yet as Dunkers they could not in conscience support the use of force or pay disrespect to the Crown.
not know any better
▪ Before Sinai, one could argue, the people had the excuse of not knowing any better.
not so big/good/bad etc
▪ But so happen, one little boy not so good.
▪ But it's not so bad down here.
▪ Compared to how I feel, how I look is not so bad.
▪ It is not so good at knowing how to do it.
▪ My tongue not so good anyway.
▪ She began to think that perhaps village life was not so bad.
▪ Some years it was bad, other years not so bad.
▪ When he was hot, he was hot, but for me the whole thing was not so good.
not very good/happy/far etc
▪ Are you - very happy, fairly happy, not very happy, or not happy at all?
▪ Governments are not very good at tinkering.
▪ He says his technique is not very good.
▪ Most humans are not very good at keeping secrets.
▪ My breathing was not very good at all.
▪ Other kids were not very good either, and we all inadvertently inhaled the pool again and again.
▪ Paul is not very good at pushing it yet.
▪ Relations with Admiral Boyd of the Joint Chiefs were not very good either.
nothing better
▪ Analysts in Harare believe Mr Mugabe would like nothing better than the chance to declare a nationwide state of emergency.
▪ For sleeping there is nothing better than cotton.
▪ He had nothing better to do.
▪ I should have remembered: our new management likes nothing better than doing things on the cheap.
▪ Learn to tie it and you will realise there is nothing better.
▪ Rowland moves outside the establishment - in fact, he likes nothing better than upsetting it.
▪ The reporters, oddly enough, just happen to be sitting there in the line of fire with nothing better to do.
▪ With nothing better to do, Billy shuffled in their direction.
one good turn deserves another
pay good money for sth
▪ I paid good money for that sofa, so it should last.
▪ And we'd say, we're paying good money for this.
▪ Consumer information is an asset which marketers are prepared to pay good money for.
▪ I paid good money for that, I said, can't I just have a last go on it?
▪ I paid good money for this vehicle and I won't have the likes of you doing what you're doing!
▪ It hardly surprised him that people were not too keen on paying good money for that.
▪ Why pay good money for the same effect?
▪ Women would pay good money for a glimpse of his guardsman's helmet.
personal best
▪ But I still ran 20.51 seconds for a personal best, so I was happy.
▪ Conrad Allen came up trumps again, finishing fourth in the boys 800 metres in a personal best 2 mins. 22.
▪ Fredericks' 19. 68 was 0. 14 seconds lower than his personal best.
▪ His personal best before this season was 10. 08.
▪ I next ran at Oslo where I set a personal best for 200 metres, so that was encouraging.
▪ Ron and I take each year as it comes and we always plan for me to run a personal best every season.
▪ Sammy also collected a 50 freestyle bronze with 31.44-a personal best along with her 43.95 in the 50 breaststroke.
▪ That means that their motives are clean and their actions represent their personal best.
put in a (good) word for sb
▪ I'll put in a good word for you with the management.
▪ He put in a good word for him at meetings of the Jockey Club.
▪ Only those who keep a dialogue going will be able to put in a word for persons in need of intercession.
put sth to (good) use
▪ I'd like a job where I could put my degree in languages to good use.
▪ But I am putting it to use.
▪ How do you put it to use in daily practice?
▪ It does not seem regressive to put it to use in the service of gay survival as well.
▪ Many large and medium size companies, government departments and Local authorities are putting Dataease to use somewhere within their organisations.
▪ Much of ecology is about this process: finding energy; putting it to use.
▪ The time has come to put your skills to use by developing a more useful and complex object orientated program.
▪ The trouble is we never stop long enough to put them to good use.
▪ Throughout the 1980s, researchers and company executives struggled with how to put Al to use.
put up a good fight
put up a good/poor etc show
▪ He might have put up a good show the other day, but that was because he was frightened.
▪ She put up a better show in the 1980s.
put/turn sth to good account
▪ The extra time was turned to good account.
quite a few/a good few/not a few
sb had better/best do sth
sb is (great/good) fun
▪ But it is fun for me to look up from my Sunday paper and watch them try to cope.
▪ Chasing and racing is fun for a time but you end up yearning for something different.
▪ In beautifully landscaped settings, this unique zoo is great fun for all the family.
▪ It is fun to have competitions to see who can sleep their yo-yo longer.
▪ Much of the film is fun, but a lot is confusing.
▪ Some of this is great fun, but it pulls the production two ways, blunting its focus.
▪ This is fun, unfussy, honest fare that calls for a glass of cold beer.
▪ This is just a whim but it is great fun.
sb is a (good) laugh
▪ Across the room, a table of young men in fitted shirts is laughing heartily and splashing out wine.
▪ Dennis is laughing, head held back.
▪ Her head is thrown back, and she is laughing.
▪ I can't understand what is said, but one of the technicians is laughing.
▪ I notice Harding is collapsed beside McMurphy and is laughs ing too.
▪ The banter between us is a laugh.
▪ What you want to do is laugh, but everyone is afraid to laugh.
sb knows best
sb's good offices/the good offices of sb
send your love/regards/best wishes etc
▪ He sends his best wishes to everybody at home.
▪ Mr Mason sends his best wishes for the success of the event.
show sb in a good/bad etc light
show sth to (good/great) advantage
▪ He has joined to a fine genius all that can set him off and show him to advantage.
▪ It may be that the product would be shown off to best advantage in use.
so far so good
▪ "How's your new job?" "So far so good."
so much the better
▪ If it makes illegal drug use even more difficult, so much the better.
▪ You can use dried parsley, but if you have fresh, so much the better.
▪ And if I am Peter, so much the better.
▪ And if that can change things, so much the better Female speaker He's the little man having a kick.
▪ But if I can manage with fewer trips to the store, so much the better.
▪ If love eventually grows, so much the better.
▪ If they are alive so much the better, but they can be persuaded to take dead ones.
▪ If they can fit in with the room's general style, so much the better.
▪ If we can improve the team another way, so much the better.
▪ So a single fluorescent tube will be adequate, and if you have used floating plants, so much the better.
stand/serve/hold sb in good stead
▪ As a small boy, I devised my own set of cartoon animals, and they now stood me in good stead.
▪ But her beloved circus may have served her in better stead than regular outings to, say, the ballet.
▪ Despite his lack of political experience, Clouthier's 20-year leadership of business organisations stood him in good stead.
▪ Insomnia would stand him in good stead in this expanse of knee-high cover.
▪ Now we had moved on to bigger and better things, this predictability still stood us in good stead.
▪ These shoes had stood him in good stead.
▪ This habit of work, which is by now natural to me, has stood me in good stead.
▪ Those contacts, he says, still serve him in good stead today.
take sth in good part
that's a good girl/that's a clever dog etc
that's better
▪ Come on, give me a hug. There, that's better, isn't it?
▪ Try keeping your arm straight when you hit the ball. That's better!
▪ But that's better than none.
▪ She had half drained her mug when she said, ` Ah, that's better!
▪ So let's try: That's better. the pages now contain both words.
▪ Surely that's better than fading away in a hospital bed somewhere?
▪ That's better, the waist is accentuated now.
▪ Well, that's better than finding half a worm!
that's/it's all well and good
▪ If that helps the government keep up with their debt repayments, that's all well and good.
the (good ol') U.S. of A.
the Good Book
the best
▪ I chose a Japanese camera because I wanted to have the best.
▪ She's the best of the new young writers.
▪ She was the best in her class at college.
▪ When it comes to cancer research, Professor Williams is probably the best in her field.
the best medicine
▪ Laughter is the best medicine.
▪ A former teacher at Longlands College, Middlesbrough, Pat always believes in laughter as the best medicine for loneliness.
▪ Besides, it is the best medicine.
▪ Having Louella come and live with me will be the best medicine in the world.
▪ Recovery is the best medicine for the market, but it must be sustainable.
the best of a bad lot/bunch
the best of both worlds
▪ Job-sharing gives me the best of both worlds - I can be with my children and keep my professional status.
▪ All in all, a great place to enjoy the best of both worlds.
▪ An arrangement like this can often be the best of both worlds.
▪ And taking into account the prices of both the ME-6 and ME-10 they really are the best of both worlds.
▪ But if the eye can remain open without being seen, then the prey has the best of both worlds.
▪ Supporters say this type of extended day is the best of both worlds.
▪ This is the best of both worlds.
▪ Used in conjunction with a moisturising conditioner, it will give your lank locks the best of both worlds.
▪ You get the best of both worlds in a job like this: use your strong back and your agile mind.
the best of sth
▪ At the best of times, the industry is very competitive, but this is not the best of times.
▪ But Black Mountain was often not the best of all possible worlds.
▪ But they clearly were not the best of their time, and that should be the No. 1 voting criterion.
▪ He is the first to admit that he was not the best of patients.
▪ Obviously, not the best of plans.
▪ Seb was not the best of patients.
the best/better part of sth
▪ Almost any child will assert that recess is the best part of the school day.
▪ Another child makes the family wretched with his crying for the better part of an hour.
▪ Converse drank the better part of the rum.
▪ For the better part of the next forty years they were to be the decisive restraints.
▪ I spent the better part of my time moping around the house, too dejected to think about practicing my stunts.
▪ It is not widely taught or particularly popular be-cause it takes the better part of a lifetime to master.
▪ This was it, the confrontation-point which he had been dreading for the best part of a week.
the best/biggest etc ... of all time
▪ And seeing as it was my brainchild, would you not say it was possibly the best commercial of all time?
▪ Surely the biggest robbery of all time was the $ 900m that the Dome stole from lottery funds?
▪ That's the biggest understatement of all time!
▪ You could call that round the biggest fluke of all time....
the best/biggest etc ... this side of sth
the best/biggest/fastest etc possible
▪ Any successful entrepreneurial venture starts with making sure that the entrepreneur is in the best possible mental and physical health.
▪ But the psychologist was never confident that he had obtained the best possible scores from Nelson.
▪ For a moment, I imagined the best possible to the worst possible reply.
▪ Obviously, the purpose is to ensure that the best possible pensions arrangements are reached.
▪ That way it will have the best possible start in life.
▪ The additional value farmers receive is the best possible free advice on both inputs and marketing.
▪ The horrifying news sent the Ciprianos on a nationwide search to find the best possible treatment for their daughter.
▪ This at once enhances the contribution which the court or parents can make towards reaching the best possible decision in all the circumstances.
the best/greatest thing since sliced bread
▪ Now, I didn't get it because I was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
the best/pick of the bunch
▪ But me third was the best of the bunch.
▪ Either they are one of the best of the bunch at home, or they make their name abroad.
▪ Even these modest broadcasts show only the best of the bunch.
▪ He may be the best of the bunch.
▪ It's also the best of the bunch for multi-processing, he says.
▪ Nevertheless as an introduction it is the best of the bunch.
▪ Woolwich is the best of the bunch, trading at a multiple to future earnings of 10.3.
the better
the biggest/best/nicest etc sth going
▪ A few hundred metres off-shore we congregate so that Tor can explain the best way of going ashore.
▪ Are the best bargains going to petrol buyers?
▪ But in those years, they were always the team with the best record going into the playoffs.
▪ Its got to be the best ticket office going.
▪ Perhaps the biggest thing going was the harp played by JoAnn Turovsky, sounding positively, well, huge.
▪ There was a wide range of scores with the best individual score going to George McCallum of Douglas Reyburn with 37 points.
▪ This, so I was led to believe, was the best it was going to get.
▪ What is the best way of going forward? - Ideas from within I hear you say!
the common good
▪ Drunk-driving laws were made for the common good.
▪ The government creates laws for the common good.
the forces of good/evil etc
▪ At the core of Hampden Babylon is a titanic struggle between the forces of good and evil.
▪ It could fight the forces of evil.
▪ It is an age-old heresy to see the world as a battleground between the forces of good and evil.
▪ It will be a struggle between your hero and whatever associates he may have and the forces of evil opposed to him.
▪ Now he's restating his submission to the Bara Bhai and the forces of good.
▪ Television is therefore seen to be taking the moral high ground, the side of the punter against the forces of evil.
the good old days/the bad old days
the great and the good
the greater good
▪ For the greater good of the parish or because he knew something?
▪ This, I learned, was standard practice when a customer was about to be sacrificed for the greater good of Salomon.
the next best thing
▪ If I can't be home for Christmas, this is the next best thing.
▪ He can't ask them, so he is doing the next best thing.
▪ I guess they figured calling their game Arnie was the next best thing to having a blockbusting movie title.
▪ It is the next best thing to crossing the deserts of the world oneself.
▪ The new switch is the next best thing we could do to moving.
▪ The room is the next best thing to being outside.
▪ Video may seem like the next best thing to being there, but electronically mediated interactions are different from real-life meetings.
▪ We do, however, have the next best thing: a place to go for more information.
▪ We went to the bookshelves to find the next best thing.
the next best thing
▪ He can't ask them, so he is doing the next best thing.
▪ I guess they figured calling their game Arnie was the next best thing to having a blockbusting movie title.
▪ It is the next best thing to crossing the deserts of the world oneself.
▪ The new switch is the next best thing we could do to moving.
▪ The room is the next best thing to being outside.
▪ Video may seem like the next best thing to being there, but electronically mediated interactions are different from real-life meetings.
▪ We do, however, have the next best thing: a place to go for more information.
▪ We went to the bookshelves to find the next best thing.
the powers of good/evil/darkness
▪ May we seek to develop the powers of good that lie within us.
▪ So close to the powers of evil she must have lived that she still breathed more freely in their air.
the sooner ( ... ) the better
▪ The sooner we get these bills paid off, the better.
▪ They knew they had to leave town, and the sooner the better.
the sooner the better/the bigger the better etc
there's a good boy/clever dog etc
think better of it
▪ She felt like slapping him in the face, but thought better of it.
▪ But he thought better of it and slowly breathed out the air through his nose.
▪ But then she thought better of it.
▪ Cowher said later he momentarily contemplated tackling Hudson, but thought better of it.
▪ He thought better of it, and despite a case of galloping homesickness, decided not to go home at all.
▪ He could have forced the window in time, anyone could, but he seemed suddenly to think better of it.
▪ He passed Miguel the joint but Miguel thought better of it.
▪ Then he thought better of it.
think the best/worst of sb
▪ Ellie's the type of person that always thinks the best of people.
▪ He thought the worst of Mitch and clearly thought that left to herself she would ring London at once.
▪ I was so ready to think the worst of him, she wailed inwardly.
▪ My immediate reaction, whether it be a man or a woman, is to think the worst of them.
▪ The prospect of Guy leaving, thinking the worst of her, was unbearable.
▪ Why should you think the worst of me?
▪ You always think the worst of me.
to good/great/no etc effect
▪ And the book eschews alphabetical order in favour of thematic logic - to good effect.
▪ Any ball direct to deane was usually flicked on to no effect.
▪ But nobody demonized the opposition to greater effect than did Clinton strategist James Carville during the 1992 presidential campaign.
▪ Jones has turned the Trust's restrictions on the use of agrochemicals to good effect.
▪ The bi-colour l.e.d. can utilise a transparent lens-clip to good effect.
▪ The task of management is to use these to greatest effect.
▪ The threefold model of church growth of cell, congregation and celebration works at Ichthus to great effect.
▪ Video is a relatively new medium for in-house communications and is used by some companies to great effect.
to the best of your ability
▪ All the children competed and performed to the best of their ability.
▪ I have always done my work to the best of my ability.
to the best of your knowledge/belief/ability etc
too clever/rich/good etc by half
▪ The arithmetic can not be faulted - and may well be judged too clever by half.
too nice/clever etc for your own good
▪ According to her, he was too clever for his own good.
▪ That Tom was too nice for his own good.
▪ They were both too nice for their own good.
▪ You might be just a wee bit too clever for your own good now.
trump/best/strongest card
▪ And perhaps it was time to play the trump card up his sleeve.
▪ In the struggle for development, every economy has certain advantages or trump cards.
▪ Parents must recognize that if a child does not want to do homework, the child holds the trump card.
▪ That night, though, our sincerity was our trump card.
▪ That was why Gorbachev wanted to negotiate-and that is why, in my opinion, President Reagan was holding the trump card.
▪ The citizens of Hebron, by contrast, hold all the trump cards.
▪ This was one of the trump cards of News International in its dispute with the print workers in 1986-87.
▪ We had beaten him, but he played a final trump card.
two heads are better than one
use/turn sth to your/good advantage
▪ First and foremost, Borland have taken the Windows interface and used it to good advantage.
▪ Homeloans are one of the cheapest ways of borrowing money - find out how to use them to your advantage.
▪ If you would like to reassess your life and learn how to use stress to your advantage, come along.
▪ Parents may feel suspicious of these, or resentful, and will need help in using them to best advantage.
▪ Professionals need to be aware of such things and use them to good advantage.
vote sth a success/the best etc
▪ But they will be in costume, and all party goers will have a chance to vote on the best disguise.
▪ They also voted the Cappuccino the best sub-£20,000 sports car in the show.
while the going's good
▪ Let's get out while the going's good.
wish sb (the best of) luck
▪ But had we sat down with her, we would have wished her good luck.
▪ Everyone wished each other good luck and Mould, Matron and Endill headed off to the library.
▪ I wish him luck and hope that after a couple of years he is transferred back!
▪ James wished me good luck and dashed off home.
▪ Lineker and Paul Gascoigne have both been in touch with Spurs to wish them good luck for the new season.
▪ She wishes me luck, opens the door to the bathroom, and disappears into a cloud of steam.
▪ Well, I wish you luck.
▪ Yet at the start of the day both sides had wished each other luck.
with (a) good/bad grace
▪ Admit temporary defeat with good grace, retreat, reconsider and wait.
▪ But he tucked his manuscript away with a good grace.
▪ He threw himself with good grace into everything, even this.
▪ Life is very crude, and bonnie Princes Street a dream, but we soldier on with a good grace.
▪ Mr Macmillan was, according to colleagues, prepared to give way with good grace when he could not carry the Cabinet.
▪ Sport only thrives if both parties play by the rules, and accept the results with good grace.
▪ They accept his habitual interruptions with good grace.
▪ This must have been irksome for them, but Mrs Webster accepted it as her war work with good grace.
with the best of intentions/for the best of reasons
with the best will in the world
▪ And, David, with the best will in the world, you can't teach him.
▪ Even with the best will in the world, we could not do it.
withdraw/retreat in good order
worldly goods/possessions
▪ A great number of emigres arrived daily from the mainland, left homeless and often destitute of all worldly possessions.
▪ But he bought no worldly goods.
▪ He loses all his worldly goods because a law suit is not decided in his favor.
▪ My worldly goods, my total possessions.
▪ Returned that same evening to Brigade Headquarters to collect my rucksack containing all my worldly possessions and, of course, the bagpipes.
▪ They tear our houses down, burn up our worldly possessions, and sometimes even kill us.
▪ We generally promise each other all our worldly goods.
▪ Why, of course you must leave all your worldly goods to him.
would you be good/kind enough to do sth?
you'd better believe it!
▪ "Do they make money on them?" "You'd better believe it!"
your Sunday best
your Sunday best
your best bet
▪ For getting around the city centre, a bicycle's your best bet.
▪ We decided that our best bet was to leave him where he was and go and get help.
▪ Well, your best bet would be to go back to Highway 218 and turn left.
your best bib and tucker
your better half/other half
your good deed for the day
your guess is as good as mine
▪ "When's the next bus coming?" "Your guess is as good as mine."
▪ "Who do you think will win the World Cup?" "Your guess is as good as mine."
your/her/my etc Sunday best
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Good
Good \Good\, n.
-
That which possesses desirable qualities, promotes success, welfare, or happiness, is serviceable, fit, excellent, kind, benevolent, etc.; -- opposed to evil.
There be many that say, Who will show us any good ?
--Ps. iv. 6. -
Advancement of interest or happiness; welfare; prosperity; advantage; benefit; -- opposed to harm, etc.
The good of the whole community can be promoted only by advancing the good of each of the members composing it.
--Jay. -
pl. Wares; commodities; chattels; -- formerly used in the singular in a collective sense. In law, a comprehensive name for almost all personal property as distinguished from land or real property.
--Wharton.He hath made us spend much good.
--Chaucer.Thy lands and goods Are, by the laws of Venice, confiscate Unto the state of Venice.
--Shak.Dress goods, Dry goods, etc. See in the Vocabulary.
Goods engine, a freight locomotive. [Eng.]
Goods train, a freight train. [Eng.]
Goods wagon, a freight car [Eng.] See the Note under Car, n., 2.
Good
Good \Good\, adv. Well, -- especially in the phrase as good, with a following as expressed or implied; equally well with as much advantage or as little harm as possible.
As good almost kill a man as kill a good book.
--Milton.
As good as, in effect; virtually; the same as.
They who counsel ye to such a suppressing, do as
good as bid ye suppress yourselves.
--Milton.
Good
Good \Good\, v. t.
To make good; to turn to good. [Obs.]
To manure; to improve. [Obs.]
--Bp. Hall.
Good
Good \Good\, a. [Compar. Better; superl. Best. These words, though used as the comparative and superlative of good, are from a different root.] [AS. G[=o]d, akin to D. goed, OS. g[=o]d, OHG. guot, G. gut, Icel. g[=o][eth]r, Sw. & Dan. god, Goth. g[=o]ds; prob. orig., fitting, belonging together, and akin to E. gather. [root]29 Cf. Gather.]
-
Possessing desirable qualities; adapted to answer the end designed; promoting success, welfare, or happiness; serviceable; useful; fit; excellent; admirable; commendable; not bad, corrupt, evil, noxious, offensive, or troublesome, etc.
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
--Gen. i. 31.Good company, good wine, good welcome.
--Shak. -
Possessing moral excellence or virtue; virtuous; pious; religious; -- said of persons or actions.
In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works.
--Tit. ii. 7. -
Kind; benevolent; humane; merciful; gracious; polite; propitious; friendly; well-disposed; -- often followed by to or toward, also formerly by unto.
The men were very good unto us.
--1 Sam. xxv. 15. -
Serviceable; suited; adapted; suitable; of use; to be relied upon; -- followed especially by for.
All quality that is good for anything is founded originally in merit.
--Collier. -
Clever; skillful; dexterous; ready; handy; -- followed especially by at.
He . . . is a good workman; a very good tailor.
--Shak.Those are generally good at flattering who are good for nothing else.
--South. -
Adequate; sufficient; competent; sound; not fallacious; valid; in a commercial sense, to be depended on for the discharge of obligations incurred; having pecuniary ability; of unimpaired credit.
My reasons are both good and weighty.
--Shak.My meaning in saying he is a good man is . . . that he is sufficient . . . I think I may take his bond.
--Shak. -
Real; actual; serious; as in the phrases in good earnest; in good sooth.
Love no man in good earnest.
--Shak. Not small, insignificant, or of no account; considerable; esp., in the phrases a good deal, a good way, a good degree, a good share or part, etc.
-
Not lacking or deficient; full; complete.
Good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over.
--Luke vi. 38. -
Not blemished or impeached; fair; honorable; unsullied; as in the phrases a good name, a good report, good repute, etc. A good name is better than precious ointment. --Eccl. vii.
-
As good as. See under As. For good, or For good and all, completely and finally; fully; truly. The good woman never died after this, till she came to die for good and all. --L'Estrange. Good breeding, polite or polished manners, formed by education; a polite education. Distinguished by good humor and good breeding. --Macaulay. Good cheap, literally, good bargain; reasonably cheap. Good consideration (Law).
A consideration of blood or of natural love and affection.
--Blackstone.-
A valuable consideration, or one which will sustain a contract. Good fellow, a person of companionable qualities. Good folk, or Good people, fairies; brownies; pixies, etc. [Colloq. Eng. & Scot.] Good for nothing.
Of no value; useless; worthless.
-
Used substantively, an idle, worthless person. My father always said I was born to be a good for nothing. --Ld. Lytton. Good Friday, the Friday of Holy Week, kept in some churches as a fast, in memoory of our Savior's passion or suffering; the anniversary of the crucifixion. Good humor, or Good-humor, a cheerful or pleasant temper or state of mind. Good humor man, a travelling vendor who sells Good Humor ice-cream (or some similar ice-cream) from a small refrigerated truck; he usually drives slowly through residential neighborhoods in summertime, loudly playing some distinctive recorded music to announce his presence. Good nature, or Good-nature, habitual kindness or mildness of temper or disposition; amiability; state of being in good humor. The good nature and generosity which belonged to his character. --Macaulay. The young count's good nature and easy persuadability were among his best characteristics. --Hawthorne. Good people. See Good folk (above). Good speed, good luck; good success; godspeed; -- an old form of wishing success. See Speed. Good turn, an act of kidness; a favor. Good will.
Benevolence; well wishing; kindly feeling.
-
(Law) The custom of any trade or business; the tendency or inclination of persons, old customers and others, to resort to an established place of business; the advantage accruing from tendency or inclination. The good will of a trade is nothing more than the probability that the old customers will resort to the old place. --Lord Eldon. In good time.
Promptly; punctually; opportunely; not too soon nor too late.
-
(Mus.) Correctly; in proper time.
To hold good, to remain true or valid; to be operative; to remain in force or effect; as, his promise holds good; the condition still holds good.
To make good, to fulfill; to establish; to maintain; to supply (a defect or deficiency); to indemmify; to prove or verify (an accusation); to prove to be blameless; to clear; to vindicate.
Each word made good and true.
--Shak.Of no power to make his wishes good.
--Shak.I . . . would by combat make her good.
--Shak.Convenient numbers to make good the city.
--Shak.To think good, to approve; to be pleased or satisfied with; to consider expedient or proper.
If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear.
--Zech. xi. 1
Note: Good, in the sense of wishing well, is much used in greeting and leave-taking; as, good day, good night, good evening, good morning, etc.
-
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
good
Old English god (with a long "o") "virtuous; desirable; valid; considerable," probably originally "having the right or desirable quality," from Proto-Germanic *gothaz (cognates: Old Norse goðr, Dutch goed, Old High German guot, German gut, Gothic goþs), originally "fit, adequate, belonging together," from PIE root *ghedh- "to unite, be associated, suitable" (cognates: Old Church Slavonic godu "pleasing time," Russian godnyi "fit, suitable," Old English gædrian "to gather, to take up together"). As an expression of satisfaction, from early 15c.; of children, "well-behaved," by 1690s.\n
\nIrregular comparatives ( better, best) reflect a widespread pattern, as in Latin bonus, melior, optimus. Good-for-nothing is from 1711. Good looking is attested from 1780 (good looks by c.1800). Good sport, of persons, is from 1906; good to go is attested from 1989. The good book "the Bible" attested from 1801, originally in missionary literature describing the language of conversion efforts in American Indian tribes.\n\nWhy then, can one desire too much of a good thing.
["As You Like It"]
\nPhrase for good "finally, permanently" attested from 1711, a shortening of for good and all (16c.). Middle English had for good ne ylle (early 15c.) "for good nor ill," thus "under any circumstance."
good
Old English gōd "that which is good, goodness; advantage, benefit; gift; virtue; property;" from good (adj.).
Wiktionary
good
Etymology 1
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1 (lb en heading) ''Of people.'' 2 #Acting in the interest of good; ethical. 3 #competent or talented. alt. 1 (lb en heading) ''Of people.'' 2 #Acting in the interest of good; ethical. 3 #competent or talented. interj. That is good: an elliptical exclamation of satisfaction or commendation. Etymology 2
adv. (context nonstandard English) well; satisfactorily or thoroughly. Etymology 3
n. (context uncountable English) The forces or behaviors that are the enemy of evil. Usually consists of helping others and general benevolence. Etymology 4
v
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1 (context intransitive now chiefly dialectal English) To thrive; fatten; prosper; improve. 2 (context transitive now chiefly dialectal English) To make good; turn to good; improve. 3 (context intransitive now chiefly dialectal English) To make improvements or repairs. 4 (context intransitive now chiefly dialectal English) To benefit; gain. 5 (context transitive now chiefly dialectal English) To do good to (someone); benefit; cause to improve or gain. 6 (context transitive now chiefly dialectal English) To satisfy; indulge; gratify. 7 (context reflexive now chiefly dialectal English) To flatter; congratulate oneself; anticipate. Etymology 5
vb. (context transitive now chiefly dialectal Scotland English) To furnish with dung; manure; fatten with manure; fertilise.
WordNet
good
n. benefit; "for your own good"; "what's the good of worrying?"
moral excellence or admirableness; "there is much good to be found in people" [syn: goodness] [ant: evil, evil]
that which is good or valuable or useful; "weigh the good against the bad"; "among the highest goods of all are happiness and self-realization" [syn: goodness] [ant: bad, bad]
good
adv. (often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (`good' is a nonstandard dialectal variant for `well'); "the children behaved well"; "a task well done"; "the party went well"; "he slept well"; "a well-argued thesis"; "a well-planned party"; "the baby can walk pretty good" [syn: well] [ant: ill]
in a complete and thorough manner (`good' is sometimes used informally for `thoroughly'); "he was soundly defeated"; "we beat him good" [syn: thoroughly, soundly]
good
adj. having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified; "good news from the hospital"; "a good report card"; "when she was good she was very very good"; "a good knife is one good for cutting"; "this stump will make a good picnic table"; "a good check"; "a good joke"; "a good exterior paint"; "a good secretary"; "a good dress for the office" [ant: bad]
having the normally expected amount; "gives full measure"; "gives good measure"; "a good mile from here" [syn: full]
morally admirable [ant: evil]
deserving of esteem and respect; "all respectable companies give guarantees"; "ruined the family's good name" [syn: estimable, honorable, respectable]
promoting or enhancing well-being; "an arms limitation agreement beneficial to all countries"; "the beneficial effects of a temperate climate"; "the experience was good for her" [syn: beneficial]
superior to the average; "in fine spirits"; "a fine student"; "made good grades"; "morale was good"; "had good weather for the parade" [syn: fine]
agreeable or pleasing; "we all had a good time"; "good manners"
of moral excellence; "a genuinely good person"; "a just cause"; "an upright and respectable man"; "the life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous"- Frederick Douglass [syn: just, upright, virtuous]
having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude; "adept in handicrafts"; "an adept juggler"; "an expert job"; "a good mechanic"; "a practiced marksman"; "a proficient engineer"; "a lesser-known but no less skillful composer"; "the effect was achieved by skillful retouching" [syn: adept, expert, practiced, proficient, skillful, skilful]
thorough; "had a good workout"; "gave the house a good cleaning"
with or in a close or intimate relationship; "a good friend"; "my sisters and brothers are near and dear" [syn: dear, near]
having or showing or arising from a desire to promote the welfare or happiness of others; "his benevolent smile"; "a benevolent nature" [syn: benevolent] [ant: malevolent]
financially sound; "a good investment"; "a secure investment" [syn: dependable, safe, secure]
most suitable or right for a particular purpose; "a good time to plant tomatoes"; "the right time to act"; "the time is ripe for great sociological changes" [syn: right, ripe]
resulting favorably; "its a good thing that I wasn't there"; "it is good that you stayed"; "it is well that no one saw you"; "all's well that ends well" [syn: well(p)]
exerting force or influence; "the law is effective immediately"; "a warranty good for two years"; "the law is already in effect (or in force)" [syn: effective, in effect(p), in force(p)]
feeling healthy and free of aches and pains; "I feel good" [syn: good(p)]
capable of pleasing; "good looks"
appealing to the mind; "good music"; "a serious book" [syn: serious]
in excellent physical condition; "good teeth"; "I still have one good leg"; "a sound mind in a sound body" [syn: sound]
tending to promote physical well-being; beneficial to health; "beneficial effects of a balanced diet"; "a good night's sleep"; "the salutary influence of pure air" [syn: beneficial, salutary]
not forged; "a good dollar bill"
not left to spoil; "the meat is still good" [syn: unspoiled, unspoilt]
generally admired; "good taste"
Gazetteer
Wikipedia
Good
Good may refer to:
Good (Goodshirt album)
Good (Morphine album)
Good is the first album recorded by the Boston-based alternative rock trio Morphine. It was originally released in 1992 on the Accurate label, and then re-released by Rykodisc in 1993.
Good (economics)
In economics, a good is a material that satisfies human wants and provides utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase while getting an enough-satisfying Product.
A common distinction is made between 'goods' that are tangible property and services, which are non-physical.
Commodities may be used as a synonym for economic goods but often refer to marketable raw materials and primary products.
A consumable item that is useful to people but scarce in relation to its demand, so that human effort is required to obtain it. In contrast, free goods, such as air, are naturally in abundant supply and need no conscious effort to obtain them.
Although in economic theory all goods are considered tangible, in reality certain classes of goods, such as information, only take intangible forms. For example, among other goods an apple is a tangible object, while news belongs to an intangible class of goods and can be perceived only by means of an instrument such as print, broadcast or computer.
Good (song)
"Good" is a song by American alternative rock group Better Than Ezra. It was released in February 1995 as the first single from their major-label debut album, Deluxe. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, No. 3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Good" was featured in a trailer for the 1995 film The Baby-Sitters Club and on an episode of Hindsight.
Good (film)
Good is a film based on the stage play of the same name by C. P. Taylor and starring Viggo Mortensen, Jason Isaacs and Jodie Whittaker. It was directed by Vicente Amorim and was first shown at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2008.
Good (surname)
Good is a surname. Notable people with the name include:
- Andrew Good (born 1979), American baseball player
- Art Good, radio disc jockey
- Bill Good (born 1945), Canadian television personality and radio talk show host
- Carolynne Poole (née Good) (born 1980), English singer-songwriter
- Dorothy Good (Salem witch trials) (c. 1687/1688–?), young child accused of being a witch, daughter of Sarah Good (see below)
- Eileen Good (1893–1986), Australian architect
- Ernst Good (born 1950), Swiss alpine skier
- Herman James Good (1887-1969), Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross
- I. J. Good (1916-2009), British statistician
- James Isaac Good (1850-1924), American Reformed church clergyman and historian
- James William Good (1866-1929), American politician, Secretary of War under President Hoover
- Jo Good (born 1978), British radio host
- JoAnne Good (born 1955), British broadcaster and actress
- John Mason Good (1764-1827), English writer on medical, religious and classical subjects
- Jonathan Good (born 1985), American professional wrestler better known as Dean Ambrose
- La'Myia Good (born 1979), American singer and actress
- Linda Good (fl. 1996-present), songwriter, producer, keyboardist, singer and television and film composer
- Matthew Good (born 1971), Canadian rock musician
- Meagan Good (born 1981), American actress
- Michael T. Good (born 1962), NASA astronaut
- Nathan Good (born 1975), former drummer of the band Death Cab for Cutie
- Sarah Good (Salem witch trials) (1653-1692), one of the first three people to be hanged as a result of the Salem witch trials
- Victoria Good, birth name of BBC Weather forecaster Tori Lacey
- Wilbur Good (1885-1963), American baseball outfielder
- Mr. Good, a Mr. Men novel series character created by Roger Hargreaves
Good (play)
Good is an award-winning play in two acts written by British playwright Cecil Philip Taylor. First published for Methuen Drama in 1982, it was originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1981 and was subsequently seen all over the world. Good has been described as the definitive piece written about the Holocaust in the English-speaking theatre. Set in pre-war Germany, it shows how John Halder, a liberal-minded professor whose best friend is the Jewish Maurice, could not only be seduced into joining the Nazism, but step-by-rationalised-step end up embracing the final solution justifying to his conscience the terrible actions.
Usage examples of "good".
An Aberrant whose Aberration made her better than those who despised her.
And because of the aberration of the Dutch and Belgians for neutrality there had been no staff consultations by which the defenders could pool their plans and resources to the best advantage.
The plan to evacuate the Tenuans to the Abesse was no longer the best of options.
UNMIK, with European Union assistance, did intervene - in setting up institutions and abetting economic legislation - it has done more harm than good.
We may, however, omit for the present any consideration of the particular providence, that beforehand decision which accomplishes or holds things in abeyance to some good purpose and gives or withholds in our own regard: when we have established the Universal Providence which we affirm, we can link the secondary with it.
So they took counsel together, and to some it seemed better to abide the onset on their vantage ground.
So that meseems thou mayest abide here in a life far better than wandering amongst uncouth folk, perilous and cruel.
I will abide thee on a good horse with all that we may need for the journey: and now I ask leave.
Either come down to us into the meadow yonder, that we may slay you with less labour, or else, which will be the better for you, give up to us the Upmeads thralls who be with you, and then turn your faces and go back to your houses, and abide there till we come and pull you out of them, which may be some while yet.
Why, Abigail could best nearly any boy in the county at what were deemed masculine pursuits: hunting, riding and climbing trees.
But, as it was, he ably supported the exposed flank that Johnston so skillfully attacked, won the battle, inflicted losses a good deal larger than his own, and gained his ulterior objective as well as if there had not been a fight at all.
He was apparently about thirty years old, with a sallow, olive complexion and fairly good features, but an abnormally high forehead.
But please remember that, as a guest aboard our ship, we expect better manners.
Despite the gentle ribbing from James he was here because his men were aboard that ship and they had the right to expect his best efforts to aid them.
Now this cheaping irked Ralph sorely, as was like to be, whereas, as hath been told, he came from a land where were no thralls, none but vavassors and good yeomen: yet he abode till all was done, hansel paid, and the thralls led off by their new masters.