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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
it
I.pronoun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
and you know it
▪ ‘That’s not what I mean, and you know it,’ he protested.
As it turned out (=used to say what happened in the end)
▪ As it turned out, he passed the exam quite easily.
as sb sees it/the way sb sees it (=used to give someone’s opinion)
▪ As I see it, you don’t have any choice.
▪ The way I see it, we have two options.
as sb sees it/the way sb sees it (=used to give someone’s opinion)
▪ As I see it, you don’t have any choice.
▪ The way I see it, we have two options.
as we know it
▪ The museum outlines the development of the city as we know it today.
as well it might
▪ This caused a few gasps, as well it might.
be mad for it (=want to do something very much)
be quick about it
▪ ‘Can I just finish this first?’ ‘OK, but be quick about it.’
be worth it in the long run
▪ All our hard work will be worth it in the long run.
blow it
▪ You’ve got a great future ahead of you. Don’t blow it.
bluff it out (=continue to pretend something)
▪ ‘I was with Don,’ she said, deciding to bluff it out .
by the looks of it (=that is how it seems)
▪ The neighbours are back from holiday by the looks of it.
came straight out with it
▪ She came straight out with it and said she was leaving.
can’t help it
▪ ‘Stop biting your nails.’ ‘I can’t help it.’
chance it
▪ I wasn’t sure if I’d got quite enough petrol to get me home, but I decided to chance it.
charge it
▪ ‘How would you like to pay?’ ‘I’ll charge it.’
chuck it all in
▪ I decided to chuck it all in and go to Australia.
consider it necessary/important etc to do sth
▪ I did not consider it necessary to report the incident.
couldn’t help it if
▪ She couldn’t help it if she was being irrational.
couldn’t swear to it (=I am not certain)
▪ I think it was about ten o'clock when we left, but I couldn’t swear to it.
didn’t mean it (=she did not intend to upset or hurt someone)
▪ I’m sure she didn’t mean it.
don’t believe a word of it (=I think it is completely untrue)
▪ I don’t believe a word of it.
Don’t knock it
▪ ‘Designer fashion is silly.’ ‘Don’t knock it; it’s an important industry.’
don’t overdo it
▪ Use a few drawings and photographs, but don’t overdo it.
faking it
▪ I thought he was really hurt but he was faking it.
fight it out
▪ We left them to fight it out.
find it hard to do sth
▪ I was finding it hard to concentrate.
find it hard/easy/difficult etc (to do sth)
▪ Hyperactive children find it difficult to concentrate.
find it...incredible that
▪ I find it almost incredible that no one noticed these errors.
floored it
▪ I got into the car and floored it.
gave it up as a bad job (=stopped trying because success seemed unlikely)
▪ The ground was too hard to dig so I gave it up as a bad job.
get it through to...that
▪ How can I get it through to him that this is really important?
get it
▪ I don’t get it – it doesn’t make sense.
get through/make it through (=reach a place after a difficult journey)
▪ You’ll never get through – the snow’s two metres deep.
▪ Rescue teams have finally made it through to the survivors.
give it a go (=try to do something)
▪ I’d thought about it for some time and decided to give it a go.
give it a tryinformal
▪ If your instinct is telling you to give it a try, then go ahead.
give it some wellie
▪ You need to give it some wellie.
go for itspoken (= used to encourage someone to try to achieve something)
▪ If you really want the job, go for it!
got it cracked
▪ He seems to have got it cracked.
grin and bear it (=accept it without complaining)
▪ It was a horrible job but she had to grin and bear it.
had it all worked out (=had made very careful plans)
▪ I had it all worked out.
had much to commend it (=was very good)
▪ McKellen’s performance had much to commend it .
have a hard time of it
▪ Vegetarians still often have a hard time of it when it comes to eating out.
have a tough time (of it) (=face a lot of difficult problems)
▪ The family has had a tough time of it these last few months.
have an easy time of it
▪ You can have an easy time of it now that the kids have all left home.
have it in you (=have the skill or special quality needed to do something)
▪ You should have seen the way Dad was dancing – I didn’t know he had it in him!
have meat in it (=contain meat)
▪ Does this stew have meat in it?
have to wing it
▪ We’ll just have to wing it.
have what it takesinformal (= to have the qualities that are needed for success)
▪ Neil’s got what it takes to be a great footballer.
heard it said
▪ I’ve heard it said that they met in Italy.
hold it!
▪ Hold it! We’re not quite ready.
how shall I/we put it? (=used before saying something in an indirect or polite way)
▪ Mr Lewis is now – how shall we put it? – hardly the influence he once was.
how’s it going
▪ So how’s it going at work these days? Still enjoying it?
I doubt it (=I don’t think so)
▪ ‘Do you think there’ll be any tickets left?’ ‘I doubt it.’
I hate to admit it but …
▪ I hate to admit it but it looks like we’ve failed.
I take it (=I assume)
▪ I take it you’ve heard that Rick’s resigned.
if anything can go wrong, it will
▪ I’m sure that if anything can go wrong, it will.
Is it OK if
▪ Is it OK if I leave my bags here?
Isn’t it strange how
▪ Isn’t it strange how animals seem to sense danger?
It all comes down to
▪ It all comes down to money in the end.
It astonished...that
▪ It astonished him that she had changed so little.
it can be seen that/we can see that
▪ From this graph, it can be seen that some people are more susceptible to the disease.
It chanced that
▪ It chanced that we both went to Paris that year.
It could be argued that
▪ It could be argued that a dam might actually increase the risk of flooding.
It dawned on...that
▪ It dawned on me that Jo had been right all along.
It depresses me that
▪ It depresses me that nobody seems to care.
It didn’t cross...mind that
▪ It didn’t cross her mind that she might be doing something illegal.
It didn’t seem worth bothering
▪ It didn’t seem worth bothering the doctor about.
it doesn’t surprise me
▪ I didn’t know you two knew each other. Mind you, it doesn’t surprise me.
it emerged that
▪ Later it emerged that the judge had employed an illegal immigrant.
it feel
▪ How does it feel to be 40?
It fell to...to
▪ It fell to me to give her the bad news.
It felt
▪ It felt wonderful to be wearing clean clothes again.
It figures that
▪ It figures that she’d be mad at you, after what you did.
It gets dark (=night begins)
▪ It gets dark about ten o'clock.
It girl
It gives me great pleasure (=I am very pleased)
▪ It gives me great pleasure to introduce tonight’s speaker.
it grieves
▪ My aunt, it grieves me to say, gets things confused.
It had...slipped...mind that
▪ It had completely slipped her mind that Dave still had a key to the house.
It has been suggested that
▪ It has been suggested that the manager will resign if any more players are sold.
It helped
▪ It helped a lot to know that someone understood how I felt.
It helps...if
▪ It helps my concentration if I listen to music while I’m working.
it hit...that
▪ It’s impossible to pinpoint a moment when it hit me that I was ‘a success’.
It infuriated...that
▪ It infuriated him that Beth was with another man.
it is a blessing (that)
▪ It’s a blessing no one was badly hurt.
it is a coincidence that
▪ It was a remarkable coincidence that two people with the same name were staying at the hotel.
it is a mistake to do sth
▪ It is a mistake to try to see everything in the museum in one day.
it is a mistake to think/assume etc sth
▪ It would be a mistake to assume that all snakes are dangerous.
It is advisable
▪ It is advisable to write a career objective at the start of your resume.
It is an illusion that
▪ It is an illusion that the Arctic is dark in winter.
it is an offence to do sth
▪ It is an offence to carry a weapon in a public place.
It is anticipated that
▪ It is anticipated that the research will have many different practical applications.
It is bad
▪ It is bad for kids to be on their own so much.
it is bound to be (=used to say that something should have been expected)
▪ ‘It’s hot!’ ‘Well, it was bound to be – I just took it out of the oven.’
it is certainly true/possible etc
▪ It is certainly true that there are more courses on offer.
it is comforting to think/have/know etc
▪ It’s comforting to know I can call my parents any time.
It is common knowledge that
▪ It is common knowledge that travel broadens the mind.
It is conceivable that
▪ It is conceivable that you may get full compensation, but it’s not likely.
it is debatable whether/how etc
▪ It’s debatable whether this book is as good as her last.
▪ Whether the object was used for rituals is highly debatable.
It is desirable that
▪ It is desirable that you should have some familiarity with computers.
it is difficult/hard to cope
▪ We were finding it difficult to cope financially.
it is difficult/hard/impossible to exaggerate sth (=used to say that something cannot be made to seem more important etc than it already is)
▪ It is difficult to exaggerate the strength of people’s feelings on this matter.
It is disgraceful that
▪ It is disgraceful that anyone should have to live in such conditions.
it is disheartening to hear/see etc sth
▪ It’s disheartening to see what little progress has been made.
it is easy to exaggerate sth
▪ It’s all too easy to exaggerate the importance of these rather minor factors.
it is easy to overestimate sth (=used to say that something is not as important as some people think)
▪ It is easy to overestimate the effect of prison on criminals.
it is hard to believe/imagine/see/know etc
▪ It was hard to see what else we could have done.
▪ It’s hard to believe that anyone would say something like that.
it is hard/difficult to fault sb/sth
▪ You might not like O'Donnel’s arrogance, but it’s hard to fault what he does on the field.
it is hard/difficult to overestimate sth (=used to emphasize that something is very important)
▪ It is hard to overestimate the effect the war has had on these children.
It is helpful if
▪ It is helpful if we address a few key questions here.
It is imperative that
▪ It is imperative that politicians should be good communicators.
it is impossible to do sth
▪ It is impossible to know if this story is true.
It is inconceivable that
▪ It is inconceivable that a man in such a powerful position could act so unwisely.
It is intended that
▪ It is intended that these meetings will become a regular event.
it is interesting to see/know etc
▪ It will be interesting to see what happens when he gets a bit older.
It is lamentable that
▪ It is lamentable that the officer failed to deal with the situation.
it is legitimate
▪ Most scientists believe it is legitimate to use animals in medical research.
it is my belief that
▪ It is my belief that most teachers are doing a good job.
it is naive to think/suppose/assume etc
▪ It would be naive to think that this could solve all the area’s problems straight away.
It is never too late
▪ It is never too late to give up smoking.
it is not a/no coincidence that (=it is deliberate)
▪ It is no coincidence that the Government made the announcement today.
it is not uncommon for sb to do sth
▪ It is not uncommon for students to have bank loans.
It is only right and proper
▪ It is only right and proper that an independent inquiry should take place.
it is our fervent hope thatformal (= used when saying that you hope very much that something will or will not happen)
▪ It is our fervent hope that change is coming.
it is possible to do sth
▪ From the hilltop it was possible to see the sea.
it is pouring with rainBritish English, it is pouring rain American English (= a lot of rain is falling)
▪ When we went outside it was pouring with rain.
it is raining cats and dogs informal (= it is raining very hard – this phrase sounds rather old-fashioned)
it is reasonable/unreasonable to expect sth
▪ It’s unreasonable to expect a tenant to pay for repairs to the outside of the house.
It is understandable that
▪ It is understandable that parents are angry, and looking for someone to blame.
It is unthinkable that
▪ It is unthinkable that a mistake like this could have happened.
it is useful to do sth
▪ It is useful to practise in front of an audience.
it is worth mentioning that (=it is important enough to mention)
▪ It is worth mentioning again that most accidents happen in the home.
It is...lawful
▪ It is not lawful to kill or injure a pet animal.
it is/seems reasonable to assume (that)
▪ It seems reasonable to assume that the book was written around 70 AD.
It just goes to show
▪ It just goes to show how much people judge each other by appearances.
it just popped out
▪ I didn’t mean to say it like that – it just popped out.
it looks as if/as though/like (=it seems likely that)
▪ It looks as if it might rain later.
▪ It looks like they won’t be needing us any more.
it looks like rain (=rain appears likely because there are dark clouds in the sky)
▪ We ate indoors because it looked like rain.
it makes you wonder
▪ He’s been leaving work early a lot – it makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
It may be that
▪ It may be that Minoan ships were built and repaired here.
It may interest...to know that
▪ It may interest you to know that a number of scholarships are available.
It might be worth...while
▪ It might be worth your while to talk to the head of department.
it never entered sb’s head/mind (=used to say that someone never considered a particular idea, especially when this is surprising)
▪ It never entered his head that she might be seeing someone else.
It niggles...that
▪ It niggles me that we can’t go home yet and get warm.
it pays to advertise (=advertising brings good results)
▪ Colleges and universities have found that it pays to advertise.
It poured
▪ It poured all night.
it rains heavily/hard (=a lot of water comes down)
▪ It was raining heavily when we arrived in New York.
it rains non-stop/solidly/steadily (=without stopping)
▪ It rained solidly every single day.
it rains slightly/lightly (=a little water comes down)
▪ It’s raining slightly, but we can still go out.
it rains/snows heavily
▪ It’s been raining heavily all day.
It seemed as if
▪ It seemed as if the end of the world had come.
it seemed like a good idea
▪ Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
it seems certain that …
▪ It seemed certain that the other team would win.
It seems like
▪ It seems like you’re catching a cold, Taylor.
it seems likely/unlikely/reasonable/clear (that)
▪ It seems likely that he will miss Ireland’s next match.
it starts raining/it starts to rain
▪ It had started to rain again.
it starts raining/it starts to rain
▪ It had started to rain again.
it stops raining
▪ Has it stopped raining?
it strikes sb as strange/odd etc that
▪ It struck me as odd that the man didn’t introduce himself before he spoke.
it surprises sb to see/find/know etc
▪ It had surprised me to find how fussy he was about some things.
It takes courage to do sth/sth takes courage (=needs courage)
▪ It takes courage to make a big change in your life like that.
it takes nerve to do sth (=something requires a lot of courage or confidence)
▪ It takes nerve to stand up for what you believe.
it takes time to do sth
▪ It took them a long time to struggle through the crowds.
it takes/requires brains to do sth
▪ It takes brains to think of a plan like that.
It took
▪ It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the dark.
it turned out that
▪ To my surprise, it turned out that I was wrong.
It was a tough call (=a difficult decision)
▪ It was a tough call, but we had to cancel the game because of the weather.
it was abnormal
▪ My parents thought it was abnormal for a boy to be interested in ballet.
it was announced that
▪ At the end of their meeting, it was announced that an agreement had been reached.
It was decent of
▪ It was decent of you to show up today.
it was hopeless
▪ I kept on struggling forward, even though I knew it was hopeless.
It was mean of
▪ It was mean of him not to invite her.
(it was) nice meeting you (=used to say goodbye politely to someone you have just met for the first time)
it was nip and tuck
▪ We made it to the airport, but it was nip and tuck.
It was no bother (=used to emphasize that you were happy to help someone)
▪ ‘Thanks for your help.’ ‘It was no bother at all.’
It was noticeable that
▪ It was noticeable that many of them avoided answering the question.
It was sleeting
▪ It was sleeting so hard we could barely see for 30 yards.
It was stupid of me
▪ It was stupid of me to lose my temper.
it was too late
▪ He shouted a warning but it was too late.
It was unbelievable that
▪ It was unbelievable that we were expected to pay twice.
It was unlucky...that
▪ It was unlucky for Stephen that the boss happened to walk in just at that moment.
it was worth it
▪ It was a lot of hard work, but it was worth it.
it was worth it
▪ It was a lot of hard work, but it was worth it.
It was...dark (=was night)
▪ It was still dark when we boarded the train.
it was...foreseeable that
▪ The judge found that it was not foreseeable that the fuel would catch fire.
It wasn’t long before (=soon)
▪ It wasn’t long before Lisa arrived.
it wasn’t worth it
▪ I thought about trying to talk to him about it, but decided it wasn’t worth it.
it wasn’t worth it
▪ I thought about trying to talk to him about it, but decided it wasn’t worth it.
It was...rash of
▪ It was rather rash of you to lend them your car.
It was...terrifying
▪ It was absolutely terrifying.
it went against the grain
▪ Mary is always honest and it went against the grain to tell lies.
it won’t come to that (=that won’t be necessary)
▪ We need to be prepared to fight, but hopefully it won’t come to that.
it worry...that
▪ Doesn’t it worry you that Sarah spends so much time away from home?
It would be nice if
▪ It would be nice if you could let us know in advance.
It wouldn’t surprise...if
▪ It wouldn’t surprise me if he married Jo.
It's a shame about
▪ It's a shame about the weather.
it's no exaggeration to say that ... (=used to emphasize that something is really true)
▪ It's no exaggeration to say that residents live in fear of the local gangs.
It...be foolish to
▪ It would be foolish to ignore his advice.
it...come to this
▪ I never thought it would come to this.
It...crossed...mind that
▪ It never crossed my mind that Lisa might be lying.
It...dawn that
▪ It began to dawn that something was wrong.
it...feels like
▪ It’s been a year since her daughter died, but to her, it still feels like yesterday.
It...follow that
▪ It doesn’t necessarily follow that you’re going to do well academically even if you’re highly intelligent.
It...happened so fast
▪ It all happened so fast I didn’t even notice I was bleeding.
It...irritates
▪ It really irritates me when he doesn’t help around the house.
it...kick off
▪ I think it might kick off in here with all these football fans around.
It...peculiar that
▪ It seems very peculiar that no one noticed Kay had gone.
it...recorded that
▪ In 1892 it is recorded that the weather became so cold that the river froze over.
it’s fine as it is
▪ ‘Do you want chili sauce on it?’ ‘No, it’s fine as it is, thanks.’
it’s pouring with rain/it poured with rainBritish English
▪ It was pouring down with rain at three o'clock.
I’d appreciate it if
▪ I’d appreciate it if you let me get on with my job.
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 safe to do sth (=consider that it is safe to do something)
▪ He listened for some time before judging it safe to go downstairs.
keep it down
▪ Can you keep it down – I’m trying to work.
Lay it on the line
▪ Lay it on the line and tell them what’s really been happening.
leave it at that (=used to say that you will not do any more of something, because you have done enough)
▪ Let’s leave it at that for today.
Leave it to
▪ Leave it to me. I’ll make sure it gets posted.
leave...to it (=go away and let you continue with what you are doing)
▪ I’ll leave you to it.
left it too late
▪ I’m afraid you’ve left it too late to change your ticket.
legend has it that (=says that)
▪ Legend has it that Rhodes was home to the sun god Helios.
let it pass
▪ Carla made some comment about my work but I decided to let it pass.
let it slide
▪ Well, I guess we can let it slide this time.
let it slip that
▪ He let it slip that they were planning to get married.
like it or lump it
▪ It’s the law so you can like it or lump it.
like it or lump it
▪ It’s the law so you can like it or lump it.
like it
▪ I don’t like it when you get angry.
Looking back on it
▪ Looking back on it, I still can’t figure out what went wrong.
made it big (=became very successful)
▪ After years as a small-time actor, he suddenly made it big in Hollywood.
made it big (=was extremely successful)
▪ He came to the US and not only made it but made it big.
made it clear
▪ The President has made it clear that he is not going to change his mind.
made it to the top
▪ So far, relatively few women have made it to the top in the business world.
make a dash for it (=run very quickly to escape or to reach a place)
▪ He turned and made a dash for it but the police officer caught him.
make a go of it
▪ Many businesses are struggling hard to make a go of it.
make it appear that
▪ He tried to make it appear that she had committed suicide.
make it clear that
▪ The tone of her voice made it clear that she was very angry.
make it easier (to do sth)
▪ The software makes it easier to download music.
make it necessary (for sb) to do sth
▪ Falling profits made it necessary to restructure the business.
make it possible to do sth
▪ Medical advances have made it possible to keep more patients alive.
make it to manager/director etc
▪ How did anyone so stupid make it to manager?
make sth an offence/make it an offence to do sth
▪ The Act made it an offence to sell cigarettes to children under 16.
manage it
▪ I don’t know how I’ll manage it, but I’ll be there.
mean it
▪ With children, if you say ‘no’, you have to mean it.
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.
must have dreamt it
▪ I was sure I posted the letter but I must have dreamt it.
myth has it that ... (=there is a myth that)
▪ Myth had it that Mrs Thatcher only needed four hours sleep a night.
not a bit of it
▪ Am I cross? No, not a bit of it.
Not that it mattered (=it was not important)
▪ She said very little during the meal. Not that it mattered.
not that it mattered (=it did not matter)
▪ Janice had lost some weight, not that it mattered.
now (that) you mention it (=used for saying that you had not thought of something until someone else mentioned it)
▪ I’ve never been to his house either, now that you mention it.
old though it is/tired though he was etc
▪ Strange though it may seem, I like housework.
owe it all to sb/owe everything to sb
▪ I owe it all to you.
packing it all in
▪ Sometimes I feel like packing it all in and going off travelling.
patch it/things up (with sb)
▪ He went back to patch things up with his wife.
play it by ear
▪ We’ll see what the weather’s like and play it by ear.
play it carefully/cool etc
▪ If you like him, play it cool, or you might scare him off.
Play it safe (=avoid risks)
▪ Play it safe and make sure the eggs are thoroughly cooked.
playing it straight (=being honest)
▪ I hope, for your sake, you’re playing it straight.
put it on...tab
▪ I’ll put it on your tab and you can pay tomorrow.
put it to sb that
▪ I put it to him that what we needed was some independent advice.
rake it in
▪ If someone opened a burger bar, they’d really rake it in.
risk it
▪ You could slip out of school between classes, but I wouldn’t risk it.
rubbing it in
▪ I know I should have been more careful, but there’s no need to keep rubbing it in.
rumour has it (=it is being said)
▪ Rumour has it that they plan to get married.
Run for it (=run as quickly as possible in order to escape)
▪ Hurry! Run for it!
rush it/things
▪ When we first met, neither of us wanted to rush things.
see how it goes/see how things go (=used when you are going to do something and will deal with problems if they happen)
▪ I don’t know. We’ll just have to see how it goes on Sunday.
see to it that
▪ The hotel’s owners see to it that their guests are given every luxury.
see to it
▪ Don’t worry – I’ll see to it.
seen it all before (=has experienced so much that nothing surprises her)
▪ She’s seen it all before in her long career.
shove it
▪ They can take their three cents an hour raise and shove it.
snap out of it
▪ Chantal’s been depressed for days. I wish she’d snap out of it.
So it seems (=that seems to be true)
▪ ‘So Bill’s leaving her?’ ‘So it seems.’
so it would appear (=used to say that something seems likely to be true, although you are not completely sure)
stay out of it
▪ You stay out of it. It’s none of your business.
sth happens when you least expect it
▪ Bad luck tends to happen when you least expect it.
stick at it
▪ Revising with your friends may help you stick at it.
stick it
▪ I don’t know how you stick it.
stick with it
▪ If you stick with it, your playing will gradually get better.
stop it/that (=stop doing something annoying)
▪ Come on, you two! Stop it!
Strange as it may seem
▪ Strange as it may seem, I actually prefer cold weather.
strike (it) luckyinformal (= be lucky)
▪ I applied for twenty jobs before I struck lucky.
such as it is/such as they are etc
▪ We will look at the evidence, such as it is, for each of these theories.
sweating it out
▪ Charles is sweating it out while the coach decides which players he’s taking to the Olympics.
sweating it out
▪ They were sweating it out in the gym.
swing it
▪ We managed to swing it so that they will travel together.
take it as read/given (=assume that something is correct or certain, because you are sure that this is the case)
▪ It isn’t official yet, but you can take it as read that you’ve got the contract.
take it out on
▪ Don’t take it out on me just because you’ve had a bad day.
take sb’s word for it/take it from sb (=accept that what someone says is true)
▪ That’s the truth – take it from me.
take sb’s word for it/take it from sb (=accept that what someone says is true)
▪ That’s the truth – take it from me.
the ayes have it (=used to say that most people in a meeting have voted in favour of something)
The worst of it is (=the worst part of the situation is)
▪ The worst of it is, I can’t tell anyone what’s happening.
There’s a lot of it about
▪ I hope she hasn’t caught flu. There’s a lot of it about.
To put it bluntly
▪ To put it bluntly, she’s not up to the job.
To put it simply
▪ To put it simply, the tax cuts mean the average person will be about 3% better off.
tough it out
▪ She told herself to be brave and tough it out.
underneath it all
▪ I think he’s a genuinely nice guy underneath it all.
up against it
▪ Murphy will be really up against it when he faces the champion this afternoon.
When it came to the crunch
▪ When it came to the crunch, she couldn’t agree to marry him.
would have none of it
▪ We offered to pay our half of the cost but Charles would have none of it.
You can’t miss it (=it is very easy to notice or recognize)
▪ It’s a huge hotel on the corner. You can’t miss it.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(as) near as damn it
(even) if it kills me
▪ I'm going to finish this even if it kills me.
(it'll) be curtains for sb/sth
▪ And will it be curtains for Coombs in Swindon?
▪ But does it have to be Curtains for you and me?
(it's a) small world
▪ "I graduated from St. John's." "Really? So did my brother. Small world."
(it's been) nice meeting/talking to you
(it's) a bit thick
(it's) my pleasure
▪ "Thanks for coming." "My pleasure."
(it's) no/small/little wonder (that)
(it's) the business
▪ A company owned and run by Mr and Mrs Bunch carried on the business of purchase and resale of bulk butter.
▪ He ran the business part time until last January.
▪ If the receipt is distributed to shareholders as dividends then the capital base of the business has been eroded.
▪ In the business world, it is felt that this is the degree of flexibility that is required.
▪ Melrose Petroleum is the general partner and manages the business.
▪ Richard Sackville of Buckhurst, in the business of making shot, was a major landowner with 200 marks a year.
▪ The business is effectively recession proof, if anything it probably does better when times are hard.
▪ The proceeds will be used to fund research and development and to expand the business.
(it) beats me
▪ It beats me how these kids can afford to spend so much money on clothes and CDs.
▪ How do you measure such a thing? Beats me.
▪ If he beats me at this game, well, he beats me.
▪ Pretty secluded. Beats me what he does.
▪ There's only one thing beats me.
▪ Though why he wants to call himself a doctor beats me.
▪ Though why the Good Lord didn't strike Durham itself beats me, instead of causing us all this trouble.
▪ Well, I don't fight, he beats me up - it's my fault, I provoke him.
(it) cuts both ways
▪ It cuts both ways to both parties.
▪ The company will probably discover, to its chagrin, that it cuts both ways.
▪ When our album Cuts Both Ways was released in 1989, I couldn't believe how successful it was.
(just) for the hell of it
▪ A lot of rich kids are turning to crime just for the hell of it.
▪ We used to go out every Saturday night and get drunk, just for the hell of it.
▪ For the hell of it l do an extra set of bun-twisters on my back, a perennial crowd-pleaser.
▪ For this interview, talking just for the hell of it, he was immeasurably more relaxed.
▪ He decided to walk down to the promontory by way of the market, just for the hell of it.
▪ He didn't really strike her as a particularly nosy person, just wanting to know things for the hell of it.
▪ I steal things I can't eat, just for the hell of it.
▪ Slanging matches with Craddock just for the hell of it.
▪ Why do so many people breed just for the hell of it?
▪ William Mulholland came to Los Angeles more or less for the hell of it.
(now I) come to think of it
▪ But now that she came to think of it she had never been out to any sort of meal with John.
▪ Come to think of it, Columbia wouldn't have been around if it hadn't been for the blues.
▪ Come to think of it, even Hillary Rodham Clinton could learn something from Alexander about how to invest her money.
▪ Come to think of it, he'd seemed rather a decent chap, some one it might be worth getting to know.
▪ Come to think of it, they might want to hang on to those packing crates.
▪ So did Mom, come to think of it.
▪ You never know, come to think of it.
(that's/it's) always the way!
(there are) no two ways about it
▪ No two ways about it, Blue says to himself: he knows everything.
▪ No two ways about it, Clint Schneider was dynamite.
▪ That was the job description, no two ways about it.
▪ There are no two ways about it.
(there's) nothing to it
(whether you) like it or not
▪ You're going to the dentist, whether you like it or not.
I couldn't put it down
▪ It's such a good book that I couldn't put it down.
▪ What an amazing book! I just couldn't put it down.
I do so/it is so etc
I give it six weeks/a month etc
I hate to say it, but .../I hate to tell you this, but ...
I have it on good authority
▪ I have it on good authority that the school board wants to fire the principal.
I love it!
▪ "So then Susan had to explain how the dishes got broken." "Oh, I love it!"
I would prefer it if
▪ I'd prefer it if you would not insult my friends.
▪ I would prefer it if we had a bigger house, but we can't afford it.
I wouldn't miss it for the world
I wouldn't put it past sb (to do sth)
▪ I wouldn't put it past Colin to lie to his wife.
I wouldn't put it past sb (to do sth)
I'd stake my life on it
I've got it
I/he etc will never hear the end of it
It works for me
It's one thing to ... it's (quite) another to
and all the rest of it
▪ Capitalist accompanies its development with a fanfare about freedom of choice, free markets, and all the rest of it.
▪ Groan, groan, and all the rest of it.
▪ I've already lost one house and a business and a car, two cars, and all the rest of it.
▪ I understand the problems in hung Parliaments, and all the rest of it.
▪ None of the overtones of subordination and all the rest of it would have been present to the Hebrew.
▪ The cooking and cleaning and homework-checking and shopping and all the rest of it.
▪ Told me I was jumping to conclusions and weaving fantasies and all the rest of it.
▪ You couldn't care less about education and health and all the rest of it.
and don't you forget it!
and it's a big if
any way you slice it
▪ It's the truth, any way you slice it.
as far as it goes
▪ What Kroll said was accurate, as far as it goes.
▪ My country has adopted individual rights in principle, but as far as it goes, it means men, not women.
▪ That's as far as it goes with me.
▪ That is encouraging as far as it goes.
▪ This self-defense strategy is fine as far as it goes, but it addresses only half of the prevention equation.
▪ Virtually all of it is right as far as it goes.
▪ We push it as far as it goes.
as it happens/it just so happens
as it is
▪ Just keep quiet - you're in enough trouble as it is.
▪ We were hoping to finish by 5 o'clock, but as it is, we'll be lucky to finish by 8!
▪ We were saving money to go to Hawaii, but as it is we can only afford to go on a camping trip.
▪ Why start an argument? You're in enough trouble as it is!
▪ About as hot in Washington as it is in Managua this morning.
▪ Faxing the stuff, may prove awkward as it is on 2 large A3 sheets.
▪ For the historian it is equally illegitimate to overlook what they had in common as it is to neglect the differences.
▪ It lives in large family groups and is said to be as shy as it is fearsome-looking.
▪ Quota sampling is widely used in market research as it is cost-effective.
▪ She is not looking for the divided subject but seeking to understand why the unified subject we have is as it is.
▪ Some of them are barely surviving as it is.
▪ The middle-class in the center of concern in these novels, as it is in sentimental comedy.
as it were
▪ He became famous, as it were , for never having a hit record.
▪ He cornered the market in heroes, as it were.
▪ He was there, as it were, in reflection.
▪ Maps to particular places allow one to penetrate the maze, by appointment as it were.
▪ That made me, by birth as it were, a member of the Strauss family.
▪ The basic chords, as it were, are there.
▪ The basic signals are the same but each area has, as it were, its own dialect of calls.
▪ Um, the computer guru, uh, the wizards as it were, is going to be there for emergency calls.
▪ We do not have to try to remember ourselves in a vacuum, as it were.
as luck would have it
▪ As luck would have it, it rained the next day and the game was canceled.
▪ As luck would have it, there were two seats left on the last flight.
▪ This was the first time I had ever seen a panda, and as luck would have it, I had my camera with me.
▪ But, as luck would have it, for them anyway, no buses ran on Sunday.
▪ But, as luck would have it, I didn't have an opportunity to follow up my intention at the time.
▪ Somewhere in the Great Hall, as luck would have it, were two managing directors from Salomon Brothers.
▪ This particular shoe, as luck would have it, is a flip-flop.
battle it out
▪ The Yankees and the Red Soxs are battling it out for the championship.
▪ For the Sunday the pros would be on their own, battling it out for the first prize of £500,000.
▪ From their earliest days they were battling it out - sometimes for the same parts.
▪ In Atlanta, 12 teams will be battling it out in two divisions.
▪ Phil Gramm all battling it out for second-and third-place showings.
▪ They showed no sign of brotherly love as they battled it out for the runner-up spot before the record crowd.
▪ This is why bodies exist, rather than separate replicators still battling it out in the primordial soup.
be (in) for it
▪ Gladstone, Cobden and Bright were for it.
▪ Life's so fantastic that my number one wish is for it to stay that way.
▪ Literacy is a lot like motherhood; everybody claims to be for it.
▪ Oh no, Carla groaned, now she was in for it.
▪ The businessmen of Seattle are for it.
▪ We do not know what legal or moral basis there was for it.
▪ West Coast shippers are for it.
▪ Whatever you picked, you were in for it.
be as good as it gets
be asking for it
▪ Anyone who invites a complete stranger into their house is asking for it.
▪ It would only mean he might let her down again, and that would be asking for it.
▪ Perhaps she ought not to have spoken so bluntly, even though he was asking for it.
be at it again
▪ It is a matter of great importance, on which the Government are at it again.
▪ Lydia's imagination was at it again.
▪ Now they are at it again.
▪ That Arkansas poultry producer was at it again.
▪ The guys are at it again, discussing my private parts in public.
▪ The parakeets were at it again, their squawks rising like shifting clouds.
▪ They were at it again within two minutes of the restart, as Shaun Bartlett fired over from close range.
be bricking it
be done with it
▪ Call it a freak accident and, hopefully, be done with it and race on.
▪ He might as well capsize the dinghy and be done with it.
▪ If you're running Windows, update your system to the latest version of Internet Explorer and be done with it.
▪ In fact, the mayor could submit a written report to the Board of Supervisors and be done with it.
▪ Nigel Lawson showed what could be done with it.
▪ Once a cancer is detected there is no consensus as to what should be done with it.
▪ The goal of reading is to be done with it, to be able to close the book and play.
▪ There was so much anger in her she could not see what might be done with it.
be full of crap/shit/it
▪ Black cats are full of it, while pale animals have less.
▪ His head was full of it.
▪ I thought she was full of shit, but what the hell?
▪ Television is full of it about election time.
▪ The very donkey boys were full of it.
▪ Usually her hands are full of it.
be gagging for it
be hard at it/work
▪ Ahead of her, Bite the Bullet's jockey was hard at work while the horse on his outside was clearly beaten.
▪ Cook was making fresh cornbread rolls for breakfast and lesser mortals were hard at it with brooms and mops.
▪ He was hard at work on the translation of a play which had to be ready two days later.
▪ Not much is said, as each young person, and Bill, is hard at work at the task at hand.
▪ Over the road, Sylvia Brackley and daughter, Karen are hard at work on this year's crop.
▪ Thacker had set him a spot of overtime and he was hard at it in the mill.
▪ Today, all eight of the Van Andel and DeVos offspring are hard at work making this company better.
▪ When she was hard at work and on top of things her productivity was exceptional.
be having a thin time (of it)
be in for it
▪ The hills are very dry; if we get any more hot winds we could be in for it.
▪ Oh no, Carla groaned, now she was in for it.
▪ Whatever you picked, you were in for it.
be kicking (it)
▪ Victor and his friends were kicking it on the porch.
▪ Glen Day had eight birdies in a round of 64 and was kicking himself.
▪ Her nose wrinkled at the smell of beer, and she kicked off her mink-trimmed bootees as if she were kicking Boyd.
▪ It was easy to see that the boy was kicking himself.
▪ John is kicking the car too.
▪ She was kicking herself for forgetting the most basic Capricorn trait of allowing nothing to stand in the way of their goal.
▪ The adults were soon chanting and singing; the baby was kicking and cooing.
▪ The ball the three youngsters were kicking about landed near Scott once more.
▪ When I pull into the driveway Quincy and Phoenix are kicking it on the deck again.
be kicking it
▪ When I pull into the driveway Quincy and Phoenix are kicking it on the deck again.
be not worth it
▪ And it wasn't worth it in the end, I was well miffed.
▪ At any rate it isn't worth it really.
▪ In one sense, we are not worth it.
▪ It isn't worth it, please believe me.
▪ It just isn't worth it.
▪ Many training providers pull out because it is not worth it.
▪ Sitting on the train she had suddenly thought that it was not worth it.
▪ The whole place isn't worth it.
be rolling in money/dough/cash/it
▪ Mel Levine is rolling in dough.
▪ After all, this man was a tycoon as well as a doctor; he must be rolling in money.
▪ Because the people who are rolling in it certainly are.
be stirring (it)
▪ And now, 5 years on, the City of Hereford is stirring to the call of the cup.
▪ As he was stirring it he heard Christopher cough and start to cry.
▪ He ate on, oblivious to the storms he was stirring into the air around him.
▪ If the global surface was in motion, geophysicists realized that the rock beneath it must also be stirring.
▪ Nearby, the remainder of the squadron was stirring after a brief respite in a busy twenty-four period.
▪ Other business activity also is stirring on the commercial half of the 60-acre Town Center site, Malone said.
▪ There are other signs that the club is stirring itself commercially as it responds to the needs of its growing membership.
▪ What high-pressure or low-pressure rock fronts were stirring up the surface of the globe?
be stretching it
▪ He's a good player, but calling him "world class" is stretching it.
▪ But four in a row was stretching it too far.
be that as it may
▪ "Everyone knows it was your idea." "Be that as it may, we can present it together."
▪ Be that as it may, all of us need order.
▪ Be that as it may, blood-sharing in vampire bats seems to fit the Axelrod model well.
▪ Be that as it may, Driesch concluded that Weismann was wrong, at least in part.
▪ Be that as it may, his depiction was so convincingly done as to restore belief in the existence of centaurs!
▪ Be that as it may, I shall attempt to explain the spiritual aspect in my own terms.
▪ Be that as it may, terrible things clearly happened.
▪ Be that as it may, the truth is plain: this is an exercise of arrogant power which stinks.
▪ Be that as it may, Woolridge had his suspicions.
be that as it may
▪ Be that as it may, all of us need order.
▪ Be that as it may, blood-sharing in vampire bats seems to fit the Axelrod model well.
▪ Be that as it may, Driesch concluded that Weismann was wrong, at least in part.
▪ Be that as it may, his depiction was so convincingly done as to restore belief in the existence of centaurs!
▪ Be that as it may, I shall attempt to explain the spiritual aspect in my own terms.
▪ Be that as it may, terrible things clearly happened.
▪ Be that as it may, the truth is plain: this is an exercise of arrogant power which stinks.
▪ Be that as it may, Woolridge had his suspicions.
be where it's at
▪ Forget the business struggle: the busyness battle is where it's at.
▪ This is where it's at.
be worth it
▪ I didn't bother looking at the instructions -- I didn't think it was worth it.
▪ It may be worth putting an advertisement in the local paper.
▪ At the time, it was worth it, because people would come back.
▪ But it was worth it to keep the wolves from the door.
▪ But it would all be worth it to see them settled and thriving in their new home.
▪ Even if animosity worked miracles in bringing about good grades, would it be worth it?
▪ Making them think the next sunrise would be worth it; that another stroke of time would do it at last.
▪ So, if my partner ever plans to deceive me, the woman he fancies had better be worth it.
▪ Somewhere he must have questioned whether it was worth it, somewhere he must have felt enraged at his own losses.
▪ This one had cost him sixpence, a lot out of his ten shillings a week wages, but it was worth it.
beat it!
▪ Go on, you kids! Beat it! Now!
before you know it
▪ Spring break will be here before you know it.
▪ You'll be fully recovered before you know it.
▪ You offer to iron his shirt and before you know it, he expects you to do all the housework.
▪ He saves his money, before you know it he owns a car.
▪ It happens before you know it.
▪ It seemed a long way away but before we knew it we were paying the last of the deposits.
▪ One thing kept leading to another, and before I knew it a small industry had been set in motion.
▪ Take time with people, and you will see success in your business before you know it.
▪ They claim that news is just around the corner, and that it will be on us before we know it.
believe it or not
▪ Well, believe it or not, we're getting married.
▪ And so, believe it or not, he puts on the magic shoes and limps off to the funeral.
▪ But, believe it or not, neither are the networks.
▪ Lives in the next village, believe it or not.
▪ Name's Virginia, believe it or not.
▪ Now this happened to me again, believe it or not, a year or two later.
▪ She put on her pale-blue linen Jaeger dress and, believe it or not, a little hat.
▪ The eventual headliners, believe it or not, were Mud.
▪ This week, believe it or not, another, almost identical saga began.
big it up
blow/blow me/blow it etc
bollocks to you/that/it etc
bother it/them etc
▪ But nobody bothered them when they returned to the white salon.
▪ But she always hurried on, not to bother them, not to get in their way.
▪ Cold, as a rule, doesn't bother them but they will not tolerate prolonged wetness, particularly during the winter.
▪ Each situation is then rated on a five point scale according to whether it just bothers them a little or makes them really angry.
▪ Help the girls you love learn to deal with the emotions that frighten or bother them.
▪ If not, he added, why bother it?
▪ The fact that outsiders find them contradictory and paradoxical does not bother them a bit.
▪ The goats grew nice and fat, and the troll never bothered them again.
brave it out
▪ Petey heard him trying to brave it out, rocking back and forth to make the pain subside.
▪ She decided to brave it out and applied for permission from the Prefect of Police.
▪ She was going to cope, to face this, to brave it out and lay a certain ghost.
bring it on
button it!
by/from the sound of it/things
▪ Ana was trapped here, though, by the sound of it.
▪ And all this provided by Summerchild, from the sound of it.
▪ But by the sound of it your brothers are a hale and hearty pair.
▪ But then Summerchild didn't know himself to start with, by the sound of it.
▪ He heard Lee shooting them down, then him whistling. From the sound of it he was still around.
▪ In the other boat, the priest had started gabbling in Latin - the Dies Irae, by the sound of it.
▪ Something hissed - steam escaping, from the sound of it.
▪ You've had a hard day, and by the sound of it not an easy life.
call it a day
▪ Come on, guys, let's call it a day.
▪ Look, we're all tired - let's call it a day.
▪ We realized we weren't going to get the job finished, so we decided to call it a day.
▪ But yesterday he announced he was calling it a day.
▪ By 1 p.m. we had another forty-five sheep on deck and decided to call it a day.
▪ He decided to call it a day after doctors told him he had lost the other testicle.
▪ It's time I called it a day.
▪ It would do this twice more and then call it a day.
▪ Mishak and Malaika call it a day.
▪ So he agreed to call it a day.
▪ Time to call it a day, ladies.
call it a draw
call it quits
▪ After 8 years of marriage, they're calling it quits.
▪ At midnight the band still showed no sign of calling it quits.
▪ Fortunately, the timeless musical genius knew when to call it quits, though his stunning creations live on.
▪ He thought it was time to call it quits.
▪ In the House, 33 members -- 23 Democrats and 10 Republicans -- are also calling it quits.
▪ It would be easy to call it quits.
▪ No one is suggesting that Zajedno is about to call it quits.
▪ Now you've broken it ... well, let's hope they count Miss Tuckey as a pro and call it quits.
▪ Spring focus: Albert Belle's chronic hip problem could force him to call it quits.
▪ Still, Elgaen is not ready to call it quits.
call it £10/two hours etc
call it/things even
▪ Since you bought the movie tickets and I bought dinner, let's just call it even.
camp it up
can it!
can you beat that/it?
▪ All I can remember of her as a baby is how much she loved butter. Can you beat that?
▪ Agricultural machinery, can you beat that?
▪ But can they beat it consistently?
▪ Can you beat that man, Senna?
cane it
catch it
▪ Almost everyone caught it and almost a third of the population either died from it or had their faces permanently scarred.
▪ I caught it, held it in my fingers and put it out of the window.
▪ I guess that tells you where I caught it.
▪ It harasses other gulls until they drop their hard-won food and then swoops down to catch it - often in mid-air.
▪ Or a cat will bring home a live mouse to teach her kittens how to catch it.
▪ She had locked the screen, he knew, to keep the wind from catching it and tearing it off its hinges.
▪ She threw the door open, catching it before it could strike the wall.
chalk it up to experience
chuck it down
▪ Outside it was chucking it down and the streets were deserted.
clinch it
▪ The offer of a company car was what clinched it for me, and I accepted the job.
▪ Go for the key points - the points that sustain the argument and help to clinch it.
▪ I was pretty sure before I went up to her apartment, but that clinched it.
▪ It was the third day that clinched it.
▪ Suppose we don't clinch it?
▪ The signature at the bottom, clinched it: Jane Doe - which is a synonym for The-Woman-in-the-Street.
▪ Then Deutschlandsender made their announcement yesterday that Hess had flown the coop and I think that clinched it for them.
▪ This seemed to clinch it for both of them.
coin money/coin it (in)
come off it!
▪ Oh, come off it, George. Sheila wouldn't do that.
come to think of it/come to that
confound it/him/them etc
▪ And if Callie confuses them, Mona confounds them.
▪ Hell and the devil confound it, this was his home!
▪ Placed there to confront and confound him.
▪ She summons Deronda and pours out her desire to be what he wants, her inarticulate misery confounding him.
▪ Use their expectations and then confound them.
consider it done
cool it
▪ Cool it, guys. Just play the game.
▪ We already know who won, so cool it with the promos.
▪ As the granite cooled it squeezed out hot fluids containing mineral ores in solution.
▪ Fluke found out how cool it suddenly is to not like blacks again.
▪ It was time to cool it.
▪ Man, this is my way to cool it.
▪ Party chiefs told her to cool it.
▪ The few black independent aldermen were moving around, helping cool it.
▪ The refrigerant carries the heat to the outside coil where the fan cools it, blowing the heat into the outside air.
▪ When the hopped wort has been cooled it is run to fermenting vessels where it meets its destiny with yeast.
cop it
▪ It's me who cops it if the Sarge finds us.
▪ The place is full of the aroma of Spot-Knee, the ram lamb who recently copped it after a blissful organic life.
▪ The Ulsters have copped it up there.
crack it
▪ A drawback of this fire-setting technique is that it was liable to impair the value of the product by cracking it.
▪ Even some respected well-known all-round big-fish anglers have yet to crack it.
▪ He stopped outside the kitchen door and carefully cracked it open a fraction - and looked straight into Jane's wide eyes.
▪ In the absence of mathematical proofs of security, nothing builds confidence in a cryptosystem like sustained attempts to crack it.
▪ The grenade left his grip at almost the same moment as another beam struck him full across the carapace, cracking it.
▪ When Bobbie went on struggling I pushed her head against the floor, wincing at the crack it made.
cross that bridge when you come to it
▪ "What if they refuse?" "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
cut it/that out
▪ Rusty, cut it out, I'm trying to study in here.
▪ As for refined sugar - cut it out, as much as you can.
▪ Come on, kid, cut that out.
▪ I liked that picture so Marie let me cut it out and stick it on the wall.
▪ My colleague saw it and cut it out for me.
▪ My mom cut it out and gave it to me.
▪ Once the design has been traced, you must then cut it out very carefully with a very sharp knife.
▪ You got ta cut that out.
▪ You shouldn't cut it out completely.
cut it/things fine
cut it/things fine
damn it/you etc!
dash it (all)!
did he heck/will it heck etc
do it
▪ I had to tell the officer about these people I saw doing it in the park.
▪ We did it! We won the cup!
▪ You did it! Congratulations!
▪ However, we have certain things and that was part of your, your agreement was that you would do it.
▪ I reach the end of the beach too quickly so I turn around and do it again.
▪ It was a big step to do it and I wanted to do it for Freddie.
▪ Maybe we will do it all again in another six months???
▪ Mr Regan does it with a shillelagh.
▪ People do it because they see other people do it.
▪ The difference is that, one, before, we did not do it wholesale.
▪ True to script, they did it.
doggone it
▪ Doggone it! I can't find my purse.
don't bet on it/I wouldn't bet on it
▪ Maybe he's really a nice guy, but I wouldn't bet on it.
don't give it another thought
▪ "I'm really sorry about that." "Don't give another thought."
▪ "I'm sorry we had to cancel the party.'' "Oh, please don't give it another thought. It wasn't your fault that you were ill!''
don't mention it
▪ "Thanks for the lift!" "Oh, don't mention it!"
▪ "Thanks for the ride home!" "Don't mention it."
don't sweat it
▪ Don't sweat it - you'll pass the test, no problem.
don't you believe it!
drop sb in it
▪ Listen, mate, I wouldn't drop you in it.
easy does it
end your life/end it all
enter into the spirit of it/things
▪ Mercer was entering into the spirit of things, Bambi also but more coolly.
far be it from me to do sth
▪ Far be it from me to tell you what to wear.
far from it
▪ Allowing them to make such a decision does not sanction it - far from it.
▪ Being far from it makes it less real.
▪ By accepting it, the world is not taking on Western civilization lock, stock and barrel: far from it.
▪ I would not afford the remedy of judicial review in all those cases - far from it.
▪ Not that Dad was unsympathetic toward animals; far from it.
▪ Not that there had been many recently, far from it.
▪ Not that we would defend all of what passes or has passed for religion; far from it.
▪ This does not mean that only wellknown or straight forward subjects and themes are to be staged. far from it.
find it in your heart/yourself to do sth
▪ For this alone, I may find it in my heart to forgive her.
▪ He hoped the moon could find it in its heart to overlook his sins as it climbed the heavens.
▪ To his grief, Donny's widow would not find it in her heart to speak to him again.
for the heck of it
▪ Let's go in and take a look around just for the heck of it.
for the sake of it
▪ He was just talking for the sake of it.
▪ He once destroyed an entire constellation just for the sake of it.
▪ However, adding photographs just for the sake of it is not a good idea.
▪ I do not believe simply in throwing money at the prison service for the sake of it.
▪ I think it is sad if you just want to be popular for the sake of it.
▪ Know the state of the tide and strength of current; never dive for the sake of it.
▪ Like other young people, they want change if only for the sake of it.
▪ Of course, there's no point in doing something intrinsically dull just for the sake of it.
▪ There is no need to ask questions at this stage just for the sake of it.
for what it's worth
▪ For what it's worth, I think you did a fine job.
▪ My feeling, for what it's worth, is that they should be regarded as wasting assets.
forget it
▪ "Here, let me pay you back." "No, just forget it."
▪ "I feel so bad about upsetting your plans.'' "Oh, forget it. it really doesn't matter.''
▪ "What'd you say?" "Nothing, just forget it."
▪ As for the idea of going on holiday together, forget it!
▪ I'm not buying you that bike, so just forget it.
▪ If you're in a bad mood, forget it ; don't try and train your dog then.
▪ But if you're thinking of driving, forget it.
▪ I just try to forget it all now, but I might have to go back.
▪ Musically - forget it, but the spot effects are great and make up for the poor acoustic tones.
▪ Now, how could we ever have forgotten it?
▪ She forgot it was midnight and this was a respectable couple.
▪ What happens before disaster strikes and long after journalists have forgotten it matters even more than rescue and relief.
▪ Who that saw that day will ever forget it!
▪ You humans seem to forget it's you that have all the fun.
fuck you/it/them etc
gently/gently does it!
get away from it all
▪ Get away from it all in sunny Barbados.
▪ Coe, on the other hand, is getting away from it all with a weeks holiday in Helsinki.
get into the swing of it/things
▪ As the afternoon wears on, Paul Merton gets into the swing of things.
▪ But once you get into the swing of it, the anatomy takes care of itself.
▪ In the evening a fun event will be held to get into the swing of things.
get it in the neck
get it on
▪ Do you think those two are ever going to get it on?
▪ Be careful, though, not to get it on eyelashes.
▪ Now have you got it on the thing or have you got it on the bottom of the frame?
▪ Only he's actually got it on a scooter.
▪ Shoot, get it on, get it over with.
▪ Should he continue getting it on, then go for her.
▪ The point was to get it on, and never mind the fusses and frills.
▪ You get it on your hands.
get it together
▪ Dundela got it together in the second half and it was Dean Smyth's turn to save his side.
▪ Engineers apart, there are no students who will ever manage to get it together to decide on pay.
▪ I can't seem to get it together at present.
▪ Now manufacturers are getting it together and offering brilliant greens, oranges and blues.
▪ Some one else had got it together for Adam and there it all was.
▪ They must have worked fast to get it together, Charles thought.
▪ When we get it together to be so.
▪ Why on earth can't they get it together?
get it up
▪ And she's got it up top, an' all.
▪ Energy in one form or another has been invested in it to get it up there.
▪ He'd see it raise slightly, but he couldn't quite get it up.
▪ Probably a child molester, probably couldn't get it up for anything normal.
▪ She won't be able to get it up on her own anyway.
get on with it!
get/have the worst of it
▪ I should not have exasperated him for I always have the worst of it.
give it a rest
▪ You've been complaining all day. Why don't you just give it a rest?
▪ I think you should just give it a rest for a few weeks.
▪ It is not only more kind, but more intelligent, to give it a rest or let it slow down.
▪ It was time to give it a rest.
▪ Take your head off and give it a rest.
▪ There was a reason for stopping, at least a reason to give it a rest.
give it to sb straight
▪ He gives it to you straight.
▪ Listen, Dan, let me give it to you straight, as I see it.
give it up for sb
give me/it a break!
go it alone
▪ After years of working for a big company, I decided to go it alone.
▪ Sayles hasn't regretted his decision to go it alone as a filmmaker.
▪ The response to our proposal was lukewarm, so we felt we had to go it alone.
▪ When it comes to parenthood, more and more women are deciding to go it alone.
▪ As much as he can, he tries to go it alone.
▪ But County Auctions, a big operation with centres at Wooler and Newcastle, was always likely to go it alone.
▪ Do not try to go it alone - everything you do will be enhanced by the company of another.
▪ He knew that each brought something important to the relationship, but that neither could go it alone.
▪ If we would not be better off, it might be better to go it alone.
▪ Many of them do not have the capital or a big enough infrastructure to go it alone, he said.
▪ No single community could go it alone.
▪ That was when Brian decided to go it alone, sourcing the units and adapting them himself.
got it in one!
grin and bear it
▪ Abu Salim decided that a third day wasn't necessary so I had to grin and bear it.
▪ After debate the team concluded that they had to grin and bear it rather than descend into paranoia.
▪ And up to now, you've had to quit or grin and bear it.
▪ But she was not on the tour, so I had to grin and bear it.
▪ It's not exactly affectionate, but we Limeys can grin and bear it.
▪ There was no alternative but to grin and bear it.
▪ We just have to grin and bear it.
ham it up
▪ Every year Dad puts on his Santa suit and hams it up for the kids.
▪ For all the kids care he could be Goofy, hamming it up for Mickey Mouse.
▪ Overemphasis, hamming it up, leads to the exaggerations of satire, cartooning, melodrama and farce.
hang it (all)
▪ Adrienne paused to scan her face before taking her coat and hanging it in the closet.
▪ And you can hang it up.
▪ He hangs it out of sight, through a curtained doorway next to the bar.
▪ He weaves an apple blossom wreath and hangs it from a branch.
▪ Take off your coat and hang it up.
▪ Their decision to hang it on a beam in the barn was an acknowledgment of how little it belonged.
▪ They looked around for somewhere to hang it.
have (got) it in for sb
▪ But then, Riley, why should I have it in for the nuns?
▪ They will have it in for us in a big way.
have (got) it made
▪ Nowadays, these people have got it made.
▪ Others chimed in, saying those who have it made are pulling up the ladder on those less fortunate.
have an easy time (of it)
▪ She hasn't had an easy time of it since Jack left.
▪ Hu did not have an easy time of it at first.
have it in mind
▪ I didn't have it in mind to go looking for a four-piece group.
▪ I still have it in mind that barbers take Mondays off.
have it made in the shade
have it off/away with sb
▪ Also I don't want him to try to have it off with some one else.
▪ Dave Mellor did not have it away with that repellent tart.
▪ Rush round here every Wednesday afternoon, have it off with Angy and rush back.
▪ Was I going to have it off with this woman and a couple of goats?
have it out (with sb)
▪ And then, suddenly, she sees Dieter going off on his own, and decides to have it out with him.
▪ Fretting, he thought of hurrying round to have it out with him, whatever it was.
▪ In a flash she was off her bed and on her way to have it out with the one man responsible.
▪ She would give Susan a little time to simmer down and then she'd go up and have it out with her.
have it your (own) way
▪ But remember that this Last Best Place can disappear if corporate colonizers and their lackeys in Congress have it their way.
▪ Well, have it your own way.
have sth written all over it
have your cake and eat it
▪ First, is it an ethical investment policy to encourage people to try to have their cake and eat it?
▪ It appears the Ministry men can have their cake and eat it ... but only if we let them.
▪ It seems as though the council wants to have its cake and eat it.
▪ That way he could have his cake and eat it too.
▪ The benefits of standardization are coupled with the capacity to respond to change-a way to have your cake and eat it too.
▪ They don't imagine they can have their cake and eat it too.
▪ You can't have your cake and eat it.
▪ You can have your cake and eat it; the only trouble is, you get fat.
hightail it
▪ They ended up hightailing it across the border.
▪ Biologists had predicted the wolves would exit the pens and hightail it for the backcountry.
hit it off (with sb)
▪ Ally's jealous that Matt and Ceara hit it off.
▪ Billie had joined Lily and they had obviously hit it off.
▪ Glad you and Edward have hit it off.
▪ I think, in the end, they just didn't hit it off.
▪ If two gardeners hit it off, they can go private through electronic messages in a sort of letter-writing setup.
▪ Knowing both of them, I knew they would hit it off when they got to know one another better.
▪ She and I hit it off immediately.
▪ They hit it off from the first.
▪ They ended up in the same case study group and hit it off immediately.
hit sb where it hurts
▪ Instead of locking up drug offenders, hit them where it really hurts - in the wallet.
▪ Tax day hits him hard, hits him where it hurts the most.
hoof it
▪ Sadly, most soccer sims just involve hoofing it up the pitch and loads of chasing aimlessly after the ball.
hop it!
hotfoot it
how are things going?/how's it going?/how goes it?
▪ "Hey, Al, how's it going?" "Fine."
if it ain't broke, don't fix it
if it wasn't/weren't for sb/sth
if the cap fits (, wear it)
if you've got it, flaunt it
is it sb's idea of a joke?
it all adds up
▪ Still, it all adds up to an interesting polemic.
▪ Twenty hours, $ 14m and 33 actors-it all adds up to...
it behoves sb to do sth
▪ Filling stations are rarities: it behoves car owners to keep a watch on their reserves of petrol.
▪ Of course, it behoves the legislator to distinguish the categories logically and justly.
▪ So it behoves you to be wary when planting.
▪ Some of them will be described soon; but first, as always, it behoves us to study their data.
▪ That is their secret, and will remain so; it behoves us not to pry, only to speculate in passing.
it burns sb that/how etc
it can't be helped
▪ It's not an ideal solution, but it can't be helped.
it cannot be otherwise/how can it be otherwise?
it does your heart good to see/hear sth
it doesn't amount to a hill of beans
it doesn't matter
▪ "Do you want white or dark meat?" "Oh, it doesn't matter."
▪ "I think I taped over your show." "It doesn't matter - I already watched it."
▪ "We've missed the train." "It doesn't matter - there's another one in 10 minutes."
▪ It calls for brown sugar, but it doesn't matter - you can use white.
▪ It doesn't matter if you're a few minutes late. We'll wait for you.
▪ It doesn't matter what other people think. You should do what you think is best.
it doesn't take a rocket scientist (to do sth)
▪ It doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist to realize that the chain of events was no coincidence.
it fell off the back of a lorry
it freezes
▪ And if possible, shovel up and remove the mush before it freezes again.
▪ Explanation Every liquid has a certain temperature at which it freezes or melts.
▪ For most of the time, conditions are ideal-but, sometimes, it freezes.
▪ Now it freezes at night into a crust that you can walk on in the morning.
▪ That night it freezes hard and next morning after a brief breakfast we thaw out the boat and set off again.
it goes without saying (that)
▪ And it goes without saying that Wild is a Lisztian of the finest order.
▪ Concentrated, clear meat juice, must, it goes without saying, be added.
▪ Despite these difficulties, it goes without saying that no book should be ordered unless the price is known.
▪ Historically it goes without saying that we have used all kinds of nature, and especially animals, for human benefit.
▪ I think it goes without saying that a rested person is a better person, more able to face life.
▪ Non-fiction books, too, it goes without saying, are a good source.
▪ Of course it goes without saying that the aquarium glass must always be perfectly clean for best results.
it hails
it is (not) for sb to do sth
▪ All the work in this approach must go into a persuasive account of what it is for reasons to be conclusive.
▪ How important it is for them to build theories out of what they see and think.
▪ I can tell him how important it is for us to have a home of our own.
▪ If one can notice the absence of something one must already know what it is for things to be absent.
▪ Look how difficult it is for women to get on in the medical or legal profession!
it is arguable that
▪ Also, it is arguable that too much attention had been focused upon the spectacular and exciting youths.
▪ And it is arguable that the mine closures were a blessing, not the disaster which Susanna Rance seems to suggest.
▪ Indeed, it is arguable that the different speeds of financial liberalisation are a prime cause of world trade and savings imbalances.
▪ Some tragedy consoles, after all, and it is arguable that some of its consolations are facile and false.
▪ These were the critical years, but it is arguable that this was the critical place.
▪ This is no semantic nicety; rather, it is arguable that the distinction reveals something of their political specificities.
▪ Thus it is arguable that the traditions of the Comptroller's Department do not fit the task of examining commercial accounts.
it is better/it would be better
it is big of sb to do sth
▪ A whole dollar! Gee, that was very big of her!
▪ I think it was really big of Larry to admit that he made the wrong choice.
it is drizzling
it is high time sb did sth
▪ It's high time we pulled together and got the job done right.
it is idle to do sth
it is incumbent upon/on sb to do sth
it is kind/stupid/careless etc of sb (to do sth)
▪ But, it, it is kind of funny.
▪ So it is kind of coming home and a change of focus.
▪ The idea of it is kind of cute: This little Frank guy is trying to find candy.
it is not sb's place (to do sth)
▪ But it is not my place and, frankly, I am not in the mood for a party.
it is pissing down (with rain)
it is sprinkling
it is/gets light
▪ It gets light before 6 a.m.
▪ Even earthworms have light-sensitive cells in their skin which tell them whether it is light or dark.
▪ I stay there for quite a bit, looking round and that, till it gets light.
▪ The texture of it is light but too soft.
▪ The women are never outside, and the long low porch remains empty when it is light.
it makes no difference to sb
▪ But it makes no difference to Spiderglass what you call yourself.
▪ That does not mean it makes no difference to social welfare which rules we settle upon.
it makes no odds
it might/would be as well
it never rains but it pours
it pains sb to do sth
▪ It pained her to see how much older Bill was looking.
▪ As much as it pains us to write this, now is time for Dan to step down.
▪ Most burglars, it pains me to say, are just looking for the easy dollar.
it rains
▪ But the next day it rains.
▪ He says the sun will only shine on him if it rains for at least a month.
▪ If it rains, the programme will be aerobics, papiermâché mask making, craft work and painting etc.
▪ If it rains, there will be aerobics and make up morning, followed by indoor cycling proficiency.
▪ It's such a clich, but boy, it sure seems like it rains every year.
▪ It is a city more in tune with outdoor recreation than cultural institutions, but it rains there.
▪ They have a low, vaulted ceiling and damp, grimy walls which run with water when it rains.
▪ Water gushes through the roof when it rains.
it remains to be seen
▪ "What is your next film going to be about?'' "Well, that remains to be seen.''
▪ It remains to be seen how many senior citizens will actually benefit from this new plan.
▪ What remains to be seen now is whether it is too late to save the rainforests.
▪ Whether the team can sustain its winning streak remains to be seen.
▪ And it remains to be seen if re- signing Greg Vaughn will be a hit or a miss.
▪ But it remains to be seen whether that will prove a significant omission.
▪ But it remains to be seen whether this will exacerbate chronic unemployment or solve it.
▪ Steel will make it remains to be seen.
▪ The meaning of prevention in the new Children Act is multifaceted and it remains to be seen how it will be operationalized.
▪ Today it remains to be seen whether Museveni's essentially centralist approach will be more successful than its predecessors.
▪ Whether I reach it remains to be seen!
▪ Yet it remains to be seen how strong are the forces of Euro-scepticism in Labour's own ranks.
it serves sb right
it snows
▪ I will do it even when it snows and when it rains.
▪ When it snows in Boston, residents litter the streets with old furniture, barrels and a rusty washing machine or two.
it stands to reason (that)
▪ But the important decisions ... well, it stands to reason that these would be the sole responsibility of the man.
▪ Well, it stands to reason, doesn't it?
▪ Well, it sounds a very obvious thing for us to say - but it stands to reason.
it takes all sorts (to make a world)
it takes two to tango
it thaws
it transpires that
▪ If it transpires that he is guilty, he will almost certainly lose everyone's support.
▪ It now transpires that the prime minister knew about the deal all along.
▪ If it transpires that the patient has not yet attended the general practitioner for this diabetic review one reminder prompt is sent.
▪ On examination it transpires that he requested the retention of the original gilt brass depositum plates.
it was all I could do to do sth
▪ I followed one up the motorway just yesterday and it was all I could do to not retch.
▪ When pro golfer Tiger Woods won the Masters two weeks ago, it was all I could do to suppress a yawn.
it was as much as sb could do to do sth
it was nothing/think nothing of it
it will all come out in the wash
it will cost you
▪ If you give credit two things will happen: it will cost you money and give you problems.
▪ The more successful we are at extending longevity, the more it will cost us.
it won't/wouldn't kill sb (to do something)
▪ It wouldn't kill you to do the dishes.
it wouldn't do sb any harm to do sth
▪ It wouldn't do you any harm to get some experience first.
it'll (all) end in tears
it'll (all) end in tears
it'll be a push
it'll be all right on the night
it'll keep
▪ "I don't have time to listen now." "Don't worry, it'll keep."
it's (a case of) the tail wagging the dog
it's (a little/bit) late in the day (to do sth)
it's (just) one of those days
▪ "Everything okay?" "Oh, it's just been one of those days."
it's (only/just) a matter/question of time
▪ But they believe it's only a matter of time before the disease crosses the county boundary.
▪ If he hasn't already killed somebody, then it's only a matter of time.
▪ They think it's only a matter of time before he breaks.
it's (only/just) human nature
▪ It's human nature to put off doing things you don't like to do.
▪ But it's human nature that people-male or female-will do what they are allowed to get away with.
it's ... , Jim, but not as we know it
it's a case of sth
▪ But it's a case of when you're down, anything goes.
▪ Clearly it's a case of the further the distance, the better Captain Dibble gets.
▪ I think it's a case of what we have, we hold.
▪ It's a case of pushing the float up until it holds and doesn't drag under.
▪ Maybe it's a case of all these important people getting free drinks in the George Best Suite after the match.
▪ Overall, though, it's a case of spreading a good idea a little too thinly this time around.
▪ Police say they're almost certain it's a case of murder followed by suicide.
▪ Really it's a case of head versus heart.
it's a crime
▪ It's a crime to throw away all that food.
▪ It's a crime you never took it up, darling.
▪ You tell me that it's a crime to fall in love.
it's a crying shame
▪ It would be a crying shame if high ticket prices kept people away from baseball games.
▪ It's a crying shame to cover up your body.
it's a deal
▪ "I'll give you $100 for it." "It's a deal."
▪ All right, it's a deal.
▪ It's a deal considering the formidable size.
▪ It's a deal milder than Arendale and there's ling grows there.
it's a different story
▪ Between races it was a different story.
▪ But his recent speeches, carried on the Internet and in church publications, tell a different story.
▪ But it is a different story when we focus on phonological change.
▪ It means that if the engineer comes up with a different story they can use this to embarrass the plaintiff at trial.
▪ Lee told a different story in her lawsuit.
▪ Perhaps if people had spoken up, taken a strong stand, history would tell a different story.
▪ Taxes on rented and business property are a different story.
▪ They then have a moment of near romance before wandering off into a different story.
it's a dirty job, but someone has to do it
it's a fair cop
▪ And criminals are warned that from then, they won't even have time to tell police it's a fair cop.
▪ Do you want me to say that it's a fair cop or something?
▪ It's a fair cop - honest, officer!
it's a fair cop
▪ And criminals are warned that from then, they won't even have time to tell police it's a fair cop.
▪ Do you want me to say that it's a fair cop or something?
▪ It's a fair cop - honest, officer!
it's a free country
▪ "You can't say things like that!" "I can say whatever I want - it's a free country."
it's a girl/football/music etc thing
it's a good thing
▪ It's a good job you didn't scream.
▪ It's a good thing I brought my camera.
▪ It's a good thing you remembered to bring napkins.
▪ 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.
▪ It's a good thing we got here in time, he thought.
▪ Male speaker It's a good thing for the area.
▪ Male speaker It's a good thing we check them - we can find any injured birds and help them.
▪ 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 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 a long story
it's a matter of fact (that)
it's a mercy (that)
it's a safe/sure/fair bet (that)
▪ As soon as a board attempts to interfere with management tasks it's a fair bet that profits will decline.
▪ He may not fancy it, but it's a safe bet that he would be the first man to do it.
▪ Since they're not, it's a fair bet that they show something she doesn't want you to know.
it's a shame/what a shame etc
it's a squash
it's a toss-up
▪ "Have you decided where to go on holiday?'' "Well, it'll be either Portugal or Turkey -- it's a toss-up.''
▪ I don't know who'll get the job. I guess it's a toss-up between Carl and Steve.
it's a wonder (that)
▪ It's a wonder no one got hurt.
▪ But it's a wonder he doesn't.
▪ Pretty deep there; it's a wonder it didn't slice the top of his head off.
▪ She thought, as she spoke, it's a wonder that I have anything to report.
▪ The way Max's biological clock is ticking, it's a wonder Emma didn't call out the bomb squad.
▪ Though it's a wonder she did not spot the writing on the wall.
it's about time
▪ "Joey's home." "Well, it's about time."
▪ A case of bread and circuses, and it's about time some one said it for the rave generation.
▪ All we can say is, it's about time!
▪ But I was thinking it's about time we got back to Nurse's house.
▪ But it isn't, and it's about time the public knew that.
▪ I think it's about time I went back home.
▪ I was hoping there was, cos it's about time I got back home - it's getting pretty late.
▪ Yes, it's about time that was stopped.
it's all Greek to me
it's all about sb/sth
it's all go
▪ It's all go around here this morning. Ten new orders, all marked "URGENT'.
▪ Yes, it's all go on the rumour exchange and let me stress that these are but a few of the juiciest.
it's all go
▪ Better to accept it's all gone.
▪ But it is starting to look as though it's all going sour.
▪ But now they're here it's all going splendidly.
▪ It's all gone very quiet over there!
▪ It can't be helped ... Together for an instant and then smash it's all gone still its worth it.
▪ Now it's all gone quiet.
▪ So it's all going to go ahead as per the script.
▪ Yes, it's all go on the rumour exchange and let me stress that these are but a few of the juiciest.
it's all good
▪ Don't worry about it man - it's all good.
▪ But it's all good practice, a good day out.
▪ It's all good clean shaven fun.
it's all in the mind
it's all or nothing
▪ The deal is all or nothing.
▪ It's all or nothing and being strong enough to take the flak if things go wrong.
▪ It's all or nothing with her.
it's all right
▪ It's all right. Mommy's here now.
▪ I think it's all right.
▪ I will do the opposite, if it's all right by you-and always be glad you came.
▪ It's all right but he prefers Cabanaconda.
▪ It's all right, my darling, Mrs Jourdelay's driving us.
▪ Now, Benny, it's all right.
it's all right for sb
▪ But if it's all right for wives to have this status, then it's all right for cohabitees too.
▪ It's all right for you.
it's all the same to sb
▪ We can go out to eat if you want - it's all the same to me.
▪ Well, if it's all the same to you, we would rather be the judges of that.
it's all up (with sb)
▪ It's all up for you then.
it's an ill wind (that blows nobody any good)
it's as easy as falling off a log
it's bad enough ...
▪ It's bad enough being paranoid, let alone telling everyone about it.
▪ It's bad enough being stuck in here without our not getting on as well.
▪ It's bad enough for me, imagine living abroad.
▪ It's bad enough having a seriously ill child without all having to be split up.
▪ It's bad enough looking through the new sections and the main articles and seeing nothing mentioned less than E4, 6b.
▪ It's bad enough now, but it must have been really something when it was occupied.
▪ It's bad enough that Timothy's mooning over her like a schoolboy, wet behind the ears.
▪ It's bad enough trying to fly with unequal line lengths; having an asymmetric kite can be most frustrating!
it's brass monkeys/brass monkey weather
it's difficult/hard to believe (that)
▪ Female speaker It's hard to believe it's happened.
▪ It's hard to believe another child could do such a thing.
▪ It's hard to believe just how dire it is.
▪ It's hard to believe Marie's got a husband.
▪ It's hard to believe now but I actually made do with hooks for a while!
▪ It's hard to believe that he started painting in World War Two and is still painting today.
▪ It's hard to believe, but we're fast approaching the dessert hour.
▪ The ideological points are still there but it's hard to believe that totalitarian regimentation could be so tight.
it's every man for himself
▪ In journalism it's every man for himself.
it's just a thought
it's just as well (that)
▪ It's just as well I took the train today - I heard the traffic was really bad.
▪ Perhaps it is just as well.
it's just that
▪ He's not ugly or anything. It's just that he's too short for me.
▪ Business or hatred, there's something that stays the same - it's just that person; just about him.
▪ But I think it's just that the winter weather keeps the birds away.
▪ I was not supposed to clean there, it's just that I love reading and sometimes I feel starved.
▪ Maybe it's just that those who don't look don't survive to tell the tale.
▪ Nothing drastic - it's just that his studio is taking on a more Tardis-like appearance than before.
▪ Or maybe it's just that there is a course that teaches advertising and marketing, which is relatively new in itself.
▪ Perhaps it's just that we don't have enough of those long, thin granite cracks.
▪ She says it's because the water is pure from the mountain but she doesn't really believe it's just that.
it's just/only/simply a question of doing sth
▪ Sometimes, it's simply a question of somewhere safe to go after school while parents are working.
it's more than my job's worth
it's nice to know (that)
▪ Well, it's nice to know the ad is working.
▪ I know four-wheel drive cars rarely go into the woods, but it's nice to know they can.
it's no good (doing sth)
▪ But ... but I will worry if I think you are hanging on waiting, because it's no good.
▪ Here we are on the hills, and it's no better.
▪ It's no good just bleating on about the rising tide of crime to get money out of the government.
▪ It's no good pretending you've any aptitude for art when it's quite clear you've none at all.
▪ It's no good printing my letter if you're just going to do it again.
▪ It's no good tying up money for years unless you're certain you won't need it.
▪ It's no good, she rebuked herself sternly; there's no future in feeling like this about Luke Travis.
▪ It's very easy to tell an actor that it's no good.
it's no skin off sb's nose
it's no use doing sth
▪ It's no use complaining - you just need to take the test again later.
▪ But it's no use running away from it.
▪ He says it's no use having a ban if it can't be enforced.
▪ I've telephoned everyone I can think of, but it's no use.
▪ I can buy the best legal brains in the business, so it's no use your fighting.
▪ I said to him, Listen, George, it's no use living in the past.
▪ No, it's no use protesting!
▪ On the open road, it's no use pretending that the Bentley handles with the agility of a Porsche.
it's no use!
▪ Oh, it's no use! I can't fix it.
it's not as if
▪ And it's not as if I've gone off it within myself.
▪ It's not as if I have a sister or brother to worry about.
▪ It's not as if I haven't got any.
▪ It's not as if I worked for a large network news show.
▪ It's not as if there was a stash of notes that he could extort from Stone and take away with him.
▪ It's not as if we're like bus drivers or air traffic controllers.
▪ Plus, it's not as if the Barn Burners, Helm's current band, is a household name.
it's not every day (that)
▪ It's not every day that a helicopter sits down in your backyard.
▪ After all, it's not every day you win an arena referendum and a game against the defending champion Lakers.
▪ It's not every day a young woman pulls a gun on a burglar.
▪ Well, it's not every day, is it?
it's not for sb to judge
it's not over until the fat lady sings
it's not sb's day
▪ After all, it's not every day you win an arena referendum and a game against the defending champion Lakers.
▪ It's not every day a young woman pulls a gun on a burglar.
▪ Well, it's not every day, is it?
it's not the end of the world
▪ If you don't get the job, it's not the end of the world.
▪ All I've done is offend one or two of the wrong people, it's not the end of the world.
▪ It's very upsetting, but it's not the end of the world.
▪ You won't always get it right, but it's not the end of the world if you don't.
it's now or never
▪ Twoflower, I thought, it's now or never.
it's one thing to ..., (it's) another thing to ...,
it's only/just a matter of time
▪ It was only a matter of time before Lynn found out Phil's secret.
▪ You'll learn how to do it eventually -- it's only a matter of time.
▪ Your father is dying and there's nothing we can do. I'm afraid it's just a matter of time.
▪ But they believe it's only a matter of time before the disease crosses the county boundary.
▪ If he hasn't already killed somebody, then it's only a matter of time.
▪ They think it's only a matter of time before he breaks.
it's six of one and half a dozen of the other
it's the least I can do
it's the same old story
▪ It's the same old story - too much work and not enough time.
it's the same story here/there/in ...
it's the thought that counts
it's time I was moving/we ought to get moving etc
it's tipping (it) down
it's touch-and-go
it's your funeral
it's/that's a thought!
it's/that's all right
it's/that's all very well, but ...
it's/that's easy for you to say
it's/that's just as well
it's/that's not my problem
▪ It's not my problem if she won't listen to reason.
it/money doesn't grow on trees
it/that depends
▪ And one that depends on government policies.
▪ At these outside shows it depends on the weather.
▪ But second, it depends on what our selective-attention circuits select from all the sensations.
▪ However, that depends on a future legal decision.
▪ The arbitrator's decision is also meant to replace the reasons on which it depends.
▪ Well, that depends whether you'd rather shield them from such things or prepare them for it.
▪ Whether they make it depends on how long it takes them to realize and step back.
it/that is a load/weight off sb's mind
it/what gets me
▪ Again, it gets me away utterly from television.
▪ But it gets me out of the house for a while.
▪ But never mind the niceties: it gets me in.
▪ But what gets me most is when somebody dies who hasn't really lived.
▪ Heaven knows I've tried talking to him, but it gets me nowhere.
▪ Sometimes I can laugh it off but inside it gets me down.
▪ That's what gets me about it.
▪ The same old thing - cleaning the same things all the time, that's what gets me.
jump to it!
just because ... it doesn't mean
keep at it
keep it real
▪ I can keep it real simple.
knock it off
▪ You kids, knock it off in there!
▪ And, how was it, no, if they knocked it off.
▪ I knocked it off as I ran past.
▪ No, you didn't have to knock it off you had to choose thingies on a card.
▪ The following day we could knock it off in few hours before returning to base.
know/understand what it means to be sth
▪ If you are overweight, then you know what it means to be in emotional pain.
land sb in it
▪ To whack it over the net, land a dart in it.
▪ You've landed us in it, doin' that.
▪ You've just landed yourself in it.
large it (up)
▪ A rock so large it must have taken two hands to lift it hit me on the jaw.
▪ His determination is underpinned by a belief that the problem, nomatterhow large it appears to be, can be overcome.
▪ I was surprised by how large it was.
▪ If your business is larger it takes more organisation and record keeping to know what the magic formula is for each customer.
▪ It was looking at me and I marveled at how very large it was.
▪ Some bring aboard luggage so large it has its own wheels.
▪ The load was so large it took 15 agents more than an hour to unpack it.
lay it on (thick)
▪ He laid it on top of one of the garbage cans lined up in front of his building.
▪ I laid it on soil; the shoulders managed a few slow twitches, pulled it an inch forward.
▪ I laid it on the line.
▪ I took a card out and laid it on the counter.
▪ She laid it on the floor of the car.
▪ She took her coat off and laid it on the bed.
▪ Tenderly she laid it on the bed.
▪ That way, unless I've really laid it on thick, I can get along at a cracking pace.
lay it on with a trowel
leave it out!
leave it to sb (to do sth)
▪ And I will leave it to you, dear reader, to make a choice.
▪ At Thayer the clear intention is that if something is central to our mission, we will not leave it to chance.
▪ But I don't want to leave it to the last game of the season.
▪ He'd not leave it to some one who would turn it over.
▪ I leave it to your discretion whether you should tell the Professors that they are 114 both wrong, or both right.
▪ I find it difficult to put my thoughts and feelings about this into words, so I will leave it to others.
▪ They ought to leave it to the markets.
▪ Yeah, well, leave it to Esther.
leg it
▪ After he'd unfastened the message capsule from its leg it flew up to join its fellows lurking among the rafters.
▪ Apart from its legs it resembled an old fashioned typewriter with a carriage and Qwerty keyboard.
▪ Calling Emily, I legged it to the youth hostel two miles away.
▪ He got so paranoid he decided to leg it.
▪ I legged it before the cops came.
▪ I legged it over to Broadway and caught the subway.
▪ If he starts growling and howling, leg it, quick!
▪ When Coleridge reached Mickledore, he legged it down into Eskdale with all speed.
let it all hang out
▪ Each time you let it all hang out, you lower your threshold for doing it again.
▪ My face resembled the back of one of those baboons who let it all hang out at mating time.
▪ Now you can anonymously let it all hang out online.
▪ Was it possible to go too far, or should he just let it all hang out?
▪ We let it all hang out.
let it be known/make it known (that)
let it/her rip
let sb get on with it
let sb have it
▪ Mrs. Kramer really let him have it for spilling the paint.
▪ As for the Cub players they came out on the steps of their dugout and really let me have it.
▪ Do report recurring faults to the developers; that's why they let you have it free.
▪ He says that you just let them have it!
▪ I let him have it to get rid of him.
▪ Instead of saying no, they let the kids have it.
▪ Netscape hooked millions of web surfers on Navigator by letting them have it for free.
▪ They suggested she borrow the money until such time as they could let her have it.
▪ We should have let them have it.
let's face it/let's be honest
▪ Let's face it, Scott. We're not as young as we used to be.
let's hear it for sb
like it or lump it
like it's going out of fashion
▪ She's been spending money like it's going out of fashion.
live it up
▪ Lisa was living it up like she didn't have a care in the world.
▪ Accountant used cash to live it up.
▪ I am living it up with Survage at the Coq d'Or.
▪ It's no good looking for a man's body round here if the owner's living it up in Costa Rica.
▪ The trim is the shirt; here you can live it up, get a touch more fashionable.
▪ They lived it up while they were on Earth.
▪ This contented canine's living it up.
▪ Under a false identity, he's living it up in Florence, dining out with the aristocracy.
lord it over sb
▪ He didn't use his position on the council to lord it over people.
▪ Besides, some heads like to lord it over local parents - particularly over the pushy ones.
▪ Here is another way in which you can lord it over you players.
▪ Lowry, cackling and scratching, is a hoot as the rooster who lords it over the complaining hens in his roost.
▪ Most chaps in my time wouldn't dream of trying to lord it over their girl.
▪ The Methodists moved west from Baltimore to Kansas and lorded it over the border states.
▪ They could democratize the royal professions that lord it over our health, education, welfare and criminal justice bureaucracies.
lose it
▪ After her mom and dad were killed in the car accident, Ginny just seemed to lose it.
▪ Pete just lost it completely and started shouting and screaming at us.
▪ Whatever Brad said must have made her angry because she totally lost it.
▪ If they lose it, they will probably lose their majority.
▪ In fact we had never lost it.
▪ Love, love that had always held pain through fear of losing it but had finally become a torment.
▪ Maybe he had lost it when running away from the fracas of metal and hollow clacking of gunfire.
▪ Poor guy, he lost it.
▪ They will not know why you have lost it.
▪ Why try and pressurize myself into losing it?
▪ You really lose it when you get around your family.
lump it
▪ I don't like it-but I can lump it!
▪ If I were you I'd tell them if they don't like it, lump it.
▪ They've been told: take the lower interest rate - or lump it.
make (it) up to sb
▪ For example, a 70 year old person living alone would have their income made up to £53.40 a week.
▪ He would make it up to him, the rector thought.
▪ In California, people making up to $ 40,000 a year qualify for help.
▪ Not so much eating it, really, as making up to it.
▪ The company stands to make up to £7m in fees if it offloads the Dome quickly.
make a bolt for it
make a clean breast of it
make a clean breast of it/things
▪ He needs to go before the public and make a clean breast of it.
make a day of it
▪ We were going into New York for the concert anyway, so we decided to make a day of it.
▪ Imagine how lovely it would be - you could take the whole family and make a day of it.
▪ They make a day of it, tailgating before the game and, weather permitting, after it, too.
make a day/night/evening of it
▪ Why don't you make a day of it and have lunch with us?
▪ I had known Sophie for about three months by then, and she insisted on making an evening of it.
▪ Imagine how lovely it would be - you could take the whole family and make a day of it.
▪ They make a day of it, tailgating before the game and, weather permitting, after it, too.
make a run for it
▪ Already soaked, he decided he would make a run for it.
▪ Bothshe has sized them up as well-are strong and quite capable of catch ing her if she makes a run for it.
▪ Debbie saw her uptown train and decided to make a run for it.
▪ If you were Brimmer, how would you plan an escape if you ever had to make a run for it?
▪ Riney decided to make a run for it and escaped, crashing through a glass window in the process.
▪ Then she could jump out and make a run for it.
▪ They're going to make a run for it, she thought.
▪ Through her tears she saw Garry scaling the wall as he made a run for it.
make it
▪ At one point I was so exhausted and weak that I didn't think I was going to make it.
▪ Did Margaret make it home the other night?
▪ Even though he couldn't swim, he managed to make it to the riverbank.
▪ Get as much advice from colleagues as you can - it can be difficult trying to make it on your own.
▪ Gina has her driving test today. I hope she makes it.
▪ He was a talented football player and I knew he'd make it.
▪ He went out for it, he played hard, and he made it.
▪ I was surprised she had made it through the night.
▪ If we don't make it on time, start without us.
▪ If we run, we should be able to make it before the bus leaves.
▪ It's only ten till seven - we'll make it.
▪ Jody thinks only three teams will make it to the final.
▪ Many actors move to America, hoping to make it big in Hollywood.
▪ The roads were so bad that I wasn't sure we would make it.
▪ Thousands of refugees made it across the border.
▪ We've fought long and hard to get where we are, and we deserve to make it.
▪ We just made it to the hospital before the baby arrived.
▪ Will he make it out alive?
▪ He made it quite clear that much speech was beneath his dignity.
▪ People from the four corners of the world have come to Ontario to make it their home.
▪ Putting an event in reeltime makes it seem more bearable.
▪ She always insisted on doing it herself and that made it easy for you.
▪ She burst out laughing, and to make it clear that she wasn't laughing at him she pointed out the sign.
▪ The human suffering makes it harder to justify the embargo and creates growing discontent in the region.
▪ The physiotherapist usually starts by mobilizing the shoulder girdle, moving it passively in all directions, to make it perfectly pliable.
▪ The wind and the cold made it impossible to hold steady over putts.
make it a rule (to do sth)
▪ I make it a rule not to take friends on as clients.
▪ I make it a rule to go at least three times.
▪ In fact, he made it a rule never to make any friend who could not be useful to him.
▪ Since I have made it a rule not to lie to a client, I assume reciprocal honesty from him.
▪ They made it a rule that she was never to be alone.
make it snappy
▪ Get me a drink, and make it snappy.
make it with sb
▪ He became the kind of boy you had to be to make it with the other guys.
▪ He bragged that he had made it with all five of the New York Dolls when he was sixteen.
▪ I asked if it was possible to make it with no oil.
▪ I guess I can make it with rice.
▪ She was so out of it that it would have been like making it with a corpse.
▪ The four o'clock call would give her enough time to make it with ease.
▪ You said yourself that I could make it with mimicking and comedy, and I know I can.
make it worth sb's while
▪ I'll make sure they approve your application if you make it worth my while.
▪ I didn't want to lend Terry my car, but he said he'd make it worth my while.
▪ The basketball federation in Kuwait offered him a coaching job, and made it worth his while.
▪ He also has a lucrative five-year contract at Hilton that makes it worth his while to stick around.
▪ Obviously he would promise to make it worth your while.
make it your business to do sth
▪ Ruth made it her business to get to know the customers.
▪ But before you leave I suggest that you make it your business to find out.
▪ I made it my business to be there at dinner the following day.
▪ I make it my business to acquaint myself with where objects properly belong in a house.
▪ Increasingly, companies are making it their business to develop programs for serving both the worker and the bottom line.
▪ Quinn knew this because he had made it his business to know such things.
▪ She made it her business to find out.
▪ These villagers - of course they would make it their business to know anyone who was rich and whose father lived so near!
▪ They made it their business to worm a curl of something out of you.
make it/that sth
make no mistake (about it)
▪ Make no mistake about it - I am not going to put up with this anymore.
▪ And make no mistake about it, she knew I was there.
▪ And make no mistake, the family works overtime to make its instructions felt.
▪ And make no mistake, there will be plenty of bets.
▪ I tried to make no mistakes, but they called me naughty every moment of the day.
▪ In the second 250 race Robert made no mistakes, leading all the way to win from McCallen and Coulter.
▪ The Pinot Noirs from Burgundy are often expensive, make no mistake.
mix it (up)
▪ Add the ginger wine and, finally, the stem ginger, mixing it in very thoroughly.
▪ He did an excellent job getting some steals, mixing it up and changing the complexion of the game.
▪ I thought we might mix it up this year and try some blues.
▪ Once the required colour has been mixed it is then stored in the palette for use at any time.
▪ Out the window, the last bit of sunlight mixed it up with the lights from the parking lot.
▪ They can't wait to mix it with the opposition!
▪ Upholders of the scientific faith shudder at the implications of having to mix it with such irredeemably subjective and impure elements.
▪ You may find as you mix it that you need to add a bit more water.
more like it
▪ Arguing more like it, or rowing.
▪ Beatific would be more like it.
▪ Done off, more like it.
▪ I thought, hang on, this is more like it.
▪ Just plain sappy is more like it.
▪ That was more like it, I thought.-Good, I said.
▪ The Shirkers was more like it.
▪ Turned myself inside out is more like it.
nice work if you can get it
not come into it
▪ And material riches do not come into it.
▪ Besides, shagging had not come into it.
▪ His position did not come into it.
▪ Logic does not come into it at all.
not cut it
▪ Most of the kids who start here are young and haven't worked before. Some just can't cut it.
▪ Players who can't cut it soon realize it and quit.
▪ We could make a lot of excuses, but excuses won't cut it.
▪ Lightly trim the grass using a sharp mower if the surface is looking rough, but do not cut it short.
▪ So why not cut it down like they do?
not if I can help it
▪ "Are you going to stay very long?" "Not if I can help it."
not see that it matters
not to put too fine a point on it
▪ Everyone there - not to put too fine a point on it - was crazy.
▪ The dishes we tried tasted, not to put too fine a point on it, like gasoline.
not to put too fine a point on it
not worth the paper it is written on/printed on
on the face of it
▪ It looks, on the face of it, like a pretty minor change in the regulations.
▪ On the face of it, he appeared to be an ideal candidate for the position.
▪ On the face of it, this seems like a perfectly good idea -- we must wait and see if it turns out well.
▪ A contractual obligation, such as an exchange rule gives rise on the face of it to strict liability.
▪ All three candidates were acceptable on the face of it.
▪ As I say, on the face of it obvious.
▪ Innocuous enough on the face of it.
▪ It is, on the face of it, a very considerable offer.
▪ They were not, on the face of it, a likely match.
▪ This seems a contradiction on the face of it.
on your own head be it
out of it
▪ And made a, a jelly out of it.
▪ And what do they get out of it?
▪ Because you can talk yourself right out of it.
▪ His teammates helped talk him out of it.
▪ I couldn't get out of it.
▪ I never could squeeze any of my own life either into it or out of it.
▪ Some one gets a good idea, and no one wants to be left out of it.
▪ The Spartans were out of it by halftime, with the Bulldogs ahead, 30-6.
out with it!
▪ OK, out with it! What really happened?
overdo it
▪ I think Trudy has overdone it with all the lace and frills in her bedroom.
▪ She's been overdoing it lately.
▪ The doctor told me to relax and not overdo it.
▪ The President's advisers are worried that he might have been overdoing it lately.
▪ The tour guide managed to be funny and informative, without overdoing it.
▪ You need more exercise, but be careful not to overdo it.
▪ And this chap said we might well be sorry for Connie, but not to overdo it.
▪ At times, you may overdo it.
▪ Don't overdo it though - the flipside of stress is boredom, stagnation and low self-esteem.
▪ Even ten kinds is probably overdoing it.
▪ He thinks that he probably overdid it in the gym tonight.
▪ If your skin tingles or feels hot and itchy, the chances are you've overdone it.
▪ This line is so overdone it sounds completely insincere.
▪ You must be careful not to overdo it on the beach however, because the nightlife in Malia is simply explosive.
owe it to sb to do sth
▪ We owe it to our children to clean up the environment.
▪ For health insurance reasons you owe it to yourself to take care of your one and only body - your working machine.
▪ He owed it to Sue to avenge Arabella.
▪ I owe it to Victoria to lend some retrospective weight to our parting.
▪ It was a lame excuse, and I bluntly told him that he owed it to posterity to relate his story.
▪ We owe it to clarity to disentangle the varieties of suffering possible in a given situation.
▪ We owe it to gastronomy to keep them alive.
▪ We owe it to ourselves to consider alternative futures, based on what we know and what we can project from that.
▪ You owe it to yourself to extract yourself from your present situation and reassess your life.
owe it to yourself to do sth
▪ Do I owe it to myself to finish?
▪ For health insurance reasons you owe it to yourself to take care of your one and only body - your working machine.
▪ We owe it to ourselves to consider alternative futures, based on what we know and what we can project from that.
▪ You owe it to yourself to extract yourself from your present situation and reassess your life.
pack it in
▪ I'm still frustrated, but I'm not ready to pack it in yet.
▪ As he'd nearly finished his apprenticeship, he was understandably loathe to pack it in.
▪ But I love those little box things with the lacy paper that they pack it in.
▪ Faced with a family mutiny, he decided to pack it in and sell up.
▪ How do you decide whether to go ahead with the teacup or pack it in and go home?
▪ I lasted eighteen months before packing it in, and in that time I saw a lot of disappointed people.
▪ I watch, with pleasure, as the clerk folds it neatly, packs it in tissue, and boxes it.
▪ It is an opportunity to pack it in, to make our leap from smack to medication, from medication to cleanliness.
▪ The 1970 season brought a less efficient car - a good moment for a driver to pack it in.
past it
▪ A stream meandered past it and cascaded into the depths of the forested cliffside.
▪ If he's not young, he's past it.
▪ In the past it always has.
▪ In the past it was much used for teapots, milk jugs and other forms of tableware.
▪ Neither side is willing to concede that in the past it might have been wrong and its opponents right.
▪ The first option was rejected, as in the past it has isolated the small group from the department.
▪ The tribe streamed past it through the gathering dusk, ignoring its presence completely.
▪ Tooling down Farm Road 442, you could easily zoom right past it.
pile it on/pile on the drama
play it cool
▪ Traci insists that she is going to play it cool with Brad.
▪ Plus, playing it cool ... the dark secrets of an orchid grower And, who said Robins could sing?
▪ Rather than rushing into print in Nature, however, Cantor played it cool and cautious.
▪ She was trying to play it cool.
▪ The band had wanted a major deal for at least two years previously, but were determined to play it cool.
▪ Tod's playing it cool, of course, as always.
pour it on
▪ The Warriors continued to pour it on in the third quarter, taking a 20 point lead.
▪ Allow it to cool, and then pour it on a plate.
▪ Beat the eggs with the cream and pour it on.
▪ But instead of laying off, we were pouring it on.
▪ He tried to slow her down with gestures which she interpreted as signs of denial, and so she poured it on.
▪ If you pour it on certain plants, they will die.
▪ On the court, Red is pouring it on.
pull the other one (it's got bells on)
push your luck/push it
put a figure on it/give an exact figure
put a sock in it
▪ That sort does all sorts of silly things, till experience tells them to put a sock in it.
▪ To avoid upsetting the kids, Dad spoke to Mum more than once in private, telling her to put a sock in it.
put it down to experience
put it there
▪ $500? OK, it's a deal. Put it there!
▪ Any name that was on the list was there because Nikos had put it there.
▪ He didn't remember putting it there.
▪ It hates you for putting it there, but is loyal to you because you bring it food.
▪ Just for like if we put it there.
▪ People think I put it there as a piece of pop art to decorate the room.
▪ That must have been Lee who'd put it there.
▪ There is nothing behind the cartoon sofa and if you find anything it's because you yourself have put it there.
▪ Where every plant to sprout is known in advance because you put it there.
put your back into it
▪ Come on, John. Stop messing around and put your back into it!
▪ I really put my back into it, you know?
put your foot in it
▪ She's a little weird isn't she? Oh no, have I put my foot in my mouth? Is she a friend of yours?
▪ Simon wanted to finish the conversation before he put his foot in it any further.
▪ As creative types, we're notoriously unpredictable, and thus liable to put our foot in it in front of touchy clients.
▪ Glover had put his foot in it somehow.
▪ I have put my foot in it.
▪ It was immediately clear that he had put his foot in it.
▪ It wasn't her fault if she had a gift for putting her foot in it.
▪ Somehow, with her usual clumsiness, she had opened her mouth and put her foot in it.
put/stick that in your pipe and smoke it
queen it over sb
rough it
▪ It's backpacking, but with horses carrying the load and first-class meals, it's not roughing it.
▪ Artemis becomes a kind of girl scout roughing it in the woods.
▪ She had had to rough it alone in digs since she was fifteen.
▪ Since childhood, her idea of roughing it has been to check into an economy-class motel.
rub sb's nose in it/in the dirt
rumour/legend/word has it
▪ After all, stranger things have happened: legend has it that the hooked burrs of plants inspired the invention of Velcro.
▪ And rumour has it that the big-name band will be outrageous rockers Guns N' Roses.
▪ But word has it that the Tucson Symphony is taking over the building sometime in mid-December.
▪ His name is cited in the four gospels. Legend has it that he obtained the holy grail from the last supper.
▪ It started with a cross placed along the railroad tracks, where legend has it that he was lynched.
▪ Pass the spliff, mon. Word has it the band is compelling as hell in person.
▪ This was initiated, so legend has it, when the lavatories were out of order.
▪ Turn right to the Cerne Giant viewing point. Legend has it that a real giant terrorised the locals.
sb bought it
sb can dish it out but they can't take it
sb can take it or leave it
▪ As for the moody magnetism Method actors devote all their energy trying to perfect, Allen can take it or leave it.
▪ To others, they can take it or leave it.
sb can't get it into their (thick) skull
sb can't have it both ways
sb had (got) it coming
▪ He had it coming, and I did him in.
▪ Put like that and you might think they had it coming.
▪ That pair obviously just had it coming.
sb started it!
▪ "Tim, stop fighting with your sister." "She started it."
sb will live to regret it
▪ He may think leaving his wife for the other woman is a good idea, but he'll live to regret it.
▪ If you put all your money in this real estate deal, I guarantee you'll live to regret it.
sb's heart isn't in it
▪ She was doing the best she could, but her heart just wasn't it it.
sb/sth has had it
▪ If it works, Mr Major has had it.
▪ Well, Arum has had it.
sb/sth/it won't be long
see sth for what it is
shoot it out (with sb)
▪ He figured he stood better chances shooting it out with federal agents who had more firepower.
▪ The basin funnels the wind and shoots it out over this ridge.
skip it!
sleep on it
▪ There's no obligation to do anything at all. Sleep on it, and tell me what you think in the morning.
▪ He asked if he could sleep on it.
▪ We decided to sleep on it.
▪ With so much within easy reach, we were clearly spoilt for choice and decided to sleep on it.
slog it out
▪ Byron was my hero and they've been slogging it out ever since.
▪ The answer is that you would have to slog it out all the way from London to Baghdad.
slug it out
▪ Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been slugging it out in the cola wars for years.
▪ He at least was ready to slug it out to the bitter end.
▪ The uniformed cops and a couple of detectives were watching their superiors slug it out.
▪ These two sides would slug it out, and a practical solution would emerge somewhere between the two positions.
▪ They decided to go outside and slug it out but Swanson stopped them, saying they would draw too much attention.
▪ They hardly looked ready to slug it out in a Test series, but at least they had a victory under their belts.
▪ They lose a night's sleep slugging it out.
▪ Two new novels about cavemen are slugging it out in bookstores.
slum it/be slumming
snap to it
▪ Come on, snap to it, get that room cleaned up!
▪ The heat shimmering over the asphalt had no snap to it; time drifted by.
snuff it
▪ Also drowning himself or any other method of snuffing it.
▪ If only the old man had snuffed it of natural causes, as he had seemed on the point of doing!
so be it
▪ If we have to break the rules, then so be it.
▪ If so was it as bad as it sounded on the radio?
▪ If he was to be a martyr to this strange woman's caprices, then so be it.
▪ If I must sacrifice a few moments in the interests of subsequent peace and quiet, so be it.
▪ If something happens, so be it.
▪ If they continue to win, so be it.
▪ If they were misunderstood, so be it.
▪ If this makes me a churchgoer, then so be it.
▪ Just as educational opportunity is differentiated on the basis of socio-economic background, so is it on the basis of gender.
sock it to sb
▪ The mainstream media are socking it to her.
sod it/that
spit it out
▪ Come on Jean, spit it out!
▪ I spit it out and flick it from my eyes.
▪ I started regular water changes, and one fish now eats a little, but the other one spits it out.
▪ It tastes horrible and I spit it out.
▪ Once you have swirled the wine around your tastebuds, spit it out into a lined bucket.
▪ She rolled the liquefying spinach into her cheek she could not spit it out.
▪ Then I taste a small specimen, closely observing its flavor, smell, texture, and bite before spitting it out.
▪ They just chewed it up and spit it out, foaming rubber at the mouth.
▪ You always had to spit it out and shove it down the back of some chair.
step on it
▪ Step on it. We have a plane to catch.
▪ If you don't step on it we'll miss the plane.
▪ You'll have to step on it if you're going to be there by eleven thirty.
▪ Fader - Looks like a normal block, but crumbles away when you step on it!
▪ He was bold to ask that angels be sent, and step on it.
▪ The Corporal and I shouted at the Sergeant to step on it, as the explosions were getting closer.
▪ The third step creaked as he stepped on it.
sth has much/little/nothing to recommend it
▪ The hotel has little except price to recommend it.
▪ An alternative approach-optical fibre - has much to recommend it.
▪ As such, it has much to recommend it.
▪ But in terms of an effective solution the voting method has little to recommend it.
▪ In principle this format has much to recommend it, but in this case the practice has not been successful.
▪ It is plain that, in the long run, the gentle art of compromise has much to recommend it.
▪ Nevertheless, the principle of chisel ploughing has much to recommend it in the right conditions.
▪ Such a way of proceeding has much to recommend it, but scant progress has been made in that direction.
▪ This cooperative family decision-making has much to recommend it.
sth has sb's name on it
▪ If a washer has a brand name on it, make sure that the smooth side comes into contact with the seating.
▪ They say if it has your name on it ... But who can write on a virus?
sth is not all/everything it's cracked up to be
stick it out
▪ I'm going to stick it out just to prove to him that I can do it.
▪ A few have stuck it out when it might have been better for all concerned if they had resigned.
▪ But he does know something about sticking it out.
▪ I stuck it out the window, pointed it at the garage, and clicked it.
▪ I did not persuade or influence him; he intended all along to stick it out until the end.
▪ I knew she had to come to me each time, it was just a case of sticking it out.
▪ Oh well, I've stuck it out so far.
▪ She stuck it out for half an hour, feeling the thuds that Ben made vibrate through the car.
▪ She said she'd stuck it out with my father all these years, just for my sake.
stick it to sb
▪ When it comes to taxes, politicians like to stick it to the tourists.
▪ And if you don't like it, stick it to your pants as advertised.
▪ Set pastry over filling and press to stick it to edge of dish.
strike it lucky
▪ But whereas Errol struck it lucky, spare a thought for Instonian Neil Cooke.
strike it rich
▪ They're hoping to strike it rich in Las Vegas.
▪ A camp that strikes it rich in the middle of a depression speaks as urgently to the well-trained as to the untrained.
▪ And they could strike it rich!
▪ Efficient-market believers could strike it rich if they could persuade people to give up.
▪ For a time he really thought he was going to strike it rich.
▪ Like 49ers infected with gold fever, big communications companies are rushing to the Internet with dreams of striking it rich.
▪ Small companies strike it rich by going public on the stock exchange.
▪ Wang told his people that hundreds of them would strike it rich if they followed his marketing techniques.
stuff it
▪ He took off his tie and stuffed it into his pocket.
▪ He tore it free, stuffed it in his pocket and returned the pad, slamming the drawer and locking it.
▪ I stuffed it inside the file, closed the briefcase and put that back in the wardrobe.
▪ She broke off a piece of baguette, spread it with butter and jam, stuffed it into her mouth.
▪ Shell it out, or stuff it?
▪ Some one else must have helpfully stuffed it all back again.
▪ Take your whining and stuff it.
▪ Without a word she jerked it out of his hand and stuffed it in the garbage.
style it out
suck it and see
suffice (it) to say (that)
▪ Suffice it to say that prayer is an important activity in the Synagogue.
▪ For the moment, suffice it to say that I take a skeptical view of the structural analyses offered.
▪ It suffices to say we launched a host of programs to rectify the situation.
surprised/angry/pleased etc isn't the word for it
take a lot out of you/take it out of you
take each day as it comes
take it as read (that)
▪ Let us take it as read that Hawkwind started quite a few trends in their time.
take it easy
▪ "See you next week." "Yeah, take it easy."
▪ After the operation, I was told to take things easy for a month or two.
▪ Hey, take it easy! Nobody's saying you're not good at your job.
▪ I'm going to put my feet up and take it easy this afternoon.
▪ I'm going to take it easy this weekend.
▪ Maybe we should just go home and take it easy tonight.
▪ Now that you've finished your exams, you can take it easy.
▪ Pete will still have to take things easy for while.
▪ Take it easy - everything's going to be just fine.
▪ Take it easy on yourself for a few days. We'll talk later.
▪ An officer who wants to take it easy, for example, or run personal errands can do so with virtual impunity.
▪ And let's just take it easy, shall we?
▪ For the first time in days, Steven Borup could take it easy.
▪ I watch a lot of film, and there are guys who from time to time take it easy.
▪ Just about the time when a nome ought to be taking it easy.
▪ Rest a bit here and take it easy when you get back home.
▪ Three years I took it easy, stayed out of sight, made contacts, laid pathways.
▪ We got a little crossed up, and we thought it would be a better idea if we just took it easy.
take it for granted (that)
▪ We just took it for granted that the $1000 was part of the normal fee for buying a house.
▪ But I take it for granted.
▪ He seemed to take it for granted that everyone would do what he told them.
▪ He seemed to take it for granted that she was the one to talk to.
▪ It was impossible to take it for granted.
▪ Ludens was right in a way to complain that they were now all taking it for granted.
▪ Now we took it for granted that seawater came swirling up around our feet whenever we left the cabin or cockpit baskets.
▪ She had taken it for granted that they would spend the night in Denver.
▪ Why do we take it for granted that education is a good to which everyone equally is entitled?
take it upon/on yourself to do sth
▪ He didn't dare take it upon himself to enlighten her further.
▪ He might be unwelcome, but he had taken it upon himself to come on over the first moment he heard.
▪ If we want our children to know certain information, perhaps we should take it upon ourselves to teach them.
▪ It is a dangerous path, however, when the executive takes it upon itself to qualify Parliament's decisions.
▪ Many problems can be prevented if you take it upon yourself to keep the lines of communication clear.
▪ Pius took it upon himself to proclaim the Dogma of the Assumption.
▪ Sir Herbert Morgan took it upon himself to act as chairman of an unofficial committee to help realise the three-year project.
▪ So I took it upon myself to tell her, old nosey-parker that I am.
take sth as it comes
▪ I'm not going to worry about it. I'll just take each day as it comes.
▪ I always think the best way of approaching an interview is to take it as it comes.
▪ If I were you, I'd just enjoy each day and take life as it comes.
▪ The only way to manage when you have small kids is to take things as they come.
▪ Ever since Cherith, I've vowed that I'd just take love as it comes - and as it goes.
▪ Just take it as it comes.
▪ So take it as it comes, for the moment.
▪ That was the only way to treat the war: take it as it comes.
▪ You can't change it, so you take it as it comes.
tell it like it is
▪ But no one can blame Rush for telling it like it is.
▪ He tells it like it is.
▪ I try to tell it like it is.
▪ She tells it like it is, or seems to.
tell me about it
▪ "I'm totally sick of my boss." "Yeah, tell me about it."
▪ But I was pleased they had told me about it once.
▪ Can you tell me about it?
▪ Her father, Meir Ahronson, told me about it himself.
▪ I remember the day when they told me about it.
▪ She had had a rewarding session with the dressmaker and wanted to tell me about it.
▪ You got problems, man, you tell me about it.
that (about) sums it up
▪ This was their task but that sums it up too simply.
that does it!
that figures/(it) figures
that should do it
▪ Slosh on a bit of this, and that should do it.
that's about it/all
▪ I've seen her around a few times, but that's about it.
▪ There's some ham in the fridge, and that's about it.
▪ Behaviour in a vacuum may be very interesting but that's about all.
▪ I can tell the difference between a sparrow and a swan and that's about it.
▪ Oh well, that's about it.
▪ Soundblaster effects such as laser fire and explosions are terrific but that's about it.
▪ That's about all I can tell you.
▪ That's about it for this month.
▪ They're very big, and they're very expensive, and that's about all you can say for them.
▪ Unfortunately when it comes to originality that's about all the game has to offer.
that's about the size of it
that's it
that's more like it/this is more like it
that's torn it!
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.
that's/it's not good enough
▪ Voice over John and Vicki Strong say that's not good enough.
that's/it's sb's lookout
that's/it's sb's loss
▪ If they don't find me interesting that's their loss.
the half of it
▪ Actually, Josh saw and knew only the half of it.
▪ But that was only the half of it.
▪ But this isn't the half of it.
▪ If I told you she was a little flaky, you wouldn't be getting the half of it.
▪ Loft is only the half of it, son.
▪ That, however, as Digby well knew was not the half of it.
▪ You don't know the half of it.
the long and (the) short of it
▪ The long and short of it is that I had too much to drink and said something I shouldn't have.
▪ There you are, the long and the short of it.
the top and bottom of it
the way I see it
▪ The way I see it, it was a fair trade.
▪ Best thing that could happen, the way I see it.
▪ Now the way I see it, you want more upmarket time than the plebs.
there is not much in it
there is only one thing for it
there it is/there they are etc
there it is/there you are/there you go
there's no harm in doing sth/it does no harm to do sth
there's nothing for it but to do sth
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.
this is it
▪ But I have to tell you, this is it.
▪ But if you want state-of-the art, this is it.
▪ Cancer has taught me that life isn't a dress rehearsal, this is it and you only get the one chance.
▪ I think this is it for him.
▪ If ever more evidence were needed to confirm that Michael Jackson is truly washed up, this is it.
▪ If rugby ever had an own-goal masquerading as a laudable aim this is it.
▪ Okay, so this is it.
▪ Yet if ever there was a time to put the record straight, this is it.
to cap it all (off)
▪ I had a terrible day at work, and to cap it all off I got a flat tire.
▪ And to cap it all off, when she was tied-up she couldn't run backwards, so she lay down instead!
▪ And to cap it all she could feel the ominous beginnings of a thundering headache.
▪ And to cap it all, the bland sleazy boredom of it all.
▪ And, to cap it all, Wimbledon won the Cup.
to put it mildly
▪ He's a troubled youngster, to put it mildly.
▪ The movie contains some scenes that are, to put it mildly, rather difficult to watch.
▪ After one hundred days of world peace, all surviving were to put it mildly, a little bothered and regretful.
▪ Barkley, to put it mildly, is a bit more complicated.
▪ But the depth of the dislike of the Tory leadership surprised everybody, to put it mildly.
▪ But the testimony from the High Street is mixed, to put it mildly.
▪ On this view there is, to put it mildly, no urgency about a referendum.
▪ Traveling in pairs out here saves a lot of walking -- to put it mildly.
▪ Tucson audiences are passionate, to put it mildly.
▪ Unforthcoming, to put it mildly.
to top it all
▪ And to top it all off, he was gorgeous.
▪ And to top it all, it has pledged to maintain high employment and an annual economic growth rate of 1.9 percent.
▪ And to top it all, there were tax cuts too.
▪ And, to top it all, Holder's doctor informed him he can spend Christmas Day at home with his family.
▪ As if to top it all, we had a small fire at the clinic.
▪ It was the Stones' daunting task, well after midnight, to top it all with a half-dozen songs.
▪ Then to top it all, two of Mary's friends squeezed in with several more parcels.
to whom it may concern
try it on (with sb)
▪ As the older daughter in a family of nine children, she had tried it on her younger brothers without much success.
▪ I tried it on two teen-agers at a gas station.
▪ I hired one and went to try it on a mountain.
▪ No, he felt as old Sillerton Jackson felt; he did not think the Mingotts would have tried it on!
▪ Nobody could have blamed him for trying it on, could they?
▪ See my house - try it on for size, as it were?
▪ The man hadn't been stopped before and I wasn't about to try it on.
▪ When she married she had tried it on my father with no success at all.
turn it on
▪ As it stands, few serious runners are likely to take up the challenge to turn it on.
▪ For example, does watching the television start when we turn it on or when we sit down and face it?
▪ How do you turn it on?
▪ If only there were a radio she would have turned it on, loudly, but, of course, no such luck.
▪ Many of these taboos derive from patriarchal societies taking the power of women and turning it on its head.
▪ Then she went back into the living room and sat in front of the television set without turning it on.
▪ To be honest, I've seen potential for violence, although he's always turned it on himself.
▪ When does the guy who turns it on get to sleep?
wait for it
▪ All they had to do was sit back and wait for it all to fall apart.
▪ His name was ... wait for it ... Mr Bacon.
▪ However much he wanted the answer to his unasked question, he was going to have to wait for it.
▪ Lynn and I both leaned forward over the pit waiting for it to start working.
▪ The whole world was waiting for it.
▪ They attacked life, they didn't sit quietly around waiting for it to flatten them.
▪ We must, surely, eventually get to recovery, but we have been waiting for it for a long time.
walk it
▪ If the last bus has gone, we'll have to walk it.
▪ An endless walk it seemed to Gabriel, watching through the slatted door of the barn.
▪ And it was, despite the black-garbed temptresses and ambitious warlords who walked it.
▪ And you had to walk it?
▪ And, as one of my brothers said, if you took it for a walk it panted.
▪ Finally he walked it over to the cashier.
▪ I have walked it in a day, but it can take as long as a week to complete.
▪ If this election were about urgent crises, big problems, complex choices, the Democrat would walk it.
▪ Then Labour would have walked it.
watch it
▪ A pity so many kamikaze spectators chose to stand in the four foot to watch it go by.
▪ He took it out to hold and to watch it munch clover.
▪ I watched it and thought that this was what hell wasa fire that could not be stopped.
▪ I felt a bit strange watching it.
▪ I stood by the unwinder and watched it as Tam towed yet another wire up the hill.
▪ Just catch some unsuspecting psychopathic bee, strap it on and watch it go.
▪ Me, I weighed up my chances and decided to watch it.
▪ She watched it with pity and horror in her heart as it drifted slowly toward her.
what does it matter?
▪ We'll do it tomorrow or the next day. What does it matter?
▪ Hill people, valley people, what does it matter if gullibility remains unaffected by our environments?
▪ The same as what does it matter whether or not I was a virgin when I met Gillian?
▪ Well, what does it matter?
what is it now?/now what?
what's it to you?
what's it worth (to you)?
what's that when it's at home?
when it comes to sth
▪ I can use a computer, but when it comes to repairing them I don't know a thing.
▪ When it comes to relationships, everyone makes mistakes.
▪ Again, when it comes to the selection process, the West Coast is not dealing from strength.
▪ And when it comes to makeup, do you think Cindy Crawford would actually lie?
▪ But when it comes to haute-cuisine, Charlie Nicholas knows where he stands.
▪ It is obvious that when it comes to representing his country, there is no one to equal Andre Agassi.
▪ Judges will normally interpret contracts strictly and will use certain principles when it comes to resolving inconsistencies and ambiguities.
▪ The particles themselves remain separate and discrete when it comes to being passed on to the next generation.
▪ Trade is a sticking point, particularly when it comes to trucks.
▪ Yet diesel gets off easily when it comes to pollution controls.
when/if it comes to the point
while I'm/you're etc at it
while I'm/you're etc at/about it
while you're about it
▪ Er, he said, while we 're about it, you couldn't lend me your bass as well, could you?
who needs it/them?
▪ Emergency care would be covered for everyone who needs it, as required by law now.
▪ If make-up is not wearable, who needs it?
▪ Men, she thought; who needs them?
▪ Underwood and Carling's tissue types will be stored on computer until they can be matched up with somebody who needs them.
whoop it up
▪ Drunken fans whooped it up in the streets.
wing it
▪ I don't have time to write a speech, so I'm just going to wing it.
▪ If you are asked a question that you're not ready for, it's better to say "I hadn't considered that" than to wing it and get it wrong.
▪ We have to wing it in the first game, but we'll be more prepared for the next one.
▪ I figure I can wing it on the details.
▪ I would have to wing it.
▪ Nat grabs it, whirls, and wings it in a single motion.
▪ Really, I just wing it: no notes, no talking to witnesses.
▪ There's always a Zen part of my personality that wings it through life.
▪ When I finally got up on to the wing it was dark.
with it
▪ As you can see, the main mistake people make with carbohydrate is to use too much fat with it.
▪ Because corruption thrives where money flows, Customs has been particularly riddled with it.
▪ I get into the text and go with it.
▪ It scared off other pianists until the late 1920s, when Horowitz began to enjoy great success with it.
▪ Let him think that he's getting away with it.
▪ Maybe face part of the house with it.
▪ The patients were asked whether they still had the pain and if so whether they had learnt to live with it.
▪ The timber went in the twenties and the shooting with it.
won't/wouldn't hear of it
work it/things
▪ But no one should underestimate the amount of hard work it would take.
▪ Don't try and work it out any more.
▪ Every work it says here is true.
▪ For the purpose of this work it has two meanings, one musical and one socioeconomic.
▪ Hard work it was, but good, clean fun.
▪ He had worked it all out, everything.
▪ In terms of work it was a real way out for Hereward from his appalling home background.
▪ In the light of revisionist work it is difficult to treat Nicholas's resistance to liberal reform as a matter of chance or historical accident.
would it be possible (for sb) to do sth?
▪ Would it be possible to get together at 6:30 instead of 5?
would you believe it!
▪ Would you believe it, she actually remembered my birthday!
wouldn't you know (it)
▪ "He showed up late again." "Wouldn't you know it."
you can't have it both ways
▪ It's either me or her. You can't have it both ways!
you have to hand it to sb
▪ You have to hand it to her. She's really made a success of that company.
you name it (they've got it)!
you said it!
▪ "Does that mean Sherri lied about where she went?" "You said it."
▪ "The second part of the race was super easy." "You said it."
you'd better believe it!
▪ "Do they make money on them?" "You'd better believe it!"
you've made your bed and you must lie on it
zip it/zip your lip
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ It's a nice camera.
▪ It's a three-hour drive to Boston.
▪ It costs $12 just to get in the door.
▪ It looks like they've left without us.
▪ It was Jane who paid for the meal yesterday.
▪ It was sprinkling when we came in.
▪ It was the meal that Jane paid for yesterday.
▪ It was yesterday that Jane paid for the meal.
▪ And that's the end of it?
▪ Do you like my tie? It was on sale.
▪ How's it going, Bob?
▪ I'm sorry, but you just don't have it as a singer.
▪ In the summer, it must be beautiful there.
▪ Since it happened to be such a nice day, they went to the beach.
▪ So, did you two do it last night?
▪ What's it like living in Miami?
▪ With the new stereo in the car, it makes a big difference.
II.adjective
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
(as) near as damn it
(even) if it kills me
▪ I'm going to finish this even if it kills me.
(it'll) be curtains for sb/sth
▪ And will it be curtains for Coombs in Swindon?
▪ But does it have to be Curtains for you and me?
(it's) my pleasure
▪ "Thanks for coming." "My pleasure."
(it's) no/small/little wonder (that)
(it's) the business
▪ A company owned and run by Mr and Mrs Bunch carried on the business of purchase and resale of bulk butter.
▪ He ran the business part time until last January.
▪ If the receipt is distributed to shareholders as dividends then the capital base of the business has been eroded.
▪ In the business world, it is felt that this is the degree of flexibility that is required.
▪ Melrose Petroleum is the general partner and manages the business.
▪ Richard Sackville of Buckhurst, in the business of making shot, was a major landowner with 200 marks a year.
▪ The business is effectively recession proof, if anything it probably does better when times are hard.
▪ The proceeds will be used to fund research and development and to expand the business.
(it) beats me
▪ It beats me how these kids can afford to spend so much money on clothes and CDs.
▪ How do you measure such a thing? Beats me.
▪ If he beats me at this game, well, he beats me.
▪ Pretty secluded. Beats me what he does.
▪ There's only one thing beats me.
▪ Though why he wants to call himself a doctor beats me.
▪ Though why the Good Lord didn't strike Durham itself beats me, instead of causing us all this trouble.
▪ Well, I don't fight, he beats me up - it's my fault, I provoke him.
(it) cuts both ways
▪ It cuts both ways to both parties.
▪ The company will probably discover, to its chagrin, that it cuts both ways.
▪ When our album Cuts Both Ways was released in 1989, I couldn't believe how successful it was.
(just) for the hell of it
▪ A lot of rich kids are turning to crime just for the hell of it.
▪ We used to go out every Saturday night and get drunk, just for the hell of it.
▪ For the hell of it l do an extra set of bun-twisters on my back, a perennial crowd-pleaser.
▪ For this interview, talking just for the hell of it, he was immeasurably more relaxed.
▪ He decided to walk down to the promontory by way of the market, just for the hell of it.
▪ He didn't really strike her as a particularly nosy person, just wanting to know things for the hell of it.
▪ I steal things I can't eat, just for the hell of it.
▪ Slanging matches with Craddock just for the hell of it.
▪ Why do so many people breed just for the hell of it?
▪ William Mulholland came to Los Angeles more or less for the hell of it.
(now I) come to think of it
▪ But now that she came to think of it she had never been out to any sort of meal with John.
▪ Come to think of it, Columbia wouldn't have been around if it hadn't been for the blues.
▪ Come to think of it, even Hillary Rodham Clinton could learn something from Alexander about how to invest her money.
▪ Come to think of it, he'd seemed rather a decent chap, some one it might be worth getting to know.
▪ Come to think of it, they might want to hang on to those packing crates.
▪ So did Mom, come to think of it.
▪ You never know, come to think of it.
(that's/it's) always the way!
(there are) no two ways about it
▪ No two ways about it, Blue says to himself: he knows everything.
▪ No two ways about it, Clint Schneider was dynamite.
▪ That was the job description, no two ways about it.
▪ There are no two ways about it.
(there's) nothing to it
(whether you) like it or not
▪ You're going to the dentist, whether you like it or not.
I couldn't put it down
▪ It's such a good book that I couldn't put it down.
▪ What an amazing book! I just couldn't put it down.
I do so/it is so etc
I give it six weeks/a month etc
I hate to say it, but .../I hate to tell you this, but ...
I have it on good authority
▪ I have it on good authority that the school board wants to fire the principal.
I love it!
▪ "So then Susan had to explain how the dishes got broken." "Oh, I love it!"
I would prefer it if
▪ I'd prefer it if you would not insult my friends.
▪ I would prefer it if we had a bigger house, but we can't afford it.
I wouldn't miss it for the world
I wouldn't put it past sb (to do sth)
▪ I wouldn't put it past Colin to lie to his wife.
I wouldn't put it past sb (to do sth)
I'd stake my life on it
I've got it
I/he etc will never hear the end of it
It works for me
It's one thing to ... it's (quite) another to
and all the rest of it
▪ Capitalist accompanies its development with a fanfare about freedom of choice, free markets, and all the rest of it.
▪ Groan, groan, and all the rest of it.
▪ I've already lost one house and a business and a car, two cars, and all the rest of it.
▪ I understand the problems in hung Parliaments, and all the rest of it.
▪ None of the overtones of subordination and all the rest of it would have been present to the Hebrew.
▪ The cooking and cleaning and homework-checking and shopping and all the rest of it.
▪ Told me I was jumping to conclusions and weaving fantasies and all the rest of it.
▪ You couldn't care less about education and health and all the rest of it.
and don't you forget it!
and it's a big if
any way you slice it
▪ It's the truth, any way you slice it.
as far as it goes
▪ What Kroll said was accurate, as far as it goes.
▪ My country has adopted individual rights in principle, but as far as it goes, it means men, not women.
▪ That's as far as it goes with me.
▪ That is encouraging as far as it goes.
▪ This self-defense strategy is fine as far as it goes, but it addresses only half of the prevention equation.
▪ Virtually all of it is right as far as it goes.
▪ We push it as far as it goes.
as it happens/it just so happens
as it is
▪ Just keep quiet - you're in enough trouble as it is.
▪ We were hoping to finish by 5 o'clock, but as it is, we'll be lucky to finish by 8!
▪ We were saving money to go to Hawaii, but as it is we can only afford to go on a camping trip.
▪ Why start an argument? You're in enough trouble as it is!
▪ About as hot in Washington as it is in Managua this morning.
▪ Faxing the stuff, may prove awkward as it is on 2 large A3 sheets.
▪ For the historian it is equally illegitimate to overlook what they had in common as it is to neglect the differences.
▪ It lives in large family groups and is said to be as shy as it is fearsome-looking.
▪ Quota sampling is widely used in market research as it is cost-effective.
▪ She is not looking for the divided subject but seeking to understand why the unified subject we have is as it is.
▪ Some of them are barely surviving as it is.
▪ The middle-class in the center of concern in these novels, as it is in sentimental comedy.
as it were
▪ He became famous, as it were , for never having a hit record.
▪ He cornered the market in heroes, as it were.
▪ He was there, as it were, in reflection.
▪ Maps to particular places allow one to penetrate the maze, by appointment as it were.
▪ That made me, by birth as it were, a member of the Strauss family.
▪ The basic chords, as it were, are there.
▪ The basic signals are the same but each area has, as it were, its own dialect of calls.
▪ Um, the computer guru, uh, the wizards as it were, is going to be there for emergency calls.
▪ We do not have to try to remember ourselves in a vacuum, as it were.
as luck would have it
▪ As luck would have it, it rained the next day and the game was canceled.
▪ As luck would have it, there were two seats left on the last flight.
▪ This was the first time I had ever seen a panda, and as luck would have it, I had my camera with me.
▪ But, as luck would have it, for them anyway, no buses ran on Sunday.
▪ But, as luck would have it, I didn't have an opportunity to follow up my intention at the time.
▪ Somewhere in the Great Hall, as luck would have it, were two managing directors from Salomon Brothers.
▪ This particular shoe, as luck would have it, is a flip-flop.
battle it out
▪ The Yankees and the Red Soxs are battling it out for the championship.
▪ For the Sunday the pros would be on their own, battling it out for the first prize of £500,000.
▪ From their earliest days they were battling it out - sometimes for the same parts.
▪ In Atlanta, 12 teams will be battling it out in two divisions.
▪ Phil Gramm all battling it out for second-and third-place showings.
▪ They showed no sign of brotherly love as they battled it out for the runner-up spot before the record crowd.
▪ This is why bodies exist, rather than separate replicators still battling it out in the primordial soup.
be (in) for it
▪ Gladstone, Cobden and Bright were for it.
▪ Life's so fantastic that my number one wish is for it to stay that way.
▪ Literacy is a lot like motherhood; everybody claims to be for it.
▪ Oh no, Carla groaned, now she was in for it.
▪ The businessmen of Seattle are for it.
▪ We do not know what legal or moral basis there was for it.
▪ West Coast shippers are for it.
▪ Whatever you picked, you were in for it.
be asking for it
▪ Anyone who invites a complete stranger into their house is asking for it.
▪ It would only mean he might let her down again, and that would be asking for it.
▪ Perhaps she ought not to have spoken so bluntly, even though he was asking for it.
be at it again
▪ It is a matter of great importance, on which the Government are at it again.
▪ Lydia's imagination was at it again.
▪ Now they are at it again.
▪ That Arkansas poultry producer was at it again.
▪ The guys are at it again, discussing my private parts in public.
▪ The parakeets were at it again, their squawks rising like shifting clouds.
▪ They were at it again within two minutes of the restart, as Shaun Bartlett fired over from close range.
be bricking it
be gagging for it
be in for it
▪ The hills are very dry; if we get any more hot winds we could be in for it.
▪ Oh no, Carla groaned, now she was in for it.
▪ Whatever you picked, you were in for it.
be kicking (it)
▪ Victor and his friends were kicking it on the porch.
▪ Glen Day had eight birdies in a round of 64 and was kicking himself.
▪ Her nose wrinkled at the smell of beer, and she kicked off her mink-trimmed bootees as if she were kicking Boyd.
▪ It was easy to see that the boy was kicking himself.
▪ John is kicking the car too.
▪ She was kicking herself for forgetting the most basic Capricorn trait of allowing nothing to stand in the way of their goal.
▪ The adults were soon chanting and singing; the baby was kicking and cooing.
▪ The ball the three youngsters were kicking about landed near Scott once more.
▪ When I pull into the driveway Quincy and Phoenix are kicking it on the deck again.
be kicking it
▪ When I pull into the driveway Quincy and Phoenix are kicking it on the deck again.
be not worth it
▪ And it wasn't worth it in the end, I was well miffed.
▪ At any rate it isn't worth it really.
▪ In one sense, we are not worth it.
▪ It isn't worth it, please believe me.
▪ It just isn't worth it.
▪ Many training providers pull out because it is not worth it.
▪ Sitting on the train she had suddenly thought that it was not worth it.
▪ The whole place isn't worth it.
be rolling in money/dough/cash/it
▪ Mel Levine is rolling in dough.
▪ After all, this man was a tycoon as well as a doctor; he must be rolling in money.
▪ Because the people who are rolling in it certainly are.
be stirring (it)
▪ And now, 5 years on, the City of Hereford is stirring to the call of the cup.
▪ As he was stirring it he heard Christopher cough and start to cry.
▪ He ate on, oblivious to the storms he was stirring into the air around him.
▪ If the global surface was in motion, geophysicists realized that the rock beneath it must also be stirring.
▪ Nearby, the remainder of the squadron was stirring after a brief respite in a busy twenty-four period.
▪ Other business activity also is stirring on the commercial half of the 60-acre Town Center site, Malone said.
▪ There are other signs that the club is stirring itself commercially as it responds to the needs of its growing membership.
▪ What high-pressure or low-pressure rock fronts were stirring up the surface of the globe?
be stretching it
▪ He's a good player, but calling him "world class" is stretching it.
▪ But four in a row was stretching it too far.
be that as it may
▪ "Everyone knows it was your idea." "Be that as it may, we can present it together."
▪ Be that as it may, all of us need order.
▪ Be that as it may, blood-sharing in vampire bats seems to fit the Axelrod model well.
▪ Be that as it may, Driesch concluded that Weismann was wrong, at least in part.
▪ Be that as it may, his depiction was so convincingly done as to restore belief in the existence of centaurs!
▪ Be that as it may, I shall attempt to explain the spiritual aspect in my own terms.
▪ Be that as it may, terrible things clearly happened.
▪ Be that as it may, the truth is plain: this is an exercise of arrogant power which stinks.
▪ Be that as it may, Woolridge had his suspicions.
be that as it may
▪ Be that as it may, all of us need order.
▪ Be that as it may, blood-sharing in vampire bats seems to fit the Axelrod model well.
▪ Be that as it may, Driesch concluded that Weismann was wrong, at least in part.
▪ Be that as it may, his depiction was so convincingly done as to restore belief in the existence of centaurs!
▪ Be that as it may, I shall attempt to explain the spiritual aspect in my own terms.
▪ Be that as it may, terrible things clearly happened.
▪ Be that as it may, the truth is plain: this is an exercise of arrogant power which stinks.
▪ Be that as it may, Woolridge had his suspicions.
be where it's at
▪ Forget the business struggle: the busyness battle is where it's at.
▪ This is where it's at.
be worth it
▪ I didn't bother looking at the instructions -- I didn't think it was worth it.
▪ It may be worth putting an advertisement in the local paper.
▪ At the time, it was worth it, because people would come back.
▪ But it was worth it to keep the wolves from the door.
▪ But it would all be worth it to see them settled and thriving in their new home.
▪ Even if animosity worked miracles in bringing about good grades, would it be worth it?
▪ Making them think the next sunrise would be worth it; that another stroke of time would do it at last.
▪ So, if my partner ever plans to deceive me, the woman he fancies had better be worth it.
▪ Somewhere he must have questioned whether it was worth it, somewhere he must have felt enraged at his own losses.
▪ This one had cost him sixpence, a lot out of his ten shillings a week wages, but it was worth it.
beat it!
▪ Go on, you kids! Beat it! Now!
before you know it
▪ Spring break will be here before you know it.
▪ You'll be fully recovered before you know it.
▪ You offer to iron his shirt and before you know it, he expects you to do all the housework.
▪ He saves his money, before you know it he owns a car.
▪ It happens before you know it.
▪ It seemed a long way away but before we knew it we were paying the last of the deposits.
▪ One thing kept leading to another, and before I knew it a small industry had been set in motion.
▪ Take time with people, and you will see success in your business before you know it.
▪ They claim that news is just around the corner, and that it will be on us before we know it.
believe it or not
▪ Well, believe it or not, we're getting married.
▪ And so, believe it or not, he puts on the magic shoes and limps off to the funeral.
▪ But, believe it or not, neither are the networks.
▪ Lives in the next village, believe it or not.
▪ Name's Virginia, believe it or not.
▪ Now this happened to me again, believe it or not, a year or two later.
▪ She put on her pale-blue linen Jaeger dress and, believe it or not, a little hat.
▪ The eventual headliners, believe it or not, were Mud.
▪ This week, believe it or not, another, almost identical saga began.
big it up
blow/blow me/blow it etc
bollocks to you/that/it etc
bother it/them etc
▪ But nobody bothered them when they returned to the white salon.
▪ But she always hurried on, not to bother them, not to get in their way.
▪ Cold, as a rule, doesn't bother them but they will not tolerate prolonged wetness, particularly during the winter.
▪ Each situation is then rated on a five point scale according to whether it just bothers them a little or makes them really angry.
▪ Help the girls you love learn to deal with the emotions that frighten or bother them.
▪ If not, he added, why bother it?
▪ The fact that outsiders find them contradictory and paradoxical does not bother them a bit.
▪ The goats grew nice and fat, and the troll never bothered them again.
brave it out
▪ Petey heard him trying to brave it out, rocking back and forth to make the pain subside.
▪ She decided to brave it out and applied for permission from the Prefect of Police.
▪ She was going to cope, to face this, to brave it out and lay a certain ghost.
bring it on
button it!
by/from the sound of it/things
▪ Ana was trapped here, though, by the sound of it.
▪ And all this provided by Summerchild, from the sound of it.
▪ But by the sound of it your brothers are a hale and hearty pair.
▪ But then Summerchild didn't know himself to start with, by the sound of it.
▪ He heard Lee shooting them down, then him whistling. From the sound of it he was still around.
▪ In the other boat, the priest had started gabbling in Latin - the Dies Irae, by the sound of it.
▪ Something hissed - steam escaping, from the sound of it.
▪ You've had a hard day, and by the sound of it not an easy life.
call it a day
▪ Come on, guys, let's call it a day.
▪ Look, we're all tired - let's call it a day.
▪ We realized we weren't going to get the job finished, so we decided to call it a day.
▪ But yesterday he announced he was calling it a day.
▪ By 1 p.m. we had another forty-five sheep on deck and decided to call it a day.
▪ He decided to call it a day after doctors told him he had lost the other testicle.
▪ It's time I called it a day.
▪ It would do this twice more and then call it a day.
▪ Mishak and Malaika call it a day.
▪ So he agreed to call it a day.
▪ Time to call it a day, ladies.
call it a draw
call it £10/two hours etc
call it/things even
▪ Since you bought the movie tickets and I bought dinner, let's just call it even.
camp it up
can it!
can you beat that/it?
▪ All I can remember of her as a baby is how much she loved butter. Can you beat that?
▪ Agricultural machinery, can you beat that?
▪ But can they beat it consistently?
▪ Can you beat that man, Senna?
cane it
catch it
▪ Almost everyone caught it and almost a third of the population either died from it or had their faces permanently scarred.
▪ I caught it, held it in my fingers and put it out of the window.
▪ I guess that tells you where I caught it.
▪ It harasses other gulls until they drop their hard-won food and then swoops down to catch it - often in mid-air.
▪ Or a cat will bring home a live mouse to teach her kittens how to catch it.
▪ She had locked the screen, he knew, to keep the wind from catching it and tearing it off its hinges.
▪ She threw the door open, catching it before it could strike the wall.
chalk it up to experience
chuck it down
▪ Outside it was chucking it down and the streets were deserted.
clinch it
▪ The offer of a company car was what clinched it for me, and I accepted the job.
▪ Go for the key points - the points that sustain the argument and help to clinch it.
▪ I was pretty sure before I went up to her apartment, but that clinched it.
▪ It was the third day that clinched it.
▪ Suppose we don't clinch it?
▪ The signature at the bottom, clinched it: Jane Doe - which is a synonym for The-Woman-in-the-Street.
▪ Then Deutschlandsender made their announcement yesterday that Hess had flown the coop and I think that clinched it for them.
▪ This seemed to clinch it for both of them.
coin money/coin it (in)
come off it!
▪ Oh, come off it, George. Sheila wouldn't do that.
come to think of it/come to that
confound it/him/them etc
▪ And if Callie confuses them, Mona confounds them.
▪ Hell and the devil confound it, this was his home!
▪ Placed there to confront and confound him.
▪ She summons Deronda and pours out her desire to be what he wants, her inarticulate misery confounding him.
▪ Use their expectations and then confound them.
consider it done
cool it
▪ Cool it, guys. Just play the game.
▪ We already know who won, so cool it with the promos.
▪ As the granite cooled it squeezed out hot fluids containing mineral ores in solution.
▪ Fluke found out how cool it suddenly is to not like blacks again.
▪ It was time to cool it.
▪ Man, this is my way to cool it.
▪ Party chiefs told her to cool it.
▪ The few black independent aldermen were moving around, helping cool it.
▪ The refrigerant carries the heat to the outside coil where the fan cools it, blowing the heat into the outside air.
▪ When the hopped wort has been cooled it is run to fermenting vessels where it meets its destiny with yeast.
cop it
▪ It's me who cops it if the Sarge finds us.
▪ The place is full of the aroma of Spot-Knee, the ram lamb who recently copped it after a blissful organic life.
▪ The Ulsters have copped it up there.
crack it
▪ A drawback of this fire-setting technique is that it was liable to impair the value of the product by cracking it.
▪ Even some respected well-known all-round big-fish anglers have yet to crack it.
▪ He stopped outside the kitchen door and carefully cracked it open a fraction - and looked straight into Jane's wide eyes.
▪ In the absence of mathematical proofs of security, nothing builds confidence in a cryptosystem like sustained attempts to crack it.
▪ The grenade left his grip at almost the same moment as another beam struck him full across the carapace, cracking it.
▪ When Bobbie went on struggling I pushed her head against the floor, wincing at the crack it made.
cross that bridge when you come to it
▪ "What if they refuse?" "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
cut it/that out
▪ Rusty, cut it out, I'm trying to study in here.
▪ As for refined sugar - cut it out, as much as you can.
▪ Come on, kid, cut that out.
▪ I liked that picture so Marie let me cut it out and stick it on the wall.
▪ My colleague saw it and cut it out for me.
▪ My mom cut it out and gave it to me.
▪ Once the design has been traced, you must then cut it out very carefully with a very sharp knife.
▪ You got ta cut that out.
▪ You shouldn't cut it out completely.
cut it/things fine
cut it/things fine
damn it/you etc!
dash it (all)!
did he heck/will it heck etc
do it
▪ I had to tell the officer about these people I saw doing it in the park.
▪ We did it! We won the cup!
▪ You did it! Congratulations!
▪ However, we have certain things and that was part of your, your agreement was that you would do it.
▪ I reach the end of the beach too quickly so I turn around and do it again.
▪ It was a big step to do it and I wanted to do it for Freddie.
▪ Maybe we will do it all again in another six months???
▪ Mr Regan does it with a shillelagh.
▪ People do it because they see other people do it.
▪ The difference is that, one, before, we did not do it wholesale.
▪ True to script, they did it.
doggone it
▪ Doggone it! I can't find my purse.
don't bet on it/I wouldn't bet on it
▪ Maybe he's really a nice guy, but I wouldn't bet on it.
don't give it another thought
▪ "I'm really sorry about that." "Don't give another thought."
▪ "I'm sorry we had to cancel the party.'' "Oh, please don't give it another thought. It wasn't your fault that you were ill!''
don't mention it
▪ "Thanks for the lift!" "Oh, don't mention it!"
▪ "Thanks for the ride home!" "Don't mention it."
don't sweat it
▪ Don't sweat it - you'll pass the test, no problem.
don't you believe it!
drop sb in it
▪ Listen, mate, I wouldn't drop you in it.
easy does it
end your life/end it all
enter into the spirit of it/things
▪ Mercer was entering into the spirit of things, Bambi also but more coolly.
far be it from me to do sth
▪ Far be it from me to tell you what to wear.
far from it
▪ Allowing them to make such a decision does not sanction it - far from it.
▪ Being far from it makes it less real.
▪ By accepting it, the world is not taking on Western civilization lock, stock and barrel: far from it.
▪ I would not afford the remedy of judicial review in all those cases - far from it.
▪ Not that Dad was unsympathetic toward animals; far from it.
▪ Not that there had been many recently, far from it.
▪ Not that we would defend all of what passes or has passed for religion; far from it.
▪ This does not mean that only wellknown or straight forward subjects and themes are to be staged. far from it.
find it in your heart/yourself to do sth
▪ For this alone, I may find it in my heart to forgive her.
▪ He hoped the moon could find it in its heart to overlook his sins as it climbed the heavens.
▪ To his grief, Donny's widow would not find it in her heart to speak to him again.
for the heck of it
▪ Let's go in and take a look around just for the heck of it.
for the sake of it
▪ He was just talking for the sake of it.
▪ He once destroyed an entire constellation just for the sake of it.
▪ However, adding photographs just for the sake of it is not a good idea.
▪ I do not believe simply in throwing money at the prison service for the sake of it.
▪ I think it is sad if you just want to be popular for the sake of it.
▪ Know the state of the tide and strength of current; never dive for the sake of it.
▪ Like other young people, they want change if only for the sake of it.
▪ Of course, there's no point in doing something intrinsically dull just for the sake of it.
▪ There is no need to ask questions at this stage just for the sake of it.
for what it's worth
▪ For what it's worth, I think you did a fine job.
▪ My feeling, for what it's worth, is that they should be regarded as wasting assets.
forget it
▪ "Here, let me pay you back." "No, just forget it."
▪ "I feel so bad about upsetting your plans.'' "Oh, forget it. it really doesn't matter.''
▪ "What'd you say?" "Nothing, just forget it."
▪ As for the idea of going on holiday together, forget it!
▪ I'm not buying you that bike, so just forget it.
▪ If you're in a bad mood, forget it ; don't try and train your dog then.
▪ But if you're thinking of driving, forget it.
▪ I just try to forget it all now, but I might have to go back.
▪ Musically - forget it, but the spot effects are great and make up for the poor acoustic tones.
▪ Now, how could we ever have forgotten it?
▪ She forgot it was midnight and this was a respectable couple.
▪ What happens before disaster strikes and long after journalists have forgotten it matters even more than rescue and relief.
▪ Who that saw that day will ever forget it!
▪ You humans seem to forget it's you that have all the fun.
fuck you/it/them etc
gently/gently does it!
get away from it all
▪ Get away from it all in sunny Barbados.
▪ Coe, on the other hand, is getting away from it all with a weeks holiday in Helsinki.
get into the swing of it/things
▪ As the afternoon wears on, Paul Merton gets into the swing of things.
▪ But once you get into the swing of it, the anatomy takes care of itself.
▪ In the evening a fun event will be held to get into the swing of things.
get it in the neck
get it on
▪ Do you think those two are ever going to get it on?
▪ Be careful, though, not to get it on eyelashes.
▪ Now have you got it on the thing or have you got it on the bottom of the frame?
▪ Only he's actually got it on a scooter.
▪ Shoot, get it on, get it over with.
▪ Should he continue getting it on, then go for her.
▪ The point was to get it on, and never mind the fusses and frills.
▪ You get it on your hands.
get it together
▪ Dundela got it together in the second half and it was Dean Smyth's turn to save his side.
▪ Engineers apart, there are no students who will ever manage to get it together to decide on pay.
▪ I can't seem to get it together at present.
▪ Now manufacturers are getting it together and offering brilliant greens, oranges and blues.
▪ Some one else had got it together for Adam and there it all was.
▪ They must have worked fast to get it together, Charles thought.
▪ When we get it together to be so.
▪ Why on earth can't they get it together?
get it up
▪ And she's got it up top, an' all.
▪ Energy in one form or another has been invested in it to get it up there.
▪ He'd see it raise slightly, but he couldn't quite get it up.
▪ Probably a child molester, probably couldn't get it up for anything normal.
▪ She won't be able to get it up on her own anyway.
get on with it!
get/have the worst of it
▪ I should not have exasperated him for I always have the worst of it.
give it a rest
▪ You've been complaining all day. Why don't you just give it a rest?
▪ I think you should just give it a rest for a few weeks.
▪ It is not only more kind, but more intelligent, to give it a rest or let it slow down.
▪ It was time to give it a rest.
▪ Take your head off and give it a rest.
▪ There was a reason for stopping, at least a reason to give it a rest.
give it to sb straight
▪ He gives it to you straight.
▪ Listen, Dan, let me give it to you straight, as I see it.
give it up for sb
give me/it a break!
got it in one!
grin and bear it
▪ Abu Salim decided that a third day wasn't necessary so I had to grin and bear it.
▪ After debate the team concluded that they had to grin and bear it rather than descend into paranoia.
▪ And up to now, you've had to quit or grin and bear it.
▪ But she was not on the tour, so I had to grin and bear it.
▪ It's not exactly affectionate, but we Limeys can grin and bear it.
▪ There was no alternative but to grin and bear it.
▪ We just have to grin and bear it.
ham it up
▪ Every year Dad puts on his Santa suit and hams it up for the kids.
▪ For all the kids care he could be Goofy, hamming it up for Mickey Mouse.
▪ Overemphasis, hamming it up, leads to the exaggerations of satire, cartooning, melodrama and farce.
hang it (all)
▪ Adrienne paused to scan her face before taking her coat and hanging it in the closet.
▪ And you can hang it up.
▪ He hangs it out of sight, through a curtained doorway next to the bar.
▪ He weaves an apple blossom wreath and hangs it from a branch.
▪ Take off your coat and hang it up.
▪ Their decision to hang it on a beam in the barn was an acknowledgment of how little it belonged.
▪ They looked around for somewhere to hang it.
have (got) it in for sb
▪ But then, Riley, why should I have it in for the nuns?
▪ They will have it in for us in a big way.
have (got) it made
▪ Nowadays, these people have got it made.
▪ Others chimed in, saying those who have it made are pulling up the ladder on those less fortunate.
have it in mind
▪ I didn't have it in mind to go looking for a four-piece group.
▪ I still have it in mind that barbers take Mondays off.
have it made in the shade
have it off/away with sb
▪ Also I don't want him to try to have it off with some one else.
▪ Dave Mellor did not have it away with that repellent tart.
▪ Rush round here every Wednesday afternoon, have it off with Angy and rush back.
▪ Was I going to have it off with this woman and a couple of goats?
have it out (with sb)
▪ And then, suddenly, she sees Dieter going off on his own, and decides to have it out with him.
▪ Fretting, he thought of hurrying round to have it out with him, whatever it was.
▪ In a flash she was off her bed and on her way to have it out with the one man responsible.
▪ She would give Susan a little time to simmer down and then she'd go up and have it out with her.
have it your (own) way
▪ But remember that this Last Best Place can disappear if corporate colonizers and their lackeys in Congress have it their way.
▪ Well, have it your own way.
have sth written all over it
have your cake and eat it
▪ First, is it an ethical investment policy to encourage people to try to have their cake and eat it?
▪ It appears the Ministry men can have their cake and eat it ... but only if we let them.
▪ It seems as though the council wants to have its cake and eat it.
▪ That way he could have his cake and eat it too.
▪ The benefits of standardization are coupled with the capacity to respond to change-a way to have your cake and eat it too.
▪ They don't imagine they can have their cake and eat it too.
▪ You can't have your cake and eat it.
▪ You can have your cake and eat it; the only trouble is, you get fat.
hightail it
▪ They ended up hightailing it across the border.
▪ Biologists had predicted the wolves would exit the pens and hightail it for the backcountry.
hit it off (with sb)
▪ Ally's jealous that Matt and Ceara hit it off.
▪ Billie had joined Lily and they had obviously hit it off.
▪ Glad you and Edward have hit it off.
▪ I think, in the end, they just didn't hit it off.
▪ If two gardeners hit it off, they can go private through electronic messages in a sort of letter-writing setup.
▪ Knowing both of them, I knew they would hit it off when they got to know one another better.
▪ She and I hit it off immediately.
▪ They hit it off from the first.
▪ They ended up in the same case study group and hit it off immediately.
hit sb where it hurts
▪ Instead of locking up drug offenders, hit them where it really hurts - in the wallet.
▪ Tax day hits him hard, hits him where it hurts the most.
hoof it
▪ Sadly, most soccer sims just involve hoofing it up the pitch and loads of chasing aimlessly after the ball.
hop it!
hotfoot it
how are things going?/how's it going?/how goes it?
▪ "Hey, Al, how's it going?" "Fine."
if it wasn't/weren't for sb/sth
if the cap fits (, wear it)
if you've got it, flaunt it
is it sb's idea of a joke?
it all adds up
▪ Still, it all adds up to an interesting polemic.
▪ Twenty hours, $ 14m and 33 actors-it all adds up to...
it behoves sb to do sth
▪ Filling stations are rarities: it behoves car owners to keep a watch on their reserves of petrol.
▪ Of course, it behoves the legislator to distinguish the categories logically and justly.
▪ So it behoves you to be wary when planting.
▪ Some of them will be described soon; but first, as always, it behoves us to study their data.
▪ That is their secret, and will remain so; it behoves us not to pry, only to speculate in passing.
it burns sb that/how etc
it can't be helped
▪ It's not an ideal solution, but it can't be helped.
it cannot be otherwise/how can it be otherwise?
it does your heart good to see/hear sth
it doesn't amount to a hill of beans
it doesn't matter
▪ "Do you want white or dark meat?" "Oh, it doesn't matter."
▪ "I think I taped over your show." "It doesn't matter - I already watched it."
▪ "We've missed the train." "It doesn't matter - there's another one in 10 minutes."
▪ It calls for brown sugar, but it doesn't matter - you can use white.
▪ It doesn't matter if you're a few minutes late. We'll wait for you.
▪ It doesn't matter what other people think. You should do what you think is best.
it doesn't take a rocket scientist (to do sth)
▪ It doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist to realize that the chain of events was no coincidence.
it fell off the back of a lorry
it freezes
▪ And if possible, shovel up and remove the mush before it freezes again.
▪ Explanation Every liquid has a certain temperature at which it freezes or melts.
▪ For most of the time, conditions are ideal-but, sometimes, it freezes.
▪ Now it freezes at night into a crust that you can walk on in the morning.
▪ That night it freezes hard and next morning after a brief breakfast we thaw out the boat and set off again.
it goes without saying (that)
▪ And it goes without saying that Wild is a Lisztian of the finest order.
▪ Concentrated, clear meat juice, must, it goes without saying, be added.
▪ Despite these difficulties, it goes without saying that no book should be ordered unless the price is known.
▪ Historically it goes without saying that we have used all kinds of nature, and especially animals, for human benefit.
▪ I think it goes without saying that a rested person is a better person, more able to face life.
▪ Non-fiction books, too, it goes without saying, are a good source.
▪ Of course it goes without saying that the aquarium glass must always be perfectly clean for best results.
it hails
it is (not) for sb to do sth
▪ All the work in this approach must go into a persuasive account of what it is for reasons to be conclusive.
▪ How important it is for them to build theories out of what they see and think.
▪ I can tell him how important it is for us to have a home of our own.
▪ If one can notice the absence of something one must already know what it is for things to be absent.
▪ Look how difficult it is for women to get on in the medical or legal profession!
it is drizzling
it is kind/stupid/careless etc of sb (to do sth)
▪ But, it, it is kind of funny.
▪ So it is kind of coming home and a change of focus.
▪ The idea of it is kind of cute: This little Frank guy is trying to find candy.
it is not sb's place (to do sth)
▪ But it is not my place and, frankly, I am not in the mood for a party.
it is pissing down (with rain)
it is sprinkling
it makes no difference to sb
▪ But it makes no difference to Spiderglass what you call yourself.
▪ That does not mean it makes no difference to social welfare which rules we settle upon.
it makes no odds
it never rains but it pours
it pains sb to do sth
▪ It pained her to see how much older Bill was looking.
▪ As much as it pains us to write this, now is time for Dan to step down.
▪ Most burglars, it pains me to say, are just looking for the easy dollar.
it rains
▪ But the next day it rains.
▪ He says the sun will only shine on him if it rains for at least a month.
▪ If it rains, the programme will be aerobics, papiermâché mask making, craft work and painting etc.
▪ If it rains, there will be aerobics and make up morning, followed by indoor cycling proficiency.
▪ It's such a clich, but boy, it sure seems like it rains every year.
▪ It is a city more in tune with outdoor recreation than cultural institutions, but it rains there.
▪ They have a low, vaulted ceiling and damp, grimy walls which run with water when it rains.
▪ Water gushes through the roof when it rains.
it remains to be seen
▪ "What is your next film going to be about?'' "Well, that remains to be seen.''
▪ It remains to be seen how many senior citizens will actually benefit from this new plan.
▪ What remains to be seen now is whether it is too late to save the rainforests.
▪ Whether the team can sustain its winning streak remains to be seen.
▪ And it remains to be seen if re- signing Greg Vaughn will be a hit or a miss.
▪ But it remains to be seen whether that will prove a significant omission.
▪ But it remains to be seen whether this will exacerbate chronic unemployment or solve it.
▪ Steel will make it remains to be seen.
▪ The meaning of prevention in the new Children Act is multifaceted and it remains to be seen how it will be operationalized.
▪ Today it remains to be seen whether Museveni's essentially centralist approach will be more successful than its predecessors.
▪ Whether I reach it remains to be seen!
▪ Yet it remains to be seen how strong are the forces of Euro-scepticism in Labour's own ranks.
it serves sb right
it snows
▪ I will do it even when it snows and when it rains.
▪ When it snows in Boston, residents litter the streets with old furniture, barrels and a rusty washing machine or two.
it stands to reason (that)
▪ But the important decisions ... well, it stands to reason that these would be the sole responsibility of the man.
▪ Well, it stands to reason, doesn't it?
▪ Well, it sounds a very obvious thing for us to say - but it stands to reason.
it takes all sorts (to make a world)
it takes two to tango
it thaws
it transpires that
▪ If it transpires that he is guilty, he will almost certainly lose everyone's support.
▪ It now transpires that the prime minister knew about the deal all along.
▪ If it transpires that the patient has not yet attended the general practitioner for this diabetic review one reminder prompt is sent.
▪ On examination it transpires that he requested the retention of the original gilt brass depositum plates.
it was all I could do to do sth
▪ I followed one up the motorway just yesterday and it was all I could do to not retch.
▪ When pro golfer Tiger Woods won the Masters two weeks ago, it was all I could do to suppress a yawn.
it was as much as sb could do to do sth
it was nothing/think nothing of it
it will all come out in the wash
it will cost you
▪ If you give credit two things will happen: it will cost you money and give you problems.
▪ The more successful we are at extending longevity, the more it will cost us.
it won't/wouldn't kill sb (to do something)
▪ It wouldn't kill you to do the dishes.
it wouldn't do sb any harm to do sth
▪ It wouldn't do you any harm to get some experience first.
it'll (all) end in tears
it'll (all) end in tears
it'll be a push
it'll keep
▪ "I don't have time to listen now." "Don't worry, it'll keep."
it's (a case of) the tail wagging the dog
it's (just) one of those days
▪ "Everything okay?" "Oh, it's just been one of those days."
it's (only/just) a matter/question of time
▪ But they believe it's only a matter of time before the disease crosses the county boundary.
▪ If he hasn't already killed somebody, then it's only a matter of time.
▪ They think it's only a matter of time before he breaks.
it's (only/just) human nature
▪ It's human nature to put off doing things you don't like to do.
▪ But it's human nature that people-male or female-will do what they are allowed to get away with.
it's ... , Jim, but not as we know it
it's a case of sth
▪ But it's a case of when you're down, anything goes.
▪ Clearly it's a case of the further the distance, the better Captain Dibble gets.
▪ I think it's a case of what we have, we hold.
▪ It's a case of pushing the float up until it holds and doesn't drag under.
▪ Maybe it's a case of all these important people getting free drinks in the George Best Suite after the match.
▪ Overall, though, it's a case of spreading a good idea a little too thinly this time around.
▪ Police say they're almost certain it's a case of murder followed by suicide.
▪ Really it's a case of head versus heart.
it's a crime
▪ It's a crime to throw away all that food.
▪ It's a crime you never took it up, darling.
▪ You tell me that it's a crime to fall in love.
it's a deal
▪ "I'll give you $100 for it." "It's a deal."
▪ All right, it's a deal.
▪ It's a deal considering the formidable size.
▪ It's a deal milder than Arendale and there's ling grows there.
it's a different story
▪ Between races it was a different story.
▪ But his recent speeches, carried on the Internet and in church publications, tell a different story.
▪ But it is a different story when we focus on phonological change.
▪ It means that if the engineer comes up with a different story they can use this to embarrass the plaintiff at trial.
▪ Lee told a different story in her lawsuit.
▪ Perhaps if people had spoken up, taken a strong stand, history would tell a different story.
▪ Taxes on rented and business property are a different story.
▪ They then have a moment of near romance before wandering off into a different story.
it's a fair cop
▪ And criminals are warned that from then, they won't even have time to tell police it's a fair cop.
▪ Do you want me to say that it's a fair cop or something?
▪ It's a fair cop - honest, officer!
it's a girl/football/music etc thing
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 a long story
it's a matter of fact (that)
it's a mercy (that)
it's a safe/sure/fair bet (that)
▪ As soon as a board attempts to interfere with management tasks it's a fair bet that profits will decline.
▪ He may not fancy it, but it's a safe bet that he would be the first man to do it.
▪ Since they're not, it's a fair bet that they show something she doesn't want you to know.
it's a shame/what a shame etc
it's a squash
it's a toss-up
▪ "Have you decided where to go on holiday?'' "Well, it'll be either Portugal or Turkey -- it's a toss-up.''
▪ I don't know who'll get the job. I guess it's a toss-up between Carl and Steve.
it's a wonder (that)
▪ It's a wonder no one got hurt.
▪ But it's a wonder he doesn't.
▪ Pretty deep there; it's a wonder it didn't slice the top of his head off.
▪ She thought, as she spoke, it's a wonder that I have anything to report.
▪ The way Max's biological clock is ticking, it's a wonder Emma didn't call out the bomb squad.
▪ Though it's a wonder she did not spot the writing on the wall.
it's about time
▪ "Joey's home." "Well, it's about time."
▪ A case of bread and circuses, and it's about time some one said it for the rave generation.
▪ All we can say is, it's about time!
▪ But I was thinking it's about time we got back to Nurse's house.
▪ But it isn't, and it's about time the public knew that.
▪ I think it's about time I went back home.
▪ I was hoping there was, cos it's about time I got back home - it's getting pretty late.
▪ Yes, it's about time that was stopped.
it's all Greek to me
it's all about sb/sth
it's all go
▪ Better to accept it's all gone.
▪ But it is starting to look as though it's all going sour.
▪ But now they're here it's all going splendidly.
▪ It's all gone very quiet over there!
▪ It can't be helped ... Together for an instant and then smash it's all gone still its worth it.
▪ Now it's all gone quiet.
▪ So it's all going to go ahead as per the script.
▪ Yes, it's all go on the rumour exchange and let me stress that these are but a few of the juiciest.
it's all in the mind
it's all or nothing
▪ The deal is all or nothing.
▪ It's all or nothing and being strong enough to take the flak if things go wrong.
▪ It's all or nothing with her.
it's all the same to sb
▪ We can go out to eat if you want - it's all the same to me.
▪ Well, if it's all the same to you, we would rather be the judges of that.
it's all up (with sb)
▪ It's all up for you then.
it's as easy as falling off a log
it's brass monkeys/brass monkey weather
it's difficult/hard to believe (that)
▪ Female speaker It's hard to believe it's happened.
▪ It's hard to believe another child could do such a thing.
▪ It's hard to believe just how dire it is.
▪ It's hard to believe Marie's got a husband.
▪ It's hard to believe now but I actually made do with hooks for a while!
▪ It's hard to believe that he started painting in World War Two and is still painting today.
▪ It's hard to believe, but we're fast approaching the dessert hour.
▪ The ideological points are still there but it's hard to believe that totalitarian regimentation could be so tight.
it's every man for himself
▪ In journalism it's every man for himself.
it's just a thought
it's just that
▪ He's not ugly or anything. It's just that he's too short for me.
▪ Business or hatred, there's something that stays the same - it's just that person; just about him.
▪ But I think it's just that the winter weather keeps the birds away.
▪ I was not supposed to clean there, it's just that I love reading and sometimes I feel starved.
▪ Maybe it's just that those who don't look don't survive to tell the tale.
▪ Nothing drastic - it's just that his studio is taking on a more Tardis-like appearance than before.
▪ Or maybe it's just that there is a course that teaches advertising and marketing, which is relatively new in itself.
▪ Perhaps it's just that we don't have enough of those long, thin granite cracks.
▪ She says it's because the water is pure from the mountain but she doesn't really believe it's just that.
it's just/only/simply a question of doing sth
▪ Sometimes, it's simply a question of somewhere safe to go after school while parents are working.
it's more than my job's worth
it's no good (doing sth)
▪ But ... but I will worry if I think you are hanging on waiting, because it's no good.
▪ Here we are on the hills, and it's no better.
▪ It's no good just bleating on about the rising tide of crime to get money out of the government.
▪ It's no good pretending you've any aptitude for art when it's quite clear you've none at all.
▪ It's no good printing my letter if you're just going to do it again.
▪ It's no good tying up money for years unless you're certain you won't need it.
▪ It's no good, she rebuked herself sternly; there's no future in feeling like this about Luke Travis.
▪ It's very easy to tell an actor that it's no good.
it's no skin off sb's nose
it's no use doing sth
▪ It's no use complaining - you just need to take the test again later.
▪ But it's no use running away from it.
▪ He says it's no use having a ban if it can't be enforced.
▪ I've telephoned everyone I can think of, but it's no use.
▪ I can buy the best legal brains in the business, so it's no use your fighting.
▪ I said to him, Listen, George, it's no use living in the past.
▪ No, it's no use protesting!
▪ On the open road, it's no use pretending that the Bentley handles with the agility of a Porsche.
it's no use!
▪ Oh, it's no use! I can't fix it.
it's not as if
▪ And it's not as if I've gone off it within myself.
▪ It's not as if I have a sister or brother to worry about.
▪ It's not as if I haven't got any.
▪ It's not as if I worked for a large network news show.
▪ It's not as if there was a stash of notes that he could extort from Stone and take away with him.
▪ It's not as if we're like bus drivers or air traffic controllers.
▪ Plus, it's not as if the Barn Burners, Helm's current band, is a household name.
it's not every day (that)
▪ It's not every day that a helicopter sits down in your backyard.
▪ After all, it's not every day you win an arena referendum and a game against the defending champion Lakers.
▪ It's not every day a young woman pulls a gun on a burglar.
▪ Well, it's not every day, is it?
it's not for sb to judge
it's not over until the fat lady sings
it's not sb's day
▪ After all, it's not every day you win an arena referendum and a game against the defending champion Lakers.
▪ It's not every day a young woman pulls a gun on a burglar.
▪ Well, it's not every day, is it?
it's not the end of the world
▪ If you don't get the job, it's not the end of the world.
▪ All I've done is offend one or two of the wrong people, it's not the end of the world.
▪ It's very upsetting, but it's not the end of the world.
▪ You won't always get it right, but it's not the end of the world if you don't.
it's now or never
▪ Twoflower, I thought, it's now or never.
it's one thing to ..., (it's) another thing to ...,
it's only/just a matter of time
▪ It was only a matter of time before Lynn found out Phil's secret.
▪ You'll learn how to do it eventually -- it's only a matter of time.
▪ Your father is dying and there's nothing we can do. I'm afraid it's just a matter of time.
▪ But they believe it's only a matter of time before the disease crosses the county boundary.
▪ If he hasn't already killed somebody, then it's only a matter of time.
▪ They think it's only a matter of time before he breaks.
it's six of one and half a dozen of the other
it's the least I can do
it's the same old story
▪ It's the same old story - too much work and not enough time.
it's the same story here/there/in ...
it's the thought that counts
it's time I was moving/we ought to get moving etc
it's tipping (it) down
it's your funeral
it's/that's a thought!
it's/that's just as well
it's/that's not my problem
▪ It's not my problem if she won't listen to reason.
it/money doesn't grow on trees
it/that depends
▪ And one that depends on government policies.
▪ At these outside shows it depends on the weather.
▪ But second, it depends on what our selective-attention circuits select from all the sensations.
▪ However, that depends on a future legal decision.
▪ The arbitrator's decision is also meant to replace the reasons on which it depends.
▪ Well, that depends whether you'd rather shield them from such things or prepare them for it.
▪ Whether they make it depends on how long it takes them to realize and step back.
it/that is a load/weight off sb's mind
it/what gets me
▪ Again, it gets me away utterly from television.
▪ But it gets me out of the house for a while.
▪ But never mind the niceties: it gets me in.
▪ But what gets me most is when somebody dies who hasn't really lived.
▪ Heaven knows I've tried talking to him, but it gets me nowhere.
▪ Sometimes I can laugh it off but inside it gets me down.
▪ That's what gets me about it.
▪ The same old thing - cleaning the same things all the time, that's what gets me.
jump to it!
just because ... it doesn't mean
keep at it
knock it off
▪ You kids, knock it off in there!
▪ And, how was it, no, if they knocked it off.
▪ I knocked it off as I ran past.
▪ No, you didn't have to knock it off you had to choose thingies on a card.
▪ The following day we could knock it off in few hours before returning to base.
know/understand what it means to be sth
▪ If you are overweight, then you know what it means to be in emotional pain.
land sb in it
▪ To whack it over the net, land a dart in it.
▪ You've landed us in it, doin' that.
▪ You've just landed yourself in it.
large it (up)
▪ A rock so large it must have taken two hands to lift it hit me on the jaw.
▪ His determination is underpinned by a belief that the problem, nomatterhow large it appears to be, can be overcome.
▪ I was surprised by how large it was.
▪ If your business is larger it takes more organisation and record keeping to know what the magic formula is for each customer.
▪ It was looking at me and I marveled at how very large it was.
▪ Some bring aboard luggage so large it has its own wheels.
▪ The load was so large it took 15 agents more than an hour to unpack it.
lay it on (thick)
▪ He laid it on top of one of the garbage cans lined up in front of his building.
▪ I laid it on soil; the shoulders managed a few slow twitches, pulled it an inch forward.
▪ I laid it on the line.
▪ I took a card out and laid it on the counter.
▪ She laid it on the floor of the car.
▪ She took her coat off and laid it on the bed.
▪ Tenderly she laid it on the bed.
▪ That way, unless I've really laid it on thick, I can get along at a cracking pace.
lay it on with a trowel
leave it out!
leave it to sb (to do sth)
▪ And I will leave it to you, dear reader, to make a choice.
▪ At Thayer the clear intention is that if something is central to our mission, we will not leave it to chance.
▪ But I don't want to leave it to the last game of the season.
▪ He'd not leave it to some one who would turn it over.
▪ I leave it to your discretion whether you should tell the Professors that they are 114 both wrong, or both right.
▪ I find it difficult to put my thoughts and feelings about this into words, so I will leave it to others.
▪ They ought to leave it to the markets.
▪ Yeah, well, leave it to Esther.
leg it
▪ After he'd unfastened the message capsule from its leg it flew up to join its fellows lurking among the rafters.
▪ Apart from its legs it resembled an old fashioned typewriter with a carriage and Qwerty keyboard.
▪ Calling Emily, I legged it to the youth hostel two miles away.
▪ He got so paranoid he decided to leg it.
▪ I legged it before the cops came.
▪ I legged it over to Broadway and caught the subway.
▪ If he starts growling and howling, leg it, quick!
▪ When Coleridge reached Mickledore, he legged it down into Eskdale with all speed.
let it all hang out
▪ Each time you let it all hang out, you lower your threshold for doing it again.
▪ My face resembled the back of one of those baboons who let it all hang out at mating time.
▪ Now you can anonymously let it all hang out online.
▪ Was it possible to go too far, or should he just let it all hang out?
▪ We let it all hang out.
let it be known/make it known (that)
let it/her rip
let sb get on with it
let sb have it
▪ Mrs. Kramer really let him have it for spilling the paint.
▪ As for the Cub players they came out on the steps of their dugout and really let me have it.
▪ Do report recurring faults to the developers; that's why they let you have it free.
▪ He says that you just let them have it!
▪ I let him have it to get rid of him.
▪ Instead of saying no, they let the kids have it.
▪ Netscape hooked millions of web surfers on Navigator by letting them have it for free.
▪ They suggested she borrow the money until such time as they could let her have it.
▪ We should have let them have it.
let's face it/let's be honest
▪ Let's face it, Scott. We're not as young as we used to be.
let's hear it for sb
like it or lump it
like it's going out of fashion
▪ She's been spending money like it's going out of fashion.
live it up
▪ Lisa was living it up like she didn't have a care in the world.
▪ Accountant used cash to live it up.
▪ I am living it up with Survage at the Coq d'Or.
▪ It's no good looking for a man's body round here if the owner's living it up in Costa Rica.
▪ The trim is the shirt; here you can live it up, get a touch more fashionable.
▪ They lived it up while they were on Earth.
▪ This contented canine's living it up.
▪ Under a false identity, he's living it up in Florence, dining out with the aristocracy.
lord it over sb
▪ He didn't use his position on the council to lord it over people.
▪ Besides, some heads like to lord it over local parents - particularly over the pushy ones.
▪ Here is another way in which you can lord it over you players.
▪ Lowry, cackling and scratching, is a hoot as the rooster who lords it over the complaining hens in his roost.
▪ Most chaps in my time wouldn't dream of trying to lord it over their girl.
▪ The Methodists moved west from Baltimore to Kansas and lorded it over the border states.
▪ They could democratize the royal professions that lord it over our health, education, welfare and criminal justice bureaucracies.
lose it
▪ After her mom and dad were killed in the car accident, Ginny just seemed to lose it.
▪ Pete just lost it completely and started shouting and screaming at us.
▪ Whatever Brad said must have made her angry because she totally lost it.
▪ If they lose it, they will probably lose their majority.
▪ In fact we had never lost it.
▪ Love, love that had always held pain through fear of losing it but had finally become a torment.
▪ Maybe he had lost it when running away from the fracas of metal and hollow clacking of gunfire.
▪ Poor guy, he lost it.
▪ They will not know why you have lost it.
▪ Why try and pressurize myself into losing it?
▪ You really lose it when you get around your family.
lump it
▪ I don't like it-but I can lump it!
▪ If I were you I'd tell them if they don't like it, lump it.
▪ They've been told: take the lower interest rate - or lump it.
make (it) up to sb
▪ For example, a 70 year old person living alone would have their income made up to £53.40 a week.
▪ He would make it up to him, the rector thought.
▪ In California, people making up to $ 40,000 a year qualify for help.
▪ Not so much eating it, really, as making up to it.
▪ The company stands to make up to £7m in fees if it offloads the Dome quickly.
make a bolt for it
make a clean breast of it/things
▪ He needs to go before the public and make a clean breast of it.
make a day of it
▪ We were going into New York for the concert anyway, so we decided to make a day of it.
▪ Imagine how lovely it would be - you could take the whole family and make a day of it.
▪ They make a day of it, tailgating before the game and, weather permitting, after it, too.
make a day/night/evening of it
▪ Why don't you make a day of it and have lunch with us?
▪ I had known Sophie for about three months by then, and she insisted on making an evening of it.
▪ Imagine how lovely it would be - you could take the whole family and make a day of it.
▪ They make a day of it, tailgating before the game and, weather permitting, after it, too.
make a run for it
▪ Already soaked, he decided he would make a run for it.
▪ Bothshe has sized them up as well-are strong and quite capable of catch ing her if she makes a run for it.
▪ Debbie saw her uptown train and decided to make a run for it.
▪ If you were Brimmer, how would you plan an escape if you ever had to make a run for it?
▪ Riney decided to make a run for it and escaped, crashing through a glass window in the process.
▪ Then she could jump out and make a run for it.
▪ They're going to make a run for it, she thought.
▪ Through her tears she saw Garry scaling the wall as he made a run for it.
make it
▪ At one point I was so exhausted and weak that I didn't think I was going to make it.
▪ Did Margaret make it home the other night?
▪ Even though he couldn't swim, he managed to make it to the riverbank.
▪ Get as much advice from colleagues as you can - it can be difficult trying to make it on your own.
▪ Gina has her driving test today. I hope she makes it.
▪ He was a talented football player and I knew he'd make it.
▪ He went out for it, he played hard, and he made it.
▪ I was surprised she had made it through the night.
▪ If we don't make it on time, start without us.
▪ If we run, we should be able to make it before the bus leaves.
▪ It's only ten till seven - we'll make it.
▪ Jody thinks only three teams will make it to the final.
▪ Many actors move to America, hoping to make it big in Hollywood.
▪ The roads were so bad that I wasn't sure we would make it.
▪ Thousands of refugees made it across the border.
▪ We've fought long and hard to get where we are, and we deserve to make it.
▪ We just made it to the hospital before the baby arrived.
▪ Will he make it out alive?
▪ He made it quite clear that much speech was beneath his dignity.
▪ People from the four corners of the world have come to Ontario to make it their home.
▪ Putting an event in reeltime makes it seem more bearable.
▪ She always insisted on doing it herself and that made it easy for you.
▪ She burst out laughing, and to make it clear that she wasn't laughing at him she pointed out the sign.
▪ The human suffering makes it harder to justify the embargo and creates growing discontent in the region.
▪ The physiotherapist usually starts by mobilizing the shoulder girdle, moving it passively in all directions, to make it perfectly pliable.
▪ The wind and the cold made it impossible to hold steady over putts.
make it a rule (to do sth)
▪ I make it a rule not to take friends on as clients.
▪ I make it a rule to go at least three times.
▪ In fact, he made it a rule never to make any friend who could not be useful to him.
▪ Since I have made it a rule not to lie to a client, I assume reciprocal honesty from him.
▪ They made it a rule that she was never to be alone.
make it with sb
▪ He became the kind of boy you had to be to make it with the other guys.
▪ He bragged that he had made it with all five of the New York Dolls when he was sixteen.
▪ I asked if it was possible to make it with no oil.
▪ I guess I can make it with rice.
▪ She was so out of it that it would have been like making it with a corpse.
▪ The four o'clock call would give her enough time to make it with ease.
▪ You said yourself that I could make it with mimicking and comedy, and I know I can.
make it worth sb's while
▪ I'll make sure they approve your application if you make it worth my while.
▪ I didn't want to lend Terry my car, but he said he'd make it worth my while.
▪ The basketball federation in Kuwait offered him a coaching job, and made it worth his while.
▪ He also has a lucrative five-year contract at Hilton that makes it worth his while to stick around.
▪ Obviously he would promise to make it worth your while.
make it your business to do sth
▪ Ruth made it her business to get to know the customers.
▪ But before you leave I suggest that you make it your business to find out.
▪ I made it my business to be there at dinner the following day.
▪ I make it my business to acquaint myself with where objects properly belong in a house.
▪ Increasingly, companies are making it their business to develop programs for serving both the worker and the bottom line.
▪ Quinn knew this because he had made it his business to know such things.
▪ She made it her business to find out.
▪ These villagers - of course they would make it their business to know anyone who was rich and whose father lived so near!
▪ They made it their business to worm a curl of something out of you.
make it/that sth
make no mistake (about it)
▪ Make no mistake about it - I am not going to put up with this anymore.
▪ And make no mistake about it, she knew I was there.
▪ And make no mistake, the family works overtime to make its instructions felt.
▪ And make no mistake, there will be plenty of bets.
▪ I tried to make no mistakes, but they called me naughty every moment of the day.
▪ In the second 250 race Robert made no mistakes, leading all the way to win from McCallen and Coulter.
▪ The Pinot Noirs from Burgundy are often expensive, make no mistake.
mix it (up)
▪ Add the ginger wine and, finally, the stem ginger, mixing it in very thoroughly.
▪ He did an excellent job getting some steals, mixing it up and changing the complexion of the game.
▪ I thought we might mix it up this year and try some blues.
▪ Once the required colour has been mixed it is then stored in the palette for use at any time.
▪ Out the window, the last bit of sunlight mixed it up with the lights from the parking lot.
▪ They can't wait to mix it with the opposition!
▪ Upholders of the scientific faith shudder at the implications of having to mix it with such irredeemably subjective and impure elements.
▪ You may find as you mix it that you need to add a bit more water.
more like it
▪ Arguing more like it, or rowing.
▪ Beatific would be more like it.
▪ Done off, more like it.
▪ I thought, hang on, this is more like it.
▪ Just plain sappy is more like it.
▪ That was more like it, I thought.-Good, I said.
▪ The Shirkers was more like it.
▪ Turned myself inside out is more like it.
not come into it
▪ And material riches do not come into it.
▪ Besides, shagging had not come into it.
▪ His position did not come into it.
▪ Logic does not come into it at all.
not cut it
▪ Most of the kids who start here are young and haven't worked before. Some just can't cut it.
▪ Players who can't cut it soon realize it and quit.
▪ We could make a lot of excuses, but excuses won't cut it.
▪ Lightly trim the grass using a sharp mower if the surface is looking rough, but do not cut it short.
▪ So why not cut it down like they do?
not if I can help it
▪ "Are you going to stay very long?" "Not if I can help it."
not see that it matters
not to put too fine a point on it
not worth the paper it is written on/printed on
on the face of it
▪ It looks, on the face of it, like a pretty minor change in the regulations.
▪ On the face of it, he appeared to be an ideal candidate for the position.
▪ On the face of it, this seems like a perfectly good idea -- we must wait and see if it turns out well.
▪ A contractual obligation, such as an exchange rule gives rise on the face of it to strict liability.
▪ All three candidates were acceptable on the face of it.
▪ As I say, on the face of it obvious.
▪ Innocuous enough on the face of it.
▪ It is, on the face of it, a very considerable offer.
▪ They were not, on the face of it, a likely match.
▪ This seems a contradiction on the face of it.
on your own head be it
out of it
▪ And made a, a jelly out of it.
▪ And what do they get out of it?
▪ Because you can talk yourself right out of it.
▪ His teammates helped talk him out of it.
▪ I couldn't get out of it.
▪ I never could squeeze any of my own life either into it or out of it.
▪ Some one gets a good idea, and no one wants to be left out of it.
▪ The Spartans were out of it by halftime, with the Bulldogs ahead, 30-6.
out with it!
▪ OK, out with it! What really happened?
overdo it
▪ I think Trudy has overdone it with all the lace and frills in her bedroom.
▪ She's been overdoing it lately.
▪ The doctor told me to relax and not overdo it.
▪ The President's advisers are worried that he might have been overdoing it lately.
▪ The tour guide managed to be funny and informative, without overdoing it.
▪ You need more exercise, but be careful not to overdo it.
▪ And this chap said we might well be sorry for Connie, but not to overdo it.
▪ At times, you may overdo it.
▪ Don't overdo it though - the flipside of stress is boredom, stagnation and low self-esteem.
▪ Even ten kinds is probably overdoing it.
▪ He thinks that he probably overdid it in the gym tonight.
▪ If your skin tingles or feels hot and itchy, the chances are you've overdone it.
▪ This line is so overdone it sounds completely insincere.
▪ You must be careful not to overdo it on the beach however, because the nightlife in Malia is simply explosive.
owe it to sb to do sth
▪ We owe it to our children to clean up the environment.
▪ For health insurance reasons you owe it to yourself to take care of your one and only body - your working machine.
▪ He owed it to Sue to avenge Arabella.
▪ I owe it to Victoria to lend some retrospective weight to our parting.
▪ It was a lame excuse, and I bluntly told him that he owed it to posterity to relate his story.
▪ We owe it to clarity to disentangle the varieties of suffering possible in a given situation.
▪ We owe it to gastronomy to keep them alive.
▪ We owe it to ourselves to consider alternative futures, based on what we know and what we can project from that.
▪ You owe it to yourself to extract yourself from your present situation and reassess your life.
owe it to yourself to do sth
▪ Do I owe it to myself to finish?
▪ For health insurance reasons you owe it to yourself to take care of your one and only body - your working machine.
▪ We owe it to ourselves to consider alternative futures, based on what we know and what we can project from that.
▪ You owe it to yourself to extract yourself from your present situation and reassess your life.
pack it in
▪ I'm still frustrated, but I'm not ready to pack it in yet.
▪ As he'd nearly finished his apprenticeship, he was understandably loathe to pack it in.
▪ But I love those little box things with the lacy paper that they pack it in.
▪ Faced with a family mutiny, he decided to pack it in and sell up.
▪ How do you decide whether to go ahead with the teacup or pack it in and go home?
▪ I lasted eighteen months before packing it in, and in that time I saw a lot of disappointed people.
▪ I watch, with pleasure, as the clerk folds it neatly, packs it in tissue, and boxes it.
▪ It is an opportunity to pack it in, to make our leap from smack to medication, from medication to cleanliness.
▪ The 1970 season brought a less efficient car - a good moment for a driver to pack it in.
past it
▪ A stream meandered past it and cascaded into the depths of the forested cliffside.
▪ If he's not young, he's past it.
▪ In the past it always has.
▪ In the past it was much used for teapots, milk jugs and other forms of tableware.
▪ Neither side is willing to concede that in the past it might have been wrong and its opponents right.
▪ The first option was rejected, as in the past it has isolated the small group from the department.
▪ The tribe streamed past it through the gathering dusk, ignoring its presence completely.
▪ Tooling down Farm Road 442, you could easily zoom right past it.
pile it on/pile on the drama
play it cool
▪ Traci insists that she is going to play it cool with Brad.
▪ Plus, playing it cool ... the dark secrets of an orchid grower And, who said Robins could sing?
▪ Rather than rushing into print in Nature, however, Cantor played it cool and cautious.
▪ She was trying to play it cool.
▪ The band had wanted a major deal for at least two years previously, but were determined to play it cool.
▪ Tod's playing it cool, of course, as always.
pour it on
▪ The Warriors continued to pour it on in the third quarter, taking a 20 point lead.
▪ Allow it to cool, and then pour it on a plate.
▪ Beat the eggs with the cream and pour it on.
▪ But instead of laying off, we were pouring it on.
▪ He tried to slow her down with gestures which she interpreted as signs of denial, and so she poured it on.
▪ If you pour it on certain plants, they will die.
▪ On the court, Red is pouring it on.
pull the other one (it's got bells on)
push your luck/push it
put a figure on it/give an exact figure
put a sock in it
▪ That sort does all sorts of silly things, till experience tells them to put a sock in it.
▪ To avoid upsetting the kids, Dad spoke to Mum more than once in private, telling her to put a sock in it.
put it down to experience
put it there
▪ $500? OK, it's a deal. Put it there!
▪ Any name that was on the list was there because Nikos had put it there.
▪ He didn't remember putting it there.
▪ It hates you for putting it there, but is loyal to you because you bring it food.
▪ Just for like if we put it there.
▪ People think I put it there as a piece of pop art to decorate the room.
▪ That must have been Lee who'd put it there.
▪ There is nothing behind the cartoon sofa and if you find anything it's because you yourself have put it there.
▪ Where every plant to sprout is known in advance because you put it there.
put your back into it
▪ Come on, John. Stop messing around and put your back into it!
▪ I really put my back into it, you know?
put your foot in it
▪ She's a little weird isn't she? Oh no, have I put my foot in my mouth? Is she a friend of yours?
▪ Simon wanted to finish the conversation before he put his foot in it any further.
▪ As creative types, we're notoriously unpredictable, and thus liable to put our foot in it in front of touchy clients.
▪ Glover had put his foot in it somehow.
▪ I have put my foot in it.
▪ It was immediately clear that he had put his foot in it.
▪ It wasn't her fault if she had a gift for putting her foot in it.
▪ Somehow, with her usual clumsiness, she had opened her mouth and put her foot in it.
put/stick that in your pipe and smoke it
queen it over sb
rough it
▪ It's backpacking, but with horses carrying the load and first-class meals, it's not roughing it.
▪ Artemis becomes a kind of girl scout roughing it in the woods.
▪ She had had to rough it alone in digs since she was fifteen.
▪ Since childhood, her idea of roughing it has been to check into an economy-class motel.
rub sb's nose in it/in the dirt
rumour/legend/word has it
▪ After all, stranger things have happened: legend has it that the hooked burrs of plants inspired the invention of Velcro.
▪ And rumour has it that the big-name band will be outrageous rockers Guns N' Roses.
▪ But word has it that the Tucson Symphony is taking over the building sometime in mid-December.
▪ His name is cited in the four gospels. Legend has it that he obtained the holy grail from the last supper.
▪ It started with a cross placed along the railroad tracks, where legend has it that he was lynched.
▪ Pass the spliff, mon. Word has it the band is compelling as hell in person.
▪ This was initiated, so legend has it, when the lavatories were out of order.
▪ Turn right to the Cerne Giant viewing point. Legend has it that a real giant terrorised the locals.
sb bought it
sb can dish it out but they can't take it
sb can take it or leave it
▪ As for the moody magnetism Method actors devote all their energy trying to perfect, Allen can take it or leave it.
▪ To others, they can take it or leave it.
sb can't get it into their (thick) skull
sb can't have it both ways
sb had (got) it coming
▪ He had it coming, and I did him in.
▪ Put like that and you might think they had it coming.
▪ That pair obviously just had it coming.
sb started it!
▪ "Tim, stop fighting with your sister." "She started it."
sb will live to regret it
▪ He may think leaving his wife for the other woman is a good idea, but he'll live to regret it.
▪ If you put all your money in this real estate deal, I guarantee you'll live to regret it.
sb's heart isn't in it
▪ She was doing the best she could, but her heart just wasn't it it.
sb/sth has had it
▪ If it works, Mr Major has had it.
▪ Well, Arum has had it.
sb/sth/it won't be long
see sth for what it is
shoot it out (with sb)
▪ He figured he stood better chances shooting it out with federal agents who had more firepower.
▪ The basin funnels the wind and shoots it out over this ridge.
skip it!
sleep on it
▪ There's no obligation to do anything at all. Sleep on it, and tell me what you think in the morning.
▪ He asked if he could sleep on it.
▪ We decided to sleep on it.
▪ With so much within easy reach, we were clearly spoilt for choice and decided to sleep on it.
slog it out
▪ Byron was my hero and they've been slogging it out ever since.
▪ The answer is that you would have to slog it out all the way from London to Baghdad.
slug it out
▪ Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been slugging it out in the cola wars for years.
▪ He at least was ready to slug it out to the bitter end.
▪ The uniformed cops and a couple of detectives were watching their superiors slug it out.
▪ These two sides would slug it out, and a practical solution would emerge somewhere between the two positions.
▪ They decided to go outside and slug it out but Swanson stopped them, saying they would draw too much attention.
▪ They hardly looked ready to slug it out in a Test series, but at least they had a victory under their belts.
▪ They lose a night's sleep slugging it out.
▪ Two new novels about cavemen are slugging it out in bookstores.
slum it/be slumming
snap to it
▪ Come on, snap to it, get that room cleaned up!
▪ The heat shimmering over the asphalt had no snap to it; time drifted by.
snuff it
▪ Also drowning himself or any other method of snuffing it.
▪ If only the old man had snuffed it of natural causes, as he had seemed on the point of doing!
so be it
▪ If we have to break the rules, then so be it.
▪ If so was it as bad as it sounded on the radio?
▪ If he was to be a martyr to this strange woman's caprices, then so be it.
▪ If I must sacrifice a few moments in the interests of subsequent peace and quiet, so be it.
▪ If something happens, so be it.
▪ If they continue to win, so be it.
▪ If they were misunderstood, so be it.
▪ If this makes me a churchgoer, then so be it.
▪ Just as educational opportunity is differentiated on the basis of socio-economic background, so is it on the basis of gender.
sock it to sb
▪ The mainstream media are socking it to her.
sod it/that
spit it out
▪ Come on Jean, spit it out!
▪ I spit it out and flick it from my eyes.
▪ I started regular water changes, and one fish now eats a little, but the other one spits it out.
▪ It tastes horrible and I spit it out.
▪ Once you have swirled the wine around your tastebuds, spit it out into a lined bucket.
▪ She rolled the liquefying spinach into her cheek she could not spit it out.
▪ Then I taste a small specimen, closely observing its flavor, smell, texture, and bite before spitting it out.
▪ They just chewed it up and spit it out, foaming rubber at the mouth.
▪ You always had to spit it out and shove it down the back of some chair.
step on it
▪ Step on it. We have a plane to catch.
▪ If you don't step on it we'll miss the plane.
▪ You'll have to step on it if you're going to be there by eleven thirty.
▪ Fader - Looks like a normal block, but crumbles away when you step on it!
▪ He was bold to ask that angels be sent, and step on it.
▪ The Corporal and I shouted at the Sergeant to step on it, as the explosions were getting closer.
▪ The third step creaked as he stepped on it.
sth has much/little/nothing to recommend it
▪ The hotel has little except price to recommend it.
▪ An alternative approach-optical fibre - has much to recommend it.
▪ As such, it has much to recommend it.
▪ But in terms of an effective solution the voting method has little to recommend it.
▪ In principle this format has much to recommend it, but in this case the practice has not been successful.
▪ It is plain that, in the long run, the gentle art of compromise has much to recommend it.
▪ Nevertheless, the principle of chisel ploughing has much to recommend it in the right conditions.
▪ Such a way of proceeding has much to recommend it, but scant progress has been made in that direction.
▪ This cooperative family decision-making has much to recommend it.
sth has sb's name on it
▪ If a washer has a brand name on it, make sure that the smooth side comes into contact with the seating.
▪ They say if it has your name on it ... But who can write on a virus?
sth is not all/everything it's cracked up to be
stick it out
▪ I'm going to stick it out just to prove to him that I can do it.
▪ A few have stuck it out when it might have been better for all concerned if they had resigned.
▪ But he does know something about sticking it out.
▪ I stuck it out the window, pointed it at the garage, and clicked it.
▪ I did not persuade or influence him; he intended all along to stick it out until the end.
▪ I knew she had to come to me each time, it was just a case of sticking it out.
▪ Oh well, I've stuck it out so far.
▪ She stuck it out for half an hour, feeling the thuds that Ben made vibrate through the car.
▪ She said she'd stuck it out with my father all these years, just for my sake.
stick it to sb
▪ When it comes to taxes, politicians like to stick it to the tourists.
▪ And if you don't like it, stick it to your pants as advertised.
▪ Set pastry over filling and press to stick it to edge of dish.
strike it lucky
▪ But whereas Errol struck it lucky, spare a thought for Instonian Neil Cooke.
strike it rich
▪ They're hoping to strike it rich in Las Vegas.
▪ A camp that strikes it rich in the middle of a depression speaks as urgently to the well-trained as to the untrained.
▪ And they could strike it rich!
▪ Efficient-market believers could strike it rich if they could persuade people to give up.
▪ For a time he really thought he was going to strike it rich.
▪ Like 49ers infected with gold fever, big communications companies are rushing to the Internet with dreams of striking it rich.
▪ Small companies strike it rich by going public on the stock exchange.
▪ Wang told his people that hundreds of them would strike it rich if they followed his marketing techniques.
stuff it
▪ He took off his tie and stuffed it into his pocket.
▪ He tore it free, stuffed it in his pocket and returned the pad, slamming the drawer and locking it.
▪ I stuffed it inside the file, closed the briefcase and put that back in the wardrobe.
▪ She broke off a piece of baguette, spread it with butter and jam, stuffed it into her mouth.
▪ Shell it out, or stuff it?
▪ Some one else must have helpfully stuffed it all back again.
▪ Take your whining and stuff it.
▪ Without a word she jerked it out of his hand and stuffed it in the garbage.
style it out
suck it and see
suffice (it) to say (that)
▪ Suffice it to say that prayer is an important activity in the Synagogue.
▪ For the moment, suffice it to say that I take a skeptical view of the structural analyses offered.
▪ It suffices to say we launched a host of programs to rectify the situation.
surprised/angry/pleased etc isn't the word for it
take a lot out of you/take it out of you
take each day as it comes
take it as read (that)
▪ Let us take it as read that Hawkwind started quite a few trends in their time.
take it easy
▪ "See you next week." "Yeah, take it easy."
▪ After the operation, I was told to take things easy for a month or two.
▪ Hey, take it easy! Nobody's saying you're not good at your job.
▪ I'm going to put my feet up and take it easy this afternoon.
▪ I'm going to take it easy this weekend.
▪ Maybe we should just go home and take it easy tonight.
▪ Now that you've finished your exams, you can take it easy.
▪ Pete will still have to take things easy for while.
▪ Take it easy - everything's going to be just fine.
▪ Take it easy on yourself for a few days. We'll talk later.
▪ An officer who wants to take it easy, for example, or run personal errands can do so with virtual impunity.
▪ And let's just take it easy, shall we?
▪ For the first time in days, Steven Borup could take it easy.
▪ I watch a lot of film, and there are guys who from time to time take it easy.
▪ Just about the time when a nome ought to be taking it easy.
▪ Rest a bit here and take it easy when you get back home.
▪ Three years I took it easy, stayed out of sight, made contacts, laid pathways.
▪ We got a little crossed up, and we thought it would be a better idea if we just took it easy.
take it for granted (that)
▪ We just took it for granted that the $1000 was part of the normal fee for buying a house.
▪ But I take it for granted.
▪ He seemed to take it for granted that everyone would do what he told them.
▪ He seemed to take it for granted that she was the one to talk to.
▪ It was impossible to take it for granted.
▪ Ludens was right in a way to complain that they were now all taking it for granted.
▪ Now we took it for granted that seawater came swirling up around our feet whenever we left the cabin or cockpit baskets.
▪ She had taken it for granted that they would spend the night in Denver.
▪ Why do we take it for granted that education is a good to which everyone equally is entitled?
take it upon/on yourself to do sth
▪ He didn't dare take it upon himself to enlighten her further.
▪ He might be unwelcome, but he had taken it upon himself to come on over the first moment he heard.
▪ If we want our children to know certain information, perhaps we should take it upon ourselves to teach them.
▪ It is a dangerous path, however, when the executive takes it upon itself to qualify Parliament's decisions.
▪ Many problems can be prevented if you take it upon yourself to keep the lines of communication clear.
▪ Pius took it upon himself to proclaim the Dogma of the Assumption.
▪ Sir Herbert Morgan took it upon himself to act as chairman of an unofficial committee to help realise the three-year project.
▪ So I took it upon myself to tell her, old nosey-parker that I am.
take sth as it comes
▪ I'm not going to worry about it. I'll just take each day as it comes.
▪ I always think the best way of approaching an interview is to take it as it comes.
▪ If I were you, I'd just enjoy each day and take life as it comes.
▪ The only way to manage when you have small kids is to take things as they come.
▪ Ever since Cherith, I've vowed that I'd just take love as it comes - and as it goes.
▪ Just take it as it comes.
▪ So take it as it comes, for the moment.
▪ That was the only way to treat the war: take it as it comes.
▪ You can't change it, so you take it as it comes.
tell it like it is
▪ But no one can blame Rush for telling it like it is.
▪ He tells it like it is.
▪ I try to tell it like it is.
▪ She tells it like it is, or seems to.
tell me about it
▪ "I'm totally sick of my boss." "Yeah, tell me about it."
▪ But I was pleased they had told me about it once.
▪ Can you tell me about it?
▪ Her father, Meir Ahronson, told me about it himself.
▪ I remember the day when they told me about it.
▪ She had had a rewarding session with the dressmaker and wanted to tell me about it.
▪ You got problems, man, you tell me about it.
that (about) sums it up
▪ This was their task but that sums it up too simply.
that does it!
that figures/(it) figures
that should do it
▪ Slosh on a bit of this, and that should do it.
that's about it/all
▪ I've seen her around a few times, but that's about it.
▪ There's some ham in the fridge, and that's about it.
▪ Behaviour in a vacuum may be very interesting but that's about all.
▪ I can tell the difference between a sparrow and a swan and that's about it.
▪ Oh well, that's about it.
▪ Soundblaster effects such as laser fire and explosions are terrific but that's about it.
▪ That's about all I can tell you.
▪ That's about it for this month.
▪ They're very big, and they're very expensive, and that's about all you can say for them.
▪ Unfortunately when it comes to originality that's about all the game has to offer.
that's about the size of it
that's it
that's more like it/this is more like it
that's torn it!
that's/it's sb's lookout
that's/it's sb's loss
▪ If they don't find me interesting that's their loss.
the half of it
▪ Actually, Josh saw and knew only the half of it.
▪ But that was only the half of it.
▪ But this isn't the half of it.
▪ If I told you she was a little flaky, you wouldn't be getting the half of it.
▪ Loft is only the half of it, son.
▪ That, however, as Digby well knew was not the half of it.
▪ You don't know the half of it.
the top and bottom of it
the way I see it
▪ The way I see it, it was a fair trade.
▪ Best thing that could happen, the way I see it.
▪ Now the way I see it, you want more upmarket time than the plebs.
there is not much in it
there is only one thing for it
there it is/there they are etc
there it is/there you are/there you go
there's no harm in doing sth/it does no harm to do sth
there's nothing for it but to do sth
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.
this is it
▪ But I have to tell you, this is it.
▪ But if you want state-of-the art, this is it.
▪ Cancer has taught me that life isn't a dress rehearsal, this is it and you only get the one chance.
▪ I think this is it for him.
▪ If ever more evidence were needed to confirm that Michael Jackson is truly washed up, this is it.
▪ If rugby ever had an own-goal masquerading as a laudable aim this is it.
▪ Okay, so this is it.
▪ Yet if ever there was a time to put the record straight, this is it.
to cap it all (off)
▪ I had a terrible day at work, and to cap it all off I got a flat tire.
▪ And to cap it all off, when she was tied-up she couldn't run backwards, so she lay down instead!
▪ And to cap it all she could feel the ominous beginnings of a thundering headache.
▪ And to cap it all, the bland sleazy boredom of it all.
▪ And, to cap it all, Wimbledon won the Cup.
to put it mildly
▪ He's a troubled youngster, to put it mildly.
▪ The movie contains some scenes that are, to put it mildly, rather difficult to watch.
▪ After one hundred days of world peace, all surviving were to put it mildly, a little bothered and regretful.
▪ Barkley, to put it mildly, is a bit more complicated.
▪ But the depth of the dislike of the Tory leadership surprised everybody, to put it mildly.
▪ But the testimony from the High Street is mixed, to put it mildly.
▪ On this view there is, to put it mildly, no urgency about a referendum.
▪ Traveling in pairs out here saves a lot of walking -- to put it mildly.
▪ Tucson audiences are passionate, to put it mildly.
▪ Unforthcoming, to put it mildly.
to top it all
▪ And to top it all off, he was gorgeous.
▪ And to top it all, it has pledged to maintain high employment and an annual economic growth rate of 1.9 percent.
▪ And to top it all, there were tax cuts too.
▪ And, to top it all, Holder's doctor informed him he can spend Christmas Day at home with his family.
▪ As if to top it all, we had a small fire at the clinic.
▪ It was the Stones' daunting task, well after midnight, to top it all with a half-dozen songs.
▪ Then to top it all, two of Mary's friends squeezed in with several more parcels.
to whom it may concern
try it on (with sb)
▪ As the older daughter in a family of nine children, she had tried it on her younger brothers without much success.
▪ I tried it on two teen-agers at a gas station.
▪ I hired one and went to try it on a mountain.
▪ No, he felt as old Sillerton Jackson felt; he did not think the Mingotts would have tried it on!
▪ Nobody could have blamed him for trying it on, could they?
▪ See my house - try it on for size, as it were?
▪ The man hadn't been stopped before and I wasn't about to try it on.
▪ When she married she had tried it on my father with no success at all.
turn it on
▪ As it stands, few serious runners are likely to take up the challenge to turn it on.
▪ For example, does watching the television start when we turn it on or when we sit down and face it?
▪ How do you turn it on?
▪ If only there were a radio she would have turned it on, loudly, but, of course, no such luck.
▪ Many of these taboos derive from patriarchal societies taking the power of women and turning it on its head.
▪ Then she went back into the living room and sat in front of the television set without turning it on.
▪ To be honest, I've seen potential for violence, although he's always turned it on himself.
▪ When does the guy who turns it on get to sleep?
wait for it
▪ All they had to do was sit back and wait for it all to fall apart.
▪ His name was ... wait for it ... Mr Bacon.
▪ However much he wanted the answer to his unasked question, he was going to have to wait for it.
▪ Lynn and I both leaned forward over the pit waiting for it to start working.
▪ The whole world was waiting for it.
▪ They attacked life, they didn't sit quietly around waiting for it to flatten them.
▪ We must, surely, eventually get to recovery, but we have been waiting for it for a long time.
walk it
▪ If the last bus has gone, we'll have to walk it.
▪ An endless walk it seemed to Gabriel, watching through the slatted door of the barn.
▪ And it was, despite the black-garbed temptresses and ambitious warlords who walked it.
▪ And you had to walk it?
▪ And, as one of my brothers said, if you took it for a walk it panted.
▪ Finally he walked it over to the cashier.
▪ I have walked it in a day, but it can take as long as a week to complete.
▪ If this election were about urgent crises, big problems, complex choices, the Democrat would walk it.
▪ Then Labour would have walked it.
watch it
▪ A pity so many kamikaze spectators chose to stand in the four foot to watch it go by.
▪ He took it out to hold and to watch it munch clover.
▪ I watched it and thought that this was what hell wasa fire that could not be stopped.
▪ I felt a bit strange watching it.
▪ I stood by the unwinder and watched it as Tam towed yet another wire up the hill.
▪ Just catch some unsuspecting psychopathic bee, strap it on and watch it go.
▪ Me, I weighed up my chances and decided to watch it.
▪ She watched it with pity and horror in her heart as it drifted slowly toward her.
what does it matter?
▪ We'll do it tomorrow or the next day. What does it matter?
▪ Hill people, valley people, what does it matter if gullibility remains unaffected by our environments?
▪ The same as what does it matter whether or not I was a virgin when I met Gillian?
▪ Well, what does it matter?
what is it now?/now what?
what's it to you?
what's it worth (to you)?
what's that when it's at home?
when it comes to sth
▪ I can use a computer, but when it comes to repairing them I don't know a thing.
▪ When it comes to relationships, everyone makes mistakes.
▪ Again, when it comes to the selection process, the West Coast is not dealing from strength.
▪ And when it comes to makeup, do you think Cindy Crawford would actually lie?
▪ But when it comes to haute-cuisine, Charlie Nicholas knows where he stands.
▪ It is obvious that when it comes to representing his country, there is no one to equal Andre Agassi.
▪ Judges will normally interpret contracts strictly and will use certain principles when it comes to resolving inconsistencies and ambiguities.
▪ The particles themselves remain separate and discrete when it comes to being passed on to the next generation.
▪ Trade is a sticking point, particularly when it comes to trucks.
▪ Yet diesel gets off easily when it comes to pollution controls.
when/if it comes to the point
while I'm/you're etc at it
while I'm/you're etc at/about it
while you're about it
▪ Er, he said, while we 're about it, you couldn't lend me your bass as well, could you?
who needs it/them?
▪ Emergency care would be covered for everyone who needs it, as required by law now.
▪ If make-up is not wearable, who needs it?
▪ Men, she thought; who needs them?
▪ Underwood and Carling's tissue types will be stored on computer until they can be matched up with somebody who needs them.
whoop it up
▪ Drunken fans whooped it up in the streets.
wing it
▪ I don't have time to write a speech, so I'm just going to wing it.
▪ If you are asked a question that you're not ready for, it's better to say "I hadn't considered that" than to wing it and get it wrong.
▪ We have to wing it in the first game, but we'll be more prepared for the next one.
▪ I figure I can wing it on the details.
▪ I would have to wing it.
▪ Nat grabs it, whirls, and wings it in a single motion.
▪ Really, I just wing it: no notes, no talking to witnesses.
▪ There's always a Zen part of my personality that wings it through life.
▪ When I finally got up on to the wing it was dark.
with it
▪ As you can see, the main mistake people make with carbohydrate is to use too much fat with it.
▪ Because corruption thrives where money flows, Customs has been particularly riddled with it.
▪ I get into the text and go with it.
▪ It scared off other pianists until the late 1920s, when Horowitz began to enjoy great success with it.
▪ Let him think that he's getting away with it.
▪ Maybe face part of the house with it.
▪ The patients were asked whether they still had the pain and if so whether they had learnt to live with it.
▪ The timber went in the twenties and the shooting with it.
won't/wouldn't hear of it
work it/things
▪ But no one should underestimate the amount of hard work it would take.
▪ Don't try and work it out any more.
▪ Every work it says here is true.
▪ For the purpose of this work it has two meanings, one musical and one socioeconomic.
▪ Hard work it was, but good, clean fun.
▪ He had worked it all out, everything.
▪ In terms of work it was a real way out for Hereward from his appalling home background.
▪ In the light of revisionist work it is difficult to treat Nicholas's resistance to liberal reform as a matter of chance or historical accident.
would you believe it!
▪ Would you believe it, she actually remembered my birthday!
wouldn't you know (it)
▪ "He showed up late again." "Wouldn't you know it."
you can't have it both ways
▪ It's either me or her. You can't have it both ways!
you have to hand it to sb
▪ You have to hand it to her. She's really made a success of that company.
you name it (they've got it)!
you said it!
▪ "Does that mean Sherri lied about where she went?" "You said it."
▪ "The second part of the race was super easy." "You said it."
you'd better believe it!
▪ "Do they make money on them?" "You'd better believe it!"
you've made your bed and you must lie on it
zip it/zip your lip
The Collaborative International Dictionary
it

Personal \Per"son*al\ (p[~e]r"s[u^]n*al), a. [L. personalis: cf. F. personnel.]

  1. Pertaining to human beings as distinct from things.

    Every man so termed by way of personal difference.
    --Hooker.

  2. Of or pertaining to a particular person; relating to, or affecting, an individual, or each of many individuals; peculiar or proper to private concerns; not public or general; as, personal comfort; personal desire.

    The words are conditional, -- If thou doest well, -- and so personal to Cain.
    --Locke.

  3. Pertaining to the external or bodily appearance; corporeal; as, personal charms.
    --Addison.

  4. Done in person; without the intervention of another. ``Personal communication.''
    --Fabyan.

    The immediate and personal speaking of God.
    --White.

  5. Relating to an individual, his character, conduct, motives, or private affairs, in an invidious and offensive manner; as, personal reflections or remarks.

  6. (Gram.) Denoting person; as, a personal pronoun.

    Personal action (Law), a suit or action by which a man claims a debt or personal duty, or damages in lieu of it; or wherein he claims satisfaction in damages for an injury to his person or property, or the specific recovery of goods or chattels; -- opposed to real action.

    Personal equation. (Astron.) See under Equation.

    Personal estate or Personal property (Law), movables; chattels; -- opposed to real estate or property. It usually consists of things temporary and movable, including all subjects of property not of a freehold nature.

    Personal identity (Metaph.), the persistent and continuous unity of the individual person, which is attested by consciousness.

    Personal pronoun (Gram.), one of the pronouns I, thou, he, she, it, and their plurals.

    Personal representatives (Law), the executors or administrators of a person deceased.

    Personal rights, rights appertaining to the person; as, the rights of a personal security, personal liberty, and private property.

    Personal tithes. See under Tithe.

    Personal verb (Gram.), a verb which is modified or inflected to correspond with the three persons.

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
it

Old English hit, neuter nominative and accusative of third person singular pronoun, from Proto-Germanic demonstrative base *khi- (cognates: Old Frisian hit, Dutch het, Gothic hita "it"), from PIE *ko- "this" (see he). Used in place of any neuter noun, hence, as gender faded in Middle English, it took on the meaning "thing or animal spoken about before."\n\nWhether the charmer sinner it or saint it,\n
If the folly grow romantic, I must paint it.\n

[Pope, "Moral Essays," 1735]

\nThe h- was lost due to being in an unemphasized position, as in modern speech the h- in "give it to him," "ask her," "is only heard in the careful speech of the partially educated" [Weekley]. It "the sex act" is from 1610s; meaning "sex appeal (especially in a woman)" first attested 1904 in works of Rudyard Kipling, popularized 1927 as title of a book by Elinor Glyn, and by application of It Girl to silent-film star Clara Bow (1905-1965). In children's games, meaning "the one who must tag the others" is attested from 1842.
Wiktionary
it

Etymology 1 a. (context colloquial English) most fashionable. alt. 1 The third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to an inanimate object, to an inanimate thing with no or unknown sex or gender. 2 A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to a child of unknown gender. 3 Used to refer to oneself when identifying oneself, often on the phone, but not limited to this situation. 4 The impersonal pronoun, used without referent as the subject of an impersonal verb or statement. (known as the dummy pronoun or weather it) 5 The impersonal pronoun, used as a placeholder for a delayed subject, or less commonly, object. (known as the dummy pronoun or, more formally in linguistics, a syntactic expletive) 6 all or the end; something after which there is no more. 7 (context obsolete relative English) That which; what. det. (lb en obsolete) its n. 1 One who is neither a he nor a she; a creature; a dehumanized being. 2 The person who chases and tries to catch the other players in the playground game of tag. 3 (context British uncountable English) The game of tag. pron. 1 The third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to an inanimate object, to an inanimate thing with no or unknown sex or gender. 2 A third-person singular personal pronoun used to refer to a child of unknown gender. 3 Used to refer to oneself when identifying oneself, often on the phone, but not limited to this situation. 4 The impersonal pronoun, used without referent as the subject of an impersonal verb or statement. (known as the dummy pronoun or weather it) 5 The impersonal pronoun, used as a placeholder for a delayed subject, or less commonly, object. (known as the dummy pronoun or, more formally in linguistics, a syntactic expletive) 6 all or the end; something after which there is no more. 7 (context obsolete relative English) That which; what. Etymology 2

abbr. 1 (qualifier: language) Italian. 2 Italy.

Related phrases:
WordNet
Related phrases:
Wikipedia
It

It or IT may refer to:

  • It (pronoun)
It (pronoun)

It is a third-person, singular neuter pronoun ( nominative (subjective) case and oblique (objective) case) in Modern English.

It (album)

It is the first album by the English rock band Pulp.

It (2004 film)

It is a two-disc DVD set chronicling Phish's two-day summer festival in Limestone, Maine on August 2 & 3, 2003. The first disc contains a full-length documentary originally aired on PBS in 2004 featuring interviews with the band, song excerpts, and images from the concert grounds and festival events. This was the sixth of ten major outdoor summer festivals held by Phish.

The second disc contains a selection of complete live songs performed over the weekend.

The DVD set, which clocks in at over four hours, was certified platinum in 2005.

It (1927 film)

"It" is a 1927 silent romantic comedy film that tells the story of a shop girl who sets her sights on the handsome and wealthy boss of the department store where she works. It is based on a novella by Elinor Glyn that was originally serialized in Cosmopolitan magazine.

This film turned actress Clara Bow into a major star, and led people to label her the It girl.

The film had its world premiere in Los Angeles on January 14, 1927, followed by a New York showing on February 5, 1927. "It" was released to the general public on February 19, 1927.

The picture was considered lost for many years, but a nitrate-copy was found in Prague in the 1960s. In 2001, "It" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

It (novel)

It is a 1986 horror novel by American author Stephen King. The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by the eponymous being, which exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It" primarily appears in the form of a clown in order to attract its preferred prey of young children. The novel is told through narratives alternating between two time periods, and is largely told in the third-person omniscient mode. It deals with themes that eventually became King staples: the power of memory, childhood trauma, and the ugliness lurking behind a façade of traditional small-town values. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1987, and received nominations for the Locus and World Fantasy Awards that same year. Publishers Weekly listed It as the best-selling book in the United States in 1986.

IT (XM)

"IT: The History of Pop Music" is the name of a special program that XM Satellite Radio aired annually from 2002 to 2007, in which a majority of charted pop songs (and some non-charted songs) from the 1930s to the 2000s were aired in chronological order on seven of the platform's channels ( The 40s on 4, The 50s on 5, The 60s on 6, The 70s on 7, The 80s on 8, The 90s on 9, and Pop2K (formerly XM Hitlist)). The special typically aired each summer or fall, starting on the '40s channel and continuing on each subsequent channel as the music hit each decade. The special took just over a month to complete. After completion, playlists for each of the channels were put on XM's website, with the songs listed in the order in which they were played (in 2007, one large list was put up on the website, with the songs organized by year, but in alphabetical order instead of chronological order).

"IT" first aired on XM in 2002, when it was originally known as "The Monster". The special was renamed the following year, apparently due to legal action against the first name. In 2007, in addition to the regular "IT", XM also aired an abbreviated version (titled "The Greatest ITs") on their XMX channel during Thanksgiving weekend. The Greatest ITs was reaired in early November, 2008, although XM did not air the regular "IT" that year, allegedly due to issues surrounding XM's merger with rival Sirius Satellite Radio. It is unclear if either version of "IT" will reair in the future.

The following is an overview of "IT" for each of the channels.

It (disambiguation)
It (1966 film)

It is a 1966 West German film directed by Ulrich Schamoni and starring Sabine Sinjen and .

It was chosen as West Germany's official submission to the 38th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but did not manage to receive a nomination. It was also entered into the 1966 Cannes Film Festival.

It (poetry)

It is a 1969 book of poetry by the Danish writer Inger Christensen. The book focuses on social criticism, and lines from it have frequently been quoted in the Danish political discourse. It received the Gyldne Laurbær for best Danish book of the year.

It (character)

It, also known, as Pennywise The Dancing Clown or Bob Gray, is the title character and main antagonist of Stephen King's 1986 horror novel It. The character is a demonic entity that preys upon the local children of Derry, Maine every twenty-seven years, through a variety of powers that include the ability to shapeshift, manipulate, and possess. It was portrayed by Tim Curry. King came up with the idea for Pennywise after asking himself what scared children "more than anything else in the world", which he felt was clowns.

Several media outlets such as The Guardian have remarked on the character, ranking it as one of the scariest clowns in film or pop culture. The character has also been cited as a possible inspiration for two separate incidents of people dressing up as creepy clowns in Northampton and Staten Island.

It (miniseries)

It is a 1990 supernatural horror miniseries based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. The story revolves around an inter-dimensional predatory life-form, which has the ability to transform itself into its prey's worst fears, allowing it to exploit the phobias of its victims. It mostly takes the form of a sadistic, wisecracking clown called Pennywise the Dancing Clown. The protagonists are The Losers Club, a group of outcast kids who discover Pennywise and vow to destroy him by any means necessary. The series takes place over two different time periods, the first when the Losers first discover Pennywise as children, and the second when they're called back as adults to defeat Pennywise, who has resurfaced.

It aired over two nights on November 18 and November 20, 1990 on ABC. The miniseries was filmed in New Westminster, British Columbia in mid-1990. The film's cast includes Dennis Christopher, Annette O'Toole, John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Richard Thomas, Tim Reid, Richard Masur, Michael Cole, and Tim Curry as Pennywise.

Since its initial television broadcast on ABC in November 1990, the miniseries has received positive reception, proving to have a large cult following in recent years. Critics praised Tim Curry's performance as Pennywise and the performances of the child actors. For his work on the miniseries, Richard Bellis received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Miniseries or a Special (Dramatic Underscore).

It (2017 film)

It is an upcoming 2017 supernatural horror drama film and an adaptation of the 1986 horror novel It by Stephen King. The film is the second adaptation of King's novel, following the 1990 TV miniseries. The story will follow seven children as they are terrorized by the eponymous being, which exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It" primarily appears in the form of a clown in order to attract its preferred prey of young children. It deals with themes that eventually became King staples: the power of memory, childhood trauma, and the ugliness lurking behind a façade of traditional small-town values.

The film is being directed by Andrés Muschietti, who co-wrote the screenplay with Gary Dauberman, Chase Palmer, Cary Fukunaga, and David Kajganich. Bill Skarsgård will star as Pennywise The Dancing Clown, with Jaeden Lieberher starring as Bill Denbrough. Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, and Jack Grazer are all featured in supporting roles. Principal photography began in Toronto, Canada on June 27, 2016 and will end on September 6. The locations being used for It are in the municipality of Port Hope, Ontario, as well as New York and Maine.

Related phrases:

Usage examples of "it".

A volley of gunfire tore into the Aberrant creature and it squawked in fury, but it would not let go of its prize.

For every hundred useless aberrations there may be one that is useful, that provides its bearer an advantage over its kin.

According to it, the Franks, uniting with the barons of Antioch and its fiefs, abetted by certain Knights Templars and whatever forces could be recruited in Tripoli and Jerusalem, would go against Islam in the east and north, rescue Edessa, and repair the bulwarks of Antioch against the danger of invasion.

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

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.

I made for thee, and one also for me, while I was abiding thee after the battle, and my love and my hope is woven into it.

Beauty is abidingly self-enfolded but its lovers, the Many, loving it as an entire, possess it as an entire when they attain, for it was an entire that they loved.

He noticed the older antidepressants like amitriptyline decreased psychic ability, while the newer serotonin reuptake inhibitors were either neutral or they enhanced it.

I was scooting my chair on its track back and forth along the row of sensor consoles that reported and recorded a variety of basic abiotic data.

Holy Tribunal presented Galileo its draft text of an abjuration for him to speak aloud.

That is the fidelity of a woman speaking, for Sier Valence has already said that he has abjured his oaths for the sake of this woman, and she does not deny it.

Chemical rockets in the nose fired to slow it, dirty ablation smoke was pouring out of all ninety-six brake drums.

Gate again, but that memory was literally ablaze with pain and he swiftly banished it.

Ottomans and center of the silk trade, its quiet, declining streets abloom with minarets and cypress trees.

She went into the ablutions area and took a shower, trying to ignore the thing, which continued to watch her, or she presumed it was watching her, through its unblinking golden eye-slit.