go the length and breadth of the land—go everywhere; crisscross the country: The woman went the length and breadth of the land, for months on end, searching for that house. go to the end of the land —(also: go to land’s end) go to the remotest region of the country: We are going to the […]
Category: Confusing Phrases
Difference between Go straight and Go straight to the point
go straight—(coll.) 1. act honestly; desist from criminal activities: Patrick lives with Kate and has promised to go straight after years of being a hardman in London’s underworld. 2. conform to social conventions, especially to give up drugs or cease homosexual practices: Implication is that if some gays can go straight, any gay can go […]
Difference between Go steady with someone and Go steady with something
go steady with someone—(coll.) have a person as a regular boyfriend or girlfriend: I thought we were to be married: he’d gone steady with me six months… Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the adjectival compound steady-going—used of a staid and sober person: Today that boy is a steady-going, industrious, and fairly […]
Difference between Go South and Go West
go South—(U.S. sl., also: head South) 1. (of a market, economy, etc.) deteriorate; lessen in quality or worth: All the stock market indexes went South today. 2. make an escape; run away: Lefty went South the minute he got out of the pen. go West—(sl.) 1. die: I’m afraid—if I go west this time—I’ll be […]
Difference between Go slow and Go slowly
go slow— 1. move at a low speed: Like Mike said, drive it a few times and it gets better. Just go slow around the corners. 2. deliberately work slowly (as a form of industrial action): What dealers did, of course, was go slow in processing their paper work. 3. be less active; do smth. […]
Difference between Go round in circles and Go round the houses
go round in circles —(also: run around in circles) work busily at a task without making any progress: We’ll never reach an agreement: we’re just going round in circles. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase go full circle—(of a situation) return to what it was before (also: come full circle): […]
Difference between Go places and Go to places
go places— 1. visit interesting places and live an exciting life: She was always wanting to tag along when we went places with our friends. 2. enjoy increasing success; show a lot of talent or ability: This is a year when your struggles pay off, a year when you go places. 3. (euph.) go to […]
Difference between Go over the hill and Go over the hills and far away
go over the hill —(sl.) 1. make an escape; run away: They broke out of jail the other night and went over the hill. 2. desert service in the armed forces: You should have seen Colclough’s face the day you went over the hill! It was worth joining the Army for. Note: a) The expression […]
Difference between Go over someone and Go over someone’s head
go over someone— 1. search a person: A woman police-officer went over the girl from head to toe, but would not say what she was looking for. 2. (med.) examine a person for smth. wrong: The doctor went over the girl carefully but could find no broken bones. go over someone’s head— 1. said of […]
Difference between Go out with the tide and Go with the tide
go out with the tide —(of hopes, popularity, etc.) diminish; decline: Hereford’s hopes went out with the tide … washed away after only three minutes when Lightbourne made it onenil. go with the tide —(also: drift with the tide) act or think as the majority of people do: You’re pretty good at adapting to change. […]
Difference between Go out the window and Go through the ceiling
go out the window—(of laws, principles, etc.) be abandoned: All rules went out the window. What was important was getting people into the helicopter and getting them out of the flooding. go through the ceiling —(also: go through the roof ) 1. (of prices, sales, etc.) increase very rapidly; surpass the expected limit: People are […]
Difference between Go out on the town and Go to town
go out on the town—(coll.) go out and enjoy oneself in bars, clubs, etc.: We went out on the town to celebrate our wedding anniversary. go to town—(coll.) 1. put in a lot of vigor and enthusiasm in an activity: They really went to town on the Christmas decorations this year. 2. severely reprimand or […]