to take a drop
A euphemism for taking what the drinker chooses to call by that term. It may be anything from a sip to a Dutchman's draught.
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to take a grind
To take a constitutional; to cram into the smallest space the greatest amount of physical exercise. This is the physical grind. The literary grind is a turn at hard study.
to take a grinder
An obsolete gesture of obloquy and insult, performed by applying the left thumb to the nose and revolving the right hand round it, as if working a hand-organ or coffee-mill; done when someone had tried to practise on your credulity, or to impose upon your good faith.
to take a hand
To play a part, especially in a game of cards, etc.
to take after
To have a strong resemblance to, physically, mentally, etc. "Doesn't little Johnny take after his father?" "Most of Law- rence's paintings seem to take after Romney.
to take back one's words
To withdraw them, to recant. To take down a peg. See PEG.
to take breath
To cease for a little time from some exertion in order to recover from exhaustion of breath.
to take by storm
To seize by a sudden and irresistible attack; a military term used figuratively, as of one who becomes suddenly famous or popular; an actor, suddenly springing to fame, "takes the town by storm.
to take for a ride
Originally this meant to pull someone's leg or make him the butt of a joke, but it has become a gangster euphemism for murder. The victim is induced or forced to enter a car with one or more companions who, in the course of the ride, murder him. Under the Nazi regime in Germany high officials, generals, etc. (e.g.
To take French leave
To take without asking leave or giving any equivalent ; also, to leave a party, house, or neighbourhood with- out bidding good-bye to anyone; to slip away unnoticed. This kind of backhanded compli- ment to our neighbours used to be very common (cp. "French gout" for venereal disease), and many objectionable things or practices have been called "French.
to take heart of grace
To take courage because of favour or indulgence shown.
to take in
To deceive, gull. Hence, a regular take-in, a hoax, swindle.
to take in charge
To "take up" a person given in charge; to take upon oneself the responsibility of something; to make an arrest.
to take in hand
To undertake to do some- thing; to take the charge of. To take something off one's hands. To relieve one of something troublesome.
to take into one's head
To conceive the notion that . . .; to resolve to do so and so.
to take it out of someone
To exact satisfac- tion, to get one's own back; or, of oneself, to become thoroughly exhausted, as "Working after midnight does take it out of me.
to take it upon oneself
To make oneself responsible (perhaps unwarrantably) to assume control.
to take off
To mimic or ridicule; also to start, especially of an aeroplane or of one in an athletic contest, as jumping or racing.
to take on
To be upset or considerably affected. In the U.S.A., to assume, or adopt.
to take one down a peg
To take the conceit out of a braggart or pretentious person. The allusion here is not to peg-tankards, but to a ship's colours, which used to be raised and lowered by pegs; the higher the colours are raised the greater the honour, and to take them down a peg would be to award less honour. Trepanned your party with intrigue, And took your grandees down a peg.
to take one under your wing
To patronize and protect. The allusion is to a hen gathering her chicks under her wing.
to take over
To assume the management, control, or ownership.
to take part
To assist; to participate. But Lilia pleased me, for she took no part In our dispute.
to take pepper i' the nose
To take offence. The French have a similar locution, La moutarde lui monte au nez.
to take root
To become per- manently or firmly established.
to take shipping
To set out on a voyage, to embark on board ship.
to take soil
A hunting term, signifying that the deer has taken to the water. Soil here is the Fr, souille, mire in which a wild boar wallows.
to take stock
To ascertain how one's business stands by taking an inventory of all goods and so on in hand, balancing one's books, etc.; hence, to survey one's position and prospects.
to take the bearings
To ascertain the relative position of some object. Bearnais, Le. Henry IV of France (1553-1610); so called from Le Beam, his native province.
to take the cake
To carry off the prize. The reference is to the negro cake walk, the prize for which was a cake. It consists of walking round the prize cake in pairs, while umpires decide which pair walk the most gracefully. From this a dance developed which was popular in the early part of the 20th century before the serious introduction of Jazz.
to take the chair
To become the chairman or president of a public meeting. The chairman is placed in some conspicuous place, like the Speaker of the House of Commons, and his decision is absolutely final in all points of doubt. Usually the persons present nominate and elect their own chairman; but in some cases there is an ex officio chairman.
to take the field
To make the opening moves in a campaign; to move the army pre- paratory to battle.
to take the pledge
To bind oneself by a solemn undertaking to abstain from intoxicat- ing liquors; the pledge being the guarantee or security — one's pledged word.
to take the wall
To take the place of honour. I will take the wall of any man or maid of Monta- gue's.— Romeo and Juliet, i, 1.
to take the wind
To get or keep the upper hand. Bacon uses the phrase. To have the wind of a ship is to be to the windward of it.
to take to heart
To feel deeply pained at something which has occurred; to appreciate fully the implications of.
to take to one's heels
To run off. Hampers all round, and no heel-taps. The bumpers are to be drained to the bottom of the glass.
to take to the bush
To become bush- rangers, like runaway convicts, who live by plunder. See BUSH, below.
to take up
To take into custody, arrest; also used of patronizing people and getting them introductions into good society, etc.
to take up the cudgels
To maintain an argument or position. To fight, as with a cudgel, for one's own way.
to take wing
To fly away; to depart without warning. Oh, God! it is a fearful thing To see the human soul take wing.
To talk Billingsgate
To slang; to use foul, abusive language; to scold in a vulgar, coarse style.
to talk nineteen to the dozen
To talk at a tremendous rate, or with excessive vehemence. D.P. The House of Lords (Lat. Domits Procerum). Also Displaced Persons (#.v.).
to talk shop
To talk about one's affairs or business; to draw allusions from one's business, as when Ollapod, the apothecary in Colman's Poor Gentleman, talks of a uniform with rhubarb-coloured facings.
to tear one's hair
To show signs of extreme anguish, grief, or vexation.
to tell tales out of school
To utter abroad affairs not meant for the public ear.
to that end
for the purpose of achieving something
to the back
To the backbone, entirely. To turn one's back on another. To leave, forsake, or neglect one. To leave him by going away.
to the backbone
completely or thoroughly
to the bad
On the wrong side of the account; in arrears.
to the bitter end
See BITTER. West end, East end. The quarter or part of a town west or east of the central part. In Lon- don, and many other large towns, the West End is the fashionable quarter and the East End the part where the population lives that do the work.
to the death
until the end of a struggle or dispute
to the end of the chapter
To the end of a proceeding. The allusion is obvious.
to the fore
Becoming prominent or noticeable
to the gills
completely or extremely full
to the horns of the altar
Usque ad aras amicus. Your friend even to the horns of the altar — i.e. through thick and thin. In swearing, the ancient Romans held the horns of the altar, and one who did so in testimony of friendship could not break his oath without calling on himself the vengeance of the angry gods.
to the house
Home.
to the limit
to the maximum extent or degree
to the marrow
completely or utterly
to the max
to the greatest extent possible
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