take

Từ điển LongMan Dictionary

I. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a ceremony takes place
▪ The ceremony took place on 13th June at 2:30.
a championship takes place
▪ The world indoor athletics championships took place in Canada.
a clash takes place
▪ Fierce clashes took place with local police.
a contest takes place
▪ The contest took place in Berlin.
a demonstration takes place
▪ Violent street demonstrations took place in the capital.
a fight takes place (=happens)
▪ The fight took place outside a nightclub.
a plane takes off (=goes into the air)
▪ The flight attendants served drinks shortly after the plane took off.
accept/take a bribe
▪ Any officials who accept bribes will face criminal charges.
accept/take a card (=allow you to pay by card)
▪ Big hotels will accept most cards.
accept/take criticism (=allow it and learn from it)
▪ Very few people know how to accept criticism.
accept/take responsibility for sth
▪ To his credit, he took responsibility for his actions.
accept/take the consequences (=understand and deal with them)
▪ I’m prepared to accept the consequences of my decision.
an attack happens/takes place (also an attack occursformal)
▪ The attack took place at around 10 pm Thursday.
an event happens/takes place (also an event occursformal)
▪ The event took place last year.
an execution takes place (=it happens)
▪ In Elizabethan times, the execution of traitors took place on Tower Hill.
an explosion takes place/happens
▪ The largest explosion took place at the main post office.
appear on/take part in a show (=to be a guest on a show)
▪ They were trying to persuade Daniel Radcliffe to appear on the show.
as the fancy takes you (=whenever you want)
▪ Because of its high cost, a carpet is not an item that you change as the fancy takes you.
be on/use/take heroin
be taken ill (=become ill suddenly)
▪ Henry was suddenly taken ill and had to go to the hospital.
be taken/rushed/airlifted to hospitalBritish English, be taken/rushed/airlifted to the hospital American English
▪ Three people were taken to hospital after a crash on the motorway.
borrow sth from the library/take sth out of the library
▪ Books, CDs, DVDs, and magazines can be borrowed from the library.
bring/take sb/sth home
▪ They brought the baby home from the hospital on Friday.
call/take the registerBritish Englishold-fashioned (= say the names of the students in a class, to check who is there)
call/take the roll (=say the list of names to check who is there)
▪ The teacher called the roll.
▪ Three senators missed the roll call.
carry out/take/do a poll
▪ A similar poll was carried out among academics in the United States.
▪ A poll taken last month gave the Democrats a seven-point lead.
catch/take a plane
▪ She caught the first plane back to New York.
check/take sb’s blood pressure (=measure it)
▪ The nurse will take your blood pressure.
could take...pick of
▪ He knew he could take his pick of any of the girls in the office.
do/take a degree in sth (=study for a degree)
▪ Not enough students are taking degrees in Physics.
do/take A/S levels
do/take (your) A levels
▪ She decided to stay on at school and do her A levels.
do/take (your) GCSEs
▪ Adam took his GCSEs last year.GCSE exam/course/coursework/results etc
double take
draw/take/derive inspiration from sth (=get inspiration)
▪ She draws inspiration from mythology and folk stories.
enjoy/take in the scenery (=spend time looking at beautiful scenery)
▪ Relax with a glass of local wine while you take in the beautiful scenery.
evolution happens/takes place (also evolution occursformal)
▪ We can see signs of evolution taking place in the world around us.
evolution takes place (also evolution occursformal) (= happens)
▪ A similar evolution was taking place in other great American cities.
expansion takes place (also expansion occursformal)
▪ The biggest expansion occurred in the volume of small issue government bonds.
fall/take sickformal (= become ill, especially with something serious or that will last a long time)
▪ He fell sick and died within a matter of weeks.
find/take comfort in sth
▪ He had been through a similar experience and she found comfort in that.
get/take hold of sth (=start holding something)
▪ Wallace took hold of Fred’s jacket and pulled him roughly backwards.
get/take/catch a bus
▪ Can we get a bus from here to Reading?
go for/have/take a piss
▪ I need to have a piss.
hard to take (=difficult to accept)
▪ Such criticism was hard to take.
have/bring/take sb/sth with you
▪ She had her husband with her.
▪ You’d better bring your passport with you.
have/make/take a stab at (doing) sth
▪ I’ll have one more stab at it.
have/take a break
▪ After two hours, she took a break and switched on the radio.
have/take a catnap
▪ Nomes slept badly, and had to take catnaps during the day.
have/take a holiday
▪ Teachers cannot take holidays during term time.
have/take a look around (also have/take a look round British English) (= look at all the things in a particular place)
▪ I have a special interest in old houses. Do you mind if I take a look around?
have/take a look (at sb/sth)
▪ Have you had a chance to take a look at my proposal yet?
have/take a look (at sb/sth)
▪ Let me have a look at that – I think it’s mine.
▪ Take a good look at the photo and see if you recognize anyone in it.
have/take a nap
▪ I took a nap after lunch.
have/take a rest
▪ I’m going upstairs to have a rest.
have/take a sauna
▪ I have a sauna and massage every week.
have/take a seat (=sit down)
▪ Take a seat, please.
have/take milk (=drink milk in your tea or coffee)
▪ Do you take milk in your coffee?
have/take/adopt an attitude
▪ Not everyone takes a positive attitude towards modern art.
I can take a hint (=used when you understand someone's hint)
▪ All right, I can take a hint. I'm leaving.
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 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.
make/take a detour
▪ We took a detour to avoid the town centre.
point taken (=used to say to someone that you accept what they say)
▪ All right, point taken – I should have asked you first.
put on/take off/remove your cap
▪ He opened the door, took off his cap, and threw it on a hook.
require/take skill (=to need skill)
▪ It’s a difficult task, which requires skill and experience.
return sth to the library/take sth back to the library
▪ Have you taken those books back to the library?
sb’s career takes off (=starts to be successful)
▪ His career took off and he started making a lot of money.
see/take/get sb’s point (=understand or agree with it)
▪ OK, I take your point. But it’s not that easy.
sit/take your finals
▪ Anna sat her finals last summer.
sth takes a course (=develops in a particular way)
▪ He felt that events were taking the wrong course.
sth takes concentration (=needs concentration)
▪ Playing a musical instrument takes a lot of concentration.
sth takes effort (also it takes effort to do sth) (= you have to try hard)
▪ It takes a sustained effort to quit smoking.
sth takes practice (=you can only learn to do it well by practising)
▪ Writing well takes practice.
sth takes/requires energy
▪ Climbing with a full backpack takes a lot of energy.
sth takes/runs its course (=develops in the usual or natural way)
▪ There was nothing we could do except watch the illness run its course.
swear/take an oath
▪ As children, they took an oath of friendship.
take a battery out
▪ I''ll take the batteries out while I'm not using it.
take a bet (=accept someone's money as part of a bet)
▪ They're taking bets on the result of the election now.
take a boat out
▪ Why don’t we take the boat out on the river?
take a bottle
▪ My first baby just wouldn’t take a bottle at all.
take a breath (=breathe in)
▪ Alex took a deep breath, then jumped into the pool.
take a call (=answer one)
▪ Monica took the call upstairs.
take a chair (=sit down in one in a particular place)
▪ Brian took a chair beside his wife.
take a chance (=accept an opportunity)
▪ If I was offered the chance to be in the team, I’d take it.
take a class (=go to classes as a student)
▪ I’m taking some art classes at the moment.
take a corner (=go around a corner in a car)
▪ He took the corner too fast and crashed into a tree.
take a course (also do a course British English)
▪ I decided to do a course in Italian.
take a crap (also have a crap British English)
take a cruise
▪ We thought about taking a ten-day cruise in the Caribbean.
take a decisionBritish English (= make an important or formal decision)
▪ I fully accept the decision taken by the committee.
take a dose of sth
▪ He had taken his usual dose of sleeping pills.
take a dramatic/fresh/different etc turn
▪ From then on, our fortunes took a downward turn.
▪ My career had already taken a new turn.
▪ The President was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
take a drink
▪ He took another long drink of water.
take a fancy to sb/sth (=decide that you like someone or want to have something)
▪ Mr Hill took a real fancy to Clara.
take a gamble
▪ The publishers took a gamble on an unknown author, and the books have sold well.
take a glance (also have a glance British English)
▪ She took a quick glance around the office.
Take a good look
▪ Take a good look at it.
take a grip
▪ Mitch took a firm grip on her arm.
take a job (=accept a job you are offered)
▪ I was so desperate that I took the first job that came along.
take a medal (=win a medal)
▪ German runner Stephan Freigang took the bronze medal.
take a message (=write down a message from someone for someone else)
▪ Ellen isn’t here. Can I take a message?
take a miracle (=need a miracle)
▪ it would take a miracle to transform her into an elegant woman.
take a moment (=use a short time)
▪ Coleman took a moment to reply.
take a name (=choose to have a new name)
▪ Are you going to take your husband’s name when you get married?
take a part (=agree to play a part that you have been offered)
▪ When I was offered the part of the prince, I decided to take it.
take a path (=start going along it)
▪ Take the wide path to the right.
take a penalty (=in football or soccer)
▪ Why did they let Jones take the penalty?
take a photo
▪ We all took photos of each other.
take a photograph
▪ He wanted to take a photograph of me.
take a pill (=use it by swallowing it)
▪ Have you taken your pills?
take a pledgeliterary (= make one, especially formally)
▪ He took a pledge never to drink again.
take a precaution
▪ We had taken the precaution of turning the water off.
take a punch (=be hit, or deal well with being hit)
▪ I took a lot of punches but I gave a lot too.
take a remedy
▪ Have you tried taking herbal remedies?
take a role
▪ Britain began to take a more active role in the affairs of Europe.
take a role
▪ In the end, I decided not to take the role.
take a route
▪ They had been forced to take a longer route.
take a shit (also have a shit British English)
take a shot at sb (=fire a shot trying to hit someone)
▪ Someone took a shot at her, but missed.
take a shower
▪ Nick rolled out of bed and took a shower.
take a step
▪ The authority will take steps to reunite the child and his family.
take a tablet (=swallow it)
▪ Have you taken your tablets?
take a test (also do/sit a test British English)
▪ All candidates have to take a test.
take a tough/firm/hard line on sth
▪ The school takes a very tough line on drugs.
take a trip (=go somewhere for pleasure)
▪ Take a trip on the Santa Fe railway or cruise on a Mississippi paddle boat.
take a tumble
▪ It’s possible that stocks could take a tumble next year.
take a turn for the worse/better
▪ Two days after the operation, Dad took a turn for the worse.
take a vow (=make a vow at a formal ceremony)
▪ Priests have to take a vow of obedience to the Catholic Church.
take action (=do something to deal with a problem)
▪ The government must take action to control inflation.
take active steps to do sth
▪ You should take active steps towards reducing stress.
take an active interest in sth
▪ Not many young people take an active interest in gardening.
take an active part in sth
▪ Most of the students take an active part in sports.
take an examination (also sit an examination British English)
▪ Do you have to take an examination in every subject?
take an example (=consider it or talk about it)
▪ Let’s take the example of a family with two school-age children.
take an exit/turn off at an exit
▪ Take the next exit, junction 15.
take an hour (=something needs an hour to do)
▪ It took about three hours to paint the whole room.
take an interest in sth (=be interested in something)
▪ Jacky first took an interest in golf when he was about six years old.
take an overview
▪ In business, you take an overview of a problem and then think of the best solutions.
take a/sb’s life (=kill someone)
▪ All cultures consider it wrong to take a life for no reason.
take a/the hint (=to understand a hint and act on it)
▪ Mark took the hint and shut up.
take away sb’s licence (also revoke sb's licenceformal)
▪ The doctor had his license revoked after he was found to be on drugs.
take certain factors into account (=to consider factors when making a decision)
▪ You should take all these factors into account.
take comfort from sth
▪ The family has taken comfort from the support of friends.
take command (=begin controlling a group or situation)
▪ Captain Kent took command of the Emergency Control Centre.
take concrete steps to do sth
▪ The country has to take concrete steps to end the violence.
take control of
▪ Students are encouraged to take control of their own learning, rather than just depending on the teacher.
take control of
▪ His son is being trained to take control of the family business.
take delivery of sth
▪ The airline has just taken delivery of three new passenger jets.
take dictation (=write down what someone is saying)
▪ There were no secretaries available to take dictation .
take early retirement (=retire earlier than usual)
▪ He took early retirement in 1990 after 25 years at IBM.
take full advantage
▪ Few customers take full advantage of off-peak fares.
take in a movieAmerican English (= go to see a movie)
▪ Maybe we could go out to dinner and take in a movie.
take in lodgers
▪ We have decided to take in lodgers to help pay the mortgage.
take in the view (=look at and enjoy it)
▪ Why don’t you walk along the coastline, taking in the breathtaking views?
take leave (=use the time you are allowed)
▪ I don’t think I’ll be able to take any leave in January because we’re too busy.
take legal action
▪ He is within his rights to take legal action.
take lessons
▪ He started taking piano lessons at age four.
take measures (=do something in order to deal with a problem)
▪ We are taking measures to improve the situation.
take medication
▪ Are you taking any medication?
take no notice/not take any notice (=ignore something or someone)
▪ The other passengers took no notice of what was happening.
take no notice/not take any notice (=ignore something or someone)
▪ The other passengers took no notice of what was happening.
Take no thought for the morrow (=do not worry about the future)
▪ Take no thought for the morrow .
take notes (=write them down)
▪ The reporter took notes throughout the interview.
take notice (=pay attention to something)
▪ I began to take notice when the subject of money came up.
take off a nappy (=take off a baby's nappy)
▪ Come on, let's take this dirty nappy off.
take off make-up (also remove make-upformal)
▪ Take off eye make-up gently, using a cotton ball.
take off your gloves
▪ Mr Brownlow took off his gloves.
take off/remove your clothes
▪ She took off her clothes and slipped into bed.
take off/remove your coat
▪ She took off her coat and went into the kitchen.
take off/remove your glasses
▪ Elsie took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes.
take on a challenge (=accept one)
▪ The new headteacher has taken on the challenge of improving the school.
take on a meaning (=begin to have a new meaning)
▪ The word ‘chaos’ has taken on a special scientific meaning.
take on a new/extra etc dimension (=develop in a way that is new or different)
▪ Since I met her, my life has taken on a completely different dimension.
take on a new/special etc significance (=start to have it)
▪ Sporting competitions took on a new political significance during the Cold War.
take on a role (also assume a roleformal) (= start having it)
▪ Mr Jones took on the role of spokesperson for the organization.
take on responsibility (also assume responsibilityformal) (= start to have responsibility for something)
▪ These days men tend to take on more responsibility at home.
▪ The government must assume greater responsibility for the care of the elderly.
take on/undertake a task
▪ No-one else is willing to take on the task.
take orders from sb (=be given orders by them and obey them)
▪ I don’t take orders from you!
take (out) a lease (=start having a lease)
▪ He took a seven-year lease on the place.
take out a loan (=borrow money)
▪ Most home buyers take out a loan.
take out a mortgage (=borrow money to buy a house)
▪ We took out a 25-year mortgage.
take out a pension (=make arrangements to have a pension later)
▪ People were encouraged to take out private pensions.
take out a subscription (=pay to get something regularly for a year)
▪ She took out a subscription to the Scientific American.
take out an advertisement (=arrange for an advertisement to be in a newspaper or magazine)
▪ Their record company took out full-page advertisements in the music press to promote the album.
take out insurance (=buy an insurance policy)
▪ We decided to take out insurance on the house and its contents.
take out the garbage
▪ Can you take out the garbage when you go?
take out the trash (=take it outside the house)
▪ Will someone take out the trash ?
take out/buy a policy (=arrange it)
▪ People with children should take out a life insurance policy.
take out...patent
▪ He wants to take out a patent on his new type of dustbin.
take over a business (=buy it or start running it)
▪ When my father retired, I took over the business.
take over a company (=buy it and run it)
▪ The company was taken over by the management in a £32.5 million deal.
take part in a competition
▪ Ten schools took part in the competition.
take part in a contest
▪ Twenty-five countries took part in the contest.
take part in a demonstration (also participate in a demonstrationformal)
▪ As many as 400,000 people took part in the demonstration.
take part in a festival (=perform there)
▪ The school choir, which has taken part in the festival since 1980, is rehearsing every day.
take part in a process (also participate in a process)
▪ We encourage our clients to participate in the process at every stage.
take part in a raid
▪ They took part in various raids, including the bombing of Cologne in 1942.
take part in (a) sport
▪ Students are encouraged to take part in a sport of some kind.
take part in an activity (also participate in an activityformal)
▪ The children were encouraged to take part in several different activities.
take part in politics
▪ Young people should be encouraged to take part in politics.
take pleasure in (doing) sth
▪ He takes great pleasure in boasting about his big salary.
take possession of sth (=start having or using it)
▪ At 21, he was entitled to take possession of the property.
take power (=start being in control, usually without an election)
▪ Many people fled after the military took power last September.
take practiceAmerican English (= do practice)
▪ If he’d done badly, he’d go out and take extra batting practice.
take pride in sth (=feel proud of something)
▪ She takes pride in her beautiful gardens.
take pride in your appearance (=make an effort to look good)
▪ She seems to take no pride at all in her personal appearance these days.
take priority (=become the most important thing)
▪ Winning the war took priority over everything else.
take punitive steps
▪ The government is expected to take punitive steps against offenders.
take responsibility for (doing) sth
▪ Who do you trust to take responsibility for our country's defence?
take revenge
▪ He dreamed of taking revenge on his father’s killers.
take satisfaction in/from sth
▪ He took great satisfaction in doing his job well.
take sb by the arm (=lead someone somewhere holding their arm)
▪ ‘It’s this way’ he said, taking me by the arm.
take sb by the hand (=hold someone’s hand in order to take them somewhere)
▪ She took the boy by the hand and led him across the street.
take sb for a ride
▪ Hugh took me for a ride in his new car.
take sb into custody
▪ Three armed FBI agents took Coleman into custody.
take sb off the critical list
▪ He was taken off the critical list and is now in a stable condition.
take sb (out) for a meal
▪ He took Anna out for a meal and then to the theatre.
take sb (out) to lunch (=pay for someone else's lunch when you go to a restaurant)
▪ He took her out for lunch at a local pub.
take sb to a restaurant
▪ He’s taking me to a Japanese restaurant in town.
take sb to court (=take legal action against someone)
▪ She took the company to court for sex discrimination.
take sb's pulse (=count the beats of their pulse)
▪ Remember to take your pulse at intervals while you are exercising.
take sb/a dog for a walk
▪ Could you take the dog for a walk?
take sb’s hand (=hold someone’s hand)
▪ He reached across the table and took her hand in his.
take sb’s measurements (=measure someone for a piece of clothing)
▪ She was having her measurements taken for her wedding dress.
take shelter (=go into a place where you are protected from something)
▪ When it started raining, they took shelter in a cave.
take someone on an expedition
▪ He’s taking the boys on a camping expedition next weekend.
take sth a stage further
▪ We then took the experiment a stage further.
take sth a stage/step further
▪ Critics want the government to take this a stage further and ban the film altogether.
take sth out of/from your pocket
▪ Marcia took a pair of dark glasses out of her pocket.
take sth to bits (=separate the parts of something)
▪ Tony loves taking old radios and computers to bits.
take sugar (=have sugar in your tea or coffee)
▪ ‘Do you take sugar?’ ‘No, thank you.’
take the bait
▪ The fish wouldn’t take the bait.
take the car (=use a car to go somewhere)
▪ Is it all right if I take the car this evening?
take the effort out of sth (=make it easy)
▪ An automatic car takes the effort out of driving.
take the first/a wrong etc turn (=go along the first etc road)
▪ I think we took a wrong turn coming out of town.
▪ Take the second turn on the left.
take the hassle out of sth (=remove the problems related to doing something)
▪ The internet takes all the hassle out of shopping.
take the initiative
▪ Why don’t you take the initiative and ask him out?
take the lead (=start being in the lead instead of someone else)
▪ Lewis Hamilton has just taken the lead in the Monaco Grand Prix.
take the stage (=go on stage)
▪ The Charlatans took the stage in LA yesterday.
take the stand (=go into the witness box)
▪ Will the next witness please take the stand?
take the sting out of sth (=make something less unpleasant or painful)
▪ She smiled to take the sting out of her words.
take the view that ... (=have a particular view)
▪ The Government took the view that the law did not need to be changed.
take time (=require a long time to do)
▪ Learning a new skill takes time.
take to your bedwritten (= go to bed because you feel ill)
▪ Guy had a stomach ache and took to his bed.
take up a position (=start doing a job)
▪ Woods took up a new position as managing director of a company in Belfast.
take up a post (=start a new job)
▪ She will take up her new post next month.
take up a sport (=start doing it)
▪ I took up the sport six years ago.
take up an occupation (also enter an occupationformal) (= start doing one)
▪ Many of his colleagues have taken up another occupation.
▪ Our recent graduates have entered a wide range of occupations.
take up an offer/take sb up on their offerBritish English (= accept someone's offer)
▪ I might take him up on his offer.
take up an offer/take sb up on their offerBritish English (= accept someone's offer)
▪ I might take him up on his offer.
take (up) an option (=choose an option )
▪ America was persuaded not to take up the option of military action.
take up golf (=start playing golf)
▪ He took up golf as a way of getting more exercise.
take up sb's invitation/take sb up on their invitation (=accept someone's invitation)
▪ I decided to take them up on their invitation to dinner.
take up sb's invitation/take sb up on their invitation (=accept someone's invitation)
▪ I decided to take them up on their invitation to dinner.
take up your duties (=start doing a new job)
▪ Neale has agreed a three-year contract and takes up his duties on March 1.
take up/pick up/continue (sth) etc where sb left off (=continue something that has stopped for a short time)
▪ Barry took up the story where Justine had left off.
take vitamins
▪ Perhaps I ought to take vitamins.
take your life in your hands (=put yourself in a dangerous situation)
▪ Just crossing this road is taking your life in your hands.
take your own life (=kill yourself)
▪ He was depressed and decided to take his own life.
take your place in a queue (=join it)
▪ I walked to the bus stop and took my place in the queue.
take your shoes off
▪ They took off their shoes in the hallway.
take your socks off
▪ My feet got so hot and sweaty I took my trainers and socks off.
take/accept cuts (=agree to have something reduced)
▪ Some employees were forced to take pay cuts.
take/accept redundancy
▪ Twenty staff members took voluntary redundancy.
take/accept/shoulder the blame (=say that something is your fault)
▪ No one was prepared to take the blame for the disaster.
▪ Parents must shoulder the blame if their kids behave badly.
take/adopt a hard line (on sth)
▪ The school takes a very hard line on drugs.
take/adopt a stance
▪ The President has adopted a tough stance on terrorism.
take/adopt an approach (=use an approach)
▪ There were concerns that Beijing would take a tougher approach.
take...as gospel (=don’t believe everything she says)
▪ Don’t take everything she says as gospel .
take...bearing
▪ learning to take a compass bearing
take/bring proceedings
▪ You may take proceedings to enforce payment.
take/carry sth to extremes
▪ Problems only occur when this attitude is taken to extremes.
take/collect a sample
▪ The study took samples from workers at four nuclear plants.
take/do an exam (also sit an exam British English)
▪ We have to take exams at the end of each year.
take/draw encouragement from sth
▪ We drew encouragement from the letters we received from well-wishers.
take...farther (=do more about it)
▪ The police decided not to take the matter any farther.
take/find delight in sth (=enjoy something a lot)
▪ He took delight in entertaining guests in his apartment.
take/follow sb’s advice (also act on sb’s adviceformal) (= do what someone advises you to do)
▪ He followed his doctor’s advice and went on a low-fat diet.
▪ The king acted on his advice and ordered his soldiers to get ready for battle.
take...for a spin
▪ Do you want to take my car for a spin?
take/get a close look
▪ She moved forward to take a close look at the painting.
take/get a statement from sb
▪ I asked the police why they didn’t take a statement from me four years ago.
take/get a taxi
▪ We took a taxi to the hotel.
take/get a train
▪ I took the first train home.
take/get/catch a cab (=travel by cab)
▪ Why don't we take a cab to the theater?
take/give a bow (=bow to the audience at the end of a performance)
▪ The music ended and the girl took a bow.
▪ He gave a final bow just as the curtains came down.
take/go for/have a wander
▪ I had a bit of a wander round the shops.
take/have a bite (of sth/out of sth)
▪ She picked up the sandwich and took a bite.
▪ Can I have a bite of your apple?
take/have a day off
▪ I’m taking a few days off before the wedding.
take/have a dip
▪ Let’s take a dip in the lake.
take/have a ride
▪ Visitors can take a ride on a steam train.
take/have a siesta
▪ The stores all close after lunch when everyone takes a siesta.
take/have a vacation
▪ We usually take a vacation once a year.
take/have a vote (on sth)
▪ Unless anyone has anything to add, we’ll take a vote.
▪ Let’s have a vote on it.
take/have a walk
▪ She took a walk through the town.
take/have pity (on sb) (=feel sorry for someone and treat them with sympathy)
▪ He was expecting a prison sentence but the judge took pity on him.
take/hold a position (=have an opinion)
▪ We take the position that these changes are to be welcomed.
take/hold sb in your arms (=gently put your arms around someone you love)
▪ He took her in his arms and kissed her.
take/make a measurement (=measure something)
▪ Scientists take daily measurements to find out if the ocean temperature is increasing.
take/make/mount a stand (against sth)
▪ We have to take a stand against racism.
take...matter further
▪ The police do not propose to take the matter further.
take...mind off things
▪ Want a game? It might take your mind off things.
take...minutes (=write them down)
▪ Will you take the minutes?
taken a battering
▪ Her self-confidence had taken a battering.
taken a quantum leap
▪ The treatment of breast cancer has taken a quantum leap forward.
taken a turn for the better (=started to improve)
▪ The president’s fortunes seem, at last, to have taken a turn for the better.
taken as a given
▪ The concept is taken as a given in social studies.
taken captive (=became a prisoner)
▪ His son had been taken captive during the raid.
taken hostage
▪ a family taken hostage at gunpoint
taken into protective custody
▪ The children were taken into protective custody.
taken...flak
▪ Lilley has taken a lot of flak for his views on drugs.
taken...toll
▪ Years of smoking have taken their toll on his health.
taken...wrong turning
▪ He must have taken a wrong turning in the dark.
Take...partners
▪ Take your partners for the next dance.
take...pick
▪ Have a look at the menu and take your pick.
take...readings
▪ We take temperature readings every two hours.
takes a swipe at (=criticizes)
▪ In her latest article, she takes a swipe at her critics.
takes a while
▪ It takes a while to recover from the operation.
takes an...approach
▪ This book takes an unorthodox approach to art criticism.
takes guts
▪ It takes guts to start a new business on your own.
takes precedence
▪ Do we want a society where appearance takes precedence over skill or virtue?
takes the form of
▪ A typical training programme takes the form of a series of workshops.
take/seek refuge (in sth)
▪ During the frequent air-raids, people took refuge in their cellars.
take...short-cut
▪ Carlos decided to take a short-cut home.
takes...in part exchange
▪ The company takes the buyer’s property in part exchange.
takes...pluck
▪ It takes a lot of pluck to stand up to a bully.
take/stand for/put up with crap (=to allow someone to treat you badly)
▪ I’m not going to take any more of this crap!
Take...step by step
▪ Take each lesson step by step.
take/swallow poison
▪ He committed suicide by taking poison.
take...throw-in
▪ Beckham will take the throw-in.
take...to pieces
▪ His father had taught him how to take a gun to pieces.
take/use drugs
▪ I think I took drugs to escape my problems.
take/use opportunity (=do something you have a chance to do)
▪ Several employees took the opportunity to retire early.
taking a soft line (=not being strict enough)
▪ Courts have been taking a soft line with young offenders.
taking a stand on
▪ She was accused of not taking a stand on feminism or civil rights.
taking a tough line
▪ The EU is taking a tough line with the UK over this issue.
taking soundings
▪ We’re taking soundings to find out how people feel about the changes.
to take the chill off (=to heat it slightly)
▪ I turned on the heater in the hall to take the chill off the house .
took a calculated risk
▪ The police took a calculated risk in releasing him.
took a drag
▪ Frank took a drag on his cigarette.
took a flying leap
▪ He took a flying leap and just managed to clear the stream.
took a nosedive
▪ The pound took a nosedive on the foreign exchange market today.
took a peep
▪ Jon took a peep at his watch.
took a poke at
▪ Bennett took a poke at the President’s refusal to sign the bill.
took a swing at (=tried to hit)
▪ He took a swing at my head and missed.
took a swipe at
▪ She took a swipe at the ball.
took a whack at (=tried to hit)
▪ Singleton took a whack at Miller’s head.
took a...jab
▪ White House officials took a sharp jab at the Democrats’ plan.
took an instant dislike to (=they disliked each other immediately)
▪ They took an instant dislike to each other .
took an overdose
▪ She took an overdose and died two days later.
took a...peek
▪ Diane took a quick peek at herself in the mirror.
took forever
▪ It took forever to clean up after the party.
took office (=started in an important job or position)
▪ A provisional military government took office.
took one look
▪ I took one look at the coat and decided it wasn’t worth £50.
took silk (=became a QC)
▪ His practice quickly grew and he took silk in 1988.
took the bait (=accepted what was on offer)
▪ Plenty of people took the bait and lost their life savings.
took the easy way out
▪ I just took the easy way out and gave him some cash.
took the gloss off
▪ The injury to Keane took the gloss off Manchester United’s victory.
took the lift
▪ They took the lift down to the bar.
took the podium (=spoke from it)
▪ Several speakers took the podium that night.
took up...room
▪ The old wardrobe took up too much room.
took...apart
▪ They took the engine apart to see what was wrong.
took...as an insult (=thought it was meant to be an insult)
▪ Their offer was so low I took it as an insult .
took...fingerprints (=made a record of them)
▪ The police questioned Beresford and took his fingerprints.
took...for a drive
▪ Taylor took me for a drive through the town.
took...gulp
▪ He took a huge gulp of brandy.
took...long time
▪ It took a long time to get everything ready.
took...longer
▪ It took me longer than I thought it would.
took...mouthful
▪ He took a mouthful of his pudding.
took...nibble
▪ She took a nibble of her cookie.
took...puff
▪ He laughed and took a puff on his cigar.
took...ribbing
▪ He took a lot of ribbing from other members of the crew.
took...sabbatical
▪ She took a long sabbatical.
took...sip
▪ She poured more wine and took a sip.
took...spill
▪ Tyson broke a rib when he took a spill on his motorcycle.
took...swig
▪ She took a long swig of Coke.
took...tally
▪ the two goals that took his tally for Scotland to 15
took...to new heights
▪ They took ice dancing to new heights.
took...toll
▪ The bombings took a heavy toll, killing hundreds of Londoners.
took...unprecedented step
▪ He took the unprecedented step of stating that the rumours were false.
walk a dog/take a dog for a walk
▪ She loves walking her dogs on the beach.
win/take first prize
▪ She won first prize in a painting competition.
win/take the championship
▪ He won three national championships at Oklahoma.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
ADVERB
away
▪ Some of the clauses may be abandoned and others amended, but much more is added than is taken away.
▪ For a while, she took away sadness: not lust over Kim Anh: over everything.
▪ They'd taken my girlfriend away from me in the real world, why must they take away her picture?
▪ When that is taken away, the new retiree may no longer have a sense of purpose.
▪ He claimed that no Act of Parliament could take away this right.
▪ But I am at a loss to resolve whether to take away the things he has given me or no.
▪ The year her father and his colleagues were taken away.
in
▪ The steps taken in the calculations must be shown in the answer book.
▪ Students were to be taken in as boarders, having been recommended by a respectable person who knew them or their families.
▪ More words I can't take in.
▪ The girls were being taken in at night after we left and what a mess we got in the morning!
▪ The photos were taken in December.
▪ And it was based on a photograph of his brother's pet, taken in Liverpool in the 1880s.
▪ The week long trip took in Dublin, Barlaston and Waterford.
▪ The reserve takes in part of the Minsmere levels which were flooded during the Second World War to counter possible invasion.
off
▪ She'd take off his shoes and his tie, open his shirt and loosen his waistband.
▪ They issued a warrant for his arrest, and that same night we took off for Colorado.
▪ After that our book collection took off.
▪ In any case, take off eye make-up gently with a cotton ball, stroking up and out.
▪ The van doors were shut and locked, and it took off.
▪ Leave all your belongings in the clothes you take off, the door will automatically lock behind you.
▪ Beauchamp took off his glasses and pinched his eyes.
over
▪ And Miles didn't want to stay with Better Books if Collins was to take over.
▪ Channelbuyers take over in 2006, when all current analog channels fade to black.
▪ A one-night stand with a waitress, played by Goldie Hawn, leads to her taking over his empty home.
▪ Love took over and my fondest hope was to win her hand.
▪ All the large houses have been pulled down, or taken over as nursing homes.
▪ One of the things museums are going to have to do in future is take over their buildings.
▪ Gundobad's importance was further enhanced when Ricimer died, for he took over his mentor's position at court.
▪ Given Mr Mertz's success since taking over in 1986, his prediction should be taken seriously.
seriously
▪ Fielding tells us: Fielding's claims are certainly to be taken seriously.
▪ Even black comedies should be taken seriously by their makers.
▪ I am sure that he will consider the hon. Gentleman's representations, which are always carefully put and taken seriously.
▪ At six feet, Stewart was imposing, clearly a man to be taken seriously.
▪ She was soon to give up her own acting career - which she never took seriously - to - spoil him?
▪ The problem is one the government takes seriously.
▪ To have ideas like this one taken seriously and to be treated with respect is surely a reasonable request.
▪ In a sense, she is the victim of her own desire to be taken seriously.
up
▪ The Ministry inspector's recommendation for a porter's lodge was taken up and went out to tender.
▪ Digital signals can be compressed to take up less space, leaving room for additional programming.
▪ The lateral membrane takes up the entire length of one side of the chamber, pushing the grapes against the other side.
▪ When the harbor across the bay becomes a string of lights, foghorns take up the bass.
▪ A critical factor appears to be the enhanced influx of external calcium which is taken up by the stores with two consequences.
▪ The point will be taken up again later within an evaluation of these matrix methods.
▪ It was at such times that I seriously considered taking up smoking myself, just to pass the time.
▪ This means that a good proportion of the interview is taken up by passing information to the candidate.
NOUN
account
▪ Had that been taken into account, his humiliation would have been even more severe.
▪ Indeed most providers would now claim that they do take account of the wider population.
▪ There is, however, one classical restriction which we must take into account, namely the resolving power of optical instruments.
▪ Other factors, such as access via doorways or accommodation of central features, also had to be taken into account.
▪ I am sure that the hospital that my hon. Friend has in mind will wish to take account of her comments.
▪ They then receive a net sum that takes account of the sums patients pay.
▪ The market also takes other things into account, such as the size, direction and number of trades.
▪ We adjusted our provision to take that into account.
action
▪ In the interests of road safety please could you look into this matter and take appropriate action.
▪ The House has not taken any formal action on the issue.
▪ This helped persuade the Government to take action altering tax incentives for planting in the 1988 Budget.
▪ Adultery rather than years of abusiveness towards his wife prompted the church board to take disciplinary action against her husband.
▪ The Board takes necessary action on the basis of these figures.
▪ These actions do not support the allegations that Dista Products failed to take appropriate action on this issue.
▪ In becoming the best companies it is these attitudes that they seek out and take action to change.
approach
▪ But a cruel kick took Brian Prince's approach out of bounds.
▪ Colangelo and his staff are taking the positive approach as far as season tickets are concerned.
▪ Training in interview skills takes a preventative approach to poor standards of interviewing.
▪ The attorneys general in Florida and Massachusetts are taking a different approach.
▪ Start with Words and Pictures takes the unique approach of explaining a word by contrasting it with other words.
▪ Fairfield has since taken a similar approach to its other development projects.
▪ To do all this, dealers needed to take an aggressive approach with clients, to wear them down.
▪ It's less of a problem at schools in a position to take a holistic approach in weighing applicants.
breath
▪ He stirred and took a deep breath in his sleep.
▪ He pressed against my lungs, taking away my breath.
▪ She took a few deep breaths and told herself that she could handle him.
▪ He took a deep breath and shook his head abruptly.
▪ As Caprice dances we both take a deep breath.
▪ Jean took a deep breath, and the smell of formalin assailed her.
▪ He took a deep breath be-fore going in.
care
▪ With every need taken care of by attentive and solicitous flight staff.
▪ The most ostentatious team in professional sports made the decision to play football and let the histrionics take care of themselves.
▪ For this reason the purchaser should take considerable care in defining the restricted business.
▪ Timing is everything, but time usually takes care of itself on the upper San Joaquin.
▪ You can not choose who will arrange your funeral and take care of your affairs after you have died.
▪ The needs of the athletes will be taken care of by their coaches.
▪ Fold together all the filling ingredients, taking care not to break up the marshmallows and banana slices.
▪ Your supervisor will appreciate your presenting a plan, not just a problem for him or her to take care of.
chance
▪ Improvisation means take your chances while you can, where you can; it means ride your luck.
▪ So why not take a chance?
▪ He emphasised that there would be dope control after the race and warned us not to take any chances.
▪ You have to take chances for peace, just as you must take chances in war.
▪ There are still those who prefer to take their chances in the profession without any formal training.
▪ But he had to take that chance.
▪ It can let its guilty pleas stand and then take its chances in court.
▪ He was learning some new moves, a few ways to take chances in his writing.
decision
▪ The overwhelming temptation and the external pressures will inevitably lead the other way; to take a quick decision and move on.
▪ After all, they have to take business decisions and use sport as part of a commercial product.
▪ To avoid the album selling for ludicrous amounts on import, Rough Trade took the decision to issue it in Britain.
▪ But if teachers are to take such decisions they need to have access to these ideas.
▪ No, not so he had taken the right decision.
▪ He took the decision soon after he had been elected Speaker in 1983.
▪ General will should ensure the equality and liberty necessary for active citizenship -; taking collective decisions.
hand
▪ I shook my head again and took my hand away.
▪ I take the hand that he mashed in greeting me, and work the knuckles with the fingers of my other hand.
▪ One morning outside the City Chambers-one of my holidays from Saltcoats-he took me by the hand.
▪ The driver gave a half-wave without taking his hand off the wheel.
▪ The hemiplegic arm rests on the garment: if the therapist lifts it, she takes the shoulder and hand.
▪ She suddenly took my hand in the darkness and squeezed it so hard it hurt me.
▪ It took Alice by the hand and began to run.
▪ Reaching Volkov, she took his hand and dragged him along with her.
job
▪ Many officers resigned their commissions to take up jobs with the new company.
▪ He also found that in just a week he had more energy than he had had since taking the job.
▪ So for a lot of the time, their father takes on the job.
▪ Grudgingly, she took the job.
▪ If Taylor goes, what idiot would take the job?
▪ A few artists will happily take on custom jobs.
▪ Many were forced to take part-time jobs or handouts from parents to make ends meet.
▪ They also took turns administering the city-state, drawing lots to settle who would take on which job.
lead
▪ Again we have taken a lead.
▪ They take a seven-point lead before Oregon starts paying attention.
▪ But Boro barely had time to reorganise at the start of the second half before Southampton took the lead.
▪ Zanardi took the lead Sunday and held it through a lap-seven restart, which was caused by a crash by Paul Tracy.
▪ Steve Davis took a 6-2 lead over Cliff Wilson.
▪ Meanwhile, in the brothers' partnership, Joe took the lead.
▪ They wanted induction and training for all management committee members and for the management committee to take a lead in fund raising.
▪ The crowd also grows louder as the home team takes the lead or is on a run, which is fun.
look
▪ Isobel took one look at his face, and kept silent.
▪ He simply folded his hands and took a good look at Mel.
▪ Edinburgh will also take a look at 7am, where the problem is frost in the ground.
▪ But it's worth taking a look at all the consequences.
▪ When he took a closer look he was horrified.
▪ Today we're taking a look at the telly.
notice
▪ He took no notice when she asked him to slow down.
▪ When he slowed, he saw that people took notice of him driving in the rain with the top down.
▪ It used pictures well, with great reproduction and everybody started to take notice.
▪ As for Phaedra, her stepson Hippolytus took no notice of her; he never noticed women.
▪ At first we didn't take any notice, we just carried on regardless.
▪ When I first met her she had been hurling abuse at her daughters-in-law who took no notice whatsoever.
▪ He had a hammer and banged it against the walls to restore order but nobody took any notice of him.
▪ Something that makes you want to sit down and take notice.
opportunity
▪ Will he take this opportunity to tell the House and the country whether he favours such a ban?
▪ He takes every opportunity on offer regardless of looks.
▪ Members of the public took the opportunity to see for themselves in a unique open day.
▪ Tonight I want to take the opportunity to thank her for her patience and support.
▪ The disembarkation began immediately, and I took the opportunity of a run ashore with the others to survey our unique landfall.
▪ When Maureen came in I took the opportunity to pop round with it for him.
▪ I went to this game and although I probably don't deserve to get a ticket I will probably take the opportunity.
▪ May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and happy half-term holiday.
photograph
▪ Perhaps the local paper will take photographs for a story and make copies available to you afterwards.
▪ He took out the photograph from his pocket and studied it again, paying special attention to the eyes.
▪ Afterwards we went outside and took photographs.
▪ There will be an opportunity to attend rehearsals, interview finalists and take photographs.
▪ Would they want to take photographs?
▪ From this he took a photograph which he passed across to Mrs Wilson.
▪ I shall be here for some time - I have to make detailed drawings and take photographs.
▪ The defendants took an aerial photograph of the plaintiff's house and were sued for trespass to land.
place
▪ Although informal plant bargaining does take place, the additions and amendments are not regarded as being competitive with external agreements.
▪ The difference is that in the United States and the United Kingdom the restructuring has been taking place.
▪ All the action takes place in Sevilla, although we find different spots within the same city.
▪ Mrs Kemp was left with no alternative but to accept that no hearing could take place.
▪ Shooting took place largely from helicopters.
▪ Remains are scanty and conjecture has to take the place of evidence.
position
▪ Skilled negotiators don't take up positions.
▪ Police took cover in combat positions but did not return fire.
▪ Taylor had persuaded Barratt to take up his present position in 1818 - it was a decision Taylor never regretted.
▪ Politicians have rushed to take up positions on one side of the barricades or the other.
▪ It's not yet known who will take up his position in Gloucestershire.
▪ They take the position that there is a difference between the people of a country and the government of that country.
▪ Forget all those tales of our taking our position at dawn and staying there hardly daring to move.
▪ Peres wrote to Shamir that he had never asked them to take a position in the first place.
responsibility
▪ Out of this, the owner of the whole building supposedly takes some responsibility for certain external damage to the fabric of the building.
▪ There was no confirmation of the report and no organization has taken responsibility for the killings.
▪ Occasionally I change a banner but I take no responsibility.
▪ Sharp plans to scrutinize Texpool after his office takes responsibility for it, Ramsey said.
▪ The Partnership should therefore be encouraged and allowed to take responsibility for the Compact strategy. 5.
▪ But being the head means he has to take some responsibility.
▪ We must all take responsibility for our own lives, for their quality and flavor.
risk
▪ Second, in making occupational and recreational choices, for example being a racing driver or going climbing, people do take risks.
▪ Few are willing to take the risk of pursuing major new opportunities that are not covered by their stated objectives.
▪ Now he saw his chance and desperation forced him to take the risk of climbing down on to the line in the darkness.
▪ You can allow yourself greater freedom of expression and take more risks.
▪ But you daren't take the risk of trying it on in case I was calling your bluff and would refuse you.
▪ I enjoy taking risks. 6.
▪ Quite simply, they don't take risks.
▪ Like Mondale, he had to take a risk to change the subject and refocus attention.
role
▪ Susan stood among tree-cover and watched a woman go from window to window - she was taking Lori's role.
▪ Edmund reluctantly surrenders his earlier scruples and takes a role opposite Mary.
▪ The Local Government Act 2000 also gives local authorities the powers they need to take a community leadership role.
▪ In earlier days of Diversionary, Peterson said, actors feared being typed if they took roles in a gay theater.
▪ While Halliday takes on a new role, David Irwin is just happy to return to the scene.
▪ Salomon Brothers will take a lead role in the international share offer, the statement said.
▪ Every time he'd had a few drinks, they took starring roles in the fantasies that played themselves out in his head.
▪ That is, the child can not take the role of, or see the viewpoint of, another.
seat
▪ The Sunday School sat in the North Aisle and everyone had to take the same seat week by week.
▪ In the tiny room he took a seat among old ladies in a row of folding chairs.
▪ On Jan. 24 it was reported that 28 members of the Interim Legislative Assembly had taken their seats.
▪ Kerrey also predicted the Democrats would take away the seat held by Sen.
▪ Corbett took his seat, trying to ignore de Craon who was grinning as if he had suddenly found something amusing.
▪ And who should take the seat next to her but Rep.
▪ They took 5 seats from the Tories to win control of the hung Council.
▪ And Gabby hoped he was right, as they took their seats a little while later.
step
▪ She felt about as poised as a baby elephant taking his first steps, she thought miserably.
▪ You have to believe you can change before you can take the necessary steps to do so.
▪ Another Kunsthalle project takes that idea one step further.
▪ He seemed to make a point of taking two steps backward for every one step forward.
▪ Wound care is not complete in A&E without taking steps for tetanus prevention.
▪ Auburn Management tops in the three-year category takes investment concentration a step further.
▪ A trust has now been able to acquire it and take the first steps towards long-term restoration.
▪ We must live with the drama, even if we can take some steps to hedge against it.
toll
▪ Adventure Story was still taking its toll.
▪ As for Mr Patrick, he says the fight over development has taken its toll.
▪ This too has taken its toll on the traditional freedoms of university life.
▪ Hospitals, project managers revealed the findings of samples taken since tunnel toll takers began complaining early last month of noxious odors.
▪ The Manchurian winter took its toll on both sides.
▪ Such resentments are beginning to take a visible toll on the company.
▪ Thus all the lights began at once to flash, and the days took their toll.
turn
▪ Small children are queuing to take it in turns to sit in a special armchair linked up to a computer.
▪ We take the turn off Highway 77.
▪ Sooner or later his men would take their turn with her.
▪ The idea of crackers packaged with a soft dipping cheese has taken a sweet turn.
▪ I said I never had to take turns in my old house with my mum and my dad.
▪ Joe got up every night and took turns with Valerie feeding the babies.
▪ Each will be taken in turn.
▪ Other Acutes line up now, taking turns at the pad.
view
▪ Now, some people take the view that replica guitars are always completely justified.
▪ Dinah, however, took a different view.
▪ In my judgment, he was fully entitled to take this view.
▪ All four heads took the unprompted view that there was a desperate need for professional library staff in secondary schools.
▪ Other theories of latent inhibition have taken a quite different view of the phenomenon.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
... and the devil take the hindmost
I take my hat off to sb
▪ I take my hat off to those front row men.
▪ Jan starts hers at four, for which I take my hat off to her.
▪ Whatever it was though, I take my hat off to Babs.
be taken aback (by sth)
▪ He was taken aback by the new demands of the job.
▪ I was taken aback, but deep down I wasn't totally surprised.
▪ Intel was taken aback by the intensity of public anger.
▪ Jonadab was taken aback, not being a man given to overt affection.
▪ She was taken aback to realise just how far her reservations about seeing him had disappeared.
▪ The authorities were taken aback, and took the unprecedented step of cordoning off the painting.
▪ The man spun round so swiftly that George was taken aback and tripped, falling on to the soft mud.
be taken bad
be taken short/be caught short
be yours for the taking/asking
be/take centre stage
▪ As she says herself, this is one lady born to be centre stage.
▪ But in her latest role it is her clothes, rather than lack of them, which take centre stage.
▪ By day, the Pirates Club takes centre stage with games, activities and competitions - even the parents join in!
▪ Charles and Diana were to take centre stage in the drama.
▪ Meanwhile, Heidi took centre stage at London Fashion Week.
▪ She was able to take centre stage, providing comic relief while Zephyr shared intimate moments with her special friends.
▪ There are many others like him, lurking in the background when they should be centre stage.
bear/take/suffer etc the brunt of sth
▪ Group comportment had deteriorated by the day, with yours truly bearing the brunt of the collective delinquency.
▪ He thought that the garrison of Richmond ought now to bear the brunt of the fighting.
▪ Her hands, which she threw up to protect her face took the brunt of the injury.
▪ It will bear the brunt of the estimated $ 1 billion cost for the changes on Okinawa.
▪ Retailers are in the immediate line of fire and were first to bear the brunt of cost cutting.
▪ Southern California, where the banks had the most overlap, will bear the brunt of the cuts.
▪ The depot is bearing the brunt of a package of cost cutting measures across three sites.
▪ The front of the car, and those in it, took the brunt of the impact.
can't take your eyes off sb/sth
carry/take coals to Newcastle
catch/take sb off-guard
do a double take
▪ Colleagues and friends often walked past me in the hallway, then stopped and did a double take.
▪ He had to do a double take, bumping into a filing cabinet.
▪ When he got to Mrs Luegerhe had never known her first name-he did a double take.
get/take a free ride
▪ Suppose we get a free ride into the land of happiness?
▪ The company got a free ride on just about everything.
get/take a grip on yourself
▪ Damn you, get a grip on yourself.
▪ He must take a grip on himself.
▪ I got a grip on myself and made it back to my office.
▪ I had to get a grip on myself and put this whole wretched business behind me.
▪ I must get a grip on myself, she told herself firmly.
▪ She took a grip on herself, physically pushed back the dark, claustrophobic horror at the point of drowning.
get/take/demand etc your pound of flesh
▪ The Government gets its pound of flesh, doesn't it.
give sb an inch and they'll take a yard/mile
have/take a breather
▪ A party of skylarks were taking a breather from their incessant high-rise singing to indulge in an early-morning splashing.
▪ Gilts, after four days of rising quotations, softened an eighth as the pound took a breather.
▪ He was not digging at all now but taking a breather, evidently.
▪ Main picture: The female takes a breather.
▪ Regroup and take a breather at midday.
▪ Take your skis off and have a breather.
▪ When the last Demon's dead, take a breather before the celebrations start.
have/take a butcher's
have/take a gander at sth
▪ Take a gander at this letter I just got from Janet.
▪ Ye take a gander at the engines.
have/take a slash
▪ A bill that would have slashed child support payments for most divorced fathers failed in the state Assembly.
▪ A swarthy fellow with ringlets was taking a slash at her with a heavy cutlass.
▪ And some London pubs have slashed their prices from £1.70 a pint to less than a pound.
▪ Last year, Hayworth supported welfare-reform legislation that would have slashed federal spending by $ 66 billion over five years.
▪ The telecommunications giant joined a growing number of employers in growth industries that have slashed payrolls even as their profits soared.
▪ To woo customers, carpet stores have slashed prices, which cut into the bottom line of carpet manufacturers.
▪ We have slashed soot and dust emissions by nearly 90 percent.
▪ You have slashed costs and created an extensive new marketing campaign.
have/take a squint at sth
have/take pride of place
▪ A runaway hamster called Sophie takes pride of place where the school rat once roamed.
▪ A Tudor Doll's House takes pride of place in a fine collection of houses and period dolls.
▪ Are they to take pride of place, as they should in ballets worthy of the name?
▪ At Maastricht next month, political, economic and monetary union will take pride of place.
▪ Glass would have pride of place, she said.
▪ The statue takes pride of place at Gerrards Cross station.
▪ There, pit latrines inside homes take pride of place, their arched entrances lavishly embellished with stone carvings.
▪ These were retrieved and now take pride of place in the library.
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 takes all sorts (to make a world)
leave/take the phone off the hook
let nature take its course
▪ Just relax and let nature take its course.
▪ With a cold, it's better to just let nature take its course.
▪ I meant that, in the case of any other industry, we probably would have let nature take its course.
▪ I think we should let nature take its course.
▪ Should I just let nature take its course or stop it now?
▪ Stay calm and let nature take its course.
▪ The best is to obtain juveniles from a number of sources, rear them together and let nature take its course.
not take kindly to sth
▪ Nancy doesn't take kindly to being corrected.
▪ A bachelor who did not take kindly to children under any circumstances, he found the atmosphere at Four Winds appalling.
▪ As will have appeared previously, judges do not take kindly to abbreviations in speech.
▪ Because they are human beings and not two-legged souvenirs, Aborigines do not take kindly to having their pictures taken.
▪ But she does not take kindly to criticism.
▪ Neon Tetras when young do not take kindly to fresh water.
▪ Presumably killers did not take kindly to amateur detectives.
▪ The whips, however, would not take kindly to a woman set among them.
▪ Wood, which is really a craftsman's material, does not take kindly to the inevitable abuses of an emergency.
not take/pay a blind bit of notice
▪ For six years, the Government have not taken a blind bit of notice of the Audit Commission's report.
pay heed to sth/take heed of sth
pick up/take up the gauntlet
plead/take the Fifth (Amendment)
put years on sb/take years off sb
put/take sb over your knee
sb can take a joke
take (a) hold
▪ As the weeks grew into months, a plan took hold of her.
▪ From the reforms that followed, a new life began to take hold, and more than one innovation was meritorious.
▪ Her imagination took hold of the idea and terrorized her at the thought of the hospital catching fire.
▪ His hand came out and took hold of her ankle, gave it a squeeze and a shake.
▪ If doctors could know for certain which individuals would develop the disease, they could treat potential diabetics before the process takes hold.
▪ There are usually reasons why some ideas take hold and persist while others fail to do so.
▪ What do your instincts tell you about whether democracy will take hold after the votes are counted?
▪ Whereas summer still lingered in Florence, winter had already taken hold in Cramer.
take (holy) orders
▪ Clearly modern businesses can not refuse to take orders by telephone.
▪ He wanted to take holy orders, but his father prohibited such a step.
▪ The black alderman took orders from Neistein.
▪ They were no longer the oppressed, wretched teen menials who must take orders, toe the line.
▪ We need to sort of shape ya so you know how to take or, take orders and sit into this machine.
▪ Would they take orders from him?
take a (long) hard look at sth/sb
▪ After the inevitable posture of being affronted, I took a hard look at what I was doing.
▪ Blairites could take a harder look at a rhetorical vocabulary in which every single item was anticipated by totalitarianism.
▪ In practice, many doctors are too busy to take a long hard look at every patient.
▪ Instead, they take a hard look at a difficult moral and political dilemma and find no easy answers.
▪ Or you can take a hard look at the feminist agenda.
▪ Some one needs to take a long hard look at what has happened to tennis in Ulster over the last 20 years.
▪ The latter allows both parties a chance to stand back from the daily routine and take a harder look at overall performance.
take a back seat
▪ Women have often been forced to take a back seat in society.
▪ And very generally, the interests of lenders in New York take a back seat to the interests of the corporate borrowers.
▪ But when they were introduced, everything upstairs had to take a back seat.
▪ He notes, however, that economic considerations are taking a back seat to budget negotiations.
▪ If you can't agree to disagree, then take a back seat and let others have their way on this occasion.
▪ It was also a year when investment bankers took a back seat.
▪ Many feel reluctant to take a back seat and allow their children to enjoy the special attractiveness of the teens and twenties.
▪ Mr Peters has now taken a back seat.
▪ That her family had taken a back seat in her life.
take a back seat (to sb/sth)
▪ Quality will have to take a back seat to price when we buy the new furniture.
▪ And very generally, the interests of lenders in New York take a back seat to the interests of the corporate borrowers.
▪ As the race drew closer it was time for Paul to take a back seat.
▪ But when they were introduced, everything upstairs had to take a back seat.
▪ Golf Faldo forced to take a back seat to Walker Cup team.
▪ He notes, however, that economic considerations are taking a back seat to budget negotiations.
▪ It was also a year when investment bankers took a back seat.
▪ Long-term planning took a back seat in the deliberations of the senior engineers whose efforts were principally devoted to overcoming short-term problems.
▪ Turning the original classic topsy-turvy, Stoppard makes Hamlet himself take a back seat and elevates two minor characters to star status.
take a bath
▪ We really took a bath on that deal.
▪ Alone in the house, Carla would read, take a bath in front of the dining room fire, wash her hair.
▪ Ever found time flying when you're taking a bath or drinking a cup of tea?
▪ He eats baked beans each day and takes baths in the tinned food.
▪ He had time to take a bath.
▪ They had hardly explored the place before Cristalena suggested they take a bath.
▪ We had long, serious talks and took baths and discussed things with the light on and then with the light out.
▪ What animal do you look like when you're taking a bath?
▪ While Dooley took a bath, the rector made two calls asking for prayer, and gave Miss Sadie an update.
take a beating
▪ `I hear you took a bit of a beating last night.' 'Yeah, we lost 12 -2.'
▪ The Mets took a real beating last Saturday.
▪ A principle as old as ancient tribes and almost as remotely understood, diplomatic immunity is taking a beating this week.
▪ But since then, software stocks have taken a beating.
▪ He took a beating today but he played his butt off.
▪ History is taking a beating and sacrosanct tour records are being kept in pencil.
▪ Liverpool was taking a beating, and rumours were free for the asking on every street corner and in every food queue.
▪ Looks like egg-laying has taken a beating.
▪ Technology stocks of all sizes continued to take a beating.
▪ They took a beating on the Mudchute.
take a bit of doing/explaining etc
▪ It took a bit of doing - for instance, the disposal site had to check out 100 percent.
▪ It took a bit of explaining.
▪ That's going to take a bit of explaining.
take a chance
▪ He persuaded the record company to take a chance on the band, and it became a huge hit.
▪ Isaacs chanced it with a long three-point shot at goal in the last minute of the game.
▪ She knew she was taking a chance, but she decided to buy the house anyway.
▪ There are a lot of people in the movie industry who are afraid to take chances and do new things.
▪ Victor took a chance and set up his own company, which has been very successful.
▪ Bernstein decided to take a chance.
▪ He had begun to take chances.
▪ It might not happen, but it is never worth taking a chance.
▪ Looking back, Andrew Ory acknowledges he was both brash and naive, but willing to take chances.
▪ The great champions were aggressive, took chances.
▪ There are a lot of people here who are afraid to take chances and do new things.
▪ You have to take chances for peace, just as you must take chances in war.
take a dim view of sth
▪ Management took a dim view of union organizing efforts.
▪ As a keen amateur astronomer I take a dim view of being mistaken for a fortune teller!
▪ But let's assume that as a reader of this paper you take a dim view of these matters.
▪ I hope that the Minister is not back-tracking on them because we would take a dim view of that.
▪ Magistrate Rosemary Watters told Hannon this type of behaviour was unacceptable and the court took a dim view of it.
▪ Most workers instinctively know this and, in most circumstances, take a dim view of union organizing efforts.
▪ The electorate took a dim view of this practice when the government used it to get the consumption tax through in December.
▪ The tendency of bureaucrats to take a dim view of whistle-blowers is particularly marked in the military.
▪ They were summoned to see Miss Rudge who took a dim view of the episode.
take a dump
take a firm stand/line
▪ But the Young King was incapable of taking a firm line.
▪ Dauntless decided to take a firm stand in the matter.
▪ Handing his keys to the parking valet, he decided that he would take a firm stand.
▪ Stopping short of direction intervention, Carter had taken a firm line.
▪ The decision to take a firm stand comes after local councillors revealed the misery suffered by many of their constituents.
take a hammering/be given a hammering
take a hike
▪ If you don't like it, you can take a hike.
▪ Take a hike, jerk.
▪ Adrian scolded her; she took a hike.
▪ If you're feeling brave you can swim in chilly crystal-clear lakes or take a hike in the mountains.
▪ Let the Pyramid Pooper take a hike just this once, eh? 0196.
▪ One hot night, four Lundbergs took a hike, aroused by thunder and lightning, aroused but not awakened.
▪ Systems topple, statues walk, long-serving political incumbents take a hike in a huge global shake-up.
take a hit
take a knock
▪ Micky Hazard took a knock at Newcastle and will have a late check.
▪ Skipper, Andy Melville took a knock last Saturday, but should be fit.
▪ The 23-year-old was on as early as the eighth minute when Andy Myers hobbled off after taking a knock.
▪ Wallace took a knock and looked like he was ready to come off after about 75 mins.
▪ Your faith in yourself has taken a knock.
take a leaf out of sb's book
take a left
▪ A few miles further on, I took a left on to a B road which curved up even higher.
▪ He damn nearly took a left, made a huge detour to the east.
▪ Number 18, straight out here eleven miles; take a left and then straight up that motherfucking mountain.
▪ On the back seat the two sherry glasses clinked as Rufus took a left turn rather too sharply.
▪ The fast disappearing figures of the two girls waved back then disappeared as the bike took a left hand bend.
▪ We took a left on Houston, a left on Sullivan, then we backtracked to MacDougal.
take a liking to sb/sth
▪ He immediately took a liking to Malden.
▪ Connors had actually taken a liking to me after the incident with the gun.
▪ For some reason she had taken a liking to him.
▪ Fortunately, he had taken a liking to Claudel last year.
▪ He had a fresh, open face, and stars in his eyes, and she took a liking to him at once.
▪ She took a liking to me.
▪ They kept going to this restaurant, and the proprietor took a liking to them.
take a pew
▪ Yes, by all means, take a pew.
take a pop at sb
take a pot shot at sb/sth
▪ There is a small but vocal minority that likes to take pot shots at the United Nations.
▪ It would be easy, even tempting, to take a pot shot at us.
take a pounding
▪ Our football team took a real pounding.
▪ Advertising revenue has taken a pounding from the consolidation among retailers.
▪ But if the choppers took a pounding, the ground troops also suffered.
▪ But in order to do that you have to take a pounding.
▪ Quarterback Gus Frerotte took a pounding behind a line that has undergone yet another injury-induced shuffle.
▪ Referee Rudy Battle had seen enough soon after and called it off as Dixon took a pounding.
▪ The older kids get, the more your home takes a pounding.
take a rain check (on sth)
▪ I'm sorry but I'm busy on Saturday - can I take a rain check?
▪ The warning voice could go take a rain check, she thought.
take a running jump
▪ Or, as the Palace will no doubt be recommending to the duchess in due course ... take a running jump.
take a shine to sb
▪ Hamish would take a shine to the duffle-coat.
▪ It's clear that ace coach Eddie Futch has taken a shine to him.
▪ Terry Etherton was another Californian who took a shine to the Old Pueblo.
take a turn for the worse
▪ Stock prices have taken a turn for the worse.
take a turn in/on etc sth
▪ Hutson and Wright took turns on a machine gun.
▪ I said I never had to take turns in my old house with my mum and my dad.
▪ I took a turn on a rope slide and had to sit on a tractor tyre on the way down.
▪ In other collaborative activities individuals take turns in sitting vigilantly alert while others feed, thereby functioning as watchdogs or guards.
▪ In the teaching of the principles of group discussion, every member of the group should take turns in leading the discussion.
▪ Kelly took a turn in law school, then left academics and Pittsburgh behind.
▪ This year there is no such urgency that could save feds and retirees from taking a turn on the chopping block.
▪ When word slipped out that the governor would be taking a turn on stage, snickers abounded in the capital.
take a whiz
take account of sth
▪ These figures do not take account of changes in the rate of inflation.
▪ A valuation of a smaller company must take account of its potential as a takeover target.
▪ I trust that he will take account of the road safety dangers that are inherent in his policy.
▪ If this affects you, the enclosed Renewal Notice takes account of the new rates.
▪ Indeed most providers would now claim that they do take account of the wider population.
▪ Like the poll tax, the council tax would also take account of the number of adults in each household.
▪ Organisational house style - it is anticipated that each centre will devise a suitable house style which takes account of keyboarding conventions.
▪ That identity will take account of the traditional positions of certain member states.
▪ The number of staff on leave at any one time Should take account of the building programme.
take advantage of sb
▪ I felt that my friends were taking advantage of me as a free babysitter.
▪ Capriati wore Seles down from the baseline and took advantage of her weak serving.
▪ Economic trends occur swiftly and become established before large industries can scale up and take advantage of new demands.
▪ Egeria also takes advantage of Bull's own library of graphics functions.
▪ Slaves took advantage of the opportunities afforded to rebel.
▪ The enemy could not fail to see his opportunity and take advantage of it.
▪ The far left is also being blamed for taking advantage of grievances.
▪ We can cut costs by bulk purchasing and take advantage of national retail distribution channels.
take advantage of sth (to do sth)
▪ Accordingly he took advantage of a new pope to address the curia for favourable letters.
▪ Meanwhile, authorities can take advantage of experience with the existing system in both rural and urban areas.
▪ Skaven erupt to take advantage of the disaster.
▪ The commission estimates that at least seven companies took advantage of the program.
▪ The Franks took advantage of this by seizing some islands which the Saxons had held.
▪ The Project also took advantage of the vast numbers of our supporters eager to stand up to the bullies at the clinics.
▪ We just hope tens of thousands of other Star subscribers can take advantage of this major price cut, too.
▪ While S-HTTP will be able to take advantage of ubiquitous certification infrastructures, its deployment does not require it.
take aim
▪ For those few seconds when they are taking aim, the soldiers are exposed to enemy fire.
▪ As it sped away, he swung the mounted machinegun around and took aim.
▪ Duval is the one taking aim at the history books, four or more in a row.
▪ I saw Slim lift the gun and take aim.
▪ The boy in the kitchen, just 10 feet away, cocked the gun, took aim and fired.
▪ The Hare-woman's hands steadied the gun and she started to lift it, taking aim.
▪ The photographers stormed the railing and took aim like a starved infantry picking off fish from a bridge.
▪ The plan is that Marie decoys the victim into a position that will give Bobbie plenty of time to take aim.
▪ When Sanders moved into the lineup, quarterbacks took aim at the other side.
take aim at sb/sth
▪ The environmental agency is taking aim at a popular but dangerous chemical used by farmers.
▪ Duval is the one taking aim at the history books, four or more in a row.
▪ In each of these Leapor takes aim at that object of Scriblerian mockery, the beau.
▪ Segev also takes aim at some myths.
▪ She took aim at the sniper, but his roof collapsed under him, dropping him into the fire.
▪ The second enemy took aim at point-blank range.
▪ This one takes aim at criminals who use guns.
▪ When Sanders moved into the lineup, quarterbacks took aim at the other side.
take care
▪ "All right, Pat. Take care." "You too, Sally. Bye bye."
▪ I always take great care with diets, so I don't lose too much weight too quickly.
▪ It's very icy, so take care driving home.
▪ Look at all these typing errors! Can't you take more care?
▪ Of course you don't have to spend all your time worrying about possible health hazards, but you still need to take care.
▪ Sally doesn't take nearly enough care with her accounts.
▪ Take care and we'll talk to you soon.
▪ Take care how you cross the road. Most drivers ignore the traffic lights and just drive through.
▪ Take care not to leave any money in the changing rooms.
▪ Take care to label all the disks with the correct file names.
▪ Take care when you open the van door, sometimes it springs open suddenly.
▪ Take care, Martin and Sophie
▪ Take care. That gun's loaded.
▪ Couldn't Anna tell that she ought to take care?
▪ Cynthia would know what to do; she would take care of it and leave Evie with new hope in her heart.
▪ I take care of Chavez for Mr Vee and come home to stale tangled sheets.
▪ It would ensure the house being taken care of, and the staff maintained, since you say they're good tenants.
▪ The council will take care of that.
▪ There are three main reasons for taking care of an elderly person.
▪ With a longer life span, a lot of people are just becoming too frail to take care of themselves.
take care of sb/sth
▪ Don't worry about the bill; it's taken care of.
▪ Her secretary will take care of the details.
▪ My mother said she'd take care of Luisa next weekend.
▪ The class teaches kids how to take care of their bikes.
▪ But take care of them, darling.
▪ He never washed, but considered swimming nearly every day took care of that.
▪ I can take care of that.
▪ I will take care of it right away.
▪ Most tasks entrusted to governments were also fairly straight forward, so performance tended to take care of itself.
▪ Nature does take care of itself if allowed to.
▪ Some one has to take care of them 24 hours a day.
▪ The software company takes care of the rest.
take care over/with sth
▪ Lucker, who isolates himself and drowns himself out, who doesn't take care with me.
▪ Real teachers with real kids have to take care with written communication.
take cognizance of sth
▪ Of course, in both enumerative and faceted schemes, it is necessary to take cognizance of new simple subjects.
take delight in (doing) sth
▪ My dad took delight in calling me "The Big Ox" when I started growing taller than the other girls.
▪ But do I take delight in pushing you down, making you worse?
▪ Congressional wives take delight in pointing out that kind of error to their husbands.
▪ John, of course, had long since lost his northern accent and took delight in his appearance as the well-heeled businessman.
▪ Or a human parent will take delight in teaching their child to walk and talk and do so many things.
▪ The story of the purchase of Sarah's burial plot is comedy, and comedy frequently takes delight in debunking heroes.
▪ They remember you at your most awkward and unformed and they take delight in reminding you of it.
▪ You take delight in vexing me.
take delivery of sth
▪ First, the cheque which Y had given X when Y took delivery of the car from X, was dishonoured.
▪ Read in studio A new detention centre for immigrants has taken delivery of its first inmates, despite protests from local people.
▪ School joy: Eastbourne School, Darlington, will take delivery of a brand new £14,000 minibus on Wednesday.
▪ Soon after taking delivery of the car, he had a crash in it, due to its defective steering mechanism.
▪ The buyers took delivery of the foil but never made full payment.
▪ The construction equipment giant has been a customer since the early Seventies, and has taken delivery of 150,000 engines to date.
take each day as it comes
take effect
▪ It will be a few minutes before the drugs start to take effect.
▪ It will be a while before the government's new economic policy takes effect.
▪ The controversial bike-helmet law will take effect January 1.
▪ The dentist gave me an injection that took effect almost immediately, and I didn't feel a thing.
▪ The new rules take effect January 1.
▪ After that it will take effect and will remain on your file for six years.
▪ As he spoke, his language grew rougher and rougher, as if a Jekyll and Hyde transformation were taking effect.
▪ As you type, word wrap will take effect at character position 39, the right margin of the first column.
▪ By the time the order took effect, however, the issue had already become moot.
▪ She said she had been told by government officials the reform will take effect on April 1.
▪ Smith's appointment as deputy inspector general never took effect.
▪ The changes were expected to take effect following a referendum scheduled for Sept. 15.
▪ The Constitution would take effect from Feb. 12, 1992.
take effect/come into effect
take evasive action
▪ A party of puffins had to take evasive action as they nearly flew into the side of the ship.
▪ He could neither move to attack nor take evasive action.
▪ He says they picked it up on the radar and had to take evasive action.
▪ If the Nations Air crew had been alerted, it might not have had to take evasive action.
▪ Not bad for a graduate in literature and one who normally took evasive action at the sight of a screwdriver.
▪ The alarm call stimulates other nearby blackbirds to take evasive action.
▪ The military experts taught her how to take evasive action and speed away from danger.
▪ When the current recession gripped, they decided to take evasive action.
take exception to sth
▪ Jones took exception to a comment I made about his weight.
▪ Dunbar could scarcely take exception to that, and changed the subject.
▪ Louise picked out a pretty little pink dress that nobody could possibly take exception to and so honour was satisfied.
▪ No one could possibly take exception to this Mathis infant.
▪ Not that, for the most part, there was much that visitors could take exception to.
▪ Owen thought for a moment that he was taking exception to the casual obscenity, but it was not that.
▪ Paul took exception to her advice and resigned.
▪ They had not taken exception to it before, so why start now?
▪ What I take exception to is the manner in which we are presently carrying out our naval preparations.
take five
▪ Let's take five and get some coffee.
▪ At auction it took five agonising minutes and £700 to secure the house.
▪ But it took five years of intense work to write the standards, circulate them for review, and then revise them.
▪ It will still take five or six months to receive the new document.
▪ It would take five Saturn 5 launches to deliver a single such storm shelter to the Moon.
▪ Or rather, they can take five.
▪ Students should take five tougher, leaner A-levels, he said.
▪ That means winning at home and taking five of nine on the road.
▪ Watkin, who won two Test caps against the West Indies in 1991 took five for 71.
take form
▪ As those projects struggle to take form, competition seems to be rubbing rivals uncomfortably.
▪ Here, as also in pages to come, we see the most singular feature of the affluent society taking form.
▪ In this faded house among the ferns, a bright idea was inevitably taking form.
▪ It exists in conservatives' minds, has taken form on paper and has dropped roots in a few, isolated areas.
▪ Slowly the new structure took form.
▪ Suddenly a new aspect appears beyond the obvious and very gradually takes form.
▪ The world seemed to take form in his eyes: to grow bright and rich and real.
take fright
▪ But when the City looked at the gap where macroeconomic policy should have been, it took fright.
▪ I approached him, but he did not take fright.
▪ If the telephones had rung you would have taken fright.
▪ Kafka and Milena take fright and run off in different directions.
▪ Lennon, however, took fright and hurried into a shot which sped wide of the target.
▪ Market makers took fright, presuming some one knew something they did not, and the price tumbled 30 p.c.
▪ Men had died because an untrained horse had taken fright at the sound of musketry.
▪ The men steadying it took fright, threw down their long tongs, and fled.
take home £120 per week/$600 a month etc
take issue with sb/sth
▪ As well as criticizing the omissions in the sample studied, local scientists took issue with some of the health evidence.
▪ Boucher took issue with that, saying he was well enough to play.
▪ But even during his sentencing hearing, he seemed to take issue with the contention that he acted alone.
▪ I take issue with the view that district ethics committees are superfluous once central committees have approved a multicentre project.
▪ No one took issue with this, but there was no one present to say what might be done about it.
▪ Scientisttemp agencies take issue with the proposition that contingency workers are a threat to scientists or to science.
▪ Sensible I therefore take issue with Andy.
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 leave of sb/take your leave
take leave of your senses
▪ You challenged him to a fight? Have you taken leave of your senses?
▪ But frequently they appear to have taken leave of their senses when it comes to choosing the right sort of women.
▪ But John had not taken leave of his senses.
▪ Her daughter had taken leave of her senses and her husband was never at home when he was needed.
▪ I know what you're saying and I think you've taken leave of your senses.
▪ She had taken leave of her senses!
▪ Was she taking leave of her senses?
▪ You must have taken leave of your senses! b. You must have left your senses behind! 35a.
take liberties with sb/sth
take matters into your own hands
▪ The city council took matters into its own hands and set a date for the meeting.
▪ As a result, some countries have taken matters into their own hands.
▪ Finally the women of Buntong Tiga can stand it no longer - they take matters into their own hands.
▪ She then took matters into her own hands.
▪ She was more than capable of taking matters into her own hands.
▪ So why not take matters into our own hands?
▪ The last thing leaders want is Tutsi who survived the genocide taking matters into their own hands.
▪ When the psycho is caught, then let go on a technicality, Mom takes matters into her own hands.
take note (of sth)
▪ Be sure that each student draws and takes notes on her observations.
▪ I write this down verbatim, for much the same reason I took notes in college.
▪ It was then that I realized that I had forgotten to take note of any landmarks en route.
▪ They want to sit there passively, taking notes.
▪ Unless you believe in some supernatural being, taking notes of our progress.
▪ While you are working through this process, take note of the features in the garden that you would like to keep.
▪ You discussed the contents with your boss and took notes.
take offence (at sth)
▪ Corbett loved the brilliant logic delivered so tongue-in-cheek that only those who wished to take offence would be affronted.
▪ It is music for the coach trade, at which only the most high-minded purist is likely to take offence.
▪ Lane did not take offence at his boss's comment, nor did he slow down.
▪ No one will take offence and you might secure win: win.
▪ Poor Mrs Sugden considered we were being very superior, and took offence.
▪ The driver would have known it was his first time, didn't take offence at the yelling.
▪ There was little point in taking offence, and no time to do so in any case.
▪ Would Bonaventure return or take offence at not being fed by him and disappear for ever into the stinking alleyways?
take on/assume/wear the mantle of sth
▪ Against all expectations, it has not taken on the mantle of best pupil in the euro class.
take part
▪ John has taken an active part in getting artists together for the festival.
▪ Nearly 500 teams took part in the competition.
▪ Police have arrested a number of people who took part in the riot.
▪ She wanted to take part but she was too ill.
▪ She was asked to take part in a TV debate on drugs.
▪ The program teaches children about conservation, and about 30 schools are taking part.
▪ Everyone should take part in church and Community affairs. -..
▪ He gets on with cleaning up behind the bar, while his daughter, Genny takes part.
▪ In all, 27 local stations are taking part in the contest.
▪ Peden was not armed and did not take part in the band's less reputable exploits.
▪ The nationalist hardliner Vojislav Seseslj, who controls a large block of seats, refused to take part.
▪ The public also favors taking part in on-line public opinion polls and interactive electronic town-hall political meetings.
▪ Would-be apprentices are questioned about their attitude towards foreigners, and they take part in a week-long workshop on tolerance and diversity.
take place
▪ Police are trying to prevent the demonstration from taking place.
▪ The next Olympics will take place in Australia.
▪ The wedding will take place at St Andrew's church.
▪ When did the robbery take place?
▪ Eud provides only the barest information; the separation took place.
▪ Furthermore, the transference from Worcester to Lincoln of the concept of a ten-bayed concentric chapter house took place about 1225.
▪ My first little skirmish took place over a film, one about rape.
▪ Since the early 1960s, considerable debate has taken place in educational circles about the nature of history as a discipline.
▪ The ball took place in the Great Room at Grosvenor House.
▪ The film takes place during foggy days in London and in the gloom of darkened rooms and candlelit corridors.
▪ The incident took place outside any warning area.
▪ Whether versions of destruction are to take place within or without the industrial enterprise, the political implications are obvious.
take pot luck
▪ Before farmers had to take pot luck over whether their ewes were pregnant.
take pride in your work/appearance etc
▪ And taking Pride in their work ... behind the scenes of a top drama.
▪ He takes pride in his appearance, setting a high standard to exemplify his healthy leadership style.
▪ I take pride in my work-particularly my work as a health educator.
▪ In fact, a set of beautifully manicured nails is a sign of a woman who takes pride in her appearance.
▪ Muriel took pride in their appearance and tried to forget Stephen's late night and Lily's missing days.
▪ The croft cottage was small, only two rooms, but she took pride in her work.
▪ You have to take pride in your work.
take root
▪ Women's professional basketball has yet to take root in this country.
▪ Betty Caplan on the blossoming of an experimental theatre group Magdalena takes root.
▪ But the curious thing was that the idea had somehow and much against his will taken root in his consciousness.
▪ From the day that Michael Codron became interested in producing the show, I felt the cutting take root.
▪ Has democracy truly taken root in the hemisphere, they wonder.
▪ I was being pressed into the earth, taking root at last.
▪ The formal idea of a society of Co-Workers took root gradually.
▪ These spores take root in the Night Goblin's flesh and gradually start to change him.
▪ This plant propagates as speedily in deep water as in a marshy habitat, the thin rhizomes taking root quickly.
take sb for a ride
▪ After the deal was signed, I felt like I'd been taken for a ride.
▪ I'd already given him £50 when I realized he was taking me for a ride.
▪ Well, at least he's not going to take her for a ride, like her first husband.
▪ He wanted to take her for a ride.
▪ I wish I could take them for a ride in my little airplane and show how beautiful the world can look.
▪ Nicola explodes with anger when she discovers stud boss Andrew has been taking her for a ride.
▪ Opo would ease between her legs and take her for rides.
▪ We took it for a ride.
take sb into your confidence
▪ At first she thought she might take Leo into her confidence.
▪ Disclosing information Give others nuggets of information about yourself and take them into your confidence.
▪ Draw the children to you; take them into your confidence.
▪ He is for ever telling us what he will do and why, for ever taking us into his confidence.
▪ I want to take you into my confidence.
▪ Not that she had made up her mind about taking Bridget into her confidence - she would leave that decision until later.
▪ One of the best ways of doing this is to take children into our confidence.
▪ Use you, yes, but take you into his confidence?
take sb to the cleaner's
take sb to your heart
▪ Baptism is a mark of belonging, a ground of assurance, which the Spirit can take home to our hearts.
▪ Crowds have taken Mota to their hearts.
▪ So listen carefully and take it to your hearts.
take sb under your wing
▪ Adrienne, eleven years older, had taken the 19-year-old singer under her wing.
▪ He had sized me up, he said, and had decided to take me under his wing.
▪ Tom took the young reporter under his wing.
▪ Adrienne, eleven years older, had taken her under her wing.
▪ Gyorgy Aczel, the liberal-minded ideology chief, spotted the talented regional boss and took him under his wings.
▪ He had sized me up, he later explained, and had decided to take me under his wing.
▪ He understood that the boy had had little formal education until Edouard took him under his wing.
▪ Nor could you expect some sage old workman to take you under his wing and bestow upon you his store of knowledge.
▪ Simon's uncle had taken him under his wing, so Simon and his wife, Mary, half lived there.
▪ They monitor the student at the work site and take them under their wing.
take sb's breath away
▪ And if they don't take your breath away the scenery certainly will.
▪ Just a white-hot bonding with the words and feelings in the song, a raw purity that will take your breath away.
▪ Middle Earth took your breath away.
▪ She had taken his breath away when she appeared at the door.
▪ Some of it was charmingly primitive, some of it so exotically painted it took your breath away.
▪ The smoke took your breath away.
▪ The volatility of the top performers can take your breath away.
▪ There are sunsets in huge skies to take your breath away.
take sb's name in vain
take sb's part
take sb/sth by surprise
▪ But still Hsu Fu was not satisfied or took us by surprise.
▪ But the vehemence and anger of this response take her by surprise.
▪ He rolled towards Lily, taking her by surprise.
▪ His deep voice took Romanov by surprise.
▪ Inspector Montgomery's sudden termination of the interview had taken her by surprise initially, but now she understood his strategy.
▪ Midlife never took me by surprise.
▪ Such cheery jobless numbers have taken everybody by surprise.
▪ The thought that had been waiting to be revealed, waiting to take him by surprise.
take sb/sth literally
▪ A lot of what they said on the tapes was damaging if you took it literally.
take sb/sth seriously
▪ Sandy used to take herself so seriously all the time.
▪ You really take this stuff seriously, don't you?
take second place (to sb/sth)
▪ However, religious identity had taken second place to secular nationalism for a whole generation.
▪ However, toilet training took second place to skill with weapons or natural aggression.
▪ It's not unusual for man to be put in this position of taking second place.
▪ Nina was telling Joe that she was here to help but not to take second place to his wife.
▪ Since she was utterly devoted to my father, her children inevitably took second place.
▪ Spider then is able to confront his fear and on the big night, he takes second place in the spelling bee.
▪ There was criticism that books took second place, even when it came to the design of the building.
▪ Words take second place to nonverbal cues, personal mannerisms, gestures, expressions, and overall appearance.
take shape
▪ A new plan was taking shape.
▪ An obvious case is that of Eärendil, the first character to take shape in Tolkien's mythology.
▪ Later as weapons and uniforms became available and with the help of the older men, the unit began to take shape.
▪ Quickly the character of Witness began to take shape.
▪ Such was the excitement in the field as the new theory of plate tectonics was taking shape.
▪ The creator of Yoknapatawpha County took shape on a bench, seated with his legs crossed, holding a pipe.
▪ The world watched as the fleet took shape.
▪ Then passersby saw thousands of feet of wire being strung, and soon a huge, strange-looking antenna system began taking shape.
take sides
▪ I don't mind you two arguing, but don't ask me to take sides.
▪ The chairwoman managed to stimulate a lively debate without taking sides herself.
▪ We're not here to take sides in this case.
▪ Diplomats said Washington was reluctant to offer any formula in writing because this would mean taking sides.
▪ Golding and Slater, in separate letters to President Clinton, complained that Rich improperly took sides in a local policy debate.
▪ I do not want to take sides in this matter; but I do want to point out the following consequences.
▪ It has also caused businessmen to openly take sides in a debate they traditionally left to politicians and human-rights activists.
▪ To the extent the Behls take sides, they are Democrats.
▪ You have to understand how much it hurts when society makes you take sides, makes you choose.
take some doing
▪ Getting this old car to run is going to take some doing.
▪ It took some doing, but I finally persuaded Jim to give me a few more days off.
▪ Winning 3 gold medals in the Olympic Games takes some doing.
▪ Catching up four goals will take some doing.
▪ It takes some doing for a couple to counter the opposition of either family.
▪ It took some doing, but I was out the next day.
▪ So I have to prise off the foe unassisted, which, believe me, takes some doing.
▪ This Series can be saved, but it will take some doing.
▪ This took some doing, as they seemed prepared to stay all night.
▪ Whew, that took some doing, I can tell you.
take someone to task
take somewhere by storm
take sth amiss
take sth as a compliment
▪ I said he was a workaholic, and he seemed to take it as a compliment.
▪ After a bit she became used to being stared at, even taking it as a compliment.
▪ After all, these services are free and we take it as a compliment if you ask.
▪ But Marcel would no doubt take that as a compliment.
▪ But the members of Greyhound Soul take it as a compliment, as it was meant to be taken.
▪ But when she heard such things, Privet took it as a compliment.
▪ He would only assume that she attached some importance to his opinion and take it as a compliment.
▪ I did not quite know what they meant but I took it as a compliment.
▪ I take that as a compliment.
take sth as given
take sth at face value
▪ The newspapers have taken this propaganda at face value, without questioning it.
▪ And he no longer took things at face value.
▪ Because Kate, for all her faults real and imagined, was the only person ever to take him at face value.
▪ But now, a hundred years on, certain factions persist in taking it at face value.
take sth downmarket
take sth further
▪ We take it further than just explaining drug abuse and saying "Don't do it."
take sth hard
▪ Dad didn't say much, but I could tell he took it hard.
take sth in good part
take sth in tow
take sth in your stride
▪ Liz seems to be taking the divorce in her stride.
▪ Most kids get teased a bit at school - they have to learn to take it in their stride.
▪ Nigel smiled and took the criticism in his stride.
▪ Cocooned in happiness, Leslie seemed to take it in his stride, his attitude one of cheerful impatience.
▪ He took mountains in his stride.
▪ I was very impressed with our position, but Peter just took it in his stride.
▪ Jimmy was old enough to take it in his stride.
▪ No doubt, he felt he could take that in his stride.
▪ Rut the Europa took it in its stride, sucking itself to the tarmac and slicing through.
▪ You do dangerous things and take them in your stride just for starters.
▪ You took everything in your stride - walking up Henry Street, a bucket of water went right in front of me.
take sth into consideration
▪ Even when other factors were taken into consideration, shorter men had a higher risk of heart attacks.
▪ A large part of my life has been spent taking you into consideration.
▪ Engineers looking at flood defences and modelling catchments, sewer systems and watercourses, have to take many factors into consideration.
▪ League tables that do not take that correlation into consideration distort reality and are inaccurate.
▪ Many nations began pursuing measures that took this discrepancy into consideration.
▪ Mortality does not, however, take lifetime risk into consideration.
▪ That way you hear other people's views and can prepare argument and reason which take them into consideration.
▪ They had enough information to take the archeology into consideration.
▪ We therefore took this data into consideration when calculating the superhelical densities of the different plasmid preparations.
take sth on board
▪ Our manager seemed to take our comments on board.
▪ And growers are only going to take precision farming on board if it can reduce the unit cost of production.
▪ At Hollybush we took information on board in a democratic, communal fashion, grouped with notebooks and pencils around visual aids.
▪ It is available from your Book, but so often the planet does not take it on board.
▪ The Chancellor has taken this on board, despite his predominantly male core of advisers.
▪ Then taking her on board they went where she directed and reached the sacred grove where the Fleece hung.
take sth on the chin
▪ He should have just taken it on the chin...
▪ Short sellers took it on the chin last year.
▪ The car's manufacturers are taking it on the chin.
take sth on trust
▪ He said he'd never been in trouble before, which I was content to take on trust.
▪ I'm afraid I can't let you see the letter, so you'll just have to take what I'm saying on trust.
▪ I just had to take it on trust that he would deliver the money.
▪ I had to take him on trust on that.
▪ Male speaker Don't take people on trust.
▪ She was petite, going silver-haired, vivacious, bright, and willing to take Richard on trust.
▪ So she thought that she might take it on trust.
▪ They learn not to take things on trust, but to make sure they fully comprehend in order to make their own assessments.
▪ You do not know me and so you can not be expected to take anything on trust.
take sth personally
▪ Anna took it personally when the boss said some people were not working hard enough.
▪ I didn't take his rebuff too personally, since I was used to his habit of being rude to his juniors.
▪ Please don't take it personally - he doesn't want to see anyone.
▪ This is a general criticism, so I hope none of you will take it personally.
take sth the wrong way
▪ Daniel sat in silence, afraid whatever he said would be taken the wrong way.
▪ Don't take this the wrong way, but could I stay at your place tonight?
▪ Don't take this the wrong way, but your driving has really improved.
▪ Don't tell Simon that -- he might take it the wrong way.
▪ No, that's not what I meant. You take everything the wrong way.
▪ Don't take that the wrong way.
▪ Everything you say, he takes it in the wrong way.
▪ Maggie said that I shouldn't make risky jokes with assessors in case they take it the wrong way.
▪ No matter what compliment you pay them, they always take it the wrong way.
▪ Weeb said his father was afraid people might take it the wrong way.
take sth to heart
▪ Brian is a very sensitive kind of person and he takes criticism very much to heart.
▪ Don't take anything he said to heart - he was drunk.
▪ Jack took his father's advice to heart.
▪ After his return to the Church, Gary Cosgrove began taking this counsel to heart.
▪ As a young seminarian, Stuart Cullen had taken that to heart.
▪ But Alain, he is so sensitive, he has taken the affair to heart.
▪ Had he taken the advice to heart, he might have written a quite different book.
▪ Having thus cleverly disarmed his remarks, he effectively placed the onus for taking them to heart squarely on Robby.
▪ He really took the matter to heart and finally wrote his Master's thesis on the subject.
▪ I wish my friends would take that to heart.
▪ In fact, I think quite a lot of them took it to heart.
take sth with a pinch of salt
▪ It's best to take what he says with a pinch of salt - he's always exaggerating.
▪ You have to take most things Dave says with a pinch of salt.
▪ But since he never even notices that Howard is himself Howard takes this with a pinch of salt.
take sth with a pinch/grain of salt
▪ But since he never even notices that Howard is himself Howard takes this with a pinch of salt.
▪ I try to take everything with a grain of salt.
▪ We took her to a psychic reader about a month ago-we take that with a grain of salt.
take stock (of sth)
▪ While in the hospital, Jeremy took stock of his life.
▪ As the others came ashore I took stock of my new dominion.
▪ He paused outside the doors, taking stock of his men, careful not to give any sign of his thoughts.
▪ He walked back inside and took stock of the situation.
▪ It is time to take stock, at the half-way mark, before the next phase of reform.
▪ Many others in the region are taking stock, too.
▪ That is what I mean by taking stock.
▪ That night at camp, with 23 miles still ahead of us, we took stock.
▪ With him came a difference in style, a change of gear, a time for reflection and taking stock.
take the (moral) high road
▪ Daley has taken the high road in his campaign, trying to ignore Merriam's attacks.
▪ Instead, I decided to take the high road.
▪ Read in studio Still to come on Central News, taking the high road.
▪ She was at least making the attempt to take the high road, only to run into a dead end.
take the biscuit
▪ Clive Anderson O, while the mighty Sultans take the biscuit.
▪ Now this just took the biscuit.
▪ This really takes the biscuit!!
take the bull by the horns
▪ Helena decided to take the bull by the horns and organize the show herself.
▪ We decided to take the bull by the horns and go to court, instead of paying the fine.
take the cake
▪ You've done some pretty stupid things, but that really takes the cake!
▪ But the collective foolishness of amending the Constitution wholesale really takes the cake.
take the easy way out
▪ Too many people take the easy way out of financial trouble by declaring bankruptcy.
▪ But these days, if it looks as if it's going to be nasty, I take the easy way out.
▪ Fishwick, however, does not take the easy way out.
▪ Not surprisingly they take the easy way out when food is put out for them each day.
▪ This healthy, realistic fear helps the organization resist the temptation to take the easy way out of a problematic situation.
take the edge off sth
▪ As you can perhaps appreciate, this rather took the edge off my initial delight.
▪ But it takes the edge off the pain.
▪ He had decisively taken the edge off trade union power.
▪ Moneylarge sums of money-can take the edge off an ambitious person.
▪ The burning wood takes the edge off the morning cold, and it helps brew our coffee.
▪ The sun was warm on my back, but the south-easterly wind took the edge off the stifling heat.
▪ This will take the edge off your anxiety.
▪ This would certainly take the edge off the impending Apollo lunar landing.
take the floor
▪ The bride and groom took the floor for the first dance.
▪ All delegates have a voice at the Conference and can take the floor on any issue raised.
▪ An additional reduction to the intervention rate has taken the floor rate to 4. 45 percent.
▪ Norman, who had sacked the rest of the team, took the floor.
take the helm
▪ I have decided that now is the time to retire as Captain and that some one else should take the helm.
▪ Instead he told her to take the helm.
▪ Julia, 45, will now deputise for anchorman Trevor McDonald, taking the helm only on Sunday evenings and holidays.
▪ Maher, 52, takes the helm at a time of consolidation and competition in the banking industry.
▪ The coxswain and the quartermaster were killed at the wheel, and Nigel Tibbets took the helm.
▪ Young said he had fulfilled a promise he made when taking the helm in 1969&.
take the law into your own hands
▪ Citizens should not be expected to take the law into their own hands.
take the lead (in doing sth)
▪ It shows what is being done right now by companies taking the lead.
▪ It took only eight minutes for Portadown to take the lead.
▪ It was Olsson who had taken the lead with the jump immediately before Edwards when he leapt 17.47m.
▪ Meanwhile, in the brothers' partnership, Joe took the lead.
▪ Principals are key players and are encouraged to take the lead to ensure that identification procedures are implemented.
▪ Toronto took the lead on the power play with less than two minutes remaining in the second period.
▪ United took the lead midway through the first half.
take the lid off sth
▪ Significantly others have reacted with ambivalence: That exercise on support really took the lid off things in our school.
▪ Tilda, unabashed, was out in the pantry, helping the ward orderlies take the lids off the supper trays.
take the long view (of sth)
▪ Any time we set out to change our lives or the world, we have to take the long view.
▪ But I think you must take the long view.
▪ It was an error to take the long view in the face of moral objections.
▪ One had to take the long view.
▪ The fox of Damascus, ruthlessly in control since 1970, has always taken the long view.
take the long view (of sth)
▪ Any time we set out to change our lives or the world, we have to take the long view.
▪ But I think you must take the long view.
▪ It was an error to take the long view in the face of moral objections.
▪ One had to take the long view.
▪ The fox of Damascus, ruthlessly in control since 1970, has always taken the long view.
take the mickey (out of sb)
▪ Abu Salim was a pain, which is why it was such a relief to take the mickey out of him.
▪ He and his friend Keith took the mickey out of the rich.
▪ I liked it because he was taking the mickey out of himself.
▪ They would take the mickey out of me with sickening enthusiasm.
▪ We take the mickey out of Mr Brown quite a lot, actually.
▪ You could trust him not to take the mickey, or to turn round and bite your head off.
▪ You guys take the mickey, and call me Count.
take the piss (out of sb/sth)
take the place of sb/sth
▪ I don't think anyone could take her place.
▪ Sending e-mail has almost taken the place of writing letters.
▪ Explain that the marbles have taken the place of the water that has spilled out.
▪ Finally, teachers are prohibited from making a copy of works to take the place of an anthology.
▪ Hops have also been stuffed into pillows, taking the place of down to help induce sleep.
▪ It connoted a rational, efficient method of organization-something to take the place of the arbitrary exercise of power by authoritarian regimes.
▪ On home-baked brown bread it takes the place of butter.
▪ Other hopes have centred on ethanol taking the place of petroleum - but fuel crops must not displace food.
▪ Rigid rules and patterns take the place of more flexible thinking about feelings.
▪ They found out other marvellous arts to take the place of tricks and old stories.
take the plunge
▪ "Are you two getting married?" "Yes. We've decided to take the plunge."
▪ Forsyth took the plunge into politics in 1996.
▪ We've decided to take the plunge and get married.
▪ And once you do take the plunge, avoid the computer ads for at least a year.
▪ But with only five runners declared-and two of those pulled out before racing-she decided to take the plunge.
▪ For some years I have been thinking of buying a word processor but have not yet taken the plunge.
▪ Mrs Scott, pictured above, first took the plunge in 1993 when she converted a house into two flats.
▪ Pennsylvania had already taken the plunge into youth apprenticeships before Butler began making his calculations.
▪ Ralph and his wife decided to take the plunge into business.
▪ Until then, our Buying With Confidence section on page 66 explains how to protect yourself when you take the plunge.
take the rap (for sth)
▪ Bo was left to take the rap for Victor's murder.
▪ And it is these bit players who nearly always take the rap, rather than white-collar drug lords such as Amado Carrillo.
▪ Ed Vulliamy Who should take the rap?
▪ He has set up his neighbour to take the rap for a very nasty murder.
▪ It is the incentives under which financial users and providers operate that should take the rap and which require attention.
▪ Mike refuses, takes the rap, and Ernie goes free.
▪ People like you usually arrange it so that people like Gleeson take the rap.
▪ What you hope he will do is to remain silent and let Preval make decisions and take the rap for unpopular choices.
take the red eye
take the rough with the smooth
▪ I needed them as much as they needed me and I happily took the rough with the smooth.
▪ You have to take the rough with the smooth.
take the veil
take the waters
▪ She's gone to a resort in Florida to take the waters.
▪ Got some stomach trouble and I was advised to go to Vichy and Wiesbaden and take the waters.
▪ In 1891 Woodhall Spa became a resort for people to take the waters.
▪ Make a kind of grand tour on my own, take the waters and cure what ails me.
take the weight off your feet
▪ Come in, take the weight off your feet.
▪ Make the bed - then you can lie down and take the weight off your feet while we talk.
take the wind out of sb's sails
▪ Last night's defeat has taken some of the wind out of the team's sails.
take the words (right) out of sb's mouth
take the wraps off sth
take time out (to do sth)
▪ A: I am going to take time out and go to college.
▪ Actress Beverley D'Angelo is taking time out from her screen career to perform a risqué country set across the Bible belt.
▪ At the product's launch, the company took time out to damn 3Com's boundary routing scheme with faint praise.
▪ Despite his increasingly hectic schedule, Haden graciously took time out to be interviewed about the Quartet and the Jazzfest tour.
▪ I shall take time out to call at Aurae Phiala.
▪ If you actually worked for Jobs, he took time out from preaching the Mac gospel to meddle in your life.
▪ Nurses in Training Questions: Do nurse teachers take time out to discuss their teaching methods with their peers?
▪ The 73-year-old Republican standard-bearer took time out of his busy campaign schedule last week to search for those roots.
take to something like a duck to water
▪ She's taken to her new position like a duck to water.
take to your heels
▪ He jumped off the train, took to his heels, and was quickly out of sight.
▪ The boys jumped down and took to their heels.
▪ The kids immediately took to their heels as Mrs Brewster appeared around the corner.
▪ The deer in turn took to their heels.
▪ The infantry detailed to guard them let off only a couple of volleys before also taking to their heels.
▪ They took to their heels and ran up the road.
▪ Used to moving fast on jobs, Fitzgerald took to his heels and outran the bees over a couple of hundred yards.
take turns
▪ Mandy and Debbie took it in turns to look after the baby.
▪ Small children find it almost impossible to take turns.
▪ We take turns doing the dishes.
▪ You'll have to take turns on the swing.
▪ And in every block the women took turns to watch the street.
▪ Danskin and Smitty took turns behind the wheel and they became more tense as the day passed.
▪ Dozens of men and boys take turns trading shots with him.
▪ I asked them to take turns talking about the pictures.
▪ So, instead, they used a large puppet and two actors who take turns dressing as the chimpanzee.
▪ They take turns coming back on weekends to run it.
▪ We arranged that we should take turns to cook for whomsoever was on the same watch.
take umbrage (at sth)
▪ Maynard angrily took umbrage at Campbell's remarks.
▪ Ever a stickler for protocol, he and his wife took umbrage at the democratic etiquette of President Thomas Jefferson's administration.
▪ He got on very well with the patients, and made them laugh without taking umbrage when they laughed at him.
▪ If they take umbrage, then they were never a proper friend in the first place.
▪ She took umbrage at his remarks, but made no attempt to get her figure back.
▪ The Republicans, naturally, take umbrage at predictions about what they might do.
take up residence
▪ He left the country in December to take up residence in Panama.
▪ In 1951 he took up residence in Chicago.
▪ In 1953 Diem took up residence at a monastery in Belgium.
▪ He's about to take up residence at Hertford College, Oxford.
▪ He was only a few weeks away from his ninetieth birthday when pneumonia again took up residence in his weary lungs.
▪ In 1858 a wild rabbit takes up residence in the garden.
▪ One of them has taken up residence in a hut in Roche's garden.
▪ The Dee at Chester was fishable but the only action was from 40 cormorants who have taken up residence above the weir.
▪ The labs' distant agents are Kurds who have taken up residence in the West.
▪ They take up residence in some numbers in marsh and swampland.
take up the cudgels (on behalf of sb/sth)
take up/pick up the slack
take wing
▪ Abroad, too, imagination took wing.
▪ Freed in the slipstream of profanity, it took wing.
▪ Her heart had taken wing as she and Mandy had walked down into the lodge.
▪ Often they perch on rooftops like gargoyles, waiting hours for nightfall so they can take wing.
take your cue from sb
▪ The salesman controls the timing of a sale, but he should take his cues from the buyer.
▪ But there was change in the air: one woman began to study and others took their cue from her.
▪ I took my cue from her, surviving the eulogy by neatly disconnecting myself from what was said.
▪ Maybe the academy membership took its cues from the small panel that decided the nominees in the top four categories.
▪ McGee, who had clearly been primed, did not move and Julia took her cue from him.
▪ Musically, things take their cues from the staging s unsettling tone.
▪ The woman takes her cue from the guy eventually.
▪ They speculated, taking their cues from the beliefs of many religions, that mind would eventually free itself from matter.
▪ We take our cue from our leaders.
take your lumps
▪ Our team took its lumps this season, but still finished with a winning record.
▪ For all these shortcomings, Apple took its lumps.
take your medicine (like a man)
▪ Come on, Ragtime Cowboy Joe, take your medicine.
▪ Conradin hated her with all his heart, but he obeyed her quietly and took his medicine without arguing.
▪ He and his grandpa took their medicine together, at the same time.
▪ He hadn't been changed or taken his medicine.
▪ He shut his eyes, held his nose like a kid about to take his medicine, and started to drink.
▪ His major problem is that he misses taking his medicine, and he travels too much.
▪ Like some one recovering from the flu, she quit taking her medicine as soon as she felt better.
▪ Soon after she left the hospital, with a clearer mind, she again stopped taking her medicine.
take your places
▪ Amidst shuffles and low-voiced murmurings the rest of the members took their places and eyed each other uneasily across the table.
▪ As the happy couple took their places there was a stir and a rising babble behind them.
▪ Differences in wealth and the superiority of elder over younger sons are ignored as they take their places according to age.
▪ Many of the new sovereign states took their places in the United Nations.
▪ Then two of our most experienced divers took their places in the bell, and it was lowered again.
▪ There was a delay while people took their places in the vehicles parked along the road.
▪ They took their places at the table with an awkward, almost shy silence.
take your time
▪ Alice took her time telling the story, making sure to include every detail.
▪ Just take your time and think about what you're saying and you'll be fine.
▪ Just take your time, and speak slowly and clearly.
▪ Just take your time. You don't have to decide immediately.
▪ Not wanting to seem too eager, Susan took her time about replying to the invitation.
▪ Take your time, think the matter over carefully, and then tell me what you've decided.
▪ Anne Hutchinson took her time going into exile.
▪ He was used to taking his time and not seeing every instant as a precious resource.
▪ Her own country took its time to create her a baroness; it came only in 1979.
▪ I took my time to do it right.
▪ If it did seek revenge, the lady's spirit certainly took its time.
▪ Liz took her time over washing, in order to give the child a chance to return to bed.
▪ Peahens survey several males and take their time over their decision, allowing each to parade his tail to best advantage.
▪ The woman behind the bar takes her time opening the fruit juice, as if trying to needle us.
take/bring sb down a peg (or two)
▪ No harm in taking Evans down a peg.
take/bring sb/sth along
take/catch sb by surprise
▪ He caught me by surprise and I sounded foolish.
▪ He rolled towards Lily, taking her by surprise.
▪ His deep voice took Romanov by surprise.
▪ In consequence, untold numbers of sailors died when their destinations suddenly loomed out of the sea and took them by surprise.
▪ Inspector Montgomery's sudden termination of the interview had taken her by surprise initially, but now she understood his strategy.
▪ The hug takes him by surprise.
▪ The thought that had been waiting to be revealed, waiting to take him by surprise.
▪ Welch and I had a rather heated exchange about the appropriateness of his editorial interference, which had caught me by surprise.
take/catch sb unawares
▪ I was caught unawares by his kiss.
take/catch your fancy
▪ A porcelain corgi in the window took her fancy.
▪ And you use everyone, for whatever little scheme takes your fancy.
▪ Have you been trawling the sales and picking up every urn and tub that caught your fancy?
▪ I'd wander down the high street, frittering away on whatever took my fancy.
▪ I am just glad I wasn't Anne Boleyn, or some other lady who took his fancy.
▪ Selection is not a matter of having everything that takes your fancy.
▪ Turn to page 14 to see which takes your fancy.
▪ When Oates took his fancy passing to Boston, Cam Neely thrived.
take/claim/seize the moral high ground
▪ Some corporations have seized the moral high ground.
▪ Television is therefore seen to be taking the moral high ground, the side of the punter against the forces of evil.
take/draw sb to one side
▪ Eventually Johnny drew him to one side with a shock-haired young reporter who sported horn-rimmed glasses and a velvet bow-tie.
▪ He was always taking me to one side, telling me what I should and shouldn't do.
take/go to (great) pains to do sth
▪ However, composers often go to great pains to keep to true intervals.
▪ Mr Lendrem has gone to great pains to establish one thing: that all of his preconceptions concerning bird behaviour are true.
take/hand over the reins
▪ Campbell Christie takes over the reins at Brockville tomorrow.
▪ Finally, on November 24, he took over the reins of the Puzzle Palace from the retiring director.
▪ The younger generation had taken over the reins.
take/have a leak
▪ Billy got off his lounge chair now, went into the bathroom and took a leak.
▪ Cully goes off to take a leak.
▪ I'd gone behind the set to take a leak and I heard this sound like snapping wood.
▪ I thought it was a damn silly place to park if some one wanted to take a leak in the bushes.
▪ She locked herself into a cubicle and took a leak.
▪ Tank owners are required to have leak detection equipment installed by December 1993.
▪ Well, rumors have leaked out.
take/have/play no part in sth
▪ Herrera, personally, took no part in this mild form of political persecution.
▪ Johnny played no part in this world.
▪ Of course, Laura took no part in such a major business decision; the empire builder was Bernard.
▪ Schuster insists his political connections played no part in the choice.
▪ The mostly white jurors who actually sat in the jury room, insisted that race had played no part in their decision.
▪ The very act of imagining Gods exempt from suffering ensures that humans take no part in the deity.
▪ They are evaluated and yet play no part in defining the criteria, determining the methods, or controlling the process.
▪ This is not to say that economic imperatives play no part in penal developments.
take/keep/get sb's mind off sth
▪ At other times, the surroundings helped to take my mind off it.
▪ I guess there is nothing that will get your mind off every-thing like golf will.
▪ Instead they tried to take their minds off the poster campaign by providing weekend entertainment.
▪ It takes your mind off how you feel.
▪ Kirsty chattered excitedly throughout the journey, helping to keep Shiona's mind off her anxieties.
▪ Letters could take my mind off most things.
▪ To take his mind off his worries, I suggested that he wrote out a message for his family.
▪ When the other guy thinks you are cheating, it can take his mind off the game.
take/need a cold shower
▪ He put water on to boil and took a cold shower.
▪ I took a cold shower and changed my clothes.
▪ In the morning, when you get up, take a cold shower.
▪ Instead he took a cold shower and a huge mug of coffee, and tried to sort out his thoughts.
▪ There is one foolproof way to rid yourself of this - take a cold shower.
take/put up with shit (from sb)
take/quote sth out of context
▪ Jennings accused the program of quoting him out of context.
▪ By confusing unrelated issues and taking information out of context, you do readers a great disservice.
▪ This has been taken completely out of context.
take/treat/approach sth lightly
▪ We don't take any bomb threat lightly.
taking one thing with another
when the mood takes you
win/collect/take etc the wooden spoon
▪ When he motioned for her to take the wooden spoon from him she did so, avoiding touching him at all costs.
won't take no for an answer
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ "Where's Dan?" "He's taken the car to the garage."
▪ All freshman have to take at least one composition course.
▪ Anna will be taking her music exam in the summer.
▪ Are we allowed to take library books home with us?
▪ Are you taking French again this semester?
▪ Can you take some of these books off me?
▪ Can you give me an idea how long this is going to take?
▪ Did he take the camera with him?
▪ Did he take your advice?
▪ Did you take my pen again?
▪ Do you take sugar in your coffee?
▪ Doing the painting alone will take him all day.
▪ Don't forget to take your keys.
▪ Don't get discouraged. Learning a new language takes a lot of effort.
▪ Employees are being forced to take a 5% pay cut.
▪ Have you taken my keys? I can't find them.
▪ He's not here right now. Can I take a message?
▪ He took a dictionary down from the shelf.
▪ He neither drinks nor takes drugs.
▪ He should have taken that job.
II. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
ADJECTIVE
different
▪ Each has a slightly different take on aging.
▪ Gerstein has a very different take on the matter.
double
▪ You'd be forgiven for doing a double take.
▪ When he got to Mrs Luegerhe had never known her first name-he did a double take.
▪ One of the men glanced at him, giving a double take as he realised who it was.
▪ Colleagues and friends often walked past me in the hallway, then stopped and did a double take.
▪ For me, it was an astonishing double take.
▪ Then a double take as Jack Russell went the same way for a disappointing 3.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
I take my hat off to sb
▪ I take my hat off to those front row men.
▪ Jan starts hers at four, for which I take my hat off to her.
▪ Whatever it was though, I take my hat off to Babs.
be taken aback (by sth)
▪ He was taken aback by the new demands of the job.
▪ I was taken aback, but deep down I wasn't totally surprised.
▪ Intel was taken aback by the intensity of public anger.
▪ Jonadab was taken aback, not being a man given to overt affection.
▪ She was taken aback to realise just how far her reservations about seeing him had disappeared.
▪ The authorities were taken aback, and took the unprecedented step of cordoning off the painting.
▪ The man spun round so swiftly that George was taken aback and tripped, falling on to the soft mud.
be taken bad
be taken short/be caught short
be yours for the taking/asking
be/take centre stage
▪ As she says herself, this is one lady born to be centre stage.
▪ But in her latest role it is her clothes, rather than lack of them, which take centre stage.
▪ By day, the Pirates Club takes centre stage with games, activities and competitions - even the parents join in!
▪ Charles and Diana were to take centre stage in the drama.
▪ Meanwhile, Heidi took centre stage at London Fashion Week.
▪ She was able to take centre stage, providing comic relief while Zephyr shared intimate moments with her special friends.
▪ There are many others like him, lurking in the background when they should be centre stage.
bear/take/suffer etc the brunt of sth
▪ Group comportment had deteriorated by the day, with yours truly bearing the brunt of the collective delinquency.
▪ He thought that the garrison of Richmond ought now to bear the brunt of the fighting.
▪ Her hands, which she threw up to protect her face took the brunt of the injury.
▪ It will bear the brunt of the estimated $ 1 billion cost for the changes on Okinawa.
▪ Retailers are in the immediate line of fire and were first to bear the brunt of cost cutting.
▪ Southern California, where the banks had the most overlap, will bear the brunt of the cuts.
▪ The depot is bearing the brunt of a package of cost cutting measures across three sites.
▪ The front of the car, and those in it, took the brunt of the impact.
can't take your eyes off sb/sth
carry/take coals to Newcastle
catch/take sb off-guard
do a double take
▪ Colleagues and friends often walked past me in the hallway, then stopped and did a double take.
▪ He had to do a double take, bumping into a filing cabinet.
▪ When he got to Mrs Luegerhe had never known her first name-he did a double take.
get/take a free ride
▪ Suppose we get a free ride into the land of happiness?
▪ The company got a free ride on just about everything.
get/take/demand etc your pound of flesh
▪ The Government gets its pound of flesh, doesn't it.
give and take
▪ But in the give and take of biology the tubeworm has to supply raw materials to the bacteria.
▪ But once in gear, the collective give and take of a vivisystem takes root and persists.
▪ But with so many areas of potential give and take, the discussions did not run smoothly.
▪ He had no sense of give and take; no idea of the concessions one made for the sake of social comfort.
▪ In this liaison there should be a great deal of give and take, generating trust and mutual respect.
▪ So I think there was more give and take between our performing than any other relationship.
▪ The next fifteen minutes are spent on the rapid-fire give and take that only another teenager could understand.
▪ They seem to give and take without design.
give or take a few minutes/a penny/a mile etc
have sth stolen/broken/taken etc
have/take pride of place
▪ A runaway hamster called Sophie takes pride of place where the school rat once roamed.
▪ A Tudor Doll's House takes pride of place in a fine collection of houses and period dolls.
▪ Are they to take pride of place, as they should in ballets worthy of the name?
▪ At Maastricht next month, political, economic and monetary union will take pride of place.
▪ Glass would have pride of place, she said.
▪ The statue takes pride of place at Gerrards Cross station.
▪ There, pit latrines inside homes take pride of place, their arched entrances lavishly embellished with stone carvings.
▪ These were retrieved and now take pride of place in the library.
it takes all sorts (to make a world)
it takes two to tango
let nature take its course
▪ Just relax and let nature take its course.
▪ With a cold, it's better to just let nature take its course.
▪ I meant that, in the case of any other industry, we probably would have let nature take its course.
▪ I think we should let nature take its course.
▪ Should I just let nature take its course or stop it now?
▪ Stay calm and let nature take its course.
▪ The best is to obtain juveniles from a number of sources, rear them together and let nature take its course.
not take kindly to sth
▪ Nancy doesn't take kindly to being corrected.
▪ A bachelor who did not take kindly to children under any circumstances, he found the atmosphere at Four Winds appalling.
▪ As will have appeared previously, judges do not take kindly to abbreviations in speech.
▪ Because they are human beings and not two-legged souvenirs, Aborigines do not take kindly to having their pictures taken.
▪ But she does not take kindly to criticism.
▪ Neon Tetras when young do not take kindly to fresh water.
▪ Presumably killers did not take kindly to amateur detectives.
▪ The whips, however, would not take kindly to a woman set among them.
▪ Wood, which is really a craftsman's material, does not take kindly to the inevitable abuses of an emergency.
not take/pay a blind bit of notice
▪ For six years, the Government have not taken a blind bit of notice of the Audit Commission's report.
pay heed to sth/take heed of sth
pick up/take up the gauntlet
plead/take the Fifth (Amendment)
put years on sb/take years off sb
sb can dish it out but they can't take it
sit up (and take notice)
▪ After a bit they sat up and watched the welcome breeze work like an animal through the silver-green barley.
▪ Carol was dying, and he cried out in his sleep and sat up trembling with cold sweats in the heat.
▪ He sat up and stared at the sky in wonder.
▪ I sat up, wondering what the hell!
▪ I was still groggy, but I could sit up.
▪ Léonie sat up straight, tucked her feet to one side, put her hands round her knees.
▪ They sat up side by side in the bed, naked, listening, but Valerie no longer felt safe.
take (a) hold
▪ As the weeks grew into months, a plan took hold of her.
▪ From the reforms that followed, a new life began to take hold, and more than one innovation was meritorious.
▪ Her imagination took hold of the idea and terrorized her at the thought of the hospital catching fire.
▪ His hand came out and took hold of her ankle, gave it a squeeze and a shake.
▪ If doctors could know for certain which individuals would develop the disease, they could treat potential diabetics before the process takes hold.
▪ There are usually reasons why some ideas take hold and persist while others fail to do so.
▪ What do your instincts tell you about whether democracy will take hold after the votes are counted?
▪ Whereas summer still lingered in Florence, winter had already taken hold in Cramer.
take (holy) orders
▪ Clearly modern businesses can not refuse to take orders by telephone.
▪ He wanted to take holy orders, but his father prohibited such a step.
▪ The black alderman took orders from Neistein.
▪ They were no longer the oppressed, wretched teen menials who must take orders, toe the line.
▪ We need to sort of shape ya so you know how to take or, take orders and sit into this machine.
▪ Would they take orders from him?
take a (long) hard look at sth/sb
▪ After the inevitable posture of being affronted, I took a hard look at what I was doing.
▪ Blairites could take a harder look at a rhetorical vocabulary in which every single item was anticipated by totalitarianism.
▪ In practice, many doctors are too busy to take a long hard look at every patient.
▪ Instead, they take a hard look at a difficult moral and political dilemma and find no easy answers.
▪ Or you can take a hard look at the feminist agenda.
▪ Some one needs to take a long hard look at what has happened to tennis in Ulster over the last 20 years.
▪ The latter allows both parties a chance to stand back from the daily routine and take a harder look at overall performance.
take a bit of doing/explaining etc
▪ It took a bit of doing - for instance, the disposal site had to check out 100 percent.
▪ It took a bit of explaining.
▪ That's going to take a bit of explaining.
take a dim view of sth
▪ Management took a dim view of union organizing efforts.
▪ As a keen amateur astronomer I take a dim view of being mistaken for a fortune teller!
▪ But let's assume that as a reader of this paper you take a dim view of these matters.
▪ I hope that the Minister is not back-tracking on them because we would take a dim view of that.
▪ Magistrate Rosemary Watters told Hannon this type of behaviour was unacceptable and the court took a dim view of it.
▪ Most workers instinctively know this and, in most circumstances, take a dim view of union organizing efforts.
▪ The electorate took a dim view of this practice when the government used it to get the consumption tax through in December.
▪ The tendency of bureaucrats to take a dim view of whistle-blowers is particularly marked in the military.
▪ They were summoned to see Miss Rudge who took a dim view of the episode.
take a firm stand/line
▪ But the Young King was incapable of taking a firm line.
▪ Dauntless decided to take a firm stand in the matter.
▪ Handing his keys to the parking valet, he decided that he would take a firm stand.
▪ Stopping short of direction intervention, Carter had taken a firm line.
▪ The decision to take a firm stand comes after local councillors revealed the misery suffered by many of their constituents.
take a leaf out of sb's book
take a running jump
▪ Or, as the Palace will no doubt be recommending to the duchess in due course ... take a running jump.
take account of sth
▪ These figures do not take account of changes in the rate of inflation.
▪ A valuation of a smaller company must take account of its potential as a takeover target.
▪ I trust that he will take account of the road safety dangers that are inherent in his policy.
▪ If this affects you, the enclosed Renewal Notice takes account of the new rates.
▪ Indeed most providers would now claim that they do take account of the wider population.
▪ Like the poll tax, the council tax would also take account of the number of adults in each household.
▪ Organisational house style - it is anticipated that each centre will devise a suitable house style which takes account of keyboarding conventions.
▪ That identity will take account of the traditional positions of certain member states.
▪ The number of staff on leave at any one time Should take account of the building programme.
take advantage of sb
▪ I felt that my friends were taking advantage of me as a free babysitter.
▪ Capriati wore Seles down from the baseline and took advantage of her weak serving.
▪ Economic trends occur swiftly and become established before large industries can scale up and take advantage of new demands.
▪ Egeria also takes advantage of Bull's own library of graphics functions.
▪ Slaves took advantage of the opportunities afforded to rebel.
▪ The enemy could not fail to see his opportunity and take advantage of it.
▪ The far left is also being blamed for taking advantage of grievances.
▪ We can cut costs by bulk purchasing and take advantage of national retail distribution channels.
take advantage of sth (to do sth)
▪ Accordingly he took advantage of a new pope to address the curia for favourable letters.
▪ Meanwhile, authorities can take advantage of experience with the existing system in both rural and urban areas.
▪ Skaven erupt to take advantage of the disaster.
▪ The commission estimates that at least seven companies took advantage of the program.
▪ The Franks took advantage of this by seizing some islands which the Saxons had held.
▪ The Project also took advantage of the vast numbers of our supporters eager to stand up to the bullies at the clinics.
▪ We just hope tens of thousands of other Star subscribers can take advantage of this major price cut, too.
▪ While S-HTTP will be able to take advantage of ubiquitous certification infrastructures, its deployment does not require it.
take aim
▪ For those few seconds when they are taking aim, the soldiers are exposed to enemy fire.
▪ As it sped away, he swung the mounted machinegun around and took aim.
▪ Duval is the one taking aim at the history books, four or more in a row.
▪ I saw Slim lift the gun and take aim.
▪ The boy in the kitchen, just 10 feet away, cocked the gun, took aim and fired.
▪ The Hare-woman's hands steadied the gun and she started to lift it, taking aim.
▪ The photographers stormed the railing and took aim like a starved infantry picking off fish from a bridge.
▪ The plan is that Marie decoys the victim into a position that will give Bobbie plenty of time to take aim.
▪ When Sanders moved into the lineup, quarterbacks took aim at the other side.
take aim at sb/sth
▪ The environmental agency is taking aim at a popular but dangerous chemical used by farmers.
▪ Duval is the one taking aim at the history books, four or more in a row.
▪ In each of these Leapor takes aim at that object of Scriblerian mockery, the beau.
▪ Segev also takes aim at some myths.
▪ She took aim at the sniper, but his roof collapsed under him, dropping him into the fire.
▪ The second enemy took aim at point-blank range.
▪ This one takes aim at criminals who use guns.
▪ When Sanders moved into the lineup, quarterbacks took aim at the other side.
take care
▪ "All right, Pat. Take care." "You too, Sally. Bye bye."
▪ I always take great care with diets, so I don't lose too much weight too quickly.
▪ It's very icy, so take care driving home.
▪ Look at all these typing errors! Can't you take more care?
▪ Of course you don't have to spend all your time worrying about possible health hazards, but you still need to take care.
▪ Sally doesn't take nearly enough care with her accounts.
▪ Take care and we'll talk to you soon.
▪ Take care how you cross the road. Most drivers ignore the traffic lights and just drive through.
▪ Take care not to leave any money in the changing rooms.
▪ Take care to label all the disks with the correct file names.
▪ Take care when you open the van door, sometimes it springs open suddenly.
▪ Take care, Martin and Sophie
▪ Take care. That gun's loaded.
▪ Couldn't Anna tell that she ought to take care?
▪ Cynthia would know what to do; she would take care of it and leave Evie with new hope in her heart.
▪ I take care of Chavez for Mr Vee and come home to stale tangled sheets.
▪ It would ensure the house being taken care of, and the staff maintained, since you say they're good tenants.
▪ The council will take care of that.
▪ There are three main reasons for taking care of an elderly person.
▪ With a longer life span, a lot of people are just becoming too frail to take care of themselves.
take care of sb/sth
▪ Don't worry about the bill; it's taken care of.
▪ Her secretary will take care of the details.
▪ My mother said she'd take care of Luisa next weekend.
▪ The class teaches kids how to take care of their bikes.
▪ But take care of them, darling.
▪ He never washed, but considered swimming nearly every day took care of that.
▪ I can take care of that.
▪ I will take care of it right away.
▪ Most tasks entrusted to governments were also fairly straight forward, so performance tended to take care of itself.
▪ Nature does take care of itself if allowed to.
▪ Some one has to take care of them 24 hours a day.
▪ The software company takes care of the rest.
take care over/with sth
▪ Lucker, who isolates himself and drowns himself out, who doesn't take care with me.
▪ Real teachers with real kids have to take care with written communication.
take cognizance of sth
▪ Of course, in both enumerative and faceted schemes, it is necessary to take cognizance of new simple subjects.
take delight in (doing) sth
▪ My dad took delight in calling me "The Big Ox" when I started growing taller than the other girls.
▪ But do I take delight in pushing you down, making you worse?
▪ Congressional wives take delight in pointing out that kind of error to their husbands.
▪ John, of course, had long since lost his northern accent and took delight in his appearance as the well-heeled businessman.
▪ Or a human parent will take delight in teaching their child to walk and talk and do so many things.
▪ The story of the purchase of Sarah's burial plot is comedy, and comedy frequently takes delight in debunking heroes.
▪ They remember you at your most awkward and unformed and they take delight in reminding you of it.
▪ You take delight in vexing me.
take delivery of sth
▪ First, the cheque which Y had given X when Y took delivery of the car from X, was dishonoured.
▪ Read in studio A new detention centre for immigrants has taken delivery of its first inmates, despite protests from local people.
▪ School joy: Eastbourne School, Darlington, will take delivery of a brand new £14,000 minibus on Wednesday.
▪ Soon after taking delivery of the car, he had a crash in it, due to its defective steering mechanism.
▪ The buyers took delivery of the foil but never made full payment.
▪ The construction equipment giant has been a customer since the early Seventies, and has taken delivery of 150,000 engines to date.
take each day as it comes
take effect
▪ It will be a few minutes before the drugs start to take effect.
▪ It will be a while before the government's new economic policy takes effect.
▪ The controversial bike-helmet law will take effect January 1.
▪ The dentist gave me an injection that took effect almost immediately, and I didn't feel a thing.
▪ The new rules take effect January 1.
▪ After that it will take effect and will remain on your file for six years.
▪ As he spoke, his language grew rougher and rougher, as if a Jekyll and Hyde transformation were taking effect.
▪ As you type, word wrap will take effect at character position 39, the right margin of the first column.
▪ By the time the order took effect, however, the issue had already become moot.
▪ She said she had been told by government officials the reform will take effect on April 1.
▪ Smith's appointment as deputy inspector general never took effect.
▪ The changes were expected to take effect following a referendum scheduled for Sept. 15.
▪ The Constitution would take effect from Feb. 12, 1992.
take effect/come into effect
take evasive action
▪ A party of puffins had to take evasive action as they nearly flew into the side of the ship.
▪ He could neither move to attack nor take evasive action.
▪ He says they picked it up on the radar and had to take evasive action.
▪ If the Nations Air crew had been alerted, it might not have had to take evasive action.
▪ Not bad for a graduate in literature and one who normally took evasive action at the sight of a screwdriver.
▪ The alarm call stimulates other nearby blackbirds to take evasive action.
▪ The military experts taught her how to take evasive action and speed away from danger.
▪ When the current recession gripped, they decided to take evasive action.
take exception to sth
▪ Jones took exception to a comment I made about his weight.
▪ Dunbar could scarcely take exception to that, and changed the subject.
▪ Louise picked out a pretty little pink dress that nobody could possibly take exception to and so honour was satisfied.
▪ No one could possibly take exception to this Mathis infant.
▪ Not that, for the most part, there was much that visitors could take exception to.
▪ Owen thought for a moment that he was taking exception to the casual obscenity, but it was not that.
▪ Paul took exception to her advice and resigned.
▪ They had not taken exception to it before, so why start now?
▪ What I take exception to is the manner in which we are presently carrying out our naval preparations.
take five
▪ Let's take five and get some coffee.
▪ At auction it took five agonising minutes and £700 to secure the house.
▪ But it took five years of intense work to write the standards, circulate them for review, and then revise them.
▪ It will still take five or six months to receive the new document.
▪ It would take five Saturn 5 launches to deliver a single such storm shelter to the Moon.
▪ Or rather, they can take five.
▪ Students should take five tougher, leaner A-levels, he said.
▪ That means winning at home and taking five of nine on the road.
▪ Watkin, who won two Test caps against the West Indies in 1991 took five for 71.
take form
▪ As those projects struggle to take form, competition seems to be rubbing rivals uncomfortably.
▪ Here, as also in pages to come, we see the most singular feature of the affluent society taking form.
▪ In this faded house among the ferns, a bright idea was inevitably taking form.
▪ It exists in conservatives' minds, has taken form on paper and has dropped roots in a few, isolated areas.
▪ Slowly the new structure took form.
▪ Suddenly a new aspect appears beyond the obvious and very gradually takes form.
▪ The world seemed to take form in his eyes: to grow bright and rich and real.
take fright
▪ But when the City looked at the gap where macroeconomic policy should have been, it took fright.
▪ I approached him, but he did not take fright.
▪ If the telephones had rung you would have taken fright.
▪ Kafka and Milena take fright and run off in different directions.
▪ Lennon, however, took fright and hurried into a shot which sped wide of the target.
▪ Market makers took fright, presuming some one knew something they did not, and the price tumbled 30 p.c.
▪ Men had died because an untrained horse had taken fright at the sound of musketry.
▪ The men steadying it took fright, threw down their long tongs, and fled.
take home £120 per week/$600 a month etc
take issue with sb/sth
▪ As well as criticizing the omissions in the sample studied, local scientists took issue with some of the health evidence.
▪ Boucher took issue with that, saying he was well enough to play.
▪ But even during his sentencing hearing, he seemed to take issue with the contention that he acted alone.
▪ I take issue with the view that district ethics committees are superfluous once central committees have approved a multicentre project.
▪ No one took issue with this, but there was no one present to say what might be done about it.
▪ Scientisttemp agencies take issue with the proposition that contingency workers are a threat to scientists or to science.
▪ Sensible I therefore take issue with Andy.
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 leave of sb/take your leave
take leave of your senses
▪ You challenged him to a fight? Have you taken leave of your senses?
▪ But frequently they appear to have taken leave of their senses when it comes to choosing the right sort of women.
▪ But John had not taken leave of his senses.
▪ Her daughter had taken leave of her senses and her husband was never at home when he was needed.
▪ I know what you're saying and I think you've taken leave of your senses.
▪ She had taken leave of her senses!
▪ Was she taking leave of her senses?
▪ You must have taken leave of your senses! b. You must have left your senses behind! 35a.
take liberties with sb/sth
take matters into your own hands
▪ The city council took matters into its own hands and set a date for the meeting.
▪ As a result, some countries have taken matters into their own hands.
▪ Finally the women of Buntong Tiga can stand it no longer - they take matters into their own hands.
▪ She then took matters into her own hands.
▪ She was more than capable of taking matters into her own hands.
▪ So why not take matters into our own hands?
▪ The last thing leaders want is Tutsi who survived the genocide taking matters into their own hands.
▪ When the psycho is caught, then let go on a technicality, Mom takes matters into her own hands.
take note (of sth)
▪ Be sure that each student draws and takes notes on her observations.
▪ I write this down verbatim, for much the same reason I took notes in college.
▪ It was then that I realized that I had forgotten to take note of any landmarks en route.
▪ They want to sit there passively, taking notes.
▪ Unless you believe in some supernatural being, taking notes of our progress.
▪ While you are working through this process, take note of the features in the garden that you would like to keep.
▪ You discussed the contents with your boss and took notes.
take offence (at sth)
▪ Corbett loved the brilliant logic delivered so tongue-in-cheek that only those who wished to take offence would be affronted.
▪ It is music for the coach trade, at which only the most high-minded purist is likely to take offence.
▪ Lane did not take offence at his boss's comment, nor did he slow down.
▪ No one will take offence and you might secure win: win.
▪ Poor Mrs Sugden considered we were being very superior, and took offence.
▪ The driver would have known it was his first time, didn't take offence at the yelling.
▪ There was little point in taking offence, and no time to do so in any case.
▪ Would Bonaventure return or take offence at not being fed by him and disappear for ever into the stinking alleyways?
take on/assume/wear the mantle of sth
▪ Against all expectations, it has not taken on the mantle of best pupil in the euro class.
take part
▪ John has taken an active part in getting artists together for the festival.
▪ Nearly 500 teams took part in the competition.
▪ Police have arrested a number of people who took part in the riot.
▪ She wanted to take part but she was too ill.
▪ She was asked to take part in a TV debate on drugs.
▪ The program teaches children about conservation, and about 30 schools are taking part.
▪ Everyone should take part in church and Community affairs. -..
▪ He gets on with cleaning up behind the bar, while his daughter, Genny takes part.
▪ In all, 27 local stations are taking part in the contest.
▪ Peden was not armed and did not take part in the band's less reputable exploits.
▪ The nationalist hardliner Vojislav Seseslj, who controls a large block of seats, refused to take part.
▪ The public also favors taking part in on-line public opinion polls and interactive electronic town-hall political meetings.
▪ Would-be apprentices are questioned about their attitude towards foreigners, and they take part in a week-long workshop on tolerance and diversity.
take place
▪ Police are trying to prevent the demonstration from taking place.
▪ The next Olympics will take place in Australia.
▪ The wedding will take place at St Andrew's church.
▪ When did the robbery take place?
▪ Eud provides only the barest information; the separation took place.
▪ Furthermore, the transference from Worcester to Lincoln of the concept of a ten-bayed concentric chapter house took place about 1225.
▪ My first little skirmish took place over a film, one about rape.
▪ Since the early 1960s, considerable debate has taken place in educational circles about the nature of history as a discipline.
▪ The ball took place in the Great Room at Grosvenor House.
▪ The film takes place during foggy days in London and in the gloom of darkened rooms and candlelit corridors.
▪ The incident took place outside any warning area.
▪ Whether versions of destruction are to take place within or without the industrial enterprise, the political implications are obvious.
take pot luck
▪ Before farmers had to take pot luck over whether their ewes were pregnant.
take pride in your work/appearance etc
▪ And taking Pride in their work ... behind the scenes of a top drama.
▪ He takes pride in his appearance, setting a high standard to exemplify his healthy leadership style.
▪ I take pride in my work-particularly my work as a health educator.
▪ In fact, a set of beautifully manicured nails is a sign of a woman who takes pride in her appearance.
▪ Muriel took pride in their appearance and tried to forget Stephen's late night and Lily's missing days.
▪ The croft cottage was small, only two rooms, but she took pride in her work.
▪ You have to take pride in your work.
take root
▪ Women's professional basketball has yet to take root in this country.
▪ Betty Caplan on the blossoming of an experimental theatre group Magdalena takes root.
▪ But the curious thing was that the idea had somehow and much against his will taken root in his consciousness.
▪ From the day that Michael Codron became interested in producing the show, I felt the cutting take root.
▪ Has democracy truly taken root in the hemisphere, they wonder.
▪ I was being pressed into the earth, taking root at last.
▪ The formal idea of a society of Co-Workers took root gradually.
▪ These spores take root in the Night Goblin's flesh and gradually start to change him.
▪ This plant propagates as speedily in deep water as in a marshy habitat, the thin rhizomes taking root quickly.
take sb's breath away
▪ And if they don't take your breath away the scenery certainly will.
▪ Just a white-hot bonding with the words and feelings in the song, a raw purity that will take your breath away.
▪ Middle Earth took your breath away.
▪ She had taken his breath away when she appeared at the door.
▪ Some of it was charmingly primitive, some of it so exotically painted it took your breath away.
▪ The smoke took your breath away.
▪ The volatility of the top performers can take your breath away.
▪ There are sunsets in huge skies to take your breath away.
take sb's name in vain
take sb's part
take sb/sth by surprise
▪ But still Hsu Fu was not satisfied or took us by surprise.
▪ But the vehemence and anger of this response take her by surprise.
▪ He rolled towards Lily, taking her by surprise.
▪ His deep voice took Romanov by surprise.
▪ Inspector Montgomery's sudden termination of the interview had taken her by surprise initially, but now she understood his strategy.
▪ Midlife never took me by surprise.
▪ Such cheery jobless numbers have taken everybody by surprise.
▪ The thought that had been waiting to be revealed, waiting to take him by surprise.
take sb/sth for granted
▪ But he took nothing for granted and left little to chance.
▪ Clinton can not take women for granted.
▪ For much of its course, the later novel takes all this for granted.
▪ He took it all for granted, and would never have a clue just how blessed he was.
▪ He took it for granted that people would fall in love with Eva.
▪ It does not take victory for granted.
▪ Lesley had issued her fiat with such confidence that she had taken his compliance for granted.
▪ Why do we take it for granted that education is a good to which everyone equally is entitled?
take sb/sth literally
▪ A lot of what they said on the tapes was damaging if you took it literally.
take sb/sth seriously
▪ Sandy used to take herself so seriously all the time.
▪ You really take this stuff seriously, don't you?
take second place (to sb/sth)
▪ However, religious identity had taken second place to secular nationalism for a whole generation.
▪ However, toilet training took second place to skill with weapons or natural aggression.
▪ It's not unusual for man to be put in this position of taking second place.
▪ Nina was telling Joe that she was here to help but not to take second place to his wife.
▪ Since she was utterly devoted to my father, her children inevitably took second place.
▪ Spider then is able to confront his fear and on the big night, he takes second place in the spelling bee.
▪ There was criticism that books took second place, even when it came to the design of the building.
▪ Words take second place to nonverbal cues, personal mannerisms, gestures, expressions, and overall appearance.
take shape
▪ A new plan was taking shape.
▪ An obvious case is that of Eärendil, the first character to take shape in Tolkien's mythology.
▪ Later as weapons and uniforms became available and with the help of the older men, the unit began to take shape.
▪ Quickly the character of Witness began to take shape.
▪ Such was the excitement in the field as the new theory of plate tectonics was taking shape.
▪ The creator of Yoknapatawpha County took shape on a bench, seated with his legs crossed, holding a pipe.
▪ The world watched as the fleet took shape.
▪ Then passersby saw thousands of feet of wire being strung, and soon a huge, strange-looking antenna system began taking shape.
take sides
▪ I don't mind you two arguing, but don't ask me to take sides.
▪ The chairwoman managed to stimulate a lively debate without taking sides herself.
▪ We're not here to take sides in this case.
▪ Diplomats said Washington was reluctant to offer any formula in writing because this would mean taking sides.
▪ Golding and Slater, in separate letters to President Clinton, complained that Rich improperly took sides in a local policy debate.
▪ I do not want to take sides in this matter; but I do want to point out the following consequences.
▪ It has also caused businessmen to openly take sides in a debate they traditionally left to politicians and human-rights activists.
▪ To the extent the Behls take sides, they are Democrats.
▪ You have to understand how much it hurts when society makes you take sides, makes you choose.
take some beating
▪ As a great place for a vacation, Florida takes some beating.
▪ Schumacher has a twelve-second lead, which will take some beating.
▪ And the valley of the River Wharfe takes some beating.
▪ As family Christmasses go, the gruesome Moons in their storm-lashed failing farm take some beating.
▪ As far as awful games go this one takes some beating.
▪ Did they complain about the Fujitsu factory, which takes some beating when one is considering eyesores?
▪ For sheer enjoyment of climbing at this standard the routes on the Clapis sector the Dentelles de Montmirail take some beating.
▪ For styling and interior comfort, both for pilots and passengers, it certainly takes some beating.
▪ He is sure to take some beating with more enterprising tactics and can hand out a lesson in the New University Maiden.
take some doing
▪ Getting this old car to run is going to take some doing.
▪ It took some doing, but I finally persuaded Jim to give me a few more days off.
▪ Winning 3 gold medals in the Olympic Games takes some doing.
▪ Catching up four goals will take some doing.
▪ It takes some doing for a couple to counter the opposition of either family.
▪ It took some doing, but I was out the next day.
▪ So I have to prise off the foe unassisted, which, believe me, takes some doing.
▪ This Series can be saved, but it will take some doing.
▪ This took some doing, as they seemed prepared to stay all night.
▪ Whew, that took some doing, I can tell you.
take someone to task
take somewhere by storm
take sth amiss
take sth as a compliment
▪ I said he was a workaholic, and he seemed to take it as a compliment.
▪ After a bit she became used to being stared at, even taking it as a compliment.
▪ After all, these services are free and we take it as a compliment if you ask.
▪ But Marcel would no doubt take that as a compliment.
▪ But the members of Greyhound Soul take it as a compliment, as it was meant to be taken.
▪ But when she heard such things, Privet took it as a compliment.
▪ He would only assume that she attached some importance to his opinion and take it as a compliment.
▪ I did not quite know what they meant but I took it as a compliment.
▪ I take that as a compliment.
take sth as given
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.
take sth as read
▪ Let us take it as read that Hawkwind started quite a few trends in their time.
take sth at face value
▪ The newspapers have taken this propaganda at face value, without questioning it.
▪ And he no longer took things at face value.
▪ Because Kate, for all her faults real and imagined, was the only person ever to take him at face value.
▪ But now, a hundred years on, certain factions persist in taking it at face value.
take sth downmarket
take sth further
▪ We take it further than just explaining drug abuse and saying "Don't do it."
take sth hard
▪ Dad didn't say much, but I could tell he took it hard.
take sth in good part
take sth in tow
take sth in your stride
▪ Liz seems to be taking the divorce in her stride.
▪ Most kids get teased a bit at school - they have to learn to take it in their stride.
▪ Nigel smiled and took the criticism in his stride.
▪ Cocooned in happiness, Leslie seemed to take it in his stride, his attitude one of cheerful impatience.
▪ He took mountains in his stride.
▪ I was very impressed with our position, but Peter just took it in his stride.
▪ Jimmy was old enough to take it in his stride.
▪ No doubt, he felt he could take that in his stride.
▪ Rut the Europa took it in its stride, sucking itself to the tarmac and slicing through.
▪ You do dangerous things and take them in your stride just for starters.
▪ You took everything in your stride - walking up Henry Street, a bucket of water went right in front of me.
take sth into consideration
▪ Even when other factors were taken into consideration, shorter men had a higher risk of heart attacks.
▪ A large part of my life has been spent taking you into consideration.
▪ Engineers looking at flood defences and modelling catchments, sewer systems and watercourses, have to take many factors into consideration.
▪ League tables that do not take that correlation into consideration distort reality and are inaccurate.
▪ Many nations began pursuing measures that took this discrepancy into consideration.
▪ Mortality does not, however, take lifetime risk into consideration.
▪ That way you hear other people's views and can prepare argument and reason which take them into consideration.
▪ They had enough information to take the archeology into consideration.
▪ We therefore took this data into consideration when calculating the superhelical densities of the different plasmid preparations.
take sth lying down
▪ We are not going to take this verdict lying down. There will be protests.
▪ And, on yer bike: The charity rider who's taking it all lying down.
▪ But Will took it lying down - all in a good cause of course.
▪ Carl however was too active mentally to take this lying down.
▪ Mr Estrada has not taken the storm lying down.
▪ Perhaps you're not a person to take criticism lying down and you have had some sharp exchanges with your friend.
▪ The Socialists, though, are not taking it lying down.
▪ They're not taking it lying down.
▪ They are not taking things lying down as many other Third World people tend to do.
take sth on board
▪ Our manager seemed to take our comments on board.
▪ And growers are only going to take precision farming on board if it can reduce the unit cost of production.
▪ At Hollybush we took information on board in a democratic, communal fashion, grouped with notebooks and pencils around visual aids.
▪ It is available from your Book, but so often the planet does not take it on board.
▪ The Chancellor has taken this on board, despite his predominantly male core of advisers.
▪ Then taking her on board they went where she directed and reached the sacred grove where the Fleece hung.
take sth on the chin
▪ He should have just taken it on the chin...
▪ Short sellers took it on the chin last year.
▪ The car's manufacturers are taking it on the chin.
take sth on trust
▪ He said he'd never been in trouble before, which I was content to take on trust.
▪ I'm afraid I can't let you see the letter, so you'll just have to take what I'm saying on trust.
▪ I just had to take it on trust that he would deliver the money.
▪ I had to take him on trust on that.
▪ Male speaker Don't take people on trust.
▪ She was petite, going silver-haired, vivacious, bright, and willing to take Richard on trust.
▪ So she thought that she might take it on trust.
▪ They learn not to take things on trust, but to make sure they fully comprehend in order to make their own assessments.
▪ You do not know me and so you can not be expected to take anything on trust.
take sth personally
▪ Anna took it personally when the boss said some people were not working hard enough.
▪ I didn't take his rebuff too personally, since I was used to his habit of being rude to his juniors.
▪ Please don't take it personally - he doesn't want to see anyone.
▪ This is a general criticism, so I hope none of you will take it personally.
take sth the wrong way
▪ Daniel sat in silence, afraid whatever he said would be taken the wrong way.
▪ Don't take this the wrong way, but could I stay at your place tonight?
▪ Don't take this the wrong way, but your driving has really improved.
▪ Don't tell Simon that -- he might take it the wrong way.
▪ No, that's not what I meant. You take everything the wrong way.
▪ Don't take that the wrong way.
▪ Everything you say, he takes it in the wrong way.
▪ Maggie said that I shouldn't make risky jokes with assessors in case they take it the wrong way.
▪ No matter what compliment you pay them, they always take it the wrong way.
▪ Weeb said his father was afraid people might take it the wrong way.
take sth to heart
▪ Brian is a very sensitive kind of person and he takes criticism very much to heart.
▪ Don't take anything he said to heart - he was drunk.
▪ Jack took his father's advice to heart.
▪ After his return to the Church, Gary Cosgrove began taking this counsel to heart.
▪ As a young seminarian, Stuart Cullen had taken that to heart.
▪ But Alain, he is so sensitive, he has taken the affair to heart.
▪ Had he taken the advice to heart, he might have written a quite different book.
▪ Having thus cleverly disarmed his remarks, he effectively placed the onus for taking them to heart squarely on Robby.
▪ He really took the matter to heart and finally wrote his Master's thesis on the subject.
▪ I wish my friends would take that to heart.
▪ In fact, I think quite a lot of them took it to heart.
take sth with a pinch of salt
▪ It's best to take what he says with a pinch of salt - he's always exaggerating.
▪ You have to take most things Dave says with a pinch of salt.
▪ But since he never even notices that Howard is himself Howard takes this with a pinch of salt.
take sth with a pinch/grain of salt
▪ But since he never even notices that Howard is himself Howard takes this with a pinch of salt.
▪ I try to take everything with a grain of salt.
▪ We took her to a psychic reader about a month ago-we take that with a grain of salt.
take stock (of sth)
▪ While in the hospital, Jeremy took stock of his life.
▪ As the others came ashore I took stock of my new dominion.
▪ He paused outside the doors, taking stock of his men, careful not to give any sign of his thoughts.
▪ He walked back inside and took stock of the situation.
▪ It is time to take stock, at the half-way mark, before the next phase of reform.
▪ Many others in the region are taking stock, too.
▪ That is what I mean by taking stock.
▪ That night at camp, with 23 miles still ahead of us, we took stock.
▪ With him came a difference in style, a change of gear, a time for reflection and taking stock.
take the easy way out
▪ Too many people take the easy way out of financial trouble by declaring bankruptcy.
▪ But these days, if it looks as if it's going to be nasty, I take the easy way out.
▪ Fishwick, however, does not take the easy way out.
▪ Not surprisingly they take the easy way out when food is put out for them each day.
▪ This healthy, realistic fear helps the organization resist the temptation to take the easy way out of a problematic situation.
take the long view (of sth)
▪ Any time we set out to change our lives or the world, we have to take the long view.
▪ But I think you must take the long view.
▪ It was an error to take the long view in the face of moral objections.
▪ One had to take the long view.
▪ The fox of Damascus, ruthlessly in control since 1970, has always taken the long view.
take the mickey (out of sb)
▪ Abu Salim was a pain, which is why it was such a relief to take the mickey out of him.
▪ He and his friend Keith took the mickey out of the rich.
▪ I liked it because he was taking the mickey out of himself.
▪ They would take the mickey out of me with sickening enthusiasm.
▪ We take the mickey out of Mr Brown quite a lot, actually.
▪ You could trust him not to take the mickey, or to turn round and bite your head off.
▪ You guys take the mickey, and call me Count.
take the piss (out of sb/sth)
take the place of sb/sth
▪ I don't think anyone could take her place.
▪ Sending e-mail has almost taken the place of writing letters.
▪ Explain that the marbles have taken the place of the water that has spilled out.
▪ Finally, teachers are prohibited from making a copy of works to take the place of an anthology.
▪ Hops have also been stuffed into pillows, taking the place of down to help induce sleep.
▪ It connoted a rational, efficient method of organization-something to take the place of the arbitrary exercise of power by authoritarian regimes.
▪ On home-baked brown bread it takes the place of butter.
▪ Other hopes have centred on ethanol taking the place of petroleum - but fuel crops must not displace food.
▪ Rigid rules and patterns take the place of more flexible thinking about feelings.
▪ They found out other marvellous arts to take the place of tricks and old stories.
take the wind out of sb's sails
▪ Last night's defeat has taken some of the wind out of the team's sails.
take the words (right) out of sb's mouth
take time out (to do sth)
▪ A: I am going to take time out and go to college.
▪ Actress Beverley D'Angelo is taking time out from her screen career to perform a risqué country set across the Bible belt.
▪ At the product's launch, the company took time out to damn 3Com's boundary routing scheme with faint praise.
▪ Despite his increasingly hectic schedule, Haden graciously took time out to be interviewed about the Quartet and the Jazzfest tour.
▪ I shall take time out to call at Aurae Phiala.
▪ If you actually worked for Jobs, he took time out from preaching the Mac gospel to meddle in your life.
▪ Nurses in Training Questions: Do nurse teachers take time out to discuss their teaching methods with their peers?
▪ The 73-year-old Republican standard-bearer took time out of his busy campaign schedule last week to search for those roots.
take to something like a duck to water
▪ She's taken to her new position like a duck to water.
take to your heels
▪ He jumped off the train, took to his heels, and was quickly out of sight.
▪ The boys jumped down and took to their heels.
▪ The kids immediately took to their heels as Mrs Brewster appeared around the corner.
▪ The deer in turn took to their heels.
▪ The infantry detailed to guard them let off only a couple of volleys before also taking to their heels.
▪ They took to their heels and ran up the road.
▪ Used to moving fast on jobs, Fitzgerald took to his heels and outran the bees over a couple of hundred yards.
take turns
▪ Mandy and Debbie took it in turns to look after the baby.
▪ Small children find it almost impossible to take turns.
▪ We take turns doing the dishes.
▪ You'll have to take turns on the swing.
▪ And in every block the women took turns to watch the street.
▪ Danskin and Smitty took turns behind the wheel and they became more tense as the day passed.
▪ Dozens of men and boys take turns trading shots with him.
▪ I asked them to take turns talking about the pictures.
▪ So, instead, they used a large puppet and two actors who take turns dressing as the chimpanzee.
▪ They take turns coming back on weekends to run it.
▪ We arranged that we should take turns to cook for whomsoever was on the same watch.
take umbrage (at sth)
▪ Maynard angrily took umbrage at Campbell's remarks.
▪ Ever a stickler for protocol, he and his wife took umbrage at the democratic etiquette of President Thomas Jefferson's administration.
▪ He got on very well with the patients, and made them laugh without taking umbrage when they laughed at him.
▪ If they take umbrage, then they were never a proper friend in the first place.
▪ She took umbrage at his remarks, but made no attempt to get her figure back.
▪ The Republicans, naturally, take umbrage at predictions about what they might do.
take up residence
▪ He left the country in December to take up residence in Panama.
▪ In 1951 he took up residence in Chicago.
▪ In 1953 Diem took up residence at a monastery in Belgium.
▪ He's about to take up residence at Hertford College, Oxford.
▪ He was only a few weeks away from his ninetieth birthday when pneumonia again took up residence in his weary lungs.
▪ In 1858 a wild rabbit takes up residence in the garden.
▪ One of them has taken up residence in a hut in Roche's garden.
▪ The Dee at Chester was fishable but the only action was from 40 cormorants who have taken up residence above the weir.
▪ The labs' distant agents are Kurds who have taken up residence in the West.
▪ They take up residence in some numbers in marsh and swampland.
take up the cudgels (on behalf of sb/sth)
take up/pick up the slack
take wing
▪ Abroad, too, imagination took wing.
▪ Freed in the slipstream of profanity, it took wing.
▪ Her heart had taken wing as she and Mandy had walked down into the lodge.
▪ Often they perch on rooftops like gargoyles, waiting hours for nightfall so they can take wing.
take your cue from sb
▪ The salesman controls the timing of a sale, but he should take his cues from the buyer.
▪ But there was change in the air: one woman began to study and others took their cue from her.
▪ I took my cue from her, surviving the eulogy by neatly disconnecting myself from what was said.
▪ Maybe the academy membership took its cues from the small panel that decided the nominees in the top four categories.
▪ McGee, who had clearly been primed, did not move and Julia took her cue from him.
▪ Musically, things take their cues from the staging s unsettling tone.
▪ The woman takes her cue from the guy eventually.
▪ They speculated, taking their cues from the beliefs of many religions, that mind would eventually free itself from matter.
▪ We take our cue from our leaders.
take your lumps
▪ Our team took its lumps this season, but still finished with a winning record.
▪ For all these shortcomings, Apple took its lumps.
take your medicine (like a man)
▪ Come on, Ragtime Cowboy Joe, take your medicine.
▪ Conradin hated her with all his heart, but he obeyed her quietly and took his medicine without arguing.
▪ He and his grandpa took their medicine together, at the same time.
▪ He hadn't been changed or taken his medicine.
▪ He shut his eyes, held his nose like a kid about to take his medicine, and started to drink.
▪ His major problem is that he misses taking his medicine, and he travels too much.
▪ Like some one recovering from the flu, she quit taking her medicine as soon as she felt better.
▪ Soon after she left the hospital, with a clearer mind, she again stopped taking her medicine.
take your places
▪ Amidst shuffles and low-voiced murmurings the rest of the members took their places and eyed each other uneasily across the table.
▪ As the happy couple took their places there was a stir and a rising babble behind them.
▪ Differences in wealth and the superiority of elder over younger sons are ignored as they take their places according to age.
▪ Many of the new sovereign states took their places in the United Nations.
▪ Then two of our most experienced divers took their places in the bell, and it was lowered again.
▪ There was a delay while people took their places in the vehicles parked along the road.
▪ They took their places at the table with an awkward, almost shy silence.
take your time
▪ Alice took her time telling the story, making sure to include every detail.
▪ Just take your time and think about what you're saying and you'll be fine.
▪ Just take your time, and speak slowly and clearly.
▪ Just take your time. You don't have to decide immediately.
▪ Not wanting to seem too eager, Susan took her time about replying to the invitation.
▪ Take your time, think the matter over carefully, and then tell me what you've decided.
▪ Anne Hutchinson took her time going into exile.
▪ He was used to taking his time and not seeing every instant as a precious resource.
▪ Her own country took its time to create her a baroness; it came only in 1979.
▪ I took my time to do it right.
▪ If it did seek revenge, the lady's spirit certainly took its time.
▪ Liz took her time over washing, in order to give the child a chance to return to bed.
▪ Peahens survey several males and take their time over their decision, allowing each to parade his tail to best advantage.
▪ The woman behind the bar takes her time opening the fruit juice, as if trying to needle us.
take/bring sb down a peg (or two)
▪ No harm in taking Evans down a peg.
take/bring sb/sth along
take/catch sb by surprise
▪ He caught me by surprise and I sounded foolish.
▪ He rolled towards Lily, taking her by surprise.
▪ His deep voice took Romanov by surprise.
▪ In consequence, untold numbers of sailors died when their destinations suddenly loomed out of the sea and took them by surprise.
▪ Inspector Montgomery's sudden termination of the interview had taken her by surprise initially, but now she understood his strategy.
▪ The hug takes him by surprise.
▪ The thought that had been waiting to be revealed, waiting to take him by surprise.
▪ Welch and I had a rather heated exchange about the appropriateness of his editorial interference, which had caught me by surprise.
take/catch sb unawares
▪ I was caught unawares by his kiss.
take/catch your fancy
▪ A porcelain corgi in the window took her fancy.
▪ And you use everyone, for whatever little scheme takes your fancy.
▪ Have you been trawling the sales and picking up every urn and tub that caught your fancy?
▪ I'd wander down the high street, frittering away on whatever took my fancy.
▪ I am just glad I wasn't Anne Boleyn, or some other lady who took his fancy.
▪ Selection is not a matter of having everything that takes your fancy.
▪ Turn to page 14 to see which takes your fancy.
▪ When Oates took his fancy passing to Boston, Cam Neely thrived.
take/claim/seize the moral high ground
▪ Some corporations have seized the moral high ground.
▪ Television is therefore seen to be taking the moral high ground, the side of the punter against the forces of evil.
take/draw sb to one side
▪ Eventually Johnny drew him to one side with a shock-haired young reporter who sported horn-rimmed glasses and a velvet bow-tie.
▪ He was always taking me to one side, telling me what I should and shouldn't do.
take/go to (great) pains to do sth
▪ However, composers often go to great pains to keep to true intervals.
▪ Mr Lendrem has gone to great pains to establish one thing: that all of his preconceptions concerning bird behaviour are true.
take/hand over the reins
▪ Campbell Christie takes over the reins at Brockville tomorrow.
▪ Finally, on November 24, he took over the reins of the Puzzle Palace from the retiring director.
▪ The younger generation had taken over the reins.
take/have a leak
▪ Billy got off his lounge chair now, went into the bathroom and took a leak.
▪ Cully goes off to take a leak.
▪ I'd gone behind the set to take a leak and I heard this sound like snapping wood.
▪ I thought it was a damn silly place to park if some one wanted to take a leak in the bushes.
▪ She locked herself into a cubicle and took a leak.
▪ Tank owners are required to have leak detection equipment installed by December 1993.
▪ Well, rumors have leaked out.
take/have/play no part in sth
▪ Herrera, personally, took no part in this mild form of political persecution.
▪ Johnny played no part in this world.
▪ Of course, Laura took no part in such a major business decision; the empire builder was Bernard.
▪ Schuster insists his political connections played no part in the choice.
▪ The mostly white jurors who actually sat in the jury room, insisted that race had played no part in their decision.
▪ The very act of imagining Gods exempt from suffering ensures that humans take no part in the deity.
▪ They are evaluated and yet play no part in defining the criteria, determining the methods, or controlling the process.
▪ This is not to say that economic imperatives play no part in penal developments.
take/keep/get sb's mind off sth
▪ At other times, the surroundings helped to take my mind off it.
▪ I guess there is nothing that will get your mind off every-thing like golf will.
▪ Instead they tried to take their minds off the poster campaign by providing weekend entertainment.
▪ It takes your mind off how you feel.
▪ Kirsty chattered excitedly throughout the journey, helping to keep Shiona's mind off her anxieties.
▪ Letters could take my mind off most things.
▪ To take his mind off his worries, I suggested that he wrote out a message for his family.
▪ When the other guy thinks you are cheating, it can take his mind off the game.
take/need a cold shower
▪ He put water on to boil and took a cold shower.
▪ I took a cold shower and changed my clothes.
▪ In the morning, when you get up, take a cold shower.
▪ Instead he took a cold shower and a huge mug of coffee, and tried to sort out his thoughts.
▪ There is one foolproof way to rid yourself of this - take a cold shower.
take/put up with shit (from sb)
take/quote sth out of context
▪ Jennings accused the program of quoting him out of context.
▪ By confusing unrelated issues and taking information out of context, you do readers a great disservice.
▪ This has been taken completely out of context.
take/treat/approach sth lightly
▪ We don't take any bomb threat lightly.
when the mood takes you
win/collect/take etc the wooden spoon
▪ When he motioned for her to take the wooden spoon from him she did so, avoiding touching him at all costs.
won't take no for an answer
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ The wind was biting, and sleet blew into our faces and stung our eyes during take after take after take.
▪ With each new take great actors such as Mark Rylance and Kerry Fox contribute something remarkable and new.

take

I. take¹ S1 W1 /teɪk/ verb (past tense took /tʊk/, past participle taken) /ˈteɪkən/
[Word Family: noun: takings, undertaking, take, taker; verb: take, overtake, undertake]
[date : 1000-1100; Language : Old Norse; Origin : taka]
1. MOVE [TRANSITIVE]to move or go with someone or something from one place to another OPP bring
take somebody/something to/into etc something
　 ▪ Barney took us to the airport.
　 ▪ Would you mind taking Susie home?
　 ▪ When he refused to give his name, he was taken into custody.
　 ▪ My job has taken me all over the world.
take somebody/something with you
　 ▪ His wife went to Australia, taking the children with her.
take somebody something
　 ▪ I have to take Steve the money tonight.
take somebody to do something
　 ▪ He took me to meet his parents.

2. ACTION [TRANSITIVE]used with a noun instead of using a verb to describe an action. For example, if you take a walk, you walk somewhere:
　 ▪ Would you like to take a look?
　 ▪ Mike’s just taking a shower.
　 ▪ Sara took a deep breath.
　 ▪ I waved, but he didn’t take any notice (=pretended not to notice). British English
　 ▪ Please take a seat (=sit down).
take a picture/photograph/photo
　 ▪ Would you mind taking a photo of us together?

3. REMOVE [TRANSITIVE]to remove something from a place
take something off/from etc something
　 ▪ Take your feet off the seats.
　 ▪ Someone’s taken a pen from my desk.
　 ▪ Police say money and jewellery were taken in the raid. ⇨ TAKE AWAY

4. TIME/MONEY/EFFORT ETC [INTRANSITIVE AND TRANSITIVE]if something takes a particular amount of time, money, effort etc, that amount of time etc is needed for it to happen or succeed:
　 ▪ How long is this going to take?
　 ▪ Organizing a successful street party takes a lot of energy.
take (somebody) something (to do something)
　 ▪ Repairs take time to carry out.
　 ▪ It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the dark.
take (somebody) ages/forever informal:
　 ▪ It took me ages to find a present for Dad.
take some doing British English informal (=need a lot of time or effort)
　 ▪ Catching up four goals will take some doing.
take courage/guts
　 ▪ It takes courage to admit you are wrong.
have what it takes informal (=to have the qualities that are needed for success)
　 ▪ Neil’s got what it takes to be a great footballer.

5. ACCEPT [TRANSITIVE]to accept or choose something that is offered, suggested, or given to you:
　 ▪ Will you take the job?
　 ▪ Do you take American Express?
　 ▪ If you take my advice, you’ll see a doctor.
　 ▪ Our helpline takes 3.5 million calls (=telephone calls) a year.
　 ▪ Some doctors are unwilling to take new patients without a referral.
　 ▪ Liz found his criticisms hard to take.
　 ▪ I just can’t take any more (=can’t deal with a bad situation any longer).
　 ▪ Staff have agreed to take a 2% pay cut.
take a hammering/beating (=be forced to accept defeat or a bad situation)
　 ▪ Small businesses took a hammering in the last recession.
I take your point/point taken (=used to say that you accept someone’s opinion)
take sb’s word for it/take it from somebody (=accept that what someone says is true)
　 ▪ That’s the truth – take it from me.
take the credit/blame/responsibility
　 ▪ He’s the kind of man who makes things happen but lets others take the credit.
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.

6. HOLD SOMETHING [TRANSITIVE]to get hold of something in your hands:
　 ▪ Let me take your coat.
　 ▪ Can you take this package while I get my wallet?
take somebody/something in/by something
　 ▪ I just wanted to take him in my arms.

7. TRAVEL [TRANSITIVE]to use a particular form of transport or a particular road in order to go somewhere:
　 ▪ Let’s take a cab.
　 ▪ I took the first plane out.
　 ▪ Take the M6 to Junction 19.

8. STUDY [TRANSITIVE]to study a particular subject in school or college for an examination:
　 ▪ Are you taking French next year?

9. TEST [TRANSITIVE]to do an examination or test SYN sit British English:
　 ▪ Applicants are asked to take a written test.

10. SUITABLE [TRANSITIVE NOT IN PROGRESSIVE OR PASSIVE]to be the correct or suitable size, type etc for a particular person or thing:
　 ▪ a car that takes low sulphur fuel
　 ▪ What size shoe do you take?
　 ▪ The elevator takes a maximum of 32 people.

11. COLLECT [TRANSITIVE]to collect or gather something for a particular purpose:
　 ▪ Investigators will take samples of the wreckage to identify the cause.
take something from something
　 ▪ The police took a statement from both witnesses.

12. CONSIDER [INTRANSITIVE, TRANSITIVE ALWAYS + ADVERB/PREPOSITION]to react to someone or something or consider them in a particular way
take somebody/something seriously/badly/personally etc
　 ▪ I was joking, but he took me seriously.
　 ▪ Ben took the news very badly.
　 ▪ She does not take kindly to criticism (=reacts badly to criticism).
take something as something
　 ▪ I’ll take that remark as a compliment.
take something as evidence/proof (of something)
　 ▪ The presence of dust clouds has been taken as evidence of recent star formation.
take somebody/something to be something
　 ▪ I took her to be his daughter.
take somebody/something for something
　 ▪ Of course I won’t tell anyone! What do you take me for? (=what sort of person do you think I am?)
　 ▪ I take it (=I assume) you’ve heard that Rick’s resigned.

13. FEELINGS [TRANSITIVE USUALLY + ADVERB]to have or experience a particular feeling
take delight/pleasure/pride etc in (doing) something
　 ▪ You should take pride in your work.
　 ▪ At first, he took no interest in the baby.
take pity on somebody
　 ▪ She stood feeling lost until an elderly man took pity on her.
take offence (=feel offended)
　 ▪ Don’t take offence. Roger says things like that to everybody.
take comfort from/in (doing) something
　 ▪ Investors can take comfort from the fact that the World Bank is underwriting the shares.

14. CONTROL [TRANSITIVE]to get possession or control of something:
　 ▪ Enemy forces have taken the airport.
　 ▪ Both boys were taken prisoner.
take control/charge/power
　 ▪ The communists took power in 1948.
　 ▪ Youngsters need to take control of their own lives.
take the lead (=in a race, competition etc)

15. MEDICINE/DRUGS [TRANSITIVE]to swallow, breathe in, inject etc a drug or medicine:
　 ▪ The doctor will ask whether you are taking any medication.
　 ▪ Take two tablets before bedtime.
take drugs (=take illegal drugs)
　 ▪ Most teenagers start taking drugs through boredom.
　 ▪ She took an overdose after a row with her boyfriend.

16. do you take sugar/milk?
spoken British English used to ask someone whether they like to have sugar or milk in a drink such as tea or coffee

17. LEVEL [TRANSITIVE ALWAYS + ADVERB/PREPOSITION]to make someone or something go to a higher level or position
take something to/into something
　 ▪ The latest raise takes his salary into six figures.
　 ▪ Even if you have the talent to take you to the top, there’s no guarantee you’ll get there.
　 ▪ If you want to take it further, you should consult an attorney.

18. MEASURE [TRANSITIVE]to measure the amount, level, rate etc of something:
　 ▪ Take the patient’s pulse first.

19. NUMBERS [TRANSITIVE]to make a number smaller by a particular amount SYN subtract
take something away/take something (away) from something
　 ▪ ‘Take four from nine and what do you get?’ ‘Five.’
　 ▪ Ten take away nine equals one.

20. MONEY [TRANSITIVE] British English if a shop, business etc takes a particular amount of money, it receives that amount of money from its customers SYN take in American English:
　 ▪ The stall took £25 on Saturday.

21. somebody can take it or leave it

a) to neither like nor dislike something:
　 ▪ To some people, smoking is addictive. Others can take it or leave it.
b) used to say that you do not care whether someone accepts your offer or not

22. take somebody/something (for example)
used to give an example of something you have just been talking about:
　 ▪ People love British cars. Take the Mini. In Japan, it still sells more than all the other British cars put together.

23. TEACH [TRANSITIVE] British English to teach a particular group of students in a school or college
take somebody for something
　 ▪ Who takes you for English?

24. WRITE [TRANSITIVE]to write down information:
　 ▪ Let me take your email address.
　 ▪ Sue offered to take notes.

25. take somebody out of themselves
British English to make someone forget their problems and feel more confident:
　 ▪ Alf said joining the club would take me out of myself.

26. take a lot out of you/take it out of you
to make you very tired:
　 ▪ Looking after a baby really takes it out of you.

27. take it upon/on yourself to do something
formal to decide to do something without getting someone’s permission or approval first:
　 ▪ Reg took it upon himself to hand the press a list of names.

28. take something to bits/pieces
British English to separate something into its different parts:
　 ▪ how to take an engine to bits

29. be taken with/by something
to be attracted by a particular idea, plan, or person:
　 ▪ I’m quite taken by the idea of Christmas in Berlin.

30. be taken ill/sick
formal to suddenly become ill

31. SEX [TRANSITIVE] literary if a man takes someone, he has sex with them

32. take a bend/fence/corner etc
to try to get over or around something in a particular way:
　 ▪ He took the bend at over 60 and lost control.

33. HAVE AN EFFECT [INTRANSITIVE]if a treatment, dye, drug etc takes, it begins to work successfully
• • •
THESAURUS
▪take to move or go with someone or something from one place to another :
　 ▪ Don’t forget to take your keys.
　 ▪ Shall I take you home?
　 ▪ I took Alice a cup of tea.
▪bring to take someone or something to the place where you are now :
　 ▪ We’ve brought someone to see you!
　 ▪ Will you bring your photos with you when you come?
▪transport to take large quantities of goods from one place to another in a plane, train, ship etc :
　 ▪ The plane is used for transporting military equipment.
　 ▪ The coal was transported by rail.
▪deliver to take goods, letters, newspapers etc to someone’s home or office :
　 ▪ Unfortunately, the package was delivered to the wrong address.
▪fly to take someone or something somewhere by plane :
　 ▪ The bread is specially flown in from Paris.
▪ship to take goods from one place to another – this can be by ship, truck, plane, or train :
　 ▪ Half the whisky is shipped to Japan and the US.
▪carry to take people or goods somewhere – used especially when saying how many people or things, or what kind :
　 ▪ The new plane can carry up to 600 passengers.
　 ▪ The ship was carrying a full cargo of oil.
▪lead to take someone to a place by going in front of them :
　 ▪ He led Julia through the house to his study.
　 ▪ Roland led the way back to the car in silence.
▪guide to take someone to a place and show them the way :
　 ▪ Emily guided him through a side gate into a large garden.
▪escort to take someone to a place and protect or guard them :
　 ▪ The prisoner was escorted into the room by two police officers.
　 ▪ The singer was escorted by her assistant and her bodyguard.
▪usher to politely lead someone somewhere and show them where to go, especially because it is your job to do this :
　 ▪ We were ushered into the lift by a man in uniform.
be taken aback phrasal verb
to be very surprised about something:
　 ▪ Emma was somewhat taken aback by his directness.
take after somebody phrasal verb [NOT IN PROGRESSIVE]
to look or behave like an older relative:
　 ▪ Jenni really takes after her mother.
take somebody/something apart phrasal verb
1. to separate something into all its different parts OPP put together:
　 ▪ Tom was always taking things apart in the garage.

2. to search a place very thoroughly:
　 ▪ The police took the house apart looking for clues.

3. to beat someone very easily in a game, sport, fight etc

4. to show that someone is wrong or something is not true:
　 ▪ Tariq takes several gay myths apart in his book.
take against somebody/something phrasal verb British English
to begin to dislike someone or something, especially without a good reason:
　 ▪ Voters took against the relationship between the government and the unions in the 1970s.
take somebody/something ↔ away phrasal verb
1. to remove someone or something, or make something disappear:
　 ▪ She whisked the tray off the table and took it away.
　 ▪ He was taken away to begin a prison sentence.
　 ▪ This should take some of the pain away.

2. to take away
British English if you buy food to take away, you buy cooked food from a restaurant and take it outside to eat it somewhere else ⇨ takeaway:
　 ▪ Fish and chips to take away, please.

3. take your breath away
to be very beautiful, exciting, or surprising
take away from something phrasal verb
to spoil the good effect or success that something has:
　 ▪ The disagreement between the two men should not take away from their accomplishments.
take somebody/something ↔ back phrasal verb
1. take something ↔ back
to admit that you were wrong to say something:
　 ▪ You’d better take back that remark!

2. take something ↔ back
to take something you have bought back to a shop because it is not suitable:
　 ▪ If the shirt doesn’t fit, take it back.

3. to make you remember a time in the past:
　 ▪ Having the grandchildren around takes me back to the days when my own children were small.
take something ↔ down phrasal verb
1. to move something that is fixed in a high position to a lower position:
　 ▪ She made us take down all the posters.

2. to write down information:
　 ▪ Can I just take some details down?

3. to pull a piece of clothing such as trousers part of the way down your legs
take somebody/something ↔ in phrasal verb
1. be taken in
to be completely deceived by someone who lies to you:
　 ▪ Don’t be taken in by products claiming to help you lose weight in a week.

2. take somebody ↔ in
to let someone stay in your house because they have nowhere else to stay:
　 ▪ Brett’s always taking in stray animals.

3. take something ↔ in
to understand and remember new facts and information SYN absorb:
　 ▪ He watches the older kids, just taking it all in.
　 ▪ His eyes quickly took in the elegance of her dress.

4. take something ↔ in
American English to collect or earn a particular amount of money SYN take British English

5. to visit a place while you are in the area:
　 ▪ They continued a few miles further to take in Hinton House.

6. American English old-fashioned if you take in a show, play etc, you go to see it

7. take somebody ↔ in
British English old-fashioned if the police take someone in, they take them to a police station to ask them questions about a crime:
　 ▪ All five teenagers were arrested and taken in for questioning.

8. take something ↔ in
to make a piece of clothing fit you by making it narrower OPP let out
take off phrasal verb
1. REMOVE take something ↔ off to remove a piece of clothing OPP put on:
　 ▪ He sat on the bed to take his boots off.
　 ▪ Charlie was taking off his shirt when the phone rang.

2. AIRCRAFT if an aircraft takes off, it rises into the air from the ground SYN lift off ⇨ takeoff:
　 ▪ I felt quite excited as the plane took off from Heathrow.

3. SUCCESS to suddenly start being successful:
　 ▪ Mimi became jealous when Jack’s career started taking off.

4. HOLIDAY take something off (something) to have a holiday from work on a particular day, or for a particular length of time
take time off (work/school)
　 ▪ I rang my boss and arranged to take some time off.
take a day/the afternoon etc off
　 ▪ Dad took the day off to come with me.

5. COPY SOMEBODY take somebody ↔ off British English informal to copy the way someone speaks or behaves, in order to entertain people
take somebody/something ↔ on phrasal verb
1. take somebody ↔ on
to start to employ someone ⇨ hire:
　 ▪ We’re taking on 50 new staff this year.

2. take something ↔ on
to agree to do some work or be responsible for something:
　 ▪ Don’t take on too much work – the extra cash isn’t worth it.

3. take something ↔ on
to begin to have a particular quality or appearance:
　 ▪ Her face took on a fierce expression.
　 ▪ His life had taken on a new dimension.

4. take somebody ↔ on
to compete against someone or start a fight with someone, especially someone bigger or better than you:
　 ▪ Nigeria will take on Argentina in the first round of the World Cup on Saturday.
　 ▪ He was prepared to take on anyone who laid a finger on us.

5. take something ↔ on
if a plane or ship takes on people or things, they come onto it:
　 ▪ We stopped to take on fuel.
take somebody/something ↔ out phrasal verb
1. take somebody ↔ out
to take someone as your guest to a restaurant, cinema, club etc
take somebody ↔ out for
　 ▪ We’re taking my folks out for a meal next week.

2. take something ↔ out
to make a financial or legal arrangement with a bank, company, law court etc
take out a policy/injunction/loan etc
　 ▪ Before taking a loan out, calculate your monthly outgoings.

3. take something ↔ out
to get money from your bank account SYN withdraw:
　 ▪ How much would you like to take out?

4. take something ↔ out
to borrow books from a library:
　 ▪ You can take out six books at a time.

5. take somebody/something ↔ out
informal to kill someone or destroy something:
　 ▪ The building was taken out by a bomb.
take something out on somebody phrasal verb
to treat someone badly when you are angry or upset, even though it is not their fault:
　 ▪ Don’t take it out on me just because you’ve had a bad day.
take your anger/frustration etc out on somebody
　 ▪ Irritated with herself, she took her annoyance out on Bridget.
take over phrasal verb
to take control of something ⇨ takeover
take something ↔ over
　 ▪ His only reason for investing in the company was to take it over.
　 ▪ Ruth moved into our apartment and promptly took over.
take to somebody/something phrasal verb [NOT IN PASSIVE]
1. to start to like someone or something:
　 ▪ Sandra took to it straight away.
　 ▪ Charles was an odd character whom Kelly had never really taken to.

2. to start doing something regularly
take to doing something
　 ▪ Dee’s taken to getting up at 6 and going jogging.

3. take to your bed
to get into your bed and stay there:
　 ▪ He was so depressed, he took to his bed for a week.
take something up phrasal verb
1. take something ↔ up
to become interested in a new activity and to spend time doing it:
　 ▪ Roger took painting up for a while, but soon lost interest.

2. to start a new job or have a new responsibility:
　 ▪ Peter will take up the management of the finance department.
take up a post/a position/duties etc
　 ▪ The headteacher takes her duties up in August.

3. take something ↔ up
if you take up a suggestion, problem, complaint etc, you start to do something about it:
　 ▪ Now the papers have taken up the story.
take something ↔ up with
　 ▪ The hospital manager has promised to take the matter up with the member of staff involved.
　 ▪ I am still very angry and will be taking it up with the authorities.

4. to fill a particular amount of time or space
be taken up with something
　 ▪ The little time I had outside of school was taken up with work.
take up space/room
　 ▪ old books that were taking up space in the office

5. take something ↔ up
to accept a suggestion, offer, or idea:
　 ▪ Rob took up the invitation to visit.
take up the challenge/gauntlet
　 ▪ Rick took up the challenge and cycled the 250 mile route alone.

6. to move to the exact place where you should be, so that you are ready to do something:
　 ▪ The runners are taking up their positions on the starting line.

7. take something ↔ up
to make a piece of clothing shorter OPP let down

8. take something ↔ up
to continue a story or activity that you or someone else had begun, after a short break:
　 ▪ I’ll take up the story where you left off.
take somebody up on something phrasal verb
to accept an invitation or suggestion
take somebody up on an offer/a promise/a suggestion etc
　 ▪ I’ll take you up on that offer of a drink, if it still stands.
take up with somebody/something phrasal verb
old-fashioned to become friendly with someone, especially someone who may influence you badly

II. take² noun
[Word Family: noun: takings, undertaking, take, taker; verb: take, overtake, undertake]
1. [COUNTABLE]
an occasion when a film scene, song, action etc is recorded:
　 ▪ We had to do six takes for this particular scene.

2. sb’s take (on something)
someone’s opinion about a situation or idea:
　 ▪ What’s your take on this issue?

3. be on the take
informal to be willing to do something wrong in return for money:
　 ▪ Is it true that some of the generals are on the take?

4. [USUALLY SINGULAR]
American English informal the amount of money earned by a shop or business in a particular period of time
• • •
THESAURUS
what you say when giving examples
▪for example used when giving an example :
　 ▪ Prices have risen sharply. The price of gasoline, for example, has risen by over 50%.
　 ▪ Nepal has many attractions for visitors. For example, you can go trekking in the Himalayas, or see tigers in Chitwan National Park.
▪for instance used when giving an example. For instance is slightly less formal than for example and is used more in spoken English :
　 ▪ There were many unanswered questions. For instance, where was the money going to come from?
　 ▪ Some people are really good languages. Take Katie, for instance.
▪eg/e.g. written used when giving an example or a list of examples. Don’t use eg in formal writing – use the full phrase for example :
　 ▪ Make sure you eat foods that contain protein, e.g. meat, fish, eggs, milk, or cheese.
▪such as especially written used when giving one or two typical examples when there are many others :
　 ▪ It is difficult to get even basic foods such as bread and sugar.
▪take spoken used when giving a particular example as a way of proving that what you are saying is correct :
　 ▪ Take John – he has a good job but he didn’t go to university.
　 ▪ It is possible to recover from some types of cancer. Take skin cancer, for example.
▪be a case in point used when emphasizing that someone or something is a good or typical example of what you have just mentioned :
　 ▪ Some birds have returned to Britain after once being extinct here. The return of the osprey is a case in point.

• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms:
  contract, get, drive, contain, hold, accept, claim, have, subscribe, subscribe to, lease, rent, hire, charter, engage, carry, pack, aim, train, take aim, direct, make, exact, learn, study, read, admit, take on, assume, strike, take up, submit, consume, ingest, take in, remove, take away, wit
• Từ trái nghĩa / Antonyms:
  disclaim, abstain, refrain, desist, obviate, rid of, eliminate, refuse, reject, pass up, turn down, decline, give