to cut corners: to economize, to save money Examples of TO CUT CORNERS Most students live on limited budgets and have to cut corners whenever possible. The Livingstons have nine children, so it is essential that they cut corners at all times.

to cross out: to cancel by marking with a horizontal lines Examples of TO CROSS OUT I want to cross out this line from the contract; I don’t agree to it. She crossed out the items from her shopping list as she put them into her cart.

to kick the habit: to stop a bad habit Examples of TO KICK THE HABIT People have grown up reading paper books and will not kick the habit easily. The doctor advised the heavy cigarette smoker that her heart had become damaged and that she should kick the habit right away.

to leave (someone or something) alone: not to disturb, to stay away from (also: to let alone) Examples of TO LEAVE ALONE Leave the baby alone for a while and she may go to sleep. After the cat had scratched Peter twice, he let it alone.

to get lost: to become lost; to go away in order not to bother Examples of TO GET LOST It turned out to be an even better thing as I got lost on my way to the airport. So I told him to get lost, and that we could raise the baby separately.

in a hurry: hurried, rushed (also:in a rush) Examples of IN A HURRY I didn’t do the best job because I was in a hurry to finish the order. The puppy was pulling at his leash, in a hurry to explore the park.