to be in (the/one’s) way: to block or obstruct; not to be helpful, to causeinconvenience (for both, also: to get in the/one’s way) Examples of TO BE IN THE/ONE’S WAY The brave citizen stood in the way of the line of tanks so they wouldn’t reach the Square. Getting off the airplane took forever because…
to go around: to be sufficient or adequate for everyone present; to circulate,to move from place to place Examples of TO GO AROUND Because there was more than enough dinner to go around, Sandy invited her next-door neighbor and his kids, too. For the number of people who are graduating from college, there just aren’t…
to pass out: to distribute (also: to hand out); to lose consciousness Examples of TO PASS OUT I’m going to pass out Halloween candy this year, while my family goes out trick-or-treating. Before the meeting, we passed out agendas to everybody.
all in all: considering everything Examples of ALL IN ALL All in all, this was the best marathon I’ve ever run. All in all, I can’t wait to go back to Mackinac Island next year!
to tell apart: to distinguish between (also: to pick apart, to tell from) Examples of TO TELL APART Mark and Andy look so alike I can’t tell them apart. I don’t know anything about jazz, so I couldn’t tell any of the songs apart.
to bite off: to accept as a responsibility or task Examples of TO BITE OFF One mistake that a lot of people make is biting off a lot more than they can chew. Yet one of the best pieces of advice that can be given to an investor is to start small and not bite…
about to: ready to, just going to Examples of ABOUT TO He rode in a van with five men who were about to be deported to Mexico, he said. You also must figure out how long you’ve held the security you’re about to sell.
at heart: basically, fundamentally Examples of AT HEART Do they actually have any interest at heart other than their own self adoration? She had their best interests at heart and acted like a surrogate mother to them.
to run out of: to exhaust the supply of, not to have more of Examples of TO RUN OUT OF It was new construction, and the builders ran out of money to complete the work. The 10-point lead would hold, as the Red Wolves ran out of gas down the stretch.
to go over: to be appreciated or accepted Examples of TO GO OVER A strategic planning board She knows that won’t go over well in a lot of places. This does not go over well with her friends or family, particularly her husband.