once and for all: finally, absolutely Examples of ONCE AND FOR ALL We’re going to solve this mystery once and for all, the detective thought to himself. After trying repeatedly, they were able to get the engine fixed once and for all.

for once: this one time, for only one time Examples of FOR ONCE For once they were the stars, not just a sideshow in the track-and-field circus. For once I agree that the brilliant Shaw talks his way into a theatrical morass.

to sit down: to be seated (also: take a seat) Examples of SIT DOWN “I need to sit down,” the exhausted runner managed to stammer. When I hurt my back, it was hard to sit down and put on my socks.

out of order: not in working condition Examples of OUT OF ORDER When my cell phone ran out of battery, I tried the pay phone, but it was out of order. It seems like one of the projectors is always out of order, but the others always work fine.

to take hold of: to grasp, to grip with the heads Examples of TO TAKE HOLD OF The police needs to take hold of the situation before it goes out of control. We were able to take hold of the throttle and stop the runaway train.

on purpose: for a reason, deliberately Examples of ON PURPOSE “So you’re telling me that you lost the game on purpose?” the commissioner asked the baseball player who was accused of taking a bribe. I tried to explain that the boy didn’t break the window on purpose, so his parents wouldn’t be mad at him.