to take pains: to work carefully and conscientiously Examples of TO TAKE PAINS She takes pains to do everything well; she’s our best employee. She takes pains to conceal his true identity from her villagers and even her husband.

in vain: useless, without the desired result Examples of IN VAIN The last-minute get-out-the-vote effort was in vain, because the opposition candidate still lost. The director didn’t even see me, so all the rehearsing I did was in vain.

to cut down on: to reduce, to lessen (also: to cut back on) Examples of TO CUT DOWN ON As she was making her budget, she realized she needed to cut down on her expenses. My doctor told me to cut down on desserts.

above all: mainly, especially Examples of ABOVE ALL The emperor demanded to be respected above all others in his retinue. When you’re under oath, above all, you must tell the truth.

sooner or later: eventually, after a period of time Examples of SOONER OR LATER I’ll get around to it sooner or later. If you study English seriously, sooner or later you’ll become fluent. Sooner or later, everyone catches a cold.

to have to do with: to have some connection with or relationship to Examples of TO HAVE TO DO WITH Once the drugs were delivered to Mick, I had nothing to do with them whatsoever. What does your suggestion have to do with our problem?