at first: at the beginning, originally Examples of AT FIRST At first, I didn’t know what to think about Jamie, but now I think she’s pretty cool. She consulted, at first, with a general practitioner, but then she decided to see a specialist.

to be over: to be finished, to end (also: to be through) Examples of BE OVER He was secretly happy to be over with his ex-girlfriend, but he pretended that she’d broken his heart. Benny needs to be over his reliance on clichés when he writes.

to take after: to resemble a parent or close relative (for physical appearanceonly, also: to look like) Examples of TO TAKE AFTER Little Kevin was a very good soccer player; he must take after his father. My son doesn’t take after me at all.

a bitter pill to swallow: unpleasant, but has to be acceptedExamples: Losing my job was initially a bitter pill to swallow. It’s a bitter pill to swallow but a difficult cure promises the best result.

a bone of contention: something which people argue and disagree over.Examples: Medicaid costs have long been a bone of contention between counties and the state. How climate change will affect hurricanes has long been a bone of contention.

back and forth: in a backward and forward motion Examples of BACK AND FORTH She and I went back and forth, continually trading ideas, but we never reached an agreement. My job has me going back and forth between Atlanta and New York right now.