[take one's life in one's hands] <v. phr.> To face great danger or take great risk. * /Driving that car with those worn tires would be taking your life in your hands./ * /He took his life in his hands when he tried to capture the wild horse./

[take one's measure] or [take the measure of] <v. phr.> To judge the character, quality, or nature of; try to guess about something how hard or easy, dangerous or safe, good or bad, etc. * /The boxers sparred for a while taking each other's measure./ * /John took the measure of the cliff before he climbed it./ Compare: SIZE UP.

[take one's medicine] <v. phr.> To accept punishment without complaining. * /The boy said he was sorry he broke the window and was ready to take his medicine./ Compare: FACE THE MUSIC(2).

[take one's name in vain] <v. phr.> 1. To call upon (God) as a witness to your truth or honesty when you are lying; swear by (God) untruthfully. * /You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain./ 2. <informal> To talk about a person or mention his name. * /"Did I hear someone taking my name in vain?" asked Bill as he joined his friends./

[take one's time] <v. phr.> To avoid haste; act in an unhurried way. * /He liked to take his time over breakfast./ * /It is better to take your time at this job than to hurry and make mistakes./

[take one's word] <v. phr.> To believe one's promise. * /Herb took Eric's word when he promised to pay up his debt./

[take on faith] <v. phr.> To lend credence to something due to one's confidence in the source, rather than based on evidence. * /One should never take on faith what one hears about Washington politics./

[take on oneself] or [take upon oneself] <v. phr.> 1. To accept as a duty or responsibility. * /He took it on himself to see that the packages were delivered./ 2. To assume wrongfully or without permission as a right or privilege. * /You should not have taken it upon yourself to accept the invitation for the whole family./

[take one wrong] See: GET ONE WRONG.

[take on the chin] <v. phr.> To gracefully accept criticism. * /It's good to be able to tell people what they do wrong, but it is equally important to be able to take it on the chin when they tell you what you have done wrong./

[take out] <v. phr.> 1. To ask for and fill in. * /Mary and John took out a marriage license./ 2. To begin to run. * /When the window broke, the boys took out in all directions./ * /When the wind blew the man's hat off, Charlie took out after it./ See: TAKE IT OUT ON.

[take out after] <v. phr.> To start pursuing one. * /The watchdog took out after the burglars./

[take out on] <v. phr.> To vent one's sadness, frustration, or anger on someone who is usually innocent of the problem at hand. * /"Why are you always taking out your frustrations on me?" Jane asked Tom, when he slammed the door./

[take-out order] <n. phr.> An order in a restaurant that one does not eat on the premises, but takes home. * /The new Chinese restaurant on the corner sells nice take-out orders./

[take over] <v.> 1a. To take control or possession of. * /He expects to take over the business when his father retires./ 1b. To take charge or responsibility. * /The airplane pilot fainted and his co-pilot had to take over./ 2. To borrow, imitate, or adopt. * /The Japanese have taken over many European ways of life./

[take pains] <v. phr.> To do something very carefully and thoroughly. * /She had taken pains to see that her guests had everything that they could possibly want./ * /She always takes pains with her appearance./

[take part] <v. phr.> To have a part or share; join. * /Jim saw the new boy watching the game and asked him to take part./ * /The Swiss did not take part in the two World Wars./

[take pity on] also [take pity upon] <v. phr.> To feel sympathy or pity and do something for. * /Mary took pity on the orphan kittens./ * /The farmer took pity upon the campers, and let them stay in his barn during the rain./

[take place] <v. phr.> To happen; occur. * /The accident took place only a block from his home./ * /The action of the play takes place in ancient Rome./ * /The dance will take place after the graduation exercises./ Compare: GO ON(3).

[take potluck] <v. phr.> To share as a guest an everyday meal without special preparation. * /You are welcome to stay for dinner if you will take potluck./ * /They were about to have lunch when he phoned and they asked him to take potluck with them./

[take root] <v. phr.> 1. To form roots so as to be able to live and grow. * /We hope the transplanted apple trees will take root./ 2. To be accepted; to be adopted; to live and succeed in a new place. * /Many European customs failed to take root in the New World./ * /The immigrants to our country took root and began to think of themselves as Native Americans./

[take shape] <v. phr.> To grow or develop into a certain fixed form. * /Plans for our vacation are beginning to take shape./ * /Their new home took shape as the weeks went by./ Compare: SHAPE UP.

[take sick] See: TAKE ILL.

[take sides] <v. phr.> To join one group against another in a debate or quarrel. * /Switzerland refused to take sides in the two World Wars./ * /Tom wanted to go fishing. Dick wanted to take a hike. Bob took sides with Tom so they all went fishing./ Compare: LINE UP(4b). Contrast: ON THE FENCE.

[take someone for a ride] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. To cheat or swindle someone. * /Poor Joe Catwallender was taken for a ride./ 2. To kill someone after kidnapping. * /The criminals took the man for a ride./

[take steps] <v. phr.> To begin to make plans or arrangements; make preparations; give orders. - Usually used with "to" and an infinitive. * /The city is taking steps to replace its streetcars with busses./

[take stock] <v. phr.> 1. To count exactly the items of merchandise or supplies in stock; take inventory. * /The grocery store took stock every week on Monday mornings./ 2. To study carefully a situation, or a number of possibilities or opportunities. * /During the battle the commander paused to take stock of the situation./ Compare: SIZE UP.

[take stock in] <v. phr.>, <informal> To have faith in; trust; believe. - Usually used in the negative. * /He took no stock in the idea that women were better cooks than men./ * /They took little or no stock in the boy's story that he had lost the money./ * /Do you take any stock in the gossip about Joan?/

[take the bit in one's mouth] also [take the bit in one's teeth] <adv. phr.> To have your own way; take charge of things; take control of something. * /When Mary wanted something, she was likely to take the bit in her teeth and her parents could do nothing with her./ Compare: TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS, TAKE THE LAW INTO ONE'S OWN HANDS.

[take the bread out of one's mouth] <v. phr.> To take away or not give your rightful support, especially through selfish pleasure. * /She accused her husband of drinking and gambling - taking bread out of his children's mouths./

[take the bull by the horns] <v. phr.>, <informal> To take definite action and not care about risks; act bravely in a difficulty. * /He decided to take the bull by the horns and demand a raise in salary even though it might cost him his job./ Compare: TAKE THE BIT IN ONE'S MOUTH, TAKE THE LAW INTO ONE'S OWN HANDS.

[take the cake] <v. phr.>, <slang> 1. To take the first prize; be the best; rank first. * /Mr. Jones takes the cake as a storyteller./ 2. To be the limit; to be the worst; have a lot of nerve; be a very rude, bold, or surprising action. * /I let Jack borrow my baseball and he never gave it back. Doesn't that take the cake?/ * /For being absent-minded, Mr. Smith takes the cake./ Compare: BEAT ALL.

[take the day off] See: DAY OFF.

[take the defensive] Contrast: TAKE THE OFFENSIVE.

[take the edge off] also [take off the edge] <v. phr.> To lessen, weaken, soften or make dull. * /Eating a candy bar before dinner has taken the edge off Becky's appetite./ * /Bob was sorry for hurting Tom and that took the edge off Tom's anger./ * /A headache took the edge off Dick's pleasure in the movie./

[take the fifth] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. Taking refuge behind the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States which guarantees any witness the right not to incriminate himself while testifying at a trial. * /Alger Hiss took the Fifth when asked whether he was a member of the Communist Party./ 2. Not to answer any question in an informal setting. * /Have you been married before? - I take the Fifth./

[take the floor] <v. phr.> To get up and make a speech in a meeting. * /The audience became very attentive the moment the president took the floor./

[take the law into one's own hands] <v. phr.> To protect one's supposed rights or punish a suspected wrongdoer without reference to a court. - An overused expression. * /When the men of the settlement caught the suspected murderer, they took the law into their own hands and hanged him to a tree./ * /His farm was going to be sold for taxes, but he took the law into his own hands and drove the sheriff away with a shotgun./ Compare: LAW UNTO ONESELF, TAKE THE BIT IN ONE'S MOUTH.

[take the lid off] <v. phr.> 1. To let out in the open; divulge. * /It's about time to take the lid off the question of how many prisoners of war are still in enemy hands./ 2. To start to face an issue. * /"The best way to deal with your divorce," the doctor said to Fran, "is to take the lid off of it."/ Compare: BLOW THE LID OFF, LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG.

[take the measure of] See: TAKE ONE'S MEASURE.

[take the offensive] <v. phr.> To make oneself the attacking party. * /After many months of preparation, the freedom fighters were ready to take the offensive./ Contrast TAKE THE DEFENSIVE.

[take the pledge] <v. phr.> To swear to give up drinking, smoking, or using drugs. * /Gary finally took the pledge and he has kept it thus far./

[take the plunge] <v. phr.> To take a fatal or decisive step; venture. * /When I asked Don when he and Melissa were going to get married, he answered that they'll take the plunge in September./

[take the rap] <v. phr.>, <slang> To receive punishment; to be accused and punished. * /All of the boys took apples, but only John took the rap./ * /Joe took the burglary rap for his brother and went to prison for two years./

[take the stand] <v. phr.> To assume one's position in the witness box during a trial. * /The judge asked the defendant to take the stand./

[take the starch out of] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. To make (someone) feel weak or tired. * /The hot weather took the starch out of Mrs. Jones, and she didn't feel like doing a thing./ * /The cross-country run took all the starch out of the boys./ 2. See: TAKE THE WIND OUT OF ONE'S SAILS.

[take the stump] or [take to the stump] <v. phr.> To travel around to different places making political speeches. * /The men running for president took to the stump to attract votes./

[take the trouble] See: GO TO THE TROUBLE.

[take the wind out of one's sails] <v. phr.> To surprise someone by doing better or by catching him in an error. * /John came home boasting about the fish he had caught; it took the wind out of his sails when he found his little sister had caught a bigger one./ * /Dick took the wind out of Bob's sails by showing him where he was wrong./ Compare: TAKE THE STARCH OUT OF(2).

[take the words out of one's mouth] <v. phr.> To say what another is just going to say; to put another's thought into words. * /"Let's go to the beach tomorrow." "You took the words right out of my mouth; I was thinking of that."/ * /I was going to suggest a movie, but she took the words out of my mouth and said she would like to see one./

[take things easy] See: TAKE IT EASY(2).

[take time off] See: TIME OFF; Compare: DAY OFF.

[take time out] See: TIME OUT.

[take to] <v.> 1. To go to or into; get yourself quickly to. Often used in the imperative. * /Take to the hills! The bandits are coming!/ * /We took to the woods during the day so no one would see us./ * /Take to the boats! The ship is sinking./ * /We stopped at a hotel for the night but took to the road again the next morning./ 2. To begin the work or job of; make a habit of. * /He took to repairing watches in his spare time./ * /She took to knitting when she got older./ * /Grandfather took to smoking cigars when he was young and he still smokes them./ * /Uncle Willie took to drink while he was a sailor./ * /The cat took to jumping on the table at mealtime./ 3. To learn easily; do well at. * /Father tried to teach John to swim, but John didn't take to it./ * /Mary takes to mathematics like a duck takes to water./ 4. To like at first meeting; be pleased by or attracted to; accept quickly. * /Our dog always takes to children quickly./ * /Mary didn't take kindly to the new rule that her mother made of being home at 6 o'clock./

[take to heart] also [lay to heart] <v. phr.> To be seriously affected by; to feel deeply. * /He took his brother's death very much to heart./ * /He took his friend's advice to heart./

[take to one's heels] also [show a clean pair of heels] <v. phr.> To begin to run or run away. * /When he heard the police coming, the thief took to his heels./

[take to task] <v. phr.> To reprove or scold for a fault or error. * /He took his wife to task for her foolish wastefulness./ * /The principal took Bill to task for breaking the window./

[take to the cleaners] <v. phr.>, <slang> 1. To win all the money another person has (as in poker). * /Watch out if you play poker with Joe; he'll take you to the cleaners./ 2. To cheat a person out of his money and possessions by means of a crooked business transaction or other means of dishonest conduct. * /I'll never forgive myself for becoming associated with Joe; he took me to the cleaners./

[take to the woods] <v. phr.>, <informal> To run away and hide. * /When John saw the girls coming, he took to the woods./ * /Bob took to the woods so he would not have to mow the grass./ Compare: HEAD FOR THE HILLS.

[take turns] <v. phr.> To do something one after another instead of doing it all at the same time. * /In class we should not talk all at the same time; we should take turns./ * /Jean and Beth took turns on the swing./ * /The two boys took turns at digging the hole./ * /The three men took turns driving so one would not be too tired./

[take under one's wing] See: UNDER ONE'S WING.

[take up] <v.> 1. To remove by taking in. * /Use a blotter to take up the spilled ink./ * /When the vacuum cleaner bag is full, it will not take up dirt from the rug./ 2. To fill or to occupy. * /All his evenings were taken up with study./ * /The oceans take up the greater part of the earth's surface./ * /The mayor has taken up residence on State Street./ 3. To gather together; collect. * /We are taking up a collection to buy flowers for John because he is in the hospital./ 4. To take away. * /John had his driver's license taken up for speeding./ 5a. To begin; start. * /The teacher took up the lesson where she left off yesterday./ 5b. To begin to do or learn; go into as a job or hobby. * /He recently took up gardening./ * /He took up the carpenter's trade as a boy./ Compare: GO INTO(3), GO IN FOR, TAKE TO. 6. To pull and make tight or shorter; shorten. * /The tailor took up the legs of the trousers./ * /Take up the slack on the rope!/ Compare: TAKE IN(3). 7. To take or accept something that is offered. * /The boss offered me a $5 raise and I took him up./ * /I took John up on his bet./ Compare: JUMP AT.

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