[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.
[take up arms]{v. phr.}, {literary}. To get ready to fight; fight or make war. •/The people were quick to take up arms to defend their freedom./ •/The President called on people to take up arms against poverty./ Contrast: LAY DOWN ONE’S ARMS.
[take upon oneself] See: TAKE ON ONESELF.
[take up the cudgels for]{v. phr.}, {literary} To come to the defense of; to support or fight for. •/He was the first to take up the cudgels for his friend./ Compare: STAND UP FOR.
[take up with]{v.} To begin to go around with (someone); see a lot of. •/Frank has taken up with Lucy lately./
[take with a grain of salt] also [take with a pinch of salt] {v. phr.} To accept or believe only in part; not accept too much. •/A man who says he is not a candidate for President should usually have his statement taken with a grain of salt./ •/We took Uncle George’s stories of the war with a pinch of salt./
[taking pictures]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {citizen’s band radio jargon} To use a radar-operated speed indicator in order to enforce the 55 MPH speed limit. •/The Smokeys are taking pictures!/
[tale] See: TELL TALES OUT OF SCHOOL.
[talent scout]{n. phr.} A person employed by a large organization to seek out promising and gifted individuals. •/Gordon has been working as a talent scout for a television program./ Compare: HEAD HUNTING(2).
[talent show]{n.} An entertainment in which new entertainers try to win a prize. •/Mary won the talent show by her dancing./ •/The people liked Bill’s singing in the talent show./
[talk] See: DOUBLE-TALK, PEP TALK, SALES TALK, SWEET TALK.
[talk a blue streak]{v. phr.}, {informal} To talk on and on, usually very fast. •/Sue is a nice girl but after one drink she talks a blue streak and won’t stop./
[talk back] also [answer back] {v.} {informal} To answer rudely; reply in a disrespectful way; be fresh. •/When the teacher told the boy to sit down, he talked back to her and said she couldn’t make him./ •/Mary talked back when her mother told her to stop watching television; she said, "I don’t have to if I don’t want to."/ •/Russell was going somewhere with some bad boys, when his father told him it was wrong, Russell answered him back, "Mind your own business."/
[talk big]{v.}, {informal} To talk boastfully; brag. •/He talks big about his pitching, but he hasn’t won a game./
[talk down]{v.} 1. To make (someone) silent by talking louder or longer. •/Sue tried to give her ideas, but the other girls talked her down./ Compare: SHOUT DOWN(2). To use words or ideas that are too easy. •/The speaker talked down to the students, and they were bored./
