[go sit on a tack]{v.}, {slang} Shut up and go away; stop bothering. — Usually used as a command and considered rude. •/Henry told Bill to go sit on a tack./ Compare: GO JUMP IN THE LAKE.
[gosling] See: GONE GOOSE also GONE GOSLING.
[go somebody one better]{v. phr.}, {informal} To do something better than (someone else); do more or better than; beat. •/Bill’s mother gave the boys in Bill’s club hot dogs for refreshments, so Tom’s mother said that she would go her one better next time by giving them hot dogs and ice cream./ •/John made a good dive into the water, but Bob went him one better by diving in backwards./
[go stag]{v. phr.} 1. To go to a dance or party without a companion of the opposite sex. •/When Sally turned him down, Tom decided to go stag to the college prom./ 2. To participate in a party for men only. •/Mrs. Smith’s husband frequently goes stag, leaving her at home./
[go steady]{v. phr.} To go on dates with the same person all the time; dale just one person. •/At first Tom and Martha were not serious about each other, but now they are going steady./ •/Jean went steady with Bob for a year; then they had a quarrel and stopped dating each other./ Syn.: KEEP COMPANY. Contrast: PLAY THE FIELD.
[go straight]{v. phr.}, {slang} To become an honest person; lead an honest life. •/After the man got out of prison, he went straight./ •/Mr. Wright promised to go straight if the judge would let him go free./
[got a thing going]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To be engaged in a pleasurable or profitable activity with someone else as a partner either in romance or in mutually profitable business. •/"You two seem to have got a thing going, haven’t you?"/ •/"You’ve got a good thing going with your travel bureau, why quit now?"/
[go the rounds]{v. phr.} To pass or be told from one person to another; spread among many people. •/There is a rumor going the rounds that Mr. Norton will be the new superintendent./ •/The story about Mr. Cox’s falling into the lake is making the rounds./ Syn.: GO AROUND.
[go the whole hog] or [go whole hog] {v. phr.}, {informal} To do something completely or thoroughly; to give all your strength or attention to something. •/When Bob became interested in model airplanes, he went the whole hog./ •/The family went whole hog at the fair, and spent a lot of money./ Compare: ALL OUT, ALL THE WAY, SHOOT THE WORKS.
[go through]{v.} 1. To examine or think about carefully; search. •/I went through the papers looking for Jane’s letter./ •/Mother went through the drawer looking for the sweater./ Syn.: GO OVER. 2. To experience; suffer; live through. •/Frank went through many dangers during the war./ 3. To do what you are supposed to do; do what you promised. •/I went through my part of the bargain, but you didn’t go through your part./ Syn.: CARRY OUT. 4. To go or continue to the end of; do or use all of. •/Jack went through the magazine quickly./ •/We went through all our money at the circus./ Syn.: RUN THROUGH. 5. To be allowed; pass; be agreed on. •/I hope the new law we want goes through Congress./ •/The sale of the store went through quickly./
[go through hell and high water]{v. phr.}, {informal} To go through danger, or trouble. •/John is ready to go through hell and high water to help his chum./ •/The soldiers went through hell and high water to capture the fort./ Compare: COME HELL OR HIGH WATER, THROUGH THE MILL.
[go through the motions]{v. phr.} To pretend to do something by moving or acting as if you were really doing it; do something without really trying hard or caring. •/Jane was angry because she couldn’t go out, and when her mother said to dust her room she just went through the motions./ •/The team was so far behind in the game that they just went through the motions of playing at the end./
[go through with]{v. phr.} To finish; do as planned or agreed; not stop or fail to do. •/The boys don’t think Bob will go through with his plans to spend the summer at a camp./ •/Mr. Trent hopes the city won’t go through with its plans to widen the street./ Syn.: CARRY OUT. Compare: CARRY THROUGH, LIVE UP TO.
[go to]{v.} To be ready to do; start doing something. •/When Jack went to write down the telephone number, he had forgotten it./
[go to any length]{v. phr.} To do everything you can. •/Bill will go to any length to keep Dick from getting a date with Mary./ Compare: ALL-OUT.
[go to bat for]{v. phr.}, {informal} To help out in trouble or need; give aid to. •/Everybody else thought Billy had broken the window, but Tom went to bat for him./ •/Mary went to bat for the new club program./ Syn.: STAND UP FOR.
[go to bed with the chickens]{v. phr.}, {informal} To go to bed early at night. •/On the farm John worked hard and went to bed with the chickens./ •/Mr. Barnes goes to bed with the chickens because he has to get up at 5 A.M./
[go together]{v.} 1. To go with the same boy or girl all the time; date just one person. •/Herbert and Thelma go together./ Compare: GO STEADY, GO WITH(2), KEEP COMPANY. 2. To be suitable or agreeable with each other; match. •/Roast turkey and cranberries go together./ •/Ice cream and cake go together./ •/Green and yellow go together./
[go to great lengths] See: GO TO ANY LENGTH.
[go to hell] See: GO TO THE DEVIL.
[go to it!]{v. phr.} An expression of encouragement meaning go ahead; proceed. •/"Go to it!" my father cried enthusiastically, when I told him I had decided to become a doctor./
[go to one’s head]{v. phr.} 1. To make one dizzy. •/Beer and wine go to a person’s head./ •/Looking out the high window went to the woman’s head./ 2. To make someone too proud; make a person think he is too important. •/Being the star player went to John’s head./ •/The girl’s fame as a movie actress went to her head./
[go to pieces]{v. phr.} To become very nervous or sick from nervousness; become wild. •/Mrs. Vance went to pieces when she heard her daughter was in the hospital./ •/The man went to pieces when the judge said he would have to go to prison for life./ •/Mary goes to pieces when she can’t have her own way./
[go to pot]{v. phr.}, {informal} To be ruined; become bad; be destroyed. •/Mr. Jones' health has gone to pot./ •/The motel business went to pot when the new highway was built./ Compare: GO TO WRACK AND RUIN, GO TO THE DOGS.
[go to prove] See: GO TO SHOW.
[go to seed] or [run to seed] {v. phr.} 1. To grow seeds. •/Onions go to seed in hot weather./ 2. To lose skill or strength; stop being good or useful. •/Sometimes a good athlete runs to seed when he gets too old for sports./ •/Mr. Allen was a good carpenter until he became rich and went to seed./
[go to show] or [go to prove] {v. phr.}, {informal} To seem to prove; act or serve to show (a fact); demonstrate. — Often used after "it". •/Our team beat a bigger team, and it just goes to show you can win if you play hard enough./ •/The hard winter at Valley Forge goes to show that our soldiers suffered a great deal to win the Revolution./
[go to the chair]{v. phr.} To be executed in the electric chair. •/After many stays of execution, the criminal finally had to go to the chair./
[go to the devil]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To go away, mind your own business. — Used as a command; considered rude. •/George told Bob to go to the devil./ •/"Go to the devil!" said Jack, when his sister tried to tell him what to do./ 2. To become bad or ruined; become useless. •/The boy got mixed up with bad company and began to steal and rob his friends. He went to the devil./ •/Mr. Jones went to the devil after he lost his business./
[go to the dogs]{v. phr.}, {informal} To go to ruin; to be ruined or destroyed. •/The man went to the dogs after he started drinking./ •/After the death of the owner, the business went to the dogs./ •/The team went to the dogs when its best players got hurt./ Compare: GO TO POT.
[go to the trouble] or [take the trouble] {v. phr.} To make trouble or extra work for yourself; bother. •/John told Mr. Brown not to go to the trouble of driving him home./ •/Since your aunt took the trouble to get you a nice birthday present, the least you can do is to thank her./ Compare: PUT OUT(5).
[go to town]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To do something quickly or with great force or energy; work fast or hard. •/The boys went to town on the old garage, and had it torn down before Father came home from work./ •/While Sally was slowly washing the dishes, she remembered she had a date with Pete that evening; then she really went to town./ Compare: IN NO TIME, MAKE TIME. Contrast: TAKE ONE’S TIME. 2. or [go places]. To do a good job; succeed. •/Our team is going to town this year. We have won all five games that we played./ •/Dan was a good student and a good athlete; we expect him to go places in business./
[go to waste]{v. phr.} To be wasted or lost; not used. •/The strawberries went to waste because there was nobody to pick them./ •/Joe’s work on the model automobile went to waste when he dropped it./ Compare: IN VAIN.
[go to wrack and ruin]{v. phr.} To fall apart and be ruined; to become useless. •/The barn went to wrack and ruin after the farmer moved./ •/The car will soon go to wrack and ruin standing out in all kinds of weather./
[go under]{v.} 1. To be sunk. •/The ship hit an iceberg and went under./ 2. To fail; be defeated. •/The filling station went under because there were too many others on the street./
[go under the hammer]{v. phr.} To be auctioned off. •/Our old family paintings went under the hammer when my father lost his job./
[go up]{v.} 1. To go or move higher; rise. •/Many people came to watch the weather balloon go up./ •/The path goes up the hill./ 2. To be able to become heard; become loud or louder. •/A shout went up from the crowd at the game./ 3. Grow in height while being built; to be built. •/The new church is going up on the corner./ 4. To increase. •/Prices of fruit and vegetables have gone up./
[go up in smoke] or [go up in flames] {v. phr.} To burn; be destroyed by fire. 1. •/The house went up in flames./ •/The barn full of hay went up in smoke./ 2. Disappear; fail; not come true. •/Jane’s hopes of going to college went up in smoke when her father lost his job./ •/The team’s chances to win went up in smoke when their captain was hurt./
[go up in the air]{v. phr.} To become angry; lose one’s temper. •/Herb is so irritable these days that he goes up in the air for no reason at all./
[gourd] See: SAW WOOD or SAW GOURDS.
[go with]{v.} 1. To match; to look good with. •/A yellow blouse goes with her blonde hair./ •/The woman bought a purse to go with her new shoes./ 2. To go out in the company of. •/Tom goes with the girl who lives across the street./
[go without] See: DO WITHOUT.
[go without saying]{v. phr.} To be too plain to need talking about; not be necessary to say or mention. •/It goes without saying that children should not be given knives to play with./ •/A person with weak eyes should wear glasses. That goes without saying./
[go wrong]{v. phr.} 1. To fail; go out of order. •/Something went wrong with our car and we stalled on the road./ 2. To sink into an immoral or criminal existence. •/In a large city many young people go wrong every year./
[gown] See: TOWN AND GOWN.
[grab bag]{n.} 1. A bag from which surprise packages are chosen; a bag in which there are many unknown things. •/The woman paid a quarter for a chance at the grab bag./ •/The children brought packages to be sold from the grab bag at the school carnival./ 2. A group of many different things from which to choose; a variety. •/The TV program was a grab bag for young and old alike./
