The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms

by Christine Ammer

  take a walk Leave abruptly, walk out. For example, If she’s rude again I’m just going to take a walk, or The director would not put up with tantrums and ordered the young actress to take a walk. [Colloquial; late 1800s] Also see TAKE A HIKE; WALK OUT, def. 2.

  take away from Detract, as in Her straggly hair takes away from her otherwise attractive appearance. [Second half of 1800s]

  take a whack at → See HAVE A CRACK AT.

  take back 1. Retract a statement, as in I said you weren’t much of a cook but after that dinner I take it all back. This usage was first recorded in 1775. 2. take one back. Return in thought to a past time, as in That music takes me back to the first dance I ever went to. [Late 1800s]

  take by storm Make a vivid impression on, quickly win popular acclaim or renown, as in The new rock group took the town by storm. This usage transfers the original military meaning of the phrase, “assault in a violent attack,” to more peaceful endeavors. [Mid-1800s]

  take by surprise Encounter unexpectedly, as in The rainshower took us by surprise. [Late 1600s]

  take care 1. Be careful, use caution, as in Take care or you will slip on the ice. [Late 1500s] 2. Good-bye, as in I have to go now; take care. This apparent abbreviation of take care of yourself is used both orally and in writing, where it sometimes replaces the conventional Sincerely or Love in signing off correspondence. [Colloquial; 1960s]

  take care of 1. Attend to, assume responsibility for, as in Go ahead to the movies, I’ll take care of parking the car, or They’ve hired someone to take care of the children for a week. [Late 1500s] 2. Beat up or kill someone, as in If he didn’t pay up they threatened to take care of him and his family. [Slang; c. 1930]

  take charge Assume control, command, or responsibility, as in I’ll take charge of selling the tickets if you’ll do the publicity, or They’re not happy about the counselor who took charge of the children. [Late 1300s]

  take cover Seek protection, find a hiding place, as in It started to pour so we took cover under the trees, or He wanted to avoid the reporters so we said he could take cover in our summer cottage. This term uses cover in the sense of “shelter” or “concealment,” a usage dating from the 1400s.

  take doing Require considerable effort, as in It’ll take doing to get the whole house painted in a week. This expression sometimes is put as take some ­doing, as in You want the President to come? That’ll take some doing! [First half of 1900s]

  take down 1. Bring from a higher position to a lower one, as in After the sale they took down all the signs. [c. 1300] 2. Take apart, dismantle, as in They took down the scaffolding. [Mid-1500s] 3. Humble or humiliate; see TAKE DOWN A NOTCH. 4. Record in writing, as in Please take down all these price quotations. [Early 1700s]

  take down a notch Also, take down a peg. Deflate or humble someone, as in He’s so arrogant that I wish someone would take him down a notch, or That defeat took them down a peg. Both notch and peg in this idiom allude to a series, the former of indentations, the latter of knobs, used to raise or lower something. Specifically, peg alludes to the pegs used to lower a ship’s colors. Their figurative use dates from the second half of the 1600s. Also see CUT DOWN, def. 3.

  take effect → See IN EFFECT, def. 2.

  take exception to Disagree with, object to, as in I take exception to that remark about unfair practices. This idiom, first recorded in 1542, uses exception in the sense of “objection,” a meaning ­obsolete except in a few phrases.

  take five Relax, take some time off from what one is doing, as in We’ve been at it long enough; let’s take five. This term is short for “take five minutes off.” [Slang; first half of 1900s] For a synonym, see TAKE A BREAK.

  take flight Also, take wing. Run away, flee, go away, as in When the militia arrived, the demonstrators took flight, or The tenant took wing before paying the rent. The first idiom derives from the earlier take one’s flight, dating from the late 1300s, and was first recorded in 1435. The variant was first recorded in 1704.

  take for 1. Regard as, as in Do you take me for a fool? [First half of 1400s] 2. Consider mistakenly, as in Don’t take our silence for approval, or I think they took us for foreigners. [Second half of 1500s] Also see TAKE FOR GRANTED; WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR.

  take for a ride → See TAKE SOMEONE FOR A RIDE.

  take for gospel → See TAKE AS GOSPEL.

  take for granted 1. Consider as true or real, assume, as in I took it for granted that they’d offer to pay for their share but I was wrong. [c. 1600] 2. Underestimate the value of, become used to, as in The editors felt that the publisher was taking them for granted.

  take heart Be confident, be brave, as in Take heart, we may still win this game. This idiom uses heart in the sense of “courage.” [First half of 1500s]

  take hold 1. Grasp, as in Take hold of this end of the rope. [Late 1500s] 2. Become established, as in The new vines quickly took hold, or This idea will never take hold with the voters. [c. 1300]

  take ill → See GET SICK.

  take in 1. Admit, receive as a guest or employee, as in They offered to take in two of the orphaned children. [First half of 1500s] 2. Reduce in size, make smaller or shorter, as in I’ve lost some weight so I’ll have to take in my clothes. [Early 1500s] 3. Include or constitute, as in This list takes in all the members, past and present. [Mid-1600s] 4. Understand, as in I couldn’t take in all that French ­dialogue in the movie. [Second half of 1600s] 5. Deceive, swindle, as in That alleged fundraiser took me in completely. [First half of 1700s] 6. Look at thoroughly, as in We want to take in all the sights. [First half of 1700s] 7. Accept work to be done at home, as in His grandmother took in washing to support her children. [First half of 1800s] 8. Receive as proceeds, as in We had a good audience; how much did we take in? [Late 1800s] Also see the following entries beginning with TAKE IN.

  take in good part → See IN GOOD PART.

  take in hand Deal with, assume control of, as in He’s going to take their debts in hand and see if they need to declare bankruptcy, or Once the new teacher takes them in hand this class will do much better. [c. 1300] Also see IN HAND, def. 2.

  take in stride Accept something as a matter of course, not allow something to interrupt or disturb one’s routine. For example, There were bound to be setbacks but Jack took them in stride. This ­idiom alludes to a horse clearing an obstacle without checking its stride. [c. 1900]

  take into account Also, take account of; take into consideration. Bear in mind, consider, allow for, as in We have to take into account that ten of the musicians were absent, or It’s important to take account of where the audience is coming from, or When you take into consideration the fact that they were founded only a year ago, they’ve done very well. Take into consideration is the oldest of these expressions, dating from the mid-1500s. Take into account and take account of date from the late 1600s. The antonyms, leave out of account or take no account of, mean “ignore, pay no attention to,” as in They’ve left the most important item out of account. [Second half of 1800s] All of these idioms use account in the sense of “reckoning” or “calculation,” and consideration in the sense of “regard for the circumstances.”

  take into one’s confidence Trust someone with a secret, as in She took me into her confidence and admitted that she was quitting next month. This idiom uses confidence in the sense of “trust,” a usage dating from the late 1500s.

  take into one’s head → See GET INTO ONE’S HEAD.

  take into one’s own hands → See TAKE THE LAW INTO ONE’S HANDS.

  take issue with Disagree with, as in I take issue with those figures; they don’t include last month’s sales. This idiom comes from legal terminology, where it was originally put as to join issue, meaning “take the opposite side of a case.” [Late 1600s]

  take it 1. Understand, as in I take it they won’t accept your proposal. [Early 1500s] 2. Endure abuse, criticism, harsh treatment, or unpleasantness, as in Tell me what you really think of me—I can take it. [Mid-1800s] This phrase is
sometimes modified as take just so much, meaning “endure only up to a point.” For example, I can take just so much of this nonsense before I lose patience. Also see TAKE IT ON THE CHIN; TAKE LYING DOWN. 3. Accept or believe something, as in I’ll take it on the doctor’s say-so. Also see the subsequent entries beginning with TAKE IT.

  take it easy Don’t hurry, proceed at a comfortable pace, relax. For example, Take it easy—we don’t have to be there till noon, or Bruce decided to take it easy this weekend and put off working on the house. [Mid-1800s]

  take it from here Also, take it from there. Continue from a certain point onwards, as in I’ve done what I could with correcting the blatant errors; you’ll have to take it from here. [Mid-1900s]

  take it from me Also, you can take it from me. Rest assured, believe me, as in You can take it from me, we’ve been working hard on it. This idiom was first recorded in 1622 in slightly different form, take it upon my word. The current form appeared in 1672.

  take it on the chin Suffer adversity or defeat, as in Paul really took it on the chin today when he got fired for missing a deadline. This idiom alludes to taking a physical blow on the chin. [First half of 1900s]

  take it or leave it Accept or reject unconditionally, as in I’m asking $1,000 for this computer—take it or leave it. This term, used to indicate one’s final offer, was first recorded in 1576.

  take it out of one Exhaust or fatigue one, as in This construction job really takes it out of me. This idiom alludes to depleting one’s energy. [Mid-1800s]

  take it out on Also, take something out on. Vent one’s frustration or anger on a person or object. For example, I know you’re furious about your grades but don’t take it out on me. [First half of 1800s]

  take its toll Be damaging or harmful, cause loss or destruction, as in The civil war has taken its toll on both sides, or The heavy truck traffic has taken its toll on the highways. This expression transfers the taking of toll, a tribute or tax, to exacting other costs. [Late 1800s]

  take it upon oneself Also, take on oneself. Undertake something, as in I took it upon myself to count the precise number of children in the audience, or She took it on herself to enter a convent. [Second half of 1400s]

  take kindly to Be receptive to, attracted by, or pleased with, as in He’ll take kindly to the criticism if it’s constructive, or Henry won’t take kindly to your stepping on his newly planted grass. This ­idiom uses kindly in the sense of “in a pleasant or agreeable manner.” [c. 1800]

  take leave of 1. Also, take one’s leave of. Depart from, say good-bye to. For example, Sorry but I have to take leave of you now, or After the movie we’ll take our leave of you. [Mid-1200s] 2. take leave of one’s senses. Behave irrationally, act crazy, as in Give them the keys to the house? Have you taken leave of your senses? [Late 1800s] Also see COME TO ONE’S SENSES.

  take liberties 1. Behave improperly or disrespectfully; also, make unwanted sexual advances. For example, He doesn’t allow staff members to take liberties, such as calling clients by their first names, or She decided that if Jack tried to take liberties with her she would go straight home. This idiom uses liberties in the sense of “an overstepping of propriety,” and thus differs markedly from TAKE THE LIBERTY OF. [c. 1700] 2. Make a statement or take an action not warranted by the facts or circumstances, as in Their book takes liberties with the historical record.

  take lying down Submit to an insult, rebuke, or other harsh treatment without resisting, as in He won’t take that snub lying down. This idiom uses lying down in the sense of “passively.” [Late 1800s] Also see TAKE IT, def. 2.

  taken aback → See TAKE ABACK.

  take no for an answer, not Not accept a refusal, be persistent in demanding something, as in I want you to show me the statements and I won’t take no for an answer. This idiom was first recorded in 1930 in Winston Churchill’s My Early Life: “Don’t take no for an answer, never submit to failure.”

  take no prisoners Behave with utter ruthlessness. Literally the term has meant, since at least 1574, that in the military a defeated enemy would be killed rather than captured. It has been used figuratively for more than a century, as in “The Cubs took no prisoners, the Dodgers escaping with nothing but their uniforms and bat bag” (New York Times, Aug 19, 1915).

  take note Also, take notice. Pay attention, as in Take note, not one man here is wearing a tie, or The aide took notice of the boys throwing spitballs and reported them. An antonym is take no notice of, meaning “ignore,” as in Take no notice of them and they’ll stop teasing you. [Late 1500s] Also see TAKE NOTES.

  take notes Also, make notes. Record one’s observations or what one hears in order to help recall them later. For example, Jim never takes notes in class and I think he’ll regret it, or The decorator made notes of window measurements and other dimensions. [Mid-1500s] Also see TAKE NOTE.

  taken with, be Be attracted to or charmed by, as in I was quite taken with those watercolors, or The composer seemed to be taken with the young soprano who performed his songs. [First half of 1500s]

  take off 1. Remove, as in Take off your coat and stay for a while, or I took my foot off the brake. [c. 1300] 2. Deduct, decrease, as in He took 20 percent off the original price, or I want you to trim my hair, but please don’t take off too much. [c. 1700] 3. Carry or take away, as in The passengers were taken off one by one. [Late 1800s] 4. Also, take oneself off. Leave, go away, as in I’m taking off now, or We take ourselves off for China next month, or, as an imperative, Take yourself off right now! [First half of 1800s] 5. Move forward quickly, as in The dog took off after the car. 6. Become well known or popular, or achieve sudden growth, as in That actor’s career has really taken off, or Sales took off around the holidays. [Mid-1900s] 7. Rise in flight, as in The airplane took off on time. [Mid-1800s] 8. Discontinue, as in The railroad took off the commuter special. [Mid-1700s] 9. Imitate humorously or satirically, as in He had a way of taking off the governor that made us howl with laughter. [Mid-1700s] 10. Withhold service, as in I’m taking off from work today because of the funeral. [First half of 1900s]

  take offense Feel resentment or emotional pain, as in I didn’t realize he’d take offense when he ­wasn’t invited. [Mid-1800s]

  take office Assume an official position or employment, as in The new chair takes office after the first of the year. [Mid-1800s]

  take off one’s hands → See OFF SOMEONE’S HANDS.

  take off one’s hat to → See TAKE ONE’S HAT OFF TO.

  take on 1. Undertake or begin to deal with, as in I took on new responsibilities, or She took on too much when she accepted both assignments. [Early 1300s] 2. Hire, engage, as in We take on extra workers during the busy season. [Early 1600s] 3. Oppose in competition, as in This young wrestler was willing to take on all comers. [Late 1800s] 4. Display strong emotion, as in Don’t take on so. [Colloquial; early 1400s] 5. Acquire as, or as if, one’s own, as in He took on the look of a prosperous banker. [Late 1700s]

  take one’s breath away Astonish or shock one, with pleasure, surprise, or some other emotion. For example, That beautiful display just takes my breath away. This idiom alludes to the way one holds one’s breath when overcome with sudden emotion. [Mid-1800s]

  take one’s chances Accept the risks, resign oneself to whatever happens, as in I’ve no idea whether this scheme will work; I’ll just take my chances. [Early 1300s]

  take one’s cue from Follow the lead of another, as in I’m not sure what to bring, so I’ll take my cue from you. This expression, first recorded in 1622, alludes to the cue giving an actor a signal to speak.

  take one’s hat off to Also, take off one’s hat to. Express one’s admiration, as in I take off my hat to you—you’ve done very well indeed. [Mid-1800s] Also see HATS OFF TO.

  take one’s leave → See TAKE LEAVE OF.

  take one’s medicine Put up with unpleasantness, learn one’s lesson. For example, After failing math, he had to take his medicine and go to summer school. This idiom uses medicine in the sense o
f “a bitter-tasting remedy.” [Mid-1800s]

  take one’s time Act slowly or at one’s leisure, as in You can take your time altering that dress; I don’t need it right away. [Late 1700s]

  take one’s word for → See TAKE SOMEONE AT HIS OR HER WORD.

  take on faith → See ON FAITH.

  take on oneself → See TAKE IT UPON ONESELF.

  take out 1. Extract, remove, as in He should take out that splinter. [c. 1300] 2. Secure by applying to an authority, as in She took out a real estate license. [Late 1600s] 3. Escort on a date, as in He’s been taking out a different girl every night of the week. [c. 1600] 4. Give vent to; see TAKE IT OUT ON. 5. Carry away for use elsewhere, as in Can we get some pizza to take out? 6. Obtain as an equivalent in different form, as in We took out the money she owed us by having her babysit. [Early 1600s] 7. Set out, as in Jan and Herb took out for the beach, or The police took out after the suspects. [Mid-1800s] 8. Kill, destroy, as in Two snipers took out a whole platoon, or Flying low, the plane took out the enemy bunker in one pass. [1930s] 9. See under TAKE OUT OF.

  take out of → See TAKE A LEAF OUT OF SOMEONE’S BOOK; TAKE IT OUT OF ONE; TAKE THE BREAD OUT OF SOMEONE’S MOUTH; TAKE THE STARCH OUT OF; TAKE THE STING OUT OF; TAKE THE WIND OUT OF SOMEONE’S SAILS; TAKE THE WORDS OUT OF SOMEONE’S MOUTH.

  take over Assume control, management, or possession of, as in The pilot told his copilot to take over the controls, or There’s a secret bid to take over our company. [Late 1800s]

  take pains → See AT PAINS.

  take part Play a role, share, participate, as in Will you be taking part in the wedding? or He did not take part in the discussion. [Late 1300s] Also see TAKE SOMEONE’S PART.

  take pity on Also, have pity on. Show compassion or mercy to, as in Take pity on the cook and eat that last piece of cake, or, as Miles Coverdale’s 1535 translation of the Bible has it (Job 19:21), “Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye, my friends.” This idiom may be used half-jokingly, as in the first example, or seriously. [Late 1200s]