ENGLISH
REFERENCE

take great pains

idiom
Meaning

To take pains (try hard) to an especially high degree; (loosely) to take pains.


Examples
SIMPLE

She takes great pains to keep her house clean.

CONTEXTUAL

The chef takes great pains to source fresh ingredients for every meal he prepares.

COMPLEX

The author took great pains to ensure that every historical detail in her novel remained accurate to the period.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    a great deal

    Very much; to a great extent; a lot; lots.

  2. 02

    cross to take up

    Alternative form of cross to bear.

  3. 03

    forget to take one's medication this morning

    To be annoyed or irritable, or to behave in an ill-mannered way, particularly in the morning.

  4. 04

    give and take

    A process of compromise or accommodation.

  5. 05

    give someone an inch and someone will take a mile

    Alternative form of give them an inch and they'll take a mile.

  6. 06

    go great guns

    To perform particularly well; to be particularly successful.

  7. 07

    go to great lengths

    To make a major effort; to be very careful when doing something, especially to an extreme or excessive degree.

  8. 08

    great balls of fire

    Expressing great surprise.

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