do nothing by halves
Meaning: To commit fully to whatever one does.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “She repainted every room and the shed too; she does nothing by halves.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: To do something "by halves" is to leave it half finished; the phrase is recorded from the 16th century, usually in the negative.
Equivalents in other languages
- German: keine halben Sachen machen — literally: to not make half things
More idioms — Daily Life
- shut someone up — To force someone to stop talking.
- a pack of lies — A story that is entirely untrue.
- be pocket change — To be a trivial amount of money for the person paying.
- be a known quantity — To be someone whose character or ability is already understood.
- take the rap — To accept blame or punishment, often for someone else.
- you can't win them all — Said to console someone after a small failure.
More English idioms
- keep someone on a short leash — To keep someone under close control.
- not for all the tea in China — Under no circumstances.
- rein someone in — To bring someone under control.
- keep one's feet on the ground — To stay realistic and unaffected by success.
- become second nature — To become so familiar that one does it without thinking.
- right on cue — At exactly the right moment.
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