[take on oneself] or [take upon oneself] {v. phr.} 1. To accept as a duty or responsibility. •/He took it on himself to see that the packages were delivered./ 2. To assume wrongfully or without permission as a right or privilege. •/You should not have taken it upon yourself to accept the invitation for the whole family./

[take one wrong] See: GET ONE WRONG.

[take on the chin]{v. phr.} To gracefully accept criticism. •/It’s good to be able to tell people what they do wrong, but it is equally important to be able to take it on the chin when they tell you what you have done wrong./

[take out]{v. phr.} 1. To ask for and fill in. •/Mary and John took out a marriage license./ 2. To begin to run. •/When the window broke, the boys took out in all directions./ •/When the wind blew the man’s hat off, Charlie took out after it./ See: TAKE IT OUT ON.

[take out after]{v. phr.} To start pursuing one. •/The watchdog took out after the burglars./

[take out on]{v. phr.} To vent one’s sadness, frustration, or anger on someone who is usually innocent of the problem at hand. •/"Why are you always taking out your frustrations on me?" Jane asked Tom, when he slammed the door./

[take-out order]{n. phr.} An order in a restaurant that one does not eat on the premises, but takes home. •/The new Chinese restaurant on the corner sells nice take-out orders./

[take over]{v.} 1a. To take control or possession of. •/He expects to take over the business when his father retires./ 1b. To take charge or responsibility. •/The airplane pilot fainted and his co-pilot had to take over./ 2. To borrow, imitate, or adopt. •/The Japanese have taken over many European ways of life./

[take pains]{v. phr.} To do something very carefully and thoroughly. •/She had taken pains to see that her guests had everything that they could possibly want./ •/She always takes pains with her appearance./

[take part]{v. phr.} To have a part or share; join. •/Jim saw the new boy watching the game and asked him to take part./ •/The Swiss did not take part in the two World Wars./

[take pity on] also [take pity upon] {v. phr.} To feel sympathy or pity and do something for. •/Mary took pity on the orphan kittens./ •/The farmer took pity upon the campers, and let them stay in his barn during the rain./

[take place]{v. phr.} To happen; occur. •/The accident took place only a block from his home./ •/The action of the play takes place in ancient Rome./ •/The dance will take place after the graduation exercises./ Compare: GO ON(3).

[take potluck]{v. phr.} To share as a guest an everyday meal without special preparation. •/You are welcome to stay for dinner if you will take potluck./ •/They were about to have lunch when he phoned and they asked him to take potluck with them./

[take root]{v. phr.} 1. To form roots so as to be able to live and grow. •/We hope the transplanted apple trees will take root./ 2. To be accepted; to be adopted; to live and succeed in a new place. •/Many European customs failed to take root in the New World./ •/The immigrants to our country took root and began to think of themselves as Native Americans./

[take shape]{v. phr.} To grow or develop into a certain fixed form. •/Plans for our vacation are beginning to take shape./ •/Their new home took shape as the weeks went by./ Compare: SHAPE UP.

[take sick] See: TAKE ILL.

[take sides]{v. phr.} To join one group against another in a debate or quarrel. •/Switzerland refused to take sides in the two World Wars./ •/Tom wanted to go fishing. Dick wanted to take a hike. Bob took sides with Tom so they all went fishing./ Compare: LINE UP(4b). Contrast: ON THE FENCE.

[take someone for a ride]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To cheat or swindle someone. •/Poor Joe Catwallender was taken for a ride./ 2. To kill someone after kidnapping. •/The criminals took the man for a ride./

[take steps]{v. phr.} To begin to make plans or arrangements; make preparations; give orders. — Usually used with "to" and an infinitive. •/The city is taking steps to replace its streetcars with busses./

[take stock]{v. phr.} 1. To count exactly the items of merchandise or supplies in stock; take inventory. •/The grocery store took stock every week on Monday mornings./ 2. To study carefully a situation, or a number of possibilities or opportunities. •/During the battle the commander paused to take stock of the situation./ Compare: SIZE UP.

[take stock in]{v. phr.}, {informal} To have faith in; trust; believe. — Usually used in the negative. •/He took no stock in the idea that women were better cooks than men./ •/They took little or no stock in the boy’s story that he had lost the money./ •/Do you take any stock in the gossip about Joan?/

[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.