[give way to]{v. phr.} 1a. To make room for; allow to go or pass; yield to. •/John gave way to the old lady and let her pass./ 1b. To allow to decide. •/Mrs. Rogers gave way lo her husband in buying the car./ 1c. To lose control of (your feelings), not hold back. •/Timmy gave way to his feelings when his dog died./ 2. or [give place to]. To be replaced by. •/Radio has given way to television in popularity./ •/When she saw the clowns, the little girl’s tears gave way lo laughter./

[glad hand]{n.}, {informal} A friendly handshake; a warm greeting. •/Father went to the front door to give Uncle Fred the glad hand when he arrived./ •/The politician went down the street on election day giving everyone the glad hand./

[glad rags]{n.}, {slang} Clothes worn to parties or on special occasions; best clothes. •/Mrs. Owens put on her glad rags for the party./ Compare: BEST BIB AND TUCKER.

[glance] See: AT FIRST GLANCE or AT FIRST SIGHT.

[glance off]{v. phr.} To ricochet. •/The bullet glanced off the wall and wounded an innocent bystander./

[glass] See: PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GLASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT THROW STONES, SAFETY GLASS.

[glasses] See: LOOK AT THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE-COLORED GLASSES.

[glass jaw]{n.}, {slang} The inability of a boxer to get a hard punch on the jaw without being knocked out; a tendency to be knocked out easily. •/He would have been champion except for his glass jaw./

[globe-trotter]{n.} One who has travelled far and wide. •/Tim and Nancy are regular globe-trotters; there are few countries they haven’t been to./

[glory] See: IN ONE’S GLORY.

[gloss over]{v.} To try to make what is wrong or bad seem right or not important; try to make a thing look easy; pretend about; hide. •/Billy broke a window and Mother tried to gloss it over by saying it wouldn’t cost much to have it fixed, but Father spanked Billy anyway./ •/John glossed over his mistake by saying that everybody did the same thing./

[glove] See: FIT LIKE A GLOVE, HAND IN GLOVE or HAND AND GLOVE, HANDLE WITH GLOVES.

[glutton for punishment]{n. phr.} A greedy person; someone who wants too much of something, such as food or drink, which will make him sick. •/Fred eats so much red meat that he is a regular glutton for punishment./

[go] See: HERE GOES, HERE GOES NOTHING, BEST BIB AND TUCKER or SUNDAY-GO-TO-MEETING CLOTHES, COMINGS AND GOINGS, EASY COME EASY GO, GET GOING, GET-UP-AND-GO, HAVE A GO AT, HEART GOES OUT TO, KNOW WHETHER ONE IS COMING OR GOING, LET GO, MAKE A GO OF, NO DEAL or NO GO, ON THE GO, PAY AS ONE GOES, TOUCH AND GO.

[go about]{v.} 1. To be busy with; keep busy at or working on; start working on; do. •/Bobby is going about his homework very seriously tonight./ •/Just go about your business and don’t keep looking out of the window./ •/How will you go about building the bird house?/ Syn.: GO AT(2). 2a. To move from one place or person to another. •/Some people go about telling untrue stories./ 2b. To go together. — Usually used with "with". •/Mother doesn’t want me to go about with Jane and her friends any more./ Syn.: GO AROUND(1b).

[go about one’s business]{v. phr.} To mind one’s own affairs. •/Fred kept bothering me with his questions all day, so I finally told him to go about his business and leave me alone./

[go after]{v.} To try to get. •/"First find out what job you want and then go after it," said Jim’s father./

[go against the grain] See: AGAINST THE GRAIN(2).

[go ahead]{v.} To begin to do something; not wait. •/The teacher told the students not to write on the paper yet, but John went ahead and wrote his name./ •/"May I ask you a question?" "Go ahead."/ Compare: GO ON(1).

[go astray]{v. phr.} To become lost. •/The letter has obviously gone astray; otherwise it would have been delivered a long time ago./

[goal] See: FIELD GOAL.

[goal line]{n.} A line that marks the goal in a game (as football.) •/The fullback went over the goal line from five yards out./

[goal line stand]{n.} A strong defensive effort right in front of the goal line. •/A goal line stand by the home team held the visitors on the two-yard line./

[go all the way with] See: ALL THE WAY.

[go along]{v.} 1. To move along; continue. •/Uncle Bill made up the story as he went along./ Compare: GO ON(1). 2. To go together or as company; go for fun. — Often used with "with". /Mary went along with us to Jane’s house./ •/John just went along for the ride to the ball game. He didn’t want to play./ •/When one filling station cuts gasoline prices, the others usually go along./ 3. To agree; cooperate. — Often used with "with". •/"Jane is a nice girl." "I’ll go along with that," said Bill./ •/Just because the other boys do something bad, you don’t have to go along with it./

[go ape]{v. phr.}, {slang} To become highly excited or behave in a crazy way. •/Amy went ape over the hotel and beautiful beaches./ •/The electric door opener malfunctioned and caused the garage door to go ape./

[go around]{v.} 1a. To go from one place or person to another. •/Mr. Smith is going around looking for work./ •/Don’t go around telling lies like that./ •/Chicken pox is going around the neighborhood./ •/A rumor is going around school that we will get the afternoon off./ 1b. To go together; keep company. — Usually used with "with". •/Bill goes around with boys older than he is because he is big for his age./ Syn.: GO ABOUT(2b). 2. To be enough to give to everyone; be enough for all. •/There are not enough desks to go around in the classroom./

[go around in circles] See: IN A CIRCLE.

[goat] See: GET ONE’S GOAT.

[go at]{v.} 1. To start to fight with; attack. •/The dog and the cat are going at each other again./ 2. To make a beginning on; approach; tackle. •/How are you going to go at the job of fixing the roof?/ Compare: START IN. Syn.: GO ABOUT(1).

[go at it hammer and tongs]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To attack or fight with great strength or energy; have a bad argument. •/Bill slapped George’s face and now they’re going at it hammer and tongs in back of the house./ •/Helen and Mary have been arguing all day, and now they are going at it hammer and tongs again./ 2. To start or do something with much strength, energy, or enthusiasm. •/The farmer had to chop down a tree and he went at it hammer and tongs./ •/Charles had a lot of homework to do and he went at it hammer and tongs till bedtime./ Compare: IN EARNEST, WITH MIGHT AND MAIN.

[go AWOL] See: ABSENT WITHOUT LEAVE.

[go back on]{v. phr.} 1. To turn against; not be faithful or loyal to. •/Many of the man’s friends went back on him when he was sent to prison./ •/The boy’s father told him not to go back on his promise./ Compare: BACK DOWN, TURN ONE’S BACK. 2. To fail to do necessary work; not work. •/Grandfather’s eyes are going back on him./ Compare: BREAK DOWN(4), GIVE OUT.

[go back on one’s word]{v. phr.} To renege; break a promise. •/Patrick went back on his word when he refused to marry Karen in spite of his earlier promise./

[go] or [be on the rocks] See: ON THE ROCKS.

[go] or [be on the wagon] See: ON THE WAGON. Contrast: FALL OFF THE WAGON.