[go off like clockwork] See: GO LIKE CLOCKWORK.

[go off the deep end] or [go overboard] {v. phr.}, {informal} To act excitedly and without careful thinking. •/John has gone off the deep end about owning a motorcycle./ •/Mike warned his roommate not to go off the deep end and get married./ •/Some girls go overboard for handsome movie and television actors./

[goof off]{v.}, {slang} To loaf or be lazy; not want to work or be serious; fool around. •/Tow didn’t get promoted because he goofed off all the time and never did his homework./ •/If you goof off on the job too much, you’ll be fired./

[go off in a huff]{v. phr.} To depart in anger. •/Marian went off in a huff just because Jeff failed to open the door for her./

[go on]{v.} 1a. To continue; not stop. •/After he was hit by the ball, Billy quit pitching and went home, but the game went on./ •/The TV picture began to jump, and it went on like that until Father turned a knob./ •/I asked Jane a question but she went on reading and didn’t answer./ •/Mother told Jim to stop, but he went on hitting Susan./ Syn.: KEEP ON. 1b. To continue after a pause; begin with the next thing. •/"Go on! I’m listening," said Mother./ •/The teacher pointed to the map, and went on, "But the land that Columbus came to was not India."/ — Often used before an infinitive. •/Father said Mother had gone to the hospital, and went on to say that Grandmother was coming to take care of us./ 1c. (Of time:) To pass. •/As time went on, Mary began to wonder if John had forgotten their date./ •/The years went on, and Betty’s classmates became gray-haired men and women./ 2. To happen. •/Mr. Scott heard the noise and went to see what was going on in the hall./ •/The teacher knows what goes on when she leaves the room./ Syn.: TAKE PLACE. 3. To talk for too long, often angrily. •/We thought Jane would never finish going on about the amount of homework she had./ 4. To fit on; be able to be worn. •/My little brother’s coat wouldn’t go on me. It was too small./ 5. Stop trying to fool me; I don’t believe you. — Used as a command, sometimes with "with". •/When Father told Mother she was the prettiest girl in the world. Mother just said, "Oh, go on, Charles."/ •/"Aunt May, your picture is in the paper." "Go on with you, boy!"/

[go on record]{v. phr.} To make an official statement as opposed to an informal one; say something officially that may be quoted with the person’s name added for reference. •/I want to go on record that I oppose the merger with the firm of Catwallender and Swartvik./

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

[go one’s way]{v. phr.} 1. To start again or continue to where you are going. •/The milkman left the milk and went his way./ •/The man stopped and asked me for a match, then went his way./ Compare: GO ALONG, GO ON. 2. To go or act the way you want to or usually do. •/Joe just wants to go his way and mind his own business./ •/Don’t tell me how to do my job. You go your way and I’ll go mine./ •/George was not a good sport; when the game did not go his way, he became angry and quit./

[goose] See: COOK ONE’S GOOSE, FOX AND GEESE, KILL THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGG, GONE GOOSE.

[goose bumps] or [goose pimples] {n. plural}, {informal} Small bumps that come on a person’s skin when he gets cold or afraid. •/Nancy gets goose bumps when she sees a snake./ •/Ann, put on your sweater; you’re so cold you have goose pimples on your arms./

[go or drive to the wall] See: TO THE WALL.

[go out]{v. phr.} 1. To pass out of date or style. •/Short skirts are gradually going out./ 2. To stop giving off light or burning. •/Put more wood on the fire or it will go out./ 3. To leave. •/When I called Sue, her mother said that she had just gone out./

[go out for] or [come out for] {v. phr.} To try for a place on (an athletic team.) •/Ten boys went out for track that spring./ •/The coach asked Tom why he didn’t come out for basketball./

[go out of business]{v. phr.} To cease functioning as a commercial enterprise. •/The windows of the store are all boarded up because they went out of business./

[go out of one’s way]{v. phr.} To make an extra effort; do more than usual. •/Jane went out of her way to be nice to the new girl./ •/Don did not like Charles, and he went out of his way to say bad things about Charles./ Compare: BEND OVER BACKWARD, KNOCK ONESELF OUT.

[go out the window]{v. phr.}, {informal} To go out of effect; be abandoned. •/During the war, the school dress code went out the window./

[go over]{v.} 1. To examine; think about or look at carefully. •/The teacher went over the list and picked John’s name./ •/The police went over the gun for fingerprints./ 2. To repeat; do again. •/Don’t make me go all over it again./ •/We painted the house once, then we went over it again./ 3. To read again; study. •/After you finish the test, go over it again to look for mistakes./ •/They went over their lessons together at night./ 4. To cross; go to stop or visit; travel. •/We went over to the other side of the street./ •/I’m going over to Mary’s house./ •/We went over to the next town to the game./ 5. To change what you believe. •/Father is a Democrat, but he says that he is going over to the Republicans in the next election./ •/Many of the natives on the island went over to Christianity after the white men came./ 6. To be liked; succeed. — Often used in the informal phrase "go over big". •/Bill’s joke went over big with the other boys and girls./ •/Your idea went over well with the boss./

[go over like a lead balloon]{v. phr.}, {informal} To fail to generate a positive response or enthusiasm; to meet with boredom or disapproval. •/The president’s suggested budget cuts went over like a lead balloon./ •/Jack’s off-color jokes went over like a lead balloon./

[go over one’s head]{v. phr.} 1. To be too difficult to understand. •/Penny complains that what her math teacher says simply goes over her head./ 2. To do something without the permission of one’s superior. •/Fred went over his boss’s head when he signed the contract on his own./

[go over with a fine-tooth comb] See: FINE-TOOTH COMB.

[gopher ball]{n.}, {slang} A baseball pitch that is hit for a home run. •/The pitcher’s only weakness this year is the gopher ball./

[go places] See: GO TO TOWN(2).

[go sit on a tack]{v.}, {slang} Shut up and go away; stop bothering. — Usually used as a command and considered rude. •/Henry told Bill to go sit on a tack./ Compare: GO JUMP IN THE LAKE.

[gosling] See: GONE GOOSE also GONE GOSLING.

[go somebody one better]{v. phr.}, {informal} To do something better than (someone else); do more or better than; beat. •/Bill’s mother gave the boys in Bill’s club hot dogs for refreshments, so Tom’s mother said that she would go her one better next time by giving them hot dogs and ice cream./ •/John made a good dive into the water, but Bob went him one better by diving in backwards./

[go stag]{v. phr.} 1. To go to a dance or party without a companion of the opposite sex. •/When Sally turned him down, Tom decided to go stag to the college prom./ 2. To participate in a party for men only. •/Mrs. Smith’s husband frequently goes stag, leaving her at home./