limit



go the limit

Fig. to do as much as possible; to get as much as possible. Let's plan to do everything we can. Let's go the limit. We'll go the limit. To heck with the cost.
See also: limit

go to the limit

to do as much as is possible to do. Okay, we can't afford it, but we'll go to the limit. How far shall I go? Shall I go to the limit?
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go whole hog

to do everything possible; to be extravagant. Let's go whole hog. Order steak and lobster. Show some restraint. Don't go whole hog all the time.
See also: hog, whole

limit someone to something

 
1. to restrict someone to a certain amount or number of something. I will have to limit you to two helpings of mashed potatoes. I limit myself to cola drinks only.
2. to restrict someone to a certain area. Please try to limit your children to your own yard. They limited themselves to the north side of town.
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limit something to something

to restrict something to a limited set, a certain amount, or a specific number of something. Please limit your comments to five minutes. Can you limit your remarks to the subject at hand?
See also: limit

*out-of-bounds

 
1. Lit. outside the boundaries of the playing area. (*Typically: be ~; get ~; go ~.) The ball went out-of-bounds just at the end of the game. The whistle blew when Juan went out-of-bounds.
2. and *off-limits Fig. forbidden. (*Typically: be ~.) This area is off-limits. You can't go in there. Don't go there. It's out-of-bounds. That kind of behavior is off-limits. Stop it!

The sky's the limit.

Inf. there is no upper limit. I can afford it. The sky's the limit. You can do anything you set your mind to, Billy. The sky's the limit.
See also: limit

within limits

 and within bounds
up to a certain point; with certain restrictions. You're free to do what you wantwithin limits, of course. You must try to keep behavior at the party within bounds.
See also: limit, within

go whole hog

to do something as completely as possible We decided the only way we could afford vacations is to go camping, so we went whole hog and got the tents and sleeping bags and everything else.
See also: hog, whole

the sky's the limit

also the sky is the limit
there is no limit Smaller sailboats can be reasonably priced, but for bigger boats the sky's the limit.
See also: limit

off limits

 
1. if an area is off limits, you are not allowed to enter it When we were kids, our parents' bedroom was definitely off limits.
2. not allowed Today's magazines tackle the sort of subjects that would once have been considered off limits. What he does make very clear is that questions about his private life are off limits.
See also: limit, off

The sky's the limit.

something that you say which means there is no limit to what something or someone can achieve With two important film roles and a major award, it seems like the sky's the limit for this talented young actress.
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go whole hog

Also, go the limit. Do something completely or thoroughly; proceed as far as possible. For example, Instead of just painting the room, why not go whole hog and redecorate it completely? or Let's go the limit and dig up the entire garden. Although the precise source of whole hog is disputed, this colloquialism was first recorded in 1828 (in Japhet by Frederick Marryat) as go the whole hog. Today the article is usually omitted. Go the limit, also a colloquialism, dates from the mid-1900s. Also see all out.
See also: hog, whole

sky's the limit, the

There is no limit (to ambition, aspirations, expense, or the like). For example, Order anything you like on the menu-the sky's the limit tonight, or He's so brilliant he can do anything-the sky's the limit. This metaphoric idiom was first recorded in 1920.

the limit

The most extreme; someone or something that irritates, delights, or surprises to the ultimate degree. For example, Hiring and firing someone the same day-that's the limit in employee relations! or That excuse of yours for missing the wedding, that's the limit, or He's done wonders before but this last one is the limit. This idiom uses limit as "the last possible point or boundary." [Colloquial; c. 1900]
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go the limit

in. to do as much as possible; to get as much as possible. We’ll go the limit. To heck with the cost.
See also: limit

the sky’s the limit

phr. there is no upper limit. You can do anything you set your mind to, Billy. The sky’s the limit.
See also: limit

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Sayakasah-yah-kahJapanese
GertrŪDa-Lithuanian
Narses-Ancient Persian (Hellenized)
Felizitasfe-LEE-tsee-tahsGerman
Paulien-Dutch
Ulick-Irish