to bite off: to accept as a responsibility or task Examples of TO BITE OFF One mistake that a lot of people make is biting off a lot more than they can chew. Yet one of the best pieces of advice that can be given to an investor is to start small and not bite…

in vain: useless, without the desired result Examples of IN VAIN The last-minute get-out-the-vote effort was in vain, because the opposition candidate still lost. The director didn’t even see me, so all the rehearsing I did was in vain.

a crime of passion: a crime committed because of very strong emotional feelings, especially in connection with a sexual relationshipExamples: He killed his lover. It was a crime of passion. She described the stabbing as a crime of passion and jealousy.

to hold off: to delay, or to be delayed, in occurring Examples of TO HOLD OFF They’re snapping pictures of the new open-air ballpark and hoping the rain holds off. The judge agreed to hold off making a decision until new evidence could be introduced into court.

to go around: to be sufficient or adequate for everyone present; to circulate,to move from place to place Examples of TO GO AROUND Because there was more than enough dinner to go around, Sandy invited her next-door neighbor and his kids, too. For the number of people who are graduating from college, there just aren’t…

to shut up: to close for a period of time; to be quiet, to stop talking Examples of TO SHUT UP She just WOULD NOT SHUT UP, and eventually Duncan took to just yelling over her. In cases like these they just need to shut up and take a big bite of humble pie