effect

the bandwagon effect

get/jump/leap on the bandwagon - to become involved in an activity which is successful so that you can get the advantages of it yourself. The bandwagon effect accounts for the increasing number of girl groups on the pop scene.

See also: bandwagon

a domino effect

the effect which a situation or event has on a series of other situations or events. Young people can't afford even the small houses, so the people in those houses can't move on to the bigger houses. It's the domino effect.

a ripple effect

if something has a ripple effect, it affects something else, which then affects other things. Court rulings often have a ripple effect, spreading into areas of law that weren't part of the original cases.

a snowball effect

a situation in which something increases in size or importance at a faster and faster rate. The more successful you become, the more publicity you get and that publicity generates sales. It's a sort of snowball effect.

See also: snowball

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take effect

to start working. The medicine takes effect in less than a half hour. New voter registration laws took effect last year.

See also: take