effect

something to that effect

something like that just mentioned. She said she wouldn't be available until after three, or something to that effect. I was told to keep out of the house—or something to that effect.

come into effect

to become valid, effective, or operable. When did these rules come into effect? They came into effect while you were on vacation.

See also: come

go into effect and take effect

[for a law or a rule] to become effective. When does this new law go into effect? The new tax laws won't go into effect until next year.

have a bad effect (on someone or something)

to be bad for someone or something. Aspirin has a bad effect on me. Cold weather has a bad effect on roses.

See also: bad, have

have an effect on someone or something

to cause a result in someone or something. The storm had a bad effect on the baby, who cried all night. Will this have an effect on my taxes?

See also: have

in effect

producing a particular effect; effectively. In effect, this new law will raise taxes for most people. This policy harms domestic manufacturers. In effect, all our clothing will be made in foreign countries.

or words to that effect

Fig. or similar words meaning the same thing. John: It says right here in the contract, "You are expected to attend without fail," or words to that effect. Mary: That means I have to be there, huh? John: You got it! Sally: She said that I wasn't doing my job well, or words to that effect. Jane: Well, you ought to find out exactly what she means. Sally: I'm afraid I know.

See also: word

put something into effect and put something into force

to make something take effect; to begin using or enforcing a policy or procedure. When will the city council put this law into effect? We will put it into force tomorrow.

See also: put

strain for an effect

to work very hard to try to achieve some effect. The actors were straining so hard for an effect that they forgot their lines. Don't strain for effect so much. The authors of this drama knew what they were doing, and it's in the lines already.

See also: strain

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a domino effect

the effect which a situation or event has on a series of other situations or events

Usage notes: Dominoes are a set of small, rectangle-shaped pieces of wood or plastic, marked with spots on one side. If dominoes are placed standing next to each other, each one will knock the next one over.

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.

See also: ripple

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