far (redirected from farthest)

be a far cry from something

to be very different from something. His new luxury mansion is a far cry from the one-bedroom cottage he lived in as a child.

See also: cry, from

be far and away the [best/greatest/worst etc.]

to be much better or much worse or to have much more of a particular quality than anyone or anything else. He's far and away the best tennis player I've ever seen.

See also: away, best, great, worst

be few and far between

to be very few. There are plenty of houses for sale, but buyers are few and far between.

See also: between, few

far be it from me to do something

something that you say when you are giving advice or criticizing someone and you want to seem polite. Far be it from me to tell you what to do, but don't you think you should apologize?

See also: from

Far from it.

something that you say in order to tell someone that something is not true. 'I thought Jeff spoke fluent French.' 'Far from it - all he can say is "bonjour"!'

See also: from

I wouldn't trust someone as far as I could throw them. (informal)

something that you say which means that you do not trust someone at all. I'll admit John is very charming, but I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him.

See also: could, throw, trust, wouldn't

So far so good.

something that you say which means an activity is continuing successfully, especially when you think something may go wrong. The first round of talks went well. So far so good. The next stage will involve much tougher negotiation.

See also: good

so near and yet so far

something that you say which means that you have almost achieved something but that what you still have to do in order to achieve it is very difficult or impossible. I've only got the last chapter to write but it's taking forever. So near, yet so agonisingly far.

See also: near, yet

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as far as

to the degree that. As far as I know, he isn't coming to the party. The city once went so far as to threaten to shut off the building's water supply.

as far as possible

as far as something goes

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of as far as (= the same distance as)

as far as something goes

to the degree something is considered or exists. As far as gun control goes, I think we definitely need to make some changes. Their action is encouraging as far as it goes.

as far as

as far as possible

See also: goes

as far as I can see

in the way that I understand. As far as I can see, he has done nothing to lower our confidence in him.

See also: can, see

as far as possible

if you can. You should avoid that topic as far as possible.

as far as

as far as something goes

See also: possible

as far as you are concerned

in your opinion. The prime minister said that as far as he's concerned, the next elections would be held as scheduled.

See also: concerned

by far

to a great degree. She is by far the shortest student in the class. She is greater by far than anyone playing today. He is far and away the greatest tennis player I've ever seen.

far and wide

1. many places. People came from far and wide to see the parade.

2. across a large area. They searched far and wide for the missing dog.

See also: wide

far be it from me to do something

it is not my responsibility do or say a particular thing. Far be it from me to tell you when you should leave, but it's getting very late.

Usage notes: usually said before making an argument or telling someone to do something

See also: from

a far cry from something

very different from something. Playing in a comedy is a far cry from playing a criminal in a mystery.

See also: cry, from

far from something

not at all. We were far from disappointed when they canceled the invitation. Far from declaring victory, he was thinking of what to do if he lost.

Usage notes: usually used to show that a result of action was not expected or wanted

a far cry from something

See also: from

far from it

almost the opposite is true. You think he's selfish? Far from it!

Usage notes: used as an answer when you think someone has said something that is not true

See also: from

few and far between

not very many or not appearing very frequently. He grew up at a time when jobs were few and far between.

See also: between, few

go so far as to do something

to be extreme in talking about or doing something. They went so far as to threaten violence if we did not pay them.

so far

at this time. Only one drug has been approved so far to treat the disease. So far, I am the only editor in the department, although we need several more.

so far as something is concerned

in considering something. So far as benefits are concerned, the most important to me today would be health care.

for that matter

See also: concerned

so far, so good

at this stage of the process it is satisfactory. So far, so good, he thought, trying to make himself feel more cheerful. "How's your new job?" "So far, so good."

Usage notes: said of things that are not finished

See also: good

thus far

until now. We haven't had any problems thus far.