once

give something a once-over (informal)

to clean something quickly. I'll just give the carpet a once-over with the vacuum cleaner before we go. (often + with)

See also: give, once-over

give someone/something the once-over (informal)

to quickly look at someone or examine something in order to see what they are like. The security guard gave me the once-over but didn't bother checking my pass. Can you give my essay the once-over before I hand it in?

See also: give, once-over

once and for all

if you do something once and for all, you finish doing it so that it does not have to be dealt with again. I'm fed up with arguing about this - let's just settle this argument once and for all. He claims his photographs prove once and for all that UFOs do exist.

See also: all

Once bitten, twice shy.

something that you say which means when you have had an unpleasant experience you are much more careful to avoid similar experiences in the future. After he left her she refused to go out with anyone else for a long time - once bitten, twice shy, I suppose.

See also: shy, twice

once in a blue moon

very rarely. My sister lives in Alaska, so I only get to see her once in a blue moon. I don't know why I bought that CD-ROM for my computer - I only ever use it once in a blue moon.

See also: blue, moon

once in a lifetime

only likely to happen once in someone's life. Opportunities to play in the Cup Final only come once in a lifetime so we've got to make the most of it.

See also: lifetime

once upon a time (literary)

1. a long time ago. Once upon a time there lived a young girl called Cinderella.

2. if you say that something happened once upon a time, you mean that it happened in the past and you wish that it still happened now. Once upon a time, everyone knew each other in this town and nobody bothered locking their doors.

See also: time, upon

once-in-a-lifetime

once in a lifetime - only likely to happen once in someone's life. Enter this competition to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Caribbean. (always before noun)

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all at once

1. happening or done quickly and without any warning. All at once I felt dizzy and had to lie down.

2. at the same time. I've had to deal with too many problems all at once.

See also: all

at once

1. immediately. They were told to leave the building at once.

2. at the same time. Everything happened at once, so I didn't have time to ask for advice.

give someone/something the once-over

to quickly look at someone or something in order to make a judgment. The security guard gave me the once-over but didn't bother checking my pass. Can you give my list the once-over before I hand it in?

See also: give, once-over

once again

another time. I'll explain it once again, but please listen carefully this time.

See also: again

once and for all

completely and finally. I wish we could settle the matter once and for all.

See also: all

once in a blue moon

almost never. Once in a blue moon I'll have a beer with friends, but it's not my regular drink.

Etymology: based on the informal phrase blue moon (= the second time in one month that you can see the full disk of the moon )

See also: blue, moon

(every) once in a while

sometimes. Every once in a while I've been tempted to take an art class.

(every) now and then

once upon a time

long ago. I had worked for some big companies once upon a time, but later I was self-employed.

Usage notes: often used to begin a children's story: Once upon a time, in a far-off kingdom, there lived a beautiful princess.

Etymology: based on the use of once upon a time with the same meaning to begin a child's story

See also: time, upon