round (redirected from rounder)

albatross around/round your neck (literary)

something that you have done or are connected with that keeps causing you problems and stops you from being successful. The company that he founded in 1983 is now an albatross around his neck, making losses of several hundreds of thousands a year.

See also: around, neck

around/round the clock

all day and all night. Doctors and nurses worked around the clock to help the people injured in the train crash. This station broadcasts news round the clock.

See also: around, clock

do the rounds (British & Australian, American & Australian)

if you do the rounds of people, organizations, or places, you visit or telephone them all. Tony and I made the rounds of the cheap bars in the city. (usually + of) I've done the rounds of all the agents, but nobody has any tickets left.

drive/send someone round the bend (informal)

to make someone very angry, especially by continuing to do something annoying. You're driving me round the bend with your constant complaining.

See also: bend, drive, send

drive/send someone round the twist (British & Australian, informal)

to make someone very angry, especially by continuing to do something annoying. This non-stop banging is driving me round the twist. A day with my mother is enough to send anyone round the twist.

See also: drive, send, twist

every time someone turns around/round (informal)

something that you say when you think something happens very often or too often. Every time I turn around she's giving me some new rule about recycling the trash.

See also: around, every, time, turn

get your tongue around/round something

to pronounce a difficult word or phrase. I just can't get my tongue around some of those Welsh place names.

See also: around, tongue

go around/round in circles

1. if you go round in circles when you are discussing something or trying to achieve something, you do not make any progress because you keep going back to the same subjects or the same problems.. I need some more data to work on, otherwise I'm just going round in circles. We can't go round in circles all day - someone will have to make a decision.

2. to use a lot of time and effort trying to do something, without making any progress. We spent the whole day running around in circles looking for a document which everyone thought was lost but which wasn't.

See also: around, circle

go (all) round the houses (British)

to waste time saying a lot of things that are not important before you get to the subject you want to talk about. There's no need to go all round the houses, just tell me straight out what's wrong.

See also: house

pass the hat around/round

to collect money from a group of people. We're passing the hat round for Simon's leaving present.

See also: around, hat, pass

round the bend (informal)

crazy. Tell me frankly: do you think my father's round the bend? I was sure I'd locked that door. I must be going round the bend.

See also: bend

round the twist (British & Australian, informal)

crazy. She's completely round the twist - just sits there all day talking to herself. I put the milk in the cupboard and the sugar in the fridge. I think I'm going round the twist.

See also: twist

run rings around/round someone

to have much more skill, ability, or intelligence than someone else. Why does he talk to Alison as if she's stupid, when we all know she could run rings around him?

See also: around, ring, run

a square peg (in a round hole)

someone whose character makes them completely wrong for the type of work they are doing or for the situation they are in. I never did understand what Paddy was doing in accounts - he was a square peg in a round hole.

See also: peg, square

twist/wrap someone around/round your little finger

to be able to persuade someone to do anything you want, usually because they like you so much. He'd do anything you asked him to. You've got him wrapped around your little finger!

See also: around, finger, little, twist, wrap

a whip-round (British & Australian, informal)

a collection of money among a group of people that is used to buy a present for someone. We had a whip-round for Annie's leaving present.

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make your rounds

to visit or call certain people or places. Doctors make their hospital rounds every morning.

make the rounds

1. to be passed from person to person. The rumor making the rounds in Washington is that the ambassador will be leaving.

2. to go from place to place. Tony and I made the rounds of the cheap bars in the city. Every new executive must do the rounds of all the departments in the company.

round and round

in a circle. The children spun round and round until they were dizzy.

go (around) in circles

go around and around

round out something

to complete something. The visit to the ancient temple was the perfect thing to round out our vacation. It's a good article but I would have rounded it out with a paragraph about repairing the damage from the earthquake.

round up someone/something

to gather people, animals, or things together into one place. Two dogs helped round up the sheep. Time to round everybody up! Dinner is ready!

round up something

to increase an amount to the next higher whole number. Round all of the numbers up to the nearest tenth. All measurements have been rounded up and are not exact.

a square peg (in a round hole)

someone who is different from most people of the same age and situation. In high school she was defininitely a square peg, but even if they didn't understand her, most kids admired her.

See also: peg, square

(all) year round

during the whole year. The farm is open to the public year round on weekends. In the Southwest, it's a lot easier to get outside all year round.

See also: year