mile (redirected from running a mile)

*mile a minute

Fig. very fast. (*Typically: go ~; move ~; talk ~; travel ~.) She talks a mile a minute and is very hard to keep up with.

See also: minute

*million miles away

Fig. lost in thought; [of someone] daydreaming and not paying attention. (Only one's mind is far away. *Typically: be ~; look to be ~; seem ~.) He was a million miles away during the entire lecture. Look at her. She is a million miles away, not paying any attention to what she is doing.

See also: away, million

by a mile

Fig. by a great distance. (Usually an exaggeration.) You missed the target by a mile. Your estimate of the budget deficit was off by a mile.

country mile

Rur. a great distance. The batter knocked that ball a country mile. I had to walk a country mile to the next gas station.

See also: country

for miles

Fig. to or in a distance extending two or more miles. The huge field of wheat extends for miles. We traveled for miles without stopping.

Give someone an inch and he'll take a mile. and Give someone an inch and he'll take a yard.

Prov. Be generous to someone and the person will demand even more. (Describes someone who will take advantage of you if you are even a little kind to him or her.) If you let Mark borrow your tools for this weekend, he'll wind up keeping them for years. Give him an inch and he'll take a mile.

See also: and, give, inch, take

go the extra mile

to try harder to please someone or to get the task done correctly; to do more than one is required to do to reach a goal. I like doing business with that company. They always go the extra mile. My teacher goes the extra mile to help us.

miss (something) by a mile

Fig. to fail to hit something by a great distance; to land wide of the mark. Ann shot the arrow and missed the target by a mile. "Good grief, you missed by a mile," shouted Sally.

See also: miss

miss is as good as a mile

Prov. Almost having done something is the same as not having done it at all, since in both cases the thing does not get done. We only missed the train by one minute? Well, a miss is as good as a mile.

See also: good, miss

stick out a mile

Fig. to project outward very obviously. My nose sticks out a mile! I hate it! His stomach sticks out a mile. What do you suppose is in there?

See also: out, stick

---

a mile a minute  (American & Australian)

very quickly Mike was very excited and talking a mile a minute. My heart beat a mile a minute waiting for his plane to land.

See also: minute

a mile off  (informal)

if you can see or recognize something a mile off, you notice it very easily It's obvious he fancies you - you can see that a mile off.

A miss is as good as a mile.

something that you say which means that failing to do something when you almost succeeded is no better than failing very badly I've tried to reassure him that he only failed by three percent but the way he sees it, a miss is as good as a mile.

See also: good, miss

be miles away

to not be listening to what someone is saying because you are thinking about something else 'Jim, did you hear what I just said?' 'Sorry, I was miles away.'

See also: away

by a mile  also by miles

if someone or something wins or is the best by a mile, they win easily or are much better than everyone or everything else Of all the strawberry ice-creams we've tasted, this is the best by miles. Everyone expected him to win the championship by a mile.

Give somebody an inch and they'll take a mile.

something that you say which means that if you allow someone to behave badly at all, they will start to behave very badly I'm always wary about making concessions to these people. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile.

See also: and, give, inch, take

go the extra mile

to make more effort than is expected of you (often + for ) He's a nice guy, always ready to go the extra mile for his friends.

run a mile  (informal)

if you say that someone would run a mile if they had to deal with a particular situation, you mean that they would do anything to avoid it He flirts the whole time but it's not serious - he'd run a mile if a woman actually made him an offer.

See also: run

stand/stick out a mile

to be very obvious She sticks out a mile with her red hair. Of course he's unhappy - it stands out a mile.

See run a mile

See also: out, stand

---

a mile a minute

very quickly Mike was very excited and talking a mile a minute.

Etymology: the speed of going a mile in a minute, or 60 miles an hour, at one time was considered extremely fast

See also: minute

a mile away

very easily His accent is so strong, you can tell a mile away he's from Brooklyn. He had that mad-at-the-world attitude that you could spot a mile away.

See also: away

by a mile

by a large number, distance, or amount It's the biggest football club in Brazil by a mile.

go the extra mile also walk the extra mile

to do more and make a greater effort He's always willing to go the extra mile to do things right.