term (redirected from term of years)

be on bad terms with someone

be on good terms with someone - to be friendly with someone. It doesn't help matters if you're on bad terms with your doctor.

See also: bad

be on good terms with someone

to be friendly with someone. We were always on good terms with our neighbours.

See also: good

not be on speaking terms

to be refusing to talk to someone because you have had an argument and are still angry with them. She's not on speaking terms with her ex-husband. (often + with) Jeanette and her mother haven't been on speaking terms since the wedding.

See also: speaking

come to terms with something

to start to accept and deal with a difficult situation. She's never really come to terms with her son's death. It's very hard coming to terms with the fact that you'll never have children.

See also: come

a contradiction in terms

a phrase that is confusing because it contains words that seem to have opposite meanings. A British summer is a bit of a contradiction in terms. Euro Disney always seems to me a contradiction in terms because Disney is so typically American.

in no uncertain terms

if someone tells you something in no uncertain terms, they say it in a strong and direct way. We were told in no uncertain terms that dishonesty would not be tolerated.

in the long/medium/short term

a long, medium, or short time in the future. Cuts in company spending now should lead to profits in the long term. In the short term, temporary housing will be provided for all of the flood victims.

See also: long, medium, short

long-/short-/medium-term

in the long/medium/short term - a long, medium, or short time in the future. Have you made any long-term plans? (always before noun) Medium-term funding may be offered to help start new projects in developing countries.

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come to terms with something

to begin to accept and deal with something difficult or unpleasant. She's never really come to terms with her son's death. It's very hard coming to terms with the fact that you'll never have children.

come to grips with something

See also: come

in no uncertain terms

very clearly. She was told in no uncertain terms that the magazine had no interest in her short stories.

in terms of something

in relation to something. Cheryl was speaking in terms of improving students' grades by teaching them how to study. Getting laid off from his job affected him more emotionally than in terms of the loss of income.

in the long term

involving a long period of time. Better teacher training will make a big difference to the school in the long term. For the long term, we hope our plans will create a large number of jobs.

take the long view

See also: long

in the short term

in the near future. In the short term, the tax would bring money into the treasury, but after that, it would cost the government more each year.

See also: short

on good terms (with someone)

friendly with someone or with each other. Although she is on good terms with her parents now, Angie said she doesn't want to live with them, even for a short time. Even after their divorce, they remained on good terms.

Usage notes: also on bad terms (with someone), with the opposite meaning: She and her brother have been on bad terms for many years.

See also: good

on speaking terms

friendly enough to talk. We have heard from various people that the coach is barely on speaking terms with his best pitcher.

Usage notes: often used in the form not on speaking terms: The two nations have not been on speaking terms for a couple of decades.Since I've changed the def., I can't see that the etym. makes any sense to include; shd go at "terms"; am combining this w/existing entry there.--SL, 1/03

Etymology: from the literal meaning of speaking terms (= a relationship in which people will talk to each other)

See also: speaking

over the long term

for a long period of time. Experts say it's the best place over the long term to put your savings.

See also: long, over

over the short term

for a brief period of time only. Profits will rise over the short term, but over the long term, no one really can predict.

See also: over, short