wide (redirected from wideness)

be (wide) open to [abuse/criticism etc.]

to be likely to be abused, criticized etc.. The system is wide open to abuse. It's a position which leaves them wide open to criticism. You don't want to lay yourself open to attack.

See also: open

be wide of the mark

1. to be wrong. Yesterday's weather forecast was rather wide of the mark.

2. if you are wide of the mark when you aim or shoot at something, you miss what you are trying to hit. Giggs had another chance early in the second half, but once again his shot was wide of the mark.

See also: mark

be wide open

if a game or a competition is wide open, any of the people who are competing can win because they are all equally good. At this stage, with only four points separating the six top teams, the championship is still wide open.

See also: open

blow something wide open

1. to make it impossible to guess who will win a competition. She was the favourite to win, so her withdrawal has blown the election wide open.

2. to make something that someone is trying to achieve fail completely, often by telling people something which should have been a secret. He's threatening to blow the whole operation wide open if we don't give him a bigger share of the profits.

See also: blow, open

cast your net wide/wider

to think about a large number of things or people when choosing the thing or person that you want. If we don't get many interesting candidates this time round we may have to cast our net a little wider.

See also: cast, net

give someone/something a wide berth

to avoid someone or something. I try to give the city centre a wide berth on a Saturday. If she's in a bad mood I tend to give her a wide berth.

See also: give

into the wide/wild blue yonder (literary)

if you go into the wide blue yonder, you go somewhere far away that seems exciting because it is not known. I have a sudden desire to escape, to head off into the wide blue yonder and never return.

See also: blue, wild

a wide boy (British, informal)

a man or boy who tries to make a lot of money in ways that are not honest. He's a bit of a wide boy - I wouldn't get involved in any of his schemes if I were you.

See also: boy

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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: far

give someone/something a wide berth

to keep far away from someone or something. He believes that his neighbors give him a wide berth because he is black.

Usage notes: sometimes used in the form give a wide berth to something: Consumers continued to give wide berth to shopping malls last month

See also: give

wide awake

1. completely awake and thinking clearly. My mother came into my bedroom at 7 a.m. and found me wide awake.

2. completely aware. You need to be wide awake to the danger of leaving your belongings unattended.

wide open

not yet decided. She's still in high school so her future is wide open. With only four points separating the top six teams, the championship is still wide open.

See also: open