wide (redirected from wides)

*wide of the mark 

1. Lit. far from the target. (*Typically: be ~; fall ~.) Tom's shot was wide of the mark. The pitch was quite fast but wide of the mark. The arrow fell wide of the mark.

2. Fig. inadequate; far from what is required or expected. (*Typically: be ~; fall ~.) Jane's efforts were sincere but wide of the mark. He failed the course because everything he did was wide of the mark.

See also: mark

all wool and a yard wide

Fig. trustworthy and genuinely good. (A description of good quality wool cloth.) Mary's a fine human being—all wool and a yard wide. I won't hear a word against Bill. He's all wool and a yard wide.

See also: and, wool, yard

blow something wide open and bust something wide open

Sl. to expose corrupt practices or a secret plan; to put an end to corruption. The press is trying to blow the town wide open, and the feds are trying to hush them up so they can move about in secret. I'm going to bust this racket wide open.

See also: blow, open

bust someone wide open

Sl. to beat someone severely. (An exaggeration. Bust is a nonstandard form of burst.) If you ever take a step onto my property, I'll bust you wide open. Jim threatened to bust Bill wide open.

See also: bust, open

come from far and wide

to arrive from everywhere; to arrive from many directions and great distances. People came from far and wide to attend the annual meeting. The deer came from far and wide to lick the salt block we had put out.

See also: and, come, far

cut a wide swath and cut a big swath

to seem important; to attract a lot of attention. In social matters, Mrs. Smith cuts a wide swath. Bob cuts a big swath whenever he appears in his military uniform.

See also: cut, swath

give someone or something a wide berth

Fig. to keep a reasonable distance from someone or something; to steer clear (of someone or something). (Originally referred to sailing ships.) The dog we are approaching is very mean. Better give it a wide berth. Give Mary a wide berth. She's in a very bad mood.

See also: give

leave oneself wide open for something and leave oneself wide open to something

Fig. to invite criticism or joking about oneself; to fail to protect oneself from criticism or ridicule. Yes, that was a harsh remark, Jane, but you left yourself wide open to it. I can't complain about your joke. I left myself wide open for it.

See also: leave, oneself, open

off the mark

Fig. not quite exactly right. Her answer was a little off the mark. You were off the mark when you said we would be a little late to the party. It was yesterday, in fact!

See also: mark

whole wide world

Fig. everywhere; everywhere and everything. It's the best in the whole wide world. I've searched the whole wide world for just the right hat.

See also: whole, world

wide open 

1. as fast as possible; at full throttle. I was driving along wide open when I became aware of a flashing red light. It was wide open and still wouldn't do better than eighty. 2. [of a town or place] full of crime or corruption; vice-ridden. This town is wide open! Because the prison is understaffed, it is wide open.

See also: open

wide place in the road

a very small town. The town is little more than a wide place in the road. We stopped at a wide place in the road called Adamsville.

See also: place, road

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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

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 cast eye over, throw in lot with

See also: cast, net

give somebody/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 into the wide blue yonder, blow wide open

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

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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: and, far

give somebody/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

off the mark also wide of the mark

wrong or not accurate They said the course would be easy but that turned out to be way off the mark.

Usage notes: sometimes used in the phrase not far off the mark (almost right): If you guessed he was jealous, you would not be far off the mark.

See also: mark

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.

See also: awake

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