easily

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breathe freely

To relax. To be free from worry. I can finally breathe freely now that I'm done my term paper—I had been working on that thing all day every day for weeks!

See also: breathe, freely

breathe easily

To relax. To be free from worry. I can finally breathe easily now that I'm done my term paper—I had been working on that thing all day every day for weeks!

See also: breathe, easily

breathe easy

To feel calm or relieved because a stressful situation has ended. With your thesis defense finished, you can finally breathe easy! All week, I was worried about having to give that presentation, so I can breathe easy again now that it's done!

See also: breathe, easy

come naturally

To be a skill that one learns easily or with little effort. Playing the guitar just doesn't come naturally to me—maybe because I have no sense of rhythm. Jackie isn't a great outfielder, but pitching seems to come naturally to her.

See also: come, naturally

easier said than done

It is easy to say that one can or will do something, but is much more difficult to actually do it. You vowed to double the amount of last year's donations? Easier said than done. I know you're confident in your idea, but starting a company from the ground up is easier said than done.

See also: done, easy, said

come easily to (one)

To be a skill that one learns with little effort. Playing the guitar just doesn't come easily to me—maybe because I have no sense of rhythm. Jackie isn't a great outfielder, but pitching seems to come easily to her.

See also: come, easily

not sit easily (with one)

To not be agreeable to one's values or sensibilities. The idea that some children have to go hungry in this country just doesn't sit easily with me. Some aspects of my proposal didn't sit easily with them, but I assured them that things could be changed to accommodate their preferences.

See also: easily, not, sit

not sit comfortably (with one)

To not be agreeable to one's values or sensibilities. The idea that some children have to go hungry in this country just doesn't sit comfortably with me. Some aspects of my proposal didn't sit comfortably with them, but I assured them that things could be changed to accommodate their preferences.

See also: comfortably, not, sit

promises are like pie crust(s): (easily made,) easily broken

Promises are as thin and fragile as pie crust, and people make them so often but are rarely inclined to keep them. "Pie crust" is often written as a single word. A: "He promised to help me study for my exam, but he didn't show up!" B: "Well, promises are like pie crusts, Sarah—easily made, easily broken." A: "I promise that I will never do something like that again." B: "Not good enough, Tom. Promises are like piecrust—easily broken."

See also: broken, easily, like, pie, promise

breathe easy

to assume a relaxed state after a stressful period. After this crisis is over, I'll be able to breathe easy again. He won't be able to breathe easy until he pays off his debts.

See also: breathe, easy

come naturally (to someone)

to be natural and easy for someone. Her ability to deal easily with people comes naturally to her.

See also: come, naturally

easier said than done

Cliché said of a task that is easier to talk about than to do. Yes, we must find a cure for cancer, but it's easier said than done. Finding a good job is easier said than done.

See also: done, easy, said

breathe easy

Also, breathe easily or freely . Relax, feel relieved from anxiety, stress, or tension. For example, Now that exams are over with, I can breathe easy, or Whenever I'm back in the mountains, I can breathe freely again. This idiom originally (late 1500s) was put as breathe again, implying that one had stopped breathing (or held one's breath) while feeling anxious or nervous. Shakespeare had it in King John (4:2): "Now I breathe again aloft the flood." The variant dates from the first half of the 1800s.

See also: breathe, easy

easier said than done

Also, more easily said than done. Describing something more readily talked about than accomplished, as in Keeping the cats off the sofa is easier said than done. This expression also was put as sooner or better said than done . Today, the variant ( more easily) is still heard less often than the original. [c. 1450]

See also: done, easy, said

easier said than done

COMMON If you say that something is easier said than done, you mean that although it sounds like a good idea, you think it would be difficult to actually do it. `If you're not happy with yourself, then change.' Easier said than done, Alex thought. The alternative option is to scrap the unwanted machines, and use the metal for some other purpose. But this, too, is easier said than done.

See also: done, easy, said

easier said than done

more easily talked about than put into practice.

See also: done, easy, said

come ˈeasily, ˈnaturally, etc. to somebody

(of an activity, a skill, etc.) be easy, natural, etc. for somebody to do: Acting comes naturally to her.

See also: come, somebody

ˌeasier ˌsaid than ˈdone

(saying) it is easier to suggest doing something than actually to do it: ‘All you have to do is climb a ladder and mend the roof.’ ‘Easier said than done — I’m terrified of heights!’

See also: done, easy, said

come ˈnaturally (to somebody/something)

if something comes naturally to you, you are able to do it very easily and very well: Making money came naturally to him.

See also: come, naturally

sit comfortably/easily/well (with something)

(written) seem right, natural, suitable, etc. in a particular place or situation: His views did not sit comfortably with the management line.

See also: comfortably, easily, sit, well