assume

Related to assume: assume responsibility

assume airs

To think or behave as though one is superior to others or better than one really is; to have or assume a pretentious or self-aggrandizing attitude. I think John is really a decent fellow at heart, but I really wish he wouldn't assume such airs about his writing abilities. Stop assuming airs, Mary, you're not some world-class actor—you're just an amateur like the rest of us!
See also: air, assume

assume liability for

To take responsibility for something, typically a cost or expense. When you signed the contract, you assumed liability for fees like this.
See also: assume

assume the mantle

To take, inherit, or receive the responsibilities and duties associated with a certain position or job, especially one regarded as important or powerful. The king led the country for over 60 years; now, his daughter will assume the mantle of the throne.
See also: assume

assume the position

1. To take over the role and responsibilities of a particular job. My boss wants me to assume the position of treasurer this year, but I don't know if I want the extra workload.
2. A command issued by US law enforcement officers, meaning to stand with one's back to the officer and hold one's arms in a position to be either handcuffed or frisked. Primarily heard in US, South Africa. I knew I was in trouble when they asked me out of the car, but I knew I was going to jail when they told me to assume the position.
See also: assume, position

low profile

1. noun A state of being inconspicuous or avoiding attention. Used especially in the phrase "keep a low profile." A: "I haven't seen you in a while—how are you?" B: "Oh, I'm fine, just keeping a low profile so I can finish my research by the deadline." It's hard for celebrities to keep a low profile when they go out in public. We'll have to keep a low profile while the police presence in the city remains heightened.
2. adjective Inconspicuous; modest and restrained in scope or style. Hyphenated if used as a modifier before a noun. My fiancée is something of a celebrity, so we're trying to have a low-profile wedding and avoid having the media bothering us on the day. You'll want to keep cash purchases like that fairly low profile if you don't want the feds investigating your finances.
See also: low, profile
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

assume liability for something

to accept the responsibility for paying a cost. Mr. Smith assumed liability for his son's student loans. The store assumed liability for the injured customer's hospital bills.
See also: assume

*low profile

Fig. a persona or character that does not draw attention. (*Typically: assume ~; have ~; keep ~; give oneself ~.) I try to be quiet and keep a low profile. It's hard because I just love attention.
See also: low, profile
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • assume airs
  • assumed
  • give (oneself) airs
  • give yourself airs
  • drive (one) out of office
  • force (one) out of office
  • force out of office
  • give (one) (one's) head
  • give head
  • give someone their head
References in periodicals archive
This is why killing is thought to be the worst form of violence; we assume that no one would voluntarily approve to be killed.
Practical pacifism and the war on terror
6) Don't assume that direct exporting is your only option, when indirect exporting or a foreign location operation may be a more logical approach for getting started.
Dos and don'ts for exporters. (Exporting: Special Report)
The athlete assumes the starting position and unseats, with most of the weight on the right heel.
Speed glide short putting part 3. (Track & Field)
The Baxendale model assumes that the money will be invested toward the goal of accumulating the maximum wealth at death.
Choosing the right beginning age for Social Security benefits. (Personal Financial Planning)
In the second model, the community-based program, a nonprofit agency assumes administrative responsibility for the program.
Police and the Sexual Assault Examination
I am fascinated by Fasching's appeal that it is finally time for all religions (cultures) to assume this ethic of respect for the stranger, but his appeal only shows how tempting this universalizing tendency is as we attempt to retrieve meaning in texts
Re-Envisioning Christianity: A New Era in Christian Theological Interpretation of Christian Texts
Assume that an employee in the corporate accounting group who is unfamiliar with tax rules inadvertently deletes certain critical general ledger files before a tax audit is completed.
Misrepresentation of a tax matter by a third party
Other options for a company that doesn't wish to assume significant debt levels from an acquired company would be to require the target company to sell assets and reduce the debt level, or spin off a piece of the company prior to closing.
Taking the Debt With the Good
Florida law states that companies may submit bids to assume either the fund's claims-handling function or its liabilities.
Bids Being Accepted to Privatize State Comp Fund
Ultimately, the only way for providers to move up the managed care "food chain" Is to assume more risk, taking 80 to 85 percent of the premium.
Challenges for physician executives in the Millennium marketplace. (Beyond Managed Care)
Librarians were required to exercise higher level cataloging skills and, increasingly, to assume management responsibilities for the cataloging operation and administration of in-house and utility bibliographic databases.
The role of the paraprofessional in technical services in libraries
The rationale is often along these lines: "If it hasn't happened before, let's assume the risk and save the premium."
Taking stock of your risks
"There are two things you should not assume on the part of any journalist," said Scudder.
Virgil Scudder tackles crisis tactics
Then, you would assume Social Security payments of $12,000, which would leave you with another $25,000 a year to generate.
Design your personal escape route
Or how about this exchange between Diamonstein and Kinshasha Holman Conwill of the Studio Museum in Harlem: KHC--"And I think people assumed that Kinshasha was my name from birth"; BLD--"I did not assume that was your name from birth"; KHC--"Yes.
Inside the Art World: Conversations with Barbaralee Diamonstein