grief
come to grief
To fail or otherwise suffer a problem or setback. The project came to grief after we lost our funding.
See also: come, grief
get (a lot of) grief (from someone)
To receive strong criticism, disapproval, or judgment (for something). I got a lot of grief from my parents over my decision to pursue a degree in art rather than law or medicine. I'm going to get grief from my boss for that accounting error I made last week. John stills gets a lot of grief for that time his pants fell down in the middle of class.
See also: get, grief, lot
give (one) grief
To criticize or tease someone. Once my brother hears that I hit a parked car, he'll give me grief about it for years to come. I'm pretty sure that Kevin likes Katie, so I keep giving him grief about it.
See also: give, grief
good grief
An expression of surprise or frustration. Oh, good grief—my car won't start again.
See also: good, grief
grief divided is made lighter
proverb The pain of grief is lessened when one shares one's feelings with others. When my best friend died, I leaned on my family for support and found that grief divided really is made lighter.
See also: divided, grief, lighter, made
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
come to grief
Fig. to experience something unpleasant or damaging. In the end, he came to grief because he did not follow instructions.
See also: come, grief
Good grief!
Inf. an exclamation of surprise, shock, or amazement. Alice: Good grief! I'm late! Mary: That clock's fast. You're probably okay on time. Bill: There are seven newborn kittens under the sofa! Jane: Good grief!
See also: good
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
come to grief
Meet with disaster or failure. For example, The icy runway caused at least one light plane to come to grief. [Mid-1800s]
See also: come, grief
good grief
An exclamation expressing surprise, alarm, dismay, or some other, usually negative emotion. For example, Good grief! You're not going to start all over again, or Good grief! He's dropped the cake. The term is a euphemism for "good God." [Early 1900s]
See also: good, grief
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
come to grief
have an accident; meet with disaster. 2000 R. W. Holden Taunton Cider & Langdons The historian…will see no trace of the battlefield where Charles's grandson, the Duke of Monmouth, came to grief.
See also: come, grief
give someone grief
be a nuisance to someone. informal 1998 Times One of the passengers who'd been giving the cabin crew grief started yelling, ‘We've had a near miss.’
See also: give, grief, someone
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
come to ˈgrief
(informal) be destroyed or ruined; have an accident and hurt yourself: His plans came to grief due to poor organization and insufficient financing. A lot of ships have come to grief along this coast.See also: come, grief
give somebody ˈgrief (about/over something)
(informal) be annoyed with somebody and criticize their behaviour: Stop giving me grief and let me finish this!See also: give, grief, somebody
good ˈgrief!
(informal) used for expressing surprise or disbelief: Good grief! You’re not going out dressed like that, are you?See also: good
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
come to grief
To meet with disaster; fail.
See also: come, grief
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
come to grief, to
To fail or to falter; to experience a misfortune. A common locution in the early nineteenth century, it rapidly reached cliché status. “We were nearly coming to grief,” wrote Thackeray (The Newcomes, 1854).
See also: come
good grief
An expression of surprise, dismay, alarm or other emotion, usually negative. The term, a euphemism for “good God,” dates from the early 1900s. It appeared frequently in Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip, Peanuts, where various characters would use it in addressing the hapless hero, “Good Grief! Charlie Brown!”
See also: good, grief
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- come to grief
- come to grief, to
- good grief
- Good grief!
- get (a lot of) grief (from someone)
- put (one) through the mill
- pour oneself into
- through the mill, to go/to be put
- go through the mill
- go through/put somebody through the mill