give (someone/something) the once-over, to
give (someone/something) the once-over, to
To make a quick assessment or examination. An Americanism dating from the early twentieth century, once-over was defined in Dialect Notes in 1915 as “a glance.” In Elizabeth Bowen’s novel The Death of the Heart (1938), “Daphne gave the rest of the cakes a rather scornful once-over.”
See also: give
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- all-time high (low)
- gussied up, to get (all)
- go while the going is good
- for the birds, it's/that's
- color of your money, let's see the
- once-over
- give (something) a once-over
- give something a once-over
- the once-over
- God's gift to the world