excess

(do something) to excess

To do or indulge in something too much. I started to lose weight once I stopped regularly eating to excess. I'll go to the pub with you guys, but I'm not drinking to excess tonight—I have to be up early tomorrow.
See also: excess

drink to excess

To drink alcohol to the point of intoxication. This is an important event for me, honey, so please don't drink to excess and make a fool of yourself.
See also: drink, excess

excess baggage

1. Literally, travel luggage that exceeds the dimensions of size or weight normally allowed on a plane or train, usually requiring a fee for it to be allowed onboard. My suitcase was only slightly over the weight limit, but the airline clerk still insisted on labeling my suitcase as excess baggage and slapping me with a fine.
2. Any person or thing that is unnecessary or unwanted and thus is or becomes burdensome. I know it's ungenerous, but Martin's younger brother has been nothing but excess baggage since we agreed to let him live with us.
3. A personal history, emotional disposition, or traumatic experience that is or becomes debilitating or burdensome in life. He carried the excess baggage of his abusive parents with him for years after leaving home. Her reclusiveness has become real excess baggage for her in recent months.
See also: baggage, excess

in excess of

Over; greater or more than. The retail giant predicts earnings for the past year in excess of $4 million.
See also: excess, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

do something to excess

to do too much of something; to consume too much of something. Anne often drinks to excess at parties. John smokes to excess when he works.
See also: excess

drink to excess

Euph. to drink too much alcohol; to drink alcohol continually. Mr. Franklin drinks to excess. Some people drink to excess only at parties.
See also: drink, excess
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

carry too far

Also, carry to excess. Extend too much in a single direction, as in One can carry the concept of mercy too far; these young thugs should be punished, or Humor in a sermon can be carried to excess. [Early 1700s]
See also: carry, far

in excess of

Greater than, more than, as in The book sold in excess of a million copies. [Early 1600s]
See also: excess, of
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

in excess of

Greater than; more than: unit sales in excess of 20 million.
See also: excess, of
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • (do something) to excess
  • do to excess
  • drank
  • drink to excess
  • wet (one's) whistle
  • wet one's whistle
  • wet whistle
  • wet your whistle
  • indulge in
  • indulge in (something)
References in periodicals archive
However, the excesses for these drivers saw the smallest increases.
In all, 29 out of 35 states in India had overall excess mortality in girls under five, and all states and territories bar two had at least one district with excess mortality.
Under the old tax schedule, those earning more than P500,000 are levied a flat P125,000 tax plus 32 percent of the excess over P500,0000.
Although the insurance industry has produced widely used, standardized forms for many types of primary insurance, the same cannot be said for excess insurance.
The second factor to consider in identifying potentially excess land is severability, which is based on governmental regulations in the market.
Prior to Alterra, Rainone was a senior vice president, in charge of excess and primary lines underwriting access through wholesale brokers, at RSUI Group.
Currently, the largest component of the Federal Reserve's liabilities is excess reserves.
Foreign currencies: Each traveler carrying over US$10,000 in foreign currencies other than renminbi (RMB) should report to DGC; otherwise, the excess value will be confiscated.
An excess policy that is written on a follow form basis contains a provision that stipulates that the terms, definitions, conditions, limitations and exclusions in the primary, policy are incorporated by reference into the excess policy.
Most EMS providers have clauses in manufacturing agreements that address material liability for minimum-buy driven excess inventory.
The ruling holds that a taxpayer's failure to track excess allowances and its routine payment of excess allowances not treated as wages evidences a pattern of abuse and causes all payments made under the expense allowance arrangement to be treated as made under a nonaccountable plan.
The points are chosen along meridian pathways that reach the head and can help "drain" the excess energy from the head or, on the contrary, supply missing "Qi" to the head.
Apparently, dietary calcium limits the amount of oxalate that is absorbed, and it is excess oxalate that can cause calcium oxalate stones to form.
123 must establish an opening pool of excess tax benefits for all awards granted after December 15, 1994, "as if" the company had been accounting for stock options under this statement all along.
In a separate and companion opinion, however, the California Supreme Court held in County of San Diego that an insuring provision of a"manuscript form" excess policy did not extend coverage to costs and expenses associated with responding to administrative orders outside the context of a government-initiated lawsuit.