go on the air • walk on air go on the air—(also: come on the air) 1. (Radio, TV) begin broadcasting: The radio station went on the air shortly after the storm. 2. (of a program) be broadcast: Certain programs go on the air in the form of a mixture of live and recorded segments. 3. speak over the radio: I suppose you never know who is listening in when you go on the air . walk on air —feel very happy or euphoric: I was walking on air the day I handed the manager the final check to settle our bill. Note: The expression does not fully correlate in meaning with the phrase dance on air—1. = walk on air: As you can probably imagine, when I received Melanie’s letter, I was dancing on air . 2. (sl.) die by hanging: For every night, from now until then, you will dance on air with a hempen rope around your neck. go on the bend • go round the bend go on the bend —(coll.) have a drinking spree: The apprentice may be a wild youth with an earnest desire to go occasionally “upon the bend .” go round the bend —(coll.) go crazy or behave as if mad (also: go around the bend): If I don’t get some rest, I’ll go round the bend . Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase turn the corner—begin to make a recovery from a serious illness or a difficult time: Has California’s economy finally turned the corner ? go on the streets • take to the streets go on the streets—1. go out into the streets: After finishing home duties, people go on the streets to walk up and down to meet their friends, to socialize. 2. demonstrate for or against smth.: In Japan, whose labor force is among the highest paid in the world, thousands of people go on the streets every year as well. 3. work as a prostitute: They went into service, and when they found that they were expected to dust chairs and wash up breakfast things they went on the streets . take to the streets—1. = go on the streets 1: She takes to the streets daily in response to calls from tenants to investigate nuisance neighbors. 2. = go on the streets 2: The students took to the streets in support of the health workers’ claim for higher wages. go one’s own way • go one’s way go one’s own way—follow one’s inclinations; act independ- ently: Parents need to realize that as children grow up, they’ve got to let them go their own way . Note: The expression is not equivalent in meaning to the phrase have one’s own way—(also: have one’s way) do what one wants meeting with no opposition: Divide a nation into parties, or set your enemies at loggerheads, and you can have your own way . go one’s way—1. leave a place; depart: I told him I did not care whether he got into parliament or not; so he called me Mugwump and went his way . 2. = go one’s own way: Before starting my work, I got some ideas from the director, but he let me go my way from there. Note: The expression is not antonymous in meaning to the phrase go out of one’s way—(also: put oneself out of the way) go to great trouble to do smth. well: Why does a daughter of mine, whom I’ve loved go out of her way to make a jackass of me? go out of service • quit the service go out of service—be no longer in operation; cease to be used: The “slow” jets of the 1960s went out of service as they were replaced by more modern machines. quit the service—1. leave one’s employment: When he thought him sufficiently mellowed, he proposed to him to quit the service of his new employer. 2. leave the army: His career will provide another example of why serving sergeants and young officers quit the service . go out on the town • go to town go out on the town —(coll.) go out and enjoy oneself in bars, clubs, etc.: We went out on the town to celebrate our wedding anniversary. go to town—(coll.) 1. put in a lot of vigor and enthusiasm in an activity: They really went to town on the Christmas decorations this year. 2. severely reprimand or criticize smb.: When a question was asked and I could not answer he went to town on me. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase go into the city—(UK) engage in commerce or finance: There are parents who would prefer their children to go straight from school into the city or to farming. See also: get out of town / go to the country. go out the window • go through the ceiling go out the window —(of laws, principles, etc.) be abandoned: All rules went out the window . What was important was get- ting people into the helicopter and getting them out of the flooding. go through the ceiling —(also: go through the roof ) 1. (of prices, sales, etc.) increase very rapidly; surpass the expected limit: People are buying here because real estate costs in Boston have gone through the ceiling . 2. show extreme anger about smth.: A lot of the kids I’ve interviewed have parents who would go through the ceiling if they thought their kids were doing drugs. go out with the tide • go with the tide go out with the tide —(of hopes, popularity, etc.) diminish; decline: Hereford’s hopes went out with the tide … washed away after only three minutes when Lightbourne made it one- nil. go with the tide —(also: drift with the tide) act or think as the majority of people do: You’re pretty good at adapting to change. In fact, you’d rather go with the tide than against it. go over someone • go over someone’s head go over someone—1. search a person: A woman police-officer went over the girl from head to toe, but would not say what she was looking for. 2. (med.) examine a person for smth. wrong: The doctor went over the girl carefully but could find no broken bones. go over someone’s head—1. said of smth. too difficult for a person to understand: Some of the jokes were rather rude, but luckily they went over the children’s heads . 2. ask for smth. from a person in a higher position than one’s immediate supe- rior: If you think your captain is giving wrong orders, you may go over his head to his commanding officer. go over the hill • go over the hills and far away go over the hill—(sl.) 1. make an escape; run away: They broke out of jail the other night and went over the hill . 2. desert service in the armed forces: You should have seen Col- clough’s face the day you went over the hill ! It was worth join- ing the Army for. Note: a) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase go downhill—gradually become worse: Morgan’s commercial diving business is going downhill fast; his wife has left him and now all he owns is at risk. b) The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase go over the top—1. do smth. in a way that is extreme or exag- gerated: You had the big name designers who went over the top at the big fashion shows. 2. behave in an unrestrained man- ner: Several members went “over the top ” at the cafe in the quiet fishing village of Watchet…. 3. (Military) go out to attack: – 151 – go over the hill