to take great pains
6
5.2
- idiom
- Formal
:
hacer un gran esfuerzo
- And fifth, the Times takes great pains to stress that it is citing management numbers.
- takes great pains to avoid
We over monitor ourselves and we take great pains to do things just the way they want them.
- We over monitor ourselves and we take great pains to do things just the way they want them.
- Either way, Kavanaugh took great pains last night to reassure us that he knows some women.
Examples
-
Terrified that the accusation might stick, the League took great pains to argue its loyalty and moderation.
Academic text (1995) -
Will and Shannon take great pains to have a normal relationship but, ultimately, find it impossible to do so.
Blog text (27) -
His lawyer took great pains to bring that out.
-
We over monitor ourselves and we take great pains to do things just the way they want them.
-
So, we take great pains to keep people informed.
Academic text (1990) -
Whether it is to become thin or to stay thin, women take great pains to moderate their figures.
Academic text (1992) -
Lerigot has taken great pains to hide his exact location.
-
I've taken great pains to arrange your diet properly.
-
Bruneau, for example, takes great pains to establish the Brazilian Catholic Church's historical role as a political actor with substantial influence.
Academic text (1990) -
As Linda prepared for school the next morning, she took great pains in fixing her long blonde hair.
Synonyms
26
4.1
Try very hard to make something happen
8
5.8
Try hard and be careful when doing something
3
7.7
To try very hard to do something carefully
1
6.8
To work very hard and use a lot of energy
Antonyms
How Hard
2
3.9
26
4.1
- Formal
6
5.2
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'take' (undertake/accept) + 'great' (intensifier) + 'pains' (careful effort) yields 'undertake a lot of effort/attention'. This pattern is transparent and mirrors comparable constructions in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent senses can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase take great pains shows a simple picture: someone who takes the pains — they work so carefully they feel small hurts or trouble while fixing every detail. So, it means 'to make a lot of effort' and pay close attention to get things right.