English

Verb

do by halves ‎(third-person singular simple present does by halves, present participle doing by halves, simple past did by halves, past participle done by halves)

1. (transitive, idiomatic) To perform (a task, etc) partially or incompletely; to do (something) inadequately, halfheartedly, or shoddily.
   • 1880, Mark Twain, A Tramp Abroad, ch. 30:

     [A] pedestrian tour of Europe could not be complete without them. Of course that decided me at once to see them, for I never allow myself to do things by halves, or in a slurring, slipshod way.

   • 1925 Sept. 21, Mordaunt Hall, "The Screen" (film review of The Freshman), New York Times (retrieved 5 March 2014):

     Rin-Tin-Tin does nothing by halves, for he tracks the murderer himself and kills him.

   • 2005 April 8, Claus Moser, "Obituary: Jane Attenborough," The Guardian (UK) (retrieved 5 March 2014):

     If there was one word to describe her, it was "intense" - so well chosen in her brother Michael's moving eulogy. Nothing, absolutely nothing was done by halves. . . . Her commitment was total.

Usage notes

• Often used in negative constructions, as in:

She never does things by halves.

Related terms

• by halves

References

• do by halves at OneLook Dictionary Search