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Definition 2024


do_justice

do justice

English

Verb

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

  1. (idiomatic) To allow to be apprehended in its full scope.
    • 2009 March 30, “Newark police cite man for driving drunk after crashing motorized barstool”, in The Advocate:
      It was classified as "all others" under vehicle type [] , but that category doesn't do a motorized barstool justice.
    • 2012 April 29, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Treehouse of Horror III” (season 4, episode 5; originally aired 10/29/1992)”, in (Please provide the title of the work):
      And it’s daunting because each segment has to tell a full, complete story in something like six minutes while doing justice to revered source material and including the non-stop laughs and genius gags that characterized The Simpsons in its god-like prime.
  2. (idiomatic) To enjoy to the full.
    • Arthur Russell Thorndike, The Scarecrow Rides
      [] a magnificent cold supper was awaiting him in the dining-room, where he did full justice to a game pie and a bottle of claret.

Usage notes

  • Typically, this is followed by to and its patient or has the patient intervening between do and justice.

Translations