bend over backwards
To make a great effortTo make a great effort; to take extraordinary care; to go to great lengths.
» Tom bends over backwards to please Mary.
Tom zerreißt sich, um Mary zufriedenzustellen. — al_ex_an_der
Том из кожи вон лезет, чтобы угодить Мэри. — marafon
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRTranslations
7 languagesExamples
8 sentencesTom bends over backwards to please Mary.
ruТом из кожи вон лезет, чтобы угодить Мэри. — marafon
deTom zerreißt sich, um Mary zufriedenzustellen. — al_ex_an_der
Tom bends over backwards to make Mary happy.
ruТом очень старается порадовать Мэри. — odexed
deTom reißt sich ein Bein aus, um Mary glücklich zu machen. — qweruiop
He bends over backwards to please her.
Meaning
2 senses(idiomatic, informal)To make a great effort; to take extraordinary care; to go to great lengths.
They bent over backwards to make sure everything was just right for the visit.
sich ein Bein ausreißen
лезть из кожи вонleztʹ iz koži von, расшибаться в лепёшкуrasšibatʹsja v lepjóšku
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bend over, backwards.
- try very hard to please someone
Forms
bends over backwards, bending over backwards, bent over backwards, bent over backwardsirregular · Lesson
| Base form | bend over backwards · to bend over backwards |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | bends over backwards |
| Present participle | bending over backwards |
| Past simple | bent over backwards |
| Past participle | bent over backwards |
Tenses
bend over backwards · bent over backwards · will bend over backwards · have bent over backwardsPoint at a form to see it in a sentence.Tap a form to see it in a sentence.
Synonyms
7 synonyms- try very hard to please someone:fall over backwards
Word family
5 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.