- Home
- Idioms
- alone
alone
go it alone
to do something by oneself. Do you need help, or will you go it alone? I think I need a little more experience before I go it alone.
He travels fastest who travels alone.
Prov. It is easier to achieve your goals if you do not have a spouse, children, or other connections to consider. Jill: Don't go yet! Wait for me to get ready. Jane: But you always take at least half an hour. No wonder they always say that he travels fastest who travels alone.
Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone.
Prov. When you are happy, people will want to be around you and share your happiness, but when you are sad, people will avoid you. Nancy: When Harry and I were dating, all our friends invited us places and called to say hello. Now that we've broken up, they treat me as if I don't exist. Jane: Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone.
Leave me alone!
Stop harassing me!; Don't bother me! John: You did it. You're the one who always does it. Bill: Leave me alone! I never did it. Fred: Let's give Bill a dunk in the pool. Bill: Leave me alone!
leave (someone, something, or some creature) alone
and let (someone, something, or some creature) alone; leave (someone, something, or some creature) be; let (someone, something, or some creature) beto stop bothering someone or something. Don't torment the cat. Leave it alone. I don't want your help. Let me alone. Don't argue about it. Let it be!
let alone someone or something
not to mention or think of someone or something; not even to take someone or something into account. (Fixed order.) Do I have a dollar? I don't even have a dime, let alone a dollar. I didn't invite John, let alone the rest of his family.
let someone or something alone
and leave someone or something alone; leave someone or something beto avoid touching, bothering, or communicating with someone or something. Leave me alone. I don't want your help. Let it alone! Don't touch it! It may be hot!
let well enough alone
and leave well enough aloneto leave things as they are (and not try to improve them). There isn't much more you can accomplish here. Why don't you just let well enough alone? This is as good as I can do. I'll stop and leave well enough alone.
Man does not live by bread alone.
Prov. In order to survive, people need more than physical things like food and shelter.; People need mental or spiritual things like satisfaction and love. (Biblical.) Alan: I'm so miserable. Jill: How can you be miserable? You've got a good place to live, plenty to eat, nice clothes.... Alan: But man does not live by bread alone.
go it alone
to do something without help from other people After two years as a member of the quartet, Sinatra decided to go it alone. Even countries cannot go it alone in the world today.
leave somebody alone
to not annoy or interrupt someone let somebody alone If you just leave her alone she'll do the job right.
leave something alone
to not touch or be involved with something Leave the bite alone and don't scratch it.
leave well enough alone
to allow something to stay as it is because doing more would not improve it I thought about rewriting the letter, but I decided to leave well enough alone.
let alone do something
and to an even greater degree do something
We were trapped in a situation you can barely imagine, let alone understand. Usage notes: used to emphasize the extreme character of something
let somebody alone
to not annoy or interrupt someone leave somebody alone I tried to keep my promise not to call her, to let her alone to think, but finally I needed to talk to her.
go it alone
to do something by yourself and without help from other people Honda has chosen to go it alone rather than set up a joint venture with an American partner.
leave/let well alone
(British, American & Australian) also leave/let well enough alone (American) to leave something the way it is, because trying to improve it might make it worse In cases of back trouble, it's difficult to know whether to operate or leave well alone. I'm not doing any more on that painting - it's time to let well enough alone.
leave well alone
(British & Australian) also leave well enough alone (American) to not change or try to improve something that is not causing any problems So long as the machine still does what you want it to, my advice is to leave well alone. Surgeons are aware that every operation carries some risk, and sometimes decide to leave well enough alone.
Man cannot live by bread alone.
something that you say which means people need things such as art, music and poetry as well as food, in order to live a happy life
Usage notes: This phrase comes from the Bible.
Our cultural heritage is important. Man cannot live by bread alone. go it alone
Undertake a project, trip, or responsibility without the aid or presence of others. For example, If you decide not to help, I'll just go it alone. [Mid-1800s]
laugh and the world laughs with you
Keep your sense of humor and people will sympathize with you, as in She's always cheerful and has dozens of friends; laugh and the world laughs with you. This expression actually is part of an ancient Latin saying that concludes, weep and the world weeps with you. The current version, with the ending weep and you weep alone (meaning "you'll get no sympathy in your sorrow"), first appeared in 1883 in Ella Wilcox's poem "Solitude." O. Henry used a slightly different version: "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and they give you the laugh" ( The Count and the Wedding Guest, 1907).
leave someone alone
Also,
let someone alone. Refrain from disturbing or interfering with someone. For example,
She'll manage very well if you just leave her alone, or
Stop teasing the dog; let him alone. [c. 1400] Also see
leave one in peace;
let alone;
let be.
leave well enough alone
Also,
let well enough alone. Do not try to change something lest you make it worse. For example,
This recipe has turned out fine in the past, so leave well enough alone. The idea behind this expression dates from ancient Greek times, specifically Aesop's fable about a fox who refused a hedgehog's offer to take out its ticks lest, by removing those that are full, other hungry ones will replace them. Put as
let well alone from the early 1700s, it was first recorded as
let well enough alone in 1827. Also see
let sleeping dogs lie.
let alone
2. Not to mention, as in We have no room for another house guest, let alone an entire family. [c. 1800]
let alone
Not to mention; much less: "Their ancestors had been dirt poor and never saw royalty, let alone hung around with them" (Garrison Keillor).