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3. be at pains

be at pains

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be at pains

To put forth effort toward some goal or end. Annabelle is at pains to make sure her relatives are comfortable when they come to visit. So far, she's cleaned the whole house and set up all the guest rooms.

See also: pain

be at pains to do something

to try very hard to make sure that you tell someone the correct information about something and that they understand it The management was at great pains to stress that there are no plans for closing down the factory.

See also: pain