on best behavior

on one's best behavior

being as polite as possible. When we went out, the children were on their best behavior. I try to be on my best behavior all the time.

not causing any difficulties The two candidates were on their best behavior, giving serious answers to questions from a group of citizens.

Usage notes: usually used to refer to children, but also often used to describe the actions of adults in uncomfortable situations

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Intan	EEN-tahn (Indonesian)	Indonesian, Malay
Pratap	-	Indian, Hindi, Marathi
Eli (1)	EE-lie (English)	English, Hebrew, Biblical, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew
Dora	['dɔ:rə]
IzsÁK	EE-zhahk	Hungarian
Angelica	an-JEL-i-kə (English), ahn-JE-lee-kah (Italian)	English, Italian, Romanian, Literature