Hi,
I know the idiom 'not do things by halves', but I was wondering if I could use it without 'not' to express the opposite.
"She used to be a really good student, but now she's doing everything by halves." What I mean is that she only works on her assignments superficially, and she doesn't go in enough depth.
Thank you.
It's not a commonly used idiom, but I've seen it used. In the sort of example you create, I think it is perfectly understandable.
I've never heard someones say this.
Broadly speaking, my advice is that it's better not to tamper with idioms.
Clive
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Comments
What would you use instead then?
What about ‘cut corners’?
Does anything else come to mind?
eg "She used to be a really good student, but now she's not really doing her best.
eg "She used to be a really good student, but now she's not really trying."
I meant something along the lines of ‘cutting corners’.
That's OK. But don't say it frequently.
Clive