go to great lengths

English

Alternative forms

go to extraordinary lengths

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Verb

go to great lengths

(idiomatic) To make a major effort; to be very careful when doing something, especially to an extreme or excessive degree.
- 2008, José Rodrigues does Santos, Codex 632: The Secret Identity of Christopher Columbus (trans. from the Portuguese by Alison Entrekin), William Morrow (2008), →ISBN, page 262:
  […] They said good-bye on the eleventh, and the Portuguese noblemen saw him off, going to great lengths to show him respect."
- 2009, Diego Gambetta, Codes of the Underworld: How Criminals Communicate, Princeton University Press (2009), →ISBN, page 272:
  Most scholars writing on the mafia were going to great lengths to demonstrate that it did not exist—and the mobsters wanted to keep their brotherhood secret.
- 2013, Chad R. Torgerson, Waking Up Catholic: A Guide to Catholic Beliefs for Converts, Reverts, and Anyone Becoming Catholic, Assisi Media (2013), →ISBN, page 62:
  As a father, I would go to great lengths to protect my children.

Synonyms

Translations

make a major effort

Chinese:
Mandarin: 不遺餘力, 不遗余力 (zh) (bùyíyúlì), 竭盡全力 (zh), 竭尽全力 (zh) (jiéjìnquánlì)
Finnish: nähdä paljon vaivaa
French: marcher sur des œufs (fr)

Portuguese: não medir esforços
Russian: please add this translation if you can
Spanish: please add this translation if you can

See also

beg, borrow, or steal, go to pains, at pains, spare no effort

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