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121while — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) conj. during, as long as, whilst, whereas; although. while away II (Roget s IV) conj. 1. [As long as] Syn. during, at the same time that, during the time that, whilst, throughout the time that, in the… …
122while — [OE] While comes via prehistoric Germanic *khwīlō from the Indo European base *qwi . This denoted ‘rest’, and its meaning was carried through into Latin quiēs (source of English quiet) and tranquillus (source of English tranquil) and Swedish… …
123while\ ago — adv At a time several minutes in the past; a few minutes ago; a short time ago. Used with a . I laid MV glasses on this table a while ago; and now they re gone. A while ago, Mary was tired and wanted to go home; now she s dancing with Bob as if… …
124while\ back — adv At a time several weeks or months in the past. Used with a . We had a good rain a while back, but we need more now. Grandfather is well now, but a while back he was in the hospital for three weeks. See: crack the whip …
125while the going is good — If you take action while the going is good, you do something before the situation changes and it is no longer possible. There s a 50% discount on subscriptions this month. I think I ll subscribe while the going is good …
126while (someone's) back is turned — when/while (someone s) back is turned while someone is somewhere else or unable to notice what is happening. When my mother s back was turned, my grandmother would give me chocolates …
127While the cat's away (the mice will play). — When/While the cat s away (the mice will play). something that you say which means when the person in authority is absent, people will not do what they should do. Do you think it s wise to leave the children alone for so long? You know, while the …
128while — 1. noun we chatted for a while Syn: time, spell, stretch, stint, span, interval, period; duration, phase, patch 2. verb tennis helped to while away the time Syn: pass, spend, occupy, use up …
