to be at pains to do sth
1take (great) pains (to do something) — take (great) pains (to do sth) | go to great pains (to do sth) idiom to put a lot of effort into doing sth • The couple went to great pains to keep their plans secret. Main entry: ↑painsidiom …
2go to great pains (to do something) — take (great) pains (to do sth) | go to great pains (to do sth) idiom to put a lot of effort into doing sth • The couple went to great pains to keep their plans secret. Main entry: ↑painsidiom …
3(be) at pains to do something — be at pains to do sth idiom to put a lot of effort into doing sth correctly • She was at great pains to stress the advantages of the new system. Main entry: ↑painsidiom …
4take (great) pains with something — take (great) pains with/over sth idiom to do sth very carefully • He always takes great pains with his lectures. Main entry: ↑painsidiom …
5take (great) pains over something — take (great) pains with/over sth idiom to do sth very carefully • He always takes great pains with his lectures. Main entry: ↑painsidiom …
6for your pains — phrase used for emphasizing that you have not been properly rewarded for your efforts All she got for her pains was a faint smile. Thesaurus: unfairsynonym Main entry: pain * * * for your ˈpains i …
7pain — 1 /peIn/ noun 1 PHYSICAL (C, U) the feeling you have when part of your body hurts: be in pain (=having a pain in part of your body): Take these tablets if you re in pain. | feel pain: We ve given him an anaesthetic so he shouldn t feel any pain.… …
8pain — pain1 W2S2 [peın] n [Date: 1200 1300; : Old French; Origin: peine, from Latin poena, from Greek poine payment, punishment ] 1.) [U and C] the feeling you have when part of your body hurts pain in ▪ The pain in her jaw had come back. ▪ I had …
9pain — noun 1 physical pain ADJECTIVE ▪ acute, agonizing, awful, blinding, excruciating, extreme, great, immense, intense, severe …
10stress — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun 1 state of tension ADJECTIVE ▪ considerable, extreme, great, high, incredible, intense, severe ▪ Separation is a time of high emotional stress …
