far

Phrases

as far as

for as great a distance as:the river stretched away as far as he could see

for a great enough distance to reach:I decided to walk as far as the village

to the extent that:as far as I am concerned it is no big deal

be a far cry from

be very different to:he is a far cry from the telegenic legislators who increasingly prowl Capitol Hill

by far

by a great amount:this was by far the largest city in the area

far and away

by a very large amount:he is far and away the most accomplished player

far and near

everywhere: people came from far and near to the party

far and wide

over a large area: expanding industry sucked in labour from far and wide

far be it from (or for) me to

used to express reluctance to do something which one thinks may be resented:far be it from me to speculate on his reasons

far from

tending to the opposite of what is expected:conditions were far from satisfactory

far gone

• 1in a bad or worsening state:a few frames from the original film were too far gone to salvage
• informal very intoxicated or ill: everyone was far gone by now

• 2advanced in time:when he awoke the day was far gone

far off

remote in time or space:a far-off country shared memories of those far-off days

go far

• 1achieve a great deal:everyone was sure he would go far

• 2be worth or amount to much:the money would not go far at this year’s prices

go so far as to do something

do something regarded as extreme:surely they wouldn’t go so far as to break in?

go too far

exceed the limits of what is reasonable or acceptable: she’s been causing trouble—one of these days she’ll go too far

how far

• 1used to ask how great a distance is:they wanted to know how far he could travel

• 2to what extent:he was not sure how far she was committed

so far

• 1to a certain limited extent:jabs and pills can protect you only so far

• 2(of a trend that seems likely to continue) up to this time:diplomatic activity so far has failed

(in) so far as (or that)

to the extent that:the play was a great success so far as attendance was concerned

so far so good

progress has been satisfactory up to now: ‘How’s the job going?’ ‘So far so good.’

a —— too far

a —— regarded as being one step or stage beyond what is safe, sensible, or desirable:the statement appears to be a claim too far