long

long¹ W1S1 [lɔŋ US lo:ŋ] adj comparative longer superlative longest

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

1¦(great length)¦

2¦(great distance)¦

3¦(large amount of time)¦

4¦(particular length/distance/time)¦

5¦(writing)¦

6¦(clothing)¦

7¦(tiring/boring)¦

8¦(vowel)¦

9 how long is a piece of string?

10 the long and (the) short of it

11 the long arm of somebody/something

12 long face

13 long in the tooth

14 not long for this world

15 long on something

16 long odds

17 in the long run/term

18 long shot

19 long time no see

20 take the long view (of something)

21 a long way

22 long weekend

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[: Old English; Origin: long, lang]

1.) ¦(GREAT LENGTH)¦

measuring a great length from one end to the other

≠ ↑short

▪ a long table

▪ long hair

▪ the longest tunnel in the world

▪ He stretched out his long legs .

▪ a long line of people

2.) ¦(GREAT DISTANCE)¦

continuing or travelling a great distance from one place to another

≠ ↑short

▪ a long distance

▪ Springfield is a long way from Chicago.

▪ Liz lives in Cheltenham, which is a long way away .

long journey/walk/flight/drive etc

(=a journey etc over a large distance that takes a lot of time)

▪ It's a long walk to the shops from here.

3.) ¦(LARGE AMOUNT OF TIME)¦

continuing for a large amount of time, or for a larger amount of time than usual

≠ ↑short

▪ a long period of time

▪ a long history of success

▪ He has a long memory .

(for) a long time/while

▪ He's been gone a long time.

▪ I haven't been there for a long while.

▪ It took a long time to get everything ready.

▪ She died a long time ago .

long silence/pause/delay etc

▪ There was a long silence before anybody spoke.

▪ She's recovering from a long illness .

▪ Doctors often work long hours (=work for more time than is usual) .

the longest time

AmE spoken (=a very long time)

▪ It took me the longest time to figure out how to open the windows.

4.) ¦(PARTICULAR LENGTH/DISTANCE/TIME)¦

used to talk or ask about a particular length, distance, or time

▪ How long is your garden?

▪ How long is the film?

▪ The cable is not quite long enough .

two metres/three miles etc long

▪ The bridge is 140 feet long.

two hours/three days etc long

▪ The speech was twenty minutes long.

5.) ¦(WRITING)¦

containing a lot of words, letters, names, or pages

≠ ↑short

▪ a long novel

▪ a long list

▪ He has a very long name .

▪ He owes money to a list of people as long as your arm (=a very long list) .

6.) ¦(CLOTHING)¦

covering all of your arms or legs

≠ ↑short

▪ a long dress

▪ a long-sleeved shirt

7.) ¦(TIRING/BORING)¦

spoken making you feel tired or bored

▪ It's been a long day .

8.) ¦(VOWEL)¦

technical a long vowel in a word is pronounced for a longer time than a short vowel with the same sound

≠ ↑short

9.) how long is a piece of string?

BrE spoken used when there is no definite answer to a question

▪ 'How long will it take to finish the project?' 'How long is a piece of string?'

10.) the long and (the) short of it

spoken used when you are telling someone the most important facts about something rather than all the details

▪ The long and the short of it is that we missed the train.

11.) the long arm of sb/sth

written the power of someone or something that has authority, especially to catch and punish someone

▪ He won't escape the long arm of the law .

12.) long face

a sad or disappointed expression on someone's face

13.) long in the tooth informal

too old - used humorously

▪ I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for this sort of thing.

14.) not long for this world

literary likely to die or stop existing soon

15.) long on sth

having a lot of a quality

▪ He was short on patience, but long on a sense of his own worth.

16.) long odds

if there are long odds against something happening, it is very unlikely that it will happen

17.) in the long run/term

used when talking about what will happen at a later time or when something is finished

▪ All our hard work will be worth it in the long run .

18.) long shot

someone or something with very little chance of success

▪ Chelsea are a 20-1 long shot to win the championship.

19.) long time no see

spoken used humorously to say hello when you have not seen someone for a long time

20.) take the long view (of sth)

to think about the effect that something will have in the future rather than what happens now

21.) a long way

very much, far, or a great amount or degree

▪ We're still a long way from achieving our sales targets.

▪ Psychiatry has come a long way (=developed a lot) since the 1920s.

▪ Your contributions will go a long way towards helping children in need (=will help to reach a goal) .

by a long way/shot

informal also by a long chalk

BrE (=used when something is much better, quicker, cheaper etc)

▪ It was his best performance this year, by a long way.

not by a long way/shot

informal also not by a long chalk

BrE (=not at all or not nearly)

▪ He had not told Rory everything, not by a long shot.

22.) long weekend

three or more days, including Saturday and Sunday, when you do not have to go to work or school

→at (long) last at ↑last³ (2), it's a long story at ↑story(10), cut/make a long story short at ↑story, a little (of sth) goes a long way at ↑little² (5), have a long way to go at ↑way¹ (19)

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

WORD FOCUS: long

continuing for a long time: lengthy

continuing for much too long: interminable, marathon, endless, long-winded, long-drawn-out, protracted

continuing for a long time and not changing: permanent, lasting, lifelong

when feelings last for a long time: lingering, abiding, enduring, lasting

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

long ²

long² W1S1 adv

1.) for a long time

▪ Have you been waiting long ?

▪ Reform of the law is long overdue .

▪ long established traditions

2.) used to ask and talk about particular amounts of time

▪ How long will it take to get there?

▪ Try to keep going for as long as possible .

▪ It took me longer than I thought it would.

3.) at a time that is a long time before or after a particular time

long before/after sth

▪ This all happened long before you were born.

long ago/since

▪ He should have left her long ago.

▪ It wasn't long before (=soon) Lisa arrived.

4.) for long [usually in questions and negatives]

for a long time

▪ Have you known them for long?

▪ I haven't seen her for so long that I've forgotten what she looks like.

5.) as/so long as

a) used to say that one thing can happen or be true only if another thing happens or is true

▪ You can go out to play as long as you stay in the back yard.

b) used to say that one thing will continue to happen or be true if another thing happens or is true at the same time

▪ As long as we keep playing well, we'll keep winning games.

6.) (for) as long as

used to talk about something continuing for the amount of time that you want, need, or is possible

▪ You can stay for as long as you want .

▪ She tried to stay awake for as long as she could .

▪ The fruit should be left on the tree as long as possible .

7.) no longer/not any longer

used when something used to happen or be true in the past but does not happen or is not true now

▪ The extra workers won't be needed any longer.

▪ It's no longer a secret.

8.) before long

soon or in a short time

▪ Before long a large crowd had gathered outside the building.

▪ It's likely that the law will be abolished before long.

9.) sb/sth/it won't be long

spoken used to say that someone or something will be ready, will be back, will happen etc soon

▪ Wait here - I won't be long.

▪ Dinner won't be long.

10.) all day/year/summer etc long

during all of the day etc

11.) so long

spoken especially AmE goodbye

12.) long live sb/sth

used to show support for a person, idea, principle, or nation

▪ Long live the King!

long ³

long³ v [I]

[: Old English; Origin: langian]

to want something very much, especially when it seems unlikely to happen soon

long to do sth

▪ He longed to see her again.

long for

▪ She longed for the chance to speak to him in private.

long for sb to do sth

▪ She longed for him to return.

→↑longed-for, ↑longing