by halves

Idioms  

1. Imperfectly, reluctantly, or half-heartedly, as in You really can't paint a portrait by halves. [Mid-1500s]

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Example Sentences

No-one can accuse Spurs or Postecoglou of doing things by halves.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2023

Kara Young doesn’t do any role by halves, and as Viola this summer in the Classical Theater of Harlem’s “Twelfth Night,” she was breathtaking instantly.

From New York Times • Dec. 5, 2022

Luhrmann doesn’t do much by halves, and here his flamboyant stylistic excesses are very much of a piece with Elvis’ own.

From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2022

I couldn’t dream of doing anything by halves.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 19, 2019

Izzy’s adoration for Mia, like everything she did, did not come by halves: there was nothing Izzy wouldn’t do for her.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng