do by halves
verb1
Idiomatic, In the negative To perform (a task, etc) partially or incompletely; to do (something) inadequately, halfheartedly, or shoddily.
- [A] pedestrian tour of Europe could not be complete without them. Of course that decided me at once to see them, for I never allow myself to do things by halves, or in a slurring, slipshod way.1880, Mark Twain, chapter 30, in A Tramp Abroad:
- Rin-Tin-Tin does nothing by halves, for he tracks the murderer himself and kills him.1925 Sept. 21, Mordaunt Hall, "The Screen" (film review of The Freshman), New York Times (retrieved 5 March 2014)
2 more examples
- Never do anything by halves if you want to get away with it. Be outrageous. Go the whole hog!1988, Roald Dahl, Mathilda:
- If there was one word to describe her, it was "intense" - so well chosen in her brother Michael's moving eulogy. Nothing, absolutely nothing was done by halves. . . . Her commitment was total.2005 April 8, Claus Moser, “Obituary: Jane Attenborough”, in The Guardian, UK, retrieved 05 Mar 2014: