24 VERB If you place a bet, you bet money on something. □ [V n + on ] For this race, though, he had already placed a bet on one of the horses. [Also V n]
25 VERB If an agency or organization places someone, it finds them a job or somewhere to live. □ [V n + in ] In 1861, they managed to place fourteen women in paid positions in the colonies. □ [V n] In cases where it proves difficult to place a child, the reception centre provides long-term care.
26 VERB If you say that you cannot place someone, you mean that you recognize them but cannot remember exactly who they are or where you have met them before. □ [V n] It was a voice he recognized, though he could not immediately place it.
27 → see also meeting place
28 PHRASE If something is happening all over the place , it is happening in many different places. □ Businesses are closing down all over the place.
29 PHRASE If things are all over the place , they are spread over a very large area, usually in a disorganized way. □ Our fingerprints are probably all over the place.
30 PHRASE If you say that someone is all over the place , you mean that they are confused or disorganized, and unable to think clearly or act properly. [mainly BRIT ] □ He was careful and diligent. I was all over the place.
31 PHRASE If you change places with another person, you start being in their situation or role, and they start being in yours. □ When he has tried to identify all the items, you can change places, and he can test you. [Also + with ]
32 PHRASE If you have been trying to understand something puzzling and then everything falls into place or clicks into place , you suddenly understand how different pieces of information are connected and everything becomes clearer. □ When the reasons behind the decision were explained, of course, it all fell into place.
33 PHRASE If things fall into place , events happen naturally to produce a situation you want. □ Once the decision was made, things fell into place rapidly.
34 PHRASE [oft cont] If you say that someone is going places , you mean that they are showing a lot of talent or ability and are likely to become very successful. □ You always knew Barbara was going places; she was different.
35 PHRASE People in high places are people who have powerful and influential positions in a government, society, or organization. □ He had friends in high places.
36 PHRASE If something is in place , it is in its correct or usual position. If it is out of place , it is not in its correct or usual position. □ Geoff hastily pushed the drawer back into place. □ Not a strand of her golden hair was out of place.
37 PHRASE If something such as a law, a policy, or an administrative structure is in place , it is working or able to be used. □ Similar legislation is already in place in Wales.
38 PHRASE If one thing or person is used or does something in place of another, they replace the other thing or person. □ Cooked kidney beans can be used in place of French beans.
39 PHRASE If something has particular characteristics or features in places , it has them at several points within an area. □ The snow along the roadside was six feet deep in places.
40 PHRASE If you say what you would have done in someone else's place , you say what you would have done if you had been in their situation and had been experiencing what they were experiencing. □ In her place I wouldn't have been able to resist it. □ What would you have done in my place, my dear?
41 PHRASE You say in the first place when you are talking about the beginning of a situation or about the situation as it was before a series of events. □ What brought you to Washington in the first place?
42 PHRASE You say in the first place and in the second place to introduce the first and second in a series of points or reasons. In the first place can also be used to emphasize a very important point or reason. □ In the first place you are not old and in the second place you are a very attractive man.
43 PHRASE If you say that it is not your place to do something, you mean that it is not right or appropriate for you to do it, or that it is not your responsibility to do it. □ He says that it is not his place to comment on government commitment to further funds.
44 PHRASE If someone or something seems out of place in a particular situation, they do not seem to belong there or to be suitable for that situation. □ I felt out of place in my suit and tie.
45 PHRASE If you say that someone has found their place in the sun , you mean that they are in a job or a situation where they will be happy and have everything that they want.
46 PHRASE If you place one thing above , before , or over another, you think that the first thing is more important than the second and you show this in your behaviour. □ He continued to place security above all other objectives.
47 PHRASE If you put someone in their place , you show them that they are less important or clever than they think they are. □ In a few words she had put him in his place.
48 PHRASE If you say that someone should be shown their place or be kept in their place , you are saying, often in a humorous way, that they should be made aware of their low status. □ …an uppity publican who needs to be shown his place.
49 PHRASE If one thing takes second place to another, it is considered to be less important and is given less attention than the other thing. □ My personal life has had to take second place to my career.