The Many Uses of "Best"

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Besides its use as a elementary describing word meaning, "of the highest excellence, excelling all others in quality," the word best serves as other parts of speech communication and occurs in many English idioms.

As a verb, to best ways to get the meliorate of, become an advantage over, outdo; to outreach, outwit, circumvent. "Jack's wife always bests him at bridge."

Best tin exist a substantive. "Marilyn wanted zip simply the best for herself and her family."

As an adverb best modifies a verb. "All the boys are expert at cartoon faces, only James does information technology best."

Here are several common idioms that make employ of the word best. The list is by no means exhaustive.

all-time human: the chief male person attendant who stands up for the groom at a wedding. With the advent of same-sex wedlock, the term is beginning to lose its gendered significant.

the best people: people considered improve than most, either because they come from erstwhile, established families, or considering they possess superior moral qualities. "The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for cede." –Ernest Hemingway

best male child: the principal assistant to the primary electrician in a film crew

best seller: what every author wants to have or to be. The term normally applies to a book or other product, just sometimes it stands for a all-time-selling author. (Yes, best-selling takes a hyphen.)

2d best: next in quality to the first. No i wants to be "2d best," just whether or not it's a bad affair depends upon who or what is "first all-time." For example, in the Forbes listing of the richest people in the U.S., Warren Buffett is "second best." His cyberspace worth of a mere $58 billion puts him in second place after Bill Gates. Gates has $72 billion.

to do 1's all-time and to requite information technology one's best shot: both expressions mean "to practise something to the best of one's ability," simply they take differing connotations:

"I e'er effort to do my best." (applicable to whatever situation)
"I may not have time to pick upward the laundry, but I'll do my best." (implies that the effort may be futile)
"Anybody else in the competition has more experience, only I'll requite it my all-time shot." (the odds of failure are greater than those of success.)

to make the best of it: adjust to a bad state of affairs. "The tornado destroyed our house, but we'll make the best of it."

for the best: better than it seems or seemed at the moment. "His bride left him at the altar, but it was for the best because he met and married someone better."

the best of both worlds: a situation in which you can enjoy 2 very dissimilar things at the same time. "Nina Dobev, who portrays both human Elena and her doppelganger, one-time vampire Katherine in [ The Vampire Diaries] – said she gets the all-time of both worlds."

Some "best" expressions are hyphenated:
best-built
best-aimed
all-time-bred
best-dressed
best-kept
best-laid
best-managed
best-meaning
all-time-meant
best-preserved
all-time-intentioned
best-natured
best-tempered

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