English

Alternative forms

• go to extraordinary lengths

Verb

go to great lengths

1. (idiomatic) To make a major effort; to be very careful when doing something, especially to an extreme or excessive degree.
   • 2008, José Rodrigues does Santos, Codex 632: The Secret Identity of Christopher Columbus (trans. from the Portuguese by Alison Entrekin), William Morrow (2008), ISBN 9780061173189, page 262:

     […] They said good-bye on the eleventh, and the Portuguese noblemen saw him off, going to great lengths to show him respect."

   • 2009, Diego Gambetta, Codes of the Underworld: How Criminals Communicate, Princeton University Press (2009), ISBN 9780691119373, page 272:

     Most scholars writing on the mafia were going to great lengths to demonstrate that it did not exist—and the mobsters wanted to keep their brotherhood secret.

   • 2013, Chad R. Torgerson, Waking Up Catholic: A Guide to Catholic Beliefs for Converts, Reverts, and Anyone Becoming Catholic, Assisi Media (2013), ISBN 9780989531900, page 62:

     As a father, I would go to great lengths to protect my children.

Synonyms

• bend over backwards
• go to the ends of the earth

Translations