leave a lot to be desired en · VERB
Meanings
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(intransitive) To be unsatisfactory; to fail to meet minimal standards of acceptability.
The three cylinders of these engines are 18½ in. dia. by 26 in. stroke; and as the three piston valves were all between the frames, it resulted in the monoblock casting being weak, so far as the centre cylinder was concerned, with the result that the life of these castings left a good deal to be desired.
1944 November and December, “Conversion of L.N.E.R. "B16" Class 4-6-0 Locomotives”, in Railway Magazine, page 349:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| leaves a lot to be desired | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| leaving a lot to be desired | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| leave much to be desired | alternative | lexicographic | |
| left a lot to be desired | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| left a lot to be desired | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Translations (10)
fi jättää toivomisen varaa (Translations) · fr laisser à désirer (Translations) · pl pozostawiać wiele do życzenia (Translations) · de viel zu wünschen übrig lassen (Translations) · cs mít k dokonalosti daleko (Translations) · es dejar mucho que desear (Translations) · ru оставля́ть жела́ть лу́чшего (Translations) · pl pozostawić wiele do życzenia (Translations) · pt deixar a desejar (Translations) · nl te wensen overlaten (Translations)