leave something to be desired en · VERB
Pronunciation
- /liːv ˈsʌmθɪŋ tu biː dɪˈzaɪə(ɹ)d/
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) to be insufficient in some aspect.
Nevertheless, the trains are well patronised, for road services in the district leave something to be desired.
1951 November, R. K. Kirkland, “The Wimbledon and West Croydon Line of the Southern Region”, in Railway Magazine, page 726:These instructions are too short not to leave something to be desired under certain circumstances; but the knowledge of veterinary surgeons will supply whatever may be incomplete[…]
1835, An essay on the use of chlorurets of oxide of sodium and of lime, page 35:[…]the drawings of the bats, though very artistic, leave something to be desired as regards detail.
1921, Foxes from Northern Argentina, page 386:To say Cuban train toilets leave something to be desired would not just be an understatement, it would suggest the person speaking inhabited an altogether alien reality.
2013, Slow train to Guantanamo : a rail odyssey through Cuba in the last days of the Castros, page 125:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| leaving something to be desired | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| leaves something to be desired | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| left something to be desired | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| left something to be desired | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Relateds
leave a lot to be desired · leave much to be desired
Translations (1)
es dejar algo que desear (Translations)