suit the action to the word en · VERB
Etymology
A phrase from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
Meanings
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(idiomatic) To do what one has just proposed or spoken of.
“Hide!” cried Ebony, with a roll of his huge eyes, as he suited the action to the word, […]
1887, R. M. Ballantyne, The Fugitives:After giving vent to violent expressions of hostility, he grasped the bill in his hand and pronounced it to be a huge fraud, fit only to be spat upon, and trampled under foot—whereupon the honourable member suited the action to the word!
2011, James Fenton, A History of Tasmania, page 347:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| suits the action to the word | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| suiting the action to the word | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| suited the action to the word | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| suited the action to the word | Tense=Past | lexicographic |