good account of

G

good account of

Meaning

• performed well, even if one was not completely successful.
• perform admirably, especially in a challenging situation.
• smash a record.
• excel.
• do something better than others have done.
• distinguish yourself.

Example Sentences

1. The team played excellently and gave a good account of itself.
2. I feel like I didn’t give a good account of myself in today’s interview.
3. We gave a good account of ourselves in the match, coming in third overall.
4. Fourteen-year-old James, who was always able to give a good account of himself, appeared upset.
5. Woods gave a good account of himself and ought to have claimed the second set.
6. The fish gave a good account of itself, but David gently persuaded it to come close enough to be lifted aboard the boat.
7. Over the last several months, Harry has given a good account of himself.
8. It is likely that the business will give a good account of itself in the coming quarter.
9. As he could not give a very good account of himself in the interview, the company didn’t offer him a good salary.

Origin

The idiom “a good account of oneself” is used to mean to perform or behave credibly. The phrase transfers a financial reckoning to other matters. The main word in the idiom is “account,” which people used particularly in reckoning money paid and received. From the beginning, people used the word account often in plural form. The meaning “course of business dealings that required records” is from the 1640s. The meaning “arrangement to place money in a bank, business, or somewhere else” is from 1833.

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