take lightly

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

take lightly (third-person singular simple present takes lightly, present participle taking lightly, simple past took lightly, past participle taken lightly)

1. (idiomatic, transitive, chiefly in the negative) To treat casually, without seriousness or worry.

   Synonym: make light of

   Antonym: take seriously

   • 2011 February 12, Mark Orlovac, “England 59-13 Italy”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     Following England's opening-day win over Wales in Cardiff, Martin Johnson's men headed into the Twickenham contest full of confidence but with a warning from their manager not to take the Italians lightly.

Translations

approach casually

• Azerbaijani: ciddiyə almamaq
• Danish: tage let på, ikke tage på alvor (not take seriously)
• Dutch: licht opvatten
• Finnish: ottaa kevyesti
• French: prendre à la légère (fr)
• German: auf die leichte Schulter nehmen (de)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: ta lett på, ikke ta på alvor (not take seriously)

• Polish: lekceważyć (pl) impf, zlekceważyć (pl) pf
• Spanish: tomar a la ligera
• Swedish: ta lätt på

See also

• take easy
• tread lightly