demand
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a laundry list of (something)
A very lengthy, thorough list of items. The new political coalition has issued a laundry list of demands for the prime minister ahead of the referendum. I have a laundry list of projects I need to get done before Friday. The senator began the hearing by reading a laundry list of accusations for nearly 30 minutes!
bow to (one's) demands
To submit to or accept another person's demands. You need to grow a spine. You can't just bow to your boss's demands every time! I'll never bow to your demands, sir! My allegiance will always be to my own country. I refuse to bow that fool's demands just because he has a lot of money.
by popular demand
Due to a lot of requests or interest (in something). Here are your menus—you'll see that some of our special dishes from last summer are back by popular demand. I hope they bring that mascara back by popular demand. It just sold out so fast last time, I couldn't get my hands on it! I hear the comedian added a third New York show to his tour by popular demand.
demand (something) from (one)
To insist that someone do, provide, or relinquish something. I demand full attention from my students, so if you plan to nap or socialize in here, then you might as well drop this class right now. She demands full cooperation from her interns. Hope you're OK with fetching coffee and doing any menial task she can think of. Don't you dare take that tone with me. As your parent, I demand respect from you.
See also: demand
demand (something) of (someone or something)
To insist that someone or something do, provide, or relinquish something. I demand the full attention of my students, so if you plan to nap or socialize in here, then you might as well drop this class right now. You're really demanding a lot of our washer by throwing such a big load in there. She demands a lot of her interns—namely, full cooperation. Hope you're OK with fetching coffee and doing any menial task she can think of.
in demand
Greatly sought after; desired or required by many people. Sometimes hyphenated. Sometimes used with the modifier "high" before or in the middle of the phrase. To the surprise of some, the product has been in high demand since it was first released. Retailers have struggled to maintain stock of the in-demand toy. Now that the property market has begun to boom, construction workers are in demand.
See also: demand
in great demand
Greatly sought after; desired or required by many people. To the surprise of some, the product has been in great demand since it was first released. Oh, that toy is in great demand—retailers have struggled to keep it in stock. Now that the property market has begun to boom, construction workers are in great demand.
make demands of (one)
To put a great deal of pressure on one to perform at an extremely high level. This is a cutthroat business, and it makes demands of anyone who wants to excel in it. The coach makes demands of all the kids who play on his team, but they also have more championship titles than any other team in the state.
make demands on (someone or something)
To put pressure on someone or something; to expect something from someone or something. The sprawling nature of their business makes a lot of demands on their accountants. Having to help my mother raise my baby sister has really made demands on my own ambitions. I can tell the new software is really making demands on my clunky old computer.
on demand
When needed or desired. Often hyphenated. It can be difficult to adjust to a baby's need to feed on demand. Cable television is being replaced in many homes by on-demand video services.
supply and demand
The amount of something available to purchase compared to the number of people who need or want to purchase it. The company has had a hard time figuring out supply and demand on their first product, which has been incredibly popular but very difficult to find in stores.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
bow to someone's demands
Fig. to yield to someone's demands; to agree to do something that someone has requested. In the end, they had to bow to our demands. We refused to bow to their demands that we abandon the project.
demand something from someone or something
and demand something of someone or somethingto command that something be received from someone or a group or something; to demand that someone or a group or something do something. The muggers demanded money from everyone. The petitioners demanded a response from the board of directors. She demanded too much of her automobile.
See also: demand
in great demand
wanted by many people. Liz is in great demand as a singer. Mary's paintings are in great demand.
make demands of someone or something
and make demands on someone or somethingto expect someone or something to do something or act in a particular way. Please don't make demands of everyone in the shop. The boss is making a lot of demands on the new machinery.
rush on something
and run on somethinga large demand for something. There was a rush on bottled water during the drought. During the hot summer, there was a run on air conditioners.
supply and demand
the availability of things or people as compared to the need to utilize the things or people; the availability of goods compared to the number of willing customers for the goods. Sometimes you can find what you want by shopping around and other times almost no store carries the items you are looking for. It depends entirely on supply and demand. (Alludes to a principle of market economics.) Sometimes customers ask for things we do not carry in stock and other times we have things in abundance that no one wants to buy. Whether or not we can make money off of a product depends entirely on supply and demand.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
in demand
Sought after, as in The general was in demand as an after-dinner speaker. [Early 1800s]
See also: demand
make demands on
Urgently require something of someone, as in Her mother's illness has made considerable demands on her time. [Late 1300s]
on demand
When needed or asked for, as in She's always ready to sing on demand, or Nowadays infants are generally fed on demand. This usage is a broadening of this phrase's meaning in finance, that is, "payable on being requested or presented," as in This note is payable on demand. [Late 1600s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
in deˈmand
wanted by many people; popular: Well-qualified young people with experience in marketing are very much in demand at the moment.See also: demand
on deˈmand
done or happening whenever somebody asks: Feed the baby on demand.by popular deˈmand
because a lot of people have asked for something: By popular demand, the play will run for another week.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
on demand
1. When presented for payment: a note payable on demand.
2. When needed or asked for: fed the baby on demand.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.