(transitive with à) (informal) to put the kibosh on, to put a stop to, to call a halt to, to put a lid on

(figuratively) to slip away, to do a bunk, to take flight

(informal, figurative) to ram something home, to drive a lesson home (to repeat something insistently so that it is understood)

(figuratively) to give way, to yield [+ à (object) = to]

(informal) to shut (someone) up [+ à (someone)]

(figuratively) to test the waters, to put out feelers, to find out the lay of the land, to see how the land lies

(film, theater) to set up the scenery / (informal, figuratively) to set the scene

(figuratively) to make someone's blood run cold, to make someone's blood curdle

(informal) to be worth the trip, to be worth the journey, to be worth a visit, to be worth seeing

(figuratively) to tempt fate, to court disaster