Take a back seat
If you take a back seat, you choose to have a less important function and become less involved in something
Example: He decided it was time to take a back seat and let someone younger
run the club
Take pains
If you take pains to do something, you try very hard or make a special effort to do something as well as possible
Example: Great pains were taken to ensure the athletes’ security
Teach someone a lesson
If you teach someone a lesson, you do something to punish them for behaving badly and make them understand that they should not do it again
Example: The next time she arrives late, she’ll find the door closed. That will teach her a lesson
Try somebody’s patience
Someone who finds it difficult to be patient with you, because of your irritating attitude or behavior, can say that you are trying their patience
Example: His constant interruptions began to try the teacher’s patience
Trade secret
This expression, which refers to the secrecy of a company’s production methods, is often used teasingly
Example: Can you give me the recipe for your lemon meringue pie? No way – that’s a trade secret