Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[missdaredevil]

Could anyone use "take a highroad" in a sentence?



Definitions:

1. direct route: the easiest or most direct way to a place


2. U.K. main road: a main road, usually in a town or village


3. right moral course: the most ethical course of action
was commended for taking the high road and resigning

[bud]

John and Mary are getting a divorce. He is taking the low road by telling everyone who knew them lies and embarassing secrets about Mary. She is taking the high road, preferring to say only that they had problems that couldn't be resolved.

[advoca]

In British English there are two ways of using *high road*

1 take the high road: the way that is morally right:
The newspaper took the high road and didn't publish the pictures.
2 the high road is the easiest or most likely way to achieve something:
A university education is the high road to success.

In British English we seldom use the phrase, the low road in connection with morals. It usually has no meaning in this respect. However, you can use the low road to differentiate between a road that is literally higher, say in the mountains. For example in the song, The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond:

You�ll take the high road and I�ll take the low road, and I�ll get to Scotland before you.

Incidentally, in Britain many towns have a High Street (What Americans usually call Main Street). It got the name because it was made better than other streets and was literally built higher than other streets.