A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

Note: 
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase go into the city—(UK) engage in commerce or finance:
There are parents who would prefer their children to go
straight from school into the city or to farming.
See also: get out of town / go to the country.
go out the window • go through the ceiling
go out the window —(of laws, principles, etc.) be abandoned:
All rules went out the window. What was important was get-
ting people into the helicopter and getting them out of the
flooding.
go through the ceiling —(also: go through the roof )
1
. (of prices,
sales, etc.) increase very rapidly; surpass the expected limit:
People are buying here because real estate costs in Boston have
gone through the ceiling. 2. show extreme anger about smth.:
A lot of the kids I’ve interviewed have parents who would go
through the ceiling if they thought their kids were doing drugs.
go out with the tide • go with the tide
go out with the tide —(of hopes, popularity, etc.) diminish;
decline: Hereford’s hopes went out with the tide … washed
away after only three minutes when Lightbourne made it one-
nil.
go with the tide —(also: drift with the tide) act or think as
the majority of people do: You’re pretty good at adapting to
change. In fact, you’d rather go with the tide than against it.
go over someone • go over someone’s head
go over someone—
1
. search a person: A woman police-officer
went over the girl from head to toe, but would not say what
she was looking for. 2. (med.) examine a person for smth.
wrong: The doctor went over the girl carefully but could find
no broken bones.
go over someone’s head —
1
. said of smth. too difficult for a
person to understand: Some of the jokes were rather rude, but
luckily they went over the children’s heads. 2. ask for smth.
from a person in a higher position than one’s immediate supe-
rior: If you think your captain is giving wrong orders, you
may go over his head to his commanding officer.