goes

goes to show you [something] serves to

prove a point to you. It just goes to show

you that too much sugar is bad for you.

Of course you shouldn’t have married her.

It goes to show you that your parents are

always right.

goes without saying [something] is so ob-

vious that it need not be said. It goes

without saying that you are to wear formal

clothing to dinner each evening.  Of

course. That goes without saying.

the going rate the current rate. The

going interest rate for your account is 10

percent. Our babysitter charges us the

going rate.

a gold mine of information someone or

something that is full of information.

Grandfather is a gold mine of information

about World War I. The new encyclo-

pedia is a positive gold mine of useful

information.

gone but not forgotten gone or dead but

still remembered. The good days we

used to have together are gone, but not for-

gotten. Uncle Harry is gone but not for-

gotten. The stain where he spilled the wine

is still visible in the parlor carpet.

gone goose someone or something that

has departed or run away. Surely, the

burglar is a gone goose by now.  The

child was a gone goose, and we did not

know where to look for him.

gone to meet one’s Maker died. (Eu-

phemistic.) Poor old Bob has gone to

meet his Maker.  After a long illness,

Reggie went to meet his Maker.

gone with the wind gone; mysteriously

gone. (A phrase made famous by the

Margaret Mitchell novel and film Gone

with the Wind. The phrase is used to

make gone have a stronger force.)

Everything we worked for was gone with

the wind. Jean was nowhere to be found.

She was gone with the wind.

a goner dead or finished; as good as dead

or nearly dead. (Informal. Preceded by

be, become, seem like, or act like.) The

boy brought the sick fish back to the pet

store to get his money back. “This one is a

goner,” he said. John thought he was a

goner when his parachute didn’t open.

good and something very something. (The

something can be ready, mad, tired, worn-

out, etc.) Now I’m good and mad, and

I’m going to fight back.  I’ll be there

when I’m good and ready. He’ll go to

bed when he’s good and tired.

good as done Go to (as) good as done.

good as gold Go to (as) good as gold.

good enough for someone or something ade-

quate for someone or something. This

seat is good enough for me. I don’t want

to move. I’m happy. It’s good enough for

me. That table is good enough for my

office.

good-for-nothing 1. worthless. Here

comes that good-for-nothing boy now.

Where is that good-for-nothing pen of

mine? 2. a worthless person. Tell that

good-for-nothing to go home at once.

Bob can’t get a job. He’s such a good-for-

nothing.

good riddance (to bad rubbish) [it is]

good to be rid (of worthless persons or

things). She slammed the door behind

me and said, “Good riddance to bad rub-

bish!” “Good riddance to you, madam,”

thought I.

good to go all ready to go; all checked and

pronounced ready to go. I’ve checked

everything and we are good to go. Every-

thing’s good to go and we will start

immediately.

goof off to waste time. (Informal or slang.)

John is always goofing off. Quit goof-

ing off and get to work!

the gospel truth [of truth] undeniable.

The witness swore he was telling the gospel

truth. I told my parents the gospel truth

about how the vase broke.

grab a bite (to eat) to get something to

eat; to get food that can be eaten quickly.

(Not usually done by grabbing.) I need

a few minutes to grab a bite to eat. Bob

often tries to grab a bite between meetings.

grace someone or something with one’s pres-

ence to honor someone or something

with one’s presence. “How nice of you

to grace us with your presence,” Mr. Wil-

son told Mary sarcastically as she entered

the classroom late.  The banquet was

graced with the presence of the governor.

graced with something made elegant by

means of some ornament or decoration.

The altar was graced with lovely white

f lowers. The end of the beautiful day

was graced with a beautiful sunset.

graceful as a swan Go to (as) graceful as

a swan.

a grain of truth even the smallest amount

of truth. The attorney was unable to

find a grain of truth in the defendant’s tes-

timony. If there were a grain of truth

to your statement, I would trust you.

grasp at straws to depend on something

that is useless; to make a futile attempt

at something. John couldn’t answer the

teacher’s question. He was just grasping at

straws. There I was, grasping at straws,

with no one to help me.

grate on someone(‘s nerves) to annoy

someone; to bother someone. My ob-

noxious brother is grating on my nerves.

Your whining really grates on me.

gray area an area of a subject or question

that is difficult to put into a particular

category because it is not clearly defined

and may have connections or associations

with more than one category. The re-

sponsibility for social studies in the college

is a gray area. Several departments are in-

volved. Publicity is a gray area in that

firm. It is shared between the marketing

and design divisions.

gray matter intelligence; brains; power of

thought. (Brain tissue is grayish in color.)

Use your gray matter and think what

will happen if the committee resigns.

Surely they’ll come up with an acceptable

solution if they use a bit of gray matter.

grease someone’s palm and oil someone’s

palm to bribe someone. (Slang.) If you

want to get something done around here,

you have to grease someone’s palm. I’d

never oil a police officer’s palm. That’s

illegal.

a great deal much; a lot. You can learn

a great deal about nature by watching tele-

vision. This is a serious problem and it

worries me a great deal.

the greatest thing since sliced bread the

best thing there ever was. (Usually sar-

To hear her talk, you would

think she had found the greatest thing since

sliced bread. Todd thinks he is the great-

est thing since sliced bread.

Greek to me Go to (all) Greek to me.

green around the gills Go to pale around

the gills.

green with envy envious; jealous. When

Sally saw me with Tom, she turned green

with envy. She likes him a lot.  I feel

green with envy whenever I see you in your

new car.

grin and bear it to endure something un-

pleasant in good humor. There is noth-

ing you can do but grin and bear it. I

hate having to work for rude people. I guess

I have to grin and bear it.

grind to a halt to slow to a stop; to run

down. By the end of the day, the factory

had ground to a halt. The car ground

to a halt, and we got out to stretch our legs.

grip someone’s attention to attract and hold

someone’s attention. The scary movie

gripped my attention. The professor’s

interesting lecture gripped the attention of

all the students.

grist for someone’s mill something that can

be put to good use or that can bring ad-

vantage or profit. Some of the jobs that

we are offered are more interesting than

others, but each one is grist for my mill.

The company is having to sell some

tacky-looking dresses, but they are grist for

their mill and keep the company in

business.

grit one’s teeth to grind one’s teeth together

in anger or determination. I was so

mad, all I could do was stand there and

grit my teeth. All through the race, Sally

was gritting her teeth. She was really

determined.

groan under the burden of something to

suffer under the burden or domination of

someone or something. John groaned

under the burden of his new responsibili-

ties. The servant groaned under the bur-

den of a cruel master.

gross someone out to revolt someone; to

make someone sick. (Slang.) Oh, look

at his face. Doesn’t it gross you out? T That

teacher is such a creep. He grosses out the

whole class.

ground someone to take away someone’s

privileges. (Informal. Usually said of a

teenager.) My father said that if I did-

n’t get at least C’s, he’d ground me.

Guess what! He grounded me!

grounded in fact based on facts. This

movie is grounded in fact. The stories in

this book are all grounded in actual fact.

grounds for something a basis or cause for

legal action, such as a lawsuit. Your

negligence is grounds for a lawsuit. Is in-

fidelity grounds for divorce in this state?

grow out of something to abandon some-

thing as one matures. (Also literal.) I

used to have a lot of allergies, but I grew

out of them. She grew out of the habit

of biting her nails.

grow to do something to gradually begin to

do certain things, using verbs such as feel,

know, like, need, respect, sense, suspect,

think, want, wonder, etc. I grew to hate

Bob over a period of years. As I grew to

know Bob, I began to like him.

gruff as a bear Go to (as) gruff as a bear.

grunt work work that is hard and thank-

less. During the summer, I earned

money doing grunt work. I did all of the

grunt work on the project, but my boss got

all of the credit.

guard against someone or something to take

care to avoid someone or something.

Try to guard against getting a cold.

should guard against pickpockets.

guest of honor a guest who gets special

attention from everyone; the person for

whom a party, celebration, or ceremony

is held. Bob is the guest of honor, and

many people will make speeches about

him. The guest of honor sits at the front

of the room on the dais.

gulp for air to eagerly or desperately try

to get air or a breath. Tom gulped for

air after trying to hold his breath for three

minutes. Mary came up out of the wa-

ter, gulping for air.

gum something up and gum up the works

to make something inoperable; to ruin

someone’s plans. (Informal.) Please,

Bill, be careful and don’t gum up the

works. Tom sure gummed it up. T Tom

sure gummed up the whole plan.

gum up the works Go to gum something up.

gut feeling and gut reaction; gut re-

sponse a personal, intuitive feeling or re-

sponse. I have a gut feeling that some-

thing bad is going to happen. My gut

reaction is that we should hire Susan for

the job.

gut reaction Go to gut feeling.

gut response Go to gut feeling.

gyp someone out of something to deceive

someone in order to get something of

value. The salesclerk gypped me out of

a dollar. The taxi driver tried to gyp me

out of a fortune by driving all over town.

given

a given a fact that is taken for granted; a

fact that is assumed. That Mary will

go to college is a given. The question is

what she is going to study. It is a given

that the earth revolves around the sun.

given to doing something likely to do some-

thing; inclined to do something habitu-

ally. Mary is given to singing in the

shower. Bob is given to shouting when

things don’t go his way.

given to understand made to believe.

They were given to understand that there

would be no tax increase, but after the

election taxes went up. She was given

to understand that she had to be home by

midnight.

gloss something over to cover up or conceal

an error; to make something appear right

by minimizing or concealing the flaws.

When I asked him not to gloss the f laws

over, he got angry. T When Mr. Brown

was selling me the car, he tried to gloss over

its defects

glutton for punishment someone who

seems to like doing or seeking out diffi-

cult, unpleasant, or badly paid tasks. If

you want to work for this charity, you’ll

have to be a glutton for punishment and

work long hours for nothing. Jane must

be a real glutton for punishment. She’s typ-

ing Bill’s manuscript free of charge, and he

doesn’t even thank her.

gnash one’s teeth to slash about with the

teeth. Bill clenched his fists and gnashed

his teeth in anger. The wolf gnashed its

teeth and chased after the deer.

go about one’s business to mind one’s

business; to move elsewhere and mind

one’s own business. Leave me alone!

Just go about your business! I have no

more to say. I would be pleased if you

would go about your business.

go against the grain to go against the nat-

ural direction or inclination. (Refers to

the grain of wood. See also rub someone(‘s

fur) the wrong way.) You can’t expect

me to help you cheat. That goes against the

grain. Would it go against the grain for

you to call in sick for me?

go all out to use all one’s resources; to be

very thorough. (Informal. Compare this

with make an all-out effort.) Whenever

they have a party, they really go all out.

My cousin is coming for a visit, and she

expects us to go all out.

go all the way (with someone) and go to

bed (with someone) to have sexual inter-

course with someone. (Euphemistic. Use

with caution.) If you go all the way, you

stand a chance of getting pregnant. I’ve

heard that they go to bed all the time.

go along for the ride to accompany

(someone) for the pleasure of riding

along. Join us. You can go along for the

ride. I don’t really need to go to the gro-

cery store, but I’ll go along for the ride.

go a long way in doing something Go to go

a long way toward doing something.

go along (with someone or something) 1.

[with something] to agree to something.

(Also literal, meaning “to accompany

someone.”) All right. I’ll go along with

your plan. I’m sure that John won’t want

to go along with it. 2. [with someone] to

agree with someone. I go along with

Sally. I’m sure she’s right.  I can’t go

along with John. He doesn’t know what he’s

talking about.

go ape (over someone or something) to be-

come very excited and enthusiastic about

someone or something. (Slang.) I really

go ape over chocolate ice cream. Tom

really goes ape over Mary.

go (a)round the bend 1. to go around a

turn or a curve; to make a turn or a

curve. You’ll see the house you’re look-

ing for as you go round the bend. John

waved to his father until the car went

round the bend. 2. to go crazy; to lose

one’s mind. (Informal.) If I don’t get

some rest, I’ll go round the bend. Poor

Bob. He has been having trouble for a long

time. He finally went around the bend.

go around with someone Go to hang around

(with someone).

go astray to leave the proper path (literally

or figuratively). Stay right on the road.

Don’t go astray and get lost. Follow the

rules I’ve given you and don’t go astray.

That’ll keep you out of trouble.

go at it hammer and tongs Go to fight

someone or something hammer and tongs.

go at it tooth and nail Go to fight some-

one or something hammer and tongs.

go at someone or something to attack someone

or something; to move or lunge toward

someone or something. The dog went

at the visitor and almost bit him. He

went at the door and tried to break it

down.

go back on one’s word to break a promise

that one has made. I hate to go back on

my word, but I won’t pay you $100 after

all. Going back on your word makes you

a liar.

go bad to become rotten, undesirable, evil,

etc. I’m afraid that this milk has gone

bad. Life used to be wonderful. Now it

has gone bad.

go bananas to go crazy or become silly.

(Slang.) Whenever I see Sally, I just go

bananas! She’s fantastic. This was a hor-

rible day! I almost went bananas.

go begging to be unwanted or unused. (As

if an object were begging for an owner or

a user.) There is still food left. A whole

lobster is going begging. Please eat some

more. There are many excellent books in

the library just going begging because peo-

ple don’t know they are there.

go broke to completely run out of money

and other assets. This company is going

to go broke if you don’t stop spending

money foolishly. I made some bad in-

vestments last year, and it looks as if I may

go broke this year.

go by the board to get ruined or lost. (This

is a nautical expression meaning “to fall

or be washed overboard.”) I hate to see

good food go by the board. Please eat up

so we won’t have to throw it out. Your

plan has gone by the board. The entire pro-

ject has been canceled.

go by the book to follow the rules exactly.

(Refers to a book of rules.) The judge

of the contest went by the book and dis-

qualified us in the first round. Everyone

insisted that the chairman go by the book

and rule against the questionable motion.

go cold turkey to stop (doing something)

without tapering off. (Slang. Originally

drug slang. Now concerned with break-

ing any habit.) I had to stop smoking,

so I went cold turkey. It’s awful! When

heroin addicts go cold turkey, they get ter-

ribly sick.

go crazy to become crazy, disorientated, or

frustrated. It is so busy here that I think

I will go crazy. Bob went crazy because

his car got a f lat tire.

go down fighting to continue the strug-

gle until one is completely defeated. I

won’t give up easily. I’ll go down fighting.

Sally, who is very determined, went

down fighting.

go down in history to be remembered as

historically important. Bill is so great.

I’m sure that he’ll go down in history.

This is the greatest party of the century. I

bet it’ll go down in history.

go easy (on someone or something) 1. to be

kind or gentle with someone or some-

thing. (See also take it easy (on someone or

something).) Go easy on Tom. He just got

out of the hospital. Go easy on the cat.

It doesn’t like to be roughed up. Okay,

I’ll go easy. 2. [with something] to use

something sparingly. Go easy on the

mustard. That’s all there is. When you

make my sandwich, please go easy on the

onions. I don’t like them very well.

go fifty-fifty (on something) to divide the

cost of something in half with someone.

Todd and Jean decided to go fifty-fifty

on dinner. The two brothers went fifty-

fifty on a replacement for the broken lamp.

Go fly a kite! Go to Go climb a tree!

go for broke to risk everything; to try as

hard as possible. (Slang.) Okay, this is

my last chance. I’m going for broke.

Look at Mary starting to move in the fi-

nal hundred yards of the race! She is really

going for broke.

go for it to make a try for something; to de-

cide to do something. (Slang.) I have

an offer of a new job. I think I’m going to

go for it. Hey, great. Go for it!

go from bad to worse to progress from a

bad state to a worse state. This is a ter-

rible day. Things are going from bad to

worse. My cold is awful. It went from

bad to worse in just an hour.

Go fry an egg! Go to Go climb a tree!

go haywire to go wrong; to malfunction;

to break down. (Folksy.) I was talking

to Mary when suddenly the telephone went

haywire. I haven’t heard from her since.

There we were, driving along, when the

engine went haywire. It was two hours be-

fore the tow truck came.

go hog-wild to behave wildly. (Folksy.)

Have a good time at the party, but don’t go

hog-wild. The teacher cannot control a

class that is going hog-wild.

go in a body to move in a group.

whole team went in a body to talk to the

go in for something to take part in some-

thing; to enjoy (doing) something.

John doesn’t go in for sports. None of

them seems to go in for swimming.

go into action and swing into action to

start doing something. I usually get to

work at 7:45, and I go into action at 8:00.

When the ball is hit in my direction, you

should see me swing into action.

go into a tailspin 1. [for an airplane] to

lose control and spin to the earth, nose

The plane shook and then sud-

denly went into a tailspin. The pilot was

not able to bring the plane out of the tail-

spin, and it crashed into the sea. 2. [for

someone] to become disoriented or pan-

icked; [for someone’s life] to fall apart.

(Informal.) Although John was a great

success, his life went into a tailspin. It took

him a year to get straightened out. Af-

ter her father died, Mary’s world fell apart,

and she went into a tailspin.

go into detail to give all the details; to pre-

sent and discuss the details. The clerk

went into detail about the product with the

customer. I just want a simple answer.

Don’t go into detail.

go into effect and take effect [for a law

or a rule] to become effective; to start to

function. When does this new law go

into effect? The new tax laws won’t go

into effect until next year. This law takes

effect almost immediately.

go into hiding to conceal oneself in a hid-

den place for a period of time. The po-

litical dissident went into hiding. After

robbing the bank, the bandits went into

hiding for months.

go into one’s song and dance (about some-

thing) to start giving one’s explanations

and excuses about something. (One’s can

be replaced by the same old.)

don’t go into your song and dance about

how you always tried to do what was right.

John went into his song and dance about

how he won the war all by himself. He

always goes into the same old song and

dance every time he makes a mistake.

go into something to start something new.

(Especially a new career, project, prod-

uct line, etc. Compare this with be into

something.) I may quit selling and go into

management. We are shifting produc-

tion away from glass bottles, and we are

going into vases and other decorative con-

tainers. After she graduated, she went

into law.

go it alone to do something by oneself.

(Informal.) Do you need help, or will

you go it alone? I think I need a little

more experience before I go it alone.

Go jump in the lake! Go to Go climb a

go like clockwork to progress with regu-

larity and dependability. (Informal.)

The building project is progressing nicely.

Everything is going like clockwork. The

elaborate pageant was a great success. It

went like clockwork from start to finish.

go off [for something] to explode. The

fireworks didn’t go off when they were sup-

posed to. There was a bomb in the build-

ing, but it didn’t go off.

go off on a tangent to go off suddenly in

another direction; suddenly to change

one’s line of thought, course of action,

etc. (A reference to geometry.) Please

stick to one subject and don’t go off on a

tangent. If Mary would settle down and

deal with one subject she would be all

right, but she keeps going off on tangents.

go off the deep end and jump off the

deep end to become deeply involved

(with someone or something) before one

is ready; to follow one’s emotions into a

situation. (Informal. Refers to going into

a swimming pool at the deep end—rather

than the shallow end—and finding one-

self in deep water. Applies especially to

falling in love.) Look at the way Bill is

looking at Sally. I think he’s about to go off

the deep end. Now, John, I know you

really want to go to Australia, but don’t go

jumping off the deep end. It isn’t all per-

fect there.

go on stop saying those things; not so; I

don’t believe you. (Also literal, meaning

“to continue.” Always as a command.)

Go on! You don’t know what you’re talking

about! Oh, go on! You’re just trying to

f latter me.

go on a binge to do too much of some-

thing. (Slang. Especially to drink too

much.) Jane went on a binge last night

and is very sick this morning. Bill loves

to spend money on clothes. He’s out on a

binge right now—buying everything in

sight.

go on a fishing expedition to attempt to

discover information. (Also literal.)

We are going to have to go on a fishing ex-

pedition to try to find the facts. One

lawyer went on a fishing expedition in

court, and the other lawyer objected.

go on and on to (seem to) last or go for-

ever. (Folksy.) You talk too much, Bob.

You just go on and on. The road to their

house is very boring. It goes on and on with

nothing interesting to look at.

go on a rampage to have a rampage.

The angry bull went on a rampage and

broke the fence. My boss went on a ram-

page because the report wasn’t finished.

go on to a better land to die. (Euphe-

mistic.) After a long illness, Reggie went

on to a better land. When I finally go on

to a better land, I hope there is enough

money for a proper funeral.

go out (for something) to try out for some-

thing. (Usually refers to attempting to get

onto a sports team. Also literal.) Mary

went out for the soccer team. Tom went

out for baseball. He didn’t go out last

year.

go out of fashion and go out of style to

become unfashionable; to become obso-

lete. That kind of furniture went out of

style years ago. I hope this kind of thing

never goes out of fashion.

go out of one’s way (to do something) 1. to

travel an indirect route in order to do

something. I’ll have to go out of my way

to give you a ride home. I’ll give you a

ride even though I have to go out of my

way. 2. to make an effort to do some-

thing; to endure and accept the bother of

doing something. We went out of our

way to please the visitor. We appreciate

anything you can do, but don’t go out of

your way.

go out of style Go to go out of fashion.

go (out) on strike [for a group of people]

to quit working at their jobs until certain

demands are met. If we don’t have a

contract by noon tomorrow, we’ll go out on

go out (with someone) 1. to go out with

someone for entertainment. The

Smiths went out with the Franklins to a

movie. Those guys don’t have much time

to go out. 2. to go on a date with some-

one; to date someone regularly. Is Bob

still going out with Sally? No, they’ve

stopped going out.

go over to succeed; to be accepted. His

idea went over well. How did my joke go

over?

go over big with someone to be very much

appreciated by someone. Your jokes did

not exactly go over big with my parents.

We hope that the musical will go over

big with the audience.

go overboard to do too much; to be ex-

travagant. (Also literal as on a ship.)

Look, Sally, let’s have a nice party, but

don’t go overboard. It doesn’t need to be

fancy. Okay, you can buy a big com-

fortable car, but don’t go overboard.

go over like a lead balloon to fail; to go

over badly. (Slang. See also go over with

a bang.) Your joke went over like a lead

balloon. If that play was supposed to be

a comedy, it went over like a lead balloon.

Her suggestion went over like a lead

balloon.

go over someone’s head [for the intellectual

content of something] to be too difficult

for someone to understand. All that

talk about computers went over my head.

I hope my lecture didn’t go over the stu-

dents’ heads.

go over something to review or explain

something. (Also literal.) The teacher

went over the lesson. Will you please go

over this form? I don’t understand it.

go over something with a fine-tooth comb

and search something with a fine-tooth

comb to search through something very

carefully. I can’t find my calculus book.

I went over the whole place with a fine-

tooth comb. I searched this place with

a fine-tooth comb and didn’t find my ring.

go over with a bang to succeed spectac-

ularly. (Informal. Compare this with go

over like a lead balloon.) The play was

a success. It really went over with a bang.

That’s a great joke. It went over with a

bang.

go places to have a good future. (Infor-

mal.) Sally shows great promise as a

scholar. She’s really going to go places.

Tom is as good as we thought. He’s cer-

tainly going places now.

Go play in the traffic! Go to Take a long

walk off a short pier.

go right through someone [for food] to pass

through and out of the body very rapidly.

(Informal. Use with caution.) Those

little apples go right through me, but I love

them. I can’t eat onions. They go right

through me.

go scot-free and get off scot-free to go

unpunished; to be acquitted of a crime.

(This scot is an old word meaning “tax”

or “tax burden.”) The thief went scot-

free. Jane cheated on the test and got

caught, but she got off scot-free.

go sky-high to go very high, as with a price

or a measurement. (Informal.) Prices

go sky-high whenever there is inf lation.

Oh, it’s so hot. The temperature went sky-

high about noon.

go so far as to say something to put some-

thing into words; to risk saying some-

thing. I think that Bob is dishonest, but

I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s a thief.

Red meat may be harmful, but I can’t go

so far as to say it causes cancer.

go someone one better and do someone one

better to do something superior to what

someone else has done; to top someone.

That was a great joke, but I can go you

one better. Your last song was beauti-

fully sung, but Mary can do you one better.

go (somewhere) by shank’s mare to travel

by foot; to go somewhere on foot. The

car wouldn’t start so I had to go to work by

shank’s mare. We enjoy walking and go

by shank’s mare whenever we can.

go steady (with someone) to date someone

on a regular basis. Mary is going steady

with John. Bill went steady for two years

before he got married.

go stir-crazy to become anxious because

one is confined. (Slang. Stir is an old

criminal word for “prison.”) If I stay

around this house much longer, I’m going

to go stir-crazy. John left school. He said

he was going stir-crazy.

go straight to begin to obey the law; to be-

come law-abiding. (Also literal. Slang.

Primarily criminal slang.) When John

got out of prison, he decided to go straight.

I promised the teacher that I would go

straight and that I would never cheat

again.

go the distance to do the whole amount;

to play the entire game; to run the whole

race. (Informal. Originally sports use.)

That horse runs fast. I hope it can go the

distance. This is going to be a long, hard

project. I hope I can go the distance.

go the extra mile to try harder to please

someone or to get the task done cor-

rectly; to do more than one is required to

do to reach a goal. I like doing business

with that company. They always go the ex-

tra mile. My teacher goes the extra mile

to help us.

go the limit to do as much as possible.

(Compare this with go whole hog.)

What do I want on my hamburger? Go the

limit! Don’t hold anything back. Go the

limit.

go through to be approved; to succeed in

getting through the approval process.

(See also go through something.) I sent

the board of directors a proposal. I hope it

goes through. We all hope that the new

law goes through.

go through something 1. to examine some-

thing. Give me a day or two to go

through this contract, and then I’ll call you

with advice. Don’t go through it too fast.

Read it carefully, or you might miss some-

thing. 2. to experience something; to

endure something unpleasant; to get

through something. It was a terrible

thing. I don’t know how I went through it.

It’ll take four years to go through college.

go through the changes to experience a

rough period in one’s life. (Slang.)

Sally’s pretty upset. She’s really going

through the changes.  Most teenagers

spend their time going through the

changes.

go through the motions to make a feeble

effort to do something; to do something

insincerely. Jane isn’t doing her best.

She’s just going through the motions. Bill

was supposed to be raking the yard, but he

was just going through the motions.

go through the roof to go very high; to

reach a very high degree (of something).

(Informal.) It’s so hot! The temperature

is going through the roof. Mr. Brown got

so angry he almost went through the roof.

go through with something to decide to do

something; to finish something. We

decided to go through with the new high-

way. I can’t do it. I just can’t go through

with it.

go to any length to do whatever is neces-

sary. I’ll go to any length to secure this

contract. I want to get a college degree,

but I won’t go to any length to get one.

go to bat for someone to support or help

someone. (Informal. From baseball. See

pinch-hit (for someone).) I tried to go to

bat for Bill, but he said he didn’t want any

help. I heard them gossiping about Sally,

so I went to bat for her.

go to bed to go to where one’s bed is, get

into it, and go to sleep. It’s time for me

to go to bed. I want to go to bed, but

there is too much work to do.

go to bed (with someone) Go to go all the

way (with someone).

go to bed with the chickens to go to bed

at sundown; to go to bed very early

(when the chickens do). Of course I get

enough sleep. I go to bed with the chickens.

Mr. Brown goes to bed with the chick-

ens and gets up with them, too.

go to Davy Jones’s locker to go to the bot-

tom of the sea. (Thought of as a nauti-

cal expression.) My camera fell over-

board and went to Davy Jones’s locker.

My uncle was a sailor. He went to Davy

Jones’s locker during a terrible storm.

go together 1. [for two things] to look,

sound, or taste good together. Do you

think that this pink one and this purple one

go together? Milk and grapefruit don’t

go together. 2. [for two people] to date

each other regularly. Bob and Ann have

been going together for months. Tom

and Jane want to go together, but they live

too far apart.

go to (hell) and go to (the devil) to be-

come ruined; to go away and stop both-

ering (someone). (Informal. Use caution

with hell.) This old house is just going

to hell. It’s falling apart everywhere.

Leave me alone! Go to the devil! Oh, go

to, yourself!

go to hell in a handbasket to become to-

tally worthless; to go to (hell). (Informal.

Use caution with hell. Not used as a com-

mand.) The whole country is going to

hell in a handbasket.   Look at my

lawn—full of weeds. It’s going to hell in a

handbasket.

go too far to do more than is acceptable.

(Also literal.) I didn’t mind at first, but

now you’ve gone too far. If you go too

far, I’ll slap you.

go to pot and go to the dogs to go to

ruin; to deteriorate. (Informal.)

whole life seems to be going to pot. My

lawn is going to pot. I had better weed it.

The government is going to the dogs.

go to rack and ruin and go to wrack and

ruin to go to ruin. (The words rack and

wrack mean “wreckage” and are found

only in this expression.) That lovely old

house on the corner is going to go to rack

and ruin. My lawn is going to wrack and

ruin.

go to seed Go to run to seed.

go to someone’s head to make someone

conceited; to make someone overly

proud. You did a fine job, but don’t let

it go to your head. He let his success go

to his head, and soon he became a com-

plete failure.

go to the bathroom 1. to go into a rest

room, bathroom, or toilet. BILL:

Where is Bob? JANE: He went to the bath-

room.  John went to the bathroom to

brush his teeth. 2. to eliminate bodily

wastes through defecation and urination.

Mommy! The dog went to the bathroom

on the carpet! Billy’s in there going to

the bathroom. Don’t disturb him.

go to (the devil) Go to go to (hell).

go to the dogs Go to go to pot.

go to the expense (of doing something) to

pay the (large) cost of doing something.

I hate to have to go to the expense of

painting the house. It needs to be done,

so you’ll have to go to the expense.

go to the lavatory to go somewhere and

use a toilet. Bob requested to leave the

room to go to the lavatory. Please stop

the car. I have to go to the lavatory.

go to the limit to do as much as is possi-

ble to do. (Compare this with go the

limit.) Okay, we can’t afford it, but we’ll

go to the limit. How far shall I go? Shall

I go to the limit?

go to the trouble (of doing something) and

go to the trouble (to do something) to en-

dure the bother of doing something. I

really don’t want to go to the trouble to

cook. Should I go to the trouble of cook-

ing something for her to eat? Don’t go

to the trouble. She can eat a sandwich.

go to the trouble (to do something) Go to

go to the trouble (of doing something).

go to the wall to be defeated; to fail in

business. (Informal.) We really went to

the wall on that deal.  The company

went to the wall because of that contract.

Now it’s broke.

go to town to work hard or fast. (Also lit-

eral. Informal.) Look at all those ants

working. They are really going to town.

Come on, you guys. Let’s go to town. We

have to finish this job before noon.

go to waste to be wasted; to be unused

(and therefore thrown away). Eat your

potatoes! Don’t let them go to waste. We

shouldn’t let all those nice f lowers go to

waste. Let’s pick some.

go to wrack and ruin Go to go to rack and

ruin.

go under to fail. The company was weak

from the start, and it finally went under.

Tom had a lot of trouble in school, and

finally he went under.

go under the knife to have a surgical op-

eration. (Informal.) Mary didn’t want

to go under the knife, but the doctor in-

sisted. If I go under the knife, I want to

be completely asleep.

go up in flames and go up in smoke to

burn up. The whole museum went up

in f lames.  My paintings—my whole

life’s work—went up in f lames. What a

shame for all that to go up in smoke.

go up in smoke Go to go up in flames.

go window-shopping to go about look-

ing at goods in store windows without ac-

tually buying anything. The clerks usu-

ally go window-shopping in their lunch

hour, looking for things to buy when they

get paid. Joan said she was just going

window-shopping, but she bought a new

coat.

go without (something) to manage to get

along without something. (Compare this

with do without (someone or something).)

I went without food for three days. Some

people have to go without a lot longer than

that.

go with something 1. to go well with some-

thing. Milk doesn’t go with grapefruit.

Pink doesn’t go with orange. 2. to

choose something (over something else).

(Informal.) I think I’ll go with the yel-

low one. We decided to go with the oak

table rather than the walnut one.

go with the flow [for someone] to pro-

ceed easily and cooperatively in the same

manner that other people or processes

are moving. (Informal.) John is very

easy to get along with. He just goes with

the f low. I try to cooperate. I go with the

f low where possible.

go wrong to fail; [for something bad] to

happen. The project failed. I don’t know

what went wrong. I’m afraid that every-

thing will go wrong.

give

give a blank check to someone Go to give

someone a blank check.

give a good account of oneself to do

(something) well or thoroughly. John

gave a good account of himself when he

gave his speech last night. Mary was not

hungry, and she didn’t give a good account

of herself at dinner.

give-and-take flexibility; willingness to

compromise. Don’t expect any give-

and-take when you are negotiating with

Roger. There was no question of give-

and-take in the contract talks. They would

not budge on their demands one little bit.

give (an) ear to someone or something and

give one’s ear to someone or something to lis-

ten to someone or to what someone is

saying. (Compare this with get someone’s

ear.) I gave an ear to Mary so she could

tell me her problems. She wouldn’t give

her ear to my story. He gave ear to the

man’s request.

give birth to someone or some creature to bring

a baby or other offspring into the world

through birth. Mary gave birth to a

lovely baby girl. The raccoon gave birth

to 6 little raccoons.

give birth to something to give rise to or

start something. The composer gave

birth to a new kind of music. They gave

birth to a new view of language.

give carte blanche to someone Go to give

someone carte blanche.

give chase (to someone or something) to chase

someone or something. The dogs gave

chase to the fox. A mouse ran by, but the

cat was too tired to give chase. The po-

lice gave chase to the robber.

give credit where credit is due to give

credit to someone who deserves it; to ac-

knowledge or thank someone who de-

serves it. We must give credit where

credit is due. Thank you very much, Sally.

Let’s give credit where credit is due.

Mary is the one who wrote the report, not

Jane.

give free rein to someone and give some-

one free rein to allow someone to be

completely in charge (of something).

(See also get a free hand (with someone or

something).) The boss gave the manager

free rein with the new project. The prin-

cipal gave free rein to Mrs. Brown in her

classes.

give ground to retreat (literally or figura-

tively). When I argue with Mary, she

never gives ground. I approached the

barking dog, but it wouldn’t give ground.

give her the gun Go to give it the gun.

give in (to someone or something) to yield to

someone or something; to give up to

someone or something. He argued and

argued and finally gave in to my demands.

I thought he’d never give in.

Give it a rest. Stop talking and give your

mouth a rest. (Informal.) Shut up, Bob!

Give it a rest! Give it a rest. You talk too

much.

give it the gun and give her the gun to

make a motor or engine run faster; to rev

up an engine. (Informal or slang. The her

is often pronounced “er.”) BILL:

How fast will this thing go? BOB: I’ll give

it the gun and see. Hurry up, driver.

Give ’er the gun. I’ve got to get there

immediately.

Give it time. Be patient.; In time, things

will change for the better or for the

worse. Things will get better. Don’t

worry. Give it time. Of course, things

will improve. Give it time.

Give it up. Give up.; Stop trying. It’s no

use trying any more. Give it up. You will

never get this car to start. Give it up.

give of oneself to be generous with one’s

time and concern. Tom is very good

with children because he gives of himself.

If you want to have more friends, you

have to learn to give of yourself.

Give one an inch, and one will take a

mile. A person who is granted a little of

something (such as a reprieve or le-

nience) will want more. (Proverb.) I

told John he could turn in his paper one

day late, but he turned it in three days late.

Give him an inch, and he’ll take a mile.

First we let John borrow our car for a

day. Now he wants to go on a two-week va-

cation. If you give him an inch, he’ll take

a mile.

give one a run for one’s money 1. to give

one what one deserves, expects, or wants.

(See also get a run for one’s money.)

High school football gives me a run for my

money. I invest in the stock market, and

that really gives me a run for my money.

2. give one a challenge. That was some

argument. Bill gave John a run for his money

Tom likes to play cards with

Mary because she always gives him a run

for his money.

give one butterflies in one’s stomach to

cause someone to have a nervous stom-

ach. (See also get butterflies in one’s stom-

Tests give me butterf lies in my

stomach. It was not frightening enough

to give me butterf lies in my stomach, but

it made me a little apprehensive.

give one one’s freedom to set someone free;

to divorce someone. Mrs. Brown

wanted to give her husband his freedom.

Well, Tom, I hate to break it to you this

way, but I have decided to give you your

freedom.

give one one’s walking papers to fire

someone; to give someone the sack. (In-

formal. See also get one’s walking papers.)

Tom has proved unsatisfactory. I de-

cided to give him his walking papers. We

might even give Sally her walking papers,

too

give one’s ear to someone or something Go to

give (an) ear to someone or something.

give out with something to utter or say

something. (Informal. Also with have.

See the examples below.) Suddenly, the

dog gave out with a horrible growl. At

that point, John gave out with a comment

about how boring it all was. Come on,

tell me. Have out with it!

give rise to something to cause something.

The bad performance gave rise to many

complaints. The new law gave rise to vi-

olence in the cities.

give someone a bang and give someone a

charge; give someone a kick to give

someone a bit of excitement. (Informal.)

John always gives me a bang.

whole afternoon, with all its silliness, gave

me a charge anyway.

give someone a big send-off to see some-

one off on a journey with celebration and

encouragement. (See also get a big send-

When I left for college, all my

brothers and sisters came to the airport to

give me a big send-off. When the sailors

left, everyone went down to the docks and

gave them a big send-off.

give someone a black eye 1. to hit some-

one near the eye so that a dark bruise ap-

pears. John became angry and gave me

a black eye. The door began to swing

closed as I approached and it gave me a

black eye. 2. to harm the character or rep-

utation of someone. (See also get a black

eye) The constant complaining gave the

whole group a black eye. His behavior

gave him a black eye with the manager.

give someone a bright idea to give someone

a clever thought or idea. That gives me

a bright idea! Thank you for giving me

a bright idea.

give someone a bum steer to give someone

misleading instructions or guidance; to

make a misleading suggestion. (Slang.

Bum = false; phony. Steer = guidance, as

in the steering of a car.) Max gave Ted

a bum steer and Ted ended up in the wrong

town. Someone gave me a bum steer and

I paid far more than I needed to for a used

car.

give someone a buzz Go to give someone a

ring.

give someone a charge Go to give someone

a bang.

give someone a clean bill of health [for a

doctor] to pronounce someone well and

healthy. The doctor gave Sally a clean

bill of health. I had hoped to be given a

clean bill of health, but there was some-

thing wrong with my blood test results.

give someone a dirty look [for a person] to

frown or make an angry face at someone.

Ann gave me a dirty look. I gave her

a dirty look back.

give someone a fair shake to give someone

fair treatment. He’s unpleasant, but we

have to give him a fair shake. We give

all our people a fair shake.

give someone a fix on something to tell some-

one the location of something. (See also

get a fix on something.) Please give me a

fix on your location.  If you give the

tower a fix on where you are, they can ad-

vise you on runway selection.

give someone a free hand (with something)

to give someone complete control over

something. (See also get a free hand

(with someone or something).) They gave

me a free hand with the project. I feel

proud that they gave me a free hand. That

means that they trust my judgment.

give someone a hand (for something) to ap-

plaud someone for something. After

she sang, they gave her a nice hand.

Come on, give them a hand. They did very

well

give someone a hard time to give someone

unnecessary difficulty. Please don’t give

me a hard time. The clerk gave me a

hard time, so I walked out.

give someone a head start (on someone or

something) 1. [with someone] to allow

someone to start (something) earlier

than someone else. They gave Bill a

head start on everyone else, so he arrived

early. Please give me a head start on

Charles. He is too fast! 2. [with some-

thing] to allow someone to start some-

thing earlier (than someone else). We’ll

give you a head start on the project. I

need a head start on the test because I lost

my glasses.

give someone a kick Go to give someone a

bang.

give someone a licking to beat someone.

Bill give Tom a licking in a fight. I’ll give

you a good licking if you don’t leave me

alone.

give someone a line and feed someone a

line to lead someone on; to deceive

someone with false talk. Don’t pay any

attention to John. He gives everybody a

line. He’s always feeding us a line.

give someone a pain to annoy or bother

someone. (Slang.) Here comes Sally.

Oh, she gives me a pain. She’s such a

pest. She really gives me a pain.

give someone a pat on the back Go to pat

someone on the back.

give someone a rain check (on something)

1. to give someone a piece of paper al-

lowing admission to an event—which has

been canceled—at a later time.

game was canceled because of the rain, but

they gave everyone rain checks.

were not able to show the film, so everyone

was given a rain check. 2. to tell some-

one that an invitation to a social event

will be reissued at a later date. We

couldn’t go to the Smiths’ party, so they

gave us a rain check. We are sorry we

cannot attend, but we would love for you

to give us a rain check on another date. 3.

to issue a piece of paper that allows one

to purchase an item on sale at a later date.

If you have no more of the sale sham-

poo, will you give me a rain check on it,

please? Can I have a rain check on this

item? You don’t have enough of it in stock.

give someone a raw deal to treat someone

unfairly or badly. (See also get a raw

deal.) The judge gave Mary a raw deal.

The students think that the teacher gave

them a raw deal.

give someone a reputation (for doing some-

thing) to cause someone to be known for

doing something. Her excellent parties

gave Jane a reputation for entertaining

well. You had better be careful or your

behavior will give you a reputation.

give someone a rough idea (about some-

thing) and give someone a rough idea (of

something) to give someone a general idea

or an estimate about something. I don’t

need to know exactly. Just give me a rough

idea about how big it should be. Let me

give you a rough idea about my plan.

give someone a rough idea (of something) Go

to give someone a rough idea (about some-

thing).

give someone a shellacking 1. to beat

someone. (See also get a shellacking.)

My dad gave me a shellacking when I broke

his fishing rod. If you do that again, I

will give you a shellacking. 2. to beat

someone (in a contest). The other team

gave us a shellacking. The Bears gave the

Packers a shellacking.

give someone a slap on the wrist and slap

someone on the wrist; slap someone’s

wrist to give someone a light punishment

(for doing something wrong). (See also

get a slap on the wrist.) The judge gave

her a slap on the wrist for speeding. The

judge should have done more than slap her

wrist. They should do more than just

slap his wrist.

give someone carte blanche and give

carte blanche to someone to give some-

one freedom or permission to act as one

wishes or thinks necessary. (Almost the

same as give someone a blank check.)

He’s been given carte blanche with the re-

organization of the work force.

manager has been given no instructions

about how to train the staff. The owner

just gave him carte blanche. Jean gave

carte blanche to the decorator and said she

wanted the whole house done.

give someone free rein Go to give free rein

to someone.

give someone goose bumps and give some-

one goose pimples to cause someone to

have prickly or bumpy skin owing to ex-

citement or fear. It was a scary movie

and it gave me goose bumps. I hate be-

ing in that old house. It gives me goose

pimples.

give someone goose pimples Go to give

someone goose bumps.

give someone gray hair(s) to cause some-

one’s hair to turn gray from stress or

frustration. (Usually an expression of fear

that one’s hair will turn gray.) My three

teenage boys are giving me gray hair.

Your behavior is giving me gray hairs.

give someone hell Go to give someone the

devil.

give someone or something a wide berth to

keep a reasonable distance from someone

or something; to steer clear (of someone

or something). (Originally referred to sail-

ing ships.) The dog we are approach-

ing is very mean. Better give it a wide

berth. Give Mary a wide berth. She’s in

a very bad mood.

give someone or something the (old) heave-

ho to throw someone or something out;

to get rid of someone or something; to

fire someone. (Informal. See also get the

(old) heave-ho.) We gave Jane the old

heave-ho today.  John was behaving

badly at our party, so my father gave him

the heave-ho. This chair is completely

worn out. Shall I give it the old heave-ho?

give someone some skin [for two people]

to touch two hands together in a special

greeting, like a handshake. (Slang. One

hand may be slapped down on top of the

other, or they may be slapped together

palm to palm with the arms held verti-

cally. Usually said as a command.) Hey,

Bob, give me some skin! Come over here,

you guys. I want you to meet my brother

and give him some skin!

give someone the air to ignore someone; to

dismiss someone. (See also get the air.)

Tom always gives me the air. Is there some-

thing wrong with me? Why is she giv-

ing him the air? What did he do?

give someone the ax and give someone the

sack to fire someone; to terminate some-

one’s employment. (See also get the

sack.) I gave Tom the sack, and he has

to find a new job. I had to give three

people the ax yesterday. We are having to

reduce our office staff.

give someone the benefit of the doubt to

make a judgment in someone’s favor

when the evidence is neither for nor

against the person. (See also get the ben-

efit of the doubt.) I’m glad the teacher

gave me the benefit of the doubt. Please,

judge. Give me the benefit of the doubt.

give someone the boot to dismiss someone;

to kick someone out (of a place). (Slang.

See also get the boot.) You had better

behave, or they’ll give you the boot. I

will give him the boot if he doesn’t

straighten up.

give someone the brush-off to send some-

one away; to reject someone. (Slang.)

Tom wouldn’t talk to her. He just gave her

the brush-off. Please don’t give me the

brush-off!

give someone the business to harass some-

one; to give someone a bad time. (Infor-

mal.) The people in that office can’t an-

swer your question. They just give you the

business. I’ll get rid of her. I’ll give her

the business.

give someone the cold shoulder to ignore

someone; to reject someone. (Informal.

See also get the cold shoulder.) She

gave me the cold shoulder when I asked her

to the party. Sally has been giving me

the cold shoulder.

give someone the creeps and give someone

the willies to make someone uneasy; to

frighten someone. (Informal. See also get

the creeps.) That old house gives me the

creeps. That strange old man gives him

the willies.

give someone the devil and give someone

hell to scold someone severely. (Infor-

mal. Use caution with hell.) I’m going

to give Bill hell when he gets home. He’s

late again. Bill, why do I always have

to give you the devil?

give someone the eye to look at someone

in a way that communicates romantic in-

terest. (Informal. See also catch someone’s

eye.) Ann gave John the eye. It really

surprised him. Tom kept giving Sally the

eye. She finally left.

give someone the gate to send someone

away; to reject someone. (Slang. See also

get the gate.) Not only was he not

friendly, he gave me the gate. He was

rude, so we gave him the gate.

give someone the glad hand to give some-

one an overly friendly welcome; to give

someone insincere attention. (Informal.)

Here comes Tom. Watch him give us the

glad hand and leave. These politicians

give you the glad hand and ignore you af-

ter they are elected.

give someone the go-by to pass by or ignore

someone. (Slang.) I could see that Tom

wanted a ride, but I gave him the go-by.

There was no reason to give the me

go-by!

give someone the green light Go to give

someone the go-ahead.

give someone the hard sell to put pressure

on someone to buy or accept (some-

thing). (Informal.) They gave me the

hard sell, but I still wouldn’t buy the car.

The clerk gave the customer the hard

sell.

give someone the high sign to give some-

one a prearranged signal. As the robber

walked past me, I gave the police officer a

high sign. Then the officer arrested the

robber. Things got started when I gave

the conductor the high sign.

give someone the low-down (on someone or

something) to tell someone the full story

about someone or something. (Slang. See

also get the low-down (on someone or some-

thing).) Please give Sally the low-down

on the new expressway. I do not know

what’s going on. Please give me the low-

down.

give someone the once-over to visually

examine someone quickly. (See also get

the once-over.) John gives me the once-

over every time he walks by me. Why

does he just give me the once-over? Why

doesn’t he say hello?

give someone the red-carpet treatment to

give someone very special treatment; to

give someone royal treatment. (See also

get the red-carpet treatment.) We al-

ways give the queen the red-carpet treat-

ment when she comes to visit.  They

never give me the red-carpet treatment.

give someone the runaround to give some-

one a series of excuses, delays, and refer-

If you ask to see the manager,

they’ll give you the runaround. Stop giv-

ing me the runaround!

give someone the shirt off one’s back to be

very generous or solicitous to someone.

Tom really likes Bill. He’d give Bill the

shirt off his back. John is so friendly that

he’d give anyone the shirt off his back.

give someone the slip to escape from or

elude someone. (Slang.) We followed

her for two blocks, and then she gave us the

slip. Max gave Lefty the slip.

give someone the third degree to question

someone in great detail for a long period.

(Slang. See also get the third degree.)

The police gave Sally the third degree.

Stop giving me the third degree. I told you

what I know.

give someone the willies Go to give some-

one the creeps.

give someone the works to give someone

the full amount or the full treatment.

(Slang. See also get the works.) The

judge gave her the works for driving too

fast.  I want everything on my ham-

burger. Give me the works.

give someone tit for tat to give someone

something equal to what was given you;

to exchange a series of things, one by one,

with someone. (Informal.) They gave

me the same kind of difficulty that I gave

them. They gave me tit for tat.  He

punched me, so I punched him. Every time

he hit me, I hit him. I just gave him tit for

tat.

give someone to understand something to ex-

plain something to someone; to imply

something to someone. (This may mis-

lead someone, accidentally or intention-

ally.) Mr. Smith gave Sally to under-

stand that she should be home by

midnight. The mayor gave the citizens

to understand that there would be no tax

increase. He didn’t promise, though.

give someone what for to scold someone.

(Folksy.) Billy’s mother gave him what

for because he didn’t get home on time.

I will really give you what for if you don’t

straighten up.

give something a shot and take a shot at

something to try something. I have never

dived before, but I will give it a shot.

Tom decided to take a shot at writing a

poem.

give something a whirl make a try at doing

something. If at first you don’t succeed,

give it another whirl. John gave bowl-

ing a whirl last night.

give something one’s best shot to give a task

one’s best effort. I gave the project my

best shot. Sure, try it. Give it your best

shot!

give the bride away [for a bride’s father]

to accompany the bride to the groom in

a wedding ceremony. Mr. Brown is ill.

Who’ll give the bride away? In the tra-

ditional wedding ceremony, the bride’s fa-

ther gives the bride away.

give the devil her due Go to give the devil

his due.

give the devil his due and give the devil

her due to give your foe proper credit

(for something). (This usually refers to

a person who has been evil—like the

devil.) She’s generally impossible, but I

have to give the devil her due. She bakes a

terrific cherry pie. John may cheat on

his taxes and yell at his wife, but he keeps

his car polished. I’ll give the devil his due.

give the game away to reveal a plan or

strategy. (Informal.) Now, all of you

have to keep quiet. Please don’t give the

game away. If you keep giving out hints,

you’ll give the game away.

give up the ghost to die; to release one’s

spirit. (Considered formal or humorous.)

The old man sighed, rolled over, and

gave up the ghost. I’m too young to give

up the ghost.

give vent to his frustration because he had

been warned to keep quiet.

give voice to something to express a feeling

or an opinion in words; to speak out

about something. The bird gave voice

to its joy in the golden sunshine. All the

people gave voice to their anger at

Congress.

get

get one’s wires crossed to get confused

about something. (Informal. As if one’s

brain were an electrical circuit. Also with

have. See the note at get a big send-off.)

You don’t know what you are talking

about. You really have your wires crossed!

Joan got her wires crossed about who ar-

rived first. It was Bob, not Gary.

get one’s wits about one to pull oneself to-

gether for action; to set one’s mind to

work, especially in a time of stress. (Also

with have. See the note at get a big send-

off.) Let me get my wits about me so I

can figure this out. I don’t have my wits

about me at this time of the morning.

get on someone to pester someone (about

something); to pressure someone. (Also

literal.) John is supposed to empty the

trash every day. He didn’t do it, so I will

have to get on him. It’s time to get on

Bill about his homework. He’s falling

behind.

get on someone’s nerves to irritate some-

one. Please stop whistling. It’s getting on

my nerves. All this arguing is getting on

their nerves.

get on the bandwagon and jump on the

bandwagon to join the popular side (of

an issue); to take a popular position.

You really should get on the bandwagon.

Everyone else is. Jane has always had her

own ideas about things. She’s not the kind

of person to jump on the bandwagon.

get on the good side of someone to get in

someone’s favor. You had better behave

properly if you want to get on the good side

of Mary. If you want to get on the good

side of your teacher, you must do your

homework.

get on (with someone or something) and get

along (with someone or something) 1. [with

someone] to be friends with someone; to

have a good relationship with someone.

(The friendship is always assumed to be

good unless it is stated to be otherwise.)

How do you get on with John? I get

along with John just fine. We get along.

I don’t get on with John. We don’t get

along. 2. [with something] to continue

with something. I must get on with my

work. Now that the crisis is over, I’ll get

on with my life.

get out from under someone or something 1.

[with someone] to get free of someone’s

control. Mary wanted to get out from

under her mother. We started our own

business because we needed to get out from

under our employer. 2. [with something]

to get free of a burdensome problem.

I can’t go out tonight until I get out from

under this pile of homework. There is so

much work to do! I don’t know when I’ll

ever get out from under it.

get out of a jam to get free from a prob-

lem or a bad situation. Would you lend

me five dollars? I need it to get out of a

jam. I need some help getting out of a

jam.

get out of a mess to get free of a bad sit-

uation. (Informal. Also with this, such a,

etc. See the examples. Compare this with

get into a mess.) How can anyone get

out of a mess like this? Please help me

get out of this mess!

get out of someone’s way and get out

of the way to move out of the path or

route. Will you please get out of the

way? The dog got out of Jane’s way just

before she stepped on it.

get out of the way Go to get out of some-

one’s way.

get out of the wrong side of the bed Go

to get up on the wrong side of the bed.

get out while the getting is good to leave

a place while it is still possible to do so;

to withdraw from a place, position, or

some organization at an opportune time.

The party was getting noisy enough that

one of the neighbors was bound to call the

police, so we left. We always get out while

the getting is good. Everyone at my of-

fice was being required to do more and

more work. I decided to get out while the

getting was good. I quit.

get over someone or something to recover from

someone or something. Now that Bob

has left me, I have to learn to get over him.

It was a horrible shock. I don’t know

when I’ll get over it. It was a serious ill-

ness. It took two weeks to get over it.

get physical (with someone) 1. to use phys-

ical force against someone. The coach

got in trouble for getting physical with

some members of the team. When the

suspect wouldn’t cooperate, the police were

forced to get physical. 2. to touch some-

one in lovemaking. I’ve heard that Bill

tends to get physical with his dates. I

don’t care if he gets physical—within

reason.

get ready (to do something) to prepare to do

something. Get ready to jump! It’s

time to get ready to go to work. It’s time

to get ready.

get religion to become serious (about

something), usually after a powerful ex-

perience; to develop a strong religious be-

lief. (Folksy. Also with have. See the note

at get a big send-off.) I’ve always had

religion. I don’t need a crisis to make me

get it. When I had an automobile acci-

dent, I really got religion. Now I’m a very

safe driver. Soldiers often say they got

religion in the midst of a battle.

get rid of someone or something to get free of

someone or something; to dispose of or

destroy someone or something. I’m

trying to get rid of Mr. Smith. He’s both-

ering me. I’ll be happy when I get rid

of my old car.

get right on something to do something im-

mediately. I know it has to be done to-

day. I’ll get right on it. Please get right

on these reports as soon as possible.

get rolling to get started. (Informal.)

Come on. It’s time to leave. Let’s get rolling!

Bill, it’s 6:30. Time to get up and get

rolling!

get second thoughts about someone or

something to have new doubts about some-

one or something. (Also with have. See

the note at get a big send-off.) I’m be-

ginning to get second thoughts about Tom.

Tom is getting second thoughts about it,

too. We now have second thoughts about

going to Canada.

get sick 1. to become ill (perhaps with

vomiting). I got sick and couldn’t go to

school. My whole family got sick with

the f lu. 2. to vomit. (A euphemism.)

Mommy, the dog just got sick on the car-

pet. Bill got sick in the hallway.

get sidetracked to become diverted from

one’s task; to start off on a second task

before the first one is finished. I’m

sorry the work is not completed. I got side-

tracked. Pay attention to what you are

doing and don’t get sidetracked.

get someone down to depress someone; to

make someone sad. Try not to let all

your problems get you down. She is very

cheerful and practically nothing gets her

down.

get (someone) off the hook to free some-

one from an obligation. (Informal. When

someone is omitted, this refers to oneself.)

Thanks for getting me off the hook. I

didn’t want to attend that meeting. I

couldn’t get off the hook by myself.

get someone or something across Go to put

someone or something across.

get someone or something down 1. [with

something] to manage to swallow some-

thing, especially something large or un-

pleasant. The pill was huge, but I got it

down. It was the worst food I have ever

had, but I got it down somehow. 2. [with

someone] to depress a person; to make a

person very sad. (Also with have. See the

note at get a big send-off.) My dog ran

away, and it really got me down. Oh,

that’s too bad. Don’t let it get you down.

All my troubles really have me down.

get someone or something out of one’s head

Go to get someone or something out of one’s

mind.

get someone or something out of the way to

remove someone or something out of the

path or route. Get your big feet out of

my way! Please get your child out of the

way!

get someone out of a jam to free someone

from a problem or a bad situation. (In-

formal. Compare this with in a jam.)

I like John. He got me out of a jam once.

I would be glad to help get you out of a

jam

get someone over a barrel and get someone

under one’s thumb [for someone] to be

put at the mercy of someone; to get control

over someone. (Informal. Also with have.

See the note at get a big send-off.) He

got me over a barrel, and I had to do what

he said. Ann will do exactly what I say.

I’ve got her over a barrel. All right, John.

You’ve got me under your thumb. What do

you want me to do?

get someone’s back up Go to get someone’s

dander up.

get someone’s dander up and get someone’s

back up; get someone’s hackles up; get

someone’s Irish up to make someone get

angry. (Informal. Also with have. See the

note at get a big send-off.) Now, don’t

get your dander up. Calm down. I in-

sulted him and really got his hackles up.

Bob had his Irish up all day yesterday. I

don’t know what was wrong. She really

got her back up when I asked her for

money. Now, now, don’t get your hack-

les up. I didn’t mean any harm.

get someone’s ear to get someone to listen

(to you). (Also with have. See the note

at get a big send-off. Compare this with

bend someone’s ear.) He got my ear and

talked for an hour. While I have your

ear, I’d like to tell you about something I’m

selling.

get someone’s eye Go to catch someone’s eye.

get someone’s hackles up Go to get someone’s

dander up.

get someone’s Irish up Go to get someone’s

dander up.

get someone’s number 1. to find out some-

one’s telephone number. (Also with have.

See the note at get a big send-off.) As

soon as I get Mary’s number, I’ll call her.

I have her number. Do you want me to

write it down for you? 2. to find out about

a person; to learn the key to understand-

ing a person. (Informal.) I’m going to

get your number if I can. You’re a real puz-

zle.   I’ve got Tom’s number. He’s

ambitious.

get someone under one’s thumb Go to get

someone over a barrel.

get something and get it 1. to receive pun-

ishment. (Also literal meaning to receive

something or to contract a disease.)

Bill broke the window, and he’s really go-

ing to get a scolding. John got it for ar-

riving late at school. 2. to receive the

meaning of a joke; to understand some-

thing. John told a joke, but I didn’t get

it. Bob laughed very hard, but Mary

didn’t get it.

get something across (to someone) to convey

information to someone; to teach some-

one. I’m trying to get this across to you.

Please pay attention. I’ll keep trying un-

til I get it across.

get something into someone’s thick head Go

to get something through someone’s thick

skull.

get something off one’s chest to tell some-

thing that has been bothering you. (Also

with have. See the note at get a big send-

off.) I have to get this off my chest. I

broke your window with a stone. I knew

I’d feel better when I had that off my chest.

get something off (the ground) to get some-

thing started. (Also literal.) I can re-

lax after I get this project off the ground.

You’ll have a lot of free time when you

get the project off.

get something on someone to learn something

potentially damaging to someone. (Also

with have. See the note at get a big send-

off.) Tom is always trying to get some-

thing on me. I can’t imagine why. If he

has something on you, he’ll have you over

a barrel. If he gets something on you,

you ought to get something on him.

get something out in the open to make

something public; to stop hiding a fact or

a secret. We had better get this out in

the open before the press gets wind of it.

I’ll feel better when it’s out in the open.

I can’t stand all of this secrecy.

get something out of something to get some

kind of benefit from something. I did-

n’t get anything out of the lecture. I’m

always able to get something helpful out

of our conversations.

get something over (with) to complete

something, especially something you

have dreaded. (Also with have. See the

note at get a big send-off.) Oh, please

hurry and get it over with. It hurts.

Please get it over. When I have this over

with, I can relax.

get something straight to understand some-

thing clearly. (Informal. Also with have.

See the note at get a big send-off.) Now

get this straight. You’re going to fail history.

Let me get this straight. I’m supposed

to go there in the morning? Let me make

sure I have this straight.

get something to go Go to buy something to

go.

get something under one’s belt 1. to eat or

drink something. (This means the food

goes into one’s stomach and is under

one’s belt. Informal. Also with have. See

the note at get a big send-off.) I’d feel

a lot better if I had a cool drink under my

belt. Come in out of the cold and get a

nice warm meal under your belt. 2. to

learn something well; to assimilate some

information. I have to study tonight. I

have to get a lot of algebra under my belt.

Now that I have my lessons under my

belt, I can rest easy.

get something under way to get something

started. (Also with have. See the note at

get a big send-off.) The time has come

to get this meeting under way. Now that

the president has the meeting under way,

I can relax.

get something wrapped up Go to get some-

thing sewed up.

get the advantage over someone Go to get

the advantage of someone.

get the air to be ignored or sent away. (See

also give someone the air.) Whenever I

get around Tom, I end up getting the air.

I hate to get the air. It makes me feel

unwanted.

get the ax Go to get the sack.

get the ball rolling and set the ball

rolling; start the ball rolling to start

something; to get some process going.

(Informal. Also with have. See the note

at get a big send-off.) If I could just get

the ball rolling, then other people would

help.  Who else would start the ball

rolling? I had the ball rolling, but no one

helped me with the project. Ann set the

ball rolling, but didn’t follow through.

get the benefit of the doubt to receive a

judgment in your favor when the evi-

dence is neither for you nor against you.

(Also with have. See the note at get a big

send-off. See also give someone the bene-

fit of the doubt.) In my math course, I

was right between a B and an A. I got the

benefit of the doubt—an A. I thought I

should have had the benefit of the doubt,

but the judge made me pay a fine.

get the best of someone Go to get the bet-

ter of someone.

get the boot to be sent away (from some-

where); to be dismissed from one’s em-

ployment; to be kicked out (of a place).

(Slang. See also get the sack; give some-

one the boot.) I guess I wasn’t dressed

well enough to go in there. I got the boot.

I’ll work harder at my job today. I nearly

got the boot yesterday.

get the brush-off to be ignored or sent

away; to be rejected. (Slang.) Don’t talk

to Tom. You’ll just get the brush-off. I

went up to her and asked for a date, but I

got the brush-off.

get the cold shoulder to be ignored; to

be rejected. (Informal. See also give some-

one the cold shoulder.) If you invite her

to a party, you’ll just get the cold shoul-

I thought that Sally and I were

friends, but lately I’ve been getting the cold

shoulder.

get the creeps and get the willies to be-

come frightened; to become uneasy.

(Slang. Also with have. See the note at get

a big send-off.) I get the creeps when I

see that old house. I really had the willies

when I went down into the basement.

get the day off to have a day free from

working. (Also with have. See the note

at get a big send-off. See also take the day

off.) The next time I get a day off, we’ll

go to the zoo. I have the day off. Let’s

go to the zoo.

get the devil and catch hell; catch the

devil; get hell to receive a severe scold-

ing. (Informal. Use caution with hell.)

Bill is always getting the devil about some-

thing. I’m late. If I don’t get home soon,

I’ll catch hell! I caught the devil yester-

day for being late.

get the edge on someone Go to get the ad-

vantage of someone.

get the edge over someone Go to get the

advantage of someone.

get the facts straight to get a good un-

derstanding of the facts; to make sure

that all the facts are accurate and prop-

erly stated. Ask a lot of questions and

get all of the facts straight. Please be sure

you get the facts straight before you make

a decision.

get the feel of something and get a feel for

something [for someone] to learn the way

something feels (when it is used). (Also

with have. See the note at get a big send-

off. See also have the feel of something.)

I haven’t yet got the feel of this bat. I hope

I don’t strike out. I can drive better now

that I have the feel of this car’s steering.

get the final word Go to get the last word.

get the floor to receive official permission

to address the audience. (Also with have.

See the note at get a big send-off.)

When I get the f loor, I’ll make a short

speech. The last time you had the f loor,

you talked for an hour.

get the gate to be sent away; to be rejected.

(Slang. See also give someone the gate.)

I thought he liked me, but I got the gate.

I was afraid I’d get the gate, and I was

right.

get the glad hand to receive an overly

friendly welcome; to receive insincere at-

tention. (Informal.) Whenever I go into

that store, I get the glad hand. I hate to

go to a party and get the glad hand.

get the go-ahead and get the green

light to receive a signal to start or con-

tinue. (Also with have. See the note at get

a big send-off. See also give someone the

go-ahead.) We have to wait here until

we have the go-ahead. I hope we get the

green light on our project soon.

get the goods on someone to find out

something potentially damaging or em-

barrassing about someone. (Slang. Also

with have. See the note at get a big send-

off.) John beat me unfairly in tennis, but

I’ll get even. I’ll get the goods on him and

his cheating. The authorities have the

goods on Mr. Smith. He has been selling

worthless land again.

get the green light Go to get the go-ahead.

get the hang of something to learn how to

do something; to learn how something

works. (Informal. Also with have. See the

note at get a big send-off.) As soon as

I get the hang of this computer, I’ll be able

to work faster. Now that I have the hang

of starting the car in cold weather, I won’t

have to get up so early.

get the hard sell to receive considerable

pressure to buy or accept (something).

(Informal.) I won’t go to that store

again. I really got the hard sell. You’ll

probably get the hard sell if you go to a

used-car dealer.

get the high sign to receive a prearranged

signal. (Often refers to a hand signal or

some other visual signal.) When I got

the high sign, I pulled cautiously out into

the roadway. The train’s engineer got the

high sign and began to move the train out

of the station.

get the inside track to get the advantage

(over someone) because of special con-

nections, special knowledge, or fa-

voritism. (The inside track is the short-

est track in an oval race track that is

divided into tracks. Also with have. See

the note at get a big send-off.) If I could

get the inside track, I could win the con-

tract. The boss likes me. Since I have the

inside track, I’ll probably be the new of-

fice manager.

get the last laugh to laugh at or ridicule

someone who has laughed at or ridiculed

you; to put someone in the same bad po-

sition that you were once in; to turn the

tables (on someone). (Also with have.

See the note at get a big send-off. See also

He who laughs last, laughs longest.)

John laughed when I got a D on the final

exam. I got the last laugh, though. He

failed the course. Mr. Smith said I was

foolish when I bought an old building. I

had the last laugh when I sold it a month

later for twice what I paid for it.

get the last word and get the final word

to get to make the final point (in an ar-

gument); to get to make the final deci-

sion (in some matter). (Also with have.

See the note at get a big send-off.) The

boss gets the last word in hiring. Why do

you always have to have the final word in

an argument?

get the lead out and shake the lead out

to hurry; to move faster. (Slang. This

means to get the lead weights out of your

pants so you can move faster.) Come

on, you guys. Get the lead out! If you’re

going to sell cars, you’re going to have to

shake the lead out.

get the low-down (on someone or something)

to receive the full story about someone or

something. (Slang. Also with have. See

the note at get a big send-off. See also give

someone the low-down (on someone or some-

thing).) I need to get the low-down on

John. Is he still an accountant? Sally

wants to get the low-down on the new ex-

pressway. Please tell her all about it.

Now I have the low-down on the princess!

get the message Go to get the word.

get the nod to get chosen. (Informal. Also

with have. See the note at get a big send-

off.) The manager is going to pick the

new sales manager. I think Ann will get the

nod. I had the nod for captain of the

team, but I decided not to do it.

get the (old) heave-ho to get thrown out

(of a place); to get dismissed (from one’s

employment). (Informal. From nautical

use, where sailors used heave-ho to co-

ordinate hard physical labor. One sailor

called “Heave-ho,” and all the sailors

would pull at the same time on the ho.

Also with have. See the note at get a big

send-off. See also give someone or something

the (old) heave-ho.) I went there to buy

a record album, but I got the old heave-

ho. That’s right. They threw me out!

They fired a number of people today, but

I didn’t get the heave-ho. John had the

old heave-ho last week. Now he’s

unemployed.

get the once-over to receive a quick visual

examination. (Note the variations in the

examples. See also give someone the once-

over.) Every time John walks by I get the

once-over. Does he like me? I went to the

doctor yesterday, but I only had a once-

over. I wanted a complete examination,

not just a once-over.

get the picture to understand the whole

situation. (Informal or slang.) Okay,

Bob. That’s the whole explanation. You get

the picture? Yes, I got the picture.

get the red-carpet treatment to receive

very special treatment; to receive royal

treatment. (This refers—sometimes lit-

erally—to the rolling out of a clean red

carpet for someone to walk on. Also with

have. See the note at get a big send-off.

See also give someone the red-carpet treat-

ment; roll out the red carpet for some-

one.) I love to go to fancy stores where

I get the red-carpet treatment.  The

queen expects to get the red-carpet treat-

ment wherever she goes.

get the runaround to receive a series of ex-

cuses, delays, and referrals. You’ll get

the runaround if you ask to see the man-

ager. I hate it when I get the runaround.

get the sack and get the ax to get fired;

to be dismissed (from one’s employ-

ment). (Slang. See also give someone the

ax.) I got the sack yesterday. Now I have

to find a new job. I tried to work harder,

but I got the ax anyway.

get the shock of one’s life to receive a se-

rious (emotional) shock. (Also with have.

See the note at get a big send-off.) I

opened the telegram and got the shock of

my life. I had the shock of my life when

I won $5,000.

get the short end of the stick and end

up with the short end of the stick to

end up with less (than someone else); to

end up cheated or deceived. (Also with

have. See the note at get a big send-off.)

Why do I always get the short end of the

stick? I want my fair share! She’s un-

happy because she has the short end of the

stick again. I hate to end up with the

short end of the stick.

get the show on the road to get (some-

thing) started. (Slang.) Hurry up, you

guys. Let’s get the show on the road. If

you don’t get the show on the road right

now, we’ll never finish today.

get the slip [for someone] to elude or es-

cape (someone). (Slang.) We followed

her for two blocks, and then got the slip.

The police got the slip, and the crimi-

nal got away.

get the third degree to be questioned in

great detail for a long period. (Slang. See

also give someone the third degree.)

Why is it I get the third degree from you

every time I come home late? Poor Sally

spent all night at the police station getting

the third degree.

get the willies Go to get the creeps.

get the word and get the message to re-

ceive an explanation; to receive the final

and authoritative explanation. I’m

sorry, I didn’t get the word. I didn’t know

the matter had been settled. Now that

I have gotten the message, I can be more

effective in answering questions.

get the works to receive a lot of some-

thing. (Slang. The works can be a lot of

food, good treatment, bad treatment, etc.

See also give someone the works.) BILL:

Shall we order a snack or a big meal?

JANE: I’m hungry. Let’s get the works.

But, your honor. I shouldn’t get the works.

I only drove too fast!

get the worst of something to experience the

worst aspects of something. (Also with

have. See the note at get a big send-off.)

No matter what happens at the office,

I seem to get the worst of it. He always

gets the worst of the bargain. I got to

choose which one I wanted, but I still got

the worst of the two.

get through something 1. to finish some-

thing; to work one’s way through some-

thing. (Compare this with get through

with something.) If I read fast, I can get

through this book in an hour. I don’t

think I can get through all this work by

quitting time. 2. to survive something; to

go through something. This is a busy day.

I don’t know how I’ll get through it.

Sally hopes to get through college in three

years.

get through with something to get finished

with something. (Compare this with get

through something.) You can use this pen-

cil when I get through with it. Can I

have the salt when you get through with it?

get time off for good behavior to have

one’s prison sentence shortened because

of good behavior. (Also with have. See

the note at get a big send-off.) Bob will

get out of jail tomorrow rather than next

week. He got time off for good behavior.

I know I will have time off for good

behavior.

get time to catch one’s breath to find

enough time to relax or behave normally.

(Also literal. Also with have. See the note

at get a big send-off.) When things slow

down around here, I’ll get time to catch my

breath. Sally was so busy she didn’t even

have time to catch her breath.

get to first base (with someone or something)

and reach first base (with someone or

something) to make a major advance with

someone or something. (Informal. First

base refers to baseball.) I wish I could

get to first base with this business deal.

John adores Sally, but he can’t even reach

first base with her. She won’t even speak to

him. He smiles and acts friendly, but he

can’t get to first base.

get to one’s feet to stand up. On a sig-

nal from the director, the singers got to

their feet. I was so weak, I could hardly

get to my feet.

get to someone to affect someone emotion-

ally in a bad way; to bother someone.

Working with abandoned children even-

tually got to David, and he had to trans-

fer to another department. Nothing gets

to me like seeing people litter.

get to the bottom of something to get an

understanding of the causes of some-

thing. (Also literal.) We must get to the

bottom of this problem immediately.

There is clearly something wrong here, and

I want to get to the bottom of it.

get to the heart of the matter and get

at the heart of the matter to get to the

essentials of a matter. We have to stop

wasting time and get to the heart of the

You’ve been very helpful. You

really seem to be able to get to the heart

of the matter.

get to the root of the problem to gain

an understanding of the causes or basis

of a problem and propose a solution; to

get to the bottom of something.

take a little more study to get to the root

of the problem. Let’s stop avoiding the

issue and get to the root of the problem.

get tough (with someone) to become firm

with someone; to use physical force

against someone. (Compare this with get

physical (with someone).) The teacher

had to get tough with the class because the

students were acting badly. I’ve tried to

get you to behave, but it looks like I’ll have

to get tough.

get two strikes against one to get a num-

ber of things against one; to be in a po-

sition where success is unlikely. (From

baseball where one is “out” after three

strikes. Also with have. See the note at get

a big send-off.) Poor Bob got two strikes

against him when he tried to explain

where he was last night. I can’t win. I’ve

got two strikes against me before I start.

get under someone’s skin to bother or irri-

tate someone. (Informal.) John is so

annoying. He really gets under my skin.

I know he’s bothersome, but don’t let him

get under your skin.

get under way to start going; to start. (The

word get can be replaced with be. Com-

pare this with get something under way.)

The ship is leaving soon. It’s about to get

under way. Let us get our journey un-

der way. I’m glad our project is under

way.

get-up-and-go energy; motivation. I

must be getting old. I just don’t have my

old get-up-and-go. A good breakfast will

give you lots of get-up-and-go.

get up enough nerve (to do something) to

get brave enough to do something. I

could never get up enough nerve to sing in

public. I’d do it if I could get up enough

nerve, but I’m shy.

get up on the wrong side of the bed and

get out of the wrong side of the bed

to get up in the morning in a bad mood.

What’s wrong with you? Did you get up

on the wrong side of the bed today? Ex-

cuse me for being grouchy. I got out of the

wrong side of the bed.

get used to someone or something to become

accustomed to someone or something.

I got used to being short many years ago.

John is nice, but I really can’t get used to

him. He talks too much.

get well to become healthy again. Ann

had a cold for a week, and then she got

well. Hurry up and get well!

get wet to become soaked with water. (See

also all wet.) Get out of the rain or you’ll

get wet. Don’t get wet, or you’ll catch a

cold.

get what’s coming to one to get what one

deserves. (See also give one what’s com-

ing to one.) If you cheat, you’ll get in

trouble. You’ll get what’s coming to you.

Billy got what was coming to him.

get wind of something to hear about some-

thing; to receive information about

something. (Informal.) I just got wind

of your marriage. Congratulations.

Wait until the boss gets wind of this. Some-

body is going to get in trouble.

get wise (to someone or something) to find out

about someone or something; to see

through the deception of someone or

something. (Informal or slang.) Watch

out, John. Your friends are getting wise to

your tricks. John’s friends are getting

wise. He had better watch out.

get with something 1. to become alert.

(Slang. Usually with it.) Hey, stupid.

Get with it!  Wake up, Bill. Get with

what’s going on! 2. to get up to date on

something. (Slang. Usually with it.)

You’re too old-fashioned, Mary. Get with

it! Tom just couldn’t get with the newest

dance fad.

get worked up (about something) Go to get

worked up (over something).

a ghost of a chance even the slightest

chance; even the most insubstantial

chance. She can’t do it. She doesn’t have

a ghost of a chance. There is just a ghost

of a chance that I’ll be there on time.

gild the lily to add ornament or decoration

to something that is pleasing in its orig-

inal state; to attempt to improve some-

thing that is already fine the way it is.

(Often refers to flattery or exaggeration.)

Your house has lovely brickwork. Don’t

paint it. That would be gilding the lily.

Oh, Sally. You’re beautiful the way you are.

You don’t need makeup. You would be gild-

ing the lily.

gird (up) one’s loins to get ready; to pre-

pare oneself (for something). Well, I

guess I had better gird up my loins and go

to work. Somebody has to do something

about the problem. Why don’t you gird

your loins and do something?