Unit 16 Eating and Dining

Ear out to eat a meal prepared at a restaurant

             Also: grab a bite to eat

             Opposite meaning: eat in (to eat at home)

             USAGE NOTE: Grab a bite to eat is used to talk about a quick meal or snack.

             ▪ Every Saturday night the Thompsons eat out at their favorite restaurant.

             ▪ Let’s grab a bite to eat one the way to the theater, OK?

             ▪ It’s been a long day. Why don’t we eat in tonight?

Take out to leave a restaurant with the food instead of eating it there

             Also: carry out, to go

             GRAMMAR NOTE: Take out and carry out are separable.

             ▪ Many restaurants allow you to take out the food on their menus.

             ▪ Umberto decided to carry his dinner out rather than eat in the restaurant.

             ▪ Sir, is this order for here or to go?

Junk food food that has poor nutritional value

             ▪ Fast-food restaurants are the most familiar places that serve junk food.

             ▪ Hamburgers, french fries, and milkshakes are typical examples of juck food.

Eat up to eat completely, to devout

             Also: gobble up

             GRAMMAR NOTE/USAGE NOTES: Both forms are separable. Gobble up generally refers to the act of eating very quickly.

             ▪ The boys were so hungry that they ate up all the hot dogs in a couple of minutes.

             ▪ John gobbled the food up without even saying a word.

Leftovers food that remains uneaten from a meal

             Related form: be left over (verb)

             ▪ I usually cook extra food for dinner and then save the leftovers for snacks and other meals.

             ▪ Judy expected some food to be left over from Thanksgiving, but it was all eaten.

Doggy bag a special container for taking uneaten food from a restaurant

             ▪ If some food is left over from a restaurant meal, you can ask for a doggy bag to take it with you.

             ▪ A doggy bag can be anything from a nice plastic container to a simple foil wrapper.

Pot luck a meal where each invited person contributes one item of food

             GRAMMAR NOTE: This idiom can be hypgenated to form an adjective. (In some dictionaries, this idiom is spelled as one word.)

             ▪ Sarah enjoys going to pot lucks because there is always such a variety of food.

             ▪ A pot-lucks picnic is a popular activity in the summertime.

Pig out to eat too much food

             Also: stuff one’s face

             USAGE NOTE: Both idioms are used informally.

             ▪ After I’ve pigged out on ice cream at night, I always regret it the next day.

             ▪ It’s impolite to stuff your face in front of other people, especially guests.

Wolf down to eat or drink very quickly

             Also: gulp down

             GRAMMAR NOTE/USAGE NOTES: Both idioms are separable. Wolf down is used for food and drink in general. Gulp down is generally used for drink.

             ▪ Ulrike wolfed down her breakfast before leaving for work.

             ▪ Gulping down cold water while you’re exercising can cause a stomachache.

Have a sweet tooth to enjoy eating sweet foods such as candies and desserts.

             USAGE NOTE: Adverbs such as quite and adjectives such as bad can be added.

             ▪ Joan always has a supply of chocolates on ger desk. She has quite a sweet tooth.

             ▪ Ted is overweight because he has a bad sweet tooth.

Unit 15 Shopping

Pick up to buy, to purchase

             GRAMMAR/USAGE NOTES: This idiom is separable. It is often used for shopping briefly at a grocery store or supermarket.

             ▪ Could you go to the store quickly and pick up some milk? We don’t have any more.

             ▪ I picked a few things up at the supermarket on my way home from work.

Pick out to select, to choose

             GRAMMAR NOTE: The idiom is separable.

             ▪ I tried to pick out the larger, riper apples in the produce section.

             ▪ Sheila asked her mom to go with her to pick some new clothes out.

On sale at a reduced cost

             ▪ By buying things when they’re on sale, it’s possible to save a lot of money.

             ▪ I asked the clerk, “Do these expensive watches ever go on sale?”

hunt for bargains to look for the cheapest prices

             related form: bargain-hunter (noun)

             ▪ The week after Christmas is the best time to hunt for bargains.

             ▪ Bargain-hunters like to shop in thrift stores such as the Family Discount Chain.

Shop around to check further on cost, quality, and so on before buying

             Also: look around

             ▪ I shopped around at several stores before finding the refrigerator I wanted.

             ▪ My wife asked me, “Shouldn’t we look around more before deciding what to get?”

window-shop to look at merchandise in stores without buying anything

             also: go window-shopping

             ▪ It’s fun to get together with a friend and window-shop.

             ▪ When Carol doesn’t have extra money, she loves to go window-shopping.

Buy up to buy all available items

             Also: snap up

             ▪ Just before the hurricane, people bought up all the bottled water in the stores.

             ▪ On the day of the big sale, all the best items were snapped up first.

Raincheck a receipt to purchase an unavailable sale item later at the sale price

             USAGE NOTE: When a business sells all of a particular sale item, it offers rainchecks to customers so that they can buy the item when it becomes available later, still at the sale price.

             ▪ Umberto asked the cashier for a raincheck because the sale item he wanted was all gone.

             ▪ Could I please have a raincheck for a ten-pound bag of dog food at half price?

Stock up (on) to purchase extra amounts for later use

             Also: load up (on)

             ▪ Department stores always stock up on gift items before Christmas.

             ▪ After experiencing a serious oil shortage years ago, oil companies are careful to stock up.

             ▪ People who live in very cold places load up on firewood before winter arrives.

Take back to return merchandise to a store

             Also: bring back

             GRAMMAR/USAGE NOTES: Both idioms are separable. Take back is generally used when talking outside the store, bring back when talking inside the store.

             ▪ Louie couldn’t take back the jacket he bought because it was on sale.

             ▪ Can I bring this compact disc player back if I’m not satisfied with it?

Unit 14 School

Sign up (for) to register (for), to enroll (in)

             GRAMMAR/USAGE NOTES: People who cannot sign up for themselves become the object of the verb. In this case the idiom is separable. The idiom is often used for sports activites.

             ▪ The Smith’s seventeen-year-old son signed up for classes at the public university.

             ▪ Laura signed her son up for a gymnastics class at the recreation center.

             ▪ If you want to get on the volleyball team, it’s not too late to sign up.

Hit the books to study, sometimes after much delay

             ▪ Students have no choice but to hit the books before taking their final exams.

Brush up on to review

             Also: bone up on

             USAGE NOTE: Bone up on is more informal than brush up on.

             ▪ As you learn new vocabulary, it’s good to brush up on it regularly.

             ▪ The medical student had to bone up on the respiratory system before her oral exams.

Pop quiz a short, unannounced test

             ▪ There may be a couple of pop quizes this semester in addition to the regular exams.

             ▪ All the students became worried when the teacher announced a pop quiz.

Hand in to submit

             Also: turn in

             GRAMMAR NOTE: Both idioms are separable.

             ▪ Please hand in your homework before you leave the classroom.

             ▪ The professor turned his course grades in to the admissions and records office.

Hand out to distribute

             Also: pass out

             Related form: handout (noun)

             GRAMMAR NOTE: The two verb forms are separable.

             ▪ On the first day of classes, the professor handed out the course syllabus.

             ▪ Politicians and salespersons are allowed on campus to pass flyers out.

             ▪ I’ve been given so many handouts this semester that there’s no room in my notebook!

Teacher’s pet someone who seems to be the teacher’s favorite student

             ▪ I think that Jonathan got an A because he’s the teacher’s pet.

             ▪ The teacher’s pet is usually a student who gets special treatment and privileges.

Cut class(es) to not attend class(es)

             Also: play hooky, ditch school

             GRAMMAR/USAGE NOTES: Class can be either singular or plural. The alternate forms are used when missing school is against the rules.

             ▪ Aaron and Yousef cut classes on Friday in order to have a three-day weekend.

             ▪ The troublesome teenagers played hooky for two days, but when they tired to ditch school for a third day, they were caught and punished.

Drop out (of) to stop attending regularly

             Also: flunk out (of)

             Related form: dropout (noun)

             USAGE NOTE: Flunk out is used when the reason for dropping out is failing grades.

             ▪ Michael had to drop out of school in order to work full-time.

             ▪ When Judy flunked out of high school with bad grades, she became another dropout.

Unit 13 Communicating

Drop someone a line to mail a letter to someone

             ▪ Larry dropped Angela a line so that she would know where he moved.

             ▪ Why don’t you drop me a line some time to let me know how you’re doing?

Dash off to write a quick letter or note to someone

             Also: get off

             GRAMMAR/USAGE NOTES: These idioms are separable, and are used when something is written in a hurry or at the last possible moment.

             ▪ Mrs. Sato dashed off a note to ger husband before heading to work.

             ▪ San got off a birthday card to his brother with no time to spare.

Hear from to receive a letter or phone call from someone

             ▪ Have you heard from Marco since he left on his trip?

             ▪ It’s so good to hear from you again, Bernice!

Be in touch (with) to have contact or communication with someone

             Opposite meaning: be out of touch (with)

             USAGE NOTE: Both idioms can also be used with the verbs keep and stay.

             ▪ Don’t worry. I’ll be in touch with you early tomorrow morning.

             ▪ My high school friends and I have kept in touch over the years through correspondence.

             ▪ Just because you’re moving, it doesn’t mean that we can’t stay in touch.

             ▪ While camping alone in the mountains, Yoshio was out of touch with everyone.

Get in touch with to contact, to reach

             Also: get ahold of, touch base with

             GRAMMAR NOTE: The word base can be either singular or plural.

             ▪ My office assistant can get in touch with me in an emergency.

             ▪ Do you know how to get ahold of Fred? I’ve lost his number.

             ▪ The Madisons asked their daughter to touch base with them often while away at school.

Get back to to contact someone again

             Also: get back with

             ▪ As soon as I receive more information about the party, I’ll get back to you.

             ▪ The manager said that she’d get back with the salesperson as soon as she had decided what furniture to buy.

Talk a mile a minute to talk very quickly

             Also: speak a mile a minute

            ▪ Some TV and radio commercials are difficult to understand because the people are talking a mile a minute.

             ▪ When you visit a foreign country and don’t know the landuage, everyone seems to be speaking a mile a minute.

Bend someone’s ear to talk for a long time without much iterruption

             Also: talk someone’s ear off

             USAGE NOTE: These idioms are used when someone is being forced to listen.

             ▪ Ali kept saying that it was late, but the visitor bent his ear for over two hours.

             ▪ Gow could Mark talk my ear off like that when ge knew I was sick?

Yackety-yak meaningless noise or uninteresting conversation

             ▪ All I heard was a lot of yackety-yak when I entered the crowded room.

             ▪ When someones bends you ear, you can say that it’s just a bunch of yackety-yak

juck mail generally unwanted information sent through the mail by businesses

             ▪ Some people don’t mind looking at junk mail, while others hate to receive it.

             ▪ You can be sure that the postal delevery persons don’t like to carry junk mail!

Unit 12 On the Telephone

Make a (phone) call to use the telephone

             USAGE NOTE: Adjectives such as important and quick are often added to this idiom.

             ▪ The manager went to ger office to make an important phone call.

             ▪ Jonah had to make a quick call before he left home.

Be on the phone to be using the telephone

             Opposite meaning: be off the phone

             ▪ Mr. Quintana is on the phone right now. She’ll be available in a moment.

             ▪ As soon as I’m off the phone, I’ll check the imformation for you.

Over the phone by using the telephone

             Also: on the phone

             USAGE NOTE: These expressions are used to show exactly how contact between two people is made. They are used with verbs such as give, talk, and speak, but not be.

             ▪ Instead of sending a fax, the assistant gave her boss the information over the phone.

             ▪ The doctor and his patient spoke on the phone about the medical problem.

Call up to telephone someone

             Also: give someone a call

             GRAMMAR NOTE: Call up is separable.

             ▪ You should call up Carmen before she calls Carlos up.

             ▪ Why haven’t you given her a call yet?

Hold on to wait for assistance on the telephone

             Related form: on hold

             ▪ The relephone operator asked the caller to hold on while she transferred the call

             ▪ I was on hold for several minutes because the clerks were busy with customers.

Off the hook not placed properly on the base unit of the telephone

             Opposite meaning: on the hook

             USAGE NOTE: This idiom means that the telephone handset is not properly placed on the base unit. The opposite form on the hook is less often used.

             ▪ Carl left the telephone off the hook so that he wouldn’t be bothered by any calls

             ▪ Please put the phone back on the hook so that we can be reached.

Call back to telephone someone who has just called and left a message, to call again

             Also: return someone’s call

             GRAMMAR NOTE: Call back is separable, so the object may follow the verb.

             ▪ Craig called back Alice as soon as he got her message.

             ▪ However, when he called her back, she wasn’t at home.

             ▪ He left a message for ger to return his call.

             ▪ I asked Frank to call me back because I was too busy to talk.

Hang up to put the telephone handset back on the base unit at the end of a call

             USAGE NOTE: This idiom may be used with or without an object. The idiom is separable if an object is used.

             ▪ The salesperson shouldn’t have hung the phone up before I could ask another question.

             ▪ Todd was enjoying his talk with an old friend so much that he didn’t want to hang up.

Crank call a telephone call intended only to annoy or bother someone

             ▪ Sometimes small children use the telephone to make crank calls.

             ▪ Kyle hung up the phone right away when she realized that it was a crank call.

Unit 11 Small Talk

Shake hands to greet someone by taking that person’s hand and shaking it

             Also: shake someone’s hand

             ▪ When you meet someone for the first time, it’s polite to shake hands.

             ▪ Your close friends are unlikely to shake your hand when you meet.

Not see for ages not to meet someone for a long time

             Also: not see in ages

             GRAMMAR NOTE: Use the present perfect tense or past perfect tense.

             ▪ Do you know where John has been? I haven’t seen him for ages.

             ▪ Karin returned home for Christmas because she hadn’t seen her parents in ages

a sight for sore eyes someone or something you’re glad to see again

             ▪ Fabio, you’re a sight for sore eyes! I missed you while you were gone.

             ▪ After Denise returned from a long business trip, her own bed was a sight for sore eyes.

Long time no see an expression to show that a long time has passed since you saw someone last

             ▪ Is that you, Alice? I can’t believe it. Long time no see!

Strike up a conversation to begin talking with someone for the first time

             ▪ A crowded elevator is an awkward place to strike up a conversation.

             ▪ As Linda waited at the bus stop, she struct up a conversation with a woman standing next to her.

Make small talk to talk about common topics such as the weather, activities, family, and work

             Also: make conversation

             ▪ Shinji isn’t good at making small talk at parties. He’s usually quiet and just listens.

             ▪ The prefessor made conversation with her students before class started.

Break the ice to end an awkward situation by suggesting a topic of conversation

             Related form: icevreaker (noun)

             ▪ When the hostess introduced Igor at the parth, there was a moment of silence until she broke the ice by saying, “Did you know that Igor is an Olympic silver medalist?”

             ▪ Jobs or hobbies are good icebreakers when you can’t think of anything to talk about.

Shoot the breeze to talk or chat casually

             Also: chew the fat

             ▪ Tom met his friends at the golf club for lunch and to shoot the breeze.

             ▪ Some office workers avoid getting their work done by chewing the fat.

What’s going on? What’s happening?

             Also: What’s new?, What’s up?

             USAGE NOTE: A common response is Not much or Nothing special.

             ▪ PERSON1: Hi, Michelle. What’s going on?

              PERSON2: Not much, Jorge.

             ▪ PERSON1: What’s new, Karla?

              PERSON2: Nothing special, Pete. What’s up with you?

So long good-bye, farewell

             Also: Take it easy, Take care

             ▪ TANYA: I’ve got to go, Jack. So long.

                JACK: So long, Tanya.

             ▪ SARAH: Well, Junko, time to go. Take it easy.

              JUNKO: Take care, SARAH.

Catch you later good-bye, with the idea of seeing someone at a later time

             Also: See you around

             GRAMMAR NOTE: The subject pronoun I + will can be used with these idioms. If it is not used, it is implied.

             ▪ Oh no, I’m late for my appointment. Catch you later.

             ▪ I’m glad you’ve enrolled in school again. I’ll see you around!

Unit 10 The Weather

Cool down to become cooler in temperature

             Also: cool off

             ▪ During the summer everyone is glad when evening comes and the weather cools down.

             ▪ The weather reporter says that is should cool off by the weekend.

Heat up to make or become warmer in temperature

             GRAMMAR/USAGE NOTES: Besides weather, this idiom is used for room temperature, cooking, and such. When an object is used, the idiom is separable.

             ▪ We should open all the windows tomorrow morning before the weather heats up

             ▪ The room heated up quickly with thirty-five people inside.

             ▪ Could you heat some water up for the coffee?

Rain cats and dogs to rain very hard

             Also: beat down

             GRAMMAR/USAGE NOTES: The subject pronoun it must be used with rain cats and dogs. The idiom beat down can also be used to refer to intense heat from sun rays.

             ▪ Look outside! It’s raining cats and dogs right now.

             ▪ The rain was beating down on the roof so hard that it sounded like hail.

             ▪ The desert sun beat down on the lost hikers, making them thirsty and sweaty.

Run off to flow from a high place to a lower place

             Related form: runoff (noun)

             USAGE NOTE: This idiom is used to refer to excessive amounts of rainwater.

             ▪ It rained so long and hard that water ran off the hills and flooded many communities.

             ▪ The source of all rivers, such as the Mississippi, is runoff from mountain streams.

Cold spell a period of very cold weather

             Also: cold snap

             Opposite meaning: heat wave (a period of very hot weather)

             ▪ The city government had to open shelters for homeless people during the long cold spell.

             ▪ Farmers have to worry about frost damage to their crops during severe cold snaps.

             ▪ During a heat wave, people either use air-conditioning or open all their windows

Roll in to approach from a distance, over land or sea

             Opposite meaning: roll (back) out (to sea)

             USAGE NOTE: Roll (back) out (to sea) is used when coastal fog recedes from the land.

             ▪ The thunderstorm rolled in suddenly and dropped two inches of rain.

             ▪ The planes were not allowed to take off from the airport after the fod rolled in.

             ▪ Most flights were delayed several hours until the fog rolled back out to sea.

Die down to reduce in strength, to diminish, to subside

             Also: let up

             USAGE NOTE: These idioms can also be used to refer to sounds.

             ▪ We were lucky that the blizzard died down enough so that we could ski.

             ▪ After several hours of heavy hownpour, the rain finally let up.

             ▪ The thunder died down as the storm moved out of the area.

Clear up to become sunny

             ▪ It was cloudy all morning, but in the afternoon it cleared up completely.

             ▪ The weather cleared up nicely when the fog rolled out to sea.

Dry up to become dry, to lose moisture

             Also: dry out

             USAGE NOTE: Dry out applies to things that are not normally used when they are wet.

             ▪ Streams and small lakes can dry up during periods of drought.

             ▪ It took a long time for the soccer field to dry out after the heavy rains.

Unit 9 Commuting

Take off (to work) to depart immediately, to leave quickly

             Also: rush off

             ▪ I’m going to be late for work if I don’t take off right now.

             ▪ Before Leroy could ask another question, Brenda rushed off to work.

Buckle up to fasten one’s seatbelt

             ▪ Some drivers of cars with airbags think it’s unnecessary to buckle up too.

             ▪ Signs on the highways remind people that buckling up can save lives.

Drop off to deliver someone to a place

             Opposite meaning: pick up (to take someone from a place)

             GRAMMAR NOTE: This idiom is separable, and the object is usually placed after the verb.

             ▪ My son Elijah asked to drop him off at school on my way to work because it was raining.

             ▪ He also wanted me to pick him and his friend up if it was still raining after school.

Give a lift to transport someone in one’s vehicle

             Also: give a ride

             GRAMMAR NOTE: These idioms must be separated by a noun or pronoun after the verb.

             ▪ The young woman hitchhiking on the highway looked nice, so Vince gave her a lift.

             ▪ Could you give me a ride to the airport next Wednesday? I’d appreciate it.

On one’s way in the direction that one is going

             Opposite meaning: out of one’s way (not in the direction that one is going)

             ▪ Since the post office was on my way to the supermarket, I stopped there for some stamps.

             ▪ It’s no problem for William to give you a ride there. It’s not out of his way.

Rush hour the busiest commuting time (usually 6-9 A.M. and 4-7 P.M.)

             GRAMMAR NOTE: This compound noun can be hyphenated (-) to make an adjective form preceding the noun traffic.

             ▪ It takes Olilip three hours to commute to work during rush hour.

             ▪ Rush-hour traffic is generally lighter on Friday afternoons.

Share a ride to commute with one or more persons in the same car

             Also: rideshare

             Related form: ridesharing (noun)

             ▪ Some companies provide special benefits when employes agree to share a ride to work.

             ▪ The university maintains a list of people who want to rideshare to school.

             ▪ Ridesharing is one of the best ways to reduce air pollution caused by automobiles.

Carpool lane a special lane on city highways for cars with at least two people inside

             Related form: carpool (verb)

             ▪ You will have to pay a large fine if yhou drive in the carpool lane with out at least one other passenger.

             ▪ The office workers carpooled to avoid the heavy traffic in the other highway lanes.

Double-park to park in the street illegally next to a car that is parked legally along the curb

             Related form: double-parking (noun)

             USAGE NOTE: This idiom is used to describe what happens when there are no available parking spaces along the curb of a street.

             ▪ Frank double-parked in front of the bakery in order to pick up the cake.

             ▪ Double-parking is unavoidable in some American cities where it is too crowded to park legally.