Unit 20 Visiting

Pay a visit to visit (usually by previous arrangement)

             Also: call on

             GRAMMAR NOTE/USAGE NOTES: Thess idioms describe more formal visits that are usually prearranged. An object can be put after the verv in pay a visit.

             ▪ The country doctor paid a visit to a sick patient on a distant farm.

             ▪ I made sure to pay Alexandra a visit when I traveled to Chicago.

             ▪ The salesman called on the manager at the appointed time.

Drop in (on) to visit (usually not by previous arrangement)

             Also: drop by, come by, come over

         USAGE NOTE: Only the main entry can be used with on, followed by the identity of the person who is visited.

             ▪ It’s a pleasure to see you again. Please drop in any time.

             ▪ When Stan dropped in on an old friend, she was quite surprised to see him.

             ▪ I wanted to drop by earlier, but when it got so late I decided not to come over.

             ▪ Why don’t you come by tonight and we’ll talk some more?

Swing by to visit (often for the prupose of getting or buying something)

             Also: stop by

USAGE NOTE: These forms can also be used for informal visits (see previous entry).

             ▪ Why don’t you swing by my house to vorrow the tools that you need?

             ▪ Doreen stopped by the supermarket on her way home from work.

Stop over to visit (usually overnight)

             Related form: stopover(noun meaning “short stop”)

         USAGE NOTE: Both idioms usually refer to an airplane trip.

             ▪ On our trip north, we stopped over in San Francisco for two days.

             ▪ The airplane make a stopover in New York before continuting to Paris.

Get together to meet or gather for a visit

             Related form: get-together(noun)

         USAGE NOTE: This idiom is used for family gatherings and other group visits.

             ▪ All of my relatives get together at Thanksgiving for a turkey feast.

             ▪ If you’d like, we can have a get-together this weekend in my backyard.

Show in to guide someone idside, especially into one’s home.

             Also: come on in

             GRAMMAR NOTE: Show in is separable. Come on in is an invariable expression.

             ▪ Someone is knocking at the door. Could you show them in?

             ▪ Hey, Joe, I’m glad you could make it. Come on in!

make oneself at home to relax by removing one’s coat, sitting down, and getting comfortable

         USAGE NOTE: This idiom is used when guests first arrive.

             ▪ I’m glad you could come. Please make yourself at home.

             ▪ Helena’s guests made themselves at home in her warm and cozy living room.

Feel at home to feel comfortable, to be relaxed

         USAGE NOTE: This idiom is often used when it takes some time to feel relaxed in a ner environment.

             ▪ The Jognsons are good hosts. They know how to make their guests feel at home.

           ▪ It’s difficult to feel at home in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language.

Take a seat to sit on a couch, chair, stool, or other similar pieces of furniture

             ▪ Give me your coat and then take a seat in the living room. The meeting will begin soon.

Show out to guide someone out of somewhere such as one’s workplace or home

             Also: see out

             GRAMMAR NOTE: These idioms are separable.

             ▪ The zoo ranger had to show out several families that were still in the zoo when it closed.

             ▪ It was so nice of you to come. Let me see you out.

Unit 19 Inviting

How about..? a question form that is often used to make an invitation

             GRAMMAR NOTE: This idiom is usually followed by a gerund(verb+-ing)or a noun.

             ▪ Hi, Jane, I’m glad to see you. How about going to the dance with me tonight?

             ▪ I have an idea. How about lunch and a movie tomorrow afternoon?

Be free to be available for some occasion

             ▪ Are you free Saturday night to go to the museum reception?

             ▪ I called Tom to see if he was free to attend the meeting with me.

Ask out to invite on a date

             GRAMMAR NOTE: This idiom is separable.

             ▪ Poor Gary had to ask out several women before one of them accepted his invitation to the charity ball.

             ▪ Have you asked jill out on a date yet?

Have over to invite someont to visit one’s home

             GRAMMAR NOTE: This idiom is separable.

             ▪ Christina had over her entire family for Christmas dinner.

             ▪ I’d like to have you over for lunch some day when you’re free.

Go along(with) to accompany to a social activity.

             Also: come along(with), tag along(with)

         ▪ Wilma went along with her friends to the shopping center even though she really didn’t want to.

             ▪ Would you like to come along with us to Disneyland?

             ▪ Bob let his younger brothers tag along to the park because they asked nicely.

Take someone up on to accept an invitation or other offer

             Also: You’re on

             GRAMMAR NOTE: This idiom is separable.

▪ I wouldn’t turn down anyone who offered me a chance at a millon-dollar reward.

             ▪ Mr.Greer has asked his neighbor out many times, but she continues to turn him down.

Take a raincheck to postpone an invitation until a later time

             USAGE NOTE: Don’t confuse this idiom with the similar one in Unit 15, where it is used for purchasing unavailable sale items at a later date.

             ▪ I’m too busy to accept your kind invitation this time, but I’ll take a raincheck, OK?

             ▪ Instead of turning his invitation down right away, she took a raincheck.

Unit 18 Dating and Friendship

Go out (with) to date, to accompany socially on a single date

             Also: take someone out

             GRAMMAR NOTE: Take out is separable.

             ▪ Dave wanted to go out with the new girl at school, but he was too shy to ask.

             ▪ Mr. Nguyen took his fiancee out to a fancy restaurant on her birthday.

Go with to date on a regular basis

             Also: go steady (with)

             USAGE NOTE: Go steady is not commonly used by younger people. Go out with can also be used for a series of dates.

             ▪ Ula has been going with Sven for several months.

             ▪ Frank lets his girlfriend wear his jacket because they’re going steady.

             ▪ How long have you been going out with your friendly neighbor?

Blind date a date with a person whom one has not met before

             ▪ My roommate arranged a blind date for me so that I’d have someone to go to the party with.

             ▪ Sam didn’t want to go on a blind date, but he actually enjoyed I t very much.

Fix up (with) to arrange for two people to date

             Also: set up (with)

             GRAMMAR/USAGE NOTES: Fix up and set up are separable. The subject of the sentence is the person who arranges the date for another person.

             ▪ Craig didn’t have a date for the dance, so he was glad when his older bother fixed up up.

             ▪ The single mother’s sons finally succeeded in setting her up with a date.

Old flame a previous boyfriend or girlfriend

             Opposite meaning: new flame

             ▪ Kim was surprised when she accidentally met an old flame at the supermarket.

             ▪ Fred’s new flame has caused him to forget completely about his difficult divorce.

Break up (with) to end a relationship, to stop dating

             Also: split up (with), break off

             GRAMMAR/USAGE NOTES: Break off is separable.

             ▪ In the United States, 50 percent of all married people eventually break up.

             ▪ Dwight split up with his wife after ten years of marriage.

             ▪ The two high school students were tired of dating each other, so they broke their relationship off.

Stand someone up to fail to appear for a date, to leave waiting, to cancel at the last minute.

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

             ▪ I can’t believe that Lydia stood Jake up last night without even calling him.

             ▪ Juergen waited an hour for his date, but it was obvious that she had stood him up.

Make up (with) to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement

             Also: get back together, bury the hatchet

             ▪ After two days of not talking to each other, Casey and Ann made up.

             ▪ Cindy tried to make up with her boyfriend, but he was still too upset.

             ▪ When two married people split up, they sometimes get back together at a later time.

             ▪ Let’s bury the hatchet and try to fix the problems in our relationship.

Unit 17 Family

Come from to originate from a place

             Also: be from

             GRAMMAR NOTE/USAGE NOTES: These idioms refer to one’s present or past homeland. When referring to one’s present homeland, only the simple present tense is used.

             ▪ Most of the students in my class come from Asia.

             ▪ Patrick’s ancestors all came from Scotland 200 years ago.

             ▪ I’m from Uruguay. Where are you from?

Grow up 1) to develop from a child into an adult 2) to mature

             Related form: grown-up (noun form meaning “adult”)

             USAGE NOTE: Grow up has two meanings. The first refers to natural physical development from child to adult. The second refers to reasonable, mature behavior.

             ▪ Mike was born in New York, but grew up in California.

             ▪ My fourteen-year-old son still acts foolishly. I hope he grows up soon.

             ▪ Small children need the constant supervision of grown-ups.

Bring up to raise, to rear, to educate

             GRAMMAR NOTE/USAGE NOTES: This idiom is separable. Note how it differs from grow up above: Children grow up (no object); parents bring up children (object).

             ▪ Martina is a well-adjusted child. Ger parents have brought her up carefully.

             ▪ It’s sometimes difficult to bring up children in today’s society.

Fresh and blood one’s relatives and immediate family

             USAGE NOTE: This idiom often is preceded by one’s own….

             ▪ All of our fresh and blood came to the big family reunion.

             ▪ Sue doesn’t want to tell the police about her brother’s crime because he’s her own fresh and blood.

Take after to resemble, to look like (for physical appearance)

             Also: be a chip off the old block

             USAGE NOTE: Take after can refer to similarities in personality or physical appearance. Be a chip off the block is used when two people in a family share the same characteristics in personality.

             ▪ Did you notice how Kate takes after her father in personality, but ger mother in looks?

             ▪ Larry is about as lazy as his father. He’s just a chip off the old block.

Settle down to begin a regular, stable life

             Also: put down roots

             USAGE NOTE: These idioms are used when someone who often moves or travels a lot finally decides to live a more normal life in one place. Settle down is also used for perple who have lived active social lives but are ready to limit their activities.

             ▪ Teresa’s family moved from state to state until finally they settled down in Arizona.

             ▪ After years of travelling and partying, Jason decided to settle down and have a family.

             ▪ My ancestors put down roots in America over a century ago.

Hand down to give from one generation to the next

             Also: pass down

             GRAMMAR NOTE: The pronoun me in hand-me-down cannot change form in any way.

             ▪ I still have the old stamp collection that my grandfather handed down to me.

             ▪ In every society, important traditions are passed down from generation to generation.

             ▪ Nancy has kept every hand-me-down that her relatives have ever given ger.

Give birth (to) to bear a child

             Also: have a child, have a (baby) boy/girl

             ▪ Mrs. Larsen’s family was surprised when she gave birth to twins.

             ▪ Have you and your husband decided whether you’re ready to have a child yet?

             ▪ My sister just had a bay boy. I’m an uncle!

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!