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Confusing Words:
Get
(#13)
More Idioms with Get
(#5)
Get
is a very challenging word in
English--because
it
has many very different meanings
and because it
is
used in many
expressions--including
phrasal verbs,
verbs + prepositions,
and other combinations.
Another group of idioms with
get is used to
show
strong feelings or reactions.
Some of these idioms
are actually insults,
so be very
careful if you
use them!
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Get real!:
Be realistic!
This idiom is used when
someone
seems
naive. "Get real!" shows
a negative opinion
of another person's
ideas and means something
like
"How could you believe
that?"
Get a life!:
Don't be so naive!
This idiom is also used when
someone
seems naive. "Get a life!"
is like "Get real!,"
but stronger.
It means something like "How
could you be so naive that
you
believe that?"
Get lost!:
Go away! / Leave me alone!
This idiom is a way of
dismissing
someone
angrily. It means something
like "I can't
stand being with you,
so leave!"
Get a move on!:
Hurry up!
This idiom is used when
someone
seems to be
"dawdling"--taking too
long to do something.
Get the lead out!:
Stop delaying and do something!
This idiom is like "Get a
move on"
but stronger. When someone
says,
"Get a move on!," he/she is
impatient.
When someone says, "Get the
lead out!,"
he/she is irritated.
Get to the point!:
What do you really
want? (Stop
making "small talk" and say what
you really want!)
This idiomis a way of
telling someone
that you're tired of hearing
him or
her make "small talk" and
want him
or her to say what he/she
really wants.
Get with it!:
Change your thinking or actions
now!
This idiom is difficult to
"translate"
exactly,
but it's similar to "Get
real!"
and "Get
a life!" "Get with it!" is
used
as a reprimand
for someone whose
thinking or actions
seem to be
unacceptable or
inappropriate.
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Special Notes
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1. |
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In Get real!,
Get lost!,
and Get with
it!,
get
means about the same
thing as
become:
change from one state or
situation to another
one. |
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2. |
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In Get a life!,
the meaning of
get is
something like
receive and in
Get to
the
Point!,
the meaning of
get to is
something like
arrive at. In
both
Get
a move on!
and Get the lead
out!,
the meaning of
get is
difficult to
explain and is best
understood as part
of the idioms. |
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3. |
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Be careful!
These expressions are
often used when someone
is angry
or irritated and can be
understood
as insults. With
friends, the expressions
are sometimes used to
show strong
surprise at someone's
opinion or
behavior, but most
strangers would
definitely consider
these expressions
to be insulting. |
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