Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (20 page)
[See
do something behind someone’s back
and
do something when one’s back is turned,
in Chapter 13.]
Breaking Up
When the marriage or relationship is no longer
working
(functioning happily), people sometimes
break up
(end the relationship). Here are other terms that mean to
break up:
split up
♦
Did you hear that Chad and Emily
split up?
end it
♦ Ending it
may be the best for both of us.
break it off
♦
She still doesn’t know why he
broke it off
with her.
call it quits
♦
We’re not ready to
call it quits
yet, but I think it’ll happen soon.
go ones’ separate ways
(used with
our, your,
and
their
) ♦
They’re not together anymore. They’ve
gone their separate ways.
Note:
To
go ones’ separate ways
has the additional implication that the two people no longer have any contact with each other.
When people decide mutually to break up, they might say
it was mutual,
or they could use one of the expressions in the preceding list. But when just one person wants to end the relationship, and does so abruptly, it’s best described with one of the following expressions:
dump someone
(v)
to end the relationship abruptly, sometimes cruelly, and stop seeing the person ♦
When she met someone else, she
dumped me
with no hesitation!
♦
He
dumped her
as soon as she started getting serious.
split
(v)
to leave abruptly ♦
My boyfriend
split
without even saying goodbye.
♦
Who cares if she
split?
I don’t need her.
walk out on
(v)
to leave the relationship or marriage, to abandon one’s responsibilities; often refers to leaving a partner with children to take care of ♦
She
walked out on
him because of his drinking problem.
♦
When he met another woman, he
walked out on
his family.
If someone breaks up with you, you can say that the person:
left me
left me for someone else
left me for another man
(
or
woman)
Heartbreak
Almost everyone knows the pain of
heartbreak
— the other side of the joys of love. If you break up with someone, that person might say “You broke my heart” or “You tore my heart out.” The following are more idioms to describe one’s emotional pain:
hurt (n, adj)
♦
He left her with so much
hurt
that she never spoke to him again.
♦
I’ve been
hurt
before so I know how it feels.
heartache
(n)
♦
So many songs are written about
heartache
and pain.
a broken heart
(n)
♦
Some say a person can die of
a broken heart.
brokenhearted (adj)
♦
He’s been
brokenhearted
ever since she left him.
Here’s one more idiom to describe a difficult end to a relationship:
be kicked to the curb
(v)
to be deeply hurt, to feel discarded or thrown away; also
to kick someone to the curb.
The word curb means the edge of the sidewalk along the street. ♦
When she found someone else, she just
kicked me to the curb.
If a person’s broken heart doesn’t heal, the person might say, “
I’ll never get over him/her.
” But when a broken heart is
mended
(repaired, no longer in the pain) and a person doesn’t care about the other person anymore, he or she might say, “
I’m over her
” or “
I’ve gotten over him.
” When people are recovering from the end of a love affair or start dating again too soon after breaking up from a relationship, they’re often said to be
on the rebound,
as in “She got engaged shortly after her marriage broke up. I guess she’s really
on the rebound.”
Trying Again
If
breaking up
was a mistake or two people feel that they can
make it work
(have a successful relationship), they might try again. Here are some expressions for this situation:
make up
(v)
to apologize, forgive, and possibly forget the problem. This idiom can be used when two people get back together after breaking up, or it can be used when two people forgive each other after an argument. ♦
He wants to
make up,
but I’m not sure that I do.
♦
She was really hurt when I forgot our anniversary, but we
made up.
patch it up
(v)
to repair the broken relationship, to forgive and forget; sometimes phrased
patch things up.
This idiom is also used for repairing the damage after a serious argument. ♦
They’ve broken up before, but they’ve always
patched it up. ♦
I want to try to
patch things up
between us. How about you?
get back together
(v)
to return to the relationship or marriage after breaking up ♦
They’ll
get back together
again because they’re both miserable being apart.
♦
His parents divorced and
got back together
again a few years later.
go back
(v)
to return to the relationship after breaking up ♦
Do you think I should
go back
with him?
♦
I think he’ll just hurt her again if she
goes back
to him.
give it a second chance
(v)
to try the relationship or marriage again; to work to save the relationship or marriage ♦
Let’s
give it a second chance.
I know we can make it work.
♦
Neither of us wants a divorce, so we’re going to
give it a second chance.
CHAPTER 9
COMMON AMERICAN PHRASES AND SLANG EXPRESSIONS
The idiomatic phrases and slang expressions in this section are some of the more common expressions used every day, again and again, in casual conversation. They can be heard in a wide range of contexts and anywhere in the country. (Of course, there are hundreds of regional expressions that also exist, though they are not included here.)
Explanations are given where they are needed to clarify the idiom. Examples are also included where they are needed to help show the correct usage.
Common Greetings
Polite greetings are among the most basic, yet essential, forms of communication in any language. In some areas it’s common for people to greet even strangers as they pass on the street. Knowing how to use casual greetings, and how to respond to them, opens the door to friendly conversation. This section includes common greetings, common farewells, and various ways to respond.
Saying
Hello
A simple hello is often said with one of the following greetings:
Hi:
the most common, casual way to say hello
Hey:
slang greeting, originally a regional expression from the South but now widely used.
Hey
is a general word used to start a sentence, to get someone’s attention, and as a response to many different statements and situations. Tone and intonation often reveal the meaning of the word.
Hi
(
or
Hey) there:
casual variations of
Hi
or
Hey
After an initial “Hi!” people generally ask “How are you?” or they use one of the following casual expressions (typical responses are shown to the right of the expression):
| Possible Reply | |
| How are you doing? | Pretty good. How are you? |
| How’s it going? | Great, How ’bout you? |
| How’s things? | Things are good, thanks. What about you? |
| How are things? | Not bad. And you? |
Here is a related, but more formal, expression:
How do you do?
a formal greeting or response after meeting someone for the first time ♦
Sarah, let me introduce my grandmother. Nice to meet you!
How do you do?
Note:
Non-native speakers of English sometimes confuse the expression
How do you do?
(a polite form of
How are you?
) with
What do you do
? (What is your occupation?). It’s also easy to confuse
How are you doing?
(How are you?) with
What are you doing
?
What’s Going On?
and Related Idioms
The expressions in the following list mean
What are you doing?
or
What is happening here?
But often they’re used as a form of
Hello!
or general greeting. They are usually answered with a negative expression like
Not much
or
Nothing much.
In casual situations, and particularly with young people, these greetings can simply mean
Hi.
Typical responses are shown to the right of the expression.
| Possible Reply | |
| What’s up? | Not much. What’s up with you? |
| S’up? (short for what’s up ) | Hey. |
| What’s new? | Nothing much, and you? |
| What are you up to? | Not too much. How ’bout you? |
| What’s happening? | Nothing really. What are you doing? |
| What’s going on? | Just hanging out. |
In addition to the typical responses of
Not much
and
Nothing much,
people sometimes answer these greetings with
Same old thing
or
Same old same old,
generally meaning that life is the same and nothing new is happening.
Saying Goodbye
Goodbye
, the common thing to say when leaving or parting from someone, originated from the expression
God be with you
.
Goodbye
can be formal when it’s said slowly and distinctly. Or, it can be casual when said quickly, as
G’bye.
Many other words and expressions are used for saying
goodbye,
as shown in the following list.
Note:
Goodnight
is commonly said when departing at night, but
Good morning, Good afternoon,
and
Good evening
aren’t generally said when departing, because they are greetings.
Bye:
short for
Goodbye
Bye-bye:
familiar, often said to children
Goodnight:
also
G’night;
said at night
Farewell:
formal; means “be well”
So long:
informal goodbye
See ya:
short for
I’ll see you again;
later
or
around
can be added at the end
Later:
short for
See you later
(See you) later, alligator:
playful and silly; sometimes answered with
After a while, crocodile
The four expressions that follow are often used to end a conversation and signal that one needs to leave. The examples are shown in the first person (
I
) but any pronoun or person’s name could be used. Often these expressions are shortened to
Got to go, Better be going,
and so on.
| Possible Reply | |
| I’ve got to go. | Okay. See ya. |
| I’ve got to split. | Yeah. Me too. |
| I’ve got to take off. | Good talking to you. |
| I had better be going. (more formal) | Okay, nice to see you. |
The next four expressions are said as a wish of goodwill as people are parting:
| Possible Reply | |
| Have a good day. | Thanks. You too. |
| Have a good one. | You too. |
| Take care. | I will. You too. |
| Take it easy. | All right. Talk to you later. |
Polite Expressions and Niceties
Polite expressions and interactions are sometimes referred to as
niceties
, those nice gestures of courtesy that are important in all societies.
Making Polite Requests
The following phrases are polite ways to begin a request. The expressions
do you mind
and
would you mind
mean “Do you object?” or “Is it a problem?” and therefore, the usual response is
No
or
Not at all.
The other expressions listed here generally require
Yes
or a similar positive response.
| Example | Possible Reply |
| Do you mind . . .? ♦ Do you mind if I sit here? | No, go ahead. |
| Would you mind . . .? ♦ Would you mind helping me? | No, not at all. |
| Would you be so kind as to . . .? ♦ Would you be so kind as to assist me? | Of course. |
| Could/can I trouble you to . . .? ♦ Could I trouble you to get me some water? | Sure. No trouble at all. |
| Could I ask you to . . .? ♦ Could I ask you to smoke somewhere else? | Yes. I’m sorry. |
Saying
Thank You
Thank you
may be the most useful word in the English language. There are many ways to say
thank you;
this section gives you the most common. Sometimes language- learners are confused about when to use the word
thank
and when to use
thanks.
It may help to understand that
thank you
is short for
I thank you,
which uses the first person singular form of the verb
to thank.
In most other expressions, the word is
thanks,
a plural noun. There are lots of common and acceptable responses to
thanks,
shown in the next section.
Thanks a million.
Thanks a bunch.
Thanks a lot.
Thanks much (
or
loads).
Many thanks.
I can’t thank you enough.
A related expression is
I owe you one
, which is an informal way to say “I must repay your kindness.” Here are some examples:
- Thanks for your all your help.
I owe you one. - I owe you one
for loaning me your car.
Thanks to you . . .
The versatile expression
Thanks to you . . .
may be a bit confusing to know how to use correctly. One common use of this expression is in thanking someone for causing something good to happen. Here’s an example:
- Thanks to you,
the fund-raiser was a great success
.
However, this expression is often used to say that someone caused something bad to happen. It’s similar to
It’s your fault that
. . . and it’s generally said in a sarcastic tone. Here are some examples:
- Thanks to you,
I was late for my meeting. - Thanks to you,
I spent all my money on a stock that’s now worthless.
Context and tone of voice are the only ways to tell if this idiom is being used to praise someone or to blame someone.
Responses to
Thank You
When someone says
Thank you,
the standard response is
You’re welcome.
You’re most welcome
is a more formal version. Very often, however, people use other responses to
thank you
, from the very formal
The pleasure was all mine!
to the slangy
No sweat.
The expressions that follow are common ways of saying
You’re welcome,
though each has its specific implication, as indicated:
(It was) my pleasure:
means “It gave me pleasure to do it”
Anytime:
means “Ask me for help anytime”
Sure:
slangy, familiar
No problem:
means “It caused me no problem”
Not at all:
means “It’s not necessary to thank me at all; it was not a problem for me at all”
No sweat:
slang; means “I didn’t sweat or become overworked by helping”
It’s nothing:
means “It was like doing nothing; it was easy”
Don’t worry about it:
means “Don’t feel uncomfortable because you asked for help; don’t worry about repaying me”
Don’t mention it:
means “No need to thank me; no need to even mention it”
Forget (about) it:
slightly harsh; means “I don’t want to be thanked”
In American culture where self-sufficiency is highly valued, saying something like
It was no trouble
may save face or possible embarrassment for the person who received something or requested help.
Saying
I’m Sorry
I’m sorry
can be an apology for a mistake or wrongdoing, for refusing a request, for interrupting someone, or for accidentally bumping or getting too close to someone.
All of the following expressions can mean
I’m sorry
.
Sorry
♦ Sorry
I can’t join you tonight.
Excuse me
♦ Excuse me
for interrupting.
Pardon (me)
♦ Pardon me.
I need to get by.
Forgive me
♦
I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Please,
forgive me.
Oops!
♦ Oops!
I stepped on your toe. Are you okay?
Responses to
I’m Sorry
Saying
Sorry
requires a response. Often people say
That’s okay
or
It’s okay
, meaning that it’s not necessary to be sorry or that everything turned out okay. Here are some other expressions that are used in response to
Sorry:
That’s all right
It’s cool:
in this context,
cool
is slang for
fine, good, okay
Don’t worry about it
Never mind
Forget it
(It’s) No big deal:
means “It’s not big enough to worry about”
The following expressions are said in reply to
Sorry
when the apology is for a more serious offense, or when the offended person is still upset:
I appreciate your apology:
a polite acceptance of apology without saying
It’s okay
I’ll forgive you this time:
means “I’ll forgive you once, but not a second time”
Don’t let it happen again:
a strong and serious warning; but can also be said lightly
I Blew It
and Related Idioms
