Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (63 page)

to reprimand, punish, or be angry at someone for something ♦
The school really
came down on
them for cheating.
♦
His parents
came down
hard
on
him when he took the car without permission.
Note:
This expression often includes
hard
or
easy
between the two prepositions.

to criticize or reprimand someone in hopes of changing his or her behavior; often used as to
get down on oneself
♦
I sometimes
get down on
myself for not getting enough exercise.
♦
His teammates really
got down on
him for missing practice.

Come Down On versus Get Down On

Both
come down on
and
get down on
can mean to reprimand or criticize, but here are some subtle differences:

• Come down on
  tends to be stronger than
  get down on.
  
• Come down on
  implies possible punishment, legal action, or restrictions, whereas
  get down on
  implies light to serious criticism, but not punishment.
  
• Generally, a person of authority or one who can restrict someone else’s actions can
  come down on
  someone, whereas anyone can
  get down on
  someone else.
  

Here are some examples:

• The EPA
  came down on
  companies that were still polluting.
  
• He
  got down on
  his parents
  for not recycling.
  

to be included in a plan or endeavor; to take advantage of a special offer ♦
I hope to
get in on
the meeting.
♦
If you buy a ticket now, you can
get in
early
on
our special fall rates.
Grammar Note:
This idiom often has an adjective, such as
early, late, first,
and so on, between the two prepositions.

to take back or break a promise or agreement; to renege on. Often put as
go back on one’s word.
♦
He
went back on
his promise to help us.
♦
My father never
went back on
his word.

to share (often equally) an expense or financial responsibility; to pool or join resources to purchase something together ♦
If we all
go in on
a gift, we can get something much nicer.
♦
They
went in
equally
on
the business venture.
Note:
This idiom sometimes has an adverb or adjective, such as
equally, halves, together,
and so on, between the two prepositions.

to date someone while in a relationship with someone else ♦
She
went out on
him, so he stopped seeing her.
♦
He
went out on
her when she was away visiting her parents.

to review or reassess; to remember the past, possibly with nostalgia or regret ♦ Looking back on
the decision, I think we made a mistake.
♦
He
looked back on
his college days as a time of freedom.

to regard something as inferior and oneself as superior; to consider something with contempt ♦
They
looked down on
us because we were poor.
♦
He tends to
look down on
anyone who doesn’t share his beliefs.

to check the status, safety, or progress of someone by looking at or visiting them ♦
Before they go to bed, they
look in on
their sleeping children.
♦
I’ll
look in on
you later to see how your sewing project is going.

to enter and accidentally interrupt someone involved in a private or secretive activity, anything from a robbery to a person using the bathroom or toilet to a private argument ♦
They
walked in on
the thieves as they were robbing the house.
♦
Lock the bathroom door so no one
walks in on
you.

to abandon or unexpectedly leave someone to whom you have responsibility, such as a spouse or romantic partner, business partner, or one’s children ♦
He simply
walked out on
his wife and three children.
♦
When the business began to fail, his partner just
walked out on
him.

to signify, imply, mean, or result in ♦
It all
adds up to
one thing: We have to spend less money.
♦
Her hard work
added up to
a huge success.
Note:
A common expression that is often used to summarize a point or show a result is “It all
adds up to
one thing. . . .”

1.
to approach someone ♦
He
came up to
me and shook my hand.
♦
He told his children “Never
go up to
an unfamiliar dog; it might bite.”

2.
to reach or extend in height, amount, or sequence ♦
My son now
comes up to
my shoulders.
♦
This alphabetical list only
goes up to
the letter L.

1.
to ultimately depend on; generally used to explain what is required for something to happen, or why something isn’t possible. Often said as “It
comes down to
” followed by the ultimate factor (time, money, hard work, and so on). ♦
We want to take a vacation, but it
comes down to
time.
♦
If it
comes down to
money, I’ll help you out.

2.
in fact or in truth. Often put as “
When it
comes
(right)
down to
it . . .
” ♦
When it
comes
right
down to
it, he doesn’t really want to work in his father’s business.

to feel capable physically and mentally to do something; most often used in the negative ♦
My cold is almost gone, but I don’t
feel up to
going out.
♦
Since she lost her husband, she hasn’t
felt up to
socializing much.
Grammar Note:
Feel up to
is generally followed by a gerund, but it can be followed by a noun when the verb in the gerund form is understood, such as “Do you
feel up to
(going to) a movie?”

Feel Up To
and
Feel Like

Feel up to
is often used in the negative when one is tired, sick, or depressed. For example: “I have a cold, so I don’t
feel up to
doing anything today.” When
feel up to
is used in the positive, it generally implies that one is now in a better condition, in better health, feels more rested or stronger. “Today I
feel up to
going for a walk” implies that yesterday I didn’t feel well enough to go for a walk.

However, sometimes
feel up to
is used to mean that one is in the mood to do something or is interested in doing something. It might be used in a question such as: “Hey, do you
feel up to
taking a hike?”

The expression
feel like
is used to express a preference or liking. When you want to relax or you feel lazy, you might say “I don’t
feel like
doing anything.”
Feel like
suggests a general mood or choice, for example, “Today, I just
feel like
singing.”

Compare the two expressions in the following examples:

• I don’t
  feel up to
  shopping today; I’m still a little sick.
  
• I don’t
  feel like
  shopping today. It’s so nice outside, let’s take a hike.
  

Occasionally, people do use the expression
feel like
when they’re sick or tired. Their tone of voice or explanation will generally tell you if it’s physical or simply a preference.

to accept something that is difficult to accept. This expression is often put as
face up to the fact.
♦
He had to
face up to
the fact that his grades weren’t good enough for the university he wanted to go to.
♦
They didn’t want to
face up to
their mistakes, but they had to.

to find or make time to do something, often something that has been put off or avoided ♦
I finally
got around to
answering my mail.
♦
There’s no hurry. Just do it whenever you
get around to
it.
Note:
This idiom is often said as
get around to doing something,
as in “I haven’t painted the house yet, but I’ll
get around to doing it.
”

to keep, save, not spend or lose; to keep faith in something ♦
She
held on to
her money and eventually bought a house.
♦ Hold on to
your receipt in case you want to exchange the item.

to act according to beliefs, expectations, or standards set by (generally) someone else ♦
She tried to
live up to
her parents’ expectations.
♦
He certainly
lived up to
the nickname Funny Guy.

to anticipate something with enthusiasm or be excited about a future event. When
look forward to
is used in the negative, the meaning is often stronger than simply meaning unenthusiastic; it means to dread or feel uncomfortable about an inevitable future event. ♦
The kids always
look forward to
summer vacation.
♦
I’m not
looking forward to
having the surgery, but it’s necessary.

to respect and admire someone, to look to them as a role model; sometimes put in the passive voice, as in the second example that follows ♦
She
looked up to
her older sister.
♦
Professional athletes are often
looked up to,
although many aren’t good role models.

to be assertive or strong, often against a stronger opposition or force ♦
The workers
stood up to
the company by going on strike, and they eventually got a better contract.
♦
Sometimes the only way to stop a bully is to
stand up to
him.

Three-Word Verbs in Context

The following short paragraph incorporates some of the three-word verbs in this section:

to talk in a childish, condescending or disrespectful way to someone, often as an insult or a show of disregard, but occasionally done unintentionally ♦
Some people think it’s necessary to
talk down to
children.
♦
I don’t like how the boss
talks down to
everyone.

to become more comfortable with or more fond of an idea or a person, usually after being hesitant ♦
She’s beginning to
warm up to
the idea.
♦
They never
warmed up to
the new teacher, who was too strict.

to gradually be able to do something after some effort, progress, or hesitation ♦
She gradually
worked up to
running three miles a day.
♦
You can eventually
work up to
assistant manager after a year or two with the company.