Commonly-Used Idioms, Sayings and phrasal verbs - "G" Idioms pot

217

G
gain ground

- to go forward, to make progress
The toy company is gaining ground in their effort to sell more products.

game that two can play

- a good or bad strategy that two competing sides can both use
The insults from my friend are a game that two can play and if she wants to continue
then so can I.

gang up on (someone)

- to attack someone in a group
The children tried to gang up on the boy but he ran away.

gas up

- to fill up a gas tank
We must gas up before we leave on our holiday tomorrow.

gear up for (something)

- to prepare for something
The city is gearing up for the Olympic games.

gee whiz

- used as an exclamation to show surprise or other strong feelings
"Gee whiz! Are we really going to go to France for our holiday?"





218

generous to a fault

- to be too generous
My friend is generous to a fault and he sometimes gives too much to his friends.

get Idioms


get a bang out of (someone or something)

- to receive special pleasure from someone or something
My father gets a bang out of the funny birthday cards that we send him.

get a break

- to get an opportunity or good deal
I got a break when my friend sold me his car for a cheap price.

get a bright idea

- to have a clever thought or idea occur to you (often used as sarcasm)
My father got the bright idea that he should buy a motorcycle.

get a checkup

- to receive a physical examination by a doctor
I go to the doctor every year to get a checkup.

get a clean bill of health

- to be pronounced healthy by a doctor
I got a clean bill of health when I went to see the doctor.



219

get a dirty look from (someone)

- to receive a frown from someone
I got a dirty look from the man who was sitting next to my crying child.

get a feel for (something)

- to become accustomed to something and learn how it works, to learn how to do
something
I am beginning to get a feel for my new job.

get a fix on (something)

- to receive a reading of a distant object by electronic means
We were able to get a fix on the island and took the boat safely to the harbor.

get a foothold (somewhere)

- to find a starting point somewhere
The new political party is beginning to get a foothold in the big cities.

get a grasp of (something)

- to begin to understand something
I am beginning to get a grasp of how to operate the new computer system.

get a grip of oneself

- to take control of one`s feelings
The man got a grip of himself and calmed down.

get a head start (on someone or something)

- to start earlier than someone or something, to start earlier than usual
We tried to get a head start on our holiday.


220

get a kick out of (someone or something)

- to enjoy someone or something
My father got a kick out of seeing his old school friend.

get a load of (someone or something)

- to take a good look at someone or something
"Get a load of that man over there with the four dogs."

get a load off one's feet

- to sit down and relax
I sat down and tried to get a load off my feet.

get a load off one's mind

- to express what one is thinking or worried about
I talked with my supervisor and was able to get a load off my mind regarding our
recent conflict.

get a lot of mileage out of (something)

- to get much use from something (like a car)
I hope to get a lot of mileage out of the new sneakers that I bought last week.

get a lump in one's throat

- to feel like there is something in one's throat (like you are going to cry)
My sister got a lump in her throat when she watched her daughter's graduation.

get a move on

- to hurry up

"Please get a move on. We are already three hours late."


221

get a raw deal

- to receive unfair or bad treatment
The secretary got a raw deal when she was forced to work late everyday.

get a rise out of (someone)

- to tease or have fun with someone by making him or her angry or annoyed
We got a rise out of the teacher when we opened the window in the cold weather.

get a slap on the wrist

- to receive a light punishment for doing something wrong
The judge gave the boy a slap on the wrist and decided not to punish him severely for
his crime.

get a suntan

- to make your skin browner/darker by exposing it to the rays of the sun
The girl went to the beach to get a suntan.

get a toehold (somewhere)

- to find a starting point somewhere
The new political party is beginning to get a toehold in rural areas.

get a whiff of (something)

- to learn a little about something (almost by chance)
Whenever the reporters get a whiff of a scandal they become excited and start asking
questions.







222

get a wiggle on

- to hurry up, to get going
"Get a wiggle on. I want to arrive at the party before the other guests."

get a word in

- to find a chance to say something when others are talking
The customer could not get a word in while talking to the salesman.

get a word in edgewise

- to manage to join a conversation
I could not get a word in edgewise so I left the meeting.

get across (something) to (someone)

- to explain or say something so that someone can understand it
It was difficult to get across the importance of the school safety rules to the children.

get after (someone) to do (something)

- to urge someone to do something that he or she should do but has neglected
I will get after the repairman to fix the computer as soon as he returns.

get ahead

- to advance or be successful
The woman works hard at her job in order to get ahead.

get ahead of (oneself)

- to do or say something sooner than you should
I was getting ahead of myself when I started asking questions about the job that I did
not have.


223

get ahold of (someone or something)

- to make contact with someone, to obtain something
I have been trying very hard to get ahold of my old high school teacher.

get along

- to leave
It`s late so I must get along now.

get along in years

- to grow older
My parents are getting along in years but they are still very healthy.

get along on (something)

- to manage to survive or do well with something
My friend is able to get along on very little money.
The young woman gets along on her good looks very well.

get along on a shoestring

- to manage with very little money
I had to get along on a shoestring during university.

get along (with someone)

- to have a good relationship with someone
I get along with everybody at my company.

get an earful

- to hear much talk/criticism/complaints about something
Our boss got an earful when he asked the employees if they had any complaints.

224

get around

- to go to different places, to move about
My friend gets around and has been to many different cities.

get around to (do something)

- to finally find time to do something
The apartment manager finally got around to fixing our bath.

get at (someone or something)

- to attack or hit someone or something
Our dog tried to get at the other dog.

get at (something)

- to mean something
I do not know what the man was trying to get at during the meeting.

get away

- to succeed in leaving, to escape
I was able to get away from work early so I went shopping.

get away from it all

- to go on a holiday
We want to get away from it all this summer and relax somewhere.

get away with murder

- to do something very bad without being caught or punished
The students were able to get away with murder while the substitute teacher was in
the school.


225

get away with (something)

- to do something that one should not do and not get caught
The criminal got away with stealing the money and was never caught.

get back

- to return
We got back from London early yesterday afternoon.

get back at (someone)

- to do something bad to someone who has done something bad to you
The girl is angry at her boyfriend and she is getting back at him by not answering the
telephone.

get back to (someone)

- to communicate something to someone at a later time, to contact someone later
We were very careful that our complaints did not get back to the school principal.

get back to (something)

- to return to something
I needed a rest before I could get back to my work.

get back together (with someone)

- to resume a relationship or marriage after separating
The couple got back together after separating for three months.

get behind

- to fail to maintain a desired pace or level of progress, to become late
If you get behind with your homework you will never pass many courses.


226

get behind (a person or idea)

- to support/help someone or something
Many people decided to get behind the candidate who promised to cut taxes.

get better

- to improve one's skill at doing something, to improve one's health
The little boy is getting better at riding his bicycle.

get by (on something)

- to be able to satisfy your needs with a certain amount of something (usually related
to money)
The man is able to get by on his salary because he does not spend much money.

get carried away

- to be overcome by emotion or enthusiasm, to lose one's control or judgement
I got carried away yesterday and cleaned all of my apartment.

get close to (someone)

- to become close friends with someone
The woman tried very hard to get close to her youngest daughter.

get close to (something)

- to be almost as good as something, to almost reach or arrive at a goal
The charity is getting close to the final amount of money that they expect to collect.

get cold feet

- to become afraid at the last minute
The student got cold feet and cancelled his plans to go to China.


227

get cracking

- to hurry up, to start moving fast, to get started
We must get cracking on this job if we want to finish it before dinner.

get down to brass tacks

- to begin discussing/doing something immediately
"Let`s get down to brass tacks and finish this job quickly."

get down to business

- to begin to get serious
When the meeting began everybody got down to business and began to discuss the
important issues.

get down to (something)

- to get started to do something
"Let`s get down to work so we can go home early."

get down to the nitty-gritty

- to get down to the facts
The teacher called us into her office to get down to the nitty-gritty of what had
happened earlier.

get dressed up

- to put on one's best clothes

I usually get dressed up when I go to a nice restaurant.







228

get engaged (to/with someone)

- to make a plan to marry someone
My cousin decided to get engaged last month.

get even (with someone)

- to get revenge on someone
My sister wants to get even with her friend for being late for the concert.

the get-go

- the beginning
Right from the get-go I did not like the new manager.

get going

- to begin, to act, to go
"Let's get going and begin to clean the house."

get going

- to become excited/angry
When the man gets going he will never stop complaining.

get hold of (someone)

- to find a person so that you can speak with him or her
I tried to get hold of my brother last week but he was out of town.

get hold of (something)

- to get possession of something
"If you get hold of a dictionary, could you please let me borrow it for a few minutes."


229

get in on (something)

- to become involved in something
My friend wants to get in on the planning of the summer festival.

get in on the ground floor

- to start at the beginning of something (in hopes of future gain)
I am hoping to get in on the ground floor of the new company.

get in (someone's) hair

- to bother or irritate someone
The woman complained that her young child was always getting in her hair.

get in touch with someone

- to contact someone
I plan to get in touch with my friend when I arrive in New York in August.

get into

- to enter, to go into something
I do not want any water to get into my car.

get into a class/college/university

- to secure a place in a class/college/university
My friend wants to get into a good university.

get into a jam

- to become involved in trouble or a problem
I got into a jam when I lost the keys to my apartment.


230

get into a stew about/over (someone or something)

- to be worried or upset about someone or something
My mother is getting into a stew about my aunt not phoning.

get into hot water

- to get into trouble or difficulty
We got into hot water when they found us in the building after it had closed.

get into (something)

- to become involved in something, to become interested in something
I did not want to get into a conversation with the strange man.
Recently, I have started to get into jazz music.

get into the act

- to try to be part of whatever is happening
Everybody at the party wanted to get into the act and join the singers.

get into the swing of things

- to adapt to a new environment or situation
My friend got into the swing of things after the party started.

get into trouble

- to become involved in some kind of trouble
The young boys try not to get into trouble when they are left at home alone.

get involved with (someone)

- to become associated with someone (often romantically)

The bank teller got involved with the bank manager several months ago .


231

get it

- to understand something, to understand a joke
Everybody was laughing at the joke but I did not get it.

get it all together

- to be in full control of oneself
My friend got it all together and applied for the job at the supermarket.

get it through one`s head

- to understand/believe something
The man has got it through his head that he will get a job without making any effort.

Get lost!

- Go away!
The girl told her brother to get lost so she could finish doing her homework.

get mad at (someone or something)

- to become angry with someone or something
I often get mad at my friend when he is late.

get married

- to marry someone
We got married in June of last year.

get mixed up

- to become confused
"I`m sorry but I got mixed up with the dates. That`s why I came today."


232

get nowhere fast

- to make no progress
We are getting nowhere fast in our effort to convince our boss to give us a holiday.

get off

- to escape or avoid punishment
The criminal got off with a very light sentence from the judge.

get off (a bus/train/plane etc.)

- to leave or exit from a bus or train etc.
We decided to get off the train at the next station.

get off easy

- to escape a serious punishment
The criminals got off easy after they robbed the bank.

get off on the wrong foot (with someone or something)

- to make a bad start with someone or something
I got off on the wrong foot with my boss and our relationship is not good.

get off one`s butt

- to get busy, to start working
My friend should get off his butt and try to find a job.

get off one's high horse

- to become less arrogant
The manager was forced to get off his high horse and act better toward the employees.


233

get off (someone`s) back

- to leave someone alone and not bother him or her
I wish that my supervisor would get off my back.

get off the ground

- to make a successful beginning
My uncle's new business never got off the ground and he must look for a new job.

get off the hook

- to become free from an obligation
I got off the hook and I did not have to clean the classroom after school.

get off to a flying start

- to have a successful beginning
The new restaurant got off to a flying start when many people came during the first
weekend.

get on in years

- to become older
My uncle is getting on in years and is not very healthy.

get on one`s high horse

- to behave with arrogance
Our boss likes to get on his high horse and give orders to everyone.

get on (someone`s) nerves

- to irritate someone
The woman's constant complaining is beginning to get on my nerves.


234

get on (someone) to do (something)

- to ask/pressure someone to do something
I will get on my friend to bring your book back tomorrow.

get on the good side of (someone)

- to get in someone's favor
I took my aunt to a nice restaurant in order to get on her good side.

get one's act together

- to become more organized
My sister finally got her act together and was able to find a new job.

get one's bearings

- to determine where one is
When I got my bearings I was able to easily find my way around the big department
store.

get one's comeuppance

- to get the punishment that one deserves
The woman got her comeuppance when she was forced to apologize to the other
woman in the company.

get one`s dander up

- to become angry

You should not talk to the supervisor early in the morning or you may get his dander
up.






235

get one's ducks in a row

- to put one's affairs in order, to get things ready
I got my ducks in a row and was able to find a job easily.

get one`s feet wet

- to begin something, to do something for the first time
The writer got his feet wet in the publishing business and he is now ready to start his
own business.

get one's fill of (someone or something)

- to receive enough of someone or something
Recently, I have got my fill of fresh corn and I do not want to eat any more.

get one's foot in the door

- to begin to do something that you hope will lead to future success (often used with
jobs/careers)

I was able to get my foot in the door of the banking industry when I found a job at a
bank.

get one's hands on (someone or something)

- to get someone or something in one's grasp
"When I get my hands on a hammer I will help you fix the door."

get one's head above water

- to get in control of one's situation (often financial situation)
When I get my head above water I will be able to spend less time working.






236

get one's just deserts

- to get what one deserves
The apartment manager got her just deserts when she was fired for bothering the
tenants.

get one's money's worth

- to get value for what you have paid for
We got our money's worth when we stayed on the golf course for seven hours.

get one's nose out of (someone's) business

- to stop interfering in someone else's business
The school secretary was told to get her nose out of the teacher's business.

get one`s own way

- to be able to do what you want
The boy always gets his own way with his younger brothers.

get one`s rear in gear

- to hurry up, to get going
"Let`s get our rear in gear before it is too late to go to a movie."

get one's say

- to be able to say what one thinks
The meeting was over very quickly but everyone got their say.








237

get one's sea legs

- to become accustomed to something (like you would become accustomed to the
movement of a ship)
After we got our sea legs we were able to get up and walk around the boat.

get one's start

- to receive the first major opportunity of one's career
The newspaper owner got his start by selling papers when he was a child.

get one's walking papers

- to get fired
The young man got his walking papers for being late too often.

get one's wires crossed

- to get confused about something
We got our wires crossed and we both went to different places for our meeting.

get out from under (someone or something)

- to escape from a situation that one does not like
I would like to get out from under my boss who is always watching my work.

get out of a jam

- to get free from a problem or bad situation
We got out of a jam this morning when enough people came to help finish the job.

get out of bed on the wrong side

- to be in a bad mood
I think that she got out of bed on the wrong side as she is not talking to anyone today.


238

get out of hand

- to get out of control
The party was beginning to get out of hand so we asked everyone to leave.

get out of (somewhere)

- to leave somewhere, to escape
I want to hurry and get out of my house so I will not be late for work.

get out of the way

- to stop obstructing or interfering with someone or something, to escape from
something
The car was unable to get out of the way of the truck and it was hit.

get over (something)

- to overcome a difficulty, to recover from an illness or shock
The woman is having trouble getting over her father`s death.

get ready

- to prepare yourself for something
"First I must get ready for work, then I will help you."

get religion

- to develop a strong religious belief
My uncle recently got religion and is very busy now.








239

get rid of (something)

- to give or throw something away, to sell or destroy something, to make a cold or
fever disappear
I bought a new television set so now I want to get rid of my old one.

get rolling

- to get started
"Let's get rolling and try and finish this project today."

get set

- to get ready to start something
Everybody is getting set for the wedding ceremony.

get sick

- to become ill
I got sick yesterday and did not go to the movie.

get sidetracked

- to become diverted from one's task
I began to watch the news and got sidetracked in what I had planned to do.

get (someone) down

- to make someone unhappy, to cause discouragement
The long commuting time is getting my friend down so she wants to quit her job.

get (someone`s) goat

- to irritate someone
My friend is always getting my goat and I am tired of him.


240

get (something) off one's chest

- to talk about something that has been bothering you
I told my father about my problem at work so that I could get it off my chest.

get (someone or something) out of one's mind/head

- to manage to forget about someone or something
It took me several months to get my old girlfriend out of my mind.

get (something) out in the open

- to make something public
We had a frank discussion in order to get everything out in the open.

get (something) out of one's system

- to get rid of the desire to do something
I went on a short holiday so that I could get travelling out of my system.

get (something) out of (something)

- to get some kind of benefit from something
My mother does not understand why my aunt can get something out of going to an
opera.

get (something) out of the way

- to take care of some business, to do/finish something
We got our work out of the way and began to plan for the weekend.

get (something) over with

- to finish something (often something that you do not want to do)
I was very happy to get my exams over with.


241

get (something) straight

- to understand something clearly
I could not get what my friend was trying to tell me straight.

get (something) through (someone's) thick skull

- to manage to get someone to understand something
I could not get it through my friend's thick skull that I would not go on a holiday with
him.

get (something) under control

- to be able to control something
The fire fighters were quickly able to get the fire under control.

get the ax

- to be fired
The man got the ax last week and now has no job.

get the ball rolling

- to start something
"Let`s get the ball rolling and start planning the party."

get the benefit of the doubt

- to receive a decision in your favor when the evidence in neither for you nor against
you
I got the benefit of the doubt when I complained about my parking ticket.