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 #2 (permalink) Tue Jun 05, 2007 3:20 am clarity of some idioms |
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| lost_soul wrote: |
| 1. Now they are getting on like a house on fire |
I thought I understood this idiom until I looked it up. I thought it meant that the people hated each other and fought all the time, but according to a dictionary it means that the people really like each other and become friends quickly. I still think that most people in my environment would understand it the way I did. It's not frequently used where I live.
| lost_soul wrote: |
| 2. Her parents went off at the deep end |
I would leave out at and just say they went off the deep end.
| lost_soul wrote: |
| 3. He'll come down on me like a ton of bricks |
Yes, that means he will come down on you very hard. Note that you can also say, "He fell for her like a ton of bricks," which means that he fell desperately in love with her very quickly.
| lost_soul wrote: |
| 4. He was really cut up about it. |
I would say, "He was really torn up about it." In my experience "cut up" is usually used to describe someone who is very quick-witted and tells a lot of rapid-fire jokes. A funny kid will cut up in class, for example. That kid is often called a cut-up.
| lost_soul wrote: |
| 5. He really lays it on a bit thick |
Yes. It means he's overly dramatic about something. |
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Jamie (K)
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 6552
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| #3 (permalink) Tue Jun 05, 2007 4:59 am clarity of some idioms |
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Hi LS
Here is my two cents:
| lost_soul wrote: |
1. Now they are getting on like a house on fire
I had the same reaction as Jamie -- I thought it might have the opposite meaning.
2. Her parents went off at the deep end
You can say:
- jump/dive/go in at the deep end
OR (as Jamie said)
- go off the deep end.
My interpretations of the rest of your idioms were the same as Jamie's.
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_________________
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln |
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Yankee
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| #4 (permalink) Tue Jun 05, 2007 6:53 am clarity of some idioms |
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Hi,
Thank you very much ! :) |
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Lost_Soul
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Joined: 15 Sep 2006
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Location: South Park, Colorado, USA
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| #5 (permalink) Sat Jun 14, 2008 1:00 am clarity of some idioms |
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| "cut up about it" means ( in London) to be upset about it |
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 Panka33
New Member
Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 1
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| #6 (permalink) Sat Jun 14, 2008 1:07 am clarity of some idioms |
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| panka33 wrote: |
| "cut up about it" means ( in London) to be upset about it |
In the United States, to cut up about something means to make continuous jokes about it. The guy in class who never stops making jokes is called a cut-up. |
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Jamie (K)
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 6552
Location: Detroit, Michigan, USA
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| #7 (permalink) Sat Jun 14, 2008 1:55 am clarity of some idioms |
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I would agree about #2, #3, and #5; #1 and #4 would also be idiomatic in BrE, with the meaning in brackets:
1. Now they are getting on like a house on fire [very well]
4. He was really cut up [upset] about it
MrP |
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MrPedantic
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| #8 (permalink) Sat Jun 14, 2008 10:01 am clarity of some idioms |
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By the way, I like most the idiom "get on like a house on fire".
They got on like a house on fire, or they hit it off right away
This brings on colorful images :) |
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Lost_Soul
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 1861
Location: South Park, Colorado, USA
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| #9 (permalink) Sat Jun 14, 2008 10:15 am clarity of some idioms |
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| lost_soul wrote: |
By the way, I like most the idiom "get on like a house on fire".
They got on like a house on fire, or they hit it off right away
This brings on colorful images :) |
I should think it's not much used by specialists in home insurance.
MrP |
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MrPedantic
I'm a Communicator ;-)
Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 1326
Location: Southern England
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| Multiple Choice: blissfully vs delightedly vs jubilantly vs esctatically | He still have vs. he still has |
