Lesson 16

On one’s toes..... get along…. hard of hearing…. see eye to eye… have in mind…. keep in touch… for once….. go off…. grow out of….. make the best of…. cut off… cut out
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On one’s toes: alert, cautious
This idiom is usually used with the verbs stay and keep.
Ø It’s important for all the players on a soccer team to stay on their toes.
Ø We’d better keep on our toes while we’re walking along the dark portions of this street.
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To get along: to make progress, to manage, to live in a certain state of health
Ø Juan is getting along very well in his English studies.
Ø How is Mr. Richards getting along after his long illness?
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Hard of hearing: partially deaf, not able to hear well
Ø You’ll have to speak a little louder, Mrs. Evans is hard of hearing.
Ø Please don’t shout. I’m not hard of hearing.
Ø Listening to loud music too much can make you hard of hearing.
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To see eye to eye: to agree, to concur
Ø I’m glad that we see eye to eye on the matter of the conference location.
Ø A husband and wife don’t always see eye to eye with each other, but a good marriage can survive small disagreements.
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To have in mind: to be considering, to be thinking (S)
Ø I don’t want to see a movie now. I have in mind going to the park.
Ø It’s up to you what we eat tonight. Do you have anything in mind?
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To keep in mind: to remember, not to forget (S) (also: to bear in mind)
Ø Please keep in mind that you promised to call Stan around noon.
Ø I didn’t know that Paula doesn’t like vegetables. We should bear that in mind next time we invite her for dinner.
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For once: this one time, for only one time
Ø For once I was able to win a game of golf against Steve, who is a much better player than I am.
Ø Dad, for once would you please let me drive the new car?
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To go off: to explode, to sound as an alarm, to leave suddenly without explanation
Ø The accident happened when a box of firecrackers went off accidentally.
Ø For what time did you set the alarm clock to go off tomorrow morning?
Ø Vince went off without saying good-bye to anybody, I hope he wasn’t angry.
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To grow out of: to outgrow, to become too old for, to be a result of
Ø He still bites his nails now and then, but soon he’ll grow out of the habit.
Ø The need for the salary committee grew out of worker dissatisfaction with the pay scale.
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To make the best of: to do the best that one can in a poor situation
Ø If we can’t find a large apartment soon, we’ll just have to make the best of it right here.
Ø Even though the Martinez family is having financial problems, they make the best of everything by enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
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To cut off: to shorten by cutting the ends (S), to disconnect or stop suddenly (S)
Ø The rope was two feet longer than we needed, so we cut off the extra length.
Ø The operator cut our long-distance phone conversation off after two minutes.
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To cut out: to remove by cutting (S), to stop doing something (S) (for the second definition, also: to knock it off)
Ø The child likes to cut out pictures from the newspaper and to paste them in a notebook.
Ø He kept bothering her, so finally she told him to cut it out. However, he wouldn’t knock it off until her larger brother appeared.
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E X E R C I S E S
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Choose the appropriate idiomatic expression to substitute for the italicized word or words in each sentence below. Idioms from previous lessons are indicated by number.
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1. My brother and I are having a lot of arguments these days. We can hardly
agree on anything.
a. go off
b. see eye to eye
c. have in mind
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2. How is old Mrs. Dunham managing to live after her hip replacement surgery?
a. getting along
b. making the best
c. getting through (lesson 11)
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3. Teddy’s foot size is now so big that he’s already become too old for these
baseball shoes.
a. on his toes for
b. cut off
c. grown out of
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4. This one time I’d like to win a million dollars in the state lottery, but I’m sure I
won’t.
a. so far (lesson 4)
b. for once
c. all along (lesson 2)
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5. Wilma awoke suddenly when her alarm clock sounded in the morning.
a. went on (lesson 6)
b. went off
c. went out (lesson 8)
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6. I can’t answer your question about this problem, go see the supervisor and
consult him about it.
a. keep him in mind
b. take it up with him (lesson 15)
c. make the best of him
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7. At the end of the break, the teacher had to suddenly stop the students’
conversations and resume class.
a. to cut out
b. to go off
c. to cut off
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8. Even though here are a lot of quiet moments in baseball, the players on the field
should always stay alert.
a. out of touch with them (lesson 15)
b. bearing them in mind
c. on their toes
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9. Sarah’s negative attitude about life is a result of an unhappy childhood.
a. makes the best of
b. grows out of
c. gets along
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10. I don’t know what you think, but I am considering a roller skating party for Billy’s
birthday.
a. have in mind
b. never mind (lesson 2)
c. keep in mind
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Answer these questions orally by making use of the idiomatic expressions studied in this lesson.
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1. Why should you stay on your toes while driving a car?
2. How are you getting along in your English studies?
3. Is anyone in your family hard of hearing? What could possibly make a person hard of hearing at an early age?
4. What do you do when you don’t see eye to eye with a friend/boss? Do you usually stay calm or get angry during an argument?
5. What should parents keep in mind as they raise their children? Did your parents do this?
6. Is there anything in life that you would like to do just for once?
7. What time in the morning does your alarm clock usually go off?
8. Name one or more habits that you had as a child that later you grew out of.
9. As a child, did you like to cut out pictures from newspapers and magazines? What did you do with them?
10. Why might someone say “Cut it out!” to you?