Lesson 22

Stop by.... drop (someone a line).... come across… stand for….. stand a chance… take pains…. look on… look up to….look down on…. take off…. pull off…. keep time….
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To stop by: to visit or stop somewhere briefly in order to do something
Ø James had to stop by the register’s office to submit a transcript request form.
Ø Let’s stop by the supermarket and pick up a few grocery items.
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To drop (someone) a line: to write a note to someone (S)
Ø As soon as I get to Florida, I’ll drop you a line and tell you about my new job.
Ø If you have time, drop me a line now and then while you’re traveling.
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To come across: to meet or find unexpectedly (also: to run across), to be perceived or judged as (also: to come off)
Ø While Cheryl was cleaning the attic, she came across some very old coins. It took her by surprise to run across something like that.
Ø Jeff’s boss comes across as a tough, unpleasant person, but actually Jeff says that he is a good employer. Some people come off quite differently than they really are.
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To stand for: to represent, to signify, to tolerate
The second definition is usually used in a negative sense.
The meaning is the same as to put up with in Lesson 19.
Ø On the American flag, each star stands for one of the fifty states, and each stripe stands for one of the original thirteen colonies of the 1800s.
Ø The citizens wouldn’t stand for the increase I crime in their city, so they hired more police officers and built another jail.
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To stand a chance: to have the possibility of accomplishing something
This idiom is often used with an adjective such as good or excellent. It also occurs in the negative, sometimes with the adjective much.
Ø The New York baseball team stands a good chance of winning the World Series this year.
Ø Because John doesn’t have any previous work experience, he doesn’t stand a chance of getting that job.
Ø The woman injured in the serious train accident doesn’t stand much chance of surviving.
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To take pains: to work carefully and conscientiously
Ø She takes pains to do everything well, she’s our best employee.
Ø He took great pains with his last assignment because he needed to get an excellent grade to pass the class.
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To look on: to watch as a spectator, to observe
Ø Hundreds of people were looking on as the police and firefighters rescued the passengers in the wrecked train.
Ø I stayed with my son at his first soccer practice and looked on as the coach worked with the boys.
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To look up to: to admire, to respect greatly
Ø Children will most certainly look up to their parents if the children are brought up well.
Ø Everyone looks up to the director of our department because he is a kind and generous person.
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To look down on: to feel superior to, to think of someone as less important
Ø People who are in positions of power should be careful not to look down on those who work for them.
Ø Why does Alma look down on Mario just because his family is poor?
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To take off: to leave the ground (for airplanes), to leave, often in a hurry
The noun form takeoff derives from this idiom.
Ø The plane took off over an hour late. The passengers had to buckle their seatbelts during takeoff.
Ø Do you have to take off already? You just arrived an hour ago!
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To pull off: to succeed in doing something difficult (S), to exit to the side of a
highway.
Ø The group of investors pulled off a big deal by buying half the stock in that company. I wonder how they pulled it off before the company could prevent it.
Ø The motorist pulled off when the police officer turned on the red lights and the siren.
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To keep time: to operate accurately (for watches and clocks)
This idiom is usually used with adjectives such as good and perfect.
Ø Although this is a cheap watch, it keeps good time.
Ø The old clock keeps perfect time; it’s never fast or slow.
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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. In computer code, a binary number such as 10010001 represents a letter,
number, or other character on a computer keyboard.
a. stands for
b. looks on
c. figures out (lesson 7)
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2. The handyman worked carefully to paint the house neatly so that it looked like a
professional job.
a. stood a chance to
b. took off to
c. took pains to
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3. This stopwatch doesn’t operate accurately at all, you ran a hundred meters in
much faster than fifteen seconds.
a. doesn’t keep out (lesson 11)
b. doesn’t pull of
c. doesn’t keep good time
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4. Rhonda has to briefly visit the pharmacy in order to get her medication for
stomach trouble.
a. to stop by
b. to pull off
c. to come across
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5. Did Frieda write you after she returned to Germany?
a. look down on you
b. drop you a line
c. look up to you
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6. How can you tolerate such a mess in your son’s bedroom? You should make
him wash all those dirty clothes and clean up his room!
a. put away (lesson 4)
b. look down on
c. stand for
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7. The crowd of political supporters was greatly affected by the news of the
election victory.
a. taken off
b. carried away (lesson 11)
c. looked on
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8. While Jerry was walking down the sidewalk, he unexpectedly found a twenty-
dollar bill lying by the side of the road.
a. came across
b. came to (lesson 13)
c. took off
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9. Leah managed to succeed in winning an important victory in a statewide track
and field competition this year when no one expected her to do so.
a. to come off
b. to pull off
c. to take off
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10. However, I’m afraid that Leah doesn’t have the possibility of winning a medal
in the Olympic Games next year.
a. stand a chance
b. stand for
c. stand to reason (lesson 12)
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Answer these questions orally by making use of the idiomatic expressions studied in this lesson.
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1. If you had to buy a birthday card, what kind of store would you stop by?
2. Are you always certain to drop your friends a line when you travel? Why or why not?
3. What would you do if you came across a bag containing a large amount of money?
4. When giving a talk or lecture to an audience, how would a speaker want to come across?
5. What do the initials U.S.A. stand for? Are the initials that stand for your country? What are they?
6. What kind of person stands a chance of becoming a country’s leader? (consider a president, king, dictator, etc.)
7. Do you prefer to be involved in playing a sport or just looking on? Why?
8. Who to you look up to most in life? Why?
9. What kind of a person would you look down on? Should you avoid feeling this way, or is it sometimes all right?
10. When might you want to, or have to, take off from a party early? Have you ever done this?