Lesson 31

Go through… go without saying… put (someone on)… keep one’s head… lose one’s head… narrow-minded… stand up… get the better of… break loose… on edge… waste one’s breath… cut short
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To go through: to undergo, to experience, to consume, to use (also: to use up)
The first definition is used when someone is having some hardship or difficulty.
Ø I can’t believe what she went through to get that job. She had four interviews with the hiring committee in one week!
Ø Frank said that they had gone through all the toilet paper in the house, but Steve couldn’t believe that they had used it all up.
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To go without saying: to be known without the need to mention
This idiom occurs with a that-clause, often with the pronoun it as the subject.
Ø It goes without saying that you shouldn’t drive quickly in bad weather.
Ø That he will gain weight if he continues to eat and drink so much goes without saying.
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To put (someone) on: to mislead by joking or tricking (S)
This idiom is usually used in a continuous tense form. A noun object must divide the idiom.
Ø Don’t worry. I wouldn’t expect you do all that work by yourself. I’m just putting you on.
Ø Jack can’t be serious about what he said. He must be putting us on.
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To keep one’s head: to remain calm during an emergency
Ø When the heater caused a fire, Gloria kept her head and phoned for assistance right away, otherwise, the whole house might have burned down.
Ø When the boat starting sinking in heavy seas, the crew members kept their heads and led the passengers to the lifeboats.
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To lose one’s head: not to think clearly, to lose one’s self-control
Ø When Mel saw a dog in the street right in front of his car, he lost his head and drove onto the sidewalk and into a tree.
Ø If the politician hadn’t gotten stirred up and lost his head, he never would have criticized his opponent unfairly.
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Narrow-minded: not willing to accept the ideas of others
(the opposite of narrow minded is broad-minded)
Ø Narrow-minded people tend to discriminate against groups of people with which they have nothing in common.
Ø Ted is so broad-minded that he has almost no standards by which he judges others.
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To stand up: to withstand use or wear, to fail to appear for a date or social engagement (S)
Ø My old car has stood up well over the years. I haven’t had any major problems at all.
Ø Janet was very angry because her new boyfriend stood her up on their second date. She waited over an hour for him before returning home.
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To get the better of: to win or defeat by gaining an advantage over someone
Ø Jim doesn’t seem very athletic at tennis, but if you’re not careful, he’ll get the better of you.
Ø Lynn gets frustrated when Bruce gets the better of her in arguments. No matter what she says, he always has a clever response.
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To break loose: to become free or loose, to escape
Ø During the bad storm, the boat broke loose from the landing and drifted out to sea.
Ø One bicyclist broke loose from the pack of racers and pulled ahead towards the finish line.
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On edge: nervous, anxious, upset, irritable
Ø Cynthia was on edge all day about the important presentation she had to give to the local citizens group.
Ø I don’t like being around Jake when he’s on edge like that. Someone should tell him to calm down and relax.
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To waste one’s breath: no be able to convince someone
This idiom is used when someone is wasting time trying to convince another person. The idiom to save one’s breath is related and means not to waste effort trying to convince someone.
Ø Don’t argue with Frank any longer. You are wasting your breath trying to get him to agree with you.
Ø I have already decided what I’m going to do. You can’t change my mind, so save your breath.
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To cut short: to make shorter, to interrupt (S)
Ø The moderator asked the speaker to cut short his talk because there wasn’t much time remaining for questions from the audience.
Ø We were very unfortunate when we received bad news from home that forced us to cut our trip short.
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E X E R C I S E S
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Substitute an idiomatic expression for the word or words in italics, making any necessary grammatical changes as well. Then complete each sentence appropriately with your own idea. Also try to use idioms from previous lessons.
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Mr. Larsen is in the hospital undergoing emergency surgery because he…
When you feel sick, it doesn’t need to be mentioned that…
Steve was misleading me when he told me that…
After the serious earthquake, most people remained calm, but unfortunately some people…
You are not able to convince someone if he or she is not willing to accept the ideas of others, so it is better to…
Betty failed to appear for her date because she…
Your car will withstand use longer if you…
Our team was able to win by gaining an advantage over the other team because…
The politician was nervous before she…
The meeting was suddenly interrupted because…
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Answer these questions orally by making use of the idiomatic expressions studied in this lesson.
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Do you go through money quickly? What is your biggest expense?
Have you ever gone through a medical operation? What was it?
Do you enjoy putting others on, or are you a rather serious person?
During an emergency, how can you keep your head?
In what kind of emergency might you be likely to lose your head?
Do you generally consider yourself to be a broad-minded person? In what ways might you be considered a narrow-minded person?
Which countries are known for manufacturing products that stand up well?
Have you ever stood anyone up? What were the circumstances of the situation that caused you to do so?
In what sport would an athlete try to break loose from an opponent?
Does talking in front of a large audience put you on edge? Why or why not?