Lesson 32

Step in... step down… step on… a steal… play up to… more or less… screw up… goof up… go off the deep end…. lose one’s touch…. in hand… on hand
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To step in: to become involved or concerned with something, to enter a place for a brief time (also: to step into)
Ø When the children started fighting on the playground, a teacher had to step in and stop the fight.
Ø The supervisor asked one of the employees to step in her office for a moment.
Ø Would you step into the hallway so that I can show you the information posted on the bulletin board?
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To step down: to retire or leave a top position, to resign
Ø Next May the principal will step down after thirty-five years of service to the school.
Ø The angry shareholders wanted the company president to step down because of the stock scandal.
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To step on: to treat severely, to discipline, to go faster, to work more quickly
For the second definition, the idiom is followed by the pronoun it.
Ø Sometimes it’s necessary to step on children when they do something dangerous.
Ø We’re going to be late for the movies. You’d better step on it!
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A steal: very inexpensive, a bargain
This idiom is often used in an exclamation using what.
Ø I can’t believe that I paid only $2,000 for this three-year-old car. What a steal!
Ø Scott considered it a steal when he bought a complete bedroom set for only $99.
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To play up to: to behave so as to gain favor with someone
Ø The other students in the class resent Jim because he plays up to the teacher in order to get better grades.
Ø When my children asked me to go shopping for a new video game, I knew why they had been playing up to me all morning.
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More or less: approximately, almost, somewhat, to a certain degree
Ø Although your bedroom feels smaller, it’s more or less the same size as mine.
Ø Ted more or less agreed with our decision to put off the meeting until more members could show up. At least he didn’t object strongly.
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To screw up: to confuse, to scramble (S), to cause problems in (S)
Ø Chris had trouble finding Jane’s apartment because the addresses of the buildings screwed him up.
Ø Instead of fixing the television set, the technician screwed it up even more.
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To goof up: to perform badly, to make a mistake (also: to mess up, to slip up)
Ø I really goofed up on the exam today, did you mess up too?
Ø Karen slipped up when she forgot to deposit money into her checking account.
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To go off the deep end: to get very angry and do something hastily
Ø Just because you had a serious argument with your supervisor, you didn’t have to go off the deep end and resign, did you?
Ø When Dan’s wife demanded a divorce, he went off the deep end again. This time he was shouting so that the whole neighborhood could hear.
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To lose one’s touch: to fail at what one used to do well
Ø Milton used to be the best salesman at the car dealership, but recently he seems to have lost his touch.
Ø I used to play tennis very well, but today you beat me easily. I must be losing my touch.
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In hand: under firm control, well managed
Ø The copilot asked the pilot if he had the plane in hand or whether he needed any help navigating through the severe thunderstorm.
Ø The police officer radioed to the station that she had the emergency situation in hand and didn’t require any assistance.
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On hand: available, nearby
This idiom is often followed by in case.
Ø I always keep some extra money on hand in case I forget to get cash from the bank.
Ø The concert organizers arranged to have some security guards on hand in case there were any problems during the performance.
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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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During the lengthy workers’ strike, the police had to become involved when…
After leaving his office down the hall, my supervisor briefly entered my office to…
The old man who founded the company decided to retire when….
Because the mean boss severely treated his employees on many occasions, none of them…
Mike thought that the camera advertised in the newspaper was a bargain, so he…
The children behaved so as to gain favor with their parents in order to…
The young child caused problems in his bicycle by…
Lenny performed badly on the physics test because he…
I hope that the football coach doesn’t get angry and do something hastily because he seems to be failing at what he usually does well, recently his football team…
The stores in town didn’t have enough drinking water available after the typhoon, so hundreds of people…
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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 someone was being attached by a thief, would you step in and help the person? Why or why not?
2. For what reasons might a top executive of a company step down unexpectedly?
3. Why might you have to step on it in the morning? Does this happen often to you?
4. What was the last item you bought that you considered a steal? Where did you buy it?
5. Have you ever worked on something and screwed it up? How did you finally fix it?
6. Have you ever goofed up on an important test? Why did it happen?
7. Have you ever gone off the deep end? What happened?
8. For what reasons might an athlete lose his or her touch at a sport? Has this ever happened to you?
9. Is there any special skill that you have well in hand? What is it?
10. How much money do you have on hand right now?