#1 – “I’m
looking for a job. Please drop me a line if you hear of any good
opportunities!”
To drop
someone a line means to contact the person. It can be by phone or e-mail.
#2 – “I
need to get ahold of Tina to tell her that tomorrow’s class is canceled.”
To get
ahold of someone (or get hold of someone) means to communicate with them –
usually by phone.
#3 – “Keep
me posted on your plans for this weekend – maybe we can meet up.”
To keep
someone posted (or keep someone in the loop) means to update the person, inform
the person of the most current information. In contrast, if someone has not
been kept informed, they can say, “I’m out of the loop” - meaning they don’t
know the most recent information.
#4 – “I
heard through the grapevine that Dan and his wife split up. Is it true?”
If you hear
something through the grapevine, it means that you hear the news indirectly –
through a friend of a friend, for example, and not directly from one of the
people involved. News that you hear through the grapevine may be true or it may
be untrue.
#5 – “Stop
beating around the bush and just tell me what happened to the camera I lent
you.”
If someone
is beating around the bush, it means they are trying to avoid answering a
question or talking directly about a particular issue. Instead, they tell
stories or talk about details that are not exactly the most important part.
#6 – “I
like having meetings with Nate because they’re so short – he always gets right
to the point.”
To get
right to the point or get straight to the point is the opposite of “beating
around the bush” – it means to talk about an issue directly, without wasting
time discussing unrelated or unimportant details.
#7 – “The
two politicians were talking at cross purposes during the debate – one argued
strongly for immigration control, whereas the other was entirely focused on the
educational system.”
“Talking at
cross-purposes” describes when two people not only have different or opposing
perspectives – but are actually talking about two completely different issues,
or with completely different goals or philosophies. This means that they cannot
even debate each other directly, because each one is focused on a different
point.
#8 –
“Sorry, we must’ve gotten our wires crossed. I wanted you to come at 7 PM, not
7 AM.”
If two
people “get their wires crossed,” it means they have a mistake in communication
that leads to a misunderstanding.
#9 – “I
haven’t actually talked to my sister yet – we’ve been playing phone tag all
day.”
“Playing
phone tag” describes that situation when two people telephone each other
various times during the day, but can’t talk directly because each time one
person calls, the other person is not available. Then when the other person
calls back, the first person is not available – and this situation repeats
several times.
#10 – “At
parties, I always end up saying something stupid and putting my foot in my
mouth.“
“Putting
your foot in your mouth” is when you accidentally say something stupid,
offensive, or embarrassing – any type of comment that you wish you hadn’t said,
and then you feel ashamed or embarrassed!
