[get an earful]{v. phr.}, {informal} To hear more (of usually unwelcome news) than one expects or wishes to hear. •/I asked how Tim and his wife were getting along, and I certainly got an earful./ Contrast: SAY A MOUTHFUL.
[get around]{v.} 1a. To go to different places; move about. •/Mary’s father really gets around; Monday he was in Washington; Wednesday he was in Chicago; and today he is in New York./ •/Fred broke his leg, but he is able to get about on crutches./ 1b. or [get about] To become widely known especially by being talked about. •/Bad news gets around quickly./ 2a. {informal} To get by a trick or flattery what you want from (someone). •/Mary knows how to get around her father./ 2b. {informal} To find a way of not obeying or doing; escape from. •/Some people try to get around the tax laws./ •/John did not weigh enough to join the Navy, but he got around that; he drank a lot of water before his physical examination./
[get around to]{v.} To do (something) after putting it off; find time for. •/Mr. Lee hopes to get around to washing his car next Saturday./
[get at]{v.} 1. To reach an understanding of; find out the meaning. •/This book is very hard to get at./ 2. To do harm to. •/The cat is on the chair trying to get at the canary./ Compare: GET BACK AT. 3. To have a chance to do; attend to. •/I hope I have time to get at my homework tonight./ Compare: GET TO(2). 4. To mean; aim at; hint at. •/What was Betty getting at when she said she knew our secret?/ •/What the teacher was getting at in this lesson was that it is important to speak correctly./ Syn.: DRIVE AT. Compare: GET ACROSS.
[getaway car]{n. phr.} A vehicle parked near the scene of a crime in which the criminals escape. •/The police intercepted the getaway car at a major crossroads./
[get away]{v.} 1. To get loose or get free; become free from being held or controlled; succeed in leaving; escape. •/As Jim was trying the bat, it got away from him and hit Tom./ •/Someone left the door open, and the puppy got away./ •/Mary tried to catch a butterfly, but it got away from her./ •/The bank robbers used a stolen car to get away./ •/If Mr. Graham can get away from his store this afternoon, he will take Johnny fishing./ 2. To begin; start. •/We got away early in the morning on the first day of our vacation./ •/The race got away to a fast start./ Compare: GET OFF(3), START IN, START OUT.
[get away with]{v.}, {informal} To do (something bad or wrong) without being caught or punished. •/Some students get away without doing their homework./ See: GET BY(3).
[get away with murder]{v. phr.}, {informal} To do something very bad without being caught or punished. •/John is scolded if he is late with his homework, but Robert gets away with murder./ •/Mrs. Smith lets her children get away with murder./
[get a wiggle on] See: GET A MOVE ON.
[get a word in] or [get a word in edgewise] also [get a word in edgeways] {v. phr.} To find a chance to say something when others are talking. •/The little boy listened to the older students and finally got in a word./ •/Mary talked so much that Jack couldn’t get a word in edgewise./
[get back at]{v.}, {informal} To do something bad to (someone who has done something bad to you) hurt in return. •/John played a joke on Henry, and next day Henry got back at him./ •/The elephant waited many years to get back at the man who fed him red pepper./ Syn.: PAY BACK, SETTLE A SCORE, TIT FOR TAT. Compare: GET AT(2), GET EVEN.
[get back on one’s feet]{v. phr.} To once again become financially solvent; regain one’s former status and income, or health. •/Max got back on his feet soon after his open heart surgery. Tom’s business was ruined due to the inflation, but he got back on his feet again./
[get behind]{v.} 1. To go too slowly: be late; do something too slowly. •/The post office got behind in delivering Christmas mail./ Syn.: FALL BEHIND. Contrast: KEEP UP. 2. {informal} To support; help. •/A club is much better if members get behind their leaders. * /We got behind Mary to be class president./ Compare: BACK OF(3). 3. {informal} To explain; find out the reason for. •/The police are questioning many people to try and get behind the bank robbery./ Syn.: GET TO THE BOTTOM OF.
[get busy]{v. phr.} To accelerate the pace in one’s activities. •/We’ve got to get busy if we want to make the deadline./
[get by]{v.}, {informal} 1. To be able to go past; pass. •/The cars moved to the curb so that the fire engine could get by./ 2. To satisfy the need or demand. •/Mary can get by with her old coat this winter./ •/The janitor does just enough work to get by./ Syn.: GET ALONG(4). 3. Not to be caught and scolded or punished. •/The soldier thought he could get by with his dirty rifle./ •/The boy got by without answering the teacher’s question because a visitor came in./ Compare: GET AWAY WITH.
[get carried away with] See: CARRY AWAY.
[get couthed up]{v. phr.}, {slang} To get oneself dressed up neatly and look elegant and presentable. •/What are you getting all couthed up for?/ (This derives from "uncouth" ("outlandish, ill-mannered") by leaving off the prefix "un-".)
[get cracking]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To hurry up, to start moving fast. (Used mostly as an imperative). •/Come on, you guys, let’s get cracking!/ (Let’s hurry up!) Compare: GET GOING 2.
[get credit for]{v. phr.} To be given points of merit, recognition, or praise for labor or intellectual contribution. •/Our firm got a lot of credit for developing parts of the space shuttle./ Contrast: GIVE CREDIT FOR.
[get one down]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To make (someone) unhappy; cause low spirits; cause discouragement. •/Low grades are getting Helen down./ •/Three straight losses got the team down./ 2. To swallow; digest. •/The medicine was so bitter I couldn’t get it down./ 3. To depress a person’s spirit. •/Working at such an awful job got Mike down./
[get down cold]{v. phr.} To memorize perfectly. •/Terry got the text of his speech down cold./
[get down off your high horse] See: OFF ONE’S HIGH HORSE.
[get down to]{v.}, {informal} To get started on, being on. •/Joe wasted a lot of time before he got down to work./ •/Let’s get down to work./ Compare: GET AT(3), GET GOING, GET TO.
[get down to brass tacks] also [get down to cases] {v. phr.}, {informal} To begin the most important work or business; get started on the most important things to talk about or know. •/The men talked about little things and then got down to brass tacks./ •/A busy doctor wants his patients to get down to brass tacks./
[get down to business] or [work] {v. phr.} To start being serious; begin to face a problem to be solved, or a task to be accomplished. •/Gentlemen, I’m afraid the party is over and we must get down to business./
[get down to work] See: GET DOWN TO BUSINESS.
[get even]{v.}, {informal} 1. To owe nothing. •/Mr. Johnson has a lot of debts, but in a few years he will get even./ 2. To do something bad to pay someone back for something bad; get revenge; hurt back. •/Jack is waiting to get even with Bill for tearing up his notebook./ •/Last April First Mr. Harris got fooled by Joe, and this year he will get even./ Compare: GET BACK AT.
[get going]{v.}, {informal} 1. To excite; stir up and make angry. •/The boys' teasing gets John going./ •/Talking about her freckles gets Mary going./ 2. or {Chiefly British} [get cracking] To begin to move; get started. •/The teacher told Walter to get going on his history lesson./ •/The foreman told the workmen to get cracking./ •/Let’s get going. It’s almost supper time./ Compare: GET DOWN TO, STEP LIVELY.
[get gray hair] or [get gray] {v. phr.}, {informal} To become old or gray from worrying; become very anxious or worried. — Often used with "over". •/"If John doesn’t join the team, I won’t get gray hair over it," the coach said./ •/Naughty children are why mothers get gray./ Compare: GIVE GRAY HAIR.
[get his or hers]{v. phr.} To receive one’s proper reward or punishment. •/Tim will get his when his wife finds out that he’s been seeing other women./
[get hitched]{v. phr.} To get married. •/After a long period of dating, Fred and Mary finally got hitched./
[get hold of]{v.} 1. To get possession of. •/Little children sometimes get hold of sharp knives and cut themselves./ 2. To find a person so you can speak with him. •/Mr. Thompson spent several hours trying to get hold of his lawyer./
[get in]{v. phr.} 1. To be admitted. •/Andy wants to go to medical school but his grades aren’t good enough for him to get in./ 2. To arrive. •/What time does the plane from New York get in?/ 3. To enter. •/"Get in the car, and let’s go," Tom said in a hurry./ 4. To put in stock; receive. •/The store just got in a new shipment of shoes from China./
[get in on]{v. phr.} To be permitted to participate; become privy to; be included. •/This is your chance to get in on a wonderful deal with the new company if you’re willing to make an investment./
[get in on the ground floor]{v. phr.} To be one of the first members or employees to participate in the growth of a firm, educational institution, etc. •/Elliott got in on the ground floor and made a fortune at the company./ •/Mr. Smith who joined the new college as an instructor, got in on the ground floor, and wound up as its president after twenty years./
[get in on the] or [one’s act] {v. phr.} To do something because others are engaged in the same act; join others. •/John’s business is succeeding so well that both of his brothers want to get in on the act./
[get in one’s hair] See: IN ONE’S HAIR.
[get in one’s way] See: IN ONE’S WAY.
[get into] See: BE INTO SOMETHING.
[get into line]{v. phr.} To cooperate; conform. •/The maverick members of the party were advised to get into line unless they wanted to be expelled./ Contrast: OUT OF LINE.
[get in touch with] See: IN TOUCH.
[get involved with] See: BE INVOLVED WITH.
[get in with]{v. phr.} To join up with; begin to associate with; be accepted by. •/He got in with the wrong gang of boys and wound up in jail./ •/She got in with her father’s firm and made a successful career of it./
[get in wrong]{v. phr.} To incur the anger or dislike of someone; come into disfavor. •/Although he means well, Fred is always getting in wrong with someone at the office./
[get it]{v.} 1. See: CATCH IT. 2. To understand; comprehend; grasp. •/"I can’t get it," John said. "Why do you spend so much on clothes."/
[get it all together]{v. phr.} 1. To be in full possession and control of one’s mental faculties; have a clear purpose well pursued. •/You’ve sure got it all together, haven’t you?/ 2. Retaining one’s self-composure under pressure. •/A few minutes after the burglars left he got it all together and called the police./ 3. To be well built, stacked (said of girls and women.) •/Sue’s sure got it all together, hasn’t she?/
[get it in the neck] See: CATCH IT IN THE NECK.
[get it] or [something in] or [into one’s head] {v. phr.} To become possessed of an idea; develop a fixed idea. •/Jack got it into his head to become a marine and nothing we could say would make him change his mind./
[get lost]{v. phr.}, {slang} Go away! — Used as a command. •/Get lost! I want to study./ •/John told Bert to get lost./ Compare: DROP DEAD.
