[get the boot] or [the gate] or [the sack] See: GET THE AXE.
[get the bounce] or [get the gate] {v. phr.}, {slang} 1. or [get the air] To lose one’s sweetheart; not be kept for a friend or lover. •/Joe is sad because he just got the gate from his girl./ •/Shirley was afraid she might get the air from her boyfriend if she went out with other boys while he was away./ 2. or [get the sack] also [get the hook] To be fired; lose a job. •/Uncle Willie can’t keep a job; he got the sack today for sleeping on the job./ •/You’re likely to get the bounce if you are absent from work too much./ Contrast: GIVE THE BOUNCE.
[get the brush-off]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To be paid no attention; not be listened to or thought important. •/My idea for a party got the brush-off from the other children./ 2. To be treated in an unkind or unfriendly way; be ignored. •/Frank and Jane had an argument, so the next time he telephoned her, he got the brush-off./ Compare: COLD SHOULDER, HIGH-HAT. Contrast: BRUSH OFF.
[get the cart before the horse] See: CART BEFORE THE HORSE.
[get the eye]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To be looked at, especially with interest and liking. •/The pretty girl got the eye as she walked past the boys on the street corner./ 2. To be looked at or stared at, especially in a cold, unfriendly way. •/When Mary asked if she could take home the fur coat and pay later, she got the eye from the clerk./ Contrast: GIVE THE EYE.
[get the feel of]{v. phr.} To become used to or learn about, especially by feeling or handling; get used to the experience or feeling of; get skill in. •/John had never driven a big car, and it took a while for him to get the feel of it./ •/You’ll get the feel of the job after you’ve been there a few weeks./
[get the go-ahead] or [the green light] {v. phr.} To receive the permission or signal to start or to proceed. •/We had to wait until we got the go-ahead on our research project./
[get the goods on] or [have the goods on] {v. phr.}, {slang} To find out true and, often, bad information about; discover what is wrong with; be able to prove the guilt of. •/Tell the truth, Johnny. We know who your girl is because we’ve got the goods on you./ •/The police had the goods on the burglar before he came to trial./ Compare: HAVE SOMETHING ON.
[get the hook] See: GET THE BOUNCE(2).
[get the inside track] See: INSIDE TRACK.
[get the jitters]{v. phr.} To become very nervous or excited. •/I always get the jitters when I sit in an airplane that’s about to take off./
[get the jump on] or [have the jump on] {v. phr.}, {slang} To get ahead of; start before (others); have an advantage over. •/Don’t let the other boys get the jump on you at the beginning of the race./ •/Our team got the jump on their rivals in the first minutes of play, and held the lead to win./
[get the last laugh] See: HAVE THE LAST LAUGH.
[get the lead out of one’s pants]{v. phr.}, {slang} To get busy; work faster. •/The captain told the sailors to get the lead out of their pants./ •/The coach told the players to get the lead out of their pants./
[get the lowdown on]{v. phr.} To receive the full inside information on a person or thing. •/We need to get the lowdown on Peter before we can decide whether or not to hire him./
[get the message] or [get the word] {v. phr.}, {slang} To understand clearly what is meant. •/The principal talked to the students about being on time, and most of them got the message./ •/Mary hinted to her boyfriend that she wanted to break up, but he didn’t gel the message./ Compare: THE PICTURE.
[get the picture] See: THE PICTURE.
[get the runaround] See: RUN AROUND.
[get the sack]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To be fired or dismissed from work. •/John got the sack at the factory last week./ 2. To be told by one’s lover that the relationship is over. •/Joanna gave Sam the sack./ See: GET THE AX and GET THE BOUNCE(2).
[get the show on the road]{v. phr.}, {informal} To start a program; get work started. •/It was several years before the rocket scientists got the show on the road./ Compare: GET THE BALL ROLLING.
[get the third degree] See: THIRD DEGREE.
[get the upper hand on] See: UPPER HAND.
[get the word] See: GET THE MESSAGE.
[get the works] See: THE WORKS.
[get the worst of] also [have the worst of] {v. phr.} To lose; be defeated or beaten in; suffer most. •/Joe got the worst of the argument with Molly./ — Often used in the phrase "the worst of it". •/If you start a fight with Jim, you may get the worst of it./ •/Bill had the worst of it in his race with Al./ •/Jack traded his knife for a few marbles; he got the worst of it in that trade./ •/The driver of the car got the worst of it in the accident./ Contrast: GET THE BETTER OF(2).
[get through]{v. phr.} 1. To finish. •/Barry got through his homework by late evening./ 2. To pass a course or an examination. •/I got through every one of my courses except mathematics./
[get through one’s head]{v. phr.} 1. To understand or believe. •/Jack couldn’t get it through his head that his father wouldn’t let him go to camp if his grades didn’t improve./ •/At last Mary got it through her head that she had failed to pass the test./ 2. To make someone understand or believe. •/I’ll get it through his head if it takes all night./
[get through to]{v.} To be understood by; make (someone) understand. •/The little boy could not get through to his housemother./ •/Deaf people sometimes find it hard to get through to strangers./ •/When the rich boy’s father lost his money, it took a long time for the idea to get through to him that he’d have to work and support himself./
[get to]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To begin by chance; begin to. — Used with a verbal noun or an infinitive. •/George meant to save his dollar, but he got to thinking how good an ice cream cone would taste, and he spent it./ •/On a rainy day, Sally got to looking around in the attic and found some old pictures of Father./ •/I got to know Mary at the party./ •/I was just getting to know John when he moved away./ Compare: TAKE TO(2). 2. To have a chance to; be able to. •/The Taylors wanted to go to the beach Saturday, but it rained and they didn’t get to./ •/Did you get to see the king?/ Compare: GET AT(3). 3. See: HAVE TO.
[get to first base] or [reach first base] {v. phr.} To make a good start; really begin; succeed, •/Joe had a long paper to write for history class, but when the teacher asked for it, Joe hadn’t got to first base yet./ •/Suppose Sam falls in love with Betty. Can he even get to first base with her?/ •/George wants to go to college and become a teacher, but I’ll be surprised if he even reaches first base./ •/If you don’t dress neatly, you won’t get to first base when you look for a job./ Compare: FIRST BASE.
[get together]{v.} To come to an agreement; agree. •/Mother says I should finish my arithmetic lesson, and Father says I should mow the lawn. Why don’t you two get together?/
[get-together]{n.} A party; a gathering. •/I hate to break up this nice get-together but we must leave./ •/We manage to have a get-together with our old friends once or twice a year./
[get to the bottom of]{v. phr.} To find out the real cause of. •/The superintendent talked with several students to get to the bottom of the trouble./ •/The doctor made several tests to get to the bottom of the man’s headaches./ Compare: GET TO THE HEART OF.
[get to the heart of]{v. phr.} To find the most important facts about or the central meaning of; understand the most important thing about. •/You can often get to the heart of people’s unhappiness by letting them talk./ •/"If you can find a topic sentence, often it will help you get to the heart of the paragraph," said the teacher./
[get to the point] See: COME TO THE POINT.
[get two strikes against one] See: TWO STRIKES AGAINST.
[get underway]{v. phr.} To set out on a journey; start going. •/We are delighted that our new Ph.D. program finally got underway./
[get under one’s skin]{v. phr.} To bother; upset. •/The students get under Mary’s skin by talking about her freckles./ •/Children who talk too much in class get under the teacher’s skin./
[get up]{v.} 1. To get out of bed. •/John’s mother told him that it was time to get up./ 2. To stand up; get to your feet. •/A man should get up when a woman comes into the room./ 3. To prepare; get ready. •/Mary got up a picnic for her visitor./ •/The students got up a special number of the newspaper to celebrate the school’s 50th birthday./ 4. To dress up. •/One of the girls got herself up as a witch for the Halloween party./ 5. To go ahead. •/The wagon driver shouted, "Get up!" to his horses./
[get up] or [rise with the chickens] {v. phr.} To rise very early in the morning. •/All the farmers in this village get up with the chickens./ Contrast: GO TO BED WITH THE CHICKENS.
[get-up]{n.} (stress on "get") Fancy dress or costume. •/Some get-up you’re wearing!/
[get-up-and-go] also [get-up-and-get] {n. phr.}, {informal} Energetic enthusiasm; ambitious determination; pep; drive; push. •/Joe has a lot of get-up-and-go and is working his way through school./
[get up on the wrong side of the bed]{v. phr.}, {informal} To awake with a bad temper. •/Henry got up on the wrong side of the bed and wouldn’t eat breakfast./ •/The man went to bed very late and got up on the wrong side of the bed./
[get up the nerve]{v. phr.} To build up your courage until you are brave enough; become brave enough. •/Jack got up the nerve to ask Ruth to dance with him./ •/The hungry little boy got up nerve to ask for another piece of cake./
[get used to] See: USED TO.
[get warmed up] See: WARM UP.
[get what’s coming to one] or {slang} [get one’s] {v. phr.} To receive the good or bad that you deserve; get what is due to you; get your share. •/At the end of the movie the villain got what was coming to him and was put in jail./ •/John didn’t think he was getting what was coming to him, so he quit the job./ •/Mother told Mary that she’d get hers if she kept on being naughty./ Compare: CATCH IT, HAVE IT COMING, SERVE RIGHT.
[get wind of]{v. phr.} To get news of; hear rumors about; find out about. •/The police got wind of the plans to rob the bank./ •/The captain didn’t want the sailors to get wind of where the ship was going./
[get wise]{v. phr.}, {slang} To learn about something kept secret from you; become alert. •/One girl pretended to be sick on gym days when she had athletics, until the teacher got wise and made her go anyway./ — Often used with "to". •/The boys got wise to Jack’s fondness for bubble gum./ •/If you don’t get wise to yourself and start studying, you will fail the course./ Compare: CATCH ON, SEE THROUGH. Contrast: IN THE DARK.
[get with it]{v. phr.}, {slang} To pay attention; be alive or alert; get busy. •/The students get with it just before examinations./ •/The coach told the team to get with it./ Compare: ON THE BALL.
[ghost] See: GIVE UP THE GHOST.
[ghost of a] Least trace of; slightest resemblance to; smallest bit even of; a very little. Usually used with "chance" or "idea" in negative sentences, or with "smile". •/There wasn’t a ghost of a chance that Jack would win./ •/We didn’t have the ghost of an idea where to look for John./ •/The teacher scolded Harold for drawing a funny picture on the chalkboard, but she had a ghost of a smile./ Compare: FAT CHANCE.
