[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.
[get mixed up] See: MIXED UP.
[get next to] See: BE CLOSE TO.
[get off] <v.> 1. To come down from or out of. * /The ladder fell, and Tom couldn't get off the roof./ * /The bus stopped, the door opened, and Father got off./ 2. To take off. * /Joe's mother told him to get his wet clothes off./ 3. To get away; leave. * /Mr. Johnson goes fishing whenever he can get off from work./ * /William got off early in the morning./ 4. To go free. * /Mr. Andrews got off with a $5 fine when he was caught passing a stop sign./ 5. To make (something) go. * /The halfback got off a lung pass./ * /John got a letter off to his grandmother./ 6. To tell. * /The governor got off several jokes at the beginning of his speech./
[get off cheap] <v. phr.> 1. To receive a lesser punishment than one deserves. * /Ted could have been sentenced to fifteen years in prison; he got off cheap by receiving a reduced sentence of five years./ 2. To pay less than the normal price. * /If you had your car repaired for only $75, you got off cheap./ Contrast: GET AWAY WITH.
[get off easy] <v. phr.>, <informal> To have only a little trouble; escape something worse. * /The children who missed school to go to the fair got off easy./ * /John got off easy because it was the first time he had taken his father's car without permission./
[get off it] See: COME OFF IT.
[get off one's back] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <colloquial> To stop criticizing or nagging someone. * /"Get off my back! Can't you see how busy I am?"/
[get off one's case] or [back] or [tail] <v. phr.> To stop bothering and constantly checking up on someone; quit hounding one. * /"Get off my case!" he cried angrily. "You're worse than the cops."/ Contrast: ON ONE'S CASE.
[get off one's chest] See: OFF ONE'S CHEST.
[get off one's tail] <v. phr.>, <slang> To get busy, to start working. * /OK you guys! Get off your tails and get cracking!/
[get off on the wrong foot] <v. phr.> To make a bad start; begin with a mistake. * /Peggy got off on the wrong foot with her new teacher; she chewed gum in class and the teacher didn't like it./
[get off the ground] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make a successful beginning; get a good start; go ahead; make progress. * /Our plans for a party didn't get off the ground because no one could come./
[get off the hook] See: OFF THE HOOK.
[get off to a flying] or [running start] <v. phr.> To have a promising or successful beginning. * /Ron got off to a flying start in business school when he got nothing but A's./
[get on] or [get onto] <v.>, <informal> 1. To speak to (someone) roughly about something he did wrong; blame; scold. * /Mrs. Thompson got on the girls for not keeping their rooms clean./ * /The fans got on the new shortstop after he made several errors./ Syn.: JUMP ON. 2. See: GET ALONG. 3. To grow older. * /Work seems harder these days; I'm getting on, you know./
[get one's] See: GET WHAT'S COMING TO ONE.
[get one's back up] <v. phr.>, <informal> To become or make angry or stubborn. * /Fred got his back up when I said he was wrong./ * /Our criticisms of his actions just got his hack up./
[get one's brains fried] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <also used colloquially> 1. To sit in the sun and sunbathe for an excessive length of time. * /Newcomers to Hawaii should be warned not to sit in the sun too long - they'll get their brains fried./ 2. To get high on drugs. * /He can't make a coherent sentence anymore - he's got his brains fried./
[get one's dander up] or [get one's Irish up] <v. phr.> To become or make angry. * /The boy got his dander up because he couldn't go to the store./ * /The children get the teacher's dander up when they make a lot of noise./ Compare: BLOW A FUSE.
[get one's ducks in a row] <v. phr.>, <informal> To get everything ready. * /The scoutmaster told the boys to get their ducks in a row before they went to camp./ * /Mr. Brown got his ducks in a row for his trip./ Compare: LINE UP.
[get one's feet on the ground] See: FEET ON THE GROUND.
[get one's feet wet] <v. phr.>, <informal> To begin; do something for the first time. * /The party was at Bill's house and when Ruth and I got there the party had already started. "Jump right in and don't be afraid to get your feet wet," said Bill./ * /"It's not hard to dance once you get your feet wet," said the teacher./
[get one's fingers burned] See: BURN ONE'S FINGERS.
