to goof off: to waste time, to be idle
o Some of the workers in our office always goof off when the boss is out.
o On Saturday afternoons, I like to go to a movie or just goof off at home.
to talk back to: to answer in a rude manner, to speak to disrespectfully
o Billy, if you talk back to me like that once more, you're going to spend the rest of the day in your room.
o The school principal had to reprimand the child for talking back to her teacher.
to be in: to be popular or fashionable; to be available at one's work or home
o Most young people tend to want anything that is in at the time, but a few don't care about current trends.
o Could you please tell me when Mrs. Zachary will be in? I'd like to talk to her soon.
to be out: to be unpopular or no longer in fashion; to be away from one's work or home
o These days, designer jeans are in and long skirts are out.
o I'm sorry, Mr. Jensen is out at the moment. Could I take a message?
to draw the line at: to determine to be unacceptable, to refuse to consider
o I don't mind helping him with his homework, but I draw the line at writing a term paper for him.
o The conference organizers tried to accommodate the needs of the various interest groups, but they drew the line at extending the conference by two day.
to get out of line: to disobey or ignore normal procedures or rules (also: to step out of line)
o When a child gets out of line in that teacher's class, she uses the old-fashioned method of making the child sit in the corner of the room.
o Any employee who steps out of line by coming to work in an unacceptable condition will be fired.
dry run: rehearsal, practice session
o The college president requested a dry run of the graduation ceremony in order to ensure that all aspects went smoothly.
o Before the manager present the reorganizational plans to the board of directors, he did several dry runs of his presentation.
to play by ear: to play music that one has heard but never read (S); to proceed without plan, to do spontaneously (S)
The pronoun it is often used with the second definition.
o That pianist can play most popular music by ear. She never needs to read sheet music.
o My husband wanted to plan our trip carefully, but I argued that it was more fun if we played it by ear.
to be in (someone's) shoes: to be in another person's position, to face the same situation as another person
o If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't take too many classes this semester.
o When his boss finds out about that accounting error, I wouldn't want to be in his shoes.
to keep after: to remind constantly, to nag
o Lynn
o Lon is so forgetful that it's necessary to keep after him about every little thing.
to fix up: to repair or put back in good condition (S); to arrange a date or an engagement for another person (S)
o Instead of buying an expensive new home, we decided to buy an older home and fix it up ourselves.
o Since my visiting friend didn't have a date for dinner, I fixed her up with a male friend of mine. They got along very well together.
to be had: to be victimized or cheated
o When the jeweler confirmed that the diamonds that the woman had purchased abroad were really fake, she exclaimed, "I've been had!"
o The angry customer complained about being overcharged at the store, asserting that this was the third time that he had been had.
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