Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (61 page)
Fooling Around
and Other Forms of Monkey Business
The idioms
fool around, mess around,
and
monkey around
have a number of meanings in common. The example sentences that follow each definition show which of the three idioms is most often used in that context.
Fool around, mess around,
and
monkey around
mean:
1.
to tease or joke, possibly harmlessly; to play tricks on ♦
I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings; I was just
fooling around.
2.
to engage in leisurely or idle activity; to spend time on hobbies or interests that are non-work related and that are typically pleasurable; to waste time (often said as
I don’t have time to fool around
) ♦
Dad enjoys
fooling around
in his workshop.
♦
We just
messed around
today and had a good time.
3.
to experiment with forbidden objects or substances. Sometimes used in reference to experimenting or getting involved with drugs, alcohol, or other things that could cause harm. ♦
Don’t
fool around
with drugs.
♦
I wouldn’t
mess around
with that parrot if I were you. It could crush your finger with its beak.
4.
to try to repair something or get it to operate; also sometimes said as
play around
♦
After the mechanic
fooled around
under the hood for a while, the car worked fine.
♦
I’ve
played around
with this remote for an hour, and it still isn’t programmed right.
5.
to engage in casual sexual activity. Often said as a light or playful reference to sex. Also said as
mess around.
Sometimes referred to as
monkey business
. ♦
They were
fooling around
in the back seat of the car.
♦
She caught her son and his girlfriend
fooling around
in the garage.
Messing around in Someone Else’s Business
Not minding one’s own business is
messing around in someone else’s business.
For example, if you give personal advice to someone who hasn’t asked for it, you might get the response, “Why are you
messing around in my business?”
If you get involved with something foolish or harmful, someone might say, “Don’t mess with that business.” For example, a parent’s advice about drugs, gangs, or other dangerous influences might be “Don’t even think about
messing around with that business!”
Joking, Kidding,
and
Playing Around
The phrasal verbs
joke around, kid around,
and
play around
mean to lightly tease or joke or to play a harmless trick on someone. This kind of joking can be fun and playful, or it can be annoying when the joking is inappropriate or carried on for too long. These idioms are intransitive.
joke around
♦
My friends are always
joking around
and having fun.
♦
His father said, “Stop
joking around.
Your failing grades are a serious matter.”
kid around
♦
He
kids around
a lot, but he’s really a genuine guy.
♦
Hey, I’m just
kidding around.
Don’t get mad.
play around
♦
He can be funny, but he never knows when to stop
playing around. ♦
She’s so serious. It’s hard to
play around
with her.
Nosing, Poking
and
Snooping Around
The phrasal verbs
nose around, poke around,
and
snoop around
mean to investigate or to look for something hidden. These expressions are used to describe both serious investigation by police or other officials and casual investigation. Here are some examples of how these idioms are used:
nose around (NS)
♦
The police
nosed around
the crime scene searching for clues.
♦
My kids are often
nosing around
the cupboards looking for snacks.
poke around (NS)
♦
Some private investigators were
poking around
the office asking questions.
♦
I like to
poke around
in antique shops to see what I can find.
snoop around (NS)
♦
“Get out!” She yelled at her sister. “I don’t want you
snooping around
my room!”
♦
He came home and found a man
snooping around
his backyard.
Hanging Around, Staying Around,
and
Sticking Around
The phrasal verbs
hang around, stay around,
and
stick around
mean to stay for a while, to stay or remain in a certain area or vicinity, or to linger or postpone leaving. People often say one of these idioms when they don’t want someone to leave, or as an invitation to stay.
Hang around
is also used in slang meaning to loiter with friends, doing nothing.
Hang around, stay around,
and
stick around
all mean more or less the same thing: to remain in the same place. With these idioms, the direct object is often not stated, but is understood. Here they are in context:
hang around
(NS)
♦
I’m going to
hang around
after class and talk with the professor.
♦
I wonder how long these rain clouds are going to
hang around.
stay around
(NS)
♦
The family of blue jays
stayed around
my yard all summer.
♦
How long are you planning to
stay around
this area?
stick around
(NS)
♦
Don’t go out. I want you to
stick around
and help clean the house.
♦
Can you
stick around
a little longer and join us for dinner?
Come Around
and
Bring Around
The phrasal verbs
come around
and
bring around
have a number of common meanings, but are used slightly differently, as discussed in the following note.
Grammar Note:
Come around
is intransitive and refers to one’s own actions (you come around), while
bring around
is transitive, and refers to influencing the actions of someone else (you bring
someone
around).
Bring around
is almost always separated by its direct object, as in “Please
bring
your friends
around
to meet me.”
Following are the various meanings and contexts in which
come around
and
bring around
are used:
1.
to persuade, convert, or change someone’s mind or thinking ♦
Dad said “No” to our plan, but if we wait he might
come around. ♦
People have
come around
to the reality that natural resources are not limitless.
2.
to stop for a casual visit or to come uninvited ♦ Come around
to the shop sometime, and I’ll show you our new products.
♦
The raccoons
come around
every night and drink water from our little pond.
3.
to restore consciousness. Also put as to
come to
or to
bring
someone
to.
♦
After four months in a coma, she suddenly
came around. ♦ W
hen he
came around
after the operation, his family was waiting at his bedside.
Kicking, Tossing,
and
Throwing Around
Kick around, toss around,
and
throw around
all mean to casually discuss an idea. Here they are in context:
kick around (S)
♦
The guys sat at the bar and
kicked around
some ideas for making money. Later they made a fortune selling Pet Rocks.
toss around (S)
♦
The Global Fund for Women began with two friends
tossing around
ideas for helping women in the world.
throw around (S)
♦
We haven’t decided where to take our vacation, but we’ve been
throwing
some ideas
around.
Kick around, toss around,
and
throw around
can also mean to be handled roughly, abusively, or carelessly, often with disrespect or disregard.
Kicked around
also means to be taken advantage of. In this context, these idioms are often used in the passive form. Here are some examples showing both active and passive forms:
kick around (S)
♦
The boss seemed to need someone to
kick around,
and that was me.
♦
We were
kicked around
from one supervisor to the next. It was crazy.
toss around (S)
♦
Maybe he can afford to
toss
his money
around
on useless things, but I cannot.
♦
The little sailboat was
tossed around
in the wind.
throw around (S)
♦
Your clothes are
thrown around
all over the room. Pick them up.
♦
Everything in the house got
thrown around
during the earthquake.
Other Phrasal Verbs with
Around
Here are three more common phrasal verbs with
around:
pal around
to get together; to do things together as friends ♦
Every Tuesday afternoon
mom pals around
with her retired lady friends.
♦
He
pals around
with a group of kids that his parents don’t approve of.
[See
run around
earlier in this section.]
rally around (NS)
to come together; to support a cause or a person in need. With this idiom, the direct object is often not stated, but understood. ♦
When her partner died, all her friends and family
rallied around
to help her.
♦
Many people are now
rallying around
the efforts to promote the use of solar energy.
turn around
1.
to go or look in the opposite direction ♦
I think we’re going the wrong way. Let’s
turn around. ♦ Turn around
and look at the beautiful view behind you.
2. (S)
to reverse the direction of one’s life for the better; to stop self-destructive behavior and improve; to reverse a negative situation. Often said as to
turn
one’s life
around
or to
turn
things
around.
♦
Getting married helped him
turn
his life
around. ♦
There used to be a lot of anger and bad feelings at work, but the new manager has helped to
turn
things
around.
Phrasal Verbs with
Through
When the preposition
through
is joined with certain verbs, it often gives the meaning of doing something until it is completed or resolved or until an obstacle is overcome. Some phrasal verbs with
through
are intransitive, while others are transitive and are marked with
(S)
for separable and
(NS)
for non-separable.
When
Through
Means to Survive, Endure, or Overcome
The phrasal verbs
come through, get through, go through,
live through,
and
pull through
all can be used to mean survive, endure, or overcome a difficult situation. They can refer to physical, emotional, or financial difficulties. The examples that follow describe and show the slight differences in how these idioms are used.
Come through
refers to having experienced or survived a difficult or risky time, while
get through
and
go through
stress the effort or struggle required.
come through (NS)
♦
He
came through
the operation very well.
♦
It’s a mystery how she
came through
that accident without a scratch.
get through
(NS)
♦
She’s having a difficult time right now, but she’ll
get through
it.
♦
You won’t believe what I had to
go through
to get these concert tickets.
go through
(NS)
♦
They
went through
terrible hardships during the war.
♦
What she
went through
to get that visa! It was a nightmare!
[See other uses of
come through
and
get through
later in this section.]
live through (NS)
1.
generally used to talk about surviving or experiencing a life-threatening situation or event ♦
He was very lucky to have
lived through
the accident.
♦
I’ve
lived through
plenty of hurricanes, so they don’t frighten me.
2.
to be alive or to experience a specific historical era ♦
Many people who
lived through
the ’60s are still social activists today.
♦
We’re
living through
an era of globalization.