Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (55 page)

1.
to become quieter or calmer, to reduce noise or control one’s voice; to encourage or cause someone or something to be quieter. This idiom is separable when it uses a direct object. ♦
Okay, everyone,
quiet down.
It’s time for class.
♦
The baby was crying, but the soft music helped to
quiet
him
down. ♦
Giving your car a tune-up should help
quiet
your engine
down.

2.
to lessen or reduce pain; generally inflammation or infection ♦
This lotion will help
quiet down
your sunburn.
♦
The infection in that tooth has
quieted down
but it may come back again.

1.
to stop operating or running, as a mechanical or battery-powered device because of a lack of power ♦
Turn off the flashlight so you don’t
run down
the battery.
♦
He left his car light on and
ran down
the battery.

2.
to lessen the amount of material, usually on the sole or heel of a shoe, due to use and wear ♦
If you
run down
your heels, a shoe-repair shop can replace them.

3.
to speak badly of someone ♦
He’s always
running
his coworkers
down.

4.
to knock over (and possibly injure or kill) by driving, running, or crashing into someone or something ♦
Those kids nearly
ran
me
down
with their bicycles!

Closing Down
or
Just Closing?

Is the store closed or has it
closed down?
Look in the window and you’ll find out. If you see merchandise inside and a sign in the window giving you the store hours, it’s probably just closed (for the day) and will reopen tomorrow. But if it looks empty or deserted inside, probably the business has
closed down
(stopped operating permanently). You might see a sign in the window saying “Closing Sale” or “Going Out of Business” (an expression that means quitting business or planning to stop operating).
Shut down
can also mean to close permanently and usually refers to a factory or assembly-line process. For example, “The canneries
shut down
long ago when the fish disappeared from the bay.”

1.
to make or become worn, to lessen the thickness or height by use or friction, to diminish ♦
The old stone steps were
worn down
from hundreds of years of use.
♦
The tread on his car tires was badly
worn down.

2.
to weaken or lessen the resistance, to tire or get tired by stress or pressure ♦
He argued and persisted until he finally
wore
his parents
down
and they let him get a car.
♦
The stress and lack of sleep while studying for exams can really
wear
you
down.

to become calmer or to encourage someone to become calmer, less upset, angry, or intense ♦ Calm down,
and we’ll talk about the problem logically.
♦
Her horse was very frightened by the storm, but she was able to
calm
him
down. ♦
This medication should help
calm down
your cough.

to pass something, usually of sentimental value or a tradition, from one generation to the next ♦
Grandmother’s wedding ring will be
handed down
to the eldest daughter in each generation.
♦
Customs, traditions, and beliefs were
handed down
through the generations for thousands of years.

to relax and participate in social activity, particularly dancing or music; slang ♦
I like to
get down
with my friends on the weekend.
♦
The concert was great. Everyone was
getting down!

to be patient and understanding of someone, to put up with, to endure someone or something; often used as a polite request for patience ♦
The professor said, “Please
bear with
me while I find my notes.”
♦
The sign in the lobby read, “Thank you for
bearing with
us during our remodeling.”

to be or have something added or included as an extra feature or benefit; to be or have something packaged with something else ♦
This vacuum cleaner
comes with
a three-year guarantee.
♦
Most quality men’s suits
come with
two pairs of trousers.
Grammar Note:
Come with
is generally put in the simple present or past tense. Don’t put this idiom in a continuous tense (verb +
-ing
).

1.
to handle a situation or person; to try to solve a problem ♦
Jane, would you
deal with
this customer’s complaint?
♦
She has to
deal with
her problems eventually.

2.
to have to tolerate or endure someone or something ♦
I can’t
deal with
him anymore; he’s too difficult.
♦
Please smoke outside. We don’t want to
deal with
cigarette smoke.

3.
to interact with and have experience with people, things, or situations ♦
A teacher
deals with
children all day in the classroom.
♦
I’ve
dealt with
this kind of research many times in my career, so it’s not difficult for me.

4.
(slang) to learn to accept something that seems unacceptable; to stop complaining and accept something; to take responsibility for consequences; usually said as an unsympathetic imperative,
Deal with it!
♦
You can complain about paying taxes, but in the end you have to
deal with it. ♦
She told her younger sister, “No, you can’t borrow my clothes.
Deal with it!”

to get rid of or eliminate something; to manage without something or with less, to forgo something ♦
Let’s
dispense with
the chatting and start the meeting.
♦
To save money on our vacation, we
dispensed with
our plans to rent a car and took the bus instead.

1.
to manage, to do okay with less than normal or less than what’s desired; sometimes phrased
can do with
or
manage to do with
♦
As a student, I often
did with
very little sleep.
♦
Camels are well designed for the desert; they can
do with
very little water.

2.
to need or want something, to be in need of something; often said as a request for help. In this context, the idiom is usually phrased
could do with
, and occasionally
can do with.
♦
This car
could do with
a paint job.
♦
We
could do with
some help moving these boxes.

1.
to regularly date one person, to go out together; often phrased
going out with
or
going together.
Occasionally put as
going steady with.
♦
Forrest has been
going with
Paula for two years.
♦
She
went with
him during high school.

2.
to choose something, to make a decision in favor of something ♦
Let’s
go with
the blue paint instead of the green in the bathroom.
♦
I have to decide which auto insurance company to
go with.

3.
to match, to be complementary, to look good or taste good together; often phrased to
go well with
♦
I’d like to find a red sweater to
go with
these pants.
♦
Some wine experts say that red wine doesn’t
go well
with fish.

to be honest and truthful with someone; to speak openly and frankly with someone ♦
I finally asked him to
level with
me; I’m tired of his lies.
♦
The doctor said, “I’ll
level with
you. The surgery you need is risky.”

to let go of or relinquish something ♦
The little boy won’t
part with
his teddy bear.
♦
She didn’t want to
part with
her car, but she was becoming too old to drive.

to adopt, usually an idea, as one’s own; to act on something with enthusiasm ♦
The company
ran with
his ideas for marketing the product.
♦
Once he decided to go into acting, he
ran with
it.

to agree with, support, or favor one person or perspective (one
side
) in a disagreement or dispute ♦
My mother always
sided with
my sister when we had an argument.
♦
After hearing the arguments, I’m
siding with
the labor union in the dispute.

to lack or not have something that’s perceived as important ♦
One should never
be without
some form of I.D.
♦
I wonder how long I’ll
be without
my car since it is in the repair shop.
Grammar Note:
The idiom
be without
is sometimes used without a direct object, as in the following context where the implied meaning is to be without something that you need: “Here’s some money for your first month at college. We don’t want you to
be without.
”

to neglect, forgo, or sacrifice something that’s perceived as a basic necessity or important ♦
People say you shouldn’t
go without
breakfast — the most important meal of the day.
♦
The survivors
went without
food or water for many days.
Grammar Note:
The idiom
go without
is sometimes used without a direct object, as in the following context where the implied meaning is to manage without this item: “Please, take my coat. I’m warm enough to
go without.
”

to manage or do okay although one doesn’t have something perceived as important or essential ♦
We
did
fine
without
a car when we lived in the city.
♦
I can’t
do without
my cell phone when I’m on a business trip.