[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.
[get one's foot in the door] See: FOOT IN THE DOOR.
[get one's goat] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make a person disgusted or angry. * /The boy's laziness all summer got his father's goat./ * /The slow service at the cafe got Mr. Robinson's goat./
[get one's hands on] See: LAY ONE'S HANDS ON.
[get one's number] or [have one's number] <v. phr.>, <informal> To find out or know what kind of person somebody is. * /The boys soon had the new student's number./ * /The girls got their new roommate's number the first week of school./
[get one's rear in gear] <v. phr.>, <slang> To hurry up, to get going. * /I'm gonna have to get my rear in gear./
[get one's second wind] See: SECOND WIND.
[get one's teeth into] or [sink one's teeth into] <v. phr.>, <informal> To have something real or solid to think about; go to work on seriously; struggle with. * /After dinner, John got his teeth into the algebra lesson./ * /Frank chose a subject for his report that he could sink his teeth into./
[get one's tongue] See: CAT GET ONE'S TONGUE.
[get on in years] See: ALONG IN YEARS.
[get on one's good side] <v. phr.> To gain the favor of someone; flatter or please another. * /A clever lobbyist knows how to get on the good side of both the House of Representatives and the Senate./
[get on one's nerves] <v. phr.> To make you nervous. * /John's noisy eating habits get on your nerves./ * /Children get on their parents' nerves by asking so many questions./
[get on the ball] See: ON THE BALL.
[get on the bandwagon] See: JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON.
[get on the good side of] See: ON THE GOOD SIDE OF.
[get on the stick] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <informal> To get moving; to stop being idle and to start working vigorously. * /All right, man, let's get on the stick!/ Compare: ON THE BALL, GET OFF ONE'S TAIL.
[get on to one] <v. phr.> To figure someone out; understand what someone else is up to. * /The FBI is on to Jim's secret trading with the enemy./
[get one wrong] <v. phr.> To misinterpret; misunderstand another. * /Don't get me wrong; I didn 't mean to criticize you./
[get] or [have one's say] See: DAY IN COURT.
[get out] <v. phr.> 1. Leave or depart. * /"Get out of here!" the teacher shouted angrily to the misbehaving student./ * /"Driver, I want to get out by the opera."/ 2. To publish; produce. * /Our press is getting out two new books on ecology./ 3. To escape; leak out. * /We must not let the news about this secret invention get out./
[get out in the open] See: OUT IN THE OPEN.
[get out of] <v. phr.> 1. To be excused from; avoid. * /He got out of jury duty because of his illness./ 2. To gain from; extract from. * /Tom complained that he didn't get anything out of the course on grammar./
[get out of the way] See: OUT OF THE WAY.
[get out of hand] See: OUT OF HAND, OUT OF CONTROL.
[get over] <v.> 1. To finish. * /Tom worked fast to get his lesson over./ 2. To pass over. * /It was hard to get over the muddy road./ 3. To get well from; recover from. * /The man returned to work after he got over his illness./ 4. To accept or forget (a sorrow or suprise.) * /It is hard to get over the death of a member of your family./ * /We could not get over the speed of Mary's recovery from pneumonia./
[get rattled] <v. phr.> To become confused, overexcited, or nervous. * /The thief got so rattled when he saw the police following him that he drove his car into a ditch./
[get rid of] See: RID OF.
[get set] <v. phr.> To get ready to start. * /The runners got set./ * /The seniors are getting set for the commencement./
[get short shrift] See: SHORT SHRIFT.
[get something out of one's system] <v. phr.> 1. To eliminate some food item or drug from one's body. * /John will feel much better once he gets the addictive sleeping pills out of his system./ 2. To free oneself of yearning for something in order to liberate oneself from an unwanted preoccupation. * /Ted bought a new cabin cruiser that he'd been wanting for a long time, and he says he is glad that he's finally got it out of his system./
[get something over with] See: OVER WITH(1).
get something straight <v. phr.> To clearly comprehend an issue. * /"Let me get this straight," Burt said. "You want $85,000 for this miserable shack?"/
[get stoned] <v. phr.>, <slang> To become very drunk or high on some drug. * /Poor Fred was so stoned that Tom had to carry him up the stairs./ Compare: THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND.
[get straight] See: GO STRAIGHT, GO LEGIT.
[get stuck] <v. phr.> 1. To be victimized; be cheated. * /The Smiths sure got stuck when they bought that secondhand car; it broke down just two days after they got it./ 2. To become entrapped or embroiled in a physical, emotional, or social obstacle so as to be unable to free oneself. * /Last winter our car got stuck in the snow and we had to walk home./ * /Poor Jeff is stuck in a terrible job./ * /Tom and Jane are stuck in a bad marriage./
[get (all) the breaks] <v. phr.> To be fortunate; have luck. * /That fellow gets all the breaks! He's been working here only six months, and he's already been promoted to vice president!/
[get the air] See: GET THE BOUNCE(1).
[get the ax] <v. phr.>, <slang> 1. To be fired from a job. * /Poor Joe got the ax at the office yesterday./ 2. To be dismissed from school for improper conduct, such as cheating. * /Joe got caught cheating on his final exam and he got the ax./ 3. To have a quarrel with one's sweetheart or steady ending in a termination of the relationship. * /Joe got the ax from Betsie - they won't see each other again./
[get the ball rolling] or [set the ball rolling] or [start the ball rolling] <informal> To start an activity or action; make a beginning; begin. * /George started the ball rolling at the party by telling a new joke./ Compare: KEEP THE BALL ROLLING.
[get the better of] or [get the best of] <v. phr.> 1. To win over, beat; defeat. * /Our team got the best of the visitors in the last quarter./ * /George got the better of Robert in a game of checkers./ * /When the opposing player fouled John, John let his anger get the better of his good sense and hit the boy back./ * /Dave wanted to study till midnight, but sleepiness got the best of him./ Compare: RUN AWAY WITH(1). 2. or [have the best of] or [have the better of] To win or be ahead in (something); gain most from (something.) * /Bill traded an old bicycle tire for a horn; he got the best of that deal./ * /Our team had the best of it today, but they may lose the game tomorrow./ * /The champion had all the better of it in the last part of the fight./ Contrast: GET THE WORST OF.