There’s an American television series, called Heroes, which has recently captured the imagination of viewers everywhere. This series, as the name suggests, tells the story of a bunch of everyday people who suddenly discover that they have amazing super-powers, with which they are destined to save the world. Or at least die trying. Or something along those lines, anyway.
Let’s take a look at the phrasal verb ‘drop off’. As you know, phrasal verbs can have more than one meaning. In this cartoon, ‘drop off’ means both ‘fall off’ and ‘fall asleep’. For example:
1) Drop off – similar to fall
The boys dropped stones off the cliff
2) Drop off – fall asleep
Meaning: To think very hard to find an answer.
'After a busy day it's good to veg out on the sofa.'
Meaning: to relax in a lazy and inattentive way. Basically, we are 'vegging out' when we sit on the sofa for a long time doing nothing and hardly moving.
What makes you angry? What do you find annoying? Here's how to tell people you find something annoying. Thanks to Danny for writing this article!
Let’s take a look at the phrasal verb ‘pick up’. In this cartoon it has two meanings:
1) Pick up – to lift an object with the hands
'Keep your back straight when you pick the TV up.'
2) Pick up – learn something without effort
'It's possible to pick up enough English in two weeks to get by on your trip to London.'
'This fighter is great. He's the real McCoy, no doubt about it.'
Meaning: the real thing – not a substitute/ fake. Another 'name' based expression, although in this case, nobody seems absolutely sure as to where it originated from.
'You can have a white horse or a white horse...that's Hobson's choice!'
Meaning: to have no choice at all. The only option you have is the one that is being offered to you.
This weekend I was unfortunate enough to find myself at a party which, to be honest, was not the kind of party that I would normally be seen dead at. Truth be told, the only reason that I went was because my wife wanted me to go. I am, of course, the boss in the family, but only because my wife says it's okay. Anyway...
Meaning: Following a dead end path; Being totally wrong about something you believed to be true.
When using dogs in a foxhunt, the dogs would sometimes corner the fox in a tree and then proceed to bark up at the fox. Barking up the wrong tree, where there is no fox, is a pointless exercise.
