سر میز شام

At the dinner table

as a rule = most of the time; normally, as a rule.

You should wash your white clothes and colored clothes separately, as a rule.

You should eat less meat and more vegetables, as a rule.

As a rule, the teacher does not like it when students leave early.

Do you think I can eat this banana?

Well, as a rule, eating is not allowed on the subway.

be at a loss = be unable to think, be at a loss.

I’m at a loss for words.

She was at a loss about what to do with the elephant in the backyard.

I know the man you are talking about, but I’m at a loss to think of his name.

I am at a loss as to what to cook for dinner.

Let’s order pizza!

come up with = think of, come up with

We have to come up with a plan.

When did you come up with that idea?

He came up with a plan to solve the problem.

You named your dog Tweety?

It’s the best I could come up with!

for short = a shorter way to say a name, for short.

This is my friend Koronotino Calenotangae. His friends call him KC for short.

My name is Alexander, but you can call me Alex for short.

I work for Seattle Auto Company or SAC for short.

What kind of car is that?

It’s a sport utility vehicle- SUV for short.

in spite of = regardless of something; despite, in spite of.

In spite of the rain, they went to the beach.

In spite of the bad weather, we will go hiking.

The company kept hiring new employees in spite of its decreasing sales.

How was your trip to Mexico?

I had a great time in spite of the hurricane!

look to A for B = turn and ask A to give B, look to A for B.

She usually looks to her parents for support.

You should look to your parents for help if you don’t have enough money.

He looked to his best friend for advice when he needed a job.

Don’t worry about the test. We can study together.

It’s nice to know that I can look to you for help. Thanks!

neither A nor B = both A and B do not or are not, neither A nor B.

Neither I nor my brother is as tall as our father.

Neither I nor my sister is as beautiful as my mother.

She looked for her professor, but he was neither in his office nor in the classroom.

Neither Jim nor Amy are going to the movie.

I guess it’s just the two of us then.

point out = indicate, point out

Excuse me. Could you point out a barbershop?

The waiter pointed out the chef’s special on the menu.

He pointed out the places he visited on the map.

Wow! That girl is really ugly!

I should point out that she’s my sister.

run into = meet by chance, run into

I had a feeling, I’d run into you!

I often run into people I know at the bus stop.

While I was in Hollywood, I ran into a famous actor in the supermarket.

What took you so long at the store?

I ran into my old elementary school teacher.

when it comes to = regarding; when dealing with, when it comes to.

He doesn’t know very much when it comes to mathematics.

When it comes to explaining difficult subjects, she is the best teacher.

He doesn’t know very much when it comes to cars.

Can you help me install this computer program?

Sorry. When it comes to computers, I am a real dunce.

Dialogue, at the dinner table

Guess who I ran into today.

Who?

Robert Smith.

Who?

Robert Smith, the boy who used to cut our lawn.

I’m at a loss. What does he look like?

Remember, he had blond hair and glasses. He was really short.

Nope. I’m not coming up with any kid like that in my memory.

Anyway, he’s starting collage. Now he has neither blond hair, nor glasses. He has dark hair and he’s much taller. But in spite of the fact that he is grown up, he still chews bubble gum.

Now I remember him. We used to call him Bob, for short.

Right, Bubble gum Bob.

Idioms in context

My husband and I went to a high school reunion party in our old town. Almost one hundred people were there. As a rule, I enjoy meeting people.

But when it comes to large, noisy parties, I get very tired. I told my husband that I would prefer not to stay for too long. My husband pointed out that we should at least say hello to the people that we knew. We did run into several old friends at the party, so in spite of the crowd I still had a good time.

During the party, a young man came up to us. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Brown,” he said to us.

He looked familiar, but I didn’t know where I had seen the young man before. I knew it was no use looking to my husband for help. He is terrible at coming up with names to match with faces. This time, we were both at a loss to think of his name. We talked with the young man for a while and then a couple came up to us. It was Don and Liz Wilson. (Her name is Elizabeth, but everyone calls her Liz for short). They were friends of ours. We had kept in touch, but had not seen them for many years.

The young man left after a few minutes to talk with some of his other friends. I told the Wilsons, “I’m sorry we did not introduce you to that nice young man. Neither my husband nor I could figure out his name.”

“That’s all right,” said Mr. Wilson, “He is our son.”