در حیاط

be free to = have the opportunity to, be free to.

At my school, students are free to use computers after class.

She was free to choose any dish on the menu.

You are free to leave as soon as you finish the test.

A: Where would you like me to sit?

B: You’re free to sit where you like

become of = happen to; occur, become of

Don’t give up your dreams. Just look at what became of Mickey!

Do you know what became of that singer? I haven’t heard about him for ages.

Many people wonder what’s become of our sense of decency.

A: What will become of that old car?

B: I think they will sell it to a museum.

die of = be the cause of death, die oWe are all going to die of something!

I almost died of embarrassment when my swimming suit came off.

The trees died of position in the soil from the nearby factory.

A: My parrot died of old age.

B: I’m sorry to hear that.

furnish A with B

furnish A with B = provide B to A, furnish A with B.

The hotel furnished us with free drinks all week.

The school furnished the students with new desks.

The speaker furnished everyone at the presentation with a copy of his latest book.

A: How’s your job going?

B: Great! My company furnished me with a new laptop computer.

keep track of = watch or count, keep track of.

She’s always busy keeping track of her children.

The teacher had a hard time keeping track of all the children.

Let’s keep track of how much we spend on food during our vacation.

A: How many hamburgers did you eat?

B: I couldn’t keep track of them all!

no way = I don’t believe it, no way

He’s on the weight lifting team? No way!

You are forty years old? No way! You look so young!

You met Elizabeth Taylor? No way!

A: Did you hear that aliens have landed in L.A.?

on the other hand = but; looking at the other side of the situation, on the other hand.

He likes eating cookies. On the other hand, he usually gets a rash from them.

New York is very romantic. On the other hand, it is very cold in the winter.

Restaurants have a nice atmosphere. On the other hand, eating out is expensive.

A: The new house is smaller than the old one.

B: But on the other hand, it is in a better neighborhood.

stand to reason

stand to reason = be a logical conclusion; obviously follow, stand to reason.

It stands to reason that if you study hard, you will do well in school.

It stood to reason that the criminal should be punished.

It stands to reason that if you eat too much, you will gain weight.

A: It’s starting to rain.

B: It stands to reason that we should close the window.

turn up = suddenly appear after being lost or missing, turn up.

This turned up in the mail today.

My wallet turned up in the lost-and-found office.

Please call me if my car keys turn up.

A: Did you find your missing dog?

B: Yeah. He turned up last night.

what if

what if = in the event that; suppose that, what if.

What if no one comes to our party?

What if you won the lottery?

What if I get sick?

A: What if I get sick? Who will take care of me?

B: Call your mother. She just lives across town.

Dialogue

In the yard

A: Do you know what became of the old man who lived on the corner, Sam? I saw that his house was up for sale.

B: I heard he died of a sudden heart attack a few weeks ago.

A: No way! He seemed so healthy.

B: I can’t believe it either. The police should look into his death. Some interesting things about that family might turn up.

A: What are you talking about?

B: That old man was a millionaire. What if one of his children wanted that money?

A: On the other hand, maybe his family just has a history of bad hearts. You’ve been reading too many detective novels, Sam.

B: You never know Max. Things like that don’t only happen in novels.

Idioms in context

Mark had a pet parrot named Billy. He liked to let Billy out of his cage so that he was free to walk around the house.

Mark did not bother to keep track of Billy when he was out because the bird never got into trouble.

One day, Mark let Billy out of his cage as usual. Suddenly, Billy flew out the window! At first, Mark didn’t worry. “Billy will turn up when he gets hungry,” Mark thought. “

On the other hand, what if Billy gets caught and eaten by a dog or a cat! Or what if it gets too cold outside?

What if he can’t find any food?

He might die of hunger!” Mark did his best to find Billy over the next two days, but he had no luck. He began to think that his parrot was gone for good.

Mark knew something terrible must have become of Billy because he didn’t come home.

Then a phone call took Mark by surprise. The person on the phone asked, “Is this Mark? I think I have your parrot.”

“No way! Really?” Mark exclaimed in surprise. Then he asked, “How did you know my phone number?”

The caller said, “Your parrot furnished me with the number. It keeps saying ‘Hello, you have called 243-7855. This is Mark. Please leave a message.’ So it stands to reason that this is your bird.”

Then Mark remembered that Billy’s cage was next to the answering machine.