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Lesson 25

anything but = all others except, anything but.

I can eat anything but fish.

I can watch anything but horror movies.

He said he would do anything but go out dancing tonight.

What do you want to listen to?

Anything but jazz.

go Dutch = each pay for himself/herself, go Dutch

They decided to go Dutch on their date.

We went out to dinner last night, but it wasn’t a date. We went Dutch.

I hate to go Dutch. I’ll pay this time. You pay next time.

Thanks for dinner. Let my pay.

How about we go Dutch?

hang out = spend time some place, hang out

They always hung out at the mall.

Teenagers like to hang out at the park.

I usually hang out at my friend’s house after school.

Hey Joe, what are you doing tonight?

I’m just going to hang out at Kevin’s house.

in accordance with = following; matching, in accordance with

In accordance with law, young children not allowed to smoking.

The new laws are not in accordance with the old laws.

The company completed all work in accordance with its contract.

Why is your hair so short?

I had to cut it in accordance with army rules.

in terms of = comparing with; by the standard of, in terms of

The manual was not helpful in terms of finding the problem.

In terms of cheap vacations, this is one of the best deals you will find.

The book was not very useful in terms of teaching grammar.

Which car is better?

In terms of speed, the BMW is much better than the Ford.

keep one’s word = fulfill one’s promise, keep one’s word

I promise! He always keeps his word.

She promised to call me, but she did not keep her word.

It drives me crazy when people don’t keep their word.

Remember, you promised to wash the car.

Don’t worry. I’ll keep my word.

lay off = quit; stop, lay off

Lay off!

Lay off those drums! I’m trying to sleep!

When are you going to lay off smoking? It’s bad for you.

Oh, no! I’ve gained six pounds!

Why don’t you lay off snacks for a while?

live up to = meet one’s expectations, live up to

He was worried about living up to his family’s expectations.

The movie did not live up to all the good reviews.

The hotel really lives up to its reputation. It’s excellent.

Why did you change universities?

Clown College really didn’t live up to my expectations.

see eye to eye = agree; from the same point of view, see eye to eye

Do we see eye to eye on this issue?

They saw eye to eye on almost every part of the project, so it was approved.

She doesn’t always see eye to eye with her husband about money.

I guess we don’t see eye to eye on the price.

No, we don’t. You’re asking too much.

settle down = become still or relaxed, settle down

You kids had better settle down or else!

The children did not settle down and go to sleep until after midnight.

Settle down! It’s just a little spider!

I can’t get to sleep. Why don’t those dogs settle down?

Maybe they are barking at a burglar!

Dialogue

In a restaurant

This place really lives up to its reputation. Every thing was delicious.

It sure was. And in terms of the price, it’s not that expensive either.

How much is the bill?

Never mind! I’m paying.

Oh, no. You’re not paying, I’m paying. Give me the bill.

I’ve got it. Don’t worry.

Give it to me!

lay off Bob! I’m paying. I was the one who promised to take you out for your birthday. So I’m just keeping my word.

OK, I’ll let you pay this time in accordance with the following condition.

What condition?

Next time, I get to pay.

Next time, we can go Dutch so there won’t be any argument over the bill.

Idioms in context

My friend and I don’t really see eye to eye with regard to music. He thinks that rock and punk music are great, and most other kinds of popular music are OK. In fact, he listens to anything but classical music. On the other hand, I love classical music.

A while ago, we were hanging out at a music store when my friend saw a poster. His favorite punk band was coming for a concert. He said that we should go together. At first I told him, “No way!” But he wouldn’t lay off begging me to go with him. Finally, I gave in and said I would go if he promised me one thing. He had to promise to go to an orchestra concert with me.

We saw the punk band first. I must admit that, in terms of musical talent, the band we saw wasn’t bad.

Then it was his turn to see the orchestra. I was a little worried that my friend would not keep his word. But he did. Usually my friend and I go Dutch when we go out together. However, I knew he would never pay to see an orchestra so I bought his ticket. In accordance with our deal, I took my friend to see the symphony orchestra perform a night of Mozart.

I had heard this orchestra was superb, and they certainly lived up to my high expectations. They were great! At first my friend seemed restless. It was dark in the concert hall, but I could feel him moving around in his seat. Soon, however, he settled down and was very still.

After the concert was over and the lights came back on, I asked my friend what he thought. He said, “I heard Mozart speaking to me in the music.”

I was surprised and said, “Really?”

“Yeah,” my friend said. “He kept saying, ‘Go to sleep. Go to sleep.’ So I did.”