These phrases meaning plz

Posted by R. Berg on May 03, 2003

In Reply to: These phrases meaning plz posted by kathaab afandi on May 02, 2003

: hello,
: I would like to know the meaning for these phrases if possible. Thank you.

: 1)take on the whole world at once
: 2)scale down to size
: 3)look down on yes people
: 4)stick to your guns
: 5)run off the road
: 6)put into perspective
: 7)works his tail off
: 8)darted off to
: 9)hard to pin down
: 10)come to terms with

I'll answer a few of these--the ones for which I can easily think up a clear explanation.

1. In the context of taking on the world, "take on" means to engage in combat with, as a champion boxer takes on a challenger in a boxing match. "At once" means simultaneously rather than serially. So "take on the whole world at once" means to fight with everybody at the same time.

3. "Look down on yes people" = have a poor opinion of people who agree unthinkingly with whatever the boss says.

4. "Stick to your guns" = steadfastly maintain your beliefs, your demands, and so forth despite challenges to them from someone else.

6. "Put into perspective" = think clearly about something so that you assign it the importance it deserves and no more.

7. "Tail" is slang for buttocks. To work one's tail off simply means to work very hard.

8. "He darted off to Paris," for instance, means that he left where he was and traveled quickly to Paris.

9. "Hard to pin down" = hard to identify; vague.

10. "Come to terms with" = accept; come to understand.

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