to be in (the/one's) way: to block or obstruct; not to be helpful, to cause
inconvenience (for both, also: to get in the/one's way)
o Jocelyn couldn't drive through the busy intersection because a big truck
was in the way.
o Our small child tried to help us paint the house, but actually he just got
in our way.
to put on: to gain (pounds or weight) (S); to present, to perform (S)
o Bob has put on a lot of weight recently. He must have put at least
fifteen pounds on.
o The Youth Actor's Guild put on a wonderful version of Romeo and
Juliet at the globe Theater.
to put up: to tolerate, to accept unwillingly
o The employee was fired because his boss could not put up with his
mistakes any longer.
o While I'm studying, I can't put up with any noise or other distractions.
in vain: useless, without the desired result
o All the doctors' efforts to save the injured woman were in vain. She was
declared dead three hours after being admitted to the hospital.
o We tried in vain to reach you last night. Is your phone out of order?
day in and day out: continuously, constantly (also: day after day; for
longer periods of time, year in and year out and year after year)
o During the month of April, it rained day in and day out.
o Day after day I waited for a letter from him, but one never came.
o Year in and year out, the weather in San Diego is the best in the nation.
to catch up: to work with the purpose of fulfilling a requirement or being
equal to others
The idiom is often followed by the preposition with and a noun phrase. It is
similar in meaning to keep up with from Lesson 17.
o The student was absent from class so long that it took her a long time to
catch up.
o If you are not equal to others, first you have to catch up with them
before you can keep up with them.
Lesson 20
to hold still: not to move (S)
o Please hold still while I adjust your tie.
o If you don't hold that camera still, you'll get a blurred picture.
to know by sight: to recognize (S)
This idiom is used when the person has been seen previously but is not known
personally. The person must be used to separate the idiom.
o I have never met our new neighbors; I simply know them by sight.
o The woman said that she would know the thief by sight if she ever saw
him again.