Idioms

get a taste of your own medicine

To be treated the same unpleasant way you have treated others; to suffer the consequences of your own behavior.

get a word in edgewise

To manage to say something in a conversation despite constant interruptions or someone else talking nonstop.

get back on your feet

Recover after a setback—especially becoming financially stable or healthy again.

get cold feet

To suddenly feel nervous or lose courage, especially right before doing something important, and hesitate or back out.

get down to business

To stop chatting or delaying and start focusing seriously on the task or work that needs to be done.

get in on the ground floor

To join or invest at the very beginning of a venture, before it grows, to gain the best opportunity or advantage.

get it off your chest

To tell someone what’s been bothering you so you feel relieved afterward.

get off on the wrong foot

To start a situation or relationship badly, creating early problems or a poor first impression.

get off the hook

To avoid blame, punishment, or a difficult responsibility; to be released from an obligation.

get out of hand

To become out of control; to escalate beyond what can be managed.

get something off your chest

To talk about something that’s been bothering you, so you feel relieved.

get the ball rolling

To start an activity, process, or discussion and get it moving so progress continues.

get the hang of it

To learn how to do something and become reasonably good at it, especially after initial difficulty.

get the jitters

To become very nervous, anxious, or shaky, often before an event or under stress.

get the message

To understand what someone means (often an indirect hint) or to realize a situation; also to receive information.

get the picture

To understand what someone means; to grasp the situation or idea.

get the sack

To be fired or dismissed from a job.

get the short end of the stick

To be treated unfairly or receive the worst part of a deal or situation.

get the show on the road

To start an activity, trip, or project; to begin moving or making progress, especially after delays.

get the upper hand

To gain an advantage or take control in a situation, often over an opponent or competing side.

get the wrong end of the stick

To misunderstand something, often by interpreting a situation, instruction, or comment incorrectly.

get to the bottom of

To find the real cause, truth, or details of something, especially after investigating.

get to the bottom of it

To discover the real cause or truth behind something; to fully investigate and understand what happened.

get to the point

Stop giving extra details and state the main idea quickly and directly.

get up on the wrong side of the bed

To wake up in a bad mood and be irritable or negative all day.

get your act together

To become organized and take responsibility; start behaving effectively and making sensible decisions.

get your ducks in a row

To organize things properly and make preparations so everything is ready and in the correct order before acting.

get your feet wet

To get initial, low-risk experience with something new; to try it for the first time.

get your money’s worth

To receive good value for the money you spent; to make sure a purchase/experience is worth its cost.

get your second wind

To regain energy and feel able to continue after feeling tired or out of breath.

give and take

Mutual compromise: each side both gives something up and accepts something in return to reach agreement.

give it a rest

Stop talking about it or stop doing something annoying; calm down and drop the subject.

give it a shot

To try something, often for the first time, to see if it works or if you like it.

give someone a hand

To help someone, or to applaud them (give them a round of applause).

give someone a piece of your mind

To scold or speak to someone angrily and bluntly, telling them exactly what you think (often because you’re upset).

give someone the benefit of the doubt

To assume someone is honest or right when you are unsure, choosing to trust them rather than suspect them.

give someone the cold shoulder

To deliberately ignore someone or treat them in an unfriendly, distant way, often to show disapproval or lack of interest.

give the benefit of the doubt

To choose to believe someone is telling the truth or did the right thing, even though you are not sure.

give the green light

To officially approve or authorize something so it can begin or proceed.

give the slip

To escape from someone who is chasing, watching, or trying to catch you; to elude pursuit.

go against the grain

To act or think in a way that opposes what most people do, or what seems natural or expected.

go ahead and

Used to tell someone to proceed and do something; a polite permission/encouragement marker rather than a figurative idiom.

go back to the drawing board

To start over because the current plan or attempt has failed or isn’t workable.

go ballistic

To suddenly become extremely angry and react explosively; to lose one’s temper.

go bananas

To become very excited, angry, or crazy; to lose control or overreact.

go belly up

To fail completely, especially for a business to go bankrupt or collapse.

go cold turkey

To stop using an addictive substance or habit suddenly and completely, without gradually reducing it.

go down in flames

To fail spectacularly and publicly, often suddenly, with obvious embarrassment or consequences.

go down the drain

To be wasted or lost (time, money, effort), or for a plan/situation to fail completely.

go down the tubes

To fail badly or rapidly deteriorate, often ending in ruin (a project, business, plan, or situation).