Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (57 page)

to search for or to try to find someone or something ♦
Where have you been? We
looked for
you everywhere.
♦
I’m
looking for
some shoes to match this outfit.

to go in the direction of something with determination or possibly with haste; sometimes phrased
make for the door,
meaning to leave permanently, as with a job or a relationship, or to leave for the purpose of getting out or away from a place ♦
When school is over, the kids grab their books and
make for
home and their video games.
♦
I
made for
the beach as soon as my plane arrived in Hawaii.

to campaign as a candidate for public office or other position ♦
When he
ran for
president he was only 35 years old.
♦
She
ran for
governor, and won.

1.
to represent or voice another person’s opinions, thoughts, or needs ♦
He
spoke for
all of us when he said “Corporate crime must be stopped.”
♦
Don’t
speak for
me. I have my own opinions.

2.
to be claimed as belonging to someone; to be unavailable for dating because one is married or involved in an romantic relationship ♦
There’s only one piece of cake left, and I’ve already
spoken for
it.
♦
If we have to share a dorm room, I’m
speaking for
the desk by the window.
Grammar Note:
Almost put in the passive form, as in “This seat is already
spoken for.
” When this idiom means that someone is unavailable for dating, it is also always in the passive form.

1.
to represent or symbolize something ♦
In a Web address, www
stands for
World Wide Web.
♦
The stars on the U.S. flag
stand for
the 50 states
.

2.
to believe in or hold as a principle; to support or uphold ♦
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
stood for
equality and justice.
♦
It’s important to know what you
stand for.

3.
to tolerate, allow, put up with; usually used in the negative context, phrased
do not, will not,
or
would not stand for
♦
We won’t
stand for
any violence in our schools.
♦
My father wouldn’t
stand for
any disrespectful behavior.

Speak For Yourself!

Speak for yourself
(meaning “that’s your opinion, not mine”) is an often-used response when someone makes a general statement or voices a general opinion that doesn’t represent the feelings of everyone present. The topic can be serious or light.
Speak for yourself
is often said jokingly but can be serious also. The following are some examples:

• Carm: I don’t care what movie we rent, but let’s not get a Western. Nobody likes Westerns. Steve: Hey,
  speak for yourself.
  I like Westerns.
  
• Nicole: No dessert for me. That meal was so filling. Ben:
  Speak for yourself!
  I’m going to have dessert.
  

By contrast, the expression
speaking for myself
is often used to introduce one’s own opinions or feelings:

• Speaking just for myself,
  I’d rather go to the basketball game.
  

People also say “I can only
speak for myself,”
which has the same meaning.

1.
to make a mistake about someone’s identity; to think that a person is someone else ♦
With your new haircut and glasses, I almost
took
you
for
someone else.
♦
He’s 60 years old? I
took
him
for
a much younger man.

2.
to assume something about a person’s character ♦
I had
taken
him
for
an honest person, but I was wrong.
♦
She thought I stole from the company! What kind of person does she
take
me
for?!
Note:
Often phrased “What do you take me for?!” in response to an insult or false accusation.
Grammar Note:
This idiom requires a noun or pronoun following the verb
take
except in the passive voice, as in “He was often
taken for
his younger brother.”

1.
to go on a business trip or a vacation ♦
She often
goes away
on a business trip.
♦
I would love to
go away
for a few days if I had the time.

2.
to leave or depart temporarily or permanently ♦
The rain has finally
gone away. ♦
I’ll be glad when all the tourists have
gone away,
and our town is quiet again.

3.
to stop bothering someone; to leave someone alone ♦ Go away.
You’re bothering me!
♦
I told my roommates to
go away
so I could study.

4.
to heal or be resolved, as an illness or problem ♦
My skin rash finally
went away. ♦
Your problems won’t just
go away;
you have to deal with them.

drive away
♦
She
drove away
in her new car.

fly away
♦
The bird
flew away
before the cat could catch it.

ride away
♦
After stopping to buy candy, the kids
rode away
on their bikes.

walk away
♦
He didn’t want to argue, so he turned and
walked away.

1.
to leave one’s residence, town, country or other place for the purpose of relocating to another ♦
I’m sad because my best friend just
moved away. ♦
We used to live in Nashville, but we
moved away
in 1997.

2.
to move back from something to avoid a dangerous situation; often said as a request or command. In this context
move away
is often followed by the preposition
from.
♦
The police ordered the protesters to
move away
from the building.
♦
You should
move away
from the workbench while I’m using this strong solution.

3.
to abandon or to begin to change from a past technology or way of doing something; generally used in reference to technology, products, trends, and approaches ♦
Some fashion designers are
moving away
from the use of animal fur.
♦
Although the schools have
moved away
from bilingual teaching, many educators believe that it was very effective.

1.
to abandon something, often one’s responsibilities or problems ♦
You can’t
run away
from your problems; they’ll just follow you!
Note:
This idiom is also said as
walk away.

2.
flee from one’s home and family; often used in relation to a juvenile who has left the care of parents or guardians without their knowledge or approval; often phrased
run away from home
♦
When their son
ran away from home,
they called the police.
♦
The little girl said, “I’m mad at you, Mommy! I’m
running away!”

3.
to flee on foot, running ♦
When the police arrived, most of the rioters
ran away. ♦
We tried to catch the injured cat, but it kept
running away
from us.

sneak away
♦
Let’s
sneak away
from the party and go for a walk.

steal away
♦
The newlyweds
stole away
from the reception to be alone.

slip away
♦
The thief
slipped away
in the dark.

slip away
♦
Our old dog
slipped away
in his sleep.

pass away
♦
My grandmother
passed away
last Sunday.

1.
to leave or escape from one’s regular routine and go somewhere on vacation; to take a break from work ♦
She
got away
for a few days and went camping.
♦
We’re planning to
get away
for a couple of weeks in the summer.

2.
to avoid being captured or attacked, to escape from being restrained or held captive; often used in reference to being retained too long by a conversation or other social obligation ♦
The thief tried to
get away,
but the police caught him.
♦
He caught a large bass, but the fish managed to
get away.

3.
to move back from something or someone, to separate oneself from a harmful or stressful situation; often a request or a command; also phrased
stay away
or
keep away
♦ Get away
from me with your pet snake!
♦
Anna,
get away
from the cliff. It’s dangerous to be so close to the edge.

4.
to avoid, discontinue, or change a certain behavior or trend; also phrased
move away from
♦
I’m trying to
get away
from spending so much money on eating out.
♦
In today’s world of cell phones, computers, and video games, we’ve
moved away
from spending quality time with our families.