Free Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts by Richard Spears Page A

simple. Don’t you get it? A: Sorry, I just don’t understand.
I SABEL : I’ve explained it as well as I can. Get it?
    Don’t you just love it? Don’t you agree that it is great? (Also used sarcastically.)
H ANNA : What a cool little computer! I DA : Yes. Don’t you just love it?
D ON : Yuck. It looks like it’s going to rain all day again today. A NDY : Don’t you just love it?
    Don’t you know? 1 . Don’t you know the answer?; I don’t know—I thought you did.
M ARY : How do I get to the Morris Building? Where do I turn? J ANE : Don’t you know? I have no idea!
S UE : We’re supposed to either sign these contracts or rewrite them. Which is it? J OHN : Don’t you know?
2 . AND (Don’t you) see? Do you understand?; Do you see? (Usually pronounced
doan-cha know
, often without rising question intonation. Typically, nothing more than a call for some quick response from the person being talked to.)
J OHN : This whole thing can be straightened out with hardly any trouble at all, don’t you know? S UE : What makes you so sure? J OHN : I’ve had this same problem before
.
B ILL : Why are you stopping the car? J OHN : We usually stop here for the night, don’t you know? B ILL : I know a better place down the road.
    Don’t you know it ! You can be absolutely sure about that!; You’re exactly right, and I agree with you. (This is not a question.)
A LICE : Man, is it hot! F RED : Don’t you know it!
B OB : This is the best cake I have ever eaten. The cook is the best in the world! B ILL : Don’t you know it!
    (Don’t you) see? Go to Don’t you know?
    (Don’t) you wish ! Don’t you wish that what you have just said were really true?
M ARY : I’m going to get a job that lets me travel a lot. S ALLY : Don’t you wish!
S ALLY : Sorry you lost the chess game. It was close, but your opponent was top-notch. B OB : Next time, I’ll do it! I’ll win the next round. S ALLY : Don’t you wish!
    down the drain lost forever; wasted.
I just hate to see all that money go down the drain
.
Well, there goes the whole project, right down the drain.
    Down the hatch ! Go to Bottoms up.
    down to the wire at the very last minute; up to the very last instant.
I have to turn this in tomorrow, and I’ll be working down to the wire
.
When we get down to the wire, we’ll know better what to do.
    Dream on . What you are expecting or wanting to happen is nothing but fantasy, so enjoy yourself and create as many fantasies as you want.
You want to get promoted to general manager? Dream on
.
You, an opera singer? Dream on.
    drinking the Kool-Aid accepting flawed arguments that have bad consequences. (From an incident in 1978 in which about 900 people died from willingly drinking poisoned Flavor Aid, a fruit-flavored drink. The expression almost always uses the name of a more widely known drink, Kool-Aid. Both Kool-Aid and Flavor Aid are protected trade names.)
Those jerks in the Mossback Party are still drinking the Kool-Aid. They’ll believe anything their leaders tell them
.
You’re just drinking the Kool-Aid if you think any political party is going to level with you.
    Drive safely . an expression used to advise a departing person to be careful while driving.
M ARY : Good-bye, Sally. Drive safely. S ALLY : Good-bye. I will
.
“Drive safely!” everyone shouted as we left on our trip.
    drive something home to make something very definite; to make something clearly understood energetically. (As if one were drivinga nail solidly into wood.)
Your speech needs some more work. You need to be more enthusiastic if you want to drive each point home
.
These are the three things that you really want to get across in the ad campaign. You have to drive them home using highly stimulating art and clever graphics. Let me see it again tomorrow morning.
    Drop by for a drink (sometime) . a casual invitation for someone to pay a visit.
B