AMERICAN IDIOMS (G)
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Idioms starting with G
Here is our list of popular "G" idioms that are used in American English:
Gaydar (n.): The ability to tell whether or not someone is gay.
ex: "My gaydar was a little off. I was sure he was straight."
Gawk (v.): To stare (stupidly).
ex: "Those hicks were gawking at us."
Geek (n.): A (slightly) strange person who is obsessed with things such as music, electronics, video games, etc.
Get (v.): To understand
ex: "I don't get it.", "I don't get him."
(To) get a move on:
To go or do something quickly, to get going, etc.
ex. "Hey if we want to make the 8:00 PM show we should get a move on."
(To) get carried away:
To exaggerate/ go too far/ to become emotional.
ex. "I got carried away. I bought 10 shirts!"; "She got carried away when
she started talking about the war."
(To) get caught up:
To become involved, especially emotionally.
ex. "I just got caught up in his plan and couldn't think straight."
(To) get cold feet:
To become timid or frightened.
ex. "I usually get cold feet when I have to speak in public."
(To) get down to business:
To start working seriously.
ex. "Enough playing around. Let's get down to business."
Get a kick out of (something): To enjoy (something)
ex: "Why does he get such a kick out of watching her suffer?"
(To) get one's fill (or fix) of something:
To have enough of something. To have a lot of something.
ex. "She's had her fill of his lying ways."
(To) get one's foot in the door
To get started in a process; to attain a favorable position which will help one work toward a goal.
ex. "I'm trying to find a better job, but I can't get my foot in the door."
To get one's mind off (something): To stop thinking about (something).
ex: "The night out really helped me get my mind off my problems for a while."
(To) get on someone's nerves:
To annoy someone; to bother or irritate someone.
ex. "I know that he's harmless, but he still gets on my nerves for some reason."
(To) get rid of (something/someone):
To eliminate. To throw away. To hide. e
x. "This detergent gets rid of dirt better than any other one that I've used."; "Get rid of the cigarette, your mother's coming!"
(To) get something off one's chest:
To say something that has been on your mind; to say something that has been bothering you.
ex. "Did you tell her about Hawaii? Yes, and I felt much better once I got that off my chest."
(To) get something straight:
To clarify something. To understand something clearly.
ex. "Let me get this straight. Your mother's cousin stole money from your father's cousin's daughter?"
(To) get that all the time:
To hear something constantly.
ex. "P1: Hey, you really look like Brad Pitt! P2: Yeah, I get that all the time."
(To) get the blues:
To become sad or depressed.
Get to the point: To be direct
ex: "Stop beating around the bush and get to the point!"
Gig: Concert (when talking about musicians/bands); An acting engagement (when talking about actors)
Give me a break: This phrase can be used to 1) express disbelief at something you think is untrue ("You went out with Miss America? Give me a break!", or 2) to express disbelief that something is ridiculous (but true), expensive, etc. ("$2000 per month for this apartment?? Give me a break!")
(To) give someone a call:
To call someone (on the telephone).
ex. "I'll give you call tomorrow morning."
(To) give someone the benefit of the doubt:
To believe in someone despite information that makes them seem guilty of something.
ex. "Hey, don't believe the rumors. Give him the benefit of the doubt."
(To) give someone a piece of one's mind:
To bawl someone out. To let someone know how one really feels.
ex. "After that driver took my parking spot, I really gave him a piece of my mind."
Glitzy (adj.): Fancy, expensive
ex: "A glitzy hotel"
Glued to one's seat: To be "glued to one's seat" means to be so interested in something that one is unwilling/unable to move from where one is sitting.
(To be) a go: To happen. Most often heard in expressions sucha as "It's a go." (It's going to happen), "I thought it was a go" (I thought it was going to happen), etc.
(A) go-getter: *somewhat antiquated*
An aggressive employee; a hard worker.
ex. "Jim is a real go-getter."
(To) go Dutch:
To pay for oneself when going out in a group.
(To) go overboard:
To do too much; to exaggerate.
ex. "They really went overboard with the party preparations."
(To) go up in flames:
To burn; to be consumed in flames.
ex. "The house went up in flames, and the firefighters had a hard time putting out the fire."
(To) go over something with a fine toothed comb:
To go over something very carefully, esp. checking for errors.
ex. "Here's the report. Make sure to go over it with a fine toothed comb."
(To) go to someone's head:
To make someone overly conceited or proud.
ex. "That award that he won really went to his head."
Go with (v.): To choose. To decide on.
ex: "I'm gonna go with the blue shirt." (I've decided on the blue shirt.)
Go with the flow (v.): To accept things (the way they are).
ex: "I'm just gonna go with flow and see what happens."
(A) golden opportunity:
A good chance to succeed, a good investment.
ex. "I didn't have enough money to buy that restaurant. I missed
a golden opportunity."
Gonna: Short for "going to".
ex: "I'm gonna call you tomorrow."
Gotta: Short for "have got to" or "have to".
ex: "I gotta go."
Grass (n.): Marijuana; Pot.
Gross (adj.): Disgusting.
ex: "That's gross!"
Grub (n.): Slightly rude term for "food".
Gut: Belly.
ex: "I lost my gut when I stopped drinking beer."
Guts: Courage.
ex: "You don't have the guts to do that."
KEYWORDS: learn American English slang, new American words, English slang phrases, American idioms list
