GET (A) HOLD OF (SOMEONE)
The idiom “to get a hold of” means to interact with someone. If you want to get a hold of someone, you can communicate with them by phone or sending email. You can also go into the office and talk to them in person.
To get a hold of someone is to locate them and speak with them. This phrase is often used in the context of an emergency. If a family member left their phone on at home after going out, a parent might say “I’ll call them and get a hold of them.” It can also be used as a way for one person to contact another person. For instance, “Do you have his email address?
A person might get a hold of someone when they call or message that person. This can be done because usually this person has their cell phone number or email address. They might also get a hold of someone by physically meeting up with them in real life.
To get a hold of someone means to reach them on the phone or in person. It is an idiom that can be used in many contexts, but it often refers to when someone has lost contact with one another and needs to reestablish contact.
GET (A) HOLD OF (SOMETHING)
Getting a hold of something can be interpreted as obtaining an item or idea. It is common to hear this phrase in academic situations such as when a student has trouble grasping the meaning of an instructor’s instructions, for example. When one has difficulty understanding, it can be beneficial to re-read the instructions and ensure that there was no confusion before taking any action.
The idiom to get a hold of something typically means to come into possession of something that is desired. It can also mean to do or perform well in a particular situation, such as in the case of academic jargon.
A person is said to “get a hold of something” when they are able to understand it or do something with it. It is also often used in the context of building relationships with others, such as when someone becomes friends with someone else.
To get a hold of something is to understand and gain control over it. One way one might do this is by taking hold of the idea and understanding it.
GET A LEG UP
Getting a leg up in the world is the act of securing an advantage or position that will allow one to easily surpass others. The main sentence, “He tried to get a leg up on the competition,” includes this idiom, which reveals that him trying to win at something is likely to be unfair since he already has one more leg than everyone else.
To get a leg up on someone means to get ahead of or surpass that person in some way. This may refer to getting an advantage over your opponent in a game, writing a novel and selling it before they do, or making money before they do. The phrase is often used as an idiom for success.
Getting a leg up means to gain an advantage over someone else. Simple academic jargon for this phrase would be to give oneself an edge by obtaining prior knowledge. For example, if you study for the test, then you will have an advantage over other students who don’t study because they won’t know as much as you do.
The phrase “get a leg up” is often used to describe the act of performing better than someone else. It’s usually used in the sense of “get an advantage over” or “gain an upper hand.” The idiom originates from horse racing, where the jockeys would try to get ahead of their competitors using their horse’s front legs.
A leg up is an advantage that’s provided, often in a competitive situation. For example, you might hear someone say that they’re going to take the lead in the race if they get a leg up on their opponents, or you might hear someone say that they have got their eyes on somebody else’s territory and are hoping to get a leg up on them.
1 thought on “GET (A) HOLD OF (SOMEONE), GET (A) HOLD OF (SOMETHING), GET A LEG UP: American English Idioms #82”