GET IN THE WAY

Question

Dear Teachers,1. When I look at you, all my thoughts get in the way.- What does "get in the way" mean here?2. Is "postman" the same meaning as "mail carrier"? and do we have "postwoman"?3. You broke me in with your mistakes.- What does "break me in" mean here?4. They want to give up on everything.- I think "on" is redundant here, right?5. - They are mopping floors.    - They are cleaning the floors.- Are these natural and the same meaning?Thanks a lot to Teachers, Stevenukd.

Siggy · Accepted Answer

Stevenukd1. When I look at you, all my thoughts get in the way.

- What does "get in the way" mean here?

2. Is "postman" the same meaning as "mail carrier"? and do we have "postwoman"?

3. You broke me in with your mistakes.

- What does "break me in" mean here?

4. They want to give up on everything.

- I think "on" is redundant here, right?

5. - They are mopping floors.

- They are cleaning the floors.

- Are these natural and the same meaning?

Steven

1. "Get in the way" means "impede" or "block."

2. "Mail carrier" is a gender neutral way of referring to a "postman" or "postwoman." My experience is that "mail carrier" is much more common in the US than the UK. I have also heard "postie" as a reference to the same type of person.

3. I'm not sure about this one - I don't believe I've heard the phrase "break me in" used in this way. In general, to "break someone in" is to introduce them to some new task or skill.

4. In this case, you could get away with not having the "on," but there is a subtle distinction between "give up" and "give up on" in some cases. Generally, "give up" is used to refer to stopping doing something that has been happening for some time; you "give up smoking" or "give up beating your wife" rather than "*give up on smoking" or "*give up on beating your wife." On the other hand, you use "give up on" to express your rejection of someone or something you previosuly had a belief in, or just stop trying; you "give up on ***" or "I give up on chess - it's too hard!"

5. I suggest that both are OK (Adding "the" to "They are mopping the floors" sounds a little more natural"), but strictly speaking, "mopping" is a type of "cleaning" as so more specific. In the same way, you could have said "they are polishing the floors" or "they are scrubbing the floors," where "mopping," "polishing," and "scrubbing" are all examples of the general notion of "cleaning."

Hope this helps.

Siggy

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