To get ( something ) out of the way

Idiom of the day:

To get ( something ) out of the way.

Meaning: This idiom is used when a person needs to finish an unpleasant or slightly boring task first. It gives the sense of doing one thing first in order to be able to do what one truly desires.

First Example: I would love to go see a movie with you, but I need to get my homework out of the way first.

Meaning: In this sentence, the speaker wants to finish his homework first in order to be able to go see a movie with his friend.

Here is another example:

Second Example: I want to change my major to biology but before I can do that I need to get some prerequisites out of the way.

Meaning: The speaker can’t (isn’t allowed to) change his major until he completes all the required courses.

Third Example: Alan, get your toys out of my way! I can’t clean the house like this!

Meaning: “Get the toys out of my way” means “put your toys away”. In this sentence, it means to remove the toys physically, because they create an obstacle for mom to clean the house.

This idiom is found in LSI 's Reading Connections book which is used for Level 3 reading.