To Get Around To

To Get Around To

Meaning: Finally manage to do something, make the effort to do something

Example 1:

Tom: Ahhh, just a day sitting in front of the TV with a beer watching football! What a life!

Sarah: Ummm…actually I really need you to change the light bulbs in the bathroom. They burned out two weeks ago and I have to put my make up on in the dark every morning. I look terrible!

Tom: Well, you’re not helpless! Why don’t you go buy the light bulbs and change them yourself?

Sarah: What? You know I’m not tall enough to change those light bulbs! Even with the ladder! Remember when I tried to do it last year and fell? Please, Tom, you just never get around to doing it and I’ll have to shower and put on make up in the dark for the rest of my life!

Tom: Don’t be so dramatic! I’ll get around to it soon. Just let me finish my beer and watch this game.

Sarah: (sigh)

Example 2:

Ken: So, you and Jenny make a really good couple. When are you going to propose? It’s time you settle down and start a family.

Jack: Oh, I don’t know. I’ll get around to asking her someday. I like the way things are now.

Ken: Well….you had better not wait too long. She might just get tired of waiting and find someone else who wants to start a family.

Jack: Really? I never thought about it that way. I’ve always just assumed we would get around to it sooner or later.

Ken: Dude! That’s not the way to look at it. You have to ask her now!

Jack: You know what? You’re right. I’m going to buy a ring and propose to her this weekend.

Ken: Sounds great!

Jack: Thanks for the advice!

Meaning:
To get around to something  means to finally do something after waiting or delaying it for a while.  It is used in a variety of different situations and usually shows that the person is not making an effort to do something that needs to be done. In example A, Tom has been putting off changing the light bulb. In example b, Jack has been delaying proposing to his girlfriend Jenny.  

This idiom can be found in the LSI textbook Speaking Savvy. This book is used at LSI schools in the level 5 Listening/Speaking classes. For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.com