To Throw a Fit

To Throw a Fit

Example 1:

Tina: Oh my goodness! Did you just see that little girl at the mall? She threw a fit when her mother refused to buy her candy.

Selma: I know, I saw her! My oldest child used to throw a fit about every little thing, but my youngest daughter never throws a fit about anything!

Tina: Really? Since I don’t have any kids, I would have no idea how to deal with a kid throwing a fit like that! I guess I have a lot of learning to do.

Selma: Oh, you’ll learn fast. Believe me!

Tina: Well, I better get home or my husband will throw a fit. He wants to go to an early movie tonight, so I can’t be late.

Selma: OK, see you tomorrow.

Tina: Bye.

Example 2:

Kitty: I’m just getting so tired of my boss. Every time we don’t do things perfectly, he throws a fit. We are all so afraid of him. Yesterday, when he caught my co-worker talking on her cell phone at her desk, he grabbed the cell phone away from her and threw it on the floor!

Jolene: Wow! Did it break?

Kitty: No, but I don’t think he would care if it did.

Jolene: That must be tough. It makes everyone really stressed out when you have a boss like that. My boss is so easy going. I’ve never seen him throw a fit about anything, even the biggest mistakes.

Kitty: You are so lucky. Why don’t we exchange jobs!

Jolene: No, that’s OK. I like it where I’m at, but maybe I could find you a job in my company. Then you wouldn’t have to put up with a boss who throws a fit over every little thing.

Meaning:
To throw a fit means to get very angry or to fly into a rage about something. In the first example, the little girl wanted candy, but her mother would not give it to her, so the girl threw a fit that was noticed by everyone in the mall. In the second example, the boss always gets angry when they make mistakes in the office.

This idiom can be found in the LSI textbook Reading Transitions, Unit 8, part 2. This book is used at LSI schools in the level 4 Reading/Vocabulary classes. For more information, please visit: www.languagesystems.com

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