Lesson 10 She’s Got You Wrapped around Her Finger.
Frank: Heya Alan! Long time no see! How’s it going?
Alan: Good. Just here getting the ol’ ticker pumpin’.What about you?
Frank: Same old, same old.
Alan: Hey—I ran into your son Bobby the other day. Did he say Stacey’s got one on the way?
Frank: Sure did. About four months along with their second. They had a little girl ’bout a year and a half ago. A piece of work, I tell ya. A chip off the old block.
Alan: Ya don’t say. How d’ya mean?
Frank: Hardheaded, just like Bobby, and when she’s up to somethin’, she gets that same look in her eye Bobby used to get when he was a kid. It’s really something else!
Alan: So she takes after her father, huh? That’ll give him a taste of his own medicine! All those years causing trouble in the neighborhood!
Frank: Yep—time to pay the piper.
Alan: I remember when my kids were that age—you’ve really got to be on the ball. Can’t turn your back for a minute before they’re already up to something.
Frank: Yeah. Don’t keep up with ’em like I used to. Two hours and I’m bushed. But I tell ya, I’m having a blast being a grandfather.Not like with your own kids at all.
Alan: For sure . . . You get to be a push over without any of the guilt!
Frank: Yeah . . . Like the other morning, I was baby-sitting.
Well, the girl got it in her head that she wanted ice cream at 9 a.m.! She was set on it! At first I thought . . .
No. Bobby’d have a fit. But then, I thought, hey, it’s not
MY kid! So I caved in and gave it to her! Ice-cream for breakfast! Can you believe it?
Alan: Yeah, it’s easy to buckle when it’s your grandkids and not your kids! Sounds like she’s got you wrapped around her finger!
Frank: Yeah. I’m hooked when it comes to this grandfather business! Can’t wait for the next one.
1. To run into somebody. To meet somebody unexpectedly.
2. To have one on the way. To be pregnant. To be expecting a child.
3. A piece of work. A complicated, interesting, or amusing person. Often said ironically.
4. A chip off the old block. Said of children when they greatly resemble one of their parents in personality or behavior.
5. You don’t say. An expression used to show mild surprise, like saying “really?”This can also be a sarcastic expression, to show that you don’t find something as interesting as someone else does.
6. Hardheaded. Stubborn.
7. Up to something. Involved in some kind of mischief. Planning something.
8. Something else. An expression meaning “something noteworthy” or “something interesting or worth discussion.”
9. To take after. To have the same traits or characteristics as another person.
10. To have a taste of one’s own medicine. To be on the receiving end of behavior that one has subjected others to.
11. To pay the piper. To suffer the consequences of your actions, after a long time of not suffering any consequences.
12. On the ball. Ready, alert, highly prepared.
13. To turn your back on someone. Literally, to turn away from or look the other way. Note that this expression can also be used figuratively,meaning to abandon or stop caring about someone.
14. To keep up with something or someone. To go at the same speed or pace, to be aware of changes or current conditions.
15. To be bushed. To be very tired.
16. To have a blast. To have a lot of fun, to have a great time.
17. To be a pushover. To be easily convinced or persuaded.
18. Set on something. Fixated on something and determined to have it.
19. To have a fit. To have a temper tantrum. To lose control of your emotions. To display your anger.
20. To cave in. To give in. To allow yourself to be persuaded or tempted.
21. To buckle. To be persuaded, to change your mind.
22. To have someone wrapped around your finger. To cause someone to be obedient to you. To influence someone very greatly, to exert far too much influence on someone.
23. To be hooked. To enjoy something very much, to be convinced of something. In the context of drugs or alcohol,“hooked” can also mean “addicted.”
24. When it comes to something. Regarding,with regard to, or concerning something.
Source: Easy American Idioms
