[get short shrift] See: SHORT SHRIFT.

[get something out of one’s system]{v. phr.} 1. To eliminate some food item or drug from one’s body. •/John will feel much better once he gets the addictive sleeping pills out of his system./ 2. To free oneself of yearning for something in order to liberate oneself from an unwanted preoccupation. •/Ted bought a new cabin cruiser that he’d been wanting for a long time, and he says he is glad that he’s finally got it out of his system./

[get something over with] See: OVER WITH(1).

[get something straight]{v. phr.} To clearly comprehend an issue. •/"Let me get this straight," Burt said. "You want $85,000 for this miserable shack?"/

[get stoned]{v. phr.}, {slang} To become very drunk or high on some drug. •/Poor Fred was so stoned that Tom had to carry him up the stairs./ Compare: THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND.

[get straight] See: GO STRAIGHT, GO LEGIT.

[get stuck]{v. phr.} 1. To be victimized; be cheated. •/The Smiths sure got stuck when they bought that secondhand car; it broke down just two days after they got it./ 2. To become entrapped or embroiled in a physical, emotional, or social obstacle so as to be unable to free oneself. •/Last winter our car got stuck in the snow and we had to walk home./ •/Poor Jeff is stuck in a terrible job./ •/Tom and Jane are stuck in a bad marriage./

[get (all) the breaks]{v. phr.} To be fortunate; have luck. •/That fellow gets all the breaks! He’s been working here only six months, and he’s already been promoted to vice president!/

[get the air] See: GET THE BOUNCE(1).

[get the ax]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To be fired from a job. •/Poor Joe got the ax at the office yesterday./ 2. To be dismissed from school for improper conduct, such as cheating. •/Joe got caught cheating on his final exam and he got the ax./ 3. To have a quarrel with one’s sweetheart or steady ending in a termination of the relationship. •/Joe got the ax from Betsie — they won’t see each other again./

[get the ball rolling] or [set the ball rolling] or [start the ball rolling] {informal} To start an activity or action; make a beginning; begin. •/George started the ball rolling at the party by telling a new joke./ Compare: KEEP THE BALL ROLLING.

[get the better of] or [get the best of] {v. phr.} 1. To win over, beat; defeat. •/Our team got the best of the visitors in the last quarter./ •/George got the better of Robert in a game of checkers./ •/When the opposing player fouled John, John let his anger get the better of his good sense and hit the boy back./ •/Dave wanted to study till midnight, but sleepiness got the best of him./ Compare: RUN AWAY WITH(1). 2. or [have the best of] or [have the better of] To win or be ahead in (something); gain most from (something.) •/Bill traded an old bicycle tire for a horn; he got the best of that deal./ •/Our team had the best of it today, but they may lose the game tomorrow./ •/The champion had all the better of it in the last part of the fight./ Contrast: GET THE WORST OF.

[get the boot] or [the gate] or [the sack] See: GET THE AXE.

[get the bounce] or [get the gate] {v. phr.}, {slang} 1. or [get the air] To lose one’s sweetheart; not be kept for a friend or lover. •/Joe is sad because he just got the gate from his girl./ •/Shirley was afraid she might get the air from her boyfriend if she went out with other boys while he was away./ 2. or [get the sack] also [get the hook] To be fired; lose a job. •/Uncle Willie can’t keep a job; he got the sack today for sleeping on the job./ •/You’re likely to get the bounce if you are absent from work too much./ Contrast: GIVE THE BOUNCE.

[get the brush-off]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To be paid no attention; not be listened to or thought important. •/My idea for a party got the brush-off from the other children./ 2. To be treated in an unkind or unfriendly way; be ignored. •/Frank and Jane had an argument, so the next time he telephoned her, he got the brush-off./ Compare: COLD SHOULDER, HIGH-HAT. Contrast: BRUSH OFF.

[get the cart before the horse] See: CART BEFORE THE HORSE.

[get the eye]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To be looked at, especially with interest and liking. •/The pretty girl got the eye as she walked past the boys on the street corner./ 2. To be looked at or stared at, especially in a cold, unfriendly way. •/When Mary asked if she could take home the fur coat and pay later, she got the eye from the clerk./ Contrast: GIVE THE EYE.

[get the feel of]{v. phr.} To become used to or learn about, especially by feeling or handling; get used to the experience or feeling of; get skill in. •/John had never driven a big car, and it took a while for him to get the feel of it./ •/You’ll get the feel of the job after you’ve been there a few weeks./

[get the go-ahead] or [the green light] {v. phr.} To receive the permission or signal to start or to proceed. •/We had to wait until we got the go-ahead on our research project./

[get the goods on] or [have the goods on] {v. phr.}, {slang} To find out true and, often, bad information about; discover what is wrong with; be able to prove the guilt of. •/Tell the truth, Johnny. We know who your girl is because we’ve got the goods on you./ •/The police had the goods on the burglar before he came to trial./ Compare: HAVE SOMETHING ON.

[get the hook] See: GET THE BOUNCE(2).

[get the inside track] See: INSIDE TRACK.

[get the jitters]{v. phr.} To become very nervous or excited. •/I always get the jitters when I sit in an airplane that’s about to take off./

[get the jump on] or [have the jump on] {v. phr.}, {slang} To get ahead of; start before (others); have an advantage over. •/Don’t let the other boys get the jump on you at the beginning of the race./ •/Our team got the jump on their rivals in the first minutes of play, and held the lead to win./

[get the last laugh] See: HAVE THE LAST LAUGH.

[get the lead out of one’s pants]{v. phr.}, {slang} To get busy; work faster. •/The captain told the sailors to get the lead out of their pants./ •/The coach told the players to get the lead out of their pants./

[get the lowdown on]{v. phr.} To receive the full inside information on a person or thing. •/We need to get the lowdown on Peter before we can decide whether or not to hire him./

[get the message] or [get the word] {v. phr.}, {slang} To understand clearly what is meant. •/The principal talked to the students about being on time, and most of them got the message./ •/Mary hinted to her boyfriend that she wanted to break up, but he didn’t gel the message./ Compare: THE PICTURE.

[get the picture] See: THE PICTURE.

[get the runaround] See: RUN AROUND.

[get the sack]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To be fired or dismissed from work. •/John got the sack at the factory last week./ 2. To be told by one’s lover that the relationship is over. •/Joanna gave Sam the sack./ See: GET THE AX and GET THE BOUNCE(2).

[get the show on the road]{v. phr.}, {informal} To start a program; get work started. •/It was several years before the rocket scientists got the show on the road./ Compare: GET THE BALL ROLLING.