Idioms (phrases) are a very helpful way to learn a language. They can help you understand better. Idioms are hard to translate (put in another language), though. Idioms are specific (unique) to each language. But people use idioms all the time! In English, there are a lot of idioms with get. You’ll probably (most likely) hear them often. This is why we wrote a blog all about idioms with get in them.

The word “to get” means to receive (come to have) something. You could get a present for your birthday. Or you could get a new pet. Get is a very common word in English. These idioms with get in them are very common, too! If you learn them, you will understand English better. So let’s get going (start) and learn some idioms with get!

Get lost!

Is someone being bothering you? Are they being annoying? Then you can tell them to get lost. If you tell someone to get lost, you are telling them to go away. You don’t want them to actually become lost (not be able to find their way). But you want them to leave you alone. Keep in mind (remember) that this idiom with get can be pretty rude. Definitely don’t say it to your boss!

For example:

Come on man, leave me alone! Get lost!
My younger brother was being really annoying yesterday, so I told him to get lost.

Get off my case.

Get off my case is one of the other common idioms with get. If someone is on your case, they are always reminding you about something. They could also be telling you what to do. This could get really annoying. When you want them to leave you alone, you can say “get off my case!” Hopefully they’ll stop reminding you what to do!

For example:

– Remember you have that meeting on Monday. – Yes, I remember. Get off my case! I won’t forget.
My husband wouldn’t get off my case. He kept asking me about the laundry.

Get the hang of something

This is one of the most common idioms with get. People say this all the time. Have you ever wanted to learn a new skill? When you learn something new, it takes a long time to get the hang of it. If you get the hang of something, you become good at it. You start to master the skill after lots of practice. It will probably take time to get the hang of it, but it will be worth it (good in the end)!

For example:

How long did it take you to get the hang of English? How many years did you study before you could say a lot?
She practiced guitar for an hour a day. She started to get the hang of it in a few months.

Get bent out of shape

Have you ever been frustrated by something? Or have you gotten upset? To get bent out of shape has nothing to do with shapes like squares or circles. Getting bent out of shape means to be upset, angry, or offended. When someone gets bent out of shape, it may seem like they got upset about nothing. Or what they are upset about seems unimportant.

For example:

My roommate likes the kitchen to be very clean. He got bent out of shape when I left a spoon on the counter.
She got bent out of shape when the yoga class she wanted to go to was cancelled.

Get a load of this/that.

When was the last time you saw something cool? You could have said “Get a load of that!” If someone says get a load of that, they mean “look at that.” People say get a load of this or get a load of that when they see something amazing. So the next time you see something impressive, you can say “get a load of that” to show it to someone.

For example:

Get a load of the view from my balcony. I can see the whole city from here.
Get a load of that apartment. It’s the nicest apartment I’ve ever seen.

Get something off your chest.

One of our last idioms with get is to get something off your chest. If something is bothering you, it will probably help to talk about it. You will probably feel better if you tell someone about it. If you tell someone something that is bothering you, then you get it off your chest. Talking about things is a good thing to do. If you get it off your chest, it can make you feel much better!

For example:

I was very sad the other day. But I talked to my friend and got my problems off my chest. It really helped!
If you need to get anything off your chest, you can always talk to me.

Have you heard these idioms with get before? Did you find this blog helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

Did you like this blog? Share it with others! Let us know what YOU think!

Check out these other popular blogs: Baking Vocabulary, Internet Vocabulary You Should Know, English Words Used in German, or these Conversation Topics to Avoid in English!

Erin Duffin lives in Hamburg, is an English teacher, blogger, yoga instructor, and is getting the hang of some new skills in her free time!