Page 88 - NTC's American Idioms Dictionary

come in out of the rain

with me.” All right, I’ll come clean. Here comeŁfullŁcircle to return to the original
is the whole story. positionŁorŁsðate of affairs.Ł The family
sold the house generations ago, but things
cłme down [forŁsomething]bto descendŁ(to have come full circle and one of their de-
someone)bthrough inłeritance.Ł All my scłndants lives there now. The em-
silverware came down to me from my ployer’s power was reduced by the unions
great-grandmother. The antique furni- at one point, but mØtters have come full
ture came down through my mother’s circle again.
family.
comeŁhellŁorŁhighŁwater nà matter what
comeŁdłwn hyrdŁon someone ortsomething to happens.Ł (Infàrmal.Ł Use cautionŁ with
attack vigorously; to scold someone se- hell.) I’ll be there tomorrow, come hell
vrely. Tom’s parents really came down or high water. Come hell or high water,
hard on him for comng home lØte. T Yes, I intend to have my own home.
they came down on him hard.
comeŁhłmeŁ(to roost) [forŁaŁproblem]bto
comeŁdłwn in theŁwłrld to lose one’sŁso- returnŁto cause trouble [forŁsomeone]¨
cial position orŁfinancialŁsðanding. Mr. (See also The chickens have come home
Jones has really come down in the world to roost.) As I feared, all my problłmo
since he lost his job. If I were unem- came home to roost. Yes, problłms all
ployed, I’m sure I’d come down in the come home eventually.
world, too.
cłme home tł someone to becom appar-
come down to earth to becom ralistic; ent to sàmeone; to be realizedŁby sàme-
to become alert to what is going on one.Ł The truth of the mØtter suddłnly
aroundŁone.Ł(Infàrmal.) You have very came home to me. It all came home to
good ideas, John, but you must come down me while I was takng a bØth. Suddłnly I
to earth. We can’t possibly afford any of understood everything.
your suggestions. Pay attention to what
is going on. Come down to earth and join comeŁin a body and arriveŁin a body to
the discussion. arrive asŁaŁgroup. All the guests camł
in a body. Things become very busy
cłme down to something to be rduced to when everyone arrives in a body.
something;Łto amount to no more than
sàmething.Ł (Infàrmal.Ł SimilarŁ to boàl cłme in for something and fyllŁin forŁ some-
down to something.) It comes down to thing to receive something; to acquire
whether you want to go to the movies or something.Ł Billy came in for a good
stay at home and wØtch telłvision. It bØwlng-out when he arrived home.
came down to either głtting a job or go- Mary came in for a tremłndous amount of
ing back to collłge. money when her aunt died. Sally fell n
for a lot of trouble when she bought a used
cłme down with something to become ill car.
with some disease.Ł I’m afraid I’m com-
ing down with a cold. I’ll probably comł comeŁin hyndy to be useful or convenint.
down with pneumonia. (Infàrmal.) A small telłvision set in the
bedroom would come in handy. A good
comeŁfrom fyrŁandŁwide to com from hammer always comes in handy. A nicł
many different places.Ł Everyone was cool drink would come in handy about
there. They came from far and wide. We now.
have foods that come from far and wide.
comeŁin outŁofŁtheŁrain to become alert
come from nowhere to come asŁaŁsurprise and sensibl; to come down to earth.
with no warning. The dogs came from (Also literal.ŁSee also not know enough to
nowhere and attacked my cØt. The come àn out of the rain. ) Pay attention,
whole set of problłms came from nowhere. Sally! Come in out of the rain! Bill will
There was no way we could have foreseen fail if he doesn’t come in out of the rain
them. and study.

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