Lesson 10

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as of yet

as of yet = until this time; so far

As of yet, he has not been paid by the company.

A: Are the new computers in?

B: I'm sorry, sir. They have not arrived as of yet.

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at one's fingertips

at one's fingertips = easily available; at hand

He has the information at his fingertips.

Keep all of your important papers at your fingertips at all times.

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brand-new

brand-new = never used; totally new

It's my brand new refrigerator!

A: Your shoes look very clean.

B: Actually, they're brand-new.

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cut in

cut in = go in front of someone unfairly; interrupt someone talking

I hate when people cut in line!

She was telling a joke but her brother cut in and told the rest of it.

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dwell on

dwell on = worry about or consider for a long time

I know you lost your wallet, but try not to dwell on it.

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get a hold of

get a hold of = contact; reach

Please write down a phone number where we can get a hold of you.

A: Did you get a hold of Mike?

B: No. His line was busy.

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learn (something) by heart

learn (something) by heart = memorize; study to know without thinking 

A: How did you remember all those math equations?

B: I learned them by heart.

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mix up

mix up = confuse

I often mix up my friends' phone numbers.

A: You are supposed to come tomorrow, not today.

B: Sorry! I mixed up the dates.

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take by surprise

take by surprise = surprise; come without warning

A: I can't believe that your mother joined the army!

B: Yes. She took us all by surprise.

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take time off

take time off = miss work for some time with permission

A: Why don't we go to Paris next weekend?

B: I'm not sure if! can take time off work.

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My boyfriend took time off from work one Friday to move to a new apartment. It was a lot of hard work. When I got home later that evening, I was exhausted. I wanted to give my boyfriend a call and cancel our plans for the next day.

My boyfriend also got a brand-new phone number for his new apartment, but as of yet I had not learned it by heart. I usually keep all the phone numbers I need at my fingertips in my day planner. Unfortunately, I had not written his number down. The only way I could think of to get a hold of my boyfriend was to call the operator 

and ask for Mike William's phone number.

I called the number that the operator gave me, but I was taken by surprise when a woman answered the phone. "Hello," she said.

I asked, "Can I speak to Mike?"

The woman said, "He is taking a shower right now."

I was shocked. At first, I didn't say anything.

"Is there anything that...?" she started to ask, but I cut in.

"Tell him to call his girlfriend when he gets out of the shower." I hung up the phone quickly without waiting for the woman's answer. I was a bit upset. However, I tried not to dwell on the fact that a woman was in my boyfriend's apartment while he was in the shower. I knew Mike made friends with the neighbors when he moved in, so I assumed the woman was his neighbor. She was probably just helping him clean the place up.

An hour passed and Mike had not called me back. I called again, and a man answered the phone. "Hello," he said. The voice was strange.

All of a sudden I realized that it was the wrong number. The operator had mixed up my boyfriend's number with another man named Mike Williams. I said, "You're not Mike!"

The man said, "And you're not my girlfriend. I've been trying to explain that to my wife for over an hour."