Lesson 8

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bring up = start to talk about something

I hate to bring it up, but some of the others said that there is something strange about you.

When my mother is mad at me she always brings up the time I forgot her birthday.

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by all means = said to encourage a person do to something

A: Could I borrow your pen?

B: By all means!

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by chance = not planned; luckily

They met by chance while they were both vacationing in Hawaii.

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carry on = continue

When the storm passed, we carried on painting the house.

A: Is everyone back from lunch?

B: Yes. Let's carry on with the meeting.

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draw the line at = say some point is the limit

My parents let me use the car, but they draw the line at allowing me to take long trips.

I don't mind sharing a room, but I draw the line at sleeping in the same bed.

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fix up = repair; make nice or good again

It's a good car, but you may need to fix it up a bit.

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get lost = become confused about one's location

We got lost on the way to the theater.

The directions were not clear, so we got lost.

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high time = time for some action that has been postponed too long

It's high time we got out of here!

I think it's high time we fix the heater. I'm freezing!

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lose one's temper = become angry

He lost his temper and hit the table with his fist.

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pull over = move one's vehicle to the side of the road and stop

She pulled over to take a picture of the beautiful scenery by the highway.

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Everybody knows that men hate to stop and ask for directions. My husband is no different. Every time we get lost, we drive around for hours before he finally pulls over and asks for help.

One Saturday we saw an ad in the newspaper for a country dance and picnic at a farm outside of town. We fixed up our old cowboy hats, cut out the map from the newspaper and started driving. After a few hours, I brought up the fact that we were lost. Of course my husband lost his temper when I suggested we ask someone for directions.

"I can find it!" he yelled.

I didn't see any point in fighting about it, so I just told him, "By all means, carry on."

After another hour of driving, I decided it was high time to ask for help. By chance we passed a little gas station with an old man sitting out by the pumps. My husband agreed to stop because we needed gas, but he drew the 

line at asking for directions. I got out of the car and walked over to the old man. Before I asked him anything he smiled and said.

"The map is wrong. It's Highway 23, not 32."

"How did you know?" I asked in surprise.

"You're the fifth woman whose husband has gotten lost in the last hour!"

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