Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts (190 page)

Sorry
.
Go to (I'm) sorry.

Sorry (that) I asked
.
Now that I have heard the answer, I regret asking the question.
A
LICE
: Can we get a new car soon? The old one is a wreck. J
OHN
: Are you kidding? There's no way that we could ever afford a new car! A
LICE
: Sorry I asked
.
After he heard the long list of all the reasons he wouldn't be allowed to go to the concert, Fred just shrugged and said, “Sorry that I asked.
”

Sorry to hear that
.
Go to (I'm) sorry to hear that.

Sorry you asked
.
Go to (I'm) sorry you asked (that). See also (Are you) sorry you asked?

Sorry you asked?
Go to (Are you) sorry you asked?

Sort of
.
AND
Kind of
.
Yes, but only to a small degree.
B
OB
: Do you like what you're doing in school? A
LICE
: Kind of
.
H
ENRY
: What do you think about all these new laws? Do they worry you? J
OHN
: Sort of.

sound like a broken record
to say the same thing over and over. (From an earlier age when a crack in a 78 rpm record would cause the needle, or stylus, to stay in the same groove and play it over and over.)
He's always complaining about the way she treats him. He sounds like a broken record!
I hate to sound like a broken
record, but we just don't have enough people on the payroll to work efficiently.

Sounds like a plan
.
Go to (It) sounds like a plan.

Soup's on
!
The meal is ready to eat. (Said for any food, not just soup.)
T
OM
: Soup's on! B
ILL
: The camp chef has dished up another disaster. Come on, we might as well face the music
.
J
OHN
: Soup's on! Come and get it! M
ARY
: Well, I guess it's time to eat again. S
UE
: Yeah, no way to avoid it, I guess.

spare
someone something to exempt someone from having to listen to or experience something unwelcome.
I'll spare you the details and get to the point
.
Please, spare me the story and tell me what you want.

speak ill of
someone to say something bad about someone.
I refuse to speak ill of any of my friends
.
Max speaks ill of no one and refuses to repeat gossip.