Common American Phrases in Everyday Contexts (46 page)

Dream on
.
What you are expecting or wanting to happen is nothing but fantasy, so enjoy yourself and create as many fantasies as you want.
You want to get promoted to general manager? Dream on
.
You, an opera singer? Dream on.

drinking the Kool-Aid
accepting flawed arguments that have bad consequences. (From an incident in 1978 in which about 900 people died from willingly drinking poisoned Flavor Aid, a fruit-flavored drink. The expression almost always uses the name of a more widely known drink, Kool-Aid. Both Kool-Aid and Flavor Aid are protected trade names.)
Those jerks in the Mossback Party are still drinking the Kool-Aid. They'll believe anything their leaders tell them
.
You're just drinking the Kool-Aid if you think any political party is going to level with you.

Drive safely
.
an expression used to advise a departing person to be careful while driving.
M
ARY
: Good-bye, Sally. Drive safely. S
ALLY
: Good-bye. I will
.
“Drive safely!” everyone shouted as we left on our trip.

drive
something
home
to make something very definite; to make something clearly understood energetically. (As if one were driving
a nail solidly into wood.)
Your speech needs some more work. You need to be more enthusiastic if you want to drive each point home
.
These are the three things that you really want to get across in the ad campaign. You have to drive them home using highly stimulating art and clever graphics. Let me see it again tomorrow morning.

Drop by for a drink (sometime)
.
a casual invitation for someone to pay a visit.
B
OB
: Good to see you, Mary. Drop by for a drink sometime. M
ARY
: Love to. Bye
.
“Drop by for a drink sometime, stranger,” said Bill to his old friend, Sally.

Drop by sometime
.
Go to Drop in sometime.

drop everything
to stop doing everything.
Drop everything and go outside. The house is on fire
.
Do you expect me to drop everything and come and pick you up at school?

Drop in sometime
.
AND
Drop over sometime.; Drop by sometime
.
Visit my home or office sometime when you are nearby.
B
OB
: Bye, Bill, nice seeing you. B
ILL
: Hey, drop in sometime. B
OB
: Okay. B
ILL
: Great! Bye
.
“Drop in sometime,” said Bob to his uncle.