Daily Study Material

Phrasal Verb: Put off (transitive)

1. To delay or postpone something. "I put off going to the bank and the post office today because I was lazy".
2. make somebody disgusted: to disgust or repel somebody. "It really puts me off when people talk too much when you first meet them".
3.To delay or hinder somebody: to delay somebody or stop somebody from acting or proceeding. "Don't let me put you off from doing your tasks. I will hang up and let you go".
4. Discourage somebody: to make somebody lose interest in or enthusiasm for something
put somebody off his or her stride to distract somebody from what he or she is doing and make that person do it less well. (this usage almost always includes the word "stride"). "He really put me from going to Mexico because of all of the bad things he said about it". "I lost my game of online chess because Wei Wei kept messaging me on MSN while I was playing. It really put me off stride".


Idiom of the Day: A Chip On Your Shoulder


This is a complex idiom. I will try to explain it as best I can.

Meaning: Being upset for something that happened in the past or a sense of self-perceived inferiority leading to a psychological "persecution complex", a feeling that "everyone" is conspiring to insult or in some way demean you. People with a chip or their shoulder are easily offended because they feel that people like to insult them.

Origin: In America during the nineteenth century there was unusual practice of looking for a fight by carrying a chip of wood on one's shoulder, daring others to knock it off.

Examples: "The Irish never tire of complaining how the British have historically oppressed them. They may be right, but having such a chip on your shoulder is irritating to listen to all of the time". "Joe seemed to have a chip on his shoulder because he came from a poor family, while all of his classmates came from wealthier ones".