to drop the topic
- phrasal verb
:
dejar el tema
- After a long debate, they agreed to drop the topic and move on to happier subjects.
Examples
-
When she easily dropped the topic of his recent return to the States, he appeared very pleased.
Blog text (4) -
She decided to drop the topic when she saw that everyone was tired of discussing it.
-
In order to avoid an argument, he chose to drop the topic of politics during dinner.
Synonyms
∞
3.1
To leave out a sound or part of a word
356
2.8
Move away from someone, or stop taking part in something
332
3.0
To refuse to accept an idea or claim
49
5.3
To stop talking about an issue and accept it as it is
3
4.9
To stop talking because more words are not needed or would not be right
1
6.8
To avoid talking about a controversial issue on purpose
Stop discussing a topic and not talk about it more
To change the topic on purpose to avoid a subject
Antonyms
How Final
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to stop discussing a particular subject' is directly and compositionally derived from 'drop' (to stop, dismiss) plus 'topic' (a subject); the determiner 'the' is non-idiomatic. This verb + object pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase drop the topic comes from the simple image of letting go of something you are holding: to drop is to let it fall and a topic is the thing you are talking about. So, to drop the topic means 'to stop discussing a subject'.