out of the way
356
2.6
- idiom
- I looked forward to getting the evening chores out of the way and sitting down to supper.
- get out of the way
- stay out of the way
- move out of the way
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeJust believe that capitalism would work great if landlords just got out of the way and let the free market be free.
- Just believe that capitalism would work great if landlords just got out of the way and let the free market be free.
- But once you've removed those things, just get out of the way.
- It's like skidding and people are jumping out of the way screaming because it's like, no, no, it's fine.
- And this man has a chariot and tells him to get the hell out of the way.
Examples
-
Thousands of Indians would be running out of the way of bulldozers.
Academic text (1997) -
You can either lend a hand or get out of the way.
-
Would you get out of the way?
-
Just put it out of the way.
-
Then would you mind moving it out of the way?
-
Move out of the way!
-
Move out of the way.
-
(yelling) -(honking) -Get out of the way, please.
-
Burt places the other bombs safely out of the way behind a ledge.
Fiction book (1990) -
Please move out of the way so that I can pass.
Synonyms
337
1.2
To one side, away from where attention is
Antonyms
How Obstructive
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal composition 'out' + 'of' + 'the' + 'way' yields 'not in the way,' so a learner who knows the parts can readily infer a general sense of 'removed' or 'no longer obstructing.' However, the extension to the specific sense 'killed or violently removed' is a pragmatic/idiomatic shift that is not fully predictable from the constituents, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Out of the way comes from a simple picture: you push a chair out of the way so it no longer blocks your path. So it means 'not blocking' or moved aside.