to get off lightly
1
6.5
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
salir bien parado
- Many students felt that those who cheated on the exam seemed to get off lightly without any serious consequences.
Examples
-
You can't let them get off lightly.
-
Sounds like you got off lightly.
-
- You got off lightly this time.
-
Business schools do not get off lightly.
Academic text (1999) -
"I hope he gets off lightly."
Blog text (2) -
I hope he gets off lightly.
Blog text (2) -
You got off lightly.
-
After his minor traffic violation, he was relieved to find he would get off lightly with just a warning.
-
She expected a harsh penalty for her mistake, but to her surprise, she managed to get off lightly.
Synonyms
672
3.5
To escape punishment for doing something wrong
234
3.4
Escape blame or punishment for doing something wrong
170
6.0
To avoid punishment for a crime or charge
75
3.5
To not punish someone or excuse them from a duty
Antonyms
How Severe
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is partially derivable: 'lightly' clearly signals a small degree of consequence, and 'get off' can mean to avoid or receive little punishment, but the phrasal-verb sense of 'get off' (escape punishment) is idiomatic and not fully predictable from the literal meanings of 'get' + 'off' for a B1 learner. Because the particle verb reading requires prior exposure while the adverbial nuance is transparent, this item is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
The idiom get off lightly paints a short picture: someone who can get off a bus or stage with a soft step, lightly, so they are hardly hurt. That's why it means 'to receive little or no punishment'.