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stevenukd



Joined: 13 Nov 2005
Posts: 324

PostPosted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 2:10 am    Post subject: START SMALL Reply with quote

Dear Teachers,

1. I can�t trust my son to do anything. Do I need to start small? Will I ever be able to trust him?
- �to start small� means �to start from small things�, right?

2. His Mom always tells him that once he has done something to break her trust, he would �play hell getting in back�.
- What does �play hell getting in back� mean here?

Thanks a lot to Teachers,

Stevenukd
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bud



Joined: 09 Mar 2003
Posts: 2111
Location: New Jersey, US

PostPosted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 8:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

1. Yes.

2. I think it should be: pay hell getting it back.

To pay hell [doing something] is to meet a great deal of resistance in getting it done. In this case, the girlfriend would be extremely angry, hurt, and distrustful. He would meet a lot of resistance from her in trying to regain her trust. If she would even talk to him, she'd put a lot of "tests" in his way so that he could prove that he really is trustworthy.
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