Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

stevenukd · Joined: 13 Nov 2005 Posts: 324

Dear Teachers,

1. It�s not your body, so lay off of it.
- �lay off of it� means �forget it�, right?

2. I suggest if you want to continue the relationship with her, you knock it off!
- � you knock it off� means �you shut up!�, right?

3. You should never ask a woman to change her appearance for your own benefit.
- What does �for your own benefit� mean here?

Thanks a lot to Teachers,

Stevenukd

LucentShade · Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Posts: 542 Location: Nebraska, USA

1 = forget it, don't criticize it (You might also see "lay off it" without the redundant "of")

2: knock it off = stop doing whatever (bad) thing you were doing

3: You shouldn't ask her to change her appearance because you prefer that she look a certain way (that is, her looking better is considered a "benefit" to you) for selfish reasons. "Benefit" is used in a similar way as "good" in the sentence, "You should quit smoking, for your own good."