Idiom: to get a jump on
First example: Annie knows that the stores will be crowded from Thanksgiving until the New Year holiday because people want to buy lots of gifts for the holidays. Annie hates crowds and she tries to avoid them as much as she can. This year, she plans to get a jump on her holiday shopping and start buying gifts during the summer and back-to-school sales. If she does most of her shopping early, she will be able to relax and enjoy the holidays.
First example: Annie knows that the stores will be crowded from Thanksgiving until the New Year holiday because people want to buy lots of gifts for the holidays. Annie hates crowds and she tries to avoid them as much as she can. This year, she plans to get a jump on her holiday shopping and start buying gifts during the summer and back-to-school sales. If she does most of her shopping early, she will be able to relax and enjoy the holidays.
Meaning: “To get a jump on” means to get something started before it has to be started. In other words, you begin something early to make sure it’s done on time. In this situation, Annie will start shopping in the summer. If she can get a jump on buying gifts, she won’t feel stressed during the regular holiday shopping season.
Here is another example:Second example: Peter works hard all week, so he likes to sleep late on the weekends. He usually wakes up around 11 or 12 on Saturdays and Sundays. But last weekend, his parents came to visit him Saturday afternoon. Peter wanted to make sure his apartment was clean and that he had dinner prepared for his parents. Friday night, he got a jump on all of the chores he needed to do. Before he went to bed, he cleaned his kitchen and bathroom, and made the dessert for after dinner. That made his Saturday much easier for him.
Meaning: In this situation, Peter wanted to make sure he was ready for his parents’ visit. If he waited until Saturday to do everything, he might not have finished his chores before his parents arrived. So he got a jump on all of the tasks he needed to do by starting them on Friday night.
This idiom is from LSI’s soon-to-be-published book “Speaking Horizons,” which will be used in the level 6 Listening/Speaking classes. For more information, please visit https://www.languagesystems.com
This idiom is from LSI’s soon-to-be-published book “Speaking Horizons,” which will be used in the level 6 Listening/Speaking classes. For more information, please visit https://www.languagesystems.com
LSI Team
For over 30 years, Language Systems International has been offering comprehensive exchange experiences, providing high-quality English instruction with a focus on a communicative and student-centered environment. Follow our blog to stay updated on our activities and latest news.
Categories
Categories
You may also like
Language Systems International (LSI) hosted its annual soccer tournament, marking the first year since the pause due to the COVID-19...
At Language Systems, we believe in creating a vibrant community both inside and outside the classroom. That’s why we organize...
At Language Systems International, we always encourage our students to make the most of their free time by exploring the...
- Downtown L.A.
- 3450 Wilshire Blvd. #900 Los Angeles, CA 90010
- +1 (213) 385-3665
- +1 (323) 613-1269
- la@languagesystems.edu
- South Bay L.A.
- 3480 Torrance Blvd, #300, Torrance, CA 90503
- +1 (310) 792-7770
- +1 (323) 613-1627
- torrance@languagesystems.edu
- Orange County
- 750 South Placentia Ave. Placentia, CA 92870
- +1 (714) 572-1771
- +1 (323) 613-1274
- oc@languagesystems.edu
© Copyright - LSI - Language Systems - Todos os direitos reservados