| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| give you a hard time |
tease you, criticize you, a hassle you
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Did the class give you a hard time about losing their papers?
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| give you a line |
tell you a false story, hand you a line
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Don't believe him. He's giving you a line about being wealthy.
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| give you a ribbing |
tease you, bug you, give you a hard time
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When I got stuck in the lake, my friends gave me a ribbing.
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| give you a rough time |
tease you, hassle you (see hassle me)
|
The players gave me a rough time about scoring on my own goalie.
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| give you a run for your money |
compete with you, try to defeat you
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I'm not the best skier, but I'll give you a run for your money.
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| give you an out |
give you an excuse, allow you to beg off
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You don't have to work. Your sore back will give you an out.
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| give you flack |
tell you what you did wrong, criticize you
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He gave me flack for smoking in his car. The smell bothers him.
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| give you hell [B] |
lecture you, scold you, tie into you
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She'll give you hell if you come late to her class, so be on time.
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| give you odds |
if I lose the bet, I pay you more money than you bet
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I'll give you odds that Montreal will win. I'll bet $2; you bet $1.
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| give you shit [B] |
lecture you, be angry with you, give you hell
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If you spend too much money he'll give you shit.
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