get away

get away idiom
  1. Break free, escape, as in The suspect ran down the street and got away, or I wanted to come but couldn't get away from the office. [c. 1300] A variant is get away from it all, meaning “to depart and leave one's surroundings or problems or work behind.” For example, Joe is taking a few days off—he needs to get away from it all.
  2. Start out or leave quickly, as in The greyhounds got away from the starting gate, or I thought I had the answer but it got away from me.
  3. Go, move off. For example, Get away from my desk! or Get away—I don't want you near that hot stove. [Late 1700s] Also see get away with.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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