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Outstay one's welcome

[ 2013-07-31 09:29] 来源:中国日报网     字号 [] [] []  
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Outstay one's welcomeWhy don't you stay here for another two weeks?

I don't want to outstay my welcome.

My comments:

To outdo is to do more, go further and beyond.

For example, Asian economies have been outdoing Western economies for many years, statistically speaking at least.

Similarly, to outgrow your coat is to grow too big for that coat – got to buy a larger one or go on diet.

To outperform your opponent, for example, is to do better than your opponent on that particular occasion.

To outlive someone, then, is to live longer than them, etc and so forth.

To outstay your welcome?

Can you guess?

Yes, you as a guest do not want to stay in their house for too long lest you’re no longer welcome.

In other words, you don’t stay longer than they want you to.

All good graceful guests and their gracious hosts know that.

Related stories:

A drop of spirit

Bone-dry surface

Get your ducks in a row

Reinventing the wheel

Short leash?

Ceremonial post

Go to Zhang Xin's column

本文仅代表作者本人观点,与本网立场无关。欢迎大家讨论学术问题,尊重他人,禁止人身攻击和发布一切违反国家现行法律法规的内容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin(张欣) has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

 
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