Question about an english phrase

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ausguerila
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Question about an english phrase

Postby ausguerila » Sun Oct 22, 2017 1:16 am

I was walking along a beach looking at my phone and almost walked into someone with their child. Her response addressed towards me did not make sense. She said: "Just make sure you don't run us over". I have never met the person before nor ever engaged in a conversation. Could anyone clarify how her comment directed towards me can make sense?
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tommus
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Re: Question about an english phrase

Postby tommus » Sun Oct 22, 2017 10:59 am

ausguerila wrote:She said: "Just make sure you don't run us over".

It seems fairly straight forward to me. It was just a way of saying "Watch out where you are walking so you don't run into us", or something similar. The word order could be "... run us over" or "... run over us". Both are OK.
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Re: Question about an english phrase

Postby Aozora » Sun Oct 22, 2017 6:54 pm

"Don't run us over" is probably a play on words because you can "run someone over" with a car, but if you're walking the phrase would be "walk into someone " or "bump into someone. "
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ausguerila
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Re: Question about an english phrase

Postby ausguerila » Mon Oct 23, 2017 6:37 am

How could her phrase make sense without any prior context to the event?
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Re: Question about an english phrase

Postby IronMike » Mon Oct 23, 2017 6:57 am

Maybe she was just making a joke? Was she smiling when she said it?

If you really want to be confused, know that in Russian, if someone has his face in his phone and is about to run you over, you'd say "Тихо!" which technically means quietly, but in this instance is being used along the lines of careful!
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Re: Question about an english phrase

Postby Bluepaint » Mon Oct 23, 2017 11:19 am

ausguerila wrote:How could her phrase make sense without any prior context to the event?


It just means 'don't physically go over us', i.e. knock them down and physically walk/run/drive over them, in this case walk over them. She was almost definitely joking. No context is needed with that phrase unless you wanted clarification about the method used/potentially used to mow the person down. Like a lot of things with language, it just is.
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ausguerila
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Re: Question about an english phrase

Postby ausguerila » Mon Oct 23, 2017 6:38 pm

The comment "just make sure you don't run us over " is something that would be added to a comment that was made prior to. How could this have sense without prior context?
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Re: Question about an english phrase

Postby Bluepaint » Mon Oct 23, 2017 7:01 pm

ausguerila wrote:The comment "just make sure you don't run us over " is something that would be added to a comment that was made prior to. How could this have sense without prior context?


The context is clear from the phrase.
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