Idiom:
to pal around (with) (used
as a verb)
First Example:
Christina:
Have you seen Jackie lately?
Beatrice:
No, she seems to spend all her time with Tim.
Christina:
They do seem to spend a lot of time together. Do you think they’re dating?
Beatrice:
No, they’ve been palling around
together for years. They’re best friends.
Christina:
Ahh, that makes sense.
Meaning: The expression “to pal around (with)” means to
spend time doing things you enjoy with a friend. In the example above, Jackie and Tim are best
friends according to Beatrice, saying they’ve been “palling around together for years” to emphasize that they
often spend time together (and are not romantically involved). Notice that in
this example, Beatrice did not use “with;” “with” is only
used when a person is the object of the expression, as in the next
example:
Second Example:
Daniel:
Hey, want to hang out this weekend
Jennifer:
I can’t; I have plans with Kelly.
Daniel:
You’ve been palling around with her
a lot lately.
Jennifer:
Yeah, we just realized we have a lot in common. This weekend, we’re going to a
music festival. Want to go with?
Daniel:
Nah, I can’t stand being around that many people. But have fun!
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