English is my second language, and I have a question about English idiom.
Is there any rule about when it is correct to speak of "putting on" clothes or "getting into" clothes?
I thought it should always be "putting on", but I have heard people use the expressions "get into a dress", "get into a swimsuit". Google also turns up a lot of matches for these. Indeed, there are more matches for "get into a dress" than "put on a dress".
I thought "get into" was for beds and cars and "put on" for clothes. Obviously "put on" is incorrect for beds and cars, but "get into" can be correct for clothes. But not all clothes: friends tell me you can say "get into a swimsuit" and "get into a dress" but not "get into a jacket".
I would like to know if there is any rule behind all this. Are there any suggestions? Are there different situations where one should use the different expressions?
2007-07-31
05:44:05
·
13 answers
·
asked by
Anonymous
in
Words & Wordplay