Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“There are some things that I understand, certain things that I don’t understand, certain things that I like to get off my chest in interviews, certain things that I want to talk about.”
Pop star Kanye West, discussing his family (MTV)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
tell a secret; talk about a subject that a person has been thinking about a lot
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
Imagine that you are trapped under a tree branch, a big rock, or even a heavy box. It’s on top of you, and you probably feel like you can’t breathe very well. If you’re strong enough, maybe you can use both hands to get the object off your chest. If you can’t do it yourself, you might need someone else to get it off your chest. No matter what happens, though, you won’t feel free until the object is gone, until you get it off your chest.
Sometimes people feel like an idea is trapping them. It’s not a real object, like a tree, but it’s a thought or a problem. Like a heavy object, an idea can cause a person pain as long as it’s trapped inside. When that person finally tells someone else about the problem, he gets it off his chest.
A girl might realize she needs to break up with her boyfriend, so she gets it off her chest by telling him. A boss might be frustrated with a lazy employee, so he gets it off his chest by firing him. Maybe a girl found out her mom is sick, and she gets it off her chest by calling her best friend. Whenever people need to talk about something, they won’t feel right until they get it off their chest.
Pop star Kayne West gets asked a lot of questions about his family. He wants to answer some of those questions, but he doesn’t want to talk about other things. When he has something important to tell a reporter, he makes sure to get it off his chest right away. He’ll tell his fans what he wants them to know, so that hidden information doesn’t bother him.
Have you ever needed to get something off your chest? Who do you usually talk to when you have a problem?
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“I have to get something off my chest: I’m pregnant!”
“Marie apologized to her mother so she could finally get the broken vase off her chest.”
“Every time I talk to my best friend, I know I can get everything off my chest.”