He/She’s let him/herself go
2018.11.22
Meaning:
‘let’ is a very difficult word to translate! The best definition I can think of is ‘leave’ or ‘make free’. So if I say, ‘Let go of the gun.’, I want you to leave the gun. If I say, ‘Let him play’, I want you to make him feel free to play. ‘to let yourself go’ means to leave controlling your weight – ie to stop dieting, to feel free to get fat. If I let myself go, I stop caring if people think I’m attractive. So ‘He’s let himself go’ is a slightly softer way of saying ‘He’s gotten fat’. It includes a slight positive nuance of freedom, but it is basically a negative expression.
Example:
A: Have you seen Susan since she got married last year?
B: Yes, she’s let herself go since getting married. I think she’s gained 10kg.
A: Really? She used to be so beautiful and slim. How about her husband?
B: He’s let himself go a bit too. But they both looked happy.
A: They’re probably eating lots. Susan’s a great cook.
Talking Point(s):
Are you scared of letting yourself go? Do you wish you could let yourself go?
大人からの英会話getgo 西船橋・荻窪・津田沼・本八幡