10 Aug

drive into the ground

Who taught: Andrew and Pete

Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix (source:sportscardigest.com)

Every year, we have an annual event, called Vintage Grand Prix, in Pittsburgh. There are so many cool vintage cars you can get to see and also they really race. About a month ago, I had lunch with Andrew, Pete and Tanmay. Tanmay and I were excited about seeing those cars and the race. We asked Andrew, “Hey, Do you like cars?” He said, “No, I am not into cars.” He has an old Jetta and it has small issues here and there. So, I asked, “Andrew, Aren’t you gonna buy a new car?” “No, I do not think so. I may drive it into the ground,” said Andrew. At that time, I did not quite understand the expression. “What? into the ground? How?” asked I.

“Oh! It means I am gonna drive the car until it is totally broken and does not run anymore,” said Andrew.

And, Pete said, “The expression could also be used for some cases where something or someone is used too much.”

So, for example, if you work really hard and stay in the office so long every day, then I could say, “Hey, Friend! Do not drive yourself into the ground. You need to work tomorrow and even longer.” The other example would be….. If you put a lot of stuff into your laundry machine and try to run it, then I could say, “Hey! Dude! I think you are running that machine into the ground if you put all of them into the machine at one time and try to run it.”

Researching about the expression, I found a very interesting article you might be interested in. The article says we can save $100,000 if we all drive cars into the ground. But, new cars are so tempting, aren’t they? So, it is up to you whether you want to change your cars every 3-4 years or drive them into the ground. What is my choice? I am not sure because I love cars.

3 thoughts on “drive into the ground

  1. So useful expressions! I from time to time visit your blog to learn quite useful sentences I didn’t know about yet. I really appreciate you.
    How’s it going there? My family really miss the life in Pitt. Keep contacts, bro~

    • Hi Hyeon Bro! Nice to see you here! Thanks! I will keep up with good expressions! I am doing great except the weather. You know! It is so hot and humid here now. I heard it is also very hot in Seoul. How’s it going? I miss you too. I just checked your site and it is very neat. Nice! I will check it regularly. Please share some good pictures and stories of you and your family!

  2. Pingback: Tweets that mention drive into the ground | Learning English from Friends (LEfF) -- Topsy.com

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