“How was your weekend? Did you finish going through the stuff in your old suitcases?”
“Managed to go through a couple. Both contained a lot of stuff from my college days, and…”
“Did you come across anything interesting? Something that made you stop and…”
“Come across? What exactly do you mean?”
“The expression has several different meanings. When you come across something or someone, you find something or meet someone accidentally.”
“In other words, when you come across an individual, you meet him unexpectedly. It wasn’t a planned meeting.”
“That’s right!”
“In one of the suitcases, I came across several letters that my father had written to me when I was in college.”
“Really? Was it full of advice or did he have…”
“It wasn’t really. He basically said that while I should work hard, it was equally important that I enjoy college life. A couple of months ago, while I was going through an old magazine, I came across an old photo of my grandparents. They were so young. Must have been in their twenties.”
“I hope you showed it to your grandmother. On my way here, I came across a group of kids playing cricket in the hot sun.” “It’s vacation time! You’ll come across children playing cricket everywhere. The sun doesn’t bother them. You’d said that the expression ‘come across’ has several different meanings. What other meaning does…”
“When you’re talking or listening to someone and he comes across as being intelligent, what it means is that…”
“The person gives the impression that he is bright.”
“That’s right! The interview was a disaster. Both the candidates came across as arrogant individuals who had no clue about the questions being asked.”
“How about this example? During the brief chat we had, she came across as someone who was sensitive to other people’s problems.”
“Sounds good! Raj takes some getting used to. The first time you meet him, he doesn’t come across very well.”
“I’ve known him for ten years, and he still doesn’t come across very well.”
“That’s because you can’t stand him. The two of you can’t see eye to eye about anything.”
“Eye to eye? Does it mean to agree with someone about something?”
“Very good. When you ‘see eye to eye’ with someone, the two of you agree. The two of you share similar opinions about something.”
“The two individuals think alike.”
“I guess you could say that! The expression, however, is mostly used in the negative. For example, the two brothers didn’t see eye to eye about how the family business should be run.”
“How about this example? Poor, Amitabh! His is a marriage made in hell. He and his wife do not see eye to eye about anything!”
“Really? I was told they really enjoyed being with each other. Enjoyed each other’s company.”
“They do! I was just giving an example. Don’t take everything I say seriously.”
“Hmm. It’s also possible to say ‘to see eye to eye on’ some issue or matter. The children couldn’t see eye to eye on the guests to be invited for the surprise party.”
“I don’t like surprise parties. Do you?”
“No, I don’t. They’re so…”
“Finally, we see eye to eye about something!”
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