[Idiom] pass me by
- Thread starter gorilla08
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Both of your suggestions are slightly problematic because of your introduction of the telephone into the matter.
To pass someone by is indeed to ignore that person, but both people should by physically present at the same place and time. So it doesn't seem appropriate to use "pass by" in connection with calling someone on the telephone. Equally, it seems natural to describe one person as ignoring another if both are present, but less natural if they are on the phone. After all, in order to receive a phone call you have to at least say hello and find out who the caller is.
I suppose she could effectively ignore you on the phone by giving irrelevant replies and hanging up quickly. A very colloquial way to describe being quickly dismissed when you call someone is to say "she blew me off" or if it was very quick and rude "she hung up in my ear."
To pass someone by is indeed to ignore that person, but both people should by physically present at the same place and time. So it doesn't seem appropriate to use "pass by" in connection with calling someone on the telephone. Equally, it seems natural to describe one person as ignoring another if both are present, but less natural if they are on the phone. After all, in order to receive a phone call you have to at least say hello and find out who the caller is.
I suppose she could effectively ignore you on the phone by giving irrelevant replies and hanging up quickly. A very colloquial way to describe being quickly dismissed when you call someone is to say "she blew me off" or if it was very quick and rude "she hung up in my ear."
K
Ksenia
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I agree! 'To pass by' needs physical actions.
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