run over

[vil]

Dear teachers,

I know a few meanings of the idiom “run over”:

• Knock down and, often, pass over, as in

The car ran over our dog.
If you cross the street in the wrong place you may get run over.

• Review quickly, as in

I'll run over the speech one more time.

• Overflow, as in

This pot's running over. This usage appears in the well-known Twenty-third Psalm: "My cup runneth over [with God's bounty]."

• Go beyond, exceed, as in

I've run over the allotted time, but there are still questions.

My question is whether I could use another meaning of this idiom namely “ take you there in the car”?

There are no buses to Rochester on Sundays but I can easily run you over in the car.

Thank you in advance for your efforts.

Regards.

V.

 

[stuartnz]

My question is whether I could use another meaning of this idiom namely “ take you there in the car”?

There are no buses to Rochester on Sundays but I can easily run you over in the car.

I'm not a teacher, but the short answer is yes. This is not an uncommon structure, at least in NZ English, and is sometimes heard being played with for humorous effect, given its similarity to the other "run you over" as in, "if you don't get out of the way, I'll run you over."

 

[vil]

Hi Stuartz,

Thank you for your affirmative reply. Thank you also for your fresh modifications.

Regards.

V.