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Welcome to English in a Minute!
In sports, players who “sit out” are not playing in the game. But what does “sit this one out” mean as an idiom?
Sit This One Out
Speaker A: Anna, I have an extra ticket to a death metal show tonight.
Speaker B: A what?
Speaker A: Death metal show.
Speaker B: You know, I prefer music that doesn’t have the word “death” in it.
Speaker A: Come on, Anna! Everyone in the band wears a really cool mask.
Speaker B: What, like death masks? Dan, I am going to sit this one out.
When you say you want to “sit this one out,” you mean you don’t want to do something. This expression is often used after being invited to an event or activity you would rather not go to. I guess Anna just doesn’t “rock” as hard as we thought.
And that’s English in a Minute!
*This article has been edited and reprinted from VOA Learning English with permission from Voice of America (VOA) for use in English language materials.
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