Thursday, July 12, 2018

phrasal verbs - “Getting something down” in this context



I know getting something down has many different meanings in different contexts. I think I am familiar will most of them, if not all.


What does it mean in this context?



I told him where he should place his foot, but the rest is all down to him. He has got it down to a tee




Reference article : https://www.goal.com/en-in/news/messi-ronaldo-maradona-di-stefano-best-player-history/1fuo0t9cdjpv31jwx6xu1469wb


This is not the first time I have come across this phrasal verb being used in this context. Although I could figure out the meaning from the context (that the said soccer player has perfected his ability), I want to know what Get something down in this context means.


I tried looking it up in many reputed online dictionaries, but none of the explanations seemed to match the meaning of Get sth down in this context. If possible, please refer to how an online dictionary explains the meaning of this phrasal verb in this context. Thanks



Answer



You've highlighted only part of the idiom. The phrase is "down to a tee" (also sometimes styled, possibly wrongly, as "down to a T").



to a tee
Perfectly; completely; exactly. More commonly seen as "to a T." The origin of the phrase is uncertain.




It is normally used to indicate suitability for something, for example, "the job suited him down to a tee".


In the context of your quotation, a similar idiom is more commonly used: "get it down pat". Possibly the author of your quote mixed up the two.


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