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juanpadillameza
14 mag 2022

  • Spagnolo (Colombia)
  • Inglese (Stati Uniti)
  • Francese (Francia)
Domande Inglese (Stati Uniti)

How to say "to pay attention" in an idiom or a slang way ?

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zhengdaoge
14 mag 2022

  • Inglese (Stati Uniti)

Pay attention is an idiom. Because time is money. :-)

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comosedice
14 mag 2022

  • Inglese (Stati Uniti)

I like @zhengdaoge's clever answer, but "pay attention" is not an idiom, and it is not slang. "attention" is somewhat abstract (which can make a strictly literal interpretation confusing), but the meaning is literal, though a little old-fashioned.

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/388...

"pay" can mean "give" (or "bestow"), and there are many other expressions using "pay" similarly, with other objects, like "pay a compliment". "pay attention [to something]" means "give your attention [to something to mentally focus on].

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zhengdaoge
14 mag 2022

  • Inglese (Stati Uniti)

@comosedice
I beg your pardon, but perhaps you would like to examine these dictionaries of phrases and idioms. "Pay attention" is in them. :-)

pay attention (to someone or something)
pay attention (to someone or something)
To be attentive to, become aware of, or be responsive (to someone or something). My father never paid attention to the financial burden his gambling was creating until it was too late. You need to start paying attention to your kids, or you won't have a relationship with them when they're grown up. Pay attention, Mark—there will be a quiz on this material at the end of the week!
See also: attention, pay, someone
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

pay attention (to someone or something)
to give attention (to someone or something). Please pay attention to the teacher. Max always pays careful attention to what is being told to him.
See also: attention, pay
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

pay attention
Heed, be attentive to, as in Now pay attention to these instructions. [Second half of 1700s]
See also: attention, pay
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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comosedice
14 mag 2022

  • Inglese (Stati Uniti)

@zhengdaoge I understand that "pay attention" is in collections that are labeled as "idioms". It "seems" idiomatic (I claim) because "attention" is abstract and "pay" has an old meaning that is less commonly used now. But, it is not an idiom.

"pay attention" fails to satisfy the definition of what an "idiom" is. Idioms cannot be deduced from their constituent words. However, the meaning of "pay attention" can be deduced from the definitions of "pay" and "attention".

It is an older definition, but "pay" means "give" (or "bestow"). "pay attention" means "give attention" (direct your attention to something). The meaning is directly connected to the meanings of "pay" and "attention". (see the first answer in the link I provided for more detail)

So, it is an old expression, but not an idiom.

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zhengdaoge
14 mag 2022

  • Inglese (Stati Uniti)

I appreciate your thoroughness, but I find your tone a little sharp and what started off as a nice exchange has become a little pointed. It's important to be clear and appropriate, but this is also a conversation between real-life people. I'm going to go have a cup of tea now.

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comosedice
14 mag 2022

  • Inglese (Stati Uniti)

I revisited @juanpadillameza's original question, to "pay some attention" (!) to whether I missed something in the initial exchange. The original question appears to ask for examples of idioms or slang that have the same meaning as "pay attention".

If that is the intent of the question, then I can see that I may have amplified taking the thread off-topic.

So, going back to the original question, there are many phrases that could apply, but the context matters because these phrases (phrasals, figurative expressions, idioms, slang, etc.) are not 100% equivalent (they often reflect one of the possible nuances of "pay attention", like perception/seeing/hearing, or action/interpretation/thinking). Some examples are:

"listen up" (imperative, instead of "[You,] Please pay attention [to me]".)
"keep an eye on" (e.g., I will keep an eye on the grill while the food is cooking.)
"keep tabs on" (e.g., You need to keep tabs on the water glasses, and refill them before they are empty)
"take note of" (e.g., We should take note of whether the parking lot is full and whether the lights are on.)

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juanpadillameza
15 mag 2022

  • Spagnolo (Colombia)
@comosedice@zhengdaoge I'm too grateful for your comments, but both of you didn't have to extend a lot haha, however many thanks.
zhengdaoge
15 mag 2022

  • Inglese (Stati Uniti)

@juanpadillameza You're very welcome. Who knew language study could inspire such debate, right?
Another phrase that is similar to "pay attention" and is used a lot is "be mindful" or sometimes people also use "watch what you say" which means being careful about saying the right thing at the right time depending on who is listening.
I hope this lively exchange has been helpful.

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