to switch gears

[Jonathan Lighter]

Speaking of what's idiomatic enough for OED, I was wondering about the idiom
"have some work done" as a vague euphemism for having cosmetic surgery.

When somebody (usually a woman) says, "I think she's had some work done,"
regardless of the verbal context, the meaning is unmistakable.

I don't see it in OED.

JL

On Fri, Jan 7, 2011 at 1:58 PM, Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: to switch gears
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The OED does have a definition for "switch gears". It's annexed from
> Webster's 3rd New Internat. and embedded in a quotation.
>
> Shift, v
> III. 12. e. To change (gear), move (a gear lever). Also intr., to
> change from one gear into another; to shift up or down, to engage a
> higher or a lower gear. Also fig.
>
> 1961 Webster's 3rd New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang., Shift gears, to
> make a change from one method, tempo, or approach to another.
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 6, 2011 at 8:52 PM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      to switch gears
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Not in OED--the straight meaning is directly derivable, so no need for
> > it, but the figurative meaning is not. It means "to change attitude,
> > approach, direction [abruptly]; to make a different choice, preference"
> >
> > Dictionary.com/RH Unabridged is the only one I found to have a
> definition:
>
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