English Expressions: Hold yourself together!

Dialogue

Jerry

: Did you see the doctor? Is your sister out of the woods?

Sarah: Oh Jerry! I’m at my wit ends; I’m afraid she’s going from bad to worse - it has been two hours!

Jerry: Snap out of it! She’ll be fine. I’m sure she will..

Sarah: I’m really going into pieces: I can’t help being worried sick about her. You know she’s at death’s door.

Jerry: Oh dear! Hold yourself together! You just need to pray for her and keep a stiff upper lip.

Sarah: Look look! Why are the doctors in a huddle? She must have passed away!

Vocabulary

Out of the woods: no longer in danger, in the clear.

At one’s wit ends: frantic, anxious; not knowing what to do next.

Go from bad to worse: from a bad state or condition to a worse condition.

Snap out of it: to stop experiencing something unpleasant or stop behaving in a negative way.

Go into pieces: to become unable to think clearly and control your emotions.

Worried sick: Extremely anxious.

At death’s door: to be seriously ill.

Hold oneself together: To calm oneself down and begin to think or act appropriately.

Keep a stiff upper lip: to remain stoic during difficult situations.

In a huddle: conferring confidentially.