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I read this in a movie review:

One can easily give it a miss.

What does it mean?

And what is this type of construction called? (I'd like to investigate it on Google.)

Erik Kowal
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metal_moloch
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  • Give something a miss (informal) to not take part in an activity. I think I'll give the barbecue a miss. I'm on a diet. Idioms http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/give+a+miss –  Jul 23 '14 at 07:45
  • Have you tried searching on Google? – Kris Jul 23 '14 at 07:48
  • Here, "give it a miss" → "not go to the movie". So "one can give it a miss" literally means it's not a "must-see" movie. And "one can easily give it a miss" would literally mean it's not even close to a "must-see" movie. – Peter Shor Jul 23 '14 at 11:39

2 Answers2

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The expression "give something a miss" means to intentionally avoid something.

It is the opposite of:

Give it a go

or

Give it a try

which means to try something.

Hey, I just downloaded a new game for my phone! It's free; you should give it a go!

No, I think I'll give it a miss. I hate those freemium games.

You should be aware that, in your example, both the use of "one" as a pronoun and the expression "give it a miss" are strongly suggestive of British English. This expression is, in my experience, much less common in American English. An American English speaker would be more likely to say:

You can easily take a pass.

The meaning of "take a pass" is the same; to decline or avoid something.

Community
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chapka
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  • i can't vote up( as i have only 4 points) but this is the easiest and enough explanation i have. Thank you very much. – metal_moloch Jul 23 '14 at 18:10
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This is not all that easy to find an answer to, though it is a common construction here involving a very common expression.

Firstly, the construction. Certain verbs in English are often used just to provide structure, without carrying much (if any) meaning:

he had / took a bath (= he bathed).

she gave a pretty smile (= she smiled prettily)

they made arrangements to visit the duke (= they arranged to visit the duke)

he goes running round the estate every evening (almost = he runs round the estate every evening)

he did the cooking for Mrs Jones that weekend (= he cooked for Mrs Jones that weekend)

I've just done my hair (= ?)

They are called delexical verbs when so used; this article by the British Council explains their use. As can be seen, there is usually a non-deverbal construction available as an alternative with very much the same meaning. However, the deverbal choice is often the more colloquial (natural sounding).

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Secondly, this particular example.

Though 'miss' can be used both when the missing is accidental and when it is deliberate

'Oh no! We've missed the bus.'

'I've decided to miss the next two meetings.'

'One can easily miss the "Dog and Duck" ' means it's quite hard to find whereas 'One can easily give the "Dog and Duck" a miss' means 'I wouldn't recommend the place'. 'I'd give the "Dog and Duck" a miss if I were you' sounds more natural; the original is rather quirky (for humorous effect).

Edwin Ashworth
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