Sweep sb off /expression

Sweep sb off /expression
Message from henderson posted on 24-01-2013 at 02:22:09 (D | E | F)
Hello,
"Sweep somebody off someone's feet"
Could anyone tell me what this phrase is supposed to mean?
Does Is it equal to 'I'm spoken for someone'?
Thanks in advance.
I just can't figure it out.

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Edited by lucile83 on 24-01-2013 08:31

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Re: Sweep sb off /expression from irish21, posted on 24-01-2013 at 05:02:06 (D | E)
Hello,
Take a look at this link :Link

Hope this helps.

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Re: Sweep sb off /expression from rajankila, posted on 24-01-2013 at 08:12:41 (D | E)
Hello,
Please see another link
Link

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Re: Sweep sb off /expression from lucile83, posted on 24-01-2013 at 08:38:13 (D | E)
Hello,

You can look it up in quite good dictionaries on line, such as this one:
Link

Regards.

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Re: Sweep sb off /expression from stephanieanna, posted on 24-01-2013 at 11:07:56 (D | E)
Hello,

It means to make someone fall in love with you.  
This reminds me of something a boy I used to know once said:"You girls are lucky; all you have to do is wait for some handsome prince to come and sweep you off your feet. We have to do the sweeping."

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Edited by lucile83 on 24-01-2013 11:13

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Re: Sweep sb off /expression from susanbon252, posted on 24-01-2013 at 17:14:05 (D | E)
Hello,
I was swept off my feet by a Frenchman and have been living in France ever since

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Re: Sweep sb off /expression from lucile83, posted on 24-01-2013 at 21:41:23 (D | E)
Hello,

I know an English lady who was swept off her feet by a Frenchman more than 50 years ago.They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last year.
She went to Paris for a weekend ... and has been living in France ever since.
On the 18th of each month they are used to celebrating their first date.
They are both about 75 years old ...so cute, isn't it?

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Re: Sweep sb off /expression from freenerg, posted on 03-02-2013 at 00:01:20 (D | E)
Lucile83 merci pour le lien mais n'y a-t-il pas une faute ?

Sweep somebody off their feet :
to make someone feel suddenly and strongly attracted to you in a romantic way:
Jill's been swept off her feet by an older man.

Pourquoi "off their" et pas "off his" ?
Merci de ton attention.

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Edited by lucile83 on 03-02-2013 08:51
English only forum

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Re: Sweep sb off /expression from gerondif, posted on 03-02-2013 at 00:14:48 (D | E)
Hello,freenerg
je pense que c'est pour éviter d'avoir à choisir entre his et her, et souvent on voit:
"Everybody was doing their little business" everybody prend un sens collectif, donc pluriel.

"everybody and their mother lives in Paris!" dictionnaire en ligne.
Un peu comme : "Somebody is helping the police with their investigation."

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Edited by lucile83 on 03-02-2013 08:52
English only forum

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Re: Sweep sb off /expression from traviskidd, posted on 03-02-2013 at 03:25:56 (D | E)
Hello.

Officially, "he" (and "him" and "his") should be used if the sex is unknown or indeterminate. However, these days "they" (and "them" and "their") are much more common. (Note that the verb still needs to agree with "they", and is thus still in the plural -- "they are" and not "they is" -- rather like "on est" in French even if "on" means "nous".)

See you.

P.S. English only, gerondif and freenerg.
Also, the example is invalid because "police" is a plural noun.

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Re: Sweep sb off /expression from rogermue, posted on 03-02-2013 at 05:57:24 (D | E)
Hello,

I see some persons here have difficulty to understand the image.
The wind can blow so strong that things fall down and roofs are blown away (in a hurricane)
and that someone falls on his/her back.
You might replace to sweep off by: He/she was blown off his/her feet.

PS I'm no good as a painter. But a cartoonist could produce a good comic strip where a girl is lying
on her back seeing her prince charming.

Edited by rogermue on 03-02-2013 05:57

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Edited by lucile83 on 03-02-2013 08:54

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