#KnowYourEnglish

(A Segment from The Hindu)

What does the phrase ‘wrap your head

around’ mean?
“This is a surprise! Haven’t seen you in a while. Been out of town?”

“No, I’ve been in town. Things are pretty bad at the office. So, can’t go anywhere.
If I were to go on leave right now, my boss would probably ….”

“He’d probably fire you!”

“That’s right! How did you guess?”

“There are all kinds of rumors about your company. Some people say that it’s
likely to go under. Is it true?”

“Go under? Does it mean the company has financial

problems?”

“Very good! That’s one of the meanings of the expression.

When you say that a company is likely to ‘go under’, what
you’re suggesting is that because of financial problems,
the company is likely to be shut down. It’ll be going out of
business.”

“In other words, you’re likely to close operation.”

“I guess you could say that. Here’s an example. In 2020, during COVID, many
a small business went under.”

“Things have been pretty bad since then. If our business doesn’t pick up in the
next couple of months, we’re likely to go under.”

“That’s a good example. It’s been nearly five years since my uncle’s company
went under.”

“Has it really been that long? Time flies! I remember the dazed look he had when
he was told about it. The poor man….”

“Yes, the poor man couldn’t wrap his head around what had happened. He
found it…”

“Wrap his head around? What are you talking about?”

“The expression ‘wrap your head around something’ is mostly used in

American English in informal contexts. It means to understand something. It
usually carries with it the suggestion that what is to be understood is something
challenging or strange.”

“It’s something challenging for the individual, and not for

everyone.”

“That’s right! When I was in school, I had a hard time wrapping

my head around algebra and geometry.”

“I think many of us did. A lot of girls today don’t want to get married. My
grandmother finds it difficult to wrap her head around that.”
“That’s a good example. It’s also possible to say ‘wrap your mind around
something’. I can’t wrap my mind around how the stock market works.”

“If you ask me, I don’t think anyone does! Some people just pretend to know!”

“You’re probably right! Tell me, is your company doing anything to ensure that it
doesn’t go under? Is your boss taking any…”

“We got a message from him saying that he’s doing everything he can to ensure
that the company doesn’t go under. I understand we’re trying to get a loan. But
we’re experiencing problems to get a loan.”

“We generally don’t say, ‘experience problems to get’, but ‘experience

problems in getting’. The students were experiencing problems in getting
suitable accommodation.”

“My boss experienced problems in getting a visa.”

“It’s also possible to say, ‘My boss experienced problems getting a visa’. You
can drop the ‘in’.”

“We all experienced problems finding a suitable gift for the boss.”

“Let’s hope that he manages to keep your company afloat for another six
months, at least.”

“In the meanwhile, I’ll start looking for a job.”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

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