Idioms, phrase (3) – Play out

Field Notes — Guns, Germs, and Steel
Field Notes 01 / 09
No. 01phrasal verb

play out

/pleɪ aʊt/ — verb phrase
Meaning
to happen or develop over time, especially until a situation reaches its conclusion
General

Let’s wait and see how the situation plays out.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Similar environmental differences played out in different ways on Polynesian islands.

Nuance — emphasizes a situation “unfolding” over time, not a single event.
No. 02phrasal verb

split off

/splɪt ɔːf/ — verb phrase
Meaning
to separate from a larger group and form a new, smaller group
General

A few members split off and formed their own club.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Small groups of settlers split off from the original population and moved to other islands.

Nuance — breaking away from an original group; often used for migration or division.
No. 03expression

in that sequence

/ɪn ðæt ˈsiːkwəns/ — adverbial phrase
Meaning
in that particular order
General

Wash the vegetables, cut them, and cook them in that sequence.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Food production, population growth, and political organization did not always develop in that sequence.

No. 04phrasal verb

stem from

/stɛm frʌm/ — verb phrase
Meaning
to originate from or be caused by something
General

Many health problems stem from a lack of sleep.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Many differences among human societies stemmed from differences in geography and available resources.

Nuance — highlights an origin or cause, not just a correlation.
No. 05phrasal verb

bring forth

/brɪŋ fɔːrθ/ — verb phrase
Meaning
to produce, create, or cause something to appear
General

Years of research finally brought forth an effective treatment.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Fertile lands could bring forth enough food to support large, dense populations.

Nuance — more formal and literary than “produce.”
No. 06expression

contemporary with A

/kənˈtɛmpərɛri wɪð/ — adjective phrase
Meaning
existing or living during the same period as A
General

Shakespeare was contemporary with Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Neanderthals were contemporary with early modern humans in parts of Eurasia.

No. 07grammar pattern

term A B

/tɜːrm/ — verb + double object
Meaning
to give A a particular name or label; to call A B
General

Scientists term this process natural selection.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Diamond terms the rapid development of human creativity the Great Leap Forward.

Nuance — to name or define A academically as B; an intentional, deliberate act of naming.
No. 07-1related pattern

what I have termed ~

— noun clause (self-reference)
Meaning
something that I have given a particular name to
General

This led to what I have termed the “second stage.”

Guns, Germs, and Steel

This period marks what Diamond has termed the Great Leap Forward.

No. 08grammar pattern

go + past participle

— verb + adjective (state change)
Meaning
to enter or remain in the state expressed by the past participle; often used for an undesirable or uncontrolled change
General

The milk went bad because it was left outside.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Many large animal species went extinct soon after humans reached the Americas.

Word family — go extinct = 멸종하다 · go unnoticed = 눈에 띄지 않다 · go unrecorded = 기록되지 않다 · go unanswered = 답변되지 않다
End of layer

Nine specimens catalogued.

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