Throw yourself into
All right, I’ve got an easy one for you today: throw yourself into.
This is metaphorical. If you throw yourself into something, you dedicate yourself to an activity or a cause—and you usually do it with a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and commitment.
We use this phrase when someone makes a decision to commit to something. And this often, but not always, comes after experiencing some type of adversity.
You may know about the famous chef José Andrés . He opened several high-end restaurants in the United States. But after seeing the devastation of an earthquake in Haiti in 2010, he threw himself into charity work, creating World Central Kitchen.
He did continue his work in his restaurant business. But he dedicated a lot of energy and enthusiasm to his new charity work. So we say he threw himself into his work creating World Central Kitchen. Today, it plays an important role in disaster areas and conflict zones, serving meals to people in need.
Everyone grieves a loss differently. Some people throw themselves into their work. Some people, in the face of a personal loss—a spouse or parent dies—they throw themselves into their work. They commit even more time and energy to their work.
You can also use this with art. In Van Gogh’s final months, he threw himself into his painting—that means he committed energy, time, enthusiasm to his painting. And those became some of the most productive months of his life.
I read an article about David Bowie, the rock musician. The article said he moved from Los Angeles to Berlin in 1976 and threw himself into making two albums. When I read that, I understood that he left his life in L.A., and when he moved to Berlin, he dedicated himself to making two albums.
You can throw yourself into a cause. A cause is like, a principle or a movement or a charity. You can say José Andrés threw himself into the cause of humanitarian relief. The actor Michael J. Fox threw himself into a cause. He has Parkinson’s disease. And he created a foundation that funds research into the disease and he has become a very well-known advocate for people who suffer from Parkinson’s. You can say that Michael J. Fox threw himself into the cause of finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
An actress can throw herself into a character or a role. I sometimes read about the preparations actresses and actors do to get into their characters—they dress differently, talk differently, eat differently, behave differently all day long just to get into the right mindset. For big roles, it can be an all-encompassing thing. I read an article that said the actress Marielle Heller threw herself into the role of Alma in “The Queen’s Gambit.”
But by far the most common use of “throw yourself into” is with work: He threw himself into his work; she threw herself into her work. And remember, to throw yourself into something means to dedicate yourself to that activity, with a lot of energy, enthusiasm, time, and commitment.
See you next time!
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That’s all for today—we’ll be back on Thursday with a new lesson. See you then.
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