If, for instance, somebody has beaten one of my friends, can I say: "I will not let them get away with it!"?
***** NOT A TEACHER *****
Hello, Ms. Gaidar:
1. It is very nice that you will not let that thug get away with beating your friend. But please remember that you
have to be very careful in how you do this. For example, if
you beat the thug, then the police will not let
you get away with
it (beating the thug).
I am a very old man. Sometimes (many times?) in life, we have to let bad people get away with it, for there is nothing
(legal) that we can do about it.
3. But I have learned something: often (not always) bad people come to a very bad end.
a. Let's say that you cannot do anything (legal) to that thug who beat your friend. There is a
very good chance that
in the future (tomorrow / in five years / in 30 years), something bad will happen to that bad individual. That should make
your friend feel better. I know that it makes
me feel better!!!
James
P.S. I believe that the opposite of "get away with it" is "
to hold someone accountable," that is, to punish the bad person.