291. ¿Qué significa away?
Away describe el desplazamiento desde una posición original:
Don’t walk away when I’m talking to you!
When he was 15, Ben ran away and joined the circus.
In embarrassment, Elena looked away.
Away se usa mucho para expresar la idea de alejarse de casa o de encontrarse en un lugar distante de la misma:
Wendy and Paul are going away for the weekend.
Janey was my best friend, but she and her family moved away when I was about 11.
El componente de “distancia” hace que away se use también para expresar que algo o alguien está ‘oculto’ o ‘apartado de la vista’, aunque la distancia física a la que se encuentre el objeto guardado o escondido sea muy pequeña:
George, can you get the stuff out of the dishwasher and put it away, please?
She keeps her money hidden away in a drawer somewhere.
A good detective files away this kind of information. You never know when it’ll help.
De estar ‘apartado de la vista’ a ‘desaparecer’ solo hay un pequeño paso:
Overnight, the snow had melted away, and now there was only slush.
As you get older, all the bad memories fade away, and you’re left with all the nice ones.
Mikey’s just wasting his life away playing computer games all day.
She passed away a year ago now (ella murió hace un año).
También se usa away cuando se apartan cosas que no se quieren:
I should throw these shoes away. I’m never going to wear them again.
The old buses were better, but they did away with them to save money.
He tried to explain the problem away, but nobody believed him.
Tal vez debido a esa connotación de movimiento, away se usa para expresar la idea de hacer una actividad con gran energía o entusiasmo. Esto se hace sobre todo con verbos que significan ‘trabajar’:
She’s been working away on the painting for weeks now. Will she ever finish?
So, while I’ve been slaving away all day, you’ve done nothing except watch TV? (trabajando como una bestia).
Pero también se puede usar del mismo modo este último significado de away con otras actividades:
—Can I ask you something? —Of course, anything. Ask away!
Look at them, chatting away like they’ve known each other for years.
I’m here heartbroken, while she’s dancing the night away with Jim. My own brother!