Get Rid Of

[Kemron]

Hi there,

I wanted to ask you all professionals about the usage of get rid of.
I understand that the meaning is 'dispose of' and indicates to something negative.

However, is it possible to use it in the following meaning?

''I can't get rid of this song''
- in terms of, there is a song I really like and have liked for years...

Thanks in advance.

[EC]

If you mean in the sense of "I can't get this song out of my mind", then yes - in context.

For example:

"I heard this song on the tele last night and I can't get it out of my mind. I just can't get rid of it."

Anyone would understand it from the context but out of context I'm not sure that it's normal usage. For example, if you walked into a room and said:

"I can't get this song out of my head", everyone would understand you.

But if you walked into a room and said:

"I can't get rid of this song", I don't think people would necessarily understand you.

[TransABC]

Agreed.

EC's second example is ambiguous and would leave whoever you are addressing unsure as to exactly what you mean by it. You would need some kind of context as EC suggested to make the phrase more meaningful.