(I) hope to see you again (soon/sometime)

A pleasant valediction typically said to an acquaintance. Well, it was nice chatting with you. Hope to see you again soon. Hope to see you again soon. Stop by my office anytime! I'm so glad I ran into you—hope to see you again soon!

a sometime thing

An activity that one participates or engages in infrequently, sporadically, or in a limited capacity. With two kids at home, my career in finance has had to take priority, with writing only being a sometime thing. Ever since the power plant shut down, work in this part of the country has become kind of a sometime thing. I like her a lot, but our relationship, if you could call it that, is just a sometime thing because she lives nine hours away.

drop around (sometime)

An invitation to visit one at some non-specific time in the future. Hey, drop around sometime and we can catch up. Please drop around the next time you're in town—I'd love to see you. I have something for you, so drop around when you get a chance.

drop by

1. To visit someone at some non-specific time in the future. Often stated as an invitation. If you still have questions on the material, why don't you drop by my office sometime, and we'll go over everything step by step. Be sure to drop by the next time you're in the area. I have something for you, so drop by when you get a chance.

2. To come over briefly (to someone's location) in order to deliver someone or something. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "drop" and "by." I'll drop by the tools after lunch. I was planning on dropping the kids by at 2 o'clock or so. Is that all right? My mom is gonna drop her sewing machine by later so we can work on the costumes.

See also: by, drop

drop in sometime

An invitation to visit one at some non-specific time in the future. Now that we're neighbors, I hope you'll drop in sometime. Hey, I have something for you, so drop in sometime, OK? All I said was, "Drop in sometime"—I did not tell her to come over tonight!

let's do lunch (sometime)

Let's get together to meet and have lunch sometime in the future. A clichéd, noncommittal expression often associated with upper class people. A: "I'd love to sit down with you sometime and go over some ideas I have for the business." B: "Sure thing, kid. Let's do lunch—call my assistant to arrange a time." I really must run, darling, but I'd love to catch up with you soon. Let's do lunch sometime!

let's do this again (sometime)

We should do this together again at some point in the future. I really enjoyed getting lunch with you, Dan. Let's do this again sometime. A: "I had no idea professional chess would be so interesting to watch." B: "Neither did I! Let's definitely do this again."

let's get together (sometime)

We should meet up or spend time together at some point in the future. I like your business proposal. Let's get together sometime and go over the finer details. Let's get together and work on our project this weekend.

we have to do lunch sometime

We should really get together at some point in the future, ostensibly to have lunch. A clichéd, noncommittal expression often associated with upper-class people. A: "I'd love to sit down with you sometime and go over some ideas I have for the business." B: "Oh yes, of course. We'll have to do lunch sometime—call my assistant to arrange a date." I really have to run, darling, but we simply have to do lunch sometime! I'd love to catch up with you soon.

we must do lunch sometime

We should really get together at some point in the future, ostensibly to have lunch. A clichéd, noncommittal expression often associated with upper-class people. A: "I'd love to sit down with you sometime and go over some ideas I have for the business." B: "Oh yes, of course. We must do lunch sometime—call my assistant to arrange a date." I really must run, darling, but we simply must do lunch sometime! I'd love to catch up with you soon.

we must do this again (sometime)

We should do this together again at some point in the future. I really enjoyed getting lunch with you, Dan. We must do this again sometime. A: "I had no idea professional chess would be so interesting to watch." B: "Neither did I! We must definitely do this again."

we should get together (sometime)

We should meet up or spend time together at some point in the future. I like your business proposal. We should get together sometime and go over the finer details. We should get together and work on our project this weekend.

drop by

(sometime) Go to drop around (sometime).

See also: by, drop

Drop in sometime.

Visit my home or office sometime when you are nearby. Bob: Bye, Bill, nice seeing you. Bill: Hey, drop in sometime. Bob: Okay. "Drop in sometime," said Bob to his uncle.

We('ll) have to do lunch sometime,

and Let's do lunch (sometime).

We must have lunch together sometime. (A vague statement that may lead to lunch plans.) Rachel: Nice to talk to you, Tom. We have to do lunch sometime. Tom: Yes, good to see you. I'll give you a ring. Tom: Can't talk to you now. Catch you later. Mary: We'll have to do lunch sometime. John: Good to see you, Tom. Tom: Right. Let's do lunch sometime. John: Good idea. I'll call you. Mary: Catch you later. Sue: Sure. Let's do lunch. Mary: Okay. Call me. Bye.

drop by

Also, drop in or over . Pay a brief, casual, and usually unannounced visit. For example, I asked her to drop by whenever she was in the neighborhood, or Joan loves to have friends drop in, or We'd love to drop over but we haven't time on this trip. The first term dates from the first half of the 1900s; drop in is from the mid-1600s and drop over from the late 1800s.

See also: by, drop

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

drop by

To pay a casual visit to some place: He dropped by the hospital to visit his aunt. She dropped by the office during her vacation to see if she had received any important mail.

See also: by, drop

Let’s do lunch (sometime)

and Let’s do the lunch thing

sent. Let us have lunch together sometime. Great seeing you, Martin, absolutely great. Let’s do lunch. Let’s do the lunch thing some time. Right, baby?