look after
lʊk ˈæftər
Care is just never taking your eyes off it
The picture Your eyes trail whatever is moving ahead of you; the moment they drop, the care stops. Look at puts your eyes on something once; look after keeps them trailing it.
Where the picture shows up in look after
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eyes stay on a bag
Could you look after my bag for a minute?
kʊd juː lʊk ˈæftər maɪ bæɡ fər ə ˈmɪnɪt
Could you keep an eye on my bag for a minute?
The owner walks off and your eyes stay stuck to the bag on the seat.
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eyes stay on the children
She looks after three kids on her own.
ʃi lʊks ˈæftər θriː kɪdz ɑːn hɜːr oʊn
She raises three kids by herself.
Three children scatter across the room and your eyes chase all three.
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eyes stay on the shop
Who's looking after the shop today?
huːz ˈlʊkɪŋ ˈæftər ðə ʃɑːp təˈdeɪ
Who's minding the shop today?
Customers come and go and your eyes keep sweeping the whole shop.
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eyes stay on your own body
You should look after your back at work.
juː ʃʊd lʊk ˈæftər jʊr bæk ət wɜːrk
Take care of your back at work.
As you lift something heavy, your eyes turn back onto your own lower back.
The gaze doesn't only go to other people; you keep it on yourself too.
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eyes stay on what you took on
Don't worry, I'll look after it.
doʊnt ˈwʌri aɪl lʊk ˈæftər ɪt
Don't worry, I'll take care of it.
You nod, meaning your eyes will not leave the thing you were handed.
All of it in one picture
Look after is one gaze that keeps following. Stuck to a bag, it is watching it for a minute; stuck to children, it is raising them; stuck to a shop, it is minding the place. Turn that same gaze back onto your own back and it becomes taking care of yourself. So wherever look after appears, a pair of eyes has stayed on something and not let go.