on
ɒn
Stuck to something, and therefore still going
The picture Something rests on a surface, touching it, and does not come off. On is contact that holds; off is contact that breaks.
Where the picture shows up in on
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resting on the paper
Put your name on the list.
pʊt jʊər neɪm ɑːn ðə lɪst
Put your name on the list, please.
A name laid on the sheet, resting on its own line
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wired and running
Leave the light on.
liːv ðə laɪt ɑːn
Leave the light burning.
The wire is still touching, so the bulb keeps burning
If the wire is still touching, the light is still on.
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on one square of the calendar
The meeting is on Tuesday.
ðə ˈmiːtɪŋ ɪz ɑːn ˈtuːzdeɪ
The meeting is on Tuesday.
The meeting sits on the Tuesday square of the calendar
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still going, unbroken
Go on, I'm listening.
ɡoʊ ɑːn aɪm ˈlɪsənɪŋ
Keep talking, I'm listening.
The talk runs on like a thread that has not been cut
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resting on my wallet
It's on me tonight.
ɪts ɑːn miː təˈnaɪt
Tonight is my treat.
The bill slides over and comes to rest on my shoulder
All of it in one picture
On is one picture: something touching a surface and not coming off. A name on the paper is on the list; a wire still touching is a light left on; a meeting on the Tuesday square is on Tuesday; talk that has not been cut goes on; a bill resting on me is on me. As long as the contact holds, the state holds — that is the feeling under every on.