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Reader question: Please explain this sentence – I’ve been thinking about steak for a month and now I’ve finally got it out of my system? What “system” exactly? My comments: The system refers to one’s digestive system. This is the literal meaning of “getting something out of one’s system”: One eats something bad, for instance, and is eager to get it out of their body. Some vomit it out. Some take medication. Others simply drink lots of water and then wait for the human digestive system to work its wonder, or magic, or in other words, to let nature take its course. To wit, you empty your bowels to get it out of your digestive system. Anyways, that’s the literal meaning of “getting something out of one’s system”, meaning that you’ve gotten rid of something bad. Figuratively speaking, you can get anything undesirable out of your system. For example you can get cigarettes out of your system, meaning you’ve finally quit smoking. Or you can get a certain bad feeling out of your system, such as depression or self loathing. This means that you are now able to cheer and enjoy yourself again, regaining a healthy sense of esteem and confidence. In the top example, steak is what’s being gotten rid off, or the yearning for it to be exact. The speaker has been yearning for steak for a month and finally he/she no longer wants to eat it. And what a relief that is, supposing the person in question has been on diet to lose weight, to cut the intake of red meat, or to newly embark on the vegetarian road. | 
