Please explain it to me

Here is a sentence: I'm going to take out a life insurance policy.

The thing is I just cannot visualize the meaning of the phrasal verb 'take out' in this sentence.
I know it means get but I just don't get it.

Is there anyone who can help me with this?

Maybe you can think of it as taking away (taking out) a piece of paper from the insurance company; yours to own.

And the piece of paper is the policy.

In this context, to "take out" is to acquire. It's a phrase that is only used this way in certain circumstances -- you take out an insurance policy, you take out a bank loan.

In other contexts, "take out" is very different -- if you take out a woman to a restaurant, you are probably on a date with her; if you go get Chinese take-out, you are getting Asian food which you will eat at home; and if you are paying a somewhat shady individual to "take out" your husband, you're having hubby disposed of permanently -- so you can collect on the insurance policy you just took out on him....

<<"take out" your husband, you're having hubby disposed of permanently -- so you can collect on the insurance policy you just took out on him....>>

Hehe, nice tying together of two very different senses of the phrase ;)

Well, I have my moments, Kirk ;). Few and far between though they may be....

Hi Fabian

"I'm going to take out a life insurance policy " is fully acceptable , as far as the person speaking is going to take out a life insurance policy out of his own pocket or out of a drawer or out of something else.

I would understand and visualize it that way.

Cheers. Kilavoud.

how about 'I'm going to find out...', 'watch out'...

Thank you very much to all of you. Now I really get it ;-)

"Take out " regarding a life insurance policy has the meaning of "apply for". Now only I am aware of it.

Thank you for your interesting topic Fabian.

Claude.