q('about ^piss about~to do stupid things (to someone)~Stop pissing about and help me with this box. # If you don\'t stop pissing me about, I\'m walking out and never coming back. ~Many people would consider this expression offensive and avoid using it|go on about~to talk about something for so long (or again and again) that it becomes boring to the listener~He went on about how things were much harder when he was a child. # Oh will you stop going on about it! I told you I was sorry and there\'s nothing more I can say. ~@|mess about~to treat someone badly (often by being unreliable or unfaithful)~If you don\'t stop messing me about, I\'m going to walk right out on you. # Don\'t let her mess you about like that. Show her who\'s boss! ~@|get about~to visit many places~You get about a lot. Is there anywhere you haven’t been? # I\'ve been working too hard to get about very much in the last couple of years. ~You can also say get around.|fall about~to laugh loud and long~We just fell about when he told us what she had said to him. # You\'re not really going to wear that hat, are you? Do you want people falling about in the streets? ~@|bring about~to make happen~It is difficult to know how to bring about an end to the fighting in Iraq. # Getting impatient is not going to bring about an answer to the problem. ~@|');
q('across ^come across as~to give the impression~She always comes across as sweet and innocent, but I know what she\'s really like! # He doesn\'t come across as very intelligent. Did he really go to Harvard? ~@|get across~to make someone understand~I couldn\'t get it across to her why I wanted to change jobs. # I spent an hour telling him that he was making a mistake but I couldn\'t get it across. ~@|come across~to find, see or meet someone or something unexpectedly~I came across an interesting article in the newspaper this morning. # Did you come across anyone you knew on the beach last night? ~@|');
q('act^act up~to misbehave~I think the reason he\'s acting up is because his parents are going through a painful divorce. # If she doesn\'t stop acting up, I\'m going to have to call her parents. ~@|');
q('add^add up~to make sense~He says he want to run the Frankfurt marathon next year, but all he does is lie on the couch eating junk. It doesn\'t add up! # Now it adds up. You were cheating on me the whole time. ~@|');
q('after ^be after~to want to have or get~Don\'t believe a word he says. He is only after your money. # I am after an unusual present for my wife. Do you have any ideas? ~@|take after~to be like or act like~She takes after her brother. He was always late for class; she\'s always late for class. He was lazy and rude; she\'s lazy and rude! # Some people say I take after my father, but I don\'t think I\'m at all like him. ~@|look after~to take care of someone or something~My grandmother is too old to look after herself any more. # Can you look after my cat while I\'m away? ~@|');
q('ahead ^get ahead~to make progress~You will never get ahead unless you make more effort. # If you want to get ahead, you should change jobs. You have no prospects where you are. ~@|go ahead~to proceed~I\'m thinking of applying for a job. - Go ahead. The change will do you good. # May I take another cake? - Go ahead! ~This expression is often used alone as a way of granting a request.|');
q('along ^get along with~to have a friendly relationship with someone~How do you get along with your boss? She seems very unfriendly to me. # I don\'t really get along with my new English teacher. She\'s too critical for me. ~Also possible is \'get on with\'|come along~to hurry (usually said as a command to someone)~Come along! I haven\'t got all day! # Come along now. Time for bed! ~@|tag along~to go with someone~I\'m going shopping. - Great! Do you mind if I tag along? # Why does she always have to tag along? Can’t she see we don\'t want her? ~@|string along~to deceive someone over a longer period~He pretended he was in love with her, but he was just stringing her along. # Don\'t try to string me along. I know you\'re only after my money. ~@|go along with~to do as someone wants (even though you may not really want to)~Ok, I\'ll go along with you until you prove me wrong. # I wish I hadn\'t gone along with his crazy idea. It got us into real trouble. ~@|');
q('answer^answer to~to fit or match a description or name~Does anyone who works here answer to the name of Gertrude? # Sorry, I don\'t know of anyone who answers to that description. ~@|');
q('apart^pull apart~to criticize strongly~Why do you need to pull everything I do apart? # I thought I\'d written a good essay, but the teacher really pulled it apart. ~@|');
q('around ^nose around~to look at or for something curiously~Have you been nosing around in my room? Things are not where I put them. # When I visit a new city I like to nose around in the markets to see what I can buy. ~Also possible is \'nose about\'.|stick around~to stay or wait~Sorry, I can\'t stick around. My wife\'s expecting me home before six o\'clock. # Stick around and you might see some fun. John said he\'s going to set off the fire alarm! ~@|play around~to act in a silly way~If you don\'t stop playing around, I\'m going to send you out of the room. # Why don\'t you act your age instead of playing around the whole time? ~@|horse around~to do stupid things~Stop horsing around and get back to your work. # It\'s no surprise that people don\'t take you seriously if you horse around all the time. ~@|hang around~to wait~I\'m not going to hang around for you any more. If you\'re not ready at 3 o\'clock, I\'m going! # I had to hang around for 2 hours until her meeting was over. ~@|push around~to use superior power to get someone to do what you want~Don\'t try to push me around just because I\'m new here. You\'re not my boss. # Why does he let her push him around like that? I would walk out of the door. ~@|shop around~to take time in looking for something (to buy)~I intend to shop around before I get married. # The internet has made it a lot easier to shop around. ~This expression is often used in the sense of having lots of partners in the hope of finding someone suitable to marry.|');
q('as^come across as~to give the impression~She always comes across as sweet and innocent, but I know what she\'s really like! # He doesn\'t come across as very intelligent. Did he really go to Harvard? ~@|');
q('aside^set aside~to keep in reserve~We\'re setting aside some money each month to pay for our children\'s education. # You should set these books aside. Maybe your children will want to read them one day. ~@|');
q('ask^ask for~to provoke and deserve punishment~You\'re asking for trouble if you keep misbehaving like that. # Why did you shout at her? - She asked for it! ~@|');
q('at ^get at~to mean~What are you getting at? I don\'t understand a word you\'re saying. # What was he getting at when he said that no-one knows the real reason they broke up? ~\"Get at\" with this meaning is usually used only in the continuous \"-ing\" form.|pick at~to eat slowly and without enthusiasm~Don\'t pick at your food. If you don\'t want it, throw it away. # Have you seen the way she picks at her food. No wonder she\'s so thin! ~@|keep at~to continue (to do something difficult)~I know English is difficult, but if you keep at it, you\'re sure to get better. # We had problems cutting down the huge old tree in our garden, but we kept at it all afternoon, and it finally fell just before dark. ~@|get at~to be unpleasant to someone~Don\'t get at me just because you made a mistake. # Why are you always getting at her? She\'s just doing her job. ~@|jump at~to be keen to accept an opportunity or offer~I\'d jump at the chance of working in the music business, but I\'ve got no talent. # I suggested having a camping holiday this year, and she jumped at the idea. ~@|play at~to fool around or make bad decisions~What are you playing at. You\'re going to break it! # I don\'t know what he\'s playing at. He\'ll to lose his job if he\'s not careful. ~@|');
q('away ^pass away~to die~Our dear grandmother passed away at the weekend. # She gave all her money to charity before she passed away. ~This expression is used as a euphemism by speakers who want to avoid the word \"die\".|get away~to take a short holiday~I\'ve been working so hard that I haven\'t been able to get away for several months. # You\'re looking very tired. Why don\'t you try to get away for a few days? ~You say Get away! to express surprise: She\'s just won the lottery! - Get away!|give away~to reveal (usually a secret)~Whatever you do, don\'t give it away that I like him. # If you give away that I wasn\'t really sick yesterday, I\'ll break your neck! ~@|get away with~to not be punished or reprimanded for something bad that you have done~He will not get away with drinking and driving for ever. One day the police will stop him. # I forgot to bring my homework to class, but I got away with it because the teacher was absent. ~@|do away with~to abolish or stop~The school has decided to do away with the candy machine in the cafeteria. The students were buying too much junk food. # You can\'t make people work harder just by doing away with their coffee break. ~@|');
q('back ^throw back~to drink very quickly~He threw back one drink after another and then collapsed on the bed. # You\'ll pass out if you keep on throwing back the vodka like that. ~@|back off~to withdraw or retreat~You don\'t know when to back off. Can\'t you see how much you have upset her? # I would back off if I were you. You could lose a lot of money. ~@|bounce back~to recover from a problem or illness~No matter what bad things happen to her, she always manages to bounce back very quickly. # You\'re strong. You\'ll soon bounce back. Don\'t worry. ~@|back out~to change your mind and not do what you had previously promised or intended to do~John had put his name down for the ski trip but had to back out at the last minute when he hurt his leg. # Sorry, you signed the contract. It\'s too late to back out now. ~\'Back out\' and \'pull out\' are synonyms.|go back on~to break a promise~You promised to help me move house. You can\'t go back on it now. # She went back on her promise to repay the money as soon as possible. ~@|talk back~to respond rudely~You\'ll get yourself into big trouble if you talk back to teachers like that. # When the boss starts criticizing me, it\'s all I can do to stop myself talking back. ~@|back up~to help or support (agree)~You need to find a little more evidence to back up your theory. # Believe me, I tried my best. John will back me up. He was there the whole time. ~@|');
q('be ^be up~to be wrong~What is up with him today? # She hasn\'t spoken to me for the last 3 days. I think something is up. ~@|be after~to want to have or get~Don\'t believe a word he says. He is only after your money. # I am after an unusual present for my wife. Do you have any ideas? ~@|be in for~a surprise is coming; you will soon have a surprise~He is in for a shock if he thinks he can stroll in late every day. # You believe that you can pass your exams without doing any work. Well, let me tell you that you are in for a big surprise. ~An alternative is to be in for a shock. What is coming is usually unpleasant!|be up to~to be good enough~I\'m thinking of applying to be project leader, but I\'m not sure if I am up to it. # She wants to be a concert musician, but I\'m afraid she is not up to it. ~This expression is more usual in the negative.|be not on~to be unacceptable~Your behaviour is just not on. # You can\'t do that. It\'s just not on. ~@|be cut out for~to be good enough for~She\'s not quite cut out for the job as a teacher. She knows her stuff but cannot keep control of the class. # If anyone is cut out to be a leader, it\'s him! ~@|');
q('bear^bear with~to be patient; wait~You will have to bear with him for a while. He\'s having hard time. # Bear with me. I\'ll be ready for you in a minute. ~You can use this verb as a noun: a rip-off.|');
q('behind ^get behind~to support or encourage~If you don\'t get behind me, who will? # Mary\'s having a difficult time at the moment. We all need to get behind her. ~@|fall behind~to not make the same progress as others or as planned~It\'s no surprise that she\'s falling behind. She been absent so many times this year. # The government is falling behind in its efforts to reduce drug use. ~@|');
q('blow ^blow over~to pass or finish~The government are just waiting for the scandal to blow over. # At first everyone got very agitated but the fuss soon blew over. ~Literally, storms blow over.|blow up~to explode~The house blew up when gas escaped from a pipe. # A bomb blew up in the market square injuring 5 people. ~@|');
q('boil^boil over~to get out of control; to become angry or dangerous~The situation in the slums of Paris is getting worse. The government is worried it\'s going to boil over at any moment. # Their bad relationship boiled over into outright war. ~@|');
q('boot^boot out~to get rid of someone or something~If you keep on arriving late to work, they\'re going to boot you out. # He was booted out of the team after staying up all night drinking. ~@|');
q('bottle^bottle out~to not do what you wanted or promised to do (often because it was dangerous or difficult)~John signed up for bungee jumping but he bottled out at the last minute. # You can\'t bottle out now just because things are getting a little harder. ~@|');
q('bounce^bounce back~to recover from a problem or illness~No matter what bad things happen to her, she always manages to bounce back very quickly. # You\'re strong. You\'ll soon bounce back. Don\'t worry. ~@|');
q('bound^bound to~to be sure to~You\'re bound to fail unless you start working harder. # Anyone who regularly takes drugs is bound to have medical problems sooner or later. ~@|');
q('bowl^bowl over~to enthuse or surprise~She looked wonderful. She walked into the room and just bowled everybody over. # You\'ll bowl everyone over in that dress. You look wonderful! ~The expression comes from the game of bowling in which the goal is to bowl over (knock down) the pins.|');
q('break ^break out~to start (usually a problem)~News report: Riots broke out on the streets of Paris yesterday when two young men were killed while being chased by the police. # How did the fight break out in the playground yesterday? ~@|break in~to wear clothes (especially shoes) until they are comfortable~I didn\'t have time to break in my new boots, and now I\'ve got blisters all over my feet. # Be sure to break in those new shoes before your walking holiday. ~@|break down~to start crying~She broke down when she heard her dog had been injured in the accident. # He found it difficult not break down as he was telling about his expreiences in the war. ~@|');
q('bring ^bring round~to make someone (change their opinion) and agree with you~At first John didn\'t want to come with us, but we managed to bring him round. # Don\'t try to bring me round. I\'ve made up my mind and I\'m not going to change it. ~@|bring about~to make happen~It is difficult to know how to bring about an end to the fighting in Iraq. # Getting impatient is not going to bring about an answer to the problem. ~@|bring off~to succeed~I will be very surprised if you can bring it off. # He was very good, but he didn\'t quite bring it off. ~@|bring up~to mention an issue~I don\'t like to bring this up, but you still owe me some money. # We must remember to bring the matter up at the next meeting. ~@|bring up~to raise a child~Her parents went missing in the war so she was brought up by her grandparents. # I was brought up to respect my parents. ~@|');
q('brush^brush off~to ignore or reject~I offered to help him, but he just brushed me off. # She\'s very strong. No matter what bad things happen to her, she brushes it all off. ~@|');
q('burn^burn out~to lose energy and enthusiasm~You\'re going to burn yourself out if you don\'t soon have a holiday. # He was such an energetic teacher, but he burned out before he was 40. ~@|');
q('butter^butter up~to flatter someone in the attempt to get something from them~It\'s no good trying to butter me up. You\'re not going to the party and that\'s it! # I knew that she was trying to butter me up. ~@|');
q('by ^sit by~to do nothing while an unpleasant situation exists or an unpleasant thing happens~Are you just going to sit by and watch her drink herself to death? # I couldn\'t just sit by and let them keep abusing the poor child. ~@|get by~to have just enough money to live on~We don\'t have very much money, but we sell vegetables from the garden so we get by. # I don\'t know how I\'m going to get by. Everything is so expensive here. ~@|put by~to save for the future~I\'m putting some money by each month for a new car. # If you are sensible you will starting putting part of your salary by while you are young. ~@|come by~to find or get~Where did you come by that old vase? - On holiday in Rome. # If you take enough trouble on the internet, it\'s possible to come by some real bargains. ~@|stop by~to visit~Stop by next time your in town. We\'re usually at home on Sundays. # You said you were in the area. Why didn\'t you stop by? - Sorry, I just didn\'t have the time. ~@|');
q('call^call off~to cancel~The football match was called off because of the heavy snow. # I think we\'re going to have to call off the trip. Not enough people have signed up for it. ~@|');
q('carry ^carry off~to succeed (unexpectedly) in something difficult or demanding~I didn\'t believe she could do it, but she carried it off with no problem at all. # No, I don\'t think I can carry it off. I don\'t feel strong enough. ~@|carry out~to do~The government plans to carry out an investigation into the link between alcohol and crime. # For my science project I have to carry out a survey of the eating habits of grade 8 students. ~@|carry on~to continue~If you carry on working so well, you are sure to pass your exams. # I couldn\'t carry on pretending that everything was ok. ~@|');
q('catch ^catch on~to understand~It took me a long time to catch on but now I know why she did it. # She didn\'t catch on immediately, and when she did, she was not happy! ~Also possible is \"cotton on\".|catch up on~to inform oneself of missed information or do missed work~I\'d been away for a few weeks and needed to catch up on the latest news. # If you are absent from school, make sure you catch up on the work you missed while you were away. ~@|catch on~to become successful~It\'s a clever idea, but I don\'t think it will catch on. # She had been experimenting for many years before she finally found something that caught on. ~@|');
q('chance^chance on~to find something unexpectedly~While I was surfing the internet the other day I chanced on an interesting website about phrasal verbs. # I chanced on a beautiful lamp while shopping in a Baghdad market. ~To refer to an unexpected meeting with a person \"bump into\" or \"run into\" are more usual.|');
q('chat^chat up~to talk to someone you like with the intention of having them as your boy- or girlfriend~Stop trying to chat me up. I\'ve got a steady boyfriend. # If you like her so much why don\'t you go over and chat her up? ~@|');
q('chicken^chicken out~to be too afraid or unwilling to do something~Somehow I knew that he\'d chicken out at the last moment. # Sorry. You promised. You can\'t chicken out now. ~@|');
q('chip^chip in~to make a contribution~If we all chip in, we\'ll be able to get her a nice present. # We needed help moving house but he refused to chip in. ~@|');
q('clear ^clear off~to go away~Some guy came the door asking for money. I told him to \"*Clear off.\" # Clear off. I never want to see you again. ~@|clear up~to get better~I\'ve been ill with the flu for the last week, but I think it\'s clearing up now. # The weather looks like it\'s finally clearing up. ~@|');
q('climb^climb down~to retreat or admit you were wrong~He had to climb down when we looked up the information on the internet. # No. I\'m not going to climb down. I\'m right and you know it! ~@|');
q('club^club together~to put money~We decided to club together to buy her a bunch of flowers. # Unless we all club together, we will never have enough money to pay for the trip. ~@|');
q('come ^come off~to be successful~I didn\'t think it would work but it came off beautifully. # I don\'t think your plans to start your own business have any chance of coming off. ~@|come up~to happen (usually unexpectedly)~Sorry, I won\'t be able to play tennis tomorrow. Something has come up. # Has anything like this ever come up before? ~@|come across as~to give the impression~She always comes across as sweet and innocent, but I know what she\'s really like! # He doesn\'t come across as very intelligent. Did he really go to Harvard? ~@|come down with~to fall ill~Sorry, I won\'t be able to play tennis today. I think I\'ve come down with a cold. # She\'s not very healthy. She seems to come down with every illness that\'s going around. ~You can also say go down with.|come out with~to say~Don\'t come out with such feeble excuses. If you don\'t want to visit us, just say so. # He came out with the most ridiculous reason for forgetting his homework. ~@|come up with~to suggest or say or develop~This British company has come up with a way to block email spam. # I have come up with a nice idea for making some quick money. ~@|come across~to find, see or meet someone or something unexpectedly~I came across an interesting article in the newspaper this morning. # Did you come across anyone you knew on the beach last night? ~@|come along~to hurry (usually said as a command to someone)~Come along! I haven\'t got all day! # Come along now. Time for bed! ~@|come by~to find or get~Where did you come by that old vase? - On holiday in Rome. # If you take enough trouble on the internet, it\'s possible to come by some real bargains. ~@|come to~to regain consciousness~It took him more than 20 minutes to come to after falling off his motorbike. # She fell out of the tree and never came to. ~@|');
q('count^count on~to rely on~Can I count on you to keep your promise? # I wouldn\'t count on him paying you the money back. He\'s not very reliable. ~@|');
q('crack^crack down on~to use strong authority~The school needs to crack down on students who are late to class. It\'s becoming a big problem. # The town council has decided to crack down on kids drinking in the market square. ~@|');
q('cry^cry off~to cancel or reject an invitation~I had to cry off at the last moment. He wasn\'t very happy. # If you need to cry off, please call me and let me know. ~@|');
q('cut ^cut out~to stop~We were making a lot of noise in class yesterday and the teacher told us to cut it out. # You\'ll end up with lung cancer if you don\'t cut out smoking. ~@|be cut out for~to be good enough for~She\'s not quite cut out for the job as a teacher. She knows her stuff but cannot keep control of the class. # If anyone is cut out to be a leader, it\'s him! ~@|');
q('dawn^dawn on~to (finally) realize~I didn\'t understand why he\'d done that. Then it dawned on me that he didn\'t know what had happened. # It didn\'t dawn on me who she was until I got home. ~Dawn is the time of day when the sun rises.|');
q('die^die down~to decrease~Interest in watching TV has died down since the coming of the internet. # I\'m not going to continue until the noise in here has died down. ~@|');
q('dish^dish out~to criticize or punish someone~He\'s always ready to dish it out, but he gets all upset if anyone criticizes him. # Are you really going to just let her keep dishing it out like that? ~@|');
q('do ^do up~to tie or fasten (laces, buttons or a zip)~Your shoes are untied. Do them up! # Can you help me do up my jacket? My hands are too cold to pull the zip. ~@|do without~to relinquish or live without something~I\'m not sure I could do without my computer and the internet. # Sorry, there\'s no more beer. You\'ll just have to do without until we I go shopping tomorrow. ~You can also say go without.|do out of~to cheat someone of what is rightfully theirs~My brother and I don\'t speak any more. He tried to do me out of the money our father left us. # She did me out of top score in the test by copying answers from the back of her hand. ~@|do up~to improve the appearance or quality of something~I\'ve spent the last 3 weeks doing up the house. We want to try and sell it in the summer. # I\'ve got a hair appointment tomorrow. I need to do myself up for the job interview. ~@|make do with~to (have to) be satisfied with something or someone~I couldn\'t find the screwdriver so I had to make do with an old knife. # Sorry, you\'re not going to find anyone better, so you\'ll have to make do with me! # I can\'t drive you to work today. - That\'s ok. I\'ll make do with the bus. ~@|do in~to make tired or unhappy~All this working late is doing me in. # You\'ll do me in if you don\'t stop complaining all the time. ~This expression is often said in a joking way.|do away with~to abolish or stop~The school has decided to do away with the candy machine in the cafeteria. The students were buying too much junk food. # You can\'t make people work harder just by doing away with their coffee break. ~@|');
q('doll^doll up~to make yourself look good~She was dolled up in the latest fashion. # Sorry, I\'ve no time to help you now. I need at least 2 hours to doll myself up for the party! ~@|');
q('down ^pipe down~to be quiet, shut up~Oh will you please pipe down! I\'ve had enough of your whining. # If you don\'t pipe down I\'m going to wring your neck! ~@|put down to~to attribute (as the reason for something)~Why has she been so miserable recently? - I put it down to her new boss. He\'s very rude to her. # Don\'t try and put your bad grade down to your cold. You know you could have studied harder! # He\'s been behaving very strangely in school recently. I put it down to problems with his parents. ~@|come down with~to fall ill~Sorry, I won\'t be able to play tennis today. I think I\'ve come down with a cold. # She\'s not very healthy. She seems to come down with every illness that\'s going around. ~You can also say go down with.|pin down~to make someone be exact or truthful about something~I keep asking him, but he refuses to be pinned down. # Try to pin her down, will you. I\'ve got to know one way or another if she\'s going to come or not. ~@|put down~have killed, usually an old, sick animal~We had to have our old cat put down. She was in terrible pain and unable to walk. # The horse broke its leg in the race and had to be put down. ~@|put down~make someone feel useless, stupid or inferior~I hate my math teacher. She is always putting me down in front of the rest of the class. # Don\'t you ever put me down in front of my friends like that again! ~@|play down~to (try to) make something seem less important than it really is~He was careful to play down the fact that he had been fired from his previous job. # Don\'t try to play his unreliability down. One of these days it\'s going to cost him his place in the team. ~@|send down~to put in prison~She was sent down for 3 years for smuggling heroin. # You\'ll be sent down for a long time if the police catch you doing that. ~@|wear down~to make weaker~Those kids are starting to wear me down. They\'ve got too much energy! # The months of her illness really wore her down. ~@|touch down~to land (of a plane)~The plane touched down exactly on time. # The helicopter pilot looked for a safe place to touch down in the mountains. ~@|get down~to leave the table after eating~Can I please get down? - No, you haven\'t finished your greens. # When I was a child, we were not allowed to get down from the table until everyone had finished. ~Greens are vegetables.|die down~to decrease~Interest in watching TV has died down since the coming of the internet. # I\'m not going to continue until the noise in here has died down. ~@|break down~to start crying~She broke down when she heard her dog had been injured in the accident. # He found it difficult not break down as he was telling about his expreiences in the war. ~@|run down~to criticize~Why are you always running him down? He doesn\'t deserve it. # You won\'t be popular if you keep running people down like that. ~@|wind down~to relax~I like to wind down with a glass of wine after dinner. # You need to wind down a bit. You\'re taking it far too seriously. ~@|live down~to compensate for (or make people forget) bad behaviour~She\'ll never live down the fact that she once worked as a stripper. # Don\'t tell anyone that I used to like the Spice Girls. I\'d never live it down! ~@|turn down~to reject~I asked her if she wanted to dance, but she turned me down. # I\'m afraid I\'m going to have to turn down your offer for the car. It\'s worth more than that! ~@|climb down~to retreat or admit you were wrong~He had to climb down when we looked up the information on the internet. # No. I\'m not going to climb down. I\'m right and you know it! ~@|step down~to resign or retire~The director had to step down after it was discovered that he had been lying. # I don\'t intend to step down yet. I\'ve got enough energy to keep going for a few more years yet. ~@|crack down on~to use strong authority~The school needs to crack down on students who are late to class. It\'s becoming a big problem. # The town council has decided to crack down on kids drinking in the market square. ~@|let down~to disappoint~You really let me down. Why didn\'t you call to say you couldn\'t help? # Many students work very hard because they don\'t want to let their parents down. ~@|take down~to write~The police arrived shortly after the accident to take down the details. # Police warning to a suspect: \"Anything you say may be taken down and used in evidence against you.\" ~@|');
q('drag ^drag out~to take a long time to finish~Young children can always find a way to drag out the time until they have to go to bed. # She dragged out her lunch until it was time for the next lesson. She obviously didn\'t want to come outside with us. ~@|drag on~to go on for a long time and therefore be boring~The meeting dragged on for half the morning without reaching any decisions. # I was bored. The lesson seemed to drag on for ever. ~@|');
q('draw^draw on~to approach or pass slowly (used with expressions of time)~Winter is drawing on. It\'s time to get some wood in for the fire. # The more the evening drew on, the more nervous we got waiting for her to arrive ~@|');
q('dream^dream up~to invent, imagine or have an idea for~She said that she was being followed home every day, but I think she was just dreaming it up. # Don\'t pay him any attention. He\'s always dreaming up crazy ideas to get rich quick. ~@|');
q('drink^drink in~to respond positively to something or pay a lot of attention to it~I love to stand in the middle of St Peters Square in Rome just drinking in the atmosphere. # He\'s such a wonderful speaker. I sat there drinking in every word. ~@|');
q('drop ^drop off~to fall asleep~I lay awake worrying for hours last night and didn\'t drop off until just before dawn. # What time did you finally drop off last night? - It was well after midnight. ~@|drop off~to let someone out of a car~Can you drop me off at the supermarket on the way home? # Drop me off here. I\'ll walk the rest of the way. ~@|');
q('drum^drum up~to raise (interest or support)~I\'m finding it difficult to drum up enough people to help me move house. # At election time politicians are often seen on the streets trying to drum up support for their party. ~@|');
q('egg^egg on~to encourage~We tried to egg him on, but he was too cautious to accept the offer. # I know it was John who broke the computer but you were the one egging him on. ~@|');
q('eye^eye up~to look at someone (or something) in a way that shows that you find them attractive~He sits there in the cafeteria all lunch eyeing her up from across the room. Doesn\'t he know what a fool he\'s making of himself? # I couldn\'t help eyeing up the expensive jacket in the shop window. ~\'Ogle\', one of your author\'s favourite words, is a synonym for \'eye up\'.|');
q('face^face up to~to accept an unpleasant truth or situation~You need to face up to the fact that you are never going to be good enough. # If she doesn\'t start facing up to what drink is doing to her, she\'s going to end up in hospital. ~@|');
q('fall ^fall through~to fail; to not be completed as hoped~I wanted to go away for the weekend, but my plans fell through when my mother became sick. # Our new business fell through when the bank refused to lend us any more money. ~@|fall about~to laugh loud and long~We just fell about when he told us what she had said to him. # You\'re not really going to wear that hat, are you? Do you want people falling about in the streets? ~@|fall behind~to not make the same progress as others or as planned~It\'s no surprise that she\'s falling behind. She been absent so many times this year. # The government is falling behind in its efforts to reduce drug use. ~@|fall for~to be attracted to~I fell for her the moment she waked into the room. # He\'s always falling for the wrong girl. Why doesn\'t he marry someone from the village? ~@|fall off~to decrease~His efforts have fallen off since the winter vacation. Is anything wrong? # The business is not doing so well. Interest in our products has fallen off in recent months. ~@|fall for~to be deceived~You didn\'t fall for it, did you? How totally stupid. # Don\'t expect me to fall for your excuse. I wasn\'t born yesterday! ~@|fall out~to stop liking~I\'ve fallen out with my boyfriend. I never want to see him again. # Have you seen Jane recently? - No, we fell out over a holiday we\'d planned together. ~You often fall out with someone after an argument.|');
q('feel^feel up to~to feel able to do something~Sorry, I don\'t feel up to helping you in the garden. I didn\'t sleep very well last night. # I\'m not going to the party tonight. I don\'t feel up to it. ~@|');
q('figure^figure out~think of the solution to a problem or question~How did you figure out that he was the one who trashed your locker? # It took me a while to figure out the best route to take to work. ~@|');
q('fill^fill in~to inform~Can you fill me in on what was agreed at the meeting yesterday. # Fill me in on what happened next. I\'m dying to know what he said! ~@|');
q('fob^fob off~to try and get someone to accept something~The doctor tried to fob me off with some headache pills, but I knew there was something more seriously wrong. # Don\'t try to fob me off with some feeble excuse about your car not starting. ~@|');
q('fold^fold up~to close or stop working (often a business that has been unsuccessful)~We struggled on for 2 years but had to fold up after the bank refused to extend our loan. # Many young businesses folded up when the dot.com bubble burst. ~@|');
q('for ^go in for~to like or enjoy~I don\'t go in for sport. Ever time I play something I seem to get hurt. # I\'ve never gone in for visiting churches or museums. I\'d rather lie on the beach and read a book. ~@|be in for~a surprise is coming; you will soon have a surprise~He is in for a shock if he thinks he can stroll in late every day. # You believe that you can pass your exams without doing any work. Well, let me tell you that you are in for a big surprise. ~An alternative is to be in for a shock. What is coming is usually unpleasant!|head for~to go (be going) towards a place or situation~You\'re heading for trouble if you don\'t watch out. # The ship rounded the cliff and headed for the port. ~@|long for~to want or look forward to something~I\'m longing for the summer vacation. I really need a rest. # I\'m longing for an excuse to punch him on the nose! ~@|itch for~to want something a lot~She\'s itching for a fight. She can\'t wait to give him a piece of her mind. # I\'m itching for a new job. My present one bores me to tears! ~@|root for~to be cheering for or in support of someone or something~I\'ve reached the finals of the tennis tournament. Will you come and root for me? # Good luck in your driving test. I\'ll be rooting for you! ~@|try out for~to be tested for a sports team~Are you going to try out for the basketball team? - Next year, when I taller! # I tried out for the tennis team, but they said I wasn\'t good enough. ~Sports tests are called try-outs.|get on for~to be close to a time~Time for bed. It\'s getting on for 8 o\'clock. # It was getting on for midnight, but we hadn\'t found the problem so there was no chance of going home. ~@|fall for~to be attracted to~I fell for her the moment she waked into the room. # He\'s always falling for the wrong girl. Why doesn\'t he marry someone from the village? ~@|stand up for~to support or defend~There was a demonstration on the streets of London yesterday to stand up for animal rights. # If you don\'t stand up for yourself, nobody else will! ~@|be cut out for~to be good enough for~She\'s not quite cut out for the job as a teacher. She knows her stuff but cannot keep control of the class. # If anyone is cut out to be a leader, it\'s him! ~@|stick up for~to defend or protect~You need to stick up for yourself. Don\'t let him speak to you like that. # If you don\'t stick up for me, who will? ~@|fall for~to be deceived~You didn\'t fall for it, did you? How totally stupid. # Don\'t expect me to fall for your excuse. I wasn\'t born yesterday! ~@|stand for~to represent~What does this symbol stand for? # Our school stands for respect and discipline, and don\'t you forget it! ~@|ask for~to provoke and deserve punishment~You\'re asking for trouble if you keep misbehaving like that. # Why did you shout at her? - She asked for it! ~@|have in for~to want to harm someone~I think my teacher has it in for me. She\'s always shouting at me in class for no reason. # Have you got it in for me? - No, you\'re just imagining things. ~@|go for~to like~I don\'t really go for sports. # I don\'t go for horror films. I can never sleep afterwards. ~This verb is not often used in any tense other than the present simple. (You can also say go in for.)|make for~to go towards~Many spectators make for the exits before the end of a football match so they don\'t get caught in the rush. # It’s starting to rain. Let\'s make for that hut and rest until it stops. ~@|');
q('fork^fork out~to pay money for something~How much did you fork out for your new bike? # I\'m not prepared to give him any more money. I already had to fork out for the repairs when he crashed his car. ~@|');
q('forth^hold forth~to talk for a long time (and bore people)~John was holding forth again when I walked in. I walked out again as soon as possible! # Ok, you can stop holding forth. I get the picture! ~@|');
q('forward^put forward~to propose~You will need to put forward a plan for improvement, otherwise we will have to ask you to leave the school. # The government has put forward a proposal to reduce drug-taking among young people. ~@|');
q('get ^get off with~to start a relationship with~Don\'t try to get off with me. I\'m not interested. # I\'ll break your neck if you get off with my brother. ~This verb is more common in British English (among young people).|get across~to make someone understand~I couldn\'t get it across to her why I wanted to change jobs. # I spent an hour telling him that he was making a mistake but I couldn\'t get it across. ~@|get at~to mean~What are you getting at? I don\'t understand a word you\'re saying. # What was he getting at when he said that no-one knows the real reason they broke up? ~\"Get at\" with this meaning is usually used only in the continuous \"-ing\" form.|get on with~to continue; to not stop; to start again~Please get on with your work. You have no time to talk. # Sorry, I can\'t stop now. I need to get on with my marking or I\'ll still be sitting here at midnight! ~@|get up to~to do (often something you shouldn\'t)~What did you get up to while I was away yesterday? The house is in a complete mess. # If you get up to anything stupid while I\'m out of the room, I\'ll send you to the headmaster. ~@|get along with~to have a friendly relationship with someone~How do you get along with your boss? She seems very unfriendly to me. # I don\'t really get along with my new English teacher. She\'s too critical for me. ~Also possible is \'get on with\'|get on~to be doing, working or succeeding~How are you getting on in your new job? - Fine, thanks! # How are you getting on, Masato? - Not very well. There are too many words I don\'t understand. ~@|get round to~to (finally) have or find time to do something~I really must get round to cutting the grass. It must be almost 30cm high! # When are you going to get round to cleaning your room? It\'s in a real mess. ~You can also say get around to,|get into~to start to like~My friend keeps playing his German heavy metal music for me. But I\'m finding it hard to get into it. # It took me a long time to get into chess, but now I play almost every day. ~@|get about~to visit many places~You get about a lot. Is there anywhere you haven’t been? # I\'ve been working too hard to get about very much in the last couple of years. ~You can also say get around.|get ahead~to make progress~You will never get ahead unless you make more effort. # If you want to get ahead, you should change jobs. You have no prospects where you are. ~@|get away~to take a short holiday~I\'ve been working so hard that I haven\'t been able to get away for several months. # You\'re looking very tired. Why don\'t you try to get away for a few days? ~You say Get away! to express surprise: She\'s just won the lottery! - Get away!|get behind~to support or encourage~If you don\'t get behind me, who will? # Mary\'s having a difficult time at the moment. We all need to get behind her. ~@|get by~to have just enough money to live on~We don\'t have very much money, but we sell vegetables from the garden so we get by. # I don\'t know how I\'m going to get by. Everything is so expensive here. ~@|get down~to leave the table after eating~Can I please get down? - No, you haven\'t finished your greens. # When I was a child, we were not allowed to get down from the table until everyone had finished. ~Greens are vegetables.|get in~to arrive~What time does your train get in? # We\'ve got plenty of time. The train doesn\'t get in until 6.30. ~@|get on~to have a (friendly) relationship with someone~I\'m afraid I don\'t get on very well with my parents. # Do you and your sister get on? ~@|get on for~to be close to a time~Time for bed. It\'s getting on for 8 o\'clock. # It was getting on for midnight, but we hadn\'t found the problem so there was no chance of going home. ~@|get through to~to make someone understand~I warned him many times that he was in danger of failing, but I couldn\'t get it through to him. # What will it take to get it through to you that we are finished? ~@|get to~to annoy or irritate~There\'s something about her that really gets to me. # I know he\'s an idiot, but don\'t let him get to you. ~@|get at~to be unpleasant to someone~Don\'t get at me just because you made a mistake. # Why are you always getting at her? She\'s just doing her job. ~@|get over~to recover from~It took me much longer than expected to get over my foot injury. # Has she got over her broken romance yet? ~@|get away with~to not be punished or reprimanded for something bad that you have done~He will not get away with drinking and driving for ever. One day the police will stop him. # I forgot to bring my homework to class, but I got away with it because the teacher was absent. ~@|');
q('give ^give up~to stop doing something~My new year\'s resolution is to give up smoking. # I think I\'ll have to give up playing golf. It\'s killing my back. ~@|give up on~to relinquish or lose (belief)~She\'s given up on the idea of moving to London. She says it\'s too expensive. # I\'ve given up on him. He\'s disappointed me too many times already. ~@|give away~to reveal (usually a secret)~Whatever you do, don\'t give it away that I like him. # If you give away that I wasn\'t really sick yesterday, I\'ll break your neck! ~@|give in~to surrender or stop~Do you surrender? - No, I will never give in! # I had to give in. I knew I had no chance of winning. ~@|');
q('go ^go in for~to like or enjoy~I don\'t go in for sport. Ever time I play something I seem to get hurt. # I\'ve never gone in for visiting churches or museums. I\'d rather lie on the beach and read a book. ~@|go on about~to talk about something for so long (or again and again) that it becomes boring to the listener~He went on about how things were much harder when he was a child. # Oh will you stop going on about it! I told you I was sorry and there\'s nothing more I can say. ~@|go off~to explode~Three bombs went off in the center of London yesterday. # Don\'t play with fireworks. They may go off in your hands. ~@|go ahead~to proceed~I\'m thinking of applying for a job. - Go ahead. The change will do you good. # May I take another cake? - Go ahead! ~This expression is often used alone as a way of granting a request.|go back on~to break a promise~You promised to help me move house. You can\'t go back on it now. # She went back on her promise to repay the money as soon as possible. ~@|go off~to go bad (food)~I wouldn\'t eat that cheese if I were you. I think it\'s gone off. # The milk\'s gone off. Can you buy some more on the way home? ~@|go on~to happen~What\'s going on? - Nothing. We\'re just playing. # Is anything interesting going on at the weekend? ~@|go over~to look at or check~I\'ll go over your work after school. I\'m too busy now. # Can you go over this report for me? I\'m not sure if all my facts are right. ~@|go through~to experience (usually something unpleasant)~You have no idea what I\'m going through. # He\'s going through a very difficult time at the moment. Please be patient with him. ~@|go through with~to finish an unpleasant task~I really don\'t want to do it, but I know I have to go through with it. # You don\'t need to go through with it if you don\'t want to. Nobody is forcing you. ~@|go for~to like~I don\'t really go for sports. # I don\'t go for horror films. I can never sleep afterwards. ~This verb is not often used in any tense other than the present simple. (You can also say go in for.)|go off~to stop liking~I went off cheese when I was served fondue every day on holiday in Switzerland. # I\'ve gone off my teacher ever since she shouted at me for no reason. ~@|go along with~to do as someone wants (even though you may not really want to)~Ok, I\'ll go along with you until you prove me wrong. # I wish I hadn\'t gone along with his crazy idea. It got us into real trouble. ~@|');
q('grow ^grow up~to behave like an adult~Isn\'t it about time you grew up? # Oh do grow up! You\'re 32 but you\'re acting more like a 12 year old. ~@|grow out of~to stop liking~Does he really still like playing with trains? At 38 you\'d think he would have grown out of it by now. # I used to like going for a drink after work, but I grew out of it when I changed jobs. ~@|grow on~to become liked~I didn\'t like German pop music at first, but it has grown on me. # I see that cheese has grown on you. You never used to like it. ~@|');
q('hand ^hand on~to give to another person~If you can\'t use these books, maybe you could hand them on to the library. # Please hand these letters on to the secretary on your way home today. ~@|hand out~to give~Can you please hand out the tests? # There was someone at the school gate handing out a free newspaper. ~A hand-out is a paper sheet commonly given by teachers or presenters to their students or audience.|hand over~to pass on responsibility for something~He\'s getting very old. It\'s time for him to hand the business over to his son. # I don\'t think it\'s time to hand the class over to the student teacher. She\'s just not ready yet. ~@|');
q('hang ^hang on~to wait (or used as an expression to ask someone to wait)~Hurry up. I can\'t hang on all day. # Could you hang on just a little longer? I\'m sure she\'ll be here soon. ~@|hang up~to end a phone call~Don\'t hang up. I haven\'t finished yet. # Someone called me three times last night, but as soon as I answered, they hung up. ~To finish a telephone call on an old telephone, you had to hang part of the phone on a hook.|hang out~to be in place (with nothing particular to do)~Where do you hang out at the weekends? # Many young people like to hang out with their friends in the local park. ~This verb has a commonly used noun form hang-out|hang around~to wait~I\'m not going to hang around for you any more. If you\'re not ready at 3 o\'clock, I\'m going! # I had to hang around for 2 hours until her meeting was over. ~@|');
q('harp^harp on~to keep talking about something~Don\'t keep harping on that old jacket I used to wear. At the time it was very fashionable. # Ok, I know I made a mistake, but don\'t harp on about it. ~A harp is a large string instrument.|');
q('have ^have on~to deceive or trick someone~Are you having me on? - No, I\'m being deadly serious! # She\'s just having you on. She doesn\'t really mean it. ~@|have in for~to want to harm someone~I think my teacher has it in for me. She\'s always shouting at me in class for no reason. # Have you got it in for me? - No, you\'re just imagining things. ~@|');
q('head ^head for~to go (be going) towards a place or situation~You\'re heading for trouble if you don\'t watch out. # The ship rounded the cliff and headed for the port. ~@|head off~to prevent~If you check your car regularly, you can head off problems before they arise. # A large number of police were sent to the town square to head off an illegal demonstration. ~@|');
q('hear^hear out~to listen until someone has stopped speaking~Hear me out. I haven\'t finished yet. # Why do you never hear me out? ~@|');
q('hit^hit on~to find or think of~We\'d been working on the project for 6 months when we hit on the idea of asking my grandfather. # Sometimes taking a rest can help you hit on the right way to continue. ~@|');
q('hold ^hold forth~to talk for a long time (and bore people)~John was holding forth again when I walked in. I walked out again as soon as possible! # Ok, you can stop holding forth. I get the picture! ~@|hold out~to wait (often in a difficult or dangerous situation)~The soldiers held out for 3 days, but the enemy was too strong for them. # The managers wanted to give the workers a 3% rise in salary, but the union was holding out for 5%. ~@|hold up~to delay~Sorry I\'m late. I was held up by heavy traffic through the town. # All the planned departures were held up because of thick fog over the airport. ~@|');
q('horse^horse around~to do stupid things~Stop horsing around and get back to your work. # It\'s no surprise that people don\'t take you seriously if you horse around all the time. ~@|');
q('hush^hush up~to keep something a secret; to keep someone quiet~He tried to hush up his drinking problem, but she found out in the end. # Don\'t you dare try to hush me up. I\'ll tell him exactly what I want. ~@|');
q('in ^go in for~to like or enjoy~I don\'t go in for sport. Ever time I play something I seem to get hurt. # I\'ve never gone in for visiting churches or museums. I\'d rather lie on the beach and read a book. ~@|take in~to deceive or trick~Don\'t be taken in by his sweet words. He\'s only after your money! # I\'m not going to let myself be taken in any more by your lies. ~@|be in for~a surprise is coming; you will soon have a surprise~He is in for a shock if he thinks he can stroll in late every day. # You believe that you can pass your exams without doing any work. Well, let me tell you that you are in for a big surprise. ~An alternative is to be in for a shock. What is coming is usually unpleasant!|let in on~to allow to participate~I had an idea they were planning a secret celebration, but they wouldn\'t let me in on it. # Can you let me in on the joke? I don\'t understand what\'s so funny. ~@|break in~to wear clothes (especially shoes) until they are comfortable~I didn\'t have time to break in my new boots, and now I\'ve got blisters all over my feet. # Be sure to break in those new shoes before your walking holiday. ~@|sink in~to gradually become understood or accepted (usually an unpleasant fact)~It took a long time to sink in that she had gone and was never coming back. # When\'s it going to sink in? You\'re no good and you never will be! # It didn\'t sink in what she meant until I got home. ~@|set in~to start and look like continuing (often something unwelcome)~Winter has set in early this year. # His depression had set in when he lost his job, and he never managed to shake it off again. ~@|pencil in~to (promise to) include someone in a group or activity.~I\'d really like to learn how to snowboard. Can you pencil me in? # Can I put my name down for the school committee? - I\'ve already pencilled you in! ~@|zero in on~to concentrate your attention on a topic or problem~Before we break for lunch we need to zero in on John\'s question about sick leave. # I\'d like us to agree in general what we should do before we start to zero in on the details, ~@|fill in~to inform~Can you fill me in on what was agreed at the meeting yesterday. # Fill me in on what happened next. I\'m dying to know what he said! ~@|pack in~to stop doing something~Pack it in. You\'re getting on my nerves. # My boyfriend and I have decided to pack it in. We just didn\'t have very much to say to each other any more. ~@|pitch in~to work together~We\'ll get this job done much more quickly if we all pitch in. # We asked them to help us but they refused to pitch in. ~@|get in~to arrive~What time does your train get in? # We\'ve got plenty of time. The train doesn\'t get in until 6.30. ~@|turn in~to give to somebody~I have to turn in my report to the boss by Friday. # Am I stupid! I spent 3 hours doing my homework and then I forgot to turn it in! ~To turn in also means to go to bed.|do in~to make tired or unhappy~All this working late is doing me in. # You\'ll do me in if you don\'t stop complaining all the time. ~This expression is often said in a joking way.|drink in~to respond positively to something or pay a lot of attention to it~I love to stand in the middle of St Peters Square in Rome just drinking in the atmosphere. # He\'s such a wonderful speaker. I sat there drinking in every word. ~@|rope in~to include someone (often in order to help)~It\'s no use trying to rope me in. I\'m not going to come and that\'s that! # We don\'t have enough people to help at the festival. Maybe we can rope in a few of the parents. ~@|rub in~to remind someone again and again of their inferiority or problems~Yes, I know you won. There\'s no need to rub it in. # She always rubbing in the fact that she went to a better university than me. ~@|take in~to look at (enjoy)~There\'s nothing I like better on holiday than lying on the beach taking in the sunset. # It\'s difficult to take in the sights of London when you\'ve just had your passport stolen! ~@|stand in~to substitute for~We need to find someone to stand in for John while he\'s in hospital. # Can you stand in for Mary today? She on a business trip. ~@|chip in~to make a contribution~If we all chip in, we\'ll be able to get her a nice present. # We needed help moving house but he refused to chip in. ~@|have in for~to want to harm someone~I think my teacher has it in for me. She\'s always shouting at me in class for no reason. # Have you got it in for me? - No, you\'re just imagining things. ~@|give in~to surrender or stop~Do you surrender? - No, I will never give in! # I had to give in. I knew I had no chance of winning. ~@|');
q('into ^tear into~to criticize angrily and strongly~My teacher was in a terrible mood today. He tore into a boy who had forgotten to bring his homework. # Why did you tear into him like that? He didn\'t do anything wrong. ~@|run into~meet by chance~I ran into John on the way home. He says to give you his best wishes. # She started avoiding the discos and clubs because she didn\'t want to run into her old boyfriend. ~You can also say \"bump into\".|look into~to investigate; to try to find the answer to a problem~The police are looking into the woman\'s disappearance. They don\'t know yet if a crime has been committed. # My computer\'s been acting strangely recently. - I\'ll look into it tomorrow when I have more time. ~@|lay into~to criticize severely~Then he started laying into me for forgetting to buy pizza on the way home. # The coach really laid into the team for playing so badly. ~@|get into~to start to like~My friend keeps playing his German heavy metal music for me. But I\'m finding it hard to get into it. # It took me a long time to get into chess, but now I play almost every day. ~@|talk into~to persuade~I didn\'t really want to go but she talked me into it. # No matter what you say, you will not talk me into dancing with you! ~@|');
q('it^take it upon (oneself)~to give oneself a job (often that is unnecessary or unappreciated)~He\'s taken it upon himself to point out the mistakes in the emails he receives. # Why do you take it upon yourself to criticize everything I say or do? ~You can say \'on\' instead of \'upon\'. E.g. She took it on herself to inform the boss.|');
q('itch^itch for~to want something a lot~She\'s itching for a fight. She can\'t wait to give him a piece of her mind. # I\'m itching for a new job. My present one bores me to tears! ~@|');
q('jump ^jump on~to attack or criticize~I thought I had made a good proposal, but everybody at the meeting jumped on it. # It\'s not fair to jump on me like that. It isn\'t my fault. ~@|jump at~to be keen to accept an opportunity or offer~I\'d jump at the chance of working in the music business, but I\'ve got no talent. # I suggested having a camping holiday this year, and she jumped at the idea. ~@|');
q('keep ^keep at~to continue (to do something difficult)~I know English is difficult, but if you keep at it, you\'re sure to get better. # We had problems cutting down the huge old tree in our garden, but we kept at it all afternoon, and it finally fell just before dark. ~@|keep up with~to stay up-to-date~I\'m finding it difficult to keep up with all the changes in modern technology. I haven\'t even got a mobile phone yet! # If you are a teacher, it\'s important to keep up with the latest research in your subject. ~@|keep up~to continue~Keep up the good work and you are sure to pass your test. # It\'s difficult to keep up your efforts if all you get is criticism. ~@|');
q('kick^kick off~to start~What time does the meeting kick off? # The party didn\'t really kick off until well after midnight. ~The expression comes from soccer, in which the match starts with the first kick of the ball.|');
q('kiss^kiss up to~to try and win someone\'s favour~I hate the way she\'s always kissing up to her teacher. Doesn\'t she know how unpopular she\'s making herself? # If you want promotion, you\'re going to have to kiss up to your boss, like it or not. ~@|');
q('knock ^knock off~to finish work~Sorry, I won\'t be able to make it. I don\'t knock off until 6.30. # Do you knock off earlier on Fridays? ~@|knock off~to stop~Oh, knock it off. You are beginning to get on my nerves. # If you don\'t knock off complaining al the time, I\'m going home without you. ~@|');
q('lay ^lay into~to criticize severely~Then he started laying into me for forgetting to buy pizza on the way home. # The coach really laid into the team for playing so badly. ~@|lay off~to dismiss workers~If the school does not manage to attract more students, it may have to lay off some of the teachers. # We cannot afford a cleaner any more. We are going to have to lay her off. ~@|');
q('leave^leave out~to stop~Can you please leave it out. I\'m trying to concentrate. # You can leave out the sob stories. I\'m not going to give you any money! ~(A sob story is a story you say to someone in the hope that they will feel sorry for you.)|');
q('let ^let in on~to allow to participate~I had an idea they were planning a secret celebration, but they wouldn\'t let me in on it. # Can you let me in on the joke? I don\'t understand what\'s so funny. ~@|let off~to not punish~I forgot my homework but the teacher let me off because it was the first time this term. # No, I\'m not going to let you off. You did something very stupid and now you have to pay for it. ~@|let off~to explode a firework or bomb~Make sure your pets are inside the house when you let off fireworks. # The terrorists let off a bomb just as people were coming out of the cinema. ~@|let down~to disappoint~You really let me down. Why didn\'t you call to say you couldn\'t help? # Many students work very hard because they don\'t want to let their parents down. ~@|let on~to reveal information~We planning a secret party for John on Friday. Please don\'t let on. # Whatever you do, don\'t let on that I like her. ~@|let up~to stop~The rain has not let up all afternoon. # Don\'t let up now. You\'re almost finished. ~@|');
q('line^line up~to plan something or get it ready~I had lined up a large variety of food and drink for the barbecue, but the weather was bad all weekend and it had to be cancelled. # Have you got anything lined up for the weekend? ~@|');
q('live ^live up to~to meet expectations~They had such high hopes for me. It was impossible to live up to them. # His reputation is very high. I\'m not sure he is going to be able to live up to it. ~@|live down~to compensate for (or make people forget) bad behaviour~She\'ll never live down the fact that she once worked as a stripper. # Don\'t tell anyone that I used to like the Spice Girls. I\'d never live it down! ~@|');
q('long^long for~to want or look forward to something~I\'m longing for the summer vacation. I really need a rest. # I\'m longing for an excuse to punch him on the nose! ~@|');
q('look ^look into~to investigate; to try to find the answer to a problem~The police are looking into the woman\'s disappearance. They don\'t know yet if a crime has been committed. # My computer\'s been acting strangely recently. - I\'ll look into it tomorrow when I have more time. ~@|look up~to visit a person or place (often after a long period of time)~Be sure to look me up next time you\'re in Frankfurt. # I wanted to look up my old girlfriend but she wasn\'t living there any more. ~@|look up~to improve~Life was hard when we first moved here, but now things are looking up. # She had some problems when she first joined the class, but now everything is looking up for her. ~@|look out~to be aware of danger~If you\'re going to swim in that river, you need to look out for crocodiles! # Look out! That motorbike is on the wrong side of the road. ~@|look up to~to respect and admire~I really look up to my grandfather. He\'s had a very difficult life, but he\'s always cheerful. # These days young people are more likely to look up to sports stars than their parents or teachers. ~@|look after~to take care of someone or something~My grandmother is too old to look after herself any more. # Can you look after my cat while I\'m away? ~@|');
q('luck^luck out~to have a lot of luck~I could have been killed in the accident. I guess I really lucked out. # I lucked out at the station yesterday. Although I got there late, my train was delayed and I jumped on just as it was leaving the platform. ~This phrasal verb is more common in American English than in British English. (Some people use the expression to mean its opposite: to run out of or have no luck.|');
q('lump^lump together~to put in the same category as another person or thing~Don\'t lump me together with Sharon. We may be sisters, but we have totally different opinions. # You can\'t just lump all the students together in the same class. Some of them have much better English than others. ~@|');
q('make ^make up~to settle an argument; to become friends again~Isn\'t it about time you made up with your father? It was such a stupid disagreement in the first place. # I have no intention of making up with her unless she apologizes for what she said. ~@|make of~to think of; have an opinion of~What do you make of his behaviour recently? Do you think he\'s been secretly drinking? # I don\'t know what to make of her. One minute she\'s friendly and the next she\'s incredibly rude. ~@|make do with~to (have to) be satisfied with something or someone~I couldn\'t find the screwdriver so I had to make do with an old knife. # Sorry, you\'re not going to find anyone better, so you\'ll have to make do with me! # I can\'t drive you to work today. - That\'s ok. I\'ll make do with the bus. ~@|make out~to pretend or intend to deceive~She made out that she was working, but I know that she was on the chat site. # It\'s no use trying to make out you\'ve got no money. I don\'t believe you! ~@|make up~to invent~No, I don\'t believe you. I think you\'re making it up. # He made up some stupid excuse about his dog eating his homework ~@|make over~to improve something by changing it~We\'ve decided to make over the basement of our house. It needs more light. # All of the pictures of models in fashion magazines are made over. ~Make-over programmes are currently very popular on television.|make for~to go towards~Many spectators make for the exits before the end of a football match so they don\'t get caught in the rush. # It’s starting to rain. Let\'s make for that hut and rest until it stops. ~@|');
q('mess ^mess about~to treat someone badly (often by being unreliable or unfaithful)~If you don\'t stop messing me about, I\'m going to walk right out on you. # Don\'t let her mess you about like that. Show her who\'s boss! ~@|mess up~to spoil~If you\'re not careful, you\'ll mess up the whole project. # Don\'t play football in your tennis shoes. You\'ll mess them up. ~@|');
q('mind^mind out~to be careful~Mind out! You\'re spilling your coffee on the floor. # You\'re going to have a nasty accident if you don\'t mind out. ~A synonym is look out.|');
q('mix^mix up~to confuse~I mixed you up with your twin. Sorry. # Somehow I got my dates mixed up and forgot to send her a birthday card. ~A mix-up is a mistake due to a misunderstanding.|');
q('mouth^mouth off~to talk angrily about something or someone~I keep away from her as much as I can. She\'s always mouthing off about something or other. # There\'s no need to mouth off to me. It wasn\'t my fault! ~@|');
q('move^move on~to forget the past and its problems or sadness~Your dog dies over three years ago. Isn\'t it time to move on? # I know I should forget about her, but I\'m finding it really difficult to move on. ~@|');
q('nip^nip out~to go out for a short time~I\'m just nipping out to get some more milk. # Where\'s Emiko? - She just nipped out. She\'ll be back in a minute. ~@|');
q('nod^nod off~to fall asleep~I usually nod off on the sofa after dinner. # Some of my history lessons are so boring that it\'s difficult to stop myself nodding off. ~@|');
q('nose^nose around~to look at or for something curiously~Have you been nosing around in my room? Things are not where I put them. # When I visit a new city I like to nose around in the markets to see what I can buy. ~Also possible is \'nose about\'.|');
q('not^be not on~to be unacceptable~Your behaviour is just not on. # You can\'t do that. It\'s just not on. ~@|');
q('of ^do out of~to cheat someone of what is rightfully theirs~My brother and I don\'t speak any more. He tried to do me out of the money our father left us. # She did me out of top score in the test by copying answers from the back of her hand. ~@|make of~to think of; have an opinion of~What do you make of his behaviour recently? Do you think he\'s been secretly drinking? # I don\'t know what to make of her. One minute she\'s friendly and the next she\'s incredibly rude. ~@|grow out of~to stop liking~Does he really still like playing with trains? At 38 you\'d think he would have grown out of it by now. # I used to like going for a drink after work, but I grew out of it when I changed jobs. ~@|');
q('off ^put off~to postpone~The football match had to be put off until the following week. # We had to put off the party until my wife had recovered from her illness. ~@|put off~to deter someone from doing something~I was going to book a snowboard holiday, but my friend put me off the idea when she told me how dangerous it is. # I don\'t want to put you off. But that meat has been in the fridge for at least two weeks. ~@|take off~to become successful or popular~Our business only really took off after we started to sell on the internet. # Watching TV on a mobile phone has never taken off. ~@|take off~to go into the air (especially an airplane)~Despite the thick fog the airplane took off on schedule. # Large airplanes like the Airbus need a huge amount of power in order to take off. ~@|take off~to imitate, usually in a way to make fun of someone~He can take off his teachers perfectly. He\'ll be on TV one day! # Important politicians have to get used to being taken off on TV for the amusement of the viewers. ~@|walk off with~to take without permission; to steal~Someone\'s walked off with my notebook! # She walked off with the jacket hanging in the shop window. # Somebody\'s walked off with my electronic dictionary! # He strolled into the classroom and walked off with a notebook computer lying on the table near the door. ~@|back off~to withdraw or retreat~You don\'t know when to back off. Can\'t you see how much you have upset her? # I would back off if I were you. You could lose a lot of money. ~@|mouth off~to talk angrily about something or someone~I keep away from her as much as I can. She\'s always mouthing off about something or other. # There\'s no need to mouth off to me. It wasn\'t my fault! ~@|come off~to be successful~I didn\'t think it would work but it came off beautifully. # I don\'t think your plans to start your own business have any chance of coming off. ~@|get off with~to start a relationship with~Don\'t try to get off with me. I\'m not interested. # I\'ll break your neck if you get off with my brother. ~This verb is more common in British English (among young people).|write off~to destroy a car~I almost wrote my car off when I drove into a tree. Luckily there was hardly any damage. # The drunken driver wrote off his motorbike when he hit a traffic light. ~This verb is often used in noun form: The car was a write-off.|knock off~to finish work~Sorry, I won\'t be able to make it. I don\'t knock off until 6.30. # Do you knock off earlier on Fridays? ~@|sponge off~to take money from someone else because you are mean or too lazy to work yourself~How long\'s he going to carry on sponging off his parents? Why don\'t they just kick him out? # Some unemployed people prefer to sponge off the state rather than make a real effort to look for a job. ~Also possible is \"sponge on\".|show off~to act or talk in such a way that you want everyone to look at you (and think how good you are)~He likes to show off what a good skateboarder he is, but in fact his brother is much better than him. # Oh do stop showing off! Who are you trying to impress? ~@|pull off~to succeed at something (difficult)~John\'s the one person I know who can pull it off. # I have no idea how she managed to pull it off. I didn\'t think she was good enough! ~@|carry off~to succeed (unexpectedly) in something difficult or demanding~I didn\'t believe she could do it, but she carried it off with no problem at all. # No, I don\'t think I can carry it off. I don\'t feel strong enough. ~@|rip off~to cheat (often to sell something at an inflated price)~Don\'t let him rip you off. It\'s not worth more than about $20. # I got ripped off badly on holiday. I bought what I thought was a genuine Rolex and it turned out to be a cheap imitation. # Don\'t trust him. He\'s trying to rip you off. # I really got ripped off with my new car. I paid twice as much as it is worth. ~@|write off~to decide that someone or something is useless and not worth time or trouble~Don\'t write me off yet. I promised I\'d do it and I will. # I had to write him off. He was unreliable and I just couldn\'t trust him. ~@|go off~to explode~Three bombs went off in the center of London yesterday. # Don\'t play with fireworks. They may go off in your hands. ~@|shake off~to lose or get rid of something (often an illness)~I\'ve had this cold for the last three weeks. I just can\'t seem to shake it off. # Smoking is not a habit that is easy to shake off. ~@|drop off~to fall asleep~I lay awake worrying for hours last night and didn\'t drop off until just before dawn. # What time did you finally drop off last night? - It was well after midnight. ~@|tail off~to decrease~Your efforts have started to tail off recently. Is anything wrong? # At first many people wanted to buy our products, but then the interest started to tail off. ~@|tick off~to reprimand gently~My teacher ticked me off for looking out of the window while she was talking to the class. # I ticked off my mother for boasting about my successes to her neighours. ~@|nod off~to fall asleep~I usually nod off on the sofa after dinner. # Some of my history lessons are so boring that it\'s difficult to stop myself nodding off. ~@|head off~to prevent~If you check your car regularly, you can head off problems before they arise. # A large number of police were sent to the town square to head off an illegal demonstration. ~@|go off~to go bad (food)~I wouldn\'t eat that cheese if I were you. I think it\'s gone off. # The milk\'s gone off. Can you buy some more on the way home? ~@|fall off~to decrease~His efforts have fallen off since the winter vacation. Is anything wrong? # The business is not doing so well. Interest in our products has fallen off in recent months. ~@|fob off~to try and get someone to accept something~The doctor tried to fob me off with some headache pills, but I knew there was something more seriously wrong. # Don\'t try to fob me off with some feeble excuse about your car not starting. ~@|knock off~to stop~Oh, knock it off. You are beginning to get on my nerves. # If you don\'t knock off complaining al the time, I\'m going home without you. ~@|drop off~to let someone out of a car~Can you drop me off at the supermarket on the way home? # Drop me off here. I\'ll walk the rest of the way. ~@|kick off~to start~What time does the meeting kick off? # The party didn\'t really kick off until well after midnight. ~The expression comes from soccer, in which the match starts with the first kick of the ball.|lay off~to dismiss workers~If the school does not manage to attract more students, it may have to lay off some of the teachers. # We cannot afford a cleaner any more. We are going to have to lay her off. ~@|set off~to start a journey~We need to set off early tomorrow. I want to miss most of the traffic. # What time do you set off for school? ~@|bring off~to succeed~I will be very surprised if you can bring it off. # He was very good, but he didn\'t quite bring it off. ~@|call off~to cancel~The football match was called off because of the heavy snow. # I think we\'re going to have to call off the trip. Not enough people have signed up for it. ~@|let off~to not punish~I forgot my homework but the teacher let me off because it was the first time this term. # No, I\'m not going to let you off. You did something very stupid and now you have to pay for it. ~@|tell off~to reprimand~The teacher told me off for being late again. # Why tell me off? I wasn\'t my fault. ~@|cry off~to cancel or reject an invitation~I had to cry off at the last moment. He wasn\'t very happy. # If you need to cry off, please call me and let me know. ~@|brush off~to ignore or reject~I offered to help him, but he just brushed me off. # She\'s very strong. No matter what bad things happen to her, she brushes it all off. ~@|clear off~to go away~Some guy came the door asking for money. I told him to \"*Clear off.\" # Clear off. I never want to see you again. ~@|let off~to explode a firework or bomb~Make sure your pets are inside the house when you let off fireworks. # The terrorists let off a bomb just as people were coming out of the cinema. ~@|turn off~to disinterest or disgust~Women with false eyelashes and lots of make-up have always turned me off. # He turned me right off when started smoking before I had finished eating. ~The verb can also be used in noun form: It was aright turn-off?|go off~to stop liking~I went off cheese when I was served fondue every day on holiday in Switzerland. # I\'ve gone off my teacher ever since she shouted at me for no reason. ~@|see off~to defeat or overcome a difficult opponent or problem~They were difficult opponents, but we managed to see them off in the last part of the game. # He fought very hard against his illness, but in the end he was not able to see it off. ~@|wear off~to stop having an effect~If you take pain-killing drugs over a longer period, their effect soon wears off. # I need some need sleeping pills. These ones are beginning to wear off. ~@|');
q('on ^chance on~to find something unexpectedly~While I was surfing the internet the other day I chanced on an interesting website about phrasal verbs. # I chanced on a beautiful lamp while shopping in a Baghdad market. ~To refer to an unexpected meeting with a person \"bump into\" or \"run into\" are more usual.|take on~to employ~Our business became so successful that we had to take on some new workers. # She was only taken on because the boss wanted an attractive secretary. ~@|let in on~to allow to participate~I had an idea they were planning a secret celebration, but they wouldn\'t let me in on it. # Can you let me in on the joke? I don\'t understand what\'s so funny. ~@|take up on~to accept an invitation or offer~Can I take you up on your offer of a lift to the airport. My brother can\'t drive me after all. # Sorry, I won\'t be able to take you up on your invitation. I have just too much to do at the moment. ~@|be not on~to be unacceptable~Your behaviour is just not on. # You can\'t do that. It\'s just not on. ~@|go on about~to talk about something for so long (or again and again) that it becomes boring to the listener~He went on about how things were much harder when he was a child. # Oh will you stop going on about it! I told you I was sorry and there\'s nothing more I can say. ~@|hang on~to wait (or used as an expression to ask someone to wait)~Hurry up. I can\'t hang on all day. # Could you hang on just a little longer? I\'m sure she\'ll be here soon. ~@|get on with~to continue; to not stop; to start again~Please get on with your work. You have no time to talk. # Sorry, I can\'t stop now. I need to get on with my marking or I\'ll still be sitting here at midnight! ~@|draw on~to approach or pass slowly (used with expressions of time)~Winter is drawing on. It\'s time to get some wood in for the fire. # The more the evening drew on, the more nervous we got waiting for her to arrive ~@|take out on~to work off anger or frustration on another person~There\'s no need to take it out on me just because you didn\'t get the job. # I\'d stay away from her today, if I were you. She\'s looking for someone to take it out on. ~@|sleep on~to delay making a decision about something~Sorry, I can\'t tell you today. I need to sleep on it. # Maybe you should sleep on the idea for a little while. You want to make sure you\'re not making a mistake. ~@|get on~to be doing, working or succeeding~How are you getting on in your new job? - Fine, thanks! # How are you getting on, Masato? - Not very well. There are too many words I don\'t understand. ~@|catch on~to understand~It took me a long time to catch on but now I know why she did it. # She didn\'t catch on immediately, and when she did, she was not happy! ~Also possible is \"cotton on\".|put on~to tease or trick someone~Did he really win a million dollars? You\'re not putting me on, are you? # Don\'t you believe a word he says. You know how he likes to put people on! ~@|zero in on~to concentrate your attention on a topic or problem~Before we break for lunch we need to zero in on John\'s question about sick leave. # I\'d like us to agree in general what we should do before we start to zero in on the details, ~@|take on~to fight or challenge a difficult or dangerous problem or person~Don\'t try to take him on. You\'ve no chance of beating him! # The government\'s main task is to take on the high rate of unemployment among young people. ~@|sit on~to not finish work on something~I\'ve been sitting on my homework for the last week. Now I\'m going to have to work all day to get it done. # The committee\'s been sitting on the problem for over a year. I don\'t think they ever intend to do anything about it. ~@|try on~to attempt to trick or deceive someone~You can try it on all you like, but don\'t expect me to believe a word you\'re saying. # Sorry, I was only trying it on. I didn\'t really mean what I said. ~The expression must be used with it as in the example sentences.|walk out on~to leave someone (usually for ever)~Where\'s Julia? - I don\'t know. She walked out on me two weeks ago and I haven\'t seen her since. # Why don\'t you just walk out on him? He\'s making you unhappy and that\'s never going to change. ~@|ride on~to depend on~A lot is riding on his answer. # I couldn\'t make up my mind. I knew that the success of the business was riding on my decision. ~@|jump on~to attack or criticize~I thought I had made a good proposal, but everybody at the meeting jumped on it. # It\'s not fair to jump on me like that. It isn\'t my fault. ~@|harp on~to keep talking about something~Don\'t keep harping on that old jacket I used to wear. At the time it was very fashionable. # Ok, I know I made a mistake, but don\'t harp on about it. ~A harp is a large string instrument.|get on~to have a (friendly) relationship with someone~I\'m afraid I don\'t get on very well with my parents. # Do you and your sister get on? ~@|get on for~to be close to a time~Time for bed. It\'s getting on for 8 o\'clock. # It was getting on for midnight, but we hadn\'t found the problem so there was no chance of going home. ~@|give up on~to relinquish or lose (belief)~She\'s given up on the idea of moving to London. She says it\'s too expensive. # I\'ve given up on him. He\'s disappointed me too many times already. ~@|go back on~to break a promise~You promised to help me move house. You can\'t go back on it now. # She went back on her promise to repay the money as soon as possible. ~@|go on~to happen~What\'s going on? - Nothing. We\'re just playing. # Is anything interesting going on at the weekend? ~@|egg on~to encourage~We tried to egg him on, but he was too cautious to accept the offer. # I know it was John who broke the computer but you were the one egging him on. ~@|dawn on~to (finally) realize~I didn\'t understand why he\'d done that. Then it dawned on me that he didn\'t know what had happened. # It didn\'t dawn on me who she was until I got home. ~Dawn is the time of day when the sun rises.|have on~to deceive or trick someone~Are you having me on? - No, I\'m being deadly serious! # She\'s just having you on. She doesn\'t really mean it. ~@|catch up on~to inform oneself of missed information or do missed work~I\'d been away for a few weeks and needed to catch up on the latest news. # If you are absent from school, make sure you catch up on the work you missed while you were away. ~@|move on~to forget the past and its problems or sadness~Your dog dies over three years ago. Isn\'t it time to move on? # I know I should forget about her, but I\'m finding it really difficult to move on. ~@|carry on~to continue~If you carry on working so well, you are sure to pass your exams. # I couldn\'t carry on pretending that everything was ok. ~@|hand on~to give to another person~If you can\'t use these books, maybe you could hand them on to the library. # Please hand these letters on to the secretary on your way home today. ~@|pick on~to choose someone for ill-treatment~Why does she always pick on me? I\'m not the only one who\'s talking in class. # Schoolchildren often pick on others to make themselves feel stronger or more popular. ~@|hit on~to find or think of~We\'d been working on the project for 6 months when we hit on the idea of asking my grandfather. # Sometimes taking a rest can help you hit on the right way to continue. ~@|count on~to rely on~Can I count on you to keep your promise? # I wouldn\'t count on him paying you the money back. He\'s not very reliable. ~@|press on~to continue (despite difficulty or disappointment)~It started to rain heavily, but we decided to press on. We wanted to get home before dark # She pressed on with her idea, although everyone said that she was sure to fail. ~@|catch on~to become successful~It\'s a clever idea, but I don\'t think it will catch on. # She had been experimenting for many years before she finally found something that caught on. ~@|drag on~to go on for a long time and therefore be boring~The meeting dragged on for half the morning without reaching any decisions. # I was bored. The lesson seemed to drag on for ever. ~@|tell on~to reveal information to an authority~Children who tell on others can quickly become very unpopular. # If you tell on me, I\'ll never be your friend again. ~@|crack down on~to use strong authority~The school needs to crack down on students who are late to class. It\'s becoming a big problem. # The town council has decided to crack down on kids drinking in the market square. ~@|let on~to reveal information~We planning a secret party for John on Friday. Please don\'t let on. # Whatever you do, don\'t let on that I like her. ~@|grow on~to become liked~I didn\'t like German pop music at first, but it has grown on me. # I see that cheese has grown on you. You never used to like it. ~@|');
q('out ^sweat out~to wait until an unpleasant situation has ended~We were cut off by the snow storm and had to sweat it out for 3 days until the roads were opened again. # I know things are difficult for you at the moment, but you\'ll just have to sweat it out until the new year. ~@|do out of~to cheat someone of what is rightfully theirs~My brother and I don\'t speak any more. He tried to do me out of the money our father left us. # She did me out of top score in the test by copying answers from the back of her hand. ~@|come out with~to say~Don\'t come out with such feeble excuses. If you don\'t want to visit us, just say so. # He came out with the most ridiculous reason for forgetting his homework. ~@|cut out~to stop~We were making a lot of noise in class yesterday and the teacher told us to cut it out. # You\'ll end up with lung cancer if you don\'t cut out smoking. ~@|break out~to start (usually a problem)~News report: Riots broke out on the streets of Paris yesterday when two young men were killed while being chased by the police. # How did the fight break out in the playground yesterday? ~@|fork out~to pay money for something~How much did you fork out for your new bike? # I\'m not prepared to give him any more money. I already had to fork out for the repairs when he crashed his car. ~@|spin out~to make something last as long as possible~He spun out his holiday photographs show for over an hour. I\'ve never been so bored in all my life. # Can you spin out your presentation for another few minutes? The next speaker is not here yet. ~@|take out on~to work off anger or frustration on another person~There\'s no need to take it out on me just because you didn\'t get the job. # I\'d stay away from her today, if I were you. She\'s looking for someone to take it out on. ~@|figure out~think of the solution to a problem or question~How did you figure out that he was the one who trashed your locker? # It took me a while to figure out the best route to take to work. ~@|mind out~to be careful~Mind out! You\'re spilling your coffee on the floor. # You\'re going to have a nasty accident if you don\'t mind out. ~A synonym is look out.|back out~to change your mind and not do what you had previously promised or intended to do~John had put his name down for the ski trip but had to back out at the last minute when he hurt his leg. # Sorry, you signed the contract. It\'s too late to back out now. ~\'Back out\' and \'pull out\' are synonyms.|peter out~to slowly get weaker or smaller~Interest in the new activity petered out after only a few weeks. # At first he wrote her hundreds of emails but these petered out when he had to move to a different city. ~@|worm out~to get information (often from someone who is unwilling to give it)~It took me a while to worm out the truth, but she finally admitted to copying her essay from the internet. # I\'m trying to worm out why he\'s been getting home so late, but all he says is \"heavy traffic.\" I don\'t believe him! ~@|bottle out~to not do what you wanted or promised to do (often because it was dangerous or difficult)~John signed up for bungee jumping but he bottled out at the last minute. # You can\'t bottle out now just because things are getting a little harder. ~@|dish out~to criticize or punish someone~He\'s always ready to dish it out, but he gets all upset if anyone criticizes him. # Are you really going to just let her keep dishing it out like that? ~@|walk out on~to leave someone (usually for ever)~Where\'s Julia? - I don\'t know. She walked out on me two weeks ago and I haven\'t seen her since. # Why don\'t you just walk out on him? He\'s making you unhappy and that\'s never going to change. ~@|sort out~to find the solution to a problem~I know it seems impossible but I\'ll help you to sort things out. # We have to sort ourselves out otherwise there\'s no hope that our marriage will last. # If you don\'t sort yourself out, you\'re going to get kicked out of school. ~@|splash out~to spend a lot of money~We splashed out on a new car although we couldn\'t really afford it. # If I win the lottery I\'m going to splash out on a house in the south of France. ~@|boot out~to get rid of someone or something~If you keep on arriving late to work, they\'re going to boot you out. # He was booted out of the team after staying up all night drinking. ~@|work out~to exercise~I\'m putting on too much weight. I need to start working out. # Do you know where John is? - Yes, he\'s in the gym working out. ~@|try out for~to be tested for a sports team~Are you going to try out for the basketball team? - Next year, when I taller! # I tried out for the tennis team, but they said I wasn\'t good enough. ~Sports tests are called try-outs.|tune out~to stop listening~I always tune out when my father starts talking about the good old days. # I tried to tune the teacher out, but she kept asking me questions. ~@|shell out~to pay money for something~How much did you shell out for your new car? # I shelled out a lot of money for this jacket. Then I was told it\'s not real leather! ~@|spell out~to explain something carefully~Can you spell out why you did such a stupid thing? # I\'m not going to spell it out to you again. You need to listen more carefully next time. ~@|nip out~to go out for a short time~I\'m just nipping out to get some more milk. # Where\'s Emiko? - She just nipped out. She\'ll be back in a minute. ~@|luck out~to have a lot of luck~I could have been killed in the accident. I guess I really lucked out. # I lucked out at the station yesterday. Although I got there late, my train was delayed and I jumped on just as it was leaving the platform. ~This phrasal verb is more common in American English than in British English. (Some people use the expression to mean its opposite: to run out of or have no luck.|grow out of~to stop liking~Does he really still like playing with trains? At 38 you\'d think he would have grown out of it by now. # I used to like going for a drink after work, but I grew out of it when I changed jobs. ~@|chicken out~to be too afraid or unwilling to do something~Somehow I knew that he\'d chicken out at the last moment. # Sorry. You promised. You can\'t chicken out now. ~@|burn out~to lose energy and enthusiasm~You\'re going to burn yourself out if you don\'t soon have a holiday. # He was such an energetic teacher, but he burned out before he was 40. ~@|leave out~to stop~Can you please leave it out. I\'m trying to concentrate. # You can leave out the sob stories. I\'m not going to give you any money! ~(A sob story is a story you say to someone in the hope that they will feel sorry for you.)|carry out~to do~The government plans to carry out an investigation into the link between alcohol and crime. # For my science project I have to carry out a survey of the eating habits of grade 8 students. ~@|hear out~to listen until someone has stopped speaking~Hear me out. I haven\'t finished yet. # Why do you never hear me out? ~@|be cut out for~to be good enough for~She\'s not quite cut out for the job as a teacher. She knows her stuff but cannot keep control of the class. # If anyone is cut out to be a leader, it\'s him! ~@|hang out~to be in place (with nothing particular to do)~Where do you hang out at the weekends? # Many young people like to hang out with their friends in the local park. ~This verb has a commonly used noun form hang-out|hold out~to wait (often in a difficult or dangerous situation)~The soldiers held out for 3 days, but the enemy was too strong for them. # The managers wanted to give the workers a 3% rise in salary, but the union was holding out for 5%. ~@|look out~to be aware of danger~If you\'re going to swim in that river, you need to look out for crocodiles! # Look out! That motorbike is on the wrong side of the road. ~@|set out~to start a journey~Columbus set out from Spain in 1492 to find a way to reach the east by sea. # What time do we need to set out tomorrow? ~@|turn out~to become (in the end)~Five years ago I decided to change jobs and it\'s turned out very well. I\'m much happier now. # The party started slowly, but it turned out to be the best evening I have had in a long time! ~@|work out~to (come to) understand~I can\'t work out how he came top in the grammar test. He never studied at all. # I haven\'t really worked out why you decided to quit university. ~@|drag out~to take a long time to finish~Young children can always find a way to drag out the time until they have to go to bed. # She dragged out her lunch until it was time for the next lesson. She obviously didn\'t want to come outside with us. ~@|hand out~to give~Can you please hand out the tests? # There was someone at the school gate handing out a free newspaper. ~A hand-out is a paper sheet commonly given by teachers or presenters to their students or audience.|point out~to say (something that the conversation partner did not know or realize)~I would just like to point out that we haven\'t had a break since 10.30. # I do need to point out that she\'s only been learning English for a few months. ~@|rule out~to exclude~You can rule me out. I won\'t be able to come after all. # The school has not yet ruled out the idea of introducing a uniform for all students. ~@|stamp out~to stop by force or authority~The school is thinking of ways to stamp out the graffiti that has been appearing on the walls of the boys\' toilets. # You can\'t stamp out drug-taking just by putting more people into prison. ~@|try out~to test~Some sports shops will let you try out a tennis racquet before you decide to buy it. # The school is thinking of trying out the idea of abolishing homework. ~@|stand out~to be obvious or noticeable~All students in the class are good, but she really stands out. # There are many reasons why she failed the course, but what stands out is her repeated absence from class. ~The adjective outstanding means excellent.|run out~to have no more of something~We\'ve run out of milk. Can you buy some on the way home? # Some geologists predict that the world will run out of oil before the end of this century. ~@|fall out~to stop liking~I\'ve fallen out with my boyfriend. I never want to see him again. # Have you seen Jane recently? - No, we fell out over a holiday we\'d planned together. ~You often fall out with someone after an argument.|turn out~to come or attend~We\'d hoped a lot of people would turn out, but most stayed at home because of the terrible weather. # Not many people turned out at the opening concert of the German heavy metal band. ~The verb can also be used in noun form: Was there a good turn-out at the dance yesterday?|sit out~to wait until an unpleasant or difficult situation has finished~The families trapped by the flood had to sit it out for three days until they were rescued by the army. # You\'ll just have to sit it out. She won\'t be your boss for ever. ~@|pass out~to lose consciousness~I nearly passed out in town today. It was so unbearably hot. # She passed out after cutting her finger very deeply with a kitchen knife. ~@|make out~to pretend or intend to deceive~She made out that she was working, but I know that she was on the chat site. # It\'s no use trying to make out you\'ve got no money. I don\'t believe you! ~@|');
q('over ^boil over~to get out of control; to become angry or dangerous~The situation in the slums of Paris is getting worse. The government is worried it\'s going to boil over at any moment. # Their bad relationship boiled over into outright war. ~@|take over~to gain control of something (often a business)~Most British car manufacturers have been taken over by foreign companies. # Let me take over now. You\'re making a real mess of things! ~@|blow over~to pass or finish~The government are just waiting for the scandal to blow over. # At first everyone got very agitated but the fuss soon blew over. ~Literally, storms blow over.|win over~to succeed in getting someone to agree with you or like you~It\'s no use trying to win me over. I\'ve made up my mind and that\'s it. # After months of asking he finally won her over. They\'re getting married next month! ~@|go over~to look at or check~I\'ll go over your work after school. I\'m too busy now. # Can you go over this report for me? I\'m not sure if all my facts are right. ~@|bowl over~to enthuse or surprise~She looked wonderful. She walked into the room and just bowled everybody over. # You\'ll bowl everyone over in that dress. You look wonderful! ~The expression comes from the game of bowling in which the goal is to bowl over (knock down) the pins.|hand over~to pass on responsibility for something~He\'s getting very old. It\'s time for him to hand the business over to his son. # I don\'t think it\'s time to hand the class over to the student teacher. She\'s just not ready yet. ~@|get over~to recover from~It took me much longer than expected to get over my foot injury. # Has she got over her broken romance yet? ~@|make over~to improve something by changing it~We\'ve decided to make over the basement of our house. It needs more light. # All of the pictures of models in fashion magazines are made over. ~Make-over programmes are currently very popular on television.|');
q('own^own up~to admit~I knew that one of them had used my computer, but neither owned up. # If it was you that broke the window, I think it would be best to own up before they find out from someone else. ~@|');
q('pack ^pack in~to stop doing something~Pack it in. You\'re getting on my nerves. # My boyfriend and I have decided to pack it in. We just didn\'t have very much to say to each other any more. ~@|pack up~to stop (working)~My television has just packed up again. Time to get a new one. # When do you pack up? - Not until 6.30. ~@|');
q('pass ^pass away~to die~Our dear grandmother passed away at the weekend. # She gave all her money to charity before she passed away. ~This expression is used as a euphemism by speakers who want to avoid the word \"die\".|pass up~to decline~I decided to pass up the chance of promotion because I didn\'t want to move to a different city. # If you pass up this offer, you may not get another one. ~@|pass out~to lose consciousness~I nearly passed out in town today. It was so unbearably hot. # She passed out after cutting her finger very deeply with a kitchen knife. ~@|');
q('pencil^pencil in~to (promise to) include someone in a group or activity.~I\'d really like to learn how to snowboard. Can you pencil me in? # Can I put my name down for the school committee? - I\'ve already pencilled you in! ~@|');
q('perk^perk up~to get better or become happier and more lively~For a long time our business was not going very well, but now things have started to perk up. # John perked up when I told him I\'d help him. ~@|');
q('peter^peter out~to slowly get weaker or smaller~Interest in the new activity petered out after only a few weeks. # At first he wrote her hundreds of emails but these petered out when he had to move to a different city. ~@|');
q('pick ^pick up~to (stop the car and) take someone with you~Don\'t forget it\'s your turn to pick up the children after school! # Can you pick me up by the post office tomorrow? I\'ve got to send an urgent parcel before work. ~@|pick at~to eat slowly and without enthusiasm~Don\'t pick at your food. If you don\'t want it, throw it away. # Have you seen the way she picks at her food. No wonder she\'s so thin! ~@|pick up~to get or learn~She\'s got a real talent for picking up languages. # Where did you pick up your knowledge of cars? ~@|pick up~to get better~Your work has picked up a lot in the last few weeks. # Interest in reading among young people has picked up since the arrival of the Harry Potter books. ~@|pick on~to choose someone for ill-treatment~Why does she always pick on me? I\'m not the only one who\'s talking in class. # Schoolchildren often pick on others to make themselves feel stronger or more popular. ~@|');
q('pin^pin down~to make someone be exact or truthful about something~I keep asking him, but he refuses to be pinned down. # Try to pin her down, will you. I\'ve got to know one way or another if she\'s going to come or not. ~@|');
q('pipe^pipe down~to be quiet, shut up~Oh will you please pipe down! I\'ve had enough of your whining. # If you don\'t pipe down I\'m going to wring your neck! ~@|');
q('piss^piss about~to do stupid things (to someone)~Stop pissing about and help me with this box. # If you don\'t stop pissing me about, I\'m walking out and never coming back. ~Many people would consider this expression offensive and avoid using it|');
q('pitch^pitch in~to work together~We\'ll get this job done much more quickly if we all pitch in. # We asked them to help us but they refused to pitch in. ~@|');
q('place^take place~to happen~When does the next dance take place? # A large demonstration took place on the streets of Frankfurt yesterday. ~@|');
q('play ^play down~to (try to) make something seem less important than it really is~He was careful to play down the fact that he had been fired from his previous job. # Don\'t try to play his unreliability down. One of these days it\'s going to cost him his place in the team. ~@|play around~to act in a silly way~If you don\'t stop playing around, I\'m going to send you out of the room. # Why don\'t you act your age instead of playing around the whole time? ~@|play up~to misbehave or not work properly~My computer is playing up again. I really must get a new one. # Jack\'s been playing up in class recently. I think I\'ll have to call his parents. ~@|play at~to fool around or make bad decisions~What are you playing at. You\'re going to break it! # I don\'t know what he\'s playing at. He\'ll to lose his job if he\'s not careful. ~@|');
q('point^point out~to say (something that the conversation partner did not know or realize)~I would just like to point out that we haven\'t had a break since 10.30. # I do need to point out that she\'s only been learning English for a few months. ~@|');
q('pop^pop up~to appear~I hate it when windows keep popping up when I\'m surfing the internet. # Her name kept popping up in the conversation. ~@|');
q('press^press on~to continue (despite difficulty or disappointment)~It started to rain heavily, but we decided to press on. We wanted to get home before dark # She pressed on with her idea, although everyone said that she was sure to fail. ~@|');
q('pull ^pull through~to survive a difficult or dangerous situation~John\'s very sick but his doctors have told us he\'s going to pull through. # My father helped us pull through when we were struggling with money problems at the start of our marriage. ~\"Pull round\" is an alternative to pull through an illness.|pull off~to succeed at something (difficult)~John\'s the one person I know who can pull it off. # I have no idea how she managed to pull it off. I didn\'t think she was good enough! ~@|pull together~to get control of oneself; to calm down after been angry or upset~You need to pull yourself together. There\'s really no need to get so agitated about it. # If he doesn\'t pull himself together, he\'s going to end up in big trouble. # Pull yourself together. It\'s not the end of the world. # If she doesn\'t pull herself together very soon, she\'s going to lose her job. ~@|pull up~to stop a car~As I was walking home yesterday, a police car pulled up at the house opposite. # I was standing by the road hitchhiking for more than an hour before one of the cars finally pulled up. ~@|pull apart~to criticize strongly~Why do you need to pull everything I do apart? # I thought I\'d written a good essay, but the teacher really pulled it apart. ~@|');
q('push^push around~to use superior power to get someone to do what you want~Don\'t try to push me around just because I\'m new here. You\'re not my boss. # Why does he let her push him around like that? I would walk out of the door. ~@|');
q('put ^put off~to postpone~The football match had to be put off until the following week. # We had to put off the party until my wife had recovered from her illness. ~@|put off~to deter someone from doing something~I was going to book a snowboard holiday, but my friend put me off the idea when she told me how dangerous it is. # I don\'t want to put you off. But that meat has been in the fridge for at least two weeks. ~@|put down to~to attribute (as the reason for something)~Why has she been so miserable recently? - I put it down to her new boss. He\'s very rude to her. # Don\'t try and put your bad grade down to your cold. You know you could have studied harder! # He\'s been behaving very strangely in school recently. I put it down to problems with his parents. ~@|put down~have killed, usually an old, sick animal~We had to have our old cat put down. She was in terrible pain and unable to walk. # The horse broke its leg in the race and had to be put down. ~@|put down~make someone feel useless, stupid or inferior~I hate my math teacher. She is always putting me down in front of the rest of the class. # Don\'t you ever put me down in front of my friends like that again! ~@|put up~to give someone somewhere to stay; give them a bed for the night~Can you put me up for a couple of days? My wife has kicked me out of the house! # Will you be staying in a hotel? - No, my brother lives near the conference centre and has offered to put me up. ~@|put on~to tease or trick someone~Did he really win a million dollars? You\'re not putting me on, are you? # Don\'t you believe a word he says. You know how he likes to put people on! ~@|put up with~to tolerate~I don\'t know how you put up with his constant rudeness! # I\'ve decided to move away from the city. I\'m finding it ever harder to put up with the noise of traffic passing my bedroom window every night. ~@|put by~to save for the future~I\'m putting some money by each month for a new car. # If you are sensible you will starting putting part of your salary by while you are young. ~@|put forward~to propose~You will need to put forward a plan for improvement, otherwise we will have to ask you to leave the school. # The government has put forward a proposal to reduce drug-taking among young people. ~@|');
q('rake^rake up~to reveal and talk about unpleasant facts about something or someone~Why did you have to rake up that business about the divorce. Didn\'t you see how upset she was? # Politicians are always trying to rake up embarrassing details about their opponents\' private affairs. ~@|');
q('ride^ride on~to depend on~A lot is riding on his answer. # I couldn\'t make up my mind. I knew that the success of the business was riding on my decision. ~@|');
q('rip^rip off~to cheat (often to sell something at an inflated price)~Don\'t let him rip you off. It\'s not worth more than about $20. # I got ripped off badly on holiday. I bought what I thought was a genuine Rolex and it turned out to be a cheap imitation. # Don\'t trust him. He\'s trying to rip you off. # I really got ripped off with my new car. I paid twice as much as it is worth. ~@|');
q('roll^roll up~to come~What time did you roll up this morning? # He rolled up half an hour late, and then the first thing he did was make himself a cup of coffee. ~People who roll up are often not worried about being on time.|');
q('root^root for~to be cheering for or in support of someone or something~I\'ve reached the finals of the tennis tournament. Will you come and root for me? # Good luck in your driving test. I\'ll be rooting for you! ~@|');
q('rope^rope in~to include someone (often in order to help)~It\'s no use trying to rope me in. I\'m not going to come and that\'s that! # We don\'t have enough people to help at the festival. Maybe we can rope in a few of the parents. ~@|');
q('round ^bring round~to make someone (change their opinion) and agree with you~At first John didn\'t want to come with us, but we managed to bring him round. # Don\'t try to bring me round. I\'ve made up my mind and I\'m not going to change it. ~@|get round to~to (finally) have or find time to do something~I really must get round to cutting the grass. It must be almost 30cm high! # When are you going to get round to cleaning your room? It\'s in a real mess. ~You can also say get around to,|talk round~to make someone change their mind~I didn\'t want to go, but in the end they managed to talk me round. # You can say whatever you want, but I doubt that you will be able to talk her round. ~@|');
q('rub^rub in~to remind someone again and again of their inferiority or problems~Yes, I know you won. There\'s no need to rub it in. # She always rubbing in the fact that she went to a better university than me. ~@|');
q('rule^rule out~to exclude~You can rule me out. I won\'t be able to come after all. # The school has not yet ruled out the idea of introducing a uniform for all students. ~@|');
q('run ^run into~meet by chance~I ran into John on the way home. He says to give you his best wishes. # She started avoiding the discos and clubs because she didn\'t want to run into her old boyfriend. ~You can also say \"bump into\".|run down~to criticize~Why are you always running him down? He doesn\'t deserve it. # You won\'t be popular if you keep running people down like that. ~@|run out~to have no more of something~We\'ve run out of milk. Can you buy some on the way home? # Some geologists predict that the world will run out of oil before the end of this century. ~@|');
q('sail^sail through~to pass very easily~She sailed through university and got a top job in law. # John sailed through the interview. He\'s such a convincing speaker. ~@|');
q('scrape^scrape through~to pass a test with difficulty~Did you pass the test? - Yes, just about. I scraped through with lowest score. # If you start working harder, you might just scrape through your end of year test. ~Scrape is what you do when you run your knife over the surface of a carrot to remove its top layer.|');
q('screw^screw up~to do something badly~Did you pass your driving test? - No, I screwed up badly. # This is your last chance. Don\'t screw it up. ~Some people think this expression is a little vulgar.|');
q('see ^see to~to fix or deal with a problem~My computer\'s not working. Can you help me? - I\'ll see to it in the morning. # If you don\'t see to that hole in your roof, you\'ll have water coming through in the next storm. ~@|see through~to not be deceived by someone; to understand their true intentions~She told me she had a doctor\'s appointment after work, but I saw right through her. I knew she had arranged to meet her boyfriend. # Don\'t try to lie to me. You know I can see right through you. ~@|see through~to finish~Now that we\'ve started, we have to see it through. # In the end we just didn\'t have the energy to see the project through ~@|see off~to defeat or overcome a difficult opponent or problem~They were difficult opponents, but we managed to see them off in the last part of the game. # He fought very hard against his illness, but in the end he was not able to see it off. ~@|');
q('sell^sell up~to sell your house or business~When parents became ill, we sold up and moved in with them. # If we don\'t start making some money soon, we\'re going to have to sell up. ~@|');
q('send ^send down~to put in prison~She was sent down for 3 years for smuggling heroin. # You\'ll be sent down for a long time if the police catch you doing that. ~@|send up~to trick or make fun of someone (often by imitating them in an exaggerated way)~John\'s always sending up the boss. I\'m sure he\'ll get the sack if she ever finds out. # Are you trying to send me up? - No, I\'m being deadly serious! ~@|');
q('set ^set in~to start and look like continuing (often something unwelcome)~Winter has set in early this year. # His depression had set in when he lost his job, and he never managed to shake it off again. ~@|set off~to start a journey~We need to set off early tomorrow. I want to miss most of the traffic. # What time do you set off for school? ~@|set out~to start a journey~Columbus set out from Spain in 1492 to find a way to reach the east by sea. # What time do we need to set out tomorrow? ~@|set aside~to keep in reserve~We\'re setting aside some money each month to pay for our children\'s education. # You should set these books aside. Maybe your children will want to read them one day. ~@|');
q('shake ^shake off~to lose or get rid of something (often an illness)~I\'ve had this cold for the last three weeks. I just can\'t seem to shake it off. # Smoking is not a habit that is easy to shake off. ~@|shake up~to make big changes~The new boss started shaking things up the moment he stepped through the door. # I think the students need shaking up a little. Some of them are getting complacent. ~This is often used in noun form: a shake-up,|');
q('shell^shell out~to pay money for something~How much did you shell out for your new car? # I shelled out a lot of money for this jacket. Then I was told it\'s not real leather! ~@|');
q('shop^shop around~to take time in looking for something (to buy)~I intend to shop around before I get married. # The internet has made it a lot easier to shop around. ~This expression is often used in the sense of having lots of partners in the hope of finding someone suitable to marry.|');
q('show ^show off~to act or talk in such a way that you want everyone to look at you (and think how good you are)~He likes to show off what a good skateboarder he is, but in fact his brother is much better than him. # Oh do stop showing off! Who are you trying to impress? ~@|show up~to come~I bet he\'s going to show up late again - like he usually does on a Monday morning! # How many people showed up at the meeting yesterday? ~@|');
q('shut^shut up~to stop talking or make someone stop talking~Ok, you\'ve had your say. Now will you just shut up! # He\'s difficult to shut up once he\'s got a few drinks inside him. ~Americans tend to find the command Shut up! more offensive than Britons.|');
q('sink^sink in~to gradually become understood or accepted (usually an unpleasant fact)~It took a long time to sink in that she had gone and was never coming back. # When\'s it going to sink in? You\'re no good and you never will be! # It didn\'t sink in what she meant until I got home. ~@|');
q('sit ^sit by~to do nothing while an unpleasant situation exists or an unpleasant thing happens~Are you just going to sit by and watch her drink herself to death? # I couldn\'t just sit by and let them keep abusing the poor child. ~@|sit on~to not finish work on something~I\'ve been sitting on my homework for the last week. Now I\'m going to have to work all day to get it done. # The committee\'s been sitting on the problem for over a year. I don\'t think they ever intend to do anything about it. ~@|sit out~to wait until an unpleasant or difficult situation has finished~The families trapped by the flood had to sit it out for three days until they were rescued by the army. # You\'ll just have to sit it out. She won\'t be your boss for ever. ~@|');
q('size^size up~to look at someone (and judge them their qualities or abilities)~At the start of the fight the two boxers were sizing each other up from across the ring. # I could see that she was sizing me up, and I didn\'t like it! ~@|');
q('sleep^sleep on~to delay making a decision about something~Sorry, I can\'t tell you today. I need to sleep on it. # Maybe you should sleep on the idea for a little while. You want to make sure you\'re not making a mistake. ~@|');
q('slip^slip up~to make a mistake~She really slipped up when she agreed to marry that slob. # Try not to slip up this time. We can\'t afford any more costly mistakes. ~@|');
q('snap^snap up~to take quick advantage of an opportunity (often: to buy)~It was such a bargain that I snapped it up before thinking about whether I actually needed it. # Do you have any more of the mobile phones on offer in your advertisement? - Sorry, they were all snapped up the first day they went on sale. ~@|');
q('snow^snow under~to give too much work to do~Our history teacher snowed us under with work for the weekend. # Sorry, we can\'t meeting tomorrow. I\'m completely snowed under at the moment. # I\'d help you if I weren\'t so snowed under myself. ~The expression is most often used as in the last two example sentences.|');
q('sort^sort out~to find the solution to a problem~I know it seems impossible but I\'ll help you to sort things out. # We have to sort ourselves out otherwise there\'s no hope that our marriage will last. # If you don\'t sort yourself out, you\'re going to get kicked out of school. ~@|');
q('speak^speak up~to talk loudly~Can you please speak up? I can\'t hear a word you\'re saying. # When giving a presentation, it\'s important that you speak up. ~@|');
q('spell^spell out~to explain something carefully~Can you spell out why you did such a stupid thing? # I\'m not going to spell it out to you again. You need to listen more carefully next time. ~@|');
q('spin^spin out~to make something last as long as possible~He spun out his holiday photographs show for over an hour. I\'ve never been so bored in all my life. # Can you spin out your presentation for another few minutes? The next speaker is not here yet. ~@|');
q('splash^splash out~to spend a lot of money~We splashed out on a new car although we couldn\'t really afford it. # If I win the lottery I\'m going to splash out on a house in the south of France. ~@|');
q('sponge^sponge off~to take money from someone else because you are mean or too lazy to work yourself~How long\'s he going to carry on sponging off his parents? Why don\'t they just kick him out? # Some unemployed people prefer to sponge off the state rather than make a real effort to look for a job. ~Also possible is \"sponge on\".|');
q('stamp^stamp out~to stop by force or authority~The school is thinking of ways to stamp out the graffiti that has been appearing on the walls of the boys\' toilets. # You can\'t stamp out drug-taking just by putting more people into prison. ~@|');
q('stand ^stand up for~to support or defend~There was a demonstration on the streets of London yesterday to stand up for animal rights. # If you don\'t stand up for yourself, nobody else will! ~@|stand for~to represent~What does this symbol stand for? # Our school stands for respect and discipline, and don\'t you forget it! ~@|stand out~to be obvious or noticeable~All students in the class are good, but she really stands out. # There are many reasons why she failed the course, but what stands out is her repeated absence from class. ~The adjective outstanding means excellent.|stand in~to substitute for~We need to find someone to stand in for John while he\'s in hospital. # Can you stand in for Mary today? She on a business trip. ~@|');
q('step ^step up~to increase~You need to step up your efforts or you\'re going to fail the course. # The factory needed to step up production to meet the increased demand for its product. ~@|step down~to resign or retire~The director had to step down after it was discovered that he had been lying. # I don\'t intend to step down yet. I\'ve got enough energy to keep going for a few more years yet. ~@|');
q('stick ^stick to~to continue doing something (often unpleasant)~I know German grammar is difficult but if you stick to it, you\'ll find it will fall into place. # He never sticks to anything. As soon as the going gets tough, he gives up! ~@|stick around~to stay or wait~Sorry, I can\'t stick around. My wife\'s expecting me home before six o\'clock. # Stick around and you might see some fun. John said he\'s going to set off the fire alarm! ~@|stick up for~to defend or protect~You need to stick up for yourself. Don\'t let him speak to you like that. # If you don\'t stick up for me, who will? ~@|');
q('stop^stop by~to visit~Stop by next time your in town. We\'re usually at home on Sundays. # You said you were in the area. Why didn\'t you stop by? - Sorry, I just didn\'t have the time. ~@|');
q('string^string along~to deceive someone over a longer period~He pretended he was in love with her, but he was just stringing her along. # Don\'t try to string me along. I know you\'re only after my money. ~@|');
q('sweat^sweat out~to wait until an unpleasant situation has ended~We were cut off by the snow storm and had to sweat it out for 3 days until the roads were opened again. # I know things are difficult for you at the moment, but you\'ll just have to sweat it out until the new year. ~@|');
q('tag^tag along~to go with someone~I\'m going shopping. - Great! Do you mind if I tag along? # Why does she always have to tag along? Can’t she see we don\'t want her? ~@|');
q('tail^tail off~to decrease~Your efforts have started to tail off recently. Is anything wrong? # At first many people wanted to buy our products, but then the interest started to tail off. ~@|');
q('take ^take in~to deceive or trick~Don\'t be taken in by his sweet words. He\'s only after your money! # I\'m not going to let myself be taken in any more by your lies. ~@|take off~to become successful or popular~Our business only really took off after we started to sell on the internet. # Watching TV on a mobile phone has never taken off. ~@|take off~to go into the air (especially an airplane)~Despite the thick fog the airplane took off on schedule. # Large airplanes like the Airbus need a huge amount of power in order to take off. ~@|take off~to imitate, usually in a way to make fun of someone~He can take off his teachers perfectly. He\'ll be on TV one day! # Important politicians have to get used to being taken off on TV for the amusement of the viewers. ~@|take on~to employ~Our business became so successful that we had to take on some new workers. # She was only taken on because the boss wanted an attractive secretary. ~@|take it upon (oneself)~to give oneself a job (often that is unnecessary or unappreciated)~He\'s taken it upon himself to point out the mistakes in the emails he receives. # Why do you take it upon yourself to criticize everything I say or do? ~You can say \'on\' instead of \'upon\'. E.g. She took it on herself to inform the boss.|take over~to gain control of something (often a business)~Most British car manufacturers have been taken over by foreign companies. # Let me take over now. You\'re making a real mess of things! ~@|take up~to start~I\'m going to take up golf when I retire. # At what age did you take up chess? ~@|take up on~to accept an invitation or offer~Can I take you up on your offer of a lift to the airport. My brother can\'t drive me after all. # Sorry, I won\'t be able to take you up on your invitation. I have just too much to do at the moment. ~@|take place~to happen~When does the next dance take place? # A large demonstration took place on the streets of Frankfurt yesterday. ~@|take after~to be like or act like~She takes after her brother. He was always late for class; she\'s always late for class. He was lazy and rude; she\'s lazy and rude! # Some people say I take after my father, but I don\'t think I\'m at all like him. ~@|take out on~to work off anger or frustration on another person~There\'s no need to take it out on me just because you didn\'t get the job. # I\'d stay away from her today, if I were you. She\'s looking for someone to take it out on. ~@|take on~to fight or challenge a difficult or dangerous problem or person~Don\'t try to take him on. You\'ve no chance of beating him! # The government\'s main task is to take on the high rate of unemployment among young people. ~@|take to~to like or begin to like~I didn\'t take to him at first, but when you get to know him, he\'s really nice. # I can\'t take to her at all. I find her incredibly rude and bossy. ~This phrasal verb is usually used in the negative as in the example sentences.|take in~to look at (enjoy)~There\'s nothing I like better on holiday than lying on the beach taking in the sunset. # It\'s difficult to take in the sights of London when you\'ve just had your passport stolen! ~@|take down~to write~The police arrived shortly after the accident to take down the details. # Police warning to a suspect: \"Anything you say may be taken down and used in evidence against you.\" ~@|');
q('talk ^talk into~to persuade~I didn\'t really want to go but she talked me into it. # No matter what you say, you will not talk me into dancing with you! ~@|talk round~to make someone change their mind~I didn\'t want to go, but in the end they managed to talk me round. # You can say whatever you want, but I doubt that you will be able to talk her round. ~@|talk back~to respond rudely~You\'ll get yourself into big trouble if you talk back to teachers like that. # When the boss starts criticizing me, it\'s all I can do to stop myself talking back. ~@|talk up~to talk enthusiastically about something~She talked up her new job, but I think she\'s sorry she left her last one. # You can talk up a new car all you like, but we just can\'t afford one. ~@|');
q('tear^tear into~to criticize angrily and strongly~My teacher was in a terrible mood today. He tore into a boy who had forgotten to bring his homework. # Why did you tear into him like that? He didn\'t do anything wrong. ~@|');
q('tell ^tell off~to reprimand~The teacher told me off for being late again. # Why tell me off? I wasn\'t my fault. ~@|tell on~to reveal information to an authority~Children who tell on others can quickly become very unpopular. # If you tell on me, I\'ll never be your friend again. ~@|');
q('think^think up~to solve a problem or difficult situation with a clever or imaginative idea~You\'d better think up a good excuse very quickly or you\'re in big trouble. # Let\'s ask John. He\'s good at thinking up solutions to tricky problems. ~@|');
q('through ^pull through~to survive a difficult or dangerous situation~John\'s very sick but his doctors have told us he\'s going to pull through. # My father helped us pull through when we were struggling with money problems at the start of our marriage. ~\"Pull round\" is an alternative to pull through an illness.|fall through~to fail; to not be completed as hoped~I wanted to go away for the weekend, but my plans fell through when my mother became sick. # Our new business fell through when the bank refused to lend us any more money. ~@|see through~to not be deceived by someone; to understand their true intentions~She told me she had a doctor\'s appointment after work, but I saw right through her. I knew she had arranged to meet her boyfriend. # Don\'t try to lie to me. You know I can see right through you. ~@|sail through~to pass very easily~She sailed through university and got a top job in law. # John sailed through the interview. He\'s such a convincing speaker. ~@|scrape through~to pass a test with difficulty~Did you pass the test? - Yes, just about. I scraped through with lowest score. # If you start working harder, you might just scrape through your end of year test. ~Scrape is what you do when you run your knife over the surface of a carrot to remove its top layer.|get through to~to make someone understand~I warned him many times that he was in danger of failing, but I couldn\'t get it through to him. # What will it take to get it through to you that we are finished? ~@|go through~to experience (usually something unpleasant)~You have no idea what I\'m going through. # He\'s going through a very difficult time at the moment. Please be patient with him. ~@|go through with~to finish an unpleasant task~I really don\'t want to do it, but I know I have to go through with it. # You don\'t need to go through with it if you don\'t want to. Nobody is forcing you. ~@|see through~to finish~Now that we\'ve started, we have to see it through. # In the end we just didn\'t have the energy to see the project through ~@|');
q('throw ^throw back~to drink very quickly~He threw back one drink after another and then collapsed on the bed. # You\'ll pass out if you keep on throwing back the vodka like that. ~@|throw up~to be sick~I feel terrible. I think I\'m going to throw up. # If you\'re going to throw up, can you please do it in the bathroom. ~This expression is more acceptable in American English. To many Britons it sounds vulgar.|');
q('tick^tick off~to reprimand gently~My teacher ticked me off for looking out of the window while she was talking to the class. # I ticked off my mother for boasting about my successes to her neighours. ~@|');
q('to ^stick to~to continue doing something (often unpleasant)~I know German grammar is difficult but if you stick to it, you\'ll find it will fall into place. # He never sticks to anything. As soon as the going gets tough, he gives up! ~@|bound to~to be sure to~You\'re bound to fail unless you start working harder. # Anyone who regularly takes drugs is bound to have medical problems sooner or later. ~@|put down to~to attribute (as the reason for something)~Why has she been so miserable recently? - I put it down to her new boss. He\'s very rude to her. # Don\'t try and put your bad grade down to your cold. You know you could have studied harder! # He\'s been behaving very strangely in school recently. I put it down to problems with his parents. ~@|face up to~to accept an unpleasant truth or situation~You need to face up to the fact that you are never going to be good enough. # If she doesn\'t start facing up to what drink is doing to her, she\'s going to end up in hospital. ~@|be up to~to be good enough~I\'m thinking of applying to be project leader, but I\'m not sure if I am up to it. # She wants to be a concert musician, but I\'m afraid she is not up to it. ~This expression is more usual in the negative.|get up to~to do (often something you shouldn\'t)~What did you get up to while I was away yesterday? The house is in a complete mess. # If you get up to anything stupid while I\'m out of the room, I\'ll send you to the headmaster. ~@|see to~to fix or deal with a problem~My computer\'s not working. Can you help me? - I\'ll see to it in the morning. # If you don\'t see to that hole in your roof, you\'ll have water coming through in the next storm. ~@|answer to~to fit or match a description or name~Does anyone who works here answer to the name of Gertrude? # Sorry, I don\'t know of anyone who answers to that description. ~@|get round to~to (finally) have or find time to do something~I really must get round to cutting the grass. It must be almost 30cm high! # When are you going to get round to cleaning your room? It\'s in a real mess. ~You can also say get around to,|take to~to like or begin to like~I didn\'t take to him at first, but when you get to know him, he\'s really nice. # I can\'t take to her at all. I find her incredibly rude and bossy. ~This phrasal verb is usually used in the negative as in the example sentences.|kiss up to~to try and win someone\'s favour~I hate the way she\'s always kissing up to her teacher. Doesn\'t she know how unpopular she\'s making herself? # If you want promotion, you\'re going to have to kiss up to your boss, like it or not. ~@|get through to~to make someone understand~I warned him many times that he was in danger of failing, but I couldn\'t get it through to him. # What will it take to get it through to you that we are finished? ~@|get to~to annoy or irritate~There\'s something about her that really gets to me. # I know he\'s an idiot, but don\'t let him get to you. ~@|feel up to~to feel able to do something~Sorry, I don\'t feel up to helping you in the garden. I didn\'t sleep very well last night. # I\'m not going to the party tonight. I don\'t feel up to it. ~@|live up to~to meet expectations~They had such high hopes for me. It was impossible to live up to them. # His reputation is very high. I\'m not sure he is going to be able to live up to it. ~@|look up to~to respect and admire~I really look up to my grandfather. He\'s had a very difficult life, but he\'s always cheerful. # These days young people are more likely to look up to sports stars than their parents or teachers. ~@|come to~to regain consciousness~It took him more than 20 minutes to come to after falling off his motorbike. # She fell out of the tree and never came to. ~@|');
q('together ^pull together~to get control of oneself; to calm down after been angry or upset~You need to pull yourself together. There\'s really no need to get so agitated about it. # If he doesn\'t pull himself together, he\'s going to end up in big trouble. # Pull yourself together. It\'s not the end of the world. # If she doesn\'t pull herself together very soon, she\'s going to lose her job. ~@|lump together~to put in the same category as another person or thing~Don\'t lump me together with Sharon. We may be sisters, but we have totally different opinions. # You can\'t just lump all the students together in the same class. Some of them have much better English than others. ~@|club together~to put money~We decided to club together to buy her a bunch of flowers. # Unless we all club together, we will never have enough money to pay for the trip. ~@|');
q('touch ^touch up~to improve the appearance of something~I need to touch up my car. I scratched the wing while driving into the garage. # Most fashion photos are touched up these days with a computer graphics program. ~@|touch down~to land (of a plane)~The plane touched down exactly on time. # The helicopter pilot looked for a safe place to touch down in the mountains. ~@|');
q('toy^toy with~to consider an idea but not very seriously~We\'re toying with the idea of emigrating, but it\'s a big risk. # I\'m toying with a plan to set up a web business. ~@|');
q('trip^trip up~to make a mistake~I tripped up on the last question of the math test. I didn\'t read it carefully enough. # If you work a little more carefully there is less chance that you will trip up. ~@|');
q('try ^try on~to attempt to trick or deceive someone~You can try it on all you like, but don\'t expect me to believe a word you\'re saying. # Sorry, I was only trying it on. I didn\'t really mean what I said. ~The expression must be used with it as in the example sentences.|try out for~to be tested for a sports team~Are you going to try out for the basketball team? - Next year, when I taller! # I tried out for the tennis team, but they said I wasn\'t good enough. ~Sports tests are called try-outs.|try out~to test~Some sports shops will let you try out a tennis racquet before you decide to buy it. # The school is thinking of trying out the idea of abolishing homework. ~@|');
q('tune^tune out~to stop listening~I always tune out when my father starts talking about the good old days. # I tried to tune the teacher out, but she kept asking me questions. ~@|');
q('turn ^turn up~to come; to be found~If she doesn\'t turn up in the next five minutes, I\'m going to call the police. # Don\'t worry about your calculator. I\'m sure it will turn up soon. ~@|turn in~to give to somebody~I have to turn in my report to the boss by Friday. # Am I stupid! I spent 3 hours doing my homework and then I forgot to turn it in! ~To turn in also means to go to bed.|turn out~to become (in the end)~Five years ago I decided to change jobs and it\'s turned out very well. I\'m much happier now. # The party started slowly, but it turned out to be the best evening I have had in a long time! ~@|turn down~to reject~I asked her if she wanted to dance, but she turned me down. # I\'m afraid I\'m going to have to turn down your offer for the car. It\'s worth more than that! ~@|turn out~to come or attend~We\'d hoped a lot of people would turn out, but most stayed at home because of the terrible weather. # Not many people turned out at the opening concert of the German heavy metal band. ~The verb can also be used in noun form: Was there a good turn-out at the dance yesterday?|turn off~to disinterest or disgust~Women with false eyelashes and lots of make-up have always turned me off. # He turned me right off when started smoking before I had finished eating. ~The verb can also be used in noun form: It was aright turn-off?|');
q('under^snow under~to give too much work to do~Our history teacher snowed us under with work for the weekend. # Sorry, we can\'t meeting tomorrow. I\'m completely snowed under at the moment. # I\'d help you if I weren\'t so snowed under myself. ~The expression is most often used as in the last two example sentences.|');
q('up ^add up~to make sense~He says he want to run the Frankfurt marathon next year, but all he does is lie on the couch eating junk. It doesn\'t add up! # Now it adds up. You were cheating on me the whole time. ~@|act up~to misbehave~I think the reason he\'s acting up is because his parents are going through a painful divorce. # If she doesn\'t stop acting up, I\'m going to have to call her parents. ~@|do up~to tie or fasten (laces, buttons or a zip)~Your shoes are untied. Do them up! # Can you help me do up my jacket? My hands are too cold to pull the zip. ~@|think up~to solve a problem or difficult situation with a clever or imaginative idea~You\'d better think up a good excuse very quickly or you\'re in big trouble. # Let\'s ask John. He\'s good at thinking up solutions to tricky problems. ~@|shut up~to stop talking or make someone stop talking~Ok, you\'ve had your say. Now will you just shut up! # He\'s difficult to shut up once he\'s got a few drinks inside him. ~Americans tend to find the command Shut up! more offensive than Britons.|touch up~to improve the appearance of something~I need to touch up my car. I scratched the wing while driving into the garage. # Most fashion photos are touched up these days with a computer graphics program. ~@|be up~to be wrong~What is up with him today? # She hasn\'t spoken to me for the last 3 days. I think something is up. ~@|take up~to start~I\'m going to take up golf when I retire. # At what age did you take up chess? ~@|come up~to happen (usually unexpectedly)~Sorry, I won\'t be able to play tennis tomorrow. Something has come up. # Has anything like this ever come up before? ~@|perk up~to get better or become happier and more lively~For a long time our business was not going very well, but now things have started to perk up. # John perked up when I told him I\'d help him. ~@|take up on~to accept an invitation or offer~Can I take you up on your offer of a lift to the airport. My brother can\'t drive me after all. # Sorry, I won\'t be able to take you up on your invitation. I have just too much to do at the moment. ~@|come up with~to suggest or say or develop~This British company has come up with a way to block email spam. # I have come up with a nice idea for making some quick money. ~@|face up to~to accept an unpleasant truth or situation~You need to face up to the fact that you are never going to be good enough. # If she doesn\'t start facing up to what drink is doing to her, she\'s going to end up in hospital. ~@|be up to~to be good enough~I\'m thinking of applying to be project leader, but I\'m not sure if I am up to it. # She wants to be a concert musician, but I\'m afraid she is not up to it. ~This expression is more usual in the negative.|eye up~to look at someone (or something) in a way that shows that you find them attractive~He sits there in the cafeteria all lunch eyeing her up from across the room. Doesn\'t he know what a fool he\'s making of himself? # I couldn\'t help eyeing up the expensive jacket in the shop window. ~\'Ogle\', one of your author\'s favourite words, is a synonym for \'eye up\'.|hush up~to keep something a secret; to keep someone quiet~He tried to hush up his drinking problem, but she found out in the end. # Don\'t you dare try to hush me up. I\'ll tell him exactly what I want. ~@|chat up~to talk to someone you like with the intention of having them as your boy- or girlfriend~Stop trying to chat me up. I\'ve got a steady boyfriend. # If you like her so much why don\'t you go over and chat her up? ~@|size up~to look at someone (and judge them their qualities or abilities)~At the start of the fight the two boxers were sizing each other up from across the ring. # I could see that she was sizing me up, and I didn\'t like it! ~@|make up~to settle an argument; to become friends again~Isn\'t it about time you made up with your father? It was such a stupid disagreement in the first place. # I have no intention of making up with her unless she apologizes for what she said. ~@|turn up~to come; to be found~If she doesn\'t turn up in the next five minutes, I\'m going to call the police. # Don\'t worry about your calculator. I\'m sure it will turn up soon. ~@|put up~to give someone somewhere to stay; give them a bed for the night~Can you put me up for a couple of days? My wife has kicked me out of the house! # Will you be staying in a hotel? - No, my brother lives near the conference centre and has offered to put me up. ~@|give up~to stop doing something~My new year\'s resolution is to give up smoking. # I think I\'ll have to give up playing golf. It\'s killing my back. ~@|work up~to annoy (get annoyed or agitated or upset)~Don\'t let it work you up. There\'s nothing you can do about it. # Why are you getting so worked up about it? It\'s hardly important. ~@|get up to~to do (often something you shouldn\'t)~What did you get up to while I was away yesterday? The house is in a complete mess. # If you get up to anything stupid while I\'m out of the room, I\'ll send you to the headmaster. ~@|slip up~to make a mistake~She really slipped up when she agreed to marry that slob. # Try not to slip up this time. We can\'t afford any more costly mistakes. ~@|fold up~to close or stop working (often a business that has been unsuccessful)~We struggled on for 2 years but had to fold up after the bank refused to extend our loan. # Many young businesses folded up when the dot.com bubble burst. ~@|do up~to improve the appearance or quality of something~I\'ve spent the last 3 weeks doing up the house. We want to try and sell it in the summer. # I\'ve got a hair appointment tomorrow. I need to do myself up for the job interview. ~@|rake up~to reveal and talk about unpleasant facts about something or someone~Why did you have to rake up that business about the divorce. Didn\'t you see how upset she was? # Politicians are always trying to rake up embarrassing details about their opponents\' private affairs. ~@|wait up~to not go to bed~Don\'t wait up for me. I won\'t be home until after midnight. # Parents usually wait up until their children come home at night. They can\'t sleep unless they know they have arrived home safely. ~@|doll up~to make yourself look good~She was dolled up in the latest fashion. # Sorry, I\'ve no time to help you now. I need at least 2 hours to doll myself up for the party! ~@|snap up~to take quick advantage of an opportunity (often: to buy)~It was such a bargain that I snapped it up before thinking about whether I actually needed it. # Do you have any more of the mobile phones on offer in your advertisement? - Sorry, they were all snapped up the first day they went on sale. ~@|look up~to visit a person or place (often after a long period of time)~Be sure to look me up next time you\'re in Frankfurt. # I wanted to look up my old girlfriend but she wasn\'t living there any more. ~@|send up~to trick or make fun of someone (often by imitating them in an exaggerated way)~John\'s always sending up the boss. I\'m sure he\'ll get the sack if she ever finds out. # Are you trying to send me up? - No, I\'m being deadly serious! ~@|line up~to plan something or get it ready~I had lined up a large variety of food and drink for the barbecue, but the weather was bad all weekend and it had to be cancelled. # Have you got anything lined up for the weekend? ~@|pick up~to (stop the car and) take someone with you~Don\'t forget it\'s your turn to pick up the children after school! # Can you pick me up by the post office tomorrow? I\'ve got to send an urgent parcel before work. ~@|butter up~to flatter someone in the attempt to get something from them~It\'s no good trying to butter me up. You\'re not going to the party and that\'s it! # I knew that she was trying to butter me up. ~@|grow up~to behave like an adult~Isn\'t it about time you grew up? # Oh do grow up! You\'re 32 but you\'re acting more like a 12 year old. ~@|use up~to use all of something~Have you used up all the milk? - Yes, sorry! # Some scientist predict that we will have used up all the earth\'s oil by the end of the century. ~@|trip up~to make a mistake~I tripped up on the last question of the math test. I didn\'t read it carefully enough. # If you work a little more carefully there is less chance that you will trip up. ~@|screw up~to do something badly~Did you pass your driving test? - No, I screwed up badly. # This is your last chance. Don\'t screw it up. ~Some people think this expression is a little vulgar.|sell up~to sell your house or business~When parents became ill, we sold up and moved in with them. # If we don\'t start making some money soon, we\'re going to have to sell up. ~@|pass up~to decline~I decided to pass up the chance of promotion because I didn\'t want to move to a different city. # If you pass up this offer, you may not get another one. ~@|pick up~to get or learn~She\'s got a real talent for picking up languages. # Where did you pick up your knowledge of cars? ~@|pull up~to stop a car~As I was walking home yesterday, a police car pulled up at the house opposite. # I was standing by the road hitchhiking for more than an hour before one of the cars finally pulled up. ~@|mess up~to spoil~If you\'re not careful, you\'ll mess up the whole project. # Don\'t play football in your tennis shoes. You\'ll mess them up. ~@|mix up~to confuse~I mixed you up with your twin. Sorry. # Somehow I got my dates mixed up and forgot to send her a birthday card. ~A mix-up is a mistake due to a misunderstanding.|look up~to improve~Life was hard when we first moved here, but now things are looking up. # She had some problems when she first joined the class, but now everything is looking up for her. ~@|kiss up to~to try and win someone\'s favour~I hate the way she\'s always kissing up to her teacher. Doesn\'t she know how unpopular she\'s making herself? # If you want promotion, you\'re going to have to kiss up to your boss, like it or not. ~@|hang up~to end a phone call~Don\'t hang up. I haven\'t finished yet. # Someone called me three times last night, but as soon as I answered, they hung up. ~To finish a telephone call on an old telephone, you had to hang part of the phone on a hook.|give up on~to relinquish or lose (belief)~She\'s given up on the idea of moving to London. She says it\'s too expensive. # I\'ve given up on him. He\'s disappointed me too many times already. ~@|feel up to~to feel able to do something~Sorry, I don\'t feel up to helping you in the garden. I didn\'t sleep very well last night. # I\'m not going to the party tonight. I don\'t feel up to it. ~@|dream up~to invent, imagine or have an idea for~She said that she was being followed home every day, but I think she was just dreaming it up. # Don\'t pay him any attention. He\'s always dreaming up crazy ideas to get rich quick. ~@|live up to~to meet expectations~They had such high hopes for me. It was impossible to live up to them. # His reputation is very high. I\'m not sure he is going to be able to live up to it. ~@|put up with~to tolerate~I don\'t know how you put up with his constant rudeness! # I\'ve decided to move away from the city. I\'m finding it ever harder to put up with the noise of traffic passing my bedroom window every night. ~@|wind up~to do or say something to trick or irritate someone~Don\'t take any notice of him. He\'s just trying to wind you up. # Are you winding me up? - No, every word I said is true! ~@|catch up on~to inform oneself of missed information or do missed work~I\'d been away for a few weeks and needed to catch up on the latest news. # If you are absent from school, make sure you catch up on the work you missed while you were away. ~@|play up~to misbehave or not work properly~My computer is playing up again. I really must get a new one. # Jack\'s been playing up in class recently. I think I\'ll have to call his parents. ~@|stand up for~to support or defend~There was a demonstration on the streets of London yesterday to stand up for animal rights. # If you don\'t stand up for yourself, nobody else will! ~@|keep up with~to stay up-to-date~I\'m finding it difficult to keep up with all the changes in modern technology. I haven\'t even got a mobile phone yet! # If you are a teacher, it\'s important to keep up with the latest research in your subject. ~@|keep up~to continue~Keep up the good work and you are sure to pass your test. # It\'s difficult to keep up your efforts if all you get is criticism. ~@|look up to~to respect and admire~I really look up to my grandfather. He\'s had a very difficult life, but he\'s always cheerful. # These days young people are more likely to look up to sports stars than their parents or teachers. ~@|pick up~to get better~Your work has picked up a lot in the last few weeks. # Interest in reading among young people has picked up since the arrival of the Harry Potter books. ~@|roll up~to come~What time did you roll up this morning? # He rolled up half an hour late, and then the first thing he did was make himself a cup of coffee. ~People who roll up are often not worried about being on time.|show up~to come~I bet he\'s going to show up late again - like he usually does on a Monday morning! # How many people showed up at the meeting yesterday? ~@|stick up for~to defend or protect~You need to stick up for yourself. Don\'t let him speak to you like that. # If you don\'t stick up for me, who will? ~@|throw up~to be sick~I feel terrible. I think I\'m going to throw up. # If you\'re going to throw up, can you please do it in the bathroom. ~This expression is more acceptable in American English. To many Britons it sounds vulgar.|wrap up~to finish or stop~We\'ll need to wrap up the meeting pretty soon. The building closes in 15 minutes. # My ESL teacher likes to wrap up the lesson with a joke. ~@|bring up~to mention an issue~I don\'t like to bring this up, but you still owe me some money. # We must remember to bring the matter up at the next meeting. ~@|drum up~to raise (interest or support)~I\'m finding it difficult to drum up enough people to help me move house. # At election time politicians are often seen on the streets trying to drum up support for their party. ~@|shake up~to make big changes~The new boss started shaking things up the moment he stepped through the door. # I think the students need shaking up a little. Some of them are getting complacent. ~This is often used in noun form: a shake-up,|step up~to increase~You need to step up your efforts or you\'re going to fail the course. # The factory needed to step up production to meet the increased demand for its product. ~@|speak up~to talk loudly~Can you please speak up? I can\'t hear a word you\'re saying. # When giving a presentation, it\'s important that you speak up. ~@|pop up~to appear~I hate it when windows keep popping up when I\'m surfing the internet. # Her name kept popping up in the conversation. ~@|own up~to admit~I knew that one of them had used my computer, but neither owned up. # If it was you that broke the window, I think it would be best to own up before they find out from someone else. ~@|back up~to help or support (agree)~You need to find a little more evidence to back up your theory. # Believe me, I tried my best. John will back me up. He was there the whole time. ~@|blow up~to explode~The house blew up when gas escaped from a pipe. # A bomb blew up in the market square injuring 5 people. ~@|bring up~to raise a child~Her parents went missing in the war so she was brought up by her grandparents. # I was brought up to respect my parents. ~@|let up~to stop~The rain has not let up all afternoon. # Don\'t let up now. You\'re almost finished. ~@|talk up~to talk enthusiastically about something~She talked up her new job, but I think she\'s sorry she left her last one. # You can talk up a new car all you like, but we just can\'t afford one. ~@|hold up~to delay~Sorry I\'m late. I was held up by heavy traffic through the town. # All the planned departures were held up because of thick fog over the airport. ~@|make up~to invent~No, I don\'t believe you. I think you\'re making it up. # He made up some stupid excuse about his dog eating his homework ~@|pack up~to stop (working)~My television has just packed up again. Time to get a new one. # When do you pack up? - Not until 6.30. ~@|clear up~to get better~I\'ve been ill with the flu for the last week, but I think it\'s clearing up now. # The weather looks like it\'s finally clearing up. ~@|');
q('upon^take it upon (oneself)~to give oneself a job (often that is unnecessary or unappreciated)~He\'s taken it upon himself to point out the mistakes in the emails he receives. # Why do you take it upon yourself to criticize everything I say or do? ~You can say \'on\' instead of \'upon\'. E.g. She took it on herself to inform the boss.|');
q('use^use up~to use all of something~Have you used up all the milk? - Yes, sorry! # Some scientist predict that we will have used up all the earth\'s oil by the end of the century. ~@|');
q('wait^wait up~to not go to bed~Don\'t wait up for me. I won\'t be home until after midnight. # Parents usually wait up until their children come home at night. They can\'t sleep unless they know they have arrived home safely. ~@|');
q('walk ^walk off with~to take without permission; to steal~Someone\'s walked off with my notebook! # She walked off with the jacket hanging in the shop window. # Somebody\'s walked off with my electronic dictionary! # He strolled into the classroom and walked off with a notebook computer lying on the table near the door. ~@|walk out on~to leave someone (usually for ever)~Where\'s Julia? - I don\'t know. She walked out on me two weeks ago and I haven\'t seen her since. # Why don\'t you just walk out on him? He\'s making you unhappy and that\'s never going to change. ~@|');
q('wear ^wear down~to make weaker~Those kids are starting to wear me down. They\'ve got too much energy! # The months of her illness really wore her down. ~@|wear off~to stop having an effect~If you take pain-killing drugs over a longer period, their effect soon wears off. # I need some need sleeping pills. These ones are beginning to wear off. ~@|');
q('win^win over~to succeed in getting someone to agree with you or like you~It\'s no use trying to win me over. I\'ve made up my mind and that\'s it. # After months of asking he finally won her over. They\'re getting married next month! ~@|');
q('wind ^wind up~to do or say something to trick or irritate someone~Don\'t take any notice of him. He\'s just trying to wind you up. # Are you winding me up? - No, every word I said is true! ~@|wind down~to relax~I like to wind down with a glass of wine after dinner. # You need to wind down a bit. You\'re taking it far too seriously. ~@|');
q('with ^walk off with~to take without permission; to steal~Someone\'s walked off with my notebook! # She walked off with the jacket hanging in the shop window. # Somebody\'s walked off with my electronic dictionary! # He strolled into the classroom and walked off with a notebook computer lying on the table near the door. ~@|come down with~to fall ill~Sorry, I won\'t be able to play tennis today. I think I\'ve come down with a cold. # She\'s not very healthy. She seems to come down with every illness that\'s going around. ~You can also say go down with.|come out with~to say~Don\'t come out with such feeble excuses. If you don\'t want to visit us, just say so. # He came out with the most ridiculous reason for forgetting his homework. ~@|come up with~to suggest or say or develop~This British company has come up with a way to block email spam. # I have come up with a nice idea for making some quick money. ~@|get off with~to start a relationship with~Don\'t try to get off with me. I\'m not interested. # I\'ll break your neck if you get off with my brother. ~This verb is more common in British English (among young people).|get on with~to continue; to not stop; to start again~Please get on with your work. You have no time to talk. # Sorry, I can\'t stop now. I need to get on with my marking or I\'ll still be sitting here at midnight! ~@|get along with~to have a friendly relationship with someone~How do you get along with your boss? She seems very unfriendly to me. # I don\'t really get along with my new English teacher. She\'s too critical for me. ~Also possible is \'get on with\'|make do with~to (have to) be satisfied with something or someone~I couldn\'t find the screwdriver so I had to make do with an old knife. # Sorry, you\'re not going to find anyone better, so you\'ll have to make do with me! # I can\'t drive you to work today. - That\'s ok. I\'ll make do with the bus. ~@|bear with~to be patient; wait~You will have to bear with him for a while. He\'s having hard time. # Bear with me. I\'ll be ready for you in a minute. ~You can use this verb as a noun: a rip-off.|go through with~to finish an unpleasant task~I really don\'t want to do it, but I know I have to go through with it. # You don\'t need to go through with it if you don\'t want to. Nobody is forcing you. ~@|put up with~to tolerate~I don\'t know how you put up with his constant rudeness! # I\'ve decided to move away from the city. I\'m finding it ever harder to put up with the noise of traffic passing my bedroom window every night. ~@|keep up with~to stay up-to-date~I\'m finding it difficult to keep up with all the changes in modern technology. I haven\'t even got a mobile phone yet! # If you are a teacher, it\'s important to keep up with the latest research in your subject. ~@|toy with~to consider an idea but not very seriously~We\'re toying with the idea of emigrating, but it\'s a big risk. # I\'m toying with a plan to set up a web business. ~@|get away with~to not be punished or reprimanded for something bad that you have done~He will not get away with drinking and driving for ever. One day the police will stop him. # I forgot to bring my homework to class, but I got away with it because the teacher was absent. ~@|go along with~to do as someone wants (even though you may not really want to)~Ok, I\'ll go along with you until you prove me wrong. # I wish I hadn\'t gone along with his crazy idea. It got us into real trouble. ~@|do away with~to abolish or stop~The school has decided to do away with the candy machine in the cafeteria. The students were buying too much junk food. # You can\'t make people work harder just by doing away with their coffee break. ~@|');
q('without^do without~to relinquish or live without something~I\'m not sure I could do without my computer and the internet. # Sorry, there\'s no more beer. You\'ll just have to do without until we I go shopping tomorrow. ~You can also say go without.|');
q('work ^work up~to annoy (get annoyed or agitated or upset)~Don\'t let it work you up. There\'s nothing you can do about it. # Why are you getting so worked up about it? It\'s hardly important. ~@|work out~to exercise~I\'m putting on too much weight. I need to start working out. # Do you know where John is? - Yes, he\'s in the gym working out. ~@|work out~to (come to) understand~I can\'t work out how he came top in the grammar test. He never studied at all. # I haven\'t really worked out why you decided to quit university. ~@|');
q('worm^worm out~to get information (often from someone who is unwilling to give it)~It took me a while to worm out the truth, but she finally admitted to copying her essay from the internet. # I\'m trying to worm out why he\'s been getting home so late, but all he says is \"heavy traffic.\" I don\'t believe him! ~@|');
q('wrap^wrap up~to finish or stop~We\'ll need to wrap up the meeting pretty soon. The building closes in 15 minutes. # My ESL teacher likes to wrap up the lesson with a joke. ~@|');
q('write ^write off~to destroy a car~I almost wrote my car off when I drove into a tree. Luckily there was hardly any damage. # The drunken driver wrote off his motorbike when he hit a traffic light. ~This verb is often used in noun form: The car was a write-off.|write off~to decide that someone or something is useless and not worth time or trouble~Don\'t write me off yet. I promised I\'d do it and I will. # I had to write him off. He was unreliable and I just couldn\'t trust him. ~@|');
q('zero^zero in on~to concentrate your attention on a topic or problem~Before we break for lunch we need to zero in on John\'s question about sick leave. # I\'d like us to agree in general what we should do before we start to zero in on the details, ~@|');