phrases ـ

Be off.- 1 Be cancelled: The meeting is off. 2 Leave: I'll be off then. See you later.

Be over.- Be finished: My holidays are nearly over.

Be up to.- 1 Be somebody's responsibility: It's up to him to make that decision. 2 Be doing or thinking of doing something bad: I knew Paul was up to no good.

Blow up.- 1 Explode: A suicide bomber blew himself up near a crowded market. 2 Inflate: More volunteers are needed to blow up the balloons. 3 Become angry: He blew up when a reporter asked him about his drinking.

Break down.- 1 Stop working: Sorry I'm late. The car broke down on the way here. 2 Lose control and cry: He broke down and admitted that he couldn't cope with the situation.

Break up.- End: The couple argued constantly and finally broke up.

Bring up.- Take care of children until they're adults: He was brought up by his aunt.

Brush up.- Revise something you've partly forgotten: I want to brush up my English because I haven't studied it for 5 years.

Call back.- Return a phone call or call later: Just leave your contact information below, and we will call you back as soon as possible.

Calm down.- Relax: Don't get so angry! Just calm down.

Carry out.- Do a task: According to a survey carried out in 1999 one in five Britons are now opting for alternative medicine.

Catch up.- Reach somebody or reach certain level: She tried to catch up with the other competitors, but they were just too fast.

Check in.- Report that you have arrived at a hotel or airport: We checked into the hotel a little after midnight.

Check out.- 1 Check that something is true: Don't forget to check out the information. 2 Pay your bill and leave: After breakfast, I checked out of the hotel.

Cheer up.- Feel happier: I took him to the party because he needed cheering up.

Come across.- Find by chance: I came across an old friend in the street.

Come on.- Make progress: How's dinner coming on? I'm starving.

Come round.- 1 Visit: Would you like to come round on Saturday? We'll be in all day. 2 Recover conciousness: I had no idea what had happened to me when I came round.

Come up with.- 1 Think of: You're going to have to come up with something to tell her. 2 Produce: It was impossible for me to come up with the money that was needed by Friday.

Cut down.- Reduce: You should at least cut down on the amount you smoke.

Cut off.- Disconnect: We were cut off in the middle of our telephone conversation.

Do up.- Improve: I spent a month doing up the flat and I think it's quite nice now.

Drop off.- 1 Fall asleep: The girl was so tired that she dropped off to sleep at once. 2 Take somebody in your car: Come on. I'll drop you off at your flat.

Fall over.- Fall to the ground: She slipped on the ice and fell over.

Fill in.- Complete: She gave me a form and told me to fill it in.

Fall out.- Stop being friends: They fell out and didn't talk to each other for nine months.

Fill up.- Become full: Places are filling up fast on courses starting in the new year.

Find out.- Discover: She's going to find out sooner or later.

Get in.- 1 Enter: Get into the car. We're leaving. 2 Arrive: Can you tell Mr Harrison to phone me as soon as he gets in?

Get off.- Leave a vehicle: Just as we got off the bus, it started to rain.

Get on.- 1 Have a good relationship: David's nice, but I don't get on with Mark. 2 Go aboard a vehicle: I got on the train and travelled all the way to Kings Cross.

Get out.- 1 Leave: A security guard told him to get out. 2 Become known: Word got out that a nuclear submarine was coming into port.

Get over.- Recover: She's slowly getting over her illness.

Get up.- Get out of bed: She gets up at seven every morning.

Give away.- Give something for free: I had a lot of books I didn't want to keep so I gave them away to a friend.

Give out.- Distribute: Her job is to answer questions and give out leaflets.

Give up.- Stop trying to do something or stop using something: Eating healthfully does not mean you have to give up everything that you enjoy.

Go off.- 1 Explode: The bomb went off just metres from the market entrance. 2 Not good anymore: Put the milk in the fridge or it will go off.

Go through.- Pass: We're sure that you will get through your exam.

Grow up.- Develop from child to adult: He grew up in a small village in the country.

Hold on.- Wait: All our lines are busy, but please hold on.

Hold up.- 1 Delay: The march held up traffic in the city centre but there was no trouble or arrests. 2 Rob: He was held up at gunpoint.

Lay off.- Sack: They will have to lay off some of their staff.

Let down.- Disappoint: I was supposed to travel with a friend but she let me down at the last moment.

Let off.- 1 Not punish or punish lightly: She was let off with a fine. 2 Make something explode: Make sure you let off fireworks in an open space.

Look after.- Take care: He's looking after the children.

Look forward to.- Be excited about something that's going to happen: I'm looking forward to the concert.

Look up.- Search for information: He looked up all the new words in the dictionary.

Make up.- Invent: I'm not making it up. It's true.

Own up.- Admit you've done something wrong: After 3 days in the police station he finally owned up and admitted that he had committed the crime.

Pick up.- 1 Lift someone or something: I couldn't even begin to pick it up, it was too heavy. 2 Collect: I'll pick you up at your house at seven. 3 Win: Cameron Diaz picked up two awards for Charlie's Angels.

Put away.- 1 Put something where it's usually kept: After they use something, it's their responsibility to put it away. 2 Eat or drink: I can put away quite a few pints of Guinness. 3 Save: He's put away a decent sum of money. 4 Send to prison: I hope he gets put away for life.

Put down.- Stop holding: He finished the book and put it down on the table.

Put off.- Do later: Let's put off the meeting until Monday