Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (54 page)
think up (S)
to invent, devise, or create by thinking ♦
Let’s
think up
a good name for our club.
♦
She’s good at
thinking up
creative projects for her students.
dream up (S)
to invent or create usually new or unique ideas by imagining, daydreaming, or thinking creatively. ♦
My father was always
dreaming up
new and useful inventions.
♦
Pet rocks were a big success! What will they
dream up
next?!
Note:
This idiom is often used to imply that the idea is impractical, unwise, or crazy.
make up (S)
to invent or create a falsehood or fiction ♦
She liked to
make up
stories to tell her children.
♦
He
made up
a good excuse about his late assignment, but his teacher knew it wasn’t true.
[See
come up with
in Chapter 20.]
Being Happy and Avoiding Worry
The idioms
loosen up, lighten up, cheer up, ease up,
and
let up
can mean to relax, be less formal or serious, less angry or depressed, or to be happier.
loosen up (S)
to become less formal, serious; to relax; to talk freely ♦
I go for a run every evening to help me
loosen up
after work.
♦
People sometimes say that alcohol
loosens up
the tongue. People say crazy things when they’re drunk!
lighten up
to become less serious, depressed, worried, or angry ♦
Come on,
lighten up!
You don’t need to get so angry about it.
♦
You should
lighten up
and enjoy life more.
Romance Trouble
Here’s some advice and some examples on how to use four romance-related idioms. If you don’t
show up
(appear) for a date or if you
stand
someone
up
(fail to appear for a planned date), your partner might
break up
with you (end the relationship). Don’t try to
make up
(create or fabricate) an excuse. Just apologize, and your partner may be willing to
make up
(forgive the wrong, and continue the relationship) with you.
[See
light up
in Chapter 4.]
cheer up (S)
to become more cheerful ♦ Cheer up.
It’s not so bad.
♦
We tried to
cheer
her
up
in the hospital.
ease up
1. (S)
to relax or reduce pressure or intensity; often phrased
ease up on
♦
My schedule will
ease up
after the conference
♦
They
eased up on
the dress code, so now we can wear jeans to work.
2. (NS)
to lessen one’s demands on someone; to reduce one’s nagging, complaining, or anger toward someone ♦
You should
ease up
on him. He’s doing the best he can.
♦ Ease up,
mom! I’ll do my chores in a minute.
let up
to reduce pressure or intensity; to become less intense; often used in reference to weather conditions. This idiom is also phrased
let up on.
♦
I hope this rain
lets up
soon.
♦
During training our coaches didn’t
let up on
us for a minute.
Note:
The three idioms
lighten up, ease up,
and
let up
can also be used to mean to reduce the pressure on a gas or brake pedal, the clutch, or other mechanism, as in “
Lighten up
on the gas. You’re going too fast!” or “
Let up
on the clutch as you begin to accelerate.”
Opening and Starting
Some idioms with
up
mean to start or open, while others mean to stop or close.
Open up, start up, strike up,
and
take up
mean to open or begin.
Hang up
and
close up
mean to end, finish, or close. The first definition and example under each idiom shows these meanings:
open up
1. (S)
to start a new business ♦
A new restaurant just
opened up
downtown.
2. (S)
to open or unlock an enclosed space ♦
Only the manager can
open up
the supply room.
3.
to express one’s feelings, thoughts, or opinions freely ♦
I asked her what’s wrong, but she won’t
open up. ♦
He finally
opened up
and told us about his life.
start up
1. (S)
to start, cause to begin, or organize a new business, academic term, or interaction ♦
Our business has had steady profits since we
started up
in 1985.
♦
After vacation, school
starts up
again in September.
2. (S)
to cause an engine or other motor to begin running ♦
They
started up
their engines and waited for the signal to begin the race.
3. (NS)
to begin expressing a strong opinion, complaint, or nagging; often phrased
start up about
or
start up with
♦
Please don’t
start up
with your complaining.
♦
As soon as he came in the door, his parents
started up
on him about his messy room.
strike up (S)
1.
to initiate conversation ♦
They
struck up
a conversation and soon became friends.
2.
to cause music to begin or a band or orchestra to begin playing ♦
Tell him to
strike up
the band. This party needs some music!
take up (S)
1.
to become interested in and begin a hobby, occupation, study, or belief system ♦
He
took up
the guitar three years ago.
♦
After many years in business, she
took up
a new career in law.
2.
to shorten or hem ♦
These pants are too long. I need to
take
them
up.
3.
to absorb (a liquid) ♦
He used a sponge to
take up
the water.
Closing and Quitting
close up (S)
to close and lock an enclosed space; to prepare to end business or other activity for the day ♦
We’re
closing up
soon, so please pay for your purchases now.
♦
Don’t forget to
close up
the garage when you finish working in there.
give up
1.
to stop trying; to admit defeat or failure ♦
This math problem is too difficult; I
give up! ♦
The saying “Never
give up!
” encourages people to overcome difficulties and reach their goals.
2. (S)
to cease or stop doing something; usually a habitual or regular activity ♦
She finally
gave up
smoking.
♦
I used to play the piano, but I
gave
it
up
years ago.
3.
to lose faith in or lose hope for, to surrender; often said in the passive voice and phrased
given up on
♦
She has
given up
on trying to get her son to keep his room neat.
♦
They had
given up
on him when he finally arrived three hours late.
hang up (S)
to end a phone conversation, to replace the phone handset on the receiver or turn off a cell phone ♦
It was nice talking to you, but I should
hang up
now and get back to work.
♦
She said “Hello,” but no one answered, so she
hung up.
Staying on Schedule
The idioms
catch up
and
keep up
refer to becoming current or up to date with one’s schedule or obligations, and to staying on one’s schedule.
catch up
1.
to become even, current, or on schedule by hurrying or doing extra work; often phrased
caught up to, caught up on,
or
caught up with
♦
I’m behind on this project, so I’ll work over the weekend to
catch up. ♦
She
caught up to
the lead runners in the third mile of the race.
2. (S)
to bring someone up to date with news or other information ♦
Let me
catch
you
up on
the family news.
♦
When he returns from vacation, we’ll need to
catch
him
up on
the status of the project.
keep up
1.
to stay even, current, or on schedule, sometimes through extra effort; often said as
keep up with
or
keep up on
♦
The class was too advanced for him. He couldn’t
keep up. ♦
Now that I have an assistant, I’m able to
keep up with
my work.
2. (S)
to continue or sustain something ♦
You’re doing a good job, so
keep
it
up. ♦
The rain
kept up
all day.
3. (S)
to maintain in good condition ♦
She
kept up
her car, so it lasted many years.
4. (S)
to cause someone to stay awake or out of bed ♦
The noise outside
kept
us
up
all night.
♦
Coffee
keeps
me
up
if I drink it in the afternoon.
A Few Other Idioms with
Up
back up
1. (S)
to go in a backward direction; to go back to an earlier position, point, or idea ♦
She
backed
the car
up
and out of the driveway.
♦
Let’s
back up
a minute to my original point.
2.
(S)
to support or help someone or something ♦
He
backed up
his commitment to a cleaner environment by refusing to own a car.
♦
I’ll
back
you
up
if you decide to talk to the boss.
look up (S)
to look for specific information in a reference book or other source ♦
I don’t know his phone number. I’ll have to
look
it
up
in the phone book.
♦
You can use this idiom handbook to
look up
idioms that you want to learn.
mix up (S)
to confuse one thing for another, to be wrong about a specific detail, to mix things together in a confusing way; also phrased to
get
something
mixed up.
This idiom is often phrased as an adjective,
to be mixed up.
♦
I often
mix up th
e words “fell” and “felt.”
♦
We missed the party because we
got
the dates
mixed up.
pay up (S)
1.
to pay on time, or pay in full instead of in installments ♦
He
paid up
his car insurance for the year.
2.
to pay the balance on a debt, often to another person; sometimes said as a demand or mock demand ♦
You lost the bet, so come on,
pay up!
run up (S)
1.
to let bills and debts accumulate ♦
They really
ran up
their credit cards while on vacation.
2.
to quickly sew; often to complete a sewing project ♦
She
ran up
their Halloween costumes over the weekend.
sign up
to register, enlist, or enroll oneself or someone else in a class, an event, military service, or other commitment ♦
I
signed up
to volunteer for the food drive.
♦
She plans to
sign up
with the Navy after high school.
turn up
to appear after having been lost or missing, or having been gone longer than expected ♦
I hope my sunglasses
turn up.
I don’t want to buy another pair.
♦
We were worried when our son didn’t return from school, but he finally
turned up.
stay up
to stay awake, or stay awake until a late hour; to not go to bed ♦
I like to
stay up
late and read.
♦
He
stayed up
all night worrying about the problem.
Common Phrasal Verbs with the Preposition
Down
Phrasal verbs with the preposition
down
are not as numerous as phrasal verbs with the prepositions
up, in, out,
and
off.
Still, there are plenty of them. Most phrasal verbs with
down
are transitive and separable, but there are a few exceptions. The word
down
often has a negative connotation, so many idioms with
down
have a negative meaning, for example
turn down
(reject or refuse),
let someone down
(disappoint),
bring down
(destroy), and so on. Most phrasal verbs with
down
have more than one definition, so some definitions are not negative, but neutral, like
write down
(record), or even positive, like
calm down
(become calmer, less upset or angry).
The first two sections that follow include easy-to-learn idioms in which the preposition
down
simply extends or emphasizes the literal meaning of the verb. The remaining sections are organized into categories of idioms with similar or related meaning.
When
Down
Means No Longer Standing
Idioms that include the preposition
down
and are verbs such as
cut, knock, push, pull,
and so on, mean to cause something to fall over, to no longer stand upright or collapse. The preposition
down
extends or makes more specific the meaning of the verb. For example, the verb
cut
is very general; there are many ways to cut something. However, to
cut down
is more specific, and means to cut so as to cause something to fall to the ground. To
push down
means to push hard enough to cause someone or something to fall on the ground.
The verb
fall
already means to drop, possibly to the ground, but
fall
down
specifically means to drop from an upright or suspended position to the ground or floor. For example, during an earthquake things such as lamps, buildings, statues, trees, and so on might
fall down
(fall from a standing or upright position to the ground). But don’t say, “A meteor
fell down
” or “The stock market
fell down
.” The idioms in the following example all mean to cause something or someone to fall to the ground. They are all separable.
- The loggers
cut down
some trees. - The high winds
knocked down
the old barn. - Some electrical wires
fell down
during the storm. - Let’s
pull down
the old fences and rebuild them. - The little girl pushed her
friend down
on the grass. - People eventually
tore down
the Berlin Wall.
Note:
Tore down
is a general term that is often used for any kind of destruction that causes something to fall or collapse completely. Usually, however,
tore down
is used for buildings and other structures or for paper and fabric items that can literally be torn; for example, “After the concert, we
tore down
all the concert posters.”
[See also
bring down
later in this section.]
When
Down
Means to Record for Later Use
Idioms with the preposition
down
and verbs like
write, jot,
take,
and
get
mean to write or record information in order to remember it and use it later. For example, to
take
or
get
information only says that you have it (probably in your head), but to
take down
or
get down
information means to record or write it somewhere for reference or future use. The following are some common idioms of this type. The idioms in the following example all mean to record for future use. They are all separable.
- Write down
your address on this paper. - Jot down
my phone number. - Take down
the schedule so you won’t forget it. - Did you
get
the information
down?
[See also
put down
later in this section.]
Deny, Disappoint, and Destroy
The following phrasal verbs can have negative connotations, meaning to refuse or reject, deny, disappoint, or destroy. The first definition of each idiom shows its negative meaning; other definitions may be neutral or positive.
turn down (S)
1.
to refuse or reject someone’s request or offer ♦
The offer was too low, so we
turned
it
down. ♦
She
turned
him
down
when he asked for a date.
2.
to fold something over or in a downward position; often bedding, a collar, or page in a book ♦
Some hotels
turn down
the covers for you in the evening.
♦ Turn
your collar
down.
It’s turned up on one side.
let down (S)
1.
to disappoint someone; to fail to fulfill a promise or obligation ♦
The grant committee
let
her
down
when it failed to send the money it had promised.
♦
He didn’t want to
let
his parents
down,
so he studied hard at the university.
♦
If you need help, I won’t
let
you
down.
2.
to allow to hang long, as with hair, or to lengthen, as with clothing ♦
She took the clip out of her hair and
let
it
down. ♦
Now that you’ve grown, we need to
let
your pant legs
down.
put down (S)
1.
to belittle, insult, or say unkind things about someone or something ♦
It’s wrong to
put
someone
down
because of his beliefs.
♦
My friends and I sometimes
put
each other
down
playfully.
2.
to record or write information or supply specific information on a form ♦
I
put down
the date and time of the class in my calendar.
♦
The questionnaire asked for my hobbies, so I
put down
tennis and reading.
3.
to put something or someone back on the ground or floor; to stop or to command that someone stop holding something and replace it to its original position ♦ Put
me
down!
I can walk just fine.
♦ Put
that
down
before you break it!
[See also
run down
later in this section.]
bring down (S)
1.
to cause to fall; to be destroyed or killed ♦
Superior strategies helped them
bring down
their attackers.
♦
The force of the earthquake
brought down
some old brick buildings.
2.
to cause someone to feel depressed ♦
This movie is depressing. It will
bring
you
down. ♦
I don’t want to
bring
people
down
by talking about my problems.
Keeping It Under Control
The following phrasal verbs have a general meaning: to control, restrain, or maintain. The first definition and example under each idiom show that meaning.
hold down (S)
1.
to bring under control or restrain ♦
Please
hold down
your noise.
♦
My son
held
the dog
down
while I gave it a bath.
2.
to have and keep a job; usually not separated ♦
She
held down
three jobs while raising her children.
♦
He couldn’t
hold down
a job because of his drug problem.
keep down (S)
1.
to keep under control or restrain, generally when talking about noise, dust, or other annoyances or hazards ♦
I try to
keep down
the dust in the house by vacuuming often.
♦
Efforts to
keep
the mosquito population
down
help to reduce malaria.
2.
to not vomit or be sick to one’s stomach ♦
He was so sick he couldn’t
keep
anything
down. ♦
She had trouble
keeping
food
down
during the first months of pregnancy.