| Inseparable |
| Brush up on |
Review |
We're getting together tonight to brush up on our Spanish
skills. |
| Check up on |
Track |
My parents are always calling to check up on me. |
| Check with |
Consult |
Check with your professor before you research that topic. |
| Chew on |
Consider |
We need to chew on this problem. |
| Come across |
Appear |
They come across as very rude. |
| Come through |
Succeed |
I just knew the manager could come through and solve the problem. |
| Come up with |
Conceive |
No one can come up with a good advertisement for the toothpaste. |
| |
Procure |
Bob has come up with a welding torch and some scrap iron. |
| Fall back on |
Retreat |
We can always fall back on the ideas we came up with yesterday. |
| Fear for |
Worry |
Sam fears for the welfare of her family since she had a stroke.
|
| Go over |
Review |
Let's go over the numbers from the annual report again. |
| Hang on |
Grab |
They yelled for us to hang on as the raft swept down the river. |
| Hold on |
Wait |
The server asked us to hold on while he got his notebook out. |
| Launch into |
Begin |
With little preamble, the guest launched into her speech. |
| Look after |
Care for |
When the neighbors went on vacation I looked after their house. |
| Lean toward |
Prefer |
Helene usually leans toward green, leafy vegetables. |
| Mean to |
Intend |
Protesting his innocence, Ron claims he didn't mean to offend
us. |
| Play along |
Pretend |
When he lies, I just play along as if I believe him. |
| Play at |
Try |
What is that salesperson playing at, stealing my customers
like this? |
| Put up with |
Tolerate |
Too many people put up with terrible service in banks. |
| Roll over |
Acquiesce |
Whenever anyone puts up a fuss he just rolls over without
a fight. |
| Run out of |
Exhaust |
Don't you hate it when you're baking a cake and you run out
of flour? |
| Skip out |
Desert |
Knowing how to skip out of troublesome engagements is an art. |
| Sneak out |
Abscond |
When we were kids we used to sneak out of the house at night. |
| Sneak up |
Creep |
It's funny how your birthday can just sneak up on you. |
| Steal away |
Leave |
The lovers stole away from the rest of the party and watched
stars. |
| Strike up |
Begin |
The drummer will strike up a tempo and the parade can begin. |
| Talk down to |
Patronize |
The librarian would always talk down to the young girl. |
| Tie into |
Attack |
The abusive boss tied into his inexperienced staff. |
| |
Connect |
Let's see if we can tie into the network from this room. |
| Try for |
Seek |
Alex said she'd try for funding for all the travelers. |
| Walk off with |
Steal |
Two of the concert-goers walked off with a box of CDs. |
| Wander off |
Meander |
I looked around for Jenny, but she had wandered off somewhere. |
| Work out |
Succeed |
This just isn't going to work out. |
| Work toward |
Pursue |
We want to work toward a comprehensive plan by next year. |
| Wallow in |
Indulge |
Sometimes a person just has to wallow in their feelings. |
| Separable |
| Brought up |
Raised |
Susan brought that issue up again. |
| Change over |
Switch |
The company will change its systems over to the new software. |
| Change up |
Upgrade |
John said he could change his style up to meet the new challenge. |
| Check out |
Look |
We went to the show to check that new car out. |
| Chew out |
Scold |
The coach is going to chew him out for missing that goal. |
| Dial in |
Calibrate |
We're trying to dial the equipment in for the next test. |
| Eat up |
Relish |
Many children really eat cartoons up on Saturday mornings. |
| Fight off |
Resist |
I can't seem to fight this illness off any more. |
| Fight out |
Decide |
John and Mary had to fight it out for the last brownie. |
| Keep on |
Persevere |
Sometimes you just keep laughing on about a joke. |
| Laugh off |
Ignore |
He teaches the kids to laugh adversity off when they can. |
| Mark down |
Reduce |
The clerk will mark prices down later in the day. |
| Mark out |
Delineate |
They can clearly mark the boundaries out with red tape. |
| Mark up |
Increase |
The manager will mark up the prices that the clerk marked
down. |
| Pack up |
Bundle |
Police ordered residents to pack their things up and evacuate. |
| Pick out |
Select |
They pick five items out from the menu every meal. |
| Pick off |
Eliminate |
When I was a boy we used to pick tin cans off the fence with
rocks. |
| Put off |
Postpone |
It seems like I always put papers off until it's almost too
late. |
| Put through |
Subject to |
After everything they put the pledge through, he joined their
fraternity. |
| Read back |
Review |
The prosecutor asked the clerk to read the transcript back
to the jury. |
| Read through |
Peruse |
James read the book through once and then lent it to his cousin. |
| Roll back |
Reduce |
Some department stores brag about how they roll their prices
back. |
| |
Undo |
The new president acted quickly to roll the new regulations
back. |
| Roll out |
Introduce |
Excitement was high when Ford rolled the new Thunderbird out. |
| Run over |
Hit |
Veering off the road, the car ran a pedestrian over. |
| Run through |
Rehearse |
Mack asked us to run the song through one more time. |
| Save up |
Accrue |
My parents taught me to save my money up for expensive purchases. |
| Seek out |
Pursue |
At the conference, Jill will seek the professor out for a
meeting. |
| Shake off |
Rally |
Steve was able to shake the injury off and return to the game. |
| Sleep off |
Lose |
One can often sleep a bad headache off without pain pills. |
| Strike down |
Reject |
The Court today will strike the new law down as unconstitutional. |
| Talk down |
Counsel |
A good partner can talk you down from some tough places. |
| Talk out of |
Convince |
She was able to talk the young child out of jumping into the
pool. |
| Talk through |
Explain |
Sit in the driver's seat while I talk you through the controls. |
| Try on |
Appraise |
Why don't you wait while I try this suit on? |
| Try out |
Test |
You can always try the car out before you buy it. |
| Walk through |
Demonstrate |
I can walk you through the process before you do it on your
own. |
| Work off |
Eliminate |
After the holidays many folks have to work the extra pounds
off. |
| Work out |
Solve |
The problem is so complicated that he just can't work it out. |