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English Phrasal Verbs > A - B > Flashcards

A - B Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

act up

A
  1. Act in a stupid or silly manner/way.
    The teacher got angry because John began to act up and was distracting the class.
  2. For a machine, to not work properly.
    The television has been acting up recently. I should telephone the technician.
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2
Q

add up

A

Make sense; fit together logically.

They have been going out for over five years now. It adds up that they will eventually get married.

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3
Q

ask after

A

Enquire about the health of someone or general news about them.

I met your friend Susan. She asked after you.

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4
Q

ask out

A

Ask out for a date.

Trevor’s main problem is that he is so shy. I don’t think he would ever ask a girl out.

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5
Q

ask over

A

Invite to house.

If you aren’t doing anything tonight, why don’t you ask Rebecca over.

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6
Q

back down

A
  1. To admit a mistake

My neighbor won’t back down; he accuses me of being noisy!

  1. Not follow a threat.

The company was ready for a fight but backed down when they saw the workers were serious about the threat of strike action.

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7
Q

back away/off

A

Not follow a threat, withdraw.

The police backed off when they saw the man had a gun pointed at the hostage.

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8
Q

back on/onto

A
  1. Where the back of something faces something.

Our summer house backs onto a beautiful park.

  1. To move backwards on to something

He backed onto the sidewalk.

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9
Q

back out of

A
  1. Withdraw support.

He decided to back out of the plan once it started to cost too much.

  1. To move with the rear part forward, to move out of a space

Can you back out of the garage?

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10
Q

back up

A
  1. Move backwards/in reverse.
    Back up the car a little way and then we can open the gate.
  2. Confirm facts or information, support someone verbally.

If you don’t believe me, talk to James. He’ll back me up.

  1. to make a copy of the information on your computer
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11
Q

blow up

A
  1. Increase in size (especially printing, photography), inflate
    When you photocopy this, blow it up to double the size.
    We blew up more than 50 balloons for the party.
  2. Explode, Detonate.
    The damage was caused when an old Second World War bomb blew up.
  3. Become very angry quickly.
    Sheila blew up when she found her husband with another woman.
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12
Q

break down

A
  1. When something mechanical stops working.
    My car broke down and I had to walk ten miles to the nearest phone box.
  2. When talks, negotiations hit problems and stop.
    Talks between the unions and management have broken down and a strike now seems certain.
  3. Become very sad.
    When she heard of her father’s sudden death, she broke down.
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13
Q

break something down

A
  1. Analyze something in detail, especially statistically.
    When you break down the figures, you see that it is young women who smoke the most.
  2. In chemical reactions, one substance causes the destruction of another.
    Enzymes help to break down fat in the body.
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14
Q

break even

A

When expenses and income are equal

To break even, we need to sell another 8 televisions this year. After that, we will be in profit!

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15
Q

break in

A
  1. Enter without permission, trespass
    The thieves broke in while the guard dog was sleeping.
  2. Make something work better for you by using it often.
    These shoes hurt at first, but I have broken them in now and they are really comfortable.
  3. Train a horse.
    ‘The Horse Whisperer’ is a book about a man who has an odd way of breaking in horses.
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16
Q

break into

A
  1. Change speed suddenly
    When the horse heard the gunshot, he broke into a fast gallop.
  2. Use a large banknote.
    Sorry, I don’t have change. I will have to break into this $50 note.
  3. Suddenly start doing something.
    He was so happy that he broke into song.
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17
Q

break in on

A

Interrupt Someone.

Don’t break in on me while I am thinking.

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18
Q

break off

A
  1. To stop talking
    He broke off in the middle of a sentence to answer the phone.
  2. Stop negotiations, an engagement.
    She broke off the engagement when she found out he was racist.
    The government broke off all peace negotiations after the bomb.
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19
Q

break out

A
  1. To Start Suddenly (esp. disease, war)
    War broke out after the president was assassinated.
    Poor health facilities means disease is certain to break out.
  2. Escape
    The prisoners broke out of the prison when then was a power cut.
  3. To suddenly become covered in spots, etc.
    She broke out in a terrible rash after eating the mushrooms she had picked in her garden.
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20
Q

break up

A

End a relationship.

They didn’t love each other any more and so they broke up.

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21
Q

break something up

A
  1. Destroy
    We can break up this chair to use on the campfire.
  2. Destroy a friendship/relationship.
    He broke up their friendship when he told all those lies.
  3. Divided into pieces.
    The land was broken up into three large areas, one for each brother.
22
Q

break with something

A

Go against, break connection with.

Let’s break with tradition and go on vacation this Christmas. I don’t want to stay at home again.

23
Q

bring about

A

To cause to happen.

The new government brought about economic reforms.

24
Q

bring along

A

Help and Encourage.

This warm weather will bring the vegetables in the garden along.

25
Q

bring back

A
  1. Re-introduce
    Many worry that the government will bring back higher taxes.
  2. Cause to remember
    Seeing his ex-wife bought back everything about their painful divorce.
26
Q

bring something forward

A

Change meeting or appointment to an earlier date.

I can’t come on Friday. Let’s bring the meeting forward to Wednesday.

27
Q

bring in

A
  1. Take a person to the police, into custody.
    Sergeant, bring him in before he robs any more banks!
  2. Invite someone to join a plan.
    We need to bring in a computer expert for this task.
  3. Earn
    The sales department will bring in over half of our profits this year.
28
Q

bring off

A

Manage to do something difficult.

I never thought she would do it, but she brought it off!

29
Q

bring on

A

Cause, encourage

The cold weather brought on his flu and he was powerless to stop it.

30
Q

bring something out

A
  1. Publish, Introduce.
    I heard Microsoft are bringing out a revolutionary new computer next year.
  2. Produce an effect
    Drinking whiskey brings out the very worst in him. Don’t give it to him.
  3. Show a particular feature, detail
    That make-up really brings out your best features. You should wear it more often.
31
Q

bring round

A
  1. Help to regain consciousness.
    He fainted but the doctor brought him round with a tot of whiskey.
  2. Persuade someone to share your opinion.
    He was against the idea but I brought him round when I mentioned the expected profits.
  3. Invite and accompany someone.
    If your wife isn’t doing anything tonight, why not bring her round for dinner.
32
Q

bring through

A

Help to survive, cope, manage.

Only the expert medical attention she received during her illness brought her through.

33
Q

bring up

A
  1. Care for and educate a child.
    She had six children and she brought them all up in exactly the same way.
  2. Cause to be talked about.
    Don’t bring up his divorce! He is still very unhappy about it. Talk about anything but that!
  3. Vomit.
    Her baby is still ill. He keeps bringing up his milk and she is very worried.
34
Q

brush aside

A

Treat something as unimportant.

The boss brushed aside my reservations and continued with the plan.

35
Q

brush off

A

Treat someone rudely, ignore.

I wanted to make peace with him, but he just brushed me off.

36
Q

brush up on

A

Study, revise.

You need to brush up on your French if you plan to live there for six months.

37
Q

buckle down

A

Begin working, studying more seriously than before.

If you don’t buckle down, you’ll fail the exam. You have been warned!

38
Q

built in

A

Include in a whole plan.

When we made the contract, we built in a clause about maximum liability.

39
Q

built on

A

Take advantage of a good start.

The team failed to build on their great start and lost the championship.

40
Q

built up

A
  1. Increase in quantity.
    The traffic built up until no-one was moving at all.
  2. Increase in strength.
    Drinking a lot of milk will build you up.
  3. Develop and strengthen.
    She is building up a good reputation among other estate agents.
41
Q

bump into

A

Meet by chance.

I bumped into Hawkins yesterday. I haven’t seen him for years.

42
Q

bump off

A

Kill (informal)

To get her inheritance, he decide to bump her off.

43
Q

bump up

A

Increase prices, usually suddenly, often unfairly.

During the strike, dishonest manufacturers bumped up all their prices.

44
Q

bundle up

A

Put together into a group

When his house caught fire, he bundled up his belongings as fast as possible.

45
Q

burn out

A

Someone who works too much and exhausts self.

John will burn himself out if he doesn’t take a vacation soon.

46
Q

burst in

A

Enter, appear suddenly.

He burst in the room and caught me looking at his old photos.

47
Q

burst into

A

Start suddenly to laugh, cry, sing, etc.

I knew she was happy when she suddenly burst into song without any warning.

48
Q

burst out

A

Start suddenly to laugh, cry, sing, etc.

She burst out laughing when she first saw the photo.

49
Q

burst with

A

Have a large amount of something, an emotion.

When his son got into Oxford University, he was bursting with pride.

50
Q

butt in

A

Interrupt.

When I am speaking, don’t ever butt in. I lose my train of thought completely.

51
Q

butter up

A

Praise a person, flatter.

He is buttering up the boss as he is after a pay rise.

52
Q

buy off

A

Pay a person so they will not act against you.

He would have gone to prison, but he managed to buy off the only witness in the case.

English Phrasal Verbs (11 decks)

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