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English Phrasal Verbs > N - P > Flashcards

N - P Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

nose about / around

A

Search for something. Ask questions about someone.

There was a detective here before nosing around.

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2
Q

open onto

A

Allow access to something from a door, window.

The kitchen door opens onto our new patio in the garden.

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3
Q

open out

A

To become bigger, wider.

After the bridge, the river opens out.

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4
Q

open up

A
  1. Open a package, parcel.
    Open up the new computer and let’s set it up.
  2. Talk frankly. (Informal)
    After he had drunk a bit, he really opened up.
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5
Q

opt for

A

Choose.

After some moments of indecision, he opted for the black car.

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6
Q

opt in

A

Choose to take part in something.

If you want to opt in Mike, we need $500 from you.

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7
Q

opt out

A

Choose not to do something.

You guys go ahead without me. I’m opting out of this deal.

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8
Q

own up

A

Admit to something.

If you own up that it was you, your father might not be so angry.

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9
Q

pack away

A

Put things in box, container until later.

Pack that computer away - we don’t use it anymore.

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10
Q

pack in

A
  1. (Informal) Stop doing something.
    Pack in your playing around, kids!
  2. Do a lot in a short time.
    When we toured around Australia, we packed in a lot in only eight days.
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11
Q

pack off

A

Send a person away, on holiday, etc.

When the war started, many children were packed off to the countryside.

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12
Q

pack up

A
  1. Put things in boxes ready to leave.
    Pack up your belongings and leave this flat immediately.
  2. (Informal) Stop working.
    The car packed up as we got to the top of the hill.
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13
Q

pad out

A

Make something last longer.

He padded out his speech with a few jokes.

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14
Q

pan out

A

Turn out, happen in the end.

How did things pan out on holiday?

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15
Q

paper over

A

Hide faults, flaws in something.

The government is trying to paper over the divisions within the cabinet.

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16
Q

part with

A

Give something away.

He’s a bit miserly. He hates to part with his money.

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17
Q

pass away

A

Die.

My uncle passed away last year.

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18
Q

pass for / as

A

Be accepted for something, someone else.

My dad could pass for a Englishman the way he dresses.

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19
Q

pass off

A
  1. Happen.
    The demonstration passed off without any serious incident.
  2. Present somebody as somebody else.
    He passed his secretary off as his sister at the party.
  3. Avoid attention being given to an embarrassing situation.
    He was humiliated by his boss but he passed it off as a joke.
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20
Q

pass out

A
  1. Faint.
    The room was so hot that I passed out.
  2. Distribute, give.
    Pass out these exam papers for me please.
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21
Q

pass over

A

Not to consider someone for a job, promotion, etc.

Due to his previous row with the boss, he was passed over for the new position.

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22
Q

pass up

A

Fail to take advantage of a situation, opportunity.

That’s a great price for a car. I won’t pass that up!

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23
Q

patch up

A

Agree to end an argument, a quarrel, etc.

They didn’t speak for two days, but they eventually patched it up.

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24
Q

pay off

A

A risk that succeeds.

He put all his money on a horse and it paid off.

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25
Q

pay up

A

Pay all debts that you owe.

If you don’t pay up, I will take you to court.

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26
Q

peg away

A

(Informal) Keep on working at something.

If you keep pegging away at the problem, you will find a solution.

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27
Q

peg back

A

Keep at a distance.

The government is trying to peg back inflation.

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28
Q

peg down

A

Make a person keep to a decision.

If he offers you a pay rise, peg him down to an exact amount.

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29
Q

pick at

A

To eat food slowly or unenthusiastically.

No wonder you’re hungry. You have only picked at your dinner.

30
Q

pick off

A

Kill a person deliberately.

The sniper picked off the general among his soldiers.

31
Q

pick on

A

Bully a person. Choose someone repeatedly for punishment.

When I was young, two of my elder brothers always picked on me.

32
Q

pick out

A

Select.

Look at these cards and pick one out.

33
Q

pick up

A
  1. Take a person in your vehicle.
    I picked up Jon near the bank yesterday.
  2. Learn without studying.
    I picked up a lot of French when I was traveling there.
  3. Arrest.
    The police picked up their suspect at the border.
  4. Receive radio signals.
    I can pick up Swedish radio during the night.
  5. Improve.
    Prospects for small businesses are picking up.
34
Q

pig out

A

(Informal) Eat greedily.

Don’t pig out on the pizza! There are three other people arriving later.

35
Q

pipe down

A

To be less noisy.

Pipe down Steve! I’m trying to work here.

36
Q

pipe up

A

To speak, sing more loudly.

What’s the answer Brian. Pipe up! I can’t hear you!

37
Q

play at

A
  1. Pretend to be something.
    The boys are playing at soldiers.
  2. Do an activity, especially in a foolish way.
    What are you playing at Jenkins, get on with your work!
38
Q

play down

A

Treat something as less important than it really is.

He tries to play down his importance to this company.

39
Q

play on

A
  1. Continue playing.
    Despite the heavy rain, the two tennis players played on.
  2. Take advantage of something.
    He played on her fear of flying to sell her an insurance policy.
40
Q

play up

A
  1. Be naughty, mess around.
    The children have been playing up all day.
  2. (Informal) Produce pain, work badly.
    The TV is playing up again. I can’t get Channel 2!
  3. Treat something as more important than it really is.
    Don’t play up how ill you are. Go to work!
41
Q

plug away

A

(Informal) Continue working hard at something.

Keep plugging away and we may finish before the evening.

42
Q

point out

A

Indicate.

I would like to point out the finer details of this painting.

43
Q

polish up

A

Improve something.

I went to New Zealand to try and polish up my English.

44
Q

polish off

A

(Informal) Finish a meal quickly.

He polished off the chicken stew in just a few minutes.

45
Q

pop in

A

Visit someone for a short time.

I popped in to see Marge yesterday.

46
Q

pop out

A

Leave the house for a short time.

I am just popping out to get some sugar from the shops.

47
Q

pop up

A

Spring up quickly.

As the holiday approached, a few problems began to pop up.

48
Q

press ahead / on

A

Keep going, work with added determination.

Let’s press ahead even without the boss’s approval.

49
Q

press for

A

Demand action on something.

Many parents are pressing for tighter gun control laws.

50
Q

pull ahead

A

Go in front of someone.

Thanks to his faster car, Mallin is now pulling ahead in the race.

51
Q

pull in

A
  1. Stop a vehicle for a time.
    We were tired from the journey so we pulled in for a couple of hours.
  2. (Informal) Attract a crowd.
    The new band pulled in a lot of people for their recent concert.
52
Q

pull off

A
  1. Drive a car off a road.
    Pull off here. This is our exit.
  2. Succeed in a risky deal, gamble, etc.
    Despite all the risks, we pulled off a great deal.
53
Q

pull over

A

Drive a car to the side of the road.

The police asked him to stop the car and pull over.

54
Q

pull round

A

Make a person conscious again.

The sound of his wife’s voice pulled him round.

55
Q

pull through

A

Survive a traumatic experience.

The illness looked serious at one point but she pulled through.

56
Q

pull up

A
  1. Stop a vehicle at a certain place.
    She pulled up at the school and waited for her son.
  2. (Informal) Indicate that someone’s behavior, language, clothes is unacceptable.
    He pulled me up on my use of the past tense.
57
Q

push ahead / on

A

Continue working.

We must push ahead if we want to finish this house by summer.

58
Q

push through

A

Get a piece of legislation, a proposal accepted.

The government tried to push through a law allowing extra military spending.

59
Q

put about

A

Spread gossip.

You shouldn’t believe everything he puts about.

60
Q

put across

A

Explain something to someone.

He didn’t put his plan across very well and left everyone confused.

61
Q

put away / by

A
  1. (And “put aside”) Save money, supplies for later.
    I am trying to put aside ten dollars a week for my summer vacation.
  2. Put in prison.
    The judge put him away for ten years.
  3. Put in a box.
    It’s dinner time now - put your toys away.
62
Q

put back

A

Delay, postpone.

Due to a death in the family, the dinner party was put back a week.

63
Q

put down

A
  1. Mercifully kill a pet who is old, ill.
    We had our cat put down last year. It was 17 years old but very ill.
  2. Allow person to leave vehicle.
    Put me down here Nigel, I can walk. It’s only just around the corner.
  3. Sign as a different person.
    She put herself down as “Mrs. Johnson”.
  4. Ridicule someone.
    Never put me down in public like that again.
  5. Write something in a book, diary, etc.
    I’ll put that address down on this piece of paper.
  6. Regard something as a reason for something else.
    We can put his poor performance down to tiredness, I believe.
64
Q

put forward

A

Propose an idea.

He put forward the suggestion of expanding abroad.

65
Q

put off

A
  1. Same as Put Down
  2. Cause a person to lose interest in something.
    When I saw what she was putting on the cake, it really put me off.
  3. Delay a meeting, game, etc.
    The match was put off until the pitch dried out.
66
Q

put on

A
  1. Add money, weight.
    She has put on a lot of weight since Christmas.
  2. Fabricated for effect.
    He put on a sophisticated accent to try and impress her.
67
Q

put out

A
  1. Disturb somebody.
    If I arrive late, I hope it won’t put you out.
  2. Transmit.
    The controversial film was put out by Channel 4.
  3. Issue a statement.
    The government put out a statement denying all responsibility.
68
Q

put through

A
  1. Connect on the phone.
    If you wait a moment, I will put you through to the main office.
  2. Cause someone to suffer.
    The old headmaster really put his student through it during the grammar lesson.
69
Q

put to

A

Suggest.

I put it to her that maybe she would lose weight if she ate less.

70
Q

put towards

A

Contribute financially.

The proceeds from this contest will be put towards the cost of a new roof.

71
Q

put up

A
  1. Provide accommodation for someone.
    If you visit me, I will put you up.
  2. Increase prices.
    They have put up the price of petrol.
  3. Offer action, resistance.
    He lost finally but had put up a good fight.
  4. Encourage someone to do something.
    I was put up to come here by my friends. I didn’t want to!
  5. Suffer, tolerate.
    I can’t put up with that loud music anymore.

English Phrasal Verbs (11 decks)

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