Phrasal Verbs Up to Set 7 and Collequials Flashcards
act on
do whatever is advised/suggested
act up
behave awkwardly or badly
answer (sb) back
speak rudely to sb
answer back
defend oneself
answer for
be responsible for sth/pay for sth/vouch for
answer to
be under the command of sb/have the characteristics described
back down
cease to oppose
back out of
withdraw from
back up
support
be beneath sb
be demeaning
be down on
be hostile to sb
be down with
be ill (with disease)
be in For it
be about to receive punishment/trouble
be in with
be in favour with
be into
(informal) take an interest in sth
be off
cease to want or be interested in sth
be on
be shown on television, at the cinema etc
be out
be in bloom
be up to
do
bear on
be relevant to
bear with
be patient
balance against
assess in relation to
bank on
depend on
bear out
support the truth of
become of
happen to
above board
honest
bark up the wrong tree
have a false idea about sth
be broke
have no/very little money
be full of beans
be very lively
be in sb’s black books
out of favour
beat about/around the bush
avoid saying what one means directly
behind bars
in prison
big-headed
conceited; boastful
black and blue all over
covered with bruises
blessing in disguise
sth which appears bad at first but then turns out favourably
blue-eyed boy/golden boy
a favoured person
bolt from the blue
suddenly
brainwave
sudden clear idea/thought
break even
show neither loss nor profit
browned off
fed up; bored
butter sb up
flatter sb
by and large
generally speaking
catch sb red-handed
be caught while committing a crime
chip off the old block
sb who is very like one of his parents
cost a bomb
very expensive
deal a blow to
damage one’s hopes
don’t hold your breath
don’t wait for sb/sth anxiously
drive a hard bargain
be a tough businessman
drop a brick
say sth tactlessly
feel in one’s bones
feeling sth instinctively
get your own back
take/get revenge
have a bee in one’s bonnet
have an obsession about sth
have butterflies in one’s stomach
be very nervous about sth
in black and white
in writing
in the balance
uncertain
kick the bucket
die
lay bare
make public
make a clean breast of
confess
make one’s blood boil
cause sb to become very angry
on the spur of the moment
without thinking about sth
out of the blue
suddenly and unexpectedly
ring a bell
remind sb of sth
see the back of
be glad to see sb leave
take the bull by the horns
deal with sth boldly and directly
wet blanket
dull person who spoils people’s happiness
a bit of a dark horse
person with hidden abilities
be for the high jump
about to be reprimanded/punished
be in two minds about sth
not be able to decide what to do
be the perfect image of sb
look exactly like sb
before one can say Jack Robinson
extremely quickly
break the ice
ease the tension when one first meets people
eat one’s heart out
feel jealous/sad about sth
flog a dead horse
waste time doing sth useless
fly off the handle
quickly become very angry
get out of hand
become out of control
get the hang of it
get in the habit of doing sth
go to one’s head
make conceited
grey matter
brains; intelligence
hand in glove with sb
be in very close contact with sb
have a job to do sth
find sth difficult to do
have many irons in the fire
have lots of plans/possibilities in progress at the same time
have one’s heart in one’s mouth
be extremely anxious about sth
have time on one’s hands
have free time
hold one’s horses
wait, be patient
ill at ease
embarrassed; uncomfortable
keep sth under one’s hat
keep sth secret
keep up with the Joneses
compete with others in status/material goods
lend sb a hand
give help to sb
like the back of one’s hand
be very familiar with sth
lose heart
become discouraged
make head nor tail of
understand sth
off the cuff
without preparation
stew in one’s own juice
suffer the consequences of one’s own actions
straight from the horse’s mouth
from the most direct source
have sb’s hands full
be very busy with sth
sth comes in handy
be very useful/practical
strike gold
come across sth useful
take sth to heart
take personally/be influenced by
take to one’s heels
run away
the ins and outs
the details of an activity
the tip of the iceberg
small evident part of a much larger, concealed situation
be sound asleep
sleep deeply
(fight) like cat and dog
(disagree) violently
(like) a bull in a china shop
behave in a clumsy/awkward way
make a dog’s dinner (of sth)
(make) a mess (of sth)
a bear with a sore head
irritated/in a bad mood
a different kettle of fish
a totally different situation etc from the one just mentioned
a dog’s life
a difficult, hard life
a fish out of water
sb who feels uncomfortable/in unfamiliar surroundings
a red rag to a bull
action, comment etc liable to provoke sb
a sitting duck
an easy target
as busy as a bee
(sb) very busy
as the crow flies
in a direct line/by a direct route
be in the doghouse
be out of favour, in trouble
dog eat dog
ruthless competition, rivalry
dog-eared
(of books) with the corners bent and turned down through use
donkey work
boring, monotonous work
donkey’s years
a long time
kill two birds with one stone
achieve two things with one action
let the cat out of the bag
reveal a secret
like water off a duck’s back
having no effect
make a fool of oneself
make oneself look stupid/ embarrassed/ridiculous
make a mountain out of a molehill
cause a fuss about a trivial matter
no room to swing a cat
no room at all
play cat and mouse with sb
keep sb in a state of uncertain expectation treating them alternatively cruelly and kindly
put the cat among the pigeons
cause trouble/controversy
rain cats and dogs
rain heavily
swim like a fish
swim very well
talk the hind legs off a donkey
talk for a long time, uninterrupted
the rat race
the competitive nature of modern urban life
until the cows come home
for a long time
mutton dressed as lamb
dress in a style younger than/inappropriate to your age
sour grapes
say unpleasant comments because of jealousy
sweet tooth
enjoy eating sweet things
get nowhere fast
make no/little progress
pay sb’s way
contribute your share of a bill/budget
white-collar job
office/clerical work
fly on the wall
see/hear sth in a situation which does not involve you
Achilles heel
weakest point of sb’s character
wash sb’s hands of sb
refuse to be involved with sb
act on
do whatever is advised
act up
behave awkwardly or badly
answer sb back
respond rudely to sb
answer for
be responsible for sth
answer to
be under the command of sb, have the characteristics described
back down
cease to oppose or demand
back out of
withdraw from
back up
support, confirm
bear on
be relevant to
bear with
be patient
all but
nearly, almost, except
all in
exhausted
all told
altogether
for all
in spite of
all along
from the beginning
all the same
yet, however
all in all
when everything is considered
for all I know
as far as I know
for all I care
I don’t care
on account of
because of
on no account
under no circumstances
on this account
for this reason
on the air
broadcasting
in the air
uncertain
up in the air
it exists, but not talked about
clear the air
remove suspicion or bad feeling
be up in arms
be very angry
on the alert
on the look-out, expecting sth
a long shot
a wild guess/a risk
a memory like a sieve
a poor memory
be all at sea
be in a state of confusion
be in sb’s shoes
be in sb’s position
be in the same boat
be in the same (usu bad) situation
be the spitting image of sb
look exactly like sb
be/get soaked to the skin
be/get very wet
be/have a close shave
barely avoid an accident/a bad situation
behind the scenes
in secret
come out of one’s shell
gain personal confidence
does it show?
is it obvious?
give sb the slip
escape from sb
go for a song
be sold very cheaply
