"No one thought Chuck could get an A in that course, but he brought it off." MEANING: accomplish something difficult accomplish something people had considered impossible or unlikely. "Looking at the photos brought back a lot of memories of the place." MEANING: think about something that happened a long time ago, to bring back memories. "Yes, you can borrow my pen, don't forget to bring it back to me when you're finished." "The new lifestyle brought about a huge change in her personality" "The new law brought about a slight decrease in petty crime" "Meeting my friend on the street has really brightened up my day." "The new paint on the walls really brightens up the room"Ģ. MEANING: To get brighter, to give someone or something a boost.ġ. "Riots broke out after the government increased taxes again." MEANING: Riots, violence, row, fire, epidemic, war, rash, spots, sweat or tears suddenly or violently start "The two criminals broke out of prison yesterday." I'm sure the divorce will be difficult for the children." "I'm sorry to hear that their marriage broke up. "Have you heard the news? Julie broke up with Tim!" They got really angry with each other and broke up." "Tim and Julie aren't going steady any more. usually no object with an object, break up with (inseparable)) "What time did the party break up last night?"īreak up (2. The manager hasn't scheduled much time for breaking me in." MEANING: train get someone / something accustomed to a new routine. I hope it doesn't take too long to break them in." "These are nice shoes, but they're too stiff. MEANING: wear something new until it's / they're comfortable. Someone broke in while Jane was at the movies." / "Somebody broke into Jane's apartment while she was at the movies. "Jane's apartment was burglarized last night. MEANING: enter by using force (and breaking a lock, window, etc.) often no object with an object, break into-inseparable) "She broke down when she heard the bad news."īreak in (1. When we broke the total cost down, we spent more on cleaning supplies than food." "We spent a lot of money at the supermarket. MEANING: to separate something into component parts. I'm really brassed off because I didn't get paid in full. The company went bankrupt, but managed to bounce back with new management. MEANING: recover from something unpleasant. The new manager made a big mistake when he started bossing the staff around. MEANING: treat somebody unpleasantly, giving unnecessary orders all the time. "If you're going to travel to Peru, you'd better bone up on your Spanish." MEANING: review / study thoroughly for a short time. "A lot of his mistakes boil down to his lack of education." Something is so, because of something else. MEANING: When a situation, question or issue boils down to something else, this is the most important thing. "Don't blurt out your answers without thinking." MEANING: suddenly say something without thinking "When I told Jerry that I'd had an accident with his car, he blew up." MEANING: to explode destroy by exploding.Ī: "That old building really came down quickly!"ī: "That's because the construction company used dynamite to blow it up." "At first Lily said she would be at the party. MEANING: to decline an invitation ask to be excused from doing something. "The storm is over now we can go out now."ĭon't expect her to answer the door bell at eight o'clock on Sunday morning. "They tried to keep it secret but the story is out now." MEANING: When something is out, it's available to the public "Everyone must have been out when I went by earlier." MEANING: be away from home/from this building for a short time but not overnight "There was no one in when I went by earlier." "It's great to be back again after all those years." MEANING: to have returned after a long or short absence "Dad is away at the moment but is coming back on Friday." MEANING: to be away from home/from this place for at least a night. "When my computer crashed, I lost many of my files. MEANING: make a "protection" copy to use if there are problems with the original. MEANING: confirm a story, support facts, or information. "You're too close! Back your car up so I can open the garage door." MEANING: drive a vehicle backwards (in reverse). We won't be able to open it unless they back up." "The people waiting in line are too close to the door. He agreed to help but backed out when he found how difficult it was. MEANING: withdraw, discontinue or refuse to provide previously promised help or support: "Tom was ready to call the police when I told him I'd wrecked his car, but he backed off when I said I'd pay for the damages." "John was going to call the police when I told him I'd wrecked his car, but he backed down when I said I'd pay for the damages." When he took a snake out of his pocket everyone backed away and stood watching it from a safe distance.