The book is on the table - Phrasal Verbs

Definition: to gain control of a company by buying it or buying a majority of its shares.

(This phrasal verb has more than one meaning)

E.g.1: There’s a rumour that CRT Ltd. is about to be taken over by their rival RTC Ltd.

E.g.2: A multinational company wanted to take my father’s business over, but he rejected their offer.This phrasal verb can be separated (E.g.2)

Definition: (concerning a business) to become bankrupt.

E.g.1: That company doesn’t exist any more; they went under last year.
E.g.2: The company is in danger of going under. We must do something.

This phrasal verb cannot be separated.

Definition: to employ someone.

This phrasal verb has more than one meaning.

E.g.1: The company is doing so well that we’ll have to take on more staff.
E.g.2: They took me on as a part-time worker, but now I’ve been given a full-time contract.

This phrasal verb can be separated (E.g. 2).

Definition: to fasten something.

E.g.1. Do your coat up! It’s freezing outside!
E.g.2. These trousers are too small – I can’t do them up!

This phrasal verb can be separated. This phrasal verb has more than one meaning

Definition: To follow someone around; or, the person who follows someone around.

E.g.1) You’re going to the new coffee shop? Do you mind if I tag along?
E.g.2) My little brother is such a tag along – he follows me everywhere I go!

Etymology: A ‘tag’ is a piece of paper that hangs from something – for example, there is a ‘tag’ on a new pair of pants to tell you how much they cost. ‘Along’ means ‘with’ or ‘beside’. So to ‘tag along’ means to go with somebody but to follow their lead, to ‘hang’ on them as they go about their business.

Definition: to begin to work or study very hard, usually after a period of not working or studying.

E.g.1. You’ve had a nice holiday, but now it’s time to knuckle down.

E.g.2. If you don’t knuckle down to some hard work soon, you’ll be out of a job!

This phrasal verb can’t be separated.

Definition: to move your body so that you are sitting, standing or lying on something. (opposite: get off)

E.g.1. She got on her motorbike and started the engine.
E.g.2. The children got on the bed and started jumping up and down.

This phrasal verb can’t be separated. This phrasal verb has more than one meaning.

Definition: to move from a higher position to a lower position.

E.g.1. Some people who ride sports bikes try to get their knee down while they are going round corners. They feel that scraping their knee on the road proves that they are good, fast riders.
E.g.2. You shouldn’t be standing on that table! Get down!

This phrasal verb has more than one meaning. This phrasal verb can be separated.

Definition: to discover more about something, and possibly do something about it.

E.g.1. The witness gave us a lot of information. Have you followed it up yet?
E.g.2. I followed up an advertisement I got by e-mail, and now my computer doesn’t work properly.

This phrasal verb can be separated.

Definition: to start smoking a cigarette, cigar or pipe by lighting it.

E.g.1. When I was a student, one of my teachers used to light up his pipe before beginning the lesson.
E.g.2. He stood in a shop doorway and lit up a cigarette.

This verb has more than one meaning. This phrasal verb can be separated.

Definition: to destroy or remove something or someone completely.

E.g.1. The huge wave wiped out houses, roads and fields.
E.g.2. Whole villages were wiped out.

This phrasal verb can be separated. This verb has more than one meaning

Definition: To sell very quickly; a characteristic of a popular product.

Example:

1) My new book, “How to Make Millions in the Slang Business,” is selling like hotcakes!
2) The new Pokemon game sold like hotcakes.

Etymology: A ‘hotcake’ is a pancake — flour and egg and milk cooked in hot pan. It’s not clear why ‘hotcakes’ are used as a model of popularity and high demand. It’s probably because hotcakes taste best when they are fresh and hot, so when someone is cooking ‘hotcakes’ you have to run to get them as they’re coming off the stove. Slang

Definition: An informant; one who discloses secret or vital information.

Example: The police would never have found him if a stool pigeon hadn’t revealed his hiding place.

Etymology: Gangsters in New York started using this phrase in the 1920s. Earlier, in the 1800s, hunters would attach a pigeon (a kind of bird) to a stool (or stand) to act as a decoy, so that other birds would come close and could then be killed. The ’stool pigeon’ was used to deceive other birds. Among criminals, the ’stool pigeon’ is the one who is actually working for the police, deceiving the other criminals.

Synonyms: snitch

Definition: to deliberately avoid discussing something. (This verb has more than one meaning)

Definition: Prison, particularly a maximum security federal prison (or jail).

Example: After he got caught robbing a bank, Ted was sent to the big house for 20 years.

Etymology: A ‘house’ is where people live, and a prison is quite large (or ‘big’), home to hundreds of criminals. This phrase became popular in the early 1900’s, when organized crime and large scale prisons developed in the United States.

Synonyms: up the river, under glass, behind bars

Phrasal Verbs' Blog