A
Don’t mess around/mess up with your food! Just eat it.
I had a good time today. Let’s lounge around/hang around again next week! (= go out)
hang around
You did a good job last month. Keep up/Keep on the good work!
keep up
Let’s call off/put off our meeting to next week. John is sick today.
put off
Sorry I cut you just now, please go on/carry on with what you wanted to say.
go on
Is it always useful to mull over/mess around/speak out difficult issues with other people?
mull over
When faced with many possible truths, how can we call out/narrow down/speed up our options to one?
narrow down
How do you carry on/think back/find out if a journalist or other writer is telling the truth?
find out
Cast your mind back/Narrow down/Talk over to your childhood. Who taught you your most important lessons?
cast your mind back
Sometimes you should stand out/call out/speak out if you disagree with your boss.
speak out
If you have a problem wit your husband, you should talk it …
talk over
Things are looking …: sales have improved.
look up
They killed … my proposal because it was too expensive.
kill off
Those children are too excited – they need to calm …
calm down
Even though he was exhausted, he soldiered … and reached the top of the hill.
soldier on
Please tidy … your stuff – it’s all over the floor!
tidy away
She was well behaved for a few days but now she’s slipped … to her old ways.
slip back
Those boys are always lounging … doing nothing!
lounge around
Don’t just stand … and do nothing. Help your mother with the grocery.
stand around
The problem boils … to one thing - lack of money.
boil down
I bought some new curtains for my bedroom to jazz it …
jazz up
We mulled … the candidates and narrowed them … to a shortlist of three.
mull over, narrow down
The government cracked … on illegal immigration because the situation couldn’t go …
crack down, go on
I don’t think the weather’s going to brighten … before the match starts. Perhaps we should call it …
brighten up, call off
I’ve thought it …, and I’m not going to accept this job.
think over