shore up reserves
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phrasal-verb

shore up reserves

Meaning
to strengthen or support financial reserves
Example
The central bank moved to **shore up reserves** by buying foreign currency.
phrasal-verb

build trust with

Meaning
to strengthen confidence between people
Example
Leaders **build trust with** teams by sharing progress early.
phrasal-verb

pick up pace

Meaning
to increase speed or progress
Example
The global economy is starting to **pick up pace** after the slowdown.
idiom

talk over someone's head

Meaning
to speak in a way that someone cannot understand
Example
The professor was **talking over our heads** during the lecture.
phrasal-verb

drop in

Meaning
to visit someone casually without prior arrangement
Example
My neighbors often **drop in** for coffee in the evening.
idiom

put someone in their place

Meaning
to show someone that they are not as important as they think
Example
She **put him in his place** when he tried to act superior.
phrasal-verb

focus on improvement

Meaning
to give attention to becoming better at something
Example
Every student should **focus on improvement** rather than perfection.
idiom

empty nest

Meaning
a home where the children have grown up and left
Example
After her kids moved out, she felt the **empty nest** syndrome.
phrasal-verb

book up

Meaning
to reserve all available places or tickets
Example
All the hotels were **booked up** weeks before the holiday.
phrasal-verb

pick apart from

Meaning
to separate or distinguish from others
Example
It’s hard to **pick her apart from** her twin sister.
idiom

window shopping

Meaning
looking at things in shops without buying them
Example
We went **window shopping** at the mall yesterday.
idiom

lose your train of thought

Meaning
to forget what you were thinking or saying
Example
I **lost my train of thought** when the phone rang.
idiom

hand off to

Meaning
to transfer responsibility or control to someone else
Example
I’ll **hand this off to** the design team tomorrow.
phrasal-verb

point inside

Meaning
to indicate something within an area or container
Example
He **pointed inside** the box to show the contents.
idiom

bring to the table

Meaning
to contribute something useful or valuable
Example
Each team member **brings something unique to the table**.
idiom

get in shape

Meaning
to become fit through exercise
Example
He started jogging every morning to **get in shape**.
phrasal-verb

see to

Meaning
to make sure something is done; to take care of something
Example
I’ll **see to** it that the documents are ready on time.
idiom

speak one’s mind

Meaning
to say exactly what one thinks
Example
She always **speaks her mind**, even if it offends people.
phrasal-verb

turn within

Meaning
to focus on your inner world to find peace or answers
Example
He chose to **turn within** instead of blaming others.
idiom

a gift from the heavens

Meaning
a blessing or something very special
Example
Her support during the tough times was **a gift from the heavens**.
idiom

put the pieces together

Meaning
to understand or solve something by combining information
Example
After examining the data, the engineer **put the pieces together**.
phrasal-verb

tie to

Meaning
to connect closely with something
Example
Many local festivals are **tied to** historical events.
phrasal-verb

back down from demands

Meaning
to withdraw from a position or demand in a conflict
Example
The union refused to **back down from demands** for higher wages.
phrasal-verb

keep moving

Meaning
to continue progressing without giving up
Example
Even when life gets tough, you must **keep moving**.
idiom

keep your cool

Meaning
to stay calm under stress or provocation
Example
Even in emergencies, he always **keeps his cool**.
idiom

stoic calm

Meaning
to remain calm in difficult or stressful situations
Example
Even during the crisis, she maintained **stoic calm**.
phrasal-verb

build upon trust

Meaning
to strengthen relationships by relying on mutual trust
Example
A successful team must **build upon trust** to work efficiently.
idiom

high-risk, high-reward

Meaning
situations or decisions that involve a lot of risks but also offer the potential for great rewards
Example
Investing in emerging markets can be **high-risk, high-reward**, but the returns are worth it.
idiom

the balance of power

Meaning
a situation in which power is distributed among nations to prevent dominance by one
Example
The UN aims to maintain **the balance of power** among major nations.
idiom

big-hearted

Meaning
very kind and generous
Example
He is known as a **big-hearted** man.
phrasal-verb

open up inside

Meaning
to become emotionally available to yourself and recognize your true emotions
Example
When he learned to **open up inside**, he finally stopped hiding his pain.
idiom

aim high

Meaning
to set challenging and ambitious goals
Example
Always **aim high** if you want to achieve greatness.
idiom

user journey

Meaning
the complete experience a user has with a brand or product
Example
Mapping the **user journey** helps improve customer satisfaction.
idiom

face a system error

Meaning
to experience a sudden failure or breakdown
Example
Our plans **faced a system error** when the deal was canceled.
phrasal-verb

run across

Meaning
to find or meet something or someone by chance
Example
I **ran across** an interesting article online.
idiom

push the right buttons

Meaning
to do exactly what is needed to get a desired result
Example
She knows how to **push the right buttons** to impress her boss.
idiom

burned out

Meaning
completely exhausted or tired due to overwork
Example
After months of overtime, she felt **burned out**.
idiom

out of the picture

Meaning
no longer involved or relevant
Example
After the gallery closed, the curator was **out of the picture**.
idiom

a weight on your shoulders

Meaning
a heavy burden or responsibility causing stress
Example
Running the company alone is **a weight on his shoulders**.
phrasal-verb

press toward achievement

Meaning
to put effort and determination into reaching goals
Example
He continues to **press toward achievement** no matter the difficulties.
phrasal-verb

draw everyone in

Meaning
to involve all members actively in a discussion or activity
Example
The facilitator tried to **draw everyone in** during the brainstorming session.
phrasal-verb

deal with customs

Meaning
to handle procedures for importing or exporting goods
Example
Exporters must **deal with customs** regulations carefully.
phrasal-verb

set priorities

Meaning
to decide which tasks or goals are most important
Example
You must **set priorities** to reach your long-term goals.
phrasal-verb

open dialogue with

Meaning
to start conversations or discussions with another culture or group
Example
The organization aims to **open dialogue with** minority communities.
phrasal-verb

pass around

Meaning
to distribute or share something among people
Example
They **passed around** the trophy for everyone to see.
idiom

in the black

Meaning
making a profit; financially stable
Example
Our company is finally **in the black** after two years.
phrasal-verb

hedge against

Meaning
to protect oneself against potential loss or risk
Example
Many investors **hedge against** market volatility by diversifying their portfolios.
idiom

head off

Meaning
to prevent something from happening
Example
Early communication can **head off** most misunderstandings.
phrasal-verb

live within your means

Meaning
to spend less money than you earn
Example
It's important to **live within your means** to avoid debt.
idiom

make up

Meaning
to reconcile after an argument or fight
Example
They always **make up** after small arguments.
phrasal-verb

pave the way for

Meaning
to create conditions that make something possible
Example
Her strong performance **paved the way for** her promotion.
idiom

Failure is the mother of success

Meaning
Success often comes after learning from failures.
Example
Don’t worry about failing; **failure is the mother of success**.
idiom

blow up in your face

Meaning
a plan or situation that suddenly goes wrong and causes trouble
Example
His plan to impress the boss **blew up in his face**.
idiom

Two heads are better than one

Meaning
Working together gives better results.
Example
**Two heads are better than one**, let’s solve it together.
phrasal-verb

lash out with frustration

Meaning
to suddenly express anger or frustration
Example
He **lashed out with frustration** after failing the exam.
idiom

butter wouldn’t melt in their mouth

Meaning
someone who looks innocent but might not be
Example
She looks so sweet—**butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth**.
idiom

taste of success

Meaning
to experience success for the first time
Example
After years of struggle, he finally got a **taste of success**.
idiom

put words in someone’s mouth

Meaning
to say someone said something they did not
Example
Don’t **put words in my mouth**—I never said that!
idiom

miss the point

Meaning
to fail to understand the main idea
Example
You completely **missed the point** of my argument.
idiom

groundbreaking discovery

Meaning
a discovery that changes understanding in a field
Example
The new vaccine was a **groundbreaking discovery** in medicine.
phrasal-verb

step forward with

Meaning
to take initiative in offering help or leadership
Example
Several countries **stepped forward with** humanitarian aid.
phrasal-verb

balance against

Meaning
to compare one factor with another to maintain equilibrium
Example
The government must **balance** public spending **against** revenue collection.
phrasal-verb

network with

Meaning
to make professional or social connections with others
Example
She actively **networks with** leaders from different countries.
phrasal-verb

level off at

Meaning
to stop increasing or decreasing and stay at a steady level
Example
After a sharp rise, GDP growth **leveled off at** around 6%.
idiom

leave a legacy

Meaning
to create something that lasts and benefits others after you are gone
Example
He worked hard all his life to **leave a legacy** for his children.
phrasal-verb

look around for

Meaning
to search or explore for something nearby
Example
Let’s **look around for** a good restaurant before we leave the city.
phrasal-verb

turn into

Meaning
to become something different
Example
Over time, the small shop **turned into** a large supermarket.
phrasal-verb

grow back

Meaning
to regrow after being cut or destroyed
Example
The forest will take years to **grow back** after the fire.
idiom

take the stage

Meaning
to begin performing or speaking publicly
Example
The new actor will **take the stage** for the first time tonight.
idiom

keep an eye out

Meaning
to watch for something or someone carefully
Example
Can you **keep an eye out** for my package while I'm away?
idiom

Fashion victim

Meaning
Someone who follows fashion trends blindly
Example
He's such a **fashion victim**—he buys every new style that comes out.
idiom

Get down to brass tacks

Meaning
To start discussing the essential or most important aspects of a matter.
Example
Let’s **get down to brass tacks** and talk about the real issues.
phrasal-verb

learn to live with

Meaning
to accept a mistake or flaw that cannot be changed
Example
Sometimes you just have to **learn to live with** your past mistakes.
phrasal-verb

come into

Meaning
to receive money or property, usually by inheritance
Example
He **came into** a large sum of money after his uncle passed away.
phrasal-verb

check inside

Meaning
to examine your thoughts or motives before reacting
Example
Always **check inside** before you respond in anger.
idiom

cry one’s eyes out

Meaning
to cry a lot; to weep uncontrollably
Example
She **cried her eyes out** after watching that sad movie.
idiom

A truth universally acknowledged

Meaning
A widely accepted truth or belief.
Example
**A truth universally acknowledged** is that honesty is important.
phrasal-verb

rope in for

Meaning
to persuade someone to join an activity
Example
They **roped me in for** the weekend volunteer drive.
phrasal-verb

pencil in

Meaning
to arrange something temporarily
Example
Can we **pencil in** the meeting for Friday morning?
idiom

catch lightning in a bottle

Meaning
to achieve something amazing and rare through creativity or luck
Example
Their new design **caught lightning in a bottle**.
phrasal-verb

cut expenses

Meaning
to lower the total amount of money spent
Example
He managed to **cut expenses** by cooking at home instead of eating out.
phrasal-verb

spark off ideas

Meaning
to trigger or inspire new creative thoughts
Example
The workshop helped **spark off ideas** for future projects.
phrasal-verb

take off with

Meaning
to become successful quickly
Example
Their new app **took off with** millions of downloads in the first week.
idiom

fear the unknown

Meaning
to be afraid of things you don’t understand or haven’t experienced
Example
Many people **fear the unknown** when starting something new.
phrasal-verb

ask around about

Meaning
to ask several people for information about something
Example
He’s been **asking around about** the new manager.
phrasal-verb

trade off between

Meaning
to balance two opposing things or priorities
Example
Nations often **trade off between** protecting local industries and promoting free trade.
phrasal-verb

turn to

Meaning
to approach someone for advice or help
Example
When I need feedback, I usually **turn to** my supervisor.
phrasal-verb

base on

Meaning
to use something as a foundation or starting point
Example
The conclusion is **based on** reliable evidence.
idiom

push the algorithm

Meaning
to test the limits or performance of an AI system
Example
The engineers wanted to **push the algorithm** further to improve accuracy.
idiom

Unicorn company

Meaning
A startup valued at over one billion dollars.
Example
Becoming a **unicorn company** is every founder’s dream.
idiom

pass along

Meaning
to share information or items with someone else
Example
Could you **pass along** the agenda to the interns?
idiom

automate the process

Meaning
to make a process operate automatically using technology
Example
We need to **automate the process** to save time and cost.
idiom

hit a home run

Meaning
to achieve great success
Example
The new marketing campaign really **hit a home run** with its audience.
idiom

make it happen

Meaning
take action to achieve something
Example
Stop dreaming and **make it happen**.
phrasal-verb

call off

Meaning
to cancel something
Example
We had to **call off** the meeting because the manager was sick.
phrasal-verb

recover lost ground

Meaning
to regain previous progress or position after a decline
Example
The stock market quickly **recovered lost ground** after the policy announcement.
phrasal-verb

join hands for

Meaning
to unite and cooperate for a common cause
Example
People from different backgrounds **joined hands for** peace.
idiom

take a nosedive

Meaning
to decline suddenly and dramatically
Example
The company's stock **took a nosedive** after the scandal.
idiom

Move fast and break things

Meaning
To innovate quickly, even if mistakes happen along the way.
Example
Our CEO encourages us to **move fast and break things** to stay ahead of competitors.
phrasal-verb

come through with

Meaning
to produce or achieve something that was promised or expected
Example
The company finally **came through with** the funding they had promised.
idiom

ace a test

Meaning
to do extremely well on a test
Example
He studied hard and managed to **ace the test**.
idiom

have nerves of steel

Meaning
to be very brave and calm under pressure
Example
A firefighter must **have nerves of steel** to face danger every day.
idiom

have butterflies in your stomach

Meaning
to feel very nervous about something
Example
She always **has butterflies in her stomach** before exams.
idiom

Clean hands

Meaning
To be innocent or free from guilt.
Example
He claims to have **clean hands** in the scandal.
phrasal-verb

cheer forward

Meaning
to encourage someone to continue with confidence or hope
Example
Let’s **cheer forward** our team even if they’re losing!
phrasal-verb

keep pushing

Meaning
to continue making an effort despite obstacles
Example
Even when life gets tough, keep **pushing** forward.
idiom

much obliged

Meaning
used to express thanks politely
Example
I'm **much obliged** for your help today.
idiom

make yourself at home

Meaning
to feel comfortable and relaxed as if you were at home
Example
Please **make yourself at home** while I get the tea.
idiom

phishing

Meaning
A method of trying to gather personal information using deceptive emails, websites, or other communications.
Example
He received an email that looked legitimate, but it was actually a **phishing** attempt.
idiom

warm-hearted

Meaning
kind and sympathetic
Example
She is a **warm-hearted** person who cares for everyone.
idiom

enter stage left

Meaning
to appear or arrive dramatically in a situation
Example
Just when things got complicated, **enter stage left**—our new competitor!
phrasal-verb

flip over

Meaning
to turn upside down accidentally
Example
The car **flipped over** after hitting a pothole.
phrasal-verb

turn up the music

Meaning
to increase the volume of music
Example
They **turned up the music** when everyone started dancing.
idiom

talk shop

Meaning
to talk about work or business during leisure time
Example
Even at dinner, they started to **talk shop**.
phrasal-verb

point toward

Meaning
to indicate or suggest a future possibility
Example
Recent studies **point toward** a rise in electric mobility.
idiom

make ends meet

Meaning
to earn enough money to live on
Example
He works two jobs to **make ends meet**.
idiom

throw a wrench in the works

Meaning
to cause a problem that stops progress
Example
The last-minute design change **threw a wrench in the works**.
idiom

break into

Meaning
to enter a new field or profession successfully
Example
She managed to **break into** the film industry last year.
phrasal-verb

go down with

Meaning
to catch an illness, especially one that is not serious
Example
Several students **went down with** food poisoning.
idiom

Catwalk queen

Meaning
A woman who is very confident and stylish, like a model
Example
She walked into the room like a **catwalk queen**.
idiom

keep your mind on

Meaning
to stay focused on a task or goal
Example
If you **keep your mind on** your studies, you’ll do well.