This lesson covers 30 C2 phrasal verbs on Work & Careers. At Proficiency you must distinguish particles that change meaning subtly and match register across formal and informal contexts. Complete the runner, then use the glossary below to consolidate each verb. Detailed explanations appear in Review mode once you finish the set.
run around/round after sb
informal to do a lot of things for someone else, especially when they should be able to do more for themselves
She is always running around after colleagues who should help themselves.
beaver away
informal to work hard at something for a long time, especially something you are writing
He beavered away at the report until it was finished.
jazz up sth or jazz sth up
to make something more attractive or interesting
The designer jazzed up the report with clear graphics.
sign up sb or sign sb up
to arrange for someone to sign a document stating that they will work for you
The company signed up three new interns for the summer.
knuckle down
to start to work or study hard, especially if you have not been working very hard before
It is time to knuckle down and finish the report.
cobble together sth or cobble sth together
to make something quickly and not very carefully
The team cobbled together a presentation the night before.
fling yourself into
to start to spend a lot of your time and energy doing something
She flung herself into the new project with enthusiasm.
lockout n
when workers are prevented from entering their place of work until they agree to particular conditions given by the employer
The lockout prevented staff from entering the factory.
give up (sth/doing sth) or give (sth) up
to stop doing an activity or piece of work before you have completed it, usually because it is too difficult
He gave up the job because the workload was too stressful.
dive in/into sth
to start doing something suddenly without thinking about it
She dived into the new role without overthinking it.
pass over sb or pass sb over
to not give someone a job or a higher position and give it to someone else who is younger or less experienced
They passed the experienced candidate over in favour of a younger applicant.
resign yourself to sth
to accept that something we do not want to happen will happen
He resigned himself to working late to meet the deadline.
test out sth or test sth out
to test a theory or new idea by seeing how it works in a practical situation or by finding out what other people think of it
The team tested out the new process before using it widely.
cream off sb or cream sb off
to separate the cleverest or most skilful people from a group and treat them differently
The company creams off the most talented trainees for its fast-track scheme.
plug away
informal to work hard at something for a long time
He plugged away at the difficult assignment for weeks.
call out sb or call sb out
to order workers to strike (= to refuse to work because of an argument with an employer)
The union called the workers out over the pay dispute.
have off sth or have sth off
to spend time away from work
He has a day off next Friday.
be going round in circles
to use a lot of time and effort with no results
The committee was going round in circles instead of making a decision.
be snowed under
informal to have so much work that you have problems dealing with it
The assistant was snowed under with urgent emails.
slog away
informal to keep working very hard, usually for a long time
They slogged away until the report was ready.
boss about/around sb or boss sb about/around
to tell people what they should do all the time
The supervisor kept bossing the interns around.
hand in sth or hand sth in
to tell your boss officially that you do not want to do your job anymore
She handed in her notice after accepting another offer.
walkout n
when workers stop working because of a disagreement with their employer
The walkout shut the factory for two days.
set in
if something unpleasant sets in, it begins and seems likely to continue
A period of uncertainty set in after the merger.
fallback adj
a fallback position is something you use when other things have failed, or when there are no other choices
The team prepared a fallback plan in case the first option failed.
preside over sth
formal to be in charge of an event or situation and have official responsibility for it
The director presided over the annual staff meeting.
pack in sth or pack sth in
informal to stop doing something, especially a job
She packed in her job to start her own business.
take on sth or take sth on
to accept a particular job or responsibility and begin to do what is needed
She took on extra responsibility during the busy period.
farm out sth or farm sth out
to give work to other people instead of doing it yourself
The manager farmed out the design work to an external agency.
ease off/up
to start to work less or to do things with less energy
The pace eased off after the busy season.