Commonly used english part 78 pptx

set up something - to establish something, to provide the money for something The newspaper company provided the money to set up the new travel magazine.. set up shop somewhere- to estab

set (something) off

- to decorate something through contrast, to balance something by difference

We painted the trim of our house red in order to set off the light colors

set (something) off

- to cause something to explode

The fire set off a large explosion on the ship

set (something) right

- to correct something, to make something more fair

The man made an effort to set things right between himself and his brother

set (something) to music

- to write a piece of music that is related to some written material

The composer has worked hard to set many great stories to music

set the pace

- to decide on a rate of speed to do something that others will follow

The manager of the factory sets the pace for the employees under him

set the stage for (something)

- to prepare for something

The win by our team set the stage for a great final championship game next month

set the table

set the world on fire

- to do something outstanding, to do something that makes one famous

The author has not been able to set the world on fire with his writing but he is trying very hard

set tongues wagging

- to start people to start gossiping

The actions of the supervisor set tongues wagging around our office

set type

- to arrange type for printing

The small printing company worked all night to set type for the local paper

set up (someone)

- to put someone in a position to be manipulated

I do not believe that I lost the money honestly I believe that someone set me up

set up (something)

- to establish something, to provide the money for something

The newspaper company provided the money to set up the new travel magazine The company set up a situation to test the new product

set up (something)

- to make something ready to use by putting the parts together

After we set up the gas barbecue we were able to cook dinner

set up shop (somewhere)

- to establish one's place of work somewhere

The small fire alarm company decided to set up shop in the suburbs of the city

set upon (someone or something)

- to attack someone or something violently

The three young boys set upon the man on the city bus

.

settle Idioms

settle a score with (someone)

- to retaliate against someone, to pay someone back for a past wrong

My boss is trying to settle a score with one of my co-workers for something that happened several years ago

settle down

- to calm down

The baby finally settled down and went to sleep

settle down

- to begin to live a quiet/stable life

settle for (something)

- to be satisfied with less than you want, to agree to accept something as a second choice

I settled for less than I originally wanted but still I am happy with my new contract at work

settle on (something)

- to decide on something

We finally settled on the fish dinner at the restaurant

settle (someone's) affairs

- to deal with one's business matters, to manage the affairs of someone who cannot manage them

It was very difficult for my friend to settle his father's affairs after he passed away

settle (something) out of court

- to settle a disagreement without having to go through a court of justice

The company was able to settle their lawsuit out of court

settle up with (someone)

- to pay someone what one owes

I settled up with my friend before he left to work overseas

setup

- an arrangement, the details of a situation

My uncle has a very nice setup at his office

seventh heaven

- a state of intense delight

The girl has been in seventh heaven since she got the music award

sever ties with (someone)

- to end a relationship or agreement with someone or something

The large company decided to sever ties with the small advertising company

sew (something) up

- to complete or secure something

The candidate for the nomination sewed up his victory last week

shack up with (someone)

- to live with someone in a relationship without marrying him or her

When my sister was younger she shacked up with her boyfriend for a couple of years

shades of (someone or something)

- a reminder of someone or something

shadow of oneself/itself

- someone or something that is not as strong/healthy/lively as before

The professional boxer was a shadow of his former self

shake Idioms

shake a leg

- to go fast, to hurry

"You will have to shake a leg if you want to arrive at the movie on time."

shake (hands) on (something)

- to shake the hand of someone as a sign of agreement about something

I shook hands on the agreement that I had to take on more responsibility at work

shake hands with (someone)

- to shake the hand of someone to greet them

I shook hands with my neighbor when I first met him

shake/quake in one's boots

- to be afraid, to shake from fear

The little boy was shaking in his boots when the large dog approached him

shake off an illness

- to become well/healthy again

My friend is unable to shake off her illness and cannot come to the party

shake off (someone or something)

- to get rid of someone or something that is bothering you

I was able to shake off my cold after a weekend of resting in bed

shake (someone) down

- to get money by threatening someone

The gangsters shook the small shop owners down to get some money

shake up (someone)

- to shock or upset someone

The change in policies shook up many people in the company

shake up (something)

- to reorganize something, to reorganize a group of people

The president decided to shake up the company in order to bring new energy into the organization

.

shaken up

- to be bothered or disturbed

I was shaken up after I heard about the fire at our apartment building

shape up

shape up or ship out

- to either improve one's performance or leave

The new employee was told to shape up or ship out when his performance was not equal to the other members of the staff

share and share alike

- have/get equal shares of something

We always share and share alike when we are on a camping trip

share (someone's) pain

- to understand and sympathize with someone's pain or discomfort

I tried hard to share my friend's pain after his father died

share (someone's) sorrow

- to grieve as someone else grieves

The neighbors shared the sorrow of the family who lost their house in a fire

shed crocodile tears

- to pretend that one is crying

The man pretended to apologize for his actions but he was only shedding crocodile tears

shed some light on (something)

- to reveal something about something

The speech of the politician did not shed any light on the scandal that he was involved

in

shell out money

- to pay money

I shelled out much money for the new stereo

shine up to (someone)

- to try to please someone, to try to make friends with someone

He is always shining up to his boss in the hopes of getting an increase in salary

shipping and handling

- the costs of handling a product and transporting it

The cost of shipping and handling for some goods that are bought over the Internet are very high

ships that pass in the night

- people who meet briefly by chance but are unlikely to meet again

We were like two ships that pass in the night and I do not think that I will ever see that person again

shirk one's duty

- to neglect one's job or task

The guard was shirking his duty when he spent much of the evening playing cards

the shoe is on the other foot

- the opposite is true, the places are changed

The shoe is on the other foot now that my neighbor has to deal with the same

problems that we must deal with

a shoo-in

- someone or something that is expected to win, a sure winner

The university president is a shoo-in to win another term in office

shook up

- to be upset, to be worried

Our secretary was shook up after the accident and has not been back to work since

shoot Idioms

shoot for (something)

- to attempt to do something, to aim toward a goal

I was shooting for the local spelling championship before I could go on to a higher level

shoot from the hip

- to speak directly and frankly, to fire a gun that is at one's side

The man often shoots from the hip and gets into trouble over what he says

shoot one's mouth off

- to boast or talk too much

The boy was shooting his mouth off about his ability in sports

shoot one`s wad

- to spend all of one`s money, to say everything that is on one`s mind

My friend shot his wad at a casino while on vacation last winter