Daily Idioms And Phrasal Verbs Form The Hindu: 23-08-2017

1: Take a stand

Meaning: Adopt a firm position about an issue
Example: To smoothen the process of merger of the two AIADMK factions, the camp led by chief minister Edapadi k. Palaniswami is expected to take a stand against AIADMK (AMMA) interim general secretary V.K.Sasikala at a meeting at the party headquarters on Monday

2: Blew the lid off

Meaning: to make public something that was previously not known or was hidden
Example: Former DIG of Prisons D. Roopa, who blew the lid off the special treatment meted out to prisoners, including Sasikala submitted the footage taken from the CCTV recording of the central prison complex, as part of her statement to the ACB.

3: Run over

Meaning: to hit someone or something with a vehicle and drive over them, to practise what you are going to say in a speech, performance etc
Example: Senior Railway Ministry officials told that welding work was underway near the Khatauli railway station in Uttar Pradesh, leaving a portion of the track without rails when the Utkal Express ran over it and derailed, as per the prima facie investigation

4: Gearing up

Meaning: to prepare yourself, or to prepare something for an activity or event.
Example: With the home-stretch in sight, the leading contenders headed by Swapnil Dhopade are gearing up for a powerful finish in the National Challengers chess championship here.

5: Pinned back

Meaning: to hold something back by pinning
Example: The 26-year-old Spaniard struck the winner with less than three minutes remaining in an impressive show of character by Chelsea after it had been pinned back when substitute Michy Batshuayi headed into his own net eight minutes from time

6: Part ways

Meaning: to leave each other, to depart from someone
Example: After failing to defend their Los Cabos title last month. Purav Raja and Divji Sharan fell 15 places each in the ATP rankings and the pair decided to part ways heading to the US OPEN.

7: Hogging the limelight

Meaning: making oneself the center of attention to the exclusion of others
Example: Over the past few years, the Indian presence in the men’s singles has been growing steadily. Initially, women players hogged the limelight due to Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu winning titles. Now Srikanth, Prannoy, Sai Praneeth and I are doing pretty well on the world stage.

8: Drowning out

Meaning: to make it impossible to hear something
Example: The hyper-charged crowds were only too happy to comply and shouted back, “Bharat Mata ki Jai”, drowning out the Pakistani “attack

9: Wind down

Meaning: gradually lose power
Example: Seventy years after 1947, it’s time to wind down the choreographed hostility at the India-Pakistan border

10: Bury the hatchet

Meaning: end a quarrel or conflict and become friendly
Example: AIADMK factions bury the hatchet

11: Put off

Meaning: delay doing something
Example: Amit Shah's 3 day trip to TN that was to begin on Tuesday was cancelled on Monday , the second time in less than four months that the BJP president has put off his visit to the state

12: To feel under the weather

Meaning: to not feel well
Example: I’m really feeling under the weather today; I have a terrible cold and fever