brush up

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brush up

I need to brush up on my Spanish before the trip.

Definition

Verb (transitive and intransitive): 1. To refresh or improve one's knowledge or skill in a particular area: To practice or study something again in order to regain or improve proficiency that may have been forgotten or become rusty. 2. To make neat, clean, or tidy: To give something a quick cleaning or grooming to improve its appearance. (This meaning is less common for the phrasal verb itself and is often implied through the base word 'brush').

Usage and Examples
  • Verb (refresh knowledge/skill):
    • I need to brush up my Spanish before my trip to Madrid.
    • She's brushing up on her coding skills for the new job.
    • He decided to brush up on the rules before the tournament.
Advanced Usage
  • The phrasal verb is often used with the preposition "on" when referring to a subject or skill: .
  • It implies a process of renewal or re-acquaintance rather than learning something completely new from the beginning.
  • It can be used in a professional context (e.g., brushing up on industry standards) or a personal one (e.g., brushing up on a hobby).
Variants and Related Words
  • Brush-up (noun): An act or instance of refreshing one's knowledge or skill.
    • I took a quick French brush-up course.
  • Polish up: A near-synonymous phrasal verb meaning to improve or perfect a skill.
  • Refresh: To revive or renew knowledge or memory.
  • Review: To go over material again, especially for study.
Synonyms
  • Refresh (one's memory)
  • Review
  • Polish up
  • Reacquaint oneself with
  • Bone up on (informal)
Phrasal Verbs
  • Brush up is itself a phrasal verb. Its structure is separable, but it is very commonly used with "on" as a prepositional phrase: .
    • Separable: I brushed my German up before the meeting. / I brushed up my German before the meeting.
    • With preposition: I brushed up on my German before the meeting.
Related Idioms
  • To brush up against: This is a different phrasal verb meaning to touch something lightly or briefly in passing, or to have a brief encounter with an idea or experience.
    • The cat brushed up against my leg.
    • During his travels, he brushed up against many different cultures.
brush up

I need to brush up on my Spanish before the trip.

Verb
  1. bring to a highly developed, finished, or refined state
    • polish your social manners
  2. refresh one's memory
    • I reviewed the material before the test

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Từ chứa "brush up"