Phrasal verbs for small talk

1. I was called in (= asked to do something) by my boss.

2. I need to catch up (=do something that should be done) with my
emails.
3. We are putting in (give) hours and hours.
4. They won’t give up (=abandon) their demands.
5. We shouldn’t give in (=surrender) to bully tactics. Ne mozemo se
predate pred nasilnickom taktikom
6. Do you think they picked up (=receive) the message?
7. I will need to get back to you (=reply) on that.
8. Can we work something out (=agree) here? Mozemo li postici dogovor
ovde?
9. I agreed to step in (=take their place) for my boss.
10. You need to run this by (=tell) the client.
11. Who set this up (=arranged)?
12. My colleague said they would put in a good word (say something
positive) for me.
13. That team always stick up for (=support) each other.
14. I don’t know who to turn to (=get help from). Ne znam kome da
se obratim.
15. You can always count on (=depend on) me.

Imagine your clients have been asked to attend a meeting either in

person or via a conference call…
The date and time is set and they put it (= schedule it) in your diary.
Occasionally, they need to bring forward (=make it earlier) the time of the
meeting to suit everyone. They then get a call from a colleague to say
that something has come up (=happened) and they decide the meeting
has to be put back (=postponed) to another day. No problem. In a way
they’re quite relieved because they have a mountain of things to do and
they were worried that they might have had to call off (=cancel) the
meeting anyway. During the meeting, they have a number of issues they
need to raise and deal with (=manage). They may have outlined the
items in an agenda that they’ve circulated to everyone beforehand. With
some issues, they may have to weigh up (=think carefully about) their
advantages and disadvantages before taking action. This could take a
while and they might encourage their colleagues to join in (=participate)
the discussion. Sometimes they need to look into (=to
investigate/research) a matter before taking a final decision. If that’s the
case, they might note down (=write) all the points raised during the
meeting to help themselves. Some people don’t like to be interrupted
when they’re talking, while others don’t mind if someone steps
in (=interrupt) with their point of view. I have had times when I’ve had
to cut in (=interrupt) especially when I thought that a colleague
was going on (=continuing without stopping) about something truly
 unimportant. There is always someone in a meeting who just
keeps rabbiting on (=talking too much about something that’s
uninteresting) about some subject that no one else is interested in. So, I
often tell my colleagues that we need to press on (=continue) with the
other items in the agenda. After all, there’s nothing worse than having a
meeting that drags on (=continues for far too long), is there?!

Branch out - Meaning: Expand or extend one’s interests

 Example: I’m leaving the company to branch out on my own.
Break into - Meaning: Enter (with effort or force), probity se
 Example: It’s always been his ambition to break into broadcasting.
Carry on - Meaning: Continue
 Example: He moved to New York to carry on his work.
Close down - Meaning: Stop operating
 Example: The firm has decided to close down its Chicago branch.
Look forward to - Meaning: Feel pleased and excited about something
that is going to happen
 Example: We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Note down - Meaning: Write something down
 Example: Her answers were noted down on the chart.
Step down - Meaning: Resign or leave (a position/job)
 Example: The chairman was forced to step down due to ill health.
Take off - Meaning: Become successful or popular very fast
 Example: Her business has really taken off.
Take up - Meaning: Fill a particular amount of space or time
 Example: These files take up a lot of disk space.
Weigh up (UK) - Meaning: Consider carefully the advantages or
disadvantages of a situation
 Example: I’m weighing up my options before I decide to apply for
the job.
Back up - Meaning: Make a copy of information
 Example: It’s a good idea to back up your files onto a memory stick.
Carry out - Meaning: Do and complete a task
 Example: The building work was carried out by a local contractor.
Come up - Meaning: Happen or arise
 Example: I’m going to have to cancel our meeting –
something’s come up.
Get on (UK) - Meaning: Continue or start doing something
 Example: Can we please get on, because there are a lot of things still
to discuss.
Keep up with - Meaning: Follow
 Example: We try to keep up with what’s happening about financial
news.
Set up - Meaning: Start (a business)
 Example: The group plans to set up an import business.
Go through - Meaning: Experience something bad
 Example: We can’t really imagine what our company’s going
through.
Find out - Meaning: Discover a fact or piece of information
 Example: Can you find out what our customers think of their local
bus service?
Call off - Meaning: Cancel something
 Example: With the weather worsening, they have called off their
field trip.
Call back - Meaning: To return a call or telephone someone again.
 Example: I’ll call you back when I’ve heard something about the
interview.
Deal with - Meaning: Handle (a problem)
 Example: He’s good at dealing with pressure.
Drop in - Meaning: Make a short visit without making an arrangement in
advance
 Example: Drop in whenever you want—I’ll be at the office all day.
Fill out - Meaning: Complete (a form)
 Example: It took me several hours to fill out the application form.
Hold on - Meaning: Wait
 Example: We’ll hold on another minute, then we’ll have to go.
Join in - Meaning: Participate
 Example: We would be eager to join in projects of that sort.
Lay off - Meaning: Fire (staff)
 Example: We have no plans in the immediate future to lay
off workers.
Put back - Meaning: Delay or postpone
 Example: The meeting has been put back to next week.
Run out of - Meaning: Have no more of something
 Example: Many companies are running out of money.
Sort out - Meaning: Organise or fix
 Example: We brought in a management consultant to sort out the
mess.
Take on - Meaning: Employ (staff)
 Example: We’re not taking on any new staff at the moment.
Take over - Meaning: To begin to have control of or responsibility for
something
 Example: He understands the business and can take over when I’m
away.
Bail out - Meaning: To rescue somebody from a difficult situation,
especially financial problems
 Example: The bank helped to bail out the struggling company.

Cut back - Meaning: To reduce something

 Example: In times of economic hardship, firms cut back on training.
Go under - Meaning: To become bankrupt
  Example: The firm will go under unless business improves.
Fall through - Meaning: If an agreement, plan, sale etc. falls through, it is
not completed successfully
 Example: The planned purchase of the racecourse fell through.
Pull out - Meaning: To move away from something or stop being involved
in it
 Example: The project became so expensive that we had to pull out.
Bottom out - Meaning: To stop getting worse
 Example: Property prices are still falling, and show no signs
of bottoming out.
Level off - Meaning: To stop rising or falling and become steady
 Example: Inflation has begun to level off.

 Once upon a time, in a small town, there was a talented chef named Carlos who
worked at a renowned restaurant. Carlos was ambitious and creative, but he felt
it was time to branch out and start his own restaurant. He had always dreamt of
creating a unique dining experience.

 Carlos decided to leave his current job to branch out on his own. He knew it
would be challenging to break into the competitive restaurant industry, but he
was determined. He spent months planning, researching, and weighing up his
options.

 Finally, after much hard work, Carlos managed to set up his new restaurant. The
grand opening was a huge success, and the business quickly started to take off.
Customers loved his innovative dishes and the cozy atmosphere of the place.

 However, after a few months, Carlos faced unexpected challenges. A major

supplier suddenly closed down its operations, causing a disruption in his supply
chain. Carlos had to deal with the problem quickly, finding new suppliers
and sorting out the mess.

 Despite these obstacles, Carlos carried on with his work, making sure to back
up his important business documents and recipes. He was always on the lookout
for ways to improve and keep up with the latest culinary trends.

 One day, a famous food critic visited Carlos's restaurant. The critic was so
impressed that he wrote a glowing review, which caused a surge in reservations.
Just as things were looking up, Carlos received a call from his mentor, informing
him of an exciting opportunity to open another branch in a nearby city.

 Although the thought of expansion thrilled him, Carlos needed to carefully weigh
up the pros and cons. After much consideration, he decided to go for it. He
began making plans, noting down all the necessary details, and setting up a
team to help manage the new location.
  During this busy time, Carlos's old workplace went through its own changes. The
chairman was forced to step down due to ill health, and the company struggled
to keep up with the competition. Eventually, they had to call off several projects
and lay off many employees.

 Back at Carlos's restaurant, something unexpected came up—a major event

was scheduled to be hosted there. They were thrilled, but it meant a lot more
work. Carlos's team had to fill out forms, sort out logistics, and put
back certain plans to accommodate the event.

 The event was a huge success, and Carlos's business continued to thrive. He
looked back at all he had gone through with a sense of pride and satisfaction. He
was excited about the future and looked forward to what new opportunities
would come his way.

 And thus, Carlos's journey of branching out led him to become not only a
successful chef but also a respected entrepreneur in the culinary world.

1. Aim for – to make it a goal or target.

 You need to aim for four more clients this month.
 Tim, could you please ask around and find out what causing this
problem?
3. Back up #1 – To make a copy of something to protect against loss.
 Please make sure to back up all your work each day on the company’s
server.
4. Back up #2 – To talk about an earlier point in a conversation.
 Let’s back up for a minute. You said earlier that the customer couldn’t
log in?
5. Bail out – to save from, or pull out of, failure/loss. (most often using money).
 In 2008-2009, the US government had to bail out many banks.
6. Bail out of – to leave quickly when unfinished. (see also: pull out)
 We had to bail out of the Sydney deal. We didn’t have the manpower
to complete it.
7. Bank on – to count on something or base plans on expecting it to
happen.
 The design team at Toyota were banking on the new Escobar line to
be a success.
8. Be snowed under – to have a lot or too much work to do.
 I am snowed under this week. Can we do it next week?
9. Booked out – when all tickets or spaces are already reserved or taken.
 Our business event is nearly booked out because of ticket pre-orders.
10. Branch out – to start something new that is similar and in addition
to what you have been doing.
 The electric car company, Tesla, is branching out into the motorcycle
industry.
11. Break down – to make something into smaller parts.
  We need to break down our sales process to see where we can
improve it.
12. Break into – to enter a new market (with effort).
 It’s tough to break into the beauty industry right now.
13. Bring forward – to move a deadline or agreed time closer to now.
 Do you mind if we bring our meeting forward to 3 o’clock?
14. Bring off – to successfully achieve something that is difficult to do.
 Tony promised two times more sales this March. Think he can bring it
off?
15. Bring up – to begin a discussion on a topic.
 I would like to bring up the problems we’re facing in our Asian
factories.
16. Burn out – to become sick or exhausted because of working too
much.
 Jill looks burned out this year. I think the change of job has been
tough for her.
17. Buy out – to buy a large enough portion of a company to take
control of it.
 Many companies buy out their competitors to increase their market
share.
18. Call back – to phone someone in reply to their (missed) call.
 Sarah, could you tell Tom I’ll call him back later? I’m going to a
meeting right now.
19. Call for – to demand or need something.
 The shareholders are calling for the CEO’s resignation.
20. Call off – to cancel.
 Sorry John, I’m going to have to call off our business lunch tomorrow.
21. Carry on – to continue to do something.
 Carry on with your lunch. We can discuss it later.
22. Carry out – to perform an action.
 Steve will carry out our social media campaign starting next month.
23. Cash in on – to use an event or external opportunity in your
benefit (normally for money).
 Colgate is cashing in on market interest in natural products with a
new organic toothpaste.
24. Cash up – to keep/hold large amounts of money instead of
investing or spending it.
 Apple is cashed up and ready to buy small tech companies.
25. Catch on to – to realize something that is happening.
 If large media companies don’t catch on to social media quickly,
they’ll go out of business.
26. Catch up – to become up to date with current work to be done.
 I need to catch up with some work I haven’t finished.
27. Chase up – to try and get someone to pay a bill.
 Tesla has a whole team of accountants who chase up unpaid invoices.
28. Chip in – to put something in towards a greater goal (normally
ideas, work, or money).
 Jerry, could you chip in and help the guys in the factory today?
29. Close down – to permanently stop a business, or part of a
business.
 We are closing down our Mexico factory next quarter.
30. Close up – to temporarily stop or close a business (at the end of
each day for example).
 Could you help Sarah close up the shop tonight?
31. Come up –to happen or be created.
 Something unplanned has come up and we won’t make our deadline.
32. Contract out to – to give work to someone outside of the company
to do.
 We’re going to contract our website design out to an Indian
company
33. Cross sell – to promote or suggest similar products at the time of
customers purchase.
 Companies like Vista Print and Amazon use cross selling to maximize
spending.
34. Cut out – to get rid of, or take away, something/someone.
 If we cut out the middle man we can lower our costs.
35. Deal with – to handle, work, or interact with, something/someone.
 Our company deals with dentists all over the country.
36. Draw up – to prepare paperwork/contracts/plans/etc. Normally to
do with written work.
 Let’s talk again after Timothy in our legal department draws up a
contract.
37. Drop in/by – to visit.
 Greg from head office is going to drop in
38. Drop off – to deliver something.
 The FedEx guy dropped off something for you this morning, sir.
39. Drum up – to increase or gain something. Normally
business/sales/awareness/customers.
 Little bakeries are having a hard time drumming up business after
Tesco opened its own in-store bakeries.
40. Fall short – to not have enough of something. Often money or
time.
 If a cash register falls short, the cashier has to pay the difference
themselves.
41. Fall though – to not be successful. To fail or lose something.
 Google had a deal to sell to Yahoo! ten years ago but it fell through.
42. File away – to put in organized storage (normally documents, and
files)
 Remember to file away those invoices after you’re finished with
them.
43. Fill in for – to temporarily replace something or someone.
 Can you come into work today? We need someone to fill in for Sam,
who’s sick.
44. Fill out – to complete or put details into a form or survey.
 Could you please take the time to fill out our customer survey?
45. Find out – look for information or to discover something previously
unknown.
 Tom, please find out what happened to the supplier’s delivery.
46. Get ahead – to become successful in your career or business.
 You have to be tough to get ahead in the finance industry.
47. Get on – to make improvement or progress.
 How did you get on with the marketing plan this week?
48. Go through – to read, discuss, or examine something, usually
paper.
 Tom from legal will get back to us after going through the contracts.
49. Hire out – to allow others to use a resource you own in return for
money.
 The boss wants to hire out the 3rd floor of our office building to a small
business.
50. Hold off on – to postpone something until a later date.
 They will need to hold off on the release of their new phone until they
fix the battery.
51. Hold on – to wait (usually for a small period of time).
 Please hold on for a minute until I finish this call.
52. Hold out – to wait before taking action or remain in the same
difficult situation.
 Sir, I think we should hold out for a better offer before selling.
53. Hone in on – to focus on one thing. Or, to focus down in detail.
 GoPro has been successful in honing in on the extreme sports
market.
54. Join in on – to take part in an activity.
 Let’s get Steve from accounting to join in on this meeting.
55. Keep up with – to stay up to date. Or to stay at the same level or
speed as something else.
 Small businesses find it difficult to keep up with technology changes.
56. Key in – to type something on a computer or keyboard.
 We’re looking for a data entry specialist to key in customer’s purchase
history.
57. Knuckle down – to focus on the task or job to be done.
 The design team will have to really knuckle down to finish this by
Christmas.
58. Lay off – to fire. To tell to leave the company.
 They had to lay off He was stealing paperclips.
59. Look into – to research to find more information.
 Our office keeps losing paperclips. Can you please look into it Stacy?
60. Look through – to examine or read briefly on the surface
 The team had a quick look through your proposal.
61. Look up to – to respect and admire.
 I know you look up to Larry like a father, which makes this hard.
62. Make up – to compensate for something. (also see: Catch up)
 There’s a lot to do today. The office needs to make up for being
closed last week.
63. Measure up – to be at the right level or good enough to do
something.
 We hired an ex-Apple Marketing Director. I hope he measures up to
expectations.
64. Meet up – to get together.
 The department heads are meeting up next week to talk about
Larry’s behavior.
65. note down – to write something quickly to use again later.
 Stacy, could you join us and note down the key points to the
meeting?
66. Pencil in – To make flexible plans for something that can still
change.
 Shall we pencil in next Wednesday at 1 pm for your interview?
67. Phone up – to call by phone.
 Customers have been phoning up with complaints about the new
Furby toy.
68. Pick up – to increase or improve after a period of slow or no
results.
 Business really has really picked up since the month of June.
69. Point out – to bring attention to something.
 I need to point out that we have not yet decided on new product’s
name yet.
70. Pull out of – to stop doing something. Or, to stop being a part of
something.
 Many companies are pulling out of their advertising contracts with
YouTube.
71. Put back –to stall or delay something to a later date (also
see: Hold off on)
 The delivery date will be put back by two days because of the
hurricane.
72. Put off – to know longer feel positive about something.
 Many Samsung customers were put off by the Note 7 battery
problems.
73. Report Back – to return to a boss or superior person with new
information found.
 It’s part of your job to report back any issues you find within the
company’s servers.
74. Rip off – when a product/service is expensive in comparison to its
value.
 Some say the iPhone 7 is a rip off because little has been changed
since the iPhone 6.
75. Run by / past – to check with someone first.
 Shouldn’t we run it by the supervisor, first?
76. Run late – when you will not be somewhere at the planned time.
 He is running a little late this morning because of traffic.
77. Run out of – to not have any more of an item.
 We are about to run out of printing ink, could you order more,
please?
78. Sell off – to sell a part of or a whole business.
 Nokia plans to sell off its mobile phone department to Samsung.
79. Sell out – to have sold all items of something with nothing left.
 We always sell out of that perfume brand during this time of year.
80. Set up – to arrange/create. Or, to start a new business or a new
department of a business
 Virgin Airways plans to set up offices in Berlin next year.
81. Shop around – to compare prices and products at different places
before buying.
 Most large companies constantly shop around for the cheapest
materials.
82. Sign off on – to formally approve of something
 You’re going to need the boss to sign off on this order.
83. Sign up – to agree to receive or to do something.
 Many website companies want their site’s visitors to sign up for a
newsletter.
84. Sort out – to fix or solve a problem.
 The company had to recall all the phones to sort out the battery
problem.
85. Spell out – to explain in plain and simple terms.
 Tech companies need to really spell out their product’s advantages to
customers.
86. Step Down – to give up their position or title.
 The CEO of Malaysia Airways stepped down on Tuesday after the
news report.
87. Step up – to try/work harder
 Our company needs to step it up if we want to compete with Tesla.
88. Stock up – to collect or buy a lot of something.
 Most restaurants stock up on champagne before New Year’s Eve.
89. Take off #1 – to become highly successful or popular quickly.
 The Harry Potter books took off even faster than the publisher
expected.
90. Take off #2 – to not go to work.
 Boss, can I take Tuesday off to visit my friend in the hospital?
91. Take on – to accept or agree to deal with.
 The boss thinks that you’ve taken on too much work and wants me to
help you.
92. Take over – to gain control. Or, to do something someone else was
responsible for.
 The Financial controller has taken over the accountants duties.
93. Talk over – to discuss a topic for decision.
 Let’s talk it over tomorrow during the Sales meeting.
94. Team up – to work together with another on something.
 Malcolm and John, you two team up to solve this issue.
95. Trade in – to give something old as part of the price paid for new
things.
 All customers get $100 off the new S8 when trading in their old S7.
96. Trade off – to negotiate or make a deal
 I had to trade off my paid vacation leave for a smaller workload.
97. Turn down – to reject or say no.
 He turned down my request for a raise
98. Up sell – to promote a more premium product option or add-ons
during the sales process.
 McDonald’s up sells at every opportunity. “Want to make it jumbo size
for $1?”
99. Weigh up – to think about both sides of something. Ie cost vs
benefit.
 A company must weigh up the costs and benefits when changing
their pricing.
100. Work out –to find the solution for something or to calculate
something.
 The boss wants me to work out the total cost per unit.