to take on: to employ, to hire; to accept responsibility for, to undertake Examples of TO TAKE ON That factory is taking a lot of new employees on for its new production line. Would you be willing to take on the task of organizing the next company picnic?

to fade away: to diminish gradually in time or distance Examples of TO FADE AWAY The memory of that unpleasant experience has slowly faded away. The music of the band gradually faded away as the parade passed down the street.

to live down: to overcome the shame or embarrassment of something. Examples of LIVE DOWN It’ll take some time to live down this embarrassment; everyone has heard about it. With his charitable activities, Danial found it easy to live down his tax problems.

to break down: to stop functioning Examples of TO BREAK DOWN The clunky old car is about to break down. The fall of the Berlin Wall helped break down old prejudices and barriers to economic development.

to give up: to stop trying, to stop a bad habit; to surrender Examples of TO GIVE UP I wanted to give up in the last mile of the race, but I’m so glad that I finished! Getting a business or an engineering degree doesn’t mean you need to give up on your love of…

to lay off: to abstain from, stop using as a habit; to release or discharge from a job (also: related idiom: to let go) Examples of TO LAY OFF Today is my 30th birthday, but I should probably lay off the cake and champagne. He said the company had to lay off employees and has…