to take a trip: to go on a journey, to travel Examples of TAKE A TRIP Never having been there before, he decided on a whim to take a trip to New Orleans. When Steven lost his job, he wasn’t able to take a trip because he didn’t have the money.

to be in (the/one’s) way: to block or obstruct; not to be helpful, to causeinconvenience (for both, also: to get in the/one’s way) Examples of TO BE IN THE/ONE’S WAY The brave citizen stood in the way of the line of tanks so they wouldn’t reach the Square. Getting off the airplane took forever because…

to bring up: to rear, to raise from childhood; to mention, to raise an issue,to introduce a topic Examples of TO BRING UP The couple planned to bring up the issue at a school board meeting Monday night. Bring up to full pressure, turn the heat down to medium and cook for 25 minutes.

to break in: gradually to prepare something for use that is new and stiff;to interrupt (for the second definition, also: to cut in) Examples of TO BREAK IN It is best to break a new car in by driving it slowly for the first few hundred miles. While Carrie and I were talking, Bill broke in…

cut and dried: predictable, known beforehand; boring Examples of CUT AND DRIED For those who have never been seriously ill, treatment often seems cut and dried. In conversation, the director concedes that the issue is not so cut-and-dried.

to buy up: to buy the complete stock of Examples of TO BUY UP Foreign investors are taking advantage of the housing bust to buy up properties. The Treasury would buy up mortgage securities to stabilize the financial system.