Word choice · C1
Put up with, pull off, iron out, gloss over
Phrasal verbs are where advanced English is won or lost: the meaning is rarely in the parts. You put up with something you cannot change, pull off something everyone expected to fail, iron out the small problems that remain, and gloss over the ones you would rather nobody looked at.
Which word, and why
- put up with
tolerate something you cannot change
To accept something unpleasant without complaining.
put up with the noise · I will not put up with it
- come across
find something by chance
To meet or discover something without looking for it.
come across an old letter · come across well
- get by
manage with only just enough
To survive on limited money, time or skill.
get by on very little · just about get by
- run into
hit a problem you did not expect
To encounter difficulty, or to meet someone by chance.
run into trouble · run into difficulties
- take on
accept more work or responsibility
To agree to do something, or to employ someone.
take on a project · take on staff · take too much on
- pull off
succeed at something that looked unlikely
To manage something difficult against expectation.
pull off a deal · pull it off
- brush off
dismiss criticism without engaging
To refuse to take something seriously.
brush off the criticism · brushed aside
- hold off
delay deliberately
To wait before acting.
hold off deciding · hold off until Monday
- iron out
resolve the small problems that remain
To settle minor difficulties in something otherwise agreed.
iron out the details · iron out the differences
- fall through
collapse before it happens
To fail to be completed, usually at a late stage.
the deal fell through · plans fell through
- gloss over
mention it briefly so nobody looks closely
To avoid dealing with something properly.
gloss over the cost · gloss over the failures
- water down
weaken until it barely means anything
To make a proposal or a statement less strong.
water down the proposals · a watered-down version
- rule out
eliminate as a possibility
To decide that something is not possible or not going to happen.
rule out a rise · cannot be ruled out
- bank on
rely on it happening
To depend on something you are not certain of.
bank on the weather · do not bank on it
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I do not know how she that noise every single night.