to keep up with: to maintain the same speed or rate as Examples of TO KEEP UP WITH Olivia tirelessly worked her garden because she wanted her yard to keep up with her neighbors’. The inexperienced runner wasn’t able to keep up with the champions, even though he tried really hard.

once in a blue moon: rarely, infrequently Examples of ONCE IN A BLUE MOON If once in a blue moon he smiled, it was such a rarity that it was like a scoop. These are discouraging times, but once in a blue moon a bit of hope appears.

to take turns: to alternate, to change people while doing something Examples of TAKE TURNS The well-behaved children knew how to take turns on the swing set. The skiers had to take turns going down the slope.

to dress up: to wear formal clothes, to dress very nicely Examples of DRESS UP There are whole websites full of people who like to dress up their cats and dogs. On casual Fridays, we don’t need to dress up at my office.

to back out: to drive a vehicle out of a parking space; to withdraw support, to fail to fulfill a promise or obligation Examples of TO BACK OUT The parking lot attendant had to back another car out before he could get to mine. We were all ready to sign the contracts when one of…

to wait on: to serve in a store or restaurant Examples of WAIT ON You should arrive on time, because the job interviewer won’t want to wait on you. The hockey players had to wait on the last game to end before they could start.