to keep up: to prevent from sleeping; to continue maintaining (speed, level of work, condition, etc.) Examples of TO KEEP UP If we can keep up this speed, we should arrive there in about three hours. That student has been getting all As. I hope he can keep it up.

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 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.

at last: finally, after a long time. Examples of AT LAST “At last, I’ll be in New York City,” the tourist thought to herself excitedly. At last, Sherlock solved the mystery.

out of touch: not having contact; not having knowledge of Examples of OUT OF TOUCH The government is out of touch with the needs and aspirations of the electorate. Nature is self regulation but humans as a species are out of touch with nature.

according to: in the order of; on the authority of Examples of ACCORDING TO Around $386 billion was spent, according to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Demand for this game was, according to ticket seller StubHub, at a record level.