1. get down to sg to start doing something that is difficult or needs a lot of time or energy: We need to get down to some serious talking. [+ ING verb] I must get down to booking our holiday. I always find it hard to get down to revising. = concentrate on sg

2. to reach the same quality or standard as someone or something else Will Western industry ever _____ ___ with Japanese innovations? He was off school for a while and is finding it hard to _____ ___.

4. catch up ( REACH SAME STANDARD ) Will Western industry ever catch up with Japanese innovations? He was off school for a while and is finding it hard to catch up.

5. take sg in ( UNDERSTAND ) to understand completely the meaning or importance of something I had to read the letter twice before I could take it all in. It was an interesting exhibition, but there was too much to take in at once.

6. work sg out to be the result of a calculation In fact the trip worked out cheaper than we'd expected. See if you can work this bill out. We'll have to work out how much food we'll need for the party ( CALCULATE )

7. catch on ( UNDERSTAND ) informal to understand, especially after a long time He doesn't take hints very easily, but he'll catch on (to what you're saying) eventually.

8. get sg across We tried to get our point across, but he just wouldn't listen. This is the message that we want to get across to the public. to manage to make someone understand or believe sg megértet elfogadtat

9. pick sg up Don't bother with the computer manual - you'll pick it up as you go along. When you live in a country you soon pick up the language. to learn a new skill or language by practising it rather than being taught it