To be tied up with something/someone

busy

If someone or something is tied up, they are busy or being used, with the result that they are not available for anything else. [informal] He's tied up with his new book. He's working hard, you know.

kill verb (HURT)[ T ] informal

to cause someone a lot of pain:

I must sit down, my feet are killing me!

 beauty: noun (EXCELLENT THING)[ C ] informal

something that is an excellent example of its type:

She showed me her car - it's a beauty.

do a number on someone: idiom US slang

to injure someone or something, or to hurt or embarrass someone:

I really did a number on my ankle when I fell.

She really did a number on her old boyfriend, making him beg her to come back and then turning him down.

surefire: adjective [ before noun ]   informal

UK  /ˈʃɔː.faɪər/ US  /ˈʃʊr.faɪr/

certain or likely, especially to succeed:

The film looks a surefire Oscar winner.

Running into the street like that is a surefire way to get hurt.

To live something down: phrasal verb of live

succeed in making others forget something embarrassing that has happened.

"I'd never live it down if Lily got wind of this"

live down something: phrasal verb with live verb US  /lɪv/

to make people forget that you made a big mistake or did something very embarrassing in the past:

If you show up with green hair, your parents will never let you live it down.

outdo oneself: idiom

to do something better than one has done it before

She's a great cook, but she really outdid herself this time. The meal was wonderful.

tall order: noun [ C ]  US/ˌtɔl ˈɔr·dər/

a request that is difficult to fulfill:

Asking me to be charming at 7 a.m. is a pretty tall order.

be out of the question: idiom (also be no question of (doing) something) C2

to be an event that cannot possibly happen:

A trip to New Zealand is out of the question this year.

There's no question of agreeing to the demands.

back in the saddle: idiom

doing something that you stopped doing for a period of time

handle: verb UK  /ˈhæn.dəl/ US  /ˈhæn.dəl/

handle verb (DEAL WITH)

B1 [ T ]

to deal with, have responsibility for, or be in charge of:

I thought he handled the situation very well.

a piece of cake: idiom   informal B2

something that is very easy to do:

The exam was a piece of cake.

take it easy: idiom

rest, relax, or be calm:

You’d better take it easy until you feel better.

Take it easy – don’t get mad.

baby: verb [ T ]   informal UK  /ˈbeɪ.bi/ US  /ˈbeɪ.bi/

often disapproving

to give someone a lot of care, attention, or help, as if they were a young child:

The boys were now ten and twelve and didn't want their mother to baby them.

My sister and I resented my brother because he was babied a lot.

baby: verb [ T ]   informal UK  /ˈbeɪ.bi/ US  /ˈbeɪ.bi/

to treat something with a lot of care and attention:

You do not need to baby a cast iron pan; if something is stuck to it, use a metal scratch pad to clean it.

The vintage car was in impressive condition and had clearly been babied.

keep your/an eye on something/someone: idiom B2

to watch or take care of something or someone:

Will you keep your eye on my suitcase while I go to get the tickets?

be, get, keep, etc. in touch: phrase B1

to communicate or continue to communicate with someone by using a phone or writing to them:

Are you still in touch with any of your old school friends?

Jen and I never kept in touch after college.

be, get, keep, etc. in close touch We're in close touch with our office in Spain.

drop by (somewhere): phrasal verb with drop verb

US  /drɑp/

-pp-

to come to see someone, sometimes at a stated place, usually briefly and without a specific invitation:

He dropped by the woman’s house to ask for money.

The publisher told the writers they should drop by if they ever wanted a newspaper job.

follow something up

phrasal verb with follow verb

UK  /ˈfɒl.əʊ/ US  /ˈfɑː.loʊ/

(US also follow up on something) B2

to find out more about something, or take more action connected with it:

The idea sounded interesting and I decided to follow it up.