Essential english idioms

o u t o f d a t e : not modern, not current, not timely; no longer available in published form
Again, hyphens separate the parts of this idiom when it precedes a noun form as in the second example. The 
passive verb to be outdated derives from this idiom. 
- Many people buy new cars when their old cars become out of date. 
- I don't know why Gene likes to wear out-of-date clothing. His clothes are so outdated that even his girlfriend 
hesitates to be seen with him. 
- This book can't be ordered any more because it is out of date. 
t o b l o w u p : to inflate, to fill with air (S); to explode, to destroy (or be destroyed) by explosion (S) 
- Daddy, could you please blow up this balloon for me? 
- When the airplane crashed into the ground, it blew up immediately. 
- The military had to blow the missile up in midair when it started to go the wrong way. 
to catch fire : to begin to burn
- Don't stand too close to the gas stove. Your clothes may catch fire. 
- No one seems to know how the old building caught fire. 
t o b u r n d o w n : to burn slowly, but completely (usually said of candles); to destroy completely by fire (S) 
- There was a large amount of wax on the table where the candles had burned down. 
- The fire spread so quickly that the firefighters could not prevent the whole block of buildings from burning 
down. 
t o b u r n u p : to destroy completely by fire (S); to make angry or very annoyed (S) (also - t o t i c k o f f ) 
To burn up and to burn down (previous idiom) share the same definition but also have different definitions. 
- She didn't want anyone to see the letter, so she burned it up and threw the ashes away. 
- It really burns me up that he borrowed my car without asking me first. 
- Mike got ticked off that his friends never offered to help him move to his new apartment. He had to do 
everything himself.