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Translation

carry off

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The phrase "carry off" has several meanings and can be used in different contexts. Let's break it down for a new English learner:

Basic Meaning:

  1. To Remove or Transport: "Carry off" can mean to remove something from one place to another. For example, if you take a box from your room to the living room, you are carrying it off.

    • Example: "The workers carried off the old furniture from the house."

  2. To Achieve or Succeed: It can also mean to do something successfully, especially when it’s difficult or unexpected.

    • Example: "She carried off the performance beautifully, impressing everyone in the audience."

  3. To Cause Death in Large Numbers: In a more serious context, it can mean to kill or wipe out a large number of people or things, often used in historical or dramatic contexts.

    • Example: "The disease carried off many residents of the village."
Usage Instructions:
  • You can use "carry off" in both casual and formal conversations.
  • Pay attention to the context to understand which meaning is being used.
  • It can be used in both literal and figurative ways.
Advanced Usage:

In more advanced contexts, "carry off" can imply a sense of elegance or charm in how someone handles a situation or task.

Word Variants:

While "carry off" is a specific phrasal verb, it can be related to other forms: - Carried off (past tense): "She carried off the trophy last year." - Carrying off (present participle): "He is carrying off the role of the villain very well."

Different Meanings:
  • Literal: To physically take something away.
  • Figurative: To achieve something or to cause death.
Synonyms:
  • For "remove": take away, transport, carry away.
  • For "achieve": succeed, accomplish, pull off.
  • For "kill": wipe out, eliminate.
Idioms and Related Phrasal Verbs:
  • "Carry away": Similar to "carry off," but often used in the context of being overly enthusiastic or emotional.
    • Example: "I got carried away with my excitement at the party."
Conclusion:

"Carry off" is a versatile phrase that can mean to transport something, to succeed in a task, or to cause death.

Verb
  1. kill in large numbers
    • the plague wiped out an entire population
  2. remove from a certain place, environment, or mental or emotional state; transport into a new location or state
    • Their dreams carried the Romantics away into distant lands
    • The car carried us off to the meeting
    • I'll take you away on a holiday
    • I got carried away when I saw the dead man and I started to cry
  3. be successful; achieve a goal
    • She succeeded in persuading us all
    • I managed to carry the box upstairs
    • She pulled it off, even though we never thought her capable of it
    • The pianist negociated the difficult runs

Synonyms

Antonyms

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