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knock/lick sth/sb into shape
(US usually whip sth/sb into shape)Definition
(Definition of knock/lick sth/sb into shape from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Making things better, but you might be interested in these topics from the Doing and achieving topic area:
- Abstaining and refraining
- Acting and acts
- Avoiding action
- Becoming better
- Cancelling and interrupting
- Competing and contending (non-sporting)
- Coping and not coping
- Delaying and wasting time
- Describing the leading position
- Efficient and effective
- Expressions telling people to hurry up
- Failing and doing badly
- Failures
- Getting involved for one's own benefit or against others' will
- Hesitating
- Higher and lower points of achievement
- Hurrying and doing things quickly
- Making progress and advancing
- Performing a function
- Potential
- Reacting and responding
- Repeating an action
- Succeeding, achieving and fulfilling
- Success and achievements
- Successful (things or people)
- Surpassing in quality or number
- Taking part and getting involved
- Trying and making an effort
- Unsuccessful (people and things)
- Waiting
- Ways of achieving things
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SMART Thesaurus: Making things better
Synonyms and related words:
- a shot in the arm idiom
- add salt to sth idiom
- allay verb
- alleviate verb
- ameliorate verb
- deepen verb (COMPLICATED)
- humanize verb
- improve on/upon sth phrasal verb
- improve verb
- invigorate verb
- iterative adjective
- lighten verb (MAKE LESS HEAVY)
- rationalize verb (CHANGE)
- rectify verb (CORRECT)
- rehabilitate verb
- revivify verb
- revolutionize verb
- salvage verb
- save the day idiom
- sharpen (sth) up phrasal verb
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