idiom (v) · informal
pull one's socks up
UK/pʊl wʌnz sɒks ʌp/US/pʊl wʌnz sɑːks ʌp/PULL·one's·SOCKS·UP
to make a greater effort to improve your behaviour or performance
Examples
“After a warning from his teacher, he pulled his socks up and started doing homework regularly.”
“You need to pull your socks up if you want to pass the exam.”
“The coach told the players to pull their socks up before the next match.”
Band 8 sentence
“Realising his grades were slipping, he pulled his socks up, sought help from tutors and raised his scores within a term.”
Collocations
- pull your socks up
- pull his socks up
Word family
Common mistakes
pull your sock up→pull your socks up
Say it for a higher band
5try harder→6make more effort→7+pull one's socks up
Synonyms
improve
step up one's game
Easily confused
step up one's game
“If he wants to keep his place in the team, he'll have to step up his game.”
Related words
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In Study
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