Cambridge International Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs

Sod off, spiel off, spiff up, spout off, sprout up, spruce up, square away, squeak by, squinch up, squirrel away, stack up, stake out. Some of these phrasal verbs you may know and may, with any luck, understand in their British, American and Australian meanings and contexts. You may even know their register, whether and when to use them and when they are to be shunned.

Phrasal verbs are ubiquitous in the English language and account for much of its power, versatility and colour, at all levels of speech and writing and in all styles of expression. Very often, the...