drag (redirected from drag up)

drag your feet/heels

to deal with something slowly because you do not really want to do it. He was asked why the government had dragged its feet on the question of a single European currency. (often + on) We don't want to look as if we're dragging our heels over promoting women to senior positions. (often + over)

See also: feet, heel

drag someone's name through the mire/mud

to tell people about something bad that someone has done so that people will have a bad opinion of them. Her name was dragged through the mud after she admitted offering money in return for votes.

See also: mud, name, through

[drag/get/lift etc.] someone/something out of a/their rut

to help someone or something to change their situation and to make progress. The president has to get his election campaign out of a rut.

See also: lift, rut

drag/haul someone over the coals

to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong. If I make a spelling mistake, I get hauled over the coals by my boss. They dragged her over the coals for being late with her assignment. (often + for)

See also: coal, haul, over

knock-down-drag-out (American)

a knock-down-drag-out fight or argument is very serious and continues for a long time. Look, I don't want to get into a knock-down-drag-out fight with you over this so let's forget it. (always before noun)

look like something the cat brought/dragged in (informal)

if someone looks like something the cat brought in, they are very untidy and dirty. You can't possibly go to school like that - you look like something the cat dragged in!

See also: brought, cat, like, look, something

Look what the cat's dragged in! (informal)

an insulting way of saying that someone has just arrived, suggesting that they are ugly and badly dressed. Well, look what the cat's dragged in. Did you make that dress or borrow it from your mother?

See also: look

the main drag (American & Australian, informal)

the biggest and most important road in a town. We walked up and down the town's main drag looking for a post office.

See also: main

---

drag your/its feet

to do something slowly because you do not want to do it. He knows he should make a decision, but he's dragging his feet.

See also: feet

drag your/its heels

to do something slowly because you do not want to do it. When they told us they wanted to put computers in our classrooms, we dragged our heels a little bit.

See also: heel