pick

At an identity parade, for example, it is the witness’ task to // pick out // (i.e. recognize or select) the person they saw commit the crime. Older children often // pick on // (victimize) younger children and people who have lost their appetite // pick at // their food (eat only small amounts because they are not interested in it). Snipers // pick off // their victims one by one, taking careful aim from a distance. But the most productive phrasal verb based on // pick // must surely be // pick up //, which has a large number of different meanings. Apart from its literal meaning of ‘lift something from a surface’, // pick up // can mean 'to go and meet someone you have arranged to take somewhere by car', as in 'I'll // pick // you // up // at nine', and 'to arrest someone', as in 'The escaped convict was // picked up // in the early hours of Thursday morning’. In the sense of ‘obtain’ or ’acquire’, // pick up // can mean 'to learn a new skill without intending to', as in ‘She // picked up // a few German phrases while staying in Berlin', or 'to catch an illness', as in ‘Most tourists are worried they’ll // pick up // a nasty stomach bug', and it can also mean 'to buy', as in ‘You can // pick up // some amazing bargains at the market’. // Pick up // can also mean 'to improve' or 'to get stronger', as in ‘They won’t let him out of hospital until his health has // picked up’ // and ‘The wind is beginning to // pick up’ // respectively. Finally, // picking // someone // up // in your car may be acceptable behaviour, but trying to // pick // someone // up // in a bar may not, as the latter means to start talking to someone because you want to have sex with them, as in 'She went home with some man she // picked up // in a bar'.
 * //__ Pick out __// a few quirky examples of this sometimes suggestive phrasal verb!  **

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