to carry on
53
4.2
- phrasal verb
- /ˈkæri ɑn/
- Informal
:
hacer un escándalo
- But there was certainly a lot of emotion-purging and carrying on in those old operas.
And of course the guards were doing faces and carrying on.
- And of course the guards were doing faces and carrying on.
Examples
-
We're going to lose that land, the way he was carrying on over it.
Fiction book (1993) -
How can she come in and, like, carry on when she knows we all know?
Fiction book (1990) -
- Then why do you carry on in front of his eyes?
-
I do not know who you people think you are, screaming and carrying on!
-
You carry on like that, you'll give yourself a heart attack.
-
How you're carrying on behind my back, in front of my eyes, right under my nose.
-
The way the dog is carrying on shows how furious Lois really is.
Fiction book (1996) -
I know a thing or two about the guilt of carrying on when those you've sworn to fight with are gone.
-
The children were carrying on in the backyard, laughing and making a lot of noise.
-
She couldn't focus on her work because of the carrying on from the party next door.
Synonyms
28
4.8
To behave badly or to stop working properly
22
3.0
Complain loudly about something small
To act nervously and make a small fuss
Antonyms
How Disruptive
- Informal
18
4.4
- Informal
45
4.9
- Informal
28
4.8
- Informal
53
4.2
145
1.5
88
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb + particle composition 'carry' + 'on' transparently yields the basic meaning 'continue' or 'persist', which a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer. However, the specific informal sense 'behave in a silly/noisy or improper way' is an evaluative extension (make a fuss, act up) that is not fully predictable from the parts and often requires exposure to usage, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Carry on may come from the image of someone who keeps taking a noisy or silly action with them — they carry the fuss on into the room. That's why the phrase now means 'to behave in a silly or noisy way'.