put on

UK/ˌpʊt ˈɒn/US/ˌpʊt ˈɒn/

phraseA12 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To put on is to get dressed in a piece of clothing. Coat, shoes, hat.

It splits round an object. The phrase has a large family of other uses: putting on weight, putting on a show, putting on the kettle, and putting on an accent, which means faking one. Putting somebody on is American for teasing them. And putting it on means exaggerating a feeling for effect, so a child said to be putting it on is not as ill as they are claiming.

Definitions of put on

1phraseput onTo dress yourself in an item of clothing.A1
“Put on a coat, it is freezing out there.”
2phraseorganiseTo organise or stage an event.B2
“The village will put on a show every Christmas.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 2 of A Man Called Ove.

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