dust off
The phrase "dust off" can be used both literally and figuratively, signifying either cleaning an object or reviving something unused.
Definition
B1General
To clean by removing dust or dirt from the surface of an object.
Example
- She dusted off the old bookshelf to make it look new again.
- He put down the box and dusted off his hands.
B2General
To bring back into use or activity something that has been inactive or forgotten.
Example
- He decided to dust off his guitar and start playing again.
- With the new project, she had to dust off her coding skills.
C1Military
(technical)A callsign used by U.S. Army Air Ambulance units for emergency patient evacuation from combat zones.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "dust off":
beat the dustdust upbrush offlick the dustkick up dustshake offbrush uprub upbrush asiderub offwipe offeraser dustpolish upeat someone's dustfreshen upclean upblow offbrush outfluff upclean outclear offclean downrub up onbroom upsweep upair outsand offthrow dirt onkick uppolish offscuzz updry offscrub upscrub outrub outrough uprake uptake offdig outbrush backscrub downbrush downsweep outclear awaywipe up