brushing up
Polishing rusty knowledge
Brushing up is reviewing or practicing something you once knew but have let slip: I need to brush up on my Spanish before the trip.
The phrase suggests restoration rather than learning from scratch—polishing skills that have grown rusty through disuse.
Examining something again
- relearningGaining back lost knowledge
- practicingRepeated skill refinement
- refreshingPleasingly restorative
- revisitingGoing back again
polishing · sharpening · honing · reviving · rekindling · dusting off · reacquainting · refamiliarizing
Making ready beforehand
- readyingMaking prepared beforehand
- crammingIntensive last-minute study
- studyingDeliberate learning effort
- rehearsingPreparing by repeated practice
drilling · training · warming up · getting ready · prepping · boning up · swotting · going over
Becoming more capable
- enhancingIncreasing quality or value
- refiningRemoving unwanted elements
- upgradingImproving to superior version
- advancingMoving in forward direction
developing · strengthening · boosting · elevating · perfecting · bettering · tuning up · touching up
reviewing
Examining something again
- relearningGaining back lost knowledge
- practicingRepeated skill refinement
- refreshingPleasingly restorative
revisiting · polishing · sharpening · honing · reviving · rekindling · dusting off · reacquainting · refamiliarizing · reigniting
preparing
Making ready beforehand
- readyingMaking prepared beforehand
- crammingIntensive last-minute study
- studyingDeliberate learning effort
rehearsing · drilling · training · warming up · getting ready · prepping · boning up · swotting · going over · running through
improving
Becoming more capable
- enhancingIncreasing quality or value
- refiningRemoving unwanted elements
- upgradingImproving to superior version
advancing · developing · strengthening · boosting · elevating · perfecting · bettering · tuning up · touching up · tightening
- skill buildingpractice, drills, training, repetition, exercises
brushing upforgetting
Failing to retain memories
letting slide · deteriorating · atrophying · declining · fading
brushing upneglecting
Failing to attend to
forgetting · ignoring · letting slip · abandoning · disregarding