carry off
SeparableThe object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: carry OFF. Saying “CARRY off” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
A glide appears. Two vowels meet, so American English slips a /j/ between them: “carry off” → “carry-yoff”. You do not insert it deliberately — it falls out of not stopping between the words.
What it means
To succeed at something difficult.
- “It was an ambitious plan and she carried it off perfectly.”
- “Not everyone could carry off that jacket.”
Similar: pull off, manage