carry on

carry on idiom
  1. Maintain, conduct, as in The villagers carried on a thriving trade, or They carried on a torrid love affair. [c. 1600]
  2. Continue or progress, persevere, as in I'm sure you can carry on without me. [Mid-1600s]
  3. Behave in an excited, improper, or silly manner, as in They laughed and sang and carried on rather noisily. [Early 1800s]
  4. Flirt, engage in an illicit love affair, as in She accused her friend of carrying on with her husband. [Early 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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