English · Idiom Candidate

take up the running

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To take over a task or responsibility from someone else

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Ch接 quản một nhiệm vụ hoặc trách nhiệm từ người khác

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: start running

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

After John's departure, Emily took up the running of the project

AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent con nhà tông không giống lông cũng giống cánh the apple does not fall far from the tree Tiếng Việt Near equivalent the apple does not fall far from the tree Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review. English · via con nhà tông không giống lông cũng giống cánh Near equivalent the boy is the father of the man A person's childhood characteristics influence their adult personality English · via con nhà tông không giống lông cũng giống cánh

Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.

Common questions

What does “take up the running” mean?

To take over a task or responsibility from someone else Literally: start running

Is “take up the running” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

What is the closest equivalent?

“con nhà tông không giống lông cũng giống cánh” (Tiếng Việt) — near equivalent.