to kick up again vs to act up again

[Self taught guy]

First example:
I hope my back doesn’t start acting/kicking up again.

Second example:
If the problem with the engine kicks/acts up again, we'll have to stop the car.

In this kind of sentences these phrasal verbs are interchangeable? Or maybe there's a big difference between them?

 

[heypresto]

I hope my back doesn’t start acting/kicking up again.

I don't think I've come across 'kick up' in this context before. Have you seen it somewhere? In what complete sentence?

If the problem with the engine kicks/acts up again, we'll have to stop the car.

Neither of these works, I'm afraid. You could, however, say 'If the engine acts up again . . . '

 

[Tegs]

Your back and your car can "act up". A problem cannot "act up", as heypresto said. Kick up doesn't work. Did you make these sentences up yourself?

 

[Self taught guy]

Your back and your car can "act up". A problem cannot "act up", as heypresto said. Kick up doesn't work. Did you make these sentences up yourself?

Some sentences in my first post were made up myself, but here I'm giving you the actual sentences I saw in my book.

Sentences from my book (American English):
-If the problem in the engine kicks up again, we'll have to stop the car.
-My backache is kicking up again.
-The carburator of my car is acting up again.
-My third vertebra is acting up again and I'm in agony.

Sentence from a website (American English):
-I  hope my back doesn’t start acting up again.

I'm very confused with these phrasal verbs and I don't know how to use them. What are their meaning?

 

[Tegs]

In those sentences, "kick up" means "start" and "acting up" means "giving or causing problems". Act up when used to refer to parts of the body is a synonym of "being painful"

If the problem in the engine kicks up again

= If the problem starts again

-I  I hope my back doesn’t start acting up again.

= I hope my back doesn't start giving me problems/ being painful again.

Kick up is apparently used in American English (according to your book), but it isn't used in British English. I can understand what it means though from the context. Act up is used in both varieties of English. They don't mean the same thing, so they're not interchangeable.

 

[Self taught guy]

I don't think I've come across 'kick up' in this context before. Have you seen it somewhere? In what complete sentence?


Neither of these works, I'm afraid. You could, however, say 'If the engine acts up again . . . '

Sorry, I forgot to say that I took the sentences from an American English book. Maybe that's why "kick up" sounds a little weird fot you.

 

[Joetofu]

I’m only familiar with “kick up” in the context of an increase in volume, velocity or intensity. For example, “If the wind kicks up, we’ll be able to go kiteboarding,” or “Let’s kick it up a notch,” a phrase used by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse when he wanted to increase the spiciness of a food dish that he was preparing.

 

[User With No Name]

Maybe that's why "kick up" sounds a little weird fot you.

I'm not familiar with this use of "kick up" either.

 

[Cagey]

Our WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English has this definition for kick up:

14. to become evident or active: My rheumatism is kicking up again.​

​

However, I am not familiar with this use of the verb.​

(It doesn't include an example related to machinery.)​

Our unabridged version of the same dictionary has:

26. (esp. of a machine part) to move rapidly upward: The lever kicks up, engaging the gear.​

(It doesn't have an example relating to health.)​

​

I am not familiar with this use either, but I haven't much experience with machinery. Perhaps people who work with machines use it.​

​

I am familiar with 'kick up' as in 'kick up a fuss', a use related to the one Joetofu describes in post #7

 

[Chasint]

In British English, we use "kick off" and "act up" but I've never heard "kick up".

Self taught guy - What is the name of your book and who wrote it?

 

[Self taught guy]

Our WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English has this definition for kick up:

14. to become evident or active: My rheumatism is kicking up again.​

​

However, I am not familiar with this use of the verb.​

(It doesn't include an example related to machinery.)​

Our unabridged version of the same dictionary has:

26. (esp. of a machine part) to move rapidly upward: The lever kicks up, engaging the gear.​

(It doesn't have an example relating to health.)​

​

I am not familiar with this use either, but I haven't much experience with machinery. Perhaps people who work with machines use it.​

​

I am familiar with 'kick up' as in 'kick up a fuss', a use related to the one Joetofu describes in post #7

So you recommend me not to use "kick up" in this way?
For example, in my book I can see this sentence:
-My sinus condition is kicking up again.
If I wanna try to say the same thing, it's better to say "My sinus is acting up again" ???
Thanks in advance.

 

[Self taught guy]

In British English, we use "kick off" and "act up" but I've never heard "kick up".

Self taught guy - What is the name of your book and who wrote it?

I'm studying American English with an Assimil book. The name of the author is David Applefield.

 

[Cet]

I'm not familiar with this use of "kick up" either.

I've never heard it here either. It's obviously an expression people use somewhere if it's in the dictionary, but here we say "act up" or "kick in" (the latter usually means something is starting to take effect, but folks here also use it for recurring problems like arthritis).

 

[Self taught guy]

I've never heard it here either. It's obviously an expression people use somewhere if it's in the dictionary, but here we say "act up" or "kick in" (the latter usually means something is starting to take effect, but folks here also use it for recurring problems like arthritis).

So you recommend me not to use "kick up" in this way? Ok, I got it.
For example, in my book I can see this sentence:
-My sinus condition is kicking up again.
If I wanna try to say the same thing, it's better to say "My sinus is acting up again" ???
Thanks in advance.

 

[Tegs]

If I wanna try to say the same thing, it's better to say "My sinus is acting up again" ???

A sinus condition affects the sinuses - plural - so you'd need to say "My sinuses are acting up again". But yes, use "act up" and avoid using the book's suggested "kick up".