I have finished this task the end of the class though I still need to do a little bit touch up.

Could you explain “touch up”?

My comments:

In other words, finishing touches – those last bits of tiny changes and improvements one makes as one finishes off a task (job).

“Touch up” is a term borrowed from women making up. As they come to the end of the makeup, they must be very careful, i.e. using only the lightest (gentlest) brushes and strokes or they’ll run the risk of smearing up their face once again.

When that happens, they’ll have to re-do the makeup, of course, all over again.

OK, as I am finishing this piece, I find myself re-reading those lines and making small changes. These small changes are touch-ups.

Or better still, finishing touches.

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Go to Zhang Xin's column

本文僅代表作者本人觀點，與本網立場無關。歡迎大家討論學術問題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和發布一切違反國家現行法律法規的內容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin（張欣） has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.