student asking question

Why does "break down" refer to "explain specifically"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

'Break (something) down' is a phrasal verb used whenever you're asking for someone to explain or elaborate on something more specific. 'Break down' originally means to decompose something. So, when it's used referring to paintings, writings or dialogue, it's asking for simple and in-depth analysis. Ex: The advisors started to break down the graph. Ex: The art students began to do a break down on Picasso's painting. Ex: Kobe Bryant relentlessly did break downs on the game of basketball.

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