English Phrasal Verbs :
“Act up”
Meaning: 1. misbehave.
(people

) 2. fail to function properly. (things)

Examples:

My phone's battery has been acting up a lot recently. Even with new technologies, batteries still get hot, drain and have a chemical death or degradation.

- My old foot injury is acting up again. I'm not sleeping well. I can't exercise or golf like I used to. It's time to make an appointment with my primary care physician.

- As usual, the elevator was acting up, which made the trip to the eighth floor an exhausting journey. When I finally got to my apartment, it was the time to go out on the terrace and start the coals and prepare dinner.

- I make another trip to the river and a little something happens this time. Could it be my spastic colon acting up? I took my medicine as usual before bed. It felt like my colon was in knots. Or one big knot.

- The teachers would call my mom and once I got home, it was over. I got beatings like you wouldn't believe. The next day I'd go to school and act up again.

Similar expressions;

1. To be misbehave - to do wrong  - to be out of line  - to make trouble  -  to mess around.
2. To break down  - to crash - to jam - to fail - to play up - out of order  - to give out.