CPE (4B) Flashcards
be done for
to be in a very bad situation (die or suffer); to be certain to fail, be ruined, very tired
Ex: Unless we start making some sales, we’re done for.
come about (that)
to happen
Ex: Can you tell me how the accident came about?
come across
to meet or find somebody/something by chance
Ex: I came across children sleeping under bridges.
She came across some old photographs in a drawer.
come by
to receive/obtain something
Ex: A good boss is not so easy to come by.
It’s unclear how he came by his wealth.
come down to
If a situation or decision comes down to something, that is the thing that influences it most
Ex: What it all comes down to is your incredible insecurity.to depend on a single important point
to depend on a single important point
if something old has come down to you, it has been passed between people over a long period of time until you have it
come forward
step forward (to offer your help, services, etc)
Ex: No witnesses to the accident have come forward yet, despite the police appeal.
come in
to become fashionable
Ex: Long hair for men came in in the sixties.
come into
to be left money by somebody who has died, inherit
Ex: She came into a fortune when her uncle died.
come on
to improve or develop in the way you want (develop gradually, as an illness or a mood)
Ex: He felt one of his headaches coming on.
The project is coming on fine.
come out
to be produced or published
Ex: When is her new novel coming out?
(of news, the truth, etc.) to become known after it has been kept secret (it comes out that…)
Ex: The full story came out at the trial.
If information, results, etc. come out, they are given to people
Ex: The exam results come out in August.
come out in
(of a person) to become covered in spots, etc. on the skin
Ex: This heat has made me come out in an itchy red rash.
to develop
come over
to affect somebody (to be influenced suddenly and unexpectedly by a strange feeling)/to influence someone suddenly to behave in a particular way
Ex: I’m sorry! That was a stupid thing to say - I don’t know what came over me
(of a date or a regular event) to happen again
Ex: My birthday seems to come over more quickly every year.
come round to
to change your opinion of something, often influenced by another person’s opinion, be persuaded
Ex: He’ll come round to my point of view, given a bit of time.
come round/to/around
to become conscious again after an accident or operation
Ex: She hasn’t come round from the anaesthetic yet.
come through
to get better after a serious illness or to avoid serious injury/to continue to live after an accident or a difficult or dangerous situation
Ex: It was a miracle that he came through that car crash alive.
With such a weak heart she was lucky to come through the operation.
come to
to add up to something, amount to a total, to be a particular total when numbers or amounts are added together.
Ex: The bill came to $30.
come up
to appear above the soil, grow
Ex: The daffodils are just beginning to come up.
(of the sun) to rise
Ex: We watched the sun come up.
If a job or opportunity comes up, it becomes available
Ex: A position has come up in the accounts department.
to happen, usually unexpectedly
Ex: I’ve got to go - something has just come up at home and I’m needed there.
come up to
to reach as far as a particular point
Ex: The water came up to my neck.
to reach an acceptable level or standard
Ex: His performance didn’t really come up to his usual high standard.
come up with
to find or produce an answer, a sum of money, etc.
Ex: She came up with a new idea for increasing sales.
to suggest or think of an idea or plan
deal in
to buy and sell a particular product
Ex: The company deals in computer software.
He is chief operating officer for a company that deals in medical technology.
deal with
tackle a problem, deal with
Ex: Not all complaints are so easily dealt with.
How do you intend to deal with this problem?
do away with
to get rid of something or stop using something
Ex: These ridiculous rules and regulations should have been done away with years ago.
to stop doing or having something; to make something end
Ex: He thinks it’s time we did away with the monarchy
do down
to criticize somebody/something in order to make them feel ashamed or to make other people lose respect
Ex: The media is always doing British industry down.
She felt that everyone in the meeting was trying to do her down.
do out of
to unfairly prevent somebody from having what they ought to have/to stop someone from getting or keeping something, especially in a dishonest or unfair way
Ex: She was done out of her promotion.
Pensioners have been done out of millions of pounds as a result of the changes.
to cheat someone by preventing that person from obtaining or keeping something of value
Ex: Con man did him out of over $10,000 of his hard-earned money
do sth up
to fasten a coat, skirt, etc.
Ex: He never bothers to do his jacket up.
to make something into a package
Ex: She was carrying a package done up in brown paper.
to repair and decorate a house, etc.
Ex: He makes money by buying old houses and doing them up.
to wrap something in paper
do yourself up to make yourself look neat and attractive
could do with sb/sth
to need or want someone or something
Ex: I could do with a few days off work.
I could do with a cup of coffee
do without
to manage without somebody/something
Ex: She can’t do without a secretary
do without doing something (ironic) I could have done without being (= I wish I had not been) woken up so early.
to manage, work, or perform successfully without having someone or something present
Ex: The country cannot do without foreign investment
drive at
imply, suggest
to try to explain or say something
If you ask someone what they are driving at, you ask that person what they really mean
Ex: I don’t see what you’re driving at.
go off
to happen in a particular way
Ex: The protest march went off peacefully.
be dying for sth
really want sth
to be extremely eager to have or do something
Ex: I’m dying to hear your news.
be fit for
be good enough for
Ex: This house is not fit for living in.
be worn out
(of a person) looking or feeling very tired, especially as a result of hard work or physical exercise
Ex: She got absolutely worn out looking after the children.
be green
young and without experience
Ex: The new trainees are still very green.
cook one’s goose
to do something that spoils someone’s plans and prevents them from succeeding
Ex: Just tell her we can’t - that’ll cook her goose.
fair and square
honestly and according to the rules
Ex: She won the election fair and square.
fall head over heels (in love with)
completely in love
Ex: Laura fell head over heels in love with Chris.
feel one’s ears burning
a person thinks that other people are talking about them, especially in an unkind way
Ex: ‘I bumped into your ex-wife last night.’ ‘I thought I could feel my ears burning!’
gatecrasher
a person who goes to a party or social event without being invited
Ex: The party was ruined by a couple of rowdy gatecrashers.
get/start off on the right/wrong foot (with somebody)
to start a relationship well/badly
Ex: I seem to have got off on the wrong foot with the new boss.
to make a successful/unsuccessful start in something
give and take
to be willing, in a relationship, to accept what somebody else wants and to give up some of what you want
Ex: In every friendship there has to be some give and take.
You’re going to have to learn to give and take.
have a frog in one’s throat
difficulty speaking because of nervousness/one’s throat is dry
Ex: I had a frog in my throat, and I had to clear my throat several times before I could answer.
have/get the gift of the gab
able to speak easily and confidently, and to persuade people
Ex: She’s got the gift of the gab - she should work in sales and marketing.
hear it through/on the grapevine
to hear news from someone who heard the news from someone else
Ex: I heard through the grapevine that he was leaving - is it true?
in/like a flash
very quickly and suddenly
Ex: The weekend seemed to be over in a flash.
The answer came to her in a flash.
it’s all Greek to me
I cannot understand it, a way of saying that you do not understand something that is said or written
Ex: She tried to explain how the system works, but it’s all Greek to me.
keep a straight face
if you keep a straight face, you do not laugh or smile, although you find something funny
Ex: She tried to keep a straight face but, unable to contain herself, burst into laughter.
keep an eye on sth
to take care of somebody/something and make sure that they are not harmed, damaged, etc.
Ex: We’ve asked the neighbours to keep an eye on the house for us while we are away.
meet behind closed doors
without the public being allowed to attend or know what is happening; meet in private
Ex: The meeting was held behind closed doors.
one’s flesh and blood
a person that you are related to, someone’s relation, your family or relations
Ex: It’s hard to believe that he could treat his own flesh and blood so badly.
there are plenty more fish in the sea
used to comfort somebody whose romantic relationship has ended by saying that there are many other people with whom they may have a successful relationship in the future
Ex: Don’t cry over Pierre - there are plenty more fish in the sea!
put one’s foot down
to be very strict in opposing what somebody wishes to do, to use your authority to stop something happening
Ex: You’ve got to put your foot down and make him stop seeing her.
put one’s foot in it (put your foot in your mouth)
to say something by accident that embarrasses or upsets someone
Ex: I really put my foot in my mouth – I asked her if Jane was her mother, but she said Jane is her sister.
take it/things easy
to relax and avoid working too hard or doing too much
Ex: The doctor told me to take it easy for a few weeks.
used to tell somebody not to be worried or angry
when you say goodbye
take sb for granted
not appreciate sb, to be so used to somebody/something that you do not recognize their true value any more and do not show that you are grateful
Ex: Her husband was always there and she just took him for granted.
goods
things that are produced to be sold
(produce/buy/damage/finish/unsold/sell/manufactured/imported/luxury/electrical/sporting/ stolen/ household/worldly/cheap/expensive/leather/cotton/electrical/fake/counterfeit/ goods, tax on goods and services, goods train, heavy goods vehicle, pay for/buy/sell goods
wares
(old-fashioned) things that somebody is selling, especially in the street or at a market
(ceramic/a collection of local/bathroom/ornamental/ ware, basketware, homeware, display/market/sell your wares)
commodities
products exchanged in trade (on an international basis), product or a raw material that can be bought and sold, a thing that is useful or has a useful quality, international commodities market
(rice, flour and other basic commodities, scarce commodity, commodity prices, basic agricultural commodities, valuable commodity)
supplies
food and equipment and other essential things that people need, especially when these are provided in large quantities, an amount of something that is provided or available to be used
(food/ outstrips/electricity/energy/gas/power/blood supply, supply of)
the things such as food, medicines, fuel, etc. that are needed by a group of people, for example an army or expedition (food and medical supplies)
rear
to look after one’s young until fully-grown, to care for young animals or children until they are able to care for themselves
(rear a child/young)
bring (sb) up
to look after and educate until-fully grown, care for a child, teaching him or her how to behave, etc. (well/badly brought up, bring somebody up to do/as something)
breed
to keep animals for the purpose of producing young, to keep animals or plants in order to produce young ones for a particular purpose (chosen qualities)
(breed something (for/as something), breed from something
grow
to become or cause to become bigger
(size, number, strength or quality)
(growing steadily/rapidly/ fast/exponentially/bigger/taller/older/crops/food/old/tired/company/business/ revenue/market share/sales, grow by/from/to something, grow in something (popularity), grow at a rate of
nurture
(young child, young plant) care for it while it is growing or developing
help somebody/something to develop and be successful (nurture a good working relationship/a love of art/nurtured her musical talent)
have a feeling, an idea, a plan, etc. for a long time and encourage it to develop
a carefully nurtured garden
pinch
steal an object (especially something small and not very valuable)
Ex: Kids have been pinching our apples again.
pilfer
steal things of little value or in small quantities, especially from the place where you work, steal money, ideas, information, etc. from an organization
pilfer (from somebody/something), pilfer something (from somebody/something)
Ex: She regularly pilfered stamps from work.
rip off
to steal or illegally copy something
Ex: Thieves broke in and ripped off five computers.
All the ideas in the film are ripped off from other movies.
swipe
steal sth very quickly while sb is not looking
Ex: They’re always swiping other kids’ sweets.
acquire
(formal)to obtain for oneself (skill, habit,), develop, learn
Ex: She has acquired a good knowledge of English.
abduct
to take somebody away illegally, especially using force
Ex: He had attempted to abduct the two children.
abduct from
gather
(information, evidence, data, intelligence, wild flowers,momentum, dust, ) to collect it especially over a period of time and after a lot of hard work, gather something/round/ around/up you/something/together
collect
gather, get a large number of things because they interest you
(stamps or coins, collect sb from, collect up)
ask people to give you money for something, for example a charity,take money such as taxes, rents, information/data/evidence, debts/fees/payments/taxes, revenue/rent, insurance/a pension/social security, ), buy and keep a particular type of thing as a hobby or an investment
derive
to get sth such as pleasure or benefit from a person or from an activity/situation
(derive something from something)
deduce
reach a conclusion because of other things that you know to be true (to reach an answer or a decision by thinking carefully about the known facts)
to reach an answer by thinking about a general truth and its relationship to a specific situation
-deduce something (from something)
-deduce (from something) that, what, how, etc…
inhabit
to live in a place/region/particular area
inhabitant
a person or animal that lives (permanently) in a particular place
dwell
to live in a place or in a particular way (dwell in/among)
Ex: She dwelt in remote parts of Asia for many years.
dweller
a person who lives in a particular type of place (city, town, cave)
settle
to go and live somewhere, especially permanently
Ex: After they got married, they settled in Brooklyn.
to arrive, especially from another country, in a new place and start to live there and use the land
Ex: America was first settled by people who came across from Asia over 25,000 years ago.
settler
a person who arrives, especially from another country, in a new place in order to live there and use the land/a person who goes to live in a new place where few people have lived before
Ex: The first settlers of this area were Germans.
