Deck 27 Flashcards
(100 cards)
1
Q
to flummox
A
to confuse someone so much that they do not know what to do
2
Q
at sb’s behest/at the behest of sb
A
because someone has asked or ordered you to do something
3
Q
wet
A
used to describe someone who has a weak character and does not express any forceful opinion
4
Q
a crony
A
a friend
5
Q
cockamamie [kok-uh-mey-mee]
A
ridiculous, pointless, or nonsensical
6
Q
parlance
A
a group of words or style of speaking used by a particular group of people
7
Q
a kerfuffle
A
a commotion or fuss, especially one caused by conflicting views
- ‘Tere was a kerfuffle over the chairmanship.’
8
Q
heebie-jeebies
A
a state of nervous fear or anxiety
9
Q
bubkes
A
absolutely nothing; something worthless
- ‘We’ve gone from bubkes to big deals in a year.’
10
Q
to traffic in sth
A
to buy and sell goods illegally
- ‘They were arrested for trafficking in the eggs of protected species of birds.’
11
Q
abstruse
A
difficult to understand
12
Q
to overthrow
A
to defeat or remove someone from power, using force
13
Q
an arms race
A
the situation in which two or more countries try to have more and stronger weapons than each other
14
Q
for what it’s worth
A
said when you are giving someone a piece of information and you are not certain if that information is useful or important
- ‘For what it’s worth, I think he may be right.’
15
Q
a dyke
A
a lesbian. Many people consider this word offensive.
16
Q
to luck out
A
to be very lucky
- ‘The Giants really lucked out in last night’s game.’
17
Q
verbose
A
using or containing more words than are necessary
18
Q
pungent
A
- A pungent smell or taste is very strong, sometimes unpleasantly strong
- Pungent speech or writing is very strongly felt:
19
Q
indelible
A
- An indelible mark or substance is impossible to remove by washing or in any other way
- Indelible memories or actions are impossible to forget or have a permanent influence or effect
20
Q
succinct [suh k-singkt]
A
said in a clear and short way; expressing what needs to be said without unnecessary words
21
Q
condescension
A
behaviour that shows you think you are better or more important than someone
22
Q
budding
A
beginning to develop or show signs of future success in a particular area
- ‘While still at school she was clearly a budding genius.’
23
Q
sequencing
A
the process of combining things in a particular order, or discovering the order in which they are combined
24
Q
limp
A
soft and neither firm nor stiff
25
enervating
making you feel weak and without energy
- 'I find this heat very enervating.'
26
bona fide [boh-nuh fahy-dee]
real, not false
- 'Make sure you are dealing with a bona fide company.'
27
to neuter
to remove part of an animal's sexual organs, so that it cannot produce young animals
28
dense
stupid
29
uxorious
showing too much love for your wife
30
bleak
1. If a place is bleak, it is empty, and not welcoming or attractive
2. If a situation is bleak, there is little or no hope for the future
31
a vice
Various activities considered immoral by certain people. Drug use, sexual promiscuity, prostitution, gambling, recklessness, cheating, lying, and selfishness are commonly considered vices.
- 'My one real vice (= bad habit) is chocolate.'
32
an ellipsis
a set of dots (…) indicating an ellipsis
33
a calamity
a serious accident or bad event causing damage or suffering
34
curt
If someone's manner or speech is curt, it is rude as a result of being very quick
- 'Andy was very curt with him.'
35
out/down for the count
Having been, or very near to being, defeated, ruined, or overcome.
Likened to a boxer who has been knocked to the mat and cannot get to his or her feet before the referee counts to 10, thus losing the match.
36
wood
an erect penis
37
to belch
to allow air from the stomach to come out noisily through the mouth
- 'He belched noisily.'
38
brittle
delicate and easily broken
39
pliable
A pliable person is easily influenced and controlled by other people
40
a somersault
a rolling movement or jump, either forwards or backwards, in which you turn over completely, with your body above your head, and finish with your head on top again
- 'She was so happy she turned three somersaults on the lawn.'
41
to blow something out of proportion
to make something seem more important or serious than it really is
42
illicit
forbidden by law, rules, or custom
- ‘illicit drugs’
43
in this day and age
in this day and age
- ‘at the present time’
44
stark raving mad
totally insane, out of control, completely crazy
- ‘When she heard about what happened at the office, she went stark raving mad.’
45
a chokehold
a way of holding someone with your arm tightly around their neck so that they cannot breathe easily
- 'The officer had him in a chokehold.'
46
a chasuble
an ornate sleeveless outer vestment worn by a Catholic or High Anglican priest when celebrating Mass
47
engorged
If a part of the body is engorged, it has become swollen or filled with a liquid, especially blood.
48
exigent
needing urgent attention, or demanding too much from other people
- 'an exigent problem'
- 'an exigent manager'
49
force majeure
"superior force" - unforeseeable circumstances that prevent someone from doing something that is written in a legal agreement
50
crises [cry-siz]
plural form of cirsis
51
a gallows
a wooden structure used, especially in the past, to hang criminals from as a form of execution
52
With a catch in her voice
With a little break in her voice caused by emotion.
53
auspicious
suggesting a positive and successful future
54
to infest
(of animals and insects that carry disease) to cause a problem by being present in large numbers
55
true
fitted or positioned accurately
- 'None of the drawers were true.'
- 'Her aim is true.'
56
a freelancer
someone who works on different projects with different companies instead of being a company employee
57
from here on (out)
from this time forward
- 'From here on out, I'm making all the decisions.'
58
to toe the line
to do what you are expected to do without causing trouble for anyone
59
a chip off the old block
someone who is very similar in character to their father or mother
60
a fluke
something good that has happened that is the result of chance instead of skill or planning
- 'The first goal was just a fluke.'
61
a concourse
a large space or room in a public building such as a station or airport that people meet in or pass through
62
triage
the process of quickly examining patients who are taken to a hospital in order to decide which ones are the most seriously ill and must be treated first
63
a skillet
a frying pan
64
to be on the mend
to be getting better after an illness or injury
65
to squander
to waste money or supplies, or to waste opportunities by not using them to your advantage
66
countenance [U]
a person's face or facial expression
67
a tinderbox
a dangerous and uncontrolled situation in which violence is likely to happen
68
a warm body
a person; just any person
69
a sieve
a utensil consisting of a wire or plastic mesh held in a frame, used for separating solids from liquids
70
Reverend
a title for a priest of the Christian Church
71
to wind up
to find yourself in an unexpected and usually unpleasant situation, especially as a result of what you do
72
DOA
Dead On Arrival
73
CBA
abbreviation for can't be arsed: used when you do not want to do something because you feel lazy
74
on the dot
exactly on time
75
cisgender
denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex
76
to bow out
to leave a job or stop doing an activity, usually after a long time
77
a flair [S]
natural ability to do something well
- 'He has a flair for languages.'
78
to tend
to care for something or someone
79
to tend bar
to work behind a bar serving drinks
80
arid
(of land or a climate) having little or no rain; too dry to support vegetation
81
the heart of the matter
the focal, central, or most important element of a topic, problem, or issue
82
selfsame
exactly the same
- 'His father had suffered from the selfsame disease.'
83
incontrovertible
impossible to doubt because of being obviously true
84
to stipulate
to say exactly how something must be or must be done
- 'She agreed to buy the car, but stipulated racing tyres and a turbo-powered engine.'
85
mush
If you describe something such as a book or film as mush, you mean that it is too emotional
86
to show somebody the ropes
to explain to someone how to do a job or activity
87
a welt
a raised, red area of skin caused by being hit or by cuts healing
88
woe is me
said to express how unhappy you are
- 'I'm cold and wet and I don't have enough money for the bus home. Oh woe is me!'
89
chock-full
completely full
- 'The whole room was chock-full of books.'
90
grating
A grating sound is unpleasant and annoying.
91
to commiserate
to express sympathy to someone about some bad luck
- 'I began by commiserating with her over the defeat.'
92
convoluted
Convoluted sentences, explanations, arguments, etc. are unreasonably long and difficult to understand
93
munificent
very generous with money
94
to castigate
to criticize someone or something severely
95
a vocation
a type of work that you feel you are suited to doing and to which you should give all your time and energy, or the feeling that a type of work suits you in this way
96
an avocation
work you do in addition to your main job or profession, especially for enjoyment
97
to meddle
to try to change or have an influence on things that are not your responsibility, especially by criticizing in a damaging or annoying way
- 'My sister's always meddling in other people's affairs.'
- 'People shouldn't meddle with things they don't understand.'
98
lenient
not as severe or strong in punishment or judgment as would be expected
99
to eschew [es-choo]
to avoid something intentionally, or to give something up
- 'We won't have discussions with this group unless they eschew violence.'
100
pensive
thinking in a quiet way, often with a serious expression on your face
