esl-lab easy section Flashcards
(26 cards)
crack the books
start studying
“The reason why he isn’t doing very well is that he rarely cracks the books.”
cut class
miss school
“Although some of my daughter’s friends cut class a lot, she is at school every day.”
run in the family
physical or personality traits that are similar
“All their kids are very athletic; it seems to run in the family.”
a balancing act
a difficult situation where you try to do several different things at the same time
“Working and studying at the same time is a real balancing act.”
high-and-mighty
self-important and proud
“Sarah always acts high-and-mighty, and she thinks she is better than everyone else because she is a well-known movie star.”
vacancy(vacancies)
an unoccupied position or job
empty space
read someone like a book
understand someone very well
“My teacher can read students like a book. He knows which students study, and which students don’t.“
go by the book
follow rules exactly
“If you always go by the book in your work, your company will trust you more.“
no spring chicken
no longer young
“I don’t think he’ll be able to hike to the summit because he’s no spring chicken.“
play it safe
be careful and not take chances
“My knee still hurts, so I’m going to play it safe and not go jogging today.“
make the best of it
do what you can under the circumstances
“We’ve had to make the best of it ever since dad died last year.”
strapped for cash
short of money
“I’m a little strapped for cash, so I can’t eat out very often.”
come into money
get money suddenly
“Steve came into money when his father passed away last year.“
nose around
look for something private or hidden
“The kids sometimes nose around the house for Christmas gifts.”
umpteen (also, umpteenth)
a great number of
“I have umpteen presents to buy before Christmas Eve.“
walkie-talkies
small portable radio receiver-transmitters used for communicating with others
“We always take walkie-talkies when we go hiking in case of emergencies.”
crack a book
to open books to study (usually a negative meaning)
“Brandon hardly ever cracked a book in high school, but he still was able to graduate.”
cut class
to skip school
“Why do you always cut class? You won’t pass the class if you do.“
fit in (verb)
feel a part of or belong to a group
“Why didn’t Amanda fit in during high school?”
loner (noun)
a person who is often alone or likes to be alone
“I was a loner back in high school, and I didn’t have any friends.”
turn someone down (noun)
reject or refuse someone
“James asked many girls out on dates, but they all turned him down.”
on the spur of the moment
without planning or preparation
“I decided to go to the party on the spur of the moment, so I threw on some clothes and left.”
be decked out
be dressed in formal clothes for nice occasions
“She was decked out in a beautiful dress, and everyone was surprised.”
pass with flying colors
pass a class or test with high marks
“Many students passed the test with flying colors.”
