Ms Giang Flashcards
(162 cards)
1
Q
The long and (the) short of it
A
Used when telling sb only the essential facts, without going into details
2
Q
Write sth off
A
- Cancel a debt
2. Damage sth (esp. a vehicle) beyond repair
3
Q
Write sth off as sth
A
Dismiss
4
Q
Thrust (n)
A
- Gist
2. A sudden strong movement that pushes sb/sth forward
5
Q
All and sundry
A
Everyone
6
Q
Sundry
A
Various; several different
7
Q
Crass
A
Stupid and showing no sympathy/understanding
8
Q
Instigate sb to do sth
A
Make sb do sth bad
9
Q
Induce
A
- Cause/persuade sb to do sth
2. Cause sth
10
Q
Peter out
A
Gradually come to an end
eg. a campaign/conversation/strike/etc.
11
Q
(Un)intelligible (to sb)
A
(In)comprehensible
12
Q
Inscrutable
A
(of a person/their expression) showing little emotion and therefore hard to understand
13
Q
Clump
A
A bunch/group of sth very close together, eg. grass/hair/trees/bushes
14
Q
Appendage
A
A smaller/less important part of sth larger
15
Q
Do service as
A
Serve as
16
Q
Guiding light/spirit(/hand/star)
A
A person who influences a person/group and shows them how to do sth successfully
17
Q
Guiding principle
A
An idea that influences your greatly when making a decision/considering sth
18
Q
On your own terms/on sb’s terms
A
According to the conditions that you/sb else decides
19
Q
On your own account
A
- For yourself
2. Because you, and not sb else, wanted and decided to
20
Q
On your (own) head be it
A
At your own risk
21
Q
Budge
A
- Move slightly
- (make sb) change opinion on sth
~ budge an inch
22
Q
Arouse+…
A
In => feelings
From => sleep
23
Q
Bowl sb over
A
- Run into sb and knock them down
2. Surprise/impress sb a lot
24
Q
Thoroughfare
A
A main road for public use
25
Unpalatable (to sb)
Distasteful
26
Excel yourself
Acquit yourslef
27
Prefabricated
Made in sections that can be put together later
28
As quick as a flash
In a flash
29
Subjugate
Defeat; take control over
| ~ subjugation (n)
30
Be subjugated to
Be considered less important than
31
Subsume
Include sth in a particular group
32
Dog (v)
1. (of a problem/bad luck/etc.) cause sb trouble for a long time
2. Follow sb closely
33
Prostrate (adj)
1. Lying with your face down
2. (with sth) so shocked/upset/etc. you can't do anything
~ (v)
34
Prostration
1. Extreme physical weakness
| 2. The action of prostrating yourself
35
Swarm (v)
(disapproving) move around in a large group
36
Be swarming with people/things
Be teeming with
37
Drag your feet
Drag your heels
38
Replenish
Make sth full again by replacing what has been used
39
Under suspicion+...
OF (doing) sth
40
In ignorance of
Unaware of
41
Plush (adj)
Luxurious
42
Escapism
An activity etc. that helps you avoid/forget unpleasant/boring life
43
Farce
1. A comedy based on ridiculous and unlikely situations
| 2. A situation/event that is so badly organized that it becomes ridiculous
44
Farcical
Ridiculous and not worth taking seriously
45
Live beyond your means
Spend more than you earn
46
Days/weeks/etc. hence
Days/weeks/etc. from now
47
Pull your weight
Work as hard as everyone else
48
Scare sb out of their wits
Scare sb very much
49
In aid of
1. In order to raise money for
| 2. Used in questions to ask why sth is happening
50
Not to be sneezed at
Not to be sniffed at
51
Presence of mind
Ability to react quickly in difficult/dangerous situations
52
A new lease ... life
OF/ON
53
Wafer-thin
Very thin
54
Relish
Enjoy
55
Wallow in sth
Enjoy sth that gives you pleasure
56
Cash in (on sth)
Gain advantage from sth, esp. in a wrong/immoral way
57
Bound up with sth
Closely connected with sth
58
Bound up in sth
Very busy with/interested in/involved in sth
59
Upmarket
Of good quality; designed for rich people
60
Marketable
Easy to sell; attractive to customers/employers
61
Authenticate
Validate
62
Presage
Portend
63
Pepper sb/sth with sth
1. Hit sb/sth with a series of small objects, esp. bullets
| 2. Include a large number of sth in sth
64
Reminiscence
1. Sb's account of past events in their life
2. Recollection
3. Sth that reminds you of sth (+of)
65
Lounge about/around (sth)
Laze around
66
Lurch
1. Suddenly sway; stagger
| 2. Your heart/stomach lurches => sudden feeling of fear/excitement
67
Lark about/around
Mess around
68
Hark back to sth
1. Remember/talk about sth in the past
| 2. Remind you of/be like sth
69
Hatch sth (up)
Devise a plan/idea, esp. a secret one
70
What the future may hold
What may happen in the future
71
Tap (into) sth
Make use of/exploit a source of energy/knowledge/demand/etc.
72
Wade through sth
Deal with/read sth boring and time-consuming
73
Effect (v)
Make sth happen; cause; achieve
74
Focal
Central; very important
75
Snap sth up
Buy/obtain sth quickly because it's cheap/you want it very much
76
Parallel
1. Equivalent
| 2. Similar features
77
Draw a parallel between
Find similar features between
78
Undercut
1. Sell goods/provide services at lower prices than your competitors
2. Undermine
79
Plumb the depths of sth
Be/experience the extreme example of sth unpleasant
80
Sound a note of caution (about)
Warn
81
Far-fetched
Hard to believe
82
Level crossing
Railroad crossing
83
Rummage around/through sth/etc.
Move things around carelessly while searching for sth
84
Ransack
Turn (a place) upside down
85
What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander
If one person is allowed to do sth, another person in a similar situation must be too
86
Draw a line in the sand
1. Declare a boundary and imply that crossing it will bring trouble
2. Say that a particular idea/activity will not be accepted/supported
87
Downbeat
1. Dull; depressing; with few hopes for the future
| 2. Not showing strong feelings/enthusiasm
88
Blue-chip
(a company/investment) safe and likely to make a profit
89
Fluke
Sth that happened by chance instead of skill/planning
90
Throwback
Sb/sth similar to sb/sth in the past
91
Also-ran
A person who is not successful in a competition/election
92
No-show
A person who is expected but doesn't arrive
93
Egghead
Sb very intelligent and is only interested in studying
94
A good egg
Sb you can rely on to behave well
95
Bent on (doing) sth
Determined to do sth (usually sth bad)
96
Above/beyond reproach
Not deserve any blame
97
Make your mark (on sth)
Become famous and successful in a particular area
98
Leave your mark (on sb/sth)
Have an enduring (and usually bad) effect on sb/sth
99
Play it safe
Be careful; avoid risks
100
Elongate
Become/make sth much longer
101
Elongated
Long and thin (usually in an abnormal way)
102
Gripping
Exciting and interesting
103
Accost
Go up to sb and speak to them, esp. in a rude/threatening way
104
Exalt
1. Promote sb undeservedly
2. Praise sb/sth very much
~ exaltation (n)
105
Connive
1. Seem to allow sth wrong to happen (+at/in sth)
| 2. Conspire (with sb to do sth)
106
Connivance
1. Help in doing sth wrong
| 2. Failure to stop sth wrong from happening
107
Conniving
Behaving in a way that secretly hurts others/deliberately fails to prevent others from being hurt
108
Coalesce
Amalgamate
| ~ coalescence (n)
109
Tie-in
A product (eg. a toy/book) that is connected with a movie/TV program/etc.
110
Out-take
A piece of film that is removed before release
111
Short on sth
Lacking/not having enough of sth
112
Heatedly
Angrily and/or excitedly
113
Field glasses
Binoculars
114
Take over from sb/sth
Become bigger/more important than; replace sb/sth
115
Get bogged down in/with sth
Be involved in sth that prevents you from making progress/getting sth else done
116
Exterminate
Wipe out
117
Drag (a lake/river/etc.)
Search the bottom of a lake/river/etc.
118
Every bit as
Equally as
119
Mar
Blight; spoil/damage sth good
120
Old-world
Belonging to past times
121
Lay sth in/up
Collect and store sth to use in the future
122
Lay up trouble for yourself
Do sth that will cause you trouble in the future
123
Inward-looking
(of a people/society) more interested in itself than in other peoples/societies
124
Old-timer
A veteran of a club/an organization/a place/etc.
125
Glad of sth
Grateful for
126
Fish sth/sb out (of sth)
Take/pull sth/sb out of a place
127
On no other evidence
Only based on the mentioned evidence
128
Ape (v)
Imitate/mimic
129
Dank
Damp, cold and unpleasant
130
Profuse
Produced in large amounts
| Eg. apologies/thanks/bleeding
131
Latent
Existing but not yet very noticeable/active/fully developed
132
In direct contrast to
In inverse proportion to
133
Defuse
Preclude a potentially dangerous/difficult situation, esp. by appeasing people
134
In concert with sb/sth
Working together with sb/sth
135
Jagged
With rough, pointed and sharp edges
136
Airily
In a way that shows you aren't worried/don't treat sth as serious
137
Unionize
Organize people in a union
138
Conversationalist
Sb good at talking to others, esp. in an informal way
139
Dentures
False teeth
140
Obviate
Preclude
| ~ obviate the need for sth
141
Commonality
A feature/purpose shared by two or more people/things
142
Holdover
Hangover
143
Helpmate
A helpful helper, esp. a wife
144
(de)humidifier
A machine used to make the air less dry/humid
145
Electioneering
The activity of persuading people to vote for a party/politician
146
Fictionalize
Write a book/make a film about a true story but changing some details
147
Foreknowledge
Prescience
148
Fossilized
Old-fashioned; never changing
149
Gainful
(of work/employment) useful and paid
150
Gadgetry
Modern tools and devices in general
151
Handiwork
1. Work done using artistic skills
| 2. Sth you've done/caused, esp. sth bad
152
Ill-served
Not helped/represented well
153
Kickback
Bribe
154
Landbased
Located/living on land
155
Lazybones (sing.=pl.)
A lazy person
156
Lectureship
The position of a lecturer at a university/college
157
Loss-making
Not making a profit
158
Manfully
Using a lot of effort in a brave and determined way
159
Meltdown
A situation where sth fails/weakens suddenly and dramatically
~ in meltdown
160
Merchantable
In good condition to be sold
161
Moneyed
Rich
162
Monumentally
(of negative qualities) Extremely
