New Words, Phrases, Idioms from Practice Tests (of Ms. Trtr) Flashcards
(135 cards)
1
Q
Look over sth:
A
- To quickly examine sth
Ex: The prospective buyer had decided to look over the property before committing himself
2
Q
Put sth by:
A
- To save an amount of money to use later
Ex: I tried to put by a few pounds every week
3
Q
On principle:
A
- if you do sth on principle, it means you do it because of a moral rule you follow
4
Q
Salvage(v):
A
- to save goods from damage or destruction
Ex: Gold coins salvaged from a shipwreck
5
Q
Lobby (v):
A
- to persuade an elected official to take a particular action or change a law
Ex: preservationists are lobbying their state lawmakers to legally restrict underwater searches and unregulated salvages
6
Q
Spur sb on:
A
- to encourage sb
Ex: ambition spurred him on
7
Q
Scour(v):
A
- to search a place or thing very carefully in order to try to find something
Ex: The police are scouring the area for the missing child
8
Q
Rupture(v, n):
A
- To (cause sth) to explode, break or tear
- And occasion when sth explodes, breaks or tears
Ex: The news has ruptured the delicate peace between the rival groups
A rupture of the pipeline
9
Q
Shun(v):
A
- to avoid sth or ignore sb
Ex: she has shunned publicity since she retired from acting
10
Q
Quiver(v):
A
- To shake slightly often because of strong emotion
Ex: The dog quivered with fear
11
Q
Flinch(v):
A
- to make a sudden small movement because of pain or fear
Ex: He didn’t even flinch when the nurse cleaned the wound
12
Q
Cringe(v):
A
- To pull back in fear from sb or sth that seems powerful or dangerous
- to feel embarrassed and ashamed about sth
Ex: he cringes every time he hears the dentist‘s drill
I cringed at the sight of my dad dancing
13
Q
Wince(v):
A
- to show pain or embarrassment suddenly and for a short time in the face
Ex: It makes me wince even thinking about eye operations
14
Q
Up in the air:
A
- uncertain
Ex: The whole future of the project is still up in the air
15
Q
Be under a cloud:
A
- To not be trusted or popular because people think you have done sth bad
Ex: The cabinet minister left office under a cloud after a fraud scandal
16
Q
Be in the red:
A
- If you or your bank account are in the red you owe money to the bank
17
Q
Shambles(n):
=clutter
A
- A state of confusion, bad organization, or untidiness
Ex: The train service has been a shambles since they introduced the new schedules
18
Q
Rumpus(n):
Informal
A
- A lot of noise, esp. a loud and confused argument or complaint
Ex: there was a real rumpus going on in the house next-door last night
19
Q
Fracas(n):
A
- A noisy argument or fight
Ex: he was injured in a Saturday-night fracas outside the park
20
Q
Grimace(v, n):
A
- to make an expression of pain, strong dislike, etc. in which the face twists in an ugly way
Ex: he tried to stand and grimaced with pain
21
Q
Put your feet up:
A
- to relax
22
Q
(Out) in the sticks:
A
- a long way from a town or city
Ex: they live out in the sticks
23
Q
Mystification(n):
A
- The state of feeling very confused because sb or sth is impossible to understand
Ex: and then, to the audience’s mystification, the band suddenly stopped playing
24
Q
- A temporary mental condition in which someone is subconscious
A
Trance(v):
Ex: He sat staring out of the window as if in a trance
25
Evoke(v):
- to make sb remember sth or feel an emotion
Ex: that smell always evokes memories of my old school
26
Disclose(v):
Formal
- to make sth known publicly
Ex: The company has disclosed profits of over 200m pounds
27
In the manner of sth:
- in the style of particular person or thing
28
Depose(v):
- to remove sb important from a powerful position
Ex: King Charles I was deposed from the English throne in 1646
29
Provoke(v):
- to cause a reaction
- to make or try to make a person or an animal angry
Ex: The prospect of increased prices has already provoked an outcry
It was a vicious-looking dog and I didn’t want to provoke it
30
Sustenance(v):
Formal
- food
- the ability of food to provide people and animals with what they need to make them strong and healthy
Ex: during this freezing weather, the food put out by householders is the only form of sustenance that the birds have
A stick of celery does not provide much sustenance
31
Bloodcurdling(adj):
- causing a feeling of extreme fear
Ex: a bloodcurdling story/scream
32
Lurk(v):
- to wait or move in a secret way so that you cannot be seen
- (of an unpleasant feeling or quality) to exist although it is not always noticeable
Ex: sb was lurking in the shadows
Danger lurks around every corner
33
Rampant(adj):
- growing or spreading quickly in a way that is not controlled
Ex: weeds are growing rampant in the garden
Rampant corruption/inflation
34
Suffocate(v):
- to die because of lack of oxygen, or kill sb by preventing them from breathing
- to prevent sth/sb from improving or developing in a positive way
Ex: she suffocated him by holding a pillow over his head
If bacteria are allowed to run rampant and kept in check, they could virtually suffocate the oceans
35
Proliferate(v):
Formal
- to increase a lot and suddenly in number
Ex: small businesses have proliferated in the last ten years
36
Custodian(n):
Formal
- a person/organization with mantle of protecting or taking care of sth, or keeping sth in good condition
Ex: the custodian of a museum/castle
The library is a traditional custodian of information
37
Debilitate(v):
Formal
- to make sb or sth physically weak
= enervate
Ex: chemotherapy exhausted and debilitated him
38
Be in sync (with sb/sth):
- to work well together, to be in agreement, or to match well with sth/sb else
Ex: she found that the job was out of sync w/ her principles, and she had to leave
39
Graft(v):
- a piece of healthy skin or bone cut usually from a person’s own body and used to repair a damaged part in that person
40
Abdomen(n):
- Bụng
41
Amputate(v):
- to cut off a part of the body
Ex: they had to amputate his foot to free him from the wreckage
42
Regression(n):
Formal
- suy thoái (= a return to a previous and less advanced or worse state, condition, or way of behaving
Ex: a regression has occurred in the overall political situation
43
Cartography(n):
- the science or art of making or drawing maps: bản đồ học
44
Misdemeanor(n):
- a behavior that is bad or not moral
Ex: political/sexual misdemeanor
45
Mutiny(n):
- an occasion when a group of people defies orders and/or attempts to take control from people in authority
- to take part in a mutiny
Ex: conditions on the ship were often abominable and crews were on the point of mutiny
46
Circumnavigate(v):
Formal
- to sail all the way around sth
- to circumvent
Ex: they circumnavigated Cape Horn Island in canoes
Manufacturers and shops circumnavigated gun laws by providing realistic models that are unable to discharge missiles. (Circulate)
47
Incur(v):
Formal
- to experience sth, usually sth unpleasant
Ex: the play has incurred the wrath of both audiences and critics
48
Give sb chapter and verse on sth
- to tell sb all the details of sth, without missing anything out
49
Sth strikes a chord with sb
To cause people to agree with or approve of sth
50
In the abstract
- in a general way
51
- a state of not happening or being used at present
Abeyance(n):
Ex: The project is being held in abeyance until agreement is reached on funding it.
52
Pick sb’s brain(s):
- to ask someone who knows a lot about a subject for information or their opinion
53
Take to your heels
- to quickly run away
54
Hand in/and glove
- working together, often to do something dishonest
55
Take heart (from sth):
- to feel encouraged because of sth
56
If you make or lose money hand over fist, you make or lose a lot money very quickly
57
Reserve judgment on sth
- to refuse to give an opinion about sth until you know more about it
Ex: The three appeal judges reserved judgment on both cases.
58
Microbial (adj):
- relating to microbes
59
Beyond question
- completely certain or definite
60
- to get or produce sth, esp. in4 and response
Elicit (v):
Ex: The program has also elicited both positive and negative responses.
61
Reminisce about:
- to talk or write about past experiences that you remember with pleasure
62
Hale and hearty
- (esp. of old people) healthy and strong
63
- urgent and need to be dealt with immediately
Pressing(adj):
Ex: a pressing need for housing
a pressing issue
64
- completely developed or trained
Fully fledged/full-fledged(adj):
Ex: What started as a small business is now a fully fledged company.
After years of study, Tim is now a fully fledged architect.
65
Empty into sth:
- to flow into larger areas
Ex: The River Tees empties into the North Sea.
66
Blow the gaff
- to make known a secret
67
At/on the double
- very quickly and without any delay
68
In luck
- experiencing a surprisingly good situation
69
Frighten/scare sb out of their wits=frighten/scare the wits out of sb
- to make sb frightened
70
Under wraps
- secret
71
Bail sb up
- to talk with sb continuously and delay them
72
For good measure
- in addition
73
Jump in/throw sb in at the deep end
- to start or to make someone start a new and difficult job or activity without helping them or preparing them for it
74
Tempers get frayed:
- If you say that tempers are getting frayed, you mean that people are getting angry with each other.
75
Frown on/upon sth:
- to disapprove of sth
Ex: Smoking is frowned upon in many societies.
76
Incur(v):
- to experience sth, usually sth bad
Ex: to incur debts/bills
77
On the up (and up):
- honest and fair
- improving all the time
Ex: gareth bake is a brilliant young footballer who is on the up and up
Her career has been on the up and up since she moved into sales.
78
Worm sth out of sb:
- to try to get in4 from sb that they are trying to keep secret
Ex: He wasn't going to tell me, but I managed to worm it out of him.
79
Be privy to sth:
Formal
- to have secret knowledge that few people know
Ex: Only top management was privy to (= knew about) the proposed merger.
80
Configure(v):
- to arrange something or put its parts together in a particular form or arrangement
Ex: Online buyers can build their own version of the car: many of the company's customers configure their own vehicles.
81
Laden(adj):
- carrying or holding a lot of something
Ex: He always comes back from France laden with presents for everyone.
The table, as always, was laden with food.
82
Make/pull a face:
- grimace(v)
Ex: i knew my mother would pull a face the minute she saw my new haircut
83
Keep oneself to oneself:
- to tell others very little about oneself, and not to be very friendly or sociable
= self-contained(adj)
Ex: He likes to keep himself to himself.
84
Make a dash for sth
85
Entrance(v):
Be entranced with
/intrans/
- so captivating that you cannot take your eyes off them
Ex: He has entranced millions of people with his beautifully illustrated books.
86
Be on the scene
- to arrive
87
In the flesh:
- irl
88
Set my heart on doing sth
89
Get around to doing sth
- to do something that you have intended to do for a long time
Ex: I still haven't got around to fixing that tap.
90
-  full of strongly felt and strongly expressed emotion
Impassioned (adj):
Ex: Relatives of the dead made an impassioned plea for the bodies to be flown back to this country.
91
- feeling or showing sympathy and sadness for the suffering or bad luck of others, and wanting to help them
Compassionate(adj):
Ex: He was a wonderful listener and a deeply compassionate man.
92
- able to think clearly or make good decisions because of not being influenced by emotions
Dispassionate(adj):
Ex: In all the media hysteria, there was one journalist whose comments were clear-sighted and dispassionate.
93
If you describe a situation as a toss-up, you mean that either of two possibilities is equally likely
Ex: It's a toss-up between Angela and Moira for the editor's job.
94
- not important, or not relating to the subject you are thinking about
Immaterial(adj):
Ex: Whether the book is well or badly written is immaterial (to me) - it has an important message.
95
- suitable and right for the occasion
Apposite(adj):
Formal /aepowzait/
Ex: The film starts in a graveyard, an apposite image for the decaying society which is the theme of the film.
96
Be/weigh on your conscience
- to make you feel guilty
Ex: Yesterday I ignored an old woman who asked me for money in the street, and it's been on my conscience ever since.
97
Be at your wit’s end:
- to be so worried, confused, or annoyed that you do not know what to do next
98
Under sb’s thumb
- under one’s control
99
Fall in with sb/sth
- to become friendly with sb or to support a plan
100
- a previous action or decision that can be used as a reason for allowing something else
Precedent(n):
Ex: This law sets a very dangerous precedent for all businesses.
101
If an experience stands sb in good stead, it is or will be of great use to them
Stand someone in good stead
Ex: Getting some work experience now will stand you in good stead (for) when you apply for a permanent job.
102
Weep oneself out
Cry out
103
Gloss over sth
- to treat something in a way that fails to recognize its importance or its faults
Overlook
104
Fob sb off (sth)
- to persuade someone to accept something that is of a low quality, or different to what they really wanted
Ex: The bank delayed on his compensation claim for eight years while attempting to fob him off with much smaller sums.
105
If something is carefully/well/badly thought out, it is carefully/well/badly planned
Ex: a well-thought-out plan
106
Harebrained/hair-brained(adj):
- of plans or people) silly or not practical
Ex: That sounds like another of his harebrained schemes!
107
Unerring(adj):
- always right
Ex: She brings an unerring sense of timing to the role.
108
- arguments between people who are blaming each other
Recrimination(n):
(=recriminations)
Ex: The peace talks broke down and ended in bitter mutual recrimination(s).
109
- the conditions that make available an opportunity to learn or experience new things
Exposure(n):
Ex:  Students deserve exposure to creative teachers.
110
Fob sb off with sth:
- to persuade someone to accept something that is of a low quality, or different to what they really wanted
- to try to stop someone from complaining or asking questions by telling them something that is not true, or giving them an excuse
111
Keep tabs on sth/sb:
- to watch sth or sb carefully
Ex: I like to keep tabs on my bank account so that I don't spend too much.
112
- to get control or influence
- to be common among a group of people or area at a particular time
Prevail(v):
Formal
Ex: And did reason prevail over (= become a more powerful influence than) emotion?
This attitude still prevails among the middle classes.
113
- to firmly establish something, especially an idea or a problem, so that it cannot be changed
Entrench(v):
Ex: The government's main task was to prevent inflation from entrenching itself.
114
- to dominate, to influence
Bestride(v):
Ex: america’s media companies bestride the globe
115
- providing the right conditions for something good to happen or exist
Conducive(v):
Ex: Such a noisy environment was not conducive to a good night's sleep.
116
The relief worker:
- nhân viên cứu trợ
117
Pay over the odds
- to pay more for sth than it is really worth
118
Lay into sb:
- to attack sb physically or to criticize sb in an angry way
Ex: her father laid her into when she came home two hours later from a party
119
Play on sth
- make unfair use of sth
120
- sth that is so boring that it makes you very unhappy
Soul-destroying(adj):
Ex: Repetitive work can become soul-destroying after a while.
121
- giving you a sudden very strong feeling of fear
Heart-stopping(adj):
Ex: For a heart-stopping moment, she thought the man was going to kill her.
122
- a situation in which two people or groups share responsibility for running a government, organization, etc.
Power-sharing(n):
Ex: The two leaders presented this new era of power-sharing as a positive thing.
123
- making you think a lot about a subject
Thought-provoking(adj):
Ex: a thought-provoking book/film
124
Eat away sth:
- to gradually destroy or damage sth
Ex: most of the bodywork of the car has been eaten away by rust
125
Cave in:
- to break and fall into the space below
Ex: Because of the explosion, the roof of the building caved in, trapping several people.
126
Justified in
Ex: I think you were quite justified in complaining.
127
-to go somewhere with a person or group, usually when they have not asked you to go with them
Tag along:
Ex: I don't know her, she just tagged along with us.
128
- to aim or point a gun, camera, light, etc. at someone or something
Train(v):
Ex: With five guns suddenly trained on him, he was understandably nervous.
129
By a mile/miles
- used to say something is much greater or better than something else
Ex: Restaurant food is better by miles/miles better than it used to be 20 years ago.
130
Over and above:
In addion to
131
Be on the level:
- to be acting or speaking honestly
Ex: are you sure he is on the level, i think it is too good to be true
132
- to destroy an idea or a piece of art or entertainment
Mutilate(v):
Ex: They have mutilated a beautiful film by making these changes.
133
- to damage and spoil the appearance of something by writing or drawing on it
Deface (v):
Ex: He was fined for defacing library books.
134
- to spread over a large area, or (especially of things made of cloth) to become filled with air and appear to be larger
Billow(v):
Ex: Smoke billowed (out) from the burning building.
135
Throw a (monkey) wrench in the works=throw/put a spanner in the works
- to do sth that prevents a plan or activity from succeeding
