PODCAST_2014_2 Flashcards

Question

to do the trick | PODCAST #1037 "That’s not going to do the trick."

Answer 1

to solve the problem; to be effective * That duct tape should do the trick and stop the leak until we can buy a new pipe.

Answer 2

to open one’s mouth wide and take a deep breath with a sighing sound, usually when one is very tired, but trying to stay awake * Your son often yawns during my classes. Is he getting enough sleep at home?

Answer 3

a formal phrase describing the late evening, especially when people are normally asleep * They usually go out for dessert after seeing a play, but given the lateness of the hour, they decided to go home instead.

Answer 4

using delicacy and indirectness to express oneself * Are you able to appreciate the subtlety of this artwork?

Answer 5

to make the lights brighter and more intense in a room that was partially dark * At the end of the movie, they turned up the lights in the theater.

Answer 6

the time to turn off the lights and go to sleep, especially when used as a command to tell others to turn off the lights * Most nights, the kids are in bed and reading by 8:00, but it’s lights out at 8:15.

Answer 7

to sincerely believe what one is saying, without any doubt or hesitation * Did you mean it when you said that you’d quit your job if you had to work for Irene?

Answer 8

a sector (part) of the economy that is becoming smaller and may no longer exist in the future * If people continue to buy foreign cars, automobile manufacturing could become a dying industry in the United States.

Answer 9

a farm that is owned and operated by a family, not a corporation * They dream of buying some land and having a family farm with cows, pigs, chickens, and fields of corn and blueberries.

Answer 10

small, not large; for a small number of people * Right now, we’re limited to small-scale production out of our basement, but if sales continue to increase, we’ll be able to move into a small factory.

Answer 11

the sector (part) of the economy that includes very large corporations that own and operate large farms on very large areas of land * A lot of people are concerned about how animals are treated in agribusiness.

Answer 12

thriving; doing very well; with a lot of success * Despite the government’s best efforts, people still cheat on their taxes and not pay what they owe.

Answer 13

money paid by the government to a manufacturer to cause the price of a product to be lower * Government subsidies of sugar and corn have made soda, chips, cookies, and other types of junk food very inexpensive.

Answer 14

profitable; making a lot of money * A great invention can be very lucrative, but only if you have the patent.

Answer 15

how one makes a living; how one earns money; a job or career * As a butcher in a small town, Sayeed’s livelihood has always been dependent on good customer service.

Answer 16

to do better than someone or something else so that its power or influence weakens while one’s own power and influence increases * Renee hopes to edge out the other dancers in the salsa competitio

Answer 17

production; the amount of a product or service made by someone with a certain amount of resources and/or in a certain amount of time; a measure of efficiency * If we hire more workers, we can increase output by up to 40%.

Answer 18

the most important thing in deciding how things are done; the way things are expected to be * Being involved in a lot of extracurricular activities is the name of the game for high school students who want to be admitted to prestigious colleges.

Answer 19

to give up; to stop trying to do something, especially because it seems too difficult or impossible * We need to hire someone who is very persistent and won’t throw in the towel the first time there’s an obstacle.

Answer 20

a phrase used to express disappointment or sadness about something that is happening, especially something that seems unfair * Adam’s father was ill and couldn’t attend his son’s college graduation. That’s a shame!

Answer 21

within a country; not international * Will we ever have enough domestic oil production to avoid importing oil?

Answer 22

the way things are done, especially referring to culture; how people live in a certain area or with certain opinions * Fishing is a way of life for many people who live in coastal towns.

Answer 23

to have many family members involved in a particular industry or hobby * Vince comes from a long line of military officers.

Answer 24

exact; precise; a word used to emphasize the following word * Your shopping cart is full of the very junk foods that the doctor told you to stop eating!

Answer 25

an unanticipated change in events, especially an ironic one * In a twist of fate, Dynee finally got a job on the day that she was evicted from her apartment because she could not afford to pay the rent.

Answer 26

a group of people who are standing one behind the other to wait for the store employee to become available to help them make their purchase * The woman at the front of the cashier line had to run back to the aisles to find something that she forgot to buy, so the rest of us had to keep waiting.

Answer 27

a process or machine designed to allow people to purchase items or process their own transaction before leaving a store, without help from an employee * The self-checkout area is constantly monitored to make sure that nobody steals items without paying for them.

Answer 28

an electronic device that performs some task, especially to save time, effort, and/or money for humans * When will someone invent a machine that folds laundry?

Answer 29

to have a computer “read” or get information * The airport has special machines that scan luggage tags and send the luggage to the correct airplane.

Answer 30

a series of wide and narrow parallel (running in the same direction) lines with numbers on the bottom, read by computers, and used as a label to identify a product or another item * The store employee couldn’t find the barcode on the box to find out the price.

Answer 31

related to food and other household items that are sold in stores * Can you pick up some milk and bananas at the grocery store on your way home from work?

Answer 32

balance; a device that measures the weight of a person or object * According to this scale, I’ve gained 14 pounds. That can’t be right!

Answer 33

a flat, digital screen that allows the user to provide information by touching certain parts of the screen, without needing to type anything * The ATM uses a touch-screen interface, so you can just tap here if you want to make a deposit, or here if you want to make a withdrawal.

Answer 34

to place groceries or other purchased items into paper, plastic, or cloth bags so that they can be carried out of the store * Janine always bags her groceries in reusable bags, but yesterday, she accidentally left her bags at home.

Answer 35

the place in a store where purchased items are placed and then picked up and put into bags so that they can be taken out of the store * It’s important to organize the bagging area so that you can pack up the heavy items first and leave the fragile items like bread and eggs for the last bag.

Answer 36

a person who provides service to customers, meeting their needs * The flight attendant offered the passengers a variety of drinks.

Answer 37

to erase or delete something so that it is no longer visible, relevant, or applicable * How can I paste this text, but clear the formatting?

Answer 38

to undo a sale before it is final, making it as if it had never happened; to cancel a sale * Please present your coupons first. Otherwise I’ll have to void the transaction and re-enter everything.

Answer 39

an informal phrase used to propose something or present an idea * I don’t really like that paint color, but I’ll tell you what. You can paint the dining room that color if I can pick out the paint color for the living room.

Answer 40

a gambling offer that only a naïve, inexperienced person is likely to accept, because the investment or risk is higher than the reward or benefit * That was a sucker bet. Why did Kile agree to it? They really tricked him.

Answer 41

a way of cooking a piece of meat, especially beef, so that it is very thoroughly cooked, with no red or pink parts showing * My grandfather always said that steaks are best served medium rare and juicy, not well done and dry.

Answer 42

the department or group of employees in a hotel, rental car company or other business that is responsible for making arrangements for future visits or use of services by customers * The reservations staff said they don’t have any rooms available until Tuesday.

Answer 43

current; in existence now; already in place * Do we have any information technology experts on our existing staff?

Answer 44

a number or code assigned to a specific customer’s future visit or use of service so that it can be found quickly and easily in the computer system * I’m sorry, but we can’t find a reservation under that name. Do you have your reservation number?

Answer 45

when one begins one’s stay at a hotel, arrives for an airplane flight, or indicate that one has arrived for another service * Most of the conference participants have a Sunday-evening check-in so that they can get a good night’s rest before the sessions begin on Monday morning.

Answer 46

when one ends one’s stay at a hotel or officially leaves a place providing a service * The hotel’s check-out time is 11:00 a.m. If you stay later, you might be charged for an additional night.

Answer 47

a group of people using some service or facility together and at the same time * We weren’t expecting such a large party of dinner guests. Please wait at the bar until we can prepare a table for you.

Answer 48

the open area that is surrounded by the walls of a building, usually with plants, benches, and seating areas * The people who live in those apartments often have community barbeques and other parties in the courtyard.

Answer 49

the space occupied by a guest in a hotel, usually a connected bedroom and bathroom * Each room can accommodate up to four adults.

Answer 50

with a window or balcony facing something that is pleasant to look at, especially an ocean, mountains, or a city * Their apartment offers a great view of the Statue of Liberty.

Answer 51

one of the top floors of a tall building * My office is on the upper floor of the skyscraper, so I can see most of the city.

Answer 52

the cost of staying in a hotel room for one night; the per-night price of a hotel room * Conference attendees can get a discounted room rate of just $165 per night.

Answer 53

a phrase used when one has changed one’s mind and wants to let the other person know that a new idea or proposal is coming * Those designs are nice, but on second thought, let’s see what it looks like if we change the font size and color.

Answer 54

a group of connected rooms used by one hotel guest, usually a bedroom, a living area or sitting room, and a large bathroom * Randall sometimes has to stay at a hotel for up to two weeks at a time, so he prefers to find a suite that feels more like a home than a hotel room.

Answer 55

to offer a view of something from above * Her office overlooks the port, so she can see ships moving up and down the river all day long.

Answer 56

a swimming pool; a large hole in the ground filled with water for people to play and exercise in * How often does the city change the water in the pool?

Answer 57

to decide not to change one’s plans; to commit to one’s original plan or idea * I didn’t realize it would be so expensive to change the flight! Let’s stick to our original plans.

Answer 58

to change one’s plans so that one is no longer expected to have or do something in the future; to discontinue; to arrange for something to stop * Why did you cancel your membership to the gym?

Answer 59

someone or something that is annoying or irritating, creating problems or difficulties for others * Are you sure it isn’t a bother for me to get a ride in your car to go to Boise?

Answer 60

making one lose all hope; very difficult to deal with * When her mother died, it was crushing for Susan. crushing defeat: A crushing defeat would be a case where you lose, but you lose very badly and it’s very difficult for you to deal with it.

Answer 61

win; successful completion of a competition or race, with no one else having done better * Getting a few victories early in the season improved the players’ selfconfidence.

Answer 62

to describe something in a particular way; to select certain words to talk about or to describe something * I would say that Thelma is friendly, but I wouldn’t characterize her as being too talkative.

Answer 63

to not meet expectations; to not do as well as expected or hoped * We fell short of our sales goal by just a few hundred dollars.

Answer 64

as far as; during some period and leading to the present moment * She had second thoughts about marrying Ezekiel up until the moment she said, “I do.”

Answer 65

a phrase used to show that one does not believe what another person has just said; a phrase meaning that one’s opinion or belief is not realistic or possible * A: With this new haircut, I look like Brad Pitt! B: In your dreams!

Answer 66

to control and have complete power over someone or something; to be superior to someone or something * The new king dominated everyone and everything in his kingdom.

Answer 67

an easy win or victory * The other team won 20-0. It was a major blowout.

Answer 68

to give up; to no longer try to do something because it was too difficult, challenging, or impossible * After receiving 30 rejection letters, Sally decided to throw in the towel and stop trying to get her book published.

Answer 69

to lose control of one’s thoughts, actions, and/or emotions and no longer be able to perform, especially when one is under a lot of stress * The math teacher melted down in class and started yelling at the students.

Answer 70

a person who criticizes how something was done and acts as if he or she would have done it better, but is able to do that only because the thing has already happened and more information is now available * Sure, it sounds easy when you explain it now, but remember that anyone can be a Monday morning quarterback. It’s must harder to make the right decision when those things are actually happening.

Answer 71

to end and/or fail completely and very quickly * Their dream of traveling to Hawaii went down in flames when they had to use all their savings for medical treatments.

Answer 72

another game played between the same two players or teams after a first game has ended * I’m sorry you lost, but hopefully you can win the rematch.

Answer 73

to beat another person or team very badly; to have a clear win * Nobody expected that team to whup our team so badly.

Answer 74

to use insulting words and phrases to make someone seem worse or less important in order to make oneself seem better * Don’t listen to those kids who are trash talking you. They’re just trying to make themselves feel better.

Answer 75

to beat another person or team very badly; to have a clear win * You’ve practiced for months. Now let’s go out there and wipe the floor with those players. Go team!

Answer 76

having committed a crime; not following the law; having broken one or more laws * The judge found her guilty of robbery.

Answer 77

not having committed a crime; following the law; not having broken any laws * He has been in prison for more than 10 years, but he still says that he’s innocent.

Answer 78

a legal trial that receives a lot of public attention, but is highly political, with a result that has practically already been decided, used to influence public opinion * After the war, there were several major show trials of war criminals.

Answer 79

a lawyer whose job is to represent the government in a legal matter and/or in court * The district attorney filed a case against the polluting factory.

Answer 80

the practice of looking for and punishing people who have a different opinion or different habits than most other people do * The search for dangerous communist in the 1980s was, in most cases, a witchhunt.

Answer 81

wanting to have a powerful position in politics; a desire to have an important career in politics * Sheila never had political ambitions when she was younger, but when she was 47, she suddenly decided to run for mayor.

Answer 82

receiving a lot of attention and publicity; noticed and known by many people; with a lot of public attention * What can we do to prevent this from becoming a high-profile scandal?

Answer 83

to shame someone and make his or her case serve as a warning to discourage others from doing the same thing * The professor made an example of Hendric, kicking him out of the class for cheating on an exam.

Answer 84

a person who has broken the law; a person who has committed a crime * What percentage of criminals complete their full prison sentence?

Answer 85

to become very strict and enforce rule or laws without making exceptions * Mall security guards are cracking down on shoplifters.

Answer 86

to behave or speak in a way that attracts attention and interest, especially to make oneself seem important or powerful * Lorelai uses every meeting to grandstand, trying to make the managers think she’s the best worker in the office.

Answer 87

a person who is harmed or put in a damaging position for the benefit of the larger group * James wasn’t really to blame for the mistake, but became the sacrificial lamb when he didn’t defend himself as the others did.

Answer 88

to boldly state one’s position and not be swayed or persuaded by others * Someone needs to take a stand and tell Heather that her behavior is unacceptable.

Answer 89

causing harm or neglect to someone or something while pursuing some other goal or action * We can meet the deadline, but only at the expense of thoroughness and quality.

Answer 90

fairness in how people are treated, especially under the law * Gregorio became a judge because he is passionate about justice for all.

Answer 91

a phrase used to express one’s opinion while recognizing that other people may have different perspectives or opinions * From where I’m standing, that sounds like a terrible idea, but I realize other people may disagree with me.

Answer 92

an area where one’s view is obstructed (blocked) and one cannot see clearly, either literally or figuratively * Their love for their daughter has created a blind spot where they can’t see or understand how bad her actions have become.

Answer 93

a person who is responsible for controlling or overseeing projects, people, and/or resources within a company; a supervisor * Have you asked your manager if you can take off the last week of July for vacation?

Answer 94

to fill a job opening with someone who already works in a different position with in the same company or organization * Hiring internally creates more work, because first you have to hire someone for the main job opening, and then you have to hire his or her replacement.

Answer 95

referring to a system where the leader or ruler has full power and is very strict and controlling * That autocratic management style might work well for army generals, but it has no place in a small, family-owned business.

Answer 96

for something to make one feel very proud, important, special, and superior to other people * When Kelly’s first book was published, it really went to his head.

Answer 97

referring to a system of decision-making and organizational structure where the most powerful and influential people make all the decisions, and the people below them are expected to follow and implement those decisions without providing any input * Lyle’s previous employer had a top-down management style, so he was shocked when his new boss asked him if he had any thoughts about how the company should be run.

Answer 98

hands-off; referring to a system where things happen freely and on their own, with little or no interference or direction * In a true laissez-faire market economy, would there be any financial assistance for people who are unemployed or disabled?

Answer 99

to assign tasks and pieces of a larger project to other people; to ensure that other people are involved in getting some work done * If Mohamed could learn to delegate, he wouldn’t have to spend so many hours at the office trying to finish everything by himself.

Answer 100

an informal phrase used to express agreement with what another person says, indicating that he or she has a good point * He had a creative idea, I’ll grant you that, but do you really think it’s practical?

Answer 101

tolerable; manageable; not too difficult or awful, but not great * With light-colored clothing, a fan, and a lot of water, the heat is bearable.

Answer 102

to work with other people to do something * Has your band collaborated with any famous musicians or composers?

Answer 103

to ask for other people’s opinions; to refer to people or other resources, especially before making a decision * Dr. Sanchez consulted a medical textbook and two of her colleagues before making a diagnosis.

Answer 104

opinions and reactions received from other people about something, especially if they are provided so that one can improve the thing * After each workshop, we use the participants’ feedback to improve our materials for the next session.

Answer 105

to support a different person or thing; to hope that another person wins or that another thing is successful * Most people want Samuel to win the race, but we’re backing a different horse this time. Nancy is our choice.

Answer 106

for something to be extremely unlikely or impossible * If Fatima is competing, Miriam doesn’t have a chance in hell of winning the contest.

Answer 107

referring to a system of governance or organization where everyone’s opinion is equally important and everyone has an opportunity to be involved * If this were a democratic family, the children would have equal input in deciding where the family should go on vacation.

Answer 108

to be very strict and controlling, telling other people what to do * As parents, they ruled with an iron fist when their children were young, but when those children became teenagers, everything had to change.

Answer 109

a senior military leader * The commandant ordered the troops to prepare for battle.

Answer 110

to delay; to decide to do something later than originally planned * They decided to put off opening a new location until they’re generating $300,000 in sales annually.

Answer 111

an animal shelter; a place where abandoned animals are kept until a new home can be found for them or until they are killed * How many dogs and cats were brought to the pound last month?

Answer 112

to officially make a person or animal part of one’s family * Last year, we adopted a golden retriever that is really well behaved.

Answer 113

a specific type of an animal, especially a type of dog or horse * They want to find a dog breed that is friendly and doesn’t bark very much.

Answer 114

not taken care of; not given enough food and shelter * The social workers found that the children were neglected, often left sitting in an empty apartment without food for days at a time.

Answer 115

left on one’s own, without care or supervision from other people * A lot of pet snakes are abandoned once they become too big to be kept inside the home.

Answer 116

to reject or deny; to say no to someone or something * We were shocked when she turned down such a generous salary.

Answer 117

mistreatment; physical, emotional, and/or sexual harm that is intentional * Teachers are required by law to report cases where they suspect child abuse.

Answer 118

to be compelled; to feel strong emotions that make one want to respond in a particular way * We hope that people will be moved to donate to our cause when they receive our letters about the good work we’ve done.

Answer 119

for an animal to be killed, especially because it is too old, sick, or injured, or a home cannot be found for it and there is no more space in the animal shelter * The veterinarian said our dog has cancer and will need to be put down within the next few weeks.

Answer 120

to caress; to gently touch and stroke an animal with one’s hand, feeling its fur (hair) * Some doctors say that petting animals can help patients lower their blood pressure.

Answer 121

a pound; a place where abandoned animals are kept until a new home can be found for them or until they are killed * The animal shelter gives pets all their shots and vaccinations before it allows them to go home with a new family.

Answer 122

showing compassion and kindness; refusing to harm or hurt others * How can we teach our children to be more humane to living creatures?

Answer 123

a domesticated (tame and accustomed to living with people) animal that has been abandoned and does not have a home to live in * The city has so many stray dogs that they’ve become a safety problem.

Answer 124

very sad and distressful * Have you been reading the news stories about last week’s tragic accident?

Answer 125

to take things too far; to try very hard to make something happen, but at the risk that one might lose the good thing that one already has * Meghan’s dad agreed to let her use the car for the evening, but when she asked for $50 too, he said, “Don’t push your luck.”

Answer 126

a criminal who destroys or damages public property, or private property that belongs to other people * Some vandal knocked over our mailbox last night.

Answer 127

to paint the name of a person or organization on a wall or similar surface illegally * Rival gangs are competing to see which one can tag more buildings.

Answer 128

large, colorful paintings, sometimes with words, placed on walls, buildings, and vehicles illegally by people who do not own the property * The students were suspended for putting graffiti in the school bathrooms.

Answer 129

a rebellious young person who breaks the law and does other things that people dislike * I don’t care if you dress like a punk, but don’t pierce your nose or do anything else that’s permanent.

Answer 130

to throw raw eggs at a building or vehicle that belongs to someone else, so that they break open and make a mess * The teenagers thought it would be funny to egg their teacher’s house on Halloween night.

Answer 131

to become out of control and become a problem, especially if something started gradually and continues to worsen * We don’t mind if employees occasionally check their email at work, but lately, their personal use of computers has been getting out of hand.

Answer 132

for the wheels of one’s car to be cut with a knife so that the air is let out and the car cannot be driven * They left their car on the street in a bad neighborhood for just a few minutes, but when they got back, they found that their tires had been slashed.

Answer 133

to scrape away some of the exterior paint on the side of a car in order to cause damage * Someone keyed our car while we were grocery shopping. Do you think we’d be able to see who did it on the store’s surveillance video?

Answer 134

to step on something repeatedly and heavily so that it is flat, especially a plant * The deer ate all the lettuce and trampled the carrots in our garden.

Answer 135

to deteriorate; to become worse * Our sales are going downhill. How can we find new customers?

Answer 136

to walk or drive through an area to observe what is happening and look for dangerous or illegal activities * In response to the increased crime rate, more police officers are patrolling the area at night.

Answer 137

a group of people who agree to work together to watch and pay attention to what is happening to improve the safety and security of the area where they live, calling the police when necessary * A well-organized neighborhood watch has a list of the email addresses and phone numbers of everyone who lives in the area, as well as information about when people are going to be out of town.

Answer 138

making one think that something illegal or harmful is happening, even though one does not actually have proof * Who ate the cookies? Your breath smells like chocolate, and that makes me suspicious.

Answer 139

the amount of time needed for someone to react to something, especially the amount of time that passes between when a request is made for emergency assistance and when the ambulance or police car arrives * It’s hard for ambulances to have a good response time when there is so much traffic on the roads.

Answer 140

to pursue or chase and try to catch someone * The police went after the shoplifter, but they weren’t able to catch her.

Answer 141

a civilian (not a member of the military or the police force) who tries to catch and punish criminals without the legal authority to do so * The border towns have vigilantes who volunteer to look for illegal immigrants.

Answer 142

an invitation for someone to do something, often used sarcastically when one does not really want someone to do something, but will not do anything to stop that person from doing it * Go ahead and drive without insurance. See what happens.

Answer 143

a phrase used to challenge someone to a physical fight when one believes one will win the fight * Do you want to fight? Try to punch me. Make my day.

Answer 144

job; project; some piece of work that must be completed * One of the assistant’s tasks is to keep the copier and fax machine stocked with paper and ink.

Answer 145

to move things so that they are logically arranged and organized, making it easy to find specific items later * Please put these bills and account statements in order for our records.

Answer 146

warehouse; a large room used primarily for placing objects until they are needed in the future * The storeroom is filled with extra inventory and office supplies.

Answer 147

a logical, organized way to store pieces of paper or digital files, grouping related items so that they can be found easily later * In this filing system, pink folders are used for human resources, yellow folders are used for sales contracts, and blue folders are used for financial statements.

Answer 148

order, often with the earliest things first and the latest things last * The police are interviewing witnesses to try to understand the sequence of events before the murder.

Answer 149

with a tag or sticker that identifies something, providing basic information about it * Each of these folders is labeled with the patient’s name, gender, and date of birth.

Answer 150

with the earliest things first and the most recent things last; ordered by date * Telling stories is easy if you put the events in chronological order so that listeners can understand what happened first and what happened next.

Answer 151

arranged like the letters of the alphabet, with items starting with A listed first, and items starting with Z listed last * On the first day of school, the teacher asked the students to sit in alphabetical order by their last names.

Answer 152

one written number, from 0 to 9 * Phone numbers have 10 digits, including a three-digit area code.

Answer 153

listed in order with the smallest values first and the largest values last; listed in order from smallest to largest * When we sort the monthly sales in ascending order, it became clear that our worst performance is always in February.

Answer 154

listed in order with the largest values first and the smallest values last; listed in order from largest to smallest * The tax forms require listing all the employees with their salaries in descending order, so the CEO should be at the top of the list.

Answer 155

related to numbers, not letters * The participants evaluated the workshop on a numeric scale, where 5 meant “excellent” and 1 meant “very poor.”

Answer 156

a logical way of sorting items so that they are arranged in a predictable way * The bookkeeper requests that we present the receipts in some sort of order, not just thrown into an envelope for her to sort through.

Answer 157

arranged and organized with respect to the letters and numbers contained in something * Wouldn’t it be strange if people had alphanumeric codes instead of names?

Answer 158

selected based on chance and therefore unpredictable; with an equal probability of all outcomes occurring; not ordered, logical, or predictable * The teacher grouped the students randomly, rather than by age.

Answer 159

to welcome something with a lot of enthusiasm or joy * Does everyone in your company embrace new technology?

Answer 160

disorder; a complete lack of organization and logical order * Justin’s office is total chaos. How can he get any work done if he can’t find the documents he needs?

PODCAST_2014_2 Flashcards

(184 cards)