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36 Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

Inertia

A

a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged:
“the problem runs deeper than bureaucratic inertia”
SIMILAR:
inactivity
inaction

PHYSICS
a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless that state is changed by an external force: See also moment of inertia.
“the power required to overcome friction and the inertia of the moving parts”

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2
Q

Moody

A

of a person) given to unpredictable changes of mood, especially sudden bouts of gloominess or sullenness:
“she met his moody adolescent brother”
SIMILAR:
unpredictable
temperamental

giving an impression of melancholy or mystery:
“grainy film that gives a soft, moody effect”

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3
Q

Give a wide berth

A

to avoid or stay away from (someone or something) I could see that she was in a bad mood, so I gave her a wide berth. Berth-操船余地

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4
Q

Solace

A

comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness: 慰め　ソラス
“she sought solace in her religion”
SIMILAR:
comfort
consolation
cheer

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5
Q

Infirm

A

not physically or mentally strong, especially through age or illness:
“those who were old or infirm” · ”elderly and infirm people” · ”care for the infirm”
SIMILAR:
frail
weak
feeble

ARCHAIC
(of a person or their judgment) weak; irresolute:
“he was infirm of purpose”

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6
Q

In the back of my mind

A

in the part of one’s mind where thoughts and memories are kept but that are not usually thought about or not perfectly remembered. 頭の片隅にSomewhere in the back of my mind I knew I’d met him before.

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7
Q

Offshoot

A

Branch
Offshoot of xxx
別の流れ

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8
Q

Dispel

A

make (a doubt, feeling, or belief) disappear.
“the brightness of the day did nothing to dispel Elaine’s dejection”
Similar:
banish
eliminate
dismiss

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9
Q

Spur

A

give an incentive or encouragement to (someone).
“her sons’ passion for computer games spurred her on to set up a software business”
Similar:
stimulate
give the incentive to
act

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10
Q

Fiasco

A

thing that is a complete failure, especially in a ludicrous or humiliating way.
“his plans turned into a fiasco”
Similar:
failure
disaster
catastrophe
debacle

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11
Q

Toasty

A

of or resembling toast.
“the topping is deliciously toasty”
INFORMAL
comfortably warm.
“a roaring fire may make a home seem toasty”

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12
Q

Mid-sentence

A

in the middle of a sentence or utterance. Suddenly, mid-sentence, Jack remembered he had a flight to catch. I

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13
Q

Treading water

A

maintain an upright position in deep water by moving the feet with a walking movement and the hands with a downward circular motion.
“they were at the deep end of the pool and trod water to keep afloat”
fail to advance or make progress.
“men who are treading water in their careers”現状維持

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14
Q

Titan

A

a person or thing of very great strength, intellect, or importance.
“a titan of American industry”

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15
Q

Spawn

A

of a fish, frog, mollusk, crustacean, etc.) release or deposit eggs.
“the fish spawn among fine-leaved plants”
noun
1.
the eggs of fish, frogs, etc.
“the fish covers its spawn with gravel”

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16
Q

Make it this far

A

accomplished this much; continued to work until now. Examples I can’t believe we’ve made it this far in the competition!

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17
Q

Only the fittest and richest

A

最も健康でリッチな物だけが

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18
Q

Abysmal

A

extremely bad; appalling.
“the quality of her work is abysmal”
Similar:
very bad
dreadful
awful

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19
Q

Pimp and dump

A

denoting the fraudulent practice of encouraging investors to buy shares in a company in order to inflate the price artificially, and then selling one’s own shares while the price is high.

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20
Q

Trope

A

a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression. 比喩　言葉のあや
“perhaps it is a mistake to use tropes and parallels in this eminently unpoetic age”

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21
Q

Coercion

A

the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats:
“our problem cannot be solved by any form of coercion but only by agreement”
SIMILAR:
force
compulsion
constraint
duress
oppression

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22
Q

Smear

A

damage the reputation of (someone) by false accusations; slander.
“someone was trying to smear her by faking letters”
Similar:
sully
tarnish
besmirch
blacken
drag through the mud/mire
stain
taint
damage
defame
discredit
defile
vilify
malign
slander
libel
stigmatize
calumniate
slur
do a hatchet job on
smirch
asperse
vilipend
noun
1.
a mark or streak of a greasy or sticky substance. 油染み
“there was an oil smear on his jacket”
Similar:
streak
smudge
daub
dab

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23
Q

extortion

A

the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats. ゆすり　たかり
“he used bribery and extortion to build himself a huge, art-stuffed mansion”
Similar:
demanding money with menaces

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24
Q

Differentiator

A

something that enables a difference or distinction to be made. 差別化要因
“the real differentiator between the two is the size”

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25
Q

Probationary

A

relating to a process of testing or observing the character or abilities of a person who is new to a role or job:
“she recently completed her two-year probationary period with the police” 試用期間

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26
Q

Full-fledged

A

completely developed or established; of full status. British term fully fledged:
“symptoms that never quite develop into full-fledged colds” 一人前の 本格的な

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27
Q

Impetus

A

the force or energy with which a body moves:性急な
“hit the booster coil before the flywheel loses all its impetus”
SIMILAR:
momentum
propulsion

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28
Q

Slutty

A

with reference to a woman) sexually promiscuous or provocative in a way that is considered in bad taste:
“she wore one of her slutty outfits and practically poured herself onto his lap淫らな　ふしだらな

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29
Q

Apolitical

A

not interested or involved in politics:
“he took an apolitical stance”

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30
Q

Immense benefit

A

Huge benefit

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31
Q

Contend with

A

Deal with

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32
Q

pronounce somebody dead

A

officially state or declare that somebody is dead.

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33
Q

Cheeky

A

impudent or irreverent, typically in an endearing or amusing way.
“a cheeky grin”
Similar: 生意気な
impudent
impertinent

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34
Q

Impudent, sass

A

not showing due respect for another person; impertinent.
“he could have strangled this impudent upstart”
Similar:
impertinent
insolent
cheeky

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35
Q

wimp

A

noun
a weak and cowardly or unadventurous person.
Similar:
coward
weakling

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36
Q

Hail from

A

to come from or have been born in a particular place. 〜の出身
His father hailed from Italy.

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37
Q

Chilling effect

A

In a legal context, a chilling effect is the inhibition or discouragement of the legitimate exercise of natural and legal rights by the threat of legal 抑止効果

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38
Q

Impassioned

A

filled with or showing great emotion.
“she made an impassioned plea for help”
Similar:
emotional
heartfelt
wholehearted

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39
Q

cringeworthy

A

causing feelings of acute embarrassment or awkwardness.
“the play’s cast was excellent, but the dialogue was unforgivably cringeworthy”

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40
Q

Relent

A

abandon or mitigate a harsh intention or cruel treatment. 和らぐ　折れる
“she was going to refuse his request, but relented”
Similar:
change one’s mind
do a U-turn
backpedal
back down
give way
give in
capitulate
yield
accede
come around
acquiesce
soften
melt
weaken
unbend
become merciful
become lenient
have/show pity
have/show mercy
give quarter
agree to something
allow something
concede something
admit something
do an about-turn
Opposite:
harden
(especially of bad weather) become less severe or intense.
“by evening the rain relented”
Similar:
ease off
slacken
let up
ease
ease up
relax
abate
drop
fall off
die down
lessen
decrease
diminish
moderate
subside
weaken
tail off
Opposite:
strengthen
worsen

41
Q

Lame duck

A

an official (especially the president) in the final period of office, after the election of a successor.死に体
an ineffectual or unsuccessful person or thing.

42
Q

Outline

A

give a summary of (something).
“she outlined the case briefly”

43
Q

Anticlimactic

A

causing disappointment at the end of an exciting or impressive series of events.
“it was an anticlimactic finish to the match”
Similar:
bathetic
disappointing

44
Q

Ease up

A

To become more relaxed or less demanding

45
Q

Midsection

A

胴体などの中央部

46
Q

Voila

A

there it is; there you are. はい、どうぞ。ほら、そこだよ。ほら、言ったとおりだろう。まあ、そんな具合さ。それでそうなったんだ
““Voila!” she said, producing a pair of strappy white sandals”

47
Q

Burn the bridges

A

do something which makes it impossible to return to an earlier state.
“suing someone is a pretty good way to burn your bridges”

48
Q

Wish me luck

A

to say that one hopes someone will have success. I wish you (the best of) luck in your new job. I have a job interview this morning. Wish me luck!

49
Q

Getting those points out

A

要点を話す

50
Q

Behind the wheel

A

Driving

51
Q

pay through the nose

A

pay much more than a fair price.
“they paid through the nose for one-to-one intensive tuition”

52
Q

At the till

A

the place where you pay for goods in a large shop. Please pay at the till. a long queue at the till.

53
Q

Iced ginger coffee is divine

A

excellent; delightful.
“he had the most divine smile”
Similar:
lovely
handsome
beautiful

54
Q

Wry expression

A

悪い状況にもユーモアを見出すような、苦笑いの・しかめた:

If someone has a wry expression, it shows that they find a bad situation or a change in a situation slightly amusing. Matthew allowed himself a wry smile. She cast a wry glance in her grandmother’s direction. Synonyms: contorted, twisted, crooked, distorted More Synonyms of wry. wryly graded adverb

55
Q

Concerted effort

A

A concerted effort or attempt is determined and serious

56
Q

Lord of cash

A

Too much money

57
Q

Off loading their properties

A

rid oneself of (something) by selling or passing it on to someone else:
“a dealer offloaded 5,000 of these shares on a client”
SIMILAR:
dispose of
dump
jettison

58
Q

slated for

A

Scheduled or organized to happen or take place. They had me slated for a promotion and a pay raise, but downturns in the economy has put that on hold for now.

59
Q

“missing middle” housing

A

missing middle housing emphasizes scale and heights that are appropriate for single-family neighborhoods or transitional neighborhoods.[2] After the introduction of the term in 2010, the concept has been applied in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

The term “missing middle” is meant to describe housing types that were common in the pre-WWII United States such as duplexes, rowhomes, and courtyard apartments but are now less common and, therefore, “missing”.

60
Q

Up to their eyeballs

A

to have a very large amount of something to do or be very busy with something; to emphasize the extreme degree of some undesirable or unwanted thing; Example sentences — We’ve been using our credit cards so much we’re now up to our eyes in debt.

61
Q

bursting at the seams with

A

slang To be overly crowded.
slang To try to contain a strong feeling or impulse.

62
Q

Trough

A

a long, narrow open container for animals to eat or drink out of.
“a water trough”

63
Q

Chomp

A

munch or chew vigorously and noisily.
“he chomped on his sandwich”

64
Q

KEVLAR FABRIC

A

Kevlar is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed by Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont in 1965, the high-strength material was first used commercially in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires

65
Q

Sleet

A

a form of precipitation consisting of ice pellets, often mixed with rain or snow.
“driving sleet and rain made conditions horrendous”

66
Q

Driving sleet

A

having or moving with force and violence driving rain

67
Q

Show me what you got!

A

Let us see what you can do!

68
Q

Ginormous

A

extremely large; enormous.
“a ginormous five-volume treatment of Greek and Arabic medicine”

69
Q

Hit the couch, sofa

A

Take a nap

70
Q

Quality nap time

A

an individual’s self-satisfaction with all aspects of the sleep experience.

71
Q

Laser focus

A

the mental ability to give 100 percent of your attention to the task you’ve prioritized in the present moment.

72
Q

Honey do list

A

collection of requests, usually a list of household tasks assigned by a spouse to a partner.

73
Q

EVERYONE CAN BE BOUGHT

A

カネで動く　買収される

74
Q

Incinerate

A

destroy (something, especially waste material) by burning.
“such garbage must be incinerated at the hospital”
Similar:
burn
burn up

75
Q

Solar flare

A

an intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots. Flares are our solar system’s largest explosive events.

76
Q

Intimidating

A

having a frightening, overawing, or threatening effect.
“the intimidating defense attorney”

77
Q

With no relief in sight

A

No foreseeable end or conclusion to something. The phrase indicates that one expects the thing to continue indefinitely.

78
Q

Pillowy

A

pillowlike; soft; yielding

79
Q

(Considerable) sticker shock

A

astonishment and dismay experienced on being informed of a product’s unexpectedly high price.Mar

80
Q

Fussy eater

A

Picky eater

81
Q

Break in footware

A

when a new shoe rubs against tender feet, causing blisters and abrasions, until shoe and foot find a way to conform to each other in harmony

82
Q

Tender feet

A

Beginner 新参者　初心者

83
Q

Shrug off

A

to treat something as if it is not important synonym dismiss Shrugging off her injury, she played on. He shrugged aside suggestions that he resign.

84
Q

Home is where you lay your hat

A

Wherever you are comfortable and at ease with yourself is your home, regardless where you were born or brought up. (‘Home is where you lay your head’ and ‘Home is where you hang your hat’ are also used.)

85
Q

Hat

A

used to refer to a particular role or occupation of someone who has more than one.
“wearing her scientific hat she is director of a pharmacology research group”

86
Q

My days been made

A

you have just said or done something great for me and that has made this day a very great and important one. Simply: You have made me happy today

87
Q

Chip away

A

gradually and relentlessly make something smaller or weaker.
“rivals may chip away at one’s profits by undercutting prices”

88
Q

Sear

A

burn or scorch the surface of (something) with a sudden, intense heat.
“the water got so hot that it seared our lips” さっと炙る
Similar:
scorch
burn
singe
scald
char
dry up/out
parch
desiccate
dehydrate
wither
shrivel
discolor
brown
blacken
carbonize
cauterize
exsiccate
distress
grieve
sadden
make miserable/wretched
upset
trouble
harrow
cause anguish to
afflict
perturb
disturb
hurt
wound
pain
cut to the quick
affect
move
sting
mortify
torment
torture
gnaw at
vex
gall
adjective

89
Q

Quirky

A

characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits.突飛な
“her sense of humor was decidedly quirky”
Similar:
eccentric
idiosyncratic

90
Q

Son of a gun

A

a despicable or worthless person, usually male. The term can also be used as an exclamation that indicates surprise. It is sometimes used to compliment or encourage.

91
Q

Chop off

A

to remove something by cutting it with a sharp tool. He chopped a branch off the tree.

92
Q

Chip away

A

gradually and relentlessly make something smaller or weaker.
“rivals may chip away at one’s profits by undercutting prices”

93
Q

Chip

A

1.
cut or break (a small piece) from a hard material.
“we had to chip ice off the upper deck”
Similar:
nick
crack
snick

94
Q

Go bananas

A

become very excited or angry
: to become very excited or angry. The crowd went bananas when the concert began.

to become extremely angry or excited:
She’ll go bananas when you tell her the news.
When she came onto the stage, the crowd went bananas.

95
Q

Have seen better days

A

to be old and in bad condition:
That jacket has seen better days. Why don’t you get a new one?

96
Q

Tax grab

A

To me, a tax grab is an unscrupulous action by government at any level to extract money from taxpayers for general revenue

97
Q

claustrophobic

A

of a person) having an extreme or irrational fear of confined places.
“crowds made him feel claustrophobic”

98
Q

WTP

A

Willingness to pay

99
Q

Centric

A

central, or having a centre:
There are two opposing centric forces that may well be irreconcilable.
〜中心の

English Phrases (73 decks)

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