7/25 Flashcards
unreal
Unbelievable. - “The magician’s tricks were so unreal that the audience was amazed.” - غیر واقعی
uptight
Worried, tense. - “She’s always uptight before exams.”
Way to go!
That’s very good! Sometimes used sarcastically. - “You finished the project on time? Way to go!”
What’s up?
What’s happening? What’s going on?
wimp
Weakling. - “He’s too much of a wimp to stand up for himself.”
zero in on
To focus or concentrate on. - “Let’s zero in on the main points of the presentation.”
zonked or zonkered
Completely exhausted. - “After the long hike, I was zonked and fell asleep instantly.”
Bail
Intransitive verb for leaving abruptly. - “I have to bail early from the party to catch the last train.”
Feeling blue; have the blues
A feeling of depression or sadness. - “After her breakup, she’s been feeling blue for weeks.”
A buck
Slang term for the American dollar. - “How much does that cost? It’s just five bucks.”
By the skin of (my/your/his/her) teeth
Just barely. - “He passed the exam by the skin of his teeth.”
Creep (n.)
An unpleasantly weird/strange person. - “Stay away from him; he’s a real creep.”
Couch Potato
A lazy person who spends the bulk of their time engaged in things that can be done while sitting on a couch. - “He’s such a couch potato; he never leaves the house on weekends.”
Cram
To study feverishly before an exam typically done after neglecting to study consistently. - “I have to cram all night for tomorrow’s test.”
Crash
To abruptly fall asleep, or to show up without invitation. - “After the party, I crashed on the couch.”
Down to earth
An adjective for practicality and lack of pretense. - “She’s a down-to-earth person who doesn’t care about material possessions.”
Drive up the wall
To irritate. - “The constant noise from the construction site is driving me up the wall.”
For Real
A proclamation of honesty. - “I promise, for real, I’ll be there on time.”
Going Dutch
When each person, usually in a dating scenario, pays for his/her own meal. - “We decided to go Dutch on our first date to keep things casual.”
The cold shoulder
A metaphor for deliberately ignoring someone. - “After the argument, she gave him the cold shoulder for days.”
Give a ring
To call someone on the telephone. - “I’ll give you a ring later to discuss the plans.”
Hyped (adj.)
A very excited state. - “The crowd was hyped up before the concert started.”
Hang out
To casually gather together or spend time with someone in a social manner. - “Let’s hang out at the park this afternoon.”
Jack up
An abrupt increase, typically in the price of something. - “They jacked up the prices at the gas station.”
Knock
To speak negatively, to disparage, to badmouth. - “Don’t knock her cooking; it’s actually quite delicious.”
Lighten up
To relax and take things too seriously. Typically stated as an appeal to someone who is acting uptight. - “You need to lighten up and enjoy the party.”
Pass the buck
To deflect responsibility onto someone else. - “He always passes the buck and never takes responsibility for his mistakes.”
Piece of cake
A metaphor to describe something that is easy or effortless. - “The math test was a piece of cake; I finished it in ten minutes.”
Pig out
A metaphor for binge eating. - “After the diet, she decided to pig out on ice cream and cookies.”
Plead the fifth
References the fifth amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which allows a witness in court to refuse questions on the grounds that they risk self-incrimination. - “When asked about the incident, he decided to plead the fifth.”
Screw up
To make a mistake, i.e., mess up. - “I screwed up the presentation by forgetting important details.”
Sweet
An adjective that describes something that is good or nice. - “That movie was sweet; I loved the happy ending.”
Tight
An adjective that describes closeness between competitors, i.e., a tight competition. - “The race was tight, and the winner won by a small margin.”
Trash
Can be used as an intransitive verb for destruction. e.g. “He trashed the car. - “During the party, they trashed the living room.”
Uptight
Stuffy, persnickety, the opposite of relaxed. - “She’s too uptight about following strict rules.”
Wrap (something) up
To finish or complete something. - “Let’s wrap up this meeting; we’ve covered all the important points.”
Zonked
Completely exhausted. - “After the long hike, I was zonked and fell asleep instantly.”
Pants
(Explanatory note: In the U.S., pants refer to trousers, but in the UK, it means underwear.)
For the birds
Of little value or unimportant.
Bought the farm
Died or experienced a fatal accident.
Jonesing
Craving or intensely wanting something.
Take a raincheck
Postpone or reschedule an invitation.
Spill the beans
Reveal a secret or confidential information.
Shoot the breeze
Engage in idle chit-chat.
John Hancock
Signature (from a flamboyant signer of the Declaration of Independence).
Monday morning quarterback
Criticize after the fact with hindsight.
Ride shotgun
Sit in the front passenger seat of a vehicle.
Awesome
Very good, impressive.
Big deal
Something important or significant (can be used sarcastically). - “Oh, you finished your meal? Big deal.”
Blast
A lot of fun or excitement. - “The party last night was a blast!”
bomb
To be unsuccessful. - “His performance on the test was a total bomb; he failed almost every question.”
blow it off
To ignore or avoid someone or something. - “I decided to blow off the meeting and take the day off instead.”
blue or have the blues
To feel depressed. - “After losing his job, he’s been feeling blue for weeks.”
bogus
1) Nonexistent, fake. 2) Bad, awful, unsatisfactory. - “He tried to sell me a bogus watch that turned out to be fake.” / “The service was so bogus; I want my money back.”
to book
1) To hurry up or do something very quickly. - “We need to book it to catch the train on time.” 2) To reserve a ticket to an event or on transportation. - “I need to book a flight to Los Angeles for next week.”
born again
To hold strong, fundamentalist, Christian beliefs. - “After the religious retreat, she became a born-again Christian.”
bounce a check
To overdraw a checking account. - “He forgot to deposit the money, and his check bounced at the grocery store.”
