Books_2 Flashcards
Come up short
To fail to win or achieve something - We’ve been to the state tournament four times, but we’ve come up short every time.
Pander to [sb]/[sth]
To indulge [sb]/[sth] // Essere compiacente con, assecondare - Some newspapers feel they have to pander to the prejudices of their readers.
Curtail [sth] (v)
Accorciare / limitare, ridurre
- We curtailed our vacation when the weather changed.
- The students’ freedoms were curtailed because of their noise
Scores of [sth]
Un mucchio di, un sacco di
Nought
Zero (UK)
Rung (n)
Step of a ladder // Piolo
Doldrums
Tristezza, malinconia, depressione // crisi / depressione economica
- Brett has been feeling in the doldrums since his favorite team lost the championship.
- The country’s economy is in the doldrums now, but it should improve as the seasons change.
Lumber [sb] with [sth]
Burden with something unpleasant // Rifilare [qlcs] a [qlcn], addossare [qlcs] a [qlcn]
As usual, they lumbered me with the task of organizing everything
Fluff [sth]
To get something wrong // Sbagliare, cannare
The actor fluffed his lines several times during the performance.
See [sb] off
Chase away or dismiss // say farewall to [sb]
Lackadaisical
Not showing enough interest in something or not putting enough effort into it⇒ Apathetic // Apatico, indolente, svogliato
David has a rather lackadaisical approach to his work.
Rickety
Traballante, instabile, pericolante - Bob was cautious about sitting in the rickety chair, afraid that it would collapse under him
Scuttle [sth]
- Sink ship on purpose
- Cause [sth] to fail on purpose - John was fired when it was discovered that he had scuttled the project.
Drum up [sth]
Destare, stimolare - The company ran lots of TV commercials to drum up interest in their product.
Rife (adj)
Abundant, widespread - Poverty is rife in this part of the city.
Sway // sway [sth/sb]
- Ondeggiare, oscillare
- opinion, beliefs: influence - Jessica was sure she was right, but in the end, Dawn’s arguments swayed her and she changed her mind
Haggle over [sth]
To bargain for [sth] - The buyer and seller were haggling over the price of the house for a week.
Have a knack for doing [sth]
To have a talent or skill for [sth]
Bent on doing [sth]
Determined to do [sth] - That cousin of yours is bent on doing as much damage as he can.
Rallying cry
Slogan, motto, grido di battaglia - ‘Land and Liberty’ was the rallying cry of revolutionary Mexico.
Clampdown (n)
Enforcement of a restriction // Stretta, giro di vite, provvedimento restrittivo - The governor has ordered a clampdown on illegal immigration.
Bombastic
Overblown, pretentious // Magniloquente, ampolloso - The dictator gave a bombastic speech to the masses
In the thick of it // in the thick of things
- Sul più bello
- In azione - Tarzan was always in the thick of things when there was trouble in the jungle.
Underwriter
Insurance company/agent
Gloss over [sth]
Sorvolare su - She glossed over the details of her divorce.
Rebuke (n, v)
Criticize, scold
Double down
Raddoppiare la puntata / ribadire, insistere // Become more stubborn
- When criticized for his views, he doubled down and his remarks caused more outrage.
- When the interviewer questioned her, she doubled down on her support for the President.
Earmark (v)
To set aside for a purpose // destinare, riservare - We have earmarked the chairs in the corner for tomorrow’s ceremony.
Drubbing (n)
Bastonata
Upend [sth]/[sb]
Overturn, defeat // change drastically
- The knights wanted to upend the king and take over the throne.
- After the fire, the principal upended the school’s crisis plans.
Stymie [sth]
Thwart // ostacolare, intralciare, boicottare - Investigators have been stymied by uncooperative witnesses.
Mettle (n)
- Strength of character // temperamento, tempra
- Coraggio, fegato
Eke out something
- To obtain or win something only with difficulty or great effort - The company expects to eke out a small profit this year
- To use something slowly or carefully because you only have a small amount of it - They had to eke out their food rations so they would last a whole week.
Muddle (n)
Pasticcio, confusione
Hew [sth]
To shape, carve // Intagliare - The carpenter hewed the piece of wood skillfully.
In the throes of [sth]
In the midst of, especially of a difficult struggle - The country was in the throes of economic collapse.
Faff (n)
Fuss, bother // seccatura
Hobble [sth]
- Restrict
- Azzoppare, mutilare
Salvo
Verbal outburst // Sfogo
Squall (n, v)
- Rainstorm // sudden wind
- Cry, scream
Unfettered
Not restricted // Illimitato - The research team was granted unfettered access to the laboratory
Be loath to do [sth]
To be reluctant to do [sth] - Sarah was loath to tell her mother what had happened.
Splinter (v)
Break into splinters // Scheggiarsi, frantumarsi
Behest
Strong request, command
Be poised to do [sth]
Ready for // Essere in procinto di, essere sul punto di - He stood on the edge of the roof, poised to jump.
Be on the ropes
To be in a very bad situation, in which you are likely to be defeated. - Behind the apparent success, the company was on the ropes.
Brimming with [sth]
Full of // Colmo di
No mean feat
A considerably great, difficult, or noteworthy achievement or outcome - They sold 1 million cards in the first year of business – no mean feat, given the problems many businesses are facing.
Weary (adj)
Tired // sfinito, esausto
Arrears (n)
Overdue payments // arretrati
