chapter 1 Flashcards
about to
on the verge of
ready to
Peter was so angry, he was about to throw a dining room chair at him.
I’m glad you’re finally home. I was just about to have dinner without you.
after all
despite everything; when everything has been considered; the fact is
You’d better invite Ed to your party. After all, he’s a good friend.
It doesn’t matter what your boss thinks of you. After all, you’re going to quit your job anyway.
at least
anyway; the good thing is that…
Tracy can’t afford to buy a car, but at least she has a good bicycle.
We’ve run out of coffee, but at least we still have tea.
(to) break the news
to make something known
Samantha and Michael are getting married, but they haven’t yet broken the news to their parents.
You’d better break the news to your father carefully. After all, you don’t want him to have a heart attack!
(to) cost an arm and a leg
to be very expensive
A college education in America costs an arm and a leg.
All of the furniture at Honest Abe’s costs an arm and a leg!
dead–end job
a job that won’t lead to anything else
Jim worked many dead–end jobs before finally deciding to start his own business.
Diane realized that working as a cashier was a dead–end job.
(let’s) face it
accept a difficult reality
Let’s face it, if Ted spent more time studying, he wouldn’t be failing so many of his classes!
Let’s face it, if you don’t have a college degree, it can be difficult to find a
high–paying job.
(to) give one the creeps
to create a feeling of disgust or horror
Ted’s friend Matt has seven earrings in each ear and an “I Love Mom” tattoo on his arm. He really gives Nicole the creeps.
There was a strange man following me around the grocery store. He was giving me the creeps!
(to) go back to the drawing board
to start a task over because the last try failed; to start again from the beginning
Frank’s new business failed, so he had to go back to the drawing board.
The president didn’t agree with our new ideas for the company, so we had to go back to the drawing board.
(to) go belly-up
to go bankrupt
Many people lost their jobs when Enron went belly-up.
My company lost $3 million last year. We might go belly-up.
(to) give someone the ax
to fire someone
Mary used to talk to her friends on the phone all day at work, until one day her boss finally gave her the ax.
Poor Paul! He was given the ax two days before Christmas.
(to) lose one’s temper
.
to become very angry
Bob always loses his temper when his kids start talking on the telephone during dinner.
When Ted handed in his essay two weeks late, his teacher really lost her temper.
(to) make up one’s mind
to reach a decision; to decide
Do you want an omelet or fried eggs? You’ll need to make up your mind quickly because the waitress is coming.
Stephanie couldn’t make up her mind whether to attend Harvard or Stanford. Finally, she chose Stanford.
no point in
no reason to; it’s not worth (doing something)
There’s no point in worrying about things you can’t change.
There’s no point in going on a picnic if it’s going to rain.
(to) put up with
to endure without complaint
I don’t know how Len puts up with his mean boss every day.
For many years, Barbara put up with her husband’s annoying behavior. Finally, she decided to leave him.
