Chapter One / Appendix 1

Question 1

act on

Answer 1

do whatever is advised / suggested

The Prime Minister said that he would speak to his advisor and then act on their advice.

Question 2

act up

Answer 2

behave awkwardly or badly

The baby has been acting up all day. I think she must be teething.

Question 3

answer (sb) back

Answer 3

speak rudely to sb

I was always in trouble for answering back when I was at school.

Question 4

answer for

Answer 4

be responsible for sth / pay for sth / vouch for

The accused will answer for his actions in the highest court in the land.

Question 5

answer to

Answer 5

be under the command of sb / have the characteristics described

The plant manager answers directly to the head of the company.

Question 6

back down

Answer 6

cease to oppose

Faced with such formidable opposition to his proposal,
he had no choice but to back down.

Question 7

back out (of)

Answer 7

withdraw (from)

You can’t change your mind now. It’s too late to back out the deal.

Question 8

back up

Answer 8

support

I was prepared to back up her story beacuse I knew it was the truth.

Question 9

be beneath sb

Answer 9

be demeaning

She feels it is beneath her to socialise with uneducated people.

Question 10

be down on

Answer 10

be hostile to sb

As a vegetarian, Paul is down on people who eat meat.

Question 11

be dow with

Answer 11

be ill (with disease)

Half the staff are down with the flu this week.

Question 12

be in for it

Answer 12

be about to receive punishment / trouble

He’ll be in for it when his parents discover he took the mony.

Question 13

be in with

Answer 13

be in favour with

Susan gets all the perks because she’s in with the administration.

Question 14

be into

Answer 14

(informal) take an interested in sth

She doesn’t eat crips or chocolate; she’s into healthy food.

Question 15

be off

Answer 15

(1) cease to want or be interested in sth, (2) have come loose, detached from sth, (3) stay away from work / school, (4) cancel, (5) be bad, unhealthy (usu food)

Our dog has been off its food for days now.

Question 16

be on

Answer 16

be shown on television, at the cinema etc

Do you know what’s on at the cinema tonight ?

Question 17

be out

Answer 17

(1) be in bloom, (2) be extinguished, (3) be removed, (4) be absent (from home or work), (5) be wrong in calculation, (6) be unfashionable

Question 18

be up to

Answer 18

(1) do, (2) depend on

Question 19

bear on

Answer 19

be relevant / affect

The Minister’s statement does not bear on this case in any way.

Question 20

bear with

Answer 20

be patient

If you can bear with me a little longer, I’ll try to explain the reasons behind our actions.

Question 21

all but

Answer 21

nearly, almost / expect

I’ve all but finished; just give me a few minutes.

Question 22

all in (inf)

Answer 22

exhausted

I don’t think I’ll go out tonight. I’m all in.

Question 23

all told

Answer 23

altogether

I’ve been reading this newspaper for ten years all told.

Question 24

for all

Answer 24

in spite of

For all his hard work, he didn’t get a promotion.

Question 25

of all people

Answer 25

used to express annoyance / surprise beacuse a certain person was thought to be unsuitable

I never expected you of all people to say such a thing!

Question 26

all along

Answer 26

from the beginning

I don’t know how they found out, but they’ve know about it all along.

Question 27

all the same

Answer 27

yet, however

He promised to come to the party on Friday;
All the same I don’t think we should count on him.

Question 28

for all I know

Answer 28

as far as I know

She told me her name was Joan but for all I know she could be lying.

Question 29

for all I care

Answer 29

I dont’t care

You can take the whole lot for all I care.

Question 30

all in all

Answer 30

when everythink is considered

All in all, it seemed to be quite a good suggestion.

Question 31

take sth into account

Answer 31

consider sth

You must take his educational background into account when deciding what work to give him.

Question 32

on account of

Answer 32

because of

I haven’t been able to travel much lately on account of my car having broken down .

Question 33

on no account

Answer 33

under no circumstances

The meeting tomorrow is very important;
on no account .

Question 34

on this / that account

Answer 34

for this / that reason

There’s been a hurricane in Manila, and all flights have been cancelled on that account.

Question 35

on the air

Answer 35

broadcasting (opp.: off the air)

You can’t go into the studio yet sa the programme is still on the air.

Question 36

in the air

Answer 36

existing, but not talked about

There’s a feelling of anticipation in the air at the moment.

Question 37

up in the air

Answer 37

uncertain

His future is still up in the air he can’t decide whether to become a surgeon or a psychiatrist.

Question 38

clear the air

Answer 38

remove suspicion or bad feeling

Instead of bottling up your feelings, let’s talking it and clear the air.

Question 39

be up in arms

Answer 39

be very angry

The viliiagers are uup in arms about the proposed motorway.

Question 40

on the alert

Answer 40

on the look-out; expecting sth

The firefighters are always on the alert for forest fires, particulary in the summer.