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Collocations Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

discrepancy (between A and B)

A

a difference between two or more things that should be the same

  • What are the reasons for the discrepancy between girls’ and boys’ performance in school?
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2
Q

discrepancy (in something)

A

a difference between two or more things that should be the same

  • wide discrepancies in prices quoted for the work
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3
Q

rigorous

A

done carefully and with a lot of attention to detail

  • synonym: thorough
  • a rigorous analysis
  • Few people have gone into the topic in such rigorous detail.
  • The second team adopted a much more rigorous approach to the problem.

demanding that particular rules, processes, etc. are strictly followed

  • synonym strict
  • The work failed to meet their rigorous standards.
  • They may benefit from the rigorous application of competition policy.
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4
Q

to enroll in a course

A

to arrange for yourself or for somebody else to officially join a course, school, etc.

  • (British English) to enrol on a course
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5
Q

make an impression

A

to make people admire you

  • You’ll have to play better than that if you really want to make an impression
  • His trip to India made a strong impression on him.
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6
Q

gives the impression

get the impression

A

an idea, a feeling or an opinion that you get about somebody/something, or that somebody/something gives you

  • She gives the impression of being very busy
  • I did not get the impression that they were unhappy about the situation
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7
Q

plan/lead/go on an expedition to

A

an organized journey with a particular purpose, especially to find out about a place that is not well known

  • to plan/lead/go on an expedition to the North Pole
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8
Q

brief

A

lasting only a short time; short

  • a brief visit/meeting/conversation/chat
  • a brief pause/silence
  • Mozart’s life was brief.
  • We had a brief chat about the exam.

2 using few words

  • a brief description/summary/account
  • Please be brief (= say what you want to say quickly).

3(of clothes) short and not covering much of the body

  • a brief skirt
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9
Q

in brief

A

in a few words, without details

  • In brief, the meeting was a disaster.
  • Now the rest of the news in brief.
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10
Q

major

A

[usually before noun] very large or important

  • a major road
  • major international companies
  • to play a major role in something
  • We have encountered major problems.

There were calls for major changes to the welfare system.

[not before noun] (North American English) serious

  • Never mind—it’s not major.
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11
Q

key

A

most important; essential

  • the key issue/factor/point
  • He was a key figure in the campaign.
  • She played a key role in the dispute.
  • ‘Caution’ is the key word in this situation.
  • Good communication is key to our success.
  • His contribution could be key.
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12
Q

boom

A

make loud sound

  1. [intransitive] to make a loud deep sound
    * Outside, thunder boomed and crashed.

2[transitive, intransitive] to say something in a loud deep voice

    • speech: ‘Get out of my sight!’ he boomed.
  • boom (out): A voice boomed out from the darkness.
  • He had a booming voice.

3[intransitive] to have a period of rapid growth; to become bigger, more successful, etc.

  • By the 1980s, the computer industry was booming.
  • Business is booming!
  • The economy boomed in the 1980s.
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13
Q

launch

A

1 launch something to start an activity, especially an organized one

  • to launch an appeal/an inquiry/an investigation/a campaign
  • to launch an attack/invasion

2 launch something to make a product available to the public for the first time

  • a party to launch his latest novel
  • The new model will be launched in July.

3 launch something to put a ship or boat into the water, especially one that has just been built

  • The Navy is to launch a new warship today.
  • The lifeboat was launched immediately.

4 launch something to send something such as a spacecraft, weapon, etc. into space, into the sky or through water

  • to launch a communications satelliteto
  • launch a missile/rocket/torpedo

5 launch yourself at, from, etc. something | launch yourself forwards, etc. to jump forwards with a lot of force

  • Without warning he launched himself at me.
  • (figurative) She launched herself on the rock world with a brilliant album.

6 launch something (computing) to start a computer program

  • You can launch programs and documents from your keyboard.
  • It’s not the fastest way to launch an application.
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14
Q

pose something

A

1[transitive] pose something to create a threat, problem, etc. that has to be dealt with

  • to pose a threat/challenge/danger/risk
  • The task poses no special problems.
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15
Q

pose a question

A

to ask a question, especially one that needs serious thought

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16
Q

pose (for somebody/something)

A

to sit or stand in a particular position in order to be painted, drawn or photographed

  • The delegates posed for a group photograph.
  • They posed briefly for photographs before driving off.
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17
Q

pose as somebody

A

to pretend to be somebody in order to trick other people

  • The gang entered the building posing as workmen
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18
Q

surge

A

1surge (of something) a sudden increase of a strong feeling

  • synonym rush
  • She felt a sudden surge of anger.
  • a surge of excitement

2a sudden increase in the amount or number of something; a large amount of something

  • surge (in something): a surge in consumer spending
  • We are having trouble keeping up with the recent surge in demand.
  • surge (of something): After an initial surge of interest, there has been little call for our services.

3surge (of something) a sudden, strong forward or upward movement

  • a tidal surge
  • A surge of people poured through the gates.

4a sudden increase in the flow of electrical power through a system

  • An electrical surge damaged the computer’s disk drive.
  • The National Grid was hit by a huge power surge.
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19
Q

pang

A

a sudden strong feeling of physical or emotional pain

  • hunger pangs/pangs of hunger
  • a sudden pang of jealousy
  • She looked at Susan and saw with a pang how tired and frail she seemed.
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20
Q

nostalgia

A

a feeling of sadness mixed with pleasure and affection when you think of happy times in the past

  • a sense/wave/pang of nostalgia
  • She is filled with nostalgia for her own college days.
  • I felt a pang of nostalgia when I saw the old photos of the village where I grew up.
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21
Q

swell (up)

A

to become bigger or rounder

  • Her arm was beginning to swell up where the bee had stung her.
  • Bacteria can cause gums to swell and bleed.
  • Cook the lentils for 20 minutes until they swell and soften.
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22
Q

swell (out)

A

to curve out or make something curve out

  • The sails swelled (out) in the wind.
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23
Q

swell something

A

to increase or make something increase in number or size

  • Last year’s profits were swelled by a fall in production costs.
  • Crowds of commuters were swelled by Christmas shoppers.
  • We are looking for more volunteers to swell the ranks (= increase the number) of those already helping.
  • Membership has swelled to over 20,000.
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24
Q

swell (with something)

A

to be filled with a strong emotion

  • to swell with pride
  • Her heart swelled as she turned to face him
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25
Q

burst into something

A

to start producing something suddenly and with great force

  • The aircraft crashed and burst into flames (= suddenly began to burn).
  • She burst into tears (= suddenly began to cry).
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26
Q

aware

A

1 [not before noun] knowing or realizing something

  • As you’re aware, this is not a new problem.
  • As far as I’m aware, nobody has done anything about it.
  • acutely/painfully (= very) aware
  • aware of something: I don’t think people are really aware of just how much it costs.
  • He was well aware of the problem.
  • Everybody should be made aware of the risks involved.
  • aware that : Were you fully aware that something was wrong?

2 [not before noun] noticing that something is present, or that something is happening aware of somebody/something

  • She slipped away without him being aware of it.
  • They suddenly became aware of people looking at them.
  • aware that… : I was aware that she was trembling.

3(used with an adverb) interested in and knowing about something, and thinking it is important

  • Young people are very environmentally aware.
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27
Q

blissfully

A

1blissfully happy : extremely happy

2in a way that makes you extremely happy or that prevents unpleasant things from affecting you

blissfully ignorant/unaware

He was blissfully unaware that he was in danger.

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28
Q

bored stiff

A

extremely bored

  • I’m bored stiff in this room.
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29
Q

you badly need a haircut

A

머리가 정말 길어서 손질이 필요할때

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30
Q

Give me a ring when you get home

A

give me a phone call

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31
Q

Passengers must not alight from the bus whilst it is in motion

A

alight from the bus : get off the bus

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32
Q

cyclists must dismount here

A

get off their bicycle

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33
Q

please dispose of unwanted items in the receptable provided

A
  • dispose of : throw away
  • receptacle provided : container used for storing
34
Q

COMPUTER FACTORY TO AXE JOBS

A

make staff redundant

35
Q

AIRLINE SLASHES PRICES

A

cuts prices drastically

36
Q

POLICE CRACK DOWN ON SPEEDING

A

start dealing with it in a more severe way

37
Q

from ~ perspective

A

a particular attitude towards something; a way of thinking about something

  • Try to see the issue from a different perspective.
  • a report that looks at the education system from the perspective of deaf people
38
Q

perspective on something

A

a particular attitude towards something; a way of thinking about something

  • His experience abroad provides a wider perspective on the problem
39
Q

in/into/get out of perspective

A

the ability to think about problems and decisions in a reasonable way without exaggerating their importance

  • Try to keep these issues in perspective.
  • Talking to others can often help to put your own problems into perspective.
  • It is important not to let things get out of perspective.
40
Q

ordeal (of something/of doing something)

A

a difficult or unpleasant experience

  • They are to be spared the ordeal of giving evidence in court.
  • It’s a two hours ordeal of piecing together bits of public transit.
41
Q

asterisk

A

to mark something with the symbol (* )

  • I’ve asterisked the tasks I want you to do first.
42
Q

music to your ears

A

news or information that you are very pleased to hear

43
Q

dig around

A

to search in something in order to find an object in something

  • I dug around in my bag for a pen
  • Now, my favorite story is this gentleman who looks down at his phone and realizes the battery is low, so he turns around like this in the car and digs around in his backpack, pulls out his laptop, puts it on the seat, goes in the back again, digs around, pulls out the charging cable for his phone, futzes around, puts it into the laptop, puts it on the phone. Sure enough, the phone is charging. All the time he’s been doing 65 miles per hour down the freeway. Right? Unbelievable. So we thought about this and we said, it’s kind of obvious, right? The better the technology gets, the less reliable the driver is going to get. So by just making the cars incrementally smarter, we’re probably not going to see the wins we really need.
44
Q

pull out

A

(of a vehicle or its driver) to move away from the side of the road, etc.

  • A car suddenly pulled out in front of me.

to move away from something or stop being involved in it

  • The project became so expensive that we had to pull out
  • They are pulling their troops out of the war zone.
45
Q

resolve something/itself

A

to find an acceptable solution to a problem or difficulty

  • synonym settle
  • to resolve an issue/a dispute/a conflict/a crisis
  • Attempts are being made to resolve the problem of security in schools.
  • Both sides met in order to try to resolve their differences.
  • Be patient and the situation may resolve itself.
46
Q

resolve to do something

A

to make a firm decision to do something

  • He resolved not to tell her the truth.
47
Q

resolve (that)…

A

to make a firm decision to do something

She resolved (that) she would never see him again.

48
Q

resolve on something/on doing something

A

to make a firm decision to do something

  • We had resolved on making an early start.
49
Q

different (from/to/than somebody/something)

A

not the same as somebody/something; not like somebody/something else

  • American English is significantly different from British English.
  • (British English) It’s very different to what I’m used to.
  • (North American English) He saw he was no different than anybody else.
  • It’s different now than it was a year ago.
  • People often give very different accounts of the same event.
  • My son’s terribly untidy; my daughter’s no different.
  • The room looks different without the furniture.
  • Now he spoke in a different and kinder voice.
50
Q

take a long (cool/hard) look at something

A

to consider a problem or possibility very carefully and without hurrying

  • We need to take a long hard look at all the options.
51
Q

call in

A

to telephone a place, especially the place where you work

  • Several people have called in sick today.
52
Q

call somebody in

A

to ask for the services of somebody

to call in a doctor/the police

53
Q

call something in

A

to order or ask for the return of something

Cars with serious faults have been called in by the manufacturers.

54
Q
A
55
Q

on top of something/somebody

A

1 on, over or covering something/somebody

Books were piled on top of one another.

Many people were crushed when the building collapsed on top of them.

2 in addition to something

He gets commission on top of his salary.

On top of everything else, my car’s been stolen.

3very close to something/somebody

We were all living on top of each other in that tiny apartment.

4in control of a situation

Do you think he’s really on top of his job?

Work tends to pile up if I don’t keep on top of it.

56
Q

highly (extremely)

A
  • it usually combines with very positive words
  • +unlikley/unusual/profitable/successful/skilled
  • +intelligent/competitive/critical/sensitive/effective/recommended
  • +trained/educated
  • a highly paid job
57
Q

absolutely / utterly

A

combined with adjectives with very exterme meanings where we can’t use “very”.

  • +ridiculous/stupid/impossibe/wrong/alone/appalled/convinced/devasted/miserable/exhausted
58
Q

bitterly

A

carries a feeling of deep sadness

+disappointing/disappointed/resent/criticise/regret/complain/cry/weep

59
Q

deeply

A

collocates mainly with words associated with feeling

  • +ashamed/concerned/shocked/committed/moved/affected/hurt/regret/care/religious/unhappy
60
Q

ridiculously

A

suggests something extreme, which seems unbelivable or unreasonable

  • cheap/expensive/easy/low/high/long/short/small/large/early
61
Q

strongly

A

collocates with verbs, particularly verbs that relate to having an opinion

  • oppose/influence/believe/deny/recommend/support/condemn/suggest/feel/argue/object
62
Q

appal

A

to shock somebody very much

  • synonym horrify
  • The brutality of the crime has appalled the public.
  • The idea of sharing a room appalled her.
  • The thought of having to do it all again appals me.
  • It appalled me that they could simply ignore the problem.
63
Q

for the sake of something/of doing something

A

in order to get or keep something

  • The translation sacrifices naturalness for the sake of accuracy.
  • She gave up smoking for the sake of her health.
  • Don’t get married just for the sake of it.
  • Let’s suppose, for the sake of argument (= in order to have a discussion), that interest rates went up by 2%.
64
Q

branch out (into something)

A

to start to do an activity that you have not done before, especially in your work or business

  • synonym diversify
  • The company branched out into selling insurance.
65
Q

comprise

A

1.(also be comprised of) comprise something: to have somebody/something as parts or members

  • synonym consist of
  • The collection comprises 327 paintings.
  • The committee is comprised of representatives from both the public and private sectors.

2.comprise something : to be the parts or members that form something

  • synonym make up
  • Older people comprise a large proportion of those living in poverty.
66
Q

pertain to

A

to be connected with something or someone

the laws pertaining to adoption

67
Q

exploit something

A

to treat a person or situation as an opportunity to gain an advantage for yourself

  • He exploited his father’s name to get himself a job.
  • She realized that her youth and inexperience were being exploited.
  • The opposition parties will always exploit government problems to their own advantage
68
Q

exploit somebody

A

to treat somebody unfairly by making them work and not giving them much in return

  • What is being done to stop employers from exploiting young people?
69
Q

tackle something

A

to make a determined effort to deal with a difficult problem or situation

  • The government is determined to tackle inflation.
  • I think I’ll tackle the repairs next weekend.
  • Firefighters tackled a blaze in a garage last night.
70
Q

tackle somebody (about something)

A

to speak to somebody about a problem or difficult situation

  • synonym: confront
  • I tackled him about the money he owed me.
71
Q

a coherent narrative/account/explanation

A

logical and well organized; easy to understand and clear

  • a coherent policy for the transport system
72
Q

roll something out

A

roll something out

  1. to make something flat by pushing something over it
    * Roll out the pastry.

2 to officially make a new product available or start a new political campaign

  • synonym launch
73
Q

light up

A

1 (informal) to begin to smoke a cigarette

  • They all lit up as soon as he left the room.
  • He sat back and lit up a cigarette.

2 to become or to make something become bright with light or colour

  • There was an explosion and the whole sky lit up.
  • The night sky was lit up with fireworks.

3 if somebody’s eyes or face light up, or something lights them up, they show happiness or excitement

  • His eyes lit up when she walked into the room.
  • A smile lit up her face.
74
Q

dispense with somebody or

dispense with something

A

to stop using somebody/something because you no longer need them or it

synonym) do away with

Debit cards dispense with the need for cash altogether.

I think we can dispense with the formalities (= speak openly and naturally to each other).

75
Q

induce somebody to do something (formal)

A

to persuade or influence somebody to do something

  • Nothing would induce me to take the job.
76
Q

induce something (formal)

A

to cause something

  • drugs which induce sleep
  • a drug-induced coma
77
Q

induce somebody/something (medical)

A

to make a woman start giving birth to her baby by giving her special drugs

78
Q

tweak something

A
  1. to pull or twist something suddenly
    * She tweaked his ear playfully.
  2. to make slight changes to a machine, system, etc. to improve it
    * I think you’ll have to tweak these figures a little before you show them to the boss
79
Q

put differently

A

in other words

80
Q

resonate (with somebody/something)

A

to remind somebody of something; to be similar to what somebody thinks or believes

  • These issues resonated with the voters.
  • His speech resonated with the fears and suspicions of his audience.

english (4 decks)

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