Deck 14 Flashcards
rugged
of land) wild and not even; not easy to travel over
an arm and a leg
a lot of money
- ‘I paid an arm and a leg for my surgery.’
a swath
a strip or belt, or a long area of something
- ‘vast swathes of countryside’
a goof
a foolish or stupid person
happy-go-lucky
beztroski
= A happy-go-lucky person does not plan much and accepts what happens without becoming worried.
to hold (down) the fort
to have responsibility for something while someone is absent
incredulity
niedowierzanie
= not wanting or not able to believe something, and usually showing this
catch-all
general and intended to include everything
- ‘“South London” is a catch-all term for anywhere south of the river.’
valiant
very brave or bravely determined, especially when things are difficult or the situation gives no cause for hope
dreaded
budzący postrach
= regarded with great fear
apprehension
worry about the future, or a fear that something unpleasant is going to happen
well intentioned
wanting to have good effects, but sometimes having bad effects that were not expected
maddening
making you angry
solely
only and not involving anyone or anything else
- ‘I bought it solely for that purpose.’
to devise
to invent a plan, system, object, etc., usually using your intelligence or imagination
give or take
possibly a little more or less than the amount or time mentioned
- ‘It cost £200, give or take.’
to vent
to express a negative emotion in a forceful and often unfair way
- ‘Please don’t shout - there’s no need to vent your frustration/anger/rage/spleen on me.’
to pan out
to develop in a particular way or in a successful way
- ‘We’ll have to see how things pan out.’
little (or nothing) short of
almost (or equal to); little (or nothing) less than
- ‘The party was nothing short of a disaster.’
meandering
moving slowly in no particular direction or with no clear purpose
- ‘a meandering river’; ‘a long meandering speech’
off the cuff
bez przygotowania
= If you speak off the cuff, you say something without having prepared or thought about your words first.
expectant
wyczekujący
= thinking that something pleasant or exciting is going to happen
- ‘the children’s expectant faces’
to chat away
gawędzić, uciąć sobie pogawędkę
= talk in a free and friendly manner
to issue congratulations
gratulować, składać gratulacje
to flit
to fly or move quickly and lightly
- She’s always flitting from one thing to another (= changing her activities).
figurative
przenośny
= used not with their basic meaning but with a more imaginative meaning, in order to create a special effect
to bolt
to move very fast, especially as a result of being frightened
shifty
looking or seeming dishonest
- ‘He has shifty eyes.’
posterity
the people who will exist in the future
to latch onto sth
- to become connected to something
- to become interested
- ‘Unfortunately the press have already latched onto the story.’
a course
an area of land or water used for a sports event
- ‘a golf course/cross-country course’
on all fours
with your hands and knees on the ground
to subdue
to reduce the force of something, or to prevent something from existing or developing
- ‘The fire burned for eight hours before the fire crews could subdue it.’
indomitable
used to say that someone is strong, brave, determined, and difficult to defeat or frighten
a ripple
a small wave on the surface of water
- ‘The stone she threw caused ripples to spread across the lake.’
defiance
nieposłuszeństwo, lekceważenie
= behaviour in which you refuse to obey someone or something
to confer
skonsultować się, naradzić się
= to exchange ideas on a particular subject, often in order to reach a decision on what action to take
a dupe
a duplicate
a knockoff
a cheaper copy of an expensive and popular product
to cave (in)
to give in someone else’s needs or accept defeat
- ‘He’s totally gonna cave when I give him my sad puppy face.’
tacitly
in a way that is understood or implied without being directly stated
a vigilante
a person who tries in an unofficial way to prevent crime, or to catch and punish someone who has committed a crime, especially because they do not think that official organizations, such as the police, are controlling crime effectively
to splurge (out)
przepuszczać pieniądze
= to spend a lot of money on buying goods, especially expensive goods:
- ‘I feel like splurging (out) on a new dress.’
to sop sth up
to absorb liquid into a piece of something solid
- ‘It’s surprising how much milk the bread sops up.’
sod it
used to express anger
- ‘Oh sod it - I’ve left my glasses behind!’
thorny
A thorny problem or subject is difficult to deal with
to trample
to step heavily on something or someone, causing damage or injury
- to trample to death = zadeptać na śmierć
creaky
skrzypiący
= Something that is creaky creaks
disparity [C/U]
dysproporcja
= a lack of equality or similarity, especially in a way that is not fair
on the latch
closed but not locked
- ‘Don’t forget to leave the front door on the latch if you go to bed before I get back.’
to unnerve
wytrącić z równowagi
= to make someone feel less confident and slightly frightened
sturdy
solidny, tęgi, niezachwiany
= physically strong and solid or thick, and therefore unlikely to break or be hurt
a jimmy
łom
= a short, strong metal bar with a curved end, often used to force things open, for example by thieves to force open windows or doors
to ransack
przetrząsnąć
= to search a place or container in a violent and careless way
- ‘The burglars ransacked the house for valuables but found nothing.’
to tread lightly
to speak or behave carefully to avoid upsetting or causing offence to anyone
fragrant
aromatyczny
= with a pleasant smell
a gooseberry
agrest
= a small, green fruit covered with short hairs
a pyre
stos
= a large pile of wood on which a dead body is burned
standoffish
behaving in a slightly unfriendly and too formal way
to err
to make a mistake or to do something wrong
- ‘He erred in agreeing to her appointment to the position.’
a clam
małż
= a type of sea creature with a shell in two parts that can close together tightly, and a soft body that can be eaten
a pokey
prison
a hornet
szerszeń
= a large wasp that can give you a bad sting
to be on the cards
to be likely to happen
- ‘So you think they’ll get married next year? I think it’s on the cards.’
to hedge your bets
to protect yourself against loss by supporting more than one possible result or both sides in a competition
in vain
unsuccessfully; of no value
- ‘I tried in vain to start a conversation.’
to look up to someone
to view someone with respect and admiration
a make of a car
marka samochodu
to go through the roof (inf.)
to hit the roof (f.)
to become very angry
to drop someone a line
to send someone a note or letter
intrinsic
nieodłączny, wrodzony
= being an extremely important and basic characteristic of a person or thing
- ‘Maths is an intrinsic part of the school curriculum.’
to be in the red
to owe money to a bank
head first
without sufficient forethought
- ‘Don’t plunge head first into a new relationship.’
to be like chalk and cheese
If two people are like chalk and cheese, they are completely different from each other
the rat race
a way of life in modern society, in which people compete with each other for power and money
frantically
gorączkowo, szaleńczo
= done in a hurried way and in a state of excitement or confusion
to tackle
to try to deal with something or someone
- ‘There are many ways of tackling this problem.’
to withdraw
wypłacić
= remove or take away (something) from a particular place or position
to give priority
If you give priority to something or someone, you treat them as more important than anything or anyone else
a clear trend
pewna tendencja
= obvious tendency
to stand sb up
to intentionally fail to meet someone when you said you would, especially someone you were starting to have a romantic relationship with
- ‘My sister got stood up by a jerk last night.’
a cougar
A 35+ year old female who is on the “hunt” for a much younger, energetic, willing-to-do-anything male.
short-sighted
not thinking enough about how an action will affect the future
- ‘a short-sighted idea’
a bad thing never dies
złego diabli nie biorą
wary of/about
not completely trusting or certain about something or someone
- ‘I’m a little wary of giving people my address when I don’t know them very well.’
unequivocally
jednoznacznie
= in a way that leaves no doubt
a bite to eat
a meal, often a small or quick one
instill something in (to) someone
to impress something into someone’s mind
- ‘Good manners were instilled in me at home.’
to munch on sth
to eat something, especially noisily
- ‘He was munching on an apple.’
hives
pokrzywka
= a condition in which a person’s skin develops swollen red areas, often suddenly, esp. as a reaction to something the person has eaten
a pang
a sudden sharp feeling, especially of painful emotion
- ‘a pang of jealousy’
to square the circle
If you try to square the circle, you try to do something that is very difficult or impossible.
= dokonać niemożliwego
an ordeal
a very unpleasant and painful or difficult experience
- ‘The hostages’ ordeal came to an end when soldiers stormed the building.’
to grate
zetrzeć
= to rub food against a grater in order to cut it into a lot of small pieces
- ‘grated cheese’
to slather
grubo posmarować
= to spread something thickly on something else
discordant
producing an unpleasant sound
jarring
a jarring sight, sound, or experience is so different or unexpected that it has a strong and unpleasant effect on something or someone
incorguous
niestosowny, nie na miejscu
= unusual or different from what is around or from what is generally happening
to comprise
consist of; be made up of
- ‘the country comprises twenty states’
not a peep from/out of (someone)
not a single word or sound from someone
- ‘I put kids to bed at 8, and there hasn’t been a peep out of them since!’
