Deck 18 Flashcards
to run one’s mouth
to talk a lot
- ‘He was mean and angry and he just kept running his mouth.’
demented
unable to think or act clearly because you are extremely worried, angry, or excited by something
to take down a notch/peg
to instruct an individual to regulate their level of enthusiasm or to humble someone
- ‘Robert needs to take it down a notch with the flirting; he already has a girlfriend.’
abject
the state of being extremely unhappy, poor, unsuccessful, etc.
- ‘They live in abject poverty.’
to snoop on
to look around a place secretly, in order to discover things or find out information about someone or something
- ‘People were sent out to snoop on rival businesses.’
a prowler
someone who moves around quietly in a place, trying not to be seen, often before committing a crime
a lout
a young man who behaves in a very rude, offensive, and sometimes violent way
savvy [U]
practical knowledge and ability
- ‘She hasn’t got much savvy.’
incarceration
the state of being confined in prison; imprisonment
to dull
to make something less severe
- ‘Homeless children sniff glue to dull their hunger pains.- ‘
an atrocity [C usually pl.]
an extremely cruel, violent, or shocking act
- ‘They are on trial for committing atrocities against the civilian population.’
to butt out of
to stop interfering
- ‘Politicians should butt out of these cases.’
to miss a beat
to pause or show uncertainty, usually when this is surprising
- ‘“That’s what I thought,” replied Olivia, without missing a beat.’
penniless
having no money
exorbitant
Exorbitant prices, demands, etc. are much too large
scum [U/C pl.: scum]
a very bad or immoral person or group of people
- ‘His boss treats him like scum (= very badly).’
vicarious
experienced as a result of watching, listening to, or reading about the activities of other people, rather than by doing the activities yourself
to hightail it
to leave or go somewhere in a great hurry
- ‘As soon as I heard he was coming I hightailed it out of there.’
artsy-fartsy
trying too hard to make other people admire your artistic knowledge or ability
- ‘Phil and his arty-farty friends.’
to make eyes at sb
to flirt with someone
a dissertation
a very long piece of writing done as part of a course of study
a hotcake
a pancake
wee hours
the early hours of the morning, between twelve o’clock at night and the time when the sun rises
to electrocute
to injure or kill (someone) by electric shock
pretentious
trying to appear or sound more important or clever than you are, especially in matters of art and literature
a dint
a small hollow mark in the surface of something, caused by pressure or by being hit
poncy
expensive or high quality
shabby
looking old and in bad condition because of being used for a long time or not being cared for
a tenant
a person who pays rent for the use of land or a building
to pull the plug on sth
to do something that prevents an activity from continuing, especially by no longer giving money to support it
- ‘If the viewing figures drop much more, the TV network will probably pull the plug on the whole series.’
fraud [C/U]
the crime of getting money by deceiving people
- ‘credit card fraud’
to alight
to get out of a vehicle, especially a train or bus
- ‘Mr Pickwick alighted at the gate grom his car.’
to convict of
to decide officially in a law court that someone is guilty of a crime
- ‘He has twice been convicted of robbery/arson.’
not for the life of me
used for emphasizing that you cannot remember or understand something at all
not have the faintest idea
used for emphasizing that you do not know or understand something
to glow up
to go from the bottom to the top to the point of disbelief.; through an incredible transformation
to daydream
If you daydream, you think about pleasant things for a period of time, usually about things that you would like to happen.
prepubescent
relating to the period before children start to develop adult sexual characteristics
- ‘prepubescent boys’
long story short
Taking a long story and summarising its main points, skipping over unnecessary details.
residual
remaining after the greater part or quantity has gone
renowned
known or talked about by many people; famous
comedogenic
tending to cause blackheads by blocking the pores of the skin
hypoallergenic
(especially of cosmetics and textiles) relatively unlikely to cause an allergic reaction
innocuous
completely harmless (= causing no harm)
proliferation
a rapid increase in the number or amount of something
- ‘We attempted to measure cell proliferation.’
lacklustre
without energy and effort
- ‘Britain’s number-one tennis player gave a disappointingly lacklustre performance.’
cutaneous
relating to the skin
stigma [S/U]
a strong feeling of disapproval that most people in a society have about something, especially when this is unfair
- ‘There is no longer any stigma to being divorced.’
sturdy
physically strong and solid or thick, and therefore unlikely to break or be hurt
- ‘a sturdy table’
to wane
The moon wanes when it gradually appears less and less round, after the full moon.
a slinky
a toy in the form of a loose metal or plastic spring that can be made to “walk” down stairs
to flatline
to die
debilitating
(of a disease or condition) making someone very weak and infirm
merit [U]
the quality of being good and deserving praise
- ‘an entertaining film with little artistic merit’
a watershed
an event or period marking a turning point in a situation
- ‘These works were a watershed in the history of music.’
a trailblazer
a person who is the first to do something; an innovator
to acquit
o decide officially in a law court that someone is not guilty of a particular crime
- ‘She was acquitted of all the charges against her.’
to lend oneself or itself to
to be adaptable to something
- ‘This room doesn’t lend itself to bright colours.’
- ‘John doesn’t lend himself to casual conversation. ‘
to reverberate
If a loud, deep sound reverberates, it continues to be heard around an area, so that the area seems to shake
- ‘The narrow street reverberated with/to the sound of the workmen’s drills.’
pervasive
present or noticeable in every part of a thing or place
- ‘The influence of Freud is pervasive in her books.’
to veer
to change direction
- ‘All of a sudden, the car veered off the road.’
imperious
unpleasantly proud and expecting to be obeyed
conceit
the state of being too proud of yourself and your actions
a helping
an amount of food given to one person at one time
- ‘She eagerly took a second helping of ice cream.’
dilapidated
old and in poor condition
to delve into sth
to examine something carefully in order to discover more information about someone or something
grandeur
the quality of being very large and special or beautiful
- ‘the grandeur of Wagner’s music’
to mint
to produce something new, especially to invent a new phrase or word
- ‘newly minted college graduates’
a love child
a child whose parents are not married to each other
to dissuade
to persuade someone not to do something
- ‘I tried to dissuade her from leaving.’
preconceived
(of an idea or an opinion) formed too early, especially without enough thought or knowledge
to gentrify
to change a place from being a poor area to a richer one
- ‘The area where I grew up has been all modernised and gentrified, and has lost all its old character.’
to discombobulate
to confuse someone or make someone feel uncomfortable
slick
skilful and effective but not sincere or honest
to be (as) thick as thieves
to be very close friends and share secrets
to keep at arm’s length
to avoid becoming connected with someone or something
to suffuse
to spread through or over something completely
- ‘His voice was low and suffused with passion.’
gritty
showing all the unpleasant but true details of a situation
- ‘a gritty portrayal of inner-city poverty’
to keep it 100 (a hundred)
to keep yourself real and true, to be honest and stick to the way you are, no matter what anyone else thinks
a circumference [S/U]
the line surrounding a circular space, or the length of this line
- ‘the circumference of a circle’
to blabber on
to talk a lot, especially in a way people find annoying or embarrassing
- ‘He’s always blabbering on about computers.’
to compromise
to risk having a harmful effect on something
- ‘We would never compromise the safety of our passengers.’
a farce
used to describe something that is supposed to be serious but has turned ridiculous
patently
clearly; without a doubt
- ‘She was patently lying.’
to hit it off (with someone)
to be friendly with each other immediately
- ‘We had similar ideas about the show, and the two of us hit it off right away.’
to talk the talk
to talk or act in a confident way so that you seem to be very good at what you do
I’ll have you know
used to emphasise something in a somewhat annoyed or angry way /=dla twojej świadomości
- ‘I’ll have you know you’re insulting the woman I love.’
heavy-hearted
feeling depressed or melancholy
to tread water
to be active but without making progress or falling further behind /=stać w miejscu, pływać w miejscu
CPR
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (PL: RKO)
stubble [U]
the short hair that grows on a man’s face if he has not shaved for a few days
*stubbly (adj.)
liability [U]
the fact that someone is legally responsible for something
- ‘He denies any liability for the damage caused.’
the gist [S]
the most important pieces of information about something, or general information without details
- ‘I think I got the gist of what she was saying.’
bubblegum
attractive to children or teenagers because of not being serious or not needing much mental effort
- ‘a bubblegum pop group’
entitled
feeling that you have the right to do or have what you want without having to work for it or deserve it, just because of who you are
the holy grail (HG)
something that is extremely difficult to find or get yet being of the best quality
to swear by (something)
to believe that something is effective
- ‘My father swears by whisky as a cure for a cold.’
opaque
- not able to be seen through; not transparent
2. (especially of language) hard or impossible to understand.
to not bring yourself to do something
to not be able to force yourself to do something that you think is unpleasant
- ‘I just couldn’t bring myself to talk to him about it.’
sheer
used to emphasise how very great, important, or powerful a quality or feeling is
- ‘It was sheer coincidence that we met.’
