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My English > Deck 18 > Flashcards

Deck 18 Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

to run one’s mouth

A

to talk a lot

  • ‘He was mean and angry and he just kept running his mouth.’
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2
Q

demented

A

unable to think or act clearly because you are extremely worried, angry, or excited by something

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3
Q

to take down a notch/peg

A

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.’
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4
Q

abject

A

the state of being extremely unhappy, poor, unsuccessful, etc.

  • ‘They live in abject poverty.’
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5
Q

to snoop on

A

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.’
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6
Q

a prowler

A

someone who moves around quietly in a place, trying not to be seen, often before committing a crime

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7
Q

a lout

A

a young man who behaves in a very rude, offensive, and sometimes violent way

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8
Q

savvy [U]

A

practical knowledge and ability

  • ‘She hasn’t got much savvy.’
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9
Q

incarceration

A

the state of being confined in prison; imprisonment

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10
Q

to dull

A

to make something less severe

  • ‘Homeless children sniff glue to dull their hunger pains.- ‘
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11
Q

an atrocity [C usually pl.]

A

an extremely cruel, violent, or shocking act

  • ‘They are on trial for committing atrocities against the civilian population.’
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12
Q

to butt out of

A

to stop interfering

  • ‘Politicians should butt out of these cases.’
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13
Q

to miss a beat

A

to pause or show uncertainty, usually when this is surprising

  • ‘“That’s what I thought,” replied Olivia, without missing a beat.’
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14
Q

penniless

A

having no money

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15
Q

exorbitant

A

Exorbitant prices, demands, etc. are much too large

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16
Q

scum [U/C pl.: scum]

A

a very bad or immoral person or group of people

  • ‘His boss treats him like scum (= very badly).’
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17
Q

vicarious

A

experienced as a result of watching, listening to, or reading about the activities of other people, rather than by doing the activities yourself

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18
Q

to hightail it

A

to leave or go somewhere in a great hurry

  • ‘As soon as I heard he was coming I hightailed it out of there.’
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19
Q

artsy-fartsy

A

trying too hard to make other people admire your artistic knowledge or ability

  • ‘Phil and his arty-farty friends.’
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20
Q

to make eyes at sb

A

to flirt with someone

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21
Q

a dissertation

A

a very long piece of writing done as part of a course of study

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22
Q

a hotcake

A

​a pancake

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23
Q

wee hours

A

the early hours of the morning, between twelve o’clock at night and the time when the sun rises

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24
Q

to electrocute

A

to injure or kill (someone) by electric shock

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25
Q

pretentious

A

trying to appear or sound more important or clever than you are, especially in matters of art and literature

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26
Q

a dint

A

a small hollow mark in the surface of something, caused by pressure or by being hit

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27
Q

poncy

A

expensive or high quality

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28
Q

shabby

A

looking old and in bad condition because of being used for a long time or not being cared for

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29
Q

a tenant

A

a person who pays rent for the use of land or a building

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30
Q

to pull the plug on sth

A

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.’
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31
Q

fraud [C/U]

A

the crime of getting money by deceiving people

  • ‘credit card fraud’
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32
Q

to alight

A

to get out of a vehicle, especially a train or bus

  • ‘Mr Pickwick alighted at the gate grom his car.’
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33
Q

to convict of

A

to decide officially in a law court that someone is guilty of a crime

  • ‘He has twice been convicted of robbery/arson.’
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34
Q

not for the life of me

A

used for emphasizing that you cannot remember or understand something at all

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35
Q

not have the faintest idea

A

used for emphasizing that you do not know or understand something

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36
Q

to glow up

A

to go from the bottom to the top to the point of disbelief.; through an incredible transformation

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37
Q

to daydream

A

If you daydream, you think about pleasant things for a period of time, usually about things that you would like to happen.

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38
Q

prepubescent

A

relating to the period before children start to develop adult sexual characteristics

  • ‘prepubescent boys’
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39
Q

long story short

A

Taking a long story and summarising its main points, skipping over unnecessary details.

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40
Q

residual

A

remaining after the greater part or quantity has gone

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41
Q

renowned

A

known or talked about by many people; famous

42
Q

comedogenic

A

tending to cause blackheads by blocking the pores of the skin

43
Q

hypoallergenic

A

(especially of cosmetics and textiles) relatively unlikely to cause an allergic reaction

44
Q

innocuous

A

completely harmless (= causing no harm)

45
Q

proliferation

A

a rapid increase in the number or amount of something

  • ‘We attempted to measure cell proliferation.’
46
Q

lacklustre

A

without energy and effort

  • ‘Britain’s number-one tennis player gave a disappointingly lacklustre performance.’
47
Q

cutaneous

A

relating to the skin

48
Q

stigma [S/U]

A

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.’
49
Q

sturdy

A

physically strong and solid or thick, and therefore unlikely to break or be hurt

  • ‘a sturdy table’
50
Q

to wane

A

The moon wanes when it gradually appears less and less round, after the full moon.

51
Q

a slinky

A

a toy in the form of a loose metal or plastic spring that can be made to “walk” down stairs

52
Q

to flatline

A

to die

53
Q

debilitating

A

(of a disease or condition) making someone very weak and infirm

54
Q

merit [U]

A

the quality of being good and deserving praise

  • ‘an entertaining film with little artistic merit’
55
Q

a watershed

A

an event or period marking a turning point in a situation

  • ‘These works were a watershed in the history of music.’
56
Q

a trailblazer

A

a person who is the first to do something; an innovator

57
Q

to acquit

A

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.’
58
Q

to lend oneself or itself to

A

to be adaptable to something

  • ‘This room doesn’t lend itself to bright colours.’
  • ‘John doesn’t lend himself to casual conversation. ‘
59
Q

to reverberate

A

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.’
60
Q

pervasive

A

present or noticeable in every part of a thing or place

  • ‘The influence of Freud is pervasive in her books.’
61
Q

to veer

A

to change direction

  • ‘All of a sudden, the car veered off the road.’
62
Q

imperious

A

unpleasantly proud and expecting to be obeyed

63
Q

conceit

A

the state of being too proud of yourself and your actions

64
Q

a helping

A

an amount of food given to one person at one time

  • ‘She eagerly took a second helping of ice cream.’
65
Q

dilapidated

A

old and in poor condition

66
Q

to delve into sth

A

to examine something carefully in order to discover more information about someone or something

67
Q

grandeur

A

the quality of being very large and special or beautiful

  • ‘the grandeur of Wagner’s music’
68
Q

to mint

A

to produce something new, especially to invent a new phrase or word

  • ‘newly minted college graduates’
69
Q

a love child

A

a child whose parents are not married to each other

70
Q

to dissuade

A

to persuade someone not to do something

  • ‘I tried to dissuade her from leaving.’
71
Q

preconceived

A

(of an idea or an opinion) formed too early, especially without enough thought or knowledge

72
Q

to gentrify

A

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.’
73
Q

to discombobulate

A

to confuse someone or make someone feel uncomfortable

74
Q

slick

A

skilful and effective but not sincere or honest

75
Q

to be (as) thick as thieves

A

to be very close friends and share secrets

76
Q

to keep at arm’s length

A

to avoid becoming connected with someone or something

77
Q

to suffuse

A

to spread through or over something completely

  • ‘His voice was low and suffused with passion.’
78
Q

gritty

A

showing all the unpleasant but true details of a situation

  • ‘a gritty portrayal of inner-city poverty’
79
Q

to keep it 100 (a hundred)

A

to keep yourself real and true, to be honest and stick to the way you are, no matter what anyone else thinks

80
Q

a circumference [S/U]

A

the line surrounding a circular space, or the length of this line

  • ‘the circumference of a circle’
81
Q

to blabber on

A

​to talk a lot, especially in a way people find annoying or embarrassing

  • ‘He’s always blabbering on about computers.’
82
Q

to compromise

A

to risk having a harmful effect on something

  • ‘We would never compromise the safety of our passengers.’
83
Q

a farce

A

used to describe something that is supposed to be serious but has turned ridiculous

84
Q

patently

A

clearly; without a doubt

  • ‘She was patently lying.’
85
Q

to hit it off (with someone)

A

to be friendly with each other immediately

  • ‘We had similar ideas about the show, and the two of us hit it off right away.’
86
Q

to talk the talk

A

to talk or act in a confident way so that you seem to be very good at what you do

87
Q

I’ll have you know

A

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.’
88
Q

heavy-hearted

A

feeling depressed or melancholy

89
Q

to tread water

A

to be active but without making progress or falling further behind /=stać w miejscu, pływać w miejscu

90
Q

CPR

A

cardiopulmonary resuscitation (PL: RKO)

91
Q

stubble [U]

A

the short hair that grows on a man’s face if he has not shaved for a few days
*stubbly (adj.)

92
Q

liability [U]

A

the fact that someone is legally responsible for something

  • ‘He denies any liability for the damage caused.’
93
Q

the gist [S]

A

the most important pieces of information about something, or general information without details

  • ‘I think I got the gist of what she was saying.’
94
Q

bubblegum

A

attractive to children or teenagers because of not being serious or not needing much mental effort

  • ‘a bubblegum pop group’
95
Q

entitled

A

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

96
Q

the holy grail (HG)

A

something that is extremely difficult to find or get yet being of the best quality

97
Q

to swear by (something)

A

to believe that something is effective

  • ‘My father swears by whisky as a cure for a cold.’
98
Q

opaque

A
  1. not able to be seen through; not transparent

2. (especially of language) hard or impossible to understand.

99
Q

to not bring yourself to do something

A

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.’
100
Q

sheer

A

used to emphasise how very great, important, or powerful a quality or feeling is

  • ‘It was sheer coincidence that we met.’

My English (37 decks)

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