Deck 20 Flashcards
naught
nothing
- ‘All our efforts were for naught.’
to bring somebody to heel
to force someone to obey you
a milquetoast
a shy, timid or submissive person
to be in the ballpark
to be close to the right amount
- ‘And do you think the projected sales figures are realistic?’ ‘They’re in the ballpark.’
to have a nerve
mieć czelność
- ‘You’ve got a nerve, implying that it was all my fault.’
to second
to agree or support a statement
- I could use a drink.’ ‘I second that (= I agree with you)!.’
furtively
in a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention; secretively
adamant
impossible to persuade, or unwilling to change an opinion or decision
*adamantly
to stay put
to remain in the same place or position
straightforward
easy to understand or simple
skittish
(of people and animals) nervous or easily frightened
a tribulation
a cause of great trouble or suffering
to file away
to place in a container for keeping records
- ‘File these bills and photos, please.’
to set in stone
to be very difficult or impossible to change
to swell
to become larger and rounder than usual; to (cause to) increase in size or amount
* If music swells, it becomes louder.
copacetic
in excellent order
a thingamabob
a word used, especially in spoken English, when the name of an object has been forgotten
penance
an act that shows that you feel sorry for something that you have done
- ‘As a penance, she said she would buy them all a box of chocolates.’
abysmal
very bad
an ailment
an illness
riveting
extremely interesting
to debrief
to question someone in detail about work they have done for you
- ‘The pilots were thoroughly debriefed after every mission.’
an infirmary
a hospital
conniving
A conniving person deceives others for their own advantage
- ‘He’s a conniving bastard!’
to have the stones to do sth
to have balls to do sth; courage
to grasp at straws
to make a desperate attempt at saving oneself
to wither on the vine
If something withers on the vine, it is destroyed very gradually, usually because no one does anything to help or support it
a cabal
a secret political clique or faction
amiss
not quite right; inappropriate or out of place
- ‘There was something amiss about his calculations.’
ixnay
Used in rejecting something specified.
- ‘Ixnay to corporate control!’
leverage
power to influence people and get the results you want
to keep (someone) on ice
to postpone or delay acting on or interacting with a person
bereft
(of a person) sad and lonely, especially through someone’s death or departure
telegenic
(especially of a person) appearing attractive on television
derogatory (adj.)
showing strong disapproval and not showing respect
a mare
(offensive of) a woman
to congeal
to change from a liquid or soft state to a thick or solid state
- ‘The blood had congealed in thick black clots.’
irksome
irritating; annoying
to fence in
to limit someone’s freedom
to scupper
to cause something such as a plan or an opportunity to fail
- ‘Arriving late for the interview scuppered my chances of getting the job.’
to pilfer
to steal things of small value
reams of sth
a large quantity of something
a chaperone
an adult who takes care of child actors when they are working
to divulge
to make something secret known
- ‘Journalists do not divulge their sources.’
to spearhead
to lead something such as an attack
- ‘British troops spearheaded the invasion.’
to go through the motions
to do something without thinking it is very important or having much interest in it
good riddance
(spoken as:) Good to be rid of worthless persons or things
to low
to make the deep, long sound of a cow
queasy
likely to vomit
to rekindle
to make someone have a feeling that they had in the past
- ‘The holiday was the last chance to rekindle their love.’
to table
to delay discussion of a subject
- ‘The suggestion was tabled for discussion at a later date.’
a change of heart
If you have a change of heart, you change your opinion or the way you feel about something:
point-blank
saying something very clearly in very few words, without trying to be polite or pleasant
- ‘He asked me to work at the weekend, but I refused point-blank.’
to be on the ball
to be quick to understand and react to things
- ‘I didn’t sleep well last night and I’m not really on the ball today.’
flamboyant
very confident in behaviour, and liking to be noticed by other people, for example because of the way you dress, talk
a receptacle
a container used for storing or putting objects in
square (adj.)
equal;
If two people are all square, one of them has paid off a debt to the other and neither now owes or is owed any money.
to brief
to give someone detailed instructions or information
- ‘We had already been briefed about/on what the job would entail.’
in a jiff
a very short time; a moment
- ‘I’ll have breakfast ready in a jiff.’
insolvent
(especially of a company) not having enough money to pay debts, buy goods, etc.
to line up
to organise or arrange for something to be done
- ‘Lee had already lined up a good lawyer to handle his case.’
to snap
to suddenly become unable to control a strong feeling, especially anger
- ‘When she asked me to postpone my trip to help her move to her new house, I just snapped (= got angry).’
to bluster
to speak in a loud, angry, or offended way, usually with little effect
to kip / a kip [S/U]
sleep
- ‘I must get some kip.’
pertinent
relating directly to the subject being considered
‘a pertinent remark’
Note: The opposite is irrelevant.
to bamboozle
to trick or confuse (someone)
cooped up
If you say that someone is cooped up, you mean that they live or are kept in a place which is too small, or which does not allow them much freedom.
to right a wrong (wrongs)
to correct something bad or wrong that someone has done
flowery
(of speech or writing) full of elaborate or literary words and phrases
a sorority
a society for female students in a university or college.
to stoop
to bend the top half of the body forward and down
- ‘Something fell out of her coat pocket and she stooped down and picked it up.’
to iron out sth
to put something into a finished state by solving problems, removing differences, or taking care of details
probation
a period of time when a criminal must behave well and not commit any more crimes in order to avoid being sent to prison
haze
something such as heat or smoke in the air that makes it less clear, so that it is difficult to see well
to get the wrong end of the stick
to not understand a situation correctly
a boon
something that is very helpful and improves the quality of life
unfettered
not limited by rules or any other controlling influence
- ‘Poets are unfettered by the normal rules of sentence structure.’
to enshrine
to contain or keep something as if in a holy place
- ‘A lot of memories are enshrined in this photograph album.’
perfunctory
done quickly, without taking care or interest
a pariah
a person who is not accepted by a social group
to loom
to appear as a large, often frightening or unclear shape or object
- ‘Dark storm clouds loomed on the horizon.’
a gurney
a light bed on wheels used to move patients in a hospital
an impostor
a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others
a wake
an occasion when the family and friends of a dead person meet after a dead person has been buried to drink and talk about the person’s life
coy (adj.)
intentionally keeping something secret
- ‘She’s very coy about her age.’
destitute
extremely poor and lacking the means to provide for oneself
- ‘The charity cares for destitute children.’
a fringe
the outer or less important part of an area, group, or activity
- ‘the southern fringe of the city’
knackered
extremely tired
needless to say
of course, as you would expect
to abscond
to go away suddenly and secretly in order to escape from somewhere
an accomplice
a person who helps someone else to commit a crime or to do something morally wrong
flimsy
very thin, or easily broken or destroyed
to gird (up) one’s loins
to prepare and strengthen oneself for future actions, typically ones that may be dangerous or difficult
to take the piss (out of) sb
to make a joke about someone or make someone look silly
to confer with sb
to exchange ideas on a particular subject, often in order to reach a decision on what action to take
- ‘I need some time to confer with my lawyer.’
a qualm
an uncomfortable feeling when you doubt if you are doing the right thing
- ‘She had no qualms about lying to the police.’
absence makes the heart grow fonder
This means that when people we love are not with us, we love them even more.
on the fly
while in motion or progress
game
willing to do things that are new, difficult, or that involve risks
intermittent
not happening regularly or continuously; stopping and starting repeatedly or with periods in between
- ‘intermittent rain’
