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My English > Deck 26 > Flashcards

Deck 26 Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

opinionated

A

An opinionated person is certain about their beliefs, and expresses their ideas strongly and often

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2
Q

the gamut

A

the whole range of things that can be included in something

  • ‘In her stories, she expresses the whole gamut of emotions, from happiness to sorrow.’
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3
Q

habitual

A

usual or repeated

  • ‘habitual drug use’
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4
Q

frugal

A

careful when using money or food, or (of a meal) cheap or small in amount

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5
Q

a jacksie

A

a person’s bottom

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6
Q

a quid

A

a pound

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7
Q

to wallow in sth

A

to allow yourself to enjoy something completely

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8
Q

repressed

A

having feelings that you do not express

  • ‘English people are notoriously repressed and don’t talk about their feelings.’
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9
Q

culpable

A

deserving to be blamed or considered responsible for something bad

  • ‘He was held culpable for all that had happened.’
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10
Q

to soil oneself

A

to shit oneself

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11
Q

to extradite

A

to make someone return for trial to another country or state where they have been accused of doing something illegal

  • ‘He will be extradited to Arizona from Florida.’
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12
Q

mercurial

A

changing suddenly and often

  • ‘a mercurial temperament’
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13
Q

ahead of the curve

A

better than average

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14
Q

an impetus

A

An impetus is a force behind something, whether it’s a boulder rolling down a hill or a person making a decision.

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15
Q

to doctor

A

to change a document in order to deceive people

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16
Q

a stakeout

A

the continuous watching of a building or area, especially by the police

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17
Q

nightly

A

(happening) every night

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18
Q

to have hollow legs

A

Someone that overindulges in liquor, food, etc. without showing signs of effect is said to have hollow legs

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19
Q

in your salad days

A

during the period of time when you were a young person and had little experience

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20
Q

a tall drink of water

A

old slang for a visually appealing man or woman

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21
Q

by the book

A

exactly according to rules or the law

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22
Q

a leper

A

a person who is strongly disliked and avoided by other people because of something bad that he or she has done

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23
Q

a fish story

A

a story which is not true

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24
Q

to take on someone/something

A

to fight or compete against someone or something

  • ‘I’ll take you on in a game of chess.’
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25
Q

ajar

A

If a door is ajar, it is slightly open

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26
Q

highbrow

A

(of books, plays, etc.) involving serious and complicated or artistic ideas, or (of people) interested in serious and complicated subjects

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27
Q

estranged

A

an estranged husband or wife is not now living with the person they are married to

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28
Q

a hamlet

A

a small village, usually without a church

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29
Q

to hobnob

A

to spend time being friendly with someone who is important or famous

  • ‘She often has her picture in the papers, hobnobbing with the rich and famous.’
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30
Q

a premonition

A

a feeling that something, especially something unpleasant, is going to happen

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31
Q

over my dead body

A

If you say something will happen over your dead body, you mean that you will do everything you can to prevent it

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32
Q

to pay the piper

A

to face the results of one’s actions; to receive punishment for something

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33
Q

the BarcaLounger

A

a type of deeply padded reclining chair

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34
Q

a tableau

A

a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history

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35
Q

to swill

A

to cause a liquid to flow around or over something, often in order to clean it

  • ‘The dentist handed me a glass of water to swill my mouth out with.’
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36
Q

to the letter

A

If you obey instructions or rules to the letter, you do exactly what you have been told to do, giving great attention to every detail

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37
Q

to implore

A

to ask someone to do or not do something in a very sincere, emotional, and determined way

  • ‘She implored her parents not to send her away to school.’
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38
Q

a scuffle

A

a short and sudden fight, especially one involving a small number of people

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39
Q

a pittance

A

a very small amount of money, especially money received as payment, income, or a present

  • ‘He works hard but he’s paid a pittance.’
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40
Q

a loofah

A

an object with a rough surface that is used to rub the body when washing

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41
Q

kempt

A

If you’re kempt, you’re neat and well-groomed.

  • ‘Your always-kempt house will be harder to keep tidy after you adopt six furry puppies.’
42
Q

a spruce

A

an evergreen tree with leaves like needles, or the pale-coloured wood from this tree

43
Q

a lemon

A

vehicle (often new) that is found to have several manufacturing defects which may affect the safety, value or use of the vehicle

44
Q

dismal

A

​sad and without hope

45
Q

blimey

A

an expression of surprise

  • ‘Blimey, what a lot of food!’
46
Q

a throng

A

a crowd or a large group of people

  • ‘A huge throng had gathered around the speaker.’
47
Q

milling

A

moving around in a large group, with no particular purpose, or in no particular direction

  • ‘I lost sight of him among the milling crowds.’
48
Q

If I had a nickel for every time

A

When someone uses this expression, they mean that the specific thing happens a lot

49
Q

volition

A

the power to make your own decisions

50
Q

docile

A

quiet and easy to influence, persuade, or control

51
Q

compartmentalisation

A

An unconscious psychological defence mechanism used to avoid mental discomfort and anxiety caused by a person’s having conflicting values, emotions, beliefs, etc. within themselves.

Compartmentalization allows these conflicting ideas to co-exist by inhibiting direct or explicit acknowledgement and interaction between separate compartmentalized self-states.

52
Q

desultory

A

without a clear plan or purpose and showing little effort or interest

53
Q

pretence

A

a way of behaving that is intended to deceive people

  • ‘They kept up a pretence of normality as long as they could.’
54
Q

a detour

A

a different or less direct route to a place that is used to avoid a problem or to visit somewhere or do something on the way

55
Q

to subpoena

A

to order someone to go to a law court to answer questions

  • ‘They were subpoenaed to testify before the judge.’
56
Q

to get cold feet

A

to suddenly become too frightened to do something you had planned to do, especially something important such as getting married

57
Q

deference

A

respect and politeness

  • ‘He treats her with such deference.’
58
Q

facetious

A

not serious about a serious subject, in an attempt to be funny or to appear clever

59
Q

nautical

A

relating to ships, sailing, or sailors

  • ‘nautical equipment’
60
Q

a fender bender

A

a minor car accident

61
Q

turndown service

A

the practice of staff entering a guest’s room and “turning down” the bed linen of the bed in the room, preparing the bed for use

62
Q

to scoot

A

to go quickly

‘I’ll have to scoot or I’ll miss my train.’

63
Q

kismet

A

a force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control

  • ‘It must have been kismet.’
64
Q

to think out

A

to consider carefully and rationally in order to reach a conclusion

65
Q

boudoir

A

a beautifully decorated room used in the past by a woman for sleeping, dressing, relaxing, and entertaining

66
Q

to bust (one’s) chops

A

to exert a significant amount of energy or work very hard to do, accomplish, or complete something

67
Q

rudimentary

A

basic

  • ‘Her knowledge is still only rudimentary.’
68
Q

valediction

A

an act of bidding farewell; a leave-taking

69
Q

a stickler

A

a person who thinks that a particular type of behaviour is very important, and always follows it or tries to make other people follow it

  • ‘He’s a stickler for detail/accuracy/efficiency.’
70
Q

rags-to-riches

A

used to describe what happens to a person who was poor but becomes rich

  • ‘a rags-to-riches story’
71
Q

commendation

A

praise, or an official statement that praises someone

72
Q

to be in the bag

A

If something is in the bag, you are certain to get it or to achieve it

  • ‘Once we’d scored the third goal, the game was pretty much in the bag.’
73
Q

bushed

A

very tired

74
Q

a reprieve

A

an official order that stops or delays the punishment, especially by death, of a prisoner

  • ‘He was sentenced to death but was granted a last-minute reprieve.’
75
Q

on the fence

A

not able to decide something

76
Q

munitions

A

military weapons such as guns and bombs

77
Q

end-all

A

the ultimate purpose, object, or conclusion

  • ‘Money is the be-all and end-all of his existence.’
78
Q

mazel tov

A

(among Jewish people) congratulations; good luck

79
Q

a schmuck

A

a stupid or silly person

80
Q

to glom onto sth/sb

A

to become very interested in something such as a new idea or fashion or in someone

81
Q

to extort

A

to get something by force or threats, or with difficulty

  • ‘He had been extorting money from the old lady for years.’
82
Q

hairy

A

frightening or dangerous, especially in a way that is exciting

83
Q

a cot

A

a small bed for a baby or young child with high bars around the sides so that the child cannot fall out

84
Q

a bib

A

a cover made of cloth or plastic that is worn by young children when eating to protect their clothes

85
Q

to strew

A

to spread things in an untidy way over a surface

  • ‘Her clothes lay strewn on the floor.’
86
Q

to hash out something

A

to talk about something with someone else in order to reach agreement about it

87
Q

to beat someone to something

A

to do something before someone else

  • ‘I wanted to call with the news, but Steve beat me to it.’
88
Q

to botch

A

to spoil something by doing it badly

  • ‘We botched (up) our first attempt at wallpapering the bathroom.’
89
Q

a leap of faith

A

an act of believing in or attempting something whose existence or outcome cannot be proved or known

90
Q

jake

A

in good standing, or at the least without conflict

  • ‘Now that you’ve paid up, we’re jake.’
91
Q

to manscape

A

(of a man) to remove (unwanted body hair other than scalp hair) by waxing, shaving, etc.

92
Q

fat chance

A

used to say that you certainly do not think that something is likely to happen

93
Q

a hunchback

A

a person who has a back with a large, round lump on it, either because of illness or old age

94
Q

a trollop

A

a woman who has had a lot of sexual relationships without any emotional involvement

95
Q

a frock

A

a dress

96
Q

lo and behold

A

used to present a new scene, situation, or turn of event

97
Q

a hag

A

an ugly old woman

98
Q

lecherous

A

(especially of men or a look) showing a strong sexual interest in someone

99
Q

mirthful

A

full of laughter, humour, or happiness

  • ‘The ending of the film is melancholy rather than mirthful.’
100
Q

buff

A

a person who knows a lot about and is very interested in a particular subject

My English (37 decks)

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