Deck 27 Flashcards
to flummox
to confuse someone so much that they do not know what to do
at sb’s behest/at the behest of sb
because someone has asked or ordered you to do something
wet
used to describe someone who has a weak character and does not express any forceful opinion
a crony
a friend
cockamamie [kok-uh-mey-mee]
ridiculous, pointless, or nonsensical
parlance
a group of words or style of speaking used by a particular group of people
a kerfuffle
a commotion or fuss, especially one caused by conflicting views
- ‘Tere was a kerfuffle over the chairmanship.’
heebie-jeebies
a state of nervous fear or anxiety
bubkes
absolutely nothing; something worthless
- ‘We’ve gone from bubkes to big deals in a year.’
to traffic in sth
to buy and sell goods illegally
- ‘They were arrested for trafficking in the eggs of protected species of birds.’
abstruse
difficult to understand
to overthrow
to defeat or remove someone from power, using force
an arms race
the situation in which two or more countries try to have more and stronger weapons than each other
for what it’s worth
said when you are giving someone a piece of information and you are not certain if that information is useful or important
- ‘For what it’s worth, I think he may be right.’
a dyke
a lesbian. Many people consider this word offensive.
to luck out
to be very lucky
- ‘The Giants really lucked out in last night’s game.’
verbose
using or containing more words than are necessary
pungent
- A pungent smell or taste is very strong, sometimes unpleasantly strong
- Pungent speech or writing is very strongly felt:
indelible
- An indelible mark or substance is impossible to remove by washing or in any other way
- Indelible memories or actions are impossible to forget or have a permanent influence or effect
succinct [suh k-singkt]
said in a clear and short way; expressing what needs to be said without unnecessary words
condescension
behaviour that shows you think you are better or more important than someone
budding
beginning to develop or show signs of future success in a particular area
- ‘While still at school she was clearly a budding genius.’
sequencing
the process of combining things in a particular order, or discovering the order in which they are combined
limp
soft and neither firm nor stiff
enervating
making you feel weak and without energy
- ‘I find this heat very enervating.’
bona fide [boh-nuh fahy-dee]
real, not false
- ‘Make sure you are dealing with a bona fide company.’
to neuter
to remove part of an animal’s sexual organs, so that it cannot produce young animals
dense
stupid
uxorious
showing too much love for your wife
bleak
- If a place is bleak, it is empty, and not welcoming or attractive
- If a situation is bleak, there is little or no hope for the future
a vice
Various activities considered immoral by certain people. Drug use, sexual promiscuity, prostitution, gambling, recklessness, cheating, lying, and selfishness are commonly considered vices.
- ‘My one real vice (= bad habit) is chocolate.’
an ellipsis
a set of dots (…) indicating an ellipsis
a calamity
a serious accident or bad event causing damage or suffering
curt
If someone’s manner or speech is curt, it is rude as a result of being very quick
- ‘Andy was very curt with him.’
out/down for the count
Having been, or very near to being, defeated, ruined, or overcome.
Likened to a boxer who has been knocked to the mat and cannot get to his or her feet before the referee counts to 10, thus losing the match.
wood
an erect penis
to belch
to allow air from the stomach to come out noisily through the mouth
- ‘He belched noisily.’
brittle
delicate and easily broken
pliable
A pliable person is easily influenced and controlled by other people
a somersault
a rolling movement or jump, either forwards or backwards, in which you turn over completely, with your body above your head, and finish with your head on top again
- ‘She was so happy she turned three somersaults on the lawn.’
to blow something out of proportion
to make something seem more important or serious than it really is
illicit
forbidden by law, rules, or custom
- ‘illicit drugs’
in this day and age
in this day and age
- ‘at the present time’
stark raving mad
totally insane, out of control, completely crazy
- ‘When she heard about what happened at the office, she went stark raving mad.’
a chokehold
a way of holding someone with your arm tightly around their neck so that they cannot breathe easily
- ‘The officer had him in a chokehold.’
a chasuble
an ornate sleeveless outer vestment worn by a Catholic or High Anglican priest when celebrating Mass
engorged
If a part of the body is engorged, it has become swollen or filled with a liquid, especially blood.
exigent
needing urgent attention, or demanding too much from other people
- ‘an exigent problem’
- ‘an exigent manager’
force majeure
“superior force” - unforeseeable circumstances that prevent someone from doing something that is written in a legal agreement
crises [cry-siz]
plural form of cirsis
a gallows
a wooden structure used, especially in the past, to hang criminals from as a form of execution
With a catch in her voice
With a little break in her voice caused by emotion.
auspicious
suggesting a positive and successful future
to infest
(of animals and insects that carry disease) to cause a problem by being present in large numbers
true
fitted or positioned accurately
- ‘None of the drawers were true.’
- ‘Her aim is true.’
a freelancer
someone who works on different projects with different companies instead of being a company employee
from here on (out)
from this time forward
- ‘From here on out, I’m making all the decisions.’
to toe the line
to do what you are expected to do without causing trouble for anyone
a chip off the old block
someone who is very similar in character to their father or mother
a fluke
something good that has happened that is the result of chance instead of skill or planning
- ‘The first goal was just a fluke.’
a concourse
a large space or room in a public building such as a station or airport that people meet in or pass through
triage
the process of quickly examining patients who are taken to a hospital in order to decide which ones are the most seriously ill and must be treated first
a skillet
a frying pan
to be on the mend
to be getting better after an illness or injury
to squander
to waste money or supplies, or to waste opportunities by not using them to your advantage
countenance [U]
a person’s face or facial expression
a tinderbox
a dangerous and uncontrolled situation in which violence is likely to happen
a warm body
a person; just any person
a sieve
a utensil consisting of a wire or plastic mesh held in a frame, used for separating solids from liquids
Reverend
a title for a priest of the Christian Church
to wind up
to find yourself in an unexpected and usually unpleasant situation, especially as a result of what you do
DOA
Dead On Arrival
CBA
abbreviation for can’t be arsed: used when you do not want to do something because you feel lazy
on the dot
exactly on time
cisgender
denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex
to bow out
to leave a job or stop doing an activity, usually after a long time
a flair [S]
natural ability to do something well
- ‘He has a flair for languages.’
to tend
to care for something or someone
to tend bar
to work behind a bar serving drinks
arid
(of land or a climate) having little or no rain; too dry to support vegetation
the heart of the matter
the focal, central, or most important element of a topic, problem, or issue
selfsame
exactly the same
- ‘His father had suffered from the selfsame disease.’
incontrovertible
impossible to doubt because of being obviously true
to stipulate
to say exactly how something must be or must be done
- ‘She agreed to buy the car, but stipulated racing tyres and a turbo-powered engine.’
mush
If you describe something such as a book or film as mush, you mean that it is too emotional
to show somebody the ropes
to explain to someone how to do a job or activity
a welt
a raised, red area of skin caused by being hit or by cuts healing
woe is me
said to express how unhappy you are
- ‘I’m cold and wet and I don’t have enough money for the bus home. Oh woe is me!’
chock-full
completely full
- ‘The whole room was chock-full of books.’
grating
A grating sound is unpleasant and annoying.
to commiserate
to express sympathy to someone about some bad luck
- ‘I began by commiserating with her over the defeat.’
convoluted
Convoluted sentences, explanations, arguments, etc. are unreasonably long and difficult to understand
munificent
very generous with money
to castigate
to criticize someone or something severely
a vocation
a type of work that you feel you are suited to doing and to which you should give all your time and energy, or the feeling that a type of work suits you in this way
an avocation
work you do in addition to your main job or profession, especially for enjoyment
to meddle
to try to change or have an influence on things that are not your responsibility, especially by criticizing in a damaging or annoying way
- ‘My sister’s always meddling in other people’s affairs.’
- ‘People shouldn’t meddle with things they don’t understand.’
lenient
not as severe or strong in punishment or judgment as would be expected
to eschew [es-choo]
to avoid something intentionally, or to give something up
- ‘We won’t have discussions with this group unless they eschew violence.’
pensive
thinking in a quiet way, often with a serious expression on your face
