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My English > Deck 29 > Flashcards

Deck 29 Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

a breadwinner

A

he member of a family who earns the money that the family needs

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2
Q

infatuation

A

strong but not usually lasting feelings of love or attraction

  • ‘It’s just an infatuation. She’ll get over it.’
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3
Q

to skulk

A

to hide or move around as if trying not to be seen, usually with bad intentions

  • ‘I thought I saw someone skulking in the bushes - maybe we should call the police.’
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4
Q

megalomania [meg-uh-loh-mey-nee-uh]

A

an unnaturally strong wish for power and control, or the belief that you are very much more important and powerful than you really are

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5
Q

backlash

A

a strong feeling among a group of people in reaction to a change or recent events in society or politics

  • ‘the backlash against feminism’
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6
Q

to snuggle

A

to move yourself into a warm and comfortable position, especially one in which your body is against another person or covered by something

  • ‘I was just snuggling down into my warm bed when my phone rang.’
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7
Q

specificity

A

the quality of being specific (= clear and exact)

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8
Q

lovelorn

A

unhappy because of unrequited love

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9
Q

a tealight

A

a small candle in a metal case, used for decoration

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10
Q

a regimen

A

any set of rules about food and exercise that someone follows, especially in order to improve their health

  • ‘After his heart attack, the doctor put him on a strict regimen.’
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11
Q

redundant

A

(especially of a word, phrase, etc.) unnecessary because it is more than is needed

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12
Q

a parley

A

a discussion between two groups of people, especially one that is intended to end an argument

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13
Q

foley

A

the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to the film, video, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality

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14
Q

a rain man

A

an expert at something

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15
Q

assent

A

official agreement to or approval of an idea, plan, or request

  • ‘Once the directors have given their assent to the proposal we can begin.’
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16
Q

tenacious

A

holding fast; characterized by keeping a firm hold (often followed by of)

  • ‘tenacious of old habits’
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17
Q

aplenty

A

available in large amounts

  • ‘If that’s not enough, there are shows, movies, and amusements aplenty.’
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18
Q

to elucidate

A

to explain something or make something clear

  • ‘I don’t understand. You’ll have to elucidate.’
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19
Q

antsy

A

very nervous, worried, or unpleasantly excited

  • ‘It was a long drive and the children started to get antsy.’
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20
Q

a fete

A

a public event, often held outside, where you can take part in competitions and buy small things and food, often organized to collect money for a particular purpose

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21
Q

to cede

A

to allow someone else to have or own something, especially unwillingly or because you are forced to do so

  • ‘In 1874, the islands were ceded to Britain.’
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22
Q

frantic

A

almost out of control because of extreme emotion, such as worry

  • ‘Where on earth have you been? We’ve been frantic with worry.’
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23
Q

boisterous

A

noisy, energetic, and rough

  • ‘boisterous children’
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24
Q

irresolute

A

not able or willing to take decisions or actions

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25
Q

a floozy

A

a girl or a woman who has many casual sexual partners

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26
Q

to expunge

A

obliterate or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant)

  • ‘She has been unable to expunge the details of the accident from her memory.’
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27
Q

to tide sb over (sth)

A

to help someone to work or operate normally through a difficult period, usually by lending them money

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28
Q

a morsel

A

a small piece or amount of food; a mouthful

  • ‘Juliet pushed a morsel of toast into her mouth.’
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29
Q

voluptuous [vuh-luhp-choo-uh s]

A

A voluptuous woman has a soft, curved, sexually attractive body

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30
Q

allure

A

the quality of being attractive, interesting, or exciting

  • ‘the allure of working in television’
  • ‘sexual allure’
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31
Q

titchy

A

extremely small

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32
Q

toiletries

A

articles used in washing and taking care of one’s body, such as soap, shampoo, and toothpaste

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33
Q

malleable

A
  1. A malleable substance is easily changed into a new shape

2. easily influenced, trained, or controlled

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34
Q

to berate

A

to criticize or speak in an angry manner to someone

  • ‘As he left the meeting, he was berated by angry demonstrators.’
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35
Q

to entice

A

to persuade someone to do something by offering them something pleasant

  • ‘The adverts entice the customer into buying things they don’t really want.’
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36
Q

fervent

A

used to describe beliefs that are strongly and sincerely felt or people who have strong and sincere beliefs

  • ‘a fervent supporter of the communist party’
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37
Q

courteous

A

polite and showing respect

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38
Q

downcast

A

sad and without hope

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39
Q

a ruse

A

a trick intended to deceive someone

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40
Q

panache [puh-nash]

A

a stylish, original, and very confident way of doing things that makes people admire you

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41
Q

vapid

A

showing no intelligence or imagination:

42
Q

to meld

A

to (cause something to) combine with something else

  • ‘Several problems had melded together.’
43
Q

brouhaha

A

a lot of noise or angry complaining about something

  • ‘the brouhaha over his latest novel’
44
Q

irreverent

A

not showing the expected respect for official, important, or holy things

45
Q

comorbid

A

relating to or denoting a medical condition that co-occurs with another

46
Q

to hamper

A

to prevent someone doing something easily

47
Q

Counterintelligence

A

secret action taken by a country to prevent another country from discovering its military, industrial, or political secrets

48
Q

to redact

A

to censor or obscure part of a text for legal or security purposes

49
Q

an aide [eyd]

A

a person who acts as an assistant

50
Q

arduous

A

difficult, needing a lot of effort and energy

51
Q

composure

A

the feeling of being calm, confident, and in control

  • ‘I didn’t want to lose my composure in front of her.’
52
Q

gargantuan

A

very large

  • ‘gargantuan appetite’
53
Q

legless

A

extremely drunk

54
Q

across the pond

A

Across the Atlantic Ocean, almost always referring to either the British Isles or the United States, depending on which side of the ocean the speaker is from.

55
Q

a shrinking violet

A

a person who is very shy or modest and does not like to attract attention

  • ‘She loves appearing on television and is no shrinking violet when it comes to expressing her views.’
56
Q

a stan / to stan

A

an overobsessed fan to the point of following a star around.

It is formed from the words stalker and fan.

stalker + fan = stan

57
Q

to efface [ih-feys]

A

to remove something intentionally

  • ‘The whole country had tried to efface the memory of the old dictatorship.’
58
Q

inherently

A

The adverb inherently means in a natural or innate manner. Some people enjoy your inherently cheerful nature, but it drives other people crazy because they find you annoyingly perky.

59
Q

humility

A

the quality of not being proud because you are aware of your bad qualities

60
Q

to garble

A

to make words or messages unclear and difficult to understand

  • ‘It’s bad when phones garble conversations.’
61
Q

to exert

A

to use something such as authority, power, influence, etc. in order to make something happen

  • ‘If you were to exert your influence they might change their decision.’
62
Q

matriculation

A

the formal process of entering a university

63
Q

to call on someone

A

to come to see someone; visit

64
Q

snack

A

an attractive female

65
Q

rancid

A

having a rank, unpleasant, stale smell or taste, as through decomposition, especially of fats or oils

  • ‘rancid butter’
66
Q

bulk bins

A

the way of selling consumables by weight while the product is measured into a plastic bag, to be later weighed at the point of sale

67
Q

nefarious

A

(especially of activities) morally bad

68
Q

bleachers

A

a sloping area of seats at a sports field that are not covered

69
Q

demure

A

(especially of women) quiet and well behaved

70
Q

to extol

A

to praise something or someone very much

  • ‘She is forever extolling the virtues of her children.’
71
Q

levity

A

humour or lack of seriousness, especially during a serious occasion

72
Q

a debacle

A

a complete failure, especially because of bad planning and organization

73
Q

dissent

A

a strong difference of opinion on a particular subject, especially about an official suggestion or plan or a popular belief

74
Q

minuscule

A

extremely small

  • ‘All she gave him to eat was two minuscule pieces of toast.’
75
Q

to convene

A

to bring together a group of people for a meeting, or to meet for a meeting

76
Q

florid

A

with too much decoration or detail

77
Q

pernicious

A

having a very harmful effect or influence

78
Q

a rapscallion

A

a mischievous person

79
Q

pent-up

A

Pent-up feelings are not allowed to be expressed or released

80
Q

wherein

A

in which, or in which part

81
Q

a nugget

A

something that a person has said or written that is very true or very wise

  • ‘a nugget of information/truth’
82
Q

to go down like a lead balloon

A

If something that you say or show to people goes down like a lead balloon, they do not like it at all

  • ‘My joke about the alcoholic went down like a lead balloon.’
83
Q

(to give) credit where credit’s due

A

an expression that means that you should praise someone who deserves it, although you might dislike some things about them

  • ‘I don’t especially like the woman but, credit where credit’s due, she’s very efficient.’
84
Q

to raze

A

to completely destroy a city, building, etc.

  • ‘The town was razed to the ground in the bombing raid - not a building was left standing.’
85
Q

forlorn

A
  1. alone and unhappy; left alone and not cared for

2. A forlorn place feels empty and sad

86
Q

a vehement [vee-uh-muh nt]

A

expressing strong feelings, or shown by strong feelings or great energy or force

  • ‘Despite vehement opposition from his family, he quit school and became an actor.’
87
Q

to jump the gun

A

to do something too soon, especially without thinking carefully about it

88
Q

teal

A

a medium blue-green color, similar to cyan

89
Q

to inveigh against sb/sth [in-vey]

A

to strongly criticize something or someone

  • ‘There were politicians who inveighed against immigrants to get votes.’
90
Q

fallow

A
  1. Fallow land is not planted with crops, in order to improve the quality of the soil.
  2. ​A fallow period of time is one in which very little happens.
91
Q

ebullient

A

very energetic, positive, and happy

92
Q

to diddle

A

when a woman fingers herself to the point of orgasm

93
Q

to putz

A

to engage in inconsequential or unproductive activity

  • ‘Too much putzing around up there would ruin them.’
94
Q

unerring [uhn-er-ing]

A
  1. never failing to hit a target

2. ​always accurate in your judgment or ability

95
Q

emaciated [ih-mey-shee-ey-tid]

A

very thin and weak, usually because of illness or extreme hunger

96
Q

an artiste [ahr-teest]

A

a skilled performer, especially a dancer, singer, or actor

97
Q

fraudulent

A

dishonest and illegal; intended to deceive

98
Q

to deride

A

to laugh at someone or something in a way that shows you think they are stupid or of no value

  • ‘He derided my singing as pathetic.’
99
Q

a recluse

A

a person who lives alone and avoids going outside or talking to other people

100
Q

disarray

A

the state of being confused and having no organization or of being untidy

  • ‘The news had thrown his plans into disarray.’

My English (37 decks)

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