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My English > Deck 32 > Flashcards

Deck 32 Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

power walking

A

brisk walking as a form of aerobic exercise

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2
Q

to appease

A

to prevent further disagreement in arguments or war by giving to the other side an advantage that they have demanded

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3
Q

to have a bridge to sell

A

Used to indicate that a particular statement or claim could only be believed by someone who is very gullible.

  • ‘If you think that he will make things better, then I have a bridge to sell you.’
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4
Q

a porch

A

a veranda

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5
Q

the phone tag

A

a phenomenon in which two parties attempt to contact each other by telephone, but neither is able to get a hold of the other for a conversation

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6
Q

a smokeshow

A

a term used to describe an extremely attractive person

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7
Q

Who’d have thunk it?

A

Who would have thought that would happen?

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8
Q

to cower

A

crouch down in fear

  • ‘Stop cowering! I’m not going to hit you.’
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9
Q

a curfew

A

a rule that everyone must stay at home between particular times, usually at night, especially during a war or a period of political trouble

  • ‘to impose/lift a curfew’
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10
Q

in lockstep with sb/sth

A

agreeing completely with someone

  • ‘The Senator seems to be in lockstep with the big health insurance companies.’
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11
Q

unabridged

A

An unabridged book, speech, or article is in its original form and has not been made shorter.

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12
Q

a gazebo [guh-zee-boh]

A

a small decorated building or temporary structure, usually in a garden, that can be used for relaxing or entertaining guests

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13
Q

a dive

A

a restaurant, hotel, bar, or place for entertainment or social activities that is unpleasant because of the condition of the building or the type of people that go there

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14
Q

mutiny

A

an occasion when a group of people refuses to obey orders and/or attempts to take control from people in authority

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15
Q

sound (adj.)

A

not broken or damaged; healthy; in good condition

  • ‘It’s an old building but it’s still structurally sound.’
  • ‘Was she of sound mind (= not mentally ill) at the time of the incident?’
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16
Q

a dollop

A

a small amount of something soft, especially food

  • ‘a dollop of ice cream/whipped cream’
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17
Q

a morsel

A

a very small piece of food

  • ‘a morsel of cheese’
  • ‘The prisoners ate every last morsel.’
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18
Q

a harlot

A

a female prostitute

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19
Q

strung out

A

experiencing the strong effects of/addicted to drugs

  • ‘For most of her teenage years, she was strung out on crack.’
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20
Q

on the dot

A

exactly on time

  • ‘She came promptly on the dot of eleven.’
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21
Q

a strong suit

A

a particular skill or ability that a person has

  • ‘Patience isn’t exactly her strong suit.’
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22
Q

belligerent

A

hostile and aggressive

  • ‘Watch out! Lee’s in a belligerent mood.’
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23
Q

to twist someone’s arm

A

to get someone to do what you want by making it very difficult for him or her to refuse

  • ‘I didn’t want to go to the tunnels, but Joyce twisted my arm.’
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24
Q

a mouthbreather

A

a really dumb person

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25
Q

torrid

A

involving strong emotions, especially those of sexual love

  • ‘a torrid romance’
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26
Q

joie de vivre [zhwaduh vee-vruh]

A

the joy of living

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27
Q

a doorman

A

an individual hired to provide courtesy and security services at a residential building or hotel

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28
Q

a handrail

A

a long, narrow bar of wood or metal that people can hold on to for support, especially when going up or down stairs (a bannister)

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29
Q

murky

A

used to describe a situation that is complicated and unpleasant, and about which many facts are not clear

  • ‘He became involved in the murky world of international drug-dealing.’
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30
Q

a tenner

A

ten pounds, or a note worth ten pounds

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31
Q

to apply yourself

A

to put in the effort required to master a subject

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32
Q

sultry

A

displaying or suggesting a strongly sexual nature

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33
Q

a fearmonger

A

someone who spreads fear, or needlessly raises the alarm

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34
Q

to rip a fart

A

to fart

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35
Q

indelible

A

Indelible memories or actions are impossible to forget or have a permanent influence or effect
An indelible mark or substance is impossible to remove by washing or in any other way

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36
Q

to show/teach sb the ropes

A

to show someone how to do a job or activity

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37
Q

subpar

A

used to describe something that is below average, or below what is expected

  • a subpar performance’
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38
Q

to berate

A

to criticize or speak in an angry manner to someone

  • ‘Doctors are often berated for being poor communicators, particularly when they have to give patients bad news.’
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39
Q

a philanderer

A

a man who enjoys having sex with a lot of different women without becoming emotionally involved with any of them (a fuckboy)

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40
Q

a tuft

A

a number of short pieces of hair, grass, etc. that grow closely together or are held together near the base

  • ‘He had a few tufts of hair on his chin, but you couldn’t really call it a beard.’
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41
Q

mundane

A

very ordinary and therefore not interesting

42
Q

complacent

A

feeling so satisfied with your own abilities or situation that you feel you do not need to try any harder

43
Q

to infer

A

to form an opinion or guess that something is true because of the information that you have

  • ‘What do you infer from her refusal?’
44
Q

to not sleep a wink

A

to not sleep at all

* to not get a wink of sleep

45
Q

to concoct

A
  1. to make (a dish or meal) by combining various ingredients
  2. to invent an excuse, explanation, or story in order to deceive someone
  • ‘He concocted a story about working late at the office.’
46
Q

conjecture

A

to guess, based on the appearance of a situation and not on proof

  • ‘He conjectured that the company would soon be in financial trouble.’
47
Q

sleaze [U]

A

immoral, sordid, and corrupt behaviour or activities

48
Q

parlance [U]

A

a group of words or style of speaking used by a particular group of people

  • ‘Oral contraceptives are referred to as “the pill” in common parlance.’
49
Q

in concert

A

together

50
Q

a homebody

A

a person who likes to stay at home, especially one who is perceived as unadventurous

51
Q

a milieu [mil-yoo]

A

the people, physical, and social conditions and events that provide the environment in which someone acts or lives

  • ‘It is a study of the social and cultural milieu in which Michelangelo lived and worked.’
52
Q

to sever [sev-er]

A

to break or separate, especially by cutting

  • ‘The knife severed an artery and he bled to death.’
  • ‘Her foot was severed from her leg in a car accident.’
53
Q

to kowtow to someone

A

to show too much respect to someone in authority, always doing what you are told and act in an excessively subservient manner

  • ‘She didn’t have to kowtow to a boss.’
54
Q

to bigfoot

A

to get much more attention than something or someone, or to take control of a situation instead of someone else, because of being very strong, powerful, or important

  • ‘Digital effects have bigfooted the world of movies.’
55
Q

caster sugar

A

powdered sugar

56
Q

to mutilate

A

to damage something severely, especially by violently removing a part

  • ‘After a disaster, it can sometimes be hard to identify the mutilated bodies.’
57
Q

to sift

A
  1. to separate and retain the coarse parts of (flour, ashes, etc.) with a sieve
  2. to scatter or sprinkle through or by means of a sieve: to sift sugar onto cake
58
Q

in great demand

A

If someone or something is in great demand, they are very popular and a lot of people want them

59
Q

revenue

A

the income that a business has from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers

60
Q

a Vietnam Flashback

A

an expression used to describe a (usually) traumatic experience

61
Q

to dub

A

to give something or someone a particular name, especially describing what you think of it, him, or her

  • ‘She was dubbed by the newspapers “the Angel of Death”.’
62
Q

sapphic

A

relating to lesbians or lesbianism (only Fem-Fem lesbianism)

63
Q

adamant

A

impossible to persuade, or unwilling to change an opinion or decision

[ + that ] I’ve told her she should stay at home and rest but she’s adamant that she’s coming.

64
Q

a bunk bed

A

a type of bed in which one bed frame is stacked on top of another

65
Q

a dive bar

A

an unglamorous, disreputable bar or pub, often serving a cheap, simple selection of drinks to a regular clientele

66
Q

the kindliness

A

the quality of being kind, warm-hearted, or gentle; kindness

67
Q

a bellhop / bellboy

A

a person in a hotel employed to carry suitcases, open doors, etc. for guests

68
Q

to hearken [hahr-kuhn]

A

to listen

69
Q

apprehensive

A

anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen

  • ‘He felt apprehensive about going home.’
70
Q

diligent

A
  1. careful and using a lot of effort
  2. done in a careful and detailed way
  • ‘The discovery was made after years of diligent research.’
71
Q

aloof

A

not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant

72
Q

nonchalant

A

behaving in a calm manner, often in a way that suggests you are not interested or do not care

73
Q

domineering

A

trying to control other people without thinking about their feelings

74
Q

invested

A

devoted morally or psychologically, as to a purpose; committed

  • ‘Men of our generation are invested in what they do, women in what we are.’
75
Q

to lose the plot

A

to lose one’s ability to understand or cope with what is happening

76
Q

to get a rise out of sb

A

to annoy someone

  • ‘Steve always manages to get a rise out of me with his racist jokes.’
77
Q

to rile

A

to annoy; disturb, especially by minor irritations

78
Q

bear with me

A

be patient with me

79
Q

an expletive [ek-spli-tiv]

A

a word that is considered offensive:

80
Q

hectic

A

full of activity, or very busy and fast

81
Q

grisly

A

extremely unpleasant, especially because death or blood is involved

  • ‘a grisly murder/death’
82
Q

in the know

A

If you are in the know about something, especially something that is not known about or understood by many people, you have information about it.

83
Q

to put the cart before the horse

A

to do things in the wrong order

  • ‘Aren’t you putting the cart before the horse by deciding what to wear for the wedding before you’ve even been invited to it?’
84
Q

a calamity

A

a serious accident or bad event causing damage or suffering

  • ‘A series of calamities ruined them - floods, a failed harvest, and the death of a son.’
85
Q

gauche

A

unsophisticated and socially awkward

86
Q

histrionic

A

excessively theatrical or dramatic in character or style.

  • ‘a histrionic outburst’
87
Q

a novelty item

A

an object which is specifically designed to serve no practical purpose, and is sold for its uniqueness, humour, or simply as something new (hence “novelty”, or newness)

88
Q

a procurer

A

a person who finds prostitutes for people who want to have sex with them

89
Q

iridescent

A

showing luminous colours that seem to change when seen from different angles

90
Q

virile

A

A virile man, especially a young man, is full of sexual strength and energy in a way that is considered attractive

91
Q

to not hold a candle to someone/something

A

to not be as good as someone or something else

  • ‘Her latest book can’t hold a candle to her earlier works.’
92
Q

unduly

A

more than necessary

  • ‘She didn’t seem unduly concerned/worried.’
93
Q

to be all business

A

to be practical, straight to the point

94
Q

prudent

A

careful and avoiding risks

  • ‘It’s always prudent to read a contract carefully before signing it.’
95
Q

afflatus [uh-fley-tuh s]

A

a strong creative impulse; divine inspiration

96
Q

to narc on someone

A

to snitch

  • ‘He was caught dealing drugs because his roommate narced on him.’
97
Q

a travesty

A

A travesty is a cheap mockery, usually of something or someone serious, such as a travesty of justice, in a shocking and offensive way

98
Q

defunct

A

no longer existing, living, or working correctly

99
Q

dreary

A

boring and making you feel unhappy

  • ‘She had spent another dreary day in the office.’
100
Q

pucker

A

to contract into folds or wrinkles

  • ‘He puckered his lips and kissed her.’

My English (37 decks)

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