Deck 32 Flashcards
power walking
brisk walking as a form of aerobic exercise
to appease
to prevent further disagreement in arguments or war by giving to the other side an advantage that they have demanded
to have a bridge to sell
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.’
a porch
a veranda
the phone tag
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
a smokeshow
a term used to describe an extremely attractive person
Who’d have thunk it?
Who would have thought that would happen?
to cower
crouch down in fear
- ‘Stop cowering! I’m not going to hit you.’
a curfew
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’
in lockstep with sb/sth
agreeing completely with someone
- ‘The Senator seems to be in lockstep with the big health insurance companies.’
unabridged
An unabridged book, speech, or article is in its original form and has not been made shorter.
a gazebo [guh-zee-boh]
a small decorated building or temporary structure, usually in a garden, that can be used for relaxing or entertaining guests
a dive
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
mutiny
an occasion when a group of people refuses to obey orders and/or attempts to take control from people in authority
sound (adj.)
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?’
a dollop
a small amount of something soft, especially food
- ‘a dollop of ice cream/whipped cream’
a morsel
a very small piece of food
- ‘a morsel of cheese’
- ‘The prisoners ate every last morsel.’
a harlot
a female prostitute
strung out
experiencing the strong effects of/addicted to drugs
- ‘For most of her teenage years, she was strung out on crack.’
on the dot
exactly on time
- ‘She came promptly on the dot of eleven.’
a strong suit
a particular skill or ability that a person has
- ‘Patience isn’t exactly her strong suit.’
belligerent
hostile and aggressive
- ‘Watch out! Lee’s in a belligerent mood.’
to twist someone’s arm
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.’
a mouthbreather
a really dumb person
torrid
involving strong emotions, especially those of sexual love
- ‘a torrid romance’
joie de vivre [zhwaduh vee-vruh]
the joy of living
a doorman
an individual hired to provide courtesy and security services at a residential building or hotel
a handrail
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)
murky
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.’
a tenner
ten pounds, or a note worth ten pounds
to apply yourself
to put in the effort required to master a subject
sultry
displaying or suggesting a strongly sexual nature
a fearmonger
someone who spreads fear, or needlessly raises the alarm
to rip a fart
to fart
indelible
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
to show/teach sb the ropes
to show someone how to do a job or activity
subpar
used to describe something that is below average, or below what is expected
- a subpar performance’
to berate
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.’
a philanderer
a man who enjoys having sex with a lot of different women without becoming emotionally involved with any of them (a fuckboy)
a tuft
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.’
mundane
very ordinary and therefore not interesting
complacent
feeling so satisfied with your own abilities or situation that you feel you do not need to try any harder
to infer
to form an opinion or guess that something is true because of the information that you have
- ‘What do you infer from her refusal?’
to not sleep a wink
to not sleep at all
* to not get a wink of sleep
to concoct
- to make (a dish or meal) by combining various ingredients
- to invent an excuse, explanation, or story in order to deceive someone
- ‘He concocted a story about working late at the office.’
conjecture
to guess, based on the appearance of a situation and not on proof
- ‘He conjectured that the company would soon be in financial trouble.’
sleaze [U]
immoral, sordid, and corrupt behaviour or activities
parlance [U]
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.’
in concert
together
a homebody
a person who likes to stay at home, especially one who is perceived as unadventurous
a milieu [mil-yoo]
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.’
to sever [sev-er]
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.’
to kowtow to someone
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.’
to bigfoot
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.’
caster sugar
powdered sugar
to mutilate
to damage something severely, especially by violently removing a part
- ‘After a disaster, it can sometimes be hard to identify the mutilated bodies.’
to sift
- to separate and retain the coarse parts of (flour, ashes, etc.) with a sieve
- to scatter or sprinkle through or by means of a sieve: to sift sugar onto cake
in great demand
If someone or something is in great demand, they are very popular and a lot of people want them
revenue
the income that a business has from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers
a Vietnam Flashback
an expression used to describe a (usually) traumatic experience
to dub
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”.’
sapphic
relating to lesbians or lesbianism (only Fem-Fem lesbianism)
adamant
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.
a bunk bed
a type of bed in which one bed frame is stacked on top of another
a dive bar
an unglamorous, disreputable bar or pub, often serving a cheap, simple selection of drinks to a regular clientele
the kindliness
the quality of being kind, warm-hearted, or gentle; kindness
a bellhop / bellboy
a person in a hotel employed to carry suitcases, open doors, etc. for guests
to hearken [hahr-kuhn]
to listen
apprehensive
anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen
- ‘He felt apprehensive about going home.’
diligent
- careful and using a lot of effort
- done in a careful and detailed way
- ‘The discovery was made after years of diligent research.’
aloof
not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant
nonchalant
behaving in a calm manner, often in a way that suggests you are not interested or do not care
domineering
trying to control other people without thinking about their feelings
invested
devoted morally or psychologically, as to a purpose; committed
- ‘Men of our generation are invested in what they do, women in what we are.’
to lose the plot
to lose one’s ability to understand or cope with what is happening
to get a rise out of sb
to annoy someone
- ‘Steve always manages to get a rise out of me with his racist jokes.’
to rile
to annoy; disturb, especially by minor irritations
bear with me
be patient with me
an expletive [ek-spli-tiv]
a word that is considered offensive:
hectic
full of activity, or very busy and fast
grisly
extremely unpleasant, especially because death or blood is involved
- ‘a grisly murder/death’
in the know
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.
to put the cart before the horse
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?’
a calamity
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.’
gauche
unsophisticated and socially awkward
histrionic
excessively theatrical or dramatic in character or style.
- ‘a histrionic outburst’
a novelty item
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)
a procurer
a person who finds prostitutes for people who want to have sex with them
iridescent
showing luminous colours that seem to change when seen from different angles
virile
A virile man, especially a young man, is full of sexual strength and energy in a way that is considered attractive
to not hold a candle to someone/something
to not be as good as someone or something else
- ‘Her latest book can’t hold a candle to her earlier works.’
unduly
more than necessary
- ‘She didn’t seem unduly concerned/worried.’
to be all business
to be practical, straight to the point
prudent
careful and avoiding risks
- ‘It’s always prudent to read a contract carefully before signing it.’
afflatus [uh-fley-tuh s]
a strong creative impulse; divine inspiration
to narc on someone
to snitch
- ‘He was caught dealing drugs because his roommate narced on him.’
a travesty
A travesty is a cheap mockery, usually of something or someone serious, such as a travesty of justice, in a shocking and offensive way
defunct
no longer existing, living, or working correctly
dreary
boring and making you feel unhappy
- ‘She had spent another dreary day in the office.’
pucker
to contract into folds or wrinkles
- ‘He puckered his lips and kissed her.’
