English 10 Flashcards
compassion
(n) a strong feeling of “sympathy and sadness” for the “suffering or bad luck” of others and a wish to help them . 惻隱之心 e.g. I was hoping she might show a little compassion.
grate
(v) to rub food against a grater in order to cut it into a lot of small pieces . e.g. grated cheese
stumble
(v) 絆倒 to step awkwardly while “walking or running and fall” or begin to fall e.g. Running along the beach, she stumbled on a log and fell on the sand.
stumble into sth
(v) to “start” doing something “by chance”, without having intended to do it e.g. He had stumbled into teaching English after he finished college.
stumble across/on/upon sth/sb
to “discover” something by chance, or to meet someone by “chance” e.g. Workmen stumbled upon the mosaic while digging foundations for a new building.
get your courage up
to force yourself to be brave . e.g.
He couldn’t get up the courage to ask her out on a date.
huff
(n) 怒氣 an angry and offended mood: e.g. Ted’s gone into one of his huffs again.
drivel
(n) 胡扯 “nonsense” or boring and unnecessary information e..g You’re talking drivel as usual!
aftermath
(n) the period that “follows an unpleasant event” or accident, and the “effects” that it causes e.g.
Many more people died in the aftermath of the explosion.
blow sb out
放鴿子 to disappoint someone by “not meeting them” or not doing something that you had “arranged” to do together: e.g. She was supposed to go to that party with me, but she blew me out.
snort
(V)to make an explosive sound by forcing air quickly up or down the “nose” e g. Camille snorts when she laughs. 2. to take an illegal drug by breathing it in through the nose e.g. People were snorting cocaine in the toilets.
deduce
(v) to “reach an answer” or a decision by thinking carefully about the known facts . e.g. We cannot deduce very much from these figures.
taken aback by sth
you are “surprised or shocked” by it and you cannot respond at once. e.g. Derek was taken aback when a man answered the phone.
bite the bullet
to” force yourself” to do something “unpleasant” or difficult, or to be “brave in a difficult situation” . e.g. I hate going to the dentist, but I’ll just have to bite the bullet.
bite the dust
to end in failure . e.g. His career bit the dust when he lost his job.
you haven’t heard the half of it
你不懂啦 because of that people don’t understand your suffer
down the road
in the future e.g. Lots of things will have changed a few years down the road
cheeky
(adj) “slightly rude” or showing no respect, but often in a funny way: e.g. She’s got such a cheeky grin.
actions speak louder than words
you mean that people’s “actions show” their real attitudes, rather than what they say
bide one’s time
“wait quietly for a good opportunity” to do something.
e.g. she patiently bided her time before making an escape bid
between the devil and the deep blue sea, between a rock and a hard place
to have two choices that are “both equally unpleasant” or not convenient
don’t cry over spilt milk
生米煮成熟飯，不需要難過
to bite someone’s head off, to snap at sb
respond badly at someone
to go out on a limb, sticking one’s neck out
in or” into a position” where one is not joined or “supported by” anyone else. e.g. “I wouldn’t go out on a limb like this if I didn’t have the data to justify it”
steal sb’s thunder
to do what someone else was going to do before they do it, especially if this “takes success or praise away” from them: e.g. Sandy stole my thunder when she announced that she was pregnant two days before I’d planned to tell people about my pregnancy.
to be at the end of the tether/ rope
had enough of , can’t stand
oh the irony!
how ironic!
dead pan/ dry humor
to say something funny with a straight face
speak off the cuff,
If you speak off the cuff, you “say” something “without having prepared” or thought about your words first:
e.g. I hadn’t prepared a speech so I just said a few words off the cuff.
self-deprecating
(adj) trying to make yourself, your abilities, or your achievements seem “less important”, “make fun of yourself”
a self-deprecating humor / joke
innuendo / double entendre
a word or phrase that “might be understood in two ways”, one of which is usually “sexual”
banter
playful teasing
revolt
(v) If a large number of people revolt, they refuse to be controlled or ruled, and “take action against authority”, often violent action: e.g. The people revolted against foreign rule and established their own government.
not the least
I haven’t the least idea (= I do not know) who he was.
coalition
(n) the “joining together” of different political parties or groups for a particular purpose, usually for a “limited time” or a government that is formed in this way
congested
(adj) “ too blocked” or crowded and causing difficulties
e. g. congested nose, congested road
feign
(v) to “pretend” to have a particular feeling, problem, etc. :
e. g. You know how everyone feigns surprise when you tell them how old you are.
squirm
(V) to move from “side to side” in an awkward way, sometimes because of “nervousness”, embarrassment, or pain: e.g. Nobody spoke for at least five minutes and Rachel squirmed in her chair with embarrassment.
suffuse
(v) 瀰漫 to spread through or over something completely:
e. g. His voice was low and suffused with passion.
endearment
(n) a word or phrase that you use to “show that you love “ someone e.g. terms of endearment such as “darling” or “sweetheart”
