Gd13 Flashcards
His unique brand of droll
self-mockery
You like to play things pretty close
to your chest
To poison it and eat it
at leisure
We had to double
back to collect them
In the dim light it was difficult to make
out the illustration
I can’t make
her out—
The woman looks mildly amused as she explains that it would require steely
patience and ample luck to spot an animal at this time of year
I haven’t the
faintest what it means
Iago’s final silence was a speaking one; I don’t have the faintest
idea how to read Hermione’s silence
My neck has a crick in
it when I jerk awake
I handed a half-smashed
sandwich to Miles
To ensure that you are not reinventing
the wheel
That should be enough. Use others
sparingly, if at all
But the real reason the market’s utopian, unblemished
uptrend got marred?
High interest rates have a wet blanket effect on bull markets and economic expansion by choking
off the flow of credit and weighing on financial asset prices generally
Copywriters have been seen as just a
cog in the big advertising machine
After stealing your ring, he didn’t even know how to
fence it
I could use
another cup of coffee
Patch me through
to the commissioner
Her hair was severely pulled
back into a bun
It was just a bit of rough
and tumble
She enjoys the rough and
tumble of politics
I ignored him and cinched the
drawstring on my shorts
He jutted his
neck toward me
He gripped her arm and marched
her through the door
There is only a scintilla of
hope for the cubs to win this match
I was scared/bored
shitless
Insulting words are thrown around like daggers in a circus act
daggers in a circus act
Anything outside the script uniformly
meets with an apology
The journey is at breakneck speed on the rutted
roads through shanty villages or hotel-lined luxury
I jerked
awake from my dream
Beneath this repressed young woman who dresses severely in black, carries herself with a stiff, wooden, military
bearing, and snaps out her words “like an officer giving orders”, Lavina appears longing to emerge
Those who caused great torment to others rarely got their
just deserts
The press are embarrassingly
fulsome in their appreciation
Keegan has been effusive and
fulsome in his praise of Pearce’s contribution both on and off the field
From her, it seemed perfectly proper, and not even fulsome,
just a nice compliment
Seeing an evocative picture of my friends brought backl
fond memories of schoo
His hair was cut short with a
cowlick dropping over at the front
We just need five minutes. Don’t
sweat it
Screw
it
Let’s dumb it
down
To be visually arresting as well as
mentally arresting
I know how gutted the
players must feel
He had a reputation for being a useless
layabout who felt the world owed him something
He had even confided
in Gerry about his feelings
I will sort him
out
He had a very cavalier
attitude to personal hygiene
Their faces register relief as they spotted Conor holding
aloft the welcome card bearing the tour operator’s name and logo
She was fit and healthy, her hair cut in a flatteringly soft style that framed
her face
Drop by for a taste of Hong Kong’s living culture — ancient traditions alive and
kicking
Chin up, shoulders
squared, she stepped into the room
Go for the
burn
She is foster-mother to various
waifs and strays
Skimpily clad waifs
pranced down the catwalk
Humph! I suppose I’d better
take him
No good will come
of it
Skills to do comes
of doing
Every record falls
in the end
A burglar jemmied into his
patio doors
That was the rub—she had not
cared enough
The rain continued to beat
down on him
Mechanisms and procedures are in place for the receipt of comments, suggestions and redress
of grievances
I suppose if you are sipping champagne in business class, you don’t really want to know what goes on
in coach
In the diamond shaped living room, toys and storybooks were
strewn all over the old parquet floor
Toddlers should be potty
trained by age of three
The course gives students something to get their
teeth into
She loathed him on
sight
In Africa, paramilitary game wardens shoot
poachers on sight
Once you leave the first world, then all bets
are off
Any signs of a full blown conflict there and all bets
are off, he said
I’m unable to make it out to the party. I have the girl
flu
I decided to go for
broke and turn professional and see how I got on
Wedding hazing is a practice originally meant to expel evil spirits that has
devolved into assault
The prima-donna
behaviour of some of the stars
Prince Harry: Stars were
aligned when I met Meghan
They often slipped
up when it came to spelling
He seemed forever on
edge, worried about slipping up or uttering something to upset the assembled crowd
Modern style guides seem intent on banishing
its usage to history
Despite protests, the official decision
stood
My offer of help still
stands
External troubles were superadded
to their internal problems
She had taken an instant
liking to his girlfriend
Savers, long accustomed to anaemic
rates of return on their savings, will see a slight pick up
That’s a big
ask for a four-year-old
A morning of rough and
tumble in the playground
There is thin line between assertion and
aggression
They are also the friendliest and most unabashedly
contrite with ‘Aww, shucks!’
He adds a characteristically awe-shucks
postscript: ‘I have no way of justifying what I do, no temporal defence at all’
Anyone who knew him will remember that he always wore a smile and had aw-shucks, down-to-earth personality that masked one of the finest competitors and clutch
performers the game has ever seen
Aw shucks, you’re making
me blush!
He is tough, a fine leader despite his youth and
aw-shucks grin
The dots, strokes and squiggles may appear physically insignificant on a page of print and evanescent in our speech
evanescent in our speech
Blimey, isn’t the beach
crowded!
My hobby, trainspotting, is to many a bit
of a joke
George Orwell wrote a book without a single semicolon in it. Actually, three crept in, only
to be removed in later editions
Let us mop our brows and try to fathom what the poor,
befuddled author intended to say
The language of prudery also surprisingly invades the
sanctum of directness, the doctor’s surgery
If you have been eliminating euphemism, jettisoning jargon, cutting out cliches and showing the gate to
gobblegook, your writing should be looking leaner and meaner
The student was torpid and generally
uninvolved in discussions
His position in the office is a sinecure; she does nothing all day yet she draws the same
salary as everyone does
The peaceful petitioning for redress of
wrongs is a right enshrined in our country’s founding document
Though the professor is considered one of the greats of his discipline, lately his lecture have
verged on arrant nonsense
It was heartbreaking to watch the butterfly struggle in vain to
extricate itself from the spider web
There is no cause
worthier than to expose and correct the injustices done to others
I like to listen to the
patter of rain
MI5 foiled Islamist terror
plot to kill the Prime Minister
I had strolled into a genuine
stick-up
Some comments to the effect that my essay was a little
light on analysis
There was no time to mount a
defense
The issue demanded most of the government’s
attention
They were hatching a different
plan behind the door
There were some amazing
feats of bravery
It was just a drop in the
bucket
They flew into the
fray and shot down six aircraft
Davis beat his old
adversary in the quarter-finals
And here, I would like to point out that dictionary definitions, helpful and illuminating as
they can be, are not equal to the task
He always has a cuddly
toy In tow
Cravat
A
Officials arrived to sound out public
opinion at meetings in factories
With words we sugarcoat our
nastiest motives and our worst behavior, but with words we can also formulate our highest ideals and aspirations
Before breaking camp at the base of the Root, your guide will give you pointers on
crampon use and safe route-finding
While animals use only a few limited cries, however, human beings use extremely complicated systems of sputtering, hissing,
gurgling, clucking, and cooing noises called language
Oblige me by not being
sorry for yourself
Photos of interest would be most welcome so if you can
oblige please do
“If you wish to embrace me, Maria, you know I will be only too
pleased to oblige you,” replied James, his voice low and teasing
In any literate culture of a few centuries’ e
standing, human beings accumulate vast stores of knowledge
From the warning cry of the savage to the latest scientific
monograph or news bulletin, language is social
Over us all hangs the perpetual
fear of another war even more unthinkably horrible than the last
Cathay Pacific Airways will continue giving large housing benefits to pilots for a year, in a setbacks to its cost-cutting attempts during an
impasse with the aircrew union over cuts to pay and perks
An alfresco
supper
In the unlikely event of some sunshine you can even dine
al fresco
You bet
I do
The facetious laughter of insincere talk show hosts makes
my skin crawl
A growing chorus of
complaint
‘Good morning,’ we replied in
chorus
The HKMA raised the base lending rate by 25 basis points to 1.75 per cent, as it moves in
lockstep with the equivalent overnight increase by the US Fed to maintain the Hong Kong dollar’s peg to the greenback
The increase, the third such move in 2017, has been widely expected and
telegraphed by policymakers and economists
This caused a few gasps, as well
it might
They might as well have a badge on them saying
‘Steal me’
What man has joined, nature is powerless to put
asunder
The more daring of the boys ventured to
grin at one another
He spent the whole evening trying to latch
on to my friends
Nevin latched on to a miscued
header to smash home the winning goal
Meals to tempt the most
jaded appetites
Thank goodness that’s finished — and good
riddance! I’ve never had such a tricky report to write
If your invitation still holds
good, I’d like to visit you this summer
We got to the theatre in good
time, so we were able to have a sandwich before the play began
He’s determined to make
good, and I’m sure he will
He said that he wasn’t prepared to throw
good money after bad
I’m taking a few days’ holiday while the
going’s good
I think you have a
shadow
Oh, playing hard to
get, is he?
Diana is riding
high at the moment. She’s just been promoted and is expected to be made head of department within the year
Her train leaves in an hour and she’s still packing, so she’s all
hot and bothered
The money we won will go a long
way towards paying for the new car
The speech was not bad, but too long
drawn out
I know it’s a long
shot
She’s an old
flame of his from their student days at Cambridge
You can call me an old
fogey if you want, but I think that young people today are totally misguided
He’s an old
hand at that sort of thing
Well, quite honestly, most of the speech contents were old
hat
How embarrassing to be
taken in the middle of a speech
Les and Larry have been as thick
as thieves for years
As a politician in the public age, you quickly learn to grow
a thick skin
Orders for the new products are coming in
thick and fast
Some people can eat as many fatty foods and sweet things as they like, and still be as thin as a
rake
Isn’t that a rather thin
excuse for not doing your homework?
Children ill, husband out of work, mother in hospital — poor Annie’s at the end of
her tether
The comedian became famous for his instantly recognizable
epigrams and one-liners
My husband was so angry when I threw away his old gardening trousers. I’ll never hear the
end of it!
There was no end of
argument at the meeting last night
I still have quite a few loose end to
tie up at the office before I go on holiday
Jim needs our support. Tell him that we’re with him all
along the line
I’m sorry, but discos aren’t exactly in
my line
Cliff, you are way out of
line! You owe him an apology
After the scandal, Joe took the line of least
resistance and simply left the country
She didn’t tell me directly, but reading between the
lines I think she intends to settle in Geneva
Most young married couples start a family as a matter of
course
My wife and I are of one
mind about the education of children
If you really put your mind
to it, you could have the letter written in no time
They are always able to meet or beat expect
turnaround times
Investigators found coal briquettes
burning in a pan in the singer’s apartment when they arrived and suspect he may have died of carbon monoxide inhalation
I’m broken from the inside. The depression that has slowly nibbled me
away has now devoured me
One thing I have learned about them is that they are short tempered and
egomaniac
It’s stupidity in the
extreme
Check out this article and the detailed blow-by-blow
account below of how to win against all odds
He stood up with a
swoosh
Officers who mistreated prisoners often received a mere slap on the
wrist
The buzzing sound grated on her
nerves
God (or Heaven)
forbid
There’s no rule controlling it that I
know of
The words themselves hold no specific
connotation, and represent nothing more than the stick-figure logos widely used in their place
One can nimbly vault
over this problem with an old linguistic rule of thumb that the tailgate ‘-ess’ should be used with titles, not professions
The rules smack of
smug pedantry
Cane
swishing
The raised hands with two hooked fingers are a
semaphore signal for ‘Quote!’
A detailed contract which attempts to provide for all possible
contingencies
Stores are kept as a contingency against a
blockade
I’ve half a mind to
tell Tim’s mother about his bad behaviour
That’s a great load
off our minds
The last stage of any mountain climb is always a question of mind over
matter
That’s beside the
point
To skim
stones
Eating in or taking
away today
You are top
equal with sb
He had the urge to blub her
eyes out
Read
away. I have lots of time
Hold sb
incommunicado
Rhyming jingle: dilly-dally,
helter-skelter, fuddy-duddy
Accusatory stare there tells
the whole story
A mall in northern China installed a larger-than-life canine statue with more than a passing
resemblance to US President Donald Trump
The giant, bequiffed pooch towers
above shoppers in the mall
He might soil his
expensive suit
The program was a cinch
to use
He used to be very bashful, blushing at the
drop of a hat
A child out of
wedlock is certainly nothing to shout about
The price is not to be
sniffed at
The Olympic hosts will at least get a
sniff at a medal
Sod
off
Do come along, if you’re
interested
A good night’s sleep can work
wonders for mind and body
Tyranny of a empty
room
On of count of
three
To have a live-in
nurse
I have feelings
for you
He was taken
ill with food poisoning
How did you get
on
The extra fluffed
his only line
I fluffed up the
pillow
Rattan
canes
Could you give me a lift to the library?
- Sure thing! Hop in!
Julia isn’t really pretty, but she has a way with
her which is most appealing
Tape recorders have been on the way
out for years
I’ve told her that she can’t have it
both ways
She is not a club member, but she’s got her
ways and means
Mum’s the word, or it won’t be a
surprise
I can’t remember whether she did it or not, so I’ll have to take
her word for it
Cold! That’s not the word for it! It’s
freezing!
- We had a really boring trip - Speak for
yourself! I had a wonderful time
We gotta select the perfect local wedding
favour or party favour vendors for our events
A hand-to-hand
combat
He is a dinosaur. He still uses a
pager
That requires conceptual tools the group found intellectually remote initially but gradually
appreciated as they went along
I sensitized them to the mine
zones of translating business texts in the legal setting
I took comfort in noting the
growing motivation and effort of the group
I remain of the view that some of the arduous marking
workload should be remunerated
In his simple, uninviting office overlooking Sai Ying Pun’s old buildings and Victoria Harbour, Peter Mathieson turned his back on the sweeping
panoramic view, insisting on a particular sofa seat that faced inward
He cast his mind back to the dark moments so remarkable and arguably inevitable in his
stint of three years in a post never meant to be free from the politics coursing through Hong Kong
As you know I haven’t always got my
way in the council
The suggestion from two of the experts to strip the chief executive’s
power was snubbed
The topic touches a nerve with Beijing and Hong Kong officials alike, who consider it
unconstitutional and secessionist
They came under pressure to muster a
response
His message was a veiled
rebuttal to all the humiliating remarks he suffered before starting his HKU position
A smothering
blanket
Our children are in for a rough
ride
We are tipping the climate past the point of
no return
Demeaning and
probing questions
He was slammed into the wall with crushing force and enough power to knock the
wind from him
Sceptics
scoff
The party dissolved into fission and
acrimony
To adapt Tolstoy, lovely airports are all alike, but every wretched
airport is wretched in its own way
The airport in South Sudan’s capital is a sweltering
tent next to a festering puddle
Tough luck. Travellers should have thought
twice before eating salad
Aggressive officials in sunglasses take
pleasure in obstructing them
This required a trip across town and a tedious
haggle
The corners of my eyes
caught the other side of the story
The pungent
smell of frying onions/cheese
The sauce is in a
polite way
Getting married—are you pulling
my leg?
Trousers with elasticated
waists/elasticated pants
This one’s meant to be
priceless
When I just arrived, I felt like a fish
out of water
The best rough-and-ready attempt is the
Guide to Sleeping in Airports
Irate
travellers
It is swamped with haj pilgrims every year and cannot
cope
Because gripes spring from disappointment,
expectations matter
To illuminate some of the gaps in existing rankings of bad airports, The Economists conducted an scientific, anecdotal
poll of its globe-trotting correspondents
This is a small island and tongues are beginning to
wag
A pint at the pub rounds
off the day nicely
She is always humouring him to prevent
trouble
The dinosaur used its claw to
disembowel prey
Too spineless to do what
should be done
The shape of the parcel was a dead
giveaway
It is better to err on the
side of caution
An ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of care
Trains were jam-packed with
holidaymakers
Did you doubt him? Home
and dry!
They chose to employ the
censor’s pencil
Pull/draw up a
char and look at these pictures
Its logical contradictions escaped only through verbal
sleight-of-hand
A box-office
smash
Moving all the books should not take long, subject to there
being (= if they are) enough helpers
The heavy clouds above the moorland
presaged snow
A small journal that had been eking out an
existence since 1940s
The small auditorium could not accommodate the
packed house
Anti-aircraft fire would slice through the car like hot
knife through butter
To twist (or turn) the
knife (in the wound)
Despite fears that online platforms siphon sales from traditional retailers, there are signs that consumer brands are fighting back with strategies that are finding
traction in the online world
The combined assumptions of maximizing behaviour, market equilibrium, and stable preferences, used relentlessly and
unflinchingly, form the heart of the economic approach as I see it
They are more motivated to prove themselves members of an elite group of masters of an
arcane craft
It gripped the discipline like a
creed
The book may have touched a
raw nerve
Their perception of the British school is of a group of fuzzy thinkers and navel
gazers — big on statements, weak on empirics
Mutton dressed as
lamb
He was released on his own
recognizance of $5000
Royal
prerogative
You’ll just have to grin and
bear it
Bedgasm,
dudevorce
I could murder a
burger right now
He went berserk in drunken
rage
After the victim returned home, the defendant continued his
advances
He was remanded into
jail custody
The defendant, reeking of
alcohol, approached the daughter one night while she was asleep
More attacks ensued in the years
to come
The survivor chalks it
up to bad luck that he boarded the KMB bus
On the fateful ride, passengers were sent
flying inside the vehicle
An orange trash can was crushed and
reduced to its top third
If I had not done that and had let myself fall, I would have
perished
A smell of singed
feathers
Two old men sitting behind Tsui wound up
unconscious and atop after impact
Someone pried
open a hole for me to get out
He was lukewarm
about the offer
He took issue with their not
stopping to help
The field is accessible to literate people of all walks of life, from all the professions and all political
proclivities
The scholar reversed the
causal arrow
The same question gnawed at the minds of some 200 mourners, their eyes
welling with with tears
Copies of racing newspapers, soaked
red, lay scattered on the ground
The bus toppled on its side as the driver negotiated
a turn
Shards of glass flew
in all directions
Someone tried to pry open a hole, but the glass would not
budge due to damage
Not a hair was out of place in her painstakingly
crimped coiffure
