Lesson 1 Flashcards
about to
ready to; on the verge of
EXAMPLE 1: It’s a good thing Bob left the furniture store when he did. Peter was so angry, he was about to throw a dining room chair at him.
EXAMPLE 2: I’m glad you’re finally home. I was just about to have dinner without you.
after all
despite everything; when everything has been considered; the fact is
EXAMPLE 1: You’d better invite Ed to your party. After all, he’s a good friend.
EXAMPLE 2: It doesn’t matter what your boss thinks of you. After all, you’re going to quit your job anyway.
at least
anyway; the good thing is that…
EXAMPLE 1: We’ve run out of coffee, but at least we still have tea.
EXAMPLE 2: Tracy can’t afford to buy a car, but at least she has a good bicycle.
(to) break the news
to make something known
EXAMPLE 1: Samantha and Michael are getting married, but they haven’t yet broken the news to their parents.
EXAMPLE 2: You’d better break the news to your father carefully. After all, you don’t want him to have a heart attack!
(to) cost an arm and a leg
to be very expensive
EXAMPLE 1: A college education in America costs an arm and a leg.
EXAMPLE 2: All of the furniture at Honest Abe’s costs an arm and a leg!
dead-end job
a job that won’t lead to anything else
EXAMPLE 1: Diane realized that working as a cashier was a dead-end job.
EXAMPLE 2: Jim worked many dead-end jobs before finally deciding to start his own business.
(let’s) face it
accept a difficult reality
EXAMPLE 1: Let’s face it, if Ted spent more time studying, he wouldn’t be failing so many of his classes!
EXAMPLE 2: Let’s face it, if you don’t have a college degree, it can be difficult to find a high-paying job.
(to) give one the creeps
to create a feeling of disgust or horror
EXAMPLE 1: Ted’s friend Matt has seven earrings in each ear and an “I Love Mom” tattoo on his arm. He really gives Nicole the creeps.
EXAMPLE 2: There was a strange man following me around the grocery store. He was giving me the creeps!
(to) go back to the drawing board
to start a task over because the last try failed; to start again from the beginning
EXAMPLE 1: Frank’s new business failed, so he had to go back to the drawing board.
EXAMPLE 2: The president didn’t agree with our new ideas for the company, so we had to go back to the drawing board.
(to) go belly-up
to go bankrupt
EXAMPLE 1: Many people lost their jobs when Enron went belly-up.
EXAMPLE 2: My company lost $3 million last year. We might go belly-up.
(to) give someone the ax
to fire someone
EXAMPLE 1: Mary used to talk to her friends on the phone all day at work, until one day her boss finally gave her the ax.
EXAMPLE 2: Poor Paul! He was given the ax two days before Christmas.
(to) lose one’s temper
to become very angry
EXAMPLE 1: Bob always loses his temper when his kids start talking on the telephone during dinner.
EXAMPLE 2: When Ted handed in his essay two weeks late, his teacher really lost her temper.
(to) make up one’s mind
to reach a decision; to decide
EXAMPLE 1: Stephanie couldn’t make up her mind whether to attend Harvard or Stanford. Finally, she chose Stanford.
EXAMPLE 2: Do you want an omelette or fried eggs? You’ll need to make up your mind quickly because the waitress is coming.
no point in
no reason to; it’s not worth (doing something)
EXAMPLE 1: There’s no point in worrying about things you can’t change.
EXAMPLE 2: There’s no point in going on a picnic if it’s going to rain.
(to) put up with
to endure without complaint
EXAMPLE 1: For many years, Barbara put up with her husband’s annoying behavior. Finally, she decided to leave him.
EXAMPLE 2: I don’t know how Len puts up with his mean boss every day.
