Lesson 15 Flashcards
basket case [slang]
someone or something in a useless or hopeless condition
EXAMPLE 1: After working a 12-hour day and then coming home and cooking dinner for her family, Tanya felt like a basket case.
EXAMPLE 2: After running the marathon, Brian felt like a basket case.
(to have a) big head
arrogant; too proud of oneself
EXAMPLE 1: Stop bragging so much about the award you got at work! People will think you’ve got a big head.
EXAMPLE 2: Jenny has such a big head. No wonder nobody wants to be friends with her!
SYNONYM: to be full of oneself. Example: Joan is really full of herself.
She’s always talking about how smart she is.
conventional wisdom
a widely held belief
EXAMPLE 1: According to conventional wisdom, a diet high in salt can cause high blood pressure.
EXAMPLE 2: Challenging conventional wisdom, the psychologist said that sometimes it’s healthy to be in a bad mood.
(to) do the trick
to achieve the desired results
EXAMPLE 1: Juan changed the light bulb and said, “That should do the trick!”
EXAMPLE 2: My house is difficult to find, so I’ll put 10 large balloons on
my mailbox on the day of the party. That should do the trick.
I’ll say!
yes, definitely!
EXAMPLE 1: “Did you enjoy the Madonna concert?” - “I’ll say!”
EXAMPLE 2: “Your sister must’ve been very happy after winning $50,000 in the lottery.” - “I’ll say!”
in reality
in fact; actually
EXAMPLE 1: Ted thinks it’ll be easy to become a rock star. In reality, it will take years of hard work.
EXAMPLE 2: I know you think it’ll be easy to get cheap tickets to a Broad way play. In reality, we’ll have to wait in line for hours!
load off one’s mind
a relief
EXAMPLE 1: When Amber called Ted to tell him that she arrived home safely, it was a big load off his mind.
EXAMPLE 2: Finishing her English essay was a load off Nicole’s mind.
look like
have the appearance of
EXAMPLE 1: Before agreeing to go out on a date with her, Keith wanted to know what my cousin Maria looked like.
EXAMPLE 2: Please tell me what the cover of that new book looks like so it will be easier for me to find it in the bookstore.
nervous wreck
a person feeling very worried
EXAMPLE 1: Ted was a nervous wreck before his chemistry test.
EXAMPLE 2: Whenever Nicole rides on the back of her friend’s motor cycle, Susan is a nervous wreck.
no wonder
it’s not surprising
EXAMPLE 1: Brian’s entire body is in pain. It’s no wonder since he ran a marathon yesterday!
EXAMPLE 2: No wonder you’re cold- it’s January and you’re walking around outside without a coat!
SYNONYM: small wonder
(to) pull an all-nighter
to stay up all night to do work
EXAMPLE 1: Ted pulled an all-nighter to study for his chemistry test and ended up falling asleep in class the next day.
EXAMPLE 2: I’ve got a 20-page paper due tomorrow morning, and I haven’t even started writing it yet. I guess I’ll be pulling an all-nighter!
rule of thumb
a useful principle
EXAMPLE 1: When cooking fish, a good rule of thumb is 10 minutes in the oven for each inch of thickness.
EXAMPLE 2: “Ted, as a rule of thumb, you should always plan to study for your chemistry tests for at least two hours.”
(to) turn off
to cause to feel dislike or revulsion
EXAMPLE 1: I used to be friends with Monica, but she gossiped all the time and it really turned me off.
EXAMPLE 2: At first, Sara really liked Jacob. But when he started talking about all his ex-girlfriends, she was really turned off.
