New Phrases

Question 1

gravy train

gravy train

Answer 1

used to refer to a situation in which someone can make a lot of money for very little effort
– come to Hollywood and get on the gravy train.

Question 2

A camel is a horse designed by a committee’

Answer 2

An analogy can extend to both group decision-making as well as abstract or unrelated managerialism — by emphasising the weaknesses of incorporating too many conflicting and inexperienced opinions into a single project. The distinguishing features of a camel, including its humps, plate-shaped feet, habitual spitting, strange shape and poor temperament, are treated as the sort of deformities that typify a conflicted, or overly idealistic, design process.

Question 3

a chip off the old block

Answer 3

someone who resembles their parent in character or appearance
– She smiled at Jimmy, a chip off the old block with his grey eyes and a bit of his dad’s twinkle.

Question 4

a chip on one’s shoulder

Answer 4

• an ingrained feeling of resentment deriving from a sense of inferiority and sometimes marked by aggressive behaviour:
– I had a dirty great chip on my shoulder—I thought everybody was against me. [from an old custom of placing a chip of wood on one’s shoulder as a challenge to a rival: if the rival knocked the chip off they were agreeing to fight.]
– I have a chip on my shoulder (I feel I’m not good enough, I feel inferior)

Question 5

a dime a dozen

Answer 5

very common and of no particular value:
– Experts in this field are a dime a dozen.

Question 6

a glutton for punishment

Answer 6

a person who is always eager to undertake hard or unpleasant tasks.

Question 7

A spanner in the works

Answer 7

A person or thing that prevents the successful implementation of a plan:

Even the weakest parties can throw a spanner in the works of the negotiations.
My comments are not meant to be a spanner in the works, but honestly with a good intention to help you improve.

Question 8

a walk in the park

Answer 8

• something that is very easy to accomplish:
As any director will tell you, doing Shakespeare isn’t a walk in the park.

Question 9

adroit

Answer 9

• clever or skilful:
– He was adroit at tax avoidance.

adroitly

Question 10

all hat and no cattle

Answer 10

tend to talk boastfully without acting on one’s words:
– In my view, the Senators are all mouth and no action or, as we say in my part of the country, all hat and no cattle.

Question 11

astringent

Answer 11

• causing the contraction of skin cells and other body tissues: an astringent skin lotion.

• sharp or severe in manner or style:
– Her astringent words had their effect.

• (of taste or smell) sharp or bitter:
– An astringent smell of rotting apples.

Question 12

back of the envelope

Answer 12

• used in reference to calculations or plans of the most sketchy kind:
– A proposal drawn up on the back of an envelope.
– A simple back-of-the-envelope calculation to present at the first meeting.

Question 13

baller

Answer 13

• a successful person, typically one who has a lavish or self-indulgent lifestyle:
– Who doesn’t feel like a baller sipping whiskey out of a personalised glass?
– A baller like Michael Jackson.

Question 14

bandwidth

Answer 14

the energy or mental capacity required to deal with a situation:
He lives alone, and says he doesn’t have the bandwidth to handle a steady relationship.

Question 15

baptism of fire

Answer 15

a difficult introduction to a new job or activity
– the summer tour to Australia was truly a baptism of fire.
– When the mentor who can nurture him suffers a stroke, a New York adolescent experiences a wild baptism by fire and misguided journey into manhood.

Question 16

be at the top of one’s game informal

Answer 16

• be performing as well as one can:
– This film is the work of a director at the top of his game.
– To keep you at the top of the game, I will prepare a daily training program for you.

Question 17

beachhead market

Answer 17

• a tight market segment of ideal target customers for a new product.
– Marketers may build a beachhead market based on a specific demographic or a subset of customers interested in a similar product.

Question 18

bee in one’s bonnet

Answer 18

• be preoccupied or obsessed with something:
– The country gets a bee in its bonnet about some failing in schools.
– I used to have a bee in my bonnet about working remotely during lockdown.

Question 19

below the belt

Answer 19

• disregarding the rules; unfair:
– She said one of them had to work; Eddie thought that was below the belt. [from the notion of an unfair and illegal blow in boxing.]
– Below the belt suggestion to his colleagues to work while he goes for a holiday.

Question 20

below the belt

Answer 20

• disregarding the rules; unfair:
– She said one of them had to work; Eddie thought that was below the belt. [from the notion of an unfair and illegal blow in boxing.]

Question 21

bevy (plural – bevies)

Answer 21

1 a large group of people or things of a particular kind:
A bevy of big-name cameos will keep the adults entertained.
You can use Adobe Illustrator to create a bevy of funky shapes.

2 rare a group of roe deer, quails, or larks: a bevy of larks trill their carefree songs.

Question 22

big note

Answer 22

• display one’s wealth ostentatiously:
– I don’t want them to think I’m big-noting.

• (big-note oneself) exaggerate one’s importance or achievements:
– It was an attempt by a local businessman to big-note himself with the local MP.
– I don’t big-note my achievements, preferring to stay low key.

Question 23

bite the bullet

Answer 23

• decide to do something difficult or unpleasant that one has been putting off or hesitating over:
  – Decisions have to be taken and as director you have got to bite the bullet. [from the old custom of giving wounded soldiers a bullet to bite on when undergoing surgery without anaesthetic.]

Question 24

bite the dust

Answer 24

• be killed:
– The baddies bite the dust with lead in their bellies.

• fail or come to an end:
– She hoped the new course would not bite the dust for lack of funding.
– The controversial idea of discriminating women had to bite the dust due to public outcry.

Question 25

black swan

Answer 25

• an unpredictable or unforeseen event, typically one with extreme consequences:
– Geopolitical black swan events, such as the Arab Spring and the Japanese earthquake, have further complicated the market dynamics.

• archaic something extremely rare:
– Husbands without faults, if such black swans there be.

Question 26

blase

Answer 26

• unimpressed with or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before:
– She was becoming quite blasé about the dangers.

Question 27

blue ribbon

Answer 27

1 of the highest quality; first-class: blue-ribbon service.

2 (of a jury or committee) specially selected.

Question 28

cadence

Answer 28

• a modulation or inflection of the voice:
– The measured cadences that he employed in the Senate.
– We need to set a consistent cadence for the meeting.

• a rhythmical effect in written text:
– The dry cadences of the essay.

Question 29

catch 22

Answer 29

• a dilemma or difficult circumstance from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting or dependent conditions:
– A catch-22 situation.
– The catch-22 is people cannot change their job titles to fit their roles on resume.
– This is a catch-22 situation – depends on your finances, if you have money, awesome. If not, you’ve to slog hard to make ends meet.

Question 30

catch one’s drift

Answer 30

• the general intention or meaning of an argument or someone’s remarks:
–Maybe I’m too close to the forest to see the trees, if you catch my drift
– He didn’t understand much Greek, but he got her drift.

Question 31

caveat emptor

Answer 31

the principle that the buyer alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of goods before a purchase is made:
– Caveat emptor still applies when you are buying your house.
– Please exercise wise caveat emptor when buying online!

Question 32

chasm

Answer 32

a profound difference between people, viewpoints, feelings, etc.
“The chasm between rich and poor”

Question 33

chew the fat

Answer 33

• chat in a leisurely and prolonged way:
– We were chewing the fat, telling stories about the old days. (BLOW WATER)

Question 34

christen

Answer 34

1 give (a baby) a Christian name at baptism as a sign of admission to a Christian Church: [with object and complement] :
Their second daughter was christened Jeanette.

• give a name to (someone or something) which reflects a notable characteristic: [with object and complement] :
We have christened our regular train home the ghost train.

2 informal use for the first time:
He bought a new pair of boots and christened them with his first goal at the McAlpine Stadium.

Question 35

circumspect

Answer 35

• wary and unwilling to take risks:
– The officials were very circumspect in their statements.
– Sally circumspectly completed her appraisal.

• circumspection:
– Circumspection is required in the day-to-day exercise of administrative powers.

Question 36

comeuppance

Answer 36

a punishment or fate that someone deserves:
– He got his comeuppance in the end.
– The hooligans get comeuppance after they were arrested.

Question 37

confabulate

Answer 37

• formal engage in conversation; talk:
– She could be heard on the telephone confabulating with someone.

• fabricate imaginary experiences as compensation for loss of memory:
– She has lapses in attention and concentration—she may be confabulating a little.

Question 38

credulity

Answer 38

• a tendency to be too ready to believe that something is real or true:
– Moneylenders prey upon their credulity and inexperience.
– Credulity hampers user research when we tend to fall on assumptions.

Question 39

crosshairs

Answer 39

a pair of fine wires crossing at right angles at the focus of an optical instrument or gunsight, for use in positioning, aiming, or measuring:

• I raised the rifle and got the deer in the cross hairs.

• Sally’s intention to help abused women lands her in the crosshairs of an evil stalker.

Question 40

decouple

Answer 40

Separate, disengage, or dissociate (something) from something else:

The mountings effectively decouple movements of the engine from those of the wheels.

Make the interaction between (electrical components) so weak that there is little transfer of energy between them, especially to remove unwanted AC distortion or oscillations in circuits with a common power supply.

Question 41

deer caught in the headlights

Answer 41

• to be so frightened or surprised that you cannot move or think:
  – Each time they asked him a question he was like a deer caught in the headlights.

Question 42

delta

Answer 42

a difference between two things or values.
“There’s a delta between perception and reality”

A yawning delta in how students interpret learning motivation.

Question 43

design by committee

Answer 43

Design by committee is a pejorative term for a project that has many designers involved but no unifying plan or vision.

Question 44

dogmatism

Answer 44

• the tendency to lay down principles as undeniably true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others, opinionatedness:
– A culture of dogmatism and fanaticism.
– He avoided dogmatism and presented his subject as one open to debate

Question 45

dollars to doughnuts

Answer 45

• used to emphasise one’s certainty:
– I’d bet dollars to doughnuts he’s a medical student.

Question 46

double down

Answer 46

• double a bet after seeing one’s initial cards, with the requirement that one additional card be drawn:
  – The amount only increases when you choose to split or double down
  – He doubled down on a pair and lost.
• strengthen one’s commitment to a particular strategy or course of action, typically one that is potentially risky:
  – He decided to double down and escalate the war
  – The third quarter of the year saw central banks doubling down on the quantitative easing approach.
  – Seeing students getting demotivated, I doubled down on running more rigorous activities in class.
  – Double down your effort to build confidence in this lockdown.

Question 47

double whammy

Answer 47

• a twofold blow or setback:
– A double whammy of taxation and price increases.

Question 48

dour

Answer 48

• relentlessly severe, stern, or gloomy in manner or appearance:
– A hard, dour, humourless fanatic.

Question 49

ebb and flow = wax and wane

Answer 49

• a recurrent pattern of coming and going or decline and regrowth:
– The ebb and flow of state politics and power.

Question 50

edify
edification

Answer 50

edify:
Instruct or improve (someone) morally or intellectually:
1. Rachel had edified their childhood with frequent readings from Belloc.
2. The self-check exercise was conducted to edify teaching staff on their own extent of designing their teaching curricula.

edification:
The moral or intellectual instruction or improvement of someone:
1. A video was filmed for the edification of clients.
2. The quiz was an edification for lecturers to track and monitor their personal progress on the development program.

Question 51

everything but the kitchen sink

Answer 51

• (humorous) everything imaginable.
– Everything bu the kitchen sink approach managing a new project.

Question 52

exodus

Answer 52

A mass departure of people:
the annual exodus of sun-seeking Canadians to Florida.

Question 53

faux pas

Answer 53

• an embarrassing or tactless act or remark in a social situation:
– ‘I was suddenly sick in the back of their car’—it was years before he could confess his faux pas to them.
– I’m so nervous to face a host of faux pas in my first internship.

Question 54

fight or flight

Answer 54

• represents the choices our ancient ancestors had when faced with danger in their environment:
  – To either fight or flee.
  – The fight-or-flight response can happen in the face of imminent physical danger, such as when encountering a growling dog during your morning jog. It can also be the result of a psychological threat, such as preparing to give a big presentation at school or work.

Question 55

first cab off the rank

Answer 55

the first to seize an opportunity

Question 56

flipside

Answer 56

• the less important side of a pop single; the B-side.

• another aspect or version of something, especially its reverse or its unwanted concomitant:
– Our recent pessimism is the flip side of an exaggerated optimism.

Question 57

foreboding

Answer 57

a feeling that something bad will happen; fearful apprehension:
With a sense of foreboding she read the note.

implying that something bad is going to happen:
When the Doctor spoke, his voice was dark and foreboding.

forebodingly

Question 58

from the ground up

Answer 58

• completely or complete:
– They needed a rethink of their doctrine from the ground up.
– develop the curriculum from the ground up.

Question 59

frontier

Answer 59

a line or border separating two countries: international crime knows no frontiers | France’s frontier with Belgium | figurative : the frontier between thought and reality is confused | [as modifier] : an end to frontier controls.

• the extreme limit of settled land beyond which lies wilderness, especially in reference to the western US before Pacific settlement: his novel of the American frontier.

• the extreme limit of understanding or achievement in a particular area: the success of science in extending the frontiers of knowledge.

Setting a new frontier of teaching by researching new innovative ways of learning.

Question 60

full monty

Answer 60

the full amount expected, desired, or possible:
When conducting a funeral he wears the full monty: frock coat, top hat and a Victorian cane.

• a striptease performance involving full nudity, especially by a man: the famous final scene where the characters do the full monty and strip naked.

Question 61

giveaway

Answer 61

noun
1 a thing that is given free, often for promotional purposes: every issue is packed with competitions and great giveaways.

• American Football & Ice Hockey a loss of possession of the ball or puck to the opposing team: the Patriots have 16 takeaways and two giveaways during their five-game winning streak.

2 a thing that makes an inadvertent revelation: the shape of the parcel was a dead giveaway.
adjective [attributive]

1 free of charge: giveaway CDs.
• (of prices) very low: bread at giveaway prices.

2 inadvertently revealing something: small giveaway mannerisms.

Question 62

graft

Answer 62

• transplant (living tissue) as a graft:
– They can graft a new hand on to the nerve ends.

• combine or integrate (an idea, system, etc.) with another, typically in a way considered inappropriate:
– Old values have been grafted on to a new economic class.

• bribery and other corrupt practices used to secure illicit advantages or gains in politics or business:
– Sweeping measures to curb official graft.

• hard work:
– Success came after years of hard graft.
– I need people prepared to go out and graft.
– It has taken us 15 years of graft to get the mayor’s approval.

Question 63

gravy train

Answer 63

• used to refer to a situation in which someone can make a lot of money for very little effort:
– Come to Hollywood and get on the gravy train.
– Government to end the university Chinese gravy train.

Question 64

grease the grooves

Answer 64

A training principle used to increase neurological pathways, gain strength and improve your ability to do an exercise

Question 65

groundhog day

Answer 65

• (in North America) 2 February, when the groundhog is said to come out of its hole at the end of hibernation. If the animal sees its shadow—i.e. if the weather is sunny—it goes back into its hole, which portends six weeks more of winter weather.

• a situation in which a series of unwelcome or tedious events appear to be recurring in exactly the same way:
– She lived an unrelenting Groundhog Day of laundry, shopping, and rearing us kids. [in reference to the 1993 film Groundhog Day, in which the central character finds himself repeatedly reliving the events of a particular Groundhog Day.]
– The concerns raised in 1990s are being repeated again, so if no research had occurred since, it’s like groundhog day for those of us who pioneered online learning.

Question 66

gut check

Answer 66

• an evaluation or test of a person’s resolve, commitment, or priorities, typically with respect to a particular course of action:
– The gut check came when he found himself facing a tiebreaker in the third set | it was time for a gut check after all the professional advice.

Question 67

hard hitting

Answer 67

• uncompromisingly direct and honest, especially in revealing unpalatable facts:
– A hard-hitting anti-fox-hunting poster.
– Hard-hitting revelation to clear his name.

Question 68

hit home

Answer 68

Have the intended effect, make the intended impression, strike home, hit the mark, be registered, be understood, be comprehended, get through, sink in. ANTONYMS have no effect.

She could see that her remark had hit home

Question 69

holy grail

Answer 69

• a thing which is eagerly pursued or sought after:
– The enterprise society where profit at any cost has become the holy grail.

Question 70

hubris

Answer 70

• excessive pride or self-confidence:
– The self-assured hubris among economists was shaken in the late 1980s.
– Hubris as a researcher made her an unpopular figure in her organisation.

Question 71

hunky dory = fine and dandy

Answer 71

• fine; going well:
– Everything is hunky-dory.

Question 72

in a pickle

Answer 72

• a difficult situation:
– I am in a pickle when the economy crashed after global financial crisis.

Question 73

in the throes of

Answer 73

• in the middle of doing or dealing with something very difficult or painful:
  – A friend was in the throes of a divorce.

Question 74

inordinate

Answer 74

• unusually or disproportionately large; excessive:
– The case had taken up an inordinate amount of time.

• archaic (of a person) unrestrained in feelings or behaviour.

Question 75

jimdandy

Answer 75

• fine, outstanding, or excellent.
  – He is a jimdandy of a soldier
• an excellent or notable person or thing.
  – the bike was a jimdandy

Question 76

julienne

Answer 76

• a portion of food cut into short, thin strips:
– A julienne of vegetables.

• cut (food) into short, thin strips:
– To julienne squashes, cut thin peelings into strips an eighth of an inch wide.

Question 77

kids glove

Answer 77

• used in reference to careful and delicate treatment of a person or situation:
– The star is getting kid-glove treatment.
– No kids glove for criminals and should be severely dealt with.

Question 78

lion’s share

Answer 78

the biggest part of something

Question 79

luck of the draw

Answer 79

• the outcome of chance rather than something one can control, fluke:
– Quality of care depends largely on the luck of the draw.

Question 80

microcosm

Answer 80

a community, place, or situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristics of something much larger: the city is a microcosm of modern Malaysia.

humankind regarded as the representation in miniature of the universe: the belief in correspondences between the Universe and Man—between microcosm and macrocosm.

Question 81

mince one’s words

Answer 81

• voice one’s disapproval candidly and directly, talk straight, not beat about the bush:
– His doctorly persona is that of a gruff surgeon who does not mince words.

Question 82

mobilising

Answer 82

• make (something) movable or capable of movement:
– The physiotherapist might mobilise the patient’s shoulder girdle.
– It’s mobilising to attend an interview after stuck in anxiety.

Question 83

move the goalposts

Answer 83

• unfairly alter the conditions or rules of a procedure during its course.
– The local council moved goalposts to accommodate small hawkers to solicit their votes in the upcoming elections.

Question 84

naked

Answer 84

• exposed to harm; vulnerable:
– John looked naked and defenceless without his spectacles.

• (especially of feelings or behaviour) expressed openly; undisguised:
– Naked fear made him tremble
– The naked truth.
– To have a strong drive and naked ambition to excel is what makes successful businessmen.

Question 85

nouveau riche

Answer 85

• people who have recently acquired wealth, typically those perceived as ostentatious or lacking in good taste:
– The long-term wealthy and the nouveau riche came flocking to Saint Laurent’s show
– The nouveau riche of today buy leather covered volumes by the metre.
– The nouveau riche making a fuss while on touring.

Question 86

obscurantism

Answer 86

• the practice of deliberately preventing the facts or full details of something from becoming known:
– Allegations in the Press about government obscurantism.
– In our department, we avoid obscurantism at all costs and advocate transparency and self-accountability.

Question 87

on a whim

Answer 87

• a sudden desire or change of mind, especially one that is unusual or unexplained:
– She bought it on a whim.
– He appeared and disappeared at whim.
– On a whim, I took a research course during summer vacation.

Question 88

open slather

Answer 88

Australian/NZ informal freedom to act without restriction; free rein:
You’ve got open slather here, lad—do what you like.

Question 89

over the barrel

Answer 89

• in a helpless position; at someone’s mercy:
– I like doing business with a man who knows he’s over a barrel.

Question 90

oversight

Answer 90

1 an unintentional failure to notice or do something:
He had simply missed Parsons out by an oversight | [mass noun] : was the mistake due to oversight?

2 [mass noun] the action of overseeing something:
Effective oversight of the financial reporting process.

Question 91

participation trophies

Answer 91

A trophy given to children (usually) who participate in a recreational sport without requiring their success in competition:
– The consequences of the perceived participation trophy mentality to the Millennial generation can be detrimental to their growth.

Question 92

pernicious

Answer 92

• having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way:
– The pernicious influences of the mass media.

Question 93

pesky

Answer 93

causing trouble; annoying:
Apesky younger brother.

Question 94

pompadour

Answer 94

• a woman’s hairstyle in which the hair is turned back off the forehead in a roll:
– She combed her hair into a high, curly pompadour.

• a man’s hairstyle in which the hair is combed back from the forehead without a parting:
– The matching pompadours of father and son.

• arrange (hair) in a pompadour:
– His powder-blue drape and pompadoured hair.

Question 95

preposterous

Answer 95

contrary to reason or common sense; utterly absurd or ridiculous: a preposterous suggestion.

Question 96

pull the wool over someone’s eyes

Answer 96

• deceive someone by telling untruths.
– Trump tired effortlessly to pull the wool over the Americans’ eyes through his popularity.

Question 97

push the envelope (or the edge of the envelope)

Answer 97

• approach or extend the limits of what is possible:
– These are extremely witty and clever stories that consistently push the envelope of TV comedy.

Question 98

put/throw a spanner in the works

Answer 98

• a person or thing that prevents the successful implementation of a plan:
– Even the weakest parties can throw a spanner in the works of the negotiations.
– The scandal has put a spanner in his political dream
– Throw a spanner in the works of the negotiations.

Question 99

rabbit hole

Answer 99

1 a rabbit’s burrow:
A heather-covered hillside full of rabbit holes.

2 used to refer to a bizarre, confusing, or nonsensical situation or environment, typically one from which it is difficult to extricate oneself:
He’ll continue fear-mongering to promote his agenda no matter how far down the rabbit hole it takes him. [with allusion to Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), which describes how Alice enters a land of magic and strange logic by falling down a rabbit hole.]

Question 100

rain on someone’s parade

Answer 100

• prevent someone from enjoying an event; spoil someone’s plans.

Question 101

rainbows and unicorns

Answer 101

• A wonderful (but often unrealistic) scenario:
  – AI is not all rainbows and unicorns. There’re bullying, shaming, inappropriate photos and others spreading in the digital world.

Question 102

redact

Answer 102

• edit (text) for publication:
– A confidential memo which has been redacted from 25 pages to just one paragraph.

Question 103

resonance

Answer 103

the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating: the resonance of his voice.

• the power to evoke enduring images, memories, and emotions: the concepts lose their emotional resonance.

Sorry… what you just said don’t leave ay resonance in my experience travelling around Bali.

Question 104

revolting

Answer 104

causing intense disgust; disgusting:
There was a revolting smell that lingered in the air.

Revolting sight of trash bins etc on the way home.

Question 105

riddle

Answer 105

• a question or statement intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining its answer or meaning: they started asking riddles and telling jokes.

• a person or thing that is difficult to understand or explain:
– The riddle of her death.
– Your resume is riddled with academic titles which you need to explain when asked.

• make many holes in (someone or something), especially with gunshot:
– His car was riddled by sniper fire.

• fill or permeate (someone or something), especially with something undesirable:
– The existing law is riddled with loopholes | her body was riddled with arthritis.

Question 106

ride (on) the coattails of

Answer 106

benefit from the success of (another), sometimes undeservedly:
You can compete with me, but you can’t do so by riding on my coat-tails.

Question 107

round robin

Answer 107

• a tournament in which each competitor plays in turn against every other:
– A round-robin competition.

• a series or sequence:
– An inconclusive round robin of talks in Cairo, Washington, and New York.
– We started the meeting with a round robin, where everyone introduced themselves.

Question 108

rubber meets the road

Answer 108

(US informal)
the point at which a theory or idea is put to a practical test:
The differences between effective and ineffective teachers show up where the rubber meets the road, in the brains of the students. [with reference to the informal use of rubber to refer to the tyres of a vehicle.]

After rigorous prototyping, I finally am confident to tell the committee that the rubber is ready to meet the road.

Question 109

run the gauntlet

Answer 109

go through an intimidating or dangerous crowd or experience in order to reach a goal
– She had to run the gauntlet of male autograph seekers.

Question 110

salad days

Answer 110

the period when one is young and inexperienced: the war seemed to be ending and so were my salad days.

• the peak or heyday of something: journey back to the salad days of the railways.

Question 111

scorched earth

Answer 111

• a military strategy of burning or destroying crops or other resources that might be of use to an invading enemy force.

Question 112

sea change

Answer 112

• a profound or notable transformation:
– Recent years have witnessed a sea change in the fortunes of car safety as a marketable quantity.
– A sea change in HK politics in recent years.

• (Australian) a significant change in lifestyle, especially a move from the city to a rural or seaside location:
– People are looking at sea changes for a better work-life balance.

Question 113

second guess

Answer 113

• anticipate or predict (someone’s actions or thoughts) by guesswork:
– He had to second-guess what the environmental regulations would be in five years’ time.
– Second-guess if Alicia would be resistant to the policy changes.

• criticise (someone or something) with hindsight:
– No one should second-guess police officers whose lives are on the line.

Question 114

shuffling/rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic

Answer 114

To do something pointless or insignificant that will soon be overtaken by events, or that contributes nothing to the solution of a current problem.

Question 115

sing for one’s supper

Answer 115

• earn a favour or benefit by providing a service in return:
– The cruise lecturers are academics singing for their supper.

Question 116

sing from the same song sheet

Answer 116

• present a united front in public by not disagreeing with one another:
– They want the cabinet all singing from the same song sheet.

Question 117

sing to a different tune

Answer 117

• change one’s opinion about or attitude towards someone or something.

Question 118

skip and jump

Answer 118

• a short distance:
– The restaurant was just a hop, skip, and a jump from our hotel.
– Building personas is a hop, skip, and jump to learning and understanding your users.

Question 119

slavish

Answer 119

• servile or submissive:
– He noted the slavish, feudal respect they had for her.

• showing no attempt at originality:
– A slavish attempt of designing the logo.

Question 120

sliding door moment

Answer 120

seemingly inconsequential moments that nonetheless alter the trajectory of future events.
– Princess Diana’s last minute decision to make a trip to Paris changed the history of the British royal family.

Question 121

smoke and mirrors

Answer 121

• the obscuring or embellishing of the truth of a situation with misleading or irrelevant information:
– The budget process is an exercise in smoke and mirrors. [with reference to illusion created by conjuring tricks.]

Question 122

soft pedal

Answer 122

• refrain from emphasising the more unpleasant aspects of; play down:
– The administration’s decision to soft-pedal the missile program.
– Emphasise your strengths and soft-pedal your lack of industry experience.

Question 123

sound like a broken record

Answer 123

• used, especially in similes, to refer to a person’s constant and annoying repetition of a particular statement or opinion:
– At the risk of sounding like a broken record, let me repeat: it will be difficult to do well in the exam without attending classes regularly
– I know I’m a broken record on this, but once again, they are lying about the deficit.

Question 124

sounding board

Answer 124

• a person or group whose reactions to suggested ideas are used as a test of their validity or likely success before they are made public:
– Friends are sounding boards who let you know how far you can go.

• a channel through which ideas are disseminated:
– Neighbourhood councils provide a sounding board for local opinion.
– My students are my best sounding board to reflect and improve my teachings.

Question 125

steal someone’s thunder

Answer 125

• win praise for oneself by pre-empting someone else’s attempt to impress.

Question 126

stoicism

Answer 126

the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint.
Stoicism can help us resolve any mental health issues especially amongst millenials.

Question 127

storm in a teacup

Answer 127

• great outrage or excitement about a trivial matter.

Question 128

straight/ right off the bat

Answer 128

• at the very beginning; straight away:
– I managed to have a disagreement with him right off the bat.

Question 129

taciturn

Answer 129

• (of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little:
– After such gatherings she would be taciturn and morose.

Question 130

take up (or throw down) the gauntlet

Answer 130

accept (or issue) a challenge.
– He threw down the gauntlet to cabinet colleagues. [from the medieval custom of issuing a challenge by throwing one’s gauntlet to the ground; whoever picked it up was deemed to have accepted the challenge.]

Question 131

the penny dropped

Answer 131

• used to indicate that someone has finally realised something:
– I was about to ask Jack who it was, when the penny suddenly dropped.
– The penny dropped when I visited Canada to realise the difference between theory and concept.

Question 132

the proof of the pudding is in the eating

Answer 132

• the real value of something can be judged only from practical experience or results and not from appearance or theory.

Question 133

the whole nine yards

Answer 133

• everything possible or available:
– Send in the troops, aircraft, nuclear submarine experts, the whole nine yards.
– I read many books, attended meet-ups, sent out cold emails – the whole nine yards.

Question 134

throe

Answer 134

• intense or violent pain and struggle, especially accompanying birth, death, or great change:
– He convulsed in his death throes.
– I shared the throes of my job search with friends.

in the middle of doing or dealing with something very difficult or painful:
– A friend was in the throes of a divorce.

Question 135

throw in the towel

Answer 135

• abandon a struggle; admit defeat:
– There are times when the difficulties appear too great and we just throw in the towel.

Question 136

throw shade

Answer 136

• publicly criticise or express contempt for someone:
– If she was really so above it all, she wouldn’t have to throw shade
– They weren’t the only people who threw shade at her performance.

Question 137

throw someone a curveball

Answer 137

• unexpectedly present someone with a challenge or disruption:
– Just when you think things are working out, life throws you a curveball.

Question 138

throw someone under the bus

Answer 138

• cause someone else to suffer in order to save oneself or gain personal advantage:
– The government is ready to throw rural voters under the bus.
– He is famed for throwing his staff under the bus.

Question 139

tinfoil hat

Answer 139

• used in allusion to the belief that wearing a hat made from tinfoil will protect one against government surveillance or mind control by extraterrestrial beings:
– You don’t need to be wearing a tinfoil hat to understand that your privacy might not be as private as you would think.

Question 140

totem pole

Answer 140

• a hierarchy:
  – Designers were very low on the totem pole.

Question 141

trump card

Answer 141

A valuable resource that may be used, especially as a surprise, in order to gain an advantage:

In this month General Haig decided to play his trump card: the tank.

Question 142

under the banner of

Answer 142

• as part of a specified group:
– The party is running under the banner of the Left-Wing Alliance.

• claiming to support a specified cause or principle:
– Campaigns fought under the banner of multiculturalism.
– He posed questions under the banner of “reflective creativity”.

Question 143

unfetter

Answer 143

not confined or restricted: his imagination is unfettered by the laws of logic.

Question 144

uproarious

Answer 144

• characterised by or provoking loud noise or uproar:
– An uproarious party.
– Uproarious calls to politicise design as the driver of behavioural change.

• provoking loud laughter; very funny:
– Uproarious humour.

Question 145

vexed

Answer 145

• (of a problem or issue) difficult and much debated; problematic:
– The vexed question of how much money the government is going to spend.

• annoyed, frustrated, or worried:
– I’m very vexed with you!

Question 146

visceral

Answer 146

1 relating to the viscera: the visceral nervous system.

2 relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect:
• The voters’ visceral fear of change.
• The general population’s dislikes of the minister was visceral

Question 147

vox pop

Answer 147

popular opinion as represented by informal comments from members of the public, especially when broadcast or published: paragraphs of vox pop.

A vox pop that features students’ experience undertaking the internship program…

Question 148

what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander

what’s good for the goose is good for the gander

Answer 148

• what is appropriate in one case is also appropriate in the other case in question.

Question 149

wind someone up

Answer 149

• British informal tease or irritate someone: – She’s only winding me up.
• make tense or angry:
  – He was clearly wound up and frantic about his daughter.

Question 150

wrath

Answer 150

• extreme anger:
– He hid his pipe for fear of incurring his father’s wrath.
– She felt the wrath of single plastic use.

Question 151

yawning

Answer 151

(usually as adjective yawning) be wide open:
A yawning chasm.

Question 152

yeoman service

Answer 152

• efficient or useful help in need:
– The minister has performed yeoman service for Mulroney.
– Faculty members and staff have given yeoman work/service when pandemic hit hard.

Question 153

tipping point

Answer 153

• the point at which a series of small changes or incidents becomes significant enough to cause a larger, more important change.

Question 154

jump the gun

Answer 154

• act before the proper or appropriate time:
  – Victor really jumped the gun with his project proposal – he should have waited until the other proposal was either accepted or rejected.

Question 155

drip feed

Answer 155

• provide gradually and in small amounts:
  – Their correspondence is being drip-fed to newspapers.
  – I will drip feed the learning materials as students progress through each stage of learning.

Question 156

give someone/something a wide berth

Answer 156

• avoid, shun, keep away from, stay away from, steer clear of, keep at arm’s length, fight shy of, have nothing to do with, have no truck with, have no dealings with, have no contact with, give something/someone a miss; eschew, dodge, sidestep, circumvent, skirt round.