New Words Flashcards
Ameliorate
To make a bad situation better
“It would be beneficial for the school to educate students about the war to ameliorate the anti-Jewish feelings that exist currently there”
Mitigate
Make less severe, serous or painful
“By debunking the misinformation that has been circulating about Israel in the school, we will mitigate the anti-Zionist sentiment that has become so widespread.”
Take a gander
Take a look
“We might as well take a gander at the menu”
Shoot the breeze
Engage in casual conversation
“I shot the breeze with Ms. Levy as I waited for you to pick me up”
Fungible
Easily replaced by something identical
“Family heirlooms aren’t fungible”
Yank someone’s chain
Tease or fool someone
“It’s common for teenage boys to yank each other’s chains”
Malaise
A general feeling of discomfort, Illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify
“Winter usually hits me with a wave of malaise”
Pull the wool over one’s eyes
Deceive someone
“You two are obviously hiding something from me, so you might as well tell me what’s going on instead of trying to pull the wool over my eyes”
Grease someone’s palm
Bribe
“I greased her palm to raise my grade from a B+ to an A-“
Back the wrong horse
Support a loser
“She backed the wrong horse in that trial”
Balk
Hesitate or unwilling to accept an idea or undertaking
“The school administration balks at all our proposals to mitigate the anti-Zionist rhetoric”
Intransigent
Refusing to compromise, often on an extreme opinion
“My school’s anti-Zionists are intransigent about accepting Israel’s right to exist”
Keep one’s nose to the grindstone
Work hard
“If you want to get into that prestigious college, you’ll have to keep your nose to the grindstone for the next few years”
Covet
To desire enviously
“I coveted every aspect of her life”
Face the music
Confront reality
“It’s time for you to face the music and stop wasting time”
Take the cake
To be especially good or outstanding
“Her performance took the cake”
At loggerheads
In a stage of disagreement
“Currently, we are at loggerheads with regard to the Middle East conflict”
Behind the eight ball
In a difficult position or at a disadvantage
“You put yourself behind the eight ball by telling her what I said”
Fight tooth and nail
Fight fiercely
“I will fight tooth and nail to not lose my job over something I did not do”
Chase rainbows
Pursue unrealistic goals
“You should stop chasing rainbows and settle for a regular job”
Not hold water
It does not seem to be true or reasonable
“Your argument does not hold water”
Drop a dime
Inform on someone
“I had to drop a dime on her and tell her that no one wanted her around”
Cut corners
Do something poorly to save money
“They had to cut corners on his education”
