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Nitpick > New Words, Phrases, Idioms from Practice Tests (of Ms. Trtr) > Flashcards

New Words, Phrases, Idioms from Practice Tests (of Ms. Trtr) Flashcards

1
Q

Look over sth:

A
  • To quickly examine sth

Ex: The prospective buyer had decided to look over the property before committing himself

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2
Q

Put sth by:

A
  • To save an amount of money to use later

Ex: I tried to put by a few pounds every week

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3
Q

On principle:

A
  • if you do sth on principle, it means you do it because of a moral rule you follow
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4
Q

Salvage(v):

A
  • to save goods from damage or destruction

Ex: Gold coins salvaged from a shipwreck

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5
Q

Lobby (v):

A
  • to persuade an elected official to take a particular action or change a law

Ex: preservationists are lobbying their state lawmakers to legally restrict underwater searches and unregulated salvages

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6
Q

Spur sb on:

A

- to encourage sb

Ex: ambition spurred him on

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7
Q

Scour(v):

A
  • to search a place or thing very carefully in order to try to find something

Ex: The police are scouring the area for the missing child

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8
Q

Rupture(v, n):

A
  • To (cause sth) to explode, break or tear
  • And occasion when sth explodes, breaks or tears

Ex: The news has ruptured the delicate peace between the rival groups
A rupture of the pipeline

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9
Q

Shun(v):

A
  • to avoid sth or ignore sb

Ex: she has shunned publicity since she retired from acting

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10
Q

Quiver(v):

A
  • To shake slightly often because of strong emotion

Ex: The dog quivered with fear

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11
Q

Flinch(v):

A
  • to make a sudden small movement because of pain or fear

Ex: He didn’t even flinch when the nurse cleaned the wound

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12
Q

Cringe(v):

A
  • To pull back in fear from sb or sth that seems powerful or dangerous
  • to feel embarrassed and ashamed about sth

Ex: he cringes every time he hears the dentist‘s drill
I cringed at the sight of my dad dancing

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13
Q

Wince(v):

A
  • to show pain or embarrassment suddenly and for a short time in the face

Ex: It makes me wince even thinking about eye operations

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14
Q

Up in the air:

A
  • uncertain

Ex: The whole future of the project is still up in the air

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15
Q

Be under a cloud:

A
  • To not be trusted or popular because people think you have done sth bad

Ex: The cabinet minister left office under a cloud after a fraud scandal

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16
Q

Be in the red:

A
  • If you or your bank account are in the red you owe money to the bank
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17
Q

Shambles(n):
=clutter

A

- A state of confusion, bad organization, or untidiness

Ex: The train service has been a shambles since they introduced the new schedules

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18
Q

Rumpus(n):
Informal

A

- A lot of noise, esp. a loud and confused argument or complaint

Ex: there was a real rumpus going on in the house next-door last night

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19
Q

Fracas(n):

A
  • A noisy argument or fight

Ex: he was injured in a Saturday-night fracas outside the park

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20
Q

Grimace(v, n):

A
  • to make an expression of pain, strong dislike, etc. in which the face twists in an ugly way

Ex: he tried to stand and grimaced with pain

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21
Q

Put your feet up:

A
  • to relax
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22
Q

(Out) in the sticks:

A
  • a long way from a town or city

Ex: they live out in the sticks

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23
Q

Mystification(n):

A
  • The state of feeling very confused because sb or sth is impossible to understand

Ex: and then, to the audience’s mystification, the band suddenly stopped playing

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24
Q
  • A temporary mental condition in which someone is subconscious
A

Trance(v):

Ex: He sat staring out of the window as if in a trance

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25
Q

Evoke(v):

A
  • to make sb remember sth or feel an emotion

Ex: that smell always evokes memories of my old school

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26
Q

Disclose(v):
Formal

A
  • to make sth known publicly

Ex: The company has disclosed profits of over 200m pounds

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27
Q

In the manner of sth:

A
  • in the style of particular person or thing
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28
Q

Depose(v):

A
  • to remove sb important from a powerful position

Ex: King Charles I was deposed from the English throne in 1646

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29
Q

Provoke(v):

A
  • to cause a reaction
  • to make or try to make a person or an animal angry

Ex: The prospect of increased prices has already provoked an outcry
It was a vicious-looking dog and I didn’t want to provoke it

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30
Q

Sustenance(v):
Formal

A
  • food
  • the ability of food to provide people and animals with what they need to make them strong and healthy

Ex: during this freezing weather, the food put out by householders is the only form of sustenance that the birds have
A stick of celery does not provide much sustenance

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31
Q

Bloodcurdling(adj):

A
  • causing a feeling of extreme fear

Ex: a bloodcurdling story/scream

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32
Q

Lurk(v):

A
  • to wait or move in a secret way so that you cannot be seen
  • (of an unpleasant feeling or quality) to exist although it is not always noticeable

Ex: sb was lurking in the shadows
Danger lurks around every corner

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33
Q

Rampant(adj):

A
  • growing or spreading quickly in a way that is not controlled

Ex: weeds are growing rampant in the garden
Rampant corruption/inflation

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34
Q

Suffocate(v):

A
  • to die because of lack of oxygen, or kill sb by preventing them from breathing
  • to prevent sth/sb from improving or developing in a positive way

Ex: she suffocated him by holding a pillow over his head
If bacteria are allowed to run rampant and kept in check, they could virtually suffocate the oceans

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35
Q

Proliferate(v):
Formal

A
  • to increase a lot and suddenly in number

Ex: small businesses have proliferated in the last ten years

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36
Q

Custodian(n):
Formal

A
  • a person/organization with mantle of protecting or taking care of sth, or keeping sth in good condition

Ex: the custodian of a museum/castle
The library is a traditional custodian of information

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37
Q

Debilitate(v):
Formal

A
  • to make sb or sth physically weak
    = enervate
    Ex: chemotherapy exhausted and debilitated him
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38
Q

Be in sync (with sb/sth):

A
  • to work well together, to be in agreement, or to match well with sth/sb else

Ex: she found that the job was out of sync w/ her principles, and she had to leave

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39
Q

Graft(v):

A
  • a piece of healthy skin or bone cut usually from a person’s own body and used to repair a damaged part in that person
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40
Q

Abdomen(n):

A
  • Bụng
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41
Q

Amputate(v):

A
  • to cut off a part of the body

Ex: they had to amputate his foot to free him from the wreckage

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42
Q

Regression(n):
Formal

A
  • suy thoái (= a return to a previous and less advanced or worse state, condition, or way of behaving

Ex: a regression has occurred in the overall political situation

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43
Q

Cartography(n):

A
  • the science or art of making or drawing maps: bản đồ học
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44
Q

Misdemeanor(n):

A
  • a behavior that is bad or not moral

Ex: political/sexual misdemeanor

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45
Q

Mutiny(n):

A
  • an occasion when a group of people defies orders and/or attempts to take control from people in authority
  • to take part in a mutiny

Ex: conditions on the ship were often abominable and crews were on the point of mutiny

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46
Q

Circumnavigate(v):
Formal

A
  • to sail all the way around sth
  • to circumvent
    Ex: they circumnavigated Cape Horn Island in canoes
    Manufacturers and shops circumnavigated gun laws by providing realistic models that are unable to discharge missiles. (Circulate)
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47
Q

Incur(v):
Formal

A
  • to experience sth, usually sth unpleasant

Ex: the play has incurred the wrath of both audiences and critics

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48
Q

Give sb chapter and verse on sth

A
  • to tell sb all the details of sth, without missing anything out
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49
Q

Sth strikes a chord with sb

A

To cause people to agree with or approve of sth

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50
Q

In the abstract

A
  • in a general way
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51
Q
  • a state of not happening or being used at present
A

Abeyance(n):

Ex: The project is being held in abeyance until agreement is reached on funding it.

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52
Q

Pick sb’s brain(s):

A
  • to ask someone who knows a lot about a subject for information or their opinion
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53
Q

Take to your heels

A
  • to quickly run away
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54
Q

Hand in/and glove

A
  • working together, often to do something dishonest
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55
Q

Take heart (from sth):

A
  • to feel encouraged because of sth
56
Q

If you make or lose money hand over fist, you make or lose a lot money very quickly

A
57
Q

Reserve judgment on sth

A
  • to refuse to give an opinion about sth until you know more about it

Ex: The three appeal judges reserved judgment on both cases.

58
Q

Microbial (adj):

A
  • relating to microbes
59
Q

Beyond question

A
  • completely certain or definite
60
Q
  • to get or produce sth, esp. in4 and response
A

Elicit (v):

Ex: The program has also elicited both positive and negative responses.

61
Q

Reminisce about:

A
  • to talk or write about past experiences that you remember with pleasure
62
Q

Hale and hearty

A
  • (esp. of old people) healthy and strong
63
Q
  • urgent and need to be dealt with immediately
A

Pressing(adj):

Ex: a pressing need for housing
a pressing issue

64
Q
  • completely developed or trained
A

Fully fledged/full-fledged(adj):

Ex: What started as a small business is now a fully fledged company.
After years of study, Tim is now a fully fledged architect.

65
Q

Empty into sth:

A
  • to flow into larger areas

Ex: The River Tees empties into the North Sea.

66
Q

Blow the gaff

A
  • to make known a secret
67
Q

At/on the double

A
  • very quickly and without any delay
68
Q

In luck

A
  • experiencing a surprisingly good situation
69
Q

Frighten/scare sb out of their wits=frighten/scare the wits out of sb

A
  • to make sb frightened
70
Q

Under wraps

A
  • secret
71
Q

Bail sb up

A
  • to talk with sb continuously and delay them
72
Q

For good measure

A
  • in addition
73
Q

Jump in/throw sb in at the deep end

A
  • to start or to make someone start a new and difficult job or activity without helping them or preparing them for it
74
Q

Tempers get frayed:

A
  • If you say that tempers are getting frayed, you mean that people are getting angry with each other.
75
Q

Frown on/upon sth:

A
  • to disapprove of sth

Ex: Smoking is frowned upon in many societies.

76
Q

Incur(v):

A
  • to experience sth, usually sth bad

Ex: to incur debts/bills

77
Q

On the up (and up):

A
  • honest and fair
  • improving all the time

Ex: gareth bake is a brilliant young footballer who is on the up and up
Her career has been on the up and up since she moved into sales.

78
Q

Worm sth out of sb:

A
  • to try to get in4 from sb that they are trying to keep secret

Ex: He wasn’t going to tell me, but I managed to worm it out of him.

79
Q

Be privy to sth:
Formal

A
  • to have secret knowledge that few people know

Ex: Only top management was privy to (= knew about) the proposed merger.

80
Q

Configure(v):

A
  • to arrange something or put its parts together in a particular form or arrangement

Ex: Online buyers can build their own version of the car: many of the company’s customers configure their own vehicles.

81
Q

Laden(adj):

A
  • carrying or holding a lot of something

Ex: He always comes back from France laden with presents for everyone.
The table, as always, was laden with food.

82
Q

Make/pull a face:

A
  • grimace(v)

Ex: i knew my mother would pull a face the minute she saw my new haircut

83
Q

Keep oneself to oneself:

A
  • to tell others very little about oneself, and not to be very friendly or sociable
    = self-contained(adj)
    Ex: He likes to keep himself to himself.
84
Q

Make a dash for sth

A
85
Q

Entrance(v):
Be entranced with
/intrans/

A
  • so captivating that you cannot take your eyes off them

Ex: He has entranced millions of people with his beautifully illustrated books.

86
Q

Be on the scene

A
  • to arrive
87
Q

In the flesh:

A
  • irl
88
Q

Set my heart on doing sth

A
89
Q

Get around to doing sth

A
  • to do something that you have intended to do for a long time

Ex: I still haven’t got around to fixing that tap.

90
Q
  •  full of strongly felt and strongly expressed emotion
A

Impassioned (adj):

Ex: Relatives of the dead made an impassioned plea for the bodies to be flown back to this country.

91
Q
  • feeling or showing sympathy and sadness for the suffering or bad luck of others, and wanting to help them
A

Compassionate(adj):

Ex: He was a wonderful listener and a deeply compassionate man.

92
Q
  • able to think clearly or make good decisions because of not being influenced by emotions
A

Dispassionate(adj):

Ex: In all the media hysteria, there was one journalist whose comments were clear-sighted and dispassionate.

93
Q

If you describe a situation as a toss-up, you mean that either of two possibilities is equally likely

A

Ex: It’s a toss-up between Angela and Moira for the editor’s job.

94
Q
  • not important, or not relating to the subject you are thinking about
A

Immaterial(adj):

Ex: Whether the book is well or badly written is immaterial (to me) - it has an important message.

95
Q
  • suitable and right for the occasion
A

Apposite(adj):
Formal /aepowzait/
Ex: The film starts in a graveyard, an apposite image for the decaying society which is the theme of the film.

96
Q

Be/weigh on your conscience

A
  • to make you feel guilty

Ex: Yesterday I ignored an old woman who asked me for money in the street, and it’s been on my conscience ever since.

97
Q

Be at your wit’s end:

A
  • to be so worried, confused, or annoyed that you do not know what to do next
98
Q

Under sb’s thumb

A
  • under one’s control
99
Q

Fall in with sb/sth

A
  • to become friendly with sb or to support a plan
100
Q
  • a previous action or decision that can be used as a reason for allowing something else
A

Precedent(n):

Ex: This law sets a very dangerous precedent for all businesses.

101
Q

If an experience stands sb in good stead, it is or will be of great use to them

A

Stand someone in good stead

Ex: Getting some work experience now will stand you in good stead (for) when you apply for a permanent job.

102
Q

Weep oneself out

A

Cry out

103
Q

Gloss over sth

A
  • to treat something in a way that fails to recognize its importance or its faults
    Overlook
104
Q

Fob sb off (sth)

A
  • to persuade someone to accept something that is of a low quality, or different to what they really wanted

Ex: The bank delayed on his compensation claim for eight years while attempting to fob him off with much smaller sums.

105
Q

If something is carefully/well/badly thought out, it is carefully/well/badly planned

A

Ex: a well-thought-out plan

106
Q

Harebrained/hair-brained(adj):

A
  • of plans or people) silly or not practical

Ex: That sounds like another of his harebrained schemes!

107
Q

Unerring(adj):

A
  • always right

Ex: She brings an unerring sense of timing to the role.

108
Q
  • arguments between people who are blaming each other
A

Recrimination(n):
(=recriminations)
Ex: The peace talks broke down and ended in bitter mutual recrimination(s).

109
Q
  • the conditions that make available an opportunity to learn or experience new things
A

Exposure(n):

Ex:  Students deserve exposure to creative teachers.

110
Q

Fob sb off with sth:

A
  • to persuade someone to accept something that is of a low quality, or different to what they really wanted
  • to try to stop someone from complaining or asking questions by telling them something that is not true, or giving them an excuse
111
Q

Keep tabs on sth/sb:

A
  • to watch sth or sb carefully

Ex: I like to keep tabs on my bank account so that I don’t spend too much.

112
Q
  • to get control or influence
  • to be common among a group of people or area at a particular time
A

Prevail(v):
Formal
Ex: And did reason prevail over (= become a more powerful influence than) emotion?
This attitude still prevails among the middle classes.

113
Q
  • to firmly establish something, especially an idea or a problem, so that it cannot be changed
A

Entrench(v):

Ex: The government’s main task was to prevent inflation from entrenching itself.

114
Q
  • to dominate, to influence
A

Bestride(v):

Ex: america’s media companies bestride the globe

115
Q
  • providing the right conditions for something good to happen or exist
A

Conducive(v):

Ex: Such a noisy environment was not conducive to a good night’s sleep.

116
Q

The relief worker:

A
  • nhân viên cứu trợ
117
Q

Pay over the odds

A
  • to pay more for sth than it is really worth
118
Q

Lay into sb:

A
  • to attack sb physically or to criticize sb in an angry way

Ex: her father laid her into when she came home two hours later from a party

119
Q

Play on sth

A
  • make unfair use of sth
120
Q
  • sth that is so boring that it makes you very unhappy
A

Soul-destroying(adj):

Ex: Repetitive work can become soul-destroying after a while.

121
Q
  • giving you a sudden very strong feeling of fear
A

Heart-stopping(adj):

Ex: For a heart-stopping moment, she thought the man was going to kill her.

122
Q
  • a situation in which two people or groups share responsibility for running a government, organization, etc.
A

Power-sharing(n):

Ex: The two leaders presented this new era of power-sharing as a positive thing.

123
Q
  • making you think a lot about a subject
A

Thought-provoking(adj):

Ex: a thought-provoking book/film

124
Q

Eat away sth:

A
  • to gradually destroy or damage sth

Ex: most of the bodywork of the car has been eaten away by rust

125
Q

Cave in:

A
  • to break and fall into the space below

Ex: Because of the explosion, the roof of the building caved in, trapping several people.

126
Q

Justified in

A

Ex: I think you were quite justified in complaining.

127
Q

-to go somewhere with a person or group, usually when they have not asked you to go with them

A

Tag along:

Ex: I don’t know her, she just tagged along with us.

128
Q
  • to aim or point a gun, camera, light, etc. at someone or something
A

Train(v):

Ex: With five guns suddenly trained on him, he was understandably nervous.

129
Q

By a mile/miles

A
  • used to say something is much greater or better than something else

Ex: Restaurant food is better by miles/miles better than it used to be 20 years ago.

130
Q

Over and above:

A

In addion to

131
Q

Be on the level:

A
  • to be acting or speaking honestly

Ex: are you sure he is on the level, i think it is too good to be true

132
Q
  • to destroy an idea or a piece of art or entertainment
A

Mutilate(v):

Ex: They have mutilated a beautiful film by making these changes.

133
Q
  • to damage and spoil the appearance of something by writing or drawing on it
A

Deface (v):

Ex: He was fined for defacing library books.

134
Q
  • to spread over a large area, or (especially of things made of cloth) to become filled with air and appear to be larger
A

Billow(v):

Ex: Smoke billowed (out) from the burning building.

135
Q

Throw a (monkey) wrench in the works=throw/put a spanner in the works

A
  • to do sth that prevents a plan or activity from succeeding

Nitpick (9 decks)

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