Part 4 Flashcards
associate
联系;联想 If you associate someone or something with another thing, the two are connected in your mind.
Black cats are associated with witches so they’re bad luck in most places but in Britain they’re lucky and it’s especially lucky if one crosses your path.
Rap groups have been barred from large musical events because they are associated with vandalism.
vandalism
destruction or damage of property that is done on purpose.
Breaking the windows at school was an act of vandalism.
Is graffiti vandalism or art?
to cross path
If you randomly meet someone that you can say that you have “crossed paths” with them.
to cross paths with a black cat; In Britain, having a black cat walk in front of you is considered good luck.
to cross fingers
This is to wish for good luck. You can say that you’ll keep your fingers crossed or just do the action and people will understand. You simply cross your index and middle fingers.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed.
to touch wood
This is to hope for success and to protect against bad luck and failure.
without a hitch
to happen without any problem
If tonight goes off without a hitch, it will have been worth it.
spanner
also known as a wrench; A spanner is a metal tool whose end fits round a nut so that you can turn it to loosen or tighten it.
get the hang of
to get used to doing something after practice
It’s a bit tricky at first till you get the hang of it.
It took me weeks of practice but I finally got the hang of it
horrid
awful, terrible, something very bad
The weather was horrid; it rained all day.
unwritten law
a social custom that everyone understands and accepts
It’s an unwritten law that you don’t interrupt him when he’s eating.
heavy handed
clumsy, awkward, or being prone to accidents or breaking things.
Don’t be too heavy-handed with the salt.
He’s so heavy handed that he breaks everything.
sole
The sole of your foot or of a shoe or sock is the underneath surface of it.
…shoes with rubber soles…
He had burned the sole of his foot.
hobnail
a short nail with a thick head; used to protect the soles of boots
hectic
very busy
free spirit
someone who makes their own rules and isn’t tied down to what is expected of them by society
He is always in trouble at school because he is a free spirit.
Banking isn’t my style. I’m more of a free spirit than that.
nuts
informal term for crazy
He thought the idea was nuts, but agreed anyway.
prospect
If there is some prospect of something happening, there is a possibility that it will happen.
Someone’s prospects are their chances of being successful, especially in their career.
Larger companies will offer more than just a good salary and promotion prospects to their staff.
I chose to work abroad to improve my career prospects.
subsidize
资助;补助;给…发津贴 If a government or other authority subsidizes something, they pay part of the cost of it.
At the moment they are existing on pensions that are subsidized by the government.
inventive
creative and original
His cooking style is very different and very inventive.
sending off
if a player breaks the rules in football, he can be dismissed from the game.
The referee had no choice but to send him off for punching someone.
handbags at ten paces
used for fights that are aggressive but don’t resort to violence
They had an argument but didn’t fight: it was just handbags at ten paces.
“Handbags at ten paces” can be used for any heated argument that doesn’t become a physical fight but its most popular usage is to describe the arguments footballers have during a game. They can’t hit each other because they will be sent off, so they argue and gesture at each other instead.
stake
If you stake something such as your money or your reputation on the result of something, you risk your money or reputation on it.
He has staked his political future on an election victory…
lucid
Lucid writing or speech is clear and easy to understand.
His prose is always lucid and compelling.
His writings were marked by an extraordinary lucidity and elegance of style.
prosecute
If the authorities prosecute someone, they charge them with a crime and put them on trial.
The police have decided not to prosecute because the evidence is not strong enough…
dread
If you dread something which may happen, you feel very anxious and unhappy about it because you think it will be unpleasant or upsetting.
I dreaded coming back, to be honest..
dread to think
If you say that you dread to think what might happen, you mean that you are anxious about it because it is likely to be very unpleasant.
I dread to think how long the queues would be if the whole country used the same bank!
I dread to think what Hollywood is planning to do with this interesting little story.
monopoly
noun…If you say that someone does not have a monopoly on something, you mean that they are not the only person who has that thing.
That company has a monopoly on coffee shops as they own every one in town.
Women do not have a monopoly on feelings of betrayal.
rod
A rod is a long, thin metal or wooden bar.
fishing rod
pep
Pep is liveliness and energy.
Powell spent the day giving pep talks to the troops.
obnoxious
令人讨厌的；使人反感的；可憎的 If you describe someone as obnoxious, you think that they are very unpleasant.
The people at my table were so obnoxious I simply had to change my seat.
ingenious
巧妙的;制作精巧的;新颖独特的 Something that is ingenious is very clever and involves new ideas, methods, or equipment.
Try to think of unusual and ingenious solutions.
long-winded
长篇累牍的；冗长的If you describe something that is written or said as long-winded, you are critical of it because it is longer than necessary.
The manifesto is long-winded, repetitious and often ambiguous or poorly drafted…
spectrum
A spectrum is a range of a particular type of thing.
The term ‘special needs’ covers a wide spectrum of problems.
spec
(尤指机器、车辆的)规格，配置 The spec for something, especially a machine or vehicle, is its design and the features included in it.
The standard spec includes stainless steel holding tanks.
ideology
An ideology is a set of beliefs, especially the political beliefs on which people, parties, or countries base their actions.
They hoped to spread democratic ideology.
All aspects of our lives were influenced by Catholic ideology.
concur
If one person concurs with another person, the two people agree. You can also say that two people concur .
Daniels and Franklin concurred in an investigator’s suggestion that the police be commended…
instability
[ˌɪnstəˈbɪlɪti]
Instability is the quality of being unstable.
…unpopular policies, which resulted in social discontent and political instability.
oblige
[əˈblaɪdʒ]
To oblige someone means to be helpful to them by doing what they have asked you to do.
If you ever need help with the babysitting, I’d be glad to oblige..
People sometimes use obliged in expressions such as ‘much obliged’ or ‘I am obliged to you’ when they want to indicate that they are very grateful for something.
I would be obliged if you could read it to us.
ambivalent
If you say that someone is ambivalent about something, they seem to be uncertain whether they really want it, or whether they really approve of it.
She remained ambivalent about her marriage..
I’ve never lied about my feelings, including my ambivalence about getting married again.
vantage point
If you view a situation from a particular vantage point you have a clear understanding of it because of the particular period of time you are in.
From the vantage point of the present he saw the unquestioning love and support that had been lavished upon him for his first twenty-five years.
From today’s vantage point, the 1987 crash seems just a blip in the upward progress of the market..
lavish
If you say that someone is lavish in the way they behave, you mean that they give, spend, or use a lot of something.
American reviewers are lavish in their praise of this book…
blip
A blip in a situation is a sudden but temporary change or interruption in it.
Interest rates generally have been declining since last spring, despite a few upward blips in recent weeks.
abrasive
An abrasive substance is rough and can be used to clean hard surfaces.
the wool is too abrasive to use for our scarves…
get-together
A get-together is an informal meeting or party, usually arranged for a particular purpose.
The way I see it, a rooftop garden would be perfect for small get-togethers and performances.
sector
部门，行业，领域 A particular sector of a country’s economy is the part connected with that specified type of industry.
retail sector零售業
…the service sector of the Hong Kong economy.
volatility
[ˌvɒlə’tɪlətɪ]
A situation that is volatile is likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly.
the volatility in f/x markets creates an earning opportunity
If someone is volatile, their mood often changes quickly.
He has a volatile temper
enter
If you enter a competition, race, or examination, you officially state that you will compete or take part in it.
He entered for many competitions, winning several gold medals…
chipper
Chipper means cheerful and lively.
He looked unusually chipper this morning.
mishap
A mishap is an unfortunate but not very serious event that happens to someone.
After a number of mishaps she did manage to get back to Germany..
bracket
括弧（美国英语中称作parentheses） Brackets are a pair of written marks that you place round a word, expression, or sentence in order to indicate that you are giving extra information. In British English, curved marks like these are also called brackets, but in American English, they are called parentheses .
The prices in brackets are special rates for the under 18s..
treacherous
Five scuba divers were missing today after they dove into treacherous waters.
periscope
潜望镜 A periscope is a vertical tube which people inside submarines can look through to see above the surface of the water.
microbe
微生物 A microbe is a very small living thing, which you can only see if you use a microscope.
discreet
(言行)谨慎的，考虑周到的 If you are discreet, you are polite and careful in what you do or say, because you want to avoid embarrassing or offending someone.
They were gossipy and not always discreet…
不显眼的;朴素的;少的;小的 If you describe something as discreet, you approve of it because it is small in size or degree, or not easily noticed.
She wore discreet jewelry.
to overstep the mark
撈過界 管太多!is to go too far when dealing with other people. If you had a specific task to complete at work, but went beyond that and started doing the tasks of other people they may consider that you had “overstepped your mark” by doing more than was required. It is negative, and also. subjective.
tier
A tier is a level in an organization or system.
Islanders have campaigned for the abolition of one of the three tiers of municipal power on the island.
municipal
[mjuˈnɪsəpəl]
Municipal means associated with or belonging to a city or town that has its own local government.
The municipal authorities gave the go-ahead for the march.
backlash
强烈抵制；激烈反对 A backlash against a tendency or recent development in society or politics, is a sudden, strong reaction against it.
..the male backlash against feminism.
In recent months there has been a large backlash against tabloid newspapers
to bug
在…装窃听器 If someone bugs a place, they hide tiny microphones in it which transmit what people are saying.
He heard that they were planning to bug his office..
bank holiday
公共假日 A bank holiday is a public holiday.
AmE— national holiday
cramped
something that doesn’t have much room or space
The house was terribly small and cramped, but the agent described it as a bijou residence.
what the doctor ordered
refers to actions that can either help your health, or just make you feel better. It can be anything from a day off to a cool pint of lager after a busy day.
A few days of peace and quiet instead of noise and deadlines are just what the doctor ordered!
dwindle
[ˈdwɪndl]
(数量上)减少,缩小 If something dwindles, it becomes smaller, weaker, or less in number.
When the follow-up English email with more details arrived and you saw something about a hike, your excitement dwindled…you’re not much of an outdoorsy person!
The factory’s workforce has dwindled from over 4,000 to a few hundred…
benevolent
[bəˈnɛvələnt]
仁慈的，慈爱的，乐善好施的 If you describe a person in authority as benevolent, you mean that they are kind and fair.
The company has proved to be a most benevolent employer…
knackered
[ˈnækərd]
筋疲力尽的；疲惫不堪的 If you say that you are knackered, you are emphasizing that you are extremely tired.
I was absolutely knackered at the end of the match.
scavenge
[ˈskævəndʒ]
捡破烂;拾荒;(从废弃物中)觅食，寻找 If people or animals scavenge for things, they collect them by searching among waste or unwanted objects.
Many are orphans, their parents killed as they scavenged for food…
scavenger hunt
a game where players must find all of the items on a list
worth the effort
This phrase insinuates that you have worked hard, or for a long time, in order to achieve the goal. It also means that the end result justified all of the work. If the end result was a let down or disappointment, then it wouldn’t be worth the effort.
let down
fail to meet the hopes or expectations of
Sadly, the film is let down by an excessively simple plot.
the end result was a let down
insinuate
[ɪnˈsɪnjuˌet]
含沙射影地说;旁敲侧击地指出;暗示 If you say that someone insinuates that something bad is the case, you mean that they say it in an indirect way.
Are you insinuating that I smell?
aurora
aurora australis [ɒst'rəlɪs] 南极光 aurora borealis [bɔ:r'ɪeɪlɪs] 北极光 aurora polaris [pəˈlærɪs] 极光
verbs usually followed by a gerund
“admit,” “appreciate,” “avoid,” “carry on,” “consider,” “defer,” “delay,” “deny,” “dislike,” “endure,” “enjoy,” “escape,” “excuse,” “face,” “finish,” “forgive,” “give up,” “can’t help,” “imagine,” “involve,” “leave off,” “mind,” “postpone,” “practise,” “put off,” “report,” “resent,” “risk,” “can’t stand,” “suggest,” “understand.”
defer
延缓 If you defer an event or action, you arrange for it to happen at a later date, rather than immediately or at the previously planned time.
Customers often defer payment for as long as possible…
顺从 If you defer to someone, you accept their opinion or do what they want you to do, even when you do not agree with it yourself, because you respect them or their authority.
Doctors are encouraged to defer to experts.
varnish
亮光漆 Varnish is an oily liquid which is painted onto wood or other material to give it a hard, clear, shiny surface.
He brought out the fiddle, its varnish cracked and blistered.
给…上漆 If you varnish something, you paint it with varnish.
Varnish the table with two or three coats of water-based varnish..
