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.