SO Book 7/8 Flashcards
consult verb
BrE /kənˈsʌlt/ ; NAmE /kənˈsʌlt/
2) [transitive, intransitive] to discuss something with somebody to get their permission for something, or to help you make a decision
ex) I got really upset because he didn’t even ask me. He just agreed to take it over without consulting me.
fly off the handle
(informal) to suddenly become very angry
ex) I flew off the handle and told him I would go away for the weekend and he could handle the whole thing himself.
He seems to fly off the handle about the slightest thing these days.
get (one’s) hackles up | make somebody’s hackles rise | raise somebody’s hackles
to make somebody angry
ex) Why do so many people assume that all single people are lonely? This really gets my hackles up.
Her controversial article is bound to raise hackles.
wouldn’t have it any other way
used to say that you would not want a situation to be different, even though it has problems connected with it
ex) I have been unmarried all my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s never going to be easy having kids but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
account (to sb) for sth
to explain the reason for something or the cause of something
ex) Married people must account to one another for every living minute.
Can you account for your absence last Friday?
She was unable to account for over $5,000 (= she could not explain where the money was).
He has to account to his manager for (= tell his manager about and explain) all his movements.
serene adjective
BrE /səˈriːn/ ; NAmE /səˈriːn/
calm and peaceful
ex) I enjoy coming home at night to a quiet serene house where I can relax.
a lake, still and serene in the sunlight
of your choice
that you choose yourself
ex) First prize will be a meal for two at the restaurant of your choice.
If I want company, I have plenty of neighbors and friends. But it’s my choice.
skirt-chas·er noun
ˈskərtˌCHāsər/ informal
a man who pursues women amorously and is casual in his affections; a womanizer.
ex) I know married women who are lonely as hell, not to mention the ones who are stuck with alcoholics, gamblers, skirt chasers and sex maniacs.
stomp verb
BrE /stɒmp/ ; NAmE /stɑːmp/ , /stɔːmp/
[intransitive] + adv./prep. (informal) to walk, dance, or move with heavy steps
ex) The dance and percussion group STOMP has taken everyday objects and turned them into instruments.
She stomped angrily out of the office.
The children were stomping around noisily.
I could hear my mother stomping around in the other room.
She stomped angrily up the stairs.
enticing adjective
BrE /ɪnˈtaɪsɪŋ/ ; NAmE /ɪnˈtaɪsɪŋ/
something that is enticing is so attractive and interesting that you want to have it or know more about it
ex) The performers have to be extra creative and enticing to be able to capture the attention of people who are walking by.
The offer was too enticing to refuse.
An enticing smell came from the kitchen.
The idea of two weeks in the sun sounds very enticing.
count your blessings
to be grateful for the good things in your life
ex) I’m puzzled as to why so many single women think they are losing so much. Maybe it’s because people have a tendency to long for what they don’t have instead of counting their blessings.
loan verb
BrE /ləʊn/ ; NAmE /loʊn/
1) (especially North American English) to lend something to somebody, especially money
ex) Some time ago, I loaned $1,000 to a couple I considered to be my closest friends.
excess adjective
BrE /ˈekses/ ; NAmE /ˈekses/ [only before noun] in addition to an amount that is necessary, usual or legal
ex) I didn’t have much excess cash sitting around, but I offered them my income tax refund because I knew they were desperate.
Excess food is stored as fat.
Driving with excess alcohol in the blood is a serious offence.
The book is hard to obtain, because of excess demand following the author’s appearance on TV.
sit around
sit around something to spend time doing nothing
ex) I didn’t have much excess cash sitting around, but I offered them my income tax refund because I knew they were desperate.
Are we going to sit around all night, or shall we go out?
Since Dad lost his job he just sits around the house all day.
come and go
1) to arrive and leave; to move freely
ex) They had a party next door—we heard people coming and going all night.
2) to be present for a short time and then go away
ex) They promised to pay me back within 90 days. The due date came and went.
The pain in my leg comes and goes.
brusquely adverb
BrE /ˈbruːskli/ , /ˈbrʊskli/ ; NAmE /ˈbrʌskli/
using very few words and sounding rude
synonym abruptly (2), curtly
ex) When I phoned to say I really needed the $1,000, I was informed rather brusquely that they would give me the money when they could.
short of (doing) something
without something; without doing something; unless something happens
ex) Short of legal action, I don’t know what else to do to get my money back and still retain our friendship.
Short of a miracle, we’re certain to lose.
Short of asking her to leave (= and we don’t want to do that) there’s not a lot we can do about the situation.
retain verb
BrE /rɪˈteɪn/ ; NAmE /rɪˈteɪn/ (rather formal)
1) to keep someone or something
ex) Short of legal action, I don’t know what else to do to get my money back and still retain our friendship.
These plans encourage the elderly to retain their independence.
We’re trying to recruit and retain skilled staff.
The US expects to retain control over the operation.
mid-morning adjective
[before noun] UK /ˌmɪdˈmɔː.nɪŋ/ US /ˌmɪdˈmɔːr.nɪŋ/
in the middle of the morning
ex) If they looked up State Street to the right, they could see several skyscrapers with shiny windows that glittered like jewels in the midmorning sun.
tangle noun
BrE /ˈtæŋɡl/ ; NAmE /ˈtæŋɡl/
1) a twisted mass of threads, hair, etc. that cannot be easily separated
ex) a tangle of branches
Her hair was a mass of tangles.
2) a state of confusion or lack of order
ex) Straight below them was a tangle of traffic that seemed to stretch as far as they could see.
as far as the eye can/could see
for a long distance until something is so far away and small it cannot be seen any more
ex) Straight below them was a tangle of traffic that seemed to stretch as far as they could see.
cookout noun
BrE /ˈkʊkaʊt/ ; NAmE /ˈkʊkaʊt/ (North American English, informal)
a meal or party when food is cooked over an open fire outdoors, for example at a beach
ex) What if we wanted to have a cook-out like we used to do in our backyard?
bustle noun
BrE /ˈbʌsl/ ; NAmE /ˈbʌsl/
1) [uncountable] busy and noisy activity
ex) They walked past the skyscrapers with shiny windows, the tangle of traffic, and the bustle of people in business suits.
the hustle and bustle of city life
For once the river was quiet, without its usual bustle of barges and river traffic.
waddle verb
BrE /ˈwɒdl/ ; NAmE /ˈwɑːdl/
[intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to walk with short steps, swinging from side to side, like a duck
ex) A girl on a bicycle stopped to let two ducks waddle past her.
A short plump man came waddling towards me.
make your way (to/towards something)
to move or get somewhere; to make progress
ex) As Fiora, Nora, and Mom made their way toward the pond, Mom smiled and said, “What do you think, girls?”
Will you be able to make your own way to the airport (= get there without help, a ride, etc.)?
Is this your plan for making your way in the world?
sure-fire adjective
BrE ; NAmE only before noun
certain to be successful or to happen as you expect
ex) My husband and I put our life savings into a sure-fire business venture.
a sure-fire success
Bad behaviour is a sure-fire way of getting people’s attention.
put something↔in
6) (also put something into something)
to spend a lot of time or make a lot of effort doing something
ex) My husband and I both put in 12-14-hour days, and we worked like slaves.
She often puts in twelve hours’ work a day.
put something into doing something He’s putting a lot of work into improving his French.
buy somebody↔out
1) to pay somebody for their share in a business, usually in order to get total control of it for yourself; BUSINESS to pay money to your business partner so that you can control all of a business you previously owned together
ex) So, the man who talked us into the business offered to buy us out for 10 cents on the dollar.
The other directors have offered to buy me out.
make/lose money hand over fist
to make/lose money very fast and in large quantities
ex) Today, that man is running the plant himself and making money hand over fist.
ulcer noun
BrE /ˈʌlsə(r)/ ; NAmE /ˈʌlsər/
a sore area on the outside of the body or on the surface of an organ inside the body which is painful and may bleed or produce a poisonous substance 궤양
ex) In the aftermath, my husband has developed high blood pressure and ulcers.
a stomach ulcer
There is a family history of gastric ulcer disease.
a mouth ulcer
dry out | dry something↔out
to become or to allow something to become dry, in a way that is not wanted
ex) Rooftop gardens can dry out quickly in the summer sun, and vegetables need frequent watering.
Water the plant regularly, never letting the soil dry out.
Hot sun and cold winds can soon dry out your skin.
