T to W Prepositions / At ... Prepositional Phrases

Question 1

sth (a course, a holiday, etc) is tailored to one’s needs

Answer 1

sth has been designed to provide the things that sb specifically needs
e.g. At Fogey’s holidays we have tailored our tours to meet the specific needs of older holidaymakers.

Question 2

to talk sense into sb

Answer 2

to persuade sb to stop doing sth foolish

e.g. He wants to give up his job and become a rock star. Someone has to talk some sense into him!

Question 3

to have (bad / good) taste in sth

Answer 3

to have bad / good aesthetic sense when it comes to choosing things, relationships, places, etc.
e.g. He’s got really good / bad / poor taste in clothes.

Question 4

to be teeming with people / animals

Answer 4

to be crowded with people or to be full of animals (conveys the idea of a lot of movement)
e.g. The plains below us were teeming with wildlife.

Question 5

to think nothing of doing sth

Answer 5

to think that sth is normal and not be bothered about it (whereas most people would find it unusual / difficult)
e.g. A lot of people in Japan think nothing of travelling for three hours to get to work.

Question 6

to thrive on sth

Answer 6

to enjoy and be stimulated by sth that most people would find unenjoyable, difficult and unpleasant.
e.g. He thrives on working under pressure.

Question 7

to be translated into another language

Answer 7

to be said / written in another language

e.g. Most of his books have been translated into Chinese.

Question 8

to be unique to one thing / person / place

Answer 8

to belong to or concern only that thing / person / place

e.g. “That is the Windrush tree. It is unique to this island,” she said proudly.

Question 9

to update sb on sth

Answer 9

to give sb the most recent news about sth [Note: an update on]
e.g. The President said that he wanted to be updated every hour on the progress of the peace talks.

Question 10

to venture out

Answer 10

to leave a place (and in doing so taking a risk because it might be dangerous outside)
e.g. If you do decide to venture out, please remember to steer clear of the poorly lit streets.

Question 11

to vie for sth

Answer 11

to compete with sb for sth

e.g. Three construction companies are vying for the contract to build the new town hall.

Question 12

to be wary of sb / sth / doing sth

Answer 12

not to trust sb because you think they might harm / trick you in some way / to be cautious about (doing) sth because you think it’s dangerous
e.g. I’m very wary of opening my door to strangers.

Question 13

to withdraw money from a bank

Answer 13

to take money from your bank account

e.g. I’d like to withdraw $30 from my current account, please.

Question 14

keep sth at bay

Answer 14

(keep sth) away from you so that it does not hurt or trouble you
e.g. We installed an electric fence around the house in the hope that it would keep the bears at bay.

Question 15

at all costs

Answer 15

whatever happens, used with the verbs ‘avoid’ and ‘prevent’

e.g. Drinking the tap water should be avoided at all costs.

Question 16

to be / put at a disadvantage

Answer 16

to have a disadvantage / sth gives you a disadvantage

e.g. Obviously, the fact that they had 10 players and we had only 9 put us at a disadvantage.

Question 17

to be at sb’s disposal

Answer 17

to be available for sb to use

e.g. During your stay, all the hotel’s facilities will be at your disposal.

Question 18

at gunpoint

Answer 18

with sb pointing a gun at you

e.g. He was robbed at gunpoint.

Question 19

to be at large

Answer 19

to have escaped and not yet have been caught

e.g. It is reported that the remaining convict, who was still at large last night, has been recaptured.

Question 20

at the latest

Answer 20

no later than (used with a time or a date)

e.g. Entry forms must reach this office by May 3 at the latest.

Question 21

at length

Answer 21

for a long time (used for speaking / talking)

e.g. In the interview, Clapton spoke at length about his childhood.

Question 22

not to be at liberty

Answer 22

(formal) not to have permission or the authority to say / do sth
e. g. I’m afraid I am not at liberty to answer that question.

Question 23

at long last

Answer 23

finally

e.g. At long last, the local council have put new street lights along Canal Avenue.

Question 24

at a loss to explain

Answer 24

unable to explain [Note: to be at a loss for words: not to know what to say]
e.g. Her parents were at a loss to explain why she had done such a thing.
When she told me what had happened, I was at a loss for words.

Question 25

at the most

Answer 25

the maximum (for money and time)
e.g. It won't be expensive.  It will cost $4 at the most.

Question 26

at (such) short notice

Answer 26

with (so) little advance warning

e.g. He apologised for telling us about the meeting at such short notice.

Question 27

at a push

Answer 27

with difficulty

e.g. I can be there by 5 o’clock at a push, but no earlier than that.

Question 28

at random

Answer 28

not according to a particular system / pattern / method

e.g. Students were chosen at random to fill in a questionnaire.

Question 29

at this rate

Answer 29

if we continue like this

e.g. We’re losing $100 a day. At this rate, we are going to go bankrupt in six weeks.

Question 30

to be at stake

Answer 30

to be at risk

e.g. You can’t give up on the expedition now. Too much is at stake!