Unit 11.1 Flashcards
slushy
Slushy language is too emotional and romantic:
a slushy romantic novel
get a grip (on yourself)
to make an effort to control your emotions and behave more calmly:
I just think he ought to get a grip on himself - he’s behaving like a child.
rapture
extreme pleasure and happiness or excitement:
He listened to the music with an expression of pure rapture on his face.
The prime minister’s supporters greeted her speech with rapture.
be at death’s door
to be very sick
decidedly
certainly and obviously:
He was decidedly careful about what he told me.
An agreement is looking decidedly difficult according to the newspapers.
disclose
to make something known publicly, or to show something that was hidden:
The company has disclosed profits of over £200 million.
The police have disclosed that two officers are under internal investigation.
breakdown
a division of something into smaller parts:
We asked for a breakdown of the accident figures into day time and night time.
The rate of breakdown of muscle protein was assessed.
lose one’s grip
to lose control of one’s thoughts and emotions : to lose one’s ability to think or behave in a normal way
I’ve never seen him so confused and indecisive—he really seems to be losing his grip.
The patient seems to be losing his grip on reality.
clutch/grasp at straws
to be willing to try anything to improve a difficult or unsatisfactory situation, even if it has little chance of success:
She offered to take a pay cut to keep her job, but she was just clutching at straws.
have sth up your sleeve
to have secret plans or ideas:
If I know Mark he’ll have one or two tricks up his sleeve.
indeterminate
not measured, counted, or clearly known:
An indeterminate number of workers have already been exposed to the danger.
a man of indeterminate age
determinate
fixed or exact:
A determinate sentence of imprisonment was imposed.
grasp the nettle
to force yourself to be brave and do something that is difficult or unpleasant:
You’ve been putting off making that phone call for days - I think it’s about time you grasped the nettle!
come/get to grips with sth
to make an effort to understand and deal with a problem or situation:
The president has failed to come to grips with the two most important social issues of our time.
I can’t seem to get to grips with this problem.
make inroads/an inroad
to start to have a direct and noticeable effect (on something):
The government is definitely making inroads into the problem of unemployment.
We have not been able to make much of an inroad into the backlog of work.
play into sb’s hands
to do something that one does not realize will hurt oneself and help someone else
You’re only playing into your accusers’ hands by making accusations in return.
up for grabs
available and ready to be won or taken:
There are hundreds of prizes up for grabs.
eccentric
strange or unusual, sometimes in a humorous way:
eccentric behaviour
eccentric clothes
eerie
strange in a frightening and mysterious way:
She heard the eerie noise of the wind howling through the trees.
He had the eerie feeling that he had met this stranger before.
freakish
very unusual or unexpected, especially in an unpleasant or strange way:
Freakish weather conditions have caused massive traffic jams in the area.
When you’re a child you always imagine that your own bodily imperfections are somehow freakish.
peculiar
unusual and strange, sometimes in an unpleasant way:
She has the most peculiar ideas.
What a peculiar smell!
It’s peculiar that they didn’t tell us they were going away.
fend off someone/something
to defend yourself successfully against an attack, criticism, or some other unwanted thing:
He’s an international celebrity with a staff to help fend off reporters.
The Social Democrat government fended off a challenge by the opposition to win re-election.
pretense
a way of behaving that is intended to deceive people:
She made absolutely no pretence of being interested.
They kept up (= continued) a pretence of normality as long as they could.
The army has given up any pretence of neutrality in the war.
upbeat
full of hope, happiness, and good feelings:
Live music and a parade set an upbeat mood for the official opening.
bowl sb over
to knock someone to the ground by running into them :
She was almost bowled over by a huge dog.
devastating
causing a lot of damage or destruction:
If the bomb had exploded in the main shopping area, it would have been devastating.
The drought has had devastating consequences/effects.
affectionate
showing feelings of liking or love:
an affectionate kiss
He’s an affectionate little boy.
irritable
becoming annoyed very easily:
Be careful what you say - he’s rather irritable today.
“Don’t disturb me again,” she said in an irritable (= angry) voice.
peevish
easily annoyed:
a peevish, bad-tempered person
testy
easily annoyed and not patient:
a testy old man
testy comments
tetchy
easily made angry, unhappy, or upset:
Be careful what you say to Anna - she’s been a little tetchy lately.
hurt
emotional pain:
The hurt after a relationship breaks up can be awful.
