Unit 3 Flashcards
crash out
to go to sleep very quickly because you are very tired:
I just want to go home and crash out.
come forward
to offer to give help or information:
No witnesses to the accident have come forward yet, despite the police appeal.
make sb’s jaw drop
make someone very surprised:
When I saw him make that amazing shot, he made my jaw dropped.
roll your eyes
to move your eyes upwards as a way of showing that you are annoyed or bored after someone has done or said something
blockbuster
a book or film that is very successful:
a blockbuster movie/novel
gesticulate
to make movements with your hands or arms, to express something or to emphasize what you are saying:
There was a man outside the window gesticulating wildly.
escalator
a set of stairs moved up or down by electric power on which people can stand and be taken from one level of a building to another, especially in shops, railway stations, and airports:
hit on an idea
to think of an idea when you didn’t expect or intend to, especially one that solves a problem:
When we first hit on the idea, everyone told us it would never work.
recite
to say a piece of writing aloud from memory, or to publicly say a list of things:
chant
to repeat or sing a word or phrase continuously:
The crowd were chanting the team’s name.
come off it
used to tell someone that you do not believe what they are saying is true, or that you strongly disagree with them:
Ask Simon to cook the meal? Come off it, he can hardly boil an egg!
bonkers
silly or stupid:
She must be bonkers to do that.
senility
the quality of being senile (= showing poor mental ability because of old age):
Low levels of selenium in the elderly are linked with an increased risk of dementia and senility.
far-fetched
very unlikely to be true, and difficult to believe:
a far-fetched idea/story
load
the amount of weight carried, especially by a vehicle, a structure such as a bridge, or an animal:
The maximum load for this elevator is eight persons.
exploit
to use someone or something unfairly for your own advantage:
Laws exist to stop companies exploiting their employees.
implication
an occasion when you seem to suggest something without saying it directly:
[ + that ] From what she said, the implication was that they were splitting up.
head off
to start a journey or leave a place:
What time are you heading off?
stop in your tracks
to suddenly stop moving or doing something:
I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard the scream.
Split Second
a very short moment of time:
They brought out guns and for a split second nobody moved.
Word for word
using exactly the same words:
She listened to everything I said and repeated it word for word to her mum.
retain
to keep or continue to have something:
She has lost her battle to retain control of the company.
He managed to retain his dignity throughout the performance.
Dip into
to spend some of your money:
We had to dip into our savings to pay for the repairs.
Fashion conscious
to be aware of the latest fashions and wanting to wear fashionable clothes and accessories
get through
to succeed in talking to someone on the phone:
I tried to call her but couldn’t get through.
get away with
to escape blame or punishment when you do something wrong, or to avoid harm or criticism for something you did:
She thought she could get away with cheating on her taxes.
get behind
to fail to do as much work or pay as much money as you should by a particular time:
She got behind with her mortgage and the house was repossessed.
get over
to accept an unpleasant fact or situation after dealing with it for a while:
They’re upset that you didn’t call, but they’ll get over it.
get out of
to avoid doing something that you do not want to do, especially by giving an excuse:
I think her backache was just a way of getting out of the housework.
get on
to have a good relationship:
We’re getting on much better now that we don’t live together.
He doesn’t get on with his daughter.
get up to
to do something, often something that other people would disapprove of:
She’s been getting up to all sorts of mischief lately.
I wonder what those two got up to yesterday?
be burnt to a crisp
to burn something badly so that it is black and very dry:
I forgot about the lasagne and it was burned to a crisp.
lane
a narrow road in the countryside or in a town:
He drives so fast along those narrow country lanes.
shade
slight darkness caused by something blocking the direct light from the sun:
The sun was hot, and there were no trees to offer us shade.
eminent
famous, respected, or important:
an eminent historian
contentious
causing , involving, or likely to cause disagreement and argument:
a contentious decision/policy/issue/subject
basket case
useless, someone who is extremely nervous or anxious and is therefore unable to organize their life:
By the end of the course I was a complete basket case.
crux
the most important or serious part of a matter, problem, or argument:
The crux of the country’s economic problems is its foreign debt.
to query
to ask a question
to envisage
imagine or expect something in the future
Train fare increases of 15 percent are envisaged for the next year.
technophobe
a person who fears, dislikes, or avoids new technology
to pop your clogs
humurous way of saying to die.
gadgetrey
a collection of small devices or machines with a particular purpose:
We’ve got a juicer, a blender, a coffee grinder - all kinds of kitchen gadgetry.
array
a large group of things or people, especially one that is attractive or causes admiration or has been positioned in a particular way:
There was a splendid array of food on the table.
advent
the fact of an event happening, an invention being made, or a person arriving:
Life was transformed by the advent of the steam engine.
feasible
able to be made, done, or achieved:
With the extra resources, the project now seems feasible.
redundant
(especially of a word, phrase, etc.) unnecessary because it is more than is needed:
In the sentence “She is a single unmarried woman”, the word “unmarried” is redundant.
shattering
making you feel extremely tired:
It was a shattering schedule - seven meetings in two days.
to pin down
to discover the exact details about something:
The fire department is trying to pin down the cause of Wednesday’s fire.
