UNITS 13&14 • PAT Flashcards
add up to something
uk |æd| us |æd|
verb
1. to become a particular amount
* “The various building programmes add up to several thousand new homes.”
* “We thought we’d bought lots of food, but it didn’t add up to much when we’d spread it out on the table.”
2. to have a particular result or effect
* “It all added up to a lot of hard work for all of us.”
* “Their proposals do not add up to any real help for the poor.”
break down
uk |breɪk| us |breɪk|
verb
1. If a machine or vehicle breaks down, it stops working
* “Our car broke down and we had to push it off the road.”
2. If a system, relationship, or discussion breaks down, it fails because there is a problem or disagreement.
3. to be unable to control your feelings and to start to cry
* “When we gave her the bad news, she broke down and cried.”
break something down
uk |breɪk| us |breɪk|
verb
1. to remove something from its place by force
* “He threatened to break the door down.”
* “Some of the campers had broken down fences and lit fires that caused a lot of damage.”
build (someone/something) up
uk |bɪld| us |bɪld|
verb
1. to increase or become larger or stronger, or to cause someone or something to do this
* “[build up between] Tension is building up between the two communities.”
* “[build up strength] They gave him soup to build up his strength.”
* “[build up a business] It took her ten years to build up her publishing business.”
build something/someone up
uk |bɪld| us |bɪld|
verb
1. to praise something or someone in a way that will influence people’s opinions; to make a person feel more confident
* “A good teacher builds you up.”
* “For weeks the media has been building up the national basketball team.”
build-up
uk |ˈbɪld.ʌp| us |ˈbɪld.ʌp|
noun
1. an increase, especially one that is gradual
* “The build-up of troops in the region makes war seem more likely.”
2. a situation in which someone or something is praised, advertised, or talked about on the internet, in newspapers, etc.
* “The group got a big build-up before their tour, being touted by many as the next Beatles.”
3. the period of preparation before something happens [UK]
* “There was a lot of excitement in the build-up to the Olympics.”
buy someone off
uk |baɪ| us |baɪ|
verb
1. to pay someone so that they do not cause you any trouble
* “They tried to buy the guard at the bank off but he told the police and the gang was arrested.”
buy something up
uk |baɪ| us |baɪ|
verb
1. To buy something up is to buy large amounts of it, or all that is available
* “He bought up all the land in the surrounding area.”
carry something over
uk |ˈkær.i| us |ˈker.i|
verb
1. to use or do something at a later time than planned
* “The performance has had to be carried over to/till next week because the repairs to the theatre aren’t finished yet.”
carry (something) over
uk |ˈkær.i| us |ˈker.i|
verb
1. If something from one situation carries over or is carried over into another situation, it is allowed to affect the other situation
* “I try not to let my problems at work carry over into my private life.”
clock something up
uk |klɒk| us |klɑːk|
verb
1. to win or achieve a large number of similar things
* “The Australians have clocked up three gold medals and two silvers in the swimming events.”
club together
uk |klʌb| us |klʌb|
verb
1. If a group of people club together, they share the cost of something between them [UK]
* “If we club together, we’ll be able to get her the complete dinner set.”
drum something up
uk |drʌm| us |drʌm|
verb
1. to increase interest in something or support for something
* “He was trying to drum up some enthusiasm for the project.”
mount up
uk |maʊnt| us |maʊnt|
verb
1. to gradually increase in number or amount
* “It isn’t a good idea to let bills mount up.”
back pay
noun
1. income that should have been paid or was expected at an earlier time
* “Those workers are due a total of approximately $500,000 in back pay, according to union officials.”
pay (something) out
uk |peɪ| us |peɪ|
verb
1. to spend a lot of money on something, or to pay a lot of money to someone
* “I’ve just paid out $500 on getting the car fixed.”
pay something out
uk |peɪ| us |peɪ|
verb
1. to release a piece of rope or cable in a controlled way
size something/someone up
uk |saɪz| us |saɪz|
verb
1. to examine something or someone carefully and decide what you think about it, him, or her
* “Voters are still sizing up the candidates.”
* “The two cats walked in circles around each other, sizing each other up.”
take
uk |teɪk| us |teɪk|
verb
1. to remove something, especially without permission [T]
* “Has anything been taken (= stolen)?”
* “Here’s your pen - I took it by mistake.”
* “[be taken from] All her possessions had been taken from her.”
2. to subtract a number (= remove it from another number) [T]
* “[take something (away) from something] If you take 4 (away) from 12 you get 8.”
take
uk |teɪk| us |teɪk|
noun
1. money that is received from sales or as payment for entrance to an event [U]
* “The box office take was huge for the new show.”
2. the filming of a scene (= small part of a film) [C]
* “This scene needed ten takes before we felt it was right.”
weigh someone/something down
uk |weɪ| us |weɪ|
verb
1. If someone or something is weighed down with something, they are carrying a lot of or too much of it
* ”[(be) weighed with] Weighed down with supplies, they found the steep path difficult to climb.”
weigh someone down
uk |weɪ| us |weɪ|
verb
1. to make a person feel worried and unhappy because of problems, responsibilities, and duties
* “[weighed down by] I thought she looked somehow older, weighed down by all her new responsibilities.”
* “[weigh down on] Too much responsibility when too young can weigh down on a child.”
make a big thing (out) of something
idiom
1. to give something too much importance
* “I want a party, but I don’t want to make a big thing of it.”
be big on something
idiom
1. to like something very much
* “I’m not very big on classical music.”
be big of someone
idiom
1. If an action is big of someone, it is kind, good, or helpful. This phrase is usually used humorously or angrily to mean the opposite
* “You can spare me an hour next week? That’s really big of you!”
big name
uk |ˌbɪɡ ˈneɪm| us |ˌbɪɡ ˈneɪm|
noun
1. a famous or important person
* “Are there any big names in the movie?”
* “She’s a big name in politics.”
deal in something
uk |diːl| us |diːl|
verb
1. to buy and sell particular goods as a business
* “They mainly deal in rare books.”
deal with someone
uk |diːl| us |diːl|
verb
1. to talk to someone or meet someone, especially as part of your job
* “She’s used to dealing with difficult customers.”
deal with something
uk |diːl| us |diːl|
verb
1. to take action in order to achieve something or in order to solve a problem
* “How do you intend to deal with this problem?”
* “General enquiries are dealt with by our head office.”
2. to be about or be on the subject of something
* “Her new movie deals with the relationship between a woman and her sick daughter.”
* “The author has tried to deal with (= write about) a very difficult subject.”
deal a blow to someone/something
phrase
1. to cause someone or something, usually a plan or hope, to fail or to be affected very badly
* “The latest trade figures have dealt a severe blow to hopes of an early economic recovery.”
* “The airline industry’s difficulties have dealt a heavy blow to already struggling airports in the region.”
* “Extreme weather conditions have dealt a serious blow to agriculture across the state.”
* “The scandal threatens to deal a fatal blow to the politician’s once promising career.”
* “Another lockdown would surely have dealt the industry a blow from which it couldn’t recover.”
in depth
phrase
1. in a serious and detailed way
* “These issues are explored in depth in her latest book.”
* “I’d like to look at this question in some depth.”
* “The allegations were examined in depth and none of them was proven to be true.”
* “The election results were discussed in some depth.”
* “We will analyse this topic in greater depth later in the chapter.”
in-depth
uk |ˈɪn.depθ| us |ˈɪn.depθ|
adjective
1. done carefully and in great detail
* “an in-depth report/interview/analysis”
hidden depths
collocation
1. serious and positive qualities in someone or something that you do not see immediately
* “Jo has hidden depths.”
* “The most straightforward story may turn out to contain hidden depths.”
the depths of something
idiom
1. the worst period of an extreme and negative emotion or a bad situation
* “[in the depths of] He was in the depths of despair/depression about losing his job.”
* “[in the depth of] The company was started in the depth of the recession of the 1930s.”
* “He wrote the hymn in the depths of despair after losing his first wife in childbirth.”
* “She went between high spirits and the depths of misery.”
* “Even in the depth of depression, I knew I loved him.”
* “It was the depths of the Depression and people were desperate to find work.”
out of your depth
idiom
1. not having the knowledge, experience, or skills to deal with a particular subject or situation
* “I was out of my depth in the advanced class, so I moved to the intermediate class.”
2. in water that is so deep that it goes over your head when you are standing
* “I’m not a strong swimmer, so I prefer not to go out of my depth.”
fat chance
idiom
1. used to say that you certainly do not think that something is likely to happen
* "”Perhaps they’ll invite you.” “Fat chance (of that)!””
fat lot of good
idiom
1. If you say that something does a fat lot of good, you mean that it is not at all helpful
* “She had a lot of qualifications, but a fat lot of good that did her when it came to getting a good job.”
* “A fat lot of good his punishment seems to have done .”
* “I went to see my doctor, and a fat lot of good he was.”
* “Well, you guys were a fat lot of good last night!”
hunt/search high and low
idiom
1. to search everywhere for something
* “I’ve been hunting high and low for that certificate and I still can’t find it!”
on high
idiom
1. in heaven [literary]
* “God looked down from on high.”
2. If an order comes from on high, it comes from someone in a position of authority [mainly humorous]
* “Instructions came from on high to reduce our travel expenses.”
high-tech
uk |ˌhaɪˈtek| us |ˌhaɪˈtek|
adjective
1. using the most advanced and developed machines and methods (also hi-tech)
* “This weapons system is an affordable, hi-tech solution.”
(as) large as life
idiom
1. used as a way of describing a person you see, and are surprised to see, in a particular place
* “I looked up from my newspaper and there he was, as large as life, Tim Trotter!”
at large
idiom
1. generally
* “This group is not representative of the population at large.”
2. not representing or working in a particular area [US (also at-large)]
* “She is an editor-at-large for a popular fashion magazine.”
* “The leadership council includes three at-large members.”
in (a) large part
phrase
1. to an important degree
* “How quickly we can finish the project depends in a large part on when we get the payments through.”
* “We were able to get the job finished early thanks in large part to Tom’s efforts.”
* “I owe my appreciation of food in large part to my mother.”
* “Almost all scientists agree that the problem is due in large part to substantial increases in carbon dioxide emissions from human activity.”
* “This is attributable in a large part to the current economic recession.”
in the depths of somewhere
idiom
1. deep inside or in the middle of somewhere, and a long distance from its edges
* “a house in the depths of the forest”
* “They found prehistoric paintings in the depths of the caves.”
* “He was trapped in the depths of a sunken ship.”
* “She lives in a cottage in the depth of the Welsh countryside.”
* “The books are probably gathering dust in the depth of someone’s attic.”
at length
phrase
1. for a long time
* “[at great length] George went on at great length about his various illnesses.”
* “He talked at length about his visits to various Roman sites.”
* “The article deals at length with how to evaluate different sources of information.”
* “She’ll call her interior designer to discuss at length which lampshade to buy.”
* “I’m a huge jazz fan and can go on about it at some length, given the chance.”
* “At length, the authorities allowed her to go home.”
* “At length, the suspect replied.”
* “At length, all the obstacles were overcome and we were able to set off.”
* “He waited anxiously until at length he spotted her entering the room.”
* “At length, the two sides reached an agreement.”
loads of something
idiom
1. [infml] much or many
* “There were loads of people standing around a TV set in the store.”
* “Ellie’s a good student, and she has a load of friends.”
a load/weight off your mind
idiom
1. an occasion when a problem that has been worrying you stops or is dealt with
* “I’m so relieved that I don’t have to make a speech - it’s such a weight off my mind!”
take a long, hard look at something
idiom
1. to examine something very carefully in order to improve it in the future
* “We need to take a long, hard look at the way we control gun ownership.”
at (long) last
phrase
1. finally
* “I’ve finished my essay at last!”
* “At long last the government is starting to listen to our problems.”
* “At last we arrived at the hotel and were taken to our rooms.”
* “In the countryside she found herself freed at last from the anxiety that had plagued her in the city.”
* “He has agreed, at long last, to give his version of events.”
go a long way
idiom
1. If you say that someone will go a long way, you mean that they will be very successful.
long time no see
idiom
1. said when you meet someone who you haven’t seen for a long period of time
compliment
uk |ˈkɒm.plɪ.mənt| us |ˈkɑːm.plə.mənt|
noun
1. a remark that expresses approval, admiration, or respect [C]
* “He complained that his husband never paid him any compliments anymore.”
* “I take it as a compliment (= I am pleased) when people say I look like my mother.”
* “Are you fishing for (= trying to get) compliments?”
compliment
uk |ˈkɒm.plɪ.mənt| us |ˈkɑːm.plə.mənt|
verb
1. to praise or express admiration for someone
* “I was just complimenting Robert on his wonderful food.”
* “I must compliment you on your handling of a very difficult situation.”
pay your way
idiom
1. to pay for yourself rather than allowing someone else to pay
pay rise
uk |ˈpeɪ ˌraɪz| us |ˈpeɪ ˌraɪz|
noun
1. an increase in the amount of money you earn for doing your job
take-home pay
uk |ˈteɪk.həʊm ˌpeɪ| us |ˈteɪk.hoʊm ˌpeɪ|
noun
1. the amount of earnings that you have left after tax, etc.
come/be a poor second, third, etc.
idiom
1. to be considered much lower in value, quality, or importance than the one, two, etc. other things or people mentioned
* “For Jackie, I’m afraid, money is always of first importance and the children come a poor second.”
rich in something
phrase
1. containing a lot of something good or useful
* “Pineapple juice is rich in vitamins A and B.”
* “The English language is rich in vocabulary.”
* “Green, leafy vegetables are rich in antioxidants.”
* “The land here is rich in minerals.”
* “It’s often claimed that organic food is rich in nutrients.”
* “Tomatoes and bananas are both rich in potassium.”
there’s one law for the rich and another for the poor
idiom
1. said when a rich person has not been punished for something that a poor person would be punished for
share
uk |ʃeər| us |ʃer|
verb
1. to have or use something at the same time as someone else [I/T]
* “She’s very possessive about her toys and finds it hard to share.”
* “Bill and I shared an office for years.”
* “I share a house with four other people.”
2. to divide food, money, goods, etc. and give part of it to someone else [I/T]
* “Will you share your sandwich with me?”
* “Let’s share the sweets (out) among/between everyone.”
* “We should share (in) the reward.”
3. If two or more people share an activity, they each do some of it [I/T]
* “Shall we share the driving?”
* “We shared the preparation for the party between us, so it wasn’t too much work.”
4. If two or more people or things share a feeling, quality, or experience, they both or all have the same feeling, quality, or experience [I/T]
* “We share an interest in sailing.”
* “All hospitals share some common characteristics.”
* “I don’t share your views/beliefs.”
* “The management and the union both share in the responsibility for the crisis.”
* “She knew that he was the person she wanted to share her life with.”
5. to tell someone else about your thoughts, feelings, ideas, etc. [T]
* “He’s not very good at sharing his worries.”
* “It’s nice to have someone you can share your problems with.”
* “Come on, Bob, share the joke (with us).”
6. to put something on a social media website so that other people can see it, or to let other people see something that someone else has put on a website [T]
* “You might even recommend an article to other readers or share it on Facebook.”
share
uk |ʃeər| us |ʃer|
noun
1. a part of something that has been divided between several people [C/U]
* “The total bill comes to €80, so our share is €20.”
* “We ought to make sure that everyone gets equal shares of the food.”
* “His share of the vote rose by 15 percentage points among Hispanics.”
2. a part of something that several people are involved in [C/U]
* “She’s not doing her share of the work.”
* “We must all accept some share of the responsibility.”
3. one of the equal parts that the ownership of a company is divided into, and that can be bought by members of the public [C]
* “The value of my shares has risen/fallen by eight percent.”
* “We have some shares in Apple.”
* “He invests in stocks and shares.”
* “share prices”
4. an occasion when someone shares something on a social media website [C]
* “Her post has had over a thousand shares on Facebook.”
share and share alike
idiom
1. used to encourage everyone to have an equal amount of something
* “Don’t keep all those chocolates to yourself - share and share alike.”
shareholder
uk |ˈʃeəˌhəʊl.dər| us |ˈʃerˌhoʊl.dɚ|
noun
1. a person who owns shares in a company and therefore gets part of the company’s profits and the right to vote on how the company is controlled
* “Shareholders will be voting on the proposed merger of the companies next week.”
share-out
uk |ˈʃeə.raʊt| us |ˈʃer.aʊt|
noun
1. an act of dividing something between several people
* “Everyone benefited from the share-out of the profits.”
short of breath
phrase
1. unable to breathe very well, for example because you have been running or doing some type of energetic exercise, or because you may be ill
* “She’s always short of breath when she climbs the stairs.”
* “If you have chest pain and are short of breath, call 999 immediately.”
* “I’m trying to exercise more often so I’m not so short of breath every time I go for a run.”
* “He was habitually short of breath, and that’s how he knew something was wrong.”
short of breath
collocation
1. unable to breathe in enough air
* “She was dizzy and short of breath.”
* “The asthma attack left him short of breath.”
make short work of something
idiom
1. to finish or deal with something quickly
* “Well, you certainly made short work of the chocolate cake! There’s none left for your dad.”
at short notice
idiom
1. only a short time before something happens
* “I can’t cancel my plans at such short notice.”
short and sweet
idiom
1. surprisingly short in a way that is pleasing
* “This morning’s meeting was short and sweet.”
shortlist
uk |ˈʃɔːt.lɪst| us |ˈʃɔːrt.lɪst|
noun
1. a list of people who have been judged the most suitable for a job or prize, made from a longer list of people originally considered, and from which one person will be chosen
* “We’ve drawn up (= decided) a shortlist for the job.”
* “She’s on the shortlist for a first novel prize.”
shortlist
uk |ˈʃɔːt.lɪst| us |ˈʃɔːrt.lɪst|
verb
1. to put someone or something on a shortlist
* “His latest novel has been shortlisted for the Man Booker prize.”
* “I’ve shortlisted three applicants for the job.”
**it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog **
idiom
1. used for saying that someone small can defeat a larger opponent if they try hard
* “He’s only 5 foot 4, but growing up his dad would always say, “it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog”.”
* “He was injured by a woman half his size. “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog,” he said.”
2. used for saying that anyone can be successful if they have a lot of determination
* “We know this won’t be easy, but it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
* “He dismissed criticism that his political success may be short-lived, saying “There’s an old saying: It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog that determines the outcome.””
downsize
uk |ˈdaʊn.saɪz| us |ˈdaʊn.saɪz|
verb
1. to make a company or organization smaller by reducing the number of people working for it, or to become smaller in this way
* “to downsize your workforce/company”
* “The plight of the economy is forcing businesses to downsize.”
2. to move to a smaller home, usually because your home has become too large for you or as a way of saving money
* “Should you downsize before property prices drop?”
* “[downsize from something to something] My wife and I want to downsize from a 6-bedroom home to a 2-bedroom home in a 55+ community.”
* “Many people downsize their homes at retirement age in order to free up cash.”
small hours
uk |ˈsmɔːl ˌaʊəz| us |ˈsmɑːl ˌaʊrz|
noun
1. the early hours of the morning, between twelve o’clock at night and the time when the sun rises
* “She was up until the small hours of the morning trying to finish her essay.”
small talk
uk |ˈsmɔːl ˌtɔːk| us |ˈsmɑːl ˌtɑːk|
noun
1. conversation about things that are not important, often between people who do not know each other well
* “I don’t enjoy parties where I have to make small talk with complete strangers.”
have thin/thick skin
idiom
1. to be easily/not easily upset by criticism
* “I don’t worry about what he says - I have a very thick skin.”
be skating on thin ice
idiom
1. to be doing something that is dangerous or involves risks
* “He’s skating on thin ice by lying to the police.”
be thin on top
idiom
1. to have lost some of the hair on your head
* “He’s a little thin on top these days, isn’t he?”
weak at the knees
idiom
1. If you go weak at the knees, you lose your strength and feel you are going to fall over, usually because of seeing or talking about either someone you are very attracted to or because of something unpleasant or frightening
* “The thought of kissing him made me go weak at the knees.”
on shaky ground
idiom
1. likely to fail
* “At least one factory is on shaky ground, and the town expects more to shut down.”
weak-willed
uk |ˌwiːkˈwɪld| us |ˌwiːkˈwɪld|
adjective
1. not having the determination that is needed to continue with a difficult course of action
* “My diets are never successful - I’m just too weak-willed.”
a drop in the ocean
idiom
1. a very small amount compared to the amount needed
* “My letter of protest was just a drop in the ocean.”
break even
idiom
1. to have no profit or loss at the end of a business activity
* “After paying for our travel costs, we barely (= only just) broke even.”
fall short
idiom
1. to fail to reach an amount or standard that was expected or hoped for, causing disappointment
* “[fall short of] August car sales fell short of the industry’s expectations.”
fifty-fifty
uk |ˌfɪf.tiˈfɪf.ti| us |ˌfɪf.tiˈfɪf.ti|
adverb
1. (into) equal halves
* “They divided the prize fifty-fifty.”
* “There’s only a fifty-fifty chance that she’ll survive the operation.”
go halves
phrase
1. to divide the cost of something with someone
* “[go halves on] Shall we go halves on a bottle of champagne?”
* “[go halves with] I’ll go halves with you on a bottle of champagne.”
* “Would you be willing to go halves with me on these boots, and that could be my birthday present?”
* “I hope he doesn’t think I’m going halves with him.”
* “It was our first date, but we went halves on everything so neither of us felt like we needed to pay the other one back.”
keep up with the Joneses
idiom
1. to always want to own the same expensive objects and do the same things as your friends or neighbours, because you are worried about seeming less important socially than they are
be knee-high to a grasshopper
idiom
1. to be very small or young
line your pocket(s)
idiom
1. to earn money using dishonest or illegal methods
* “[line your pockets with something] Staff at the bank have apparently been lining their pockets with money from investors’ accounts.”
lock, stock, and barrel
idiom
1. including all or every part of something
* “We had to move our things lock, stock, and barrel to the other side of the country.”
six of one and half a dozen of the other
idiom
1. said when you think that neither of two choices is better than the other
* "”Shall we give her chocolates or flowers?” “I don’t know, it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other.””
tidy
uk |ˈtaɪ.di| us |ˈtaɪ.di|
adjective
1. having everything ordered and arranged in the right place, or liking to keep things like this
* “The house was clean and tidy.”
* “My flatmate isn’t very tidy.”
* “neat and tidy”
* “a tidy solution”
