UNITS 21&22 • PAT Flashcards
brighten up
collocation
1. If the weather brightens up, it becomes lighter and less cloudy, with more sun
* “I hope the weather brightens up in time for our walk.”
* “It was rainy this morning, but it brightened up after lunch.”
2. to become happier or more full of hope
* “Alex brightened up when he heard the word “dinner”.”
* “Helga’s face suddenly brightened up.”
brush up (on) something
uk |brʌʃ| us |brʌʃ|
verb
1. to improve your knowledge of something already learned but partly forgotten
* “I thought I’d brush up (on) my French before going to Paris.”
check out
uk |tʃek| us |tʃek|
verb
1. to leave a hotel after paying and returning your room key
* “[check out of] We checked out of our hotel at 5 a.m. to catch a 7 a.m. flight.”
* “Please remember to leave your room key at reception when you check out.”
2. to pay for goods at a shop or online [mainly US]
* “There was a 45 minute queue to check out at the supermarket.”
* “When you’re ready to check out, click here to go to the payment page.”
check someone out
uk |tʃek| us |tʃek|
verb
1. to find out information about someone
* “I hired a private investigator to check him out.”
* “They’ll check you out thoroughly, including giving you a medical, to make sure you’re right for the job.”
* “She’s an interesting writer — I highly recommend you check her out.”
2. to look at someone or something because you want to find out more about them [informal]
* “The neighbours here all check you out when they think you’re not looking.”
* “The kitten was shy at first, but came over to check us out.”
3. to look at someone because you think they are attractive and you may be romantically or sexually interested in them [informal]
* “I admit, I was checking you out.”
* “I was at the bar and some guy was checking me out.”
check something out
uk |tʃek| us |tʃek|
verb
1. to examine something or get more information about it in order to be certain that it is true, safe, or suitable [informal]
* “We’ll need to check out his story.”
liven (something) up
uk |ˈlaɪ.vən| us |ˈlaɪ.vən|
verb
1. to become more interesting and exciting, or to make something become like this
* “A new coat of paint would liven the kitchen up.”
* “Liven up your meals with fresh herbs and spices.”
* “The party livened up as soon as Sally arrived.”
liven (someone) up
uk |ˈlaɪ.vən| us |ˈlaɪ.vən|
verb
1. to become more energetic or in a better mood, or to make someone feel this way
* “She was subdued to start with, but after a while she livened up.”
* “I’m going to liven myself up a little by going for a run.”
make someone/something over
uk |meɪk| us |meɪk|
verb
1. to improve something or someone by working on or changing various parts
* “Ed Carey has been chosen to make over the losing football team.”
mess something up
uk |mes| us |mes|
verb
1. to make something dirty or untidy
* “Who’s messed up the bookshelf?”
mess (something) up
uk |mes| us |mes|
verb
1. to spoil or damage something, or to do something wrong or badly
* “I messed up my chances of becoming a great singer.”
* “He says that his divorce has really messed his life up.”
* “You really messed up this time.”
mess someone up
uk |mes| us |mes|
verb
1. to cause someone to suffer emotional and mental problems
* “Drugs can really mess you up.”
2. to hit someone repeatedly so that they are badly injured [US slang]
mess-up
uk |ˈmes.ʌp| us |ˈmes.ʌp|
noun
1. something that has been done badly
* “He made a real mess-up of the sales figures.”
paper over something
uk |ˈpeɪ.pər| us |ˈpeɪ.pɚ|
verb
1. to hide an unpleasant situation, especially a problem or disagreement, in order to make people believe that it does not exist or is not serious
* “He tried to paper over the country’s deep-seated problems.”
patch something up
uk |pætʃ| us |pætʃ|
verb
1. to try to improve a relationship after there have been problems
* “Jackie and Bill are still trying to patch up their marriage.”
* “Did you manage to patch things up with her after your row?”
2. to repair something, especially in a simple and temporary way
patch someone/something up
uk |pætʃ| us |pætʃ|
verb
1. to give basic medical care to someone that helps them temporarily
* “If you’ve cut your hand, the first-aider will patch you up.”
pick someone/something up
uk |pɪk| us |pɪk|
verb
1. to lift someone or something using your hands
* “If she starts to cry, pick her up and give her a cuddle.”
* “I picked up the kids’ clothes that were lying on the floor.”
* “I went to pick up the phone/receiver, but it had stopped ringing.”
2. to collect, or to go and get, someone or something
* “When you’re in town could you pick up the books I ordered?”
* “Whose turn is it to pick the children up after school?”
* “The crew of the sinking tanker were picked up (= saved from the sea) by helicopter.”
pick something up
uk |pɪk| us |pɪk|
verb
1. to learn a new skill or language by practising it rather than being taught it
* “Don’t bother with the computer manual - you’ll pick it up as you go along.”
* “When you live in a country you soon pick up the language.”
2. to learn interesting or useful information from someone or something
* “The nurse had picked up the information from a conversation she overheard.”
3. to buy something cheaply
* “[pick up a bargain] She picked up some real bargains in the sale.”
pick (something) up
uk |pɪk| us |pɪk|
verb
1. to start something again after an interruption
* “The author picks the same theme up again on page ten.”
* “[pick up where someone left off] Let’s pick up where we left off yesterday.”
pick someone up
uk |pɪk| us |pɪk|
verb
1. (of the police) to stop someone and take them to a police station in order to be questioned or arrested [UK informal]
* “[be picked up for] He was picked up by the police for drug dealing.”
* “The police picked her up just outside Canterbury.”
2. to start a sexual or romantic relationship with someone you do not know, by talking to that person and giving them a lot of attention [informal]
* “He said he’d picked the woman up in a bar.”
pick up (something)
uk |pɪk| us |pɪk|
verb
1. to increase or improve
* “The truck picked up speed slowly.”
* “The wind always picks up in the evening.”
* “The number of applicants will pick up during the autumn.”
* “His spirits picked up when he got the good news.”
* “Her career only began to pick up when she was in her forties.”
2. to answer the phone
* “I tried his home number but he didn’t pick up.”
3. to tidy a room [US]
* “I picked up, but I didn’t vacuum.”
* “Pick up your room - you’d think a pig lived here!”
run someone/something down
uk |rʌn| us |rʌn|
verb
1. to criticize someone or something, often unfairly [informal]
* “He’s always running himself down.”
2. to hit and injure a person or animal with a vehicle, especially intentionally
* “Two masked men on motorbikes tried to run me down.”
3. to find someone or something after following or searching for him, her, or it for a long time
* “[run someone/something down in/to something] I finally ran Mr Green down in/to a house in the country.”
run (something) down
uk |rʌn| us |rʌn|
verb
1. to reduce a business or organization in size or importance, or to become reduced in this way [UK]
* “The government is secretly running down the troop levels.”
2. If a machine or device such as a clock or battery runs down, it loses power, or if you run it down, you cause this to happen
* “These batteries can be recharged when they run down.”
* “You’ll run the battery down if you leave your car lights on.”
run something down
uk |rʌn| us |rʌn|
verb
1. If a large ship runs down a smaller one, it hits it.
run yourself down
uk |rʌn| us |rʌn|
verb
1. to make yourself tired and ill
* “Since he took that extra job, he’s really run himself down.”
run-down
uk |ˌrʌnˈdaʊn| us |ˌrʌnˈdaʊn|
adjective
1. Run-down buildings or areas are in very bad condition
* “a run-down building/cemetery”
2. tired and not healthy, especially because of working too much [after verb]
* “My doctor said I was looking run-down.”
scrape through (something)
uk |skreɪp| us |skreɪp|
verb
1. to succeed in something but with a lot of difficulty
* “He managed to scrape through his final exams.”
smarten (someone/something) up
uk |ˈsmɑː.tən| us |ˈsmɑːr.tən|
verb
1. to (cause to) become more clean, tidy, and stylish
* “She’s really smartened herself up since she finished college.”
* “You’ll have to smarten up if you want to work in television.”
stand out
uk |stænd| us |stænd|
verb
1. to be very noticeable
* “The black lettering really stands out on that orange background.”
2. to be much better than other similar things or people
* “[stand out from] We had lots of good applicants for the job, but one stood out from the rest.”
touch something up
uk |tʌtʃ| us |tʌtʃ|
verb
1. to improve something by making small changes or additions
* “She touched up her lipstick and brushed her hair.”
* “We thought the photo had probably been touched up, because he looked so much younger in it.”
touch someone up
uk |tʌtʃ| us |tʌtʃ|
verb
1. to touch someone’s body in a sexual way without their permission
* “She claimed that he had tried to touch her up.”
waste away
uk |weɪst| us |weɪst|
verb
1. to gradually get thinner and weaker, in a way that is unhealthy
* “You get thinner every time I see you, Sara - you’re wasting away!”
write something off
uk |raɪt| us |raɪt|
verb
1. to accept that an amount of money has been lost or that a debt will not be paid
* “The World Bank is being urged to write off debts from developing countries.”
2. to be able to use the cost of something you have bought to reduce the amount of tax you owe
* “You might be able to write off the car as a business expense.”
3. to damage a vehicle so badly that it cannot be repaired [UK]
* “His car was completely written off in the accident.”
write someone/something off
uk |raɪt| us |raɪt|
verb
1. to decide that a particular person or thing will not be useful, important, or successful
* “A lot of companies seem to write people off if they’re over 50.”
write-off
uk |ˈraɪ.tɒf| us |ˈraɪ.t̬ɑːf|
noun
1. a period of time during which you fail to achieve anything
* “Yesterday was a complete write-off as far as work is concerned.”
2. a vehicle that is too damaged to be worth repairing [UK]
* “She wasn’t hurt, but the car’s a complete write-off.”
have something down to a fine art
idiom
1. to be able to do something very well or quickly, often because you have done it so many times
go from bad to worse
idiom
1. If a situation goes from bad to worse, it was difficult and unpleasant, and is becoming even more so
* “Things have gone from bad to worse.”
bad blood
uk |ˌbæd ˈblʌd| us |ˌbæd ˈblʌd|
noun
1. feelings of hate between people because of arguments in the past
* “There has been bad blood between the two families for years.”
make the best of
phrase
1. to make an unsatisfactory situation as pleasant as possible
* “We’ll have to spend the night here, so we might as well make the best of it.”
* “We’ll just have to make the best of a bad situation.”
* “It was in her nature to make the best of whatever came along.”
* “He had to do the worst jobs, but he made the best of it.”
* “It was a matter of pooling our resources and making the best of it.”
for the best
phrase
1. If an action is for the best, it is done to improve a situation or produce a good result, although it might seem unpleasant at the time
* “Ending a relationship is always hard but in this case it’s for the best.”
* “She is finding it hard to persuade teachers that these changes in classroom practice are for the best.”
* “The last thing I wanted was for my parents to go into a nursing home, but in the end even I could see it was for the best.”
* “The cast didn’t attempt a Spanish accent, which was definitely for the best.”
* “Most people thought it was for the best that the senator stood down.”
be at your best
phrase
1. to be as active or intelligent as you can be
* “I’m not at my best in the morning.”
* “You’re not at your best when you try to take on too much at once.”
* “She is at her best when she is writing about life in the Scottish Highlands.”
* “Bob is always at his best when there’s a real crisis on.”
* “With so little sleep, the troops certainly weren’t at their best.”
to the best of your ability
phrase
1. as well as you can
* “Just do the job to the best of your ability.”
* “I wanted to support her research to the best of my ability by making the papers available to her.”
* “Most people want to perform to the best of their ability at work.”
* “I’ve played to the best of my abilities with the club, and I’m crushed that they’ve let me go.”
* “We will work to the best of our ability to make sure that the educational needs of all the children are met.”
* “He is trying, to the best of his ability, to help other people who have suffered from similar types of addiction.”
bring out the best in someone
collocation
1. to make someone’s best qualities more noticeable
* “A crisis can bring out the best in people.”
* “A good conductor will bring out the best in an orchestra.”
someone had better do something
phrase
1. used to give advice or to make a threat
* “You’d better (= you should) go home now before the rain starts.”
* “He’d better pay me back that money he owes me soon, or else.”
* “It’s late - we’d better get going.”
* “You’d better warn her not to be late.”
* “You’d better not be lying to me!”
betterment
uk |ˈbet.ə.mənt| us |ˈbet̬.ɚ.mənt|
noun
1. improvement
* “Several changes have been made for the betterment of the sport.”
better half
uk |ˌbet.ə ˈhɑːf| us |ˌbet̬.ɚ ˈhæf|
noun
1. A person’s better half is their husband, wife, or usual sexual partner.
the bottom drops/falls out of the market
idiom
1. If the bottom drops out of the market of a product, people stop buying it
* “The bottom has fallen out of the fur coat market.”
bottom line
uk |ˌbɒt.əm ˈlaɪn| us |ˌbɑː.t̬əm ˈlaɪn|
noun
1. the final line in the accounts of a company or organization, stating the total profit or loss that has been made
* “How will the rise in interest rates affect our bottom line?”
make a clean break
collocation
1. to end a relationship with someone or a connection with something suddenly and completely
* “When a relationship ends, it’s often best to make a clean break.”
* “When she retired, it was expected that she would make a clean break from the sport.”
* “We have come into government to make a clean break with the past.”
make a clean breast of it
idiom
1. to tell the truth about something
* “Julia finally made a clean breast of it and admitted that she had stolen the money.”
a clean bill of health
idiom
1. a decision by a doctor that someone is healthy
* “[be given a clean bill of health] He’s been given a clean bill of health by the doctor.”
2. a decision by someone in authority that a particular thing is in good condition
* “Of 30 countries inspected for airline safety, only 17 received a clean bill of health.”
a clean sweep
idiom
1. a situation in which one player, team, etc. wins everything that is available
* “[make a clean sweep of] Romania made a clean sweep of the medals.”
* “I was betting on all the games, and I needed a clean sweep.”
* “We watched him take a clean sweep in three major tournaments.”
* “The production achieved a clean sweep of this year’s stage awards.”
2. a situation in which something is completely changed by getting rid of people or things
* “The only way to resolve the situation was with a clean sweep of the board room.”
* “[make a clean sweep of] After the success of the Bolshevik revolution in 1917, many Soviet communists wanted to make a clean sweep of the discredited old order.”
clear case of something/doing something
collocation
1. an obvious example of something
* “His belief that the staff all get on well is a clear case of wishful thinking.”
* “The doctor told me that it looked like a clear case of repetitive strain injury.”
(as) clear as mud
idiom
1. very difficult to understand
* “His instructions were as clear as mud.”
(as) clear as a bell
idiom
1. very easy to hear
* “Clear as a bell, from the back of the theatre came a child’s voice saying, “I want to go home”.”
do the dirty work
idiom
1. in football, to work hard defending, not attacking an opponent’s goal
* “A player like Young, who does all the dirty work, allows the rest of the midfield to press higher up the pitch.”
dirty word
uk |ˌdɜː.ti ˈwɜːd| us |ˌdɝː.t̬i ˈwɝːd|
noun
1. a word that is connected with sex and considered offensive by many people [C]
2. a word or an expression that refers to something that many people do not approve of [S]
* “For the environmentally aware, “disposable” has become a dirty word.”
cut it/things fine
idiom
1. to allow very little time for something
* “She got to the gate ten minutes before her flight, so she was cutting it very fine.”
be all right/fine by someone
phrase
1. If something is all right/fine by someone, they agree that it can happen
* "”I’d rather go later.” “That’s fine by me.””
* “If it’s all right by you, I’d like to leave now.”
* “If you want to go in June rather than May, that’s fine by me.”
* “I’ll ask Dan - if it’s fine by him, we’ll take the train there rather than drive.”
* "”It would be better for me to go to the earlier performance.” “Yeah, that’s all right by me.””
fine print
uk |ˌfaɪn ˈprɪnt| us |ˌfaɪn ˈprɪnt|
noun
1. text in a formal agreement that is printed smaller than the rest of the text, sometimes in the hope that it will not be noticed
not to put too fine a point on
idiom
1. to be completely direct and honest
* “I think she’s wrong - not to put too fine a point on it.”
be fresh out
phrase
1. If you are fresh out of something, you have just finished or sold all of it, so that there is no more left
* “She asked the waiter for mango juice but they were fresh out.”
* "”Could I have a croissant, please?” “Ah, apologies - we’re fresh out.””
* “I’m sorry, there are no chocolate brownies - we’re fresh out of them.”
* "”I’ll take the black bean burger.” “I’m sorry - we’re fresh out of the black bean burger, but we do have a the southwestern vegetarian sandwich if you’re interested.””
fresh start
idiom
1. an opportunity to begin something again
* “Ramirez is looking forward to a fresh start with his new team.”
brand new
uk |ˌbrænd ˈnjuː| us |ˌbrænd ˈnuː|
adjective
1. completely new, especially not yet used
* “How can he afford to buy himself a brand new car?”
* “Her coat looked as if it was brand new.”
a whole new ballgame
idiom
1. a completely different situation, often one that is difficult or that you know little about
* “We’d done a lot of climbing in Scotland but the Himalayas were a whole new ballgame.”
(as) easy as pie
idiom
1. very easy
* “For Judy, getting a pilot’s license was easy as pie – she seemed to have a natural talent for it.”
old flame
uk |ˌəʊld ˈfleɪm| us |ˌoʊld ˈfleɪm|
noun
1. a person that you loved or had a sexual relationship with in the past
old hat
uk |ˌəʊld ˈhæt| us |ˌoʊld ˈhæt|
noun
1. not modern or exciting
* “He may be old hat among the trendy younger generation, but his shows draw more viewers than any other comedian.”
old hand
uk |ˌəʊld ˈhænd| us |ˌoʊld ˈhænd|
noun
1. someone who is very experienced and skilled in a particular area of activity
* “We should be able to trust Silva to negotiate a good deal for us - he’s an old hand at the game.”
quality
uk |ˈkwɒl.ə.ti| us |ˈkwɑː.lə.t̬i|
noun
1. how good or bad something is [C/U]
* “a shop advertising top quality electrical goods”
* “[poor quality] The food was of such poor quality.”
* “[low quality] The cuts could result in a lower quality of service.”
* “[high quality] Their products are of very high quality.”
* “I only buy good-quality wine.”
* “[quality of] The quality of the picture on our television isn’t very good.”
2. a high standard [U]
* “He’s not interested in quality. All he cares about is making money.”
quality
uk |ˈkwɒl.ə.ti| us |ˈkwɑː.lə.t̬i|
adjective
1. of a high standard [before noun]
* “This is a quality product.”
* “[mainly UK] [quality newspaper] The story received little coverage in the quality newspapers (= more serious newspapers).”
2. very good [after verb informal]
* “That gig was quality.”
as if it is going out of style
idiom
1. very quickly or much more than people normally do
* “She was gulping down sandwiches and cakes as if they were going out of style.”
get on top of someone
idiom
1. If a difficult situation gets on top of you, it makes you feel so upset that you cannot deal with it
* “She’s had a few financial problems, and I think things have just been getting on top of her.”
off the top of your head
idiom
1. from the knowledge you have in your memory
* "”What’s the capital of Mauritania?” “I don’t know off the top of my head, but I could go and look it up.””
on top of the world
idiom
1. extremely happy
* “She was feeling on top of the world.”
get worse
phrase
1. to become more ill, or to become a more severe condition
* “My cold seems to be getting worse.”
* “[get any worse] If he gets any worse I’ll take him to the doctor’s.”
* “My throat is still sore but I don’t think it’s getting any worse.”
* “My headache’s getting worse.”
* “He got worse in the night and I had to call a doctor.”
* “The pain seems to get worse when it’s cold.”
make matters worse
idiom
1. to make the situation even more unpleasant or difficult
* “Don’t say anything - you’ll only make matters worse.”
for the worse
idiom
1. If something changes or happens for the worse, it becomes more unpleasant or difficult
* “[change for the worse] It looks like the weather is changing for the worse.”
take a … turn
phrase
1. to develop in a particular way
* “The battle for control of the company took an interesting turn today.”
* “Events took an unexpected turn when her mother suddenly arrived.”
* “The author’s career took a surprising turn when he released a jazz record.”
* “The scene then takes a nasty turn and you might be well-advised to look away.”
* “The plot took a strange turn in the last episode – I wasn’t expecting that!”
* “Things at the party then took a mysterious turn when the host was nowhere to be found.”
the worse for wear
idiom
1. tired or in poor condition because of a lot of work or use
* “After a month of journeying over rough roads, the drivers and their trucks were looking the worse for wear.”
fear the worst
idiom
1. to think something unpleasant might have happened
* “We hoped that they would be found safe and uninjured, but secretly we feared the worst.”
if worse/worst comes to worst
idiom
1. if the situation develops in the most serious or unpleasant way
* “We should be home when you arrive, but if worst comes to worst, the neighbors have a spare key and will let you into the house.”
at your worst
idiom
1. less active or intelligent than you are at other times
* “I’m at my worst first thing in the morning.”
2. showing the most unpleasant side of someone’s character
* “This problem over late payment has shown him at his worst.”
at worst
idiom
1. used to say what the most unpleasant or difficult situation could possibly be
* “At worst, she can only tell you off for being late.”
2. considering someone or something in the most negative or unkind way possible
* “She is at worst corrupt, and at best has been knowingly breaking the rules.”
the best of both worlds
idiom
1. a situation in which you can enjoy the advantages of two very different things at the same time
* “She works in the city and lives in the country, so she gets the best of both worlds.”
a sight for sore eyes
idiom
1. a way of saying that you are very pleased to see someone or something, or that you think someone or something is very attractive
* “You’re a sight for sore eyes!”
* “The garden, with its many trees and shrubs, is always a sight for sore eyes.”
* “The designer’s ultra-chic, hooded floor-length dresses were a sight for sore eyes.”
add fuel to the fire
idiom
1. to make an argument or bad situation worse (UK also add fuel to the flames)
* “The discovery that the government was aware of the cover-up has really added fuel to the fire.”
below/under par
idiom
1. ill
* “I was feeling under par.”
2. worse than the usual or expected standard
(as) clean as a (new) pin
idiom
1. extremely clean
draw the line
idiom
1. to never do something because you think it is wrong
* “I swear a lot, but even I draw the line at saying certain words.”
the last word in something
idiom
1. the best or most modern example of something
* “In the 1990s these shoes were considered the last word in style.”
out of this world
idiom
1. extremely good
* “What a restaurant - the food was out of this world!”
over the top
idiom
1. too extreme and not suitable, or demanding too much attention or effort, especially in an uncontrolled way
* “[way over the top] I thought the decorations were way (= very) over the top.”
* “The speech was a bit OTT.”
* “He realized he’d gone over the top with the seating arrangements.”
have/take pride of place
idiom
1. to have the most important position in a group of things
* “A portrait of his grandfather takes pride of place in the entrance hall.”
steal the show/scene
idiom
1. to be the most popular or the best part of an event or situation
* “The child with the dog stole the show.”
push/drive someone over the edge
phrase
1. If an unpleasant event pushes someone over the edge, it makes them start to behave in a crazy way
* “She had been driven over the edge by the separation from her husband.”
* “A series of professional failures finally drove him over the edge.”
* “It was the lack of sleep that drove me over the edge.”
* “When people are under so much stress, a simple thing like their car breaking down can push them over the edge.”
* “The infection that brings someone to A&E may be the thing that pushes them over the edge, health-wise.”
