Use of English Flashcards
in vain
without success
-Try in vain to do something
unanimous
if a decision or an opinion is unanimous, it is agreed or shared by everyone in a group
springy
-returning quickly to the original shape after being pushed, pulled, stretched, etc.
-full of energy and confidence
give your word
to promise
beyond belief
too bad, good, difficult, etc. to be imagined
be a big fish in a small pond
an important person of an organization
put something/someone on the map
to make a thing, person, or place famous
put on an act
pretend
make a getaway
to escape after committing a crime
as an alternative to something
instead of something
at someone’s disposal
available to be used by someone
be meant to do something
-if you are meant to do something, you should do it, especially because someone has told you to or because you are responsible for it
-to be intended to do something
chauffeur-driven car
a car driven by a chauffeur-someone whose job is to drive a car for a rich or important person
beyond one’s reach
-not close enough to be touched or picked up by someone
-not within someone’s power to do or achieve
take (someone or something) by surprise
to happen to (someone or something) unexpectedly : to surprise (someone or something)
the onset of something
the beginning of something, especially something bad
at/from the outset
at or from the beginning of an event or process
have a head for
to be good at something
give somebody a free hand/rein
to let someone do whatever they want or need to do in a particular situation
take pot luck
to choose something without knowing very much about it, and hope that it will be what you want
be child’s play
to be very easy
look down one’s nose at
coi thường ai
turn over a new leaf
to start behaving in a better way
nonetheless
despite this fact, however
militant
a person who uses, or is willing to use, force or strong pressure to achieve their aims, especially to achieve social or political change
clamp down on
to take strict action in order to prevent something, especially crime
balk
-(balk at sth): to be unwilling to do something or become involved in something because it is difficult, dangerous, etc.
-(balk somebody of something): to prevent somebody from getting something or doing something
I’ll/we’ll cross that bridge when I/we come/get to it
an expression that means you will not worry about a possible future problem but will deal with it if it happens (đến đâu tính đến đó)
roundly
(used to describe a negative action) strongly or by a large number of people
smutty
(of stories, pictures and comments) dealing with sex in a way that some people find offensive
manhood
the qualities that a man is supposed to have, for example courage, strength and sexual power
a multitude of
a large number of people or things
cast aspersions on
to criticize or make damaging remarks or judgments about someone or something
vilification
the act of saying or writing unpleasant things about somebody/something so that other people will have a low opinion of them
bargain for/on something
to expect something to happen and be prepared for it
contemplate on
consider carefully about something
the chance/experience etc of a lifetime
the best opportunity, experience etc that you will ever have
the mass of something
the majority of something
on the off-chance of doing something
because of the possibility of something happening, although it is unlikely
Ex: I didn’t think you’d be at home but I just called by on the off chance.
mischance
bad luck
Ex: If by some mischance our attempt fails, we’ll try again next year.
perchance
perhaps, by chance; possibly
Ex: Do you know her, perchance?
with regard to
about; concerning
recession
a difficult time for the economy of a country, when there is less trade and industrial activity than usual and more people are unemployed
uppermost
more important than other things in a particular situation
(uppermost in my mind)
predominant
-most obvious or easy to notice
-having more power or influence than others
uttermost
greatest; most extreme
poetic justice
a situation in which something bad happens to somebody, and you think that this is what they deserve
figurative
theo nghĩa bóng
flowery
-covered with flowers or decorated with pictures of flowers
-(of speech or writing) too complicated; not expressed in a clear and simple way
metrical
connected with the rhythm of a poem, produced by the arrangement of stress on the syllables in each line
repression
-the act of using force to control a group of people and limit their freedom
-the act of controlling strong emotions and desires and not allowing them to be expressed so that they no longer seem to exist
coup
-an unexpectedly successful achievement
-a sudden illegal, often violent, taking of government power, especially by part of an army
on the pretext of
-a pretended reason for doing something that is used to hide the real reason
(với cái cớ, với lí do là)
-in somebody’s guise as something
-under the guise of something
a way in which somebody/something appears, often in a way that is different from usual or that hides the truth about them/it
ploy
-ploy to do something
- ploy for doing something
words or actions that are carefully planned to get an advantage over somebody else
pretence
-pretence of doing something
(the act of behaving in a particular way, in order to make other people believe something that is not true-a claim that you have a particular quality or skill)
-keep up the pretence
-make no pretence to
sparsely populated
an area that contains few people (dân cư thưa thớt)
halo
- a circle of light shown around or above the head of a holy person
-a ring of light seen around the sun or moon, especially during an eclipse
a fat chance of
If you say that there is fat chance of something happening, you mean that you do not believe that it will happen
despoil
to make a place less attractive especially by taking things away from it by force
untutored
having no knowledge of or education in a particular subject
to the, my, etc. untutored eye
if or because you are, I am, etc. an untutored person
Ex: To my untutored eye that just looks like a load of random brush strokes, and yet it’s a very valuable painting.
natural assets
assets of the natural environment (consist of biological assets (produced or wild), land and water areas with their ecosystems, subsoil assets and air)
be (like) a millstone around your neck
to be a responsibility that is difficult to bear and causes you trouble
(gánh vác trách nhiệm nặng nề)
the sword in the stone
(in the stories about King Arthur) the magic sword Excalibur, which Arthur as a boy is able to pull out of the large stone in which it is fixed. By doing this he shows that he will be the next king of England.
have a heart of stone
to be unkind or cruel
keep/put your nose to the grindstone
to work very hard for a long time
grope around/about for someone/something
Literally, to attempt to feel or locate something using only one’s hands, as in the dark or when one is blind.
probe
-to try to discover information that other people do not want you to know, by asking questions carefully and not directly
-to examine something with a tool, especially in order to find something that is hidden
filing
-the act of putting documents, letters, etc. into a file
-an official record of something
-the act of officially recording something, for example, your accounts
strenuous
-needing or using a lot of physical or mental effort or energy
weary of
-very tired, especially after you have been working hard or doing something for a long time
-no longer interested in or enthusiastic about something (grow weary of)
stuffy
-(of a building, room, etc.) warm in an unpleasant way and without enough fresh air
-very serious, formal, boring or old-fashioned
- if you have a stuffy nose, your nose is blocked because you have a cold
merchant vessels/ship
tàu buôn
profiteering
the act of making a lot of money in an unfair way, for example by asking very high prices for things that are hard to get
distress signal
a signal from a ship or aircraft that is in danger (tín hiệu cầu cứu)
disquiet (about/over something)
feelings of worry and unhappiness about something
impart something (to something)
- to pass information, knowledge, etc. to other people
-to give a particular quality to something
relay
to repeat something you have heard, or to broadcast a signal, message, or programme on television or radio
localise
limit something to a particular area (khoanh vùng)
approachable
friendly and easy to talk to; easy to understand
on a level/par with somebody/something
as good, bad, important, etc. as somebody/something else
Ex: This place is on a par with the best French restaurants.
take it or leave it
either accept something without any change or refuse it (lấy hay không thì tùy)
Ex: I’ll give you $40 for the bike - take it or leave it.
to my great joy
Ex: The kind of collaborative undertakings I was unable to help engender in the university community have, to my great joy, come calling for me at the Corporation.
stand by someone
-to continue to support or help someone who is in a difficult situation
-to be waiting and ready to do something or to help
-to allow something unpleasant to happen without doing anything to stop it
stick at something
-to continue trying hard to do something difficult
go back on one’s word
đi ngược lại với lời hứa
hold onto/on to something
more or less
-almost. Ex: I’ve more or less finished the book.
-approximately. Ex: She could earn $200 a night, more or less.
by and by
before long; soon
Ex: By and by she met an old man with a beard.
here and there
in various places
Ex: Papers were scattered here and there on the floor.
in a way | in one way | in some ways
to some extent; not completely
Ex: In a way it was one of our biggest mistakes.
have a grievance
có mối bất bình về điều gì
intensive treatment
discernible improvement
cải thiện rõ rệt,đáng kể
indecipherable
(of writing or speech) impossible to read or understand
legible
(of written or printed words) clear enough to read
intelligible (to somebody)
that can be easily understood
slim prospect/chance
cơ hội mong manh
happy–go–lucky
luôn luôn vui vẻ, hoặc trong tâm trạng vui vẻ, hài lòng; vô tư
glaring
-(of something bad) very easily seen
-(of a light) very bright and unpleasant
-angry; aggressive
permissible (for somebody) (to do something)
acceptable according to the law or a particular set of rules
flagrant
(of an action) that shocks you because it is done in a very obvious way and shows no respect for people, laws, etc.
a string of
a number of similar things or events coming one after another
rummage
to move things around carelessly while searching for something
infallible
-never wrong; never making mistakes
-that never fails; always doing what it is supposed to do
unfailing
that you can rely on to always be there and always be the same
foolproof
(of a plan or machine) so simple and easy to understand that it is unable to go wrong or be used wrongly
falsify
to change something, such as a document, in order to deceive people
