Use of English Flashcards

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1
Q

in vain

A

without success
-Try in vain to do something

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2
Q

unanimous

A

if a decision or an opinion is unanimous, it is agreed or shared by everyone in a group

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3
Q

springy

A

-returning quickly to the original shape after being pushed, pulled, stretched, etc.
-full of energy and confidence

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4
Q

give your word

A

to promise

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5
Q

beyond belief

A

too bad, good, difficult, etc. to be imagined

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6
Q

be a big fish in a small pond

A

an important person of an organization

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7
Q

put something/someone on the map

A

to make a thing, person, or place famous

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8
Q

put on an act

A

pretend

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9
Q

make a getaway

A

to escape after committing a crime

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10
Q

as an alternative to something

A

instead of something

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11
Q

at someone’s disposal

A

available to be used by someone

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12
Q

be meant to do something

A

-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

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13
Q

chauffeur-driven car

A

a car driven by a chauffeur-someone whose job is to drive a car for a rich or important person

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14
Q

beyond one’s reach

A

-not close enough to be touched or picked up by someone
-not within someone’s power to do or achieve

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15
Q

take (someone or something) by surprise

A

to happen to (someone or something) unexpectedly : to surprise (someone or something)

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16
Q

the onset of something

A

the beginning of something, especially something bad

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17
Q

at/from the outset

A

at or from the beginning of an event or process

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18
Q

have a head for

A

to be good at something

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19
Q

give somebody a free hand/rein

A

to let someone do whatever they want or need to do in a particular situation

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20
Q

take pot luck

A

to choose something without knowing very much about it, and hope that it will be what you want

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21
Q

be child’s play

A

to be very easy

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22
Q

look down one’s nose at

A

coi thường ai

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23
Q

turn over a new leaf

A

to start behaving in a better way

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24
Q

nonetheless

A

despite this fact, however

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25
Q

militant

A

a person who uses, or is willing to use, force or strong pressure to achieve their aims, especially to achieve social or political change

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26
Q

clamp down on

A

to take strict action in order to prevent something, especially crime

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27
Q

balk

A

-(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

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28
Q

I’ll/we’ll cross that bridge when I/we come/get to it

A

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)

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29
Q

roundly

A

(used to describe a negative action) strongly or by a large number of people

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30
Q

smutty

A

(of stories, pictures and comments) dealing with sex in a way that some people find offensive

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31
Q

manhood

A

the qualities that a man is supposed to have, for example courage, strength and sexual power

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32
Q

a multitude of

A

a large number of people or things

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33
Q

cast aspersions on

A

to criticize or make damaging remarks or judgments about someone or something

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34
Q

vilification

A

the act of saying or writing unpleasant things about somebody/something so that other people will have a low opinion of them

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35
Q

bargain for/on something

A

to expect something to happen and be prepared for it

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36
Q

contemplate on

A

consider carefully about something

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37
Q

the chance/experience etc of a lifetime

A

the best opportunity, experience etc that you will ever have

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38
Q

the mass of something

A

the majority of something

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39
Q

on the off-chance of doing something

A

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.

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40
Q

mischance

A

bad luck
Ex: If by some mischance our attempt fails, we’ll try again next year.

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41
Q

perchance

A

perhaps, by chance; possibly
Ex: Do you know her, perchance?

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42
Q

with regard to

A

about; concerning

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43
Q

recession

A

a difficult time for the economy of a country, when there is less trade and industrial activity than usual and more people are unemployed

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44
Q

uppermost

A

more important than other things in a particular situation
(uppermost in my mind)

45
Q

predominant

A

-most obvious or easy to notice
-having more power or influence than others

46
Q

uttermost

A

greatest; most extreme

47
Q

poetic justice

A

a situation in which something bad happens to somebody, and you think that this is what they deserve

48
Q

figurative

A

theo nghĩa bóng

49
Q

flowery

A

-covered with flowers or decorated with pictures of flowers
-(of speech or writing) too complicated; not expressed in a clear and simple way

50
Q

metrical

A

connected with the rhythm of a poem, produced by the arrangement of stress on the syllables in each line

51
Q

repression

A

-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

52
Q

coup

A

-an unexpectedly successful achievement
-a sudden illegal, often violent, taking of government power, especially by part of an army

53
Q

on the pretext of

A

-a pretended reason for doing something that is used to hide the real reason
(với cái cớ, với lí do là)

54
Q

-in somebody’s guise as something
-under the guise of something

A

a way in which somebody/something appears, often in a way that is different from usual or that hides the truth about them/it

55
Q

ploy

A

-ploy to do something
- ploy for doing something
words or actions that are carefully planned to get an advantage over somebody else

56
Q

pretence

A

-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

57
Q

sparsely populated

A

an area that contains few people (dân cư thưa thớt)

58
Q

halo

A
  • 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
59
Q

a fat chance of

A

If you say that there is fat chance of something happening, you mean that you do not believe that it will happen

60
Q

despoil

A

to make a place less attractive especially by taking things away from it by force

61
Q

untutored

A

having no knowledge of or education in a particular subject

62
Q

to the, my, etc. untutored eye

A

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.

63
Q

natural assets

A

assets of the natural environment (consist of biological assets (produced or wild), land and water areas with their ecosystems, subsoil assets and air)

64
Q

be (like) a millstone around your neck

A

to be a responsibility that is difficult to bear and causes you trouble
(gánh vác trách nhiệm nặng nề)

65
Q

the sword in the stone

A

(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.

66
Q

have a heart of stone

A

to be unkind or cruel

67
Q

keep/put your nose to the grindstone

A

to work very hard for a long time

68
Q

grope around/about for someone/something

A

Literally, to attempt to feel or locate something using only one’s hands, as in the dark or when one is blind.

69
Q

probe

A

-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

70
Q

filing

A

-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

71
Q

strenuous

A

-needing or using a lot of physical or mental effort or energy

72
Q

weary of

A

-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)

73
Q

stuffy

A

-(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

74
Q

merchant vessels/ship

A

tàu buôn

75
Q

profiteering

A

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

76
Q

distress signal

A

a signal from a ship or aircraft that is in danger (tín hiệu cầu cứu)

77
Q

disquiet (about/over something)

A

feelings of worry and unhappiness about something

78
Q

impart something (to something)

A
  • to pass information, knowledge, etc. to other people
    -to give a particular quality to something
79
Q

relay

A

to repeat something you have heard, or to broadcast a signal, message, or programme on television or radio

80
Q

localise

A

limit something to a particular area (khoanh vùng)

81
Q

approachable

A

friendly and easy to talk to; easy to understand

82
Q

on a level/par with somebody/something

A

as good, bad, important, etc. as somebody/something else
Ex: This place is on a par with the best French restaurants.

83
Q

take it or leave it

A

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.

84
Q

to my great joy

A

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.

85
Q

stand by someone

A

-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

86
Q

stick at something

A

-to continue trying hard to do something difficult

87
Q

go back on one’s word

A

đi ngược lại với lời hứa

88
Q

hold onto/on to something

A
89
Q

more or less

A

-almost. Ex: I’ve more or less finished the book.
-approximately. Ex: She could earn $200 a night, more or less.

90
Q

by and by

A

before long; soon
Ex: By and by she met an old man with a beard.

91
Q

here and there

A

in various places
Ex: Papers were scattered here and there on the floor.

92
Q

in a way | in one way | in some ways

A

to some extent; not completely
Ex: In a way it was one of our biggest mistakes.

93
Q

have a grievance

A

có mối bất bình về điều gì

94
Q

intensive treatment

A
95
Q

discernible improvement

A

cải thiện rõ rệt,đáng kể

96
Q

indecipherable

A

(of writing or speech) impossible to read or understand

97
Q

legible

A

(of written or printed words) clear enough to read

98
Q

intelligible (to somebody)

A

that can be easily understood

99
Q

slim prospect/chance

A

cơ hội mong manh

100
Q

happy–go–lucky

A

luôn luôn vui vẻ, hoặc trong tâm trạng vui vẻ, hài lòng; vô tư

101
Q

glaring

A

-(of something bad) very easily seen
-(of a light) very bright and unpleasant
-angry; aggressive

102
Q

permissible (for somebody) (to do something)

A

acceptable according to the law or a particular set of rules

103
Q

flagrant

A

(of an action) that shocks you because it is done in a very obvious way and shows no respect for people, laws, etc.

104
Q

a string of

A

a number of similar things or events coming one after another

105
Q

rummage

A

to move things around carelessly while searching for something

106
Q

infallible

A

-never wrong; never making mistakes
-that never fails; always doing what it is supposed to do

107
Q

unfailing

A

that you can rely on to always be there and always be the same

108
Q

foolproof

A

(of a plan or machine) so simple and easy to understand that it is unable to go wrong or be used wrongly

109
Q

falsify

A

to change something, such as a document, in order to deceive people