Verb Combinations III Flashcards
to bend the rules
to change the rules slightly on one particular occasion
e.g. The man behind the counter told us that, although it was past midnight, he would bend the rules and give us something to eat.
to bow to sb’s demands
(for a government / company) to finally and reluctantly agree to do sth
e.g. After months of strikes and failed negotiations, the management finally bowed to the union’s demands.
to cost a bomb
to be very expensive
e.g. You can’t afford a car like that. They cost a bomb.
to hail a taxi / cab
to signal to a taxi (so that it stops and picks you up) while you are standing in the street
e.g. He stood in the street, trying to hail a taxi.
to issue (sb with) a ticket or permit / licence
to give sb a ticket or permit / licence that they have paid for
e.g. They told me that they would issue me with a new parking permit.
to jog sb’s memory
to help sb remember sth
e.g. Perhaps this letter will jog your memory.
to level an accusation / a criticism
to accuse / criticise
e.g. Accusations of mismanagement were levelled against the board.
to owe sb an apology
to feel that you need to apologise to sb
e.g. “I owe you an apology,” she said.
to pin the blame on sb
to say that an innocent person is to blame for sth bad that has happened
e.g. They pinned the blame for the crash on him.
to rack one’s brains
to try very hard to think of sth or remember sth
e.g. He racked his brains, trying to remember the caller’s name.
to run rings round sb
to be much better than sb and beat them very easily (generally used for sport)
e.g. You think City will beat United? Are you mad? United will run rings round City.
to seek advice
to ask (and probably pay) sb (a doctor, a lawyer) for professional advice e.g. If the symptoms persist, you should seek medical advice.
to settle a bill
to pay a bill
e.g. He called the waiter over and settled the bill.
to swallow your pride
to decide to do sth even though you think it will cause you to lose some respect
e.g. He would have to swallow his pride and admit his mistake.
to tackle a problem
to deal with and try to solve a problem
e.g. The government has introduced these measures to tackle the growing problem of unemployment.
to try sb’s patience
to make sb feel impatient / annoyed
e.g. He had been waiting to be served for over twenty minutes and it was beginning to try his patience.
to undermine sb’s confidence
to make sb feel less confident
e.g. It is his first ever performance. Don’t be too critical; it will undermine his confidence.
to wear thin
1) an excuse or explanation that is beginning to wear thin has been used so often that you are beginning not to believe it.
2) if sb’s patience is wearing thin, they are beginning to feel impatient / annoyed
e.g. He was late again; it was the same old excuse and it was wearing thin.
He’d been waiting for hours and his patience was wearing thin.
