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Vocabs / Idioms Flashcards

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Proverbs and Idioms flashcards
1
Q

well versed

A

adjective. highly experienced, practiced, or skilled; very knowledgeable; learned: He is a well-versed scholar on the subject of biblical literature.

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2
Q

idiom

A

a group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words (e.g. over the moon, see the light ).

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3
Q

piss up

A

British slang for a drinking session

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4
Q

couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery

A

really suck at organising things

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5
Q

amnesty

A

an undertaking by the authorities to take no action against specified offences during a fixed period.

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6
Q

lilo

A

a type of inflatable mattress which is used as a bed or for floating on water.

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7
Q

be (all) downhill

A

to be much easier:
e.g. Once we get the preparation done, it’ll be downhill all the way.
e.g. If I can just get through the training period, it’ll be all downhill from here.

to get worse; to be less successful:
e.g. The job went well at first, but then I got sick and it’s been downhill ever since.

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8
Q

cull

A

reduce the population of (a wild animal) by selective slaughter.

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9
Q

slaughter

A

kill

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10
Q

manslaughter

A

the crime of killing a human being without malice aforethought, or in circumstances not amounting to murder.

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11
Q

frivolous

A

not having any serious purpose or value.

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12
Q

dreaded

A

adjective
regarded with great fear or apprehension.

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13
Q

apprehension

A

noun
noun: apprehension; plural noun: apprehensions
1. anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen.

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14
Q

Promenade des Anglais

A

a promenade along the Mediterranean coast of Nice, France

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15
Q

put up with

A

tolerate or endure something.

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16
Q

Split Airport

A

also known as Resnik Airport, is the international airport serving the city of Split, Croatia.

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17
Q

Luton Airport

A

an international airport located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, situated 1.5 miles east of the town centre, and 28 miles north of Central London.

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18
Q

arduous

A

adjective
adjective: arduous
involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring.

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19
Q

fork out

A

INFORMAL
pay money for something, especially reluctantly.

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20
Q

boast

A

possess

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21
Q

in the limelight

A

a lot of attention is being paid to them, because they are famous or because they have done something very unusual or exciting.

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22
Q

cocky

A

adjective
adjective: cocky; comparative adjective: cockier; superlative adjective: cockiest
conceited or confident in a bold or cheeky way.

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23
Q

bloody-mindedness

A

the behaviour of someone who is very determined and makes things difficult for others.

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24
Q

on the wane

A

becoming weaker or less extensive.

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25
Q

relentless

A

adjective
adjective: relentless
unceasingly intense.

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26
Q

dazzling

A

adjective
adjective: dazzling
extremely bright, especially so as to blind the eyes temporarily.

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27
Q

faze

A

verbINFORMAL
verb: faze; 3rd person present: fazes; past tense: fazed; past participle: fazed; gerund or present participle: fazing
disturb or disconcert (someone).

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28
Q

flurry

A

a number of things arriving or happening suddenly and during the same period.

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29
Q

sharp-witted

A

adjective
adjective: sharp-witted
(of a person) quick to notice and understand things.

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30
Q

feat

A

noun
noun: feat; plural noun: feats
an achievement that requires great courage, skill, or strength.

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31
Q

bullish

A

adjective: bullish
1.
aggressively confident and self-assertive.

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32
Q

pedigree

A

noun
noun: pedigree; plural noun: pedigrees
2.
the recorded ancestry or lineage of a person or family.

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33
Q

relentless

A

adjective
adjective: relentless
unceasingly intense.

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34
Q

yield

A

verb: yield; 3rd person present: yields; past tense: yielded; past participle: yielded; gerund or present participle: yielding
give way to arguments, demands, or pressure.

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35
Q

call for

A

phrasal verb of call
1.
make something necessary.

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36
Q

come off

A

become detached or be detachable from something.

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37
Q

it’s/that’s a wrap

A

used to say that the filming of a movie or television show or one of its scenes is finished

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38
Q

in excess of

A

more than.

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39
Q

slick

A

adjective
adjective: slick; comparative adjective: slicker; superlative adjective: slickest
1.
done or operating in an impressively smooth and efficient way.

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40
Q

swerve

A

verb
verb: swerve; 3rd person present: swerves; past tense: swerved; past participle: swerved; gerund or present participle: swerving
change or cause to change direction abruptly.

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41
Q

weave

A

verb
verb: weave; 3rd person present: weaves; past tense: weaved; gerund or present participle: weaving; past participle: weaved
twist and turn from side to side while moving somewhere in order to avoid obstructions.

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42
Q

abrupt

A

adjective
adjective: abrupt
1.
sudden and unexpected.

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43
Q

spot on

A

adjectiveINFORMAL•BRITISH
adjective: spot on
completely accurate or correct.

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44
Q

fair and square

A

honestly without cheating

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45
Q

to the wire

A

be won at the last moment

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46
Q

eke out

A

transitive verb. 1 : to make up for the deficiencies of.

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47
Q

scrap

A

noun
noun: scrap; plural noun: scraps
a fight or quarrel, especially a minor or spontaneous one.

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48
Q

edge out

A

BRITISH
narrowly defeat a rival or opponent.

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49
Q

in the running

A

phrase of running
in contention for an award, victory, or a place in a team.

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50
Q

tender

A

4.
young, inexperienced, or vulnerable.

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51
Q

away we go

A

Let’s get started, for an adventure.

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52
Q

out of skin

A

surprised

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53
Q

belie

A

verb
verb: belie; 3rd person present: belies; past tense: belied; past participle: belied; gerund or present participle: belying
1.
(of an appearance) fail to give a true impression of (something).

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54
Q

swagger

A

verb
walk or behave in a very confident and arrogant or self-important way.

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55
Q

strive

A

make great efforts to achieve or obtain something.

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56
Q

shake-up

A

a radical reorganization.

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57
Q

teething troubles

A

short-term problems that occur in the early stages of a new project.

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58
Q

perennial

A

lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring.

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59
Q

sprightly

A

(especially of an old person) lively; full of energy.

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60
Q

stun

A

astonish or shock (someone) so that they are temporarily unable to react.

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61
Q

unveil

A

show or announce publicly for the first time.

62
Q

stiff

A

not easily bent or changed in shape; rigid.

63
Q

cumbersome

A

large or heavy and therefore difficult to carry or use; unwieldy.

64
Q

chronically

A

in a long-lasting or habitual and problematic way.

65
Q

scramble

A

perform (an action) or achieve (a result) hurriedly, clumsily, or with difficulty.

66
Q

follow suit

A

to do the same thing

67
Q

ensue

A

happen or occur afterwards or as a result.

68
Q

amid

A

in an atmosphere or against a background of.

69
Q

laughing stock

A

a person subjected to general mockery or ridicule.

70
Q

set about

A

start doing something with vigour or determination.

71
Q

draw up

A

prepare a plan, agreement, or other document in detail.

72
Q

pull over / pull off

A

(of a vehicle) move to the side of or off the road.

73
Q

pull out

A

(of a vehicle) move out from the side of the road, or from its normal position in order to overtake.

74
Q

brainwave

A

a sudden clever idea.

75
Q

herald

A

verb
verb: herald; 3rd person present: heralds; past tense: heralded; past participle: heralded; gerund or present participle: heralding
be a sign that (something) is about to happen.

76
Q

wrangle

A

verb
verb: wrangle; 3rd person present: wrangles; past tense: wrangled; past participle: wrangled; gerund or present participle: wrangling
1.
have a long, complicated dispute or argument.

77
Q

derive

A

verb
verb: derive; 3rd person present: derives; past tense: derived; past participle: derived; gerund or present participle: deriving
obtain something from (a specified source).

78
Q

mandate

A

require (something) to be done; make mandatory.

79
Q

step change

A

nounBRITISH
noun: step change; plural noun: step changes
(in business or politics) a significant change in policy or attitude, especially one that results in an improvement or increase.

80
Q

shortfall

A

noun
noun: shortfall; plural noun: shortfalls
a deficit of something required or expected.

81
Q

harness

A

control and make use of (natural resources), especially to produce energy.

82
Q

steal a match on

A

gain an advantage over (someone) by acting before they do.

83
Q

juggernaut

A

a huge, powerful, and overwhelming force.

84
Q

tweak

A

INFORMAL
a fine adjustment to a mechanism or system.

85
Q

dub

A

verb
verb: dub; 3rd person present: dubs; past tense: dubbed; past participle: dubbed; gerund or present participle: dubbing
1.
give an unofficial name or nickname to.

86
Q

jut

A

verb
gerund or present participle: jutting
extend out, over, or beyond the main body or line of something.

87
Q

notion

A

noun
noun: notion; plural noun: notions
1.
a conception of or belief about something.

88
Q

modest

A

adjective
adjective: modest
1. unassuming in the estimation of one’s abilities or achievements.
2. (of an amount, rate, or level) relatively moderate, limited, or small.

89
Q

precariously

A

precariously
/prɪˈkɛːrɪəsli/
Learn to pronounce
adverb
adverb: precariously
in a way that is not securely in position and is likely to fall or collapse.

90
Q

misstep

A

a clumsy or badly judged step.

91
Q

intervene

A

/ɪntəˈviːn/
verb
verb: intervene; 3rd person present: intervenes; past tense: intervened; past participle: intervened; gerund or present participle: intervening
1.
take part in something so as to prevent or alter a result or course of events.

92
Q

curb

A

verb
verb: curb; 3rd person present: curbs; past tense: curbed; past participle: curbed; gerund or present participle: curbing
1.
restrain or keep in check.

93
Q

cotton on

A

begin to understand.

94
Q

integral

A

adjective
adjective: integral
/ˈɪntɪɡr(ə)l,ɪnˈtɛɡr(ə)l/
1.
necessary to make a whole complete; essential or fundamental.

95
Q

wacky

A

adjectiveINFORMAL
adjective: wacky; comparative adjective: wackier; superlative adjective: wackiest; adjective: whacky; comparative adjective: whackier; superlative adjective: whackiest
funny or amusing in a slightly odd or peculiar way.

96
Q

radical

A

adjective
adjective: radical
1.
(especially of change or action) relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough.

97
Q

unscathed

A

/ʌnˈskeɪðd/
adjective
adjective: unscathed
without suffering any injury, damage, or harm.

98
Q

shunt

A

INFORMAL•BRITISH
a motor accident, especially a collision of vehicles travelling one close behind the other.

99
Q

gigantic

A

adjective
adjective: gigantic
of very great size or extent; huge or enormous.

100
Q

dispel

A

verb
verb: dispel; 3rd person present: dispels; past tense: dispelled; past participle: dispelled; gerund or present participle: dispelling
make (a doubt, feeling, or belief) disappear.

101
Q

before long

A

: in the near future : soon.

102
Q

autobiography

A

noun
noun: autobiography; plural noun: autobiographies
an account of a person’s life written by that person.

103
Q

disillusioned

A

adjective
adjective: disillusioned
disappointed in someone or something that one discovers to be less good than one had believed.

104
Q

ghastly

A

adjective
adjective: ghastly; comparative adjective: ghastlier; superlative adjective: ghastliest
INFORMAL
very objectionable, bad, or unpleasant.

105
Q

uber-

A

denoting an outstanding or supreme example of a particular kind of person or thing.

106
Q

give a whirl

A

informal. : to attempt or try (something)

107
Q

sticky end

A

noun. informal. an unpleasant finish or death (esp in the phrase come to or meet a sticky end)

108
Q

hulk

A

a large disused structure.

109
Q

tramp

A

1.
a person who travels from place to place on foot in search of work or as a vagrant or beggar.

110
Q

pillock

A

nounINFORMAL•BRITISH
noun: pillock; plural noun: pillocks
a stupid person.

111
Q

nerve-wracking

A

adjective
adjective: nerve-wracking
causing stress or anxiety.

112
Q

thespian

A

adjective
adjective: thespian
relating to drama and the theatre.

113
Q

cheeky

A

adjectiveBRITISH
adjective: cheeky; comparative adjective: cheekier; superlative adjective: cheekiest
showing a lack of respect or politeness in a way that is amusing or appealing.

114
Q

what are you on about?

A

what are you talking about?

115
Q

what are you up to?

A

what are you doing?
or
what have you been doing lately?

116
Q

creepy

A

causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or unease

117
Q

crap

A

extremely poor in quality

118
Q

go for someone

A

attack someone

119
Q

chunky

A

bulky and thick

120
Q

decapitate

A

verb
gerund or present participle: decapitating
cut off the head of (someone).

121
Q

reel

A

to feel very shocked or upset about something

122
Q

call time (on something)

A

to say and decide that it is time for something to finish

123
Q

a hostage to fortune

A

something that you have, or have promised to do, that could cause trouble or worry in the future

124
Q

boozer

A

a pub or bar

125
Q

stripped back

A

reduced to its simplest form, with only the most basic and essential features

126
Q

free house

A

a pub not controlled by a brewery and therefore not restricted to selling particular brands of beer or spirits.

127
Q

mothball

A

to stop using a piece of equipment but keep it in good condition so that it can easily be used again

128
Q

spectre

A

a ghost

129
Q

gastropub

A

a pub that is well known for serving good food

130
Q

nominally

A

in name only, and not in reality

131
Q

the last straw

A

the last in a series of bad events, etc. that makes it impossible for you to accept a situation any longer

132
Q

grim

A

unpleasant and depressing

133
Q

reinvigorate

A

to give new energy or strength to something/somebody

134
Q

overbearing

A

trying to control other people in an unpleasant way

135
Q

namecheck

A

an occasion when the name of a person or thing is publicly mentioned or included in a list, especially as a way of thanking or praising them

136
Q

subversiveness

A

the desire to destroy or damage a government or political system by attacking it secretly or indirectly

137
Q

prominent

A

important or well known

138
Q

temperance

A

the practice of not drinking alcohol because of your moral or religious beliefs

139
Q

collective

A

done or shared by all members of a group of people; involving a whole group or society

140
Q

emeritus

A

used before or after a title to show that a person, usually a university teacher, keeps the title as an honour, although he or she has stopped working

141
Q

hurly-burly

A

a very noisy and busy activity or situation

142
Q

dogging

A

the practice of meeting in a public place such as a car park in order to have sex or to watch other people having sex

143
Q

passing trade

A

people who go into a shop, restaurant, etc. because they see it when walking past, not because they planned to go there

144
Q

lament

A

to have or express very sad feelings about somebody/something

145
Q

belt out

A

to sing a song or play music loudly

146
Q

spring up

A

to appear or develop quickly and/or suddenly

146
Q

euphoric

A

extremely happy or excited

147
Q

conjecture

A

an opinion or idea that is not based on definite knowledge and is formed by guessing

148
Q

gentrification

A

the process of improving an area of a town or city so that it attracts people of a higher social class than before

149
Q

straggler

A

a person or an animal that is among the last or the slowest in a group to do something, for example, to finish a race or leave a place

150
Q

run a tab

A

To incur or accumulate charges that one must pay at a later time or date

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