speakout unit 7 - vocab

sit on the fence

refuse to make decisions or their opinion

be spoilt for choice

have too many options

dig one’s heels in

insist that one’s opinion/choice is right

take the path of least resistance

avoid conflict in a decision

umming and ahhing / in a quandary

unable to decide

sleep on it

give yourself more time to think about it

second thoughts

reservations

faced/confronted with choices

situation when you must make a decision between two or more options

be isolated

far away from people (negative connotations)

be secluded

hidden, private (positive connotations)

go round anti-clockwise/counter-clockwise

moving in a circular direction opposite to the hands of an analog clock

go ahead with/embark upon

to start or begin something new, important, or challenging, such as a new career, journey, or project

subscribe to

to adopt, support, or hold a particular belief or theory as one's own

concur with

to agree with a person, opinion, or decision

take-out/take-away

prepared food or drinks purchased from a restaurant or shop to be eaten elsewhere (US/UK)

have influence/have clout

to possess the power, authority, or ability to affect decisions, behaviors, or opinions of others

worrying/vexing problem

a situation, issue, or question that causes significant annoyance, frustration, anxiety, or ongoing difficulty

subconscious decisions

choices made automatically by the mind outside of focal awareness, on “autopilot”

flick through

look quickly through a book, magazine, etc.

pore over

to read, study, or examine something very carefully and intently for a long time

peruse

read, typically in a thorough or careful way

scrutinise

examine or inspect closely and thoroughly

cast a quick eye over

to look at, read, or check something briefly, superficially, or without focusing on details

read up on

to learn about something by reading

dip into

to read or examine something casually/briefly

plough through

to finish reading, eating, or dealing with a large amount of something with difficulty

skip to

to jump directly to a specific point, topic, or step, intentionally passing over intermediate information

skim

glance through (a book, etc.)

have one’s nose in a book

to read constantly

heavy-going

difficult to read or understand

hit the books

to begin studying hard, usually in a concentrated and serious way

getting lost in a book

being completely absorbed, engaged, and engrossed in a story to the point of losing awareness of your physical surroundings

bookworm

someone who reads, studies, or collects books with intense devotion and frequency

die-hard book lover

someone who is deeply, passionately, and perhaps obsessively dedicated to reading and books

read cover-to-cover

reading from the very beginning to the very end

curl up with a book

to settle comfortably to read for pleasure

hotly debated

intensely discussed, causing controversy among many people

strictly enforced

applied rigorously, consistently, and without exceptions

deeply divided

split by severe disagreements, differing opinions, etc.

completely oblivious

totally unaware, unconscious, or unmindful of one's surrounding

actively involved

taking a hands-on part in an activity, project, etc.

patently obvious

undeniably, clearly, and unmistakably apparent to anyone

investigate options

to examine choices

chopping and changing

frequently or repeatedly changing one's mind

narrow sth down

to reduce the number of options in a list, making it smaller and more manageable

make limitations

to establish boundaries

indecisive

not providing a clear and definite result

feel restricted

experiencing a sense of limitation whether physically, emotionally, or socially

become overwhelmed

to feel completely overcome by stress, intense emotions etc.

too many variables

situation too complex, with too many factors to analyse