Thẻ ghi nhớ: STANDLEY C2 1a,1b | Quizlet

get your act together

to start to organize yourself so that you do things in an effective way: tổ chức lại cuộc sống

ex: they have terrible management, but if they could ever get their act together, they would be an unbeatable company.

put sb out

to cause trouble or extra work for someone: làm phiền ai

ex: would you like a cup of tea?

-i'd love some tea, but i don't want to put you out at all.

not have a clue

to be completely unable to guess, understand, or deal with something: "Who invented algebra?" "I haven't a clue."

go a long way towards doing sth

to be very helpful: có ích

ex: a meeting of EU foreign ministers should go some way towards clarifying the situation.

jump in/throw at the deep end

you start doing something new and difficult without help or preparation: tự mình làm điều gì đó khó khăn

the new personnel manager had to deal with a strike threat on her first day. Talk about being thrown in at the deep end.

get out of sth

void doing something that you do not want to do, especially by giving an excuse: tránh né làm gì đó

ex: he complained to the waiter that the steak is overdone and tried to get out of paying for it.

would (just) as soon

would sooner, would rather: thích cái gì hơn cái gì

ex: my aunt has always love solitude. So she would as soon live alone as share an apartment with other people.

feeding frenzy

a situation in which people try to get as much as possible of something, for example information about an event, especially in an unpleasant way: cơn cuồng ăn

ex: the sudden tragic death of the young princess sparked off a feeing frenzy in the media.

wind up

o find yourself in an unexpected and usually unpleasant situation, especially as a result of what you do(=end up): kết thúc

ex: the boy always been in trouble. sooner or later he is going to wind up in prison.

on the off-chance

hoping that something may be possible, although it is not likely: hy vọng về điều gì mặc dù xác xuất thấp

ex: reporters often invistigate the lives of celebrity simply on the off-chance that they might discover something scandulous.

briskly

quick, energetic, and active: nhanh nhẹn

ex: we started of walking briskly, but after an hour we had slower down to a snail's pace.

stand/stick out like a sore thumb

everyone notices them because they are very different from the people or things around them: nổi bật giữa đám đông

ex: Everyone else was in jeans and casual gear and I had my office clothes on - I stuck out like a sore thumb.

squeeze sb in

manage to do something or see someone in a short period of time or when you are very busy: thu xếp 1 ít thời gian để làm gì

ex; i know you're pressed for time, Harold, but do you think we could squeeze in a quick meeting before lunch?

draughty/drafty

describes a place, especially a room, that has currents of unpleasantly cold air blowing through it: có gió lùa

ex: the windows don't fit very well, it makes the room awfully.

in the teeth of sth

the difficulties cause problems but do not stop it: bất chấp điều gì

ex: the new airport was constructed in the teeth of fierce opposition from environmentalists.

as of/from

starting from a particular time or date: bắt đầu từ khoảng thời gian nào

ex: As from next month, all the airline's fares will be going up.

jot sth down

write something quickly on a piece of paper so that you remember it: ghi vội cái gì

ex: harry jotted down sue's phone number and adress on a scrap of paper and thrust it into his breast pocket.

not get a word in edgeways

to not be able to say anything because someone else is talking all the time: không thể nói được gì vì người khác nói liên tục

ex: andrew was talking so much that none of the other participants in the discussion could get a word in edgeways.

spit it out

used to tell someone to start speaking or to speak more quickly, when they are unwilling to speak or are speaking slowly: nói thẳng ra đi

ex: there is sth i have to tell you. you see...

-come on, spit it out. I haven't got all day.

be/fall prey to sth

to be hurt or deceived by someone or something bad: bị lừa bởi

'ex: poor people often fall prey to unscrupulous money lenders.

clear the air

to remove the bad feelings between people: gỡ rối khúc mắc

ex: the discussion didn't solve any of our problems, but at least it cleared the air.

not bat an eyelid

to show no sign of surprise or worry when something unexpected happens: không bất ngờ

ex: so how did he reaact when you told him you wanted a divorce?

-he didn't bat am eyelid.

on the alert for

a warning to people to be prepared to deal with something dangerous: cảnh báo

ex:he public were warned to be on the alert for (= watching carefully for) suspicious packages.

on the pretext of

a pretended reason for doing something that is used to hide the real reason: cái cớ

ex: I called her on the pretext of needing more information.

ex: He came round to see her on some flimsy (= obviously false) pretext.

a figment of sb's imagination

omething that seems real but is not: sản phẩm của trí tưởng tượng

ex: i thought something moving in the shadows, but there is nothing there, i must have been a figment of my imagination.

retaliate

to hurt someone or do something harmful to them because they have done or said something harmful to you: trả đũa

ex: if you reprimand him, he will probably retaliate by behaving even worse.

fork out

to pay, especially unwillingly: trả tiền một cách không tình nguyện

ex: we are going to have fork out a lot of money next year to have the roof repaired.

contract

to catch or become ill with a disease: nhiễm bệnh

ex; he still suffers from occasional bouts of a rare tropical disease which he contracted while on military service in Borneo.

off the cuff

you say something without having prepared or thought about your words first: nói 1 cách tự phát

ex: he didn;t intend to make a speech. if asked to, he would make a few remarks, but that was all he would do.

mope about/around sth

move about without any particular purpose or energy because you are unhappy or disappointed: lang thang vô định '

ex: stop moping about! start looking for a job!

touch-and-go (a)

uncertain: không chắc chắn

ex: it was touch-and-go whether the young woman would survive her ịnjuries.

make out

to write all the necessary information on an official document:

ex: could you make out the cheque to Babel Ltd.,please?

be a barrel of laughs/fun

to be funny or enjoyable: mắc cười

ex: -alan is a bit serious, isn't he?

-that's true.He's not exactly a barrel of laughs.