CPE 7B

earthlings

beings from Earth [istoty ziemskie]

→ Earthlings have been exploring space for decades, searching for signs of life beyond our planet.

spark off

to trigger or start [wywołać, zapoczątkować]

→ The fire was sparked off by a faulty wire, which caused a major electrical outage.

prolifically

in large quantities or with great frequency [płodnie, obficie]

→ She writes prolifically, publishing a new book almost every year.

humanoid

resembling a human being [człekokształtny]

→ The robot had a humanoid design, resembling a human in both form and movement.

residues

remaining parts or substances after something is removed or used [pozostałości]

→ After the experiment, the scientist carefully analyzed the residues left on the surface.

extraterrestrial

 originating outside of Earth [pozaziemski]

→ Some scientists believe that extraterrestrial life might exist in distant galaxies

deliberating on

 thinking carefully or discussing [rozważać, obradować]

→ The committee is deliberating on the new policy changes and will announce a decision soon.

take root

to establish or become accepted [zapewnić sobie miejsce, zakorzenić się]

→ The idea of democracy began to take root in Europe centuries ago.

inadequacies

deficiencies or weaknesses [niedoskonałości, braki]

→ His inadequacies as a manager became apparent after the project failed to meet its goals.

feel down in the mouth

feel discouraged/depressed [być zdołowanym, przygnębionym]

→ After hearing the bad news, she felt down in the mouth for days.

get a move on

hurry up [pospieszyć się]

→ We need to get a move on if we want to catch the last bus.

work a miracle

make sth almost impossible happen [czynić cuda, dokonać niemożliwego]

→ The doctor worked a miracle, saving the patient’s life against all odds.

slip one’s mind

forget about sth [zapomnieć o czymś]

→ I can’t believe I forgot your birthday! It completely slipped my mind.

put words into one’s mouth

pretend that sb had said sth that they hadn’t actually said [przypisać komuś słowa, których nie powiedział]

→ Don’t put words into my mouth – I never said that.

make hay while the sun shines

take advantage of favourable circumstance [korzystać z okazji, póki trwa]

→ We should make hay while the sun shines and take the opportunity to travel while we can.

cry over spilt milk

grieve over sth that can’t be put right [płakać nad rozlanym mlekiem]

→ There’s no use crying over spilt milk – what’s done is done.

give the green light to sth/sb

give permission to proceed with sth [dać zielone światło czemuś/komuś]

→ The manager gave the green light to the new project after reviewing the proposal.

cross one’s mind

occur to one/have sudden idea [przejść komuś przez myśl]

→ It suddenly crossed my mind that I had left my phone on the table.

a night owl

person who enjoys staying up late [nocny marek]

→ A night owl by nature, she enjoys reading and working late into the night.

in a nutshell

briefly, in a few words [w skrócie]

→ In a nutshell, the meeting was about improving customer service and increasing sales.

have an early night

go to bed early [iść spać wcześnie]

→ After a long week of work, I prefer to have an early night and rest.

be second to none

be the best [nie mieć sobie równych]

→ His skills as a chef are second to none—he's the best in the city.

hit the nail on the head

say exactly the right thing [trafić w sedno]

→ You hit the nail on the head when you said that communication is key to resolving the issue.

lose one’s nerve

 lose courage [stracić odwagę]

→ She lost her nerve when she had to speak in front of the large crowd.

null and void

invalid/not legally binding [nieważny, bez mocy prawnej]

→ The contract was deemed null and void after they discovered the false information.

every nook and cranny

everywhere [wszędzie, w każdym zakamarku]

→ I searched every nook and cranny of the house for my missing keys, but couldn't find them.

make a name for oneself

become famous/respected for sth [wyrobić sobie nazwisko]

→ He made a name for himself as a talented artist and now exhibits in galleries worldwide

get on one’s nerves

 irritate/annoy sb [denerwować kogoś, działać na nerwach]

→ That loud music is really getting on my nerves; I can't concentrate.

put sth forward

 [przedstawić coś, zaproponować]

→ She decided to put forward a new idea at the meeting, hoping it would improve the project.

make a getaway

[uciec, uciekać]

→ After the robbery, the thief managed to make a getaway in a stolen car.

moon about/around

[błąkać się, chodzić bez celu]

→ He spent the entire afternoon mooning about the park, unsure of what to do next.

depend/rely/count on

 [zależeć od, polegać na]

→ You can always depend on your friends when you're in need

the point of sth

 [sens czegoś, cel czegoś]

→ The point of the meeting is to finalize the budget for the new project.

be prone to

[być podatnym na]

→ People who are prone to anxiety often find it hard to relax in stressful situations.

to be in excess of

[przekraczać coś, być w nadmiarze]

→ The total cost of the renovations was in excess of what we originally budgeted.

accept sb’s offer

[zaakceptować czyjąś ofertę]

→ After careful consideration, she decided to accept his offer to join the company.

to have (greater) depths (to sb/sth)

[mieć większą głębię]

→ He may seem simple, but he has greater depths to his personality than most people realize.

judging by the looks of sth/sb

 [sądząc po wyglądzie czegoś/kogoś]

→ Judging by the looks of the sky, it seems like it’s going to rain soon.

give assurance

 [dać zapewnienie]

→ The teacher gave assurance that all students would receive their results by the end of the week.

give explanation for

[wyjaśnić coś]

→ Can you give an explanation for why you were late to the meeting?

have a double

[mieć sobowtóra] lub [podwoić coś]

→ She looks so much like her sister that people often say she has a double.

obtain smth from

[uzyskać coś od]

→ I need to obtain a copy of the report from the office before the meeting.

(not) have the remotest idea (or interest or intention)

 [nie mieć najmniejszego pojęcia]

→ I don’t have the remotest idea about how to solve this problem, but I can try to help.

count on sb

[polegać na kimś]

→ You can count on me to finish the project by the deadline.

resent sth/sb

[żywić urazę do czegoś/kogoś]

→ He resents being treated like a junior despite his experience in the field.

make a mention/make no mention

[wspomnieć o czymś/kimś]

→ I’ll make no mention of the issue in front of the guests to avoid embarrassment.

confuse sth/sb with sth/sb

 [pomylić coś/kogoś z czymś/kimś]

→ Don’t confuse the two actresses—they may look alike, but they are different people.

from/since time immemorial

 for a long time/throughout history [od niepamiętnych czasów]

→ From time immemorial, people have looked up to the stars, wondering about the universe.

take the initiative

 be the first person to act [podjąć inicjatywę]

→ She decided to take the initiative and start the project, even though it wasn't her responsibility.

to add insult to injury

make things even worse [dolewać oliwy do ognia]

→ His rude comment really added insult to injury during an already tense conversation.

make inroads into

affect sth negatively or destructively [najeżdżać na coś, poczynić postępy w destrukcyjny sposób]

→ The company's decision to cut corners will make inroads into its reputation in the market.

to all intents and purposes

practically/in effect [w zasadzie, de facto]

→ To all intents and purposes, the project is already complete, even though the official review is next week.

in the interests of

 in order to achieve a certain aim [w interesie czegoś]

→ In the interests of the team’s success, we need to focus on improving communication.

in the interim

 in the meantime [w międzyczasie]

→ In the interim, I'll be working on the proposal while we wait for the final approval.

take issue with sb

disagree and start arguing [mieć z kimś sprzeczkę, sprzeciwić się komuś]

→ She took issue with his remarks and demanded an apology for what she considered an unfair criticism.

have/get itchy feet

have a desire to travel [zaczynać mieć ochotę na podróże]

→ After months of staying in one place, he started to get itchy feet and felt the urge to travel again.

be in jeopardy / put (sth/sb) in jeopardy

be in danger [być w niebezpieczeństwie]

→ The hikers were in jeopardy when they lost their way in the storm.

in a jiffy

quickly [w mgnieniu oka]

→ I’ll be there in a jiffy, just finishing up a quick task.

jog one’s memory

make one remember sth [przypomnieć komuś coś]

→ The song jogged my memory and I suddenly remembered where I had heard it before.

jump for joy

extremely pleased or happy [skakać z radości]

→ When she heard the good news, she jumped for joy, unable to hide her excitement.

reserve judgement on sb/sth

postpone giving an opinion before more is known [wstrzymać się z osądem o kimś/czymś]

→ We should reserve judgement on the proposal until we have all the facts.

do sb/sth justice

reproduce sb/sth accurately and show how good they are [sprawiedliwie ocenić kogoś/coś]

→ The artist really did justice to the original painting with her detailed reproduction.

rough justice

unfair or unjust treatment [niesprawiedliwe traktowanie]

→ The judge delivered rough justice, ignoring the evidence and treating the case unfairly.

(be) on an even keel

working or progressing steadily, to regularise sth [być w równowadze, stabilizować coś]

→ The project is now on an even keel after a rough start, and progress is steady.

on a knife-edge

situation where nobody knows what will happen next/extremely exciting [na ostrzu noża, w bardzo napiętej sytuacji]

→ The negotiations were on a knife-edge, and no one knew whether an agreement would be reached.

knock sb dead

impress sb greatly [zaimponować komuś, zwalić kogoś z nóg]

→ His performance really knocked me dead; I was completely impressed by his skills.

tie oneself in knots

get confused [poplątać się, zgubić się w czymś]

→ She tried to explain the situation but ended up tying herself in knots and confusing everyone.

safe in the knowledge

confidently (because a prior condition has been met) [pewność, że coś jest załatwione, poczucie bezpieczeństwa w wiedzy o czymś]

→ I felt safe in the knowledge that all the preparations were done and nothing could go wrong.

a drowning man will clutch at a straw

 [tonący brzytwy się chwyta]

→ A drowning man will clutch at a straw, so he accepted the first offer that came his way, even though it seemed too good to be true.

a leopard never changes its spots

[natura ciągnie wilka do lasu]

→ He thought he could change his habits, but as the saying goes, a leopard never changes its spots.

when the cat’s away the mice will play

[myszy harcują, gdy kota nie czują]

→ When the cat’s away, the mice will play, and sure enough, the office became chaotic while the manager was on vacation.

the proof of the pudding is in the eating

[okaże się w praktyce]

→ The proof of the pudding is in the eating—let's see if the new software really works as promised when it's used in the real world.

tell the truth and shame the devil

["Powiedz prawdę, a diabeł się wstydzi."

It carries the idea that honesty is the best policy and that deceit or wrongdoing will be revealed through truth.]

→ Tell the truth and shame the devil—it's always better to be honest, even when it's difficult.

people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones

[przyjrzyj się sobie, zanim zaczniesz krytykować innych, przyganiał kocioł garnkowi]

→ People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones; it's easy to criticize others without looking at your own faults.

look before you leap

 [pomyśl, zanim zadziałasz]

→ Look before you leap—don't rush into things without considering the consequences first.

nothing ventured, nothing gained

[kto nie ryzykuje, ten nie ma; kto nie ryzykuje, ten nie pije szampana]

→ Nothing ventured, nothing gained—if you want to achieve something, you have to take risks.

one man’s meat is another man’s poison

 [co dla jednego słodyczą, dla drugiego goryczą; co kraj, to obyczaj]

→ One man’s meat is another man’s poison—while I love seafood, my friend can’t stand it.

birds of a feather flock together

[być z tej samej gliny, dobrać się jak w korcu maku, ciągnie swój do swego]

→ Birds of a feather flock together; you’ll often find that people with similar interests gravitate towards one another.

dilemma

[dylemat, wybór między dwoma złymi opcjami]

→ She faced a dilemma: should she accept the promotion in another city, or stay with her family?

conjecture

[przypuszczenie, domysł]

→ His statement was based on conjecture, as he didn’t have the hard evidence to back it up.

timeless

[ponadczasowy, wieczny]

→ The concept of true love is timeless; it has inspired countless stories throughout history.

lay the blame

 [obwiniać, zrzucać winę]

→ Don't try to lay the blame on me for the failure of the project—we all contributed to it.

posed in sth

 [postawiony w czymś, sformułowany w czymś]

→ The question posed in the meeting was about how to improve customer satisfaction in the next quarter.

boasts

 [osiągnięcia, powody do dumy]

→ The team's boasts about their winning streak were impressive, but they still had a lot to prove.

snub

 [zlekceważyć, potraktować zignorowanie]

→ She felt snubbed when her invitation to the party was accidentally left out.

tug of war

 [zawody w przeciąganiu liny, przeciąganie liny; walka o dominację lub kontrolę; współzawodnictwo między dwoma równymi zespołami]

→ The tug of war between the two companies for market dominance lasted for months.

pit sb/sth against sb/sth

[wystawiać kogoś do walki przeciwko komuś]

→ They were pit against each other in a fierce competition, but only one could come out on top.

grudging (consent)

 [niechętny, powściągliwy, wymuszony (np. w pochwałach)]

→ He gave a grudging consent to the idea, although it wasn’t his favorite option.