english idioms advanced in use unit 15: WAR AND CONFLICT

call to arms

a strong request to fight in the army; a strong request to defend something or get ready for a fight about something

• A leading environmentalist has issued a _ to companies and the public to do more about plastic waste.

• The song gave an anthem to the civil rights movement and served as a _ for women everywhere.

→ mệnh lệnh hoặc lời khích lệ hành động, nhất là trong một nhóm người.

beat a retreat

to run away from a dangerous or unpleasant situation:

When we saw the police arriving we _ hasty _.

→ đánh trống ra lệnh rút lui → nghĩa là rút khỏi một nơi nào đó hay tình huống nào đó một cách nhanh chóng.

shell-shocked /ˈʃel ʃɑːkt/

​shocked, confused or anxious because of a difficult situation, and unable to think or act normally

• I felt completely _ after I heard the news.

• After the crash, the passengers were _ but there were no serious injuries.

→ rối loạn căng thẳng sau chấn thương (PTSD) là một tình trạng không ổn định về sức khỏe tâm thần, thường do những sự kiện kinh hoàng mà người bệnh đã chứng kiến hoặc trải qua trước đó gây ra.

drop a bombshell

to tell someone an unexpected and often unpleasant piece of news:

Then he _, admitting to having an affair.

She then _ that she was moving to Australia.

→ thả bom → đưa ra một thông báo gây sốc hoặc bất ngờ.

on the warpath

angry and ready to argue or fight:

I told my friends to watch out because my mother was _.

come out swinging/fighting

to react to something or begin something in a strong, forceful way:

• He _ at his critics, accusing them of having their own agenda.

• The company knew it was going to have to _.

shoot yourself in the foot

to do or say something that causes problems for you:

I think you might be _ if you don't take his offer.

→ tự bắn vào chân mình → tự hủy

shoot something/someone down in flames

to refuse to accept someone's suggestion or idea and not consider it at all:

• He proceeded to _ their argument _.

• She seemed to have been waiting for the moment to _ me _.

→ không đồng tình với ý kiến của ai

hang/hold fire

to delay making a decision:

Ideally we would settle the matter now, but I think we should _ until the general situation becomes clearer.

fighting chance

a small but real possibility that something can be done:

If we can raise enough money, there's a _ (that) we can save the project.

→ có khả năng thành công làm cái gì đó dù là một khả năng nhỏ

a flash in the pan

something that happened only once or for a short time and was not repeated:

Sadly, their success was just _.

→ thứ gì đó chỉ xảy ra trong chốc lát

a baptism of/by fire

a very difficult first experience of something:

• I was given a million-dollar project to manage in my first month - it was a real _.

• Starting my new job as a manager was _, as I had to deal with a crisis on my first day.

→ baptism (n): rửa tội → nghi thức quan trọng đánh dấu sự bắt đầu của một cuộc sống mới

→ fire (n): khó khăn, thử thách

→ trải nghiệm khó khăn hoặc thử thách ngay lần đầu tiên tham gia vào một tình huống hoặc công việc mới, thường liên quan đến áp lực cao hoặc khắc nghiệt

OPP smooth sailing

SYN cut your teeth

run the gauntlet

to have to deal with a lot of people who are criticizing or attacking you:

Every day they had to _ of hostile journalists on their way to school.

→ bị chỉ trích nặng nề

battle of wills

a situation in which opposing sides refuse to change what they want, in the hope that the other side will decide to change first

• a _ between teacher and student

→ trận chiến ý chí → tình huống hai bên không chịu đầu hàng nhau bằng cách giữ vững yêu cầu của mình.

join the ranks

to become one of a particular large group of people:

• When I leave school at the end of this month, I'll probably have to _ of the unemployed.

• He is about to _ of sportspeople turned designers.

steal a march on someone

If you ~, you get an advantage over that person by acting before they do:

Our rival company managed to _ us by bringing out their software ahead of ours.

→ "chiếm lợi thế trước đối thủ" hoặc "tiến hành một hành động trước khi đối thủ kịp phản ứng"