Lexico - Multiple Choice

out and about

active; doing the things you usually do:

ra ngoài và khám phá điều gì

The doctor says she's making a good recovery, and she should be out and about in a few days' time.

silver bullet

a simple solution to a complicated problem:

There was no silver bullet that could have prevented the atrocities.

up and about

feeling well enough to get out of bed and move around

the wooden spoon

the imaginary prize that a person or team is given if they finish last in a race or competition:

Our college team took the wooden spoon in the inter-collegiate league this season.

get down to brass tacks

to start talking about the most important or basic facts of a situation:

Let's get down to brass tacks. Who's paying for all this?

a leap in the dark

something you do without being certain what will happen as a result:

I had very little information about the company, so writing to them was a leap in the dark.

as the crow flies

used to say that a distance is measured in a straight line between two points or places

dig (yourself) in

to make arrangements to protect yourself from an attack by the enemy in a war situation, for example by digging trenches (= long, narrow holes)

dig in

to start eating:

The food's getting cold - dig in!

(as) rare as hens' teeth

Incredibly scarce or rare; extremely difficult or impossible to find.

plead down to (something)

To formally admit and declare that one is guilty of a lesser criminal charge.

fend sb/sth off

to defend yourself against someone or something that is attacking you or annoying you:

They managed to fend off their attackers with rocks and sticks.

come under sth

to be controlled or dealt with by a particular authority:

to be in a particular part of a book, list, etc:

lavish meal

bữa ăn sang trọng

bite the bullet

to force yourself to do something unpleasant or difficult, or to be brave in a difficult situation:

cut your losses

to avoid losing any more money than you have already lost:

Let's cut our losses and sell the business before prices drop even further.

second helping

bữa ăn thứ hai

prolific

producing a great number or amount of something:

sáng tác nhiều

proliferous

(của cây) tạo ra chồi hoặc chồi bên từ hoa hoặc phần đầu cuối khác.

Of a plant producing buds or side shoots from a flower or other terminal part.

fecund

able to produce a lot of crops, fruit, babies, young animals, etc.:

producing or creating a lot of new things, ideas, etc.:

exuberant

(especially of people and their behaviour) very energetic: hồ hởi, vui nhộn

Young and exuberant, he symbolizes Italy's new vitality.

exasperate

to annoy someone a lot

muscle in

to force your way into a situation and make certain you are included, although you are not wanted:

muscle in on

I hear Mark is muscling in on our meeting.

have a (good) head for sth

to have a natural ability to do something well:

light at the end of the tunnel

signs of improvement in a situation that has been bad for a long time, or signs that a long and difficult piece of work is almost finished:

well heeled

rich:

His family was very well heeled.

be that as it may

"Kể cả như vậy", để thể hiện ý nghĩa mặc dù thông tin đó có thể đúng, nhưng vẫn không thay đổi được ý kiến của bạn.

to (one's) liking

In a way that one likes, accepts, or approves of.

muddy the waters

to make a situation more confused and less easy to understand or deal with

steal sb's thunder

to do what someone else was going to do before they do it, especially if this takes success or praise away from them:

blow the cobwebs away

to get rid of feelings of tiredness, usually with fresh air or exercise:

take measures

to take action; do things to accomplish a purpose

lead a busy (normal, quiet) life

to live a particular type of life:

phenomenal success

thành công vang dội

hearty meal

Bữa ăn lành mạnh và đáng kể.

go bananas

to become extremely angry or excited:

take the rough with the smooth

to accept the unpleasant parts of a situation as well as the pleasant parts:

abandon/jump ship

to leave a place, situation or person forever

get a jump on sb/sth

to start doing something before other people start, or before something happens, in order to win an advantage for yourself:

bereft

(of) formal having had something taken away

bị mất

The shocking news left her bereft of speech.

it (just) so happens (that)

Surprisingly or by an unlikely coincidence.

discontent

a feeling of wanting better treatment or an improved situation:

sự không hài lòng, sự bất mãn

contentment

satisfaction

burn your boats/bridges

If you are in a situation and you burn your boats/bridges, you destroy all possible ways of going back to that situation.

pull the strings

to be in control of an organization, often secretly:

I want to know who's pulling the strings around here.

throw caution to the wind/winds

to do something without worrying about the risk or negative results:

penchant

(for)

thiên hướng; sở thích thiên về (cái gì đó)

snap something up

to buy or get something quickly and enthusiastically because it is cheap or exactly what you want:

be tuned in to

to have a good understanding of what is happening in a situation or what other people are thinking:

come in handy

to be useful for a particular purpose:

be on full alert

To be very attentive and ready to take action. This term is often applied to soldiers.

have no option (but to do sth)

to have to do a particular thing because there is no possibility of doing anything else:

outstay sb's welcome

to continue to stay in a place although other people want you to leave:

stay too long

let off steam

to do or say something that helps you to get rid of strong feelings or energy:

She jogs after work to let off steam.

throw money at sth

to spend a lot of money on trying to solve a problem:

We won't solve this problem by throwing money at it.

walk right into sth

If you walk right into something, you are caught or tricked by it because you did not know what was happening:

We set a trap and they walked right into it.

wax and wane

to grow stronger and then weaker again:

His commitment to democracy and free markets has waxed and waned with his political fortunes.

blood and guts

extreme violence:

There was too much blood and guts in the movie for my liking.

a murder of crows

a group of crows (= large black birds):

a herd of elephants

group of elephants

A clutter of cats

a group of cats

a troop of monkeys

group of monkeys

pitched battle

a large fight, or a battle in which both sides stay in the same place:

be in a (pretty) pickle

to be in a difficult situation

feather your own nest

to make yourself rich, especially in a way that is unfair or dishonest

fish in troubled waters

to try to win an advantage from a difficult situation or from someone else's problems

go down like a lead balloon

If something that you say or show to people goes down like a lead balloon, they do not like it at all:

My joke about the alcoholic went down like a lead balloon.

take the plunge

to make a decision to do something, especially after thinking about it for a long time:

flat broke

If someone is flat broke, they have no money at all:

Could you lend me some money, I'm flat broke.

get/have your dander up

to be or become angry

have bats in the belfry

to be silly and slightly crazy and behave in a confused way

relentless traffic

ket xe

recurrent

diễn ra nhiều lần

run counter to

go against

trái với

as pleased as punch

very pleased

hạnh phúc, thỏa mãn

there comes a time

có lúc, có thời điểm

allay

làm giảm, làm bớt, làm dịu

(feelings)

I hope this statement will allay the public's fears

abrogate

cancel; deny; repeal

none but

only:

None but a dedicated scientist would want to read such a detailed report.

have your day in court

to get an opportunity to give your opinion on something or to explain your actions after they have been criticized:

breathe your last

to die:

Her eyes fluttered open for a moment and then she breathed her last

keep your eye on the ball

to give your attention to what you are doing at the time

grease sb's palm

to secretly give someone money in order to persuade them to do something for you

set sth forth

to give the details of something or to explain it, especially in writing, in a clear, organized way:

all but

everything or everyone except for:

gần như

like clockwork

very regularly, or at exactly the planned times:

đều đặn

forever and a day

a very long time or for a very long time:

take a stroll/trip/walk down memory lane

to remember happy times in the past

hồi tưởng về những kí ức đẹp trong quá khứ

the cream of the crop

the best of a group of similar things or people:

tussle with sth

to try hard to understand or deal with a difficult idea or problem

cash in on sth

to get money or another advantage from an event or situation, often in an unfair way:

plump for sth/sb

to choose something or someone, especially after taking time for careful thought:

to support something or someone enthusiastically:

bubble over with

to be very excited and enthusiastic:

be writ large

to be very obvious:

Her distress was writ large in her face.

in/by fits and starts

If something happens in fits and starts, it often stops and then starts again:

the best/pick of the bunch

the best person or thing, or the best people or things, from a group of similar people or things:

pay the ultimate price for

to die because of something you have done, especially something you do for moral reasons

pique sb's interest

make someone feel interested in something or someone

pretty pass

bad situation

fleeting moment

a moment lasting only a short time