Destination Unit 22

Aggravate = exacerbate
Ex: Military intervention will only aggravate the conflict.

= Worsen (a situation/illness/injury)

Exquisite

Ex: Her wedding dress was absolutely exquisite

extremely beautiful or carefully made

First-rate

= excellent

Outclass
Ex: Their team was completely outclassed by the opposition.

To be much better than someone or something.

Redeeming feature
Ex: The film’s only redeeming feature was the brilliant cinematography.

A good quality that makes up for the negative aspects of something. [Feature]

Rusty
Ex: My French is a bit rusty these days.

Not as good as it used to be because of lack of practice.

Shambles
Ex: The meeting was a complete shambles.

= Mess

Stale
Ex: This bread has gone stale.
Ex: Their relationship went stale after a few years.

- No longer fresh (esp. bread & cake)
- No longer new or interesting.

Abstract (n, adj.)
Ex: We may talk of beautiful things but beauty itself is abstract.

Trừu tượng

Recital
Ex: She gave a brilliant piano recital in Carnegie Hall.

NgưA performance of music or poetry, usually by one person

Brighten up
Ex: The room brightened up when she opened the curtains.
Ex: He brightened up at the news of his promotion.

• To become or make something lighter or more colorful.

• To become happier or more cheerful.

• (of weather) becomes sunnier

[Phrasal Verb: Brighten]

Brush up (on sth)

Practice and improve your skill/knowledge [Phrasal Verb: Brush]

Liven up
Ex: The party livened up once the music started.
Ex: He tried to liven up the conversation with a joke.

To become or make something more lively or exciting. [Phrasal Verb: Liven]

Make over
Ex: They completely made over the living room with new furniture and paint.

To change or improve the appearance of a person or place. [Phrasal Verb: Make]

Paper over
Ex: The company tried to paper over the problems with a public relations campaign.

To hide an unpleasant situation or problem rather than dealing with it properly [Phrasal Verb: Paper]

Patch up
Ex: They managed to patch up their differences and became friends again.
Ex: The nurses patched up his wounds quickly.

- To try to improve a relationship after a disagreement.
- To quickly fix an injury or a damaged thing.

[Phrasal Verb: Patch up]

Run down
Ex: The battery has run down; we need to recharge it.

Ex: British manufacturing industry has been running down for years.

- To lose power or become weaker.
- gradually stop functioning and become smaller in size.

[Phrasal Verb: Run]

Scrape through
Ex: He just managed to scrape through the exam.
Ex: We scraped through to the final on goal difference.

- To succeed in something with difficulty.
- To pass a test or competition with a very narrow margin. [Phrasal Verb: Scrape]

Smarten up
Ex: You need to smarten up your appearance before the interview.
Ex: The company has smartened up its image with a new logo and website.

To make yourself or something look more neat and attractive. [Phrasal Verb: Smarten]

Touch up
Ex: She quickly touched up her makeup before leaving.
Ex: The photograph had been touched up to remove blemishes.

To improve something slightly by making small changes. [Phrasal Verb: Touch]

Waste away
Ex: He was wasting away from a serious illness.

To gradually become thinner and weaker, especially because of illness. [Phrasal Verb: Waste]

Have/Get something down to a fine art
Ex: I spend so much time traveling that I've got packing down to a fine art.

To learn to do something very well and efficiently. [Fine art]

Go from bad to worse
Ex: After losing his job, things went from bad to worse when he was evicted from his apartment.

To become even more unpleasant or difficult. [Bad]

Bad blood
Ex: There's been bad blood between the two families for years.

Feelings of hatred or strong dislike between people due to past conflicts. [Bad]

Make the best of
Ex: We are stuck here, so we might as well make the best of it.

To accept a bad or difficult situation and do as well as you can [Best]

(All) for the best
Ex: I know you're upset now, but I'm sure it's all for the best.

Believed to be the best outcome in the end, even if it doesn't seem so now. [Best]

At your best
Ex: She was at her best when leading the team to victory.

Performing as well or effectively as you are able to. [Best]

The best of both worlds
Ex: If you enjoy the coast and the country, you'll get the best of both worlds on this walk.

The benefits of two or more completely different situations that you can enjoy at the same time. [Best]

Be better off
Ex: Families will be better off under the new law.

To have more money; in a better financial situation. [Better]

For better or (for) worse
Ex: We've made our decision and now we have to stick to it, for better or worse.

Used to say that something cannot be changed, whether the result is good or bad. [Worse]

Better half
Ex: I'm bringing my better half to the company picnic.

- (informal, humorous) the person that you are married to, or your boyfriend or girlfriend. [Better]

Come bottom
Ex: Our team came bottom in the league this season.

To finish in the lowest position in a competition or ranking. [Bottom]

Get to the bottom of
Ex: The manager is determined to get to the bottom of the problem.

Find the root cause [Bottom]

Bottom line
Ex: The bottom line is that we have to make a decision today.
Ex: The company’s bottom line improved after the successful product launch.

- The most important thing that you have to consider or accept; the essential point in a discussion, etc.
- The amount of money that is a profit or a loss after everything has been calculated.

[Bottom]

Make a clean breast of
Ex: He made a clean breast of everything and admitted taking the money.

To tell the truth about something so that you no longer feel guilty. [Clean]

A clean bill of health
Ex: Doctors gave him a clean bill of health after a series of tests and examinations.

A report or statement confirming that someone is healthy or that something is in good condition. [Clean]

Make a clean sweep
Ex: China made a clean sweep of the medals in the gymnastics events.

Ex: The new manager made a clean sweep of the department.

1. To win all the prizes or parts of a game or competition; to win an election completely. [Clean]

2. Remove people from an organization

[Clean]

Clear as a bell
Ex: Her words, when she finally spoke, were as clear as a bell.

Very easy to hear or understand. [Clear]

Clear as mud
Ex: The instructions for setting up the Wi-Fi were as clear as mud.

Very difficult to understand or unclear. [Clear]

Clear case of
Ex: His belief that the staff all get on well is a clear case of wishful thinking.

An obvious example of something. [Clear]

Do the dirty on
Ex: He can't forgive her for doing the dirty on him and having an affair with his best friend.

To behave unfairly towards someone, usually without their knowledge. [Dirty]

Do someone's dirty work
Ex: Tell her yourself—I'm not going to do your dirty work for you.

To perform unpleasant or difficult tasks on behalf of someone else who is unwilling to do them. [Dirty]

Get your hands dirty
Ex: He's not afraid to get his hands dirty and help with the heavy lifting.

To become involved in difficult or unpleasant tasks, often requiring manual labor or tasks that others might avoid. [Dirty]

Give someone a dirty look
Ex: He gave me a really dirty look when I mentioned his mistake.

To look at someone in a disapproving or angry way. [Dirty]

Cut it fine
Ex: She got to the gate ten minutes before her flight, so she was cutting it very fine.

To allow very little time for something. [Cut]

Fine line between
Ex: There's a fine line between confidence and arrogance.

A subtle or slight difference between two things, often indicating that they are very similar or that one can easily become the other. [Line]

With a fine-tooth comb
Ex: The police went through the house with a fine-tooth comb but found no evidence.

To examine something very carefully and thoroughly. [Comb]

Fresh out of
Ex: I'm fresh out of ideas for the project.

To have completely run out of something. [Fresh]

Fresh-faced

Có gương mặt trẻ

Old flame
Ex: She met an old flame at the party.

A former sexual partner. [Flame]

In style <> Out of style

Có phong cách <> không có phong cách

Come out on top
Ex: He's confident that he'll come out on top when all the votes have been counted.

To win a competition, argument, election, etc. [Top]

Get on top of sb

Ex: All this extra work is getting on top of him

Too much for sb to manage or deal with [Top]

Off the top of your head
Ex: I can't remember off the top of my head the date of the wedding.

To say something immediately, from memory, without careful thought or checking the facts. [Top]

Fear the worst
Ex: After hearing about the accident, I feared the worst until I received confirmation that she was safe.

Lo ngại điều tệ nhất [Worst]

Be your own worst enemy
Ex: Carrie is her own worst enemy—she's always arguing with people.

To cause most of your problems or bad situations yourself, often due to your own actions or character. [Enemy]

If the worst comes to the worst
Ex: If the worst comes to the worst, we will be back here in four or five weeks' time for a similar debate.

If the situation develops in the most serious or unpleasant way. [Worst]

At (the) worst

Ex: At the very worst, he will have to pay a fine

Trong tình huống xấu nhất.

Add fuel to the fire

Thêm dầu vào lửa [Fuel]

Below/under par

below standards [Par]

A sight for sore eyes
Ex: After a long day at work, coming home to a warm meal is a sight for sore eyes.

Someone or something that is very pleasant to see, especially after a period of absence or discomfort. [Sight]

Clean as a whistle

Completely honest and legal [Clean]

Draw the line at
Ex: I'm willing to help with many tasks, but I draw the line at doing your homework for you.

To set a limit on what one is willing to do or accept, indicating a boundary beyond which one will not go. [Line]

The last word in

Ex: These apartments are the last word in luxury.

The newest/best type of sth [Word]

out of this world

extremely good [world]

Steal the show
Ex: Her performance in the play stole the show, leaving the audience in awe.

To attract the most attention and admiration at an event, often unexpectedly. [Show]

Have the edge over
Ex: His extensive experience in the field gives him the edge over other candidates.

To have an advantage or superior position compared to someone or something else. [Edge]

Inadequate / Inadequacy

<> adequate, adequacy

Admiring of

Ex: James was admiring of her courage and determination.

showing admirations [Word Form: Admire]

Artful(ness) <> Artless(ness)

• Designed in a clever way

• (Disapproving) Clever

(Word Form: Art)

Artistry

The skill of an artist [Word Form: Art]

Artwork

= Work of art [Word Form: Art]

Artistic(ally)

Ex: The film was both commercially and artistically successful.

Ex: A summer school for the artistically gifted

Ex: The food has to be artistically arranged on the plate

1. Thuộc về nghệ thuật

2. Thể hiện khả năng nghệ thuật

3. Một cách đầy nghệ thuật

   [Word Form: Art]

Artifice = Cunning

Ex: Pretending to faint was merely an artifice

Trò khôn lõi [Word Form: Art]

Artifact/Artefact

Ex: The museum has a superb collection of ancient artefacts from Nubia.

an object that is made by a person, especially something of historical or cultural interest [Word Form: Art]

Awestruck by

Ex: People were awestruck by the pictures the satellite sent back to Earth.

​feeling very impressed by something

Declassify

Ex: declassified information/documents <> classified

Ex: Wildlife experts will decide next month whether to declassify the bird as a threatened species.

1. Tiết lộ bí mật quốc gia

2. to change something to a lower classification or to remove it from a list completely

[Word Form: Class]

Classy

Ex: classy hotel

of high quality/expensive [Word Form: Class]

Classless society

Xã hội không giai cấp [Word Form: Class]

Collectable = Collectible (n)

an object that is worth collecting because it is beautiful or may become valuable [Word Form: Collect]

Destructive

Indestructible

Mang tính phá hủy

Không thể phá hủy [Word Form: Destroy]

Idealize

Ex: an idealized view of married life

lý tưởng hóa [Word Form: Idea]

Idealistic

Ex: She's still young and idealistic.

having a strong belief in perfect standards and trying to achieve them, even when this is not realistic [Word Form: Ideal]

Imitative /ˈɪmɪtətɪv/

Ex: His work has been criticized for being imitative and shallow.

that copies somebody/something [Word Form: Imitate]

Impressionable

Ex: children at an impressionable age

(of a person, especially a young one) easily influenced or affected by somebody/something [Word Form: Impress]

Matchless

Ex: matchless beauty/skill

so good that nothing can be compared with it [Word Form: Match]

Stronghold

Ex: a Republican stronghold/a stronghold of Republicanism

an area in which there is a lot of support for a particular belief or group of people, especially a political party [Word Form: Strong]

Terrorize/Terrify/Intimidate sb into doing

Ex: People were terrorized into leaving their homes.

to frighten and threaten people so that they will not oppose something or will do as they are told

Valuables

Ex: Never leave cash or other valuables lying around.

Vật có giá trị [Word Form: Value]

Worthy of /ˈwɜːði/

Ex: He felt he was not worthy of her.

Ex: Very few of his ideas are worthy of further attention.

Xứng đáng [Word Form: Worth]

Worthwhile for sb to do/ to do/ doing

Ex: It didn't seem worthwhile writing it all out again.

Ex: High prices in the UK make it worthwhile for buyers to look abroad.

important, pleasant, interesting, etc.; worth spending time, money or effort on [Word Form: Worth]