Lesson 7 (✨English After Hours 6.0✨)

from Betty with love❤️

have/get somebody by the short hairs

to put someone in a situation in which they are forced to do or accept what you want:

1) I signed the contract – they’ve got me _______.
2) Bieber is still a cocky, jokey teenager who, rightfully, thinks he has the world _______. (it’s in Forbes! hehehe)
3) When she discovered his secret, she felt like she had him _______ in their relationship.

commensurate

corresponding in size, extent, amount, or degree; proportional:

1) Her salary is ______ with her level of experience and education.

2) The punishment should be ______ with the severity of the crime.

3) His deprivations are not ______ with the pain he inflicted on so many. 

metastasize

to spread or grow uncontrollably, often referring to ideas or beliefs that proliferate beyond their original context:

1) Once the rumour started, it began to _____ throughout the community, causing widespread panic.

2) His radical ideas _____ed into a movement that attracted many followers.

3) The misinformation about the vaccine ______ed on social media, leading to public health concerns. 

airy-fairy

unrealistic, impractical, or overly idealistic; lacking in substance or seriousness:

1) His ______ plans for starting a business without any market research were quickly dismissed.

2) If you can't afford that ______ seminar, hold a vision quest in your own backyard.

3) She often comes up with ______ solutions that sound nice but don’t work in practice.

platitude

a remark or statement that is overused and lacks originality; a cliché:

1) That _____ is a byproduct, not the core motivation, for most people I spoke to.

2) His speech was filled with _____s about hard work and perseverance that failed to inspire anyone.

3) She responded to my concerns with _____inous phrases that didn’t address my feelings.

prowess

skill or expertise in a particular activity or field; exceptional ability:

1) His culinary _____ impressed everyone at the dinner party.

2) I still have the energy and the _____ but the memory isn't as sharp as it was.

3) In the interview she started talking about her husband's sexual ____.

propensity

an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way:

1) He has a _____ for taking risks that often leads him into trouble.

2) Her _____ for kindness made her well-liked among her peers.

3) The _____ of rich people to be selfish, power-hungry, and oppressive is ubiquitous.

wild goose chase

a search that is completely unsuccessful and a waste of time because the person or thing being searched for does not exist or is somewhere else:

1) After two hours spent wandering in the snow, I realised we were on a ___ ___ ___.

2) If the crew members knew they were on a ___ ___ ___, they didn't show it.

3) What that one 2008 paper did was to send hundreds of people off on a ___ ___ ___, in my opinion.

until you are blue in the face

to do something for a long time without achieving success; to talk or argue endlessly without making any progress:

1) You can explain it until you are ______, but he still won’t understand.

2) They debated the issue until they were ______, but no resolution was reached.

3) I’ve tried to convince her to join us until I was ______, but she remains uninterested.