19-20

by & by

b4 long; soon

• “By & by she met an old man w a beard.”

too clever, etc. by half

clever, etc. in a way that annoys u/makes u not trust s/sth

by/in leaps & bounds

very quickly; in large amounts

• “Her health has improved in leaps & bounds.”

at ur wits’ end

so worried, confused, annoyed → dk what to do next

• “She was at her wits’ end trying to figure out how to control her son.”

over the top (OTT)

too extreme & not suitable/demanding too much attention, effort → uncontrolled way

• “I thought the decorations were way over the top.”

expertise

expert knowledge/skill in a subject, activity, job

• “We have the expertise to help u run ur business.”

inept

ineptly

acting/done w no skill

• “He's intelligent but socially inept (= not good at relating to ppl socially).”

ineptitude

lack of skill

• “the ineptitude of the police in handling the situation”

disclaim

disclaimer

1. disclaim sth: to state publicly that u deny sth = deny

• “The rebels disclaimed all responsibility for the explosion.”

2. disclaim sth: to give up ur right to sth (property, title) = renounce

fiendish

fiendishly

fiend

1. cruel & unpleasant

• “a fiendish act”

2. extremely clever & complicated (unpleasantly)

• “a puzzle of fiendish complexity”

3. extremely difficult

• “a fiendish problem”

commute

commute

commuter

1. to travel regularly by bus, train, etc. between ur work place and ur home

• commute from A to B: “She commutes from Oxford to London every day.”

• commute between A & B: “He spent that year commuting between New York and Chicago.”

2. commute sth (to sth): to replace 1 punishment w another one less severe

• “The death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.”

3. commute sth (for/into) to sth): to exchange 1 form of payment for sth else

• “The capital invested will be commuted to a loan.”

settler

a person who goes to live in a new country

• “Most of the settlers came from England.”

congested

congestion

congested (w sth): crowded

• “congested city streets”

(un)sustainable

sustainably

sustained

sustainability

1. using natural products & energy → doesn’t harm the environment

• “sustainable forest management”

2. can continue for a long time

• “sustainable economic growth”

sustain

1. sustain sb/sth: to provide enough for sb/sth to live/exist

• “Which planets can sustain life?”

2. sustain sth: to make sth continue for some time w/o becoming less = maintain

• “Kangaroos can sustain high speeds over long distances.”

3. sustain sth: to experience sth bad = suffer

• “The company sustained losses of millions of dollars.”

4. sustain sth: to provide evidence to support = uphold

• “The evidence is not detailed enough to sustain his argument.”

5. sustain sth: to support a weight w/o breaking/falling = bear

• “The ice will not sustain your weight.”

sustenance

1. nguồn dinh dưỡng

• “There's not much sustenance in a bowl of soup.”

2. sustenance (of sth): making sth continue to exist

• “Elections r essential for the sustenance of parliamentary democracy.”

desalination

desalinate

removing salt from seawater

• “a desalination plant”

reclamation

reclaim

1. turning land (too wet/dry) into land suitable to be built on, farmed, etc.

• “land reclamation”

2. obtaining materials from waste products → be used again

• “There r opportunities for a company that can develop more efficient water reclamation & purification technology.”

3. reclamation (of sth) (from sth): getting sth back after it has been lost, taken away, etc.

• “The group urges the reclamation of our democracy from corporate power.”