Sách Vĩ Bá

Laws of Nature

Descriptions of the behavior of the material universe

Lift a finger

Thực hiện bất kỳ nỗ lực nào để giúp đỡ hoặc đạt được điều gì đó.

To make any effort to help or achieve something.

bouncer

doorman

draw the line at doing sth

to never do something because you think it is wrong:

squabble over sth

to argue over something that is not important:

break (fresh/new) ground

to do or discover something new:

fall into place

to become clear

a cup short of sth

It means that you lack one cup of something. You need one cup more.

With bated breath

(thành ngữ) háo hức; với sự mong đợi lớn lao.

Idiomatic eagerly with great anticipation.

settle the bill

to pay the bill

to your heart's content

If you do something to your heart's content, you do something enjoyable for as long as you want to do it:

forest-dwelling

living in the woods

move the goalposts

to change the rules while someone is trying to do something in order to make it more difficult for them:

give sb a free hand

to give someone the right, authority, or ability to do something in any way they want:

hit home

to cause you to realize exactly how unpleasant or difficult something is:

The full horror of the war only hit home when we started seeing the television pictures of it in our living rooms.

rough justice/luck

something that happens to you that is severe or unfair:

It seems like rough justice that he should lose his house as well as his wife.

add fuel to the fire

to make an argument or bad situation worse:

The discovery that the government was aware of the cover-up has really added fuel to the fire.

be safe/secure in the knowledge

biết chắc rằng

=not worried because you are sure that nothing bad will happen

They continued their campaign, safe in the knowledge that the police were powerless to stop them.

in a jiffy

a very short time period

leave sb in the lurch

to leave someone at a time when they need you to stay and help

reserve judgement on sb/sth

dè dặt phán đoán, chậm/ hoãn việc đưa ra quyết định, ý kiến về vấn đề gì (delay the process of judging or giving one's opinion).

silver screen

màn ảnh bạc

on its last legs

Something that is on its last legs is in such bad condition that it will soon be unable to work as it should:

I've had this laptop for five years now, and it's really on its last legs.

blab about sth

to talk too much or speak without thinking:

nói nhảm

be none the wiser

to still be confused about something even after it has been explained to you:

I've read the instructions twice and I'm still none the wiser.

be on the mend

to be getting better after an illness or injury:

She's been sick with the flu but she's on the mend now.

in mint condition

perfect, as if new:

I bought a two-year-old car, in mint condition, with less than 20,000 miles.

be miles away

to not be conscious of what is happening around you because you are thinking about something else:

You could tell by the expression on her face that she was miles away, thinking about home.

give sth a miss

to avoid or not do something:

We usually go to France in the summer, but we've decided to give it a miss this year.

fill sth to the brim

to put a substance, especially a liquid, into a container so that it comes up to the very top edge of it:

He filled the jug to the brim.

go overboard

to do something too much, or to be too excited or eager about something:

I don't think there'll be more than six people eating, so I wouldn't go overboard with the food.

opt out of sth

không tham gia vào sth

at the outset

from the beginning

overstep the mark

to behave in a completely unacceptable way:

You've overstepped the mark this time, Simpson - you're fired!

feel the pinch

to have problems with money because you are earning less than before:

When my father lost his job and we had to live on my mother's earnings, we really started to feel the pinch.

phase sth in

to introduce something gradually or in stages

plumb new depths

to become worse than ever, or to do something that is worse than ever:

Racism involving sports stars has plumbed new depths in recent weeks.

keep sb posted

to make sure someone knows what is happening, esp. in a situation that is quickly changing:

The doctors kept me posted about her condition.

up and running

If something, especially a system or a machine, is up and running it is operating:

The engineer soon got the air-conditioning up and running again.

lose your rag

to suddenly become very angry:

He said one too many stupid things and I just lost my rag.

temper demands

Kiềm chế yêu cầu (làm dịu lại yêu cầu), giảm bớt sự khắt khe hoặc cứng rắn trong yêu cầu.

You should temper your demands if you want cooperation.

in stitches

If a joke or funny story has you in stitches, it makes you laugh a lot.

sore point

a subject that someone prefers not to talk about because it makes them angry or embarrassed:

Don't ask him about the job search - it's a bit of a sore point.

talk shop

to talk about your job with those you work with when not at work:

Even at a party they have to talk shop!

beyond/without a shadow of (a) doubt

If something is true beyond a shadow of (a) doubt, there is no doubt that it is true:

This is without a shadow of a doubt the best movie I've seen all year.

give sb to understand (that)

to tell someone something or cause someone to think that something is true:

I was given to understand she was staying at this hotel.

reckless driving

lái xe ẩu

gain a great deal

đạt được rất nhiều (thứ gì đó, như lợi ích, kinh nghiệm, kiến thức, tiền bạc...).

spurn an offer

từ chối một lời đề nghị một cách dứt khoát hoặc khinh miệt.

grumble to yourself

lẩm bẩm than phiền một mình hoặc cằn nhằn trong miệng khi không hài lòng về điều gì đó.

😤 He grumbled to himself about the long queue.

take sb/sth by storm

to be suddenly extremely successful in a place or with a group of people:

Her performance has taken the critics by storm.

storm out

To leave or exit (some place) in a very angry and animated manner.

After being told she couldn't watch any more television, the child threw down her toys and stormed out in a huff.

compare like with like

comparing two things that are very similar

take a stand against sb/sth

To publicly assert one's strong rejection of or opposition to someone or something.

I know this could put my job in the senate in jeopardy, but I feel I must take a stand against this despicable legislation.

billow out

to rise in a round mass

to move in a way similar to large waves

bay lên

The sails billowed out in the strong wind

embark on

to start or engage in

bắt đầu

She embarked on a new career.

have the makings of

to have the clear ability for becoming

tố chất

Your son has the makings of an excellent engineer.

rave about/over sth

to talk about something you enjoy or admire in an excited way

Now I understand why travelers rave about Lapland.

laundering money

rửa tiền, tức là hợp pháp hóa số tiền có nguồn gốc bất hợp pháp bằng cách chuyển qua các giao dịch tài chính để che giấu nguồn gốc thực sự của nó.

💸 The gang was arrested for laundering money through fake businesses.

fall to pieces

If someone falls or goes to pieces, that person becomes unable to think clearly and control their emotions because of something unpleasant or difficult that they have experienced:

She just went (all) to pieces during finals.

to keep a stiff upper lip

Someone who has a stiff upper lip does not show their feelings when they are upset:

He was taught to keep a stiff upper lip, whatever happens.

gasp for sth

want or need sth very much

superficial

(of a person) never thinking about things that are serious or important:

nông cạn

He's fun to be with, but he's very superficial.

stand in for sb

Đại diện hoặc phát biểu thay mặt cho ai đó.

Ex: The lawyer will stand in for the defendant and present the case.

What a wicked thing to do

Thật là một việc làm độc ác/tồi tệ!

the man in the street

a man or men who think like most other people:

To win the election she needs to understand what the man in the street wants.

be stuck up

too proud and considering yourself to be very important:

She's so stuck up, she won't even talk to us.

be neatly clipped

cắt tỉa gọn gàng

shake your fist sb

to hold your hand up in the air with your fingers and thumb bent, and move it forcefully backwards and forwards, to show that you are angry:

He shook his fist at the driver who pulled out in front of him.

scrape sth off

To remove something (from some surface) with or as with the vigorous scrubbing of a rough, sharp, or hard-edged instrument.

He used a putty knife to scrape off the old paint from the wall.

a figment of your imagination

something imagined or created by your mind:

The dinosaurs he said he saw were figments of his imagination.

corroborate

to add proof to an account, statement, idea, etc. with new information:

Recent research seems to corroborate his theory.

take the words out of sb's mouth

to say something that another person was just about to say or was thinking:

"What a rude and obnoxious man!" "You took the words right out of my mouth!"

public inquiry

"cuộc điều tra công khai" hoặc "cuộc điều tra do chính phủ tổ chức" về một vấn đề quan trọng ảnh hưởng đến công chúng.

make serious accusation

đưa ra một cáo buộc nghiêm trọng về ai đó hoặc điều gì đó, thường liên quan đến hành vi sai trái hoặc vi phạm pháp luật.

⚖️ She made a serious accusation against her former employer.

Cross-examination

"thẩm vấn chéo" trong một phiên tòa, khi luật sư của bên đối lập đặt câu hỏi cho nhân chứng nhằm kiểm tra tính chính xác và đáng tin cậy của lời khai.

📌 ⚖️ The defense lawyer began the cross-examination of the key witness.

set out your idea

trình bày ý tưởng của bạn một cách rõ ràng và có tổ chức.

📌 Ví dụ:📝 She set out her idea for the new project in a detailed report.

to read out the verdict

đọc tuyên án trong một phiên tòa, khi thẩm phán công bố quyết định chính thức về vụ án, bao gồm việc có tội hay không, mức án, hoặc các quyết định liên quan.

📌 Ví dụ:⚖️ The judge will read out the verdict at the end of the trial.

one tank of petrol

một bình xăng hoặc một lần đổ đầy xăng cho xe. Cụm từ này thường được dùng để chỉ lượng xăng mà một chiếc xe có thể chứa đầy trong bình xăng của nó.

📌 Ví dụ:⛽ We can drive for hours with just one tank of petrol.

oil slick

a large area of oil floating on the surface of the sea or a river

play a lead in sth

đảm nhận vai trò chính trong một bộ phim, vở kịch, hoặc dự án nào đó. Cụm từ này thường được sử dụng khi một người đóng vai trò quan trọng hoặc nổi bật trong một công việc hoặc sản phẩm nghệ thuật.

📌 Ví dụ:🎭 She played the lead in the new Broadway musical.

in the foyer of the theater

tại sảnh của nhà hát.

"Foyer" là khu vực trước hoặc gần cửa ra vào của một tòa nhà, nơi khán giả có thể đứng chờ, trò chuyện hoặc thư giãn trước khi vào xem buổi biểu diễn.

📌 Ví dụ:🎭 We met in the foyer of the theater before the show started.

the gist of sth

the general meaning or the most important pieces of information about something:

I was just about able to grasp the gist of their argument.

do justice to sb/sth

to treat someone or something in a way that is fair and shows their or its true qualities:

This postcard doesn't do justice to the wonderful scenery.

on order

having been ordered but not yet supplied

đã đặt hàng nhưng chưa nhận được

We don't have any copies of this book at the moment, but it's on order.

man of letters

a writer and/or scholar

nhà văn; học giả

Shakespeare was perhaps Britain's greatest man of letters.

requisite fee

hí yêu cầu hoặc phí cần thiết để thực hiện một công việc, dịch vụ hoặc giao dịch nào đó. Đây là số tiền mà bạn phải trả để hoàn thành một thủ tục hoặc yêu cầu cụ thể.

📌 Ví dụ:💵 To register for the course, you must pay the requisite fee.

a batch of loaves

một mẻ bánh mì

on the small/high/heavy side

a little too small, too high, too heavy etc

The trousers are a bit on the small side.

slick-talking

nói ngọt, lưu loát, nhưng thường mang ý nghĩa tiêu cực.

Người "slick-talking" thường sử dụng lời nói mượt mà, hấp dẫn để thuyết phục hoặc lừa dối người khác, khiến họ dễ bị lừa hoặc bị ảnh hưởng.

📌 Ví dụ:🎩 He's a slick-talking salesman who can sell anything to anyone.

reupholdster

bọc lại hoặc thay vải bọc cho đồ nội thất, như ghế, sofa hoặc ghế bành, để làm mới hoặc sửa chữa nó. Việc này có thể bao gồm thay đổi vải, đệm hoặc các phần khác của đồ vật để phục hồi hình thức và chức năng của nó.

📌 Ví dụ:🛋 We decided to reupholster the old couch instead of buying a new one.

half-hearted

showing no enthusiasm or interest:

half-hearted attempt

He made a half-hearted attempt to clear up the rubbish.

on approval

If you buy something on approval, you can return it without payment if it is not satisfactory:

The new manager introduced the practice of shipping items on approval.

give (sb/sth) the nod

To indicate someone or something as one's choice or show one's approval of someone or something.

fraternize with

to meet someone socially, especially someone who belongs to an opposing army or team, or has a different social position:

làm thân, kết thân như anh em

grievance

a complaint or a strong feeling that you have been treated unfairly:

HAVE A GRIEVANCE AGAINST STH/SB

fidget about/around

to behave or move nervously or restlessly

She told her student to stop ____ and to sit still and concentrate.

fixate on sth

to think about something too much and find it difficult to stop:

A child may fixate on the idea that a parent is going to die.

HAVE A FIXATION ON STH

fret about/ over sth

to be nervous or worried because of something:

She spent the day fretting about what she'd said to Nicky.

haggle with (sb) over (sth)

To try to bargain with one, especially over a price.