Thẻ ghi nhớ: 30/4 - năm 2026

acerbic

(adj.) /əˈsɜː.bɪk/
- English: sharp and forthright; critical and direct in a harsh or bitter way
- Tiếng Việt: gay gắt, chua chát, chát chúa (trong lời nói, nhận xét)
- Ví dụ: His feedback on weaker students could be so acerbic that some left his office discouraged.

contentious

(adj.) /kənˈten.ʃəs/
- English: causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial
- Tiếng Việt: gây tranh cãi, dễ dẫn đến bất đồng/tranh chấp
- Ví dụ: What began as a minor error soon became a contentious issue involving wounded pride.

loosely

(adv.) /ˈluːs.li/
- English: in a way that is not firm, precise, or strictly controlled
- Tiếng Việt: lỏng lẻo, mơ hồ, không chặt chẽ
- Ví dụ: The report offered a desultory discussion that drifted from one loosely related example to another.

concession

(n.) /kənˈseʃ.ən/
- English: a reduction in an amount to be paid; a price reduction given to a particular group
- Tiếng Việt: sự giảm giá, sự nhượng bộ (vé/chi phí cho đối tượng đặc biệt)
- Ví dụ: The government announced new travel concessions for pensioners to make public transport affordable.

deadlocked

(adj.) /ˈded.lɒkt/
- English: causing or experiencing a situation in which no progress can be made
- Tiếng Việt: bế tắc, đình trệ hoàn toàn (không đạt được thỏa thuận)
- Ví dụ: Even after hours of discussion, the committee remained deadlocked.

self-effacing

(adj.) /ˌself.ɪˈfeɪ.sɪŋ/
- English: not claiming attention for oneself; modest and retiring
- Tiếng Việt: khiêm tốn, nhún nhường, không thích phô trương
- Ví dụ: There was something self-effacing about his generosity; he never announced it.

sententious

(adj.) /senˈten.ʃəs/
- English: given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner
- Tiếng Việt: hay lên mặt dạy đời, phán như đúng rồi, lên gân đạo đức
- Ví dụ: What made the speech unbearable was its sententious manner.

perfunctory

(adj.) /pəˈfʌŋk.tər.i/
- English: carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection; routine and superficial
- Tiếng Việt: hời hợt, làm cho có, chiếu lệ
- Ví dụ: The ceremony had become so perfunctory that the applause seemed merely routine.

be qualified by caveat

(adj.) /ˈkwɒl.ɪ.faɪd/
- English: limited, conditional, or modified by exceptions
- Tiếng Việt: có điều kiện kèm theo, bị giới hạn (không tuyệt đối)
- Ví dụ: The committee's statement was so heavily qualified by caveats that none of its claims could stand alone.

gallows humor

(n. phr.) /ˈɡæl.əʊz ˌhjuː.mər/
- English: grim or ironic humor in a desperate or hopeless situation
- Tiếng Việt: trò cười trong cảnh ngặt nghèo/bế tắc, sự hài hước đen tối
- Ví dụ: The doctors used gallows humor to cope with the intense pressure of the emergency room.

stoically

(adv.) /ˈstəʊ.ɪ.kəl.i/
- English: without showing emotion or complaining during pain or hardship
- Tiếng Việt: một cách khắc kỷ, chịu đựng âm thầm không Than vắn thở dài
- Ví dụ: She stoically refused to defend herself and endured each accusation in silence.

all mouth and no trousers

(idiom) /ɔːl maʊθ ənd nəʊ ˈtraʊ.zəz/
- English: talking a lot about doing something but never actually doing it
- Tiếng Việt: nói hay làm dở, nói khoác mà không làm được gì
- Ví dụ: Peter talked up revolutionising the workflow, but he was all mouth and no trousers.

equivocal

(adj.) /ɪˈkwɪv.ə.kəl/
- English: open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous or uncertain
- Tiếng Việt: mập mờ, nước đôi, không rõ ràng ý định
- Ví dụ: The principal's praise was so equivocal that students could not tell if he was genuine.

make a song and dance about sth

(idiom) /meɪk ə sɒŋ ənd dɑːns əˈbaʊt/
- English: to make an unnecessary fuss or commotion about something unimportant
- Tiếng Việt: làm ầm ĩ/làm quá lên về một việc vặt vảnh
- Ví dụ: The supervisor launched into a rant and made a song and dance about two tiny typos.

a vehicle for

(n.) /ˈvɪə.kəl/
- English: a medium or means through which something is expressed, achieved, or displayed
- Tiếng Việt: công cụ, phương tiện (để thể hiện tài năng/mục đích)
- Ví dụ: The new series was clearly designed as a vehicle for the young actor.

rebarbative

(adj.) /rɪˈbɑː.bə.tɪv/
- English: unattractive, irritating, or forbidding in appearance or style
- Tiếng Việt: khó chịu, gây xô xát cảm xúc, khô xơ khó nuốt (văn phong)
- Ví dụ: The book is so rebarbative in style that even specialists are put off by its forbidding prose.

captious

(adj.) /ˈkæp.ʃəs/
- English: tending to find fault or raise petty objections; cavilling
- Tiếng Việt: hay soi mói, bắt bẻ vặt, bới lông tìm vết
- Ví dụ: His objections were so captious that every minor ambiguity was treated as a fatal flaw.

explore every possible avenue

(idiom) /ɪkˈsplɔːr ˈev.ri ˈæv.ə.njuː/
- English: to try every possible means or course of action to achieve something
- Tiếng Việt: thử mọi cách, tìm kiếm mọi con đường/phương án
- Ví dụ: They said they would explore every possible avenue before deciding the files were lost.

hand-wringing

(n./adj.) /ˈhændˌrɪŋ.ɪŋ/
- English: excessive or ineffective expression of distress, concern, or guilt
- Tiếng Việt: sự xoắn xít lo lắng suông, kêu ca rối rít mà không hành động
- Ví dụ: As a hand-wringing consultant, he kept interrupting with unpalatable objections.

lock, stock and barrel

(idiom) /lɒk stɒk ənd ˈbær.əl/
- English: completely, entirely, including every part
- Tiếng Việt: toàn bộ, trọn gói từ A đến Z, không sót thứ gì
- Ví dụ: The old traditions were discarded lock, stock and barrel in favor of modern practices.

be at variance with

(phr.) /bi æt ˈveə.ri.əns wɪð/
- English: to be in disagreement or inconsistency with something
- Tiếng Việt: mâu thuẫn với, bất đồng với, không nhất quán với
- Ví dụ: The CEO's comments were completely at variance with the official company policy.

be steeped in

(phr. v.) /bi stiːpt ɪn/
- English: to have a lot of a particular quality, history, or tradition
- Tiếng Việt: đắm mình trong, tràn ngập/thấm đượm (truyền thống, kiến thức)
- Ví dụ: He is a scholar who is deeply steeped in the traditions of medieval alchemy.

germane to

(adj.) /dʒɜːˈmeɪn tuː/
- English: relevant and appropriate to a subject under consideration
- Tiếng Việt: có liên quan chặt chẽ, thích hợp với vấn đề đang xét
- Ví dụ: The judge ruled that the evidence was not germane to the case at hand.

beyond strength

(phr.) /bi streɪn bɪˈjɒnd streŋθ/
- English: to be stretched or pressured past the limit of capacity
- Tiếng Việt: vượt quá sức chịu đựng / quá tải nghiêm trọng
- Ví dụ: The city's infrastructure is currently beyond strength due to the sudden influx of refugees.

have a knack for

(n. phr.) /hæv ə næk fɔːr/
- English: to have a special skill, talent, or aptitude for doing something
- Tiếng Việt: có tài lẻ, có năng khiếu thiên bẩm làm việc gì
- Ví dụ: She has an unerring knack for identifying talent in the most unlikely places.

in collusion with

(prep. phr.) /ɪn kəˈluː.ʒən wɪð/
- English: in secret cooperation with someone for an illegal or dishonest purpose
- Tiếng Việt: câu kết, thông đồng bí mật với ai (để làm việc mờ ám)
- Ví dụ: The minister was criticized for acting in collusion with private developers.

be contingent on

(adj.) /kənˈtɪn.dʒənt ɒn/
- English: dependent on subject to certain conditions happening
- Tiếng Việt: tùy thuộc vào, phụ thuộc vào yếu tố nào đó
- Ví dụ: The success of the venture is contingent on the approval of the environmental agency.

run into a hitch

(phr. v.) /rʌn ˈɪn.tuː/
- English: to encounter or experience a difficulty or problem unexpectedly
- Tiếng Việt: gặp phải (khó khăn, chướng ngại vật đột ngột)
- Ví dụ: The negotiations were progressing well until they ran into a sudden hitch.

be laid up

(phr. v.) /leɪd ʌp/
- English: forced to stay in bed because of an illness or injury
- Tiếng Việt: nằm bệt giường (do ốm nặng/chấn thương)
- Ví dụ: I've been laid up with a particularly nasty case of the flu.

wear down

(phr. v.) /weər daʊn/
- English: to weaken or overcome someone's resistance through persistence
- Tiếng Việt: khuất phục, làm ai kiệt sức/nản lòng dần dần
- Ví dụ: The defense attorney managed to wear down the prosecution's main witness.

iron out final details

(phr. v.) /ˈaɪən aʊt/
- English: to resolve or settle details, difficulties, or problems
- Tiếng Việt: giải quyết dứt điểm, dàn xếp ổn thỏa các chi tiết cuối cùng
- Ví dụ: We need to iron out the final details of the contract before we can sign it.

talk up

(phr. v.) /tɔːk ʌp/
- English: to speak enthusiastically about someone or something to make them seem important
- Tiếng Việt: tâng bốc, quảng cáo rầm rộ, tống giá trị lên
- Ví dụ: He tends to talk up his achievements, making it difficult to trust his humility.

snap up

(phr. v.) /snæp ʌp/
- English: to buy or accept something quickly and eagerly
- Tiếng Việt: thu mua nhanh gọn, chộp lấy, giành lấy ngay lập tức
- Ví dụ: The small startup was eventually snapped up by a global tech giant last year.

drive at

(phr. v.) /draɪv æt/
- English: to try to explain, convey, or suggest something indirectly
- Tiếng Việt: ám chỉ, có ý muốn nói gì, nhắm tới điều gì
- Ví dụ: What exactly are you driving at in your critique of the new budget?

non-combatant

(n.) /ˌnɒn.kəmˈbæt.ənt/
- English: a person who is not engaged in direct fighting during a war (e.g., civilians, medics)
- Tiếng Việt: thường dân, người không tham chiến
- Ví dụ: The convoy carried essentials for non-combatants trapped in the fighting. (Từ gốc: COMBAT)

retrofit

(v.) /ˈret.rəʊ.fɪt/
- English: to equip something with new parts or technology that were not available when it was made
- Tiếng Việt: nâng cấp, lắp đặt thêm thiết bị hiện đại cho máy móc cũ
- Ví dụ: The aging vessel was retrofitted with reinforced hull plating. (Từ gốc: FIT)

go-getters

(n.) /ˈɡəʊˌɡet.ər/
- English: an energetically aggressive, ambitious, and motivated person
- Tiếng Việt: những người năng nổ, có chí tiến thủ, dám nghĩ dám làm
- Ví dụ: Go-getters don't wait for opportunities - they create them. (Từ gốc: GET)

stonewall

(v.) /ˈstəʊn.wɔːl/
- English: to delay, obstruct, or refuse to cooperate or answer questions
- Tiếng Việt: lảng tránh, cản trở, kiên quyết không trả lời/hợp tác
- Ví dụ: The manager stonewalled and repeated that he would like to reserve his judgement. (Từ gốc: WALL)

defoliation

(n.) /diːˌfəʊ.liˈeɪ.ʃən/
- English: the loss or removal of leaves from trees or plants
- Tiếng Việt: sự rụng lá, sự làm trụi lá
- Ví dụ: The defoliation caused by the pests left the trees bare and vulnerable. (Từ gốc: FOLIAGE)

counterweight

(n.) /ˈkaʊn.tə.weɪt/
- English: a weight or force that balances or offsets another
- Tiếng Việt: đối trọng, lực cân bằng
- Ví dụ: Her calm pragmatism acted as a useful counterweight to his impulsive enthusiasm. (Từ gốc: WEIGH)

prepubescent

(adj.) /ˌpriː.pjuːˈbes.ənt/
- English: relating to the period just before puberty
- Tiếng Việt: trước tuổi dậy thì
- Ví dụ: The outreach programme focuses on prepubescent children. (Từ gốc: PUBERTY)

happenstance

(n.) /ˈhæp.ən.stæns/
- English: coincidence or a chance occurrence
- Tiếng Việt: sự tình cờ, ngẫu nhiên
- Ví dụ: It was by happenstance that I met my high school friend in Paris. (Từ gốc: HAPPEN)

effeminate

(adj.) /ɪˈfem.ɪ.nət/
- English: (of a man) having characteristics regarded as typical of a woman
- Tiếng Việt: ẻo lả, mang nét nữ tính (ở nam giới)
- Ví dụ: The actor adopted an effeminate persona to challenge traditional stereotypes. (Từ gốc: FEMININE)

inexpertly

(adv.) /ɪnˈesk.pɜːt.li/
- English: in a clumsy, unskilled, or amateurish manner
- Tiếng Việt: một cách vụng về, thiếu chuyên nghiệp
- Ví dụ: Inexpertly assembled, the furniture wobbled and felt unstable. (Từ gốc: EXPERT)

unenviable

(adj.) /ʌnˈen.vi.ə.bəl/
- English: difficult, unpleasant, or undesirable (task/position)
- Tiếng Việt: chẳng ai thèm muốn, vất vả, đầy thử thách
- Ví dụ: Delivering reading materials was an unenviable job in hostile terrain. (Từ gốc: envy)

brainchild

(n.) /ˈbreɪn.tʃaɪld/
- English: an idea, plan, or creation developed by one or more persons
- Tiếng Việt: đứa con tinh thần, sản phẩm trí tuệ
- Ví dụ: The library initiative was the brainchild of the President's administration. (Từ gốc: child)

hardest-hit

(adj.) /ˌhɑː.dɪstˈhɪt/
- English: suffering the most severe damage or negative impact
- Tiếng Việt: bị ảnh hưởng/thiệt hại nặng nề nhất
- Ví dụ: Appalachia was one of the hardest-hit areas during the Depression. (Từ gốc: hit)

predominantly

(adv.) /prɪˈdɒm.ɪ.nənt.li/
- English: mainly, mostly, for the most part
- Tiếng Việt: chủ yếu, phần lớn
- Ví dụ: The initiative employed predominantly female workers. (Từ gốc: dominate)

outlying

(adj.) /ˈaʊtˌlaɪ.ɪŋ/
- English: far from the center; remote or distant
- Tiếng Việt: hẻo lánh, xa trung tâm, ngoại thành
- Ví dụ: Books were sent on horseback to outlying communities. (Từ gốc: lie)

otherwise

(adv.) /ˈʌð.ə.waɪz/
- English: in other circumstances; in a different way
- Tiếng Việt: nếu không thì, ở khía cạnh khác
- Ví dụ: They supplied access to books that would otherwise be unavailable. (Từ gốc: other)

gratefully

(adv.) /ˈɡreɪt.fəl.i/
- English: in a appreciative or thankful manner
- Tiếng Việt: một cách biết ơn, trân trọng
- Ví dụ: All donations were gratefully accepted regardless of condition. (Từ gốc: gratitude)

circulate

(v.) /ˈsɜː.kjə.leɪt/
- English: to pass or cause to pass from place to place or person to person
- Tiếng Việt: lưu hành, truyền tay nhau, phân phối rộng rãi
- Ví dụ: Old magazines were cut into scrapbooks to be circulated. (Từ gốc: circle)

lifeline

(n.) /ˈlaɪf.laɪn/
- English: a thing on which someone depends for continued life or viability
- Tiếng Việt: phao cứu sinh, nguồn sống/kết nối sinh tử
- Ví dụ: Grateful for the educational lifeline that these mobile librarians supplied. (Từ gốc: life)

predecessor

(n.) /ˈpriː.dɪˌses.ər/
- English: a person or thing that preceded another in an office or position
- Tiếng Việt: người tiền nhiệm, thế hệ đi trước
- Ví dụ: They remembered the brave work of their predecessors in the mountains. (Từ gốc: precede)

curry favour with

(idiom) /ˌkʌr.i ˈfeɪ.vər wɪð/
- English: to try to make someone like you or support you to gain an advantage
- Tiếng Việt: lấy lòng, xu nịnh ai để kiếm lợi lộc
- Ví dụ: He tried to curry favour with the director to land the lead role.

with a view to doing sth

(structure) /wɪð ə vjuː tuː/
- English: with the intention or hope of doing something in the future
- Tiếng Việt: với mục đích/ý định làm gì
- Ví dụ: With a view to landing the lead role, he flattered the director.

paper over

(phr. v.) /ˈpeɪ.pər ˈəʊ.vər/
- English: to hide an unpleasant situation or mistake rather than fixing it
- Tiếng Việt: che đậy tạm thời, gượng gạo xoa dịu mâu thuẫn/lỗi lầm
- Ví dụ: Attempting to paper over the issue has resulted in a breakdown in communication.

sell sbd a bill of goods

(idiom) /sel ˈsʌm.bə.di ə bɪl əv ɡʊdz/
- English: to deceive or cheat someone by making them accept a false proposal
- Tiếng Việt: lừa gạt ai đó bằng những lời hứa cuội/món hàng dởm
- Ví dụ: However lucrative it sounds, he is actually selling the investors a bill of goods.

gain a following among

(phr.) /ɡeɪn ə ˈfɒl.əʊ.ɪŋ/
- English: to acquire a group of admirers, supporters, or fans
- Tiếng Việt: thu hút/gây dựng được lượng người hâm mộ đông đảo
- Ví dụ: Having won the award, the singer gained a large following among the youth.

interpose oneself to do sth

(v.) /ˌɪn.təˈpəʊz/
- English: to place oneself or something between two people or things; intervene
- Tiếng Việt: can thiệp vào giữa, xen vào giữa hai bên tranh chấp
- Ví dụ: Between the two players, the referee quickly interposed himself to stop the dispute.

blow one's own trumpet

(idiom) /bləʊ wʌnz əʊn ˈtrʌm.pɪt/
- English: to talk boastfully about one's own achievements or talents
- Tiếng Việt: tự bốc phét, khoe khoang thành tích của bản thân
- Ví dụ: Should you keep blowing your own trumpet, your colleagues will get annoyed.

make as if to do sth

(phr.) /æz ɪf tuː/
- English: looking as though one is about to do something
- Tiếng Việt: như thể sắp sửa làm gì
- Ví dụ: Not until the influencer made as if to sign the contract was she deluged with negative publicity.

be deluged with

(phr. v.) /bi ˈdel.juːdʒd wɪð/
- English: to be overwhelmed or flooded with a huge amount of something
- Tiếng Việt: bị ngập tràn/dồn dập hứng chịu (chỉ trích, thư từ, tin tức)
- Ví dụ: She was deluged with negative publicity right before signing.

it's just as well that

(idiom) /ɪts dʒʌst æz wel ðæt/
- English: it is fortunate or a good thing that something happened
- Tiếng Việt: may mà, may mắn là
- Ví dụ: It's just as well that we could hail a taxi, or we would have missed the flight.

take it as read that

(idiom) /teɪk ɪt æz red ðæt/
- English: to accept that something is true without needing to discuss it further
- Tiếng Việt: mặc nhiên thừa nhận/coi điều gì là hiển nhiên đúng
- Ví dụ: I take it as read that I am entitled to a reduction in the tuition fee.

send shivers down someone's spine

(idiom) /send ˈʃɪv.əz daʊn wʌnz spaɪn/
- English: to cause someone to feel intense excitement, thrill, or fear
- Tiếng Việt: làm ai rợn tóc gáy, nổi da gà (vì quá phấn khích hoặc sợ hãi)
- Ví dụ: It sends shivers down my spine knowing he's on the shortlist for the title.