[SPRINGBOARD] VLC - Release 15-16

Ring a bell (idiom)

Nghe có vẻ quen thuộc; gợi nhớ
[ring a bell = to sound familiar or remind one of something]
His name didn't sound familiar until I saw his face. → His name ~ when I saw his face.
= jog one's memory; sound familiar; evoke recognition

Think outside the box (idiom)

Suy nghĩ sáng tạo, khác lạ
[think outside the box = to consider ideas and solutions that are new, creative, and unconventional]
He asked his team for unconventional solutions to this problem. → He asked his team to ~ to solve this problem.
= be creative; innovate; break the mold

Be under someone's thumb (idiom)

Bị kiểm soát hoàn toàn
[be under someone's thumb = to be completely controlled or dominated by someone else]
He controlled every decision his assistant made. → His assistant was ~.
= be dominated; be subject to; be at someone's mercy

Go Dutch (idiom)

Mỗi người tự trả phần của mình / Chia tiền
[go Dutch = to each pay one's own share of a bill]
They split the bill after dinner. → They ~ after dinner.
= share the cost; split the bill; go halves

Go with the flow (idiom)

Thuận theo hoàn cảnh, không chống đối
[go with the flow = to be relaxed and accept a situation rather than trying to change it]
He didn't have a plan, so he adapted as events happened. → He didn't have a plan, so he ~.
= adapt; go along; take things as they come

Go off the rails (idiom)

Hành xử mất kiểm soát
[go off the rails = to start behaving in a way that is uncontrolled or extreme]
His behavior became unpredictable after the incident. → He ~ after the incident.
= spiral out of control; go haywire; lose one's way

Go overboard (idiom)

Làm gì quá mức
[go overboard = to do something to an excessive degree]
They wanted to decorate the office but added so many items. → They ~ with the decorations.
= go too far; overdo it; exceed the limit

Go under the radar (idiom)

Không thu hút sự chú ý / Lặng lẽ
[go under the radar = to avoid attracting attention]
The new policy change happened without anyone noticing. → The change ~.
= slip by unnoticed; fly under the radar; remain undetected

Go down in flames (idiom)

Thất bại thảm hại
[go down in flames = to fail spectacularly]
His attempt to lead the project ended in complete failure. → His plan ~.
= crash and burn; fail miserably; flop

Go cold turkey (idiom)

Từ bỏ thói quen một cách đột ngột
[go cold turkey = to stop a habit abruptly and completely]
He decided to stop drinking immediately. → He ~ on alcohol.
= quit abruptly; stop outright; give up immediately

Go for broke (idiom)

Đánh cược tất cả; dốc toàn lực
[go for broke = to risk everything in an all-out effort]
They risked everything to win the competition. → They ~ to win the competition.
= risk it all; bet the farm; give it your all

Go hand in hand (idiom)

Gắn bó chặt chẽ; đi đôi với nhau
[go hand in hand = to be closely associated or linked]
Innovation and risk often occur together in startups. → Innovation and risk ~ in startups.
= accompany each other; be intertwined; occur together

Go to great lengths (idiom)

Dốc sức; tốn nhiều công sức
[go to great lengths = to make a very great effort to achieve something]
She researched every archive to find the original manuscript. → She ~ to find the original manuscript.
= spare no effort; pull out all the stops; do everything possible

Go out of one's way (idiom)

Nỗ lực đặc biệt; làm nhiều hơn mức cần thiết
[go out of one's way = to make a special effort beyond what is expected]
He wanted to help the elderly neighbor carry groceries. → He ~ to help her carry groceries.
= make a special effort; bend over backwards; spare no effort

Go off on a tangent (idiom)

Nói hoặc nghĩ lạc đề, chuyển sang vấn đề khác
[go off on a tangent = to suddenly start talking or thinking about a completely new subject that is only slightly related to the original one]
During the discussion, he veered away from the main topic. → He ~ during the discussion.
= digress; stray from the point; deviate from the topic

Go for a song (idiom)

Được bán với giá rẻ mạt
[go for a song = to be sold very cheaply]
They sold their old furniture very cheaply. → They ~.
= be dirt cheap; cost next to nothing; be very inexpensive

Go to one's head (idiom)

Làm ai đó kiêu ngạo, ngạo mạn
[go to one's head = to make someone so proud or confident that they behave badly or rudely]
After winning the award, his success made him arrogant. → His success ~.
= inflate one's ego; make conceited; go to one's brain

Go down like a lead balloon (idiom)

Thất bại hoàn toàn; không được chấp nhận
[go down like a lead balloon = to be completely unsuccessful or unpopular]
His joke failed to amuse anyone at the meeting. → His joke ~.
= flop; bomb; fall flat

Go up in smoke (idiom)

Thất bại hoàn toàn, tan thành mây khói
[go up in smoke = to fail completely and suddenly]
All their careful planning was ruined at the last minute. → All their plans ~.
= collapse; fall through; come to nothing

Go through the motions (idiom)

Làm cho xong chuyện; không hứng thú / Làm có lệ
[go through the motions = to do something mechanically without enthusiasm or genuine effort]
He was no longer interested in the job and only completed tasks perfunctorily. → He ~ at work.
= do perfunctorily; act mechanically; play along

A little bird told me (idiom)

Có người mách tôi rằng / Biết một nguồn tin bí mật
[used to say that you know something because someone told you without saying who]
Someone told me you are going to Paris for the weekend. → ~ you're going to Paris this weekend.
= I’ve heard it through the grapevine; someone let me in on it

A little learning is a dangerous thing (idiom)

Biết chút ít mà tự tin quá sẽ dễ mắc sai lầm / Học nông cạn thì nguy hiểm
[having only a small amount of knowledge can lead to overconfidence and mistakes]
He realized that surface-level learning was futile when his tip lost money. → ~, he thought when his tip lost money.
= partial knowledge backfires; shallow knowledge can mislead

A fish out of water (idiom)

Cảm thấy không thoải mái hoặc vụng về khi ở trong tình huống lạ / Lạc lõng
[someone who is uncomfortable or awkward because they are in an unfamiliar situation]
It was his first day at the law firm and he felt out of place. → He felt ~ at his first corporate meeting.
= out of one's element; like a stranger in a strange land

At the end of one's rope (idiom)

Kiệt sức / Không còn kiên nhẫn, sức lực hay hy vọng
[having no more patience, energy, or hope left]
She'd tried every solution to save the project but nothing worked. → She was ~ trying to save the project.
= out of options; desperate; at wit's end

A chip on one's shoulder (idiom)

Cảm giác giận dữ hoặc hằn thù về chuyện đã xảy ra / Mang tâm lý hằn học
[a feeling of anger or resentment about something that happened in the past]
He still resented being passed over for that promotion. → He has ~ about his performance review.
= holding a grudge; bearing resentment; feeling wronged

Burn the midnight oil (idiom)

Làm việc hoặc học tập đến khuya / Thức khuya để làm việc
[to work late into the night]
He had an important deadline, so he studied late into the night. → He ~ to finish the deadline.
= work late; pull an all-nighter; stay up late

Break new ground (idiom)

Làm điều gì đó mới mẻ, chưa ai thực hiện trước đó / Mở ra hướng mới
[to do something innovative that has not been done before]
Their research introduced an innovative method for recycling plastics. → Their team ~ in plastic recycling technology.
= innovate; pioneer; forge a new path

Face the music (idiom)

Đối mặt với hậu quả không mong muốn của hành động / Đối mặt với thực tế
[to confront the unpleasant consequences of one's actions]
He tried to avoid the consequences of his mistake for days, but in the end he had to accept responsibility. → He finally ~.
= accept responsibility; take one's medicine; own up

Stick to your guns (idiom)

Giữ vững lập trường, dù có áp lực / Kiên định
[to maintain one's position or opinion despite pressure to change]
Despite criticism, he refused to change his plan. → He ~ despite the criticism.
= stand firm; hold one's ground; be resolute

Add fuel to the fire (idiom)

Làm tình huống tồi tệ thêm / Thêm dầu vào lửa
[to make a bad situation even worse]
His argument made the dispute worse. → He ~ with his comment.
= exacerbate; intensify; pour oil on the flames

Burn your bridges (idiom)

Tự làm hỏng mối quan hệ hoặc cơ hội / Tuyệt đường lui
[to destroy one's path, connections, or opportunities deliberately]
He quit the company abruptly and ruined his relationship with former colleagues. → He ~ with former colleagues by quitting without notice.
= cut off one's nose to spite one's face; sabotage future prospects; sever ties

Rain on someone's parade (idiom)

Làm hỏng niềm vui hoặc kế hoạch của ai / Làm mất vui
[to spoil someone's enjoyment or plans]
She was thrilled about her promotion until he pointed out all its drawbacks. → He ~ by listing every downside.
= spoil; dampen enthusiasm; burst one's bubble

Keep one's chin up (idiom)

Giữ tinh thần lạc quan, không nản lòng
[to remain cheerful and hopeful in difficult circumstances]
She was disappointed by her exam result but tried to stay positive. → She ~ despite the disappointing result.
= stay positive; stay strong; maintain morale

Keep your nose to the grindstone (idiom)

Làm việc cần mẫn, không ngừng nỗ lực
[to work hard and continuously without rest]
He wants a promotion, so he's been working long hours. → He ~ to earn that promotion.
= work tirelessly; stay focused; put one's head down

Call the shots (idiom)

Nắm quyền, đưa ra quyết định
[to be in charge and make decisions]
In our team, Mary always decides what we do next. → Mary ~ in our team.
= be in control; make the decisions; call the tune

Hang in there (idiom)

Kiên trì, không bỏ cuộc / Cố lên
[to persevere and not give up in difficult circumstances]
The exam is tough, but keep studying-you'll improve. → ~, and you'll see progress.
= persevere; hold on; stick it out

Play it by ear (idiom)

Tùy cơ ứng biến
[to decide how to act as a situation develops rather than planning ahead]
We don't have a plan for emergencies; we'll decide as needed. → We'll ~ if any problems arise.
= improvise; wing it; adapt on the fly

Face up to (idiom)

Chấp nhận và đối mặt với điều khó khăn
[to accept and deal with something difficult or unpleasant]
He refused to admit his debt until creditors called. → He finally ~ his debt when creditors insisted.
= confront; tackle; come to terms with

Throw one's weight around (idiom)

Lạm dụng quyền lực hoặc ảnh hưởng một cách kiêu ngạo / Ra oai
[to use one's power or influence in an arrogant or domineering way]
After his promotion, he began to give orders to everyone. → He ~ after being promoted.
= boss people around; lord it over; ride roughshod

Keep someone in the loop (idiom)

Đảm bảo ai đó được cập nhật thông tin
[to ensure that someone is kept informed about something]
We discussed strategy without including the marketing team. → We should ~ for future meetings.
= keep informed; keep updated; keep posted