CPE 9B

in a rut

→ After working in the same office for twenty-seven years with no hope of promotion, he felt he was in a rut.

stuck in a monotonous routine [utknąć w rutynie]

off the record

→ My boss couldn't tell me anything officially but, off the record, he told me a promotion was imminent.

unofficial(ly) [nieoficjalnie, poufnie]

hit the roof

→ She hit the roof when her neighbours played their stereo at full volume for the fourth consecutive night.

get very angry [wpaść w szał]

put down roots

→ Having lived and worked in more than a dozen countries, he thought it was about time he put down roots in one place.

settle down [zapuszczać korzenie (zaczynać czuć się jak w domu)]

work to rule

→ The bus drivers voted to work to rule in an attempt to break down the management's resistance to their demands.

adhere strictly to the regulations as a form of protest [strajk włoski]

it stands to reason

→ You've eaten so much that it stands to reason you feel sick.

 it is logical [ma się rozumieć, jest to zrozumiałe]

as a last resort

→ I'd been unable to contact her for three days so, as a last resort, I drove the thirty miles to her house to see what was going on.

when all else has failed [ostatnia deska ratunku]

know the ropes

→ Paul's only just started work here, so he doesn't really know the ropes yet.

know all the details of something [znać się, być obeznanym]

in the long run

→ This may be an expensive purchase now but in the long run it will save us a lot of money.

after a long period of time [na dłuższą metę]

rack your brains

→ He had to rack his brains to remember where he had left his spare car keys.

think very hard about sth [główkować]

on the quiet

→ Although he was collecting unemployment benefit, on the quiet, he was also working as a hospital porter.

secretly [po cichu, bez rozgłosu]

cut to the quick

→ He was cut to the quick by her comment that his previous novel was infinitely better than his new one.

 deeply hurt someone's feelings [dotknąć kogoś (swoimi słowami)]

open to debate

→ Whether the advertising campaign will increase sales is open to debate.

undecided/unsettled [otwarta sprawa]

an unknown quantity

→ The presidential candidate is virtually an unknown quantity, as almost nothing is known about him.

person or thing that one has no experience of  [wielka niewiadoma]

at close quarters

→ Although the antique table looked nice from across the room, at close quarters, you could see how badly damaged it was.

 from a short distance [z bliska]

begs the question

→ Jerry's sudden acquisition of a sports car begs the question where did he get the money to buy it?

makes people want to ask a particular question [nasuwa się pytanie]

call it quits

→ If the gardening business doesn't pick up soon, I'm going to call it quits and get another job.

give up/stop [odchodzić, zostawiać coś]

out of the question

→ It is out of the question that you should drive the car without your licence.

impossible [poza dyskusją]

in a quandary

→ She's in a quandary over which flat to choose, so she'll probably end up staying on at her parents' house.

be confused; undecided [być w rozterce, mieć dylemat]

keep it quiet

→ I'll tell you what's going on if you promise to keep it quiet.

 keep something secret [trzymać w tajemnicy]

put into force

→ The new rules will be put into force next year.

to make something official, apply [nadać moc prawną]

jubilation

→ There has been much jubilation when the government lost the election.

delighted, with great happiness [rozradowanie]

be on the throne

→ The Queen has been on the throne for almost fifty years.

rule [zasiadać na tronie]

bears a close resemblance

→ That woman bears a close resemblance to my mother.

look an awful lot like sb [przypominać]

nothing other than

→ Tom is nothing other than generous.

nwm

as far as

→ This is as far as I'm going until I've had something to eat.

any further [tyle, na tyle, tak daleko jak, itp]

no one but yourself to blame

→ You have no one but yourself to blame for failing the exam.

entirely one’s fault [nie winić nikogo prócz siebie]

in a row

→ Bobby ate two ice creams in a row after lunch.

one after the other [z rzędu]

any improvement

→ Was there any improvement in your mother's condition when you visited her?

any better [jakakolwiek poprawa]

with reluctance

→ It was with reluctance that the workforce agreed to a cut in pay.

 reluctantly [z niechęcią]

neglected to sign

→ I neglected to sign the cheque before putting it in the envelope.

without signing [nie dostrzegać, lekceważyć]

having a row

→ Freddy was always having a row with his sister.

quarrel [awanturować się]

much to one’s surprise

→ Much to our surprise, our grandmother announced she was going on a world cruise.

unexpectedly [ku zaskoczeniu]

on no account

→ On no account must you forget to lock the drawer.

under no circumstances [pod żadnym pozorem]

remains to be seen

→ It remains to be seen how well the player will perform at his new football club.

not be quite sure [to się okaże]

receive no further subsidy

→ The project will receive no further government assistance from the end of the month.

stop receiving subsidy [przestać coś dalej dostawać]

be on the short list

→ Brian is on the short list for the position.

be considered for a job

a source of embarrassment

→ Your outrageous behaviour has been a source of embarrassment to the club.

 causing shame or discomfort [źródło zażenowania, powód do wstydu]

hand/give in one's notice

→ Having found a better job, Reg handed in his notice immediately.

resign [wręczyć swoje wypowiedzenie]

make do with sth

→ I can't afford a new car, so I'll have to do with the old one.

use or have something not as acceptable as the original [zadowalać się]

meet one's match

→ When the challenger answered every question correctly, the current champion knew he had met his match in the general knowledge quiz.

compete with someone as good as or better than you [trafić na równego sobie]

mean well

→ I'm sorry if my advice upset you, but I meant well, you know.

try to be kind or helpful [mieć dobre intencje]

name of the game

→ The name of the game in this sport is to be fast and accurate.

the most important aspect [tylko to się liczy]

name names

→ The minister refused to name names in the financial scandal.

 identify someone who has done something wrong [wymienić nazwiska, podać nazwiska np. w sprawie]

slip through the net

→ Many tax evaders slip through the net due to the inadequacy of the system.

 avoid being caught by a system or trap [wyślizgnąć się, wymknąć się np. policji]

poke one's nose into sth

→ Our next-door neighbour is extremely curious and always pokes his nose into other people's business.

try to interfere in something [wsadzać nos w nie swoje sprawy]

give sb their marching orders

→ Geoffrey's row with the boss led to his being given his marching orders the same day.

dismiss someone [wyrzucić kogoś z pracy]

touch a nerve

→ I think you touched a nerve when you mentioned Ralph's forthcoming retirement.

mention a sensitive subject [trafić w czuły punkt]

none the wiser

→ Yes, I saw the last episode of the series, but I'm none the wiser about what really happened.

know nothing more than before [nadal nic nie rozumieć, nie być ani o jotę mądrzejszym]

risk one's neck

→ Some people like to risk their neck doing dangerous sports.

 put oneself in danger [ryzykować życiem, własną głową]

miles away

→ The professor looked as if he were miles away in a world of his own.

deep in thought [być nieobecnym duchem, zamyślić się, zagapić się]

mint condition

→ For stamps and coins to be of value, they need to be in mint condition.

perfect condition [doskonały stan]

give sth a miss

→ Dave gave the office party a miss that year

decide not to do something or go to a place [odpuścić sobie coś]

on the mend

→ After six months of convalescence in a nursing home, Simon is finally on the mend.

recovering from illness or injury [powracać do zdrowia]

living beyond one's means

→ If you keep living beyond your means, you'll end up in serious debt.

spending more than you can afford [żyć ponad stan]

mend one's way

→ He used to be reckless, but after the accident, he decided to mend his ways.

begin to behave well [poprawić się, naprawiać swoje błędy]

to put it mildly

→ The meal was disappointing, to put it mildly.

to understate something in an ironic way [delikatnie mówiąc]

get one's money's worth

→ That all-you-can-eat buffet was amazing — we definitely got our money’s worth.

receive value equal to what one paid or put in [nie wyrzucać pieniędzy w błoto, nie wydać pieniędzy na darmo]

nearest and dearest

→ She celebrated her birthday surrounded by her nearest and dearest.

close relatives or friends [rodzina]

nest egg

→ They’ve been building a nest egg for their children’s education.

 a sum of money saved for a particular purpose [oszczędności, zaskórniaki]

full to the brim

→ The cup is full to the brim, so be careful when you carry it

completely full [pełny po brzegi]

out of bounds

→ The school playing fields are out of bounds while equipment is being set up for the cricket match

not allowed to enter [być zakazanym, poza zasięgiem]

susceptible to

→ Young children are often susceptible to illnesses such as measles.

 likely to be affected by something [podatny na]

border

→ Thousands of refugees are camping at the border between the two countries, hoping to find asylum.

 the dividing line between two areas, especially countries [granica]

in case

→ Children should keep away from the river bank in case they fall in.

as a precaution [na wypadek gdyby]

on the coast

→ We’re spending our holidays on the coast this summer.

by the sea or ocean [na wybrzeżu]

on the verge of

→ After losing my job, I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

 very close to something (usually something bad) [być na skraju, być bliskim czegoś]

clutch

→ The old lady clutched her bag for fear she might lose it.

to hold tightly [chwytać, trzymać kurczowo]

remain silent

→ Everyone remained silent when the teacher asked who the culprit was.

not speak [zachować milczenie]

intense hatred

→ So intense was the hatred for Frank's new policies that the staff went on strike.

strong dislike [głęboka nienawiść]

rejuvenate

→ We want to rejuvenate this project.

breathe new life into something [ożywić, odnowić, tchnąć w coś życie]

pass away

→ My grandfather passed away during the night.

die [odejść, umrzeć]

unbeatable

→ That football team has been unbeatable this season.

impossible to defeat [bezkonkurencyjny, nie do pokonania]

it is best to

be rare for sb

→ It is a rare for them to stay up late.

happening seldom [rzadko się komuś zdarza]

be short of money

→ However short of money Simon is, he always buys his mum a birthday present.

having little or no money [mieć mało pieniędzy]

make another attempt

→ The climbers will make another attempt to reach the summit in the morning.

try again [podjąć kolejną próbę]