(5b) vocabulary & idioms 2

bend/lean over backwards abt sth

to make a great effort to help/please sb

• “I've bent over backwards to help him.”

sweep sth under the rug/carpet

to hide a problem hoping it’d be forgotten

• “An earlier report, implicating the government, had been conveniently swept under the rug.”

bang ur head against a brick wall

to keep trying to solve sth & not stopping even wo success (in a bad way)

dig ur heels/toes in

cố chấp; to refuse to give in/do sth

• “They dug in their heels & would not lower the price.”

back to square 1

to start over from the beginning (cuz u made no progress)

• “If this suggestion isn't accepted, we'll be back to square 1.”

have a card up ur sleeve

to have a hidden advantage/plan that u keep a secret until needed; con át chủ bài

it’s (all) water under the bridge

sth that happened in the past is no longer important

come/get to grips w sth

to begin to understand & deal w sth difficult

• “I'm slowly getting to grips w the language.”

(throw) a spanner in the works

(throw) a (monkey) wrench in/into sth

to cause a delay/problem w sth that sb is doing

in the hot seat

to be responsible for important/difficult decisions; to be the center of attention under pressure

break the ice

to ease tension in social situ

• “Jim organised a few party games to break the ice when ppl first arrived.”

get ur wires crossed

to misunderstand sth

• “We seem to have got our wires crossed. I thought u were coming on Tues.”

on the tip of ur tongue

to know a word, name, etc. but can not remember it

compel

to force sb; to make sth necessary

• compel sb to do sth: “The law can compel fathers to make regular payments for their children.”

• compel sth: “Last year ill health compelled his retirement.”

compelling

compellingly

1. sth interesting & exciting that makes u pay attention

• “His eyes were strangely compelling.”

2. so strong u cannot resist

• “He was a sad man w a compelling need to talk abt his unhappiness.”

3. that makes u think it’s true

• “There is no compelling reason to believe him.”

compulsory

compulsorily

must be done cuz of a law, rule = mandatory

• “English is a compulsory subject at this level.”

compulsive

compulsively

1. (behaviour) hard to stop/control

1. (ppl) not being able to control their behaviour

divisive

divisively

divisiveness

causing ppl to be split into groups that disagree w eo

• “He believes that unemployment is socially divisive.”

spatial

spatially

relating to space

• “the development of a child’s spatial awareness (= the ability to judge the positions & sizes of objects)”

artisan

artisan

sb who does work that needs a special skill, making things w their hands = craftsman

• “The hand-woven textiles were made by skilled local artisans.”

lifelike

exactly like a real person, thing = realistic

• “a lifelike statue/drawing/toy”

roadworthy

(vehicle) in a sale condition to drive

picturesque

picturesquely

1. (place, building, etc.) pretty in an old-fashioned way = quaint

• “a picturesque cottage/setting/village”

2. (language) producing strong mental images by using unusu words

• “a picturesque description of life at sea”

statuesque

(woman) tall & beautiful in an impressive way; like a statue = imposing

liquefy

liquefy (sth): to (make sth) become liquid

• “Above a certain temperature it is impossible to liquefy a gas.”

energise

energise sb: to make sb enthusiastic; to give sb more energy, strength, etc,

somehow = someway(s)

lengthways

lengthwise (adv)

in the same direction as the longest side of sth

• “Cut the banana in half lengthways.”

upward

>< downward

1. pointing towards/facing a higher place

• “an upward gaze”

2. increasing

• “an upward movement in property prices”

widthways

widthwise (adv)

lengthways

lengthwise (adv)

capitalism

chủ nghĩa tư bản

closure

1. when a factory, school, etc. shuts permanently

• “The hospital has been threatened w closure.”

2. the temporary closing of a road, bridge

• “The accident caused the complete closure of the road.”

3. the feeling that a difficult experience has come to an end

• “People who lose family members need closure, not false hope.”

artistry

the skill of an artist

• “He played the piece with effortless artistry.”

artless

1. simple, natural & honest

• “the artless sincerity of a young child”

2. made wo skill/art

pollutant

a substance that pollutes sth like air & water

• “pollutants from nearby industries”

collocate

collocate

collocate (w sth): a word usu used w another word

• “Bitter’ and ‘tears’ collocate.”

examinee

người đi thi

activist

activism

sb who works to achieve political/social change

• “Thousands of environmental activists joined the march to demand action on climate change.”

solitude

solitary

being alone in a pleasant way = privacy

• “She longed for peace & solitude.”

booklet

a small thin book w a paper cover —> contains in4 abt sth

• “I had to refer to the instruction booklet.”