Vocabulary Review for Exam

A collection of vocabulary flashcards for exam preparation.

At the spur of the moment

Suddenly and spontaneously.

All in all

On the whole, all things considered.

Apple-pie order

In perfect order.

At close quarters

Close examinations, from a short distance away.

Above board

Honest and straightforward.

As fit as a fiddle

Strong and healthy.

At a loose end

Unoccupied, unemployed, idle.

At loggerheads

In conflict with someone, strongly disagreeing.

At odds

In opposition to someone, to disagree.

At cross purposes

With opposing viewpoints.

After one's own heart

Someone who is similar to you.

At the bottom of

To be the real reason for something unpleasant.

At loss

Not know what to do or say.

At dagger's drawn

To have bitter enmity.

At large

Uncaptured, to keep unchained.

Assume airs

To pretend superiority.

Argus eyed

Extremely observant, vigilant or careful.

Bear the brunt of

To bear the main shock of something.

Bell the cat

To agree to perform a risky, dangerous, or impossible task.

Bid defiance

To ignore, to refuse to submit.

Beside oneself

In an extreme state of someone emotion.

Bring to book

To punish someone and make that person explain their behavior.

Back stairs influence

By unfair means.

Bird's eye view

A view seen from high above.

Burn your boats/bridges

Point of no return.

By the by

By the way.

Bated breath

Nervously waiting, in anxiety.

Bandy words

To argue pointlessly or rudely.

Bee in one's bonnet

To talk a lot about something you think is important.

Bluestocking

A scholarly and intellectual woman.

Browbeat

To bully or intimidate someone into something.

Bad egg

Dishonest or ill-behaved person.

Beside the mark

Beside the point, irrelevant.

Brown study

A state of deep, serious absorption in thoughts.

Blaze the trail

To start a movement.

By the rule of thumb

According to practical experience.

Bid draw

A huge attraction.

Broken reed

A weak or unreliable support or person.

Bit/piece of one's mind

To scold.

Carry matters with high hand

To deal with a person or thing strictly.

Come home to

To understand clearly.

Call a spade a spade

To speak frankly or say the truth about something.

Cut a sorry figure

To give a poor show.

Call names

To call someone by an abusive and insulting name.

Curtain lecture

Wife's tough talk.

Cave in

To collapse; to give in to someone.

Cloven hoof

Evil intention; the sign of devilish character.

Clinch the issue/deal

To clear the controversy.

Checkered/chequered career

Full of ups and downs.

Cut both ends

To argue in favor of both sides.

Cock a snook

To show contempt.

Chapter and verse

In full detail or to give proof.

Cool one's heels

To keep waiting.

Come in handy

To be useful.

Draw the long bow

To exaggerate.

Dutch courage

Bravery under alcoholic influence.

Down and out

Poor and ruined.

Days of reckoning

Time to answer for one's actions.

Down in the mouth

To be sad or depressed.

Egg on

To urge someone to do something, usually something unwise.

Eke out

Supplement income.

Ever and anon

Now and then.

An eye wash

A pretense, deception.

Fool's errand

An attempt to do something that has no chance of success.

Fall foul of somebody

To quarrel.

Fly off the handle

To lose one's temper.

Foot the bill

To pay for something or bill.

Fair weather friend

Selfish friend.

Flash in the pan

Something that happened only for a short time.

Gain ground

To become successful and popular.

Get off scot free

To escape punishment for a crime or wrongdoing.

Gird up the loins

To get ready for hard work.

Give a wide berth

To avoid a person or a place.

Go to the dogs

To be ruined or to become worse in quality.

Gentleman at large

An unreliable person.

Give a good account of oneself

To do something well or thoroughly.

Green horn

An inexperienced or immature person.

Give up the ghost

To die or pass away.

Go the whole hog

To do something as completely as possible.

Get into a scrape

Awkward situation.

Get into hot water

To get into trouble.

Give currency

To make publicly known.

Get down to brass tacks

To deal with matter straight.

Give one a long rope

To let someone commit mistakes.

Hold water

If a reason or explanation holds water, it is true.

Hang together

Support one another.

Have an axe to grind

To have a selfish interest.

Hit below the belt

To strike unfairly.

Herculean task

Very difficult.

Halcyon days

A very happy and successful period in the past.

Have feet of clay

To have hidden faults.

Hang/hold fire

To delay or wait.

High and dry

To leave someone in a difficult situation without any help.

Hit the nail on the head

To do the right thing at the right time.

Hold in abeyance

To stall or postpone something.

Hobson's choice

No alternative.

High and mighty

Proud persons.

Head and shoulders

Clearly superior to someone.

Hold a brief

To defend or support someone.

Hush money

To bribe.