CHUYEN LE QUY DON - DIEN BIEN

a riot of color

extremely colorful and bright

bucket list

a list of the things that a person would like to do or achieve before they die

in dribs and drabs

in small amounts or numbers over a period of time

bits and bobs

small things or jobs of different types

be all fingers and thumbs

to be awkward with your hands so that you drop things or are unable to do something

square the circle

do something that is considered to be impossible

chew the fat

have a long friendly talk with somebody about something

wave/ fly/ show the flag

show your support for your country, an organization or an idea; encourage or persuade others to do the same

put the lid on something

be the final act or event that causes your plans or hopes to fail

bail out

rescue somebody from a difficult situation

working class

from or connected with the social class whose members do not have much money or power and are usually employed to do manual work (= physical work using their hands)

take the biscuit

be the utmost surprising, annoying, etc thing that happened or that somebody has done

sow wild oats

(young man) go through a period of wild behavior while young, especially having a lot of romantic or sexual relationship

upset the apple cart

cause problem for somebody or cause their plans or arrangements to fail

high and low

everywhere

bachelor

a man who has never been married

a confirmed bachelor

a man who does not intent to marry

an eligible bachelor

one that many people want to marry, especially because he is rich

stand by

- be ready for action
- be present while something bad is happening but do nothing to stop it

drift off

fall asleep

wind down

- (people) rest or relax after a period of activities or excitement
= unwind
- (machine) go slowly and then stop

hammer away at something

work hard in order to finish or achieve something; keep repeating something in order to get result you want

sleep over

stay the night at somebody else’ home

stumble on/ upon/ across somebody/ something

discover somebody/ something unexpectedly

pace yourself

find the right speed or rhythm for your work or activity to have enough energy to do what you have to do

pay homage to

show deep respect and often praise a person or god

in haste

quickly or hurrying too much, often with a bad result

take it/ something as read

accept something without discussing it

not so much

used to refer back to something has been mentioned, saying that it is less true for somebody or something else

so much for

used to suggest that something has not been successful or useful

short-sighted

(a) not thinking carefully about possible effects of something or what might happen in the future

undervalue

(v) state that financial value of something is lower than it really is

commensurate

(a) matching something in size, importance, quality, etc

counteract

(v) do something to reduce or prevent bad or harmful effects of something

annotate

(v) add notes to a book or text, giving explanations or comments

incandescent

(a) showing extreme anger or happiness
+ incandescent with rage

rage

(a period of) extreme violence or anger

stardom

(n) state of being famous as an actor or singer

keep one’s feet on the ground

have a sensible and realistic attitude to life r

amateurish

(a) not done or made well or with skill>< professional

live off

have one particular type of food as the main thing you eat to live

grip

(n) an act of holding somebody or something tightly

in the sense that

used to clarify the specific meaning of a word or outcome in an argument

melting pot

a place where different peoples, styles, theories, etc are mixed together

privy to

allowed to know about something secret

it stands to reason that

it must be clear to any sensible person who thinks about

inkling

a slight knowledge of something that is happening or about to happen
+ have no inkling

plausible

reasonable, likely to be true or believed