a little disorganized but interesting topic of vocabulary

high and dry

difficult situation

ups and downs

thăng trầm

ins and outs

all the details

prim and proper

conservative and easily offended

rough and ready

simple but good enough

odds and ends

trivial things

by happenstance

by chance

segregation

discrimination (race)

stand trial

hầu toà

concrete evidence

bằng chứng rõ ràng

legal battle

trận chiến pháp lý

on the ground

among the general public (giữa những người dân thường)

strum

to play an instrument such as a guitar by moving your fingers up and down across its strings

carry-on

baggage (hành lý)

take-up (rate)

lượng người sử dụng một sản phẩm

boarding pass

flight ticket

layover

thời gian chuyển tiếp giữa chuyến bay quá cảnh

pull one's socks up

work harder to pick up something because it isn't good enough

work miracles

work a treat, work wonders (produce a great effect)

go to/take the trouble to do sth

chịu khó làm việc gì, make an effort to do sth

E.g: I wish I had taken the trouble to work harder

keep your hand in

to practice sth so that you do not forget how to do it

a big cheese/name/noise/shot

an important person in an organization who has influence on that organization

be in the wrong

responsible for sth bad

white-collar (worker)

làm việc trí óc

blue-collar (worker)

làm việc chân tay

back and forth

one way and then the opposite

the tip of the iceberg

phần băng nổi của tảng băng trôi (khái niệm tảng băng trôi)

breath a word

tell a screet, let on

break the new/fresh ground

discover sth new

as long as your arm

very long, like my to-do list

run into

bump into

run-down

in bad condition (of building), tired (of human)

run out

be used up

connecting flight

chuyến bay nối chuyến

forward planning

lên kế hoạch cho tương lai và những tình huống xảy ra trong tương lai

draw on

sử dụng những kiến thức và kinh nghiệm mình có để làm gì

E.g: My biography draws heavily on my life

draw up

to prepare something, usually something official, in writing

put sth into practice

áp dụng vào thực tế

feat

something difficult needing a lot of skill, strength, courage, etc. to achieve it

capture sb's imagination

make sb interested in sth

make out a cheque to (someone)

viết séc dưới tên ai

money has been tight

broke, thiếu tiền

dwell on sth

keep thinking about something unpleasant

place reliance on

believe in something

hit the wall

reach a point where you can't continue to make progress

by the same token

cũng chính vì vậy

ethics

đạo đức

be not sb's pigeon

not sb's responsibilty

cell culture

nuôi cấy tế bào

(not) in the least (bit)

không hề, không một chút nào

run deep

sâu sắc

in the air

if sth is in the air, you feel as if it is going to happen

caught in the crossfire

in the middle of an argument

put on airs

act as though you are superior

at the end of your rope

out of patience or strength

hold/keep somebody/something at bay

ngăn chặn một thứ gì đó gây ảnh hưởng xấu

be ill at ease

to be worried and not relaxed

win sb over

thuyết phục ai đó hỗ trợ mình

sympathetic ear

ai đó quan tâm đến việc mình muốn nói

pick up

bị bệnh (nhiều nghĩa khác)

government censorship

Luật nhà nước cấm nói về điều gì đó (ví dụ như thiên an môn của trung quốc)

sell for scrap

bán đồ vụn

on the mend

get over

out of sorts

sick or upset

over the worst

pull through

ride out the storm

vượt qua tình trạng khó khăn

heavy/light drinker

nghiện rượu/ không nghiện

sweet tooth

thích ăn đồ ngọt

in the broad/broadest sense

nghĩa rộng nhất

a fertile imagination/mind/brain

trí tưởng tượng, đầu óc phong phú

subtle

khó thấy, tinh vi một cách khôn ngoan

all told

in total

on the sly

secretly

throw in one's lot with sb

đồng minh với ai

pick up the slack

làm phần của người khác

pick up steam

hoạt động tốt hơn

through thick and thin

vượt qua những khó khăn

avail yourself of

to take advantage of

head and shoulders above

far superior to

cross swords with

have an argument with sb

in dispute/ open to dispute

gây tranh cãi

be sb's middle name

to be a quality that is an important part of someone's character

not necessarily

used to say that sth is possibly true but is not always true

talk over

to discuss

can't be bothered to do sth

used to say that you do not want to spend time and/or energy doing sth

be on the go

active and busy

keep one's eyes open/peeled/skinned for

to watch carefully for someone or something

be particular about

demanding about sth

sloppy

luộm thuộm

roll up your sleeves

to prepare for hard work

as bold as brass

overconfident, to the point of impudence

splash out on sth

to spend a lot of money on sth

supersede

replace sth old

accelerate

speed up, increase in amount

susceptible (to sth)

easily affected by sth

electrical/ nerve impulse

sự truyền thông tin của xung thần kinh

go-ahead

permission to do something

officiate

điều hành

maladjusted

poorly adjusted, disturbed because of an unusual upbringing

patronize

being officious, offer help