Reading & UOE 13 - Vocabulary and Idioms

A comprehensive set of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions covering medical terms, phrasal verbs with keep, hold, set, and stand, and various common English idioms.

cramp

painful localized muscle spasm

clot

half-solid lump formed from a liquid (or blood)

sprain

stretching or tearing of ligaments

concussion

injury to the brain caused by a blow

fractured

broken or cracked

Inflammation

a localized response to an injury or to the destruction of tissues

predisposition

condition of being susceptible to disease

gasp

a sudden, short intake of breath, as in shock or surprise.

pant

to breathe quickly and loudly through your mouth, usually because you have been doing something very energetic

beaker

used to hold liquids

vial

small bottle containing medicine or other liquids

fatal

deadly

contagious

Able to be passed easily from one person to another.

congenital

present at birth

niggling

worry unnecessarily or excessively

recurring

happening over and over

holistic medicine

focuses on prevention of illness and disease and is aimed at treating the whole person rather than just the part or parts in which symptoms occur.

alternative medicine

includes healing practices inconsistent with dominant medical practice.

get one's foot in the door

to secure a place in a group or with a person

take sth to heart

to be greatly upset or affected by sth

put one's foot down

to insist on or be firm with/in sth

have eyes in the back of one's head

to be very alert and watchful

only have eyes for each other

to be attracted to or interested in one person

to be rushed off one's feet

to be extremely busy or overworked

hand over fist

getting a lot of sth (usually money) quickly

to bring sb or sth to its knees

to almost ruin sb or sth

to take to one's heels

to disappear quickly by running off

not to have a leg to stand on

to have no good defense for one's opinions or actions

to keep one's hand in

to keep in practice so as to remain good at sth

to win sth hands down

win easily

a strong stomach

to be able to bear sth

to fall head over heels in love

to suddenly be completely in love with sb

keep down

control at a low level

hold back

stop someone or something from moving forwards

hold with

agree with - an idea

hold down

to keep

held up

delay

hold out

to insist on

keeps on at

nag

keep to

to follow

keep on

to continue

keep up

to maintain

set about

to begin

set aside

save for a special purpose

set back

to hinder

set sb back (inf)

cost sb a lot of money

set in

begin (of a period, usu. bad)

set off

start a reaction (inf) or begin a journey (= set out)

set an animal on (sb)

cause an animal to attack sb

set out

begin a task/job with a specific intention

set up

establish (a record), start a business, or erect

stand by

remain loyal to sb; do nothing to stop a bad situation; or be ready for action

stand down

resign from a position

stand for

support sth; mean, symbolise; tolerate; or enter oneself for election

stand in for

replace temporarily

stand out

be conspicuous / obvious / better

stand up for

to defend; to support

stand up to

defend oneself against

be up and about

have recovered from an illness

be on the up and up

improve steadily

up and coming

likely to achieve success soon or in the near future

ups and downs

good things alternating with bad ones

quick/slow on the uptake

quick/slow to understand

make a flying visit

make a quick trip

give vent to

express sth freely

speak volumes

be strong evidence of sb's feelings, merits etc

drive (sb) up the wall

make sb angry/annoy sb

not hold water

not seem reasonable or in accordance with the facts

no/little wonder

not surprising

wet behind the ears

inexperienced and naive

make waves

to cause trouble

frosty welcome

unfriendly reception

get out of bed on the wrong side

to be in a bad mood

give way to

give in, yield

set in one's ways

fixed in one's habits / routine

under the weather

not feeling well

be all very well

appear satisfactory but in fact not be

get wind of

receive information about sth indirectly

hit the road

to begin a journey

do a roaring trade

sell a lot of goods very quickly

take the rough with the smooth

to accept the unpleasant parts of a situation as well as the pleasant parts

rub sth in

insist on reminding sb of sth unpleasant or embarrassing

up and running

operating normally

be/have (a) qualified success

be partially successful

give sb no quarter

show no mercy

a race against time

work fast in order to do sth on time

rack one's brains

try hard to think

lose one's rag (inf)

become angry

rain or shine

in any circumstances

ram home sth

make sth clear and forceful

go on the rampage

rush about violently

raring to go

eager to do sth or go somewhere

have/get a raw deal (inf)

to be treated unfairly

take it as read

accept sth as true without question

on reflection

after careful thought

be well rid of sb or sth

better off without sb or sth

be taken for a ride

be deceived/cheated

be as right as rain

to recover from an illness