| NO
| LANGUAGE UNITS
| NOTES AND COMMENTS
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| 1. W
| What can you wring out of a lifetime…
| to succeed in getting something from someone, but only after a lot of effort [= squeeze]:
They are always trying to wring additional funds from the government.
I managed to wring the information out of him.
used when you are very angry with someone:
(SP) I'll wring her neck when I get hold of her!
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| 2.
| a beverage
| (FML) DFDa hot or cold drink
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| 3.
| Take a whiff!*Take a sip! Have a bite!
| a very slight smell of something
As she walked past, I caught a whiff of her perfume.
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| 4.
| a philistine
| someone who does not like or understand art, literature, music etc: When it comes to art, the man's a philistine.
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| 5.
| Give them the spiel.
| a quick speech that the speaker has used many times before, especially one that is intended to persuade people to buy something: A salesman started givingus a spielabout life insurance.
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| 6.
| grossly understaffed
| not having enough workers, or fewer workers than usual
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| 7.
| I passed up a lunch with a celebrity to be here!
| to not make use of a chance to do something
I don't think you should pass up the opportunity to go to university.WORD FOCUS: give 
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| 8.
| Can we desist from all the inane posturing?
| DESIST to stop doing something:
We hope that the military regime will desist from its acts of violence. INANE very stupid or without much meaning: Most pop lyrics are pretty inane. POSTURING when someone pretends to have a particular opinion or attitude: He dismissed the Senator's comments as 'political posturing'.
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| 9.
| -Have I fired you lately?
-Not since the Oprah incident.
| = recently
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| 10.
| an inauspicious beginning
| (FML) seeming to show that success in the future is unlikely: an inauspicious start
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| 11.
| Oh spare me! Sweet Jesus!
| to not damage or harm someone or something, even though other people or things are being damaged, killed, or destroyed: I could not understand why I had been spared and they had not
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| 12.
| (Mutters)
| to speak in a low voice, especially because you are annoyed about something, or you do not want people to hear you: I never want to come here again,' he muttered to himself.
Elsie muttered something I couldn't catch and walked off.
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| 13.
| No offence, pal.
| = No offence meant; I didn’t mean to hurt you.
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| 14.
| cowberry (=lingonberry)
| a short evergreen shrub in the heath family that bears edible sour fruit, native to boreal forest and Arctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere from Eurasia to North America. It is seldom cultivated, but fruit is commonly collected in the wild.
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| 15.
| surly,
surliness
| bad-tempered and unfriendly [= sullen]:
a surly teenager
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| 16.
| (in) jeopardy
| in danger of being lost or harmed:
Thousands of jobs are in jeopardy.
The killings could put the whole peace process in jeopardy.
“Jeopardy!”is an American quiz show featuring trivia (=details) in history, literature, the arts, pop culture, science, sports, geography, wordplay, and more. The show has a unique answer-and-question format in which contestants are presented with clues in the form of answers, and must phrase their responses in question form.
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| 17.
| chemo = chemotherapy
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| 18.
| vomit = throw up
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| 19.
| contraption
| a piece of equipment or machinery that looks funny, strange, and unlikely to work well: a bizarre contraption
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| 20.
| a shepherd
| someone whose job is to take care of sheep
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| 21.
| You don’t say!
| = It can’t be true!
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| 22.
| before long
| soon or in a short time: Before long a large crowd had gathered outside the building.
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| 23.
| to roast (food)
*
fry (in oil) bake (bread and cakes in an oven) roast (meat or vegetables in an oven)
| 1. to cook something, such as meat, in an oven or over a fire: Are you going to roast the chicken?
2. DFCto heat nuts, coffee beans etc quickly in order to dry them and give them a particular taste: dry-roasted peanuts
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| 24.
| They brewed the coffee beans into a stew.
| BREW - if a drink of tea or coffee is brewing, the taste is getting into the hot water: He read the paper while the tea brewed. STEW - a hot meal made by cooking something slowly in liquid for a long time
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| 25.
| hooch
| (AmE, INFML) strong alcohol, especially alcohol that has been made illegally
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| 26.
| Have you always had those freckles?
| freckles are small brown spots on someone's skin, especially on their face, which the sun can cause to increase in number and become darker
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| 27.
| veal
| the meat of a calf (=a young cow)
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| 28.
| -Do you want some? -No, thanks, I’ll pass.
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| 29.
| honor roll (AmE)
a roll of honour (BrE)
| a list of people who are officially praised, especially because they were brave in battle: the roll of honour on the war memorial
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| 30.
| Talk him out of that.
(vs. talk into)
| to persuade someone not to do something
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| 31.
| tax attorney
| (AmE) a lawyer
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| 32.
| I’ll be damned!
| = Surely! For sure it is so!
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| 33.
| I was young and broke…
…baby on the way.
| having no money: I'm fed up with being broke all the time.
flat/stony broke (=completely broke)
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| 34.
| Take the first decent job that comes along.
| to appear or arrive:
A bus should come along any minute now.
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| 35.
| I always meant to go back.
| to intend to do something or intend that someone else should do something: I've been meaning to ask you if you want to come for a meal next week.
I didn't mean to upset you.
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| 36.
| Gin! (in cards)
| = Gin rummy, a card game for two people in which people try to collect a series of cards.
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| 37.
| The Five Stages of Grief byElisabeth Kübler-Ross & David Kessler
1) Denial
2) Anger
3) Bargaining
4) Depression
5) Acceptance
| http://grief.com/the-five-stages-of-grief/
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| 38.
| to give smb/smth a clean bill of health
| to officially state that someone is in good health or that something is working correctly:
Maddox was given a clean bill of health.
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| 39.
| to score(in a game)
| to win a point in a sport, game, competition, or test:
Great cheers went up when he scored in the final minute of the game.
He has scored 12 goals so far this season.
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| 40.
| to have the time of your life
| enjoy yourself very much:
Julie went to a wedding at the weekend and had the time of her life .
“The Time of Your Life” by W.Saroyan The play is set in Nick's Pacific Street Saloon, Restaurant and Entertainment Palace, a run down dive bar in San Francisco. Much of the action of the play centers around Joe, a young loafer with money who encourages each of the bar's patrons in their eccentricities.
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| 41.
| scribble
| write something quickly and untidily:
I scribbled his phone number in my address book.
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| 42.
| a survey
| a set of questions that you ask a large number of people in order to find out about their opinions or behaviour:
We conducted a survey of parents in the village.
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| 43.
| We’re out of options.
| = We have no choice left.
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| 44.
| I want to know where I stand.
| to be or stay in a particular state or condition:
I'm not too thrilled with the way things stand (=the state that the situation is in)at the moment.
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| 45.
| I leaned towards the other 4 percent.
| to tend to support, or begin to support, a particular set of opinions, beliefs etc: Canada, the UK and Japan leant towards the US view.
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| 46.
| It turns out it is not liberating.
| to happen in a particular way, or to have a particular result, especially one that you did not expect:
It was a difficult time, but eventually things turned out all right.
To my surprise, it turned out thatI was wrong.
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| 47. Gr
| Treat it as if it were your own.
It sounds as if she's been really ill.
Gary was behaving as if nothing had happened.
| AS IF/ AS THOUGH in a way that makes it seem that something is true or that something is happening.
Think of your own examples:
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| 48.
| freshman
*
sophomore (2nd year)
junior (in the year before the final year)
senior (in their last year)
| (AmE) a student in the first year of high school or university.
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| 49.
| Cutesy.
| too pretty or clever in a way you think is annoying:
She spoke in a tiny cutesy voice.
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| 50.
| Not to be judgmental…(Am spelling)
*judgemental (Br spelling)
| criticizing people very quickly - used to show disapproval.
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| 51.
| It’s pointless now.
| = It’s no use.
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| 52.
| Witness something majectic.
| very big, impressive, or beautiful:
This lovely village is surrounded by majestic mountain scenery.
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| 53.
| We’re onto something.
| (INFML) to have discovered or produced something new and interesting:
With the new show, we were onto something big.
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| 54.
| I’ve taken baths deeper than you.
| = My ideas are much deeper than yours.
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| 55.
| You never took a shot.
| (INFML) an attempt to do something or achieve something, especially something difficult: This is her first shot at directing a play. I decided to have a shot atdecorating the house myself.
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| 56.
| mezzanine
| a small floor that is built between two other floors in a building: the mezzanine floor
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| 57.
| smothered by pity
| to completely cover the whole surface of something with something else, often in a way that seems unnecessary or unpleasant:
noodles smothered in garlic sauce
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| 58.
| That is twisted.
| seeming to enjoy things that are cruel or shocking, in a way that is not normal:
Whoever sent those letters has a twisted mind.
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| 59.
| How can you quit fighting?
| = How can you stop fighting? (INFML)
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| 60.
| grease, greasy
| (here) a thick oily substance that is put on the moving parts of a car, machine etc to make it run or move smoothly.
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| 61.
| a whim of a maniac
| a sudden feeling that you would like to do or have something, especially when there is no important or good reason: I didn't leave just on a whim (=for no good reason).
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| 62.
| a sequel
| a book, film, play etc that continues the story of an earlier one, usually written or made by the same person [↪ prequel]: 'Star Wars' and its sequels
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| 63.
| Denver omelette
| an omelette filled with diced ham, onions, and green bell peppers, though there are many variations on fillings. Often served in the Southwestern United States, this omelette sometimes has a topping of cheese and a side dish of hashbrowns or fried potatoes.
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| 64.
| I hate your rotten guts!
| HBAall the organs in someone's body, especially when they have come out of their body.
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| 65.
| Surrender to the void!
| SURRENDER to allow yourself to be controlled or influenced by something: Colette surrendered to temptation and took out a cigarette. VOID (literary) an empty area of space where nothing exists: She looked over the cliff into the void.
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| 66.
| Let’s deploy!
| to organize or move soldiers, military equipment etc so that they are in the right place and ready to be used:
deploy forces/troops/weapons etc
NATO's decision to deploy cruise missiles.
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| 67.
| Is he insane?
| (INFML) completely stupid or crazy, often in a way that is dangerous:
The whole idea sounds absolutely insane to me.
Why did you do that? Have you gone insane?
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| 68.
| unfaithful
| someone who is unfaithful has sex with someone who is not their wife, husband, or usual partner: Geoff had been unfaithful to her on many occasions.
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| 69.
| Just getting to know each other.
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| 70.
| junior prom
| (FML) dance party for high school students, often held at the end of a school year.
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| 71.
| dangle
| to hang or swing loosely, or to make something do this
A light bulb dangled from a wire in the ceiling.
I dangled my feet in the clear blue water.
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| 72.
| Pick up on this, chicken man!
| (INFML) someone who is not at all brave [= coward]:
Don't be such a chicken!
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| 73.
| You can run, but you cannot hide!
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| 74.
| (Engine sputtering)
| if something such as an engine or a fire sputters, it makes short soft uneven noises like very small explosions:
Suddenly the engine sputtered and stopped.
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| 75.
| desolate,
desolation
| a place that is desolate is empty and looks sad because there are no people there: a desolate landscape
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| 76.
| I envy people who have faith.
| to wish that you had someone else's possessions, abilities etc: I really envy you and Ian, you seem so happy together.
He envied Rosalind her youth and strength.
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| 77.
| …how they harvest caviar…
| to gather crops from the fields
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| 78.
| sturgeon
| a large fish, from which caviar is obtained, or the meat of this fish
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| 79.
| a sour chemical
| having a sharp acid taste, like the taste of a lemon or a fruit that is not ready to be eaten: Rachel sampled the wine. It was sour.
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| 80.
| I’m flattered.
| pleased because someone has shown you that they like or admire you: We were flattered by all the attention.
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| 81.
| To make a long story short…(AmE)
To cut a long story short… (BrE)
| (SP) used when you only give the main point of something you are talking about, and not all the other details
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| 82.
| Just like a broad.
| (AmE, SP, not polite) an offensive word for a woman.
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| 83.
| Sometimes I get a little overbearing.
| always trying to control other people without considering their wishes or feelings [= domineering]:
a bossy, overbearing wife
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| 84.
| It got loose.
| not firmly fastened in place:
This tooth feels very loose.
The screw has come loose (=become loose).
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| 85.
| Bust out of hospital.
| to escape from a place, especially prison
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| 86. Gr
| I wouldn’t bleed on the rugs.
| =If I were you, I wouldn’t bleed on the rugs.
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| 87.
| Turnabout is fair play.
| (AmE)used to say that because someone else has done something to you, you can do it to them too
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| 88.
| Had a ringside seat to human tragedy.
| a seat very near to the performers in a circus, a boxing match etc
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| 89.
| Little League
| a baseball league for children in the US
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| 90.
| recitals
| a performance of music or poetry, usually given by one performer: a piano recital
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| 91.
| skinned knees
| to hurt yourself by rubbing off some skin [= graze]:
She fell and skinned her knee.
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| 92.
| ventriloquist
dummy
| someone who entertains people by speaking without moving their lips and making it seem that the words are spoken by a model of a person called a dummy.
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| 93.
| discharge a few rounds from the big gun
| (FML) to fire a gun or shoot an arrow etc: A soldier accidentally discharged his weapon.
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| 94.
| One [shot] proved to be enough.
| if someone or something proves difficult, helpful, a problem etc, they are difficult, helpful, a problem etc:
The recent revelations may prove embarrassing to the President.
The design proved to be a success.
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| 95.
| struck by lightning
*strike-struck-struck
| If lightning strikes something, it hits and damages it:
The temple burned down after it was struck by lightninglast year.
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| 96. Gr
| I wish I’d met you before we were dead.
| an unrealized wish
Think of your own examples:
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| 97.
| It’s as majestic as it gets.
It’s as good as it gets.
| = extremely
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| 98.
| How other people gauge…
| judge how people feel about something or what they are likely to do: It is difficult to gauge what the other party's next move will be.
I looked at Chris, trying to gauge his reaction.
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| 99.
| Let me put it this way.
| =Let me express it with these words.
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| 100.
| a breakup and the ensuing fleecing of the dad…
| ENSUING happening after a particular action or event, especially as a result of it. FLEECE (INFML) to charge someone too much money for something, especially by tricking them
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| 101.
| He was driven.
| trying extremely hard to achieve what you want:
He claims he is not a driven workaholic.
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| 102.
| Needless to say…
| used when you are telling someone something that they probably know or expect:
Needless to say, any contributions of money will be gratefully received.
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| 103. Gr
| That must have hurt.
| Think of your own examples:
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| 104. Gr
| I wanted to bash his brains in.
She wouldn’t let me. (=refused)
He wouldn't give us any money. The door wouldn't open, no matter how hard she pushed.
| to hit someone or something hard, in a way that causes pain or damage:
Someone bashed him on the back of his head.
Police bashed down the door to get in.
Think of your own examples:
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| 105.
| She called me names.
| to use unpleasant words to describe someone in order to insult or upset them:
The other kids used to call me names.
call somebody all the names under the sun (=use many unpleasant words)
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| 106.
| a tomb
| a stone structure above or below the ground where a dead person is buried: the family tomb
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| 107.
| It was an arranged marriage. *a love marriage
a marriage of convenience
| a marriage in which your parents choose a husband or wife for you
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| 108.
| They remained inseparable.
| people who are inseparable are always together and are very friendly with each other:
Tom was inseparable from his dog, Snowy.
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| 109.
| Mainman Ray
| It’s a direct reference to the film “Rainman”. It’s about having lots of facts and figures in your head.
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| 110.
| Don’t know if I buy this business.
| (INFML) to believe something that someone tells you, especially when it is not likely to be true:
'Let's just say it was an accident.' 'He'll never buy that.'
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| 111.
| to scatter ashes
| SCATTER to be thrown or dropped over a wide area in an irregular way:Scatter the onions over the fish. The flowers fell and scattered on the ground. ASHES a)the ash that remains when a dead person's body is burned: His ashes were scatteredat sea.
b)a situation in which something is completely destroyed: The organization has risen from the ashes to become very successful. All her hopes and dreams had turned to ashes.
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| 112.
| Too fancy for my tastes.
| (AmE) fancy food is of a high quality
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| 113.
| Odds are we’re going to be dead before her.
| =probability how likely it is that something will or will not happen: The odds are (=it is likely) that he will commit the same crime again.
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| 114.
| a snail
a trail of slime
| SNAIL a small soft creature that moves very slowly and has a hard shell on its back SLIME an unpleasant thick slippery substance: a pond full of green slime
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| 115.
| You don’t have to get chippy with me.
| (SP) rough, involving lost tempers, fighting
That hockey game was getting kind of chippy.
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| 116.
| Nuts:
walnut peanut
hazelnut
almond cashew pistache, pistachio chestnut
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| 117.
| summit
| the top of a mountain
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| 118.
| He experienced profound silence.
| complete:
profound deafness
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| 119.
| Never pass up a bathroom.
| to not make use of a chance to do something
I don't think you should pass up the opportunity to go to university.
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| 120.
| As I approach decrepitude…
decrepit
| old and in bad condition: The buildings were in a decrepit state.
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| 121.
| He’s kept tabs on her.
| (INFML) to watch someone or something carefully to check what they are doing:
The police have been keeping tabs on Rogers since he got out of prison.
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| 122.
| tiptoes, to tiptoe
| if you stand or walk on tiptoe, you stand or walk on your toes, in order to make yourself taller or in order to walk very quietly: She stood on tiptoeto kiss him.
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| 123.
| “The Divine Comedy”
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| 124.
| I’m in remission.
| a period when a serious illness improves for a time
The chemotherapy was successful, and she is now in remission.
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| 125.
| I’ll have a word with the owner.
| to talk to someone quickly, especially because you need their advice about something or you want to tell them to do something:
I'll have a word with him and see if he'll help.
Could I have a few words with you?
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| 126.
| lemon swabs
| a small piece of material used to clean a wound or take a small amount of a substance from someone's body in order to test it: a cotton swab
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| 127.
| defecate
| (FML) to get rid of waste matter from your bowels
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| 128.
| Cats beat me to it.
| to get or do something before someone else, especially if you are both trying to do it first:
John had beaten me to the breakfast table.
I wanted the last piece of pie, but somebody beatme to it.
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| 129. Gr
| If I had a chance, I’d do it again.
| an unrealized wish depending on some unreal condition Think of your own examples:
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| 130.
| I owe that to you.
| to feel that you should do something for someone or give someone something, because they have done something for you or given something to you:
He asked for help from a colleague who owedhim a favour.
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| 131.
| This man found it worth his while to know me.
*worth worthy worthwhile worthless
| used to say that someone should spend time or money on something because they will gain something from it:
It might be worth your while to talk to the head of department.
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| WORTH is used to say that something is interesting, useful, or helpful:
The film is well worthseeing. The local museum is worth a visit. It's well worthgetting there early if you want a good seat. It was a great evening, and definitely worth all the hard work. WORTHYmeans to deserve to be thought about or treated in a particular way: a teacher who is worthy of respect A couple of other books are worthy of mention.
| if something is WORTHWHILE, it is important or useful, or you gain something from it:
He wanted to do a worthwhile job.
I thought it was worthwhile to clarify the matter.
It wasn't worthwhile continuing with the project.
WORTHLESS
The house was full of worthless junk.
The information was worthless to me.
His parents had made him feel worthless.
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| 132.
| I hope he is there to vouch for me and show me the ropes on the other side.
| VOUCH to say that you believe that someone will behave well and that you will be responsible for their behaviour, actions etc: Why don't you phone my office? They'll vouch for me.
THE ROPES all the things someone needs to know to do a job or deal with a system: I spent the first month just learning the ropes. He works repairing streets, and knows the ropeswhen it comes to safety. Miss McGinley will showyou the ropesand answer any questions.
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