1.

Johnny on the spot: a person who is

always available, ready, reliable and
willing to perform a duty or a task
without delay (OED prefers the
hyphenated form) If he or she has
been totally Johnny-on-the-spot in the
correspondence and follow-up and
then suddenly becomes tough to reach
or turtle-slow with responses, this may
well be a sign
2. Rummage: search untidily

3. Fumble : use the hands clumsily

4. Shtick : special talent

5. Derivative : imitative

6. In broad daylight: happens during the

day the kidnapping took place in broad

daylight
7. Conflate : combine into one the urban

crisis conflates a number of different

economic and social issues
8. Chaperon : an escort

9. Put one's best foot forward: to begin

 something with great effort
10. Chop shop: a place where stolen

vehicles
11. can be dismantled so that the parts
can be sold or used to repair other
stolen vehicles
12. Rear-end : hit the back of the car with

another vehicle
13. Hold up to : to withstand

14. Platonic: intimate but not sexual

15. So much as : even

16. In short order: immediately

17. Haberdasher: male taylor

18. Stupefy: stun

19. Cameraderie: friendship

20. Hodge podge: confused mixture

21. Tack on: to add

22. Par for the course: normal

23. Get the drop on: get the advantage

over someone
24. Point one's firearm at another person

25. Pet peeve : something annoying

26. Shuck: husk; to remove husk

27. Take up a collection: to request and

gather donations, especially for a

28. charitable purpose
Before we leave, I
wanted to let you
know that Mrs.
Stein is taking up a
collection for
incoming refugees fleeing the war;
Every Saturday, I take up a collection
outside of the local grocery store in
support of veterans.
29. Retainer (C/U): fee paid in advance to

someone so that they will work for you

when needed he was on a $150,000
retainer from Lloyd's of London;
the firm retained White as
a consultant, paying him a
$5,000 retainer; get/be on/receive a
retainer Penn's firm is on a retainer of
$15,000 to $20,000 per month
30. Pull weight: contribute to a project or

work as hard as other people in a

group the others had complained that
Sarah wasn't pulling her weight; he
accused the
31. team of not pulling their weight
32. Hung like a horse (inf): having a large

penis damn! You're hung like a horse/

33. Go under: bankrupt

34. Eke out: (1) to survive, to use a supply

economically there wasn't

much food left, but we just managed to
eke it out; he managed to eke
out a living (= earn just enough
to live on) one summer by selling drink
s on a beach; many workers can only
eke out their redundancy money for
about 10 weeks; (2) to obtain with
difficulty the company expects to eke
out a small profit this year
35. Get by: manage with difficulty

36. Rub off on: be transferred by contact or

association I like
to think that our love of reading will rub
off on our children; when parents are
having a hard time, their tension can
easily rub off on the kids
37. Tenement: a large, old building divided
into apartments/flats, usually in a poor
area of a city or one of the flats in a
tenement elegant tenement buildings;
the cramped Edinburgh tenement in
which Connery grew up
38. Run-down: (1) (of a building or area)

old and in bad condition (=dilapidated)

a run-down building/cemetery;
the hotel we stayed in was really
dilapidated; a dilapidated old car/shed;
(2) tired and unwell especially through
overwork she was run-down, thin, with
no appetite; my doctor said I
was looking run-down
39. Get a jump on: get an advantage over

someone
40. Have someone pegged as: categorize

41. Pan out: succeed

42. Make something of oneself: to be

successful
43. Long shot: a difficult venture
44. Don't push it: don't overdo it
45. Yap: talk at length
46. Half measure: half-assed action or

policy
47. Pants: pulling one's pants

48. Get off on something: be excited by

49. Whisk out: move suddenly

50. Set the bar: set a standard

51. Thumb drive: usb flash drive

52. Reception: phone signal

53. Strong-arm: using force

54. Back channel: a covert route for

passage of information
55. Profiteer/racketeer: a person dealing in

fraudulent business
56. Go through: completed/approved

57. Roll over: stop resisting

58. Gum up : impede a process

59. Ring true: seem true

60. Wind someone up: make angry

61. On the rebound: still affected by

emotional distress
62. Hit it off: being naturally friendly
63. Derring-do (old-fashioned): a
courageous
64. action deeds/feats of derring-do
65. Scoundrel: a person who treat others

badly and has no moral principles

66. Cad (old-fashioned, inf): a man who

behaves dishonorably (=bounder)

especially the one who treats women
badly her adulterous cad of a husband;
he's a cad and a bounder - I'm not in
the least surprised he let you down
67. Basis: (1) the most important facts or

ideas from which something is

developed this document will form the
basis for our discussion;
their proposals have
no proven scientific basisdecisions
were often made on the basis of (=
using) incorrect information; (2) a way
or method something is carried out
(can be shortened to regularly, yearly,
daily, so on) mostly people work on
a part-time basis; out of the five
participants, four had continued using
the techniques, although
68. none on a daily basis [daily]; a former
Healdsburg police chief will run the
Santa Rosa Junior College police
department on a temporary basis
[temporarily]; one area we expect to do
better on a relative basis
[relatively] this year is the US; the
subsidy has been increased on a
yearly basis since 1975
69. On sight: as soon as someone or

something has been seen in Africa,

paramilitary game wardens shoot
poachers on sight; the authorities were
asked to arrest him on sight
70. On a case, in this case

71. Crack up: laugh

72. Bank on : base one's hope on

73. Break character: stop pretending

74. In decline/on the decline

75. Dress up to the nines: wear a good

dress
76. Prop/shore up: support something
77. Give way: collapse
78. Not have a prayer: don't have a

chance
79. Snuggle up to/down into
80. Tuck away: to be in a hidden place

81. Till the cows come home: a long time

82. Nuts and bolts: basic principle

83. Figure on something: to assume

something will happen

84. Be of use (inf): useful

85. Be wound up tight: stressed out

86. Tense, go/turn sour: turn out badly

87. Sit right/well with (inf): agree with

88. Bozo (inf): stupid

89. Wouldn't put it past somebody to do

sth: to not act surprised

90. Servitor: underling

91. Fracas: quarrel

92. Ledge: horizontal surface projecting

from a wall
93. An error was made on both sides

94. Fuzzy: (of a picture) having shapes

that don't have clear edges

95. Possessive case before a gerund: to

indicate the subject's activity rather the

96. subject per se
97. Tempers/nerves fray: become

gradually upset
98. Blow-up: an outburst of anger

99. Slug: drink in a large draft

100. Draft: a single act of inhaling or

swallowing the amount of inhaled or
swallowed
101. Smart alec: irritating by behaving as
if knowing everything
102. Callous: hearyless
103. Relate: feel sympathy with
104. Get sth over with: finish sth
unpleasant but necessary
105. Sluice: wash; pour
106. Keyed up (about, for) : nervous or
excited
107. Bust : break
108. Find a place in the sun: in a happy
position
109. Falter : lose strength
110. Spoil: eager for
111. Not by a long shot: not in any way
112. Rash : a series of unpleasant things
113. Kicker (inf) : unexpected and often
unpleasant discovery
114. Long johns : long underwear
115. Peckerwood: poor white man
116. Snoop: investigate furtively
117. Crucible: a situation in which
something new can be created
118. On your conscience: feel gulity
119. Get the drop on (inf): have
advantage over someone
120. Decommision: (of weapons)
withdraw from service
121. Tit for tat: equivalent retaliation
122. Bent (inf): dishonest
123. Lean on (inf): put pressure on
124. Spill guts to someone (inf): confess,
snide
125. Snark (inf) : mock in indirect way
126. Let up (inf) : relax
127. Be more lenient on someone
128. So much for: used to express
disappointment
129. Keep one's end of the bargain: do
as promised
130. Whatnot (inf) : and bla bla
131. Installment (US), instalment (UK): a
sum of money due as one of several
payments for something, paid regularly
for a period of time (bahasa=cicilan)
132. Due: required at a certain time;
required as a legal or moral obligation
133. Have it coming (to you) : to deserve
what happens to you
134. Impound: confiscate
135. May well: likely to happen
136. Rush someone: dash toward
137. Wreck: someone in a bad physical
or mental state
138. Blubber: cry noisily
139. Ramble: talk at length in a
confusing way
140. Yarn: a long rambling story
141. Pull : influence
142. Cacophony: harsh mixture of
 sounds
143. Rightfully so: as it should be
144. Blithe : casual so as regarded as
callous
145. Gnaw at: cause persistent distress
146. Ruminate: contemplate
147. Trade-off: compromise
148. Rationalize: justify
149. Drill someone: train
150. Come in handy
151. Ardent: enthusiastic
152. Last-ditch: final attempt
153. Apprise someone of: inform
154. Morose : unhappy
155. Sullen, back to square one
156. Wade: walk through water
157. Buffer: lessen
158. Old flame (inf): former lover
159. Caseload: the amount of work that a
person has to do in a period of time
160. Excite: (1) to cause strong feelings
of excitement or eagerness in
someone; (2) to bring out a feeling or
reaction (=arouse;formal) excite
interest/curiosity/sympathy/rumors/
161. speculation/comment/ridicule/
surprise/applause/attention/doubt/
compassion/jealousy/admiration;
this product has excited
a great deal of media interest;
the statement excited
new speculation that
a senior official may be about to resign;
she has a mischievous desire to excite
my jealousy
162. Arouse: (1) to cause someone to
have a particular feeling; (2) to
stimulate someone sexually arouse
admiration/suspicions/interest/anxiety/s
trong
emotions/anger/envy/wrath/opposition/
enthusiasm/patriotic sentiments
163. Stir: to cause strong feeling in
someone; move or excite I was stirred
to action by his speech;
this murder has stirred a lot of
ill feeling in the community; all I know
is that you should write the music that
you love and that you believe in, that
stirs you and excites you; they hoped
this act
164. would stir a feeling, prompting the
practitioners to serve in modesty to
make up for the inadequate medical
technology they had;
that music stirred
some old emotions;
the latest economic figures have stirre
d fears of growing inflation;
approaching elections have stirred ho
pes of reform
165. Evoke: to make someone
remember something or feel an
emotion that smell always
evokes memories of my old school
166. Incite: to encourage unlawful or
violent behaviour; to encourage
someone to do something unpleasant
167. Salve one's conscience: to do
something so that you feel less guilty
168. Wretched: (of someone) feeling
very unhappy or very ill; (of a thing) in
a very bad condition or of poor quality;
(UK) used to express anger
169. Engrossed in/with/by=absorbed
in/by=wrapped up in (inf): to become
very interested in and give all your
attention to something (implying
ignorance of everything else)
[engross]Their discussion engrossed
his attention; she was so
engrossed by/in the book that
she forgot the cookies in the oven; they
were so engrossed with the puzzle
they missed my phone call; [absorbed]
he had discovered politics and was
rapidly becoming absorbed by it; I was
so absorbed in the novel that I
completely missed my tram stop; she's
been completely wrapped up in her
home life since getting married
170. Spellbound: give all your attention
to something and can't think of
anything else at the circus,
the children are
spellbound, watching the acrobats perf
orm; the audience was spellbound as
he attempted his daring escape from
the
171. water tank;
he held his audience spellbound
172. Preoccupied: thinking about or
worrying sth or sb a lot that you hardly
notice other things Tom Banbury was
preoccupied with the missing
Shepherd child and did not want to
devote time to the new murder; she
looked very preoccupied
173. Muse(I)=ponder(I/T)=mull over: to
think deeply about something he
began to muse about/on getting
married
174. On cue: at the correct moment
175. Nip something in the bud: to get rid
of a problem before it's become
serious
176. Conscience: an inner feeling or
voice that guides you to do good I have
a guilty conscience (=feel guilty)
about skipping the class; I could go
away again with a clear conscience
 (=not feel guilty)
177. Fight tooth and nail: to try very hard
178. doing something
179. Run-of-the-mill: ordinary
180. Assign: (1) to allocate a job to
someone or to give someone a
job/task (often passive) she has
been assigned to a new job;
UN troops were assigned
the task of rebuilding the hospital, (2)
to send someone to
a particular place, especially in order fo
r them to work there he
was assigned to
the company’s branch in Cairo; (3) to
put someone in a particular group Tina
has been assigned to
the intermediate learners’ group;
each trainee is assigned a mentor who
will help them learn more about
the job; we were assigned
an interpreter for
the duration of our stay; (4) to give
someone money or equipment/set
something aside for
a particular purpose I
was assigned a car for
my personal use;
181. managers happily assign large
sums of money to travel budgets;
assigned the new species to an
existing genus; the selling broker is
then required to assign a portion of the
commission to the buyer broker; (5)
to decide that something has
a particular name, use, or value
the operation was assigned the code n
ame ‘Rita’; each visitor to
the site chooses an online alter ego,
which is assigned a name; under Mr.
Harel's system, each business must
assign a value to each job; assign the
letters of the alphabet their numerical
values–A equals 1, B equals 2, etc;
though assigned male at birth, she
appears most comfortable and in her
element wearing a skirt and high-
heeled sandals; (6) to decide that
something should take
a particular amount of time I
have assigned four hours for recording 
t
182. he data; have you assigned
a day for the interviews yet?; (7)
to decide a reason for something
detectives have been unable to assign
a motive for the murder;
the report assigned the blame for
the accident to inadequate safety regul
ations; (8) (LEGAL) to give someone
the ownership of or rights to property;
to transfer legal rights
all rights shall be assigned to
the publisher
183. Designate: (1) to appoint someone
to a specified position designate
someone as the spokesperson; the
President's designated successor is
his son; (2) to state that a particular
place or thing has a particular
character or purpose this area of
the park has
been specially designated for children;
they officially designated the area (as)
unsuitable for human habitation; a man
184. interviewed in one of our studies
whom we shall designate as E;
smoking is allowed in designated areas
certain; these schools are designated
“science schools"; there are efforts
under way to designate the bridge a
historic landmark
185. Servile/obsequious: having or
showing an excessive willingness to
please others She's embarassingly
obsequious to anyone in authority
186. Fawn over: to be obsequious to
someone The waiters were fawning
over the celebs that came
187. Set in stone: impossible to change
188. Resort : (verb or u noun) an action
of turning to and adopting a strategy or
course of action, especially an
undesirable one
189. Short of: (1) not having enough of
something I'm a little short of money
right now, so I can't lend you anything;
(2) less than/not equaling he died 3
190. years short of his pensionable age,
nothing short of miracle can save him
now; (3) not reaching as far as he fell
just short of the finish line derivation --
> stop short of doing something: to not
do something even if you almost do it
the president stopped short of
declaring war, I was furious but
stopped short of punching him; (4)
except for/unless/other than/without
resorting to he owns everything short
of a son
191. Saddled with something: to be
burdened by something
192. Have someone wrapped around
your finger: to have complete control of
someone
193. Work: to bring a material or mixture
into a desired shape or consistency
194. Back catalog: all the works
previously produced
195. Nostalgia: a feeling of pleasure and
sadness when thinking about the past I
196. was overwhelmed/filled with
nostalgia when I met her again; some
people feel nostalgia for their
schooldays
197. Creep over: (of a feeling) felt
gradually a dangerous tiredness crept
over her when she was driving
198. In keeping with: suitable for a
particular situation
199. Self-assertion: a forceful and
confident expression of oneself
National culture became a celebration
of aggressive self-assertion; her self-
assertion was born from a confident
determination to succeed
200. Brash: self-assertive in a rude way;
showing too much confidence and too
little respect; behaving and talking in
loud, confident way Gallagher writes
perfect pop songs, offering a platform
for his brother Liam 's brash, snarling
vocals; a brash young salesman
201. Snarl: talk in a fierce, angry way
202. Overbearing: an overbearing person
203. tries to make others do what they
want to do in an unpleasant or forceful
way; arrogantly domineering
(=imperious)
204. Pompous: too serious and self-
important
205. Self-important/arrogant/haughty/
conceited: having an exaggerated
sense of one's own importance
206. Beleaguer: having a lot of trouble
207. Concerted: coordinated; done with
great effort it would take a concerted
effort fo a burglar to break into my
house; I have to make a concerted
effort to improve my english skills
208. Advise: (1) (I/T) to give someone
advice, your opinion on what they
should do in a situation I
would strongly advise against going
out on your own; police are advising
people to stay at home; [+ to
infinitive] I think I'd advise
him to leave the company; [+ that]
they're
advising that children be kept at home;
209. [+ verb -ing] I'd advise buying your
tickets well in advance if you want to
travel in August; [+ something] I'd
advise extreme caution; you would be
well advised to (= it would be wise for
you to)have
the appropriate vaccinations before
you go abroad; (2) (I/T) to give
someone information about something
[+ on/about] we employ an expert to
advise on new technology; your lawyer
can advise you whether to take any
action; (3) (I) to officially tell someone
about something (formal) [+ of] please
advise us of any change of address; I
will contact you later to advise you
when to come
210. Grandeur/splendor: impressiveness
211. Close but no cigar: almost, but not
quite successful
212. Grandiose/imposing: impressive
213. Unsettling: causing worry
214. Uncanny: strange and mysterious;
can't
215. be explained
216. Spur: to encourage an activity or
development spurred on by her early
success, she went on to wrote four
other novels
217. Call on: to ask someone to do
something; to visit someone
218. Call for: make necessary; demand
publicly
219. Chime in: interject a remark
220. Expedient: helpful but morally
wrong
221. Botched: done badly
222. Brazier: a container for burning coal
223. Spurt: gush out in a sudden and
rapid stream
224. Fall apart: to break into pieces
(=crumble/disintegrate); (of an
organization/relationship) to stop
working effectively
225. Antiquated/obsolete: outdated; no
longer produced or used
226. Deprecated: outdated but is used
chiefly
227. for a software feature
228. Slip through one's fingers: to let an
opportunity/someone go away because
you're not making an effort
229. Mount: to organize to mount
an attack/campaign/challenge/protest;
to grow larger or more numerous
230. Wear off: lose effectiveness
231. Do a number on sth: injure or
embarasss someone
232. Scruffy: untidy and looking a little
dirty
233. Melee/scuffle/skirmish: a confused
fight between people
234. Decrepit: worn-out or shabby
through long use or lack of care
235. Bleak: (of an area) lacking
vegetation; (of a building or room)
charmless and inhospitable (=dreary);
(of a situation) without hope; (of the
weather) cold and miserable
236. Dismal: (1) depressing/causing
dejection, sad and without hope,
237. especially in appearance the dismal
weather made the late afternoon seem
like evening; the main part of the
hospital is pretty dismal but the
children's ward is really lively; ...a dark
dismal day with rain falling steadily;
you can't occupy yourself with dismal
thoughts all the time ; a
dismal expression; (2) very bad (inf)
the trip was a dismal failure; (3)
gloomy/feeling distressed (suffering
from anxiety, sorrow or pain) his dismal
mood was not dispelled by finding the
house empty; with the cold rain and
their team behind by six field goals, the
mood in the stands was
so dismal even the cheerleaders had
lost their 'Rah'
238. Dreary: dull, lifeless, boring and not
interesting (=dull, bleak); causing
dejection (=dismal)
239. Loafer/deadbeat: someone who is
 lazy and not willing to work
240. Drive away: make someone go
away
241. Blemish: a mark that spoils the
appearance of something
242. Mouth off to/at someone: to talk in a
rude way to someone
243. Squeal: to make a long high-pitched
cry the girl squealed with delight/joy;
the brakes squealed
244. Squeak: to make a short high-
pitched cry the shoes squeaked when
he walked
245. Screech: to make an unpleasant
loud high noise the brake screeches;
she was screeching with pain/laughter;
the van screeched to a halt/standstill,
246. Shriek: to make a high-pitched cry
as an expression of pain or excitement
he shrieked with laughter; he let out a
shriek of delight
247. Shrill: high-pitched; make a shrill
noise (a phone/bell/whistle); say
something loudly a piercing whistle
shrilled through the night air
248. Go hand in hand with sth: to be
closely
249. related to sth
250. Distasteful: causing dislike or hate
251. Detestable/abhorrent/repugnant:
causing intense dislike
252. Obnoxious: (of behaviour) very
unpleasant
253. Horrendeous: used to describe
something that is very unpleasant or
bad
254. Prevail: be victorious; be
widespread in a particular area
(=reign) let's hope that common sense
prevails, a friendly atmosphere
prevailed among the members of the
team
255. Windfall: unexpected fortune
256. Deep-seated: firmly established
257. Handyman: someone who is skilled
at doing domestic repairs (tukang)
258. Erupt: to become very angry
259. Boil: be stirred up boiling with rage
260. Seethe: to be filled with anger but
unable to express it she was seething;
seething with rage
261. Withdrawn: not wanting to
communicate with others
262. Outspoken: frank with one's
opinions, in full swing: at the height of
activity
263. Binge: an occasion when the
activity is done in an extreme way
spending/drinking/eating binge
264. Flare-up: a situation in which
something like violence or anger gets
worse suddenly
265. Drown out: to make a sound less
perceptible by making a louder sound
266. Prudent: showing good judgement
in avoiding risks and making decisions;
careful
267. Judicious: done with good
judgement
268. Astute/shrewd: able to understand a
situation quickly and see how to take
advantage of it
269. Discreet: (1) careful not to cause
embarassment or attracting attention
by keeping secret I made discreet
enquiries
270. about his family background; (2)
unobtrusive/inconspicuous she wears
discreet jewellery
271. Indiscreet: saying things that should
be kept secret or that embarass people
272. Dapper/spruce: neat and trim
273. Austere: (1) unfriendly and strict; (2)
harsh and ascetic/having a life that has
no comforts; (3) (=sparse) very simple
274. Burst: to feel a strong emotion; to
begin something suddenly to express a
strong feeling burst out crying; burst
into cackles of laughter
275. Cackle: to make the loud,
unpleasant sound of a chicken; to
laugh loudly cackle with laughter
276. Cluck: to make the short guttural
sound of a chicken
277. Sputter: to make a series of short
explosive sounds as a sign of
malfunction
278. Chirr: to make a short, trilled sound
characteristic of an insect
279. Whir/hum: to make a low
continuous sound
280. Blare: to make a loud harsh sound
281. Snuggle (I + adverb/prep): (1) to
move into a comfortable position I was
snuggling down into my bed when she
came; (2) to move close to someone
for comfort or affection snuggle
together on the couch
282. Settle (I/T) to lie or come to rest in a
comfortable position and make yourself
feel relaxed the dentist told
her patient to settle back in the chair;
he settled himself down with
a newspaper, and waited for
the flight to arrive
283. Nestle (I/T): (1) to lie/settle/move
into a comfortable position within or
against sth (=snuggle) she nestle her
baby in her arms; she nestled her head
against his shoulder; (2) to be in a
protected place: the village nestles
among the rolling hills
284. Huddle: (1) to come close together
for warmth or because you are
frightened everyone
huddled round the fire to keep warm; it
was so cold that we
huddled together for warmth; (2) to
come close together to talk secretly or
quietly the president has been huddling
with his most senior aides; (3) to lie or
sit with arms and legs close to your
body because you're cold or frightened
Myrtle sat huddled on the side of the
bed, weeping
285. Rattle: to make a series of sharp
knocking sound (=clatter) he was
clattering away at his keyboard;
the explosion rattled the cups on
the table; the dying man's voice rattled
in his throat;
the car rattled over the cobblestones
286. Ring: (1) to make a clear resonant
or vibrating sound (=ding) a shot rang
out
287. in the distance; (2) to cause a bell to
ring: he opened the door before she
could ring the bell
288. Chime: (of a bell or clock) to make
melodious ringing sounds the clock
chimed eight
289. Clang (I/T): to make a loud metallic
sound she clanged the metal door shut
behind her
290. Jingle: a light metallic sound: the
coins were jingling when she walked
along
291. Axiom/postulate: a statement that is
regardes as being true and serves as a
basis/premise for further reasoning
292. Proposition: a statement that
expresses a judgment or opinion
293. Flabby: soft, fat, with loose flesh
294. Clink: to cause to make a short
ringing sound like pieces of metal or
glass knocking lightly together
295. Artillery: large-caliber guns; a class
of military weapons that launch long-
296. ranged projectiles or the part of the
army that uses this type of weaponry
297. Types of artillery: (1) field-gun: a
mobile long-range large caliber gun
that shoot projectiles at low angles and
high velocities; (2) howitzer: a short-
barreled gun capable of high-angle and
low-angle fire ; (3) mortar: a simple
lightweight artillery piece that launch
projectiles at high angles
298. Artillery piece (US)/gun (most
english-speaking countries): a large-
caliber gun
299. Muzzle-loaded: having an
ammunition loading system by putting
the projectiles into the muzzle of the
gun
300. Breach-loaded: loading the
ammunition via the rear of the barrel
301. Reasoning: to think in a logical way
to form a conclusion
302. Infer/deduce: to arrive at a
 conclusion by reasoning
303. Splutter: (1) to make a series of
304. explosive coughing sounds she
coughed and spluttered, tears coursing
down her face; (2) say something
rapidly, indistinctly, and with a spitting
sound, as a result of anger,
embarrassment, or another strong
emotion he began to splutter excuses
305. Lapse: (1) a temporary failure a
lapse of concentration cost her the
match; (2) a period of time between
two events (=interval) there was a
lapse of two years before he came
back; (3) to turn gradually into the
demonstration lapsed into chaos
306. Muddle: bring into a disordered or
confused situation
his business files were muddled up
with his personal files; I'm sorry but I
get your names muddled
307. Jumble: to mix things together
untidily her clothes are jumbled up in
the suitcase
308. Chaos/mayhem (U): a state of total
309. confusion with no order usually
involving violence snow
and ice have caused chaos on
the roads; ever
since our secretary walked out,
the office has
been in a state of total/utter chaos
310. Turmoil (U/S)/turbulence (U): a
state of confusion and disorder
the era was characterized by political a
nd cultural turbulence;
his songs reflect the turbulence of
his times;
the whole region is in turmoil;
the country is in
a state of political turmoil; the Stock
Exchange
is in turmoil following a huge wave of s
elling
311. Uproar (S/U): (1) a situation in
which a lot of people are complaining
and making a lot of noise
the book caused an uproar in France;
312. the whole hall was in uproar after
the announcement; (2) a public
expression of protest or outrage the
town is in uproar over the dispute; the
surprise announcement could cause
an uproar in the United States
313. Pandemonium (U): a situation in
which there is a lot of noise and
confusion because people are excited,
angry or frightened pandemonium
reigned in the hall; the pandemonium
of the school playground
314. Unrest (U): a state of agitation,
dissatisfaction or disorder usually
involving demonstrations the real
danger is civil unrest in the east of the
country; it is feared that the civil unrest
we are now witnessing in
this country could lead to full-scale civil 
war; there is growing unrest among
students in several major cities
315. Flurry: (1) a swirling mass of
something,
316. usually snow we
might see a snow flurry or two tonight;
(2) a sudden, short intense period of
activity there was
a sudden flurry of activity when
the director walked in
317. Pansy/effeminate: showing
characteristics regarded as typical of a
woman
318. Stick it up your ass (inf): a fun way
of saying fuck you
319. Get one's ass handed to one (inf):
to suffer a devastating defeat
320. Riot (C)/rampage (C/U): a violent
disturbance
321. Be on the scene: to arrive
322. Percentage (C): an amount of
something, often expressed as
a number out of 100 what percentage
of women return to work after having
a baby?
323. Toe the line: conform to a rule he's
one of the politicians that wouldn't toe
the
324. party line
325. Cowl: to frown in an angry way
326. Butter up: praise someone
excessively
327. Nitpick: to be too concerned with
little details the state is nitpicking about
minor administrative matters
328. Find faults with someone:
to criticize someone or something,
often
after deliberately looking for mistakes
it’s demoralizing to work for someone
who constantly finds fault with you
329. Dais (ˈdāəs,ˈdīəs)
/platform/podium/stand: a raised level
surface on which people can stand
330. Lectern/podium (US): a tall stand
from which a speaker can read a book
331. Be in over one's head (with)
something: to be deeply involved with
or in something that it is too hard to be
managed I think I'm in over my head
with Amy. She wants marriage, kids,
and a house, and I'm just not ready for
any of that; I've gotten in way over my
head
332. with this money laundering scheme
—now the mob is threatening my
family if I try to back out!; Go ahead
and lead the meeting today; I’ll help
you out if you get in over your head
333. Come off as: to appear, to give the
impression of you shouldn't wear that
hat, it'll make you come off as a snob
334. In the sun: being outdoors in the
sunshine
335. It's no skin off my nose/teeth: it's not
my concern
336. Round-trip ticket: a ticket that lets
you go to a destination and return from
it
337. Splosh: (of water) move irregularly
with splashing a splashing sound
338. Get changed: to change one's
clothes
339. Pronounce: to formally announce
something
340. More of: used to say that one way
of describing a person or thing is better
or more accurate than another
it's more
341. of a guess than an estimate
342. Very much so: an emphatic way to
say yes
343. Thrum: to make a low steady
continuous sound
344. Flip out (on) be extremely angry
345. Give a new lease: to make
someone feel happy or healthy after
a period of illness or sadness
the operation has given her a new
lease of life
346. Rough around the edges: having a
few imperfections
347. Veer: to change direction,
348. Intermission/interlude/break: an
intervening period of time
349. Let up (inf): become less intense
the rain's letting up—it'll be clear soon
350. Draw a blank: fail to get an answer
351. Bow out: leaving a job after doing it
for a long time
352. Jettison: to abandon something
353. Zeitgeist: the nature or spirit that an
era has
354. Encapsulate: summarize
355. Dabble: take part in an activity in a
superficial way he dabbled in writing as
a young man
356. Run up a debt: get into debt and
allow it to increase
357. Hit a snag: meet a problem (with)
sth,
358. May (very) well/easily : likely to
happen what you say may very well
be true;
a small technical error may easily resul
t in a serious accident
359. Whip out: to pull something with a
sudden jerk
360. Paint someone with the same
brush: to unfairly categorize someone
in a negative way
361. Be right up someone's alley:
matching one's preferences or abilities
362. In store: awaiting; prepared (for
one) no one knows what the future has
in store.
363. But we can try to prepare
accordingly
364. Win someone over: to succeed in
getting someone's support
365. Spring up like mushrooms: to
increase rapidly and suddenly in
number
366. Standpoint: a set of beliefs from
which opinions are formed from the
standpoint of a believer
367. Thingamabob/thingamajig/dingus:
used to refer or address a thing or
person whose name one's forgotten,
does not know or does not wish to
mention
368. Enamor: to be filled with love; have
an admiration of (usually in passive
and formal situations) one can easily
see he is enamored of her beauty; we
were enamored by her character
369. Burgeoning: rapidly developing;
flourish
370. Hold your horses (inf): wait a
moment
371. Second: to formally make a
statement that supports a decision
during a meeting, to agree with
something
372. Pretentious: trying to appear or
sound more important or lever than
you are his response was full of
pretentious nonsense
373. Ostentatious: designed to impress
people buy books only to display it
ostentatiously these days
374. Tasteless/vulgar: lacking good taste,
offensive/sexually offensive (vulgar)
375. Gaudy: showy but tasteless
376. Tawdry: showy by cheap or of poor
quality
377. Rote: a process of learning
something by repetition rather than by
understanding it he is very sceptical
about the value of rote learning; you
are merely reciting facts that you have
learned by rote
378. Encroach: (1) to take control of
something often without being noticed I
didn’t want work to encroach any more
on my spare time; (2) to cover more
land gradually
379. housing developments continue to
encroach on wildlife habitats
380. Qualm: a feeling of worry when you
doubt if what you're doing is right he
has no qualms about lying to the police
381. Let someone in on: to let someone
know about something secret
382. Ace up on your sleeve: a secret skill
or advantage
383. Under the auspices of: to be
supported or protected by
someone/something
384. Sassy: impudent in a lively bold way
stop being sassy with your teacher!
385. Smart and stylish
386. Whimper: to make a series of low
feeble sounds, expressive of fear or
pain or say something in this manner
she gave a little whimper as
the vet inspected her paw; "He's not
dead, is he?” she whimpered
387. Whine: (1) to make a long high-
pitched sad sound
Leon's dog was sitting by
388. the door whining, so
I thought I'd better take it for a walk; (2)
to complain about something
repeatedly stop whining about
everything!
389. Hold sth against someone: to like
someone less because of what they
have done
390. Mustachioed: having a mustache
391. Sideburns: a strip of hair grown on
the sides of a person's face in front of
the ears
392. Granted: it is true; used to confirm
something is true before talking about
something else later granted that the
story's true, there's not a lot you can do
about it
393. Winch: a hauling device consisting
of a cable winding around a drum for
pulling heavy things
394. Piece de resistance (pēˌes də rəˌzi
ˈstäns, pēˌes də rāˌzēˈstäns) the most
important thing in a series of things
395. (=masterpiece, magnum opus)
396. Adulterant: a substance within other
substances which compromise the
safety and effectiveness of said
subtance
397. Looky-loo: a person who stops to
look at something (usually an accident)
398. Enlist: to ask someone for help or
support
399. Call in: to enlist someone's aid
400. Bedpan: a receptacle used by a
bedridden patient as a toilet
401. Plop: to fall into a liquid lightly and
make a short sound that goes with it
402. Groan: make a deep inarticulate
sound in response to fear or pain
403. Grunt: make a low short guttural
sound
404. Crackle: to make a series of short,
dry, sharp sounds
405. Rustle: to make a soft crackling
sound like that caused by the
movement of dry paper or leaves
406. Fizzle: to create a long hissing
sound
407. Give somebody the runaround: to
avoid helping someone by sending
them to someone else for help
408. Slippery slope: a bad situation that
is likely to get very much worse
you're on a slippery slope once you sta
rt lying about your age!
409. Garble: to make words or messages
unclear and difficult to understand
it's bad when phones garble conversati
ons
410. Tangle (I/T): (1) twist together into a
confused mass the broom somehow
got tangled up in my long skirt; her hair
hung in clumps down her back, tangled
together and being blown in the wind;
we liked to think that the story of
Australia is not one, but many tangled
together; in spite of my enthusiasm, I
seemed to get my feet all tangled up
even with the simplest of moves;
problems began yesterday afternoon
411. when a tram became stranded near
the station when the power lines
became tangled with its overhead
power connection;
wet fibres tangle easily: the grape-
vines are tangling their way over the
trellis I put in last month; (2) to become
involved in a conflict with
she got tangled up in
a relationship which was bound to end
in a disaster; I know there'll be trouble
if I try to tangle with him
412. Entangle (T): (1) to cause to
become twisted together or caught in
(carries a sense that a thing become
tangled on its own in something)
the dolphin had become entangled in/w
ith the fishing nets; (2) to be involved
with something or someone in a way
that makes it difficult to escape he
went to the shop to buy bread, and got
entangled in/with a carnival parade
413. Flake out on someone: fail to do
414. something one's expected to do
he flakes out on plans all the time for
no good reason
415. Offhand: (1) not friendly and
showing little interest in other people in
a rude way (adj) I didn't mean to be
offhand with her - it's just that I was in
such a hurry; (2) without previous
preparation (=impromptu/ad lib) I can't
think of a better answer offhand
416. Sift: to search among a large
number of things to find the ones that
are important and separate the ones
that are going to be discarded after my
father's death, I had to sift through all
his papers; the police are trying to
sift out the genuine warnings from all
the hoax calls they have received; he
asked for streamlined procedures to
sift out frivolous applications
417. Tire iron: a metal tool used in
working with tires
418. Wind down: (1) to come gradually to
a close, coming to an end
they're winding down their overseas op
eration because it is losing money; as
the party wound down, the couple
hopped in their rented car and headed
back to the hotel; (2) to relax after
stress when he goes on holiday,
it takes him the first couple of days just
to wind down
419. In excess of: more than
420. Rat out: to tell somebody in
authority about a wrongdoing done by
someone
421. Catch on to something: to
understand how to do something or
what is meant
422. Commensurate: in proportion to
423. Bassinet: bed for babies
424. Wicker: pliable twigs
425. Woodwind: belonging to a group of
pipe-shaped musical instruments
426. It just so happens: used to say
something surprising or happening by
chance it just so happens that I have
427. a bike I can lend you; It (just) so
happens that I know her son
428. Touch base with someone (inf): to
make contact with someone we want
to touch base with the people that have
been affected by the crisis,’’ Mr Drum
said; my mom likes touching
base daily, but I think a weekly check-
in would be fine
429. Debrief: question a soldier or spy
about a completed mission together
they debriefed their two colleagues,
430. Lay down the law: to make a strong
statement about what someone is or is
not allowed to do the agreement lays
down the law (to everyone) on what
the group allows; when she came
home after midnight, her father laid
down the law: if she came home that
late again, she would not be allowed to
watch TV for a month
431. Lived-in: (1) regularly used and
comfortable; (2) (of a person's face,
inf)
432. experienced
433. Know-how: expert knowledge or
skill in a specific field; expertise
434. Upstanding: honest and respectable
435. Come by: manage to obtain
Cameron managed to come by some
cheap tickets to Rome
436. Breeze: (1) to walk or go casually I
breezed in as if nothing were wrong;
(2) if you breeze through something
such as a game or test, you cope with
it easily John seems to breeze
effortlessly through his many
commitments at work; the computer
has the power to breeze through huge
documents
437. Running: consecutive
438. Unearth: (1) find something in the
ground by digging; (2) discover
something by investigation
439. Put in: devote time or effort to
something she’s put in a lot of effort on
this proposal; they must have put in
a lot of work to achieve such
440. an interesting exhibition
441. Malaprop/malapropism: the
mistaken use of a word in place of a
similar-sounding one
442. Orderly: a hospital worker who
does jobs for which
no training is necessary, such
as helping the nurses or carrying heav
y things
443. Peep: (1) to look quickly and
furtively at something, especially
through a narrow opening peep
at/through/into/over: she tried to peep
through the gates to see the garden;
(2) to appear slightly from behind or
under something peep
from/out/through: his head peeped out
from under the blanket
444. Peek: to look quickly and furtively at
445. Pilot: to test a plan before using it
widely
446. Grandfather: exempt from a new
law smokers who worked here before
the
447. ban have been grandfathered
448. Hard-on: an erection you clearly
have a hard-on for the past
449. At (your) leisure: when you want to
and when you have time to
450. Go round: (1) to spin like a wheel;
(2) be enough to supply everybody
present there was barely enough food
to go around
451. Quid pro quo: a favor granted in
return for something the pardon was a
quid pro quo for their help in releasing
hostages
452. Entertain: to have an idea in your
mind and considering to accept it well,
I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't at
least entertain the idea that the chief
police of tulsa wasn't a secret white
supremacist
453. Add up to: (1) to become a specific
amount, especially separate amounts
that form a total amount of something
454. his business expenses add up yo
around 4000 dollars a year; all the
foods didn't add up too much in the
end; (2) to have a specific result these
new measures do not add up to
genuine reform; it all added up to a lot
of hard work for all of us; all that can
add up to a significant weight loss; the
conditions, atmosphere and pitch can
all add up to difficult nights;
the details don't add up to
a complete picture of
what caused the explosion
455. Evade: (1) can be used to state an
avoidance from a job or task, question,
someone or abstract things (glory,
success, love, happiness) happiness
still evaded him; he denied evading the
questions; (2) involves situations with
illegal or immoral intent; friends helped
him evading capture all this time; he
can't evade doing military service
forever
456. Elude: (1) to avoid someone by
using one's agility or dexterity they
eluded the police; (2) can be used
when talking about achievements and
information that you can't remember I
know you but your name eludes me;
the gold medal continues to elude him
457. Pale in/by comparison to/with (also
pale beside sth/sb) to seem less
important when compared with sth else
the afternoon meal paled in
comparison with the feast they had
later
458. Trappings: all the things that are
part of a particular job or situation
he enjoyed the trappings of power,
such as a chauffeur-
driven car and bodyguards
459. Egg someone on: to encourage
someone to do something foolosh or
dangerous
460. Ramp up: to increase something
 sharply
461. At hand: (1) to have a thing
conveniently near you (=to hand) or
readily
462. accessible when needed
We want to ensure that help is at
hand (= easily available) for
all children suffering abuse; I always
keep a dictionary at hand; When you
are working in the kitchen, you must
have a fire extinguisher at hand;
One glance told her of
the danger close at hand; (2) about to
happen a breakthrough in combating
the disease may be at hand; needing
to be dealt with now I'd probably prefer
you focus on the task at hand
463. In hand: (1) have an extra amount
of something (usually about time)
Chelsea are two points behind the
league leaders, Manchester United,
but Chelsea do have a game in hand; I
will have no difficulty finishing this
project before the deadline as I still
have three weeks in hand; (2) available
to be used (=in reserve) I've got all of
those things
464. in hand, so we don't have to go to
the store; he had $1,000 of borrowed
cash in hand; (3) used to say that
you're dealing with a situation I have
got quite a few problems in hand; I
have got several offers in hand; (4) to
take something in hand means to
control the situation I’ve got everything
in hand. You don’t need to do anything
and it’ll all be ready in time; The police
couldn’t take the situation in hand;
Oedipus took the matter in
hand with energy; the government will
have to take matters in hand
465. Out of hand: out of control
466. On hand: (1) near to someone and
available to be used give away any
food you have on hand, or lock it up
and give the key to the neighbours; our
staff are always on hand to help; there
are qualified instructors on hand to
advise you; (2) needing to be dealt with
they
467. had many urgent and pressing
matters on hand; they have four babies
and six dogs on their hands,
468. In the hands of sb: controlled or
owned by someone
a large percentage of the
nation's wealth is in the hands of a
very, very few people;
Florida passed into American hands in
1821
469. At the hands of: treated or hurt
badly by someone how many people
have died at the hands of the
terrorists?,
470. Cash in hand: payment made
directly in cash or paid directly in cash
workers take home about $70, cash in
hand, a week; businesses that pay
suppliers cash in hand for a cheaper
service
471. Eloquent: (1) using language to
express an idea clearly and well so as
to be effective in persuading people
when required, he could be an
eloquent speaker,
but preferred talking to small groups; I
472. heard him make a very eloquent
speech at that dinner; (2) giving a clear
message the pictures were an
eloquent reminder of the power of
the volcano
473. Thoughtful: (1) absorbed in thought
you look thoughtful; (2) showing careful
consideration or attention a
thoughtful discussion of important issu
es; ....a thoughtful and scholarly book;
he has a thoughtful approach to
his work; kind and always trying to help
people Caroline is such a
thoughtful young woman;
‘I brought you some tea.’ ‘That’s very
thoughtful of you'
474. Consideration: careful thought or
the act of thinking carefully about
something that's
an interesting job offer - I'd give it
some serious consideration if I were
you; three sites are presently under
consideration for the new hotel; after
some consideration,
475. we've decided to sell the house;
the whole matter needs (to be
given) careful consideration
476. Thoughtfulness: (1) the quality of
thinking carefully It is
well considered and well written,
which indicates that a degree of
thoughtfulness has been put into it;
It works if there's planning and
thoughtfulness before
the process begins; (2) the quality of
being kind and caring I appreciate your
thoughtfulness; (3) the state of being
absorbed in thought
a steady gaze reflects thoughtfulness,
477. Tip the balance/scales: used to
indicate there's a thing that causes a
specific outcome when there are other
possible outcomes
the teams were evenly matched until
two quick goals from
Rooney tipped the balance in favour of 
England; she was a good candidate,
but
478. her lack of computer skills tipped th
e scales against her
479. Possession is nine-tenths of the
law: ownership is easier to maintain
when you possess the thing
480. Bedragled: dirty and disheveled
481. Pad sth out: to make a speech or
writing longer
482. Under the aegis of sth/sb: under the
protection or support of sb/sth
483. Trifle with sb: to treat someone
without respect
484. Cut sb some slack (inf): to not judge
someone as severely as you usually
do
485. Hold your own against sb: to
successfully defend yourself or
succeed in a difficult situation
486. Accede (formal): agree to a demand
the authorities did not accede to the
strikers' demands
487. Hostility: (1) an occasion when
someone is unfriendly (hostile/
488. antagonistic) or shows they don't
like something their hostility to all
outsiders;
they showed open (= obvious) hostility 
to/towards their new neighbours; (2)
acts of warfare
hostilities began/broke out just
after midnight; he called for an
immediate cessation of hostilities
489. Animosity/ill-feeling/ill-will: strong
hostility [animosity] I have no animosity
toward him whatsoever;
Of course we're competitive, but
there's
no personal animosity between us;
in spite of his injuries,
he bears no animosity towards his atta
ckers;
the European Community helped Fran
ce and
Germany forget the old animosities bet
ween them; he no longer felt
any animosity toward her; [ill-feeling]
he said that there was no ill-feeling
490. between the two players; there has
been considerable ill-feeling between
the sides; I bear no ill-feeling towards
them; [ill-will] all this has created
considerable ill-will towards the armed
force; she didn't bear his estranged
wife any ill will; I bear him no ill will
(formal)
491. Bitterness/resentment/indignation: a
feeling of anger or hate at being
treated unfairly [bitterness] Meanwhile
the weavers' strike still continued in all
its bitterness; he expressed
bitterness over his dismissal without
notice; he was full of bitterness after
he lost his job;Trueman's especial
tragedy was to make public the
bitterness that he felt at the passing of
his youth [resentment] he is not one of
those who looks back in anger or
resentment, feeling that he
was swallowed up by
an elite club academy;
492. this decision has caused resentmen
t among some teachers; some people
harbour resentments going back
many years; there is much poverty and
anguish in the world, and it breeds
resentment and envy; the war with
Prussia, but had been forced to yield
owing to popular resentment at the
policy of Prussia in the Schleswig-
Holstein question women looked at
her in resentment as she pushed her
way through; as a customer, I am
obviously outraged that she treats me
with such seething resentment;
[indignation] but
my relief soon turned to anger and
indignation; Gwendolen looked at
this butler in great indignation;There is
little moralising strain in French culture,
and less vocal indignation at corruption
than in Italy; She turned angrily to her
brothers, her eyes blazing with fierce
indignation and rampant fury; the
dominant emotional reaction to the
493. letter was shock and disbelief or
anger and indignation; the letter filled
Lucy with indignation
494. Bitter: (1) not sweet; (2) angry
because of perceived unfair treatment
or bad experiences I feel very
bitter about my childhood and all that I
went through;
she'd suffered terribly over
the years but it hadn't made her bitter;
(3) expressing a lot of anger and hate
a bitter fight/argument;
bitter recriminations (=arguments
between people who are blaming each
other); he gave me a bitter look; (4)
causes deep pain/painful failing
the final exams was a
bitter disappointment for me;
she learned through
bitter experience that he was not to
be trusted
495. Acrimony: bitterness or ill-will The
whole partnership then dissolved into
496. acrimony and mistrust and legal
wrangling (engagement i a long
argument); Money can't buy you love,
sang the Beatles but what's clear is it
can certainly create a lot of acrimony
where love once existed;
her response was surprisingly free of
acrimony; mediation
can help divorcing couples keep acrim
ony at a minimum;
The contract talks were not without
acrimony
497. Acrimonious: full of anger and
bitterness
their marriage ended eight years ago in
an acrimonious divorce; an
acrimonious dispute about wages
498. Accrue: (1) (of money or interest) to
gradually increase in amount over a
period of time I owed £5,000–part of
this was accrued interest; If you do not
pay within 28 days, interest will accrue;
Interest will accrue on the account at
499. a rate of seven percent; she has
accrued $80,000 of student debt in
her educational pursuit; interest
accruing at 18% or more
a year can quickly drain your future pur
chasing power; (2) to be added to or
get an amount of something gradually
over a period of time little benefit will
accrue to the city (= it
will receive little benefit) from the
new transport links; the expectation
that profits will accrue; ...a project from
which considerable benefit will accrue
to the community; in many cases, the
fee structure alone will exceed the tax
benefits accrued
500. Outlay:
an amount of money spent for
a particular purpose, especially as a
first investment in something a modest
outlay on local advertising; for
an initial outlay of $2,000
to buy the equipment, you can earn up
501. to $500 a month if
the product sells well; few
are able to afford the cash outlay
502. In kind: (of payment) given in the
form of goods or services, not money
she wouldn't take any money but said I
could pay her in kind by lending her
the car
503. Bottleneck: (1) a place where a road
becomes narrow that it causes the
traffic to become slow is there any way
of getting around
this bureaucratic bottleneck; (2) a
problem that delays progress
the construction work is causing bottle
necks in the city centre
504. Make/put a dent in: to reduce an
amount of money
505. Proceeds: money obtained from an
event or activity
506. Mortgage (ˈmôrɡij) : a legal
agreement by which a money lender
(bank, building
507. society=institution that provides
home mortgages) lends a sum money
to a person buying a house on the
condition that the house will be
forfeited in the event of default (the
loan is secured on the property) or to
put up a property as security for the
repayment of a loan i put down a
hundred thousand in cash and took
out a mortgage for the rest; they take
out mortgages and life insurance
policies; our new mortgage will be for
15 years rather than 25 because I
would like to pay it off as soon as I can;
the estate was mortgaged up to the
hilt
508. Clutter: a lot of things lying in an
untidy state; fill with clutter sorry about
the clutter in the kitchen;
my desk is covered in/full of clutter; his
apartment was cluttered with paintings
and antiques
509. Smolder: continue to exist and may
become worse over time
the dispute is still smouldering,
510. five years after
the negotiations began
511. Punctuate: to interrupt an event
repeatedly
the president spoke at length in
a speech punctuated by applause
512. Overtime: extra hours worked or
extra compensation for these hours
you can earn some overtime
by working after 6.00 p.m everyone
is on overtime (=
being paid extra for working after
the usual time) this weekend; I can’t
meet you for dinner tonight because
I’m working overtime; I would rather
go home than finish this production
run, but at least I am getting paid
overtime for it
513. Over time: gradually over time,
water carved the Grand Canyon into
the landscape of what is now Arizona
514. Put up with: endure something
515. Shy away from: to avoid doing
516. something
517. Quote: the estimated price of a work
that a worker says would cost you or to
estimate the cost of a work: once you
have an idea of the areas where you'd
like concrete to be poured, contact
service professionals to get quotes;
the cost of simply getting a quote or
estimate for its repair will likely
amount to a fair percentage of the
replacement cost; compare quotes
from different firms because costs can
differ widely; the agent is quoting a
guide price of €2.5 million; the
playgroup has been quoted a price of
£8,000 to £10,000 to reinforce doors
with security shutters;
the roofer quoted $3000 to fix the roof
518. Share in: to take part in something
alongside other people the company is
offering you the chance to share in its
success; if everyone shares in the
work, we'll be finished cleaning the
house in
519. an hour or two; we all help pay for
the lottery tickets, so we all get to
share in the winnings equally
520. Get back on the horse: to resume or
return to an activity that one has
previously failed at
521. Chagrin: disappointment or anger
my children have
never shown an interest in music,
much to my chagrin
522. Montezuma's revenge: traveller's
diarrhea
523. Get down to brass tacks: to start
talking about the most important things
of a situation
524. Go out on a limb: to have an opinion
that is different from others' and is
unpopular she's prepared to go out on
a limb and do something different
525. On the hook: in a difficult situation
526. It's a given: it's something that
everyone knows so you shouldn't have
talked
527. about it
528. Dribs and drabs : in scattered or
sporadic amounts doing the work in
dribs and drabs;
the guests began arriving in dribs
and drabs
529. Yowl: to make a long unhappy cry,
usually when hurt or fighting I
was woken up
by cats yowling outside my window
530. Descent: the background of
someone in terms of family
they trace their line of descent back to
a French duke;
he claims direct descent from Moham
med; american
families of Hungarian descent
531. Pitch in (inf): to contribute as part of
a group when I bought this house, all
my friends pitched in to help fix it up;
my brother pitched in with an offer of 
532. By the skin of my teeth: barely I only
got away by the skin of my teeth
533. Backslide: to go back doing
something bad when you're already
making progress my diet was going
well, but I've been backsliding a
little recently; converted vegetarians
backslide to T-bones
534. Delicate: [INTRICATE] (1)
attractive, full of details, intricate the
delicate intricacy of the leaves
provided inspiration for motifs in
decoration; (2) subtle, soft/subdued,
pleasant and not too strong [of color]
the blouse was a light, delicate shade
of pink, with a dark flower pattern
covering it; the brow pencil in Soft
Brown is a delicate colour and blended
well when it was brushed; [of food or
drink] it had a delicate tomato flavour
with a touch of the sea; it was rich and
its delicate herb flavouring worked well
with the chicken; (3) attractive and
small/thin the plant has
delicate pink flowers; her
delicate hands
535. [FRAGILE] (4) easily damaged,
fragile they must handle the Koran as if
it were a fragile piece of delicate art;
the lungs are also delicate and easily
damaged if the ventilation is too
aggressive; (5) weak, susceptible to
illness but Martineau was in her sixties
and in delicate health (= he gets sick
easily); his health was delicate and his
studies were in consequence often
interrupted; (6) (of a situation or
condition) required sensitivity and care
because it is easily upset or affected;
difficult she never really knew how to
handle delicate situations requiring
tact and sincere honesty; the members
are afraid of upsetting the delicate
balance of political interests; [SKILL]
(7) needing to be done carefully or skill
with something as delicate
as brain surgery, there is
little margin for error;
repairing damaged nerves is a very
536. delicate operation/process; (8)
showing skill, accurate and with
attention to detail he exhibited more
delicate skills when he headed home
Hamilton's second goal; each motion
must be delicate and precise, involving
tiny movements; weather-forecasters
have extremely delicate equipment w
hich helps them predict what
the weather is going to be like
537. Get a word in edgewise: have an
opportunity to speak Brad talked so
much that nobody could get a word
in edgewise
538. Work towards: to do things that will
help you make progress towards
something that you want to achieve A
Levels are generally worked towards
over two years;
both countries are working towards pe
ace in the region
539. Cut back: to use less, do less or
spend
540. less of something
the government has announced plans t
o cut back on defence spending by
10 percent next year;
if exercise is causing you pain, you
should cut back
541. Hot potato: a problem that is difficult
to deal with in public
the abortion issue is
a political hot potato in
the United States
542. Blowback (U/US): unintended
negative reactions if
he tried to control immigration, there
would be blowback from farmers who
could not get workers to pick produce
543. Heads-up (inf): an advance warning
544. Ogle: staring lecherously at
545. Lecherous/lustful: showing strong
feelings of sexual desire fans can ogle
the house on the internet without
disturbing the homeowners
546. Mix-up: a mistake that causes
confusion there was a mix-up at
the office and we
547. all received the wrong forms
548. Mix up: (1) to think one person or
thing is another person or thing
they look so alike that
it’s easy to mix them up;
I think I’m mixing him up with
someone else; people often mix me up
with other actorsI'd got her mixed up
with her sister; (2) to put together a
number of things without any order
I sorted all the papers and
you’ve mixed them up again; I like to
mix up designer clothes; put the sauce
on top and let people mix everything
up or keep separate, as they choose
549. Invigilator/proctor: a person who
monitors students during an exam to
make sure they do not cheat
550. Mum's the word: don't reveal the
secret! I know I can rely upon your
discretion, mum's the word
551. Good for something: able or likely to
supply something, especially
552. money
A: Can you spot me a 20? (Can I
borrow a 20?) You know I'm good for
it B: Ummm, no. You still owe
me from last week;
A: John needs to borrow some money.
Should I (give it to him)?
B: Yeah, I know him? He's good for it;
Bette is always good for a laugh; dad
will probably be good for a few pounds,
if we ask him
553. Call someone's bluff: to make
someone prove what they are saying is
true
554. Off the reservation: beyond
acceptable limits or violating rules. The
phrase refers to the forced relocation
of Native Americans to Indian
reservations in the United States.
Because of this origin, the phrase is
often considered offensive or
inappropriate a Democratic strategist
said, 'They recognize the importance
of speaking with one voice, and they
don't
555. tolerate anyone going off the
reservation'
556. Earshot: the range or distance over
which one can hear or be heard she
waited until he was out of
earshot before continuing
557. A long time coming: arriving or
happening after a long time I heard
yesterday that your son got married
last week. Is that true?” “Yes. They’d
been dating for twelve years, so it
certainly was a long time coming
558. See to something: to do something
that has to be done
they hired an event planner to see to
all of the details of the party
559. When/if push comes to shove: a
situation in which certain measures
should be taken because of
emergency/pressing situations if push
comes to shove, we can
always sell the car
560. Have your work cut out (for you): to
have something very difficult thing to
do
561. she'll really have her work cut out
to finish all those reports by the end of
the week; if that is our competition, we
have our work cut out for us, so to
speak
562. So to speak: to describe that one is
describing a thing in an unsual or
metaphorical way delving into the
body's secrets, I looked death in the
face, so to speak
563. Look out on: to be oriented in a
certain direction the house looks out on
a tennis court
564. Overlook: to have a view of from
above the chateau overlooks fields of
corn and olive trees
565. Call someone names: to insult
someone verbally a lot of people called
him names and I was one of them
566. Pin something on someone: to
blame someone for something that
they didn't do you
can't pin the blame on her - she
wasn't even there when
567. the accident happened
568. Get smart with someone: to make
disrespectful comments to one; to talk
back to someone just take out the
trash like I asked you to, and don't get
smart with me
569. Parlance: a particular way or style
of speaking used by a group of people
oral contraceptives are referred to as
"the pill" in common parlance
570. Draw on something: to use
information or your knowledge to help
you do something she had
a wealth of experience to draw on
571. Cesspool: (1) an underground hole
that is used for collecting and storing
sewage (waste water); (2) a corrupt
place he described government there
as a cesspool of corruption
572. Warts and all (inf): used to describe
or include someone's bad qualities in a
conversation Lyn loves him warts and
all; Philip must learn to accept me,
573. warts and all;
he tried to paint the president as he
really was, warts and all
574. Be barking up a tree (inf): to be
wrong about the reason for something
or the way to achieve it so they are
following the wrong course of action
consequently scientists in Switzerland
realised that most other researchers
had been barking up the wrong tree
575. At someone's expense: (1) used for
saying who pays for something should
architects continue to be trained for
five years at public expense?; we
were supposed to provide safety equip
ment at our own expense; (2) in a
way that embarasses someone or
make them seem foolish they all had a
good laugh at her expense
576. Scorn/Contempt (U) {NOUN}: a
strong feeling of disliking and having
no respect for someone or something,
a
577. feeling that someone/something is
beneath consideration why do you
always pour/heap scorn on (= criticiz
e severely and unfairly) my suggestion
s?; she has nothing but scorn for the
new generation of politicians;
at school she
had complete contempt for all
her teachers; you
should treat those remarks with the
contempt that they deserve;
she's beneath contempt (= I have
no respect for her)!; he showed his
contempt for his job by doing it very
badly
578. Ridicule/Mockery/Derision
(FORMAL) {NOUN}: language or
behaviour intended to humiliate or
mock someone or something; the act
of mocking or deriding he is held up
as an object of ridicule;
the renewed fighting made a
579. mockery of the peace agreement (=
made it look ridiculous); my stories
were greeted with derision and
disbelief;
they treated his suggestion with derisio
nher speech was met with hoots/
howls of derision
580. Scorn/Deride (FORMAL)/Ridicule
{VERB}: to express contempt for; to
show that you think someone or
something is ridiculous or of no value
so does
he respect the press and media, or
does he secretly scorn them?; you
scorned all my suggestions; he derided
my singing as pathetic;
this building, once derided by critics, is
now a major tourist attraction;
she rarely spoke her mind out of fear of
being ridiculed; his theory was ridiculed
and dismissed
581. A day late and a dollar short: too
little and too late his apology was a day
late and a dollar short
582. Go belly up: go bankrupt
583. On a lark/for a lark/as a lark: done
spontaneously or for fun for a lark, we
all decided to ditch our Friday classes
and drive to New York City for the
weekend; on a lark, we all decided to
ditch our Friday classes and drive to
New York City for the weekend; for a
lark, I wore a clown's wig to school; on
a lark, I skipped school and drove to
the beach; she entered the race as a
lark
584. On the spur of the moment: done
without preparation in advance it was a
spur-of-the-moment decision; we
just jumped in a car on the spur of
the moment and drove to the seaside
585. Foothold: (1) a place where you can
safely put your feet when climbing
she searched desperately for a
foothold in the steep rock; (2) a
situation in which someone has
obtained the power or influence
needed to make further progress give
sth a foothold (in sth)
586. the merger gives
the company a stronger presence in As
ia and a foothold in the US;
establish/gain/get a foothold (in
sth) our plan is to gain a foothold in the
fastest-growing aerospace industry in
the world
587. Tinfoil hat: used in allusion (indirect
reference) to the belief that wearing a
hat made from tinfoil will protect one
against government surveillance or
mind control by extraterrestrial beings
or used when talking about people who
believe in conspiracy theories let's
take off our tinfoil hats for a minute.
Do
you seriously believe that NASA would
be hiding something like that?;
the tinfoil hat types are really
only wrong in that they think we
are watching them specifically; you
don't need to be wearing a tinfoil hat to
understand that your privacy might not
be as private as you would think
588. Believe in: to have faith that
something exists (compare it with
BELIEVE = to accept that something or
someone's words are true) do
you believe in ghosts?; many people in
the world believe in God
589. Off the map: far away from towns
and cities it’s a little town in
Nebraska, right off the map
590. Let the cat out of the bag: to reveal
a secret carelessly or by mistake now
that Viola had let the cat out of the bag,
she had no option but to confess
591. Hit the nail on the head: to do or say
something that is precisely right you’ve
spotted the flaw, Sally. You hit the nail
on the head
592. Wrap/get one's mind/head around
something: to understand something,
especially when it is strange or
extraordinary I find it hard to get my
mind around such complex issues; I
593. can't seem to wrap my mind
around this one little thing, and that is,
what are Gus Fring's fingerprints doing
in Gale Boetticher's apartment?
594. Come of: result from something no
good will come of it
595. At any rate: (1) whatever happens
well, I'm not going home on foot, at any
rate; (2) used to indicate that you're
going to say something more precise
because you want to emphasize it or
correct your previous statement I
don't think they liked my idea. At any
rate, they weren't
very enthusiastic about it; she
modestly suggests that 'sex, or at any
rate gender, may account for the
difference
596. Forthcoming: (1) happening soon
the forthcoming baseball season; (2)
friendly and willing to talk or divulge
information I had difficulty getting
any details. He wasn't very
forthcoming;
597. (2) available; supplied or given
when wanted no explanation for
his absence was forthcoming
598. In spite of/Despite: {PREPOSITION}
used to express a contrast between
two things. Despite is a little more
formal [+ NOUN] Despite the rain, we
enjoyed the festival; They never made
much money, in spite of their
success; he was chubby and plump, a
right jolly old elf, and I laughed when I
saw him, in spite of myself
(=although I did not want to do
it/FIXED IDIOM)! [+ GERUND] now,
above all, he must be convinced that
he is on an equal footing with all of
us, in spite of his taking money from
us,’ Alyosha continued in his rapture;
he was very fast in spite of being
terribly overweight; hey arrived
late despite leaving in plenty of time;
[+ PHRASES WITH HOW OR WHAT]
the shower head. It worked
fine despite how
599. it looks; In spite of what happened
to it, the pounding rain and hurricane-
force winds, the barn still stands intact
(NOTE: We don’t use a that-clause
after in spite of or despite. We use in
spite of the fact that or despite the
fact that: When they arrived at Malaga
it was hot, in spite of the fact that it was
only the end of April. Not: … in spite of
that it was only the end of April)
600. Although/though/even though: in
spite of something, used as
subordinating conjunctions (the clause
which they introduce is a subordinate
clause, which needs a main clause to
make it complete) everyone enjoyed
the trip to the final [MAIN
CLAUSE] although we lost the match!
[SUBORDINATE CLAUSE]; though it
was rainy, [MAIN CLAUSE] we put on
our jackets and went for a walk
[SUBORDINATE CLAUSE] (NOTE:
When the though/although clause
comes before the main
601. clause, we usually put a comma at
the end of the clause. When the main
clause comes first, we don’t need to
use a comma). USAGES: (1)
THOUGH is more common in general
and in speaking than although. [AS AN
ADVERB] Though mean "however" or
"nonetheless" in informal contexts and
used at the end of a clause in speaking
would you like something to eat?” “Oh!
I’ve already had lunch.
Thanks, though!; "That’s a lot of
money for a ring.” “It’s totally worth
it, though" [BUT] Though and
although can also mean "but it is also
true that..." if although/though clause
comes after a main clause Karen is
coming to stay next
week although I’m not sure what day
she is coming; we didn’t make any
profit though nobody knows why.
Though can also be used at the end of
the sentence in this sense I think she’s
602. coming at 6 pm. I’m not
sure though; she doesn’t usually drink
tea. She’s already had two cups
today though (NOTE: though can can
be placed at the beginning, middle, or
even at the end of the sentence, while
we can only put put although or even
though at the beginning or in the
middle position). (2) EVEN THOUGH is
used to put more emphasis even
though I earn a lot of money every
month, I never seem to have any to
spare!; even though he left school at
16, he still managed to become prime
minister. (3) INFORMAL CONTEXTS
[INTRODUCE AN -ING CLAUSE] we
can use although and though to
introduce an -ing clause
Peter, although working harder this
term, still needs to put more work into
mathematics; the patient, though
getting stronger, is still not well
enough to come off his
603. medication [+ REDUCED
CLAUSES] In formal speaking or
writing, we can use although,
though and even though to introduce a
clause without a verb (a reduced
clause) Raymond, although very
interested, didn’t show any emotion
when she invited him to go for a walk;
though more expensive, the new
model is safer and more efficient
604. Notwithstanding: {PREPOSITION}
(1) in spite of; despite (before object)
notwithstanding his nervousness,
the young man looked his interviewer
directly in the eyes as he answered the
questions; notwithstanding the
evidence, the consensus is that the
jury will not reach a verdict OR (after
object) his
nervousness notwithstanding, the
young man looked his interviewer
directly in the eyes as he answered the
questions; injuries notwithstanding,
605. the team won the semifinal;
{ADVERB} (2) nevertheless; in spite of
this although he didn’t have a lot of
experience, they decided to hire
him notwithstanding; the tragic part is
that notwithstanding I love you with all
my heart; I didn't like it.
Notwithstanding, I remained calm
{CONJUNCTION} (3) although; in spite
of the fact that notwithstanding that
he wasn’t qualified on paper, the
interviewer recommended him for hire
based on his great potential; it was the
same material, notwithstanding the
texture seemed different;
notwithstanding he is rich, he never
takes a holiday
606. Nevertheless/nonetheless:
{ADVERB} despite what has just been
said or referred to many marriages fail.
Nevertheless, people continue to get
married; I knew a lot about
the subject already, but
607. her talk was interesting nevertheles
s; it was the barest of welcomes, but it
was a welcome nonetheless (NOTE:
Adverb can modify a verb, an
adjective, another adverb, or a whole
sentence)
608. Muckety-muck (inf, NA): a person of
great importance
609. Powwow (inf, NA): a meeting for
discussion, especially among friends
610. Untenable: if a position or view is
untenable, it is not able to be
maintained or defended against attack
or criticism this argument is untenable
from an intellectual, moral and practical
standpoint; if three people in four
no longer support the government, isn't
this an untenable situation
611. Be caught between a rock and a
hard place: to be in a difficult situation
where one has to choose between two
equally unpleasant options I was
between a rock and a hard place, for if
I didn't take out another loan—and go
deeper into
612. debt—I could not pay off the debts I
already owed
613. Not mince words: to not moderate
one's language; to say something as
clearly and directly as possible
the report does not mince
words, describing the situation as extre
mely serious
614. The real McCoy: the real thing
615. Go-bag: a bag picked with essential
items, kept ready for use in the event
of an emergency evacuation
616. Tick away/by/on: when you say the
clock or time is ticking away, it is
passing, especially when something is
needed to be done the clock ticks
away, leaving little time for talks; the
minutes towards departure ticked by,
until finally the pilot arrived; with
the final seconds ticking away,
Milan scored a goal
617. Hit the head (US/Inf): to use the
618. restroom
619. Reel: (1) to move unsteadily as if
you are going to fall; (of a place) the
object you look at seems to go round
and round in front of you he was
reeling a little. He must be very drunk;
a stone hit his head and
the street reeled before his eyes; (2)
to feel very confused and shock, thus
unable to act we were reeling
(in amazement/shock/delight,
etc.) from/with the news that we
had won all that money;
local people are still reeling at
the news of his death
620. Keep someone in/into line: to make
someone obey you all this was just
designed to frighten me and keep me
in line; ...if the Prime Minister fails to
bring rebellious Tories into line
621. Get into/be/get in the groove: to
become accustomed or attuned to
something that you are performing
your
622. task smoothly or successfully
because of that keep you sitting pretty
until you get into the groove of your
new life; now that I've gotten in the
groove, I think I'll be able to finish this
paper tonight — ahead of schedule!;
once I am in the groove, I can clean for
hours
623. Beggars can't be choosers: said
when you are in a situation in which
there is only one option available I
would have preferred a house of my
own rather than sharing,
but beggars can't be choosers,
I suppose
624. Voracious: very eager for
something, especially food; wanting
something very much or wanting a lot
of something (especially food) he has a
voracious appetite (= he eats a lot);
he's a
voracious reader of historical novels (=
he reads a lot of
them eagerly and quickly); as a child, I
625. had a voracious appetite for books;
he read voraciously
626. Ravenous: (1) extremely hungry
(=famished
627. Dog-ear: fold down the corner of a
page of a book I dog-eared that page
to remind myself
628. Stickler: a person who believes in
closely following rules or in maintaining
a high standard of behaviour he's a
stickler for detail/accuracy/efficiencyW
hite’s father was a stickler for the
rules
629. Pedant: a person who is too
interested in formal rules and small
details that are not important purists
are pedants insisting on the letter - the
'grammatical' meaning - rather than the
spirit of the text
630. Have/take pride of place: to be
treated as the most important thing in a
group of things a portrait of or to have
the most important position in a group
of
631. things his grandfather takes pride
of place in the entrance hall; the
manifesto gives pride of place to job
creation
632. Toward: for the purpose of buying or
achieving something; contributing to
the cost of something I'm saving up
to buy a car, and Dad has given me
some money towards it; do
you agree with the principle that
everyone should pay something
toward the cost of health care; the
Friends of
the Royal Academy raised $10,000
towards the cost of the exhibition;
the work that students do during
the semester counts toward their final 
grade
633. On the nose: exactly correct or the
exact amount her description of
the play was right on the nose;
he weighs 175 pounds on the nose
634. Tune out (inf) : to stop paying
attention
635. to someone or something
she tends to tune out
her parents’ advice and make her
own decisions; Beverly always tunes
out in the middle of her music lesson
636. Own up: to admit that one has done
something wrong no one
has owned up to stealing the money
637. To this end: in order to achieve a
particular aim
he wanted to discuss his position,
and arranged a meeting to this end
638. Hitherto (formal): until now or until a
particular time economic aid has
been offered to
hitherto depressed people; as a result,
workers who had hitherto been
reliable now neglected their work; the
consumer boom had made many
hitherto scarce goods more readily
available
639. Be hung up on something: to be
overly interested in something that you
spend so much time thinking about it
why are
640. you so hung up on getting
everything right;
Scott: And the expression is "land the
fish"
Luis: No, it's "land the bird". Just like
you land the plane, you gotta land the
bird to be in business
Scott: I know it's silly to get hung up
on this things, but I do
641. Of sorts/of a sort: used to describe
a thing that is not a typical type of
something or of a bad quality he made
a living of sorts selling pancakes from
a van; they have had an education of a
sort
642. Breathe down someone's neck: to
watch someone closely and check
what they do
643. Run the risk: to do something
despite the risk that comes with it an
elevated heart rate, say 130 BPM,
sustained even for a short period, you
run a critical risk
644. of cardiac arrest; if you tell him
the truth, you run the risk
of hurting his feelings
645. Botch: carry out a task badly a
botched attempt to steal a car; the
ability to take on any task without
botching it
646. Off-putting: slightly unpleasant, so
that you don't want to get involved in it
what I found off-putting was
the amount of work that you
were expected to do
647. Take someone to task: to croticize
someone harshly my professor took
me to task for
not citing my sources correctly
648. Get over yourself!: used to tell
someone to stop thinking that they are
more important than other people
649. Pull together: to work hard as a
team we don't have much time but if
we all pull together we should get
 the job done
650. Come together: (1) to form a group
people from many different areas
651. have come together to try to find a
solution (2) to start to be good or
effective because different parts are
combining well the project started
slowly, but everything is finally starting
to come together now
652. Power through: to continue in a
strong or determined way
resilient companies that
have powered through
the economic downturn
653. Tongue-tied: too embarassed or shy
to speak Barbara was tongue-tied in
the presence of her parents; well you
know darling, I still get a little tongue-
tied
654. Parcheesi: a brand-name American
adaptation of the Indian cross and
circle board game (ludo)
655. Get off on the wrong foot: to start a
relationship or activity badly he got off
on the wrong foot with
my parents by arriving late; I can't help
656. but wonder if you and I haven't
gotten off on the wrong foot here,
Dottie, and I would like to correct that if
I can
657. The small of one's back: the lower
part of one's back where it curves
658. On the sly: in secret
659. For all one knows (inf): used to
emphasize that one does not know or
knows little of something she may have
already accepted another job, for all
we know