Beat sb to sth/it Get somewhere or sth I was about to take the

before sb else last cake but he beat me to

it.
Set your sights on sth Try hard to get sth you She’s set her sights on
want getting into Harvard.
Triumph Great success, It is one the greatest
achievement, history triumphs of modern
science.
Hastily (=hurriedly) Very quickly She hastily changed the
subject.
Meteorological Khí tượng học
Came to sb’s rescue Help sb out of a bad No one came to their
situation rescue until the following
day.
Ill-prepared Not ready The team was ill-prepared
for such a disaster on that
scale.
Claim Cause sb’s death The car crash claimed 3
lives.
Hoist Raise/pull sth to higher Raise a flag/sail
position
Supermarket checkout I am standing at the
supermarket checkout.
Spare a thought for Think about sb/sth You should spare a thought
sb/sth for the person who look
after you.
A matter of life and A situation that is very Food shortages are a
death bad/serious matter of life and death.
Dose Give sb/sth He was heavily dosed with
medicine/drug painkillers.
The whole field was dosed
with chemicals.
Slash Reduce sth by large Farmers are adopting an
amount approach that could slash
chemical use in one move.
Seedling Young plants
Processed food thực phẩm được chế Soy bean oil is found in in
biến sẵn hundreds of processed
foods.
Albeit although He finally agreed, albeit
reluctantly, to help us.
Porosity The state of being
porous (độ xốp)
Fare (well, badly…) Be This movie fared poorly at
successful/unsuccessfu the British box office.
l
Squeeze Strictly limit/reduce High interest rates have
amount of money sb/th squeezed the industry
can use hard.
Medium A way of communicating The internet is the modern
information… to ppl medium of communication.
Repository A place where sth is This library is a massive
stored in large repository of useful
quantity. knowledge.
Fidelity The quality of being She had to memorize the
accurate poem with perfect fidelity.
Pass down Give/teach sth to
younger generation
Archetype The most typical or She is the archetype of an
perfect example of American movie star.
particular kind of
person/thing
Off-key inappropriate Some of his remarks were
very off-key.
Perplex (=puzzle) Make you confused, They were perplexed by
cannot understand her response.
Insidious Spreading gradually, The insidious effects of
without much notice polluted water supplies
but causing serious
harm
Disorientated Getting lost It is very easy to get lost
(disoriented) or disorientated in a smoky
atmosphere.
Vandalism Crime of damaging
public property
Sustain Provide what sb/sth The soil was so badly
needs to exist eroded that it could no
longer sustain crop
production.
Mighty Large and impressive The mightiest trees
Vicious cycle Prompting a vicious cycle of
further warming, forest
 shrinkage and carbon
emissions
Log Cut down trees Logging in tropical forests
is selective but the timber
cutters usually prioritize
the biggest and oldest
trees.
Impair Damage sth His age impairs his chance
of finding a new job.
Cutting-edge Newest, most advanced Cutting-edge technology
Refute Prove sth is He refutes the criticism
wrong/deny sth that the station hasn’t
done any useful research.
On patrol Đi tuần tra A police car on patrol
Hold back The school’s principal
decided to hold the boy
back a year.
Devour Read/look at sth with She loves to read – she
great interest devours one book after
another.
Unheard-of Unusual, never At that time, it was
happened before completely unheard-of for
girls to go to university.
It’s almost unheard-of for
a child to show hunger to
school.
Maternity leave nghỉ thai sản
Autonomous independent Teachers aim to help
children become
autonomous learners.
Sheer Used to emphasize the She succeeded through
amount, degree of sth sheer hard work.
The area is under threat by
the sheer number of
tourists using it.
Spiral Increase rapidly The spiralling cost of
healthcare
Prices are spiralling out of
control
Unveil Reveal/show/introduce The government has
new plan/product unveiled plans for new
 energy legislation.
Hit the wall Reach a point where What do you do when you
you cannot hit the wall at work?
continue/make
progress
Emanate from Come from/issue from The proposal originally
emanated from the UN.
Stifle Stop sth from Businesses are being
developing naturally stifled by a lot of new laws.
Inherent Basic/permanent part, Violence is inherent in our
cannot be removed society.
Obsolete Out of date Obsolete technology
Obsolescence With technological changes
products with built- many traditional skills have
in/planned obsolescence become obsolete.
(= designed not to last
long so that people will
have to buy new ones)
Receptive Willing to listen/accept The company is receptive
new ideas to new ideas.
Ingenuity inventiveness Use your ingenuity to solve
the problem.
Retrieve Get back Retrieve memory
data/information
Inadvertently By accident I inadvertently took your
bag when I left.
En route (speaking) On the way We stopped for a picnic en
route.
In contradistinction to In contrast with sb/sth Lionesses, in
(writing) contradistinction to the
females of other animals,
are the hunters.
Propagate (writing) Spread Television advertising
idea/information… propagates a false image of
(truyền bá) the ideal family.
Akin to (writing) Similar to This game is closely akin to
hockey.
Prevail (writing) Exist/common at a Those beliefs still prevail
particular time among certain social groups.
In lieu (of) (writing) Instead (of) We work on Saturday and
have a full day off in lieu
 during the week.
Engulf (speaking) Affect sb strongly Fear engulfed her.
Shortcut (writing) Quicker/shorter way Sometimes in our haste we
take short cuts that we
later regret.
Unadulterated (writing) pure Unadulterated food
Rationale reason
Uncharted Not marked on map; not
visited or investigated
b4
Desertion Act of leaving sb
without help
Intermediary = go- Bên trung gian
between
Veracity = reliability Quality of being true They questioned the
(writing, speaking) veracity of her true.
Forge (writing) Put effort into making Forge new links between
sth last long, management and workers
successful
carnivorous Eating meat Carnivorous diet
Enlist (writing) Persuade sb to help you They hoped to enlist the
help of the public in solving
the crime.
Intricate (speaking) Having lots of parts, The building has intricate
details geometric designs on
several of the walls.
Enmesh (writing) Involve sb in a bad Online networking has
situation become enmeshed in our
daily lives.
Exert (writing) Use power/influence to He exerted his authority to
affect sb make them accept the plan.
Correlate (with) Connect with A high-fat diet correlates
(writing with a greater risk of heart
advantage/disadvantag disease.
e) The frequency of
networking site use
correlates with greater
self-esteem.
Sphere (writing) An area of activity Social/political sphere
Consensus (writing) Reach a consensus
Expend (writing) spend the amount of time
 expended in cleaning
She expended all her
efforts on the care of
home and children.
Periodical (writing) Magazine published
every week, month,…
Turmoil (speaking, A state in which Her mind was in a turmoil.
writing) = confusion everything is confused, Political turmoil
not certain
dexterity Skill at using hands and
mind
Encase (speaking) Surround/cover sth to The camera was encased in
protect it a big, clumsy box.
Oligopoly (writing) độ c quyền nhó m Due to oligopolies and
reduced competition,
Americans pay far more for
internet than the rest of
the world.
An iron fist/hand Describe sb that treats They promised that the
ppl severely army would strike with an
iron fist at any resistance.
Hinge on Depend on His success hinges on how
well he does at the
interview.
Be bound up in sth Very busy, involved in He's too bound up in his
(speaking) sth work to have much time for
his children.
Sleek (speaking) Having attractive This device features a
smooth shape lightning-fast processor
and a sleek design.
Enquiring = curios Showing interest in A child with a enquiring
(speaking, writing) learning new things mind
Precious little/few Emphasize the fact There’s precious little to do
(speaking) that there is very little in this town.
of sth
Hub (of sth) (writing) Central, most impt part The commercial hub of the
of a place/activity city
The kitchen was the hub of
family life.
Hub of creativity
Unleash (writing) Let a strong force, The government’s proposals
 emotion… to be felt unleashed a storm of
protest in the press.
At a premium There is little of sth Good student
(speaking) available; difficult to accommodation is at a
get premium.
In my hometown,
supermarket is at a
premium.
Enshrine November 24, 2008 is
enshrined as a key date in
American history
Augment (writing, Increase amount, value, He wrote magazine articles
speaking) size… in order to augment his
income.
Alumni Former male, female
students of a school
Ravages (speaking) Destruction caused by The ravages of war
sth Her look had not
survived/withstood the
ravages of time.
Reverence A feeling of admiring, Children are taught to show
respecting sb/sth reverence towards their
elders.
Unperturbed Not worried/anxious She seemed unperturbed
by the news.
In demand (speaking) Wanted by a lot of Good secretaries are
people always in demand.
Telepathy thần giao cách cảm
Unfettered (writing) Not limited in any way The effect of unfettered
population growth is clear
for all to see.
Quest (writing) Long search for sth People drift from rural
such as hapiness areas to vast cities in their
quest for a better life.
Be teeming with sth Full of people, animals… The streets were teeming
(speaking) with tourists.
Vie (writing) compete They are all vying to get a
place in the team.
Depository A place to store sth Depositories for books
At vast/great expense Very expensive
Fervent supporter
Far-flung A long distance away
conjecture guess
smuggle Buôn lậu
Plethora (writing) Excess, large amount of There’s a plethora of books
sth about the royal family.
Cohort A group of people The 1999 birth cohort (all
sharing the same those born in 1999)
characteristics, usually About 42% of women in
age this age cohort have a
college degree.
Impart (writing) Convey information, If the movie has any lesson
knowledge to impart, it’s that parents
shouldn’t aim for
perfection.
Prerequisite (writing) điều kiện bắt buộc
ethos Fit into the ethos of an
organization
Cardinal (writing) Most important The cardinal rule in working
with large powerful animals
is never to take any risks.
coercion He claimed the police had
used coercion.
Crash (speaking, Involving lots of effort Crash course in computer
writing) over a short period of programming
time to achieve quick A crash diet
results
Supplant (writing) replace Printed books will soon be
supplanted by e-books.
Since the dawn of sth Video-conferencing has
been possible since the
dawn of television.
Prohibitively expensive Car insurance can be
prohibitively expensive for
young drivers.
viable feasible These applications were not
viable for general public
use.
proliferate Increase, multiply Small businesses have
proliferated over the last
ten years.
Disparage (writing) Criticize, belittle Her work for charity has
 been disparaged as an
attempt to get publicity.
Efficacy (writing) effectiveness They ran a series of tests
to measure the efficacy of
the drug.
Insurmountable Impossible to deal with An insurmountable
(writing) problem/obstacle/difficult
y
Technical hitch trục trặc kỹ thuật A drawback common to all
technology is the ever
possibility of technical
hitches.
Due to a slight technical
hitch the concert will be
starting an hour late.
Iron out Get rid of problems, They’re meeting in Berlin to
difficulty iron out the final details of
the contract.
Carbon-conscious age Email lacks the immediacy
of online chat.
Straightforward easy The equipment is
straightforward to use.
Panacea Sth that will solve all Technology is not a panacea
problems for all our problems.
Mounting concern With the mounting concern
about our carbon footprint
Sobering Making you feel serious A sobering thought
and think carefully Surviving a car accident is
a sobering experience.
Directive An official instruction The book offers no specific
directives for what the
reader should do.
The gamut The whole range of The exhibition runs the
things whole gamut of artistic
styles.
Complacent tự mãn Don’t get too complacent
before the exams.
Savvy Having knowledge about Savvy shoppers/customers
sth
In the pipeline Being discussed Important new laws are
already in the pipeline.
Palatable Tasting good enough The meal was barely
palatable.
Accompaniment The wine makes a good
accompaniment to fish
dishes.
Dwarf These plants are up to 6m
in length but are dwarfed
by other species that may
grow to 18m in length.
Cavernous (room/space) very large The stage was cavernous
& often empty/dark, and empty.
like a cave
Sedimentary rock Đá trầm tích
Brittle Hard but easily broken Brittle bones/nails
Foetus (fetus) Bào thai
Consensus of opinion
Ominous Making you think sth Ominous silence
bad will happen
Omen (speaking) A sign of what is going Bad/good omen
to happen The sunny weather was a
good omen for the holiday.
Ambidextrous Able to use both hands
equally well
Conformity Behaviors following the
accepted rules of
society
Elite
Undertake
Be at odds with sth Conflict This statement is
(writing) completely at odds with
what was said last week.
Free rein Freedom of action
Undue excessive These minor improvements
have caused undue expense
and delay.
Transgress Do sth against law, We will punish any who
custom, religion transgress.
Enlightening Giving information so It was a very enlightening
that you can TV show.
understand better
Municipality Town, city, district
 with its own local
government
Scantily Wearing clothes that Scantily dressed models
clad/dressed/clothed don’t cover much of
your body
Placate (writing) Make sb feel less angry They have placated the
students with offers of
extra tuition before the
exams.
Edifying Improving your
mind/character
Partisanship Bias (strong support The strength of
for 1 particular group, partisanship has proved
people…) powerful in this election.
Cornerstone The most important Trust is the cornerstone of
part of sth their marriage.
Setback Problem that delays The team suffered a major
progess setback when their best
player was injured.
Illicit Illegal Illicit drugs
At the request of sb He was there at the
request of his manager.
(manager asked him to go)
Code of conduct bộ quy tắc ứ ng xử , chuẩ n The sport has a strict code
mự c hà nh vi of conduct.
Code of conduct of a
company
Green belt Area of land around In Britain, building is
large cities where restricted or completely
buildings are restricted banned in green belt.
Precipitation An increase in annual
precipitation
Prevalence an increase in the
prevalence of smoking
among young people
Incremental(ly) Increase gradually
Pilfer Steal things of little
value in small
quantities, esp from
where you work
Fullest extent (writing) She was punished to the
 fullest extent of the law.
Run/take its course Develop in the usual The doctor said we just
way and come to usual had to let the disease run
end its course.
Autonomy Ability to make
decision without
control of others
Assertiveness sự quả quyết, quyết đoán
Hold sb in high Respect, admire sb She is held in high esteem
esteem/regard very much by her colleagues.
Big box store đại siêu thị
Haste (formal) hurry In her haste to complete
the work on time, she made
a number of mistakes.
Simulated (writing) Not real but made to The experiments were
look like real things carried out under simulated
(giả, được mô phỏng) examination conditions.
Potted In a short, simple form A potted history of England
Be at liberty to do sth Be allowed to do sth The police are not at
liberty to say anything.
For good permanently This time she’s leaving for
good.
Perk (Perquisite) Phúc lợi
Discerning Sáng suốt, nhận thức rõ
Welfare sức khoẻ, hạnh phúc, sự Child welfare
an toàn của ai đó
Menacing Dễ gâ y hạ i
Opine Express opinion He opined that Prague has
the most beautiful city in
Europe.
Tend to sb/sth Care for sb/sth Ambulance crews were
tending to the injured.
Bleak ả m đạ m The future looks bleak for
the fishing industry.
Divert Là m sao nhã ng, chệch
hướ ng
Menial (cô ng việc) đơn giả n, tẻ Menial jobs/work/tasks
nhạ t, khô ng cầ n nhiều kỹ
nă ng, lương thấ p
Propitious Likely to produce It was not propitious time
successful result to start a new business.
Concession sự giả m giá ; vé giả m giá Tax concession
Compendious (formal) Containing all necessary
facts about sth
Stout Strong and thick Stout boots
Flask Phích nướ c A flask of tea/coffee
Hefty (informal) (money) larger than usual
Stopwatch đồ ng hồ bấ m giờ
Play havoc with Cause damage to sth The fog played havoc with
flight schedules.
Environmental Sự suy thoá i mô i trườ ng
degradation
Induce Cause sth Hearing loss is often
induced by exposure to loud
noise.
Human-induced
environmental degradation.
Tributary Sô ng nhá nh, phụ lưu
Knock-on effect