Vocab (May 27 )(+ Old)

Front 1

Sb wouldn't hurt a fly

Back 1

[informal] If you say that someone wouldn't hurt a fly, you mean they are gentle and would not do anything to injure or offend anyone.

Front 2

Look-see

Back 2

a quick look:

"Have they arrived yet?"

"I'll take/have a ____-___."

Front 3

Distraught

Back 3

extremely worried, nervous, or upset:

[The missing child's distraught parents made an emotional appeal for information on TV.]

Front 4

Ingenuity

Back 4

the quality of being clever, original, and inventive.

Front 5

Underhanded

Back 5

acting or done in a secret or dishonest way.

"an ___________ method of snatching clients from rivals"

Front 6

Laughingstock

Back 6

someone or something that seems stupid or silly,especially by trying to be serious or important and not succeeding:

[Another performance like that and this team will be the _________stock of the league.]

笑柄

Front 7

walk a mile in (someone's) shoes

Back 7

To spend time trying to consider or understand another person's perspectives, experiences, or motivations before making a judgment about them.

Front 8

Pluperfect

Back 8

More than perfect; supremely accomplished;

ideal:

"He has won a reputation as [a] pluperfect bureaucrat"

"A basket of pluperfect things."

Front 9

Be in the deep water/get into deep water

Back 9

to be in or get into serious trouble:

Front 10

Languid

Back 10

moving or speaking slowly with little energy, often in an attractive way:

a _________ manner/voice

Front 11

Consternation

Back 11

a feeling of worry, shock, or confusion:

[The prospect of so much work filled him with ______________.]

[To his ______________, when he got to the airport he found he'd forgotten his passport.]

Front 12

Matchmaker

Back 12

a person who arranges relationships and marriages between others, either informally or, in certain cultural communities, as a formal occupation.

a person or company that brings parties together for commercial purposes.

Front 13

Abnegation

Back 13

The action of renouncing or rejecting something

[___________ of political power]

- Self-denial

[people are capable of __________ and unselfishness]

Front 14

Mainstay

Back 14

a thing on which something else is based or depends.

"farming is the mainstay of the rural economy"

synonyms: central component, central figure, centerpiece, prop, linchpin, cornerstone, pillar,bulwark, buttress, chief support, backbone, anchor, foundation, base, staple

Front 15

Nous

/naʊs/

Back 15

[informal] good judgment and practical ability

Front 16

Carry sth off

Back 16

to succeed in doing or achieving something difficult:

Front 17

Household name

Back 17

a person or thing that is well known by the public.

"I'd like to sell gazillions of books and become a __________ name"

Front 18

Be glued to

Back 18

[informal] be paying very close attention to (something, especially a television or computer screen).

synonyms:be riveted to, be gripped by, be hypnotized by, be mesmerized by

"she is ____d to the television"

Front 19

Precious little/few

Back 19

extremely little or few (used for emphasis).

"police still know _______ little about the dead man"

Front 20

Lend oneself to sth

Back 20

Fig. to be adaptable to something; to be useful for something.

Front 21

Stay put

Back 21

(of a person or object) remain somewhere without moving or being moved.

Front 22

Lowly

Back 22

low in position and importance, or not respected:

"she was too good for her _____ position"

Front 23

Offering

Back 23

A thing offered, especially as a gift or contribution:

"As a great fan of porridge, I was looking forward to judging the ________s."

Front 24

Delirious

Back 24

1. unable to think or speak clearly because of fever or mental confusion:

<She had a high temperature and was ________.>

2. extremely happy or excited:

<The team arrived home to a ________ reception from its fans.>

Front 25

Be only too glad/pleased/happy (to do something)

Back 25

to be very willing to do something

<I’d be only ___ happy to help.>

Front 26

Not least

Back 26

In particular; notably:

<there is a great deal at stake, _________ in relation to the environment>

Front 27

Havoc

Back 27

1.great destruction or devastation; ruinous damage.

2.verb (i/t), to work _____ (upon); devastate.

Front 28

The dust settles

Back 28

if the dust settles after an argument, a problem, or an event which has caused a lot of changes, the situation becomes calmer

<We decided to let the dust ______ before trying to deal with any other problems.>

<You'd better wait until the dust _______s before you mention anything else.>

Front 29

Fiasco

Back 29

a thing that is a complete failure, especially in a ludicrous or humiliating way.

"his plans turned into a ______"

Front 30

Lash out

Back 30

to suddenly attack someone or something physically or criticize him, her, or it in an angry way:

I was only teasing him and suddenly he ____ed out (at me) and hit me in the face.

Front 31

Witch hunt

Back 31

an attempt to find and punish people whose opinions are unpopular and who are said to be a danger to society: 政治迫害

<In America, Senator McCarthy led a witch ____ against people suspected of being communists.>

Front 32

Morbid

Back 32

too interested in unpleasant subjects, especially death:

<a _______ fascination with death>

Front 33

My life in a nutshell

Back 33

Something which explains your life in one sentence

Dude 2: Ugh, my parents blamed me for their own mistakes...

Dude 1: My life in a nutshell..

Front 34

Pompous

Back 34

too serious and full of importance:

浮华的,华而不实的, 自命不凡的,高傲的

<He can sometimes sound a little pompous when he talks about acting.>

Front 35

Vicarious

Back 35

(想像别人苦乐情况)间接体验的; 替代别人的

experienced as a result of watching, listening to, or reading about the activities of other people, rather than by doing the activities yourself:

<She took a _________ pleasure in her friend's achievements.>

Front 36

Contemplate

Back 36

to spend time considering a possible future action, or to consider one particular thing for a long time in aserious and quiet way:

[+ -ing verb] I'm __________ing going abroad for a year.

It's too awful/horrific/dangerous to contemplate.

Front 37

Intractable

Back 37

hard to control or deal with.

"intractable economic problems"

synonyms: unmanageable, uncontrollable, difficult, awkward, troublesome, demanding, burdensome

Front 38

Take to sth

Back 38

1. to start to like someone or something:

<The two dogs ____ to each other immediately and started to play.>

<She's ____ to basketball like a duck to water (= she likes it and is good at it).>

2. to start to use or do something as a habit:

<She’s _____ to walking along the beach after work.>

Front 39

Busybody

Back 39

a meddling or prying person.

synonyms:meddler, interferer, mischief-maker, troublemaker i.e. Polonius

Front 40

Right on cue

Back 40

as if planned to happen exactly at that moment:

<We were just about to say "I do" when, right on ___, my little cousin started crying.>

Front 41

Mellifluous

Back 41

(of a voice or words) sweet or musical; pleasant to hear.

"the voice was ___________ and smooth"

Front 42

.

Back 42

to talk to someone as if they are less intelligent than you or not important:

I wish politicians wouldn't talk down to us as if we were idiots.