unit 10 vocabulary development

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as deaf as a post
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completely deaf
as blind as a bat
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completely blind
as bald as a coot
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totally bald
as mad as a hatter
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completely crazy
as quiet as a mouse
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very quiet
as large as life
I looked up from my newspaper and there he was, as large as life, Tim Trotter!
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used as a way of describing a person you see, and are surprised to see, in a particular place
as miserable as sin
I saw Margaret this morning looking as miserable as sin.
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very miserable
as warm as toast
It was freezing outside, but we were warm as toast in front of the fire.
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comfortably or pleasantly warm
as white as a sheet
Marilyn turned as white as a sheet when the policeman told her that her son had been in a car wreck.
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if someone is (as) white as a sheet, their face is very pale, usually because of illness, shock, or fear
as right as rain
You just need a good night's sleep, and then you'll be right as rain again.
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to feel healthy or well again
as safe as houses
You can feel as safe as houses here with electric entrance gates.
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if you say that something or someone is as safe as houses, you mean that they are completely safe
as old as the hills
My grandfather seemed as old as the hills to me.
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very old
as pleased as Punch
She was as pleased as Punch about the news.
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very pleased
old-fashioned
as cool as a cucumber
She walked in as cool as a cucumber, as if nothing had happened.
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very calm or very calmly, especially when this is surprising
as clean as a whistle
also: neat and tidy in appearance
You can trust George, he's a good kid—as clean as a whistle.
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well-behaved and not involved in illegal or questionable activities
as different as chalk and cheese
We are very aware of our differences, we accept that we are chalk and cheese.
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different from each other
as fit as a fiddle
uk also: be (as) fit as a flea
My grandmother's 89, but she's as fit as a fiddle.
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to be very healthy and strong
as fresh as a daisy
After a good night's sleep I'll be as fresh as a daisy.
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to be full of energy and enthusiasm
as clear as crystal
The sign is right there on the door—it's as clear as crystal.
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very clear; transparent / very clear, easy to understand
as neat as a new pin
I expected Danny's student apartment to be a total mess, but it was neat as a new pin!
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tidy, clean, in good or neat order
to hurl
In a fit of temper he hurled the book across the room.
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to throw something with a lot of force, usually in an angry or violent way
to bang one’s head against a brick wall
I keep asking her not to park there, but it's like banging my head against a brick wall.
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to do, say, or ask for something repeatedly but to be unable to change a situation
to have sth to hand
You may want to keep this brochure safe, so you have it to hand whenever you may need it.
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if you have something to hand or near to hand, you have it with you or near you, ready to use when needed
to be a pain in the neck
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to be very annoying
to be short of sth
I’m a little short of cash right now, so I can’t lend you anything.
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not having enough of sth
down-at-heel
She had a decidedly down-at-heel appearance.
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wearing old clothes, or in a bad condition, because of not having much money
to have one’s back to the wall
He owes money to everyone - he really has his back to the wall now.
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to have very serious problems that limit the ways in which you can act
a bone of contention
The main bone of contention between us is our children’s education.
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something that two or more people argue about strongly over a long period of time
not turn a hair
I was expecting him to be horrified when he heard the cost but he didn't turn a hair.
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to not show any emotion when you are told something bad or when something bad happens
to foot the bill
His parents can’t afford to foot the bill for his college education.
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to pay for something, esp. something expensive
to lay a finger on someone
If you lay a finger on her, you’ll live to regret it!
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to touch someone as a threat
to be blue in the face
You can argue until you're blue in the face, but I refuse to go.
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to be exhausted from anger, strain, or other great effort
to try one’s patience
Little kids get into everything, and it can really try your patience.
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to makes someone less patient
to cling to sth
She clings to the hope that her husband will come back to her.
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to refuse to stop believing or hoping for something
to come to hand
Use whatever tools come to hand.
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to be available easily and immediately
to be foreign to sb
The whole concept of democracy, she claimed, was utterly foreign to the present government.
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sth can be described as foreign to a particular person if they do not know about it or it is not within their experience
contempt
She's beneath contempt (= I have no respect for her)!
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a strong feeling of disliking and having no respect for someone or something
sb’s frame/state of mind
Lewis was not in the right frame of mind to continue.
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the mood that you are in, which causes you to have a particular attitude to something
indifferent
Why don't you vote - how can you be so indifferent (to what is going on)?
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not thinking about or interested in someone or something
beguiling
That's a beguiling argument, but I'm not convinced by it.
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interesting or attractive, but perhaps not to be trusted
charming or enchanting, often in a deceptive way
keenness
He has expressed his keenness to retain his job.
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the quality of being eager or enthusiastic; eagerness
a venture
She advised us to look abroad for more lucrative business ventures.
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a new activity, usually in business, that involves risk or uncertainty
a wishful thinking
"Do you think you might be in line for promotion?" "No, it's just wishful thinking."
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the imagining or discussion of a very unlikely future event or situation as if it were possible and might one day happen
a mixed blessing (for sb)
Getting into the team is a mixed blessing - I'll have to spend a lot of time training.
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something that has advantages and disadvantages
a raw deal
He said that many children in the city's schools were getting/being given a raw deal by being taught in classes that were too large.
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bad or unfair treatment
second nature
I used to hate computers, but using them has become second nature to me now.
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If something is second nature to you, you are so familiar with it that you can do it easily without needing to think very much about it
to hold out an olive branch
If you find yourself in a spat with a friend, try to be the bigger person and be the one to hold out the olive branch.
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to do or say something in order to show that you want to end a disagreement with someone
to be a far cry from sth
This flat is a far cry from the house they had before.
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to be completely different from something
a sweeping statement
Sweeping generalizations about this complex and difficult situation are not helpful.
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something that you say or write that is too general and that has not been carefully thought about
to look at sth through rose-coloured spectacles
She's always looked at life through rose-tinted glasses.
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to see only the pleasant things about a situation and not notice the things that are unpleasant
prudish
I don't consider myself prudish but I do think the sex scenes in the film were a bit excessive.
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easily shocked by rude things, especially anything relating to sex
puritanical
He rebelled against his puritanical upbringing.
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believing or involving the belief that it is important to work hard and control yourself, and that pleasure is wrong or unnecessary
estrangement
also: the fact of no longer living with one's spouse or partner; separation
There had been a definite estrangement between her and her daughter-in-law.
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the fact of no longer being on friendly terms or part of a social group
to look to sb for sth
They looked to the government for additional support.
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to hope that someone will provide something for you
to look down on sb
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to feel that someone is less important than you or does not deserve respect
to look over sth
I had a few minutes before the meeting to look over what he'd written.
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to quickly examine something
to look in on sb
It helps if older people have a nearby relative who will look in on them.
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to visit someone or something for a short time
to look on
A large crowd looked on as the band played.
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to watch something happen but not become involved in it
to look up to sb
Kids look up to ballplayers, and we need to let kids know that it is not OK to cheat.
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to admire and respect someone
to look sb up and down
The guard looked us up and down and then let us in.
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to look carefully at someone from their head to their feet as if you are trying to make a judgment about them
to look daggers at sb
I noticed the bride looking daggers at the best man as he started making vulgar jokes during his speech.
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to look very angrily at someone
to look down one's nose at sb
She looks down her nose at poor people.
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to regard with contempt
never look a gift horse in the mouth
They did not look the gift horse in the mouth when the opportunity for victory presented itself.
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said to advise someone not to refuse something good that is being offered
to look to one’s laurels
Nowadays there are a number of similar products on the market and the older, established companies are having to look to their laurels.
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to make an extra effort to succeed because there is more competition
to look before you leap
You'd better check out all the costs before you buy a cellular phone—look before you leap.
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to think of the consequences before you act
to look the worse for wear
After a month of journeying over rough roads, the drivers and their trucks were looking the worse for wear.
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to look tired or in poor condition because of a lot of work or use
to look on the bright side
Look on the bright side - no one was badly hurt.
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to find good things in a bad situation
at a glance
He could tell at a glance that something was wrong.
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immediately
give/have/take one/a glance at sth
She had a quick glance at the newspaper as she gulped down her coffee.
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to read something quickly and not very carefully
to trifle with sb
As you know, Caroline O'Neill is not a woman to be trifled with.
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to treat someone or something carelessly or without respect
ludicrous
He looked ludicrous in that suit!
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stupid or unreasonable and deserving to be laughed at
to be full of oneself
I doubt he even thought about what you might need, he’s so full of himself.
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thinking that you are very important in a way that annoys other people
to act on sth
There have been concerns as to why the Board didn't act on a recommended pay raise.
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to do something because you have been advised or told to do it
also: to act upon sth
To be subject to sth
also: likely to experience or suffer from something
The agreement is still subject to approval by the League's 30 teams and the players.
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If an action or event is subject to something, it needs something to happen before it can take place
to be endowed with sth
Some lucky people are endowed with both brains and beauty.
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to have a particular quality or feature
to be on show
Her sculptures will be on show at the museum until the end of the month.
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sth that is on show has been made available for the public to look at
at times
She is at times cruel and ruthless.
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sometimes; on occasions
to flap
Flags flapped in the breeze above their tents.
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(of a bird’s wings) to wave up and down while flying, or (of objects that cannot fly) to move quickly from side to side or up and down
to cast a cloud over sth
The scandal cast a cloud over his presidency.
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to cause people to stop trusting something
to have your head in the clouds
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to be thinking your own thoughts and not concentrating on what is happening around you
you say that someone has their head in the clouds, you are criticizing them because they are ignoring or are unaware of the problems associated with a situation.
a rainy day
She had saved some money for a rainy day.
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a time when money might unexpectedly be needed
a storm in a teacup
also: tempest in a teapot
I really think you're making a storm in a teacup over this. It's just a tiny scratch on the car!
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a lot of unnecessary anger and worry about a matter that is not important
to take sth by storm
As everyone knows, the Beatles took the US by storm.
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to be suddenly extremely successful in a place or popular with someone
way/direction the wind blows
I think I'll see which way the wind is blowing before I vote at the board meeting.
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if a person tries to discover which way the wind blows/is blowing, they try to discover information about a situation, especially other people's opinions, before they take action
to make heavy weather of sth
She's making such heavy weather of that report she's writing.
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to find something hard to do and spend a lot of time on it, although it is not difficult
disapproving
to feel under the weather
I'm feeling a bit under the weather - I think I'm getting a cold.
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If someone is or feels under the weather, they feel ill
to take the wind out of one’s sails
also: knock the wind out of sb's sails, knock the wind out of sb
I was all ready to tell him that the relationship was over when he greeted me with a big bunch of flowers - that took the wind out of my sails.
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to make someone feel less confident or less determined to do something, usually by saying or doing something that they are not expecting
to weather the storm
In the next few days we will see if the ambassador can weather the political storm caused by his remarks.
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if someone or something weathers the storm, they successfully deal with a very difficult problem
recession
The country is sliding into the depths of (a) recession.
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a period when the economy of a country is not successful and conditions for business are bad

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