Useful Vocabulary & Phrases: 2012

No. 1
Phrase: (to be ) on top of the world
Audio:
Meaning: (To be) extremely happy.
Example:Since John won the competition, he has been feeling on top of the world.
No. 2
Phrase: well off (adj.)
Audio:
Meaning: A more polite way of saying that someone has a lot of money
Example: My uncle is quite well off.
“Is your uncle rich?”
Well, let’s just say he is well off.
No. 3
Phrase: the cat has got a person’s tongue
Audio:
Meaning: A person cannot speak because of shyness. It can also apply to a person who is unusually quiet.
Example:1. The cat got Mary’s tongue and she could not say anything at all in response to the question.
2.“Why don’t you tell me that secret? Has the cat got your tongue?”
No. 4
Phrase: (to) add fuel to the fire/flames
Audio:
Meaning: To make an argument or a bad situation worse.
Example:1. Shouting at a crying child just adds fuel to the fire.
2. Should the government warn the public of terrorist threats, or is this merely adding fuel to the fire?
No. 5
Phrase: as mad as a hatter
Audio:
Meaning: Very silly or mentally ill. This is now commonly understood to mean ‘crazy’, although the original meaning is unclear and may have meant ‘annoyed’
Example:e.g. “Don’t believe anything he says. He’s as mad as a hatter.”
No. 6
Phrase: easy meat
Audio:
Meaning: If you call a person or a group “easy meat”, you think it is easy to defeat or take advantage of them.
Example:They like to play mahjong with Peter because he is easy meat. They can win his money easily.
No. 7
Phrase: Business is business
Audio:
Meaning: do things according to rules and regulations but not personal likeness
Example:Business is business, I won’t let you have the book first.
No. 8
Phrase: pain in the neck (Noun)
Audio:
Meaning: -something which is very annoying (很麻煩)
-pain in the neck = big trouble
*This expression is very informal and it is also quite impolite.
Example:Bob: I have to change four trains in order to get home.(我回家要轉四程車。)
Ken: What a pain in the neck!(很麻煩啊!)
No. 9
Phrase: Make a pig of oneself
Audio:
Meaning: Eating non-stop
Example:John made a pig of himself during the lunch time.
No. 10
Phrase: Don’t take it so hard
Audio:
Meaning: 不要看得太重吧
Example:A: Why are you so sad?
B: I failed my test.
A: Don’t take it so hard. You can always take the test again.
No. 11
Phrase: A cat in gloves catches no mice (an idiom)
Audio:
Meaning: If you are too careful and polite you may not get what you want.
Example:Jill: I’ve hinted to Mary several times that I need her to pay me the money she owes me, but she just ignores me.
Jane: A cat in gloves catches no mice, Jill. Tell her directly that you need the money.
No. 12
Phrase: bad blood (an idiom)
Audio:
Meaning: A feeling of hatred or dislike between two people or entities.
Example:We will never be friends again. There is too much bad blood between us.
No. 13
Phrase: (to be) as pleased as punch (an idiom)
Audio:
Meaning: To be highly pleased or delighted.
Example:John always liked helping his teachers and classmates so he was as pleased as punch when he was chosen as the class monitor.
No. 14
Phrase: (to) get wind of something ( an idiom)
Audio:
Meaning: To learn a piece of information especially when it has been a secret.
Example:We have a crisis on our hands but we don’t want the newspaper to get wind of it.
No. 15
Phrase: mother tongue
Audio:
Meaning: the language that you first learn to speak when you are a child.
Example:Although Chinese is her mother tongue, Lily Chan can also speak English fluently because she studied it at school and university.
No. 16
Phrase: (to) chill out and hang out
Audio:
Meaning: To relax and stop feeling angry or nervous about something.
Example:Jenny and her friends sometimes meet up to chill out and watch a movie.
No. 17
Phrase: the early bird catches the worm (an idiom)
Audio:
Meaning: Something that you say in order to tell someone that it they want to be successful they should do something immediately.
Example:If you see a job that interests you, apply as soon as possible. The early bird catches the worm.
No. 18
Phrase: it’s worth a try
Audio:
Meaning: it’s worth doing something.
Example:I lost my handbag in Tsim Tsa Tsui; and I doubt if the police will be able to help me find it, but it’s worth a try.
No. 19
Phrase: (to) look somebody in the eye/eyes
Audio:
Meaning: To look directly at someone without fear or shame.
Example:The innocent man looked the policeman directly in the eye and told him he hadn’t committed the crime.
No. 20
Phrase: (to) sleep like a log ( an idiom)
Audio:
Meaning: To sleep very well.
Example:I slept like a log so I didn’t hear the thunderstorm in the middle of the night.
No. 21
Phrase: (to be) up to no good
Audio:
Meaning: To be doing something wrong or dishonest.
Example:Bobby’s teacher could always tell when he was up to no good. He couldn’t look her in the eye.
No. 22
Phrase: A catnap
Audio:
Meaning: A short sleep
Example:Jenny was so tired after flying back to Hong Kong from Canada that she had a catnap on her sofa just before dinner.
No. 23
Phrase: (to) have the world at your feet
Audio:
Meaning: To be extremely successful and so be able to get what you want.
Example:Justin Bieber already has the world at his feet.
No. 24
Phrase: all for it
Audio:
Meaning: To believe strongly that something should be done
Example:When Jacky asked his mother what she thought about his plans to go to England to improve his English,
she replied: “I’m all for it.” If you want a good job, you’ll need to improve your English.
No. 25
Phrase: sadder but wiser
Audio:
Meaning: If someone is sadder but wiser after a bad experience, they have suffered but they have learned something from it.
Example:After her accident, Kitty was ‘sadder but wiser’ and would never make the same mistake again.
No. 26
Phrase: Make your/my day
Audio:
Meaning: If something makes your day it pleases you or makes you very happy.
Example:The teacher said to the student: You won first prize? Now, that really makes my day.
No. 27
Phrase: (To) pull an all-nighter
Audio:
Meaning: To stay up all night through to the next morning with no sleep, studying or working to meet a deadline.
Example:John pulled an all-nighter to finish his assignment on time.
No. 28
Phrase: nasty
Audio:
Meaning: unpleasant
Example:You shouldn’t say nasty things about people.
No. 29
Phrase: (to)get to the point
Audio:
Meaning: (a) to arrive at a discussion or explanation of the purpose of something.
(b)to say what is important
Example:I wish Andy would stop telling jokes and get to the point of his speech.
When answering questions, get to the point. Be direct and brief.
No. 30
Phrase: at first glance
Audio:
Meaning: ‘at first glance’ means when you first look at or think about something, often rather quickly.
Example:At first glance, the problem seemed easy.
No. 31
Phrase: to pig out ( on something)
Audio:
Meaning: To eat too much food
Example:After school, the stdents were very hungry so they pigged out on pizza.
No. 32
Phrase: up to no good
Audio:
Meaning: Doing something wrong or dishonest
Example:Those children are always up to no good.
No. 33
Phrase: A copycat
Audio:
Meaning: A copycat is someone who copies what somebody else does because they have no ideas of their own.
Example:Stop copying my answers. You’re a copycat
No. 34
Phrase: (to) move up in the world
Audio:
Meaning: To be more important or successful in society.
Example:The harder I work, the more I move up in the world.
No. 35
Phrase: all over town
Audio:
Meaning: known to many, widely known.
Example:Now, keep this a secret. I don’t want it all over town.
In a short time, the secret was known all over town.
No. 36
Phrase: (to)sit on the fence
Audio:
Meaning: To not take sides in a dispute or disagreement. Not to make a clear choice between two possibilities.
Example:1)When Jane and Tom argue, it is best to sit on the fence and not make either of them angry.
2) No one knows which of the candidates Joan will vote for. She’s sitting on the fence.
No. 37
Phrase: To pull someone’s leg
Audio:
Meaning: If you pull someone’s leg you tell him/her something that is not true as a joke.
Example:Mary said she found $1million in the park, but I think she was just pulling my leg.
No. 38
Phrase: sub-divided units
Audio:
Meaning: Sub-divided units are flats which are divided into smaller partitions or cubicles to cater for the living needs of poor people who cannot afford to buy a flat or pay the high rent of an ordinary flat.
Example:The existence of subdivided units shows the very wide gap between the rich and poor in Hong Kong.
No. 39
Phrase: How shall I address you?
Audio:
Meaning: When you address somebody as something you use a particular name or title for somebody when you speak or write to them.
Example:There are different ways to address a member of the English Royal family. If you meet Queen Elizabeth 11, you address her as ‘Your Majesty’. If you meet Prince William, you address him as ‘Your Royal Highness’.
No. 40
Phrase: Bless you!
Audio:
Meaning: ‘Bless you!’ is spoken and is said to somebody after they have sneezed.
Example:Billy: Achoo!
Jenny: Bless you!
No. 41
Phrase: To chase rainbows
Audio:
Meaning: To waste your time trying to get or achieve something impossible.
Example:I don’t think my parents ever believed I’d make an actor. I think they thought I was chasing rainbows.
No. 42
Phrase: To see red
Audio:
Meaning: To feel angry about something
Example:(1) When ever I think about the amount of good food that is wasted in rich countries, I see red.
(2) Billy really saw red when his tax bill arrived.
No. 43
Phrase: To be home and dry
Audio:
Meaning: To have completed something successfully
Example:I’ve just got one more report to write and I’ll be home and dry.
No. 44
Phrase: Curiosity killed the cat
Audio:
Meaning: If you are too curious, it can get you into trouble. The phrase, ‘curiosity killed the cat’ is used to warn someone against prying into other people’s business. It is best to mind your own business.
Example:Jill: Where did you get all that money? Vicky: Curiosity killed the cat.
No. 45
Phrase: Walls have ears
Audio:
Meaning: Is a saying used to warn people to be careful what they say because other people may be listening.
Example:John: Did I tell you what I found out about Fred?He……
Jane: Shhh!Walls have ears. Don’t say anything about our business dealings in here. Walls have ears.
No. 46
Phrase: at sixes and sevens
Audio:
Meaning: To be confused or badly organised
Example:My family was at sixes and sevens for about a week after we moved into our new home.
No. 47
Phrase: to grin and bear it
Audio:
Meaning: If you have to grin and bear it, you accept pain, disappointment or a difficult situation without complaining.
Example:I hate having to work for Mr. Chan. He’s really very rude. But he’s my boss and I have to grin and bear it.
No. 48
Phrase: to beat around the bush
Audio:
Meaning: to talk about something for a long time before coming to the main point.
Example:Stop beating around the bush and answer my question. Let’s stop beating about the bush and discuss this matter.
No. 49
Phrase: brainwash (Verb)
Audio:
Meaning: To force someone to accept a particular set of beliefs by repeating the same idea many times so that the person cannot think in an independent way (洗腦)
Example:People have been brainwashed into believing they need a lot of money to lead a happy life.
(大家都被洗了腦,認為自己需要很多錢才可過快樂的生活。)
No. 50
Phrase: to give up the ghost
Audio:
Meaning: to stop working
Example:We’ve had the same television for fifteen years and I think it’s finally about to give up the ghost.
No. 51
Phrase: You crack me up.
Audio:
Meaning: To make someone laugh a lot.
Example:Jenny is so funny, she just cracks me up.
No. 52
Phrase: get something into a mess
Audio:
Meaning: to cause something to become messy or untidy; to cause something to become unmanageable.
Example:When John made the spaghetti sauce, he got the kitchen into a real mess. You have got these accounts into a mess!
No. 53
Phrase: to have a ball
Audio:
Meaning: to enjoy yourself very much
Example:The party was great. We had a ball.
No. 54
Phrase: stay tuned
Audio:
Meaning: It is a phrase often used on TV shows before commercial breaks in order to remind the viewer to continue watching.
Example:The TV presenter said, “It is time for our commercial break, stay tuned for the news report.”
No. 55
Phrase: fight like cats and dogs (an idiom)
Audio:
Meaning: To argue and fight with someone (usually used for people who know each other)
Example:The two children were fighting like cats and dogs when we entered the room.
No. 56
Phrase: a lucky break
Audio:
Meaning: significant good fortune or opportunity
Example:Mary\'s never had a lucky break because she has never won a prize in a lucky draw.
No. 57
Phrase: at the drop of a hat
Audio:
Meaning: immediately
Example:My company can’t expect me to move my home at the drop of a hat. My wife has a permanent job and my eldest daughter is about to the sit the HKDSE exam.
No. 58
Phrase: a leopard never changes its spots
Audio:
Meaning: It is something that you say to mean that a person’s character, especially if it is bad, will not change, even if they pretend it has.
Example:I doubt very much that John will give up gambling. A leopard never changes its spots.
No. 59
Phrase: to burn the midnight oil
Audio:
Meaning: to stay up working, especially studying, late at night. (Alludes to working by the light of an oil lamp late in the night.)
Example:I have an important exam tomorrow ,so I\'ll be burning the midnight oil tonight. If you burn the midnight oil night after night, you\'ll probably become ill.
No. 60
Phrase: air conditioning & air conditioner (Noun)
Audio:
Meaning: -air conditioning = a system that makes the air inside a room or vehicle colder;
a state with cold air (空調系統/有空調的狀態)
-air conditioner = a machine that makes the air in a room or vehicle colder (冷氣機)
*air-conditioned (adj) = a room or vehicle with air-conditioning (形容場所或車輛有空氣調節)
e.g. air-conditioned bus(空調巴士)
Example:Bob: It is very hot. The Very Hot Weather Warning has been announced again. (好熱!政府又宣佈了酷熱天氣警告)
Ken: Don’t worry. This car has air conditioning.(不用擔心!這輛車有空調)
Patrick is having his air-conditioner cleaned in readiness for the summer heat.
No. 61
Phrase: to strike a balance
Audio:
Meaning: to find a compromise
Example:Parents should learn how to strike a balance between work and family.
This teacher tries to strike a balance between work and play.