Medley #3

1. The air was abuzz with military helicopters OR 2. When we arrived, the party was in full swing and the room was abuzz.

1. Nie ufałbym takiej przebiegłej osobie jak on. 2. To był płytki film, ale nie mogłam się spodziewać niczego więcej po letniej superprodukcji.

1. I wouldn't trust a slick person like him. 2. It was a slick movie, but I couldn't expect more from a summer blockbuster

1. She can't rely on her feckless son. 2. A feckless manoeuvre that could only serve to strengthen the enemy

1. There was something sinister in his eyes. 2. I was frightened by the sinister shadow outside.

Students are the lifeblood of the college.

The inexorable growth of multinational companies.

With brutal candour, he pointed out all the flaws in our plans.

His idea didn't work, so he had to go back to square one.

Do you think the doctor could squeeze us in today?

1. I read up on the places I plan to visit before I travel. OR 2. The more I read up on the political candidate, the more I came to distrust him.

Let's put the mistake down to your inexperience and forget about it.

It was a disappointing loss, but we need to put it behind us and focus on winning the next game.

We're starting to run over time, so could you keep your speeches short, please.

He was a rather timid child.

definition: easily annoyed by unimportant things

It was like a jigsaw with too many pieces

The display juxtaposed images from serious and popular art.

definition: the way that the sound of your voice goes up and down when you speak

1. This analogy is a particularly apt one. OR 2. He's an apt pupil

Feedback and discussing performance needs to happen with a regular cadence.

1. I really don't like pizza, straight up. OR 2. I love a martini straight up.

1. She still has a pronounced German accent. OR 2. He had a pronounced limp.

Don't beat about the bush!

DVDs push video tapes toward oblivion.

She ended up shelling out for two rooms.

I know it must be tempting to dumb down news.

There's no telling how long the strike will last.

Nobody tells me how to live my life - I'm my own man.

He's really wooden. He never laughs.

I know you're scared of your teacher but you have to stand up to him.

I try to remember to count my blessings every day.

Our boss is reluctant to change the policy now because she doesn't want to open a can of worms.

If you give up exercise, your muscles shrink and fat increases. By the same token, if you expend more energy you will lose fat.

The pain was so strong I was doubling up.

He's trying to fill the gaps in his CD collection.

She is really evil, she keeps egging them on.

She hails from Japan.

There are too many families who are forced to live from day to day on the tiny pittance they are given through social welfare.

Jack pricked his ears when the boss mentioned pay rises.

She bought dirt cheap cosmetics.

This online math program helps students achieve automaticity in the basic facts of addition and subtraction

1. Would you like another pint, mate? | Yeah, go on then. 2. I'm going to go and ask her on a date. | Go on then.

Za nic w świecie nie mogę zrozumieć dlaczego ją poślubił.

I cannot for the life of me see why he married her. OR I can't for the life of me understand why you didn't think of it.

used for encouraging someone to accept that bad things happen to everyone, not just them

"So you're going to bring Kev, are you?" "Not on your life!"

2. examples: to abnegate responsibility/guilt | PL: zrzekać/wyrzekać się czegoś

Zawodnicy idą łeb w łeb.

The competitors are neck and neck.

Sedentary jobs involve light physical activity or sitting at a desk in an office.

He has to cough up lots of money for his daughter's private medical school.

The two debaters just talked past each other for the whole evening. They never actually addressed the other person's points in any meaningful way, instead just reiterating their own rhetoric.

Your driver's license has expired. Do the needful by going to get it renewed.

1. As a vocational teacher I could pretty much pick and choose my work. 2. We, the patients, cannot pick and choose our doctors.

1. My mother is my sounding board. 2. He doesn't have a sounding board.

Her nervous system is damaged by the drugs. OR neural network

I find it difficult to talk with self-righteous people.

abridged text = skrócony/streszczony text

apart from the literal meaning: 1. to separate ideas so that they are no longer confused 2. to get yourself out of a situation that you no longer want to be involved in (e.g. disentangled myself from the relationship)

This shampoo gives your hair a natural glisten.

Many wildlife smugglers profess to have an interest in conservation. OR In the Philippines, about 85% of the people profess Catholicism.

Some food supplements are purported to enhance memory.

I need to mong out in front of the TV.

We really need to crack on with this painting.

The whole evening was spent on just playing video games and shooting the breeze.

it's someone who has a tendency to drop things

Przyznaję się do błędu.

I stand corrected.

1. Eat up the dinner or else you won't get the dessert., 2. I was eaten up by guilt for many days.

Friends and neighbours rallied round to help.

1. The test is the gold standard for detecting colon cancer.

If we win the lottery, we'll be set for life.

I know this data entry job isn't what you wanted for a career, but for the time being try and make the best of a bad situation.

= showing that you are too proud of your own moral behaviour or beliefs, especially in a way that annoys other people

The teacher set us 3 tasks by Monday OR He set me a difficult question - I still don't know the answer.

The political strife has been a problem in our country for years.

We must proceed with a certain amount of providence.

I know it sounds corny, but it was love at first sight.

She nodded to greet us when we walked in.

In rare lucid moments she recognised me and smiled at me.

I'm not sure how we found ourselves in this predicament.

People should pay no heed to these ill-informed views.

fell for the story hook, line and sinker

You need to be fresh to be able to think.

She pushed away and looked at him as if he had lost his mind.

She pushed her doubts aside and carried on.

The curtains block out the light. OR I can't block these memories out.

zapadająca w pamięć melodia

haunting melody

They paid through the nose for one-to-one intensive tuition

We have had time to get accustomed to him.

1. His book is funny and very topical., 2. He received topical anaesthesia.

Corporations who are in breach of local and national green policies.

I backed the car into a wall and turned the air blue, I'm ashamed to say.

After a bad year, Judd's career hung in the balance.

1. ready-made curtains OR 2. ready-made excuse

The human tongue has around 6,000 taste buds

Powinieneś rozłożyć na etapy proces nauki języka, żeby stopniowo stawać się coraz bardziej biegłym.

You should phase your language learning process, so that steadily you become more and more fluent.

Cały ten stres odbił się na jej zdrowiu.

All of that stress impinged on her health.

Resign yourself to the fact that she doesn't love you.

In some countries women are subservient to men.

There was only one thing to consider now, the conservation of human life.

Tourism holds the key to the region’s recovery.

Oil exports are the mainstay of the economy.

I would venture to say better late than never

claiming to have certain moral principles or beliefs but behaving in a way that shows you are not sincere

1. My mother looked at each of us in turn., 2. This, in turn, will reduce costs and lead to lower prices.

That one lie gave rise to all our problems.

The conflict in the area was rooted in history and religion.

What hurts the most is when somebody ghosts you after quite a long time of building a relationship.

I'll take your advice to heart.

He was a rather timid child.

Don't worry, I'm not going to make waves.

Job cuts were made in all departments of the company.

Everyone is subject to the rule of law.

We hope for a world where the rule of law, not the law of the jungle, governs the conduct of nations.

The president has failed to come to grips with the two most important social issues of our time.

The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs.

I know you feel like you know everything about philosophy now, but this is an introductory course—it only touched the surface.

A tentative figure, she said today, would be 200 to 400 people.

The punishment for this crime is enough of a deterrent for people not to commit it.

The school is cracking down on smoking.

It's a highly emotive issue.

konflikt, którego przebieg jest zbyt gwałtowny w stosunku do jego przyczyn, zwykle dość błahych

It was a difficult time but they managed to ride the storm.

1. All this evidence leads me to a simple deduction., 2. It will be 200$ after deductions.

1. I admire his steely determination. OR 2. I was scared of his steely voice.

He only peeked at the paper, so he didn't remember the details.

He slipped on the ice and hurt his hand when he tried to break his fall.

I won’t go up the church tower with you. I’ve no head for heights.

The terms of reference for the committee are narrow and specific.

We've both had a good laugh about the accident despite what's happened.

This is not an auspicious time to be opening a new factory.

Yet the development of technology is too slow and its diffusion, especially to developing countries, is particularly slow.

Tonight we will have a chance to prove ourselves on stage.

e.g. chase the clouds away

Philip must learn to accept me, warts and all.

You gotta push through your self-doubt.

I lost my job and had a fight with my husband in the bargain.

It's not just any old painting - it's Picasso!

1. She put me off with her bad language., 2. He put off writing the essay until the last minute.

The inapt investigation led by the police, as well as the prosecutor, has been criticised repeatedly.

The documents have been signed under conditions free from stress and coercion.

He's a high-profile politician.

1. My flat is comparable in size to this one., 2. The standard of living is comparable in Italy and France.

He's been getting a bit too big for his boots since he got that promotion.

= to be unkind to someone after they have been kind to you or helped you (e.g. I felt that everything I’d done for them was thrown back in my face.)

He was putting a brave face on it but she knew he was shattered.

I had no aptitude for accountancy and began to hate it.

"They had no new ideas. I'd heard it all before a thousand times."

He's a little slow on the uptake, so you may have to repeat the instructions a few times.

The money spurs her to study more.

Sorry to butt in, but could I speak to you for a moment?

He makes like he's the greatest actor of all time.

It may cost several billion euros to make good the damage.

in other words, to manage with sth that's not really good enough.

We made for the door OR The coach was heading for Warsaw.

Garnitur pasował jakby był zrobiony na zamówienie.

The suit fit as though it had been custom-made.

Obudziłam się wcześnie, i dzięki temu nie spóźniłam się na autobus.

I woke up early and in that I wasn't late for my bus.

The EU needs to engage with Libya across a broad range of issues.

Teachers all over the UK are trialling the materials.

reams of useful information

We're gradually making headway with the project. OR The boat made little headway against the strong current.

An actor who makes heavy weather of what should be a simple scene.

The team should walk it on Saturday. OR It's an easy exam. You'll walk it.

"Should we take the car?" "It's not that far. Let's just walk it."

a figurehead is a leader who has no real power or influence, especially a leader of a political party

The healthcare reforms struck a chord with voters. | PL: trafić do odbiorcy, odnaleźć wspólny punkt (i wywołać pozytywne emocje).

I think the offie is still open.

When my kids fight, I try to walk the line rather than siding with one of them.

Został oskarżony o bycie w zmowie z terrorystami.

He was accused of colluding with the terrorists.

Thank you. I'm much obliged.

The commons will agree on everything if it resonates with them on an emotional level.

This table can double as a chair.

Będziesz musiał ponieść konsekwencje swoich czynów.

You will have to face the ramifications of what you have done.