Vocabulary and grammar list

NO

LANGUAGE UNITS

NOTES

As the new guy taking over for you, I hope I can fill your shoes... The shoes seem awfully big.

TAKE OVER to assume the control or management of or the responsibility for: She took over the job after he left. step into/fill somebody's shoes to do a job that someone else used to do, and do it as well as they did: It'll be hard to find someone to fill Pete's shoes.

The universal life policy we’re launching next month.

to start something, usually something big or important:

The organization has launched a campaign to raise $150,000.

The Canadian police plan to launch an investigation into the deal.

Warren and I go way back till the horse and buggy days at Woodmen.

The term “horse and buggy” is used to refer to a form of personal transport also known as a horse and carriage, including a simple carriage harnessed to one or two horses. Here: times of old considered better than present (=days of old, good old times)

… so all these young hotshots can hear.

informal someone who is very successful and confident:

a hotshot lawyer

None of these superficialities mean a Goddamn thing.

SUEPRFICIAL changes, difficulties etc are not important and do not have a big effect [= minor]:

superficial changes in government policies

I love you, buddy.

informal a friend:

We're good buddies.

-Vodka gimlet, please. -Coming right up.

a tool that is used to make small holes in wood so that you can put screws in easily

Guess!

Don’t give it another thought. You’ve got bigger fish to fry.

to have other things to do; to have more important things to do: I can't take time for your problem. I have other fish to fry.

Did I get the robe? Yes, it was quite an item. You sure went overboard.

to do or say something that is too extreme for a particular situation:

I hope politicians will not go overboard in trying to control the press.

It’s sure going to come in handy now.

useful:

Take your swimming trunks with you - they mightcome in handy (=be useful).

You betcha.

= You bet!

Well… sort of gives us a rough idea.

not exact, not containing many details, or not in a final form [= approximate]:

Could you give me a rough idea what time you'll be home?

a rough estimate of the cost

First do a rough draft of your essay.

There is an organization called “Childreach” that is making a profound difference in the lives of children.

make a/the difference to have an important effect or influence on something or someone: Having a good teacher has made all the difference for Alex (=had an important influence).

You’re buttering me up now! I can’t take all the credit for that.

informalto say nice things to someone so that they will do what you want:

Don't think you can butter me up that easily.

So, what brings you by this neck of the woods?

in this/somebody's neck of the woods informal in a particular area or part of the country: I haven't been in this neck of the woods for years.

I’ve been concerned about some of those items that I walked you through slipping through the cracks.

slip through the net British English slip through the cracks American English if someone or something slips through the net, they are not caught or dealt with by the system that is supposed to catch them or deal with them: In a class of 30 children, it is easy for one to slip through the net and learn nothing.

It’s been nagging at me.

to make someone feel continuously worried or uncomfortable:

a problem that had been nagging at him for days One question still nagged me.WORD FOCUS: ask

A business degree from Drake ought to be worth something.

a university with over 125 years of tradition

If anything bubbles to the surface, I’ll give you a holler.

1. A yell or shout; a call.

2. Informal A complaint.

He needed my help with a couple of loose ends.

loose ends parts of something that have not been completed or correctly done: We've nearly finished, but there are still a few loose ends to be tied up (=dealt with or completed).

I’m your new foster father.

TO FOSTER to take someone else's child into your family for a period of time but without becoming their legal parent [↪ adopt]: The couple wanted to adopt a black child they had been fostering.

Actuary at Woodmen of the World Insurance Company

someone whose job is to advise insurance companies on how much to charge for insurance, after calculating the risks

I could tell right off he doesn’t know a Goddamn thing about risk assessment or managing a department for that matter.

ASSESSMENT a process in which you make a judgment about a person or situation, or the judgment you make What's Michael's assessment of the situation? a reading assessment test for that matter used to say that what you are saying about one thing is also true about something else: Ben never touched beer, or any kind of alcohol for that matter. He's an artist who has never been as well-known here, or for that matter as well-respected, as he has been in the USA.

…build up my business into a big corporation, watch it go public, maybe make the Fortune 500.

GO PUBLIC to become a public company: Many partnerships went public in the 1980s to secure extra capital.

FORTUNE 500 “Fortune” magazine's annual list of the top 500 U.S. companies, ranked by revenues.

I had a top-notch job at Woodmen…

informal something that is top-notch is of the highest quality or standard:

I was lucky and got myself a job with a top-notch company.

My promise to lift the seat and wipe the rim ..wasn’t good enough for her.

the outside edge of something circular:

the rim of a glass

She gets a big kick out of different languages.

something that you enjoy because it is exciting [= thrill]

get a kick out of/from (doing) something

Gerald gets a kick out of dressing as a woman.

give somebody a kick

It gives her a kick to get you into trouble.

do something (just) for kicks

She used to steal from shops for kicks.

Maybe Jeannie is a little past her prime, but I still think she could have done a heck of a lot better.

the time in your life when you are strongest and most active:

She's now forty and still in her prime.

a young singer who was tragically cut off in her prime (=died while she was in her prime)

This guy’s not up to snuff, if you ask me…

up to snuff American English informal good enough for a particular purpose: A lot of money was spent to bring the building up to snuff.

Here I am rambling on and on.

to talk or write for a long time in a way that other people find boring [= go on]: My father kept rambling on about the war.

Don’t dilly-dally.

to waste time, because you cannot decide about something:

Don't dilly-dally, just get on with it!

We also have a casket. (for the funeral)

American English MXa coffin

They broke the mould.

break the mould to change a situation completely, by doing something that has not been done before: an attempt to break the mould of British politics

plain chips (food)

Guess! (American English)

They’ll just go to waste.

unwanted materials or substances that are left after you have used something: The emphasis now is on recycling household waste.

Everyone’s invited and RSVP’d.

­R.S.V.P. stands for a French phrase, "répondez, s'il vous plaît," which means "please reply." The person sending the invitation wo­uld like you to tell him or her whether you accept or decline the invitation. Etiquette rules followed in most Western cultures require that if you receive a formal, written invitation, you should reply promptly, perhaps that same day. For hosts who are planning a dinner party, a wedding or a reception, this is important from a practical point of view, because they need to know how many people to count on and how much food and drink to buy.

http://people.howstuffworks.com/question450.htm

She waited on you hand and foot.

to do everything for someone while they do nothing - used to show disapproval:

His wife waits on him hand and foot.

Couldn’t you have splurged on her just once?

informal to spend more money than you can usually afford [= splash out]:

Within a couple of months I'd splurged about £2,500 on clothes.

What about the Winnebago out there?

Winnebago Industries is the leading RV manufacturer of Class A and Class C motor homes.

She wanted the whole shebang.

the whole shebang informal the whole thing: It's a big project, and she's in charge of the whole shebang.

It was a very moving tribute any way you look at it.

something that you say, do, or give in order to express your respect or admiration for someone: The players wore black armbands as a tribute to their late teammate.

I'd like to pay tribute to (=praise and admire publicly)the party workers for all their hard work.

Now I don’t wanna kid you. Adjusting to life without Helen has been quite a challenge.

to say something that is not true, especially as a joke [= joke]:

Don't get mad, I was only kidding.

Helen wouldn’t want me wallowing in self-pity – no, siree, Bob.

wallow in self-pity/despair/defeat etc to seem to enjoy being sad etc, especially because you get sympathy from other people - used to show disapproval: He'd been feeling sorry for himself, wallowing in self-pity. NO, SIREE (BOB) inf. Absolutely no! (Not necessarily said to a male, and rarely to any Bob.) Bill: Do you want to sell this old rocking chair? Jane: No siree, Bob!

I’ll eventually move to a little condo – you know, less upkeep and so forth.

CONDO American English informal TBa condominium

UPKEEP the process of keeping something in good condition [= maintenance]: Most of the money is spent on the upkeep of the building.

I might have used some negative language in reference to my late wife.

dead:

Mrs. Moore's late husband

Things started up and we just got out of hand, that’s all.

get out of hand if a situation or person gets out of hand, they become impossible to control any longer: The demonstration was getting out of hand.

I’m totally swamped. What’s up?

SWAMP to suddenly give someone a lot of work, problems etc to deal with

We've been swamped with phone calls since the advert appeared.

I’ll take the burden off.

something difficult or worrying that you are responsible for:

I don't like being a burden on other people.

Nothing can lift the burden from my shoulders.

Use the bubble wrap. It’s too big.

Guess!

You might say I’ve been trying to clear a few cobwebs from my memory.

1HBIa net of sticky threads made by a spider to catch insects, that is inside a building and has not been removed

2 blow/clear the cobwebs away to do something, especially go outside, in order to help yourself to think more clearly and feel better: A brisk walk will soon blow the cobwebs away.

We used to have a tyre swing right out front here.

a seat hanging from ropes or chains, usually used by children play on by moving it forwards and backwards using their legs: kids playing on the swings

I even managed to hook up with some kids at my old fraternity. (about college)

a club at an American college or university that has only male members [↪ sorority]

Those people got a raw deal, just a raw deal.

DEAL treatment of a particular type that is given or received

a rough/raw deal (=unfair treatment)

Women tend to get a raw deal from employers.

Buffalo Bill Cody’s house

William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (February 26, 1846 – January 10, 1917) was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. One of the most colorful figures of the American Old West, Buffalo Bill became famous for the shows he organized with cowboy themes, which he toured in Great Britain and Europe as well as the United States.

You keep a mighty clean galley, mister.

a kitchen on a ship:

The fire extinguishers are stored in the galley.

My Vicky’s one heck of a cook.

SP, INFML used like 'hell' to emphasize what you are saying:

It cost a heck of a lot of money.

Where the heck are we?

He sure as heck didn't tell me.

I know we separated on a bit of a sour note…

Guess!

Somebody really screwed it up.

informal to spoil something by doing something stupid [= mess something up]:

She realized that she had screwed up her life.

He thinks the only way he can get my attention is by causing a fuss.

attention or excitement that is usually unnecessary or unwelcome:

They wanted a quiet wedding without any fuss.

Until I heard her sing I couldn't see what all the fuss was about (=why people liked it so much).

He’s also quite easy on the eye.

easy on the eye/ear pleasant to look at or listen to: Soft colours are easy on the eye.

How’s it hanging?

very informal equivalent of "How are you doing?" (us. between men)

I’m stoked.

American English spoken

very pleased and excited

You bailed out too soon.

bail out American English; bale out British English informal to escape from a situation that you do not want to be in any more: After ten years in the business, McArthur is baling out.

It was more like a blimp or an orb.

BLIMP a small airship (=type of aircraft without wings)

ORB literary Da bright ball-shaped object, especially the sun or the moon: the red orb of the sun

You’re just wigging out a little.

freaking out, going crazy, out of control: Man, that guy was wiggin' out at the party last night!

Good morning, Mr Sleepyhead!

Guess!

I’m fine. I’m just a little stiff.

if someone or a part of their body is stiff, their muscles hurt and it is difficult for them to move:

Her legs were stiff from kneeling.

Her fingers were stiff with cold.

I’m sure I’ll rally in a couple of hours.

to become stronger again after a period of weakness or defeat [↪ recover]:

After a shaky start, he rallied and won the title in style.

The Tokyo stock market rallied later in the day.

The Advil’s kicking in pretty good.

ADVIL a drug used for the management of mild to moderate pain, fever, and inflammation.

KICK IN informal to start or to begin to have an effect:

The storm is expected to kick in shortly after sunrise.

The painkillers kicked in and he became sleepy.

For you to just crap out on us…

SP to stop operating properly:

Freaking controller crapped out.

I think I need something firmer.

not completely hard, but not soft, and not easy to bend into a different shape: a firm green apple

Most doctors recommend sleeping on a firm mattress.

Anything for me in the bedpan?

a low wide container used as a toilet by someone who is too ill to get out of bed

I can’t help it. That’s just how I’m wired.

American English informal feeling very active and excited, especially because you have drunk a lot of coffee or taken a drug [↪ high]

I don’t want to betray Jeannie’s confidence.

a secret or a piece of information that is private or personal:

They spent their evenings drinking wine and sharing confidences.

I have never betrayed a confidence.

They can always count on what happens between the sheets to keep them together.

SL = in bed

How’re we doing? – Just dandy.

especially American English very good - often used in a slightly humorous way:

We're at our hotel, and everything is fine and dandy.

You’ll be on cloud nine.

Guess!

I’ll fire up the hot tub.

a heated bath that several people can sit in together [↪ jacuzzi]

And you’re gonna take a long soak before bed.

long and enjoyable time spent sitting in the bath:

I had a good long soak in the bath.

It goes without saying you’ll come to our time-share in Breckenridge.

a holiday home that you buy with other people so that you can each spend a period of time there every year, or when you arrange to do this

Let’s go! They want a little smooch. What do people shout at weddings when they want the newly-weds to kiss?

informal if two people smooch, they kiss and hold each other in a romantic way, especially while dancing

Forgive me if I’m a little foggy.

if your mind is foggy, you cannot think or remember things clearly

I recall the day she told us she had been proposed to.

Guess!

Randal helped me shovel off the front walk.

A SHOVEL a tool with a rounded blade and a long handle used for moving earth, stones etc [= spade]

Larry, your eloquence.

ELOQUENT able to express your ideas and opinions well, especially in a way that influences people:

an eloquent appeal for support

Jeannie’s wedding came off without a hitch.

a small problem that makes something difficult or delays it for a short time:

In spite of some technical hitches, the first program was a success.

The whole show went without a hitch.

On my nickel, of course.

a coin in the US or Canada that is worth five cents (Interpret)

The hardships they’ve endured.

to be in a difficult or painful situation for a long time without complaining:

It seemed impossible that anyone could endure such pain.

He can't endure being apart from me.

What kind of difference have I made?

Remember?

Now she’s married to that nincompoop.

old-fashioned

a stupid person

There’s just no getting around it.

(Gr) There’s no stopping him.

get around something to avoid something that is difficult or causes problems for you: I think we should be able to get around most of these problems. She was always very clever at getting around the rules.