Objective Proficiency 2002 p 8. Keys and Vocabulary

Ex. 1

• Ring the changes (with something): (British English) to make changes to something in order to have greater variety. E.g. Ring the changes with a new colour.

• A change for the better/worse: a person, thing, situation, etc. that is better/worse than the previous or present one. E.g. Voters see the new leader as a change for the better.

• A change of heart: if you have a change of heart, your attitude towards something changes, usually making you feel more friendly, helpful, etc. E.g. Dan did not want to get married but recently he's had a change of heart.

• Come about (that…):   To happen E.g. Can you tell me how the accident came about?

Ex.2 

KEY

1 gaining media attention

 

 

2 stepping in for someone

 

 

3 heading the wrong way

 

 

4 being made redundant

 

 

5 meeting "Mr Right"

• Heading the wrong way: going in the wrong direction. E.g. If you feel we are heading the wrong way or have missed something, please get in touch.

• Step in for someone: "tomar su lugar" (el lugar del otro) E.g. "Tom was sick, so Jack had to step in for him." 

• Drag: to pull somebody/something along with effort and difficulty. E.g. I was dragged along to a party.

• Outfit: a set of clothes that you wear together, especially for a particular occasion or purpose. E.g. She was wearing an expensive new outfit. Conjunto. 

• Lace: a delicate material made from threads of cotton, silk, etc. that are twisted into a pattern of holes. Encaje. E.g.  It was an antique lace dress that was worth a million dollars.

•  Run sth up: to make a piece of clothing quickly, especially by sewing. E.g. to run up a blouse.

• Turning point (in something): the time when an important change takes place, usually with the result that a situation improves. E.g. The promotion marked a turning point in her career.Momento decisivo.
• Chuck in: quit. E.g. The simple truth is, if you chuck in your job and decide to write full time, unless you're very lucky, you're going to run out of cash pretty soon.
• Take sb on:  to employ somebody. E.g. to take on new staff. She was taken on as a trainee.

• Stay in: to not go out or to remain indoors. E.g I feel like staying in tonight.

• Beer money: a little extra money to buy a drink or have fun with. E.g. The job was never going to make me rich, but it kept me in beer money for a while.

• Break: an opportunity to do something, usually to get something that you want or to achieve success. E.g. I got my lucky break when I won a ‘Young Journalist of the Year’ competition. We've had a few bad breaks (= pieces of bad luck) along the way. If you just give me a break, you won't regret it.

• Be down to somebody/something: to be caused by a particular person or thing. E.g. She claimed her problems were down to the media.

• Hang around: to wait or stay near a place, not doing very much. E.g. You hang around here in case he comes, and I'll go on ahead.

• Trip: to catch your foot on something and fall or almost fall. E.g. She tripped and fell. Someone will trip over that cable. 

• Due: arranged or expected. E.g. When's the baby due? The next train is due in five minutes.

• Rabbit on (about somebody/something): (British English, informal, disapproving) to talk continuously about things that are not important or interesting. E.g. Stop rabbiting on about nothing, will you, and go to sleep. Once my wife gets on the phone with one of her friends, they rabbit on for hours.

• Pick sth out: to play a tune on a musical instrument slowly without using written music. E.g. He picked out the tune on the piano with one finger.

• Dismal: causing or showing sadness. Miserable. Deprimente. E.g. dismal conditions/surroundings/weather. Christmas will be dismal without the children. 

• Run: to become different in a particular way, especially a bad way. E.g. The river ran dry (= stopped flowing) during the drought. Supplies are running low. We've run short of milk. You've got your rivals running scared. 

• Draw+ prep.: to move in the direction mentioned. E.g. The train drew into the station. 

• Settle in/ settle into something: to move into a new home, job, etc. and start to feel comfortable there. E.g. How are the kids settling into their new school? It's not always easy for a new player to settle in. Instalarse, adaptarse.

• Spiral: /ˈspaɪrəl/ a continuous harmful increase or decrease in something, that gradually gets faster and faster. E.g. the vicious spiral of rising wages and prices.

• Chug: to move making the sound of an engine running slowly. E.g. The boat chugged down the river. Chug along: seguir marchando.

• Bam: (exclamation) used to show that something happens very suddenly. E.g. I saw him yesterday and—bam!—I realized I was still in love with him.

• Knock somebody sideways: (informal) to surprise or shock somebody so much that they are unable to react immediately. E.g. The news about his mother's accident really knocked him sideways.

• Wham: (exclamation) used to show that something that is unexpected has suddenly happened. E.g. I saw him yesterday and—wham!—I realized I was still in love with him.

• Rocky: difficult and not certain to continue or to be successful. E.g. a rocky marriage 

• Catch up with somebody: to finally start to cause problems for somebody after they have managed to avoid this for some time. Alcanzar, pasar factura. E.g. She was terrified that one day her past problems would catch up with her.

• Pay sb off: to finish paying money owed for something. E.g. We paid off our mortgage after fifteen years.

• Cut back (on something): to reduce something. E.g. If we don't sell more we'll have to cut back production. To cut back on spending.

• Mind-numbingly: /ˈnʌmɪŋli/ very boring. E.g. The lecture was mind-numbingly tedious.

• Rut: a boring way of life that does not change. Estancarse. E.g. I gave up my job because I felt I was stuck in a rut. If you don't go out and meet new people, it's easy to get into a rut.

• Splash: the sound of something hitting liquid or of liquid hitting something. E.g. We heard the splash when she fell into the pool. 

• Gravelly: /ˈɡrævəli/ (of a voice) deep and with a rough sound. E.g. His gravelly voice is perfect for radio. 

• Squad: (in sport) a group of players, runners, etc. from which a team is chosen for a particular game or match. Equipo. E.g. the Olympic/national squad.