Phrase Mix 11; wilting wilt 发蔫, wither [ˈwɪðər] 干枯 then shrivel 凋落, 发皱, 枯萎, droop 耷拉脑袋.

1. To put this piece in historical context, it was created during the period when Europeans were just beginning to explore the New World. You're a tour guide at an art museum. You're telling the story of an artist who lived a long time ago. You want to explain when this person lived. You say this. To put (something) in (some kind of) context, (sentence) "Context" is extra information that helps you to understand something better. For example, if you're listening to someone speaking in a foreign language, their facial expressions and hand gestures give you some context for what they're saying. "Putting ___ in context" means making a topic easier to understand by giving extra information about the time, place, situation, history, and so on. So you can use this expression to introduce contextual information about something: To put it in context, at that time the most powerful personal computers were only able to do simple math equations. To put his speech in cultural context, politicians in India rarely retire. So him announcing that he was leaving the party was rather shocking. This expression sounds very intellectual. Use it when you're giving a speech or lecture. create a piece (of art) Art, such as paintings and classical music compositions, can be counted in "pieces 音乐作品, 乐曲, 曲子": This is one of her most famous pieces. I really like that piece. When you make art, it's called "creating a piece". We talk about art this way: This piece was created by Dali soon after World War II. (someone) is just beginning to (do something) Use the phrase "___ is just beginning to ___" to talk about the early part of something that continues for a long time. For example, if you're talking about a young child who's learning to talk, you can say: She's just beginning to form sentences. You can use this phrase because she's going to continue to talk a lot more after this. Here's another example for talking about a band that's now quite popular: I saw them back in '97 when they were just beginning to become well-known. Europeans explored the New World When Europeans came to North and South America starting at the end of the 1400's, they called it "The New World". When the Europeans went there, they "explored" it by visiting different areas, making maps, searching for valuable things like gold, and so on. We still sometimes call the Americas "The New World" when we are: talking about that period in history, comparing parts of the culture of European countries to countries in North and South America. 2. My knee is acting up 犯病< 不正常, 出毛病, 作妖, 又开始疼 again. Your knee often hurts because of a sports injury you got many years ago. Today it's hurting. Someone asks if something is wrong, so you explain what's happening. (something) is acting up You say that a child who behaves badly is "acting up". We've also extended the meaning of this phrase to talk about objects like cars, computers, body parts, etc. You say that an object is "acting up" when it doesn't work as it's supposed to or causes trouble. For example: A: Argh! B: What's wrong? A: My computer is acting up again. My arthritis hasn't been acting up lately. 3. Rory made the team! Your son wanted to join his school's basketball team. He tried out for it. You just found out that he was successful, and you're passing the news on to your wife. (someone) made the team When someone is selected to join a team, you say that they "made" the team. The word "make" is used in the same way in these expressions: In an audition or tryout 试用 system, each time you go to the next round, you can say that you "made the cut". If you "didn't make the cut", it means that you were eliminated and won't be chosen. If a student gets good grades in school, they might"make the honor roll", which is a list of the top students. You can "make a list" of something. For example: David made the "Top 40 Influential Entrepreneurs" last year. Sometimes it can be confusing whether someone is using "make" in this way or with the meaning of "create". For example: David made the list. This could mean that he was chosen to be on the list, or that he created it. You have to figure out which way it's being used based on the situation. 4. I'd rather not open up that whole can of worms. At work, one of the employees you manage noticed a problem with your software. He asks if you should tell your clients about it. You're afraid that the clients will get upset and have a lot of questions about it. You say this. I'd rather not (do something) "I'd rather not..." means "I don't want to..." People say "I'd rather not..." to talk about something that they don't want to do, although they might have to. For example, if you're shopping for a new car, you can tell the salesperson:I'd rather not go over fifteen thousand. This means that you don't want to spend more than fifteen thousand dollars (or Euros, Pounds, etc.) on the car. However, you know that you might have to spend more than that. If you're in a bad mood, and someone asks you what's wrong, you can respond this way: I'd rather not talk about it. You can also say "I'd rather not" without continuing the sentence: A: We can sleep at the Sutherlands' house and go back in the morning. B: I'd rather not. open up a can of worms Some problems are so difficult that it's best not to even try to talk about them or solve them. When you start trying to fix the problem, it causes many more problems. We call this situation "opening up a can of worms". For example, imagine that you and your sister have been arguing with each other over who should take care of your parents in their old age. For the past few months, you haven't talked about it. Now you and your husband are on your way to eat dinner with your sister's family. You tell your husband: Don't mention anything about my parents. I don't want to open up that can of worms. You say this because you know that you and your sister will get into a long, angry argument if you start talking about that topic. The phrase "a can of worms" is quite common and can be used in casual or formal situations. that whole (something) People sometime talk about things that are complicated, annoying, or difficult with the phrase "that whole ___": I don't know anything about that whole mess. I just let my accountant take care of it. 5. This one's a lot more durable 耐用的, 结实的, 不易坏的 than the old one. You got a new passport. The pages are thicker and can't be ripped easily. You notice this and say something about it to your husband. You say this to your husband (something) is durable A "durable" object doesn't get broken, torn, or cracked easily. Some things that you can describe as "durable" include: durable material, durable plastic, durable fabric. What ever happened to that whole "Occupy Wall Street" business that people were talking about so much a few months ago? Sometimes when English speakers say "that whole ___", they wave their hands in the air in a pushing or sweeping motion away from themselves. 6. We use only the finest ingredients. You're watching a commercial for a frozen pizza. The announcer on the commercial says this. only the (best/finest/highest quality/etc.) In advertisements, companies sometimes brag about having very high standards. To do this, they use the phrase "only the ___": We use only the highest quality water in our beer. We hire only the best and brightest engineers. This phrase suggests that the company doesn't allow anything lower than this standard. People don't use this phrase very often outside of advertisements. the finest ingredients. Ingredients in cooking can be described as "high-quality": The secret to good cooking is to start with fresh, high-quality ingredients. But "the finest ingredients" sounds fancier and even more high-quality. You hear this phrase sometimese in advertisements. Other things that can be described as "fine" include: fine wine, fine silk, fine restaurants, fine jewelry, fine detail. 7. We do not talk about bodily functions at the dinner table! Your daughter says something about farting while your family was eating dinner together. This is rude, so you warn her that she shouldn't say that. bodily functions 身体机能 "Bodily functions" are things that a person's body does which aren't very pleasant. Some bodily functions include: peeing, farting, pooping, burping, digesting food. It's usually not polite to talk about bodily functions. (do something) at the dinner table You can talk this way about things that a person does while eating dinner at home: My wife and I made a rule not to talk about work at the dinner table. How many times do I have to tell you? No cell phones at the dinner table! Of course, for most people the "dinner table" is the same table that they use for breakfast and lunch. At breakfast, you can call it "the breakfast table": I used to rush and do my homework at the breakfast table in the morning. 8. Hold on, hold on. Start at the beginning 重新来, 重新开始, 从头开始. The child that you babysit had some kind of accident. He's upset and crying. He's trying to tell you about the accident, but it doesn't make sense. You tell him to start telling the story again in order. You tell someone to "hold on" when you want them to wait for a short time. You use "hold on" instead of "wait" when the reason for the listener to wait is not that important. In an emergency situation, you would clearly yell "Wait!". But in normal conversation, "hold on" usually fits better. Start at the beginning. Use this expression when someone is trying to explain something that happened, but their story doesn't make sense. This happens when someone gets too excited, too scared, too nervous, etc. You want them to tell the story in order, from beginning to end, so that you can understand it better. 8. The good thing about it is it doesn't need to be watered that often. You bought your girlfriend a potted cactus for her office. You're explaining why you thought it was a good idea for a gift. It's more or less done. You've been working on a cabinet that you're building yourself. Someone asks how it's coming along. You want to tell them that you're 90% finished with it. (something) is more or less 差不多, 基本上 (adjective) The expression "more or less" means "almost" or "basically". When you say that something is "more or less done", it means that it's basically finished. It might need a little more work to be perfectly finished, but it's finished enough. Some other examples of this expression are: more or less the same, more or less equal, more or less finished. You can also use "more or less" at the end of a sentence. For example, after explaining how to do a job to a new employee, you can say: That's it, more or less 大差不差吧. 9. Look, they're in season 应季 now. You bought some strawberries in the spring. They look really good. Now you're taking them out of the grocery bag, and you show them to your daughter. (something) is in season Each type of fruit and vegetable has a certain time of year when it becomes ripe and tastes the best. During that time, you can say that it's "in season". For example: I think pears are in season soon. You can also say that "It's ___ season": It's strawberry season. We should go pick some at the farm down the road. I just caught the tail end of it 只是看了个结尾. Your favorite soccer team played yesterday. You weren't able to watch most of the game, but saw the last few minutes. Now a coworker is asking you if you saw it. This is your answer. catch (a TV show) This is a casual way of describing watching a TV show. When you say "watch (a show)", it sounds neutral. When you say  "catch (a show)", it sounds as if the person wanted to watch it. You can also talk about "catching a show" when someone doesn't see all of it. For example: I caught the first few minutes of it, but then I had to leave. In addition to TV shows, you can "catch" things like: other people's conversations, live sporting events, concerts, songs on the radio. the tail end of (something) 结尾 The "tail end" of something means the last part of it. You can talk about the "tail end" of things like: TV shows, meetings, conversations, sentences, concerts. Compared to "the end", "the tail end" is more casual and conversational. 10. He's always jetting off 飞去 to exotic locations in far-off 遥远的 corners of the world. You have a cousin who's a famous photographer. He has a really glamorous job and travels a lot. You're telling a friend about him. jet off to (somewhere) "Jetting" means flying in an airplane. But "jetting off to ___" sounds like something that celebrities and super-rich businesspeople do. They met up in Paris, and then jetted off to Greece for a weekend getaway. an exotic location 异域风情的地方 When Americans talk about an "exotic location", they usually mean somwhere that's far away and hard to get to, but also really nice and expensive. Places that are thought of as "exotic locations" are: beautiful islands, large cities in Europe, Asia, or South America. Places that are residential like small towns are not usually called "exotic". far-off corners of the world This is an expression that means somewhere far away. Use this expression to talk places that are far away but you're not really sure where they are. For example: People from far-off corners of the world come here to study. (someone) is always (doing something) Say that someone "is always ___ing" when a person does something often, and you think it's too much. He's always texting me and asking me to go out with him. Gross! They're always asking me to join the team, but I've got absolutely no interest in playing softball. 11. Pull up a little closer 走近点, 靠近点. You're riding in the back seat of your friend's car. Your friend has stopped at an ATM machine so you can get some cash. The machine is too far away from the car, so you ask him to move the car closer to it. pull up (to something) To "pull up" to something means to get closer to it in a car. For example, you can "pull up" to: a mailbox, a person standing in a parking lot, the front of a store. We ask that all electronic devices be turned off and stowed 收起来, 放起来 at this time. You're on an airplane that's getting ready to take off. A flight attendant is making announcements. She says this, so you have to turn off your mobile phone. stow (something) The verb "stow" means "put". You "stow" something in a place when you want to keep or hide it. The word "stow" is especially used on boats and airplanes. We ask that (someone)(do something) This is a very formal way for a company or organization to ask a group of people to do something. It means "Please ___" but sounds a lot more respectful. Here are some examples: We ask that you refrain from talking during the presentation. We ask that you be patient while we work to address this problem. When you use this structure, the verb is in the simple form: We ask that you wait here. We ask that you be there at 6:00 a.m. Nelly, can you maybe shed a little light on this? You're in a meeting at work. You're leading a discussion about a project which isn't going well. You don't know what's wrong with the project, so you want to ask one of the people who's working on it. shed light on (a topic) The phrase "shed light on ___" means to explain or give information about something that people don't know much about. For example, if there's something broken in your house and you think that your children may have caused it, you can ask them: The lamp seems to be broken. Can anyone shed some light on what happened? News stories often use this expression in headlines. For example: Testimony sheds light on politician's shady dealings. This means that the things that people have said in court ("testimony") has shown some of the dishonest ("shady) things that the politician did. What are you meowing about? Your cat is making noises. You're wondering why. You ask her this. Use this expression when someone has an unusual expression or makes a strange noise. You ask this to find out the reason for the action. What are you smiling about? What are you frowning about? What are you barking about? (a cat) is meowing In English "Meow!" is how we describe the sound that a cat makes. You can turn "meow" into a verb by adding "-ing" to the end: Lucy is meowing. She must be hungry. The cow is mooing. The ducks are quacking. But it doesn't always work. For example, when a dog or a bear is angry, it makes this sound: Grr! But there's a special verb for making this sound, which is "growling [ɡraʊl] 怒吼". I have bags under my eyes 眼袋, don't I? You didn't sleep very much last night. Today you think that you look tired. You ask your friend to find out how bad you really look. (someone) has bags under (their) eyes When someone is tired, the area under their eyes starts to look a little bit darker and more swollen than usual. We call this "having bags under your eyes". Ooh, my leg's asleep 腿麻了, 腿失去知觉了. You've been watching a movie while laying on your sofa in a strange position. Now your leg feels strange and it's hard to move it. You say this to your girlfriend. (someone's) (body part) is asleep When part of your body like your arm, leg, hand, etc. is in a strange position for a while, it starts to feel tingly. It feels like someone is poking it with lots of little needles. You describe this situation by saying that the body part "is asleep": My foot's asleep! You can also say that the body part "went to sleep": My arm's gone to sleep. Can you move over for a minute? Can someone dim the lights? You're about to play a video clip in a presentation. The room is too bright, so you want someone who's standing near the switch to turn the lights down or off. dim the lights The word "dim" means "not bright". So the verb "dim ___" means to reduce the amount of light. You can "dim the lights" in a room, which means to make the room less bright. Sometimes lights have a switch that allows you to dim them without turning them off. If the lights only have an "on/off" switch, then "dimming" the lights means tuning them off. You can also dim things like a computer screen or TV. I'm still on the fence 拿不定主意, 举棋不定. You're trying to decide whether to take a new job or stay at your current job. Someone asks you what you're going to do. (someone) is on the fence When someone is supposed to choose between two things, but hasn't made a choice yet, you can describe them as "on the fence". Imagine that the two choices are areas that are separated by a fence, and someone is sitting on top of the fence between them. You can be "on the fence" about a life decision, such as where to go to college: She's still on the fence between Duke and Yale. Or you can use "on the fence" to talk about someone's opinions on important issues such as politics or religion: A: How do you feel about the war? B: You know, I'm kind of on the fence. The phrase "on the fence" doesn't really carry a positive or negative association, but some people don't like it when people are "on the fence" on important issues. They feel that people should clearly choose a side and stick with it. Other people think that it's important to understand both sides of an issue. The flowers are starting to bloom!You're looking outside of your window while you eat breakfast. It's spring, so there are some flowers now that weren't there before. You write a Facebook message about it. flowers are blooming Flowers start as little buds on a plant. Then they grow larger and open up to reveal the flower. This process is called "blooming". When a plant only has a few open flowers, you can say that it's "starting to bloom". After most of the flowers are fully opened, you can describe it as "in bloom": I see that your tulips are in bloom 盛开, 在开花, 花期 now. And when the flowers start to turn brown, dry up, and go away, you say that they're "wilting 凋落, 凋零, 凋谢 (wilt 发蔫, wither [ˈwɪðər] 干枯 then shrivel 凋落, 发皱, 枯萎, droop 耷拉脑袋)". whittle away 消耗掉, 浪费掉 To whittle away something or whittle away at it means to gradually make it smaller, weaker, or less effective. They have slowly whittled away the opposition. Their approach is to whittle away at the evidence to show reasonable doubt. whittle [ˈwɪt(ə)l] (wilting 凋落, 凋零, 凋谢. wilt 发蔫, wither [ˈwɪðər] 干枯 then shrivel 凋落, 发皱, 枯萎).) I. 木雕. 雕刻. carve (wood) into an object by repeatedly cutting small slices from it. "he was sitting at the tent door, whittling a piece of wood with a knife". "he sat whittling a piece of wood with a knife". If you whittle something from a piece of wood, you carve it by cutting pieces off the wood with a knife. He whittled a new handle for his ax. Chitty sat in his rocking-chair whittling wood. wriggle 七扭八扭的, 扭动着身子 twist and turn with quick writhing movements. to move, or to make something move, by twisting or turning quickly. He desperately tried to wriggle out of his shorts. wriggle out of (doing) something to avoid doing something by making excuses. Don't try and wriggle out of doing your homework. wiggle out of something 扭动着身体逃出来, 扭动着逃脱 I. Lit to get out of something or some place; to squirm out of something or some place. The kitten was able to wiggle out of the cage in which it had been put. The squirrel wiggled out of the trap we caught it in. II. Fig. to manage to get out of a job, the blame for something, or a responsibility. Don't try to wiggle out of your job! You are to blame and don't try to wiggle out of it! writhe [raɪð] ( 抽搐着, 扭动着, squirm蠕动着) to move by twisting and turning, especially when you feel a lot of pain. writhe in pain/agony 抽搐: He writhed in agony on the ground. wither [ˈwɪðər] I. wither away [intransitive] to become weaker or smaller and then disappear. They worry that honoured traditions will wither. Their love was withering away 爱情渐渐消失. II. 枯萎. 干枯. [intransitive] if plants or flowers wither, they become drier and start to die. You'll have to tell me more about it later. Your coworker went on a trip. You ask how it went, and she says that it was a lot of fun. You need to go to a meeting now, but you want to hear more details about the trip. You'll have to (do something) This is one way to ask a friend or acquaintance to do something social. For example: You'll have to come over and visit us sometime. You'll have to send me a copy of that. (When looking at a photo someone took). Use this expression for fun social things. Don't use it to talk about something that a person has to do for work or for large requests. When you pronounce this phrase, don't put stress on "have to". Put the main stress on 强调, 重音放在 the verb, and a little stress on "you". Darn, I don't have anything to peel it with! You brought an avocado to work to eat with your lunch. However, you didn't remember to bring a knife. You say this to yourself. Darn! People say this when they're frustrated or disappointed: Darn! My shirt ripped. I missed my bus. Darn! "Darn!" is a lighter version of the curse word "Damn!" People who don't like to curse can say "darn" instead. Or you can say "darn" if you're around young children, or want to sound polite. A: Can you write this down? B: I don't have anything to write with. This screw is coming loose, but I don't have anything to screw it in with. peel (a fruit or vegetable) "Peeling" a fruit or vegetable means taking the skin off of it, either with a knife or with your hands. I got a flat. You were late for work this morning because you had trouble with one of the tires on your car. You're explaining to your boss why you're late. (someone) got a flat When you're talking about cars and driving, a "flat" means a flat tire: a tire that the air has come out of. You can either say that someone "got a flat tire": I was on time, but then I had to stop because I got a flat tire. ...or you can just say that they "got a flat": Would you know how to change the tire if you got a flat? I can't put up with 受不了 their incessant 无休无止的 bickering 争吵, 吵闹不休. Your roommate and her boyfriend argue a lot. It's really annoying. You complain about it this way to a friend. I can't put up with their incessant bickering. incessant (something) 没完没了的 "Incessant" things are annoying events that keep happening over and over, without stopping. Here are the most common things that we describe as "incessant": incessant demands, incessant noise, incessant whining, incessant chatter. "Incessant" is a somewhat advanced vocabulary word. English speakers who don't read much or didn't learn a lot in school might not use it. bickering "Bickering" means arguing. When you describe an argument as "bickering", it sounds silly, unimportant, and annoying. For example: We used to bicker over which TV shows to watch. Now we each have our own separate TV. "Bickering" also happens between people who know each other well, like family members, couples, and roommates. Restricted area 禁区, 限制区: Do not enter 严禁出入, 不要进, 别进. You're in an airport. There's a closed door with a sign on it. The sign says this. a restricted area A "restricted area" is a place that the general public isn't allowed to enter. Most public buildings have "restricted areas" where only employees are allowed to enter, or only cleaning staff, only administrators, only security guards, and so on. There are also "restricted areas" at outdoor events like concerts and festivals. You know how you were talking about Coldplay coming to town? Well, ta-da! You bought concert tickets for you and your girlfriend. You want to surprise her a little, so you tell her about the tickets this way. You know how (someone) was talking about (a topic)? Well... Use this expression to continue talking about a topic of conversation that you or someone else was talking about earlier. The earlier topic could be from a few minutes ago, or even months ago: You know how Amanda was talking about going on a "caveman diet" a few months ago? Well, I read something about that this morning on the Internet. It actually seems really interesting. (a band or performer) is coming to town When a band, a singer, a comedian, etc. is going to perform near you, you can say that they're "coming to town": Have you heard that Lady Gaga is coming to town next weekend? One time last year, Russel Peters came to town and me and some friends went to see him. You use the word "town" even if you live in a large city. "Ta-da!" is the sound that a magician traditionally makes when he does a magic trick, like pulling a rabbit out of his hat. In modern days, people say this when they reveal a surprise, especially a happy surprise. For example, if you get dressed up really nicely, you can say "Ta-da!" when you show your clothes to your boyfriend or girlfriend. You can also say "Ta-da!" when you unexpectedly give a person something that they wanted: You know how you've been talking about wanting a new teapot? Well, ta-da! Did you know that in Brazil and Peru, voting is compulsory? You're talking with a friend about voting. She mentions that not many people vote in the U.S. You've heard of some countries that make all citizens vote. You share this fact with her. Did you know (clause)? Share interesting facts with other people using sentences starting with "Did you know...?" Did you know that peanuts are not technically nuts? When you share information this way, the listener understands that you think the information is interesting. When you ask "Did you know...?" in this way, the stress is usually on the word "you". (something) is compulsory 强制的 The word "compulsory" means "required". Talk about things that someone is required to do by law this way: In my country, military service is compulsory for all male citizens. Attendance is compulsory. I think they have a compulsory voting system there. The word "compulsory" is very legal-sounding. We don't use it much in daily conversation. I hope we can still be friends. You're breaking up with a guy that you've been dating for a few months. You like him, but you're not attracted to him romantically. You want to break up with him without hurting his feelings, so you say this. I hope (clause) English learners often confuse "I hope" and "I wish". Use "I hope" when there's a good chance that something might happen. One way it's used is to say what you want to happen in the future. For example: I hope we win tomorrow night. There's a good possibility that your team will be able to win. So you use "I hope..." "I wish" is used to talk about things you want that aren't true or very unlikely. So after your team loses the game, you say: I wish we'd won. Or, if your team is really bad and you don't think you're likely to win, you can say something like: I wish we'd win a few games. Another point about using "I hope" is that you follow it with the present tense of a verb, even when you're talking about the future. So you say: I hope we win. ...not "I hope we'll win.". OK, let me take attendance 点名, 查出席率 and then we'll get started. You're a middle school teacher. It's the beginning of class. You have to find out who's in class. You say this. (a teacher) takes attendance To "attend" something means to go to it. For example, you "attend" classes, meetings, and so on. In school, teachers sometimes "take attendance". This means that they write down who's in class and who's missing. They often do this at the beginning of class, before they start teaching. The dress code is business casual. You're organizing a networking event for a professional group that you belong to. You're sending an invitation to the members of your group. At the end of the invitation, you want to tell everyone how to dress. the dress code A "dress code" is a set of rules about how people are supposed to dress. For example, a dress code might require all men to wear a necktie, or might forbid people from wearing a hat. Schools sometimes have dress codes for their students; businesses have a dress code for their employees. Some places like clubs and golf courses also have a dress code. After everything I've done for you, you turn around and stab me in the back like this? You have a friend who you've helped out in the past. Now you find out that she's applied for a job that you were trying to get, without telling you. You feel betrayed, so you say this. After everything I've done for you, you (do something bad)? You can say this to someone who you've helped out a lot, when they do something like complain about you: A: You never take me out to eat. B: After everything I've done for you, you complain about me not taking you out to eat? I can't believe you. Or if someone lies to you: After everything I've done for you, you're going to sit here and lie right to my face!? This is a really emotional, dramatic expression. Use it when you feel really annoyed or angry with someone. (someone) turns around and (does something) This phrase describes a person doing something unexpected. For example: She gave it to him for free, and then he turns around and sells it for a thousand dollars. I saw her break it with my own eyes, and then she turned around and acted like she didn't know anything about it. It's often used for unexpected bad actions, but it can also introduce surprising positive things as well: He was shooting horribly until half time. Than in the second half, he turns around and scores 24 points. stab (someone) in the back "Stabbing someone in the back" means betraying them. In other words, you act friendly toward them but secretly do things to hurt them. We call a person who does this "a backstabber". She didn't even break a sweat. You played tennis against your mother-in-law. She's a really good player, so she beat you easily. Now you're telling your father-in-law what happened. This means that a person did something without sweating. I used to be able to run five miles without breaking a sweat. These days, though, I get tired a lot more easily. It can also mean doing something easily. For example: She can already solve complex math problems in her head without breaking a sweat. Sorry, the ink smeared (smudged) a little 涂抹, 墨水洇湿. You're giving a friend a gift for her baby shower. You wrote a note on a card, but you accidentally touched it while the ink was wet. You apologize for the messy writing when you give her the gift. (something) smeared When something like ink or paint gets wiped or spread around on a surface, you say that it "smeared". Other things that can "smear" include: makeup, toothpaste, sauces. Here's how "smear" fits in a sentence: I accidentally smeared the ink. My lipstick smeared. There's pasta sauce smeared all over your shirt! Another word with a similar meaning (but less common) is "smudged". No, I couldn't possibly. I'm so stuffed. You just ate a big meal at a friend's house. Your friend offers you some more food, but you're too full. You say this to refuse. I couldn't possibly! Say this when someone offers you something, and you want to politely refuse (or pretend to refuse). For example: A: Here, I want you to have this. B: Oh no, I couldn't possibly! A: No, take it. I insist! The sentence is a shortened version of "I couldn't possibly (accept that)!" It sounds quite formal. I'm stuffed! The phrase "I'm stuffed!" means that your stomach is very, very full. You can use this expression when you've eaten too much food. It's OK to use with anyone - friends, coworkers, clients, family, and so on. One word of warning: the phrase "Get stuffed!" is a rude expression that you say to someone that you're angry at. So it's probably not a good idea to tell other people that they should "get stuffed". Just use this expression to describe yourself when you're too full. Angelo is a real pleasure to work with. He's extremely meticulous 细心的. You hired a designer to make business cards for you from the website. He did a great job, so you're leaving a positive review. You write this on the review. (someone) is a pleasure to work with This is a set phrase that you can use to talk about someone that you like working with. You can write this about a coworker, a client, or an employer in places like recommendation letters. Another version that you might come across is: He is an absolute pleasure to work with. (someone) is meticulous Being "meticulous" means being very careful to do things the right way. It means paying attention to details. For example, a meticulous student might take lots of notes in class and then organize them at home. "Meticulous" is a positive word. A negative word to describe someone who pays attention to details is "fussy": She can be rather fussy about money.