口语学习: 1. 在外面 I'm out with my friends. I'm out for dinner. He's out working 出门办事, 在外边办事. They are out partying 没在家, 出门玩, 在外边玩. 而outside 指在什么地方的附近 (external to or near a room, building or place). I'm coming, I'm just outside 就在外边了, 在门外了. I'll just wait for you outside 在外面等. Let's eat outside(指在室外吃, 比如在后院, 比如picnic, 比如饭店的外边吃restaurant's outdoor space, 不是下馆子. 下馆子是 Let's eat out tonight. ). 在室外吃饭可以用al fresco: An alfresco activity, especially a meal, is one that takes place in the open air. ... an al fresco breakfast of fresh fruit. He came across the man shaving alfresco. an al fresco lunch on the patio. Most summer evenings we eat al fresco. 如果你说Where's Sam? She's outside, 更有可能她是在阳台, 后花园, 家门口, 或者是楼门口. 多穿衣服 (put on some extra layers): wrap up = wrap somebody/yourself up to put warm clothes on someone/yourself. It's bloody freezing today, you should put on some extra layers 多穿点. Markus has wrapped up warmly 穿得暖暖的 in a woolly hat. Kids just love being able to romp around in the fresh air without having to wrap up warm. I love crisp wintry days when you wrap up in cosy winter clothes. She told them to wrap up warm/warmly. wrap something up (informal) to complete something such as an agreement or a meeting in an acceptable way. If you wrap up something such as a job or an agreement, you complete it in a satisfactory way. Defense ministers wrap up their meeting in Brussels today. Seeing Sticht was keeping him from his golf game, and he hoped they could wrap it up quickly. That just about wraps it up for today. wrap up usually used as an order to tell someone to stop talking or causing trouble, etc. 不怕冷: I don't like the cold. I don't feel the cold. The cold never bothered me anyway. The cold doesn't bother me. I got my beer jacket (刚喝了啤酒, 身体发热), I don't feel the cold. 不觉得冷. It's chilly = nippy (a little bit cold) 天气凉凉的. 有点冷 (nippy, nips get stiff). 冷死了: fucking freezing, absolutely freezing. I'm freezing my balls/tits off. 辛苦了: I appreciate your effort. Thanks for your hard work. 不辛苦: No problem. It's nothing. Anytime. Don't mention it. It was nothing 没什么的, 不算什么的. 不要用外国人 foreigner, 类似于外地人, 有一种排斥感: 可以直接说国籍, 或者international students, overseas investors. 2. I'm back to China. I'm going back to China. I'm back in China, anyone fancy meeting up? I came back to China yesterday. I went back to China. I'm moving back China. I moved back to China 搬回去了, 搬家了. 欢迎去某个地方 - 欢迎你取中国: you should visit China. You are welcome to visit China. You are welcome to come to China. I hope you can visit China one day. I hope to see you in China. 没素质: trashy. This guy keeps shit posting about women online, he's so trashy. I hate people who litter, it's so trashy. Having class means: having good manners, being polite, showing humility. Someone with no class 没有素质. This trashy guy on tube kept playing videos out loud, he has absolutely no class. Someone is classy (可以是阴阳怪气的说法). No manners, bad manners, ill-mannered. You need to learn some manners. I'm gonna teach you some manners. uncultured, uncivilised, uneducated 没素质的. 喝咖啡不用drink: Let's have coffee. I want coffee now. I want a coke. Let's grab (表示causually) some coffee. If you are free, we should have coffee, if you are not, that's cool too. Fancy a coffee? Up for a coffee sometime? I left my phone in my room, I need to go grab it. OMG, He grabbed my purse. holding my coffee 拿着咖啡, 端着咖啡. Your hand looks heavy, let me hold it for you 帮你提着, 帮你拿着. 3. You are so white. 你太典型白人了. That's a white thing to do. You are so pale/pasty 病态的白, 苍白 (pale white) 不是褒义词. 夸人皮肤白: light-skinned, fair-skinned. You have such fair skin 皮肤好白. You have beautiful skin, you got such a wonderful complexion. Your skin is looking so radiant 闪闪发光, 熠熠生辉的, 光亮的 today. 压力很大: under a lot of stress/pressure. You are stressing me out. This diet is really stressing me out. You really know how to stress me out. I feel stressed when I'm going back home. I get so stressed when the deadline is coming close. I have a lot on my plate, I have a lot on my mind. 放松自己: relax oneself = jerking off. 最好不要用. 所以为避免误会, 可以说具体点: I'm going to listen some music to relax myself. I'm going to watch a movie to relax myself. I just can't relax. I need to relax by myself. I'm just chilling [out]. chillax 是耍酷用的. I'm gonna take it easy this time. What a weekend, I can't wait till the weekend to take it easy. 放松也可以说: put my feet up, 或者 let my hair down. 你先忙吧: I'll let you get on [with it]. I'll let you crack on with it. I'd better get on. 我先忙了, 开动起来. 我得开工了. I'll get out of your hair. 那我就不继续烦你了. 不打扰你了. I'll leave you to it. I'll leave you in peace 不麻烦你了. I'd better let you go. I'll let you go. I won't take up any more of your time. 这个较正式. 纠结: indecisive. torn between X and Y. Should I do A or B, I'm so torn 我好纠结. In two minds about something. I can't decide (make up my mind) between A and B. I'm caught between a rock and a hard place 左右为难(两个选择都很差, 都不想选). samesies (可爱的说法) = same 我也是 = ditto = likewise I hate people who act cute. Same. Just to check 想问一下: Sorry mate, just to check, have you paid for the tickets yet? humorous amusing 太正式了, 不用来指搞笑: funny, sense of humor. hilarious. He's a laugh. Are you having a laugh = are you fucking with me 你在逗我吗, 你在搞我吗? He's such a joker. He/That is jokes 很搞笑 如: His videos is such jokes. 但是 You are a joke 意思就不一样了. 4. The milk is off 发愁了, 发馊了. The biscuits are stale 饼干不脆了. This orange is moldy (长毛了). 不用刀切用手撕: You can easily break the pieces apart into florets 菜花 with your hands! Pull apart 掰下来 the cauliflower florets. Use your hands to divide up the cauliflower florets. If needed, use the knife to further chop. You can chop the core and leaves and cook them along with the florets. 买菜, 去超市: go grocery shopping. Do a food shop. Buy/get some groceries. Buy a few bits 买一点点. Go to the shop/grocery store. Supermarket只是特别大的超市. 一般的都叫shop, 美国说grocery store. 我去超市了: I'm going to the shop 或grocery store. I'm off to Coles. corner shop 小卖部. 绑鞋带: do up one's laces. shoe laces are untied, undone. stuffy 太闷了. 太憋闷了. shit is going down = shit's about to go down 大事不好了 What you say when you know something big and bad is happening. An expression used commonly to refer to a seemingly impending fight or confrontation that will usually result in someone or multiple persons getting the shit beat out of them. Often heard when one person insults another's mother or girlfriend and the man insulted enough is ready to flip. Dude, did you hear about Jamie cheating on Zach? Yeah, shit is going down! (the) shit hits the fan = the shit flies offensive When the shit hits the fan or when the shit flies, a situation suddenly causes a lot of trouble for someone: I don't want to be here when the shit hits the fan. hit the club/library/gym As you can tell, I never hit the gym. Hit me up 联系我 tonight when you get here.
"说吧, 问吧, 有话快说" 的说法: shoot. go ahead, fire away, ask away. I'm all ears. hit me ( hit me with it, give it to me ) I. (blackjack, slang) Said by a player to ask the dealer to deal them another card. In blackjack, a request for the dealer to give one another card. I was still pretty far from 21, so I said, "Hit me!" A: "A jack of spades and a two of hearts. That's 12." B: "Hit me." II. (slang) Give me a (usually alcoholic) beverage. III. fire away. Go ahead and ask me your question or tell me what you were going to say. A: "I've got the sales numbers back." B: "OK, hit me." A: "Well, it's not great." A: "Boss, could I ask you something?" B: "Sure, Tom. Hit me." Can I ask you a personal question? Talk to me, Kyle 问吧, 随便问, 说吧. hit someone with something I. to make someone do something or experience something that is unpleasant. They may decide to hit him with a lawsuit. II. 大胆说吧, 尽管说吧, 有话直说吧, 我承受的住, 有什么说什么. 放马过来吧 to tell someone something that is unpleasant or surprising. Come on, hit me with it – what happened? I am ready for the questions, hit me with them(bring it on). give it to somebody straight to tell someone something unpleasant directly and honestly. Just give it to me straight - how badly is he hurt? straight from the shoulder Fig. very direct, without attenuation or embellishment. Okay, I'll give it to you straight from the shoulder. Right straight from the shoulder: clean out your desk; you're through. straight from the shoulder (American) if you speak straight from the shoulder, you speak directly and honestly. I gave it to him straight from the shoulder. 'You're talking garbage,' I said. let me have it. 尽管说吧. 放心说吧. 向我开炮吧, 我承受的住. let someone have it I. (idiomatic) To attack someone with great force. At dawn we really let 'em have it with a 30 minute artillery barrage. II. (idiomatic) To verbally assail someone. When I came home, he let me have it for wrecking the car. let someone have it (with both barrels) Fig. to strike someone or attack someone verbally. (With both barrels intensifies the phrase; it alludes to firing a double-barreled shotgun.) I really let Tom have it with both barrels. I told him he had better not do that again if he knows what's good for him. Bob was really angry and let John have it—with both barrels. lay it on someone 说来听听, 说说看, 说出来吧 To tell; inform; clue: If you know it, please lay it on me. lay something on someone informal to tell or show something to someone, especially when you do not expect them to like it. Okay, I'm ready for the bad news. Lay it on me. II. British to provide something such as food, entertainment, or a service, especially without charging for it. lay it on [a bit] thick 添油加醋 (=lay it on with a trowel, pour/spread it on thick) informal Grossly exaggerate or overemphasize something. to make something such as your admiration for someone or their achievements seem greater or more important than they really are in order to impress someone. exaggerate, flatter, overdo it, lay it on with a trowel (informal), overpraise, soft-soap ( 奉承. 说好话. to be nice to someone when you want them to do something for you. To attempt to persuade by flattery or pleasing words. ). "Don't lay it on too thick, but make sure they are flattered.". There was some speculation that he might simply be laying the melodrama on thick for the benefit of the crowd, but I don't see it. Before she started publishing her guidebooks, the words in most botanical tomes were laid on with a trowel, leaving no room for illustrations. Occasionally, the tone can be too sentimental and some of the historic background is laid on with a trowel, but these are quibbles. Sally was laying it on thick when she said that Tom was the best singer she had ever heard. After Bob finished making his excuses, Sally said that he was pouring it on thick. Bob always spreads it on thick. give me You use give me to say that you would rather have one thing than another, especially when you have just mentioned the thing that you do not want. I've never had anything barbecued and I don't want it. Give me a good roast dinner any day.
用法学习: 1. in/of the order of around or about (a specified number) : approximately Meanwhile, app providers take a handsome per-session fee in the order of 5–12 per cent, depending on the provider. The government has spent in the order of ten million dollars on the project. He receives something of the order of 100 emails a day. festoon [festuːn] 挂着, 挂满 If something is festooned with, for example, lights, balloons, or flowers, large numbers of these things are hung from it or wrapped around it, especially in order to decorate it. to decorate a room or other place for a special occasion by hanging coloured paper, lights, flowers, etc. around it, especially in curves: be festooned with The hall was festooned with Christmas lights and holly. The temples are festooned with lights. ...a lamppost festooned in political stickers. ...huge columns wreathed with festoons of laurel and magnolia. Councils and campuses have been sold the trick, festooning parking signs with QR codes, "parking is changing" declarations, and discreet signals of outsourced responsibility. Home Institution 母校 Your Home Institution is the school where you are enrolled. Your Home Institution records your enrollment, issues credit & grades, provides financial aid services when applicable, collects tuition & fees, and is your institution of record. Encircled by EasyPark's magenta signs, the service's most recent adoptee is the University of Western Australia (the author's home institution). Their competitor CellOPark didn't get a look in 根本没有考虑, 看都没有看一眼, despite operating in the state for over a decade, including just down the road at Curtin University. A Teaching Institution is the school that you are taking a course from that is not your institution of record. The Teaching Institution is responsible for delivering instruction for the course you are enrolled in, and supplies your Home Institution with your grade upon completion of the course. 2. aggrieved [əgriːvd] 气急败坏的 adj If you feel aggrieved, you feel upset and angry because of the way in which you have been treated. unhappy and angry because of unfair treatment: He felt aggrieved at not being chosen for the team. One aggrieved customer complained that he still hadn't received the book he had ordered several weeks ago. I really feel aggrieved at this sort of thing. Every driver feels they deserve "rockstar" parking, ideally right at their destination, secure and free — and they're aggrieved if they can't have it. Behind the wheel, we assume a universal impatience, intolerance and entitlement. It simmers above the unspoken anxiety of not being able to park. shirtfront 硬碰硬对抗 Australian informal to violently knock into someone's chest, especially in sport. to behave in a threatening way to someone. to knock (a person) to the ground by striking him or her in the chest with one's shoulder Brogan shirtfronted him rather than playing the ball. Shortly after I joined the squadron, I was shirt fronted by a bad-tempered officer. Tony Abbott says he will "shirtfront" Vladimir Putin over the downing of MH17, claiming his conversation with the Russian president at the G20 would be "the toughest conversation of all". quibble to argue about, or say you disapprove of, something that is not important: There's no point quibbling about/over a couple of dollars. a complaint or criticism about something that is not very important: My only quibble is that the colour isn't very nice. dovetail 完美结合, 有机结合起来, 完美对接起来 If two things dovetail or if one thing dovetails with another, the two things fit together neatly or have some common characteristics. to cause something to fit exactly together: Their results dovetail nicely with ours. We tried to dovetail our plans with theirs. I'm
following up a few things that might dovetail. ...an attempt to look
for areas where U.S. interests can dovetail with Japanese concerns. It
is important that we dovetail our respective interests. The government should dovetail regional interests with those of the country as a whole. dovetail joint A dovetail or a dovetail joint is a joint used for fitting two pieces of wood tightly together. A dream sequence 一连串的梦似的
is a technique used in storytelling, particularly in television and
film, to set apart a brief interlude from the main story. The interlude
may consist of a flashback, a flashforward, a fantasy, a vision, a
dream, or some other element. He
rode the rest of it like a dream sequence, too, then confronted the
enormity of his glory in the expressions of those he respects. Plus a cringe-making dream sequence from which my toes have still not uncurled. Even if it was couched in a dream sequence, it was this element that would cause the greatest offence. a series of events in a film, television show, performance or book that are a dream experienced by one of the characters: There's a scene in the latest episode that's so bizarre I assumed it had to be a dream sequence. disquiet [dɪskwaɪət] 令人担忧, 焦虑 noun. Disquiet is a feeling of worry or anxiety. There is growing public disquiet about the cost of such policing. verb. If something disquiets you, it makes you feel anxious. This information disquieted him. He found her letter disquieting. The leader's decline in popularity is causing disquiet among supporters. 3. The phrase "crossing the Rubicon 没有回头路, 回不去了" is an idiom that means "passing a point of no return".
Its meaning comes from allusion to the crossing of the river Rubicon by
Julius Caesar in early January 49 BC. The exact date is unknown.
Scholars usually place it on the night of 10 and 11 January because of
the speeds at which messengers could travel at that time. It is often
asserted that Caesar's crossing of the river precipitated Caesar's civil
war; however, Caesar's forces had already crossed into Italy and
occupied Ariminum the previous day. To make an irrevocable decision; it
comes from the name of the river Julius Caesar crossed with his army,
thereby starting a civil war in Rome. If you say that someone has
crossed the Rubicon, you mean that they have reached a point where they
cannot change a decision or course of action. He's crossed the Rubicon with regard to the use of military force as an option. gregarious [grɪgeəriəs] 群居的 adj. I. Someone who is gregarious enjoys being with other people. She is such a gregarious and outgoing person. II. Gregarious animals or birds normally live in large groups. Snow geese are very gregarious birds. impugn [ɪm'pjuːn] 质疑
verb. If you impugn something such as someone's motives or integrity,
you imply that they are not entirely honest or honourable. to cause
people to doubt someone's character, qualities, or reputation by
criticizing them: Are you impugning my competence as a professional designer? The Secretary's letter questions my veracity and impugns my motives. All I can hope is that the good name of the Bank will not be impugned in some way. pugnacious [pʌɡˈneɪʃəs] 好斗的, 好争斗的, 好吵架的 ( belligerent [bɪ'lɪdʒərənt] )
adj. Someone who is pugnacious is always ready to quarrel or start a
fight. wanting to start an argument or fight, or expressing an argument
or opinion very forcefully: I found him pugnacious and arrogant. ...the pugnacious little Scouse striker who terrorised defences across the North West in a prolific playing career. vocabulary:
Pugnacious means ready for a fight. If you're pugnacious, you might
find it hard to make friends. On the other hand, you might be a very
successful professional boxer one day. Your brother is a pugnacious thug — always ready to use his fists to settle arguments, and he has the strength to do so.
That's the literal sense of pugnacious. You can use pugnacious
figuratively, too. When two candidates face off in a debate during a
close election, one or the other might be pugnacious. He looks to pick a fight with his opponent and is willing to say almost anything, no matter how outrageous, to make his opponent look bad. belligerent [bɪ'lɪdʒərənt] I. A belligerent person is hostile and aggressive. ...the
belligerent statements from both sides which have led to fears of war.
He was almost back to his belligerent mood of twelve months ago. 'Why
not?' he asked belligerently. He could be accused of passion, but never
belligerence. II. The belligerents 交战双方 in a war are the countries or groups that are fighting each other. The belligerents were due, once again, to try to settle their differences. 4. travel I. When light or sound from one place reaches another, you say that it travels to the other place. When sound travels 传播 through water, strange things can happen. Light travels at around 300,000,000 metres per second. II. When news becomes known by people in different places, you can say that it travels to them. News of his work traveled all the way to Asia. Seems like news travels 传得 pretty fast around here. noun. I. Someone's travels are the journeys that they make to places a long way from their home. He also collects things for the house on his travels abroad. travel well I. If goods such as food products travel well, they can be transported a long way without being damaged or their quality being spoiled. Ripe fruit does not travel well 不好运输, but unripe fruit can be transported worldwide. II. If you say that an idea, a method, or a style travels well, you mean that it can be appreciated or used by people in several different countries, and not just in the country where it began. That brand of humour generally travels well. The government is not traveling well in latest polls. rhetoric [retərɪk] 漂亮话. 无用的废话 I. disapproving clever language that sounds good but is not sincere or has no real meaning. If you refer to speech or writing as rhetoric, you disapprove of it
because it is intended to convince and impress people but may not be
sincere or honest. speech or writing intended to be effective and influence people: How far the president will be able to translate his campaign rhetoric into action remains to be seen. I was swayed by her rhetoric into donating all my savings to the charity. What is required is immediate action, not rhetoric. The harsh rhetoric had so soured officials that the two sides were barely speaking. In reply to the question, he just produced a lot of empty (= meaningless) rhetoric 废话. II. Rhetoric is the skill or art of using language effectively. ...the noble institutions of political life, such as political rhetoric and public service. 5. 性价比: App providers deserve payment as much as the next business. But parking apps strike deals that go beyond convenience, so we need to assess them fully and transparently. The NSW Department of Customer Service recently learned this when it was slammed by NSW's Auditor-General for dealings with Duncan Solutions (developer of Park'nPay). The auditor cited no evidence of "value for money" and a rushed procurement 采购 process. There are several key considerations. The first – parking apps generate honeypots of detailed information on people and their movements. This presents new privacy costs and risks. Second, we need proper "value for money" assessments to address how parking apps cut into public revenue without significantly reducing costs (parking inspectors still patrol, and digital meters still need maintenance). Councils and campuses must publicly justify the trade-off – money paid to app providers reduces budgets for building public amenities or supporting core business. In sum, there should be complete, public assessment of the financial, privacy, access and inclusion implications of adopting parking apps. To prevent underhanded dealing 黑幕交易, 背后交易, councils and campuses should also enable open competition between apps, as Mosman Council has done in Sydney. 6. run up If someone runs up bills or debts, they acquire them by buying a lot of things or borrowing money. The company ran up huge debts. She stayed two weeks at the hotel and ran up a bill that she couldn't pay. He ran up a £1,400 bill at the Britannia Adelphi Hotel. Many ran up huge debts as they spent millions to buy foreign players. run-up I. The run-up to an event is the period of time just before it. The issue of the monarchy is complicating politics in the run-up to the elections. The company believes the products will sell well in the run-up to Christmas. Lachie still hasn't repaid the $156.77 bill he ran up on Jemma's AmEx card. II. In sport, a run-up is the run made by a player or athlete, for example before throwing a ball or a javelin, or before jumping. When I began to compete again, I was struggling with my run-up 助跑. pick up the bill/tab = pick up the check to pay for what has been bought, especially a meal in a restaurant. cut loose to free or become freed from restraint, custody, anchorage, etc. to behave in an uncontrolled, wild way: Don't be too hard on them - they're just kids and they need to cut loose sometimes. You are dating a married man, your married man? That stuns me. Yes, I think he was just looking for a way to cut loose. spitfire 暴脾气的人 a person given to outbursts of spiteful temper and anger. a person with a fierce temper. a quick-tempered or highly emotional person. She's a spitfire.
mumbo jumbo VS babble VS riff: mumbo jumbo 胡言乱语 (gibberish) [informal, disapproval] If you describe ideas or words, especially religious or technical ones, as mumbo jumbo, you mean that they are nonsense. words or activities that seem complicated or mysterious but have no real meaning: You don't believe in horoscopes and all that mumbo jumbo, do you? It's all full of psychoanalytic mumbo-jumbo. A barrister whose son attends a prestigious Sydney boys' school set to go co-ed has labelled the reasoning offered to parents as "woke mumbo jumbo" at a protest held on the first day of class for 2024. babble verb. I. 叽叽呱呱. 叽叽喳喳说个不停. If someone babbles, they talk in a confused or excited way. to talk or say something in a quick, confused, excited, or silly way: The children babbled excitedly among themselves. She was babbling something about her ring being stolen. Momma babbled on and on about how he was ruining me. They all babbled simultaneously. 'Er, hello, viewers,' he babbled. II. 咕嘟咕嘟的冒泡. If a stream babbles, it makes a low murmuring or bubbling sound. (of a stream) to make the low, continuous noise of water flowing over stones: They rested a while by a babbling brook. ...a brook babbling in the distance. noun. You can refer to people's voices as a babble of sound when they are excited and confused, preventing you from understanding what they are saying. Kemp knocked loudly so as to be heard above the high babble of voices. They began to curse and shout in a babble of languages. To "riff off" typically means to engage in a musical or verbal improvisation based on a preexisting theme or idea. It is commonly used in the context of music or comedy, where performers or musicians build upon each other's ideas or melodies, creating a collaborative and spontaneous performance. Having been the anchor of the game show for three years, some might think Emdur would be riffing off fun facts and dominating any pub trivia that he enters. But he says "the sad part is I don't know what's happening". riff noun. I. in jazz or popular music, a tune that continues or appears regularly in a piece of music while other parts change or are added: The singer growled over acoustic guitar while his bandmates riffed on banjo, ukulele, and fiddle. The song is punctuated by long guitar riffs. II. something that is slightly different to the usual form: Pistachio-parmesan truffles are a fun riff on those nut-covered cheese balls your mum used to make. His ingenious 聪明的 riff on the original script delights and provokes. III. A riff is a short piece of speech or writing that develops a particular theme or idea. Rowe does a very clever riff on the nature of prejudice. verb. I. to speak for a long time on a particular subject, especially in a humorous way: He strutted and riffed on 滔滔不绝 topics from global warming to parenthood. II. If a rock or jazz musician riffs, they play riffs. He riffs like a jazzman. With strains of Grappelli, Reinhardt, and Menuhin, they riffed and improvised on their own compositions. III. If writers, performers, or artists riff , they develop a theme or idea, often in a clever or amusing way. To improvise in the performance or practice of an art, especially by expanding on or making novel use of traditional themes. Part one finds him riffing with the crowd, improvising 即兴创作 flights of fancy. There are only so many times you can riff on a single theme. He is justly famed for his ability to riff off anything that catches his attention. flight of fancy 异想天开, 脑洞大开, 凭空想象, 脑补, 天马行空的想象 An unrealistic idea or fantastic notion, a pipe dream. an idea that shows a lot of imagination but is not practical. An idea or statement that is very imaginative but complicated, silly, or impractical can be referred to as a flight of fancy. Cockburn engaged in a flight of fancy, never once allowing facts to get in the way. He was talking about cycling across the US or was that just another flight of fancy? She engaged in flights of fancy, such as owning a million-dollar house. This idiom uses flight in the sense of "a soaring of the imagination," a usage dating from the mid-1600s. flight: I. Flight is the action of flying, or the ability to fly. These hawks are magnificent in flight, soaring and circling for long periods. Supersonic flight could become a routine form of travel in the 21st century. II. A flight of birds is a group of them flying together. A flight of green parrots shot out of the cedar forest. III. Flight is the act of running away from a dangerous or unpleasant situation or place. Frank was in full flight when he reached them. The family was often in flight, hiding out in friends' houses. ...her hurried flight from the palace in a cart. IV. A flight of steps or stairs is a set of steps or stairs that lead from one level to another without changing direction. We walked in silence up a flight of stairs and down a long corridor. V. An episode of imaginative thinking or dreaming. a flight of fancy; a flight of the imagination. VI. a number of different types of wine, beer, etc. for tasting: Wine bar patrons can sample flights of wine. A wine flight is available to accompany the tasting menu at £ 35 per person. take flight If someone takes flight, they run away from an unpleasant situation or place. He was told of the raid and decided to take flight immediately. put someone to flight UK old-fashioned to defeat someone and force them to run away: The rebels were put to flight by the small regiment. the top flight the highest level in a job or sport: The Sheffield Eagles move down to the second division after two seasons in the top flight.highest in standard or quality: He's one of our top-flight 顶级的 engineers. a top flight lawyer/manager/architect. They are buying shares in top-flight businesses. capture/catch sb's imagination If you say that someone or something captured your imagination, you mean that you thought they were interesting or exciting when you saw them or heard them for the first time. For some reason the story captured/caught the imagination of the public (= made them very interested). Italian football captured the imagination of the nation last season. by any stretch of the imagination = by no stretch of the imagination = not by any stretch of the imagination If you say that something is not true or possible by any stretch of the imagination, you are emphasizing that it is completely untrue or absolutely impossible. We're not a great football side by any stretch of the imagination. By no stretch of the imagination could his speech be described as impersonal. stretch one's imagination 超乎想象 If you say that something stretches your imagination, you mean that it is good because it makes you think about things that you had not thought about before. Their films are exciting and really stretch the imagination. vivid imagination My younger son has a very vivid (= active) imagination. I can never make up stories - I have absolutely no imagination 没有想象力. the ability to think of new ideas: It's a job that needs someone with a bit of imagination. leave nothing to the imagination There's a sex scene in the film which apparently leaves nothing to the imagination (= shows sexual parts of the body very clearly). fancy verb. I. British If you fancy something, you want to have it or to do it. What do you fancy doing, anyway? Do you fancy going to see a movie sometime? I just fancied a drink. II. If you fancy someone, you feel attracted to them, especially in a sexual way. I think he thinks I fancy him or something. III. If you fancy yourself as a particular kind of person or fancy yourself doing a particular thing, you like the idea of being that kind of person or doing that thing. So you fancy yourself as the boss someday? I didn't fancy myself wearing a kilt. fancy yourself 自恋 UK disapproving to think you are very attractive or important: That Dave really fancies himself, doesn't he? You could tell by the way they strutted around how much they fancied themselves. Look at this photo from our teens. We really fancied ourselves, didn't we? At that time, he was dating a girl who really fancied herself. Chrissie's husband really fancies himself, doesn't he? IV. If you say that someone fancies themselves as a particular kind of person, you mean that they think, often wrongly, that they have the good qualities which that kind of person has. She fancies herself a bohemian. She knew Felix fancied himself as a connoisseur. ...a flighty young woman who really fancies herself. V. [British] If you say that you fancy a particular competitor or team in a competition, you think they will win. You have to fancy Bath because they are the most consistent team in England. I fancy England to win through. VI. If you fancy that something is the case, you think or suppose that it is so. When Ferris looked up he fancied that he saw a shadow pass close to the window. She fancied he was trying to hide a smile. noun. I. A fancy is a liking or desire for someone or something, especially one that does not last long. She did not suspect that his interest was just a passing fancy. II. A fancy is an idea that is unlikely, untrue, or imaginary. His last book is a bold, at times surrealistic mixture of fact and fancy. ...a childhood fancy. ...whims and fancies. III. You say 'fancy' or 'fancy that' when you want to express surprise or disapproval. It was very tasteless. Fancy talking like that so soon after his death. 'Fancy that!' smiled Conti. an expression of surprise: Fancy seeing you here! "They have eight children." "Fancy that (= how surprising)!" adj. I. If you describe something as fancy, you mean that it is special, unusual, or elaborate, for example because it has a lot of decoration. It was packaged in a fancy plastic case with attractive graphics. ...fancy jewellery. II. If you describe something as fancy, you mean that it is very expensive or of very high quality, and you often dislike it because of this. He owned a fancy house out on Lake Agaway. ...a fancy private school. fancy someone's chances to think that someone is likely to succeed: I don't fancy his chances of getting his novel published. passing fancy = fad something that you like very much for a short period: But for me, parachuting was no passing fancy. fanciful I. [disapproval] If you describe an idea as fanciful, you disapprove of it because you think it comes from someone's imagination, and is therefore unrealistic or unlikely to be true. not likely to succeed or happen in the real world: He has some fanciful notion about converting one room of his apartment into a gallery. ...fanciful ideas about Martian life. Designing silicon chips to mimic human organs sounds fanciful 不切实际的, 不显示的. II. If you describe the appearance of something as fanciful, you mean that it is unusual and elaborate rather than plain and simple. The economic gloom of the early 1980s was relieved by fanciful architecture.
