strife VS strive; Torah Scroll; discerning VS observant;

用法学习: 1. galore [gə'lɔːr] = in abundance adj. You use galore to emphasize that something you like exists in very large quantities. in great amounts or numbers: And to satisfy your sweet tooth, this café has desserts galore. You'll be able to win prizes galore. ...a popular resort with beaches galore. After the shipwreck there was whisky galore to be had for the taking. disenfranchise [ˌdɪs(ɪ)nˈfrantʃʌɪz] verb I. 剥夺投票权的. deprive (someone) of the right to vote. To disenfranchise a group of people means to take away their right to vote, or their right to vote for what they really want. Opponents say that the laws are a Republican ruse to disenfranchise entire groups of voters. ...the helplessness of disenfranchised minorities. "the law disenfranchised some 3,000 voters on the basis of a residence qualification". II. 剥夺权利的. 夺去特权的. deprive (someone) of a right or privilege. "we strongly oppose any measure which would disenfranchise people from access to legal advice". He tapped into cohorts of disenfranchised young men, who believed efforts for "gender quality" under the previous administration were giving women a free pass. President Yoon pledged to dismantle the Minister of Gender Equality, stating structural gender discrimination did not exist. over-egg 过分渲染, 夸大其词 (resume padding) overembellish or exaggerate (something). to make something seem larger, more important, better, or worse than it really is: Yes, there is a risk that the deal won't complete, but the market is over-egging it. Many celebrities' memoirs overegg their difficult childhoods in order to flatter their later achievements. "investors want to be clear that companies are not over-egging their results". She had already come under controversy for allegedly not paying taxes, manipulating stock prices, taking kickbacks for hosting art exhibitions and for over-egging her resume. padding 填充废话充数 unnecessary words or information added to a speech or piece of writing. unnecessary words or information added to something to make it seem longer or better: His presentation was interesting but there was too much padding.  Of the sonnet eleven of the lines are mere padding and say nothing. ...the kind of subject that politicians put in their speeches for a bit of padding.  It could have been an interesting essay, but there was too much padding. The first lady is no stranger to controversy – over the past few years, she has apologized for resumé-padding and has faced allegations ranging from academic plagiarism to stock manipulation, which the presidential office has repeatedly denied. over-egg the pudding I. to make something seem larger, more important, better, or worse than it really is: We all know insurance claimants who have over-egged the pudding to increase their payouts. It would be overegging the pudding to describe the system as universally popular. II. to spoil something by trying too hard to improve it. to try so hard to improve something that you spoil it, for example by making it seem exaggerated or extreme The movie obviously over-eggs the glowing childhood pudding with lots of cuddles, warm milk and snow pattering against the window panes. There are some great moments, but the writer tends to over-egg the pudding with metaphors and similes 比喻 when all she's describing is a group of women getting through the day. simile [ˈsɪmɪli, ˈsɪməli] 明喻, 比喻 ( analogy [əˈnalədʒi]  类比. metaphor 暗喻, 隐喻) A simile is an expression which describes a person or thing as being similar to someone or something else. For example, the sentences 'She runs like a deer' and 'He's as white as a sheet' contain similes. a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g. as brave as a lion ). What is the difference between a metaphor 暗喻, 隐喻 and a simile? 2. tamp If you tamp something, you press it down by tapping it several times so that it becomes flatter and more solid. Then I tamp down the soil with the back of a rake. Philpott tamped a wad of tobacco into his pipe. tamp down I. to pat or pack something down. Tamp the soil down over the seeds after you plant them. Please tamp down the soil firmly. II. to reduce the amount, level, size, or importance of something: As the price of gasoline rose above $3 a gallon, consumers cut their spending elsewhere, tamping down profits in retail, travel and other industries. The party retained power by boosting the economy and tamping down corruption. III. To suppress or demoralize someone. My ex-husband was always trying to tamp me down so that I would think I didn't deserve anything better in life. There will always be bullies who tamp you down for being different. IV. To limit, manage, or moderate someone. My doctor prescribed some medication to tamp me down when my food swings become too erratic. Whenever I get really stressed out or angry because of work, I always listen to classical music to help tamp me down. V. To lower or dampen something. The analyst is recommending that investors tamp down their expectations for the economy's performance. I don't want to tamp his hopes down, but I don't want him to end up disappointed, either. ask down 邀请到家里来, 邀请家访 to invite someone to come to one's home [for a visit]. To invite another person to one's home. I've been asked down to the MacLeods' farm this weekend. Haven't I asked you down to our new house before? I did ask Maureen down, but she's busy this weekend. She might be able to stop by during the week, though. Sam asked us down for Friday evening. Shall we go? We asked down some old friends for the evening. Note: (Usually said when someone must go to a lower level, travel south, down a hill, or into the country for the visit.) 3. jackpot 奖池 A jackpot is the most valuable prize in a game or lottery, especially when the game involves increasing the value of the prize until someone wins it. any large prize, kitty, or accumulated stake that may be won in gambling, such as a pool in poker that accumulates until the betting is opened with a pair of jacks or higher. the largest prize in a competition or game: The jackpot was over $1 million. A nurse won the £5 million jackpot. verb. (intransitive) Australian to accumulate 奖金累积 stake money in a prize fund. Powerball jackpots to $100 million, third highest prize this year. hit the jackpot 中奖, 中乐透 If you hit the jackpot, you have a great success, for example by winning a lot of money or having a piece of good luck. A prize pool is a collection of funds that is used to pay out the winnings in a lottery or other event. A large portion of the money from lottery tickets goes into the prize pool, which is then divided up among the different prize divisions. The larger the combination of winning numbers, the bigger the prize. unsecured I. 没有担保的. relating to a loan (= an amount of money that is lent) for which the person who has lent the money has no right to take property from the person who has borrowed it, if the money is not paid back: While we may request security for your loan, it can be unsecured. Total unsecured borrowing has increased by 60% over the past year. With an unsecured loan you do not offer your home as security and it is therefore a popular form of borrowing among consumers. II. 没有固定的. 没有弄紧的. not made secure or firm; not kept firmly in place. not made safe; not protected from danger or risk: According to the insurance company's report, the garage door had been left unsecured. III. 没有保障措施的. (of a creditor) having no security against a specific asset and with a claim inferior to those of secure creditors. An unsecured creditor is a creditor who does not have a security interest in the assets of a debtor. This means that if the debtor defaults on payment, the unsecured creditor has nothing to fall back on. The administrators' report lists 124 unsecured creditors, including customers, who are owed money from the company. The administrators say unsecured creditors may receive 19 cents for every dollar they're owed once Redflow's assets have been sold. IV. not protected against tapping or interception, as a telephone line or radio communication. notwithstanding I. preposition 尽管. 虽然. in spite of. If something is true notwithstanding something else, it is true in spite of that other thing. despite the fact or thing mentioned: Notwithstanding some members' objections, I think we must go ahead with the plan. Injuries notwithstanding, the team won the semifinal. He despised William Pitt, notwithstanding the similar views they both held. His relations with colleagues, differences of opinion notwithstanding, were unfailingly friendly. "notwithstanding the evidence, the consensus is that the jury will not reach a verdict". II. adv. nevertheless; in spite of this. 虽然是那么说. 尽管如此. 虽然如此. 即便如此. "I didn't like it. Notwithstanding, I remained calm". It's just the way the cookie crumbles. Notwithstanding it was a very bloody expensive cookie for me. wheels come/fall off 忽然就不行了, 猝死, 戛然而止 —used to say that someone or something fails in a sudden or unexpected way. Something failed, often after or amidst a laborious, tiring process. The coach said, "We were doing well for a while, but they got tired and then the wheels fell off". The pitcher was doing well for the first four innings, then the wheels fell off in the fifth. For the last several years, it felt like unless we could figure out a way to to raise a bigger chunk of money … eventually the wheels might fall off. demonstrable [dɪˈmɒnstrəbl] clearly apparent or capable of being logically proved. A demonstrable fact or quality can be shown to be true or to exist. The road safety programme is having a demonstrable effect on road users. Despite its demonstrable speed and safety, the boat failed to become popular. "the demonstrable injustices of racism". 4. Torah scroll ( torah [tɔrə] In the Jewish religion, the Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament of the Bible, regarded collectively. ...the first school for the study of the Torah. scroll [skroʊl] noun. I. 书卷 A scroll is a long roll of paper or a similar material with writing on it. a long roll of paper or similar material with usually official writing on it: The ancient Egyptians stored information on scrolls. Ancient scrolls were found in caves by the Dead Sea. II. A scroll is a painted or carved decoration made to look like a scroll. ...a handsome suite of chairs incised with Grecian scrolls. verb. If you scroll through text on a computer or phone screen, you move the text up or down to find the information that you need. I scrolled down to find 'United States of America'.) is a sacred handwritten copy of the Torah, the first five books of Moses, that is used in Jewish rituals and prayers. Torah scrolls are made from parchment ( parchment I. 羊皮. In former times, parchment was the skin of a sheep or goat that was used for writing on. the thin, dried skin of some animals that was used in the past for writing on, or a high-quality paper made to look like this: ancient parchment. He'd been ill for a long time, and his skin was like parchment. ...old manuscripts written on parchment. II. 牛皮纸. Parchment is a kind of thick yellowish paper. ...an old lamp with a parchment shade. Cover with a sheet of non-stick baking parchment. III. A parchment is a document written on parchment. parched [pɑːtʃt] adj I. 干旱的. dried out with heat. If something, especially the ground or a plant, is parched, it is very dry, because there has been no rain. parched earth/fields/corn. It was the height of summer and the land was parched and brown. The clouds gathered and showers poured down upon the parched earth. ...a hill of parched brown grass.  "the parched earth". II. informal 口渴的. extremely thirsty. If your mouth, throat, or lips are parched, they are unpleasantly dry. "I'm parched—I'll die without a drink". If you say that you are parched, you mean that you are very thirsty. III. lightly roasted. "parched corn". ) from a kosher animal, usually a cow, and are written in Hebrew by a trained scribe, or sofer. The scroll contains 304,805 letters that must be written precisely. The process of making a Torah scroll is complex and can take up to 18 months. The parchment is specially prepared, and the scribe uses a quill or other permitted writing utensil dipped in ink. Torah scrolls are kept in synagogues in special cabinets called arks. Torah scrolls are read from regularly during prayer services and on the Sabbath and holidays. Torah scrolls are so sacred that if one is accidentally dropped in the synagogue, the congregation must fast for 40 days. 5. shoulder season noun a travel season between peak and off-peak seasons, especially spring and fall, when fares tend to be relatively low. In the travel industry, a shoulder season is a period just before or after most people take their holidays. In Peru, the shoulder seasons are April–May and October–November. Main character syndrome 主角症候, 主角光环(主角 leading character, protagonist ) is a term used to describe a person who views themselves as the main character in their life, believing they are the most important person in most situations: They see their lives like a movie or book, focusing on their own experiences and feelings; They act according to the narrative of their plot, however they define it; They see everyone else as secondary, often a sidekick or a villain. While the term is popular on social media and in pop culture, it's not an actual medical diagnosis or psychiatric condition: It's a colloquial term that originated on social media platforms; It's similar to narcissism, but the two are not the same thing. Main character syndrome can be a warning sign for other mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). If you think you may be living with a mental health condition, you should speak to a psychiatrist or psychologist. 6. top flight noun. 顶级. the highest rank or level. The Sheffield Eagles move down to the second division after two seasons in the top flight. adj. 顶级的. 第一流的. of the highest rank or level. of superior or excellent quality; outstanding He's one of our top-flight engineers. "a top-flight batsman". high-flying adj. I. flying at a high altitude. "the remotely piloted, high-flying aircraft". II. 非常成功的. very successful, especially academically or in business. A high-flying person is successful or is likely to be successful in their career. ...a high-flying management consultant. a high-flying investment banker. "a high-flying, stressed-out Los Angeles tax attorney". A high-flying top Melbourne model who partied with A-list celebrities ended up homeless and in jail after party drugs wrecked her life and led to her downfall. The former private schoolgirl ended up at Melbourne's notorious Dame Phyllis Frost Centre women's prison after her party-drug addiction took a grip of her life. discernment [dɪˈsəːnm(ə)nt] 明辨是非 the ability to judge well. the ability to judge people and things well. Discernment is the ability to judge which things of a particular kind are good and which are bad. Over the years, I have learnt discernment, acceptance and patience (to a degree). ...their lack of discernment and acceptance of inferior quality.  It's clear that you are a person of discernment. "an astonishing lack of discernment". discern 辨别, 看得出来 verb. I. If you can discern something, you are aware of it and know what it is. to see, recognize, or understand something that is not clear. to be able to see, recognize, understand, or decide something: He could discern the note of urgency in their voices. The exhibit is arranged in no important order that the viewer can discern. I could just discern a figure in the darkness. It is difficult to discern any pattern in these figures. You need a long series of data to be able to discern such a trend. It was hard to discern why this was happening. II. If you can discern something, you can just see it, but not clearly. Below the bridge we could just discern a narrow, weedy ditch. discerning 明辨是非的, 看得出好赖的, 有眼力的 adj. having or showing good judgement. showing good judgment, especially about style and quality. If you describe someone as discerning, you mean that they are able to judge which things of a particular kind are good and which are bad. ...tailor-made holidays to suit the more discerning traveller. Her childhood passion for collecting has not dimmed, but now she is more discerning. a discerning customer. "the brasserie attracts discerning customers". observant ( alert, sharp-eyed, eagle-eyed, hawk-eyed, with eyes like a hawk, keen-eyed) adj. I. 眼尖的. 明察秋毫的. Someone who is observant pays a lot of attention to things and notices more about them than most people do. good or quick at noticing things: "That's a new dress, isn't it?" "Yes, you are observant!" That's a marvellous description, Mrs Drummond. You're unusually observant. An observant doctor can often detect depression from expression, posture, and movement. II. An observant follower of a religion performs all the duties that his or her religion requires. obeying religious rules or customs: As an observant Muslim, she wore a headscarf. ...a profoundly observant Islamic country. keen-eyed extremely observant. "an accident was averted by a keen-eyed officer". 7. on account of 因为, 鉴于, 原因或者理由, 由于...的原因: Owing to, because of the fact that. You use on account of to introduce the reason or explanation for something. The President declined to deliver the speech himself, on account of a sore throat. A newly-married couple, he thought, on account of their walking so close together. Penny: Okay. What do you watch on Thanksgiving? Sheldon: The parade. Penny: Oh, you know, that reminds me, I usually go back to Nebraska for thanksgiving, but this year they're calling it off on account of my brother's trial. Leonard: What's he on trial for? Penny: Oh, just a big misunderstanding. You know, you'd actually like my brother, he's kind of a chemist. Anyway, I was thinking I'd have thanksgiving here, and you are all invited. on that/this account 有鉴于此, 因而, 因此 You can use on that account or on this account when you want to say that something happens for the reason you have just mentioned. Wine is radioactive but few people stop drinking it on that account. on sb's account 为了某人, 因为某人 If something is said to be on someone's or something's account, it is because of that person or thing: I'm not very hungry, so please don't cook on my account (= don't cook just for me). They were tired, but not any less enthusiastic on that account.

strife VS strive: strife noun. I. 困境. 困局. violent or angry disagreement. angry disagreement or violent actions: What are the prospects for overcoming the strife between the Christian minority and Muslim majority? 20 years of civil strife have left the country's economy in ruins. Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages. The boardroom strife at the company is far from over. It remains a highly unstable and strife-torn country. civil/ethnic/political strife. At no point was there any hint that we were in financial strife?. He led the union through several years of labor strife. The killer reportedly wrote that he acted alone and that he was self-funded. 'To save you a lengthy investigation, I state plainly that I wasn't working with anyone,' Mangione said. 'These parasites had it coming. I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done.' II. 分歧. disagreements between groups of people: industrial/financial/political strife. boardroom/internal strife. strive 努力, 寻求, 致力于 If you strive to do something or strive for something, you make a great effort to do it or get it. to try very hard to do something or to make something happen, especially for a long time or against difficulties: Mr Roe has kindled expectations that he must now strive to live up to. In her writing she strove for a balance between innovation and familiar prose forms. He strives hard to keep himself very fit. She strove to read the name on the stone pillar. The region must now strive for economic development as well as peace. ...a politician consumed by his own passionate striving for leadership. strive after something to try very hard to obtain something. I am always striving after perfection. Ted was striving after a promotion and finally got it. strive against something to work against something. He worked hard, striving against failure at every turn. Things were difficult. I had to strive against quitting almost every day. strive for something to try to obtain or bring about something. I am striving for the best possible result. Mary strives for perfection in everything she does. strive to do something to try hard to do something. She strove very hard to do what she had set out to do. Please strive to do it as best you can. strive toward something to work toward a goal. DI always strive toward perfection. Mary strove toward doing her best at all times.

 Executives sucking up to Trump now have to factor in the 'first buddy': And in this bareknuckle 你死我活, 竞争白热化(Bareknuckle fighting is a sport in which two competitors fight by hitting each other with their hands, which are not protected by gloves (= thick hand coverings that are worn for protection): The men went to a bare-knuckle fighting club. He is a bare-knuckle campaigner who is not scared to take on any political opponent. A bareknuckle brawl broke out in the airport terminal.) world of corporate executive leadership, Zuckerberg and the like have little choice but to spin up some flattery and lay it on thick. Failing to do so risks upsetting a leader with a short fuse and the power to sink a company's stock or ignite a boycott with a single social media post. Trump also welcomed his faithful "first buddy" Elon Musk into his inner circle, where Musk appears to be relishing his role as a kind of gatekeeper for executives hoping to snag an audience with the president-elect, per the Wall Street Journal. (Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and the most prominent spokesman for the AI industry, is reportedly persona non grata around Mar-a-Lago because Musk "despises" him.)  The Musk factor adds a wrinkle ( add a new wrinkle To bring or contribute a new and often unexpected aspect, dimension, innovation, development, or stratagem (to something). If proven to be true, the discovery could add a new wrinkle to the way we think about the evolutionary process. Their new, and unorthodox, pitcher has added a new wrinkle to the team's offensive game. Well, this certainly adds a new wrinkle—no one foresaw that the experiment would yield a rubber-like substance. A clever device or expedient, a novelty, as in The players added a new wrinkle to victory celebrations by tossing their shirts to the crowd after the game.) to an already tricky diplomacy that Zuck, who has a history of beef with both men, would have had to engage in anyway. But zooming out 全局来看, 从大的方面看, 从大处着眼, it also reflects a broader shift in recent years in the way business leaders approach their job. If at one point it was cool to speak out on political issues — as many executives did during the first Trump administration and early in Joe Biden's term — the pendulum has swung fully back. The mood now: Bend the knee, or say nothing and pray no one notices. We can see that happening not only in the parade of tech CEOs tweeting fawning congratulations to Trump but more broadly in the wave of companies backtracking on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. To be sure, plenty of companies are still committed to DEI programs, and not all executives are morphing into insufferable suck-ups 拍马屁, 拍须溜马, 逢迎巴结. But now that Trump has locked up a second term, businesses feel less pressure to fake it till they make it on the DEI front. "Trump's election gives business leaders who were never committed to DEI an easy out," Shaun Harper, a professor of education and business at the University of Southern California, recently told my colleague Nathaniel Meyersohn. In other words, as the country embraces its strongman era, the idea of "stakeholder capitalism( Shareholders: Have partial ownership of a company because they've bought stock in it. Shareholders are always stakeholders, but not all stakeholders are shareholders. Stakeholders: Anyone who is impacted by a company's decisions, regardless of whether they own part of the company. Stakeholders can have an interest in a company's decisions, plans, and financial stability. Shareholder capitalism: Companies focus on maximizing profits, which can lead to short-term goals that don't align with the long-term interests of other stakeholders. Stakeholder capitalism: Companies consider the interests of multiple stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, and communities. Stakeholder capitalism is more focused on long-term management strategies that promote better business practices. )" — that companies should strive to be more than just profit machines — is losing its tug of war 角力 with the more traditional profit-at-all-costs model of "shareholder capitalism."

How a stowaway avoided identity and boarding pass checks on a flight from New York to Paris: A TSA spokesperson told CNN the woman first bypassed an airport terminal employee in charge of the security lane reserved for airline flight crews at JFK's Terminal 4 main checkpoint. It was at that point the woman skipped the station where her ID and boarding pass would have been checked, the spokesperson said. She then joined the line for standard TSA screening. It remains unclear how the woman was able to get past Delta gate agents at JFK. Delta has not said how the woman was able to board the plane once she made it past the TSA checkpoint. A review of JFK's security camera video shows the woman first blended in with a flight crew before the security screening, and later proceeded to the gate where she then placed herself in the middle of what appeared to be a family traveling together, according to a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. TSA Administrator David P. Pekoske, speaking at the American Association of Airport Executives Aviation Security Summit on Tuesday, said the agency occasionally has "a very, very small number" of people who skip the identity verification stage undetected. He suggested electronic gates might be a solution to making sure all passengers are screened. What's really important here is, now the world knows our security is once again – just like before 911 – extremely porous 筛子似的, 漏洞百出. The flight attendants are required to check the bathrooms. Some airlines lock the bathrooms but Delta doesn't require them to be locked on takeoff," Schiavo said. "The airlines that require that is obviously to stop this bathroom dodgeball (四处躲藏的人)." Pekoske added, "We don't use e-gates in our system, and that's a problem." Schiavo said bypassing the first identity verification station with its facial recognition technology was among the glaring mistakes committed that day. "She came in and she didn't have any facial recognition, and obviously they didn't check to see she was ticketed passenger because she wasn't," Schiavo said.

hard sell, hard to buy for; feel guilty VS feel guilt;

用法学习: 1. venomous [ˈvɛnəməs] adj. I. (of an animal, especially a snake) secreting venom, or capable of injecting venom by means of a bite or sting. A venomous snake, insect, etc., produces venom (= a poisonous liquid that can be put into another animal's body by biting or stinging): Possible hazards include mosquitoes, sandflies, and venomous snakes. The Florida cottonmouth snake, which is also known as the water moccasin, has venomous fangs. She found a highly venomous black widow spider in a bunch of grapes. "a leading expert on venomous snakes". II. (of a person or their behaviour) full of malice or spite. full of anger or hate: Ms Brown has launched a venomous attack against the newspaper. She was forced to delete the venomous posts on her blog. "the venomous tone of her voice". veinous [ˈveɪnəs] adj. I. having prominent or noticeable veins. "a veinous nose". II. I do a veinous draw once a month at the doctor's lab. III. having veins; veiny. veiny 血脉明显的, 脉络分明的, 血脉喷张的 I. having or showing veins. II. full of veins. said as of flesh, leaves, or marble. Bodybuilders are often considered to be some of the most veiny people because of their high muscle-to-fat ratio. The condition of having prominent veins is known as vascularity. venous [ˈviː.nəs] 静脉的 adj. of or relating to the veins: venous blood. the venous system. intravenous = IV [ˌɪn.trəˈviː.nəs] 进入静脉的 into or connected to a vein: intravenous feeding/fluids. an intravenous drip/injection. Intravenous drug users are at particular risk of contracting the disease. The antibiotic was given in a fluid intravenously. Intravenous foods or drugs are given to sick people through their veins, rather than their mouths. ...an intravenous drip. ...intravenous drug users. Premature babies have to be fed intravenously. vain I. [disapproval] verly proud of oneself, especially concerning appearance; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight reason. If you describe someone as vain, you are critical of their extreme pride in their own beauty, intelligence, or other good qualities. I think he is shallow, vain and untrustworthy. II. Having no real substance, value, or importance; empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying. III. Effecting no purpose; pointless, futile. A vain attempt or action 徒劳的, 徒劳无功的 is one that fails to achieve what was intended. The drafting committee worked through the night in a vain attempt to finish on schedule. I was singing in a vain effort to cheer him up. He hunted vainly through his pockets for a piece of paper. vain toil. a vain attempt. IV. Showy; ostentatious. V.vIf you describe a hope that something will happen as a vain hope, you mean that there is no chance of it happening. He glanced around in the vain hope that there were no witnesses. He then set out for Virginia for what he vainly hoped would be a peaceful retirement. in vain 白白的 If you do something in vain, you do not succeed in achieving what you intend. If you say that something such as someone's death, suffering, or effort was in vain, you mean that it was useless because it did not achieve anything. He wants the world to know his son did not die in vain. He stopped at the door, waiting in vain for her to acknowledge his presence. It became obvious that all her complaints were in vain. 2. mend your fences 修补关系 to try to be friendly again with someone after an argument. If one country tries to mend fences with another, it tries to end a disagreement or quarrel with the other country. You can also say that two countries mend fences. Washington was last night doing its best to mend fences with the Europeans, saying it understood their concerns. The two countries fought a border war a decade ago, but now they are mending fences. burn one's bridges 断掉退路, 断后路 If you burn your bridges, you do something which forces you to continue with a particular course of action, and makes it impossible for you to return to an earlier situation or relationship. heal the rift/breach 修补关系 make an unfriendly situation friendly again Only time will heal the rift/breach between the two families. mend the gap = bridge the gap 弥补差距 to improve or strengthen something, such as a relationship, through negotiation or conciliation. Fill the gaps 填补空缺 To add what is needed to something to make it complete. "He's trying to fill the gaps in his CD collection". Close the gap To reduce or eliminate a difference between two people, groups, or things. "We hope to close the gap between well-funded suburban schools and the struggling schools in poorer communities". Bridge the gap To make two groups, people, ideas, etc. less separate or less different. to make two groups, people, ideas, etc. less separate or less different: We must bridge the gap between employees and management. The company hopes that the merger will bridge the gap to the market leaders. They believe that the digital device bridges a gap in patient-doctor communication. "We must bridge the gap between employees and management". "It's time to mend your ways" means to change or improve one's behavior. build bridges promote friendly relations between groups. to improve relationships between people who are very different or do not like each other: A local charity is working to build bridges between different ethnic groups in the area. "the challenge for all politicians now is to build bridges between communities". "Mind the gap" = "watch the gap 小心间隙" is an audible or visual warning phrase issued to rail passengers to take caution while crossing the horizontal, and in some cases vertical, spatial gap between the train doorway and the station platform edge. 3. bottle blonde 后天金发女郎 adj. (of a person's hair) of a bright or light blonde shade produced by dyeing or bleaching. noun. a person with dyed or bleached blonde hair (typically used of a woman). "a bottle blonde who winks at the camera". famously If you get on or get along famously with someone, you are very friendly with each other and enjoy meeting and being together. extremely well: get along famously 相处融洽 We got along famously. I got on famously with Leary from the first time we met. I left her in the room with my mum and dad and my uncle and aunt and my sister and they got on famously. fugue [fjuːɡ] I. A fugue is a piece of music that begins with a simple tune which is then repeated by other voices or instrumental parts with small variations. Can you be original writing a fugue? a musical form consisting essentially of a theme repeated a fifth above or a fourth below the continuing first statement. II. a dreamlike altered state of consciousness, lasting from a few hours to several days, during which a person loses his or her memory of his or her previous life and often wanders away from home. A fugue state, also known as dissociative fugue or psychogenic fugue, is a rare psychiatric condition that causes a person to experience temporary memory loss and end up in an unexpected place. After the episode, prior memories return but there is amnesia for the fugue episode. Dissociative fugue ([fjuːɡ] FYOOG), formerly called a fugue state or psychogenic fugue, is a rare psychiatric phenomenon characterized by reversible amnesia for one's identity in conjunction with unexpected wandering or travel. This is sometimes accompanied by the establishment of a new identity and the inability to recall personal information prior to the presentation of symptoms. 4. egotistical [ˌɛɡəˈtɪstɪkl,ˌiːɡəˈtɪstɪkl] 自以为是的, 以自己为中心的 adj. I. excessively conceited or absorbed in oneself; self-centred. excessively conceited or boastful. excessively conceited or absorbed in oneself; self-centred. "he's selfish, egotistical, and arrogant". II. (of behaviour or actions) characteristic of an egotist; self-interested. The word egotistical is derived from egotist. thinking only about yourself and considering yourself better and more important than other people: Finding herself world-famous by the time she was 18 only encouraged the actress's egotism. egotism [ˈi·ɡəˌtɪz·əm] the tendency to think only about yourself and consider yourself better and more important than other people. boastful [boʊstfʊl] 爱吹嘘的, 爱吹牛的 [disapproval] adjective If someone is boastful, they talk too proudly about something that they have done or that they own. inclined to brag; boasting. having a tendency to praise yourself and what you have done I'm not being boastful. ...boastful predictions. upset the apple cart 掣肘, 坏人好事, 搅局 = tip/knock over the applecart, overturn the applecart, rock the applecart to cause trouble, especially by spoiling someone's plans. to disrupt a procedure, spoil someone's plans, etc. Spoil carefully laid plans. Now don't upset the applecart by revealing where we're going. This expression started out as upset the cart, used since Roman times to mean "spoil everything." If you upset the applecart, you do something which causes a plan, system, or arrangement to go wrong. They may also be friends of the chairman, so they are reluctant to upset the applecart. The state-run media is hardly likely to upset the applecart and criticize the government. He is not very happy with how things are but he doesn't want to upset the apple cart. The occasional unexplained event is hardly enough to overturn the applecart of science. "a hard sell (soft sell)" means something is difficult to get people to do or try. For example, a job in teaching may be a hard sell to young people. "Hard sell" can also refer to the act of trying to persuade someone to buy or do something in a forceful and annoying way. For example, "When I told him I didn't think the car was right for me, he tried the hard sell on me". a hard/tough sell = not an easy sell 难卖, 不好卖 something that it is difficult to persuade people to buy or accept This tax increase is going to be a hard sell to voters. a. a method of selling in which the person selling tries very hard to persuade the customer to buy something. the act of trying to persuade someone in a forceful and annoying way to buy or do something. A hard sell is a method of selling in which the salesperson puts a lot of pressure on someone to make them buy something. ...a double-glazing firm whose hard-sell techniques were exposed by a consumer programme. The big electrical retailers are singled out for the hard selling 强行推销 of unwanted extended warranties. b. aggressive high-pressure salesmanship. of or relating to an aggressive insistent technique of selling or advertising his hard sell approach. a double-glazing firm whose hard-sell techniques were exposed by a consumer programme. hard-selling He was known for his hard-selling business techniques. hard to buy for = impossible to buy for 难以取悦, 难买礼物: hard to choose gifts for. 5. bored silly = bored to distraction; bored stiff; bored to death; bored to tears Extremely bored to the point of distraction, frustration, or irritation. I was bored silly listening to that lecture this afternoon. We thought a week in a secluded cabin with no TV or Internet would make for some great family bonding, but we all became bored silly after a couple of days. A: "Sorry for dozing off, but I just get bored silly watching these old-timey movies." B: "Fine, go back to sleep then." very bored; extremely dull and uninteresting I was bored silly at the lecture. The dull speaker left me bored to distraction. I am bored to tears. Let's go home. go hard in the paint giving one's full effort. The "In the Paint" area is where players can score points from inside the key. it is the most active area on the court as most of the action occurs in this area. Originating in basketball, hard in the paint is a slang expression for giving one's full effort. Hard in the paint comes from basketball slang. In the sport, the paint, also called the key or free throw lane, refers to the rectangular lane underneath the hoop on a basketball court. It's often shaded or painted (as with team colors), hence the name, recorded since the 1980s. Because more shots are made closer to the net, the paint sees a lot of action in a game, so players going for baskets in the paint need to be aggressive in their efforts—or go hard, to use another slang phrase. To go hard in the paint spread from the court to youth slang for "to give it one's best" in the early 2000s, likely due to the role of basketball in youth culture. 篮球术语: Three-point line: A semi-circular arc that separates the two-point area from the three-point area. The distance to the three-point line varies by league. Key: The area from the baseline below the basket to the free throw line. In the NBA, the key is 16 feet wide. Block 罚球区: A spot on the lane line near the basket used to line up for free throws. There are two blocks near each basket. The painted area 禁区 the paint in basketball is the area between the free throw line and the two lane lines, also known as the 3-second area. It's usually a different color than the rest of the court. 足球术语: The penalty area 罚球区, 大禁区 or 18-yard box (also known less formally as the penalty box or simply box) is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends 18 yd (16 m) to each side of the goal and 18 yd (16 m) in front of it. If any part of the ball is over any part of a line demarking the penalty area then the ball is considered to be inside the penalty area. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot, which is 12 yd (11 m) from the goal line, directly in line with the centre of the goal. A penalty arc (often informally called "the D") adjoins the penalty area, and encloses the area within 10 yd (9.1 m) of the penalty spot. It does not form part of the penalty area and is only of relevance during the taking of a penalty kick, when any players inside the arc are adjudged to be encroaching. Within the penalty area is another smaller rectangular area called the goal area 球门区, 小禁区 (colloquially the "six-yard box"), which is delimited by two lines starting on the goal-line 6 yd (5.5 m) from the goalposts and extending 6 yd (5.5 m) into the pitch from the goal-line, and the line joining these. Goal kicks and any free kick by the defending team may be taken from anywhere in this area. Indirect free kicks 间接任意球 awarded to the attacking team within the goal area are taken from the point on the line parallel to the goal line (the "six-yard line") nearest where the infringement occurred; they cannot be taken any closer to the goal line. Similarly drop-balls that would otherwise occur closer to the goal line are taken on this line. Previously, penalty areas extended across the full width of the field; they were reduced to their current dimensions in 1901. 6. commensurate [kəˈmenʃərət] 相当的, 相匹配的, 相应的, 相配的 adj If the level of one thing is commensurate with another, the first level is in proportion to the second. Employees are paid salaries commensurate with those of teachers. Managers saw a commensurate fall in their revenues. As life expectancy continues to rise, the demand for care services expands commensurately. The gain will be commensurately modest. While the intelligence was effectively shared within the Intelligence Community (IC) and with key officials at the Department of State, it did not lead to a commensurate increase in security at Benghazi nor to a decision to close the American mission there, either of which would have been more than justified by the intelligence presented. The desire of the State Department to maintain a low profile in Benghazi has been cited as the reason why the State Department circumvented 绕过 their own Overseas Security Policy Board (OSPB) standards for diplomatic security. In the aftermath, Clinton sought to take responsibility for the security lapses at Benghazi and expressed personal regret. In her January 2013 testimony before Congress, Secretary Clinton claimed security decisions at the Benghazi compound had been made by others, stating, "The specific security requests pertaining to Benghazi ... were handled by the security professionals in the [State] Department. I didn't see those requests, I didn't approve them, I didn't deny them.". Even though you might see retail prices drop for these [alternative] milk products, you might not see a commensurate 相应的 drop in cafe prices. 7. puny 可怜的, 无力的, 软弱的 adj I. small; weak; not effective. small and weak, or not effective: Don't tell me you're afraid of that puny little kid. In 1981, computers were puny compared with today's machines. a puny little man. My car only has a puny little engine. The party's share of the vote rose from a puny 13 percent in the last election to 21 percent this time. Someone or something that is puny is very small or weak. ...a lanky, puny youth. The resources at the central banks' disposal are simply too puny. contrite [kəntraɪt] 悔过的, 忏悔的, 懊悔的 If you are contrite, you are very sorry because you have done something wrong. feeling very sorry and guilty for something bad that you have done: a contrite apology/expression. She was instantly contrite. 'Oh, I am sorry! You must forgive me.' The next day he'd be full of contrition, weeping and begging forgiveness. During her trial in April Truong My Lan, who had been chairwoman of the real estate firm, Van Thinh Phat Group, was sometimes defiant. But in the recent hearings for her appeal against the sentence she has been more contrite.

absolve VS exonerate VS acquit VS commute VS remit VS reprieve VS pardon: Biden Pardoned his son: "The Constitution provides the President with broad 宽泛的 authority to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States … but nowhere does the Constitution give the President the authority to rewrite history," Scarsi wrote. Hunter Biden pleaded guilty in September to nine tax offenses, stemming from $1.4 million in taxes that he didn't pay. He was also convicted by a jury in June of illegally buying and possessing a gun as a drug user. The president's pardon explicitly granted clemency for the tax and gun offenses from Hunter Biden's existing cases, plus any potential federal crimes he may have committed "from January 1, 2014 through December 1, 2024." The judge also rebuked the president for claiming his son was "singled out" for prosecution because of political reasons. Earlier this year, Scarsi rejected this exact argument from Hunter Biden, who wanted the indictment tossed on those grounds. (The judge in Hunter Biden's gun case also rejected the selective-prosecution theory.) Special counsel David Weiss, who brought the two federal cases, argued "termination" instead of "dismissal" was the appropriate way to end the case, saying that's how cases for other pardoned defendants were handled. Prosecutors in Weiss' office also wanted the indictments to survive as originally filed, instead of being formally dismissed. absolve [əbˈzɒlv] 赦免, 宽恕, 饶恕 (especially in religion or law) to free someone from guilt, blame, or responsibility for something: The report absolved her from/of all blame for the accident. The priest absolved him (of all his sins). If a report or investigation absolves someone from blame or responsibility, it formally states that he or she is not guilty or is not to blame. A police investigation yesterday absolved the police of all blame in the incident. ...the inquiry which absolved the soldiers. to officially remove guilt or responsibility for something wrong that someone has done or might have done: He was absolved of all wrongdoing. exonerate [ɪɡˈzɒn.ə.reɪt] to clear (someone) of blame or a criminal charge. to show or state that someone or something is not guilty of something. to show or state that someone or something is not to be blamed for something bad that happened: The police officer was exonerated by a grand jury, but the protests continued. The official report exonerated the school of any blame. exonerate someone from something The report exonerated the crew from all responsibility for the collision. We have proof which will completely exonerate him. I do not wholly exonerate her from blame. acquit I. to decide officially in a court of law that someone is not guilty of a particular crime. to decide officially in a law court that someone is not guilty of a particular crime: acquit someone of something She was acquitted of all the charges against her. acquit someone on something Five months ago he was acquitted on a shoplifting charge. She was acquitted. The jury acquitted him. II. to cause yourself to perform or behave in the stated way: She acquitted herself well, finishing second. acquit yourself 表现出色, 表现出人意表, 超出期待的表现好 to do better than expected in a difficult situation: I thought that he acquitted himself admirably in today's meeting. If Holmes acquits herself well in today's race, she may earn a place in the national team. The three starting forwards acquitted themselves quite well in last night's game. amnesty [ˈæm.nə.sti] I. a decision by a government that allows political prisoners to go free. a decision by a government to forgive people who have committed particular illegal acts or crimes, and not to punish them: The state has declared an amnesty for individuals who pay their outstanding back taxes. Most political prisoners were freed under the terms of the amnesty. II. 大赦期. a fixed period of time during which people are not punished for committing a particular crime: People who hand in illegal weapons will not be prosecuted during the amnesty. The government refused to declare an amnesty for people who had not paid the disputed tax. vocabulary: Amnesty can mean a pardon for a wrongdoing, or it can also signal a government's willingness to overlook something. Amnesty sounds a little like "amnesia," and that's because in its more specific sense amnesty means "forgetting." The government will essentially forget about whatever crime was committed, or whatever horrible things were said. As part of a truce, amnesty can be granted to opposition forces in civil disputes. Amnesty to illegal aliens means the government will deliberately overlook their illegal entry to the country. There can also be a period of amnesty when people can turn in something that they would otherwise get in trouble for. "The city offered a period of amnesty for everyone to turn in illegal guns". reprieve [rɪˈpriːv] I. 延缓. an official order that stops or delays the punishment, especially by death, of a prisoner: The warden notified Shaw of his reprieve. He was sentenced to death but was granted a last-minute reprieve. If someone who has been sentenced in a court is reprieved, their punishment is officially delayed or cancelled. Fourteen people on death row for murder have been reprieved. A man awaiting death by lethal injection has been saved by a last minute reprieve. II. an escape from a bad situation or experience. to provide something or someone with an escape from a bad situation or experience, especially to delay or stop plans to close or end something: The threatened hospitals could now be reprieved. The injection provided a temporary reprieve 暂时的缓解 from the pain. A reprieve is a delay before a very unpleasant or difficult situation which may or may not take place. It looked as though the college would have to shut, but this week it was given a reprieve 得以续命, 一线生机. free pardon UK (Royal pardon) (US: pardon) an occasion when someone who has committed a crime is officially forgiven: The new government is to grant a free pardon to all political prisoners. commutation [ˌkɒmjʊˈteɪʃən] 减刑 I. the act of changing a punishment to one that is less severe. the act of replacing a punishment with a less severe one: The committee also examined factors a governor might consider for commutation of death sentences. Another 12 commutation requests were denied. His execution became certain when the state board refused his request for commutation. II. the act of changing a financial agreement so that someone receives the whole of an amount of money immediately instead of receiving it at a later time in a series of smaller payments: Unless the policyholders are in need of short-term cash, there is no benefit to them in these commutations. III. the act of travelling regularly between your home and the place where you work: They have developed an electric car for safe and sustainable commutation on city roads. Join our Mail & Ride program to receive your monthly commutation ticket automatically by mail. commute I. to make the same journey regularly between work and home. He commuted every day, back and forth, an hour and 20 minutes each way. Debbie works for an investment bank and is presently commuting between Paris and Luxemburg. Duffy has commuted from Windsor to London for the past seven years. It's exhausting commuting from Brighton to London every day. II. to change one thing into another: People used to believe that you could commute base metals into gold. III. to exchange one type of payment for a different type: I think I'll commute my life insurance into an annuity. IV. to change a punishment to one that is less severe. to exchange one type of payment or investment for another type: Pensioners who commute their pension for a lump sum sometimes face huge losses. Her sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment. noun. I. a regular journey between work and home: It's at least an hour's commute to work. The commute is not too bad – just over an hour. The 5:30 train is always packed with commuters. a 90 minute/50km/30 mile commute Every morning during his 85-mile commute he has plenty of time to think about the day ahead. a daily/weekly commute Cutting out the daily commute is the most obvious attraction of teleworking. a long/short commute The survey provides evidence that low-paid workers are forced to endure long commutes into the capital. commute VS remission: commute 轻判, 改判, 减刑 (和remission不同) I. to travel regularly to and from work. I commute by train. II. transitive ​legal to change a punishment to one that is less severe. If a death sentence or prison sentence is commuted to a less serious punishment, it is changed to that punishment. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Prison sentences have been commuted. Enrico Forti is trying to have his sentence commuted. His sentence has been commuted to one of life imprisonment. remission [rɪˈmɪʃ(ə)n] (remittence 病症消失, remitment 减刑, remittal 减刑) I. ​medical (=remittence) a period of time when an illness or disease becomes less severe. An abatement or lessening of the manifestations of a disease; a period where the symptoms of a disease are absent. Her cancer was in remission. in remission: Her sister's cancer is in remission. II. the process by which someone is allowed not to pay money that they owe. Scholarship students will receive full remission of their tuition fees. III. (= remitment) mainly British 减刑 (和commute的减刑不同). the reduction of a prison sentence because the prisoner has behaved well. A reduction or cancellation of the penalty for a criminal offence; in particular, the reduction of a prison sentence as a recognition of the prisoner's good behaviour. IV. An act of remitting, returning, or sending back. a. (law) A referral of a case back to another (especially a lower or inferior) court of law; a remand, a remittal. be (released) on license 假释 ​legal to be freed from prison early under certain conditions. It is also known as being on parole. The pair were released on license having served 5 years of a 10-year sentence. remit ['riːmɪt] noun [British] Someone's remit is the area of activity which they are expected to deal with, or which they have authority to deal with. That issue is not within the remit of the working group. The centre has a remit to advise Asian businesses and entrepreneurs. Someone's remit is the area of activity which they are expected to deal with, or which they have authority to deal with. That issue is not within the remit of the working group. The centre has a remit to advise Asian businesses and entrepreneurs. remit [ri'mɪt] verb I. 汇款. If you remit money to someone, you send it to them. Many immigrants regularly remit money to their families. II. In an appeal court, if a case is remitted to 打回重审, 发回重审 the court where it was originally dealt with, it is sent back to be dealt with there. The matter was remitted to the justices for a rehearing. unremitting [ˌʌnrɪˈmɪtɪŋ] 一刻也不消停的, 不停歇的, 无休无止的, 不曾减轻的, 不见好转的, 没有好转迹象的 continuing for a long time without stopping or ever getting better. Something that is unremitting continues without stopping or becoming less intense. I was sent to boarding school, where I spent six years of unremitting misery. He watched her with unremitting attention. The weather was unremittingly awful. unremitting pain​/​opposition​/​hostility.

feel guilty 觉得做错了事 VS feel guilt 觉得遗憾, 觉得悔恨, 觉得做得不够, 没有做好: Generally when we are talking about our own feelings, we use the adjective. The noun form is more often used when talking about others, often in the past (even though the adjective would also work): He felt a lot of guilt after he broke up with his girlfriend. Strangely enough, they didn't seem to feel much anger after the attack. However, the first sentence could be written as 'I feel the guilt' to give it a proper shape taking into account the context of the question. The crucial point of reference is ‘I'. I feel the guilt or I feel guilty or deep regret or for a wrong I committed. It's equivalent to a feeling of contrition, repentance, penitence, self-condemnation. Realising that you have done something wrong… is FEELING THE GUILT… BUT if you blame yourself and continue to do so… that is what is called FEELING GUILTY. "To have that loss of Tori and Katrina, I'll never lose that," Baird said, referring to the two hostages who were tragically killed during the siege. "It's just impossible not to feel guilt." 

The Big Bang Theory: Dr Hofstadter: I can't help but notice how her unconditional love for you is diametrically opposed to my own parenting strategies. Sheldon: Well, you doled out affection as a reward for achievement, a proven way to raise a child. Or train a rat. Dr Hofstadter: But look how well you turned out. Sheldon: I'd feign modesty at this point, but who would believe me? Still, you need to consider how successful Leonard's brother and sister are. Dr Hofstadter: I suppose. Sheldon: While my brother and sister are mouth-breathing idiots. Dr Hofstadter: Do you suppose you would've flourished more in a reward-based environment? Sheldon: Perhaps. But my mom made me spaghetti with chopped-up hot dogs whenever I wanted, so who cares? Leonard: Not once did my mother ever give me any love or affection for just being myself, I always had to earn it. Mrs Cooper: Oh, Leonard, I'm sure she loves you very much. In her own cold godless way. Penny: Yeah, and you certainly don't have to earn my love. Leonard: Thank you. Penny: Of course, you already knew that when you bought me this princess-cut drill bit. Leonard: That's not what it is. Penny: I know, I know. Zzzzzzzz. Mrs Cooper: When your mom gets back, I'm gonna need to apologize for the way I spoke to her. Penny: Well, come on now, she did kind of start it. Mrs Cooper: Doesn't matter, a good Christian would've turned the other cheek. On the other hand, a good Texan would've shot her, so, I just kind of split the difference 折衷 ( I. take the average of two proposed amounts. If you split the difference, you agree on a number or amount that is exactly in the middle of the difference between two other numbers or amounts. If you split the difference with someone, you agree on an amount or price which is halfway between two suggested amounts or prices. Shall we split the difference and say $7,500? I suggested that we split the difference between his current salary and what we had initially offered for the job. I wanted £50 for the table and she offered £30, so we agreed to split the difference. Can't you simply split the difference between the amount the two sides want? Casinos wanted higher spending limits than anti-gambling groups, so the regulators decided to split the difference. If she offers you less than you want, you could offer to split the difference. II. to accept that you will reduce your demands or change your opinion in order to reach an agreement with someone. She is always trying to split the difference and please everyone. His strategy is to defeat political adversaries rather than split the difference with them. ). Hey, who's in the mood for spaghetti and hot dogs?

unfazed VS unperturbed VS unflustered; tank a game, throw a game, sandbagging.

用法学习: 1. unfettered [ʌnˈfɛtəd] 不受束缚的, 不受约束的, 不收禁锢的, 不受控的, 随心所欲的, 没有牵绊的, 毫无保留的, 无拘无束的 adj. unrestrained or uninhibited. "unfettered artistic genius". If you describe something as unfettered, you mean that it is not controlled or limited by anyone or anything. not limited by rules or any other controlling influence: Poets are unfettered by the normal rules of sentence structure. ...unfettered free trade. Unfettered by the bounds of reality, my imagination flourished. He demanded unfettered access to a new nuclear facility. fetter [fetər] verb. [literary, disapproval] If you say that you are fettered by something, you dislike it because it prevents you from behaving or moving in a free and natural way. to keep someone within limits or stop them from making progress: fettered by He felt fettered 绑住, 束缚住 by a nine-to-five office existence. ...a private trust which would not be fettered by bureaucracy. The black mud fettered her movements. noun. I. [literary, disapproval] You can use fetters to refer to things such as rules, traditions, or responsibilities that you dislike because they prevent you from behaving in the way you want. ...the fetters of social convention. II. Especially in former times, fetters were chains for a prisoner's feet. He saw a boy in fetters in the dungeons. fete [feɪt] noun. A fete is an event that is usually held outdoors and includes competitions, entertainments, and the selling of used and home-made goods. a public event, often held outside, where you can take part in competitions and buy small things and food, often organized to collect money for a particular purpose: a summer fete. village fete. They're holding the village fete on the green. verb. If someone is feted, they are celebrated, welcomed, or admired by the public. to praise or welcome someone publicly because of their achievements: She was feted by audiences both in her own country and abroad. Anouska Hempel, the British dress designer, was feted in New York this week at a spectacular dinner. The metamorphosis from anxious wife to feted author was rapid and dramatic. 2. posse [pɒsi] I. A posse of people is a group of people with the same job or purpose. a group of people who have come together for the same purpose: The disgraced minister walked swiftly from the car to his house pursued by a whole posse of reporters. ...a posse of reporters. A posse of Marsh's friends persuaded them that this was a bad idea. a slang term that refers to a group of friends or people with a common interest. For example, you might refer to a group of friends who go to garage sales together as "your posse". II. In former times, in the United States, a posse was a group of men who were brought together by the local law officer to help him chase and capture a criminal. in the past, a group of men in the US who were brought together to catch a criminal: In a lot of old westerns, the sheriff gathers a posse to chase the bad guy. The sheriff rounded up a posse and went after the bank robbers. III. a group of friends: I was hanging with my posse. possie [ˈpɒzi] noun informal Australian I. a place or position. A position or place, especially one that is advantageous. "the bridge will provide a good fishing possie 好位置". II. a job. inter [ɪnˈtəː] 埋身于, 埋葬于, 葬在 place (a corpse) in a grave or tomb, typically with funeral rites. When a dead person is interred, they are buried. ...the spot where his bones were originally interred. "he was interred with the military honours due to him". be interred in Many of the soldiers were interred in unmarked graves. interment [ɪnˈtəːm(ə)nt] 埋葬 the burial of a corpse in a grave or tomb, typically with funeral rites. "the day of interment". acceptance I. general agreement that something is satisfactory or right, or that someone should be included in a group: gain acceptance The idea rapidly gained acceptance (= became approved of) in political circles. The party marked his acceptance into the community. If there is acceptance of an idea, most people believe or agree that it is true. ...a theory that is steadily gaining acceptance. There was a general acceptance that the defence budget would shrink. The ransom note appears to echo film dialog. The films Ruthless People, Ransom, Escape from New York, Speed and Dirty Harry have acceptance as sources. II. Your acceptance of a situation, especially an unpleasant or difficult one, is an attitude or feeling that you cannot change it and that you must get used to it. Their acceptance of the system will probably determine its long-term fate. ...his calm acceptance of whatever comes his way. III. If there is acceptance of a new product, people start to like it and get used to it. Customer acceptance of this technology has been outstanding. Avant-garde music to this day has not found general public acceptance. IV. Acceptance of someone into a group means beginning to think of them as part of the group and to act in a friendly way towards them. ...an effort to ensure that people with disabilities achieve real acceptance. V. Acceptance of an offer or a proposal is the act of saying yes to it or agreeing to it. The Party is being degraded by its acceptance of secret donations. I sent them more than 6,000 cartoons before I had my one and only acceptance by them. Several shareholders have withdrawn earlier acceptances of the offer. ...a letter of acceptance. ...his acceptance speech 获奖感言, 领奖演讲 for the Nobel Peace Prize. attaché [ætæʃeɪ] I. An attaché is a member of staff in an embassy, usually with a special responsibility for something. a specialist attached to a diplomatic mission military attaché. He was working as a cultural attaché in Warsaw. a diplomatic official attached to an embassy or legation, esp. in a technical capacity a commercial attaché. a cultural attaché. II. a military officer who is assigned to a diplomatic post in a foreign country in order to gather military information. an air attaché. an army attaché. a naval attaché. attaché case 公文包, 随身包 An attaché case is a flat case for holding documents. 3. Ransom Note from JonBennet Case: You stand a 99% chance of killing your daughter if you try to outsmart us 耍小聪明. Follow our instructions and you stand a 100% chance of getting her back. You and your family are under constant scrutiny as well as the authorities. Don't try to grow a brain 耍聪明 John. You are not the only fat cat 有权势的人, 有钱有势的人 ( a wealthy and powerful person, especially a business person or politician. "a fat-cat developer". someone who has a lot of money, especially someone in charge of a company who has the power to increase their own pay: The report criticized boardroom fat cats who award themselves huge pay increases. fat cat bosses/directors.  ) around so don't think that killing will be difficult. Don't underestimate us John. Use that good southern common sense of yours. It is up to you now John! garrote [gə'rɒt] verb 勒死. to kill someone by putting a metal wire or collar around their neck and pulling it. If someone is garroted, they are killed by having something such as a piece of wire or cord pulled tightly around their neck. The two guards had been garroted. The autopsy report stated that JonBenét's official cause of death was "asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma". noun. A garrote is a piece of wire or cord used to garrote someone. 4. high chair 婴儿座椅 a chair with long legs for a baby or small child, fitted with a tray that is used like a table at mealtimes. 4. Hut: 圆形的那种茅草屋. igloo: 雪地里那种 a temporary shelter or hunting-ground dwelling made from blocks of snow, and is also known as a snow house or snow hut. Teepee 圆锥帐篷, 类似于看瓜用的帐篷: A tipi or tepee ([ˈtiːpi] TEE-pee) is a conical lodge tent that is distinguished from other conical tents by the smoke flaps at the top of the structure, and historically made of animal hides or pelts or, in more recent generations, of canvas stretched on a framework of wooden poles. Shack: a roughly built hut or cabin. A shack (or, in some areas, shanty) is a type of small shelter or dwelling, often primitive or rudimentary in design and construction. Unlike huts, shacks are constructed by hand using available materials; however, whereas huts are usually rural and made of natural materials (mud, rocks, sticks, etc.) shacks are generally composed of scavenged man-made materials like abandoned construction debris, repurposed consumer waste and other useful discarded objects that can be quickly acquired at little or no cost and fashioned into a small dwelling. verb. move in or live with someone as a lover. "they won't believe I've shacked up with someone so good-looking". caravan. Flat 公寓. Duplex. cottage a small house, usually in the countryside: country cottage They live in an idyllic country cottage, with roses around the door. thatched cottage a small house, usually in the countryside, with a roof that is made from straw (= dried stems of crops) or reeds (= the hollow stems of tall, stiff plants that grow near water): There was a row of whitewashed thatched cottages on one side of the main street. He moved from London to live in a thatched cottage in the Cotswolds. beach cottage We rented a little beach cottage on the North Carolina coast. detached house 独栋的房子. plank house: 木板搭起来的房子. 5. unperturbed [ʌnpəˈtəːbd] (unruffled) not perturbed or concerned. not worried about something, especially when this is slightly surprising: He seemed completely unperturbed at the idea of having to sing in a room full of strangers. "Kenneth seems unperturbed by the news". not disturbed or troubled unperturbed by the prospect of a fight. complex 心理问题, 情节, 心结 noun. I. a particular anxiety or unconscious fear that a person has, especially as a result of an unpleasant experience that they have had in the past or because they have a low opinion of their own worth. a group of attitudes and feelings that influence a person’s behavior, often in a negative way: an inferiority complex. I think he's got a complex about being bald. Don't go on about her weight - you'll give her a complex! II. a group of buildings that are related, or a large building having different parts: an apartment complex for elderly people. adj. I. involving a lot of different but related parts: a complex molecule/carbohydrate. a complex network of roads. a complex procedure. The company has a complex organizational structure. II. difficult to understand or find an answer to because of having many different parts: It's a very complex issue to which there is no straightforward answer. The film's plot was so complex that I couldn't follow it. complexity [kəmˈplek·sɪ·tti] Complexity is the state of having many different parts connected or related to each other in a complicated way. ...a diplomatic tangle of great complexity. ...the increasing complexity of modern weapon systems. You must understand the variety and complexity of tasks assigned to the police. 6. cabotage[ˈkæbəˌtɑːʒ or ˈkæbətɪdʒ] 国内航线, 第5航权 I. coastal navigation or shipping, esp within the borders of one country. II. reservation to a country's carriers of its internal traffic, esp air traffic. the transport of goods or people within a country's borders: They argued that cabotage rights should be granted to European carriers within the US. III. a set of laws made by a government of a country to prevent or limit the transport of goods or people within the country's borders by foreign vehicles, ships, or aircraft: As in many other countries, cabotage policies restrict domestic air transport services to US carriers. She also said the NT government was open to exploring the prospect of cabotage – the concept of further opening up domestic Australian routes to international carriers. Mr Gosling said the federal government was also looking into possible solutions, including "calling out anti-competitive behaviour" by the airlines and possibly trialling cabotage in the territory. wiki: Cabotage rights are the right of a company from one country to trade in another country. In aviation, it is the right to operate within the domestic borders of another country, particularly to carry passengers and cargo from one point in the other country directly to another point in the same country. Most countries do not permit aviation cabotage, and there are strict sanctions against it, for reasons of economic protectionism, national security, or public safety. One notable exception is the European Union, whose member states all grant cabotage rights to each other. 7. attenuation [əˌtɛnjʊˈeɪʃən] I. the act of attenuating or the state of being attenuated.the process of making something less or weaker: The airport has undertaken a noise attenuation programme. The drug plays a role in the attenuation of inflammation. "The black spots are usually in areas that are full of obstacles, causing signal attenuation," Professor Tran said. II. the loss of energy suffered by radiation as it passes through matter, esp as a result of absorption or scattering. III. the process or fact of making something longer and thinner: the graceful attenuation of a Modigliani sculpture. attenuate [ə'tenjueɪt] 衰减, 减弱, 变弱 verb I. To attenuate something means to reduce it or weaken it. to make something less or weaker: Radiation from the sun is attenuated by the earth's atmosphere. They propose more peacekeeping troops to attenuate the violence. You could never eliminate risk, but preparation and training could attenuate it. Theirs had been an increasingly attenuated relationship. II. to make something longer and thinner: The artist has attenuated the limbs. descend I. If you descend or if you descend a staircase 向下走, you move downwards from a higher to a lower level. Things are cooler and more damp as we descend to the cellar. She descended one flight of stairs. II. When a mood or atmosphere descends on a place or on the people there 降临, it affects them by spreading among them. An uneasy calm descended on the area. A reverent hush descended on the multitude. III. If a large group of people arrive to see you, especially if their visit is unexpected or causes you a lot of work, you can say that they have descended on 从天而降 you. 3,000 city officials descended on Capitol Hill to lobby for more money. Curious tourists and reporters from around the globe are descending upon the peaceful villages. IV. When night, dusk, or darkness descends 夜幕降临, it starts to get dark. Darkness has now descended and the moon and stars shine hazily in the clear sky. V. [disapproval] If you say that someone descends to behaviour which you consider unacceptable, you are expressing your disapproval of the fact that they do it. We're not going to descend to 屈尊, 堕落 such methods. She's got too much dignity to descend to writing anonymous letters. VI. When you want to emphasize that the situation that someone is entering is very bad, you can say that they are descending into that situation. He was ultimately overthrown and the country descended into chaos. descent into something a change in someone's behaviour, or in a situation, from good to bad: It is a novel about a great man's descent into madness. Without outside intervention, the country's descent into chaos will continue. 'I think it was absolutely disgraceful. It was totalitarian, it was descent into an Orwellian dystopia,' he said. descend into something to gradually get into a bad state. If a situation descends into a particular state, it becomes worse: The demonstrations in the capital rapidly descended into anarchy. The country was descending into chaos. descend on somewhere If a state such as darkness or silence descends on a place, it happens quickly in every part of it: Silence descended on 笼罩 the room. The glittering neon signs make a welcome sight as dusk descends on the plains. 8. bring/call something to mind 想到, 让人想起 Remember, recall. to remember something: I can see his face, but I just can't bring his name to mind. I've tried but I can't call his name to mind. If something brings another thing to mind or calls another thing to mind, it makes you think of that other thing, usually because it is similar in some way. That brings to mind a wonderful poem by Riokin. The fate of many British designers calls to mind the fable of the tortoise and the hare. When people think of royals and podcasts, they likely call to mind Meghan Markle's Archetypes - or Queen Camilla's audio book club the Reading Room. 8. autocracy [ɔːˈtɒkrəsi] I. a system of government by one person with absolute power. Autocracy is government or control by one person who has complete power. Many poor countries are abandoning autocracy. II. a state or society governed by one person with absolute power. An autocracy is a country or organization that is ruled by one person who has complete power. She ceded all power to her son-in-law who now runs the country as an autocracy. "the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was an autocracy". III. domineering rule or control. "a boss who shifts between autocracy and consultation". theocracy [θɪˈɒkrəsi] 神权政治 I. a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god. "his ambition is to lead a worldwide theocracy". II. the commonwealth of Israel from the time of Moses until the election of Saul as king. Theocracy is a form of autocracy or oligarchy in which one or more deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries who manage the government's daily affairs. In an ecclesiocracy, the religious leaders assume a leading role in the state, but do not claim that they are instruments of divine revelation. A related phenomenon is a secular government co-existing with a state religion or delegating some aspects of civil law to religious communities. For example, in Israel, marriage is governed by officially recognized religious bodies who each provide marriage services for their respected adherents, yet no form of civil marriage (free of religion) exists, nor marriage by non-recognized minority religions. Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production 生产力, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and social theories and movements associated with the implementation of such systems. Social ownership can take various forms, including public, community, collective, cooperative, or employee. As one of the main ideologies on the political spectrum, socialism is considered as the standard left-wing ideology in most countries. Types of socialism vary based on the role of markets and planning in resource allocation, and the structure of management in organizations. Socialist systems divide into non-market and market forms. A non-market socialist system seeks to eliminate the perceived inefficiencies, irrationalities, unpredictability, and crises that socialists traditionally associate with capital accumulation and the profit system. Market socialism retains the use of monetary prices, factor markets and sometimes the profit motive. The socialist political movement includes political philosophies that originated in the revolutionary movements of the mid-to-late 18th century and out of concern for the social problems that socialists associated with capitalism. By the late 19th century, after the work of Karl Marx and his collaborator Friedrich Engels, socialism had come to signify anti-capitalism and advocacy for a post-capitalist system based on some form of social ownership of the means of production. By the early 1920s, communism and social democracy had become the two dominant political tendencies within the international socialist movement, with socialism itself becoming the most influential secular movement of the 20th century. Many socialists also adopted the causes of other social movements, such as feminism, environmentalism, and progressivism. 9. An affair partner (AP) 婚外情人 is someone who is involved in a romantic relationship with someone other than their spouse or partner. Winged monkeys are fictional characters that first appeared in the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by the American author L. Frank Baum. They are described as jungle monkeys with bird-like feathered wings. They are playful, intelligent, and speak English. They are initially under the control of the Wicked Witch of the West, but are later controlled by the protagonist, Dorothy Gale. They lift Dorothy and fly her to two distant locations. The now widely used but inaccurate term flying monkey 打手, 帮凶 has been adopted in psychology, referring to someone who performs enabling work on behalf of an abusive person. It does not really fit with the depiction in the book, where the avian simians are under the magic spell of the Golden Cap, and must obey its wearer. The erroneous term flying monkey has been used in psychology to refer to enablers of an abusive person, such as a narcissist or a sociopath. It particularly indicates someone who does work on the behalf of the abuser, as the Winged monkeys do for the witch in the original book. The abuser will typically use family, friends, or coworkers who are loyal and/or subservient to them as flying monkeys to subvert or attack their intended targets. The flying monkey may act as a courier of information between parties, or as someone who pleads the case on behalf of the abuser. The flying monkeys themselves might buy into the abuser's false personality, might be too afraid of the abuser to stand up to them, or may themselves suffer from a mental disorder that the abuser exploits, such as having narcissistic or sociopathic tendencies themselves. "Flying monkeys" is a term used in psychology to describe people who carry out the work of an abusive person, such as a narcissist or sociopath. The term comes from The Wizard of Oz, where the Wicked Witch of the West uses flying monkeys to do her bidding ( do sb's bidding 唯命是从, 唯马首是瞻 [formal, disapproval] If you say that someone does another person's bidding, you disapprove of the fact that they do exactly what the other person asks them to do, even when they do not want to. To do what someone else wants or has requested, to the point of servitude. I hate how my mother always wants me to do her bidding—I refuse to do what she wants any longer! I can always get Tom to do my bidding, which is great when I'm faced with something I don't want to do! I'll just make my little brother do it. What are younger siblings for, if not to do your bidding? She is very clever at getting people to do her bidding! at someone's bidding 让...做, 在...的命令下, 在...的要求下 You do something at someone's bidding if they have asked or told you to do it: At my grandmother's bidding, I wore my best dress. She was here in Venice at his bidding. Was that not enough? What made these people do such things, and at his bidding? She expects us to drop everything we're doing and come running at her bidding. At her bidding, I called all the guests and asked them to arrive half an hour earlier. ). 10. fall on your feet = land on your feet 转危为安, 安全着陆, 毫发无损 to find yourself in a good situation, which you think is the result of luck and not your own efforts. to emerge unexpectedly well from a difficult situation. to get into a good situation because you are lucky, especially after being in a difficult situation Don't worry about Nina, she always falls on her feet. He has fallen on his feet with a new career set to earn him a fortune. at someone's feet 在脚下, 踩在脚下 I. close to someone's feet His dog was lying at his feet. II. sometimes used figuratively to suggest easy success. He was young and fearless, and he felt the world was at his feet. She was very attractive and claimed that men fell at her feet. have the world at your feet 拜服在脚下 to be extremely successful and admired by a large number of people: Five years after her debut, the diminutive star of the Royal Ballet has the world at her feet. fall at (one's) feet 跪在脚下, 跪在面前 To lay before someone in reverence or submission. In my dream, I fell at Mother Mary's feet, weeping. That world leader still expects everyone to fall at his feet, in spite of all the atrocious actions he's taken. I know I could advance my career by falling at Philip's feet, but I refuse because he's such a boor. fall over one's feet To hasten. 11. sth will take some beating 无与伦比, 难以匹敌, 完成的非常好, 做的非常好, 难以超越, 难更好了 informal British be difficult to surpass or defeat. If you say that something will take some beating, you mean that it is very good and it is unlikely that anything better will be done or made. be difficult to surpass or defeat. if something or someone will take some beating, it will be difficult for anyone or anything to be or do better. Raikkonen has 42 points, which will take some beating.  Florida takes some beating as a vacation destination. "last year's £2.3 million record will take some beating". For sheer scale and grandeur, Leeds Castle in Kent takes some beating. bring sth to bear on sb 拿...来对付, 用...来对付, 应对 I. to bring into operation or effect. If you bring something to bear on a situation, you use it to deal with that situation. to use something, for example your power, authority, or your knowledge, in a way that will have a big effect on something or someone The full force of the law was brought to bear on anyone who criticized the government. British scientists have brought computer science to bear on this problem. he brought his knowledge to bear on the situation. bring something to bear 瞄准. 对准 To aim a weapon at a target. The battleship brought her main guns to bear on the fort. to bring pressure to bear on someone = to bring influence to bear on someone To apply; to employ something to achieve an intended effect. Every possible pressure was brought to bear on the minister to ensure the unjust law was not passed. 12. say one's piece = speak one's piece 说出自己的心意, 说出心里话, 说你要说的, 说出自己的心声, 发言 to say what one wants to say : to express one's opinions or ideas You will all be given a chance to say your piece at the meeting tonight. Just say your piece and then go. If you say your piece, you say everything you want to say about a particular matter without being interrupted, although people may be wanting to express opposing views. I'll answer your questions when I've said my piece. Say what one thinks, or what one usually says or is expected to say. All right, you've spoken your piece; now let someone else have a turn. Note: The piece in this expression alludes to a memorized poem or speech of the kind recited in a classroom. sequestered = sequestrated adj. (of a place) isolated and hidden away. If someone is sequestered somewhere, they are isolated from other people. This jury is expected to be sequestered for at least two months. "a wild sequestered spot". verb. to take temporary possession of someone's property until they have paid money that is owed or until they have obeyed a court order. A "thrown game" 故意输的比赛 is a game that is intentionally lost, often when a team has already qualified for the next stage of competition or is being eliminated. Games that are deliberately lost are sometimes called "thrown games", especially when a team has nothing to play for (either having already qualified for the next stage of competition or is arithmetically unable to qualify for the next stage of the competition, or is in the process of being eliminated.). To throw a game = throw a match/game/fight 打假比赛 is to lose a game that was already won. to deliberately lose a fight or sports game that you could have won. He was allegedly offered £20,000 to throw the match 打假球. throw a/the game To lose some competitive game intentionally, especially in order to take advantage of the bets placed on one's odds of winning. Don't you think it's suspicious that they were totally dominating throughout the first three quarters, then they suddenly went to pieces and lost? I'm convinced that they threw the game. A: "You want us to throw the championship game?" B: "You'll each stand to make a million dollars if you do." wiki: In organized sports, match fixing (also known as game fixing, race fixing, throwing, or more generally sports fixing) is the act of playing or officiating a contest with the intention of achieving a predetermined result, violating the rules of the game and often the law. There are many reasons why match fixing might take place, including receiving bribes from bookmakers or sports bettors, and blackmail. Competitors may also intentionally perform poorly to gain a future advantage, such as a better draft pick or to face an easier opponent in a later round of competition. A player might also play poorly to rig a handicap system. Games that are deliberately lost are sometimes called "thrown games", especially when a team has nothing to play for (either having already qualified for the next stage of competition or is arithmetically unable to qualify for the next stage of the competition, or is in the process of being eliminated.) In contrast, when a team intentionally loses a game or does not score as high as it can, to obtain a perceived future competitive advantage, the team is often said to have "tanked ( go in the tank to lose (a game, match, etc.) deliberately or due to a lack of effort. )" the game instead of having thrown it. In sports where a handicap ( noun. I. A handicap is a physical or mental disability. He lost his leg when he was ten, but learnt to overcome his handicap 残疾, 残废. II. 弱势. A handicap is an event or situation that places you at a disadvantage and makes it harder for you to do something. She was away from school for 15 weeks, a handicap she could have done without. Being a foreigner was not a handicap. III. 让棋. 让手. 让着. In golf, a handicap is an advantage given to someone who is not a good player, in order to make the players more equal. As you improve, your handicap gets lower. I see your handicap is down from 16 to 12. IV. In horse racing, a handicap is a race in which some competitors are given a disadvantage of extra weight in an attempt to give everyone an equal chance of winning. verb. If an event or a situation handicaps someone or something, it places them at a disadvantage. Greater levels of stress may seriously handicap some students. We felt our system was handicapping some of the good players we have.  ) or ranking system exists and is capable of being abused (including sports such as racing, grappling and golf), tanking is known as "sandbagging 不展示实力(hiding the strength, skill or difficulty of something or someone early in an engagement. Sandbagging in golf and other games, deliberately playing below one's actual ability in order to fool opponents into accepting higher stakes bets, or to lower one's competitive rating in order to play in a future event with a higher handicap and consequently have a better chance to win. )". Hustling 扮猪吃老虎 (hustle I. If you hustle 推, 催促 someone, you try to make them go somewhere or do something quickly, for example by pulling or pushing them along. The guards hustled Harry out of the car. There was no opportunity to ask anything more as the guards hustled us away. II. If you hustle, you go somewhere or do something as quickly as you can. You'll have to hustle if you're to get home for supper. He hustled straight up the aircraft steps without looking round or waving goodbye. They had finished the exam and the teacher was hustling to get the papers gathered up. III. If someone hustles, they try to earn money or gain an advantage from a situation, often by using dishonest or illegal means. We're expected to hustle and fight for what we want. I hustled some tickets from a magazine and off we went. to try to persuade someone, especially to buy something, often illegally: to hustle for business/customers. They made a living hustling stolen goods on the streets. noun. I. Hustle 熙熙攘攘 is busy, noisy activity. Shell Cottage provides the perfect retreat from the hustle and bustle of London. She waited until they were beyond the hustle of the Washington Saturday night traffic. II. energetic action: The team showed a lot of determination and hustle. ), where a player disguises his abilities until he can play for large amounts of money, is a common practice in many cue sports, such as nine-ball pool. 13. Trump's win: Donald Trump can claim a lot out of his 2024 election win: It's a comeback for the ages ( one for the ages Something that will be remembered or regarded for years to come; that which will stand the test of time. Especially memorable and noteworthy; deserving to endure for a very long time. His epic novel is truly one for the ages, as it explores the human condition in a way few authors have achieved before. The philosophical question of free will remains one for the ages. "Comeback for the ages" is an expression used to describe a remarkable comeback, especially one that will be remembered for a long time. For example, you might describe a sports game as a "comeback for the ages" if a team makes a remarkable comeback from a bad loss. Team USA have produced a comeback for the ages against Serbia to book their place in the gold medal contest. It was a comeback for the ages. People will be talking about that game, but especially how the Patriots came back from losing so badly to win. That was one for the ages; it will be remembered for a long time. You can say a party was one for the ages, if it was especially memorable. A comeback is when someone or something returns to success after a period of failure or inactivity. For example, you might describe an actor's return to Broadway after years of making mediocre movies as a comeback. ) for a president to go from a pariah after trying to overturn one election to president-elect after the next. A rightward shift in election results gives him a mandate to start trying to remake the US government like he promised he would. If Republicans win control of the US House of Representatives, he'll have control of the entire US government to help him enact change. What Trump cannot claim is a landslide victory (sweeping victory, decisive win)(Trump will return to the White House early next year after a decisive win in the US presidential election this month. His inauguration will be on January 20.), although that's how he will describe it. In terms of the Electoral College, Trump won 312 electoral votes. It's a solid win, but in the lower half of US presidential elections. It was a better showing than either his or Joe Biden's 306 electoral votes in 2016 and 2020, respectively. It also outperformed both of George W. Bush's electoral victories in 2000 and 2004. But it was far short of 差远了 Barack Obama's 365 electoral votes in 2008 and 332 in 2012. Bill Clinton never reached 50% in the popular vote because both of his presidential elections featured a strong third-party candidate in Ross Perot. But Clinton did run away 遥遥领先 with the Electoral College vote, winning 370 electoral votes in 1992 and 379 in 1996. Even those strong victories are dwarfed by Ronald Reagan's 1984 win, a true landslide. Voters were much more likely to split their tickets in those years. While Johnson, a Democrat, enjoyed a strong Democratic majority in the House after his 1964 landslide, voters who gave both Nixon and Reagan all but one state also checked them with a Democratic-controlled House. 14. Junk fees are fees that are mandatory but not transparently disclosed to consumers. Consumers are lured in with the promise of a low price, but when they get to the register, they discover that price was never really available. Junk fees harm consumers and actively undermine 破坏 competition by making it impractical for consumers to compare prices, a linchpin of our economic system. Airlines have pocketed billions of dollars in so-called "junk fees" by charging customers extra to select a seat or to carry on bags, according to a Senate subcommittee report published on Tuesday. The report said some airlines have even paid workers cash incentives to identify customers trying to avoid fees for carry-on bags. The 55-page report comes as the outgoing Biden Administration takes a victory lap for its crackdown on airlines by ramping up consumer protections.

unfazed VS unperturbed VS unflustered: unfazed [ʌnˈfeizd] 不以为意的, 不担心的, 不受影响的, 不当一回事的, 岿然不动的, 不以为然的, 不为所动的 adj not dismayed or disconcerted; undaunted. not disconcerted; unperturbed. not surprised or worried: She seems unfazed by her sudden success and fame. He was unfazed by his previous failures. unperturbed [ˌʌnpəˈtɜːbd] adj not disturbed or troubled. not worried about something, especially when this is slightly surprising: He seemed completely unperturbed at the idea of having to sing in a room full of strangers. unperturbed by the prospect of a fight. unflustered [ʌnˈflʌstəd] adjective not flustered. His friend Jack is equally unflustered: "We've come here to meet up with some friends and have some fun, and we're still going to do that". flustered upset and confused: She seemed a little flustered. If I look flustered it's because I'm trying to do so many things at once. If you fluster someone, you make them feel nervous and confused by rushing them and preventing them from concentrating on what they are doing. The General refused to be flustered. She was a very calm person. Nothing could fluster her. She was so flustered that she forgot her reply.