Lesson Two. Grim - Chapter Eight

Advanced everyday english: Advanced vocabulary, phrasal verbs, idioms and expressions - Collins Steven 2011

Lesson Two. Grim
Chapter Eight

Examples:

✵ The plight of the hostages is, I’m afraid, looking rather grim.

/ think the grim winter weather must have brought on her flu.

I’ve lost track of how many of my patients are in the same situation.

Harass, harassment (To pick on--see Practical Everyday English, page 103, to bother someone continually, [harassment] persistent aggressive pressure/intimidation- ofien sexually or racially motivated. Note also that there is much dispute as to how this word should be pronounced. Traditionalists insist that the emphasis should be on the first ’a’ [“harass, harassment”], but most people stress the second syllable [harass/hargssment]. The author, however, is a traditionalist)

Examples:

✵ As a child I felt I was constantly harassed by my mother for having inherited many of my father’s traits.

✵ I alienated some of my classmates when I had a go at them about their racial harassment of my best friend.

To bond, a bond (To build up a close relationship with someone--often a parent or child, a close link)

Examples:

✵ Most new parents feel out of their depth when the baby comes along; they all need time to bond.

✵ You can see there is quite clearly a strong bond between father and son in this case. It all boils down to having watched their football team’s grim decline in the league together.

To hold out a lot of/much hope (for someone) (To be optimistic—generally used in the negative)

Examples:

✵ Apparently, once in a blue moon, someone from his school gets into Oxford, but I don’t hold out a lot of hope (for him).

✵ A: How is she, of all people, going to show the others the ropes? She’s thick!

 В: I couldn’t agree more; I wouldn’t hold out much hope for any of them.

Sloppy (Careless, too casual)

Examples:

/ feel we’ve become too complacent lately and need to tighten up on sloppy work if we want to reap the rewards that are clearly on offer

✵ Football manager:

It’s true we were overwhelmed in midfield, but our sloppy defence didn’t help matters.

In hindsight (Looking back after the event)

Examples:

✵ In hindsight, we should have phased out the asylum laws a long time ago.

✵ I didn’t hold out a lot of hope, but, in hindsight, I could have given her a lot more encouragement.

✵ It’s very easy to say in hindsight we shouldn’t have taken him on, but nobody would have predicted that he’d be so out of his depth in this type of business.

To put something behind you (To forget about a bad experience)

Examples:

✵ I think we should put the turmoil of the last year behind us; it’s time to move on.

✵ A: If I had known he was such a womaniser, I would never have married him.

 B: It’s probably best that you put that period of your life behind you.

To grow on someone (To become gradually more pleasing/likeable to someone)

Examples:

✵ At first you may find his mother’s cooking rather bland, but don’t despair: it’s likely to grow on you.

✵ I used to think he was a bit pompous, but he has definitely grown on me over the years.

Image

“At first you may find his mother’s cooking rather bland, but don’t despair: it’s likely to grow on you.”

(see page 109)

To sponge off someone (To keep asking/expecting someone to lend you money/pay for you, to rely on someone’s/the state’s generosity without appreciation/trying to find work)

Examples:

/ really cut him down to size when I asked him if he felt it was right that, at thirty years old, he should still be sponging off his dad. He told me to shut up, as I was “doing his head in”.

✵ I don’t want to dwell on negative issues, but there are far too many people in this country sponging off the state...and some of them are raking it in.

Viable (Practical, able to work in practice)

Examples:

✵ I didn’t think he had it in him to come up with so many viable ideas.

✵ N\y wife didn’t relish the idea of opening another shop, and after reflecting on the hassles we went through with the first one, I agreed it wasn’t really viable.