Words of day #27: vaguely

Do you know how to say that we don't remember or know something exactly? I have a word for you to describe unsure things. That word is 'vaguely'.

Meaning

1. in a way that is uncertain, indefinite or unclear; roughly.
2. slightly

Example

1. I vaguely remembered talking to her once.
2. I vaguely remembered having met her before.
3. I had a vague idea that she lived in Manchester.
4. "He's around somewhere," she said, gesturing vaguely.
5. Given the vagueness of the directions, I think we did very well to find the place.

Words of day #26: About

Are you familiar with this word "About"? Is that simple? Is that easy as a piece of cake?

Meaning

• here or somewhere near here 
• in or close to an area (Cambridge Dictionary )

Example

1. Mark's about? I mean Mark is near here. By the way, who's Mark?
   Mark có ở đây không?
2. Although I hadn't seen him for two years but I knew he was about somewhere.
   Mặc dù tôi đã không gặp anh ấy 2 năm nay rồi nhưng tôi biết anh ta sống ở đâu đó gần đây.
3. There is lots of flu about at the moment.
   Hiện tại đang có dịch cúm ở đây.

Words of day #25: To wing it

Mỗi con người trong chúng ta khi làm một việc gì thường lên kế hoạch chuẩn bị trước . Nhưng "người tính không bằng trời tính" mà đúng không nào, cuộc sống đâu ai biết được chữ ngờ, có những lúc ấy bạn sẽ rơi vào tình huống "dỡ khóc dỡ cười" hay "chết đứng" hay "á khẩu"... khi không có sự chuẩn bị trước. 

Meaning

• to improvise
• to do something without preparation such as act, speak...

Example

1. Mary spent all weekend on partying instead of studying. When I asked her why she wasn't concerned about the exam. She told me she'd just wing it.
   Mary đã bỏ quá nhiều thời gian của mình cho vào tiệc cuối tuần thay vì học bài. Khi tôi hỏi cô ấy không lo lắng đến bài kiểm tra sao thì cô ấy hơi cứng họng, không đỡ kịp
2. The minister is great orator. He's never had a speech ready, he just wings it and people love it.
   Bộ trưởng là tay nói cực hay. Ông ấy chưa bao giờ chuẩn bị bài diễn thuyết của mình, ông ấy chỉ hơi ngập ngừng á khẩu một chút thôi nhưng mọi người rất thích điều đó.
3.  I didn't have time to write a speech, so I just had to wing it in font of a large audience. Some actor can wing it, others go completely silent when something happen on stage that isn't supposed to happen.
   Tôi không có thời gian để viết bài diễn thuyết, vì thế mà tôi rơi vào tính huống dỡ khóc dỡ cười khi đứng trước đám đông khán giả. Nhiều nghệ sĩ cũng có khi rơi vào tình huống đó, khán giả hoàn toàn im lặng để xem có điều gì đó sắp xảy ra còn hơn là không xảy ra điều gì.

Words of day #24: To weigh (something) up

To weigh (something) up
Trong cuộc đời mỗi con người, sẽ có lúc ta rơi vào trạng thái phân vân, đứng giữa lưng chừng trời, ranh giới giữa tốt xấu, nên hay không nên, lúc đó ta cần cân nhắc thật kỹ lưỡng trước khi quyết định, cũng giống như chọn người để yêu và chọn người để lấy, hiihih, chắc chắn các bạn tuổi teen hay các bạn thời sinh viên sẽ không bao giờ không có một lần thử trò chơi bứt lá, bẻ hoa " yêu, không yêu... học, không học... để cân nhắc xem nên chọn cái nào...

Meaning

to think/consider carefully about the advantages and disadvantages before making a decision.

Example

1. I'm weighing up my opinions before I decide to apply for the job.
   Tôi đang cân nhắc xem trường hợp của tôi trước khi quyết định nộp hồ sơ xin việc cho vị trí đó.
2. Before buying weigh up houses costs for rent and rate interest annually.
   Trước khi mua nhà cần cân nhắc, tính toán thật kỹ chi phí thuê nhà và lãi suất ngân hàng hàng năm.
3. I couldn't sleep last night because I was weighing my options up. Shall I retire or keep working?
   Tối hôm qua tôi không thể chợp mắt được bởi vì tôi đang phân vân, cân nhắc là tôi nên tiếp tục làm việc hay là nghỉ hưu.

Words of day #23: straight away

We would like to tell that we will do a certain task without any delay. Which word should be fitted in this context? Today, I will show you the word which may be used for expressing that idea "straight away". Here we go.

Meaning

immediately, at once

Synonyms

now, directly, right away, there and then, instantly, without any delay, straight away

Examples

•  I should go and see the doctor straightaway. (Tôi nên đi và gặp bác sĩ ngay lập tức)

•  Put them into practise straightaway and see the difference. (Hãy đặt thẳng chúng vào thực tế và thấy sự khác biệt)

•  I wrote him a letter and posted straightaway. (Ngay lập tức tôi sẽ viết thư và gởi liền cho anh ấy)

• What made you want to look up straightaway? Please tell us where you read or heard it. (Những cái gì mà đã làm cho bạn muốn tìm ngay lặp tức? Hãy nói cho tôi biết rằng bạn đã đọc và nghe nó ở đâu)

• After doing my homework, I straightaway went to bed. (Sau khi làm bài tập, tôi lập tức đi ngủ liền)

Words of day #22

take someone for a ride
Cảm giác bị lừa gạt, bị lừa dối thì trong tiếng Anh nói thế nào nhỉ?

Meaning

• to ​deceive or ​cheat someone:
• to carry someone about, usually for recreation, in a car, plane, boat...
• to take away and murder a person

Examples

1. The hotel took me for a ride. When I book a room they said they'd give me a full cooked breakfast but all I got a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. I'm never going back there again.
   Khách sạn lừa tôi. Khi tôi đặt một phòng, họ nói họ sẽ cho tôi một bữa điểm tâm đầy đủ nhưng tất cả những gì tôi có là một tách cà phê và một mẫu bánh mì nướng. Tôi sẽ không bao giờ quay lại thuê cái khách sạn đó nữa.
2. Don't be taken for a ride. If an offer seems too good to be true, it's probably not real.
   Đừng để bị lừa. Nếu một lời đề nghị dường như quá tốt để trở thành sự thật, nó có thể là không thật.
3. I think we're bên taken for a ride.
   Tôi nghĩ chúng ta vừa bị lừa.

Words of day #21

Người ta vẫn thường hay nói " cái thằng đó nói dối không hở kẽ răng" hay " nói dối một cách trơ trẽn, trắng trợn". Khi ai đó đã nói dối bạn nhưng họ vẫn không có cảm giác tội lỗi, không sợ ảnh hưởng đến những người khác hay những người xung quanh họ. Vậy trong tiếng anh nói thế nào?

Meaning

• To tell someone something that's completely untrue.
• To say something that you clearly know to be false.
• (informal) to tell someone something that you know is completely false

Examples

1. When she said she was nearly 30 years old, I knew she was lying through her teeth!
2. They promised we'd get free drinks every day at our hotel but they were lying through their teeth.
3. He lied through his teeth when he said he bought her an expensive engagement ring – it was just a cheap one from the catalogue.
4. Slater wasn't a doctor, he had never been to medical school, he just lied through his teeth and we believed him.
5. When I was pregnant, I felt very unattractive but my husband used to tell me I was the most beautiful woman in the world. Of course he was lying through his teeth. I knew it wasn't true at all.
6. Mom asked Sally where she got ten dollars. But instead of telling the true, she lie through her teeth. She said she'd found the money but in fact she stole it from a friend. Now she's being punished.
7. Don't believe him, he is lying through his teeth.
8. She lies through her teeth to the customers.
9. Follow m,y lead. I am going to lie through my teeth.
10. He asked me how old I was and, lying through my teeth, I said "29".

Words of day #20

 

Meaning:
when you are so hungry that your lack of food causes you to become angry, frustrated or both.

Example:
1. "Damn! Where is that steak I ordered? We've been waiting for an hour and a half here. The service here is terrible! I'm starving! I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel really hangry!"
2. John hadn't eated in three days and began to get hangry.
3. I'm feeling a bit annoyed because I haven't eaten breakfast!
4. Allen: I hate you and I want to punch you.
    Randy: Why are you so angry with me?
    Allen: I'm sorry, I haven't eaten since breakfast so I'm         just hangry, bro.

Meaning of “hangry” in the English Dictionary

hangryadjective

 /ˈhæŋ.ɡri/ /ˈhæŋ.ɡri/ informal

​

becoming angry because you are feeling hungry:

People often get hangry when their blood sugar level is low.

Words of day #20: in person

Chỉ khi nào làm việc trực tiếp với các bạn Anh, trao đổi công việc với họ qua email, bạn mới cảm nhận được mỗi ngày đều có cái cần học, có thêm động lực để cải thiện khả năng dùng tiếng Anh và mở mang tầm mắt. Cụm từ hôm nay chúng ta học là in person.

Image courtesy of http://blog.ecollegefinder.org/2013/05/28/in-person-interview/

Meaning

1. by ​meeting with someone directly (face-to-face) ​rather than (hơn là) ​talking on the ​phone, e-mailing, or writing to the person.
• I tried to tell you this in person, but you were not in the office.
  Tôi đã thử đến phòng làm việc để nói trực tiếp với anh về điều này, nhưng anh không có ở văn phòng.
• The Queen was unable to be there in person.
  Nữ hoàng không thể đích thân có mặt ở đó.
2. If you do something or go ​somewhere in person, you do it or go there yourself.
• You must ​apply for the ​license in person.
  Bạn phải trực tiếp mang hồ sơ bằng lái/chứng chỉ đi nộp.
• If you can't be there in person, the next ​best thing is ​watching it on TV.
  Nếu anh không trực tiếp đến đó, điều tốt nhất nên làm tiếp theo là xem nó trên ti vi.

(Definition of in person from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Synonyms

face-to-face, directly, physically, in the flesh, personally, bodily, actually; oneself; in propria persona;

Real life

Image courtesy of http://fbcoverlover.com/cover/944

In person interview

If your job application is selected, you will contact for the first interview that used to be done via teleconference meeting such as skype, hang out or telephone. Depending on your answers, probably you could be accepted for the second interview which often called the in person meeting (aka face-to-face interview).
See more at: http://blog.ecollegefinder.org/2013/05/28/in-person-interview/

Dating in person

The article in dailymail.co.uk reported more than half of online friends go on to meet in person. The survey of UK web-users found 45 per cent had telephone conversations with previously exclusive online friends.

In person communication/collaboration

Cisco recently published a worldwide study on the business value of in-person communication in distributed organisations, which assessed the collaboration strategies of businesses with their partners and customers. The research, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, evaluates business leader perspectives globally from 862 businesses across various industries regarding the value of in-person communication and its effect on a number of business processes.

Image courtesy of http://www.vijugroup.com/blog/is-in-person-communications-as-powerful-as-we-think-it-is-absolutely-75-of-business-leaders-believe-in-person-collaboration-is-critical-to-success/

Words of day #19

Nói chuyện với đồng nghiệp, vài người hay dùng cụm từ To be honest ngay đầu câu. Cụm từ này được dùng trong khi nói về một vấn đề mà người nói nghĩ rằng đúng ra là họ chia sẻ một cách nhân thành những điều họ suy nghĩ ngay lúc đó (có nghĩa có thể không đúng nhưng họ nói ra những suy nghĩ mà họ cho rằng nên nói).

Meaning

Use this phrase when you're not really sure that you should share an opinion, but you share it anyway.
Nói một cách chân thành, chân thành mà nói

Image courtesy of http://www.lovethispic.com/image/41464/to-be-honest-i-just-want-you

Synonyms

Frankly speaking, speaking frankly

Examples

1. To be honest (with you), I don't ​think it will be ​possible.
   Nói chân thành với mày, tao không nghĩ nó (điều đó) sẽ xảy ra.
2. To be honest, I don't really agree with the direction the company is going in these days.
   Chân thành mà nói, tôi không thật sự đồng ý với hướng dẫn công ty đang diễn ra trong những ngày này.

Notes

• You can also include words like "completely" and "perfectly" (có thể thêm các từ completely hoặc perfectly trước honest)
  To be completely honest, I think that he's a creep and he's just using her for her money.
  Một cách rất chân thành, tôi nghĩ rằng anh ta là một gã dối trá và anh ta đang sử dụng cô ấy vì tiền.

• You can also put "to be honest" at the end of a sentence (bạn cũng có thể đặt cụm từ to be honest ở cuối câu).
  I've never really liked action movies, to be perfectly honest.
  Tôi thật sự chưa bao giờ thích phim hành động, nói một cách chân thành nhất.

More examples

1. I was kind of disappointed with how they turned out, to be honest.
2. To be honest, I’m kind of looking to branch out into something different.
3. I don't really know what I'm doing.
4. It is a fine thing to be honest, but it is also very important to be right. Winston Churchill
5. These are 5 ways you need to be honest with yourself.

Image courtesy of http://pansejra.deviantart.com/art/To-be-honest-02-326005694

Image courtesy of http://rottencupcakes.com/2010/06/4x6-to-be-honest/

Words of day #18

That means:

Examples

1. The shortage of housing supply is fast becoming a hot potato for the council.
2. The pay rise issue is a hot potato for management; I don't know how they are going to sort this one out between the staff, the union and the shareholders.

Vocabulary

• shadow: n, a small dark area under your eyes.  vết thâm quầng dưới mắt
  e.g:
  She put on make - up to cover the dark shadow under her eyes.
  You've got very small dark shadows under your eyes.
• shadow: n, someone follows another people everywhere, theo ai đó, bắt chước ai đó
  e.g: ever since he able to walk, Stephen has been his older brother's shadow ( = has followed him and copied his actions)
• tricky: n, a problem or a piece of work, it's difficult to deal with or needs attention or skill to solve it. vấn đề rắc rối
  e.g: I'm in a bit a tricky situation really- whatever I do I'll offend someone.
• a tricky problem in ....
• a tricky situation in ...
• offend: v, make someone upset or angry, unpleasant, bị xúc phạm, bực mình, tổn thương
  e.g: I think she was a bit of offend that she hadn't been invited to the party.
• bargain: n, things bought or offered for sale for lower price than normal. sự trả giá, mặc cả mua bán
• hunt: to search to to try to find someone or something. tìm kiếm, săn lùng
• bargain hunter: a person who usually search anything that can buy for sale for a lower price than normal. người chuyên đi săn lùng những hàng giá rẻ để mua

Words of day #17

A word which we sometime uses when I don't remember or don't know the name of an object or name of person.

Examples:
1. Can you pass me that thingy - you know, that clip thing for holding papers together.
2.   Ask thingy over there - he'll know.
3. Sorry, i'm late for the meeting. Could you just pass me the thingy for my report... I mean ...the stapler?
See it here

Words of day #16

Meaning:
Time we have for ourselves to do just what we want

Dành thời gian cho bản thân chính mình để làm những việc mà mình muốn.

Examples:

1.I've just sent my mom to a spa in the countryside. She's been taking care of the whole family and is really in need of some me time!

2. All mothers of young children should try to find some me time.

3. I have take my son to school, write a some texts, work something, buy my husband present birthday, etc. So I really need some me time.

See it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk

Words of day #15

When things are not going as planned, we can say they've gone DOWN THE PAN (TOILET)

(UK also down the pan) informal

› If something is or goes down the ​toilet, it is ​wasted or ​spoiled:After the ​drug ​scandal, his ​career went down the ​toilet.

(Definition of down the toilet from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

Examples:

1. Jason has great dreams of becoming a football player, but they went down the pan when he broke his leg.

2. I'm afraid all that careful preparation we did for Jemma's surprise birthday party went down the pan when her brother told her about it.

3. He was ready to move into his new house, but everything went down the pan when the fire destroyed the house last night.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak/ep-151201

Words of day #14: bumper to bumper

When there are a lot of traffic on the road and it's moving very slowly or not at all, the front of one car is almost touching the back of another one. So it's bumper to bumper.
Cụm từ này thể hiện tình trạng kẹt xe trong các giờ cao điểm.

Examples:
1. Traffic is on the northbound A12 near Greenwich Junction is bumper to bumper. Best to avoid the area if you can.
2. The approach to the Dartford Tunnel southbound entrance is bumper to bumper. Expect severe dalays.
3. By eight o'clock the traffic was bumper to bumper.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak/ep-151110
You can learn the idiom by video:

Words of day #13

Từ goose bumps nghĩa là nổi da gà trong tiếng Việt. Tình cờ xem video của Dailymail, phát hiện từ này.

This David Bowie singalong from fans in Brixton will give you goose bumps.

This David Bowie singalong from fans in Brixton will give you goosebumps
Posted by Daily Mail on Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Liên quan đến nổi da gà, có nghiên cứu của nhóm nhà khoa học Hàn Quốc đã thiết ra thiết bị cảm ứng có thể đo độ nổi da gà của bạn. Nổi da gà có thể cho biết cảm nhận thực của bạn về một sự việc nào đó. Có nhiều nguyên nhân gây ra goose bumps như: cold environments (trời lạnh), strong emotions (like fear), sneezing (ắc xì), etc.

Nói thêm, bạn có thêm từ singalong: an informal occasion at which people sing songs together (một dịp tình cờ ở đó mọi người hát cùng nhau).

New Year's Eve singalong becomes internet sensation.

Words of day # 12: cheap and cheerful

Meaning:
The product doesn't cost much but it serves its purpose. The customer is happy with it.

Examples:
1. She enjoys shopping for cheap and cheerful presents.
2. He made a lot of money from design cheap and cheerful toys for children.
cheap and cheerful UK
› cheap but good or ​enjoyable:There's a ​restaurant round the ​corner that ​serves cheap and ​cheerful ​food.

Meaning:
the product doesn't cost much but the quality is bad.
When people want to save some money by buying something cheap and cheerful, they often end up wasting their money because the goods can turn out to be cheap and nasty.
cheap and nasty UK› ​costing little and of very ​bad ​quality
 Examples:
1. Everything in the shop is cheap and nasty. Don't buy anything.
2. My boyfriend is stringy. The hotel where we stayed was cheap and nasty. I wouldn't recommend it.
See more here: http://www.bbc.co.uk

Words of day #11: rather than

Meaning

instead of sb/sth

Image courtesy of https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/give-people-bit-your-heart-rather-than-piece-mind-sougat-chatterjee

Examples

1. I think I'll have a cold drink rather than coffee.
   Tôi nghĩ tôi sẽ uống một loại nước mát hơn là café.
2. Why didn't you ask for help, rather than trying to do it on your own?
   Tại sao anh không hỏi sự giúp đỡ, thay vì cố gắng làm việc đó bằng cách cách của anh?
3. Rather than protect Europeans, the EU itself has become the greatest threat to our continent.
   Thay vì bảo vệ người Châu Âu, EU bản thân nó đã trở thành nguy cơ nhất đối với lục địa của chúng ta.
4. Give people a piece of your heart rather than your mind.
   Hãy chia sẻ cho mọi người một ít trái tim hơn là suy nghĩ của bạn.

Words of day #10

Today, we will show you a common word that is being widely used on daily basis. That word let's go.

Let's go is a really useful phrase in English but we use it too much? What else could we say instead?

Here are some phrases for when we're suggesting to leave somewhere together with others:
- Time to make a move.
- Shall we?
- Let's hit the road.
- Let's get outta her.
- Off we go.

Here is one some phrase for when you're leaving by yourself: I'm off

Hear it here.

Words of day #9

Potty???
They are two have different things. If someone is potty or going potty, that means they are crazy or going crazy.
Here are these examples:
My boss wants me to work in New Year's Day for no extra money. He must be potty.
She's potty to sell off her old cars so cheaply.
There is another meaning to " potty". If someone really keen on something we can phrase " to be potty about something".
For example:
I really like Japanese comic books, I'm potty about them.
I'm potty about miniature owls: I've got nearly one hundred of them at home.

Meaning of “potty” in the English Dictionary

• British
 
• American

"potty" in British English

See all translations

pottyadjective

 UK   /ˈpɒt.i/  US   /ˈpɑː.t̬i/ UK informal

       

› ​silly or ​slightly ​crazy:She must have been potty to ​sell that ​car so ​cheaply.I'd go potty if I had to ​work here all the ​time.be potty about sth/sb› to like something very much:He's potty about ​old ​cars.

pottiness

noun [U] UK   US   /-nəs/

Idioms

drive sb potty

pottynoun [C]

 UK   /ˈpɒt.i/  US   /ˈpɑː.t̬i/ (also pot) mainly UK

       

› a ​bowl, sometimes with a ​handle, that ​young ​children ​sit on and use as a ​toilet:Don't ​forget to ​sit Jamie on the potty before you take him to the ​zoo.

(Definition of potty from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press