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2015년 8월 7일 금요일

PE 8/7 The Secret Beneath the Stairs


* pending: waiting for a decision, process, etc
ex> The sale of this house is pending, but there are others I can show you.

* tight-lipped: unwilling to speak about something
ex> Police have been tight-lipped about whether the suspect matches the thief’s description.
Note> This also means to have an angry expression. Someone who is tight-lipped has their lips pressed tightly together because they are annoyed about something or they do not approve of it.

* slippery slope: an idea or action that will lead to a bad situation
ex> Do you really think that reading this book would put us on the slippery slope to sci-fi addiction?
ex> The company is on the slippery slope to failure due to its poor internal communications.
Note> If someone tells you that you are heading down a slippery slope, it is a warning which assumes no other options but a rapid slide into negative consequences.

* full-blown: fully developed
ex> I felt uncomfortable after lunch, and by 6PM I had full-blown stomach flu.

* be at it: to be doing something intensely without stopping
ex> We’ve been at it all morning, so I think we should take a break for lunch soon.
ex> I’m surprised that Kira is still cleaning her room, because she was at it for hours yesterday.

* from dawn till dusk: all day
ex> The hikers were on the trail from dawn till dusk, setting up their tents only after the sun had gone down.

* hoard: “Hoard” is also a verb, meaning to gather together and hide valuables. Try not to confuse this word with “horde,” which is pronounced the same way, but means “a large group of people.”
ex> Do you really think that the pirate’s hoard of gold would have survived for two centuries?


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