* combat: to fight against something
ex>
The school has adopted a new attendance system to combat absenteeism.
* scheme of things: the way things happen
in a certain situation
ex>
Illness among the staff has forced a few changes from the usual scheme of
things.
* refined: polite; elegant; showing good
taste
ex>
I wonder where my aunt developed such refined taste in sculpture.
Note>
Something that’s refined has gone through a process to remove impurities. An
oil refinery removes impurities from oil. When a person’s refined, they have good
manners and good taste.
* callous: uncaring; showing no sympathy
or feeling toward others
ex>
After my father died, I discovered that his callous behavior came from
his unhappy childhood.
Note>
callous comes from the Latin root callum for hard skin. If you walk barefoot a
lot, your feet will become calloused. We usually use callous in the metaphorical sense for emotionally hardened. If someone
is unmoved by other people’s problems, you might say he shows a callous indifference
to human suffering.
* snobbery: showing disdain for things or
people one feels to be inferior
ex>
Snobbery prevented him from getting a good job in his homeland, but he
became very successful when he started his own business in a new country.
* sell one short: to fail to acknowledge
someone’s true value
ex>
I think you’re selling her short by not letting her audition for the
lead role.
* sell out:
(개인적인 이득을 위해) 원칙(신념)을 버리다
Don’t
confuse this expression with the noun sellout, which sometimes refers to the
situation where all the tickets for an event are sold. However, the noun can
also refer to the act of compromising one’s principles for gain, e.g. “The
congressman’s change of position was a total sellout.”
ex>
I liked her first two albums, but I feel she completely sold out after
that.
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