People and behaviour

Passions: reactions and emotions

Strong desire that is hard to control:
Crave/ have a crave for strange things: antojos To hanker after/ to have a hankering for: desire sth you cannot have To thirst/ have a thirst for knowledge/ to hunger for Yearn to do/ yearn for/ have a yearning for: to want sth you dont have and can never have To covet sth: to want to posses it very much

Ways of reaction to other peoples emotions:

Defuse: make a dangerous or tense situation calmer Placate: stop someone feeling angry Conciliate: end a disagreement by acting in a friendly way towards both sides Appease: end a disagreement by giving the other side an advantage

Words which refer to being extremely happy:

o re!oice: e tremely happy "xultant: feeling great pleasure and happiness because of success #ubilant: great happiness at a victory $apture: e treme pleasure and happiness %liss: perfect happiness &ull of the !oys of spring: hrilled to bits: &eel on top of the world: &loating' wal(ing on air: o be over the moon: o be on cloud nine: o be in seventh heaven: o go round li(e a dog with two tails: o be in high spirits: As pleased as punch: )ave no care in the world:

&eelings: antipathies and aversions:

Antipathy: dislike or opposition towards sth or sb

Aversion: dislike or unwillingness to do sth *oathing' loathsome'loathe: intense hatred Abhorrence' abhorrent' abhor: intense disgust Scorn' scornful' scorn: lack of respect $evulsion' revolting' revolt: strong disgust $epulsion'repulsive' repulse: opposite of strong attraction

Ad!ectives with negative connotation:

%land: "food# lacking taste$ character or interest %rash' colourful: "clothes# too confident$ too bright Dowdy' casual: "clothe person$ esp% of women# dull$ lacking style &ic(le: changing opinions suddenly without reason/ not loyal to your friends &uddy+duddy: "informal# old&fashioned ,rasping: "informal# always wanting more money -it+pic(ing' meticulous: "informal# too concerned about unimportant details .bnoxious: unpleasant and rude .bse/uious: too eager to praise or obey people .ff+hand: rude lack of interest in others .fficious' authoritative: too eager to tell others what to do .stentatious: displaying wealth or possessions in a vulgar way Pompous: too formal and showing that you think you are more important Pretentious: trying to appear more serious or important Puerile' childli(e: too silly and childish Sloppy' nonchalant: "informal# not taking care in the way you work S/ualid: very dirty and unpleasant rite' traditional: lacking in originality$ banal

.bserving others: character traits

0mpetuous: acts on a sudden idea without thinking first 0mpulsive: similar to impetuous$ more positive way "ffusive: e aggerated e pressions of pleasure "xcitable: easily e ited by things Pushy: always selfishly promoting ones own interests ,arrulous: talks too much aciturn: reserved Sociability 0ntrovert: 'uiet

"xtrovert: sociable Diffident: lacks confidence$ has a low opinion of himself Aloof: unfriendly and not sociable )aughty: unfriendly and thinks herself better than others Disdainful: does not believe others deserve respect 1napproachable: not easy to be sociable with Conceited: thinks herself wonderful &lirt: makes constant romantic approaches

Character traits:
-a2ve: willing to believe simple things perhaps because of ine perience ,ullible: easily deceive Conscientious: always takes his work very seriously .bstinate/ pig&headed "stronger#: unwilling to change 1nscrupulous: lacking in moral principles

)appiness and sadness: )appiness idioms:

,et a real (ic( out of sth: very much enjoy doing sth Do sth for (ic(s: do sth because it is e citing #ump for !oy: be very e ited and happy about sth that has happened Sth ma(es your day: sth makes you feel very happy

Sadness:
o be out of sorts: slightly unhappy or ill o be down in the dumps: unhappy 0s not the end of the world: what has happened wont cause any serious problems o grin and bear: accept a situation because you cannot change it o be a misery guts: someone who complains all the time and is never happy o suffer from sour grapes: to be jealous about sth you cannot have o put a damper on sth: stop an occasion from being enjoyable

Anger: %eing angry: )

o be fed up 3to the bac( teeth4: o be at ones wits end: o have it up to here with sth: 1sed about other people 3informal4: )ave' throw a fit: ,o off the deep end: ,o spare: Do his nut: %low a fuse: &ly off the handle: o spit blood: %low your top: .n the warpath: )ot under the collar: angry and embarassed *i(e a red rag to a bull: sth that it is likely to make sb angry o have your blood up: very angry and may react violent o be after sbs blood: to want to catch sb and hurt him or punish him o be out for blood: to be determined to find sb to blame for sth bad that has happened

Angry relationships:
Drive sb up the wall: make sb very angry Drive' send sb round the end' twist: make sb very angry $ub sb up the wrong way: make sb annoyed ,et' put sb bac( up: make sb annoyed $uffle sb feathers: make sb annoyed Put' send the cat among the pigeons: do or say sth that makes other people angry or worried -ot be on spea(ing terms: be so anger with each other that they refuse to speak to each other ,ive sb an earful: tell sb how angry you are with them ,ive sb a piece of your mind: tell sb how angry you are with them

5nowing and understanding: 5nowing:

o (now the system inside out: know every detail o (now your stuff: have a good knowledge for sth

o have a similar ring to it: sound familiar o ring a bell: to have a vague memory but cannot remember e actly

-ot (nowing:
-ot to have a clue: dont know at all -ot to have the faintest idea: really dont know at all -ot to have the foggiest idea: absolutely dont know at all Cannot for the life of me remember: cannot remember at all o be out of touch: not know the latest developments

Coming to conclusions:
o put two and two together: to conclude from the facts you know o get the wrong end of the stic(: to come to the wrong conclusion

"xperience and perception: *earning from experiences:

Put sth down to experience: to learn from sth bad that has happened o (now where you stand: to know where your position is with sb o be given food for thought: sth happens that makes you think very seriously about it o learn your lesson: sth bad happened and you decide it will never happen again o get the message: to become aware of a fact o put the record straight: to tell the truth to sb who has believed sth different up to the moment o hear sth on' through the grapevine: to hear sth from sb who has heard it from sb else o be a figment of ones imagination: sth it is not true o have a lost sight of: forget a central important fact or truth about sth What bits me is: what + cannot understand o have second thoughts about sth: not to be sure about sth you have decided 0ns and outs of: details

Success and failure: Success:

Sth ma(es all the difference to sth: has a very good effect Sth6 Wor(s' goes' runs li(e a dream: very well indeed Sth wor(s li(e magic: works immediately and very well Sth goes from strength to strength: gets better and better

Sth does the tric(: -olves a problem very well Sth is the be+all+and+end+all of sth: is the most important thing Sth is' turns out to be a blessing in disguise: has a good effect although at first it seemed it would be bad o go places: to be successful )it the big time: to be very successful and make lots of money o ma(e a go of sth: very successful with sth

&ailure:
o be a victim of your own success: your success has negative effects -ot to have the ghost of a chance: not to have a chance at all o give up the ghost: to stop trying to succeed because you know it wont work o leave your mar(: to have an effect that changes sth/ sb for ever

)aving problems:
o come up against a bric( wall: sth is blocking me from doing what + want o be in dire straits: in a very difficult situation o have dug yourself into a hole: have caused myself a problem o have spread yourself too thin: To be trying to do too many things at the same time o have been left holding the baby: others have left you to deal with the problem alone o have been got over a barrel: to have no choice over what can you do o have come up against a stumbling bloc(: a problem which stops you from achieving sth o be clutching at straws: to be in such a difficult situation that you will try anything he last straw: the last in a series of events that makes it imposible for you to accept the situation any longer

Dealing with problems:

7a(e do with sth: manage with sth that it is not as good as you would like o give sth a shot: to give a try ,et to trips with sth: make an effort to understand or deal with sth o get to the bottom of sth: to try to discover the truth %ring sth to light' come to light: unknown facts becoming known Shed' throw light on sth: help people to understand sth o see the light at the end of the tunnel: sth makes you believe that a difficult situation is a bout to end Sth was in the bag: certain to get or achieve

he answers to my prayers: sth/ sb you have needed for a long time o wave a magic wand: find an easy way to solve a problem ie up a few loose ends: deal with the last few things before everything is completed &all into pieces: understand sth Pic( up the pieces: try to return to normal

Praise and criticism: Praise and positive comments:

.ut of this world: wonderful$ beautiful Second to none: the best A hard act to follow: popular and successful 7ade for this room: just perfect ,ive as good as youve got: to react in e'ual force when sb criticises you *i(e gold dust: difficult to find or obtain ,round+brea(ing: making new discoveries

Criticising people:
o be all sweetness and light: friendly and pleasant$ in false way ,etting'granting on my nerves: irritating$ annoying me ,ive a hard time: make sb suffer$ feel guilty Po(e fun at sb: make fun of sb o add insult to in!ury: to make a bad situation even worse o cast aspersions on sth: criticise o be an out+and+out: completely/ totally

.pinions on people and actions: "valuating people or things:

)ave a lot to answer for: sb is the main cause of the problem 0s not all is crac(ed up to be: is not as good as people say it is o have the edge over sb' sth: is slightly better than *eave a lot to be desire: is not as good as it should be )ave all the ma(ings of: are likely to develop into .n the big' expensive side: heavier than you want it to be A dead loss: completely useless

$ough and ready: crude and lacking sophistication Commenting on people and their actions hrow the baby out of the bathwater: change things$ but loose god and bad things ,et' !ump' leap on the bandwagon: get involved in sth that it is already successful Play devils advocate: pretend to be against sth Drive sb to distraction: make sb very angry or bored 7a(e an exhibition of yourself: do things in public that make you look stupid Do sth under false pretences: tell lies about what you are or do -ever do anything by halves: make effort and do things well 0s a laughing stoc(: is laughed by everyone

%ehaviour and attitudes: %ehaviour to yourself and others:

*oo( right' straight through sb: behave as if you do not notice anybody *eave sb in the lurch: leave sb at a time when they need you to stay 5eep a lid on sth: control the level of sth in order to stop it from increasing *et yourself go: rela and enjoy yourself %low sth out of proportion: behave as it sth is much worse than it is

Attitudes towards events:

hin( nothing of sth: do sth easily that other people think is difficult %ring a lump to ones throat: found sth so moving that it makes you cry 7a(e the most of sth: take full advantage )ang in balance: no one knows what will happen &ade'pale into insignificance: not important at all compared to sth else Dream of sth: not to do sth because it is wrong Come to terms: accept emotionally and to deal with a difficult situation

$eacting to what other people say:

8ou could have fooled me: you do not believe what sb says because you saw it or e perienced it here is no accounting for taste: you do not understand why sb likes or does not like sth 0f all else fails: if all other plans do not work he lesser of 9 evils: the less unpleasant of ( bad things 0 will never lie it down: you think that you have done sth bad that people will never forget

Stri(e while the iron is hot: do sth while you have the chance to succeed 0t is a bit over the top: more e treme than it is necessary 0t is !ust not on: not appropriate 0t would not be at the top of my agenda: not the most important priority for me

&eelings: ,ood positive feelings:

o be cool: calm and collected: rela ed$ prepared$ in control$ not nervous

%ad negative feelings:

.n the edge: nervous$ an ious$ and agitated At the end of the tether: tired or annoyed$ can not deal with a situation any more )ad my fill of: had enough Sic( and tired of: had enough

Ad!ectives:
%lunt: to say what you think even if it is impolite %rash: to be annoyingly loud$ overconfident and aggressive Calculating: to get what you want by carefully planning without caring about anyone else Callous: cruel and heartless Cantan(erous: bad&tempered Curt: abrupt$ rude when you talk 0n/uisitive: always trying to find out about other peoples lives/ interested in many things and always wanting to know more about them Persistent: refuse to give up $ec(less: do dangerous things without thinking about the conse'uences $uthless: cruel$ cold$ have no mercy or feelings for others S/ueamish: do not like unpleasant thinks like blood or needles Sullen: bad&tempered and do not speak much ;olatile: lose their temper very easily Withdrawn: 'uiet$ do not like talking to others Avid: very enthusiastic %latant: very obvious$ done without shame or embarrassment "to describe bad things# %reathta(ing: very beautiful$ surprising or impressive ,ripping: "films$ books# very e citing )arrowing: shocking$ making you feel upset "not for people#

*ax: not strict$ not careful enough "measures$ safety$ security# *enient: not strict "for people in positions to punish$ teachers$ etc# 7eteoric: very sudden and 'uick 7isleading: giving the wrong idea or impression Piercing: 2oud "noises# Prolific: producing a large number of work Staunch: loyal Sweeping: too general and not valid "for statements#/ large and affecting everyone "changes# Watertight: impossible to prove wrong Ad!ectives with similar meanings: Dreary: boring and depressing 7undane: ordinary$ boring "jobs usually# edious: boring$ frustrating &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Atrocious: e tremely bad Dreadful: very bad *ousy: very bad &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& &lawless: perfect$ with no faults 0mpeccable: perfect 1nblemished: sth that has not been spoilt or harmed &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Arduous: tiring$ involving a lot of effort ,ruelling: tiring$ lasting a long time Strenuous: involving a lot of physical effort &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& %edraggled: untidy$ dirty and wet "people# Dishevelled: untidy Scruffy: untidy "people places#/ old and worn out "clothes# &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Astute: clever at understanding people and situations Crafty: clever and good at using deception to achieve success Shrewd: clever and showing good judgement Wily: clever$ e perienced at deceiving people and not easily deceived &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Conventional: ordinary$ normal

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7ainstream: ordinary$ conventional$ neither strange nor e treme $un+of+the mill: ordinary$ nothing special

Pair phrases:
o arrive in dribs and drabs: in small 'uantities and at irregular intervals %right and early: very early %y and large: generally o be few and far between: very difficult to find o ma(e a song and dance about it: complain too much .dds and ends: small unimportant objects o be part and parcel of: a basic and fundamental part of sth Pride and !oy: sth/ sb a person is proud of Prim and proper: very conservative and easily offended Pushing and shoving: pushing "crowded places# Safe and sound: safe and unharmed Spic( and span: very clean ouch and go: doubtful 1p+and+coming: sb who shows a lot of promise and will be successful Well and truly: completely "used with lost and beaten#

Anger and annoyance:

A bla<ing row: an argument in which people are very angry and emotional o blow your top: to lose your temper o be crotchety: bad&tempered ,alling: sth that is annoying because it seems unfair or wrong A heated argument: a bad argument in which people are very angry o be indignant: to be very angry because it seems unfair or wrong 0nfuriate: make angry 0rate: very angry o be livid: very angry o throw a tantrum: to start kicking$ crying and shouting

Animals:
o be as blind as a bat: to have poor eyesight 8ou can=till the cows come home: but it wont: you can do sth for a long time but it wont change anything

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A dar( horse: sb who people know very little about o be dogged by sth: sth keeps causing you trouble and it wont go away &or don(eys years: for a long time o duc(: to avoid sth which is going to hit you by lowering your head 0t is li(e water off a duc(s bac( for sb6: sth does not affect you because you are accustomed to it &ishy: suspicious o hound sb: to persistently follow sb he lions share: the biggest part o rabbit on: to talk for a long time in a boring way $atty: bad&tempered o have a whale of a time: to really enjoy yourself A wild goose chase: a search for sth unlikely to find o worm your way out of sth: to avoid doing sth

People:
A bit of an old woman: always complaining A nosey par(er: too interested in things that dont concern you A clever dic(: a person who thinks he is always right A down+and+out: a person who has no home or money and lives in the streets A confirmed bachelor: a man who has never been married and probably will never be A bac(seat driver: a passenger in the back seat who keeps telling the driver how he should drive An un(nown /uantity: a person or thing whose 'ualities are still not known A wet blan(et: a person who is not enthusiastic about anything he salt of the earth: a very good an honest person *oose cannon: a person who behaves in a way that nobody can predict he life and soul of the party: the most amusing and interesting person at a party A #e(yll and )yde: a person who lives separate lives A slowcoach: a person who moves$ acts or works very slowly &riends in high places: to know important people who can help you Put in a good word for you: to praise sb to sb else in order to help him get a job 7overs and sha(ers: people with power in important organi4ations hrow the weight around: to use your power in a bad way At your bec( and call: always ready to obey sbs orders *ay down the law: to tell sb what he should or should not do in a forceful way Call the shots: To be the person who controls the situation

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Pull a few strings: To control events or the actions of other people "at out of the palm of my hand: To trust sb and be willing to do what he says Wear the trousers: To be the person who makes most of the decisions Carry a lot of weight: have lot of influence Pass the buc(: make sb else responsible )old the fort: 5ave the responsibility for sth

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