CHÌA KHÓA SỐ 1: TÔI LÀ NGƯỜI HAY PHÂN VÂN
1. be in a quandary: in a state of not being able to decide what to do about a
situation in which you are involved ~ ở tình thế khó xử
● I've had two job offers, and I'm in a real quandary about/over which one to accept.
2. be in/of two minds: to be unable to decide about something ~ vừa thích
làm cái này, vừa thích làm cái kia
● I was in two minds whether or not to come this morning. 6
3. be on the horns of a dilemma: to be unable to decide which of two things
to do because either could have bad results ~ tiến thoái lưỡng nan, khó đưa ra quyết định
● Wendy is on the horns of a dilemma: she just wonders whether to go
for a picnic with her friends or to stay at home with her family.
4. fall between two stools: if something falls between two stools, it fails to
achieve either of two aims ~ lưỡng lự giữa 2 lựa chọn thành ra xôi hỏng bỏng không
● The grammar guide falls between two stools - it's too difficult for a
beginner but not detailed enough for an advanced student.
5. be between the devil and the deep blue sea: to have two choices that are
both equally unpleasant or not convenient ~ tiến thoái lưỡng nan
● I was between the devil and the deep blue sea, for if I didn't take out
another loan—and go deeper into debt—I could not pay off the debts I already owed.
6. double bind (n): a difficult situation in which, whatever action you decide
to take, you cannot escape unpleasant results ~ tình huống khó xử (giải quyết
kiểu gì cũng gây ra rắc rối)
● The principal is caught in a double bind because whether she expels the
student or lets him off, she still gets blamed. 7
7. be spoilt/spoiled for choice: to be unable to choose because there are so
many possible good choices ~ toàn cái tốt, chẳng biết chọn cái nào
● There's so much good theatre in New York City - one is spoilt for choice.
8. be (caught) between a rock and a hard place: to be in a very difficult
situation and to have to make a hard decision ~ ở tình thế khó khăn, khó đưa ra quyết định
● You were really between a rock and a hard place when you had to
choose between your career and your relationship.
9. be torn between something and something: finding it very difficult to
choose between two possibilities ~ khó chọn giữa 2 khả năng
● She’s torn between her loyalty and her desire to tell the truth.
10. walk/tread a tightrope: to deal with a difficult situation, especially one
involving making a decision between two opposing plans of action ~ đi trên dây,
khó đưa ra quyết định
● Many manufacturers have to walk a tightrope between pricing their
goods too high and not selling them, and pricing them low and losing money.
11. get cold feet: to begin to hesitate about doing something ~ chần chừ, chùn bước
● I wanted to enter the competition but at the last minute I got cold feet. 8
12. be (caught) in a cleft stick: to be in a very difficult situation in which
any action or decision you make will cause problems ~ chọn làm cái gì cũng gây ra vấn đề
● Well, we're caught in a cleft stick now! Do we start pushing the car
towards town, or hope that someone passes by with a can of petrol?
13. be at a crossroads: to be at a stage in your life when you have to make a
very important decision ~ đến ngã rẽ cuộc đời, phải đưa ra lựa chọn
● After earning my degree, I'm at a crossroads. I need to figure out
which direction my life should take.
Mở rộng ra thì lưỡng lự thường sẽ giữa 2 việc khó chọn, hay cả 2 việc đều xấu.
Nếu vậy, trong tiếng anh, cụm từ nói " 1 tình huống mà có 2 thứ xấu xảy ra cùng 1 lúc " là:
14. double whammy: a situation when two unpleasant things happen at almost the same time
● Farmers have faced the double whammy of a rising dollar and falling agricultural prices.
15. blow hot and cold: to sometimes like or be interested in something or
someone and sometimes not ~ lúc thích, lúc không
● He's been blowing hot and cold about the trip to Brazil. 9 BÀI TẬP
Question 1: Marry wonders whether to go camp with her friends or to stay at
home in order to prepare for her final composition. She is on the horns of a ______. A. predicament B. mess C. dilemma D. puzzle
Question 2: The material is not suitable for an academic book or for a popular
one. It falls between two ______. A. tools B. means C. utensils D. stools
Question 3: The protagonist was between a ______ and a hard place when he
had to choose between his future or his wife. A. pillar B. devil C. gravel D. rock
Question 4: The director is caught in a double ______ because whether he
fires the employee or lets her off, he still gets blamed. A. hole B. hassle C. bind D. pickle
Question 5: Customers are ______ for choice when buying a new car. A. spoilt B. upset C. impaired D. devastated
Question 6: As a company, we're at a ______. We can continue business as
usual, or we can take a risk and try to grow. A. byways B. crossroads C. highways D. intersections
Question 7: I'm ______ between hiding the truth or coming clean about it. A. broken B. cracked C. burst D. torn
Question 8: Since there's been talk of layoffs, I've been walking a _____ at
work to prove how valuable I am. A. tight ship B. tightrope C. tight rein D. teardrop
Question 9: I'm in something of a cleft ______ — whatever I do, I'll upset someone. A. stick B. wand C. rob D. wedge
Question 10: She’s in a bit of a(n) ______ about which of the jobs to accept. A. uncertainty B. quandary C. embarrassment D. plight ĐÁP ÁN:
1.C 2.D 3.D 4.C 5.A 6.B 7.D 8.B 9.A 10B 10
CHÌA KHOÁ SỐ 2: TÔI LÀ NGƯỜI LUÔN LÀM VIỆC HẾT MÌNH
1. burn the midnight oil: to work late into the night ~ thức khuya đèn sách
● If you burn the midnight oil night after night, you'll probably become ill.
2. work your ass off (offensive): to work very hard (dùng khi bạn rất tức giận)
● I worked my ass off for that man. 11
3. work your fingers to the bone: to work extremely hard, especially for a
long time ~ làm việc đến mức ngón tay gầy trơ xương
● She worked her fingers to the bone to provide a home and food for seven children.
4. hammer away at sth: to work without stopping and with a lot of effort ~
làm việc không ngừng nghỉ
● She spent all weekend hammering away at her novel.
5. pull an all-nighter: thức trắng cả đêm để học, làm việc
● I pulled an all-nighter last night.
6. eager beaver (n): a person who is willing to work very hard
7. busy bee (n): an industrious person ~ con ong chăm chỉ
So sánh: be (as) busy as a bee: to be moving about quickly doing many things
~ di chuyển, đi lại liên hồi để làm việc
● My mom is (as) busy as a bee around Christmastime. 12
8. burn the candle at both ends: to work or do other things from early in
the morning until late at night and so get very little rest ~ làm việc từ sáng
tới đêm, làm việc kiệt sức
● You'll wear out if you keep burning the candle at both ends.
9. spread oneself too thin: to try to do too many things at the same time, so
that you cannot give enough time or attention to any of them ~ ôm 1 lúc nhiều
việc, không tính đến khả năng của mình
● I realized I'd been spreading myself too thin so I resigned as secretary of the golf club.
10. sweat over sth: to work very hard using or doing something ~ đổ mồ hôi làm việc gì đó
● She's been sweating over that essay all afternoon.
● I've been sweating over a hot stove (= cooking) all morning.
11. exert yourself: to make a mental or physical effort ~ tự mình nỗ lực
(cả tinh thần lẫn thể chất)
● I was too tired to exert myself.
12. pull your socks up: to make an effort to improve your work or behaviour
because it is not good enough ~ nỗ lực cải thiện khuyết điểm
● He's going to have to pull his socks up if he wants to stay in the team.
13. apply oneself to something: to work hard and diligently at something
● You should apply yourself to your studies.
● She applied herself to her work and the time passed very rapidly. 13
14. work from dawn to/until dusk: work from early morning until early
evening ~ làm việc từ sáng sớm đến tối muộn
● We worked from dawn to dusk, seven days a week.
15. roll up your sleeves: to prepare for hard work ~ xắn tay áo lên mà làm việc đi
● There's a lot of work to do, so roll up your sleeves and get busy.
16. bash away at: to continue to work hard on something ~ vẫn tiếp tục làm việc gì
- SYN: slave away at: to work strenuously and continuously (doing something).
● She’s still bashing away at her last chapter.
● I slave away over a hot stove all afternoon, and you can't even be
bothered to finish what's on your plate?
- can't be bothered to do sth: used for saying that someone will not do
something because they feel lazy or because it is too much effort ~
chẳng buồn làm gì, chẳng muốn làm gì (vì lười, vì nghĩ nó nặng nhọc quá)
● She couldn’t even be bothered to say hello. (cô ấy còn chẳng buồn nói lấy
một lời chào ~ đến cả một lời chào mà cô ấy còn cảm thấy nặng nhọc)
17. give a hundred percent: to try or work as hard as you can in order to achieve something
● Everyone on the team gave a hundred percent.
- SYN: give sth your all ~ cố gắng hết sức 14
18. keep/put your nose to the grindstone: to work very hard for a long time
● She kept her nose to the grindstone all year and got the exam results she wanted.
19. put your shoulder to the wheel: to start doing something with all your
energy and determination ~ bắt đầu làm gì với toàn bộ tâm lực
- SYN: knuckle down: to start working or studying hard = buckle down
● We need to put our shoulders to the wheel if we’re going to finish this on time.
● You're going to have to really knuckle down (to your work) if you want to pass your final exams.
● He'll have to buckle down (to his work) soon if he wants to pass his finals.
20. put the pedal to the metal:
- to drive very fast: tăng ga, lái nhanh
- to work very quickly: "tăng ga" khi làm việc
● We are going to have to put the pedal to the metal if we want to finish on time.
21. drive/work/run yourself into the ground: to make yourself tired or ill by
working too hard ~ làm việc quá sức
● We ran ourselves into the ground to meet the July deadline. 15
22. blood, sweat, and tears (n): a lot of effort and hard work ~ máu, mồ
hôi và cả nước mắt
● A lot of blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this victory.
23. fight tooth and nail: to try very hard to get something you want
- SYN: go to great/any lengths: to try very hard to achieve something
● We fought tooth and nail to get the route of the new road changed.
● Some people go to great lengths to make their homes attractive.
24. sweat blood (also sweat your guts out): to make a great effort
● We sweated blood to get the work finished on time.
25. with all one's might: using all your strength
● Amos was tugging at the rope with all his might.
26. with a vengeance: with great force or extreme energy ~ với 1 lực rất
lớn, tràn đầy năng lượng.
● He's been working with a vengeance over the past few weeks to make up for lost time.
● Flared trousers are back with a vengeance (= very popular again) this summer.
(ở ví dụ 2: be back with a vengeance: quay trở lại và lợi hại hơn xưa) 16
27. work round/around the clock: work all day and all night ~ làm việc suốt ngày suốt đêm
● Doctors and nurses worked round the clock to help those injured in the train crash.
28. try one's best = do one's best = do sth to the best of your ability
● I promise to carry out my duties to the best of my ability.
29. pull out all the stops: to do everything you can to make something
successful ~ dồn hết sức lực cho 1 việc thành công
● They pulled out all the stops for their daughter's wedding.
30. stop at nothing: to be willing to do anything, however dishonest etc, in
order to get something ~ không từ 1 thủ đoạn nào
● He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants.
31. give sth your best shot: to do something as well as you can
● I gave writing my best shot, but I just don't think I can make a career out of it.
32. go to the trouble to do something (also take the trouble to do
something): to make an effort to do something
● If the police had gone to the trouble of looking up his record, they would not have released him.
● Your father took the trouble to cook this delicious meal, and now you are going to sit down and eat it.
- SYN: go out of your way: to try very hard to do something for sb 17
33. leave no stone unturned: to do everything you can to achieve a good
result, especially when looking for something ~ không để hòn đá nào cản
đường, dùng đủ mọi cách
● He left no stone unturned in his search for his natural mother.
34. be firing on all cylinders /ˈsɪl.ɪn.dɚ/: to be operating as powerfully and
effectively as possible ~ hoạt động hết công suất
● Dawson will be firing on all cylinders after two months of fitness training.
35. not do things by halves: to put a lot of effort and enthusiasm into doing
things, often more than is necessary ~ chẳng bao giờ làm việc nửa vời cả;
đã làm là phải đến nơi đến chốn
● "I didn't realize you were decorating the whole house." "Oh, we don't do
things by halves around here."
36. pull your weight: to work as hard as other people in a group
● The others had complained that Sarah wasn't pulling her weight. 18 BÀI TẬP
Question 1: She worked her fingers to the ______ to bring home the bacon. She is a breadwinner. A. chin B. sternum C. bone D. skull
Question 2: I know you're disappointed, but you need to roll up your ______ and redouble your efforts. A. socks B. sleeves C. collars D. pockets
Question 3: You'll do well at school if you just keep your nose to the ______. A. whetstone B. steel C. grindstone D. grinder
Question 4: You're going to have to really put your ______ to the wheel if
you want to pass your final exams. A. leg B. ear C. head D. shoulder
Question 5: He's been working ______ a vengeance over the past few weeks to make up for lost time. A. for B. at C. with D. up
Question 6: Students pulled out all the ______ for their final exams. A. halts B. stops C. rests D. stopovers
Question 7: She left no stone ______ in her search for her wedding present - a diamond ring. A. unreturned B. unretarded C. unturned D. intoned
Question 8: I gave composition my best ______, but I just don't think I can
obtain a good comment from my professor. A. blast B. cannon-ball C. bullet D. shot
Question 9: I only fire on all ______ after I've had my coffee. A. cylinders B. tubes C. barrels D. pistons
Question 10: If you don't start __________ around here, you're fired. A. shirking your duties B. squaring the circle C. pulling your weight D. walking the tightrope ĐÁP ÁN:
1.C 2.B 3.C 4.D 5.C 6.B 7.C 8.D 9.A 10.C 19
CHÌA KHÓA SỐ 3: TÔI LÀ NGƯỜI TRỐN TRÁNH TRÁCH NHIỆM
1. bury/have your head in the sand: to refuse to think about unpleasant
facts, although they will have an influence on your situation ~ giấu đầu dưới
bãi cát, không muốn nghĩ về 1 vấn đề
● You've got to face facts here - you can't just bury your head in the sand.
2. shrug off your responsibility for sth: to treat your responsibility as if it
is not important or not a problem ~ rũ bỏ trách nhiệm
● You're a father and you can't simply shrug off your responsibility for your children. 20