→ had known it was coming → in the know → let someoneknow about something → not know one’sown strength → not know someonefrom Adam → not know enough to come in out of the rain know all t
Trang 1justify ["dZ^s tI faI] tv to explain
why one did something; to give a
good reason for something
jut out (from something) to stick
outward or project from
some-thing
jut out (into something) to stick
outward or project into an area
jut out (over someone or some-thing) to stick out or project over
someone or something
juvenile ["dZu v@ naIl] 1 n a
child [from a legal point of
view] 2 n a young animal.
3 adj youthful; for young
people
justify
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Trang 2kangaroo [kAN g@ "ru] n a large
animal of Australia that hops on
its hind legs (Plural ends in -s.)
keel ["kil] n the main beam along
the bottom of a boat or ship on
which the frame is built
keel over to fall over; to capsize.
keen ["kin] 1 adj [of a cutting
edge] sharp (Adv: keenly Comp:
keener; sup: keenest.) 2 adj [of a
sense of taste, vision, hearing,
touch, or smell] very sensitive or
sharp (Figurative on Q Adv:
keenly Comp: keener; sup:
keen-est.)
keen on doing something willing or
eager to do something
keep ["kip] 1 tv., irreg to cause
someone or something to remain
somewhere (Past tense and past
participle: kept.) 2 tv., irreg to
have something for a period of
time; to continue to have
some-thing 3 iv to continue to do
something
keep a civil tongue (in one’s
head) to speak decently and
politely (Also with have.)
keep a close rein on someone or
something Go to keep a tight rein
on someone or something.
keep a secret to know a secret and
not tell anyone
keep a stiff upper lip to be cool
and unmoved by disturbing
events (Also with have.)
keep a straight face to make one’s
face stay free from laughter
keep a tight rein on someone or
something and keep a close
rein on someone or something to
watch and control someone or something closely
keep after someone (about some-thing) to nag someone about
something
keep an eye out (for someone or something) to watch for the arrival
or appearance of someone or
something (Also with have The
an can be replaced by one’s.)
keep at someone (about some-thing) to harass someone about
something
keep at something to continue to
do something; to continue to try
to do something
keep away (from someone or something) to avoid someone or
something; to maintain a physical distance from someone or some-thing
keep back (from someone or something) to continue to stay in a
position away from someone or something
keep body and soul together to
feed, clothe, and house oneself
keep from doing something to
avoid doing something; to refrain from doing something
keep late hours to stay up or stay
out until very late; to work late
keep off ((of ) something) to
remain off something; not to tres-pass on something
keep on an even keel to remain
cool and calm
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Trang 3keep on someone (about
some-thing) to nag someone about
something
keep on (something) to work to
remain mounted on something,
such as a horse, bicycle, etc
keep on something to pay close
attention to something
keep one’s ear to the ground Go
to have one’sear to the ground.
keep one’s eye on a ball 1 to
watch or follow the ball carefully,
especially when one is playing a
ball game; to follow the details of a
ball game very carefully 2 to
remain alert to the events
occur-ring around one
keep one’s feet on the ground to
remain sensible and able to
func-tion reasonably
keep one’s head above water to
stay ahead of one’s responsibilities
keep one’s nose to the
grind-stone to keep busy continuously
over a period of time
keep one’s opinions to oneself to
stop mentioning one’s own
opin-ions, especially when they disagree
with someone else’s
keep one’s temper and hold one’s
temper not to get angry; to hold
back an expression of anger
keep one’s weather eye open to
watch for something (to happen);
to be on the alert (for something);
to be on guard
keep one’s word to uphold one’s
promise
keep (oneself) to oneself to remain
private; not to mix with other
peo-ple very much
keep out (of something) 1 to
remain uninvolved with
thing 2 to remain outside
some-thing or someplace
keep someone at something to
make sure someone continues to work at something
keep someone back 1 to hold a child back in school 2 to keep
someone from advancing in life
keep someone down to prevent
someone from advancing or suc-ceeding
keep someone from doing
some-thing to prevent someone from doing something
keep someone in stitches to cause
someone to laugh loud and hard,
over and over (Also with have.)
keep someone on to retain
some-one in employment longer than is required or was planned
keep someone or something back
to hold someone or something in reserve
keep someone or something hang-ing in midair to maintain
some-one or something in a state of waiting before reaching an ending
or completion
keep someone or something in mind and bear someone or something in mind to remember
and think about someone or something
keep someone or something off Go
to hold someone or somethingoff.
keep someone or something out (of something) 1 to prevent
someone or something from get-ting into something or some place keep on someone (about something)
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Trang 42 to keep the subject of someone
or something out of a discussion
keep someone posted to keep
someone informed (of what is
happening); to keep someone
up-to-date
keep someone up 1 to hold
one upright 2 to prevent
some-one from going to bed or going to
sleep
keep something on to continue to
wear an article of clothing
keep something on an even keel
to keep something in a steady and
untroubled state
keep something to oneself to keep
something a secret
keep something under one’s hat to
keep something a secret; to keep
something in one’s mind (only)
keep something under wraps to
keep something concealed (until
some future time)
keep something up 1 to hold or
prop something up 2 to continue
doing something 3 to maintain
something in good order
keep the home fires burning to
keep things going at one’s home or
other central location,
maintain-ing a routine
keep the wolf from the door to
maintain oneself at a minimal
level; to keep from starving,
freez-ing, etc
keep up (with the Joneses) to
stay financially even with one’s
peers; to try hard to get the same
amount of material goods that
one’s friends and neighbors have
keep up (with the times) to stay
in fashion; to keep up with the
news; to be contemporary or mod-ern
keeper ["kip #] n someone who
keeps someone or something; a protector; a guard; someone who cares for animals in a zoo (See also zookeeper.)
keepsake ["kip sek] n something
that is kept to remind the owner of someone or something; a memento
keg ["kEg] 1 n a small wooden
barrel, especially one that holds
100 pounds of nails 2 n a small
metal barrel, especially one that holds beer
→ sitting on a powder keg
kennel ["kEn @l] n a place where
dogs are kept
kept ["kEpt] past tense and past
participle ofkeep.
ketchup and catsup ["kEtS @p,
"ket s@p] n a thick liquid, made from tomatoes, that is put on food for flavoring (Plural only for types and instances.)
kettle ["kEt @l] n a large cooking
pot; a pot for heating liquids
→ afine kettle of fish
→ thepot calling the kettle black
key ["ki] 1 n a device that unlocks
or locks a lock; something that unlocks something that is locked
2 n something that gives access to
an answer or a solution; something that provides the answers or solu-tions for something (Figurative
on Q.) 3 n a part of a machine or instrument that is pressed down to make something happen, as on a computer keyboard, a typewriter,
or a piano 4 n a musical scale that begins on a particular note; a
key
309
Trang 5set of related musical notes 5 adj.
important; essential; basic
keyboard ["ki bord] 1 n a row of
keys that make a certain musical
sound when pressed 2 n an
elec-tronic device that creates music
3 n the rows of keys standing for
letters, symbols, and numbers as
found on typewriters, computers,
etc
keynote ["ki not] adj [of a speech
or a speaker] primary or main
(Prenominal only.)
keypad ["ki pAd] 1 n [on a
com-puter] a special, separate set of
number keys arranged as on a
cal-culator 2 n any small control
panel having an arrangement of
push buttons, as found on a
tele-phone or a calculator
kick ["kIk] 1 tv to strike someone
or something with the foot,
usu-ally the toe of a shoe or boot 2 iv.
to move one’s legs back and forth
as ifkickingsomething as in Q
3 n an act of striking someone or
something with the foot, as in Q
kick back (at someone or
thing) to kick at someone or
some-thing in revenge
kick something back (to someone
or something) to move something
back to someone, something, or
someplace by kicking
kick something down to break
down something by kicking
kick something in to break through
something by kicking
kick something out (of something)
to move something out of
some-thing or someplace by kicking
kick up a fuss and kick up a
row; kick up a storm to become
a nuisance; to misbehave and
dis-turb (someone) (Row rhymes with cow.)
kick up a row Go to kick up a fuss kick up a storm Go to kick up a
fuss.
kick up one’s heels to celebrate; to
act free or liberated
kid ["kId] 1 n a child; a youngster (Informal.) 2 n a baby goat 3 n the skin of W (No plural.) 4 tv.
to tease someone; to joke with
someone; to trick someone 5 adj.
[of a brother or sister] younger (Informal Prenominal only.)
→ handle someonewith kid gloves
kid stuff Go to kid’s stuff.
kidney ["kId ni] 1 n one of the two
organs that separate waste and water from the bloodstream, cre-ating urine 2 the adj use of Q
kid’s stuff and kid stuff a very
easy task
kill ["kIl] 1 tv to cause the death of
someone or something directly
2 tv to end something; to cause
something to end (Figurative on
Q.) 3 iv to cause death 4 n an
animal that is hunted and killed as
in Q (No plural.)
kill someone or something off to
kill all of a group of people or creatures
kill the fatted calf to prepare an
elaborate banquet (in someone’s honor)
kill the goose that laid the golden egg to destroy the source
of one’s good fortune
kill time to waste time.
kill two birds with one stone to
solve two problems with one solu-keyboard
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Trang 6tion; to achieve two good results
from one action
killed outright killed immediately.
killer ["kIl #] n someone or
thing that kills; someone or
some-thing that causes death
kilogram ["kIl @ grAm] n a metric
unit of weight, equal to 1,000
grams or about 2.2 pounds
kilometer [kI "lam @ t#] n a metric
unit of distance, equal to 1,000
meters or about ⁵⁄₈ of a mile
kilowatt ["kIl @ wat] n a metric
unit of electrical power, equal to
1,000 watts per hour
kin ["kIn] n family; relatives (No
plural form Treated as plural.)
→ someone’snext of kin
kind ["kaInd] 1 n a sort; a type; a
variety 2 adj thoughtful; helpful.
(Adv: kindly Comp: kinder; sup:
kindest.)
→ two of a kind
kindergarten ["kIn d# gard n] n.
the grade before first grade,
usu-ally for children between the ages
of 4 and 6
kindness ["kaInn@s] n the quality
of being kind; politeness and
car-ing
→ do someonea kindness
→ themilk of human kindness
king ["kIN] 1 n the male ruler of a
nation where the head of the
country inherits his office from a
previous ruler 2 n a playing card
with a picture of Q on it 3 n a
playing piece in chess that can
move one space in any direction
→ fit for a king
kingdom ["kIN d@m] 1 n a country
ruled by a king or queen 2 n one
of three kinds of life forms—such
as the animal or plant kingdom
kiss ["kIs] 1 n a touching of one’s
lips to someone or something,
especially someone else’s lips 2 tv.
to touch one’s lips to someone or something, especially someone else’s lips 3 iv [for two people] to kisseach other on the lips, as in W
kiss and make up to forgive
(someone) and be friends again (Also used literally.)
the kiss of death an act that puts
an end to someone or something
kiss something good-bye to
antici-pate or experience the loss of something
kit ["kIt] 1 n a container or
carry-ing device that holds tools, equip-ment, or supplies for a specific purpose 2 n the parts and instructions needed to build a par-ticular thing, such as a model air-plane
→ first-aid kit
kitchen ["kItS @n] 1 n a room
where food is stored and cooked
2 the adj use of Q.
→ everything but the kitchen sink
kite ["kaIt] n a small wooden
frame covered with cloth, paper,
or plastic and attached to a long string—flown in the wind for amusement
→ (as) high as a kite
kitten ["kIt n] n a baby cat; a young
cat
→ (as) weak as a kitten
knee ["ni] 1 n the front part of the joint in the middle of the leg 2 n.
the part of a pants leg that covers Q
knee
311
Trang 7kneecap ["ni kAp] n the flat bone
at the front of the knee
kneel ["nil] iv., irreg to put the
weight of one’s body on one or
both knees (Past tense and past
participle: kneeled or knelt.)
kneel down (before someone or
something) to show respect by
get-ting down on one’s knees in the
presence of someone or
some-thing
knelt ["nElt] a past tense and past
participle ofkneel.
knew ["nu] past tense ofknow.
knew it was coming and (had)
known it was coming to have
known in advance that something
was to happen
knife ["naIf] 1 n., irreg a long, flat
utensil or tool that has a handle
and a sharp edge used for cutting
(Plural: knives.) 2 tv to stab
someone or something
knit ["nIt] tv to make a fabric or
clothing by using long needles to
loop yarn or thread together
knit one’s brow to wrinkle one’s
brow, especially by frowning
knives ["naIvz] plural ofknife.
knock ["nak] 1 iv to hit one’s
knuckles against something 2 n.
the noise made by rapping or
tap-ping as with Q 3 n a sharp hit; a
rap; a thump 4 tv to hit or bump
something and make it move or
fall; to hit something against
someone or something
knock it off to stop talking; to be
silent (Usually a rude command.)
knock on wood a phrase said to
cancel out imaginary bad luck
(Often said when one has just
mentioned something good that one hopes will succeed or con-tinue.)
knock someone cold 1 to knock someone out (Informal.) 2 to
stun someone; to shock someone
knock someone for a loop Go to
throw someonefor a loop.
knock someone or something down to thrust someone or
some-thing to the ground by force
knock someone out 1 to knock someone unconscious 2 to make someone unconsciousness 3 to
wear someone out; to exhaust someone
knock someone over to surprise or
overwhelm someone (Figurative.)
knock (up) against someone or
something to bump against some-one or something
knot ["nat] 1 n a tight lump made
where pieces of rope, cord, hair,
string, etc., are tied together 2 n.
a hard circle of wood in a board, where a small branch was joined
3 n a unit of speed equal to 1.15
miles per hour, used to measure the movement of ships and wind
at sea 4 tv to tie something in Q;
to fasten something with Q 5 iv.
to become tied or twisted into Q
→ tie the knot
→ tie someonein knots
know ["no] 1 tv., irreg to have met
and become familiar with some-one (Past tense: knew;past par-ticiple: known.) 2 tv., irreg to understand something; to have had experience with something
3 tv., irreg to recognize someone
or something 4 tv., irreg to have
knowledge about someone or kneecap
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Trang 8something; to have information
about someone or something
(The object can be a clause with
that U.)
→ (had) known it was coming
→ in the know
→ let someoneknow (about
something)
→ not know one’sown strength
→ not know someonefrom Adam
→ not know enough to come in
out of the rain
know (all) the tricks of the
trade to possess the skills and
knowledge necessary to do
some-thing
know better to be wise,
experi-enced, or well taught
know one’s ABCs to know the most
basic things (like the alphabet)
about something
know someone by sight to know
the name and recognize the face of
someone
know someone or something like a
book Go to know someone or
some-thinglike the palm of one’shand.
know someone or something like
the back of one’s hand Go to
know someone or somethinglike the
palm of one’shand.
know someone or something like
the palm of one’s hand and
know someone or something like
the back of one’s hand; know
someone or something like a
book to know someone or
some-thing very well
know something from memory to
have memorized something so
that one does not have to consult a
written version; to know
some-thing well from having seen it very
often
know something in one’s bones
Go to feel somethingin one’sbones.
know something inside out to
know something thoroughly; to know about something thor-oughly
know the ropes to know how to
do something
know the score and know what’s what to know the facts; to
know the facts about life and its difficulties
know what’s what Go to know the
score.
know when one is not wanted to
sense when one’s presence is not welcome; to know when one is not among friends (Usually said when someone feels hurt by being ignored by people.)
know which side one’s bread is buttered on to know what is
most advantageous for oneself
know-how knowledge and skill.
(Informal.)
knowledge ["nal IdZ] n the
infor-mation that is known about some-one or something (No plural.)
known ["non] Past participle of
know.
known fact something that is
gen-erally recognized as a fact
known quantity someone whose
character, personality, and behav-ior are recognized and under-stood
knuckle ["n^k @l] n the joint
between the bones of a finger or the joint between a finger and the hand
knuckle
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Trang 9lab ["lAb] n laboratory.
label ["leb @l] 1 n a small notice
bearing important information
2 tv to attach Q to something.
labor ["leb #] 1 n a kind of work,
especially hard, physical work
(No plural.) 2 n workers,
espe-cially in contrast to people in
management (No plural Treated
as singular.) 3 n the work a
woman’s body does to bring about
birth; the contractions of the
womb in the process of giving
birth (No plural.) 4 the adj use
of Q, W, or E 5 iv to work
hard
→ thefruit(s) of one’slabor(s)
→ in labor
→ one’slabor(s)
labor of love a task that is either
unpaid or badly paid and that one
does simply for one’s own
satisfac-tion or pleasure to please someone
whom one likes or loves
labor pains ["leb # "penz] n the
(mother’s) pains that accompany
the birth of a child
laboratory ["lAb r@ tor i] 1 n a
room or building that contains
scientific equipment for
experi-ments, tests, manufacture, or
instruction (Often shortened to
lab.) 2 the adj use of Q.
lace ["les] 1 n a delicate web of
cotton or other thread woven into
a design or pattern (No plural.)
2 n a string used for tying
some-thing closed, especially for tying
one’s shoes closed; a shoelace
3 adj made of Q.
lace into someone or something to
set to work on someone or some-thing; to attack E someone or something
lace something (up) to tie
some-thing closed, especially one’s shoes, using a string that goes through a series of holes or loops
lack ["lAk] 1 n a shortage of
some-thing; the condition of not having
any of something 2 tv to need
something; not to have enough of something; to be without some-thing
lacy ["les i] 1 adj made of lace.
(Adv: lacily Comp: lacier; sup:
lac-iest.) 2 adj delicate and complex
like lace; having a delicate pattern
(Figurative on Q Adv: lacily Comp: lacier; sup: laciest.)
ladder ["lAd #] n a set of steps
attached to two side pieces, used for climbing up to reach some-thing or climbing down from something
→ at the bottom of the ladder
ladies’ man a man who likes the
company of women and whose company is liked by women, the suggestion being that he likes to flirt with them
ladle ["led l] 1 n a large, deep
spoon with a long handle, used for
serving a liquid from a bowl 2 tv.
to serve a liquid using Q
lady ["led i] 1 n a refined woman.
(Compare this with gentleman.)
2 n a woman (Also a term of
address.)
lady-killer a man who is very
popular with women and who
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Click Here for Terms of Use.TLFeBOOK
Trang 10likes to flirt and make love with
them; a man whom women
can-not resist
lag ["lAg] n a delay; the period of
time between the end of one event
and the start of another
lag behind (someone or
some-thing) to fall behind someone or
something; to linger behind
some-one or something
laid ["led] past tense and past
par-ticiple oflay.
→ kill the goose that laid the
golden egg
lain ["len] a past participle oflie E.
lair ["lEr] n an animal’s shelter; the
place where an animal sleeps
lake ["lek] n a large body of water
surrounded by land
lamb ["lAm] 1 n a young sheep.
2 n the meat of Q used as food.
(No plural.)
→ (as) innocent as a lamb
→ in two shakes of a lamb’s tail
→ like a lamb to the slaughter
→ like lambs to the slaughter
lame ["lem] adj not able to walk
properly; limping; crippled (Adv:
lamely Comp: lamer; sup: lamest.)
lamp ["lAmp] 1 n a device that
makes light; an electric light bulb
2 n a stand—often ornamental—
that holds an electric light bulb
lamppost ["lAmp post] n a post
that supports a street light
lampshade ["lAmp Sed] n a cover
that fits over the electric light bulb
in a lamp to soften the glare of the
light
land ["lAnd] 1 n the dry, solid part
of the earth’s surface; the part of
the earth’s surface that is not
cov-ered with water (No plural.) 2 n ground; dirt; soil (No plural.)
3 n a portion of Q; an area of ground (No plural.) 4 n a coun-try 5 iv [for someone or
some-thing that is moving or falling through the air] to stop and come
to rest somewhere, especially on the ground 6 iv [for an airplane]
to return to the ground safely
7 tv [for a pilot] to return an
air-plane to the ground safely
→ do a land-office business
→ lay of the land
→ live off the fat of the land
→ on land
the land of Nod sleep (Humorous.
From the fact that people some-times nod when they are falling asleep This is a pun, because the
land of Nod is also the name of a
place referred to in the Bible.)
land someone with someone or
something to give or pass on some-one or something unpleasant or unwanted to someone else
land up somehow or somewhere to
finish somehow or somewhere; to come to be in a certain state or place at the end (Usually in the wrong place or in a bad situation.)
land (up)on someone or something
to light or come to rest on some-one or something
landing ["lAn dIN] n [an airplane’s]
coming to earth; [a pilot’s] act of bringing a plane to earth
landing strip n the runway or
strip of pavement or earth where a plane leaves and returns to earth, especially if short or privately owned
landing strip
315