Miscellaneous Vocabulary (S) MCQs

A fanciful or ideal realm.

In a state of blissful happiness.

Without any knowledge or understanding.

In poor condition, but just managing to get the job done.

A type of slang in which words are replaced by words or phrases they rhyme with.

Nonsense.

Very cold weather conditions.

To 'get cold feet' is to become disheartened or timid, losing one's previous enthusiasm or courage.

A display of coldness or indifference, intended to wound.

Literal meaning (it means exactly what it says)

A weariness of and diminishing public response to frequent requests for charity.

The deliberate distorting of a firm's financial accounts, often with the aim of avoiding the payment of tax.

An exclamation of surprise.

High quality, especially of cooking.

A large, possibly exorbitant, amount of money.

To weep crocodile tears is to put on an insincere show of sorrow.

To emerge or occur incidentally or unexpectedly.

The military order Havoc!

Disinherited.

Get to the point - leaving out unnecessary preamble.

To wait upon someone in an overly assiduous or sycophantic manner.

Used to describe the means of obtaining a successful result.

A sexually explicit romantic novel; usually in a historical setting and always with a plot involving the seduction of the heroine.

Surfing (a.k.a.

To study hard, usually in preparation for a test.

A prize given to make fun of the loser in a contest or game.

A practical joke.

A place where valuables are stored, especially the clothes, linen, etc., that a woman might store in preparation for her marriage.

An approach to organisation or planning that is built up from basic details rather than from a guiding principal or theory.

To earn money, especially money for one's family; to be successful, especially financially successful.

Sweep a woman off her feet with a romantic gesture.

To take turns.

In a superior or advantageous position.

A sales model that utilizes both traditional stores (bricks) and Internet trading (clicks).

Having wide hips or buttocks.

Entirely brown.

The paying audience at a venue with seating, usually a theatre or cinema.

Pregnant.

An obsessive and dangerous female, in pursuit of a lover who has spurned her.

To be trapped by an opponent, in a position one can't easily escape from.

Narrowly; barely.

The appeal of nature in the raw.

The amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted during an industrial or domestic process; a measure of how that process contributes toward global warming.

Someone who is skilful at playing or manipulating cards, or one who makes a living by cheating at cards.

Euphemism for being bankrupt or in debt.

Having free rein to choose whatever course of action you want.

Disclose a secret.

In a superior or advantageous position.

To be caught in the act of committing a misdemeanour, with the evidence there for all to see.

The proverb has a literal meaning although the 'weakest link' referred to is figurative and usually applies to a person or technical feature rather than a link of an actual chain.

A form of sofa with a backrest at one end only.

A publicity campaign, usually by politicians, that attempts to attract supporters by emphasizing their charisma or trustworthiness.

A jokey way of saying expensive.

The literal translation from French is "look for the woman".

A scene of disorder; a ruin; a mess.

Casual smalltalk or gossip.

Crammed so tightly together as to prevent movement.

To get to know or understand something.

Originally a term from competitive rowing referring to an obvious gap between the leading boat and those following.

To join a growing movement in support of someone or something, often in an opportunist way, when that movement is seen to be about to become successful.

A fanciful or ideal realm.

In a state of blissful happiness.

Without any knowledge or understanding.

In poor condition, but just managing to get the job done.

A type of slang in which words are replaced by words or phrases they rhyme with.

Nonsense.

Very cold weather conditions.

To 'get cold feet' is to become disheartened or timid, losing one's previous enthusiasm or courage.

A display of coldness or indifference, intended to wound.

Literal meaning (it means exactly what it says)

A weariness of and diminishing public response to frequent requests for charity.

The deliberate distorting of a firm's financial accounts, often with the aim of avoiding the payment of tax.

An exclamation of surprise.

High quality, especially of cooking.

A large, possibly exorbitant, amount of money.

To weep crocodile tears is to put on an insincere show of sorrow.

To emerge or occur incidentally or unexpectedly.

The military order Havoc!

Rape by an acquaintance during a social engagement.

The bottom of the sea; the resting place of drowned mariners.

Blatant and unfair overcharging.

A false and exaggerated belief about one's status or importance.

Heroic daring.

A short growth of beard, aimed to affect a rugged masculine or deliberately unkempt appearance.

An irrevocable choice has been made.

A person who holds stubbornly to a minority view, in defiance of the circumstances.

This term is usually part of 'a fine kettle of fish', 'a pretty kettle of fish' etc, which mean 'a muddle or awkward state of affairs'.

Spiteful and mean spirited.

A mess or muddle.

Dressed or displayed in an ostentatiously smart manner.

A very long time.

Don't bother to pursue your application further.

Don't change your leader or your basic position when part-way through a campaign or a project.

Don't offer advice to someone who has more experience than oneself.

A feeling of pessimism and despondency, often with regard to business or political prospects.

An act of treachery, perpetrated on a previous partner in a deceit.

Wasted and unrecoverable.

To fail to recall a memory or fail in some speculative effort.

Dressed flamboyantly or smartly.

A fight.

An affectionate term for wife.

A paid day's work in which the employee is allowed to stay at home for rest and relaxation.

Act submissively and apologetically, especially in admitting an error.

A display of confidence in a particular outcome.

Conveying an untrue version of events by leaving out the important facts.

The talking is over - there's no more to be said.

The English dictum that a man's home is his refuge.

Supposedly the last words of Julius Caesar.

A misheard lyric.

Please forgive my swearing.

A procedure whereby criminal suspects are sent for interrogation from one country to a second country, where less strict laws governing interrogation apply.

A scapegoat; one who takes on the responsibilities or workload of others.

A euphemism for 'to acquire illegally'.

Commit suicide or offer your resignation.

Someone who slavishly follows fashion trends.

Be inconstant and unreliable.

Soundly asleep.

Someone sympathetic toward a certain point of view without being a fully paid-up member of the club.

Literal meaning (it means exactly what it says)

A day of excitement or a circumstance of opportunity.

Excellent - especially of food.

Clumsy, unable to hold things steadily in one's hands.

Of the highest quality.

The floozie (or floosie or floozy) in the jacuzzi is the nickname of the bronze statue, properly called Anna Livia, previously in O'Connell Street, Dublin, Ireland.

Ships' goods which are lost at sea.

Alludes to the position of being able to freely observe a situation without being oneself noticed.

For Christ's sake.

Indefinitely.

There is an appropriate time for everything.

Jew.

Alluding to the alleged inherent weakness of character of women.

A colloquial expression, used to denote icy weather.

One's children.

A stuffy or foolishly old-fashioned person.

Complete, the whole thing.

A derogatory term for a black person, especially one with fuzzy hair.

An exclamation - a euphemistic shortening of God's hooks (the nails on the cross).

The process is in active existence.

Don't concern yourself with something that's already in the past; accept it and move on to more productive pursuits.

Become irritated or annoyed.

The reply of Jesus when tempted by the Devil.

To apply unnecessary ornament - to over embellish.

Drunk; by drinking gin or other alcoholic drink.

Ginger beer = queer, i.e. homosexual.

To go wrong, to become overly excited or deranged.

Go very fast; in a vigorous manner.

Speak or act prematurely.

An expression of disdain, along the same lines as 'get lost', 'go and play in the traffic', etc.

Become ruined.

Prepare for a battle or adopt a warlike stance.

Well-behaved and obedient.

Dependable men, of rank and honour.

An expression of pleasure on seeing rid of some annoyance - usually an individual.

The abandonment of elderly relatives by their carers.

To tackle a difficult problem boldly.

Inform on someone to the police.

Severe traffic congestion, where backed-up traffic blocks movement on intersecting roads and progress is completely halted.

Lose momentum and stop.

Grinning broadly.

A glance made with partially lowered eyelids.

Calm, peaceful days.

Pinch (steal).

A disparaging name for the form of Christian religious observance which is informal, musical and spontaneous.

Unprovoked attacks on individuals made in order to record the event, and especially the victim's shock and surprise, on video phones.

A sign, warning of bad things to come.

Have a look.

Have a dispute to take up with someone or, to have an ulterior motive; to have private ends to serve.

Have a vague intimation of; have a slight knowledge of.

An indication that a piece of information was obtained via an informal contact.

To one's (or your) heart's content means to one's complete inner satisfaction - until one's heart is content.

A mild exclamation of surprise.

Literal meaning (it means exactly what it says)

Agitated.

In a carefree, stylish manner.

A temperamental outburst; a tantrum.

Live in the present, not the past.

Get off to a brisk and successful start.

Injured by the device that you intended to use to injure others.

Pretentiously self-important, haughty or pompous.

Hold on; be patient.

Having a passionate nature, or being inclined to quick temper.

Freshly printed.

In close pursuit of someone/something, or immediately after some event.

A nonsense phrase with no real meaning as such, although it also sometimes used as a jovial greeting.

Literal meaning - it is especially painful to raise an ungrateful child.

In secret; in a clandestine manner.

I see you are ready and anxious to depart.

"I will kill you and am prepared to be hanged as a consequence", or "I will swing a punch at you".

Display your feelings openly, for all to see.

To have 'another think coming' is to be greatly mistaken.

Eager; ready to participate.

(Stumped means stuck) unable to proceed, often regarding being confounded by some intellectual puzzle.

To be in disgrace or out of favour.

Laughing uproariously.

Virtually secured - as good as in one's possession.

In perfect condition, especially of health.

In debt.

In an instant.

With the inside on the outside.

A jokey alternative version of 'Is the Pope Catholic?'.

A complete and sudden surprise.

Dancing.

Some pleasant event in the future, which is never likely to materialize.

Built in a makeshift and insubstantial manner.

Inextricably linked - inseparable.

A tiny amount.

To reach the point in a TV series that denotes it is irretrievably past its best by introducing some ridiculous or otherwise unbelievable plot device or characterisation in order to boost ratings.

Say nothing - especially in circumstances where saying the wrong thing may get you into trouble.

Remain resolute and unemotional in the face of adversity, or even tragedy.

Keep it secret.

Remain cheerful - keep your head held high.

Be prepared and save your resources until they are needed.

The skill of ball-juggling - to keep a ball in the air for as long as possible by bouncing it off any part of the body that is allowed in the rules of football, i.e. any part except the hands and arms.

A dainty little trinket or ornament.

A reversal of fortune or disappointment.

To finish work for the day.

Used to highlight and ridicule snobbish forms of behaviour or speech.

The good life, full of pleasure and indulgence.

Work undertaken for the pleasure of it or for the benefit of a loved one.

Play the fool, in a childish or careless manner.

To laugh coarsely or loudly, especially at the discomfort of others.

A figure or object of ridicule and laughter.

Do not hold on to your anger for more than one day.

Without impediment.

Encourage many ideas from many sources.

Headlong; at full speed.

Keep out of sight; bide one's time.

Life begins to be better in one's middle age.

A lot; as in 'hurts like the dickens'.

A description of the British soldiers of WWI.

A person's eyes; more recently, the life force or consciousness.

The whole thing.

Old, especially of horses or people.

An unpredictable person or thing, liable to cause damage if not kept in check by others.

Completely mad.

A literary genre in which magical features and storylines appear and are accepted as everyday reality.

The most important issue.

The 'offer' being 'do as I say or I'll kill you'.

Carry on with what you are doing - it will give me an excuse to behave badly.

To state a fact in a way that allows no doubt.

Many small amounts accumulate to make a large amount.

Literal meaning, alluding to the variety in qualities of humankind.

Have many more happy days, especially birthdays.

May you experience much upheaval and trouble in your life.

The real thing - not a substitute.

I'm to blame.

A wave effect formed when crowds in stadia rise up and down from their seats in succession.

With might and main is 'with all of one's strength'.

Great things may come from small beginnings.

An irrelevant argument.

The condition of having a body weight high enough to pose a severe risk to health.

Said in reply to someone who has reported doing something that is considered to be obviously foolish.

A feast day that falls on the same day of the week each year but which has a date which varies.

People of energetic demeanour, who initiate change and influence events.

Whatever one does in one's life is one's own responsibility and cannot be changed.

Keep quiet - say nothing.

Literal meaning.

Excellent - the highest quality.

To commend an opinion to those who already accept it.

Now chiefly used to mean absurd; ridiculous.

Induce someone to join the military.

Completely mad.

A literary genre in which magical features and storylines appear and are accepted as everyday reality.

The most important issue.

The 'offer' being 'do as I say or I'll kill you'.

Carry on with what you are doing - it will give me an excuse to behave badly.

To state a fact in a way that allows no doubt.

Many small amounts accumulate to make a large amount.

Literal meaning, alluding to the variety in qualities of humankind.

Have many more happy days, especially birthdays.

May you experience much upheaval and trouble in your life.

The real thing - not a substitute.

I'm to blame.

A wave effect formed when crowds in stadia rise up and down from their seats in succession.

With might and main is 'with all of one's strength'.

Great things may come from small beginnings.

An irrelevant argument.

The condition of having a body weight high enough to pose a severe risk to health.

Said in reply to someone who has reported doing something that is considered to be obviously foolish.

A feast day that falls on the same day of the week each year but which has a date which varies.

People of energetic demeanour, who initiate change and influence events.

Whatever one does in one's life is one's own responsibility and cannot be changed.

I am plainly saying no, and I mean just that.

A computer screen display which appears onscreen as it will be seen when printed on paper.

A rhetorical question, suggesting that what is being spoken of is without fault.

Suit.

Send away or abandon.

Pertaining to the US white middle classes.

A prediction, usually expressed as a warning following someone's bad behaviour, that you may suffer future misfortune.

I am distressed; sad; grieved.

A colloquial greeting.

The choice that was given to the victims of highwaymen and other robbers.

You are unpopular.

A series of short straight lines, set at angles to one another and connected to form a continuous line, often forming a regular pattern, but not necessarily so.

A person who loves or collects books.

Sentimental longing for things that are past.

No amount of persuasion can make him take decision to resign his office for he has burnt his boats.

Someone who copies another person's work or action.

The procedures that will be followed to do something.

Common, easy to get and of little value.