Lekcja pierwsza C2

publicly praised by a lot of people

His work was critically acclaimed

behaviour that hides someone’s real character or feelings

A thin veneer of politeness hid Lady Bride’s growing anger.

to do something or behave in the same way as someone else, especially because you admire them

He hoped to emulate the success of Wilder

having a lot of problems and not enough money or time

The new exams will only add to the workload of already hard-pressed teachers.

to reduce or prevent the bad effect of something, by doing something that has the opposite effect

They gave him drugs to counteract his withdrawal symptoms.

certain to happen and impossible to avoid

A further escalation of the crisis now seems inevitable

spending a lot of time sitting down, and not moving or exercising very much

health problems caused by our sedentary lifestyles

extremely funny

mutual feelings such as respect, trust, or hatred are feelings that two or more people have for each other

Mutual respect is necessary for any partnership to work.

to make a long high sound

The wind wailed in the chimney

to surprise, please, or excite someone very much

I was bowled over by the beauty of the landscape.

to make something seem less good

ike an achievement or an opinion or an object — you take away some of its value or diminish it. That dent in the door of your car may detract from its overall value.

if parts of a situation that you have been trying to understand fall into place, you start to understand how they are connected with each other

Suddenly, all the details started falling into place.

be at a loose end

I was at a loose end so I decided to go see an old movie.

used to say that you cannot achieve anything unless you take risks

His motto when it comes to business is: nothing ventured, nothing gained

not trying very hard, usually because you do not want to do something or are not confident that you will succeed

He made a faint-hearted attempt to stop her leaving.

used humorously to say that you are very surprised about something

When he told me he was 60, you could have knocked me down with a feather.

clever, careful, and not easily deceived, especially in business or politics

a canny political advisor

an untenable situation has become so difficult that it is impossible to continue

The scandal put the President in an untenable position.

calm sensible controlled behaviour, especially in a situation when it is difficult to stay calm

The police were praised for their restraint in handling the demonstrators.

to grow or develop quickly

the burgeoning market for digital cameras

a large amount of work that you need to complete, especially work that should already have been completed

a backlog of requests

to have a lot of problems and be likely to fail completely

a reciprocal arrangement or relationship is one in which two people or groups do or give the same things to each other

He spoke of the necessity for a reciprocal relationship that would be useful for all sides

the ability to think quickly and make good judgments

The firm’s success is largely due to Brannon’s business acumen.