Unit 17

Question 1

think on one’s feet

Answer 1

React quickly, be mentally agile, as in Reporters bombarded him with difficult questions, but Bill was very good at thinking on his feet . This expression uses on one’s feet in the sense of “wide awake, alertly.” [First half of 1900s]

Question 2

on the spur of the moment

Answer 2

• on impulse; without premeditation; “he decided to go to Chicago on the spur of the moment”; “he made up his mind suddenly”
  suddenly

Question 3

Snap decision

Answer 3

in a quick.without thinking of consequences.

Question 4

Approach

Answer 4

1. (= come near) [+ place] → acercarse a, aproximarse a; [+ person] → abordar, dirigirse a
   he approached the house → se acercó or aproximó a la casa
   a man approached me in the street → un hombre me abordó en la calle
2. (with request etc) → dirigirse a; (= speak to) → hablar con
   have you tried approaching the mayor? → ¿has probado a dirigirte al alcalde?
   have you approached your bank manager about the loan? → ¿has hablado con el gerente del banco sobre el préstamo?
   he is difficult to approach → no es fácil abordarle
3. (= tackle) [+ subject, problem, job] → abordar
   we must approach the matter with care → tenemos que abordar el asunto con mucho cuidado
   I approach it with an open mind → me lo planteo sin ningún prejuicio
   it all depends on how we approach it → depende de cómo lo enfoquemos
4. (= approximate to) (in quality) → aproximarse a; (in appearance) → parecerse a
   here the colour approaches blue → aquí el color tira a azul
   it was approaching midnight → era casi medianoche
   the performance approached perfection → la interpretación rayaba en la perfección
   he’s approaching 50 → se acerca a los 50
   no other painter approaches him (fig) → no hay otro pintor que se le pueda comparar

Question 5

to do something because you want to rather than for practical reasons Don’t let your heart rule your head. If you lend him that money you’ll never see it again.

means your making choices based on emotions and not your mind/logical thought

Answer 5

let your heart rule your head

Question 6

to do something without ​worrying about the ​risk or ​negative ​results:
I ​threw ​caution to the ​wind and ​bought the most ​expensive one.

Pisar na jaca

Answer 6

throw caution to the wind/winds

Question 7

Agonized over

Answer 7

you feel very anxious about it and spend a long time thinking about it.

Perhaps he was agonizing over the moral issues involved…

Question 8

whereas

Answer 8

Enquanto que
Ao passo que
Já que

Question 9

in addition to the bad thing already mentioned We missed the bus, and on top of that it started raining.
See also: of, on, that, top

Answer 9

on top of that

Question 10

da mesma maneira

Answer 10

likewise

Question 11

Além disso

Answer 11

moreover

Question 12

mod. in a very difficult position; facing a hard decision. I’m between a rock and a hard place. I don’t know what to do.

Answer 12

between a rock and a hard place

Question 13

lesser of two evils

Answer 13

the less bad thing of a pair of bad things. I didn’t like either politician, so I voted for the lesser of two evils. Given the options of going out with someone I don’t like and staying home and watching a boring television program, I chose the lesser of the two evils and watched television.
See also: evil, lesser, of, two
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Question 14

Use this phrase when you’ve started to do something, and now it’s too late to stop doing it. For example, if you tell your boss that you’re quitting your job, you can say that “There’s no going back.”

Answer 14

There is no going back

Question 15

To come before and after, or at both sides of.

Answer 15

Bookend

Question 16

1. To move upward above something: The balloon rose above the trees.
2. To extend upward; be prominent over something: The tower rises above the hill.
3. To be superior to something or someone: Her performance rises above that of her peers.
4. To adopt a better attitude in order to avoid being burdened or concerned with something:

He rose above the silly arguing among his classmates and thought of his own ideas.

Answer 16

rise above

Question 17

• anything that requires little thought

Answer 17

no-brainer