A Closer Look: Lesson 6 · Street Talk 2 Vocabulary List

a boastful, arrogant, or loud-mouthed person who talks excessively

"He is a blowhard."

"Nobody took his grand pronouncements seriously because he was known to be a complete blowhard who exaggerated everything."

to change one's opinions about something often and quickly, sometimes being enthusiastic and other times indifferent or negative

"He blows hot and cold about moving."

"He blows hot and cold about moving to a new city one day he loves the idea the next he hates it."

to arrive unexpectedly or suddenly, often without prior notice

"My friend will blow in soon."

"My cousin decided to blow in from Chicago without telling anyone, which surprised the whole family at dinner."

to get rid of one's strong feelings, particularly by talking in an angry way

"He went for a run to blow off steam."

"After a stressful week at work he went for a long run to let off some steam."

to become really annoyance to the point where one might do something stupid to get rid he anger or frustration

"He was annoyed greatly."

"The constant criticism made him so angry that he felt like he might blow his brains out."

to become suddenly very angry, often to the point of shouting or behaving in an aggressive manner

"He lost his cool then."

"The normally calm teacher lost her cool when the student refused to follow instructions."

to reveal a person's identity or intentions

"He blew his cover by accident."

"The undercover detective accidentally blew his cover when his old friend recognized him at the crowded market."

to deeply astonish or amaze someone, often by presenting them with something unexpected or extraordinary

"This will blow your mind."

"The amazing special effects in the movie blew my mind and I could not stop talking about them."

to praise one's own abilities or accomplishments, often in an exaggerated way

"Do not toot your own horn."

"My coworker is always tooting his own horn about his accomplishments which makes everyone dislike him."

to fail to control one's anger

"Mom blew her top."

"My father blew his top when he saw the huge phone bill that I had run up last month."

to slowly disappear or become less noticeable

"The argument will blow over."

"The initial public outrage over the scandal eventually began to blow over as new issues captured people's attention."

to make known an unpleasant truth about something

"They blew the lid off the scandal."

"The investigative journalist managed to blow the lid off the government corruption scandal with her brave reporting."

to inform the authorities about something secret or the breach of legalities, particularly because one is morally obliged to do so

"He blew the whistle on his boss."

"The employee decided to blow the whistle on his company for illegally dumping toxic waste into the river."

(of two or more people) to get into a serious verbal argument or begin attacking each other physically because of a prior disagreement

"They almost came to blows."

"The two angry drivers almost came to blows after the minor car accident in the parking lot."

to proceed quickly and easily

"He breezed through the exam easily."

"The talented student was able to breeze through the difficult exam with hardly any effort at all."

to keep talking with a person about no particular subject

"We shot the breeze all day."

"My grandfather and his friend like to sit on the porch and shoot the breeze for hours."

used to imply that even in difficult or negative situations, there is often something positive or hopeful to be found

"I lost my job, but every cloud has a silver lining — I finally have time to study."

"The factory closure was devastating, but every cloud has a silver lining — it created space for a modern facility."

tremendously excited about something

"He was on cloud nine."

"When she heard that she had passed the exam she was on cloud nine all week."

to be in a constant state of bad luck, negativity, or a depressed mood

"He walks around with a black cloud over his head."

"Ever since she lost her job, she has been walking around with a black cloud over her head, and nothing seems to go right for her anymore."

used to emphasize a question or statement, showing surprise or confusion

"What on earth happened?"

"What on earth were you thinking when you decided to jump into that icy lake without a wetsuit?"

to have some understanding or knowledge of something

"I have foggiest idea."

"When asked about the solution, he admitted he didn't have the foggiest idea how to proceed."

confused and unable to think clearly

"I am still in a fog."

"I have been in a fog all day because I did not sleep well last night."

used to express surprise, shock, or astonishment, often in response to something unexpected or difficult to believe

"Good heavens! What a terrible mess."

"Good heavens! What a terrible mess you have made of this room. How will you clean it up?"

used to express surprise, disbelief, or astonishment, often in a dramatic or emphatic way

"Heavens above! What happened to you?"

"Heavens above! What happened to you? Your clothes are all torn, and you look very dirty."

used to express surprise, astonishment, or sometimes dismay, often in a humorous or old-fashioned

"Heavens to Betsy! That is very surprising."

"Heavens to Betsy! That is very surprising. I did not expect to see you here today."

in a state where one is experiencing outmost joy and happiness

"I am in seventh heaven."

"The little girl was in seventh heaven when she met her favourite princess at the theme park."

to try extremely hard and do everything that one is capable of in order to succeed in something

"She moved heaven and earth."

"He promised to move heaven and earth to ensure his daughter received the best medical treatment available."

used to emphasize the degree or extent of something, often in a hyperbolic or exaggerated manner

"I am tired as hell."

"I am tired as hell after working twelve hours straight without taking any breaks at all."

no matter how many obstacles one might face or how hard achieving something gets

"I will finish this project come hell or high water."

"She vowed to deliver the report on time come hell or high water, regardless of the obstacles ahead."

used as a harsh command expressing strong anger, disdain, or rejection toward someone

"Go to hell! I hate you!"

"Go to hell! I hate you, and I never want to see your face again."

used to emphasize the intensity or speed of something

"He ran like hell."

"She worked like hell all night to finish the urgent project on time."

to experience something that is extremely painful or difficult, particularly for a long time

"She went through hell last year."

"After his divorce and the loss of his home, he truly went through hell, but he managed to rebuild his life step by step."

used to express surprise, confusion, or frustration about an unexpected situation

"What the hell is going on here?"

"What the hell is going on here? Why is everyone shouting and running around like crazy people?"

used to express disbelief in something happening

"I will forgive him when hell freezes over."

"The two rival firms will collaborate when hell freezes over — their history is far too contentious."

to expose one's buttocks, typically as a prank or for humorous effect

"They mooned the crowd."

"In a moment of youthful rebellion, the students decided to moon the principal during the graduation ceremony."

used for saying that something can only happen on very rare occasions

"I see him once in a blue moon."

"My brother visits us once in a blue moon because he lives in Australia and works very hard."

to make promises that are impossible to be fulfilled or be kept

"He promised her the moon yesterday."

"The politician promised the people the earth during the campaign, but once elected, he completely forgot about all his grand promises."

to be smart or experienced enough to find one's way out of a problematic situation

"He knows enough to come in out of the rain."

"Even a child knows enough to come in out of the rain so why are you standing there?"

to rain really hard

"It rained cats and dogs yesterday."

"We had to cancel our picnic because it was raining cats and dogs and the roads were completely flooded with water."

to ruin what someone has planned or not allow them enjoy something

"Don't rain on my parade."

"I was so excited about my promotion, and I didn't want anyone to rain on my parade with negative comments."

a time of financial difficulty or a period of challenge

"Save this for a rainy day."

"My grandmother always saves some money for a rainy day because you never know when an emergency might happen."

refusal or cancellation of an invitation, offer, or plan with intention of accepting it or doing it at another time instead

"He took a rain check on dinner."

"He could not make the movie tonight so he asked for a rain check for next week."

used to suggest that when something bad happens, other bad things often happen in quick succession or in large numbers, making the situation seem even worse

"I missed the bus, and then it started raining — when it rains, it pours."

"The company faced a lawsuit, a PR crisis, and a product recall in the same week — when it rains, it pours."

an attempt to persuade someone to do or believe something using deception or flattery

"The salesman gave her a snow job."

"The salesman gave her a snow job with exaggerated claims about the car's fuel efficiency."

the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation

"I had a brainstorm."

"After hours of confusion, a sudden brainstorm illuminated the path forward for the entire team."

to eat a large amount of food, often with enthusiasm

"We ate up a storm."

"After the long hike we went to a restaurant and ate up a storm because we were starving."

to act in a violent or angry way, showing strong emotion

"He stormed out of the room angrily."

"The angry boss stormed out of the meeting room after his proposal was rejected by the committee."

to achieve sudden and overwhelming success, popularity, or control

"She took the city by storm."

"The young singer took the music world by storm with her incredible voice and catchy songs."

move fast, noisily, and heavily

"The train thunders past the station."

"The heavy train thundered past the small station shaking the ground and making a deafening noise."

used to refer to someone with fat or large thighs

"He teased her about thunder thighs."

"He was self conscious about his thunder thighs and always wore long shorts to the beach."

a person who is only a friend during good times and is not supportive or reliable during difficult or challenging times

"He is only a fair-weather friend."

"He turned out to be a fair weather friend who disappeared when I lost my job."

feeling unwell or slightly ill

"He is under the weather today."

"I felt a bit under the weather yesterday so I stayed at home all day long."

to release gas from one's bowels through one's anus

"Someone broke wind loudly."

"The old man accidentally broke wind loudly in the elevator and everyone pretended not to notice."

the renewal of one's energy or endurance that allows one to continue or start over a physical exertion

"The runner found his second wind."

"After drinking some water the runner got a second wind and finished the race strongly."

to become aware of a piece of information that has been long kept a secret

"I caught wind of the plan."

"The reporters caught wind of the scandal and immediately started investigating the story for the evening news."

to do something, particularly something others do not expect, in order to make them feel less confident or important

"The news knocked me."

"The sudden bad news knocked the wind out of me and I had to sit down for a minute."

to become out of breath, usually from physical exertion

"I got winded from running."

"After running up three flights of stairs I got winded and had to stop to catch my breath."

to make a lot of fuss or unnecessary noise about something trivial or insignificant

"Don't make fuss."

"She tends to make wind about minor inconveniences, turning small problems into huge dramas."

a fast-paced, short, and often hectic journey or series of events, typically involving multiple stops or activities in a short time

"The band did a whirlwind tour."

"The ambassador took a whirlwind tour of five countries in just three days."

to become really annoyance to the point where one might do something stupid to get rid he anger or frustration

"This will blow my brains out."

"Dealing with these constant interruptions is starting to blow my brains out, making me want to quit."

to kill someone with a gun or other weapons

"They will blow away the target."

"The soldiers were ordered to blow away any enemy combatants who attempted to breach the perimeter."

to make a mess of or ruin something, often through reckless actions or poor decision-making

"You blow it."

"He managed to blow his entire chance at a promotion with one careless remark."

to become extremely angry and lose control

"He will blow up."

"If you continue to provoke him, he is likely to blow up in a fit of rage."

something that is easy to do or accomplish

"It's a breeze."

"Learning the new software proved to be a breeze for the experienced IT professional."

used to describe something that is extremely delightful, blissful, or perfect, often invoking a sense of pure enjoyment or pleasure

"The cake is heavenly."

"The heavenly voice of the soprano brought tears to the eyes of everyone in the audience."