"Slip through the cracks" nghĩa là gì?

Trẻ em là tương lai đất nước, hãy chăm lo giáo dục thật tốt dù là nhà trường hay cha mẹ. Photo courtesy St. Francis Cainta 

"Slip through the cracks" nghĩa là vô tình bị bỏ qua/ bị hủy/ không được chú ý, đặc biệt là trong hệ thống chính trị, xã hội, hoặc bộ máy làm việc các doanh nghiệp. 

Ví dụ 

Churches conducting more background checks (kiểm tra lý lịch), but sex offenders (tội phạm tình dục) still slipping through cracks. 

She encountered (bắt gặp) her fair share of dog-baiters (trộm chó) on dating apps (which she no longer uses). Most men were upfront (thẳng thắn) in conversation with Chuang, but a few did slip through the cracks until she pieced it (ghép lại) together. 

But many say their children face a brick wall (đối mặt với điều vô ích) from the State in trying to access appropriate therapies (tiếp cận các liệu pháp thích hợp) and the education crucial to maximising their potential (tối đa hóa tiềm năng). Parents in many cases feel their children are being allowed to slip through the cracks of the system. 

Thu Phương 

Bài trước: "First crack at" nghĩa là gì? 

"First crack at" nghĩa là gì?

Khi cơ hội đến, hãy chiến đấu bằng cả sức mình. Photo courtesy Lee Cooper 

"First crack at something" có nghĩa là cơ hội đầu tiên để làm/ sửa/ có được điều gì đó. 

Ví dụ 

According to the former Department of Agriculture secretary (nguyên Bộ trưởng Bộ Nông nghiệp), he is looking forward to have Mindanaoan rice farmers to get first crack at rice exportation (xuất khẩu gạo) to PNG. 

In the process, the S&P 500 is back for its first crack at the breakdown (thất bại) point (2,912) an area defining (xác định khu vực) the immediate bull-bear technical tension (nguy cơ bị tấn công ngay lập tức). 

Juan Miguel Elorde will get his first crack at a world title (danh hiệu thế giới) when he takes on (tham gia) the hard-hitting WBO world super bantamweight (hạng nặng) champion Emanuel Navarrete on September 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Thu Phương 

Bài trước: "You've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette" nghĩa là gì? 

"You've got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette" nghĩa là gì?

Muốn ăn thì đành chịu thui à. Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst 

"(You've got to) crack a few eggs to make an omelette" = phải làm vỡ trứng thì mới có món trứng ốp để ăn -> đôi khi, bạn phải làm những điều bạn không muốn để hoàn thành nhiệm vụ hoặc đáp ứng mục tiêu. 

Ví dụ 

As they say, ‘You’ve got to crack a few eggs to make an omelette.’ In this case, it’s build a culinary summer camp (trại hè nấu ăn) and they will come. 

You have to crack a few eggs to make an omelette. In this case, dignitaries (quan chức) and management (quản lý) with Cora Breakfast and Lunch cracked a few eggs together to celebrate the grand opening of the new restaurant in Vernon on Tuesday. 

So it’s important that Elliott stay fit and limber (giữ dáng chuẩn và linh hoạt). Doing that by himself in Cabo could be difficult. Luckily, Marshall Faulk, friend and esteemed (quý trọng) running back himself, is on his way to Mexico to crack some eggs to make an omelet. 

Thu Phương 

 Bài trước: "Use a sledgehammer to crack a nut" nghĩa là gì?

"Use a sledgehammer to crack a nut" nghĩa là gì?

Đấy, nhẹ nhàng tình cảm vậy thôi. Photo courtesy fluusimuus 

"(Use) a sledgehammer to crack a nut" = "employ a steam engine to crack a nut" = dùng búa tạ để đập hạt -> dùng công cụ/ phương pháp quá phức tạp, không cần thiết để hoàn thành một điều gì đó. 

Ví dụ 

CPA’s Gary Pflugrath said while the body acknowledged that cash was “an enabler of illegal activity” (gây ra hoạt động phi pháp), the latest move was a sledgehammer to crack a nut. 

Let’s be clear: electoral fraud (gian lận phiếu bầu) is a serious crime and it is vital that the police have the resources they need to deal with it. However, the proposals outlined (đề xuất được vạch ra) by the government are clearly disproportionate (không tương xứng)– a sledgehammer to crack a nut. 

There are, however, concerns that ministers are devising (lên kế hoạch) a sledgehammer to crack a nut with the prospect (viễn cảnh) of introducing unnecessary and excessive compliance measures (biện pháp tuân thủ quá mức và không cần thiết) that could adversely (bất lợi) impact on many businesses, especially SMEs (doanh nghiệp vừa và nhỏ). 

Thu Phương 

Bài trước: "Crack a joke" nghĩa là gì? 

"Crack a joke" nghĩa là gì?

Be be, buồn cười qué. Photo by Matthew Henry from Burst 

"Crack a joke" nghĩa là nói đùa, kể chuyện hài. 

Ví dụ 

If you see DaBaby in public, is he going to crack a joke or throw a punch (đưa ra một câu hài)? 

Payton had to crack a joke as well, saying, "How many days rest does this pitcher (người ném bóng) get?" 

It is an honor, but it is an honor for something unimaginable (không thể tưởng tượng) that someone has gone through and he’s cracking a joke about it. 

It’s an important calendar date (lịch quan trọng) for new and established comedians alike, who crack jokes day and night in the hopes of making people laugh (and making a name for themselves). 

Thu Phương 

Bài trước: "At the crack of dawn" nghĩa là gì?

"At the crack of dawn" nghĩa là gì?

Photo by Nicole De Khors from Burst 

"At the crack of dawn" = "at the break of dawn" = vào lúc bình minh. 

Ví dụ 

For Grant Slocombe, summer days start at the crack of dawn, long before the sun is up and the rest of the town has begun to stir (chuyển động). 

The secret is to be in place at the crack of dawn before the meerkats (chồn đất) awake and to see them perform their morning ritual (nghi thức buổi sáng). 

Dozens of theatre fans were queuing (xếp hàng) at the crack of dawn to bag a seat (chuẩn bị chỗ) for the first night of the award-winning (được giải) Fleabag play. 

Thousands of hunters in Sweden were out in the forests from the crack of dawn on Wednesday, racing to shoot (đua nhau bắn) one of the 300 bears that can legally (hợp pháp) be shot before the season ends in October. 

Thu Phương 

 Bài trước: "Easy-peasy lemon squeezy" nghĩa là gì? 

"Easy-peasy lemon squeezy" nghĩa là gì?

Thực ra, vắt chanh cũng cần có kỹ thuật, không thì bắn tung tóe. Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst 

"Easy-peasy lemon squeezy" = "as easy as squeezing a lemon" = dễ như vắt chanh. "Peasy" và "squeezy" là cách nói cho thêm vần điệu 

Ví dụ 

OF ALL THE THINGS that should be easy, peasy lemon squeezy, then ordering food in a tiny restaurant should be up there.

If that’s you, then the trick (mẹo) is just to get something on the page that you can work out later. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Right? 

It’s not emotionally draining (vắt kiệt về mặt cảm xúc) or physically taxing (phải cố gắng mặt thể chất) to be courteous (lịch sự), it’s easy-peasey, lemon-squeezey. 

They all took a deep breath (hít thật sâu), hugged one another then looked for a way out (tìm lối thoát). And then the next scene began. Just like that. Crisis averted (ngăn chặn khủng hoảng). Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. All is well. 

Thu Phương

Bài trước: "Lift a finger" nghĩa là gì?

"Lift a finger" nghĩa là gì?

Công nghệ càng phát triển, con người lại càng lười. Photo courtesy mami robot 

"Lift a finger" = nhấc một ngón tay -> đồ lười biếng, không chịu giúp ai. 

Ví dụ 

The best robot vacuum (robot hút bụi) will clean your floors without you needing to lift a finger.

When Geoff arrives for work at Speed Dahl later in the week, Yasmeen refuses (từ chối) to let him lift a finger and Geoff basks in the attention. 

Set up an account to siphon holiday savings away to (tiết kiệm chi phí du lịch). Then, schedule automatic transfers (lên lịch chuyển khoản tự động) after pay day, so that your pot will grow (thêm tiền) without lifting a finger. 

Living here means you don’t have to lift a finger. A touch screen to control lights, music and even the water feature, a trio of naturally weathered basalt columns (bazan phong hóa tự nhiên) in the big back yard of the 9,290-square-foot lot. 

Thu Phương 

 Bài trước: "At the top of your lungs" nghĩa là gì? 

"At the top of your lungs" nghĩa là gì?

Con sen đâu!!!!! Quá giờ ăn rồi đây này! Photo courtesy Maris Greidans 

"At the top of one's lungs" có nghĩa là ai đó nói giọng rất to, to đến nổ phổi. 

Ví dụ 

And at the other end, she is screaming at the top of her lungs and is in so much outright (ngay lập tức) pain that you find yourself almost wanting to crawl into the screen and comfort (an ủi) her. 

When he was told he was in the clear (trong sạch), he screamed at the top of his lungs. His mother was sad he would be leaving, but she understood the opportunity -- "not just for myself but for the family, too," he said.

Now, I'm a sucker for a man with a dog. You give me a squishy-faced (mặt nhăn nhó), slobbering machine (máy chảy nước dãi)and I’ll start screaming at the top of my lungs. Lord knows I've swiped right (lướt chọn đúng) just because I saw a cute dog in an online dater's photo. 

Thu Phương 

Bài trước: "A pain in the butt" nghĩa là gì? 

"A pain in the butt" nghĩa là gì?

Đôi khi bất giác đưa tay sờ cổ chỉ vì cảm thấy bực tức. Photo courtesy Agxb Img 

"A pain in the ass/butt/neck" = đau mông/ cổ -> sự phiền phức, người phiền phức/ khó chịu, tiếng Việt hay nói là "cái của nợ" đấy các bạn. 

Ví dụ 

I was right to dread (sợ) it! Ironing the detailed parts (phần chi tiết) of a shirt is a pain in the ass.

"Life’s a pain in the ass too. Is that worth it (có đáng không)?” Jerry and Eddie cruise (đi thuyền) through Beverly Hills to the Rose Café in Venice. 

As I told you all after the last game, Patty is a pain in the ass. The Aussies gave us a great lesson (bài học đáng nhớ) as far as where you want to be and how you have to play in this type of competition. 

A lot of the legislators (nhà lập pháp), or politicians (chính trị gia) in Washington, D.C., if you prefer, think of Nevada as an acute (dữ dội) pain in the butt because of all the bickering (tranh cãi) they hear from Nevada. I wonder why? This great state of Nevada has some issues to deal with. 

 Thu Phương 

 Bài trước: "Where there’s smoke there’s fire" nghĩa là gì?

"No oil painting" nghĩa là gì?

Photo by: Andrian Valeanu on Unsplash

"No oil painting"  = không phải bức tranh sơn dầu -> nghĩa là có vẻ ngoài không hấp dẫn.

Ví dụ

The Thai-built WT series arrived in late 2010 with big changes. The 1.4-litre engine and three-door body were axed (cắt bớt); the sedan with decent 430L boot was no oil painting.

Kate McKinnon also makes an appearance in this film as Ed Sheeran’s manager who takes on Jack. She’s doing exactly the same thing she always does. She playing a character who is in no way a real person. She’s a caricature (tranh biếm họa) of an LA-based manager who belongs in an SNL sketch rather than a Danny Boyle movie. She also keeps on making snide remarks (nhận xét ác ý) about Jack’s appearance, yet she’s Ed Sheeran’s manager, and he’s no oil painting.

The game was no oil painting – there were too many errors (lỗi) from both sides. However, it was willing (có chủ ý). When Swinton came on for Jed Holloway for the last 20 minutes he brought some serious intent to the tackle, mirroring the aggression that Hanigan had brought to the carry.

Ngọc Lân

Bài trước: "Duck and dive" nghĩa là gì?

"Duck and dive" nghĩa là gì?

Thư giãn chút nào. Photo by: Seth Doyle on Unsplash

"Duck and dive" = cúi và lặn -> nghĩa là sử dụng trí khôn và tháo vát để giải quyết vấn đề hoặc tránh các trở ngại.

Ví dụ

After a period of serene calm (yên bình), especially in the Irish economy, both investors and management teams are having to duck and dive as forecasted (dự đoán) economic growth wavers amid trade wars and Brexit in particular (cụ thể).

Del Boy used to famously call younger brother Rodney, whose middle name was Charlton, a “plonker” in the TV comedy classic. But Bowyer is confident (tự tin) his team will surprise people, despite the low budget (ngân sách) given to him by owner Roland Duchatelet. He said: “I feel like Del Boy. I’ve had to duck and dive and borrow. “That’s what we did last season. We had Krystian Bielik on loan from Arsenal and Josh Cullen from West Ham, two very good players despite our small budget.

Don’t fall into the trap of bottling up your feelings (giấu cảm xúc). Remember, thousands of students, your friends, your family, and even the people you aren’t that particularly fond off have been through the exact same situation before. Some come out on top, some have to duck and dive, to get where they want to be, but, everything is achievable (có thể đạt được).

Ngọc Lân

Bài trước: "All duck or no dinner" nghĩa là gì?

"Have a bumpy ride" nghĩa là gì?

Muốn đi nhanh hãy đi một mình, muốn đi xa hãy đi cùng nhau. Photo by  Amy Humphries

"Have a bumpy ride" = Gặp đường đi gập ghềnh/mấp mô -> Gặp khó khăn/rắc rối trong vài hoạt động/sự theo đuổi.

Ví dụ

Trade talks are likely to have a bumpy ride until we see both sides offer concessions (sự nhượng bộ) and that may not happen for a month.

“The conclusion is that Sibanye-Stillwater is likely to have a bumpy ride in these wage negotiations (đàm phán tiền công) and has a high possibility of seeing Lonmin workers go on strike (đình công),” it said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency can monitor compliance (sự tuân thủ) with nuclear regulation. But we have minimal success in enforcing drug or tax laws globally. Regulations of cyber and biotech (công nghệ sinh học) will likewise be harder to enforce because, unlike the nuclear case, they don’t require conspicuous special-purpose facilities. We may have a bumpy ride because we can’t eliminate (loại trừ) these threats completely.

Bin Kuan

Bài trước: "Have work cut out for" nghĩa là gì?

"Have work cut out for" nghĩa là gì?

Bàn làm việc của người bận rộn có khác. Photo by  Ferenc Horvath

"Have (one's) work cut out for (one)" -> Đương đầu/đối mặt với nhiều công việc và rất khó khăn.

Ví dụ

Greece, North Macedonia have work cut out for them. The prickliest (dễ cáu nhất) issues emanating (bắt nguồn) from the name change to North Macedonia.

Sharks have work cut out for them with three games until playoffs (trận đấu loại trực tiếp). Melker Karlsson and Lukas Radil will both miss their second match.

So, I guess I have my work cut out for me. It's not a piece of cake.” Reed was part of the Crimson Tide Masters team competing at nationals.

“That’s what these guys do, that’s what we do,’’ the manager said when asked how his club, which has lost four straight, can rebound. “Looking forward to going down to L.A. and obviously playing a great club down there in their ballpark (sân chơi bóng chày) where they are really good. So we know we have our work cut out for us, but we also embrace the challenge (chấp nhận thách thức). Over the course of a long season, you are going to take one in the mouth.

Bin Kuan

Bài trước: "Live in your pocket" nghĩa là gì?

"Bad news has wings" nghĩa là gì?

Bad news "có cánh" nghĩa đen. Photo courtesy: Gary Watt

"Bad news has wings" = tin xấu có cánh -> nghĩa là tin xấu thường được lan truyền nhanh hơn tin tốt vì mọi người có xu hướng kể với nhau những loại tin này; "tiếng dữ đồn xa".

Ví dụ

“Bad news has wings,” I said. “As long as people make a business out of breeding and selling wild animals, China is far from being civilized (văn minh).”

“Job seekers are definitely researching your company before or after applying, which is why brand reputation is so important. Bad news has wings. If there are bad reviews from your previous or current employees online, it can be a red flag to candidates,” Pham says.'

This technique, while obtaining (thu được) the feedback, can at the same time greatly increase the rate of positive evaluation (đánh giá) of an app and reduce the influence of negative evaluations. This can be explained with the popular proverb "bad news has wings”. In fact, there is a term in psychology called "negative bias (xu hướng)" which is used to describe how, in comparison with positive information, our brain has usually a more intense and lasting response to negative information. In theory, that is, we are more easily affected by negative news.

Ngân Nguyễn

Bài trước: "Cut your coat according to your cloth" nghĩa là gì?

"Live in your pocket" nghĩa là gì?

Bạn lâu năm. Photo by Noémi Macavei-Katócz

"Live in (one's) pocket" = Sống trong túi của ai -> Sống gần gũi/gắn bó với ai trong một thời gian dài.

Ví dụ

There's no excuse: the world's virtual (ảo) libraries live in your pocket. With Fyre Festival, the stink (sự phiền toái, mùi hôi thúi) was obvious months before the big day.

Polly Pocket was all the rage (tính ham mê). She could live in your pocket! You’d love her until that faithful day when the ink on her face faded off and she was just a tiny ball marble (trò chơi bi) with clothes on.

We don't live in each other's pocket but we work in each other's pocket. It's been a wonderful relationship. I've got the utmost respect for him.”.

It's a heavy ball. You're playing 15-on-15, it's man marking... you're sticking on [your man] the whole game and you've got to live in his pocket, simple as that.

Bin Kuan

Bài trước: "Lick her boots" nghĩa là gì?

"Lick her boots" nghĩa là gì?

Ê, sao mình đi chân trần miết vậy? Photo by  Meg Kannan

"Lick (one's) boots" = Liếm giày ai đó -> Hành động vô cùng thấp hèn, rất đồng ý với ai điều gì đăc biệt là với những người có quyền thế hoặc cũng được coi là cách để nịnh hót ai/cầu cạnh ai để xin ân huệ.

Ví dụ

“Nigger, nigger (người da đen) lick my boots,” went one chant, which presumably found favour on account of its modest (khiêm tốn) syllable (âm tiết) count.

A student from Arunachal Pradesh has alleged (cho là, khẳng định) a racial attack by his landlord (chủ nhà), who he claimed beat him up and forced him to lick his boots.

That’s the underlying premise of Late Night, and the 28-year-veteran of late-night TV is played by Emma Thompson… who is, to be fair, exactly the sort of woman who should have been enjoying such a long comedic tenure (sự chiếm hữu) in America’s sleepytimeslot. The overlying premise (tiền đề) is that, in an attempt to get her ratings mojo back and save her job — which the network is threatening to hand over to a truly awful younger male comic who is not worthy to lick her boots — Thompson’s Katherine Newbury hires a new writer who is the first to break the white-male wall of blandness (nhạt nhẽo, ôn tồn) that is her writers’ room.

Bin Kuan

Bài trước: "Eye in the sky" nghĩa là gì?

"Cut your coat according to your cloth" nghĩa là gì?

May kiểu này có lạ quá không? Photo courtesy: rubengutierrez49

"Cut your coat according to your cloth" = may áo phải canh vải. Thành ngữ này thường được dùng để nhấn mạnh ta nên đảm nhận công việc mà ta có khả năng và tiền bạc để thực hiện. Có thể hiểu là "Liệu cơm gắp mắm" ở tiếng Việt.

Ví dụ

Of course, we'd love a luxurious car, but you have to cut your coat according to your cloth.

This six-bedroom Georgian mansion (biệt thự) was once owned – and refurbished (tân trang) – by British designer Karen Millen. If you’re interested be sure you can cut your coat according to your cloth as it’s on sale for just under a fashionable 1.5 million.

“Even in the wake of increased taxation, the government’s liquidity (khả năng thanh toán bằng tiền mặt) position has not improved due to failure to limit excessive fiscal spending (chi cho chính phủ quá mức),” Chizonde noted. “The need to ‘cut your coat according to your cloth’ is much needed advice for the current situation. Government should do as much as they can to work with what is available.”

Ngân Nguyễn

Bài trước: "Clothes don't the man" nghĩa là gì?

"Eye in the sky" nghĩa là gì?

Khi con người ta đang mất dần niềm tin lẫn nhau. Photo by Paweł Czerwiński

"Eye in the sky" = Mắt trên bầu trời -> Sự giám sát/theo dõi kỹ và cẩn thận ngay trên trên đầu như camera hoặc trực thăng của cảnh sát.

Ví dụ

"It's another eye in the sky that can help me," he said. "It helps me sleep better at night not worrying about past problems and things I might miss."

Is it worth buying a home security camera? For most people, yes. These devices provide an eye in the sky, meaning you can check-in at any time.

The reason for this “eye in the sky” and “feet on the ground” (or fins (lá tản nhiệt) in the water) approach is both technical and sociological (xã hội học).

The eye in the sky orbiting (đưa vào quỹ đạo) Earth at an altitude (độ cao so với mặt nước biển) of 682km took thousands of high-resolution optical (quang học, thị giác) images captured at 2.5 panchromatic during Dubai’s unprecedented growth. It chronicled (ghi chép những sự kiện) how the UAE transformed into the metropolis (thủ phủ) it is now. But it also helped provide images to other countries that needed it.

Bin Kuan

Bài trước: "To the bitter end" nghĩa là gì?

"To the bitter end" nghĩa là gì?

Đã đi là phải đi cho đến cùng. Photo by  Jude Beck

"To/until the bitter end" = Cho đến kết cục đắng cay -> Cho đến giai đoạn cuối/kết thúc dù có khó khăn, cay đắng như thế nào.

Ví dụ

While neither is particularly attractive, we’re on this journey (hành trình) with them until the bitter end.

Refuse Hong Kong’s protesters everything, and they will fight to the bitter end. This is not a storm that Carrie Lam’s administration can sit out. Deny the protesters everything and we force them to fight the current political order to the death, in nihilistic (chủ nghĩa vô chính phủ) destruction, convinced they have nothing to lose.

The bout was tasked with serving as a primer (kíp nổ) for Hatanaka’s stablemate (người cùng nhóm), unbeaten three-division and reigning flyweight (trọng lượng bay) titlist (chức vị) Kosei Tanaka in a title defense versus Puerto Rico’s Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez. Instead, they provided an extremely tough act for the main event to follow, throwing knockout-intended punches from the opening bell and not at all letting up until the bitter end.

Bin Kuan

Bài trước:"Moonlight and roses" nghĩa là gì?