F2F Class Notes March 20th (Ben) [Xiao Qi]

Vocabulary

a chip on your shoulder

You have a chip on your shoulder = you tend to get angry and aggressive pretty fast

get under someone’s skin = to irritate or annoy (like something you want to scratch or cast away)

John is so annoying, he really gets under my skin.

a war chest = a budget, an amount of money that a government or an organization has available to spend on a particular plan, project

op = abbreviation for “operation”

hoi polloi = derogatory word for the common, uneducated people

French words in English

Et voilà ! C’est la vie. force majeure, raison d’être,

hors d’oeuvre = appetizer served before a meal

stir-crazy = showing signs of mental illness because of being kept in prison

jack up = to increase a price unreasonably

Many companies jack up (their) prices after they get a monopoly.

weigh in = to come in and try to contribute to a conversation

I have heard you speak for a while; please allow me to weigh in and give my opinion.

railroad someone = to accuse on the basis of flimsy or insufficient evidence (like a train who follows his track without any room for negotiation or adjustment)

Cliff’s Notes, Sparknotes = student study guides that explain literature online. Often used as a substitute for reading by lazy students.