overwrought, nervous, easily frightened, a nervous wreck

I had two big conflicts and would end the day a bag of nerves, not knowing whether I'd come home with anything.  BNCI

My speech impediment makes people think I'm a bag of nerves, but it's not true.  BNCI

The irony is that this month, while you're exuding such apparent confidence, you'll feel on the inside like a bag of nerves.  BNCI

a very intelligent person

Quizzes - see if you're a brain box! Google

Please if you want to chat on this subject or any other REMEMBER im not a brain
box ok... Google

More facts about Will Young! Will is a bit of a brain box - he went to Exeter University when he turned 19 and studied Politics. Google

an intelligent person

Little do they realise what a bright spark he must have been in his youth. Google

Be a bright spark – use electricity safely. Google

 Then, one day a bright spark will discover how to make a bright spark, and
the whole bloody saga will begin again...  Google

a fundamental or basic error, sin, likely to be accompanied by other errors

Combined with overestimation of potential customer interest, this appears to have been  a cardinal error.  WebC

Munich had been a cardinal error in French and British policy. WebC

The Americans also made what I consider a cardinal error in their assessment of the effects of daylight bombing operations on Germany. WebC

sb who is very clever

You are a clever boots, you
are.  Google

 I am sure Malgosia and co. would suggest your are a clever
boots dearie. Google

The central pdd confirms Marston as a clever
boots who people are wise to invest in.  Google

sb who is clever, smart, in a superficial or insolent way, always ready to correct others

He also attacked Brian Walsh, the chairman, whom he called `;a clever dick';, a somewhat foolhardy reference to a Queen's Counsel.  BNCI

 I made a bit of a speech and all that and er like a clever dick I went without me glasses .  BNCI

Other than the aforementioned hilarious moment at the end, which were really nothing more than a series of clever dick jokes, there's nothing here to recommend.  WebC

a handsomely produced and illustrated book that is easy to admire, suitable for casual study or entertainment

Not a children's book at all, but a modern illustrated coffee-table book with careful, delicate photographs. BNCI

The price of a large coffee-table book is in a number of cases twenty times higher than it was two years ago.  BNCI

£103 Glossy and evocative album format, coffee-table book.  BNCI

an organized course or plan for sth to be learnt much more quckly than is usual

If you've enjoyed this crash course on semiotics, or if you're not exactly sure what you've been listening to, try the website run by Daniel Chandler. WebC

This article is meant to be a crash course in Slackware security. WebC

It is a crash course in how to be poor - lessons long assimilated by the well-off, who have learned how to feel dissatisfaction with plenty, the inadequacy of excess.  WebC

a reasonable or permissible question

It is a fair question, and it deserves to be taken seriously.  BNCI

This was a fair question, although the same could have been asked about his relationship with Wimbledon Parish Church.  BNCI

It is a fair question, and allows of more than one answer.  BNCI

an indication of sucess, improvement that proves to be an illusion

It was a false dawn, replaced soon after by a now starless night that was blacker than the previous hours.  bNCI

It is our belief --; shared by a number of retailers --; that Christmas will prove to be yet another false dawn as far as reawakening consumer confidence is concerned.  BNCI

Nevertheless, it has proved in more than one respect to be a false dawn, realizing only a part of the promise looked for from it by so many of those who struggled to achieve it.  BNCI

a school where rich parents send their children to be ´finished´ , to acquire cultured tastes, social assurance and good manners

At one point, Roberts' character derides Wellesley as "a finishing school disguised as a college."  WebC

She later attended a finishing school in Paris, studying French and music. WebC

." They aimed to "give girls a serious education, not to be a finishing school."  WebC

an idea or opinion, not only firmly, but often obsessively held and unlikely to be affected by the argumentes of others

It was a question of wanting an entirely new thing, of undertaking a thoroughgoing renovation of yourself, `;in all simplicity, with the fixed idea: ça ira .';  BNCI

`;Give yourself up to the fixed idea: to become a painter.';  BNCI

He's come here with a fixed idea, which he's been looking forward to for half his life.  BNCI

an end, consequence, or result that is completely predictable

It was perhaps a foregone conclusion that he would go into the family firm founded by his great-grandfather, John Cadbury, in 1824, although he had two tempting offers from outside industry when he had completed his degree. BNCI

Some commentators and businessmen have suggested that the successful privatization of the National Freight Corporation was a foregone conclusion.  BNCI

Do not be deterred from exercising your right of appeal by the belief that the outcome will be a foregone conclusion.  BNCI

je těžké někooho následovat, být stejně dobrý jako on

And he should be, I guess, because he is a hard act to follow, to paraphrase
the first line of this review. Google

He did a wonderful job! The board has been active and efficient and
this is partly due to his leadership. He is a hard act to follow. Google

He is a hard act to follow, so it's encouraging
to see four candidates trying to do just that. Google

staying up late or all night, possibly on special duties, but esp. to drink, dance etc.

It’s been a hard day’s night And I’ve been working like a dog It’s been a
hard day’s night I should be sleeping like a log ... Google

A hard day’s night. It's hard to work when everyone around you is
having a good time.  Google

After hard day’s night, Santa and elves back
at PeaceCorner. Google

partial or superficial knowledge or information leads to more serious errors than complete ignorance

A little learning is a dangerous
thing, but a lot of ignorance is just as bad. Google

A little learning is a dangerous thing, but we must take
that risk because a little is as much as our biggest heads can hold.  Google

So they can only be talking about a superficial familiarity, not a deep understanding.
As Alexander Pope said, a little learning is a dangerous thing. Google

a writer of essays, poetry, criticism, novels, who is likely to be of lasting literary worth

He leads the busy life of a professional
man of letters, which I gather is not exactly how he wants to be looked at. Google

 Teen is a man of letters in the puzzle world.  Google

He was "The Last Man of Letters" in our increasingly unimaginative age of information.
 Google

a person or a book with a lot of information

This book is a mine of information, but it is no dry history book, nor
a guide for geologists and miners. Google

The ECATT site is a mine of information on all aspects of the digital economy,
including materials, links and cases related to flexible working !  Google

This book is a mine of information on all aspects of gold and its uses. Google

a subject on which there are, or may be, different opinions, which may be discussed but not, as yet, settled

Lack of bars is a moot point. Google

Abbott wants more board oversight, others say a moot point. Google

Moot Point. Are you then saying that people who are uncertain
about the appropariate usage of the word moot should remain mute? Google

a recently enrolled pupil in a school

On a personal note, in my very early days on the staff of Ipswich Art School, Squirrell was teaching and I have very fond memories of the kindness and helpfulness which this most likeable man extended to me as a new boy.  BNCI

It was in September 1953 that I arrived as a new boy at Woolverstone Hall School and it may be that Ray was also new to the school.  BNCI

Finlayson's flight consisted of Richards and a new boy called Tribe, a big, broad New Zealander.  BNCI

an account of sth that is totally untrue

Democrats would have you believe a pack of lies. Google

Former minister Neil Hamilton has told the High Court that allegations about him
taking cash for asking questions in the House of Commons are a "pack of lies".  Google

You can't just write a pack of lies!' Google

a written description

As an important element of the initial application process for
the role of External Adviser every candidate must complete a pen portrait.  Google

Clearly there are 16 possible types, and most profiling systems offer a pen-portrait
of each one.  Google

I take about an hour to read your palm in detail, and I
can send you a pen portrait if you wish by email or post.  Google

a novel, film, play that repdoduces the activities, life-styles and manners of a previous era

 More than a period piece --; it dates from 1924 --; it may throw light on the view of marriage that led to Humanae Vitae .  BNCI

While it may not fall within the same category as Dances with Wolves as an illustration of a time and people grossly misrepresented, it is a period piece of some strength and charm which just falls short of the epithet epic.  BNCI

'To recreate a period piece in Delhi was a heroic task. Google

extremely easy

It's a piece of cake until you get to the top. google

But with easy-Radio in control it's a piece of cake. Google

At the end of each successful occasion you will be able to stand tall and say,
"it was a piece of cake" (no pun intended) (well it was intended really). Google

sb who has learned a lot from a failure, misjudgement or mishap

He hath experienced many catapult shots and arrested
landings and hence is a sadder and wiser man than thou. Google

This graduate student came back
to our institution a sadder and wiser man. Google

Now he had a bump on his
head which made him a sadder and wiser man. Google

sb who is always trying to seem more clever than everybody else in a way that is annoying

Never respond with a smart-aleck remark in return. Google

At every opportunity, simply show you're not affected, and never stoop to being a smart aleck yourself. Google

Lisa Remer Carla's music shows that being a smart aleck isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Google

a subject of interest, worthy of discussion

World dialect explosion becomes a talking point.  Google

Talking Point reserves the right to terminate access to a Talking Point discussion
group to any participant who does not abide by these terms and conditions. Google

If you
would like to suggest a talking point of the day, email the editor.  Google

a series of consecutive thoughts

He was confused. lose my train of thought, forget my order of thoughts
or words. Google

That was my train of thought as I hurried to the old station
one Sunday afternoon to get some rail brochures.  Google

The train of thought webring
is a webring designed for websites that encourage thought and introspection. Google

sb who has and uses an extensive vocabulary

Have you ever been called a walking dictionary because
your vocabulary is so expansive?  google

He was a good student of history and geography and was called ‘a
walking dictionary" because of the words that he could define. Google

 David
is a walking dictionary of Folk music. Google

sb who spoils other people´s enjoyment of something by refusing to join in an activity

We were all having a good time until Harold walked in and started acting like a wet blanket. Google

Hating to resemble a wet blanket he held his peace.  BNCI

But I haven't done anything --; except be an absolute misery,'; she added honestly as she realised for perhaps the first time what a wet blanket she had been.  BNCI

The morose Mitchells wins the wet blanket award.  BNCI

a word is enough for the wise

A word for the wise--do some family planning early. Google

A word for the wise – only manage the depth that adds
value, not the ultimate depth because you can. google

A word for the wise is quite sufficient. google

ocenění za snahu

I may still not be a color " expert " but I should definitely get an A for effort. (INTERNET-EN)

I give the Wachowskis an A for effort. (INTERNET-EN)

He gives Bush an A for effort but only a C- for execution. (Google)

a mistake in one´s assessment of a situation, in soem aspect of a course of action that one has undertaken

But, if an error of judgement or a bad decision has been made, the vital thing is to recognise that, admit it and take immediate action to break the chain of events while a safe course of action is still possible.  BNCI

Where there is a slight risk in the event of a swing, a pilot may be said to have made a simple error of judgement or taken an unnecessary risk.  BNCI

He made an error of judgement, albeit one which is understandable, when he pumped additional liquidity into the system following the stock market crash of October 1987.  BNCI

be sb who, or sth which, appears contrary to what is normally accepted, believed

Hooliganism has been the exception to the rule that the media are only interested in victories, records, and the private life of the stars.  BNCI

But, as things stand, cases of a person feeling cold when conditions are such as would ordinarily make him feel warm are the exception to the rule.  BNCI

There is no reason why management should be an exception to the rule: bad frequently breeds worse.  BNCI

sth learned or taught by the use and study of actual objects

After a week, Agassiz's object lesson in respect for examining nature had made its impact.  BNCI

This turned out to be an object lesson in how to lay waste to an Indian Restaurant.  BNCI

Here successive interpretations of that classic case, the traditional Chinese ancestor cult, provide an object lesson.  BNCI

former pupil of a school or college, esp. a public school

The new headmaster of Emanuel in 1954 had himself taught at Harrow, where the strains of `;Forty Years On'; stirred his memory and his loyalties, and was an old boy of Emanuel: nothing would be deliberately done to loosen the ties with the past.  BNCI

There, a well-established elementary school was rapidly turned into a small secondary modern school under the same head (an old boy of Banbury County School, of course) and with three forms of entry for pupils at the age of eleven.  BNCI

Monty was an Old Boy of the local grammar school.  BNCI

sb/sth with no secrets or nothing mysterious about him/her

My life is an open book,'; he declared.  BNCI

Nature to him was an open book whose letters he could read without effort';, wrote Einstein in the foreword to a 1931 edition of the Opticks (1704).  BNCI

Besides, you're an open book to me.  BNCI

a question that cannot be or is not yet answered

However the extent to which governments are really committed to these policies is an open question, discussed in Chapters 11 and 12.  BNCI

Whether these rational and progressive responses to the problem of sea-level rise will satisfy the coastal dwellers who are at risk is an open question.  BNCI

On the other hand, the extent to which judicial decisions can influence patterns of social behaviour must remain an open question.  BNCI

any judge, lawyer, teacher etc. who is good at their job 

Any lawyer worth his salt should be aware of the latest changes in taxation.(Cambridge International Dict. of Id.)

No judge worth her salt would attempt to influence the jury.(Cambridge International Dict. of Id.)

I don't think any judge worth their salt has a problem putting their expertise in their part of this art form out for scrutiny after all it is what we ask the dancers to do every single time
they compete why should judges be any different.....??? Google

extrémně jednoduchý

Surfing the Web: It's as Easy as ABC. (WebConc)

I really enjoy looking at this book, it really is as easy as ABC! (WebConc)

Searching the Web Is as Easy as ABC. (WebConc)

extremely easy

Saving money with ENERGY STAR is as easy as “falling off a log. Google

Its as easy as falling off a log (or Niagara Falls).  Google

Using our website is as easy as falling off a log! Google

a teacher who is at the chalkface is teaching students, and is not working in any other kind of job connected with education

"When you look at the chalkface, lecturers participate
quite well - except they are too busy," James says.  Google

Frankly I don't buy the idea that you can "pick up as you go along" management
skills without putting in some groundwork at the chalkface.  Google

Managing learning Back at the "chalkface"
of education, there are smaller revolutions.  Google

almost, but not quite, too late to do something, at the last minute

The Billabong had been saved at the eleventh hour.  BNCI

Although the outlook may seem bleak, a constructive approach towards consultation might result in hitherto unconsidered options coming to light which could enable your job to be saved at the eleventh hour.  BNCI

She had come to the Centre in the depths of despair, weeping, gnashing her teeth and venting her hatred upon the doctors who had told her, at the eleventh hour that she had cancer and nothing could be done.  BNCI

almost too late

It seems the Iridium satellites have been saved at the last minute! WebC

I begin early, although I like to leave a few gifts to buy at the last minute.  WebC

Your best defense against a deal falling apart at the last minute is a tightly written purchase contract--one that anticipates and ties up as many loopholes as possible after full disclosure of any defects in the property. WebC

talk, call, shout, scream, yell, shriek, bawl

very loudly indeed

Cheryl's three words were hardly finished before Angela was racing back to the farmhouse shouting at the top of her voice.  BNCI

She was beside herself, shouting at the top of her voice for the second time that day.  BNCI

She immediately sprang to her feet and shouted at the top of her voice: `;HEY HAL.  BNCI

navštěvovat školu/chodit do školy

It should be compulsory reading fro every student attending a library school in Britain. BNC

As a child her health had been well supervised: she attended an ordinary school and at the age of nineteen obtained an office job. BNC

Visitors from the three main parties will be attending the school today. BNC