Vocabulary practice · Episode 154

Review the useful expressions from the episode

Study the episode’s central expressions with English definitions, nuance and examples, plus reviewed support-language versions where available.

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A short study session

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  1. Choose one expression. Read its definition, nuance and examples.
  2. Make it yours. Write one true sentence from your own life.
  3. Return to the episode. Listen for the expression in its original context.

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Vocabulary from the episode

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Expression 1

have something at stake

to risk losing something important because of the outcome of a situation

Nuance: What is at stake may be money, freedom, reputation, time or a relationship. The expression focuses on the possible loss, not merely on participation.

The banker has two million at stake, while the lawyer has his freedom at stake.

With the company’s reputation at stake, the team checked every detail.

Expression 2

stick something out

to continue through an unpleasant or difficult situation until it ends

Nuance: This phrasal verb emphasises endurance. It is separable: stick it out, not stick out it. It does not mean that the experience becomes easy.

The lawyer appears ready to stick out all fifteen years.

The course was exhausting, but she stuck it out until the final exam.

Expression 3

be on the verge of

to be extremely close to entering a new state or experiencing an event

Nuance: The expression often introduces serious or dramatic change, but it can also describe something positive. Use of plus a noun or an ing-form.

The banker is on the verge of bankruptcy.

After years of research, the scientists were on the verge of making a breakthrough.

Expression 4

turn your back on something

to reject, abandon or deliberately stop supporting something

Nuance: The phrase is figurative. It usually suggests a conscious and decisive rejection, sometimes of something previously valued or of a person who expected loyalty.

The lawyer turns his back on the fortune he once desired.

She refused to turn her back on the principles that had guided her career.

Expression 5

would rather do one thing than do another

a structure used to express a preference between two actions

Nuance: Would rather is followed by the base form without to. In a comparison, use than before the second action: would rather stay than leave.

The lawyer says he would rather live in prison than die.

I would rather wait for the facts than make a careless decision.

Expression 6

life imprisonment

the legal punishment of being kept in prison for the rest of one’s life or for a very long legally defined period

Nuance: This is a formal legal collocation. In everyday English, a life sentence refers to the sentence itself, while life imprisonment refers to the punishment or condition.

The dinner guests argue about the death penalty and life imprisonment.

The court replaced the death sentence with life imprisonment.

Expression 7

lose your temper

to become unable to control your anger and show it openly

Nuance: The phrase describes the moment self-control breaks. It is stronger than get annoyed and often suggests shouting, harsh words or an angry action.

The banker loses his temper and strikes the table with his fist.

He apologised after losing his temper during the meeting.

Expression 8

cross the threshold

to step across the entrance into or out of a place; figuratively, to enter a new stage

Nuance: A threshold is the strip at the bottom of a doorway. Cross the threshold can be literal, as in the story, or metaphorical when someone begins a new phase.

If the lawyer crosses the threshold early, he will lose the bet.

Opening her first shop meant crossing the threshold into a new career.

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