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Questions and Answers
What does 'take one's toll on someone' mean?
What does 'take one's toll on someone' mean?
To have a harmful or damaging effect on someone's physical or mental health or well-being.
Define 'being exposed to the elements'.
Define 'being exposed to the elements'.
Being subjected to the natural forces of weather and outdoor conditions.
Explain the phrase 'turn a blind eye to'.
Explain the phrase 'turn a blind eye to'.
To consciously ignore or overlook something, often implying a deliberate choice.
What does 'ride roughshod over' mean?
What does 'ride roughshod over' mean?
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Define 'be obligated to'.
Define 'be obligated to'.
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What does it mean to 'thrust out onto the streets'?
What does it mean to 'thrust out onto the streets'?
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Define 'live in the squalor'.
Define 'live in the squalor'.
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What does it mean to 'plunge someone into the pits of despair'?
What does it mean to 'plunge someone into the pits of despair'?
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Explain 'scrounge a cigarette'.
Explain 'scrounge a cigarette'.
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What is the meaning of 'kerb crawling'?
What is the meaning of 'kerb crawling'?
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Define 'chequered history'.
Define 'chequered history'.
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Explain 'loitering with intent'.
Explain 'loitering with intent'.
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Study Notes
Definitions and Meanings
- Take one's toll on someone: To cause a negative effect or suffering over time; suggests a gradual accumulation of consequences.
- Being exposed to the elements: Living or being outdoors without protection from natural elements like wind, rain, snow, or heat; can lead to physical discomfort or danger.
- Turn a blind eye to: To ignore or overlook something intentionally, often something that should be addressed or addressed; implies willful neglect.
- Ride roughshod over: To disregard or steamroll over the feelings, rights, or concerns of others; often reflects dominance or insensitivity.
- Be obligated to: To have a duty or responsibility to do something, often due to legal, social, or moral reasons.
Situational Contexts
- Thrust out onto the streets: To be forcibly removed from a home or shelter, leaving one homeless and vulnerable; often used in contexts of eviction or sudden loss of housing.
- Live in the squalor: To exist in extremely dirty and poor conditions; often associated with poverty, neglect, or lack of basic necessities.
- Plunge someone into the pits of despair: To cause someone to fall into a state of deep sadness or hopelessness; suggests a rapid and severe decline in emotional well-being.
Specific Actions and Behaviors
- Scrounge a cigarette: To seek or try to obtain a cigarette from others, often in a casual or informal way; may imply financial constraints or something being borrowed.
- Kerb crawling: The act of driving slowly along a street to engage with sex workers; often associated with soliciting prostitution and may be subject to legal scrutiny.
- Chequered history: A past that has both positive and negative events or experiences; implies a mix of successes and failures or controversies.
- Loitering with intent: To hang around a public place with a specific purpose, often linked to illegal activity, such as intending to commit a crime; generally carries a legal connotation.
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Description
Test your knowledge of common English phrases and their meanings with this quiz! Learn the definitions of expressions like 'take one's toll on', 'being exposed to the elements', and 'turn a blind eye to'.
