One vocabulary a day

      One vocabulary a day

      On to a good thing


      If you are on to a good thing then you have found a good idea, plan or object and you are working on it.


      Examples


      I think we’re on to a good thing with our new customer in Thailand. They are placing more and more orders with us.

      We’re on to a good thing with our latest product. It’s selling very well.

      We were on to a good thing with the new software until the price for the licence doubled.
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      One vocabulary a day

      The acid test

      The acid test is a real test in real conditions to find out how good something is.


      Examples


      The acid test for our new product will be during the first 3 quarter after the launch.

      The acid test for our negotiating team will be when they have to negotiate with the Americans. We all know what tough negotiators the Americans are.

      The acid test for the German soccer team will be when the soccer World Cup starts in June.
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      One vocabulary a day

      A race against the clock

      If you do not have much time to complete something then you are working against the clock.


      Examples


      It will be a race against the clock to complete the project on time.

      We had a race against the clock to install the system before the customer needed it.

      It was a race against the clock to pick my son up from kindergarten because of the traffic jams.
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      One vocabulary a day

      inconvenient

      If something is inconvenient then it doesn’t fit with your plans or your schedule or simply makes life difficult.


      Examples

      I can’t park in the company car park any more. This is very inconvenient because now I have to park 5 minutes away and walk to the company.

      My customer always calls me at inconvenient times.

      The sales manager is always late for meetings. This is a bit inconvenient because it means that we always have to wait.
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      One vocabulary a day

      road works

      Road works are the result of builders working on, repairing or widening the roads. They normally cause delays.


      Examples

      Sorry I’m late, there were road works on the B4.

      I came to work another way this morning because of the road works.

      The road works on the motorway are taking longer than we expected.
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      One vocabulary a day

      sound

      This is another way of saying “sensible“ or „intelligent“. It is used here as an adjective, to describe something.


      Examples


      Investing in gold is a sound investment because the price of gold always goes up.

      You can trust him. He always makes sound decisions.

      Our local government has very sound policies, they never do anything extreme.
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      One vocabulary a day

      at random

      A way of selecting something that doesn’t use any criteria is done at random.


      Examples


      I think my boss simply selects our suppliers at random, some of them are good but some of them are terrible.

      My wife and I couldn’t agree on a name for our baby so we put our favorite names in a bag and chose one at random.

      I went on holiday to Canada last year. We didn’t really have a plan, we simply drove around at random.
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      RE: One vocabulary a day

      Das finde ich eine tolle Idee, mit dem "one vocabulary a day".
      Das hat wirklich eine sehr verstärkte Einpräge-Wirkung.

      Ich habe gerade das Wort "chitter" gesucht, und auf der Seite die mir
      angezeigt wurde kann ich mir auch noch das passende T-shirt bestellen,
      falls ich mir das Wort absolut nicht merken kann.

      Also wenn ich das "chitter"-T-shirt mal einen Monat jeden Tag trage,
      dann dürfte dieses Wort doch drin sein. ???

      thefreedictionary.com/chitter

      .

      One vocabulary a day

      vocational training

      Vocational training is practical, it trains people directly for a job. It concentrates on useful skills and doesn’t focus on theory.


      Examples

      My brother is doing some vocational training to become a mechanic.

      I think children should get more vocational training in schools.

      I did too much theory at university, I really needed vocational training to help me get a job.
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      One vocabulary a day

      significant other

      English doesn’t really have a good word for a person you live with, but are not necessarily married to. “Partner” is one word, but it isn’t very accurate because it could also mean a business partner. “Significant other” is a more humorous (and accepted) way of saying the same thing.


      Examples

      She introduced me to her significant other.

      His significant other works in advertising.

      Please feel free to bring your significant other to the party.
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      One vocabulary a day

      impromptu

      If you have to give an impromptu meeting or presentation, then you have nearly no time to prepare it.



      Examples

      We had to give an impromptu factory tour when a group of visitors arrived unexpectedly.

      I had to give an impromptu presentation when the sales manager, who should have given it, suddenly had to go to hospital.

      It was a very serious situation so we had an impromptu meeting to discuss it.
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      One vocabulary a day

      To undergo

      If a person or a material undergoes tests, research, examinations and so on, then the tests, research or the examination happen to it, him or her..



      Examples

      Matthias Platzeck has spent several days in hospital this year undergoing tests.

      There are some difficulties at our company at the moment because we are undergoing restructuring.

      The product underwent an exhaustive series of checks before we released it.
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