Vocabulary

1) Abash (v) - cause to feel embarrassed, disconcerted or ashamed

Meaning:- This remark seemed rather to abash Mr.Venus

Syn.: to confuse, confound, disconcert, shame

2) Abate (v) - lessen the intensity, degree, force, etc.

Meaning:- The storms had abated by the time they rounded Cape Horn.

Syn.: decrease, lessen, reduce, dwindle, subside

3) Abdicate (v) - to renounce, relinquish, give up

Meaning:- She was forced to abdicate the throne of Spain.

Syn.: relinquish, forsake, abandon, renounce

Idioms

1. Be a piece of cake :

Meaning:
To be very easy

If something is a piece of cake, it is very easy to do.


Example:
A: How was the Interview? Did you select?
B: Of course! It was a piece of cake.



2. Bark up the wrong tree

Meaning:
To misunderstand a situation and complain to a wrong person or blame a wrong thing.

If someone is barking up the wrong tree, he/she has an incorrect idea about a situation, and his/her course of action is wrong.


Example:

Don't blame me. I have nothing to do with it. You are barking up the wrong tree.

The committee spent more than 5 month to try to solve the problem. They were just barking up the wrong tree.



3. Be broke

Meaning:
Without money

If you are broke, you don't have money.



Example:
"Do you want to go to the movies tonight?" "I can't go. I'm broke. Tomorrow is payday."





4. Hit the books

Meaning:
Study very hard.

If you hit the books, you start to study hard seriously with determination.


Example:
I'm going to hit the books this weekend to prepare for the final exam.

If you want to get an A in this class, you should start hitting the books right now.




5. Shake a leg

Meaning:
Hurry or do something now.

If you say "Shake a leg" to someone, you tell him/her to hurry, do something more quickly, or start to do something right now.


Example:

Come one, kids, shake a leg! It's already 10 o'clock.

We'd better shake a leg, or we will miss the bus!