Murder mystery --- solved !!!
Good evening, FRIENDS !!!!!
Today I have the pleasure of sharing a part of the knowledge gathered while reading a novel by Agatha Christie. In case you are interested, the name of the book is : The Mystery of the Blue Train.
Hope you find the words useful.
Nix : To answer no to something or say that you will not allow something.
¨ They nixed the idea of filming in Ireland.
¨ The proposal was nixed by council members.
Put paid to something : To stop something from happening or spoil plans for something.
¨ Bad exam results put paid to his hopes of a university place.
He cudgelled his brains in vain, but the thing eluded him.
Cudgel If you take up the cudgels for someone or something, you speak or fight in support of them.
¨ Living through the post-Darwinian debates, he invariably took up the cudgels on behalf of scientific rationalism.
He said a lot of things, most of which were darned cheeks.
Cheek
¨ You say that someone has a cheek when you are annoyed or shocked at something unreasonable that they have done.
¨ I’m amazed they had the cheek to ask in the first place.
¨ To speak rudely or with disrespect to someone, especially to someone older such as your teacher or parents.
¨ B had been sacked for cheeking the Director.
Serious fun
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Tongue-in-cheek A remark, statement etc that is tongue-in-cheek is intended as a joke but is said or written in a serious or sincere way. · His tongue-in-cheek articles are brilliantly funny and very political.
· "This just shows you what a great coach I am," said Braden, tongue-in-cheek. Facetious Making jokes or trying to be funny in a clever or unkind way that people think is annoying. · At the risk of sounding facetious, who really cares about what happens? · The speech saying drug users should be shot was clearly facetious, but it contained a serious point. Playful Actions or behaviour that are playful are not serious, but they are fun and friendly. · He gave me a playful slap on the shoulder.
· She tried to sound playful but somehow the words came out the wrong way. Flippant Not being serious about something that should be taken seriously, so that people think you do not care. · People ask me if I'm related to him, and my answer is usually a flippant "No, but I wish I were."
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Her hands were kneading themselves together.
Knead To press someone's muscles many times to help cure pain or to help someone relax.
· He began kneading my sore shoulder muscles.
Be getting on
If time is getting on, it is quite late.
· Come on, it's getting on and we ought to go home.
· I realized that time was getting on and we would have to hurry.
If someone is getting on, they are quite old.
My sincerest thanks to LDOCE and.......................... AGATHA CHRISTIE
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