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GRE Power Vocab- Some interesting Idioms and Phrases

AnuVeluri — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:19:07 +0000

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

1.	Flog a dead horse (informal): waste one’s time/efforts
2.	Blow hot and cold (informal): be undecided about something
3.	A hot potato (informal): a dangerous, highly controversial issue which is embarrassing to deal
	with.
4.	Hot under the collar: to be annoyed or irritated by something
5.	A skeleton in the cupboard : a past event which is kept a secret as it is
	embarrassing
6.	The tip of the iceberg : the beginning of a problem which is actually much bigger
7.	A damp squib: something which is expected to cause excitement but doesn’t do so
8.	A fair weather friend: one who doesn’t remain a friend in troubles or difficulties
	of a person
9.	Hobson’s choice: a situation without any choice at all where in a person is forced
	to take what is offered to him or nothing at all.
10.	A quixotic plan : a foolish or totally unrealistic plan

Idioms with prepositions:

1.	after a fashion : in an unsatisfactory manner without devoting much time or care
2.	at the helm : in charge (as leader)
3.	at a low ebb: which is lacking in interest or enthusiasm
4.	all at sea : confused or uncertain about something
5.	at one’s wits’ end: to be greatly troubled, without knowing what to do next
6.	in limbo: put aside temporarily as not needed or forgotten at the present time
7.	in a stew (informal): in a state of nervous confusion
8.	in tow : following behind
9.	off the cuff: without previous preparation or thought
10.	on a shoe string: with little money, not at a high cost

1.	dwell on something: spend too much time , discussing or thinking about a topic
2.	egg someone on (informal): encouraging someone to do something which
	shouldn’t be done
3.	hammer something out: to discuss something at length until one reaches a
	solution
4.	iron something out: to resolve something
5.	keel over: to lose balance and fall
6.	latch on to someone (informal): to impose one’s company on others
7.	mull something over: to Think about something for a long time
8.	snap out of something: to quickly bring oneself out of a bad mood or depression
9.	trip someone up: to deliberately make someone show his ignorance or lack of
	information
10.	to wade through something: to read something which is boring and very long
Verbal	idioms :
1,	cut no ice with someone: fail to make any impression or to have an influence
2.	curry favor with someone: try to win favor of someone by flattery
3.	go haywire (informal): stop functioning smoothly or to become out of control
4.	jog someone’s memory: to remind someone of something or to make him recall
	something
5.	laugh up one’s sleeve (informal): to be amused about something secretly
6.	weather the storm: to survive a crisis
7.	wipe the floor with someone (informal): to defeat someone easily
8.	upset the applecart: to spoil a well organized plan
9.	take a leaf out of someone’s book: to follow someone’s good example
10.	take someone by storm: to make a great impact on someone

GRE Essential Vocabulary- List H

AnuVeluri — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:10:19 +0000

Habitual – perpetual, wonted, inveterate, pathological
Opp: occasion al
Hackneyed- hoary, stalk, clichéd, prosaic
Opp: original
Haggard- drained, gaunt, wan, wasted
Opp: healthy
Haggle- negotiate, wrangle, barter, bicker
Half-hearted- unconcerned, languid, perfunctory, lackluster
Opp: enthusiastic
Hallucinate- fantasize, trip, desire, dream world
Halting- sluttery, stumbling, awkward, hesitant
Opp: fluent
Hamper- curb, stop, obstruct, bridle, trammel
Opp: help
Hamstring- thwart, bork, shackle, constrain
Opp: help
Hankering- urge, appetite, itch, desire
Opp: aversion
Hanky panky- intrigue, monkey business
Harass- torment, beleaguer, persecute, plague
Hard bitten- unsentimental, tough, cynical
Opp: sentimental
Hard nosed- pragmatic, rational, astute, realistic
Opp: sentimental
Harmonious- melodic, compatible, amicable, euphonious
Opp: discordant
Harrow- trouble, mortify, afflict, grieve
Opp: comfort
Hassle- aggravation, mither, harass
Haughty- snobbish, chesty, patronizing, disdainful
Opp: humble
Haul- ferry, tow, swag, boodle
Haunted- anguished, ghostly, spooky, tormented
Haven- retreat, sanctum, harborage, refuge
Haywire- shambolic, faulty, disorganize, topsy turvy, chaotic
Hearty- ebullient, robust, ample, jovial
Opp: frail
Hector- bully, coerce, menace, plague
Hedonism- extravagance, luxury, pleasure seeking, immoderation
Opp: self restraint
Heft- haul, lug, tote, hump
Heinous- reprehensible, villainous, execrable, odious
Opp: admirable
Henpecked- browbeaten, cringing, intimidated, subjugated
Opp: domineering
Heresy- idolatry, apostasy, descent, paganism
Heretic- iconoclast, pagan, paynim
Opp: believer
Heterogeneous- diverse, assorted, motely, disparate
Opp: homogeneous
Hiatus- gap, suspension, respite, breather
Hibernate- sleep, over winter
Hideous- repulsive, gruesome, foul, grotesque
Hilarious- amusing, boisterous, farcical, whacky
Opp: sad
Hindrance- restraint, stumbling, pick up, snag
Opp: help
Hoarse- grating, gruff, husky, gasping
Opp: mellow
Hoary- frosty, cornball, trite, old
Opp: young
Hobgoblin- leprechaun, gnome, kelpie, sprite
Holocaust- slaughter, carnage, butchery
Homologous- similar, alike, equivalent, analogous
Hoodlum- hooligan, thug, delinquent
Hoodwink- Mislead, delude, cheat, trick, dupe
Humane- compassionate, considerate, sympathetic, tolerant
Opp: cruel
Humiliation- indignity, disgrace, dishonor, discredit
Opp: honor
Hyperbole- exaggeration, over statement, embroidery, embellishment
Opp; understatement
Hypnotize- mesmerize, spellbind, transfix, enrapture
Hypochondriac- valetudinarian, malingerer, , neurotic

GRE Essential Vocabulary List- G

AnuVeluri — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:08:21 +0000

Gaffe- impropriety, clangor, solecism
Gag- quip, crack, jest, witticism
Gallant- brace, plucky, beau, chivalrous
Opp: cowardly
Galvanize- vitalize, dynamism, startle, impel
Gambit- stratagem, maneuver, trick, wheeze
Gambol- prance, frolic, cavort, bounce
Gargantuan- mammoth, humongous, massive
Opp: tiny
Gauzy- diaphanous, chiffony, wispy
Opp: opaque
Genial- gregarious, matey, affable, cordial
Opp: unfriendly
Generic- comprehensive, unbranded, non-specific
Opp: specific
Genre- stamp, ilk, sort, category
Genteel- correct, gracious, polite, gentlemanly
Opp: uncouth
Gesticulation- gesturing, signs, indication, wave
Germane- pertinent, relevant, akin, fitting
Opp: irrelevant
Ghastly- horrible, appalling, ashen, queasy
Opp: pleasant
Gibber- jabber, blabber, chunter, blether
Gigantic- monumental. Gargantuan, hulking, colossal
Opp: tiny
Glamorous- Beguiling, charismatic, glossy, ritzy
Opp: dowdy
Gloom- pessimism, dusk, despondency, melancholia
Opp: light
Glut- plethora, surfeit, saturate, deluge
Opp: dearth
Gluttonous- insatiable, voracious, gormandizing, greedy
Gobbledygook- poppycock, codswallop, gibberish, rubbish, blether
Goblin- pixie, dwarf, elf, brownie
Gossamer- gauze, chiffony, sheer, gauzy
Gouge- scrape, excavate, scoop, dig, gourmand, glutton, gut bucket
Gracious- decorous, indulgent, opulent, benign
Opp: rude
Grandeur- resplendence, stateliness, pomp, magnificence
Gratis- gratuitously, without charge, free of cost
Gregarious- warm, comradely, matey. Clubbable
Opp: unsociable
Grimace- scowl, lour, grin, sneer
Opp: smile
Grime- filth, gunge, grot, besmirch
Gritty- plucky, valiant, dogged, spunky
Gruff- brusque, hoarse, bearish, grouchy
Opp: soft
Guffaw- bellow, cackle, roar
Guile- duplicity, subterfuges, stratagems, artifice
Opp: honesty
Gullible- exploitable, dupable, credulous, naïve
Opp: suspicious
Gutsy- unflinching, indomitable, doubty, ballsy
Gyrate- swirl, whirl, swivel, twirl