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Your guide to terms and phrases, both English and Chinese. Click on the letter that
is at the beginning of the word or phrase you are looking for.
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A
AC - abbrev. abbreviation for air conditioning.
ambient noise - n. background noise that is normally ignored.
ample - adj. big enough; large, spacious
assortment - n. variety
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B
backlog - n. accumulation of work, etc. that needs to be dealt with.
baritone - adj. singer with second lowest adult male voice.
belt out - slang v. to yell with all force, to sing with all force and energy.
bemused - adj. confused, bewildered.
brace - v. intrans to prepare oneself for something that will happen.
bugger - slang. (offensive and vulgar in British English unpleasant person or thing.
bushed - slang adj. exhausted, tired.
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C
cacophony - n. disagreeable sound, discord of sounds.
cater - v. to serve, usually food;
cloaking device - n. imaginary machine that lets a person/thing be invisible.
coerce - v. persuade, convince, force, compel.
correspondance - n. communication with two people through some medium, such as mail, telephone, etc.
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D
dignitary - n. holder of high office, of high status.
disconcerting - adj. upsetting, embarrassing, confusing.
dodge - v. avoid, get out of way
downer - slang n. low point of experience, bad part, unhappy part
downpour - n. heavy rainfall.
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E
eager - adj. having a strong wish (for something).
Eastern Seaboard- proper n. name that describes the region in the northeast part
of the United States along Atlantic Ocean.
eerie - adj. weird, uncanny, causing superstitious fear.
encounter - n. meeting
entourage - n. associates, group of associates.
envoy - n. messenger, ambassador.
equivalent - adj. equal in value; having same meaning or result; corresponding.
excursion - n. journey, ramble, trip for pleasure, digression.
exquisite - adj. of extreme beauty or delicacy; keen, acute
extracurricular - adj. beyond specified course of study.
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F
frilly- adj. with frills or fluffy fabric on the edge.
a film of - n. thin skin or layer of.
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G
garbaliguke - unknown n. nonsense.
go figure - slang phrase. wouldn't you know it, as expected, it makes sense.
goodies - n pl. items, small gifts, merchandise; candy, snacks.
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H
handy - adj. useful, convenient; clever with hands.
hang out - slang v. spend time, play together, relax
hectic - adj. extremely busy.
here's the catch- phrase. here's the bad part, here's the trade-off.
hood ornament - n. decoration on the hood, or front, of the car.
hook up with - slang v. meet with; join with.
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I
I had my share of things to do - phrase. I was busy enough.
in a nutshell - slang phrase. in summary, in brief, briefly.
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J
jet lag - n. the feeling of being tired in the day and awake at night
after a long airplane flight.
jiaozi - n. potstickers, little dumplings. [One of my favourite Chinese food items].
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K
kick things into gear - idiom. raise level of performance; do things faster
kill time - idiom. fill in unused time, spend time doing something to make time
pass quicker.
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L
LAX - abbrev. the international abbreviation for Los Angeles International Airport.
leave much to be desired - phrase. could have been better, not good, bad, unsatisfying.
liaison - n. union, connection.
Lotus Land - n. nickname given to Vancouver because of its mild
weather and relaxing lifestyle.
low key - slang adj. quiet, calm, not busy, with not too many people.
lunar calendar - n. calendar that follows marks the months based on the movements of the
moon. The Chinese calendar is the most well-known lunar calendar.
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M
Maple Leaf- proper n. national symbol of Canada, can be taken to refer to a person from Canada, though not commonly done.
munch - v. chew noisily and vigourously.
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N
a national - n. citizen of a country.
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O
on the go - slang phrase. progressing, improving, changing; constantly moving.
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P
part and parcel - phrase. an expected part, expected.
polka - n. lively type of music and dance often including an accordian.
put up by somebody - phrase. hosted by somebody.
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Q
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R
renovation - n. restoring or renewing something, usually a home.
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S
scurry - v intrans. run hastily.
shabby- adj. faded, worn, ragged, in poor condition.
side-tracked - adj. distracted, occupied, digressed.
slip by- slang v. to go by unnoticed, to get pass an obstacle or person.
solitary - adj. lone, one.
soot - n. black powdery substance formed by the burning of coal.
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T
testament to how - phrase. evidence that; sign that
Toysan - proper n. an area in Guangdong province where many overseas Chinese
come from. In Beijing pinyin, it is spelt Taishan.
tranquility - n. calmness, quiet.
tried-and-true - phrase. tested and proven. the real thing.
tumultuous - adj. violent, confusing.
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U
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V
vested interest - phrase. personal reason, utlerior reason, secondary reason.
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W
waft - v intrans. convey smoothly through air or water.
waiban - n. Foreign Affairs Office or Officer (FAO). The FAO is in charge of
helping foreign experts with tasks like providing living quarters, booking travel plans, help
with translation of any requests, and other things related to the experts well-being in China.
They will also help the school/company to arrange for the foreigner to appear at special events .
what the doctor ordered - phrase. what was perfect for the situtation, what was just right.
whir - n. buzzing or whizzing sound from flying or spinning object.
wushu - n. martial arts.
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X
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Y
you can't win them all - phrase. you can't expect to get all you want.
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Z
zippy - slang adj. speedy, quick, fast, energetic.
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