Phrases & Expressions

To stop feeling shy, nervous or anxious and become more relaxed.

• Drama classes help shy students shed their inhibitions and speak confidently in public.
• After a few dances, even the quietest guests began to shed their inhibitions.

A state of perfect happiness and complete enjoyment.

• After months of noisy building work next door, the silence on Sunday morning was sheer bliss.
• Lying in a hammock with a cold drink on a hot afternoon is sheer bliss.

An extremely unpleasant or boring experience (used to exaggerate).

• Sitting through a three-hour meeting with no coffee break was sheer torture.
• For a shy teenager, having to give a speech in front of the whole school is sheer torture.

Work that has been done badly and carelessly, especially building or repair work.

• Several residents complained about shoddy workmanship after cracks appeared in their new flats within a year.
• The roof started leaking again only a month later because of the builder's shoddy workmanship.

To behave in a way that suggests you do not feel sorry at all for something wrong you did.

• The judge noted that the defendant had shown no remorse for the harm he had caused to his victims.
• Even after the scandal was exposed, the company's directors showed no remorse and blamed junior staff.

To publicly support people in a struggle or difficult situation, so they know they are not alone.

• Students across the country wore green ribbons to show solidarity with the striking nurses.
• Several governments showed their solidarity with the earthquake victims by sending rescue teams within hours.

From the time when human beings first began to live in organised societies.

• Music is one of the few things that have brought people together since the dawn of civilisation.
• Arguments about the best way to educate young people have existed since the dawn of civilisation.

Information that is incomplete and gives only the main points without much explanation.

• Only sketchy details of the accident have been released, so it is unclear how many people were injured.
• The report gives only sketchy details about how the new funding will actually be spent.

A sudden, large drop in the prices of goods or products.

• Coffee farmers lost most of their income after a slump in prices on the world market.
• A sudden slump in house prices left many homeowners owing more than their homes were worth.

To speak unclearly, running sounds together, for example because you are drunk or ill.

• Suddenly slurring your words can be a warning sign of a stroke and needs urgent medical attention.
• One sign that someone has had too much to drink is that they start to slur their words.