Vocabulary in the News: Understanding Key Phrases
Shambles
‘It’s a shambles’: Data shows most asylum seekers are placed in the poorest parts of Britain.
‘It’s a shambles’: Data shows most asylum seekers are placed in the poorest parts of Britain.
Noun, uncountable: Something done incompetently; a disaster.
Spanish Translation: Desastre nm
- The event was a complete shambles.
- El evento fue un desastre total.
Noun, uncountable: A mess or disorder.
Disorder nm, chaos nm, mess nm, (Argentina, vulgar) quilombo nm
- The flat was a shambles after the party.
- Después de la fiesta, el apartamento había quedado en completo desorden.
Plough in
Greening’s language suggests the government is to plough ahead with re-establishing grammar schools across England.
Greening’s language suggests the government is to plough ahead with re-establishing grammar schools across England.
Invertir en v (Spanish: To invest in)
Drive
Greening targets ‘ordinary families’ in grammar schools drive.
Greening targets ‘ordinary families’ in grammar schools drive.
Noun: A push or motivation; internal force.
Desire nm, impulse nm
- His drive to succeed led him into business.
- Su deseo de tener éxito le llevó al mundo de los negocios.
The better off
Despite evidence from educationalists and experts who argue that selective education largely benefits the better-off.
Despite evidence from educationalists and experts who argue that selective education largely benefits the better-off.
Noun plural: Richer people.
Ricos, ricas nmpl, nfpl; acomodados, acomodadas nmpl, nfpl
- The better off are expected to help those who have less than they do.
Fiddle
They try to fiddle the figures, the facts are clear and simple. There is no evidence that new grammar schools will do anything for social mobility.
They try to fiddle the figures, the facts are clear and simple. There is no evidence that new grammar schools will do anything for social mobility.
Verb, intransitive: To tinker, tamper with something.
Hacer chapuzas loc verb, hacer arreglos loc verb, manipular⇒ vtr, remendar⇒ vtr
- The artist decided it was time to put her paintbrush down and stop fiddling.
Scrapheap
This speech is the political equivalent of a rose-tinted view of the 1950s where a few excel and millions of other young people are consigned to the scrapheap.”
This speech is the political equivalent of a rose-tinted view of the 1950s where a few excel and millions of other young people are consigned to the scrapheap.”
Noun: A dump for waste metal; a pile of discarded material.
Desguace nm, pila de material desechado
Shift
Desperate hospitals beg doctors to take on extra shifts – at £95 an hour.
Desperate hospitals beg doctors to take on extra shifts – at £95 an hour.
Noun: A group of workers.
The evening shift left when the night shift arrived. Los del turno de la tarde se fueron cuando llegaron los del turno de la noche.
Hike
Hospitals are so chronically understaffed they have been hiking pay rates in recent weeks and bombarding doctors with urgent emails and text messages in a bid to ensure standards of care do not suffer.
Hospitals are so chronically understaffed they have been hiking pay rates in recent weeks and bombarding doctors with urgent emails and text messages in a bid to ensure standards of care do not suffer.
Noun: A price increase.
The factory workers enjoyed a big wage hike last month.
Noun: A walk in a hilly area.
Mike went for a hike with his wife in the evening.
Hospitality
Study calls for billions to fund retraining after pinpointing hospitality, retail, transport and manufacturing sectors and poorest parts of UK as most at risk.
Study calls for billions to fund retraining after pinpointing hospitality, retail, transport and manufacturing sectors and poorest parts of UK as most at risk.
The hospitality industry = la industria hotelera, la hotelería, la hostelería (Oxford Spanish Dictionary)
Retail industry
Noun: Shop sales.
Retail market Noun: For sale of goods; mercado al por menor loc nom m; mercado minorista
Ditch [sth]
Talking about a new generation … festivals ditch the ‘heritage acts’
Verb, transitive: To abandon or discard.
Ditch [sth]
Talking about a new generation … festivals ditch the ‘heritage acts’
Verb, transitive: To abandon or discard.
Cultural heritage
Noun: Legacy of artworks, traditions, etc.; patrimonio cultural nm; tradición n
Noun: Legacy of artworks, traditions, etc.; patrimonio cultural nm; tradición n