Failed or shaky when actually quizzed.
tappick and choose
take only the best of what's on offer, fussilyYou don't have time to pick and choose.
tapshort and sweet
brief but pleasantKeep the introduction short and sweet.
tapa complete fallacy
a false belief that lots of people holdThat's a complete fallacy.
tapa fertile imagination
invents lots of unusual things (≠ fragile)She has a fertile imagination.
tapto ponder (sth)
think about it carefully and at length — no negative charge, unlike overthinkI pondered the offer for a week.
tapfrowned upon
socially disapproved of — always passiveTurning up late is frowned upon.
tapI beg to differ
a polite way to say "you're wrong"I beg to differ on that point.
tapsluggish
slow and low on energyI'm slow and sluggish today.
tapan aptitude for sth
natural ability at it (= a flair for, cut out for, adept at)I have an aptitude for solving process problems.
tapcolloquial
everyday informal language: idioms, phrasal verbs, informal style (recognised on 20 Aug, still not produced)A cover letter avoids colloquial language.
tapdaunting
making you nervous or reluctant to face it (+ formidable)A daunting challenge.
tapthe odds are that…
very probablyThe odds are that they'll ask about salary.
tapextensive experience
the right collocation — never big / large / hugeI have extensive experience in marketing.
tapspot on
exactly rightHer feedback was spot on.
taptangible benefits
clear enough to be seen or touched (not touchable)The project brought tangible benefits.
tapby and large
generally, on the wholeBy and large, the course has gone well.
tapcut and dried
already decided, can't be changedThe decision isn't cut and dried yet.
tapout and about
going to different placesWe were out and about all weekend.
tapirrespective of
regardless of, has no effect on itIrrespective of the cost, we're going.
tapto rally (round sb)
come together to support someoneThe whole team rallied round her.
tapget hung up about/on sth
worry about it too muchDon't get hung up about small mistakes.
tapknock your confidence
damage your belief in yourself (not lower / decrease)Losing the competition knocked her confidence.
tapfly in the face of sth
contradict what's reasonable or acceptedIt flies in the face of the evidence.
tapa sweeping statement
too general, ignores the factsThat's a sweeping statement.
tapto elaborate (on sth)
give more detailCould you elaborate on that point?
tapto allocate (time / money)
divide it between purposesWe allocated two hours to it.
tapaccustomed to + -ing
formal upgrade on used toI'm accustomed to working to tight deadlines.
tapa real asset to
the fix for "you could really use me"I feel I would be a real asset to your company.
tapaspects of my background which I consider relevant
hands off to the bullets in a cover letterAspects of my background which I consider relevant include the following:
tappassionate about
semi-formal — carries a feeling, so it isn't fully formalI'm passionate about my career.
tapthe odd (comment)
odd = occasional, happening from time to time — the second meaning, not "strange"There's the odd complaint, nothing serious.
tapbe down to sth
be caused by it — the informal because of / due toThe delay was down to the weather.
tapto witter on (about sth)
talk for ages about something unimportant — the preposition is onHe wittered on about the agenda for twenty minutes.
tapat the eleventh hour
at the very last momentThey approved the budget at the eleventh hour.
tapin the nick of time
just in time, with nothing to spareI joined the call in the nick of time.
tapto perceive
the verb behind perception — how you take someone or something inDelays change how you perceive the speaker.
tapa relief
the feeling of a burden lifting (≠ relaxation)Not commuting was a real relief.
tapto stroll
walk unhurriedly — the course synonym for walking, taught in the first weeksWe strolled for forty minutes before the call.
tapnon-verbal cues
tone of voice, body language — cues, not cluesVideo calls make non-verbal cues harder to process.
tapa crate
the dog box (cage is understood, crate is the word)He settled in his crate without a sound.
tapkeep your head above water
manage to survive/cope despite difficulty (financial or general) — no article before waterMy business is in trouble, but we're just about keeping our head above water.
tapa wet blanket
someone who spoils other people's funHe's such a wet blanket — always wants to go home early.
tapa party pooper
someone who ruins the fun for everyone else (= wet blanket)Don't be a party pooper — stay a bit longer.
tapelevate (≠ alleviate)
raise or increase something — not a synonym for reducing a bad feeling; easy to confuse with alleviateYou elevate a mindset, but you alleviate boredom.
tapto surge / to trickle (down)
surge = move with great strength (water, a crowd); trickle = move slowly, a little at a timeThe crowd surged forward, but the information only trickled down slowly.
taptrickle-down effect
hyphenated compound adjective from the phrasal verb trickle downEconomists debate whether the trickle-down effect really works.
tapto gush
flow out suddenly and in large quantities (blood, water — also used like surge)Blood was gushing from the wound.
tapto exacerbate sth (≠ exaggerate)
make a bad situation worse — exaggerate means overstating somethingStress can exacerbate health problems.
tapto engender sth
cause, bring about (formal) — engendered byRemote working can engender distrust between colleagues.
tapto alleviate sth
reduce a bad feeling or situation — stress, boredom, physical pain, financial debt, difficult workA short walk helps alleviate boredom.
tapto mitigate sth
reduce something bad — used especially about risk, danger or diseaseNew rules were introduced to mitigate the risk.
tapto ease sth
reduce, make less intense — ease stress levels (no article before the plural noun)A short walk eases stress levels.
tapanti-theft measures
steps taken to prevent stealing (not "anti-drift")The store used the footage to improve their anti-theft measures.
tapa shoplifter
someone who steals from a shopHe was caught posing as a shoplifter in his own store.
tapvideo (as a verb)
to film/record somethingHe videoed himself for a how-to upload.
tapa great number (of)
a lot of — formal, countable (partner of "a great deal")There is a great number of things to do.
tapreel off
repeat a list of things quicklyOn the bus I reel off the names of all fifty tourists.
tapcast a vote
vote in an election — the direct meaningI cast my vote before work.
tapbe cut out for sth (≠ cut and dried)
naturally suited to it. Cut and dried means clear-cut, already decidedDasha is cut out for arguing.
taphave a flair for sth
a natural ability for it (= an aptitude for)He has a flair for cycling.
tapto muck in (with sb)
share the work so it gets done — UK informalEveryone mucked in to get the stall ready.
tapspread the word
tell lots of people about somethingSpread the word — the meet-up is at seven.
tapa manifesto
a party's published list of promises (verb: to manifest)It's all in their manifesto.
tappaternity leave
time off work for a new fatherHe took six months' paternity leave.