Sometimes the sheer number of synonyms in English makes one dizzy.

One of such words is ‚tartly‘.

If you say something tartly, you say it in a quick and unkind way.

Example - ‚Too late!’ said my mother tartly.

She tartly reminded him that he had never been in such a predicament before and, therefore, had no right to give her any piece of advice.

Peaky is a nice word. It means ‚ill or pale‘.

Example - You look a little peaky. Are you ok?

We were taken aback by his peaky face. He must have been having problems with health for quite a while.

If something has cachet /ˈkæʃeɪ/, it has a special quality that people admire and approve of.

Example - No other brand name has quite the same cachet.

The cachet of the elegant Plaza hotel attracted many tourists.

Another word for ‚the final result‘ is ‚the upshot‘.

Example - The upshot of it all was that he left college and got a job.

The upshot of the discussions is that there will be no layoffs.

If something is square with something else, it is in agreement with it.

Example - This is not quite in square with what you said yesterday.

If you prime someone for something, you prepare them for a situation so that they know what to do, especially by giving them special information.

Example - She was primed for negotiations by her brilliant team of experienced advisors.

They had been primed with good advice.

Right on cue is an interesting phrase.

It means ‚at exactly the moment you expect or that is appropriate‘.

Example - ‘Where is that boy?’ As if on cue, Simon appeared in the doorway.

I can't just cry on cue!

I was just wondering where Kate was, when, right on cue, she came in.

Cert is a word I have never come across.

It means a thing that is sure to happen or be successful.

Example - That horse is a dead cert for (= is sure to win) the next race.

Racing certainty is also a nice expression.

It is used to refer to a thing that is certain to happen.

Example - It's a racing certainty that the vote will go against him.

Success for the project seems a racing certainty.

To beat someone down to something is a nice phrasal verb.

It means ‚persuading somebody to reduce the price at which they are selling something‘.

Example - He wanted $8 000 for the car but I beat him down to $6 000.

I beat down the price to $500.

Blag is a nice verb.

It means ‚persuading somebody to give you something, or to let you do something, by talking to them in a clever way‘.

Example - I blagged some tickets for the game.

We blagged our way into the reception by saying that we were from the press.

Blandishment is a very nice word.

It is used to refer to pleasant things that you say to somebody or do for them to try to persuade them to do something.

Example - He refused to be moved by either threats or blandishments.

While watching a game of snooker being broadcast by Eurosport yesterday, I heard the expression ‚John Higgins is now under the cosh‘.

I did not know the word ‚cosh‘, which made me look it up immediately.

It turns out that the expression ‚under the cosh‘ means ‚experiencing a lot of pressure‘.

Example - Manchester City were under the cosh for most of the second half.

After losing 5 frames, the young player found himself under the cosh.

If you are overwrought, you are very worried and upset or maybe also excited in a nervous way.

Example - She was still a little overwrought after the unexpected loss.

He was in an overwrought state/condition for weeks after the accident.

I am reading an interesting book called I am a Hitman by an anonymous author. In this book this anonymous author claims he has really worked as a hitman and has killed many people, whose deaths he staged as accidents.

The book is revealing in many ways and also offers nice vocabulary improvements for English learners.

In one sentence I came across the following sentence - ‚I felt for this guy. He seemed to be a nice person who had simply trodden on wrong toes‘.

I very much enjoyed this ‚trodden on the wrong toes‘. Nice expression, don’t you agree?

Otherwise the books is very interesting despite depicting heinous crimes committed by its author.

On another note, I am inviting you to join my Ukrainian-language channel called The Thoughts of a Polyglot. In it I write some funny and perhaps sometimes thought-provoking things about what it takes to learn and speak (and constantly think about) many foreign languages. I know that most subscribers to this channel (with a few pleasant exceptions) are speakers of Ukrainian, so I hope you will find it interesting.

Have a nice Friday everyone!

And here’s the link: https://t.me/dumkypolihlota

I have recently happened upon a nice phrase - to be on the lam.

In the USA they use this phrase to refer to someone who is escaping, especially from the police.

Example - The robbers were on the lam for several days before they were caught.

Let me share a few gems from this book.

I opened up to him (=told him the truth) about my relationship with my parents.

I was a trifle (=a little) bored so I decided to take a walk.

I had to sleep this murder off (=forget about it while having a sleep) as soon as possible.

I quickly dusted myself down (=removed dust from myself) and realized I had to be certain the hit had been successful.

I spent a night on the lash (=out drinking heavily).

Chalk up to something is a very cool phrasal verb.

It means ‚considering that something is caused by something‘.

Example - His friends chalked his wisdom up to his many years at Harvard.

We can chalk that win up to a lot of luck.