You really got me (with that joke!): You really fooled, tricked, convinced me (with that joke!)

• trick: Deceive or outwit (someone) by being cunning or skillful.

you must not overstep your borrowing limit: pass beyond or exceed (a limit or standard).

• We need to get this paperwork done.
• Don't worry; I'm on it.
  • on it: actively dealing with a problem, job, etc.
  • paperwork: Routine work involving written documents such as forms, records, or letters.

COMFORTDELGRO Corporation is pursuing an initial public offering of shares in its wholly owned Australian land transport subsidiary, in a move it hopes will unlock the value of its business assets Down Under

• Down Under: Australia is a continent, a country and an island! It is nicknamed the “Land Down Under” because it is below the equator.
  • adverb: in or to Australia or New Zealand: take a flight down under in September
  • Australia and New Zealand: a girl from down under

Of the 120 infected bus captains, four are unvaccinated. The rest are fully inoculated, and most are asymptomatic or showing only mild symptoms.

• inoculated: Treat (a person or animal) with a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease.
• asymptomatic /eɪˌsɪmptəˈmatɪk/: (of a condition or a person) producing or showing no symptoms.

SINGAPORE'S position as a regional leader in corporate governance standards is under threat - undermined by complacency and an impetus to attract more listings, says a new report on the state of corporate governance in Singapore.

• complacency /kəmˈpleɪs(ə)nsi/: A feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements
• impetus /ˈɪmpɪtəs/: The force or energy with which a body moves.

Once seen as a vanguard of the “Covid-zero” elimination strategy, Singapore says it’s preparing to transition to reopening with the assumption the virus will be endemic, while keeping social distancing safeguards and encouraging mass vaccination to limit community spread

• vanguard: a group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas.
  • The experimental spirit of the modernist vanguard
• endemic /ɛnˈdɛmɪk/:An endemic is a disease outbreak that is consistently present but limited to a particular region. This makes the disease spread and rates predictable.
  • Complacency is endemic in industry today
• epidemic: A widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.
  • demo-, dem-, demio-, -demic, -deme, -demically: people, population
  • ep-, epi-: above, over, on, upon; besides; in addition to; toward; among
• pandemic: a pandemic when a disease’s growth is exponential. This means growth rate skyrockets, and each day cases grow more than the day prior.

China's stock market suffered a rout last month

• rout: verb, defeat and cause to retreat in disorder.
  • in a matter of minutes the attackers were routed
• rout: noun, a disorderly retreat of defeated troops.
  • the retreat degenerated into a rout
• de·gen·er·ate: Decline or deteriorate physically, mentally, or morally.

China one-upped the US in Vietnam by pledging to donate 2 million COVID-19 vaccines

• vaccines/ˈvaksiːn,ˈvaksɪn/
• one-upp: do better than (someone).
  • he deftly one-upped the interrogator
• deftly: in a way that is neatly skillful and quick in movement.

next of kin: a person's closest living relative or relatives.

• the police notified the next of kin

kept sb grounded: It means keep sb sensible, realistic, humble.

• Like if someone became really rich or famous but had someone that kept them grounded it would mean that person kept them from getting 'a big head' or getting too wrapped up in a luxurious lifestyle. That person keeps them humble and helps them remember what's truly important in life and they won't take things for granted or be rude or stuck up.

he jabbered on about football: talk in a rapid, excited, and often incomprehensible way.

• incomprehensible: not able to be understood; not intelligible

I have no clue how Nalini's parents are going to react. I'll have to play it by ear: There are occasions when we do not plan too far ahead; in such cases, our response to a situation depends on how the event unfolds. Usually, we improvise. Our responses are not thought out before hand; we do whatever we think is the right thing to do in that particular situation. This manner of dealing with something is called ‘playing it by ear'.

• improvise /ˈɪmprəvʌɪz/: create and perform (music, drama, or verse) spontaneously or without preparation.
  • he invited actors to improvise dialogue

humanoid robot:

• humanoid: /ˈhjuːmənɔɪd/ having an appearance or character resembling that of a human.
• -oid, -oidal, -oidism, -odic: a suffix; like, resembling, similar to, form

some South-east Asian analysts have misgivings about Washington's belated vaccine diplomacy

• misgivings: a feeling of doubt or apprehension about the outcome or consequences of something.
• belated /bɪˈleɪtɪd/: coming or happening later than should have been the case

prognosis /prɒɡˈnəʊsɪs/“: the likely course of a medical condition.

• the disease has a poor prognosis
• gno-, gnos-, gnoto-, -gnostic, -gnosia, -gnomic, -gnomonic, -gnomical, -gnomy, -gnosia, -gnostic, -gnosis: know, learn, discern

en.tou.rage /ˈɒntʊrɑːʒ,ˌɒntʊ(ə)ˈrɑːʒ/: a group of people attending or surrounding an important person.

• an entourage of bodyguards

atrophy /ˈatrəfi/: (of body tissue or an organ) waste away, especially as a result of the degeneration of cells, or become vestigial during evolution.

• without exercise, the muscles will atrophy
• cf trophy: a cup or other decorative object awarded as a prize for a victory or success.
• vestigial /vɛˈstɪdʒɪəl,vɛˈstɪdʒ(ə)l/: forming a very small remnant of something that was once greater or more noticeable.
  • he felt a vestigial flicker of anger from last night
• evolution: /ˌiːvəˈluːʃ(ə)n,ˈɛvəluːʃ(ə)n/
  • cf: revolution

let's give it a shot: To try something (often for the first time as a means of forming an opinion about it).

• A: “Do you want to try driving my car, to see how you like it?”
• B: “Yeah, sure, I'll give it a shot.”

Scrubs are the sanitary clothing worn by surgeons, nurses, physicians and other workers involved in patient care in hospitals

Let you arm dangle at your side and rotate in small circles.

• dan·gle: Hang or swing loosely.

Why Most Marijuana Stocks Tanked This Week

• Marijuana [ˌmerəˈ(h)wänə]: Cannabis, especially as smoked or consumed as a psychoactive (mind-altering) drug.
• Tanked
  • fill the tank of a vehicle with fuel: the cars stopped to tank up.
  • INFORMALUS: fail completely, especially at great financial cost: the previous movie had tanked at the box office
• Cannabis/ˈkanəbɪs/

Companies earned their niche or duopoly status by being the best at what they do.

• niche: a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment.
  • he is now a partner at a leading law firm and feels he has found his niche
• duopoly /djuːˈɒpəli/: a situation in which two suppliers dominate the market for a commodity or service.

scariest bridge ever： the most frightening

regimen: a prescribed course of medical treatment, diet, or exercise for the promotion or restoration of health.

• a regimen of one or two injections per day

regiment: a permanent unit of an army typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel and divided into several companies, squadrons, or batteries and often into two battalions.

• lieutenant /lɛfˈtɛnənt/

Covid-19 vaccine efficacy wanes under Delta

• efficacy /ˈɛfɪkəsi/: the ability to produce a desired or intended result.

The robot barista making the coffee, ELLA, will occupy less than five square metres.

• barista /bəˈrɪstə/

Intel is pouring more and more of its energy into its mainstay chip business, and that now means leaving some of its less essential work by the wayside.

• mainstay: a person or thing on which something else is based or depends.
• wayside: the edge of a road
• by the wayside: to be put aside on account of something more urgent

To equal this spending, Japan would have to earmark large sums of public money that the greying nation might otherwise spend on health and welfare.

• earmark:
  • verb: designate (something, typically funds or resources) for a particular purpose
  • noun: a mark on the ear of a domesticated animal indicating ownership or identity.

You can choose to set aside a smaller amount for CPF LIFE if you pledge a property that you own.

By pledging your property, you can withdraw the remaining amount from CPF Special Account (CPF SA) and Ordinary Account (CPF OA).

• pledge: LAW, a thing that is given as security for the fulfillment of a contract or the payment of a debt and is liable to forfeiture in the event of failure.
  • he had given the object as a pledge to a creditor 抵押
• fulfilment /fʊlˈfɪlmənt/

Keep you head on straight in this abnormal psychologically damaging office!

• Keep your head on straight: It means to think clearly and stop making quick dumb decision. To slow down and think about what is going on and get your priorities straight
• You think that's a good idea? You need to get your head screwed on straight.

Industry observers believe this is a watershed moment for the fight against China's allegedly misogynist tech industry:an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas.

• watershed:
  • 1) an event or period marking a turning point in a situation.
  • 2) an area or region drained by a river, river system, or other body of water.
• misogynist /mɪˈsɒdʒ(ə)nɪst/: a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women.
  • gyn-, gyno-, gynec-, gyneco-: woman, female
    • mono.gyn.ous /məˈnɒdʒɪnəs/: 一妻制的
    • poly.gynous: 一夫多妻的
    • androgyny [andro男，gyn女，-y名词后缀] 具有男女两性，半男半女
    • gynecology /ˌɡʌɪnɪˈkɒlədʒi/ 妇科学，妇科
    • gynecologist /ˌɡʌɪnəˈkɒlədʒɪst/: 妇科医生
    • gynecoid [gynec妇女，-oid如…的] 如妇女的，有女性特征的
    • gynecian [gynec妇女，-ian…的] 妇女的，妇人的
  • miso-, mis-, -misia: hate, hater, hatred; disgust for; revulsion of; contempt for; abhorrence of
    • cf: mis-: bad, wrong.
  • -ist: a suffix; one who believes in

She complained that her boss has been coming on to her: to show sexual interest in (someone) : to try to start a sexual relationship with (someone)

12 container ships were waiting for berth space: a ship's allotted place at a wharf or dock. 泊位

• wharf: a level quayside area to which a ship may be moored to load and unload.码头
  • moor: Make fast (a boat) by attaching it by cable or rope to the shore or to an anchor.

the storage of perishable foods: (especially of food) likely to decay or go bad quickly.

People often try to remove earwax by digging the ears with a cotton bud or metal ear digger.

• earwax: the protective yellow waxy substance secreted in the passage of the outer ear
• cotton bud: 棉签
• ear digger: 挖耳勺

We saw the president extend the eviction moratorium the other day: A temporary prohibition of an activity.

• moratorium: /ˌmɒrəˈtɔːrɪəm/

the Biden administration is urging Americans to get vaccinated to stave off health and economic threats posed by the Delta variant.

• stave off：avert or delay something bad or dangerous.

　　　 * a reassuring presence can stave off a panic attack

• variant /ˈvɛːrɪənt/

Only if the weather holds out:

• continue to be sufficient.
  • we can stay here for as long as our supplies hold out
• have a feeling of hope or optimism.
  • only time will tell if the plan is successful, but I'm not holding out much hope

craft beer: a beer made in a traditional or non-mechanized way by a small brewery.

• brewery /ˈbruːəri/

problems rooted in overexpansion and poor merchandising:

• merchandising: the activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail * outlets.
• root in: To have something as a primary source or origin
  • The word “tantalize” is rooted in Greek mythology.
• merchandise /ˈməːtʃ(ə)ndʌɪs,ˈməːtʃ(ə)ndʌɪz/:
  • noun: goods to be bought and sold.
    • shops which offered an astonishing range of merchandise
  • verb: promote the sale of (goods), especially by their presentation in retail outlets.
    • a new breakfast food can easily be merchandised

tantalize:

• excite the senses or desires of (someone). 吊胃口
  • she still tantalized him
• torment or tease (someone) with the sight or promise of something that is unobtainable.
  • such ambitious questions have long tantalized the world's best thinkers

Tantalize vs tandem

• tandem: a bicycle with seats and pedals for two riders, one behind the other.

* in tandem: alongside each other

• payroll gains moving in tandem with improving economic activity

tandem /ˈtandəm/: a bicycle with seats and pedals for two riders, one behind the other

glamping: a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping. 露营

• glamping is likely to satisfy any city slicker seeking a little refuge in nature—without foregoing any of life's luxuries
• slicker /ˈslɪkə/: a person who is smooth and persuasive but untrustworthy. 滑头

quarantine /ˈkwɒrəntiːn/: impose isolation on (a person, animal, or place); put in quarantine.

• I quarantine all new fish for one month

staycation vs vacation

• staycation: a vacation spent in one's home country rather than abroad, or one spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions.
• vacaction:

home country: the country where one was born or lives permanently.

His driving test was a nerve-racking ordeal

• rack:
  • verb: cause extreme pain, anguish, or distress to.
    • he was racked with guilt
  • noun: a framework, typically with rails, bars, hooks, or pegs, for holding or storing things.
    • a spice rack
• ordeal: a very unpleasant and prolonged experience.
  • the ordeal of having to give evidence
• peg: a short pin or bolt, typically tapered at one end, that is used for securing something in place, hanging things on, or marking a position.
  • she put her mac on a peg in the hall

Ramble:

• walk for pleasure, typically without a definite route.
  • I spent most of my spare time rambling and climbing
• talk or write at length in a confused or inconsequential way.
  • he rambled on about his acting career

inconsequential: not important or significant.

• they talked about inconsequential things

A down payment is money paid upfront in a financial transaction, such as the purchase of a home or car. … The higher the down payment, the less the buyer will need to borrow to complete the transaction, the lower their monthly payments, and the less they'll pay in interest over the long term.

Indonesian blockbuster IPO to set tone for Southeast Asia tech sector: a thing of great power or size, in particular a movie, book, or other product that is a great commercial success.

Indonesian /ɪndəˈniːzɪən,ɪndəˈniːʒ(ə)n/

A veterinary nurse: relating to the diseases, injuries, and treatment of farm and domestic animals.

• veterinary /ˈvɛt(ə)rɪn(ə)ri,ˈvɛt(ə)nri/

The latest buzzword in international travel is “ecotourism”

• buzzword: a word or phrase, often an item of jargon, that is fashionable at a particular time or in a particular context.

our Monthly Statement is ready for your perusal:

• perusal /pəˈruːz(ə)l/: the action of reading or examining something.
• per-: through, across, over; beyond, by means of

contemporaneous /kənˌtɛmpəˈreɪnɪəs,kɒnˌtɛmpəˈreɪnɪəs/: existing or occurring in the same period of time.

• Thankfully, the Singapore High Court recognises the common practices of people using mobile phones to send messages and it will treat these seemingly banal exchanges as contemporaneous evidence to prove whether an event happened or otherwise.
• Contemporaneous usually applies to events, movements, or trends. For example, the rise of rock music was contemporaneous with the economic boom and counterculture movements of the 1950s and ‘60s.
• cf: contemporary /kənˈtɛmp(ə)r(ər)i/: 1) living or occurring at the same time. 2) belonging to or occurring in the present. Note: Contemporary usually applies to people or small groups of people. For example, the Beatles and the Beach Boys were contemporary with each other because they were active at roughly the same time
• banal: so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.
  • songs with banal, repeated words

.

• primary care: by polyclinics and private clinics
• Secondary and tertiary care is provided by the eight national specialty centers and seven acute public hospitals

a private tertiary healthcare institution:

• tertiary /ˈtəːʃ(ə)ri/: third in order or level.

cf: primary, prime

• primary: 1) of chief importance; principal. 2) earliest in time or order.
• prime: 1) of first importance; main. 2) of the best possible quality; excellent.

They Spurned the Vaccine: reject with disdain or contempt

• he spoke gruffly, as if afraid that his invitation would be spurned

the regulatory impact will not take a huge toll on the business: a charge payable for permission to use a particular bridge or road

• toll /təʊl/:
  • 1. a charge payable to use a bridge or road.
    • eg: motorway tolls
  • 2. the number of deaths or casualties arising from a natural disaster, conflict, accident, etc.
    • eg: the toll of dead and injured mounted

the high rewards are stapled with high levels of risk as well: attach or secure with a staple or staples.

• staple
  • 1. noun, a piece of thin wire with two short right-angled end pieces which are driven by a stapler through sheets of paper to fasten them together.
  • 2. verb: attach or secure with a staple or staples.

Consumer staples: are those that consumers are unwilling or unable to cut out of their budgets, regardless of their financial difficulties or the state of the economy 消费必需品

• staple: main or important, especially in terms of consumption.