PHRASAL VERBS 1
destroy living things so that most or all of them are dead
KILL OFF
an event such as a flood, lightning, or an earthquake that is produced by natural forces, and that people have no control over
an act of God
be good at growing plants
have green fingers
intended, not done by chance or by accident(ADJ)
deliberate
something very bad that happens and causes a lot of damage or kills a lot of people
NATURAL DISASTER
reduce the amount of something, especially money that you spend
CUT BACK (ON)
used for saying that something always happens or someone always does something despite bad weather or difficult conditions
come rain or shine
having a long period of difficulty finding work and earning money
down on your luck
to risk money or something valuable in the hope of winning more if you are lucky or if you guess something correctly
GAMBLE
the type of place that an animal normally lives in or a plant normally grows in
HABITAT
keep a lot of something so that you can use it later; do something that will cause problems in the future
STORE UP
used when you have said that you have had good luck in order to prevent bad luck from happening to you
touch wood
be chosen to do something unpleasant
draw the short straw
done in a way that does not seem to be carefully planned or organised
haphazard
such as coal or oil, made from decayed material from animals or plants that lived many thousands of years ago
FOSSIL FUELS
appear or be produced suddenly and quickly
SPRING UP
happening in a way that is sudden and unexpected, and does not seem connected with anything that happened before
out of the blue
allow something to develop without trying to influence it
let nature take its course
to make a person or animal feel suddenly frightened or surprised by doing something they do not expect
startle
to treat someone unfairly in order to get some benefit for yourself
EXPLOIT
get rid of something that you no longer want, for example by putting it in a dustbin; force someone to leave a place or group; if someone in authority throws out a plan, proposal, etc. they refuse to accept it
THROW OUT
used for saying people have limited control over what life brings them
the luck of the draw
having a long period of difficulty finding work and earning money
down on your luck
a belief that things such as magic or luck have the power to affect your life
superstition
an event that causes a lot of damage or makes a lot of people suffer
catastrophe