ANSWERS and further information:
1. to blend in
= to act, look or behave in a way that is similar to everything or everyone else around or near you (or sth). This is typically done so people do not notice you or it. It is also possible
Just keep your mouth closed and head down and try to blend in so that no one notices you.
2. to cancel out
= to stop or remove the something(or the effect of sth) by adding or using something that has the opposite effect. In the context of 'noise-cancelling headphones', the technology adds noise that doesn't exist well with the noise you want to remove, and the resulting effect is zero noise.
In another context, imagine you owe money (or have debt), for example $100. If you pay that person $100, you cancel out any existing debt with that person.
A good pair of headphones that can cancel out the outside noise is perfect for a long flight.
Fortunately, my new pay rise of 5% will cancel out the increase in child support I have to pay to my ex-wife.
3. to do away with sth
= to get rid of something or stop using something, typically something you believe does not need to exist or continue anymore, possibly because it is ineffective, inefficient or old-fashioned.
Synonyms: to abolish sth (when talking about laws), to get rid of sth (informal)
The government is planning to do away with all paper tickets on public transport in an effort to go green.
Most developed nations have done away with the death penalty as a form of punishment.
4. to get through to sb
= to manage to make someone understand or believe something. There is often the meaning of effort or difficulty involved with this action.
No matter how hard I try, he’s so stubborn that it’s virtually impossible to get through to him.
5. to lie ahead
= to say that something is going to happen or may happen in the future. The verb 'lay' is irregular and its forms are lie/lay/lain (or laid).
Make sure you’re packed and prepared because many dangers lay ahead on your journey.
6. to pick sth up
= to learn new information or skills by experiencing them or by chance instead of through formal instruction.
It’s very easy for children to pick up bad habits and bad language from the other kids at school.
If you find a job in the language, you'll see there are more opportunities to pick up the language.
7. to take sth down
= to write down what someone else says Synonyms: to note sth down, to take notes, to write sth down
You might want to take down some notes as this lesson has a lot of complicated information.
The police officer took down the driver's name, address and phone number so that they could question the witness at a later date.
8. to write sth off
= to say that an object now has a value of zero, and it is basically worthless. If the object has been destroyed (in most cases), then we also say that nothing can be recovered. This is common in car insurance contexts to say that a car has been completely destroyed and that it would cost more to repair it than to replace it.
Following the earthquake, all the goods in the factory and the factory itself were written off.
Unfortunately, the car is a write-off. (noun form = it would be cheaper to buy a new car than to repair it.)
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