PART 1 Expressions
1. I know it's only a romantic comedy, but the scene rings true.
ring true: if sth rings true, you believe it 听起来真实可靠
更多用于否定形式，not ring true: if sth does not ring true, you do not believe it, even though you are not sure why
It was a possible explanation, but it didn't quite ring true.
2. People don't like to be critiqued, however obliquely.
oblique: [əˈbli:k] not expressed in a direct way SYN indirect
an oblique reference to his drinking problem
oblique angle: 斜角（非直角）
oblique line/ stroke: 斜线
3. I try to disabuse them of this thinking immediately.
disabuse: to persuade sb that what they believe is not true 去掉...的错误思想 disabuse sb of sth
I tried to disabuse him of that notion.
4. If you find yourself constitutionally incapable of just saying "Thank you," make an innocuous, "Thanks, I hadn't considered that."
constitutionally: (ad.) 体制上；本质上
He is constitutionally energetic.
He was constitutionally incapable of dealing with conflict.
innocuous: [ɪˈnɒkjuəs] not offensive, dangerous or harmful SYN harmless
an innocuous remark
He's a perfectly innocuous young man.
5. If you're docked $10 for each incident of gratuitous judgment, you'll soon feel the same pain you’ve been inflicting on others -- and stop.
dock sb's wages/ pay/ salary: to reduce the amount of money you pay sb as a punishment
The company has threatened to dock the officers' pay.
gratuitous: [grəˈtju:ɪtəs] said or done without a good reason, in a way that offends sb 无端的；无故的
There is no point in gratuitously antagonizing people.
6. His colleagues and friends held a "roast".
roast: (n.) 1. 烤肉； 2. 户外烧烤party;
3. 吐槽大会（褒义意义上的）an occasion at which people celebrate a special event in sb's life by telling funny stories or giving speeches about them
7. One of my clients was having a casual downtime conversation with his assistant about eye color.
downtime/ down time:(n.) informal, a period of time when you have finished what you were doing, and you can relax or do sth that you had not originally planned to do 闲暇时间；可以自由支配的时间
Often, during semesters, you have down time when you can do some exercise.
downtime: (a.) eg. downtime activities for teachers
8. When you start a sentence with "no," "but," "however" or any variation thereof, the message to other person is You are wrong.
thereof: relating to something that has just been mentioned = of that
All rights reserved, including the rights to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.保留版权，其中包括保留以任何形式翻印本书或本书章节的权利。(thereof: of the book)
hereof: relating to or belonging to this document 据此 = of this
Either party may terminate this Agreement by giving notice to the other party in accordance with Termination Clause hereof. 任何一方都可以根据本终止条款通知另一方终止本协议。(this clause)
hereto：relating to this 关于这个
The term "this Agreement" includes the Annex hereto and any amendments to it or to this Agreement;
“本协定”一词包括本协定的附件和对附件或本协定的任何修改。
thereto: 那关那 relating to that
the treaty and any conditions attaching thereto
9. It's such an important indicator that I do it on autopilot.
on autopilot/ on automatic pilot: doing sth without thinking about it, especially because you have done it many times before
Moving on automatic pilot, she tidied the room.
补充： pilot study/ project/ scheme 试验性研究
It is important to test the application in the cloud with a pilot study to check for unexpected behavior.
10. Many of us do this covertly and unwittingly all day long.
11. When nothing is at stake and you don't have to flex your muscles -- you have the skill to stop telling the world how smart you are.
flex: (v.) 弯曲（关节）；收缩（肌肉）-- 比较熟悉的是一个词 flexible来源于此
flex one's muscles: to show your ability to do sth, especially your skill or power
The role will allow her to flex her acting muscles.
12. I wonder about all those other leaders who do not need anger to make their subordinates toe the line.
toe the line: (v.) to do what other people in a job or organization say you should do, whether you agree with them or not
You toe the line or you don't stay on the team.
复习: tread on sb's toes; keep sb on their toes
The Gay Genius 里： It was inevitable that the government and the businessmen would be treading on each other's toes.
13. No matter what else they do, we brand them as easily combustible.
combustible: able to burn easily
combustible material/ gas etc
combustion: [kəmˈbʌstʃən] the process of burning
PART 2 Sentences
1. People don't like to be critiqued, however obliquely. That's why passing judgment is one of the more insidious ways we push people away and hold ourselves back from greater success. They only sure thing that comes out of passing judgment on people's efforts to help us is that they won't help us again.
2. All of us have people in our lives who drive us crazy, whom we hate with a passion. We may have spent countless hours reliving the moments when this person was unfair, unappreciative, or inconsiderate to us. Even remembering this person bumps up our blood pressure.
It's obvious that the best course of action for dealing with people like this is not to let them make us angry. Getting angry doesn't improve the situation and life's too short to waste on feeling bad.
3. I can help you lose your reputation as a person who gets angry with one simple piece of advice. It is this: If you keep your mouth shut, no one can ever know how you really feel.