What does "to take a step back" mean here? Grandma was a force of nature—impatient, aggressive, self-possessed. To look at her was to take a step back. From "Educated" by Tara Westover

What does "higher highs and lower lows" mean? Some people are introverts others are extroverts. Some people have easygoing personahties: they are usually cheerfirl and calm and able to cope with lifeh difficulties without much trouble. Their emotions are usually under control they don't get extremely angry about little things. Others are more emotional, experiencing higher highs and lower lows. Most people's personalities, however, don't fall at the extreme ends but rather fall somewhere in between.

Does "rock" mean to be successful in bussiness here? You’re almost certainly not even going to rock your local pub.

What does "he was crossed" mean? The Old Testament Israelites and their forebears knew that God was not to be trifled with, and that whatever Hell the angry Deity might allow to be engendered if he was crossed was real.

What does the second sentence what to tell us? ...people who were born in small towns are statistically overrepresented among the eminent. If you’re one in a million now, but originated in modern New York, there’s twenty of you—and most of us now live in cities.

What's the following sentence definition? Your mother’s recipe for fish heads and rice, no matter how celebrated in her village of origin, doesn’t cut it in these days of grapefruit foam and Scotch/tobacco icecream.