005 Flashcards
mock
/mɑːk/
1) to laugh at someone, often by copying them in a funny but unkind way:
● They were mocking him because he kept falling off his bike.
● Some of the boys in the dorm loved to mock Roger’s British accent.
2) You use mock to describe something which is not real or genuine, but which is intended to be very similar to the real thing:
● She gave a little scream in mock surprise when she opened the door and saw us.
chewy
/ˈtʃuː.i/
If food is chewy, it needs to be chewed a lot before it becomes soft enough to swallow:
● The meat was too chewy so I needed to bite it a lot.
● It is very chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside.
tickle
/ˈtɪk.əl/
1) to touch someone lightly with your fingers, making them slightly uncomfortable and often making them laugh:
● I was tickling him, and he was laughing and giggling.
● Stop! You’re tickling me!
● I tickled her feet and she laughed.
If a part of the body tickles, or if something tickles it, it feels slightly uncomfortable and you want to rub it:
● My nose is tickling, I think I’m going to sneeze.
● A beard doesn’t scratch, it just tickles.
2) If something tickles you, you find it funny or it makes you happy:
● It tickles me to see him riled.
● The story was really funny–it tickled me.
blister
/ˈblɪs.tɚ/
a painful swelling on the skin that contains liquid, caused usually by continuous rubbing, especially on your foot, or by burning:
● New shoes always give me blisters.
● I burned my shoulders over the weekend and they’re starting to blister.
to get blisters or cause blisters:
● The sun blistered the paintwork.
blistering
/ˈblɪs.tɚ.ɪŋ/
1) extremely hot:
● We went out in the blistering heat.
● Lately the heat here in Budapest has been absolutely blistering.
2) A blistering remark expresses great anger or dislike:
● The president responded to this with a blistering attack on his critics.
3) (journalism) Blistering is used to describe actions in sport to emphasize that they are done with great speed or force:
● The runners set off at a blistering pace.
hollow
/ˈhɑː.loʊ/
1) having a hole or empty space inside:
● a hollow tube
● Hollow blocks are used because they are lighter.
● The hollow chocolate egg held a diamond ring.
2) A surface that is hollow curves inwards:
● He looked young, dark and sharp-featured, with hollow cheeks.
● where water gathers in a hollow and forms a pond
3) (of sound) as if made by hitting an empty container:
● This tree trunk sounds hollow.
4) a valley:
● We used to go for long walks in the hollow.
● Sleepy Hollow
5) (of situations, feelings, or words) without value, or not true or sincere:
● It was something of a hollow victory - she won the case but lost all her savings in legal fees.
● Even sex had become a hollow pleasure.
● Will their good intentions become realities or are they just hollow promises?
squint
/skwɪnt/
1) If you squint at something, you look at it with your eyes partly closed, also an expression in which someone’s eyes are partly closed, usually in order to see more clearly:
● The sun was shining straight in her eyes and made her squint.
● The girl squinted at the photograph.
● Wear shades even in winter when the sun is bright - a squint is not a good look in any season.
2) If a person or an eye squints, the eye looks in a different direction to the other eye, because of a weakness of the eye muscles; also an expression in which someone’s eyes are partly closed, usually in order to see more clearly:
● Lili’s left eye squinted slightly when she was tired.
● I was born with a squint that had to be surgically corrected.
● It’s important that some eye problems, like a squint, are picked up quickly.
blurry
/ˈblɜ˞ː.i/
1) difficult to see clearly; making it difficult for someone to see things clearly:
● Using a tripod will help steady your camera and prevent blurry photos.
● She noticed that her vision was blurry.
2) difficult to remember clearly:
● Now it’s all just a blurry memory.
● That’s when things got blurry. Was it Saturday or Sunday when we went to the beach?
3) not clear and definite:
● There’s an increasingly blurry line between work and home.
● The law in this area is blurry.
● The dispute exposes the sometimes blurry boundaries between medical research and patients’ hope for life-saving treatments.
panhandle
/ˈpænˌhæn.dəl/
1) a long, thin piece of land joined to a larger area:
● The Oklahoma panhandle extends over Texas.
2) If someone panhandles, they stop people in the street and ask them for food or money:
● He was arrested for panhandling.
● A homeless man often panhandles in front of the bank.
captivating
/ˈkæp.tə.veɪ.t̬ɪŋ/
holding your attention by being extremely interesting, exciting, pleasant, or attractive:
● The book was captivating.
● Her voice was utterly/absolutely captivating.
● It is a visually captivating and unusual film.
● The story is a captivating fairy tale.
● He has a charming laugh and captivating smile.
● a captivating performance
pungent
/ˈpʌn.dʒənt/
Something that is pungent has a strong, sharp smell or taste which is often so strong that it is unpleasant:
● The more herbs you use, the more pungent the sauce will be.
● the pungent whiff of a goat
● I sat down to a cup of wonderfully pungent Turkish coffee.
timid
/ˈtɪm.ɪd/
shy and nervous; without much confidence; easily frightened:
● Kieran is a timid child.
● My dog is a little timid - especially around other dogs.
● She was timid about swimming in deep water.
● The President’s critics say he has been too timid in responding to changing international developments.
crumple
/ˈkrʌm.pəl/
1) If you crumple something such as paper or cloth, or if it crumples, it is squashed and becomes full of untidy creases and folds:
● This shirt crumples easily.
● She crumpled the paper in her hand.
● The front and rear of the car will crumple during a collision.
2) If someone crumples, they suddenly fall because they have become unable to stand:
● The bullet hit him and he crumpled in a heap on the floor.
● She crumpled into a chair, crying.
3) If someone’s face crumples, it becomes full of lines because of a strong emotion:
● Her face crumpled with laughter.
falter
/ˈfɑːl.tɚ/
If something falters, it loses power or strength in an uneven way, or no longer makes much progress; loses strength or purpose and stops, or almost stops:
● The dinner party conversation faltered for a moment.
● Her friends never faltered in their belief in her.
● Nickie’s voice faltered and he stopped speaking.
● Normal life is at a standstill, and the economy is faltering.
● The faltering economy has affected the new party’s popularity.
● I have not faltered in my quest for a new future.
● As he neared the house his steps faltered.
● Her voice faltered and she had to stop a moment to control it.
2) To falter is to move awkwardly as if you might fall:
● The nurse saw him falter and made him lean on her.
chopsticks
/ˈtʃɑːp.stɪk/
Chopsticks are a pair of thin sticks which people in China and some other East Asian countries use to eat their food.
