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Question 1

guess at

Answer 1

to try to imagine something when you have little knowledge or experience of it. There are no photographs of him, so we can only guess at what he looked like.

Question 2

tie in

Answer 2

When ideas or statements agree or are closely connected. The plan does not quite tie in with the aspirations of the club’s owners.

Question 3

presume

Answer 3

to believe something to be true because it is very likely, although you are not certain. I presume (that) they’re not coming, since they haven’t replied to the invitation.

Question 4

pugnacious

Answer 4

wanting to start an argument or fight, or expressing an argument or opinion very forcefully. . I found him pugnacious and arrogant.

Question 5

not mince (your) words

Answer 5

to say what you mean clearly and directly, even if you upset people by doing this. The report does not mince words, describing the situation as “ludicrous”.

Question 6

one for the books

Answer 6

a surprising or unexpected event. Well, that’s one for the books - I never thought he’d get the job.

Question 7

toss and turn

Answer 7

to move around restlessly while sleeping or trying to sleep. I was tossing and turning all night.

Question 8

steadfast

Answer 8

staying the same for a long time and not changing quickly or unexpectedly. A steadfast friend/ally

Question 9

categorically

Answer 9

in a way that is without any doubt or possibility of being changed. He categorically refused to take part in the project.

Question 10

staunch

Answer 10

always loyal in supporting a person, organization, or set of beliefs or opinions. He’s a staunch friend and ally

Question 11

contempt

Answer 11

a strong feeling of disliking and having no respect for someone or something. At school she had complete contempt for all her teachers.

Question 12

ditch

Answer 12

to get rid of something or someone that is no longer wanted. Did you know that Sarah ditched her boyfriend last week?

Question 13

paucity

Answer 13

the fact that there is too little of something. There is a paucity of information on the ingredients of many cosmetics.

Question 14

dearth

Answer 14

an amount or supply that is not large enough. There’s a dearth of new homes in the region

Question 15

clamber

Answer 15

to climb up, across, or into somewhere with difficulty, using the hands and the feet. They clambered over/up the rocks.

Question 16

soar

Answer 16

to rise very quickly to a high level. House prices soared a further 20 percent.

Question 17

to have a large amount of something, or to be full of something: br—- with sth

Answer 17

bristle with sth. The helicopter hovered above them bristling with machine guns.

Question 18

phase out

Answer 18

to remove or stop using something gradually or in stages. The airline is planning to phase out the aircraft at the end of this year.

Question 19

boast about

Answer 19

to speak too proudly or happily about what you have done or what you own. Parents enjoy boasting about their children’s achievements.

Question 20

hint at

Answer 20

to say sth indirectly. He’s hinted at the possibility of moving to Canada.

Question 21

account for

Answer 21

to give explanation for sth

Question 22

allow for

Answer 22

to consider someone or something when you are planning something. We have to allow for the possibility of the project being delayed.

Question 23

earmark

Answer 23

to keep or intend something for a particular purpose. Five billion dollars of this year’s budget is already earmarked for hospital improvements.

Question 24

bar

Answer 24

something that prevents a particular event or development from happening / to prevent something or someone from doing something or going somewhere, or to not allow something. A lack of formal education is no bar to becoming rich. (or) The centre of the town was barred to football supporters.

Question 25

stem from

Answer 25

to start or develop as the result of something. Her problems stem from her difficult childhood.

Question 26

refrain from

Answer 26

to avoid doing or stop yourself from doing something. The sign on the wall said “Please refrain from smoking.”.

Question 27

exempt from

Answer 27

to excuse someone or something from a duty, payment, etc. Small businesses have been exempted from the tax increase.

Question 28

absorbed in / engrossed in

Answer 28

very interested in something and not paying attention to anything else / giving all your attention to something. She was so engrossed in the book that she forgot the cookies in the oven.

Question 29

confide in

Answer 29

to share your feelings and secrets with someone because you trust them not to tell other people. She’s nice, but I don’t feel I can confide in her.

Question 30

take notice

Answer 30

to give attention to something. I asked him to drive more slowly, but he didn’t take any notice.

Question 31

elaborate on

Answer 31

to explain with more details. The congresswoman said she was resigning, but refused to elaborate on her reasons for doing so.

Question 32

to apply oneself

Answer 32

To work hard at sth, directing your abilities and efforts in a determined way so that you succeed. You can solve any problem if you apply yourself.

Question 33

“The doctor ——– me to a specialist”

Answer 33

refered. First see your pediatrician, who may refer you to a pediatric allergist.

Question 34

to be resigned to

Answer 34

to make yourself accept something unpleasant that cannot be changed. She seems resigned to losing the race.

Question 35

see to

Answer 35

to make sure sth is done. Please see to it that no one comes in without identification.

Question 36

resort to

Answer 36

to do something that you do not want to do because you cannot find any other way of achieving something. I had to resort to violence to get my money back.

Question 37

subject someone/something to something

Answer 37

to cause someone or something to experience something, esp. something unpleasant. I hate being subjected to boring lectures.

Question 38

acquaint someone with something

Answer 38

to give someone information about something. The museum offers workshops to acquaint children with the world of radio.

Question 39

clutter

Answer 39

a state of being untidy. Sorry about the clutter in the kitchen.

Question 40

ingratiate yourself with sb

Answer 40

to make someone like you by praising or trying to please them. He’s always trying to ingratiate himself with his boss.

Question 41

meet with sth

Answer 41

to experience something, usually something unpleasant. I heard she’d met with an accident.

Question 42

plead

Answer 42

to make an urgent, emotional statement or request for something. He was on his knees, pleading for mercy.

Question 43

plead ignorance

Answer 43

to say that you do not know about something. He pleaded ignorance when they found the package in his suitcase.

Question 44

tamper with

Answer 44

to touch or make changes to something that you should not, usually without enough knowledge of how it works or when you are trying to damage it. Tampering with pipelines could result in ruptures or fires.

Question 45

drop dead

Answer 45

to die suddenly and unexpectedly

Question 46

To drop a line

Answer 46

to write someone a letter, especially a short informal one. Just drop me a line when you decide on a date.

Question 47

drop off

Answer 47

to start to sleep. I must have dropped off during the show, because I don’t remember how it ended.

Question 48

speak up

Answer 48

to speak in a louder voice. Could you speak up? We can’t hear at the back.

Question 49

speak up for someone/something

Answer 49

to express support for a person or idea. There is no one in the capital speaking up for this part of Ohio.

Question 50

speak out

Answer 50

to say in public what you think about something. He spoke out against the school’s admissions policy.

Question 51

add up

Answer 51

to seem reasonable or likely. Watson claimed he was at home at the time of the murder, but police said his story didn’t add up.

Question 52

ask about sb.

Answer 52

to inquire about sb. Tell your father I was asking about him.

Question 53

back down

Answer 53

to yield in an argument. Eventually, Roberto backed down and apologized.

Question 54

bargain for

Answer 54

to expect or be prepared for something. We hadn’t bargained for such a long wait.

Question 55

bear sth out.

Answer 55

to confirm the truth. His version of events just isn’t borne out by the facts. (or) If you tell them what happened I will bear you out

Question 56

break down.

Answer 56

to lose control of emotions. When we gave her the bad news, she broke down and cried.

Question 57

break off.

Answer 57

to stop talking. He broke off to open the door

Question 58

break up

Answer 58

to come to an end. The party broke up at 3AM.

Question 59

bring sth about.

Answer 59

to cause sth to happen. He brought about his company’s collapse by his reckless spending.

Question 60

bring sth off.

Answer 60

to succeed in doing something difficult. It was an important event, and she’s managed to bring it off wonderfully.

Question 61

bring sth on

Answer 61

to cause the onset of a illness / to cause trouble to oneself. The loud music brought on another one of his headaches.