1-50 Flashcards
noun
a clever or funny answer to someone who has criticized or insulted you
clapback
/ˈklæp.bæk/
- She delivered the ultimate clapback on Instagram.
- Her new record is a clapback to everyone who underestimated her.
- We talked about the art of the clapback.
- I didn’t waste my breath on a clapback.
noun
a fixed or limited period of time spent doing a particular job or activity
stint
/stɪnt/
- He has just finished a stint of compulsory military service.
- Perhaps her most productive period was her five-year stint as a foreign correspondent in New York.
noun
a small vegetable, usually red or white and round or shaped like a finger, that grows underground and is usually eaten uncooked in salads
radish
/ˈræd.ɪʃ/
adjective
making you feel less worried
reassuring
/ˌriː.əˈʃɔː.rɪŋ/
- He smiled at me in a reassuring way.
- The two men who called at the house were well-spoken and had a reassuring manner.
- For more than half a century, the reassuring tones of BBC newscasters have informed British television viewers about world events.
- It’s very reassuring to know that you’ll be there.
- It was very reassuring to hear his voice on the phone.
- Thank you for your kind comments about my performance - it was very reassuring.
verb
to cause something that is thin to break suddenly and quickly with a cracking sound
ALSO
to suddenly become unable to control a strong feeling, especially anger
snap
/snæp/
- Sorry I snapped at you.
- You’ll snap that ruler if you bend it too far.
- Some vandal’s snapped off my car aerial again.
- When she asked me to postpone my trip to help her move to her new house, I just snapped (= got angry).
- He put too much pressure on the door handle and it snapped.
- Everything was fine until the wire snapped.
- The shoulder strap suddenly snapped.
- She snapped the carrot in two.
- The branch snapped under his weight.
noun
an international Christian organization whose members have ranks and uniforms like an army, hold meetings with music, and work to help poor people
the Salvation Army
/sælˌveɪ.ʃən ˈɑː.mi/
- a Salvation Army hostel for homeless men and women
adjective
covered with mucus from the nose
ALSO
rude and behaving badly, especially by treating other people in a way that shows that you believe yourself to be better than them
snotty
/ˈsnɒt.i/
- You could have told me I had a snotty nose!
- I don’t want to use your snotty handkerchief
- I hate having to deal with snotty customers.
- a snotty teenager
- She was so snotty to me!
verb
to force someone officially to stay in a place
ALSO
to delay someone for a short length of time
detain
/dɪˈteɪn/
- A suspect has been detained by the police for questioning.
- Several of the injured were detained overnight in hospital.
- I’m sorry I’m late - I was unavoidably detained.
noun
a thin vertical part sticking out of the body of especially a fish or an aircraft that helps balance and movement:
fin
/fɪn/
- We could see the fin of a shark as it slowly circled our boat.
- a fish’s dorsal fin
- The aircraft has a long tail fin
adjective
(of a person) never thinking about things that are serious or important
ALSO
not complete and involving only the most obvious things
ALSO
appearing to be real or important when this is not true or correct
ALSO
only on the surface of something
superficial
/ˌsuː.pəˈfɪʃ.əl/
- He’s fun to be with, but he’s very superficial.
- I thought that article was written at a very superficial level.
- The documentary’s treatment/analysis of the issues was very superficial.
- I only have a superficial (= slight) knowledge of French.
- There are superficial similarities between the two cars, but really they’re very different in terms of performance.
- superficial damage
- The driver only received superficial injuries/cuts/wounds.
adjective informal
criticizing someone in an annoyed way and trying to hurt their feelings
snarky
/ˈsnɑː.ki/
- There was some idiot at the back of the room making snarky comments
noun
something that happens that delays or prevents a process from developing
setback
/ˈset.bæk/
- Sally had been recovering well from her operation, but yesterday she experienced/suffered a setback.
- There has been a slight/temporary setback in our plans.
adjective
(especially of hair, clothes, or shapes) smooth, shiny, and lying close to the body, and therefore looking well cared for; not untidy and with no parts sticking out
sleek
/sliːk/
- The cat had sleek fur.
- Who owns that sleek black car parked outside your house?
- disapproving He’s one of those sleek (= seeming rich and dishonest) businessman types.
noun
a man who often has temporary sexual relationships with women or tries to get women to have sex with him
womanizer
/ˈwʊm.naɪ.zər/
- He was a gambler, a womanizer, and a drunk.
- He had a reputation as a family man, but was actually a serial womanizer
- Her father was something of a womanizer.
- A notorious womanizer, Brandon bragged of having seduced hundreds of women.
- He was a womanizer who never let his marriages get in the way of a good time.
adjective mainly US informal
rude and showing no respect
ALSO
confident or showing confidence
sassy
/ˈsæs.i/
- a sassy young girl
- a sassy little black dress
noun
a very dishonest person, especially a criminal or a cheat:
crook
/krʊk/
- These politicians are just a bunch of crooks.
noun, mainly US informal
talk or behaviour that is rude and shows no respect
sass
/sæs/
I don’t want to hear any more of your sass.
noun
the small round part in the middle of the stomach that is left after the umbilical cord (= the long tube of flesh joining the baby to its mother) has been cut at birth
navel
/ˈneɪ.vəl/
noun
the liquid produced in your mouth to keep the mouth wet and to help to prepare food to be digested
saliva
/səˈlaɪ.və/
- Synonym: spit
noun
a thick liquid produced inside the nose and other parts of the body
mucus
/ˈmjuː.kəs/
- This drug reduces mucus production in the gut
noun
(military, slang) helicopter
helo
/ˈhi.loʊ/
noun
a person who thinks and acts in an independent way, often behaving differently from the expected or usual way
maverick
/ˈmæv.ər.ɪk/
- a political maverick
- He was considered as something of a maverick in the publishing world
verb
to rub something hard in order to clean it, especially using a stiff brush, soap, and water
ALSO
(informal) to decide not to do something you had planned to do
scrub
/skrʌb/
- She scrubbed (at) the mark on the wall for a long time, but it wouldn’t come off.
- He scrubbed the old saucepan clean, and it looked as good as new.
- We had to scrub our plans when I lost my job.
- Synonym: cancel
noun
a comfortable piece of clothing like a loose dress worn by a woman or a girl in bed
nightgown
/ˈnaɪt.ɡaʊn/
adverb, disapproving
in a way that is not serious, in an attempt to be funny or to appear clever about a serious subject
facetiously
/fəˈsiː.ʃəs.li/
- She facetiously challenged him to a ski race.
- The finale of the film comes off facetiously.
- The passages were written facetiously.
- Washington Irving’s “Knickerbocker History of New York” facetiously begins with the creation of the world.
- He facetiously suggested banning Viking attack boats and hot air balloons.
verb
to put a biscuit, piece of bread, etc. into a liquid such as tea, coffee, or soup for a short time before eating it
ALSO
to put something into liquid for a short time
dunk
/dʌŋk/
- She dunked a biscuit in her coffee.
- Dunk the sponge in water every once in a while to stop it from drying out.
noun
a hard flat area of ground where helicopters can take off and land, or from which rockets are sent
pad
/pæd/
- The hotel has its own helicopter pad.
- Missiles have been launched from their pads deep in enemy territory.
