11 - Sight

Question 1

eye strain, back strain

Answer 1

an injury to a muscle or part of your body that is caused by using it too much
e.g.
Long hours working at a computer can cause eye strain.
The goalkeeper is still out of action with a knee strain.

Question 2

blurred vision

Answer 2

if your vision is blurred, you cannot see clearly
e.g.
Long hours working at a computer can cause eye strain and blurred vision.

Question 3

irritate

Answer 3

to make someone feel annoyed or impatient, especially by doing something many times or for a long period of time
e.g.
It really irritates me when he doesn’t help around the house.

Question 4

tear

Answer 4

[countable usually plural] a drop of salty liquid that comes out of your eye when you are crying
The children were all in tears.
She came home in floods of tears.
I could see that Sam was close to tears.
Bridget suddenly burst into tears and ran out.
He was fighting back tears as he spoke.
A lot of people were moved to tears by his story.
He kissed her cheek, a gesture that brought tears to her eyes.
I must admit I shed a few tears when the school closed.
I saw grown men reduced to tears that day.
‘Please don’t talk like that, ’ Ellen implored him, her eyes filling with tears.
By this time, tears were streaming down my face.
The tears he shed were tears of joy.

Question 5

ease (v)

Answer 5

if something unpleasant eases, or if you ease it, it gradually improves or becomes less
ease the pain/stress/tension
He’ll give you something to ease the pain.
ease the pressure/burden
This should ease the burden on busy teachers.
measures to ease congestion in the city

Question 6

discomfort

Answer 6

a feeling of slight pain or of being physically uncomfortable
e.g.
If the exercise causes discomfort, stop immediately.

Question 7

adjust

Answer 7

to change or move something slightly to improve it or make it more suitable for a particular purpose
e.g.
Check and adjust the brakes regularly.
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning.
If your employment status changes, your tax code will be adjusted accordingly.

Question 8

eliminate

Answer 8

to completely get rid of something that is unnecessary or unwanted → eradicate
eliminate a need/possibility/risk/problem etc
The credit card eliminates the need for cash or cheques.
There is no solution that will totally eliminate the possibility of theft.
eliminate something/somebody from something
Fatty foods should be eliminated from the diet.

Question 9

gaze

Answer 9

stare
e.g.
I lay back on the sand and gazed at the stars above.
Patrick sat gazing into space (=looking straight in front, not at any particular person or thing).

Question 10

spectacular

Answer 10

very impressive
a mountainous area with spectacular scenery
a spectacular success

Question 11

barely

Answer 11

only with great difficulty or effort
e.g.
She was very old and barely able to walk.
Mary had barely enough money to live on.
His voice was barely audible.
She could barely understand English.

Question 12

mist

Answer 12

a light cloud low over the ground that makes it difficult for you to see very far
e.g.
We could just see the outline of the house through the mist.
He vanished into the mist.

Question 13

make out

Answer 13

to be just able to see or hear something
He could just make out a dark shape moving towards him.
make out who/what etc
I couldn’t make out what he was saying.

Question 14

catch a glimpse of somebody/something

Answer 14

to see someone or something for a very short time
Fans waited for hours at the airport to catch a glimpse of their idol.

Question 15

glance at sb/sth

Answer 15

to quickly look at someone or something
e.g.
The man glanced nervously at his watch.

Question 16

spot (v)

Answer 16

1) to notice someone or something, especially when they are difficult to see or recognize
e.g.
I spotted a police car behind us.
It can be hard for even a trained doctor to spot the symptoms of lung cancer.
Meg spotted someone coming out of the building.

2) to give the other player in a game an advantage
e.g.
He spotted me six points and he still won.

Question 17

stand still

Answer 17

1) to not change or progress at all, even though time has passed
No industry can stand still.
Time seems to have stood still in this lovely hotel.

2) to not move
We stood still and watched as the deer came closer.
Keep still while I tie your shoe.
the still waters of the lake

Question 18

suspiciously

Answer 18

carefully because you think there may be something wrong or dishonest
Noun: suspicion
e.g.
The soldiers watched us suspiciously.
They eyed the food suspiciously.

Question 19

vanish/disappear into thin air

Answer 19

to disappear completely in a mysterious way
Victor and his kidnappers had vanished into thin air.