2021/02/20-2021/03/27 Flashcards
2021/02/20-2021/03/27
nomad
a member of a group of people who move from one place to another rather than living in one place all of the time:
a tribe of Somalian desert nomads
confabulation
conversation or discussion about something:
They were seen in close confabulation over a drink.
Work involved endless meetings, confabulations, and discussions about the law.
leukemia
a serious disease in which the body produces too many white blood cells
chromosome
any of the rod-like structures found in all living cells, containing the chemical patterns that control what an animal or plant is like:
X and Y chromosomes
sex chromosomes
gland
an organ of the body or of a plant that secretes (= produces) liquid chemicals that have various purposes:
The glands in my neck are a little bit swollen.
esophagus
the tube in the body that carries food from the mouth to the stomach
muscular
related to muscles:
muscular contractions
muscular pain
intestine
(either of the two parts of) a long tube through which food travels from the stomach and out of the body while it is being digested:
Antibodies from the mother’s milk line the baby’s intestines and prevent infection.
doctorate
the highest degree from a university:
She has a doctorate in physics from Yale.
cosmology
the study of the nature and origin of the universe
transcribe
to record something written, spoken, or played by writing it down:
Recordings of conversations are transcribed and entered into the database.
stylus
a small, pointed device on a record player that picks up the sound signals stored on a record
cylinder
a solid or hollow tube with long straight sides and two circular ends the same size, or an object shaped like this, often used as a container:
Deep-sea divers carry cylinders of oxygen on their backs.
tin
a chemical element that is a silver-coloured metal, often combined with other metals or used to cover and protect other metals
revocation
the act of saying officially that an agreement, law, etc. is no longer in effect:
The complaint against the bar could lead to revocation of its licence.
They were working to reduce probation and parole revocations for offenders.
clause
a particular part of a written legal document, for example a law passed by Parliament or a contract (= an agreement):
They have added/deleted/amended a clause in the contract which says the company can make people redundant for economic reasons.
Clause 4 of the constitution is thought to be the most important section.
synopsis
a short description of the contents of something such as a film or book
fob
a piece of leather or other material to which a group of keys is fastened:
There are big fobs on hotel keys so guests don’t take them home.
scar
a mark left on part of the body after an injury, such as a cut, has healed:
a prominent/a noticeable/an ugly scar
That burn will leave a bad scar.
scar tissue
scrupulous
extremely honest :
A scrupulous politician would not lie about her business interests.
erratic
moving or behaving in a way that is not regular, certain, or expected:
He drove in an erratic course down the road.
She can be very erratic; one day she is friendly and the next she’ll hardly speak to you.
callously
in a way that is unkind, cruel, and without sympathy or feeling for other people:
She was callously indifferent to the suffering of those she made jobless.
He callously uses the people around him.
Guinea Pigs
a small animal covered in fur with rounded ears, short legs, and no tail, often kept as a pet by children
squirt
(to force a liquid) to flow out through a narrow opening in a fast stream:
He squirted some tomato sauce on his burger.
There was a leak in one of the pipes and water was squirting out all over the kitchen floor.
umpteenth
used to say that something happened or came after many other similar things:
I drank my umpteenth cup of coffee.
For the umpteenth time, Anthony, knives and forks go in the middle drawer!
ritual
a set of fixed actions and sometimes words performed regularly, especially as part of a ceremony:
Coffee and the newspaper are part of my morning ritual.
The birds were performing a complex mating ritual.
jiffy
a very short time:
I’ll be with you in a jiffy.
I’ve just got to fetch some books from upstairs - I won’t be a jiffy (= I’ll be very quick).
midair
a point in the air, not on the ground:
She caught the ball in midair.
flounder
to experience great difficulties or be completely unable to decide what to do or say next:
He lost the next page of his speech and floundered around/about for a few seconds.
Although his business was a success, his marriage was floundering.
Richardson resigned as chairman, leaving the company floundering.
spiteful
wanting to annoy, upset, or hurt another person, especially in a small way, because you feel angry towards them:
a spiteful child
That was a spiteful thing to say!
unbecoming
Unbecoming clothes do not look attractive on a particular person.
Unbecoming behaviour is not correct or not acceptable:
He was charged with conduct unbecoming (to) an officer.
fluffy
light and full of air:
Beat the eggs and sugar together until they are fluffy.
snooty
behaving in an unfriendly way because you believe you are better than other people:
She was one of those really snooty sales assistants that you often find in expensive shops.
rowdy
noisy and possibly violent: a rowdy party rowdy behaviour Synonyms raucousunruly
sly
deceiving people in a clever way in order to get what you want:
He’s a sly old devil - I wouldn’t trust him with my money.
peep
to secretly look at something for a short time, usually through a hole:
I saw her peeping through the curtains/into the room.
scatterbrained
often forgetting or losing things, or not thinking seriously about things:
My husband is scatterbrained and I have always run the house financially.
dishearten
to make a person lose confidence, hope, and energy
smug
too pleased or satisfied about something you have achieved or something you know:
a smug grin
She deserved her promotion, but I wish she wasn’t so smug about it.
There was a hint of smug self-satisfaction in her voice.
He’s been unbearably smug since he gave up smoking.
Synonyms
proud (FEELING IMPORTANT) disapprovingself-satisfied disapproving
sarcastic
using remarks that clearly mean the opposite of what you say, in order to hurt someone’s feelings or to humorously criticize something:
a sarcastic comment/remark
Are you being sarcastic?
unkempt
untidy; not cared for:
an unkempt lawn
ginormous
extremely large:
Billie ate his way through a ginormous ice cream sundae.
sulk
to be silent and refuse to smile or be pleasant to people because you are angry about something that they have done:
He’s sulking in his room because I wouldn’t let him have any more chocolate.
coronation
a ceremony at which a person is made king or queen:
He was present at the coronation of Queen Victoria.
meddler
a person who tries to change or have an influence on things that are not their responsibility:
Critics of the war are hypocritical meddlers.
He is a troublemaker, an unwelcome meddler.
intrude
to go into a place or situation in which you are not wanted or not expected to be:
I didn’t realize your husband was here, Dr Jones - I hope I’m not intruding.
Newspaper editors are being urged not to intrude on/into the grief of the families of missing servicemen.
timidly
in a shy or nervous way:
“Um, excuse me,” he said timidly.
People peered timidly from their windows to assess the damage.
stick-in-the-mud
someone who is old-fashioned and too serious and avoids enjoyable activities:
My dad’s a real stick-in-the-mud.
discretionary
decided by officials and not fixed by rules:
a discretionary grant
Judges have great discretionary powers.
grudgingly
unwillingly:
She grudgingly admitted that she had been wrong to criticize him.
He grudgingly accepted that he would retire after the general election.
