37 - Holiday accommodation

Question 1

fully-booked

Answer 1

If a hotel or restaurant is fully booked, it has no rooms or tables left for a particular time or date.
e.g.
Sorry, the hotel is fully booked.

Question 2

vacancy

Answer 2

a room in a hotel or building that is not being used and is available for someone to stay in
Let me see if we have a vacancy for tonight.
‘No vacancies’, the sign read.

Question 3

miserable

Answer 3

making you feel very unhappy, uncomfortable etc
e.g.
They endured hours of backbreaking work in miserable conditions.
Mosquito bites can make life miserable.

Question 4

B and B

Answer 4

B & B which is an abbreviation of bed and breakfast, is like a fairly cheap hotel that does not provide evening meals.
e.g.
a small B and B in London

Question 5

in the middle of nowhere

Answer 5

a long way from the nearest big town
e.g.
They live miles away, in the middle of nowhere.

Question 6

in advance (of something)

Answer 6

before something happens or is expected to happen
I should warn you in advance that I’m not a very good dancer.
Many thanks, in advance, for your help.
six months/a year etc in advance
Book tickets 21 days in advance.
Could you distribute copies well in advance of the meeting?

Question 7

exclusive

Answer 7

expensive and reserved for special people
e.g.
an exclusive girls’ school

Question 8

preferably

Answer 8

used to show which person or thing would be better or preferred
e.g.
Students must take two years of a foreign language, preferably Spanish.

Question 9

grand

Answer 9

impressive

Question 10

impressive

Answer 10

something that is impressive makes you admire it because it is very good, large, important etc
e.g.
* The rich variety of animal life we found was very impressive.
* The school’s examination results were very impressive.

Question 11

justify

Answer 11

to be a good and acceptable reason for something
e.g.
Nothing justifies murdering another human being.

Question 12

having said that

Answer 12

used to introduce an opinion that makes what you have just said seem less strong
e.g.
The diet can make you slim without exercise. Having said that, however, exercise is important too.

Question 13

mean (Br)
stringy, cheap (Am)

Answer 13

not wanting to spend money, or not wanting to use much of something
e.g.
He’s too mean to buy a present for his wife.

Question 14

opt for sth

Answer 14

choose sth
e.g.
opt for
We finally opted for the wood finish.
opt to do something
Many young people are opting to go on to college.

Question 15

caravan (Br)
trailer (Am)

Answer 15

a vehicle that a car can pull and in which people can live and sleep when they are on holiday

Question 15

youth hostel

Answer 15

a place where people, especially young people who are travelling, can stay very cheaply

Question 16

appeal (to someone)

Answer 16

if someone or something appeals to you, they seem attractive and interesting
appeal to
The programme appeals to young children.
The idea of working abroad really appeals to me.

Question 17

expense

Answer 17

the amount of money that you spend on something
He borrowed £150,000 and used the money for legal expenses.
Conference rooms were equipped at great expense.

Question 18

enable sb/sth to do sth

Answer 18

to make it possible for someone to do something, or for something to happen
e.g.
The loan enabled Jan to buy the house.
There are plans to enlarge the runway to enable jumbo jets to land.

Question 19

flexibility

Answer 19

the ability to change or be changed easily to suit a different situation
e.g.
Employees expect flexibility in the workplace.

Question 20

given that

Answer 20

taking something into account
SYN considering
e.g.
Given the circumstances, you’ve done really well.
Given that the patients have some disabilities, we still try to enable them to be as independent as possible.

Question 21

live in comfort

Answer 21

a way of living in which you have all the money and possessions that you need or want
e.g.
When Dad died, he left us both enough to live in comfort for the rest of our lives.

Question 22

go away

Answer 22

to travel to a place and spend some time there, for example for a holiday
Are you going away this year?
for
We’re going away for the weekend.

Question 23

strict