Advanced book 2 Flashcards
charlatan
a person who pretends to have skills or knowledge that they do not have, especially in medicine
corroborate
to add proof to an account, statement, idea, etc. with new information:
Recent research seems to corroborate his theory.
dormant
Something that is dormant is not active or growing but has the ability to be active at a later time:
The long-dormant volcano has recently shown signs of erupting.
These investments have remained dormant for several years.
hoist
to lift something heavy, sometimes using ropes or a machine:
A helicopter hoisted the final section of the bridge into place.
With some difficulty he hoisted her onto his shoulders.
I scrabbled for a handhold and hoisted myself up.
precipitate
to make something happen suddenly or sooner than expected:
An invasion would certainly precipitate a political crisis.
Fear of losing her job precipitated (= suddenly forced) her into action.
Don’t be precipitate - think it through before you make a decision.
equivocate
verb [ I ] formal
to speak in a way that is intentionally not clear and confusing to other people, especially to hide the truth:
She accused the minister of equivocating, claiming that he had deliberately avoided telling the public how bad the problem really was.
impeccable
perfect, with no problems or bad parts:
impeccable taste/manners/credentials
His English is impeccable.
liaison
liaison noun (LINK BETWEEN)
Add to word list
[ S or U ] communication between people or groups who work with each other:
He blamed the lack of liaison between the various government departments.
The police have appointed a liaison officer to work with the local community.
propensity
the fact that someone is likely to behave in a particular way, especially a bad way:
[ + to infinitive ] She’s inherited from her father a propensity to talk too much.
He’s well-known for his natural propensity for indiscretion.
a tendency to behave in a particular way:
[ + to infinitive ] The poll confirmed Americans’ growing propensity to invest in the stock market.
ow fares are increasing people’s propensity to travel further to an airport.
indiscreet
saying or doing things that tell people things that should be secret or that embarrass people:
In an indiscreet moment, the president let his genuine opinions be known.
They have been rather indiscreet about their affair.
sham
something that is not what it seems to be and is intended to deceive people, or someone who pretends to be something they are not:
It turned out that he wasn’t a real doctor at all - he was just a sham.
They claimed that the election had been fair, but really it was a sham.
He isn’t really upset - he’s just shamming.
They made a fortune through some sham property deal.
That jewellery looks sham to me.
solicitous
showing care and helpful attention to someone:
He made a solicitous enquiry after her health.
attrition
gradually making something weaker and destroying it, especially the strength or confidence of an enemy by repeatedly attacking it:
Terrorist groups and the government have been engaged in a costly war of attrition since 2008.
the people who leave an educational or training course before it has finished:
The high attrition rates on the degree programs are a cause for concern.
Most of the job losses will come through attrition.
The majority of jobs will go through natural attrition.
Staff attrition rates are high.
grievous
having very serious effects or causing great pain:
Her death is a grievous loss to the whole of the community.
grievous wounds
He was grievously injured.
inundate
to give someone so much work or so many things that they cannot deal with it all:
We have been inundated with requests for help.
After appearing on TV they were inundated with telephone calls for a week.
We were inundated with complaints when the show had to be canceled.
to flood an area with water:
If the dam breaks it will inundate large parts of the town.
reticent
unwilling to speak about your thoughts or feelings:
He is very reticent about his past.
Most of the students were reticent about answering questions.
At first she was reticent, but later she relaxed and was more forthcoming.
sanction
] an official order, such as the stopping of trade, that is taken against a country in order to make it obey international law:
Many nations have imposed sanctions on the country because of its attacks on its own people.
Trade/economic sanctions will only be lifted (= stopped) when the aggressor nation withdraws its troops.
C2 [ C ] a strong action taken in order to make people obey a law or rule, or a punishment given when they do not obey:
Without realistic sanctions, some teachers have difficulty keeping order in the classroom.
2 ) approval or permission, especially formal or legal:
They tried to get official sanction for the plans.
vociferous
Vociferous people express their opinions and complaints loudly and repeatedly in speech, and vociferous demands, etc. are made repeatedly and loudly:
Local activist groups have become increasingly vociferous as the volume of traffic passing through the village has increased.
A vociferous opponent of gay rights, he is well-known for his right-wing views.
a vociferous critic of foreign policy
vociferous objections
avail
use, purpose, advantage, or profit:
We tried to persuade her not to resign, but to no avail (= did not succeed).
My attempts to improve the situation were of little/no avail.
indiscriminate
not showing careful choice or planning, especially so that harm results:
an indiscriminate terrorist attack on civilians
The indiscriminate use of fertilizers can cause long-term problems.
not showing careful thought or planning:
Cancer is completely indiscriminate in whom it strikes.
Words like “organic” and “natural” are used so indiscriminately that they are often meaningless.
inquisitive
wanting to discover as much as you can about things, sometimes in a way that annoys people:
an inquisitive child
an inquisitive mind
She could see inquisitive faces looking out from the windows next door.
nebulous
not clear and having no form:
She has a few nebulous ideas about what she might want to do in the future, but nothing definite.
relegate
to put someone or something into a lower or less important rank or position:
She resigned when she was relegated to a desk job.
The story was relegated to the middle pages of the paper.
tenet
one of the principles on which a belief or theory is based:
It is a tenet of contemporary psychology that an individual’s mental health is supported by having good social networks.
A major tenet of the women’s movement has been that society needs their talents.
precepts
a rule for action or behaviour, especially obtained from moral thought:
This policy goes against common precepts of decency.
decency
behaviour that is good, moral, and acceptable in society:
a sense of decency
[ + to infinitive ] She didn’t even have the decency to apologize.
dogma
a fixed, especially religious, belief or set of beliefs that people are expected to accept without any doubts
liberal/conservative dogma
terse
using few words, sometimes in a way that seems rude or unfriendly:
“Are you feeling any better?” “No!” was the terse reply.
