Book, Boy, Roald Dahl Flashcards
fairly
to some extent but not very
fairly simple/easy/straightforward
This is a fairly common problem.
It’s fairly obvious what’s going on here.
prosperous
rich and successful
prosperous countries
Farmers are more prosperous in the south of the country.
Merchant
a person who buys and sells goods in large quantities, especially one who imports and exports goods
a coal/wine merchant
Venice was once a city of rich merchants.
horse-drawn
(of a vehicle) pulled by a horse or horses
Horse-drawn trams were introduced to the city in 1882.
fractured
broken or cracked (= damaged but not completely broken)
He suffered a badly fractured arm.
A gas escape from a fractured pipe was the likely cause of the explosion.
waist
the area around the middle of the body between the ribs and the hips, often narrower than the areas above and below
He put his arm around her waist.
She was paralyzed from the waist down (= in the area below her waist).
The workmen were stripped to the waist (= wearing no clothes on the top half of their bodies).
excruciating
extremely painful or bad
The pain in my back was excruciating.
She groaned at the memory, suffering all over again the excruciating embarrassment of those moments.
splinter
a small, thin, sharp piece of wood, metal, glass, etc. that has broken off a larger piece
SYNONYM shard
splinters of glass
to remove a splinter from your finger
amputate
to cut off somebody’s arm, leg, finger or toe in a medical operation
He had to have both legs amputated.
They may have to amputate.
Fingure names
Little fingure, ring, middle, index and thumb
shoelace
a long thin piece of material like string that goes through the holes on a shoe and is used to fasten it
a pair of shoelaces
to tie/untie your shoelaces
Your shoelace is undone.
ingenious
very suitable for a particular purpose and resulting from clever new ideas
an ingenious device/invention/experiment
ingenious ways of saving energy
amiable
pleasant; friendly and easy to like
an amiable tone of voice
Her parents seemed very amiable.
ambition
something that you want to do or achieve very much
She had fulfilled her lifelong ambition.
His burning ambition was to study medicine.
political/artistic/career ambitions
tomfool
a silly person
forbid
to order somebody not to do something; to order that something must not be done
forbid somebody (from doing something) He forbade them from mentioning the subject again.
forbid something Her father forbade the marriage.
Smoking is strictly forbidden.
You cannot do that. I absolutely forbid it.
fleet
a group of military ships commanded by the same person
a fleet of destroyers
Nelson destroyed the Franco-Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.
trawler
a fishing boat that uses large nets that it drags through the sea behind it
rump
countable, usually singular] (humorous) the part of the body that you sit on
SYNONYM backside
[singular] (British English) the small or unimportant part of a group or an organization that remains when most of its members have left
The election reduced the party to a rump.
delightful
very pleasant
SYNONYM charming
a delightful book/restaurant/town
a delightful child
It was a delightful little fishing village.
subside
to become calmer, quieter or less intense
She waited nervously for his anger to subside.
When the rain had subsided we continued our walk.
ought to
used to say what is the right thing to do
They ought to apologize.
They ought to have apologized (= but they didn’t).
blissfully
extremely happy
mighty
very strong and powerful
a mighty warrior
He struck him with a mighty blow across his shoulder.
turret
a small tower on top of a wall or building, especially a castle
Lawn
an area of ground covered in short grass in a garden or park, or used for playing a game on
In summer we have to mow the lawn twice a week.
meadow
a field covered in grass, used especially for hay
water meadows (= near a river)
Traditional hay meadows are important wildlife areas.
Water meadows were constructed along the river valleys.
Sty
a small building or area where pigs are kept
ploughman
a man whose job is guiding a plough, especially one pulled by animals
plough
countable] a large piece of farming equipment with one or several curved blades (= metal cutting parts), pulled by a tractor or by animals. It is used for digging and turning over soil, especially before seeds are planted.
shire horse
a large powerful horse, used for pulling loads
In no uncertain manner
in a very clear and direct way. My mother told me in no uncertain terms to never say that word again!
frighten
to make somebody suddenly feel afraid
frighten (somebody) Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.
(informal) He used to frighten me to death (= a lot), zooming about on his go-cart.
mantelpiece
a shelf above a fireplace
There was a clock on the mantelpiece.
splendid
very impressive; very beautiful
splendid scenery
The hotel stands in splendid isolation, surrounded by moorland.
foliage
the leaves of a tree or plant; leaves and branches together
dense green foliage
Carve
to make objects, patterns, etc. by cutting away material from a piece of wood or stone, or another hard material
carve something a carved doorway
carve something from/out of something The statue was carved out of a single piece of stone.
oak
a large tree that produces small nuts called acorns. Oaks are common in northern countries and can live to be hundreds of years old.
splendour
grand and impressive beauty
SYNONYM grandeur
The room has a view of Rheims Cathedral, in all its splendour.
The palace has been restored to its former splendour.
womb
the organ in women and female animals in which babies or young animals develop before they are born
Overwhelm
to have such a strong emotional effect on somebody that it is difficult for them to resist or know how to react
SYNONYM overcome
She was overwhelmed by feelings of guilt.
The beauty of the landscape overwhelmed me.
grief
a very sad feeling, especially when somebody dies
She was overcome with grief when her husband died.
They were able to share their common joys and griefs.
grief for somebody/something her grief for her dead husband
grief over something grief over the loss of friends
grief at something He could not hide his grief at her death.
vividly
in a way that produces very clear pictures in your mind
I vividly remember the day we first met.
The book vividly describes his childhood experiences.
flourish
to develop quickly and become successful or common
SYNONYM thrive
Few businesses are flourishing in the present economic climate.
The arts began to flourish at that time.
There was a flourishing black market.
Whir
to make a continuous, low sound like the parts of a machine moving
The clock began to whir before striking the hour.
Three large fans whirred overhead in the afternoon heat.
Jaunty
showing that you are feeling confident and pleased with yourself
SYNONYM cheerful
a jaunty smile
a hat set at a jaunty angle
Whizz
[intransitive] + adv./prep. to move very quickly, making a high, continuous sound
A bullet whizzed past my ear.
He whizzed down the road on his motorbike.
Fabulous
extremely good
They put on a fabulous performance.
Jana is a fabulous cook.
The food looks fabulous.
bizarre
very strange or unusual
SYNONYM weird
a bizarre situation/incident/story
bizarre behaviour
linger
[intransitive] to continue to exist for longer than expected
The faint smell of her perfume lingered in the room.
linger on The civil war lingered on well into the 1930s.
fizz
when a liquid fizzes, it produces a lot of bubbles and makes a long sound like an ‘s’
Champagne was fizzing in the glass.
froth
a mass of small bubbles, especially on the surface of a liquid
spit
to force liquid, food, etc. out of your mouth
spit something (out) She took a mouthful of food and then suddenly spat it out.
spit something (from something) He was spitting blood from a badly cut lip.
baffle
o confuse somebody completely; to be too difficult or strange for somebody to understand or explain
baffle somebody His behaviour baffles me.
be baffled (as to) why, how, where, etc… I’m baffled as to why she hasn’t called.
I’m baffled why she hasn’t called.
riot
a situation in which a group of people behave in a violent way in a public place, often as a protest
One prison guard was killed when a riot broke out in the jail.
He was killed in the riots.
Shortages eventually led to food riots.
plot
the series of events that form the story of a novel, play, film, etc.
It’s hard to follow the plot of the film.
plot about something a conventional plot about love and marriage
The book is well organized in terms of plot.
Plot twists (= unexpected developments) keep you guessing throughout the series.
filth
any very dirty and unpleasant substance
The floor was covered in grease and filth.
cling
to hold on tightly to somebody/something
cling to somebody/something survivors clinging to a raft
Leaves still clung to the branches.
cling on to somebody/something She clung on to her baby.
cling on Cling on tight!
cling together They clung together, shivering with cold.
