Book, Boy, Roald Dahl

Question 1

fairly

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

prosperous

Answer 2

rich and successful
prosperous countries
Farmers are more prosperous in the south of the country.

Question 3

Merchant

Answer 3

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.

Question 4

horse-drawn

Answer 4

(of a vehicle) pulled by a horse or horses
Horse-drawn trams were introduced to the city in 1882.

Question 5

fractured

Answer 5

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.

Question 6

waist

Answer 6

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).

Question 7

excruciating

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

splinter

Answer 8

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

Question 9

amputate

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

Fingure names

Answer 10

Little fingure, ring, middle, index and thumb

Question 11

shoelace

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

ingenious

Answer 12

very suitable for a particular purpose and resulting from clever new ideas
an ingenious device/invention/experiment
ingenious ways of saving energy

Question 13

amiable

Answer 13

pleasant; friendly and easy to like
an amiable tone of voice
Her parents seemed very amiable.

Question 14

ambition

Answer 14

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

Question 15

tomfool

Answer 15

a silly person

Question 16

forbid

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

fleet

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

trawler

Answer 18

a fishing boat that uses large nets that it drags through the sea behind it

Question 19

rump

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

delightful

Answer 20

very pleasant
SYNONYM charming
a delightful book/restaurant/town
a delightful child
It was a delightful little fishing village.

Question 21

subside

Answer 21

to become calmer, quieter or less intense
She waited nervously for his anger to subside.
When the rain had subsided we continued our walk.

Question 22

ought to

Answer 22

used to say what is the right thing to do
They ought to apologize.
They ought to have apologized (= but they didn’t).

Question 23

blissfully

Answer 23

extremely happy

Question 24

mighty

Answer 24

very strong and powerful
a mighty warrior
He struck him with a mighty blow across his shoulder.

Question 25

turret

Answer 25

a small tower on top of a wall or building, especially a castle

Question 26

Lawn

Answer 26

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.

Question 27

meadow

Answer 27

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.

Question 28

Sty

Answer 28

a small building or area where pigs are kept

Question 29

ploughman

Answer 29

a man whose job is guiding a plough, especially one pulled by animals

Question 30

plough

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

shire horse

Answer 31

a large powerful horse, used for pulling loads

Question 32

In no uncertain manner

Answer 32

in a very clear and direct way. My mother told me in no uncertain terms to never say that word again!

Question 33

frighten

Answer 33

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.

Question 34

mantelpiece

Answer 34

a shelf above a fireplace
There was a clock on the mantelpiece.

Question 35

splendid

Answer 35

very impressive; very beautiful
splendid scenery
The hotel stands in splendid isolation, surrounded by moorland.

Question 36

foliage

Answer 36

the leaves of a tree or plant; leaves and branches together
dense green foliage

Question 37

Carve

Answer 37

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.

Question 38

oak

Answer 38

a large tree that produces small nuts called acorns. Oaks are common in northern countries and can live to be hundreds of years old.

Question 39

splendour

Answer 39

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.

Question 40

womb

Answer 40

​the organ in women and female animals in which babies or young animals develop before they are born

Question 41

Overwhelm

Answer 41

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.

Question 42

grief

Answer 42

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.

Question 43

vividly

Answer 43

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.

Question 44

flourish

Answer 44

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.

Question 45

Whir

Answer 45

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.

Question 46

Jaunty

Answer 46

showing that you are feeling confident and pleased with yourself
SYNONYM cheerful
a jaunty smile
a hat set at a jaunty angle

Question 47

Whizz

Answer 47

[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.

Question 48

Fabulous

Answer 48

extremely good
They put on a fabulous performance.
Jana is a fabulous cook.
The food looks fabulous.

Question 49

bizarre

Answer 49

very strange or unusual
SYNONYM weird
a bizarre situation/incident/story
bizarre behaviour

Question 50

linger

Answer 50

[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.

Question 51

fizz

Answer 51

when a liquid fizzes, it produces a lot of bubbles and makes a long sound like an ‘s’
Champagne was fizzing in the glass.

Question 52

froth

Answer 52

a mass of small bubbles, especially on the surface of a liquid

Question 53

spit

Answer 53

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.

Question 54

baffle

Answer 54

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.

Question 55

riot

Answer 55

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.

Question 56

plot

Answer 56

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.

Question 57

filth

Answer 57

any very dirty and unpleasant substance
The floor was covered in grease and filth.

Question 58

cling

Answer 58

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.