Brainscape Bot Deck 13

Question 1

noun

the quality of caring about other people’s comfort, safety, and how they feel:

I’m touched by your __________.

Answer 1

solicitude

Question 2

noun

a particular point in time:

At this ________, it is impossible to say whether she will make a full recovery.
Negotiations are at a critical ________.

Answer 2

juncture

Question 3

noun

a woman of high social rank whose husband is dead but who has a title and property because of her marriage to him:

a _______ queen

Answer 3

dowager

Question 4

noun

a piece of soil or clay:

Their hoofs threw up ____s of earth as they galloped across the field.
Don’t be such a ____!

Answer 4

clod

Question 5

adjective

dirty and unpleasant:

There are lots of really ______ apartments in the city’s poorer areas.
He told me he’d had an affair but he spared me the ______ details.
a ______ story
______ details
The ______ condition of many of the city school buildings was shocking.

Answer 5

sordid

Question 6

noun

anger, argument, and bad feeling:

The ________ of the dispute has shocked a lot of people.
The decision was reached without ________ or controversy.

Answer 6

acrimony

Question 7

verb

(especially of dogs) to make a deep, rough sound while showing the teeth, usually in anger or (of people) to speak or say something angrily and forcefully:

The dogs started to _____ at each other so I had to separate them.
[ + speech ] “Go to hell!”, he _____ed.
The yarn _____ed as she unwound it.
That old brush will _____ your hair.
The dog gave a low _____ so I quickly drew my hand back.
“Take your hands off me!” she said with a _____.
She tried to comb the _____s out of her daughter’s long hair.
a _____ of blankets on the bed
[ I ] “What do you want?” he _____ed.
[ T ] The collision _____ed traffic for 10 miles on the Interstate.
The dog’s _____ frightened me.

Answer 7

snarl

Question 8

adverb

in a way that causes or has a very sharp feeling of sadness:

He sang __________ of wanting to know true love.
The war correspondent is known for __________ chronicling the effect of war on ordinary people.

Answer 8

poignantly

Question 9

noun

a person’s appearance, especially the typical expression on their face:

His aristocratic ____ and expensive clothes singled him out.

Answer 9

mien

Question 10

adjective

violently divided:

It was a community/nation/family _____ by hatred.

Answer 10

riven

Question 11

verb

past simple of fall

A great number of trees were ____ed to provide space for grazing.
He eventually ____ed his opponent with a punch to the head.
We went ____ walking last weekend.
He decided the diseased trees had to be ____ed.
fig. He was ____ed (= killed) by a heart attack.

Answer 11

fell

Question 12

adjective

shy and not confident of your abilities:

a _________ manner
You shouldn’t be so _________ about your achievements - you’ve done really well!

Answer 12

diffident

Question 13

noun

the act of using movements of your hands and body, and expressions on your face, without speech, to communicate emotions and actions or to tell a story:

The first scene was performed in ____.
The whole of the banquet scene is ____d.
Most of the bands that appear on the show just ____ to a recording of their songs.
He was miming something at me across the room.
[ U ] In the game of charades, you have to convey the title of a movie or book through ____.
[ I ] The illusion of live music was created by singers miming to their records.

Answer 13

mime

Question 14

noun

the brightness that a shiny surface has:

a treatment for restoring the ______ to dull hair
the rich ______ of well-polished furniture
The dancing of the principal ballerina added ______ to an otherwise unimpressive production of “Giselle”.

Answer 14

lustre

Question 15

verb

to spoil something that is pure or someone’s perfect reputation:

His reputation, he said, had been unfairly sullied by half-truths and innuendos.
No speck of dirt had ever sullied his hands.

Answer 15

sully

Question 16

adjective

humorous in an unkind way that shows you do not respect someone or something:

a ________ smile/look/comment
a ________ smile
Mildly ________, the chairman’s soft-spoken cross-examination embarrassed hostile witnesses without humiliating them.

Answer 16

sardonic

Question 17

noun

a very small piece of food:

a ______ of cheese
The prisoners ate every last ______.
a ______ of good news
She ate every last ______ on her plate.

Answer 17

morsel

Question 18

verb

If you _____ a strong emotion felt by someone, such as fear or worry, you cause them to feel it less or to feel calm again:

The government is trying to _____ public fears/concern about the spread of the disease.
I was nervous, but seeing her _____ed my fears.

Answer 18

allay

Question 19

noun

conversation or discussion about something:

They were seen in close _____________ over a drink.
Work involved endless meetings, _____________s, and discussions about the law.
____________n differs from lying in that the person is not consciously attempting to deceive.
____________ns are artificial constructions of our own design built round particles of retained experience.

Answer 19

confabulation

Question 20

adjective

completely in love with someone and always thinking of them :

He was so completely ________ with her that he couldn’t see how badly she treated him.

Answer 20

besotted

Question 21

noun

the edge of a piece of cloth, such as the bottom edge of a skirt or dress, that is folded over and sewn so that it does not develop loose threads:

I took the ___ up/let the ___ down.
I need to ___ those curtains.
She was busy ___ming her skirt.

Answer 21

hem

Question 22

verb

to form a false understanding of the meaning or intention of something that someone does or says:

She said Harris had ___________d her comments.
Their caution was ___________d as cowardice.
Johnson complained that his statements were ___________d.

Answer 22

misconstrue

Question 23

verb

to treat someone unfairly or cruelly over a long period of time because of their race, religion, or political beliefs, or to annoy someone by refusing to leave them alone:

Religious minorities were _________d and massacred during the ten-year regime.
His latest film is about the experience of being _________d for being gay.
Ever since the news broke about her divorce, she has been _________d by the tabloid press.
She claimed the government was ________ing its opponents.
political/religious ________ion
Given the chance, victims may seek revenge on their ________ors.

Answer 23

persecute

Question 24

adjective

feeling worried about something that you are going to do or that is going to happen:

I’m very ____________ about tomorrow’s meeting.
I’ve invited a lot of people to the party, but I’m a little ____________ that no one will come.
We’re all ____________ about tomorrow’s meeting.
They looked ____________ly around the room.

afraid: She was afraid of the dark.
frightened: Don’t be frightened, my dog is quite friendly.
scared: Are you scared of spiders?
petrified: He got to the top of the tree and was absolutely petrified he’d fall.
terrified: I’m terrified of flying.
panic-stricken: She was panic-stricken when her little boy disappeared.
worried: I’m worried that he’s not going to graduate.
concerned: Aren’t you concerned that she might tell someone?
perturbed: He didn’t seem unduly perturbed by the news.
fretful: She got a fretful night’s sleep after the dreadful news.
anxious: All this waiting is making me anxious.
____________: He’s a bit ____________ about leaving home.

Answer 24

apprehensive

Question 25

noun

a set of usually two steps that you climb over in order to cross a fence or a wall, especially between fields

Answer 25

stile

Question 26

noun

a dark grey rock that can be easily divided into thin pieces, or a small, thin piece of this used to cover a roof

Is there anyone in the current _____ of candidates who could defeat the president?
His novel was chosen from a _____ of ten finalists.
[ + to infinitive ] Jeff is _____d to be the next captain of the team.
The meeting is _____d for (= the chosen day is) next Thursday.
Her last book was _____d by the critics.
_____ grey
_____ blue
The Republicans are expected to announce their _____ tomorrow.
The festival is _____d to run here January 28th to February 7th.

Answer 26

slate

Question 27

adjective

very angry:

We have received some _____ phone calls from customers.
We’ve been getting some _____ calls from customers.

angry: It does no good to get angry at him - it won’t change the situation at all.
mad: Are you mad at me?
sore: US He’s still sore about the way things turned out.
annoyed: He was annoyed with her for being late.
irritated: I was irritated that he didn’t thank me.

Answer 27

irate

Question 28

noun

a line of people, vehicles, horses, etc. following a particular route as part of a ceremony

Answer 28

cavalcade

Question 29

verb

to keep someone within limits or stop them from making progress:

He felt ______ed by a nine-to-five office existence.

Answer 29

fetter

Question 30

adjective

feeling as if everything is turning around, and that you are not able to balance and may fall over:

Going without sleep for a long time makes me feel _____ and light-headed.
I felt _____ with excitement as I went up to collect the award.
Who could have predicted the _____ pace of change in the country?
In the movie, she played the part of a _____ blonde.
She felt _____ and needed to sit down.
fig. In the computer industry, change comes at a _____ pace (= very fast).

Answer 30

dizzy

Question 31

adjective

likely to result in success, or showing signs of success:

With the economy in recession, it was not a __________ time to start a company.
With economic conditions so uncertain, he felt it was not a __________ time to make a big investment.

Answer 31

propitious

Question 32

adjective

likely to result in success, or showing signs of success:

With the economy in recession, it was not a __________ time to start a company.
With economic conditions so uncertain, he felt it was not a __________ time to make a big investment.

Answer 32

propitious

Question 33

conjunction

used to join two words, phrases, parts of sentences, or related statements together:

Ann ___ Jim
boys ___ girls
knives ___ forks
We were wet ___ tired.
We kissed ___ hugged each other.
Tidy up your room. And don’t forget to make your bed!
schools, colleges, ___ so on
She bought the whole lot - house, farm, horses, ___ all.
I’d like some ___ all.
She likes grammar ___ all that.
Many pupils have extra classes in the evenings ___/or at weekends.
I got dressed ___ had my breakfast.
Bring the flowers into a warm room ___ they’ll soon open.
St___ over there ___ you’ll be able to see it better.
I asked him to go ___ find my glasses.
Come ___ see me tomorrow.
Wait ___ see (= wait in order to see) what happens.
informal Try ___ get (= try to get) some tickets for tonight’s performance.
She spends hours ___ hours (= a very long time) on the phone.
The sound grew louder ___ louder (= very loud).
We laughed ___ laughed (= laughed a lot).
You’re a vegetarian ___ you eat fish?
boys ___ girls
We were tired ___ hungry.
Three ___ two are five.
I met Jonathan, ___ we went out for a cup of coffee.
Let’s try ___ get tickets for the hockey game tonight.
The sound grew louder ___ louder.

Answer 33

and

Question 34

adjective

(of white-skinned people) yellowish and looking unhealthy:

a ______ complexion/face
a ______ face

Answer 34

sallow

Question 35

noun

the quality of being ______ous (= attrctively energetic and enthusiastic):

This biography captures the charm and ________ of an unusual woman.
He had a natural cheerfulness and ________ that made him an exceedingly pleasant companion.

Answer 35

vivacity

Question 36

adjective

(of a woman) healthy-looking and slightly fat, with large breasts

Answer 36

buxom

Question 37

verb

to spoil something or give it an unpleasant quality:

His reputation was permanently _____ed by the financial scandal.
He warned of toxins such as mercury _____ing some fish.
He managed to escape the worst _____ of the Watergate scandal.
The enquiry cleared him of any _____ of suspicion/dishonesty.
Bacteria had _____ed the meat.
His reputation was permanently _____ed by the scandal.
The _____ of scandal followed him for years.

Answer 37

taint

Question 38

adjective

having a deep, pleasant sound:

a ________ voice

low: Those notes are too low for me.
low-pitched: The low-pitched rumble of the train shook the house.
guttural: Arabic contains guttural sounds that are difficult for non-Arabic speakers to say properly.
throaty: She gave a loud, throaty laugh.

Answer 38

sonorous

Question 39

adjective

connected with the riding of horses:

They plan to hold the Olympics’ __________ events in another part of the city.

Answer 39

equestrian

Question 40

noun

payment for work or services:

They demanded adequate ____________ for their work.
In return for some caretaking duties, we are offering a free apartment and a small ____________.
a ____________ package
directors’/executive ____________
annual/total ____________ The deal took his total ____________ last year to £2.4m.

Answer 40

remuneration

Question 41

verb

to make something, especially a room or building, look clean, new and in good condition:

The homes are already _______ed or in the process of being re_______ed.
We were given a tour of the newly _______ed news room.

Answer 41

furbish

Question 42

noun

the state of being very pale:

The deathly ______ of her skin was frightening.
The ______ of his skin contrasted with his dark hair.

Answer 42

pallor

Question 43

adjective

______p feelings are not allowed to be expressed or released:

Screaming at the top of your voice is a good way of venting _______ frustration.
His _______ anger and frustration burst forth.
Sales of heavy lorries increased, reflecting the improvement in the economy and _______ demand from delayed purchases.

Answer 43

pent-up

Question 44

noun

a rounded structure made from a frame of poles covered with materials such as grass, cloth, or animal skins, lived in by Native Americans, especially in the northeastern US and Canada in the past:

The children can sit in a birch-bark ______ listening to a traditional story.
You can buy bamboo ______s for your climbers.
We grow our sweet peas on ______s of six hazel sticks.

Answer 44

wigwam

Question 45

noun

the situation in which a disease is spread by touching someone or something:

The doctor says there’s no chance/danger of _________.
Brazil’s stock markets were battered by _________ from the problems in other emerging markets.
Brazil’s stock markets were battered by _________ from the problems in other emerging markets.
The planned mega-merger was intended to fortify the industry against financial _________.

Answer 45

contagion

Question 46

verb

(to cause) to become weak and dry and decay:

Grass had ______ed in the fields.
This country is in danger of allowing its industrial base to ______ away.
[ T ] Hot, dry weather ______ed the peanut crop in the southeast.
[ I ] fig. Public interest in the scandal will not ______ away any time soon.

Answer 46

wither

Question 47

noun

a piece of underwear for women, worn around the waist and bottom, that stretches to shape the body

the pectoral/pelvic/shoulder ______
a garden ______d by oak trees

Answer 47

girdle

Question 48

adjective

unusual or different from what is around or from what is generally happening:

The new computer looked ___________ in the dark book-filled library.
It seems ___________ to have a woman as the editor of a men’s magazine.
Such a modern office building looks ___________ in the quaint little town.

Answer 48

incongruous

Question 49

noun

the act of removing something or someone from a place or setting them free with difficulty:

Specially trained firefighters perform vehicle ___________s (= helping people out of damaged vehicles).
Rescue workers are continuing to work in an ___________ effort.
his successful ___________ from his recording contract
the ___________ of their troops from the conflict

Answer 49

extrication

Question 50

adjective

A __________ place is pleasant, clean, and healthy to live in:

He doesn’t live in a very __________ part of town.

Answer 50

salubrious