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English Vocabulary > Brainscape Bot Deck 15 > Flashcards

Brainscape Bot Deck 15 Flashcards

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1
Q

noun

a small, brown bird that is known for its beautiful singing

The kids hid their teacher’s bike for a ____.
I don’t really think I’m suited to this marriage ____.
I’ve had enough of this commuting ____.
He started hang-gliding years ago as a ____.

A

lark

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2
Q

adjective

interesting and exciting, especially because of being mysterious:

More _______ details of their private life were revealed.
a _______ mixture of spices
a _______ sauce

A

piquant

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3
Q

verb

to sell something, especially a business or a part of a business:

The company is ______ing its less profitable business operations.
She has ______ed herself of (= sold) some of her share-holdings.
He had encouraged the state to ______ such holdings.
The company has ______ed itself of some of its money-losing operations.
The company will be ______ing some assets that no longer fit its profile.
We have made a decision to ______ from the hotel and casinos business to focus more on drinks sales.

sell: Are you selling your car?
retail: The company makes and retails moderately priced sportswear.
deal in: They mainly deal in rare books.
______: US The investors ______ed themselves of the company’s stock.
sell off: The company is selling off the less profitable parts of its business.

A

divest

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4
Q

adverb

in a way that is wary (= not completely trusting or certain):

She eyed the dog ______, afraid it might jump.
It is quite wrong that he should have to tread ______ while others speak their minds.

A

warily

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5
Q

verb

to begin a discussion of something difficult:

At some point we’ve got to discuss money but I don’t know how to ______ the subject with him.
Shall we ______ another cask of wine?
He hopes they will sponsor the poetry event, but he hasn’t ______ed the subject with them yet.

A

broach

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6
Q

adjective

connected with marriage or the relationship between two married people, especially their sexual relationship:

________ happiness
Some prisoners who want to start a family are to be permitted ________ visits.
Prisoners are allowed ________ visits.

A

conjugal

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7
Q

noun

something that encourages a particular activity or makes that activity more energetic or effective:

The recent publicity surrounding homelessness has given (a) fresh _______ to the cause.
Often the _______ for change in education has had to come from outside the school establishment.

A

impetus

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8
Q

adjective

continuing without any possibility of being stopped:

the __________ progress of science
Aging is an __________ process.

A

inexorable

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9
Q

adjective

worried:

He didn’t seem unduly/overly _________ by the news.
Ms. McCurdy was too _________ to pay attention.

worried: I’m worried that he’s not going to graduate.
concerned: Aren’t you concerned that she might tell someone?
_________: He didn’t seem unduly _________ by the news.
fretful: She got a fretful night’s sleep after the dreadful news.
anxious: All this waiting is making me anxious.
apprehensive: He’s a bit apprehensive about leaving home.

A

perturbed

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10
Q

noun

an area of land that is not used for growing crops, where grass and other small plants grow, but where there are few trees or bushes

A

heath

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11
Q

noun

a long, thin piece of material, especially leather, that helps you to control and direct a horse:

You pull on both ____s to stop or slow a horse, but only the left ____ to turn left.
I always put my son on ____s when we go shopping.
These are the councillors who hold the ____s of power.
He handed the ____s to his successor.
I am retiring, and someone else can take over the ____s.
have free ____ We were told we had free ____ on questions of design.
give sb/sth free ____ (to do sth) She was given free ____ to make all the changes she wanted.
This is a post which will give your talents full ____.
It’s a task that requires you to allow full ____ to your imagination.
We need to keep a tight ____ on the advertising budget.

A

rein

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12
Q

verb

to make unpleasant feelings less strong:

The government has tried to _______ the public’s fears.

A

assuage

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13
Q

noun

a large fire that causes a lot of damage

The government has turned a minor local problem into a full-blown regional _____________.

A

conflagration

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14
Q

noun

a bird with a short tail and long legs that is found mainly by the sea or in areas covered with grass

A

plover

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15
Q

adjective

very thin and weak, usually because of illness or extreme hunger:

There were pictures of _________ children on the cover of the magazine.

thin: She’s on a diet but I think she’s already too thin.
skinny: You should eat more. You’re much too skinny.
scrawny: He hated his scrawny legs.
slim: He was tall, very slim, with pale, deep-set eyes.
slender: He put his arms around her slender waist.

A

emaciated

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16
Q

verb

to (cause to) move gently through the air:

A gentle breeze ____ed the scent of roses in through the open window.
The sound of a flute ____ed down the stairs.
Caroline caught the heady ____ of the other woman’s perfume.
A ____ of smoke engulfed her.
[ I always + adv/prep ] A warm breeze ____ed through the city.

A

waft

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17
Q

adjective

not showing emotions or thoughts and therefore very difficult to understand or get to know:

an ___________ face/expression/smile
an ___________ smile
He believes that a certain portion of life must remain ___________.

A

inscrutable

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18
Q

adverb

in a way that is impossible to remove by washing or in any other way:

Ink had _________ stained his shirt pocket.
When you visit another country, your entry and departure dates will be _________ marked in your passport.
The date was stamped _________ on his memory.
Their names are _________ printed in tennis history.

A

indelibly

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19
Q

adjective

very shiny:

long, ________ hair

A

lustrous

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20
Q

verb

to run and jump in a happy way:

Lambs were ______ling (about/around) in the spring sunshine.

A

gambol

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21
Q

adjective

belonging or relating to a religion that worships many gods, especially one that existed before the main world religions:

a _____ religion
The Easter egg has both _____ and Christian origins.
The wedding was a _____ ceremony held in a forest.
a _____ festival
Originally _____s, the Anglo-Saxons were a Germanic people who invaded Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries.
They are trying to stop some _____s from doing a nature ceremony.
It is the nonjudgmental nature of _____s that drew her to them.
Those altars were used in _____ worship.

A

pagan

22
Q

noun

any Christian priest

A

parson

23
Q

noun

a large branch of a tree

A

bough

24
Q

verb

to criticize strongly:

I had to listen to Michael ________ing against the government.

A

fulminate

25
Q

noun

a length of wool or thread collected together into the shape of a loose ring

A

skein

26
Q

noun

the fact that someone deserves to be blamed or considered responsible for something bad:

After the accident, the company refused to accept ___________.
The Army denied any ___________, but later compensated owners.

A

culpability

27
Q

adjective

used to say that someone is strong, brave, determined, and difficult to defeat or frighten:

The ___________ Mrs Furlong said she would continue to fight for justice.
an ___________ spirit/will

A

indomitable

28
Q

verb

to show or state that someone or something is not guilty of something:

The report _________d the crew from all responsibility for the collision.
The police officer was _________d by a grand jury, but the protests continued.
We have proof which will completely _________ him.
_________ sb from sth I do not wholly _________ her from blame.
He spent much of the rest of his life seeking ________ion.

innocent: I don’t know if they are innocent or guilty.
blameless: She is not entirely blameless in the matter.
guiltless: He’s not exactly guiltless in this matter - she helped the robber escape.
acquitted: The two men were acquitted of her murder.
_________d: The _________d prisoners banded together and sued the judge who had falsely convicted all of them.

A

exonerate

29
Q

adjective

lasting for only a short time:

the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ nature of life
the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ nature of life
A growing proportion of the population are in a \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ stage between paid employment and old age.
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ factors/issues
a \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ phase/period

short: He received a short jail sentence.
quick: I need to make a quick phone call - I’ll be right back.
brief: We had a brief chat this morning.
short and sweet: The business meeting was short and sweet.
momentary: It was just a momentary lapse in judgment - I won’t do it again.

A

transitory

30
Q

verb

When the sea or tide ___s, it moves away from the coast and falls to a lower level.

He could feel his strength ___ing (away).
We’ll sail on the ___.
He could feel his strength ___ing (away).

A

ebb

31
Q

adjective

serious, boring, and slightly old-fashioned:

In an attempt to change its _____ image, the newspaper has created a new section aimed at younger readers.
She never adjusted to her husband’s _____ lifestyle.

A

staid

32
Q

noun

a circle made of flowers and leaves worn around the neck or head as a decoration:

a _______ of white roses
They _______ed the visitors with scented flowers.

A

garland

33
Q

adjective

very shiny:

long, ________ hair

A

lustrous

34
Q

noun

a deep, narrow crack, especially in rock or the earth

A

fissure

35
Q

adjective

expressed too often to be interesting or seem sincere:

His lyrics about love and peace are too _____ for me to take them seriously.
I know it will sound _____, but I’ve loved being part of this club.
Even good acting couldn’t make up for the _____ story.

A

trite

36
Q

noun

an object or collection of objects wrapped in paper, especially so that it can be sent by post:

a food ______
The ______ was wrapped in plain brown paper.
a 60-acre ______
a food ______
a 50-acre ______ on Lake Mead
There were several ______s waiting for her in the post room.
The ______ of shares is worth between €2,000 and €3,000.
A 100-acre ______ in Texas was one of five sites selected for development.

A

parcel

37
Q

adjective

used to describe beliefs that are strongly and sincerely felt or people who have strong and sincere beliefs:

a _______ supporter of the communist party
It is his _______ hope that a peaceful solution will soon be found.
She was a _______ supporter of art and culture.
I _______ly hope he’s right.

A

fervent

38
Q

noun

a white, loose piece of clothing, worn over other clothing during religious ceremonies by some Christian priests and members of groups who sing in churches

A

surplice

39
Q

verb

to persuade, attract, or interest someone, sometimes in order to deceive them :

He was completely _______d by her beauty.
The salesman _______d him into buying a car he didn’t want.
I had to show I was not _______d by his good looks.
a ______ing smile

A

beguile

40
Q

verb

to walk through water or other liquid with some effort, because it is deep enough to come quite high up your legs, or thick :

The river was full but we managed to ____ across.
We ____d a shallow river.
They had to ____ through a swamp.
We rolled up our trousers and ____d at the edge of the lake.
We ____d across the stream.
They come to the creek and ____d in to drink.

A

wade

41
Q

adjective

holding tightly onto something, or keeping an opinion in a determined way:

The baby took my finger in its _________ little fist.
There has been _________ local opposition to the new airport.
Seles is a _________ opponent – she never gives in.
They cling with admirable ______ty to their traditions.

A

tenacious

42
Q

adjective

smelling or tasting very strong and sharp:

the _______ whiff of a goat
I sat down to a cup of wonderfully _______ Turkish coffee.
_______ criticism/commentary
She is very good at writing _______, funny dialogue.
_______ odors

A

pungent

43
Q

adjective

bending or able to be bent easily; not stiff:

I’m not ______ enough (= my body doesn’t bend easily enough) to touch the floor.
The gloves were made of very ______ leather.
She has shown that she has a ______ mind.
We need a more ______ monetary policy.
His ______ fingers manipulated the needle with the utmost delicacy.
fig. Adams brings a ______ (= easily changing) voice to Mayfield’s songs.

A

supple

44
Q

noun

loyalty and support for a ruler, country, group, or belief:

Soldiers have to swear __________ to the Crown/the King.
In many American schools, the students pledge __________ (to the flag) at the beginning of the school day.
As an Englishman who’d lived for a long time in France, he felt a certain conflict of __________s when the two countries played soccer.
[ U ] For many here, __________ to the local community comes first.

A

allegiance

45
Q

adverb

in a way that shows quick and clever thinking, especially about business or financial matters:

They _______ backed out of the agreement just in time.

A

cannily

46
Q

adjective

A _________ phrase or idea has been said or used so often that it has become boring and has no meaning:

The plot of the film is just a _________ boy-meets-girl scenario.
a _________ plot

A

hackneyed

47
Q

noun

in cricket, a set of three vertical sticks with two small pieces of wood balanced across the top of them, at which the ball is aimed. There are two ______s on a cricket field.

Five ______s have fallen since tea time (= five players have been caused to finish their turn).
As a fast bowler, he took many ______s (= caused many players to finish their turns).

A

wicket

48
Q

adjective

not showing emotions or thoughts and therefore very difficult to understand or get to know:

an ___________ face/expression/smile
an ___________ smile
He believes that a certain portion of life must remain ___________.

A

inscrutable

49
Q

noun

a small tree that produces nuts that can be eaten

A

hazel

50
Q

adjective

shining with a bright light:

the beauty of her _________ face

A

refulgent

English Vocabulary (23 decks)

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