Chapter 1 Flashcards
1
Ineffable
You use ineffable to say that something is so great or extreme that it cannot be described in words.
His music is ineffably beautiful.
His voice was so ineffably sad that my eyes filled with tears.
|ɪnˈefəbl|
Suppress
To end something by force.
1. The Hungarian uprising in 1956 was suppressed by the Soviet Union.
To prevent something from being seen or expressed or from operating:
1. She couldn’t suppress her anger/annoyance/delight.
2. The virus suppresses the body’s immune system.
suppression
C2 Cambridge
subdue, inhibit, stop, put an end to
Latch on to
To Understand: When someone “latches on to something,” they grasp or understand it, often after initially struggling.
She finally latched on to the concept after the teacher explained it again.
To Show Strong Interest: It can also mean to become very interested or fixated on an idea, person, or trend, sometimes to an excessive or enthusiastic degree.
He latched on to the idea of starting his own business.
To Physically Attach: In a more literal sense, it can mean to attach or hold on to something tightly, as in how a baby might latch on to a bottle or breast when feeding.
The baby latched on to the bottle right away.
informal, semi-formal
Keep something at bay
To prevent someone or something unpleasant from harming you.
- Exercise can help keep fat at bay.
- The organization implemented new policies to keep financial losses at bay.
- The soldiers kept the attackers at bay.
C2 Cambridge Idiom
can be used both in formal/informal language
Medieval
Related to the Middle Ages (= the period in European history from about AD 600 to AD 1500)
|ˌmedɪˈiːvl|
B2 Cambridge
Agitation
If someone is in a state of agitation, they are very worried or upset, and show this in their behaviour, movements, or voice.
Collocations:
She was in a state of agitation after hearing the unexpected news.
The patient showed signs of agitation when the doctor mentioned surgery.
Loud noises can cause agitation in some animals
to agitate, to be agitated, agitator
Hesitancy
The failure to do something immediately or quickly because you are nervous or not certain, or an occasion when this happens.
- hesitancy to
- hesitancy about
There can be a hesitancy to discuss serious issues.
Congress has not shown any hesitance about spending more money.
|ˈhezɪtənsɪ||ˌhezɪˈteɪʃn|
indecision, reluctance, hesitance (rarely)
Restless
Unwilling or unable to stay still or to be quiet and calm, because you are worried or bored.
He’s a restless type - he never stays in one country for long.
She spent a restless night (= she did not sleep well), tossing and turning.
I wandered restlessly around the apartment.
Collocations
1. restless mind
2. restless energy
3. restless night
C1 Cambridge
restlessly, restlessness
Yearn
To wish very strongly, especially for something that you cannot have or something that is very difficult to have.
yearn for something
yearn to + invitinive
Despite his great commercial success he still yearns for critical approval.
Sometimes I just yearn to be alone.
|jɜːrn|
C2 Cambridge
yearningly, yearning
Forthcoming
A forthcoming event is planned to happen soon.
- We have just received the information about the forthcoming conference.
If something that you want, need, or expect is forthcoming, it is given to you or it happens.
- They promised that the money would be forthcoming.
- We must first see some real evidence. So far it has not been forthcoming.
- Will financial support for the theatre project be forthcoming?
B2/C1 Cambridge
forthcoming election, forthcoming release
Creep in/into
If mistakes creep in or creep into a piece of text, they are included despite efforts not to include them.
A few mistakes always creep in during the editing process.
One or two typing errors crept into the report.
To afflict
If a problem or illness afflicts a person or thing, they or it suffer from it.
- It is an illness that afflicts women more than men.
- a country afflicted by civil war
- The organization has been afflicted by political corruption for decades.
- There are two main problems which afflict people with hearing impairments.
affliction
Insufferable
If you say that someone or something is insufferable, you are emphasizing that they are very unpleasant or annoying. (formal)
- He found most of them insufferably arrogant.
- She disliked the president, whom she once described as an “insufferable bore”.
unbearable, impossible, intolerable, dreadful
Few meanings
Stretch
A stretch of time is a period of time.
- The elderly generally need far less rest than the young, and tend to sleep in several short stretches.
- He was fluent in French, having spent stretches of time in Southern France.
To spread over a large area or distance.
- A huge cloud of dense smoke stretched across the horizon.
- A big banner was stretched across the doorway.
B2-C@ Cambridge
stretch of time, to stretch across
To absorb
To take something in, especially gradually.
- Our countryside is increasingly being absorbed into large cities
To understand facts or ideas completely and remember them.
- It’s hard to absorb so much information.
B2-C1 Cambridge
absorbing, absorbed, to be absorbed into
Strenuous
Needing or using a lot of physical or mental effort or energy.
- Strenuous efforts were made throughout the war to disguise the scale of civilian casualties.
- She threw herself strenuously into her work.
- strenuous effort
- strenuous activity
|ˈstrenjʊəs|
C2 Cambridge
strenuously
To disengage
To become physically separated from something, or to make two things become physically separated.
- The door was disengaged from one of its hinges.
- The US should not disengage from Europe, she said.
disengagement, release, separate, liberate
To long for
To feel a strong desire or craving especially for something not likely to be attained.
- Steve longed for the good old days
- I’m longing to meet her.
- He longed for the winter to be over.
desire, want, wish
Collocations & Word forms
To suspect
to arouse suspicion
deep suspicion
object of suspicion
mutual suspicion
Their final months together were spent in mutual suspicion that one of them might betray him.
After the incident, he became the object of suspicion among his peers.
suspicion, suspicious, suspiciously, suspect
To sneak
To go somewhere secretly, or to take someone or something somewhere secretly.
sneak in / sneak someone in / sneak up on
- I managed to sneak in through the back door while she wasn’t looking.
- Jan doesn’t have a ticket but I thought we might sneak her in.
- I thought I’d sneak up on him (= move close to him without him seeing) and give him a surprise.
- past - sneaked or snuck
C2 Cambridge
sneak peek, sneak preview
Vibrant
Someone or something that is vibrant is full of life, energy, and enthusiasm.
Outside the small, vibrant city centre there were signs of abject poverty.
Collocations:
- vibrant color
- vibrant community
- vibrant city
|ˈvaɪbrənt|
energetic, dynamic, vivid, vigorous
A dime a dozen
To be common and/or of very little value; so plentiful or commonplace as to be of little esteem or slight value
Books like this are a dime a dozen.
To put on the back burner
In the position of something that will not receive immediate attention and action.
If something is on the back burner, it is temporarily not being dealt with or considered, especially because it is not urgent or important:
We’ve all had to put our plans on the back burner for a while.
She put her singing career on the back burner to pursue her dream of being a movie star.
Silver lining
An advantage that comes from a difficult or unpleasant situation. Also, if you say that every cloud has a silver lining, you mean that every sad or unpleasant situation has a positive side to it.
I’m looking for a silver lining in this report, and I’m not finding it.
As they say, every cloud has a silver lining. If we hadn’t missed the plane, we would never have met you.
Cut sb. some slack
To not judge someone as severely as you usually would because they are having problems at the present time.
Because it was the last day of class, the teachers cut us some slack.
Would you give/cut me some slack? I’m doing the best I can.
Get the hang of
To learn how to do something, especially if it is not obvious or simple.
get the hang of it:
“I’ve never used this program before.”
“Don’t worry - you’ll soon get the hang of it.”
I had never sailed a boat before but by the third day, I was getting the hang of it.
C2 Cambridge
To deviate
To do something that is different from the usual or common way of behaving.
The recent pattern of weather deviates from the norm for this time of year.
Deviate typically refers to straying from a defined path, plan, or expected behavior. It has a broader application and is often used when talking about behavior, courses of action, or routes. It can also imply a significant change or departure from what is considered normal or expected.
Digress is more specific to veering off from the main topic in speech or writing. It is generally used in the context of conversations, discussions, or narratives when someone starts talking about something unrelated to the main point.
|ˈdiːvɪeɪt|
deviate from, deviation, deviant
To crave
To desire strongly, so as to satisfy an appetite; to long or yearn for.
Collocations:
- crave attention
- crave food
Many young children crave attention.
There may be certain times of day when smokers crave their cigarette.
The neglected kids just crave attention.
Noun: craving
C2 Cambridge
to yearn, to long, to be dying for, to desire
To dismantle
to take a machine apart or to come apart into separate pieces.
She dismantled the washing machine to see what the problem was, but couldn’t put it back together again.
disassemble, detach, disconnect
To denote
If one thing denotes another, it is a sign or indication of it (formal).
The colour red is used to denote passion or danger.
Red eyes denote strain and fatigue
signify, mean, imply, indicate
Ostentatious
Too obviously showing your money, possessions, or power, in an attempt to make other people notice and admire you.
They criticized the ** ostentatious lifestyle ** of their leaders.
Her ostentatious display and over-the-top emotions were mercilessly parodied.
ostentation
**|ˌɑːstenˈteɪʃəs|**
arrogant, pretentious, pompous
Astute
If you describe someone as astute, you think they show an understanding of behaviour and situations, and are skilful at using this knowledge to their own advantage.
He made a series of astute business decisions
She made the astute observation that the whole matter had been exaggerated
He is an astute observer of the current political scene..
political astuteness
astuteness, astutely
smart, savvy, wise
Fastidious
Giving too much attention to small details and wanting everything to be correct and perfect.
If you say that someone is fastidious, you mean that they pay great attention to detail because they like everything to be very neat, accurate, and in good order.
He is fastidious, he has got an eye for detail, margins matter to him.
He is very **fastidious about **how a suitcase should be packed.
Her fastidiousness about personal hygiene was getting on his nerves.
careful, particular, meticulous, picky, fastidiousness, meticulousness
Whimsical
A whimsical person or idea is unusual, playful, and unpredictable, rather than serious and practical
She has a whimsical sense of humor.
It’s hard to make plans with such a whimsical best friend.
|ˈwɪmzɪkl|
fanciful, odd, funny, unusual, impulsive
Frivolous
If you describe someone as frivolous, you mean they behave in a silly or light-hearted way, rather than being serious and sensible.
I just decided I was a bit too frivolous to be a doctor.
- Frivolous lawsuit
- Frivolous claim
silly, flippant
Aversion
If you have an aversion to someone or something, you dislike them very much.
Many people have a natural and emotional aversion to insects.
I felt an instant aversion to his parents.
disgust, hartred
To demote
If someone demotes you, they give you a lower rank or a less important position than you already have, often as a punishment.
The captain was demoted to sergeant for failing to fulfil his duties.
If they prove ineffective they should be demoted or asked to retire.
- to be demoted to
downgrade, reduce, dismiss, degrade
Vicarious
A vicarious pleasure or feeling is experienced by watching, listening to, or reading about other people doing something, rather than by doing it yourself.
Lots of people use television as their vicarious form of social life.
She experienced a vicarious thrill from watching her friend skydive, even though she would never attempt it herself.
Reading about the hero’s adventures gave him a vicarious sense of excitement and danger.
indirect, substitute, surrogate
Voracious
If you describe a person, or their appetite for something, as voracious, you mean that they want a lot of something.
The fish are such voracious eaters that they have crowded out other species and disrupted ecosystems.
A voracious reader, he became a self-educated art historian and a well-informed generalist whose knowledge awed his friends, including well-known artists.
- voracious appetite
greedy, hungry
To baffle
If something baffles you, you cannot understand it or explain it.
An apple tree producing square fruit is baffling experts.
I was constantly ill, with a baffling array of symptoms.
The mysterious signal from deep space continues to baffle scientists.
perplex, bewilder, confuse, puzzle
Equivocal
If you are equivocal, you are deliberately vague in what you say, because you want to avoid speaking the truth or making a decision.
Many were equivocal about the idea.
If something is equivocal, it is difficult to understand, interpret, or explain, often because it has aspects that seem to contradict each other.
Research in this area is somewhat equivocal.
|ɪˈkwɪvəkl|
Collocations:
- equivocal result
- equivocal evidence
- equivocal findings
- remain equivocal
- give an equivocal response/answer
dubious, suspicious, ambigious, obscure
Chore
A chore is a task that you must do but that you find unpleasant or boring.
Collocations:
- do household chores
- do daily chores
- domestic chores
- everyday chores
We share the domestic chores.
Should my kids do chores?
The children were each assigned different household chores.
task, job, duty, assignment
C1
Shine a light on
In summary, “shed light on” is more about providing clarity, while “shine a light on” is about highlighting or bringing focus to something, often with a critical or purposeful intent.
I wanted to help to shine a light on their best work.
The documentary shines a light on social inequality.
sedentary
Someone who has a sedentary lifestyle or job sits down a lot of the time and does not take much exercise.
|ˈsednterɪ|
Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle has been linked with an increased risk of heart disease.
Collocations
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Sedentary behaviour
- Sedentary life
inactive, sitting, seated
Tissue
In animals and plants, tissue consists of cells that are similar to each other in appearance and that have the same function.
As we age we lose muscle tissue.
Athletes have hardly any fatty tissue.
All the cells and tissues in the body benefit from the increased intake of oxygen.
Collocations
- healthy tissue
- sheet of tissue
- tissue growth
matter, material, substance
Brawn
physical strength and big muscles.
She said she preferred brawn to brains (= a person who is physically attractive rather than an intelligent one).
He was a big brawny man with huge hands.
He’s got plenty of brains as well as brawn.
brawny, muscle, might, power, strength
Off the charts
At a very high level (informal).
His blood pressure was off the charts.
In January 2013 they went off the charts.
Her career is off the charts!
successful, be flying high, booming, have the world at your feet
Trounce
If you trounce someone in a competition or contest, you defeat them easily or by a large score. (informal)
To defeat a competitor by a large amount.
**trounce someone by something **
|traʊns|
France trounced Germany by five goals to one in the qualifying match
She trounced her rivals in the election.
His team were trounced by Arsenal last Tuesday.
Donald Trump’s ego cannot handle being trounced by Kamala Harris
beat, crush, annihilate
Induce
To persuade someone to do something.
To cause something to happen.
|ɪnˈduːs|
- induce someone to do something
- nothing could induce
They induced her to take the job by promising editorial freedom.
Nothing could induce me (= I definitely cannot be persuaded) to climb a mountain/ride a bike.
Doctors said surgery could induce a heart attack
- induce a feeling
- induce a state
- induced nausea
cause, produce, create, begin
