Charles XII and the Collapse of the Swedish Empire

Question 1

levity

Answer 1

humour or lack of seriousness, especially during a serious occasion:
a brief moment of levity amid the solemn proceedings

Question 2

through thick and thin

Answer 2

If you support or stay with someone through thick and thin, you always support or stay with them, even if there are problems or difficulties:
She has stuck with me through thick and thin.

Question 3

be chafing at the bit

Answer 3

to be very eager to do something:

As soon as the kids saw the pool, they were chafing at the bit to get in.

Question 4

thwart

Answer 4

to stop something from happening or someone from doing something:
Our holiday plans were thwarted by the airline pilots’ strike

Question 5

piety

Answer 5

strong belief in a religion that is shown in the way someone lives

Question 6

the bare minimum

Answer 6

the least possible amount:

She eats only the bare minimum to stay alive.

Question 7

stir

Answer 7

If something stirs you, it makes you feel a strong emotion:
I was deeply stirred by her performance.
The speech stirred the crowd to take action.

Question 8

perch on/in sth

Answer 8

to sit on or near the edge of something:
We perched on bar stools and had a beer.
A blackbird was perching on the gate.

Question 9

sheer

Answer 9

used to emphasize how very great, important, or powerful a quality or feeling is; nothing except:
The suggestion is sheer nonsense.
His success was due to sheer willpower/determination.

Question 10

fritter away something

Answer 10

to waste money, time, or an opportunity:

Retirees must plan how to fill their hours or they risk frittering the time away.

Question 11

surreptitiously

Answer 11

secretly, without anyone seeing or knowing:
Joe surreptitiously had a look in the answer book.
an audiotape of the surreptitiously recorded conversation

Question 12

faintness

Answer 12

the quality of not being strong or clear:

The faintness of the handwriting made the manuscript difficult to read.

Question 13

bracing

Answer 13

(of weather) cold and perhaps windy; (of an activity) making you feel full of energy because it is done outside when the weather is cold and perhaps windy:
We enjoyed a bracing walk on the beach.

Question 14

throng

Answer 14

a crowd or large group of people:

A huge throng had gathered around the speaker.

Question 15

sloth

Answer 15

unwillingness to work or make any effort:

The report criticizes the government’s sloth in tackling environmental problems.

Question 16

frivolity

Answer 16

behaviour that is silly and not serious, or things that are silly and not important:
You shouldn’t treat such a serious subject with frivolity.
I’m far too busy to waste time on frivolities like going to the cinema.

Question 17

grudging

Answer 17

A grudging action or feeling is one that you do or have unwillingly:
She won the grudging respect of her boss.

Question 18

lame

Answer 18

(especially of an excuse or argument) weak and unsatisfactory:
a lame excuse

Question 19

tacit

Answer 19

understood without being expressed directly:

tacit agreement/approval/support

Question 20

masquerade

Answer 20

behaviour that is intended to prevent the truth about something unpleasant or not wanted from becoming known:
They kept up the masquerade of being happily married for over 30 years.

Question 21

boor

Answer 21

a person who is rude and does not consider other people’s feelings

Question 22

knack

Answer 22

a skill or an ability to do something easily and well:
a knack for remembering faces
She has the knack of making people feel comfortable.

Question 23

bliss

Answer 23

perfect happiness:
Lying on a sunny beach is my idea of sheer bliss.
wedded/domestic bliss

Question 24

shrewdness

Answer 24

clear understanding and good judgment of a situation, usually resulting in an advantage:
She was a woman of great courage and political shrewdness.
He has approached the task with commitment, intelligence, and shrewdness.

Question 25

dim-witted

Answer 25

stupid:

Marilyn was portrayed as some sort of dim-witted blonde.

Question 26

perfunctory

Answer 26

done quickly, without taking care or interest:

His smile was perfunctory.

Question 27

cram

Answer 27

to do many things in a short period of time:

I had to cram three countries into a week’s business trip.

Question 28

stricture

Answer 28

a statement of severe criticism or disapproval:

The strictures of the United Nations have failed to have any effect on the warring factions.

Question 29

warring

Answer 29

Warring countries or groups of people are at war with each other:
warring tribes

Question 30

taciturn

Answer 30

tending not to speak much:

He’s a reserved, taciturn person.

Question 31

despoil

Answer 31

to make a place less attractive especially by taking things away from it by force:
Many of the tombs had been despoiled.

Question 32

remonstrance

Answer 32

a complaint to someone or about something:
He didn’t attempt any further remonstrance.
Leila paid no real attention to my remonstrances.

Question 33

nonchalance

Answer 33

calm behaviour that suggests you are not interested or do not care:
He leaned back in his chair with apparent nonchalance.
I may feign nonchalance on the phone to my mum, but actually I am terrified.

Question 34

mingle

Answer 34

to mix or combine, or be mixed or combined:
The excitement of starting a new job is always mingled with a certain apprehension.
The two flavours mingle well.

Question 35

mingle

Answer 35

to move around and talk to other people at a social event:

You’ve been talking to Roger all evening - you really ought to be mingling with the other guests.

Question 36

remonstrance

Answer 36

a complaint to someone or about something:
He didn’t attempt any further remonstrance.
Leila paid no real attention to my remonstrances.

Question 37

surly

Answer 37

often in a bad mood, unfriendly, and not polite:
We were served by a very surly waiter.
He gave me a surly look.

Question 38

hoodwink

Answer 38

to deceive or trick someone:

He hoodwinked us into agreeing.

Question 39

bide your time

Answer 39

to wait patiently for a good opportunity to do something:

He’s just biding his time until a permanent job opens up.

Question 40

peculation

Answer 40

the act of illegally taking or using money, especially public money, that you are responsible for managing:
The cabinet minister is being held on charges of peculation of government funds.

Question 41

a rash of sth

Answer 41

a large number of unpleasant events of the same type:

There has been a rash of robberies/accidents/complaints in the last two months.

Question 42

acute

Answer 42

If a bad situation is acute, it causes severe problems or damage:
She felt acute embarrassment/anxiety/concern at his behaviour.
The problem of poverty is particularly acute in rural areas.

Question 43

garrulous

Answer 43

having the habit of talking a lot, especially about things that are not important

Question 44

voluble

Answer 44

speaking a lot, with confidence and enthusiasm:

She was a voluble, smart, funny interviewee.

Question 45

loquacious

Answer 45

Someone who is loquacious talks a lot.

Question 46

chatty

Answer 46

liking to talk a lot in a friendly, informal way

Question 47

talkative

Answer 47

talking a lot:

She’s a lively, talkative person.