Day 25

Question 1

Unravel

Answer 1

If a piece of knitted or woven cloth, a knot, or a mass of thread unravels, it separates into a single thread, and if you unravel it, you separate it into a single thread:
- You’d better mend that hole before the whole sweater starts to unravel.
- I had to unravel one of the sleeves because I realized I’d knitted it too small.

Question 2

Inert

Answer 2

not moving or not able to move:
- The inert figure of a man could be seen lying in the front of the car.

Question 3

Subsequent

Answer 3

happening after something else:
- The book discusses his illness and subsequent resignation from politics.
- Those explosions must have been subsequent to our departure, because we didn’t hear anything.

Question 4

To gauge

Question 5

To falter

Answer 5

to lose strength or purpose and stop, or almost stop:
- The dinner party conversation faltered for a moment.
- Her friends never faltered in their belief in her.
- Nickie’s voice faltered and he stopped speaking.

Question 6

Stake

Answer 6

a share or a financial involvement in something such as a business:
- He holds (= owns) a 40 percent stake in/of the company.

Question 7

Dogged

Answer 7

very determined to continue doing something, or trying to do something, even when this is difficult or takes a long time:
- She was a dogged advocate of the struggle against injustice.
- He is dogged in his pursuit of his dreams.

Question 8

Baffled

Answer 8

to cause someone to be completely unable to understand or explain something:
- She was completely baffled by his strange behaviour.

Question 9

Prescribe

Answer 9

(of a doctor) to say what medical treatment someone should have:
- The drug is often prescribed for ulcers.
- [ + two objects ] I’ve been prescribed painkillers.

Question 10

To comb

Answer 10

a flat piece of plastic, wood, or metal with a thin row of long, narrow parts along one side, used to tidy and arrange your hair
- I can’t find my brush, but I still have my comb.
- Can I borrow your comb?.

Question 11

Conversely

Answer 11

in an opposite way:
- Poor health is accepted as an attribute of normal ageing. Conversely, youth is depicted as a time of vitality and good health.
- The staff of any organisation are its best ambassadors or conversely may be its worst.

Question 12

Hinge

Answer 12

a folding device, usually made of metal, that is attached to a door, gate, or lid on one side, allowing it to open and close

Question 13

Coercion

Answer 13

to persuade someone forcefully to do something that they are unwilling to do:
- The court heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession.

Question 14

Devise

Answer 14

to invent a plan, system, object, etc., usually using your intelligence or imagination:
- He’s good at devising language games that you can play with students in class.
- The cartoon characters Snoopy and Charlie Brown were devised by Charles M. Schultz.

Question 15

To persist

Answer 15

If an unpleasant feeling or situation persists, it continues to exist:
- If the pain persists, consult a doctor.
- The cold weather is set to persist throughout the week.
C2
to try to do or continue doing something in a determined but often unreasonable way:
- If he persists in asking awkward questions, then send him to the boss.
- The government is persisting with its ambitious public works programme.

Question 16

Deprive

Answer 16

to take something, especially something necessary or pleasant, away from someone:
- He claimed that he had been deprived of his freedom/rights.
- You can’t function properly when you’re deprived of sleep.

Question 17

Deprivation

Answer 17

a situation in which you do not have things or conditions that are usually considered necessary for a pleasant life:
- They used sleep deprivation as a form of torture.
- There is awful deprivation in the shanty towns.
- There were food shortages and other deprivations during the Civil War.

Question 18

Embrace

Answer 18

to accept something enthusiastically:
- This was an opportunity that he would embrace.

Question 19

Adhere

Answer 19

to stick firmly:
- A smooth, dry surface helps the tiles adhere to the wall.

Question 20

Oblivion

Answer 20

the state of being completely forgotten:
- He was another minor poet who was consigned to oblivion.
- These toys will be around for a year or two, then fade/slide/sink into oblivion.

Question 21

Genuinely

Answer 21

really and sincerely:
- I’m genuinely sorry for what I said.
- She was genuinely pleased when he arrived.
the state of being completely destroyed:
- The planes bombed the city into oblivion.

Question 22

Venture

Answer 22

a new activity, usually in business, that involves risk or uncertainty:
- She advised us to look abroad for more lucrative business ventures.
- There are many joint ventures between American and Japanese companies.

Question 22

Maverick

Answer 22

a person who thinks and acts in an independent way, often behaving differently from the expected or usual way:
- a political maverick
- He was considered as something of a maverick in the publishing world.

Question 23

Bestow

Answer 23

to give something as an honour or present:
- The George Cross is a decoration that is bestowed upon/on British civilians for acts of great bravery.

Question 24

Flesh out

Answer 24

to add more details or information to something:
- These plans need to be fleshed out with some more figures.

Question 25

Ultimately

Answer 25

finally, after a series of things have happened:
- Everything will ultimately depend on what is said at the meeting with the directors next week.
- Ultimately, of course, he’d like to have his own business but that won’t be for some time.
C2
used to emphasize the most important fact in a situation:
- Ultimately, he’ll have to decide.