Day 40

Question 1

Poignant

Answer 1

causing or having a very sharp feeling of sadness:
- The photograph awakens poignant memories of happier days.
- It is especially poignant that he died on the day before the wedding.

Question 2

Expelled

Answer 2

to force someone to leave a school, organization, or country:
- The new government has expelled all foreign diplomats.
- My brother was expelled from school for bad behaviour.

Question 3

To gloat

Answer 3

to feel or express great pleasure or satisfaction because of your own success or good luck, or someone else’s failure or bad luck:
- She’s continually gloating over/about her new job.
- I know I shouldn’t gloat, but it really serves him right.
- His enemies were quick to gloat at his humiliation.
- [ + speech ] “This is our fourth victory in a row,” he gloated.

Question 4

Dissect

Answer 4

to examine or consider something in detail:
- He’s the kind of person who watches a movie and then dissects it for hours.

Question 5

Deviousness

Answer 5

the quality of being dishonest or tricking people, but often also being clever and successful:
- This is a movie that explores the deviousness of human nature.
- Lucy’s deviousness hurt Lem deeply.

Question 6

To rub off

Answer 6

If a quality or characteristic that someone has rubs off, other people begin to have it because they have been with that person and learned it from them:
- His enthusiasm is starting to rub off on the rest of us.

Question 7

Fencing

Answer 7

the sport of fighting with long, thin swords:
- a fencing tournament/mask

Question 8

Whimsically

Answer 8

in a whimsical way (= unusual and strange in a way that might be funny or annoying):
- He was whimsically charming and especially warm with children.
- It is a refreshingly quirky adult fairy tale set in a whimsically surreal world.

Question 9

Snood

Answer 9

a type of scarf consisting of a wide ring of material, that is worn around the neck - and that can be pulled up to cover the head

Question 10

To scrub up

Answer 10

When a doctor scrubs up or scrubs in, he or she washes his or her hands and arms very carefully before performing a medical operation.

Question 11

Needy

Answer 11

poor and not having enough food, clothes, etc.:
- The proceeds from the sale go to help needy people in the area.

Question 12

Ominous

Answer 12

suggesting that something unpleasant is likely to happen:
- There was an ominous silence when I asked whether my contract was going to be renewed.
- The engine had been making an ominous sound all the way from my parents’ house.
- ominous dark clouds

Question 13

Explicit

Answer 13

clear and exact:
- I gave her very explicit directions how to get here.
- She was very explicit about (= said very clearly and exactly) what she thought was wrong with the plans.
- I wasn’t aware that I would be paying - you certainly didn’t make it explicit (= state it clearly).

Question 14

Expulsion

Answer 14

(the act of) forcing someone, or being forced, to leave a school, organization, or country:
- They threatened him with expulsion from school.
- This is the second expulsion of a club member this year.

Question 15

Contrition

Answer 15

a very sorry or guilty feeling about something bad you have done, or the act of showing that you feel like this:
- He feels no contrition for what he did.
- Those involved in the crime have failed to express contrition.

Question 16

Menace

Answer 16

something that is likely to cause harm:
- Drunk drivers are a menace to everyone.
- Dogs running loose are a public menace.
the menace of industrial pollution
a dangerous quality that makes you think someone is going to do something bad:
- He had a slight air of menace which made me uneasy.
- He spoke with a hint of menace.

Question 17

Stake

Answer 17

have a stake in something
_ If you have a stake in something, it is important to you because you have a personal interest or involvement in it:
- Employers have a stake in the training of their staff.

Question 18

Infraction

Answer 18

an occasion when someone breaks a rule or law:
- Any attempt to influence the judges will be seen as an infraction of the rules.

Question 19

Intimidate

Answer 19

an occasion when someone breaks a rule or law:
- Any attempt to influence the judges will be seen as an infraction of the rules.

Question 20

Outmaneuver

Answer 20

to cleverly get an advantage over someone, especially a competitor:
- In the negotiations, he outmaneuvered his rivals by offering a higher price.

Question 21

Mayhem

Answer 21

a situation in which there is little or no order or control:
- With 20 kids running around and only two adults to supervise, it was complete mayhem.

Question 22

Nifty

Answer 22

good, pleasing, or effective:
- a nifty piece of work/footwork
- a nifty little gadget

Question 23

Stash

Answer 23

to store or hide something, especially a large amount:
- The stolen pictures were stashed (away) in a warehouse.
- He needed a place to stash some cash.

Question 24

Lay sb low

Answer 24

to cause someone to be unable to do what they usually do:
- A kidney infection laid her low for a couple of months.

Question 25

Disown

Answer 25

to make it known that you no longer have any connection with someone that you were closely connected with:
- It’s a story set in the last century about a girl whose parents disowned her when she married a foreigner.

Question 26

Frantic

Answer 26

almost out of control because of extreme emotion, such as worry:
- Where on earth have you been? We’ve been frantic with worry.