Deck 19 Flashcards
a feat
an act or achievement that shows great skill or strength
- ‘The Eiffel Tower is a remarkable feat of engineering.’
a vantage point
the way you think about a subject when you are in a particular situation
- ‘From my vantage point…’
to deride
to talk about someone or something as if they are ridiculous and do not deserve any respect
- ‘Her novel, once derided by critics, is now a classic.’
a grudge
a strong feeling of anger and dislike for a person who you feel has treated you badly, especially one that lasts for a long time
- ‘I don’t bear any grudge against you.’
to be onto someone
to have found out that a particular person was involved in a crime
- ‘He knew the police were onto him.’
a sacrilege [S/U]
(an act of) treating something holy or important without respect
- ‘Muslims consider it sacrilege to wear shoes inside a mosque.
blasphemy [U]
something that you say or do that shows you do not respect God or a religion
an extravaganza
a large, exciting, and expensive event or entertainment
- ‘a musical extravaganza’
temperamental
A temperamental person is someone whose mood often changes very suddenly
- ‘Be careful how you approach her - she’s very temperamental.’
staple
basic or main; standard or regular
- ‘Prices of staple foods such as wheat and vegetables have also been increasing.’
to insulate
to protect someone or something from harmful experiences or influences
- ‘Children should be insulated from the horrors of war.’
unparalleled
having no equal; better or greater than any other
muted
A muted colour is not bright
a cavern
a large cave
to tamper with sth
to touch or make changes to something that you should not, usually without enough knowledge of how it works or when you are trying to damage it
- ‘I could see immediately that the lock had been tampered with.’
to disburse
to pay out money, usually from an amount that has been collected for a particular purpose:
a gourmet
a person who knows a lot about food and cooking, and who enjoys eating high-quality food
shorthand [U]
a method of rapid writing by means of abbreviations and symbols, used especially for taking dictation
- ‘Their conversations were taken down in shorthand by a secretary.’
mutton [U]
the meat from a goat or sheep ate as food
a larder
a cupboard or small room used, especially in the past, for storing food in someone’s home
fussy, overfussy
- not easily satisfied, or having very high standards about particular things
- having too much decoration and too many small details, in a way that is not stylish
unrest [U]
disagreements or fighting between different groups of people
to squabble
to argue over something that is not important
to inculcate
to fix beliefs or ideas in someone’s mind, especially by repeating them often
- ‘Our coach has worked hard to inculcate a team spirit in/into the players.’
to snort
to suddenly express strong feelings of anger, disapproval, or disagreement, either by speaking or in a sound that you make
an antecedent
someone or something existing or happening before, especially as the cause or origin of something existing or happening later
stoked
excited or euphoric
word for word
using exactly the same words
- ‘She listened to everything I said and repeated it word for word to her mum.’
cropping
The art of strategically placing one’s body in a photograph as to make that individual look different than they do in real life
a mock-up
a full-size model of something large that has not yet been built, showing how it will look or operate
to absolve
(especially in religion or law) to free someone from guilt, blame, or responsibility for something
- ‘The priest absolved him (of all his sins).’
a pew
a long wooden seat with a high back, on which a row of people sit in a church
to wring (out)
to twist a cloth or piece of clothing with your hands to remove water from it
- ‘She wrung out the shirt and hung it out to dry.’
concrete
clear and certain, or real and existing in a form that can be seen or felt
- ‘They think she killed her husband, but they have no concrete evidence.’
to abduct
to force someone to go somewhere with you, often using threats or violence
* the UFO abduction
triage [U]
the process of quickly examining patients who are taken to a hospital in order to decide which ones are the most seriously ill and must be treated first
to lionise
to make someone famous, or to treat someone as if they were famous
a score
the music written for a film, play
- ‘Rodgers wrote the score for/of/to “Oklahoma!”.’
spot on
completely accurate; exactly right
pointedly
in a very obvious way, usually to express criticism or disapproval
- ‘He pointedly ignored her after the show.’
altogether
completely; totally
- ‘I stopped seeing her altogether.’
to string someone along
to falsely encourage someone to believe there is hope of a good result
to tally
to match or agree with something else
- ‘The numbers on your spreadsheet don’t tally with ours.’
to rake
to use a rake to make earth level or to collect leaves
- ‘In the autumn I rake (up) the dead leaves.’
to rock
to (cause someone or something to) move backwards and forwards or from side to side in a regular way
- ‘He picked up the baby and gently rocked her to sleep.’
- ‘a rocking chair’
a jig
an energetic traditional dance of Great Britain and Ireland, or the music that is played for such a dance
an utensil
a tool, container, or other article, especially for household use
coquettish
behaving in such a way as to suggest a playful sexual attraction; flirtatious
to finesse sth
to deal with a situation or a person in a skilful and often slightly dishonest way
to play down sth
to make something seem less important or less bad than it really is
- ‘She finessed the interview by playing down her lack of experience.’
a crib
Someone’s crib is their home or the place where they are living at present.
to weld
to combine and form a harmonious or effective whole
to clock off/out
to leave work, especially by recording the time you leave on a special machine
a comfort food [C/U]
the type of food that people eat when they are sad or worried, often sweet food or food that people ate as children
inconclusive
not leading to a firm conclusion or result; not ending doubt or dispute
to condone
to accept behaviour that is considered morally wrong or offensive
to saunter
to walk in a slow and relaxed way, often in no particular direction
- ‘He sauntered by, looking very pleased with himself.’
let alone
used to indicate that something is far less likely or suitable than something else already mentioned
- ‘He was incapable of leading a bowling team, let alone a country.’
merely because
only because
to iterate
to constantly repeat one action
to outfox
to defeat (someone) by being more clever or cunning than them
a slack/slack
adj. not tight; loose
n. the fact that something is too loose
to dispatch
to send something, especially goods or a message, somewhere for a particular purpose
unadulterated
not spoiled or made weaker by the addition of other substances; pure
a hermit
a person living in solitude as a religious discipline
to rat out
to expose or reveal incriminating or embarrassing information about someone
headspace
a person’s state of mind or mindset
a hobo
a person who has no place to live and no money and who travels to many different places
to crash
to sleep at someone else’s house for the night, especially when you have not planned it
* also: to go to a party or other event without an invitation
to coincide
to happen at or near the same time
- ‘I timed my holiday to coincide with the children’s.’
- ‘Our views coincide on a range of subjects.’
debaucherous
displaying bad sexual behaviour, drinking too much alcohol, taking drugs, etc
a recluse
a person who lives alone and avoids going outside or talking to other people
to deteriorate
to become worse
- ‘She was taken to hospital last week when her condition suddenly deteriorated.’
to actualise
to make a reality of
- ‘He had actualized his dream and achieved the world record.’
to julienne
to cut food into short, thin strips
inconsiderate
not thinking or worrying about other people or their feelings
to speak ill of someone
to say something bad about someone
to belittle
to make a person or an action seem as if he, she or it is not important
- ‘Stop belittling yourself - your work is highly valued.’
repellent
causing disgust or distaste
gallant
(of a man) polite and kind towards women, especially when in public
canning
a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container
to shuck
to remove the shell or natural covering from something that is eaten
hectic
full of activity, or very busy and fast
- ‘a hectic schedule’
a shiner
a bruise near the eye; a black eye
scrawny
unpleasantly thin, often with bones showing
consolation [U]
something that makes someone who is sad or disappointed feel better
- ‘I didn’t know what to say - I just offered a few words of consolation.’
a bimbo
an attractive but unintelligent or frivolous young woman
catatonic
If someone is catatonic, they are stiff and not moving or reacting, as if dead.
a saphead
a weak-minded stupid person
a soirée
an evening party or gathering, typically in a private house, for conversation or music
to skimp on sth
to not spend enough time or money on something
- ‘Many old people skimp on food and heating in order to meet their bills.’
to splinter
to break into small, sharp pieces
to appease
to bring to a state of peace, quiet, ease, calm, or contentment
- ‘to appease an angry king’
a feather in one’s cap
an achievement to be proud of
- ‘It’s a real feather in your cap to have such a beautiful girlfriend.’
to take sb aback
to surprise or shock someone so much that they do not know how to behave for a short time:
to portend
to be a sign that something bad is likely to happen in the future
- ‘The eclipses portend some major events.’
a potshot
a shot that is fired carelessly or with little preparation
- ‘He was taking potshots at neighbourhood cats.’
entre nous
between us; privately
to pamper
to give someone special treatment, making that person as comfortable as possible and giving them whatever they want
- ‘She pampers her dog with the finest steak and salmon.’
