Deck 29 Flashcards
a breadwinner
he member of a family who earns the money that the family needs
infatuation
strong but not usually lasting feelings of love or attraction
- ‘It’s just an infatuation. She’ll get over it.’
to skulk
to hide or move around as if trying not to be seen, usually with bad intentions
- ‘I thought I saw someone skulking in the bushes - maybe we should call the police.’
megalomania [meg-uh-loh-mey-nee-uh]
an unnaturally strong wish for power and control, or the belief that you are very much more important and powerful than you really are
backlash
a strong feeling among a group of people in reaction to a change or recent events in society or politics
- ‘the backlash against feminism’
to snuggle
to move yourself into a warm and comfortable position, especially one in which your body is against another person or covered by something
- ‘I was just snuggling down into my warm bed when my phone rang.’
specificity
the quality of being specific (= clear and exact)
lovelorn
unhappy because of unrequited love
a tealight
a small candle in a metal case, used for decoration
a regimen
any set of rules about food and exercise that someone follows, especially in order to improve their health
- ‘After his heart attack, the doctor put him on a strict regimen.’
redundant
(especially of a word, phrase, etc.) unnecessary because it is more than is needed
a parley
a discussion between two groups of people, especially one that is intended to end an argument
foley
the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to the film, video, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality
a rain man
an expert at something
assent
official agreement to or approval of an idea, plan, or request
- ‘Once the directors have given their assent to the proposal we can begin.’
tenacious
holding fast; characterized by keeping a firm hold (often followed by of)
- ‘tenacious of old habits’
aplenty
available in large amounts
- ‘If that’s not enough, there are shows, movies, and amusements aplenty.’
to elucidate
to explain something or make something clear
- ‘I don’t understand. You’ll have to elucidate.’
antsy
very nervous, worried, or unpleasantly excited
- ‘It was a long drive and the children started to get antsy.’
a fete
a public event, often held outside, where you can take part in competitions and buy small things and food, often organized to collect money for a particular purpose
to cede
to allow someone else to have or own something, especially unwillingly or because you are forced to do so
- ‘In 1874, the islands were ceded to Britain.’
frantic
almost out of control because of extreme emotion, such as worry
- ‘Where on earth have you been? We’ve been frantic with worry.’
boisterous
noisy, energetic, and rough
- ‘boisterous children’
irresolute
not able or willing to take decisions or actions
a floozy
a girl or a woman who has many casual sexual partners
to expunge
obliterate or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant)
- ‘She has been unable to expunge the details of the accident from her memory.’
to tide sb over (sth)
to help someone to work or operate normally through a difficult period, usually by lending them money
a morsel
a small piece or amount of food; a mouthful
- ‘Juliet pushed a morsel of toast into her mouth.’
voluptuous [vuh-luhp-choo-uh s]
A voluptuous woman has a soft, curved, sexually attractive body
allure
the quality of being attractive, interesting, or exciting
- ‘the allure of working in television’
- ‘sexual allure’
titchy
extremely small
toiletries
articles used in washing and taking care of one’s body, such as soap, shampoo, and toothpaste
malleable
- A malleable substance is easily changed into a new shape
2. easily influenced, trained, or controlled
to berate
to criticize or speak in an angry manner to someone
- ‘As he left the meeting, he was berated by angry demonstrators.’
to entice
to persuade someone to do something by offering them something pleasant
- ‘The adverts entice the customer into buying things they don’t really want.’
fervent
used to describe beliefs that are strongly and sincerely felt or people who have strong and sincere beliefs
- ‘a fervent supporter of the communist party’
courteous
polite and showing respect
downcast
sad and without hope
a ruse
a trick intended to deceive someone
panache [puh-nash]
a stylish, original, and very confident way of doing things that makes people admire you
vapid
showing no intelligence or imagination:
to meld
to (cause something to) combine with something else
- ‘Several problems had melded together.’
brouhaha
a lot of noise or angry complaining about something
- ‘the brouhaha over his latest novel’
irreverent
not showing the expected respect for official, important, or holy things
comorbid
relating to or denoting a medical condition that co-occurs with another
to hamper
to prevent someone doing something easily
Counterintelligence
secret action taken by a country to prevent another country from discovering its military, industrial, or political secrets
to redact
to censor or obscure part of a text for legal or security purposes
an aide [eyd]
a person who acts as an assistant
arduous
difficult, needing a lot of effort and energy
composure
the feeling of being calm, confident, and in control
- ‘I didn’t want to lose my composure in front of her.’
gargantuan
very large
- ‘gargantuan appetite’
legless
extremely drunk
across the pond
Across the Atlantic Ocean, almost always referring to either the British Isles or the United States, depending on which side of the ocean the speaker is from.
a shrinking violet
a person who is very shy or modest and does not like to attract attention
- ‘She loves appearing on television and is no shrinking violet when it comes to expressing her views.’
a stan / to stan
an overobsessed fan to the point of following a star around.
It is formed from the words stalker and fan.
stalker + fan = stan
to efface [ih-feys]
to remove something intentionally
- ‘The whole country had tried to efface the memory of the old dictatorship.’
inherently
The adverb inherently means in a natural or innate manner. Some people enjoy your inherently cheerful nature, but it drives other people crazy because they find you annoyingly perky.
humility
the quality of not being proud because you are aware of your bad qualities
to garble
to make words or messages unclear and difficult to understand
- ‘It’s bad when phones garble conversations.’
to exert
to use something such as authority, power, influence, etc. in order to make something happen
- ‘If you were to exert your influence they might change their decision.’
matriculation
the formal process of entering a university
to call on someone
to come to see someone; visit
snack
an attractive female
rancid
having a rank, unpleasant, stale smell or taste, as through decomposition, especially of fats or oils
- ‘rancid butter’
bulk bins
the way of selling consumables by weight while the product is measured into a plastic bag, to be later weighed at the point of sale
nefarious
(especially of activities) morally bad
bleachers
a sloping area of seats at a sports field that are not covered
demure
(especially of women) quiet and well behaved
to extol
to praise something or someone very much
- ‘She is forever extolling the virtues of her children.’
levity
humour or lack of seriousness, especially during a serious occasion
a debacle
a complete failure, especially because of bad planning and organization
dissent
a strong difference of opinion on a particular subject, especially about an official suggestion or plan or a popular belief
minuscule
extremely small
- ‘All she gave him to eat was two minuscule pieces of toast.’
to convene
to bring together a group of people for a meeting, or to meet for a meeting
florid
with too much decoration or detail
pernicious
having a very harmful effect or influence
a rapscallion
a mischievous person
pent-up
Pent-up feelings are not allowed to be expressed or released
wherein
in which, or in which part
a nugget
something that a person has said or written that is very true or very wise
- ‘a nugget of information/truth’
to go down like a lead balloon
If something that you say or show to people goes down like a lead balloon, they do not like it at all
- ‘My joke about the alcoholic went down like a lead balloon.’
(to give) credit where credit’s due
an expression that means that you should praise someone who deserves it, although you might dislike some things about them
- ‘I don’t especially like the woman but, credit where credit’s due, she’s very efficient.’
to raze
to completely destroy a city, building, etc.
- ‘The town was razed to the ground in the bombing raid - not a building was left standing.’
forlorn
- alone and unhappy; left alone and not cared for
2. A forlorn place feels empty and sad
a vehement [vee-uh-muh nt]
expressing strong feelings, or shown by strong feelings or great energy or force
- ‘Despite vehement opposition from his family, he quit school and became an actor.’
to jump the gun
to do something too soon, especially without thinking carefully about it
teal
a medium blue-green color, similar to cyan
to inveigh against sb/sth [in-vey]
to strongly criticize something or someone
- ‘There were politicians who inveighed against immigrants to get votes.’
fallow
- Fallow land is not planted with crops, in order to improve the quality of the soil.
- A fallow period of time is one in which very little happens.
ebullient
very energetic, positive, and happy
to diddle
when a woman fingers herself to the point of orgasm
to putz
to engage in inconsequential or unproductive activity
- ‘Too much putzing around up there would ruin them.’
unerring [uhn-er-ing]
- never failing to hit a target
2. always accurate in your judgment or ability
emaciated [ih-mey-shee-ey-tid]
very thin and weak, usually because of illness or extreme hunger
an artiste [ahr-teest]
a skilled performer, especially a dancer, singer, or actor
fraudulent
dishonest and illegal; intended to deceive
to deride
to laugh at someone or something in a way that shows you think they are stupid or of no value
- ‘He derided my singing as pathetic.’
a recluse
a person who lives alone and avoids going outside or talking to other people
disarray
the state of being confused and having no organization or of being untidy
- ‘The news had thrown his plans into disarray.’
