English Flashcards
a small brightly coloured bird with a long tail
Related topics: Birds
par‧a‧keet /ˈpærəkiːt/ noun [countable]
parakeet.jpg a small brightly coloured bird with a long tail
Examples from the Corpus
parakeet
• The housekeeper, Mary McLellan, served Dubonnet, Margarett opened the aviary, and a parakeet flew to her shoulder.
• She came with a parakeet in a cage.
• She turned slowly in the middle of the living room, like a gyrating parakeet.
• Meanwhile the colt galloped back and forth behind him, and the parakeets squawked.
• There was nobody in the shop but the parakeet.
• The parakeets were at it again, their squawks rising like shifting clouds.
• The sunglasses, decorated with parakeets, are from a New York novelty shop.
Origin parakeet (1500-1600) Spanish periquito, from Old French perroquet; → PARROT1
an economic and political system in which businesses belong mostly to private owners, not to the government → communism, socialism
Related topics: Economics, Groupings
cap‧i‧tal‧is‧m /ˈkæpətl-ɪzəm/ ●○○ noun [uncountable]
an economic and political system in which businesses belong mostly to private owners, not to the government → communism, socialism
Examples from the Corpus
capitalism
• Compassionate capitalism is not about making money, but about being free to be and to do what we dream.
• The institutions of manufacturing capitalism gradually spread worldwide.
• His work counters the contention that these relations of production are best explained by the needs of capitalism.
• This is a basic principle of capitalism.
• Following Marx and Engels, Lenin argued that capitalism was an objective system for the exploitation of the working class.
• The existence of surplus labour is not con fined to capitalism.
• One way to discover what capitalism is and how it works is to try it for yourself.
• Changes within capitalism generate new forms of spatial organization at the same time as they create new forms of social organization.
From Business Dictionary
cap‧i‧tal‧is‧m /ˈkæpətl-ɪzəm/ noun [uncountable]
a system of production and trade based on property and wealth being owned by private business and ordinary people, rather than the state
Sweden’s ‘middle way’ between communism and capitalism: a free-market economy committed to social justice
→ crony capitalism
→ popular capitalism
→ state capitalism
verb [transitive]
1 to give all your attention and effort to one particular thing
ded‧i‧cate /ˈdedɪkeɪt/ ●○○ verb [transitive]
1 to give all your attention and effort to one particular thing
dedicate yourself/your life to something
The actress now dedicates herself to children’s charity work.
2 to say at the beginning of a book or film, or before a piece of music, that it has been written, made, or performed for someone that you love or respect
dedicate something to somebody
The book was dedicated to her husband.
3 to state in an official ceremony that a building will be given someone’s name in order to show respect for them
4 to use a place, time, money etc only for a particular purpose
dedicate something to/for something
The company dedicated $50,000 for the study.
→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
dedicate
• They were dedicating a new runway at the airport.
• The new buildings were dedicated on Saturday 22 May 1976.
• We dedicated ourselves as a team, that we were going to be in shape.
• And thirdly, he has dedicated some of his time and energy to raising a collection for the poor Christians in Jerusalem.
• And a crop of sites are dedicated to savers and investors who hold assets outside their home countries.
• Instead, justice is a commodity designed by a hierarchy of judges still dedicated to the interests of Power.
• He renounces all possibility of a happy life in favor of a solitary one dedicated to work.
dedicate yourself/your life to something
• Spurred by the horrors he witnessed in war, Cheshire dedicated his life to caring for others after it was over.
• They are the ordinary citizens for whom the honours system was designed - people who have dedicated their lives to duty.
• Gave his fortune to the poor, then dedicated his life to education.
• You can think about it, talk about it, write about it, dedicate your life to it.
• Then he dedicated his life to music and the pursuit of women, and we found we had things in common.
• Benavides dedicated himself to preserving Peru’s environment.
• Former colleagues described Hoster as a hard-charging military journalist who dedicated her life to the Army.
• For two years Jim was alternately exhilarated and terrified by the prospect of dedicating his life to the Church.
• Many dedicate their lives to worship.
dedicate something to somebody
• Greene dedicated the book to his mother.
• Murphy Hall is dedicated to one of the university’s chancellors.
Origin dedicate (1400-1500) Latin dedicare, from dicare “to say publicly”
noun [uncountable]
1 good sense and judgment, based especially on your experience of life
خرد
wis‧dom /ˈwɪzdəm/ ●●○ noun [uncountable]
1 good sense and judgment, based especially on your experience of life
a man of great wisdom
question/doubt the wisdom of (doing) something
Local people are questioning the wisdom of spending so much money on a new road.
You can always expect a few words of wisdom from Dave.
→ pearls of wisdom at pearl(3)
2 knowledge gained over a long period of time through learning or experience
the collected wisdom of many centuries
► see thesaurus at knowledge
3 → (the) conventional/received/traditional etc wisdom
4 → in somebody’s (infinite) wisdom
Examples from the Corpus
wisdom
• Thanks to a sound system that fails to function properly, Kevin’s words of diseased warning and wisdom are indecipherable.
• Their new role is to challenge conventional wisdom.
• He set out a scenario which ran against the conventional wisdom at the time.
• Conventional wisdom says that the health of the economy is one of the most important factors that determines a president’s chances of winning re-election.
• Beyond the threat there is wisdom.
• Both passed wisdom down with complex language.
• Paul learned to value his father’s wisdom and advice.
• an old man’s wisdom
• Gleysteen sensed that Park was losing his way, seeming to be uncertain about the wisdom of his own decisions.
• Some people were beginning to doubt the wisdom of their leader’s decisions.
• Already, they said, he had the wisdom of an old man, a sage.
• The wisdom about life, and about the dangers which her desires may bring about, is gained by every listener.
question/doubt the wisdom of (doing) something
• And he even questioned the wisdom of having such a thing as a World Cup.
• Some teachers have questioned the wisdom of supplying tape machines at all for the computer.
• In fact, it terrified him, and it made him question the wisdom of getting involved with Gabby.
• At least one money manager who focuses on emerging markets questions the wisdom of that approach.
• The reader might question the wisdom of leaving oil prices to be determined by purely market forces.
Origin wisdom Old English wis; → WISE1
1 [intransitive, transitive] to go past a moving vehicle or person because you are going faster than them and want to get in front of them
Word family noun takings undertaking take taker verb take overtake undertake
From English Dictionary - LDOCE
Related topics: Transport
o‧ver‧take /ˌəʊvəˈteɪk $ ˌoʊvər-/ ●○○ verb (past tense overtook /-ˈtʊk/, past participle overtaken /-ˈteɪkən/)
1 [intransitive, transitive] to go past a moving vehicle or person because you are going faster than them and want to get in front of them
He pulled out to overtake the van.
Never try to overtake on a bend.
2 [transitive] to develop or increase more quickly than someone or something else and become more successful, more important, or more advanced than them
Television soon overtook the cinema as the most popular form of entertainment.
Hingis has now overtaken her in the world tennis rankings.
3 [transitive] if something bad, especially a feeling, overtakes you, it happens to you suddenly and has a strong effect on you → overcome
be overtaken by something
She was overtaken by emotion and started to cry.
A terrible sense of panic overtook him.
4 → be overtaken by events
→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
overtake
• Points West was challenged and overtaken.
• On the way, we overtook a battered old Renault.
• Police overtook and captured the fleeing suspect.
• He was overtaken by exhaustion.
• Some are predicting that India could overtake China as the world’s most populous country before 2050.
• Before you start to overtake, make sure the road is clear ahead of you.
• My mind has at last caught up, and indeed overtaken my body.
• Two trucks overtaking one another brushed him to the side.
• The environmental and economic implications have far overtaken the engineering.
• For example, imagine a man is traveling aboard a faster train overtaking the first on a parallel track.
• The Clippers played better in the second half but couldn’t overtake the Rockets and lost by eight points.
• By 1970 the U.S. had overtaken the Soviet Union in space technology.
• Ollokot overtook them and joined a group of warriors in resisting Captain Benteen’s attempt to outflank the fleeing families.
• Before sleep overtook us, we reflected on our last few days’ climbing.
be overtaken by something
• There was a moment, I have to admit, when I was overtaken by a feeling of infinite sadness.
• Once down in the snow he was overtaken by a heavy lethargy.
• I knew I wouldn’t get back in two hours when I was overtaken by a hopping rabbit.
• It was overtaken by a long cyclical drought.
• Half way through the park Quinn was overtaken by an urge to rest.
• Butlin himself was to be overtaken by further developments in the postwar holiday industry.
• Both figured among the qualifiers, though they were overtaken by Ross Drummond and Brian Marchbank.
• It was not a hesitant or infant Church that was overtaken by the apocalyptic disasters of the barbarian Invasions.
noun [uncountable]
the ability to understand other people’s feelings and problems
em‧pa‧thy /ˈempəθi/ ●○○ noun [uncountable]
the ability to understand other people’s feelings and problems → sympathy
empathy with/for
She had great empathy with people.
—empathetic /ˌempəˈθetɪk◂/ (also empathic /emˈpəθɪk/) adjective
Examples from the Corpus
empathy
• And, of course, empathy creates a closeness between you and your child.
• Both authors have the skill to make you feel great empathy with their heroines.
• Any practising industrial chemist will have great empathy with this and many other of the author’s sentiments.
• But the same ability to inspire and persuade through empathy and trust can be and should be present in all organizations.
• Barriers to empathy are created by some social structures and divisions, such as those of race, religion and class.
• One goal in the end is to develop victim empathy.
• As you increase the limit setting, you need to increase your empathy.
empathy with/for
• They could combine their compassion and empathy with being helpful.
• Communication that demonstrates empathy for the listener will produce highly favorable reactions.
• They feel empathy for what he felt.
• Both authors have the skill to make you feel great empathy with their heroines.
• Any practising industrial chemist will have great empathy with this and many other of the author’s sentiments.
• I felt a very real empathy for it.
• Perhaps arising from the close personal comradeship of those war years was Basil’s empathy with ordinary working folk.
• He concludes, not by committing himself to atheism but showing empathy with it.
Origin empathy (1900-2000) Greek empatheia, from pathos “suffering, feeling”
adjective [usually before noun]
strong enough, well enough planned etc to continue for a very long time
last‧ing /ˈlɑːstɪŋ $ ˈlæs-/ ●○○ adjective [usually before noun]
strong enough, well enough planned etc to continue for a very long time SYN long-lasting
The reforms will bring lasting benefits.
Their generosity made a lasting impression on me.
a solution that would bring lasting peace
► see thesaurus at long, permanent
Examples from the Corpus
lasting
• Japan’s creation of a Western-style economy has been the country’s lasting achievement.
• The speech could do lasting damage to US–German relations.
• The committee’s decision could have a lasting effect on the community.
• His next book is about the lasting effects of the Vietnam war.
• The incident left a lasting impression on the young girl.
• Until we all give up violence, there cannot possibly be lasting peace in the world.
• a lasting peace settlement
lasting impression
• The implementation of the rationalisation programme left a lasting impression on Finniston which was to influence his future operating style.
• Yet he made a greater, more lasting impression on her than most lovers would or could.
• His family had been very poor when he was young, and it had left a lasting impression on him.
• It made a lasting impression on me.
• The vulgarity had a lasting impression on me.
• Their firsthand involvement in the human problems of cultural change has made a lasting impression on most of them.
• Such stories would have made a lasting impression on my father and given him an early interest in Abyssinia.
• But George Burt made a lasting impression on the place, after which it was no longer the old-world village it had been.
noun [countable] (written abbreviation oz)
1 a unit for measuring weight, equal to 28.35 grams. There are 16 ounces in a pound
Related topics: Measurement
ounce /aʊns/ ●●● S3 W3 noun [countable] (written abbreviation oz)
1 a unit for measuring weight, equal to 28.35 grams. There are 16 ounces in a pound. → fluid ounce
2 → an ounce of sense/truth/decency etc
3 → every (last) ounce of courage/energy/strength etc
4 → an ounce of prevention (is worth a pound of cure)
5 → not an ounce of fat (on somebody)
Examples from the Corpus
ounce
• February gold fell 90 cents to $ 399. 30 an ounce on Commodity Exchange.
• Where a cereal is very light, like cornflakes, an ounce will comfortably fill the usual breakfast bowl.
• Hardly an ounce of flesh anywhere.
• This was the real Janir, I thought, the one without an ounce of shyness or indecision.
• It was the centrifuge that yielded the last cull, a final ounce of bits of metal.
• The Warriors needed every lean ounce of effort Smith provided in the fourth quarter.
• It weighs seven pounds twelve ounces, is ten and a half inches long and nine inches wide.
From Business Dictionary
ounce /aʊns/ written abbreviation oz. noun [countable]
a measurement of weight equal to 28.35 grams
Origin ounce (1300-1400) Old French unce, from Latin uncia “twelfth part, ounce”
noun [countable]
1 a story about exciting imaginary events
Related topics: Literature, Folklore
tale /teɪl/ ●●● W3 noun [countable]
1 a story about exciting imaginary events
tale of
tales of adventure
a book of old Japanese folk tales (=traditional stories)
a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen
a cautionary tale (=one that is told to warn people about the dangers of something)
► see thesaurus at story
2 a description of interesting or exciting things that happened to someone, often one which is not completely true about every detail
tale of/about
tales of her life in post-war Berlin
tale of/about how
He was in the middle of telling me a long tale about how he once met Bob Dylan.
3 → tell tales
4 → tale of woe
→ fairy tale, → old wives’ tale at old(24)
COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + TALE
a fairy tale
It looked like a castle in a fairy tale.
a folk tale (=a traditional story)
a book of Scottish folk tales
a cautionary tale (=one that is told to warn someone about the dangers of something)
This cautionary tale illustrates the dangers of looking for quick profits.
a tall tale (=one that is difficult to believe and unlikely to be true)
She enjoyed making up tall tales to tell the children.
VERBS
tell a tale
He liked telling tales of his adventures in the wilderness.
Examples from the Corpus
tale
• ‘Treasure Island’ - a tale of pirates and adventure
• During breaks, the group tells presentation disaster tales.
• Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales
• But her unbalanced monologues feel a bit artificial, her present tragedy less gripping than her tale of the past.
• Her story received enormous media coverage, perhaps because many people were fascinated with this incredible tale of political transformations.
• But as James’ tale develops, it assumes complexity.
• She told us many tales about when our father was a child.
• Aline’s insight underlined my conviction on holiday that this was one tale not for retelling.
• In other words, the critical key to James’s tales is provided by the tales themselves.
• All the same, signalmen can be a fund of unexpected tales and it is always interesting to hear their stories.
cautionary tale
• As a cautionary tale this book works very well.
• Tootle seems to be essentially a cautionary tale, warning the child to stay on the narrow road of virtue.
• It is a cautionary tale told with sad humour on the border between innocence and togetherness.
• That is why she offers a cautionary tale about the parent traps facing all women.
• I suspect it was a cautionary tale.
• Other revelations serve as cautionary tales about the importance of subordinating military officials to civilian authority.
• Thank you for your cautionary tale Richard.
telling … tale
• You are always telling me tales of him rebuking you.
• He was standing with three friends and telling a tale in which he’d conned some adversary into covering a dubious investment.
• In telling his tale of the 30s Brendon paints a vivid and vigorous canvas.
• All these are antisemitic texts, telling a tale of conspiracy only slightly more sophisticated than the Protocols.
• Of course, Albee is quite accustomed to telling tales about vicious people stuck in broken relationships.
• I expect he was telling a tale, but even this made him a very disagreeable character.
Origin tale Old English talu
Today reader
Tomorrow a leader
noun
1 [countable, uncountable] a society that is well organized and developed, used especially about a particular society in a particular place or at a particular time
civ‧i‧li‧za‧tion (also civilisation British English) /ˌsɪvəl-aɪˈzeɪʃən $ -vələ-/ ●●○ noun
1 [countable, uncountable] a society that is well organized and developed, used especially about a particular society in a particular place or at a particular time → civilized
modern American civilization
civilization of
the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome
2 [uncountable] all the societies in the world considered as a whole
The book explores the relationship between religion and civilization.
the dawn of civilization (=the beginning of civilization)
3 [uncountable] a place such as a city where you feel comfortable, especially because it is modern → civilized
After a week in the mountains, all I wanted to do was get back to civilization.
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES
American/European/Chinese etc civilization
the history of Chinese civilization
western civilization (=from Europe or the Americas)
Many people are rejecting the values of western civilization.
ancient civilization (=a very old one)
The achievements of Egypt’s ancient civilization were remarkable.
modern civilization
Technology is one of the benefits of modern civilization.
a great civilization (=very important and interesting)
the great civilizations of India and China
human civilization
the development of human civilization
industrial civilization
Industrial civilization is barely a century old.
an advanced civilization
Philosophy is a luxury of an advanced civilization.
higher civilizations (=more advanced ones)
There could be higher civilizations on other planets.
a primitive civilization (=one that is not at all advanced)
His main interest was primitive civilizations.
early civilizations (=existing before others, or at the beginning of a period of time)
the early civilizations of Mesopotamia and the East Mediterranean
Examples from the Corpus
civilization
• When the time came for civilization on the planet of the Perks, they built war-trains, undermining engines, mole bombs.
• He just came in and destroyed this really high civilization and then left.
• Once humans had invented civilization, they never lost it.
• Our century has seen greater climate changes than any period since the dawn of civilization.
• There was nothing down there on the earth-no towns, no light, no signs of civilization at all.
• Called to attend at 10.15 in the morning, we started in the time-honoured way of civilization with a coffee break.
• To see them clearly one has to withdraw, mentally at least, from the civilization of which one is a part.
• But there is a sense in which religion is no less essential to civilization than literature and the fine arts.
• Much of the hostility towards civilization felt by people in the suppressed classes is understandable.
adjective [only before noun]
complete – used especially to emphasize that something is very bad, or that a feeling is very strong
ut‧ter1 /ˈʌtə $ -ər/ ●○○ adjective [only before noun]
complete – used especially to emphasize that something is very bad, or that a feeling is very strong
That’s utter nonsense!
This company treats its employees with utter contempt.
I watched in complete and utter horror as he pulled out a gun.
fifteen years of utter confusion
Examples from the Corpus
utter
• They were … yes I now concede, complete and utter bozos.
• He was forced to return to the earth alone, in utter desolation.
• Instead he would gaze at the jury, his face an impassive study in utter disbelief.
• Hence the complete and utter mental breakdown of whoever contracts the disease.
• She treated herself with what seemed like utter severity.
• When designer Rei Kawakubo tucks pillows under blouses and shows her collection in utter silence, simple clothes become disconcerting theater.
• We padded through those quiet, leafy roads in utter silence.
• A specific point of view of a space, in a fleeting moment of time, could be held in utter stillness.
complete and utter
• They were … yes I now concede, complete and utter bozos.
• That’s complete and utter hogwash.
• A complete and utter lack of vision.
• Hence the complete and utter mental breakdown of whoever contracts the disease.
• I had risen above him and was now in the state of dung-hai, or complete and utter superiority to Quigley.
utter2 ●○○ verb [transitive] formal
1 to say something
‘You fool!’ she uttered in disgust.
Cantor nodded without uttering a word.
2 to make a sound with your voice, especially with difficulty
The wounded prisoner uttered a groan.
→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
utter
• But as they passed him, their eyes and gestures… silently declared what their lips were forbidden to utter.
• I we pointed out that deictic elements of the utterances can only be interpreted with respect to the context in which they are uttered.
• Speechreading develops a sensitive awareness of the speaker, not merely of the words he utters.
• When he did utter a word or two, rarely, his voice was coarse and stern.
• No one had ever heard Thomas utter an unkind word.
• I am not free to utter any fancied measurements I please.
• The peasants, having just come out to the fields, turn back, uttering loud cries.
uttering … word
• Alexander, being a very determined man, went the next two weeks hardly uttering a word.
• Kersey lit a cigarette; before uttering a word he was finding out how the accountant reacted to boorish police tactics.
• It does not even protect a man from an injunction against uttering words that may have all the effect of force.
• Both players were ejected and were seen uttering words to each other walking off the court.
• She said Brown had ordered the office to implement the program without uttering a word to the press.
Origin utter1 Old English utera “further out, outer”, from ut “out” utter2 (1300-1400) Middle Dutch uteren “to speak, make known”
verb [transitive]
to gradually make someone or something less strong or effective
un‧der‧mine /ˌʌndəˈmaɪn $ -ər-/ ●●○ verb [transitive]
to gradually make someone or something less strong or effective
economic policies that threaten to undermine the health care system
undermine somebody’s confidence/authority/position/credibility etc
The constant criticism was beginning to undermine her confidence.
► see thesaurus at spoil
→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
undermine
• These should be laid on the gravel to form a sound base which the fish can not undermine.
• Alas, his careful pacing and the stars’ restrained performances are undermined by a tell-all trailer and an uneven script.
• Unfair criticism can undermine employees’ self-confidence.
• The US was accused of undermining international efforts to combat global warming.
• Local authorities and trade unions will need to respond to gratuitous fault finding and undermining of political leadership.
• The kidnappings undermined several months of delicate peace negotiations.
• Losing the witness will seriously undermine the government’s case against Jones.
• Inflation has undermined the legitimacy of the market order.
• Paradoxically, it has not even been able to undermine the relative economic stability of the imperialist countries.
• The suspension of an integral part of the Convention undermines their expectations.
• Relying on math formulas or drills in class, the study suggests, bores many students and undermines their performance.
adjective
1 unable to make clear decisions or choices
Word family noun decision indecision adjective decided ≠ undecided decisive ≠ indecisive verb decide adverb decidedly decisively ≠ indecisively
From English Dictionary - LDOCE
in‧de‧ci‧sive /ˌɪndɪˈsaɪsɪv◂/ ●○○ adjective
1 unable to make clear decisions or choices OPP decisive
a weak and indecisive leader
2 not having a clear result SYN inconclusive
a confused, indecisive battle
—indecisively adverb
—indecisiveness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
indecisive
• People were trying to tell me I was too indecisive.
• Macbeth shouldn’t have been indecisive about the murder.
• Half wanting to quit, half determined to persevere he was caught for some moments, indecisive and forlorn.
• They may be indecisive and not know what they want.
• I’m sorry to be so indecisive, but can I let you know tomorrow?
• An indecisive commander is unlikely to win the confidence of his men.
• an indecisive debate
• He was notably indecisive, especially in a crisis.
• There was a moment of indecisive silence, then rising voices, then the flies again.
• Somewhere in the whitewashed recesses of the building a secretary tapped in indecisive spurts on a manual typewriter.
the difference between what someone says and what they do
credibility gap
the difference between what someone says and what they do
a credibility gap between the government’s promises and their achievements
→ credibility
Examples from the Corpus
credibility gap
• Inaccurate though this perception may be, it creates a credibility gap which Peavey must yet cross.
• A poor attendance record leads to a credibility gap with superiors. 2.
• Why Clinton administration officials have opened such a yawning credibility gap is hard to say.
verb [transitive]
to make someone react less strongly to something by making them become used to it
de‧sen‧si‧tize (also desensitise British English) /diːˈsensətaɪz/ verb [transitive]
to make someone react less strongly to something by making them become used to it
desensitize somebody to something
Does TV desensitize people to violence?
—desensitization /diːˌsensətaɪˈzeɪʃən $ -tə-/ noun [uncountable]
→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
desensitize
• We apparently have been desensitized and need to increase our awareness of the effects violent programming can have.
• Maybe he was desensitized by drugs.
• With this area desensitized, it is only a matter of time before the sensitivity of faith’s communication is also numbed.
• The theory is that industrial alcohol can desensitize some one to all synthetic organic chemicals, because it is derived from oil.
• As a rule, therapists tend to become desensitized to the scene content as they progress.
adjective
1 compulsive behaviour is very difficult to stop or control, and is often a result of or a sign of a mental problem
Related topics: Psychology, psychiatry
com‧pul‧sive /kəmˈpʌlsɪv/ adjective
1 compulsive behaviour is very difficult to stop or control, and is often a result of or a sign of a mental problem → obsessive
compulsive gambling/overeating/spending etc
Compulsive overspending in these days of credit cards has become more common.
2 → compulsive overeater/gambler/spender/liar etc
3 a book, programme etc that is compulsive is so interesting that you cannot stop reading or watching it
compulsive reading/viewing
‘Gardening World’ is compulsive viewing for gardeners.
—compulsively adverb
—compulsiveness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
compulsive
• You tend to be compulsive about your job and wind up defeating yourself.
• Compulsive behaviour is often a symptom of deeper psychological problems.
• A tradition that was based only on communication could not lead to the compulsive character that attaches to religious phenomena.
• The perfectionist, as we saw, tries to do things perfectly because of his or her compulsive desire to avoid showing anger.
• Overcoming Overeating may be a powerful way for some women to break a long habit of compulsive eating.
• compulsive hand-washing
• He’s a compulsive liar – you can’t believe a word he says.
• Her problem is compulsive over-eating.
• The eating disorders include compulsive overeating and severe anorexia, both being found in some patients.
• But the book makes for compulsive reading.
• Compulsive shoppers often never even open the goods they buy.
• Presently the man-apes began to move forward, like sleepwalkers, toward the source of that compulsive sound.
• Compulsive spending is often a symptom of deep unhappiness.
compulsive gambling/overeating/spending etc
• The eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia and compulsive overeating.
• The eating disorders include compulsive overeating and severe anorexia, both being found in some patients.
• The physical consequences of compulsive overeating, anorexia and bulimia can be severe and even fatal.
• The consequences of compulsive gambling are comparable to those of any other addictive disease and are not simply those of financial loss.
• The appropriate Anonymous Fellowships for anorexia, bulimia and compulsive overeating exist to help the primary spiritual recovery.
• The distress caused by compulsive gambling is very considerable.
• Many judges have allowed abuse defenses but reject compulsive gambling syndrome.
• Are bulimia and compulsive overeating the opposite of anorexia?
compulsive reading/viewing
• But the book makes for compulsive reading.
• The confessions, recriminations and bubbling bile of this long night’s drinking into dawn make for increasingly compulsive viewing.
• The dialogue itself makes compulsive reading and there are many musical quotations and ideas to pursue.
• Such a romantic scenario, such an agonising scene to witness and yet it was compulsive viewing for Ruth.
• It took Ron and myself two days to view it, and compulsive viewing most of it was.
• In particular he remembers the very smart set of poetry classics, and noted his friend’s compulsive reading of them.
noun [countable, uncountable] formal
an act of breaking a rule or law
in‧frac‧tion /ɪnˈfrækʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable] formal
an act of breaking a rule or law
infraction of
minor infractions of the rules
Examples from the Corpus
infraction
• Cal is the most penalized team in the Pac-10, with 54 infractions for 501 yards in four games.
• Alleged infractions would be referred to the County Attorney for prosecution.
• Here, each individual act or continuing infraction may not amount to a significant harm of itself.
• Some have criticized my public appearance with President Clinton because of his alleged moral and ethical infractions.
• The local police frequently arrested students for exceeding the speed limit or other minor infractions of the law.
• In addition, the scope of violations that can be charged as misdemeanors rather than less-serious infractions has been expanded.
• In his letter, Rohrabacher says other House members have committed more serious infractions than Gingrich and received letters of reproval.
From Business Dictionary
in‧frac‧tion /ɪnˈfrækʃən/ noun [countable, uncountable]
when someone breaks a rule or law
We would like more detailed records of airlines’ safety infractions.
The next incident or infraction will result in dismissal.
Origin infraction (1400-1500) Latin infractio, from infringere; → INFRINGE
verb [transitive] formal
1 to show a feeling, attitude etc
man‧i‧fest1 /ˈmænəfest/ ●○○ verb [transitive] formal
1 to show a feeling, attitude etc
The shareholders have manifested their intention to sell the shares.
manifest something in/as/through something
A dog’s protective instincts are manifested in increased alertness.
2 → manifest itself
→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
manifest
• Mountain sickness is usually manifested as headache and tiredness.
• Classical tardive dyskinesia is manifested by the insidious onset of oral-lingual-buccal dyskinesia.
• They also disagree on how functions are manifested in literary language.
• This problem manifests itself when a student forgets to bring home her books or remembers the books but forgets the homework assignments.
• Subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord due to vitamin B12 deficiency is a treatable condition manifesting sensory ataxia.
• For the character to know and demonstrate their doom, their body must physically manifest the flaw through an impairment.
• Originally Delphi manifested the Goddess of Prophecy in a vaporous cave where fumes induced visionary trances.
• They manifested themselves particularly in language.
• How you manifest your aspects is your choice entirely.
manifest2 adjective formal
plain and easy to see SYN obvious, patent
a manifest error of judgment
be made/become manifest (=be clearly shown)
Their devotion to God is made manifest in ritual prayer.
—manifestly adverb
a manifestly unfair system
Examples from the Corpus
manifest
• As in Prague, Warsaw and East Berlin in those days, people power has been manifest.
• It is then that the full impact of Cobra power is manifest.
• On the dang I thought of him as an imposing man in whose face a heightened intelligence and authority was manifest.
• That is, it studies the relation between the significances of a text, and the linguistic characteristics in which they are manifest.
• The mountaintop offers different information-there some grand order seems both manifest and enormous, far larger than the purely human world.
• In the case of manifest content there is no real problem.
• The doctrine of manifest destiny was distinct from the imperialist dynamic that flourished around the turn of the century.
• The educational system is a manifest failure.
• That vision was made manifest in the Ford Motor Company.
be made/become manifest
• Now the suspected subservience of the judiciary to the politicians seemed to be made manifest.
• Through the actions and attitudes of struggling individuals, the true costs of self-defeating organizational behavior are made manifest.
• The relationship was made manifest at the life crisis ceremonials of partner lineages.
• That vision was made manifest in the Ford Motor Company.
• We believe that results can only be properly evaluated if the problems connected with the study are made manifest rather than concealed.
manifest3 noun [countable]
a list of passengers or goods carried on a ship, plane, or train
the ship’s cargo manifest
Examples from the Corpus
manifest
• the flight’s passenger manifest
• And I can’t help seeing the manifests - in any case, I’ve always been interested in them.
From Business Dictionary
man‧i‧fest /ˈmænəfest/ noun [countable]
an official list of the goods being carried on a ship or aircraft
computerized cargo manifests
Before each international flight, computers scan the passenger manifest (=the list of passengers travelling on a ship or aircraft).
Origin manifest2 (1300-1400) Latin manifestus “seized by the hand”
adjective
someone who is … is quiet and shy and does not enjoy being with other people
in‧tro‧vert‧ed /ˈɪntrəvɜːtɪd $ -ɜːr-/ adjective
someone who is introverted is quiet and shy and does not enjoy being with other people OPP extrovert, extroverted► see thesaurus at shy
—introversion /ˌɪntrəˈvɜːʃən $ -ˈvɜːrʒən/ noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
introverted
• The young girl, once so lively, became introverted and developed a nervous stammer.
• Nolan describes himself as introverted and serious.
• He is described as an introverted teenager, with a love of horses.
• I was probably more introverted than Arthur when we were children.
• Peters is just too introverted to be a good manager.
adverb
too or very
o‧ver‧ly /ˈəʊvəli $ ˈoʊvər-/ ●○○ adverb
too or very
Your views on economics are overly simplistic.
I’m not overly fond of cats.
Examples from the Corpus
overly
• Our two trucks, looking overly complex and vulnerable compared to our Neolithic surroundings, wait alongside the dusty track.
• Care should be taken not to accept an overly conservative brief merely to pamper a difficult client.
• I think you’re being overly critical.
• It may be overly cynical to suggest two things.
• As a structural engineer, he draws conclusions about overly high chimneys, mortar quality, and roofing tiles.
• We weren’t overly impressed with the movie.
• It was the overly loquacious Lord Macaulay who called him the Smith of Smiths.
• Parents repeatedly describe their work-inhibited children as overly sensitive and threatened by disapproval.
• Officials at the Big Four are not overly worried.
adjective
1 worried and embarrassed about what you look like or what other people think of you
ˌself-ˈconscious adjective
1 worried and embarrassed about what you look like or what other people think of you
self-conscious about
Jerry’s pretty self-conscious about his weight.
► see thesaurus at embarrassed, shy
2 self-conscious art, writing etc shows that the artist etc is paying too much attention to how the public will react to their work
—self-consciously adverb
The boys posed rather self-consciously for the photo.
—self-consciousness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
self-conscious
• “I’ve never drunk wine before, “ I said, suddenly self-conscious.
• He wore nothing except shorts, and was unlike the head of Nefertiti in that he was self-conscious.
• It has to be closely supervised but provides a good job for any adult who might be feeling somewhat self-conscious.
• Teenagers are often very self-conscious about their appearance.
• At first, there were faint murmurings, barely audible even within the row, and self-conscious answers from the team leader.
• I always feel really self-conscious in a bikini.
• However, be careful of creating self-conscious metaphors and similes.
• A self-conscious orphan, she took emotional refuge in social form and social skills.
• Mary had provoked sensations of his childhood; one of them was this womb-echoing self-conscious snugness indoors, safe from outside turbulence.
• Her diary was written in a strangely self-conscious style.
• The superintendent divined from the self-conscious way he carried himself that Hebden wished he had.
self-conscious about
• Leo’s still self-conscious about his accent.
1 expecting people to obey rules or to do what you say
strict /strɪkt/ ●●○ S3 adjective (comparative stricter, superlative strictest)
1 expecting people to obey rules or to do what you say OPP lenient
a strict teacher
strict about
This company is very strict about punctuality.
strict with
The Stuarts are very strict with their children.
2 a strict order or rule is one that must be obeyed
You had strict instructions not to tell anybody.
There are strict limits on presidential campaign contributions.
He’s under strict orders from his doctor to quit smoking.
I’m telling you this in the strictest confidence (=it must be kept completely secret).
3 [usually before noun] exact and correct, often in a way that seems unreasonable
Amy was attractive, although not beautiful in the strictest sense of the word.
4 obeying all the rules of a religion or set of principles
He was raised a strict Catholic.
a strict vegetarian
—strictness noun [uncountable]
COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a strict order or rule is one that must be obeyed
NOUNS
strict rules/regulations/guidelines
There are strict rules and regulations regarding conduct.
a strict code (=set of rules about what is acceptable)
The club has a strict dress code.
Doctors have a strict code of conduct.
strict limits
Many airlines impose strict limits on the weight of baggage.
strict orders/instructions
He’s left strict instructions not to be disturbed.
strict control
There must be strict control of local government spending.
strict discipline (=rules of behaviour which must be obeyed)
The head teacher insists upon strict discipline throughout the school.
strict requirements
Landlords must comply with strict safety requirements.
strict criteria (=standards that are used for judging someone or making a decision about them)
The supermarket’s suppliers must meet strict criteria.
a strict diet
He went on a strict diet and lost a lot of weight.
PHRASES
in strict confidence/in the strictest confidence (=kept completely secret)
Any information you give will be treated in the strictest confidence.
THESAURUS
strict expecting people to obey rules or to do what you say – used especially about parents, teachers, or organizations
Our teachers were very strict.
Most schools are quite strict about the way students dress.
firm showing that you are in control of the situation and will not change your opinion, especially when you are telling someone what to do
You have to be firm with young children.
I’ll be firm with him and tell him he can’t have any more money.
tough determined that your orders or decisions will be obeyed, especially in order to make sure that a situation improves – used especially when you think that someone is right to be strict
We need a government that is tough on crime.
She can be quite tough with her students, but they respect her for it.
The chancellor has got to be tough and keep government spending down.
stern strict in a serious, disapproving, and rather unfriendly way
Her grandfather was a stern man who rarely smiled.
Sheila walked into the museum, under the stern gaze of the curator.
harsh punishing or criticizing someone in a way that seems very severe, often too severe
Don’t be too harsh on her – she’s only a child.
It may seem harsh to punish him, but he has to learn that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable.
Her reaction to the child’s bad behaviour was unnecessarily harsh.
authoritarian disapproving very strict about forcing people to obey rules or laws, and punishing them very severely if they fail to do this – used about people and governments
Her father was very authoritarian and insisted on total obedience.
an authoritarian government
RULE/LAW/SYSTEM
strict a strict order or rule is one that must be obeyed
There are strict rules about keeping tax records.
He had strict instructions to return the key to me.
tight tight controls or limits are very strict about what is allowed and what is not allowed
The report recommends tighter controls on the advertising of alcohol.
There are tight regulations governing waste disposal.
tough tough laws or rules are very strict
They want tougher laws against drinking and driving.
The federal government is introducing tough new rules on immigration.
harsh harsh punishments or laws are very severe, often too severe
There are harsh penalties for drug trafficking.
The government has brought in harsh measures to combat the rioting taking place in many cities.
stringent controlling what people can do with rules that have very high standards
There are now stringent controls on pollution from all power stations.
stringent new food safety regulations
Examples from the Corpus
strict
• The manager is very strict about people getting to work on time.
• Most schools are quite strict about the way students dress.
• Of course, there were tensions and conflicts, but discipline was strict and scandals were rare.
• Chauvin, who was educated in New Orleans’ strict black schools, was judged to have the fastest shorthand in Louisiana.
• Teachers need to be strict , but also fair.
• Dates must be listed in strict chronological order.
• With all the resolve of her strict faith, she sailed with their son to Palermo, telling Tony it was Naples.
• Back then, he said, most Orthodox Christians still adhered to strict fasting rules during the 40 days before Pasak.
• Although some apply strict guidelines, others contract out their surveillance to private security companies.
• Leaving her amour with strict instructions on how to find her, she retired to bed and waited.
• He had strict instructions to return the key to me.
• Under a strict interpretation of the rules, she would be suspended.
• Japan has very strict laws against drugs and guns.
• There are strict rules about the use of dangerous chemicals.
• But Justice hesitated; it had never before asked any federal court to hold gender-based classification to the strict scrutiny standard.
• In the strictest sense of the word, all popular fiction is ‘romantic’.
• The harvester moved round the field in a strict square, so that the standing crop grew smaller and smaller with every pass.
• I think you’re too strict with your children.
strict about
• The hospital is quite strict about visiting hours.
strict limits
• Impose strict limits on dissemination of passenger travel data and the use of overly intrusive searches.
• This sets strict limits on emissions in an effort to reduce the country’s contribution to global warming and acid rain.
• If your child crosses that line, you need to place strict limits on his behavior.
• Invoking strict limits on online news, including requiring Web sites to get their news from state media.
• But Brian Hickey, Harlequin’s president, says the agreement with Alliance puts strict limits on production costs.
• The Maastricht rules also impose strict limits on public debt.
• The Cabinet is set to impose strict limits on public sector pay.
• Enforceability Though the agencies do not regard standards as strict limits, their enforceability is important.
in the strictest sense of the word
• Well, not in the strictest sense of the word.
Origin strict (1400-1500) Latin strictus, past participle of stringere; → STRINGENT
… a high value … sth
Put a high value on sth
adjective
achieving the opposite result to the one that you want
Word family noun produce producer product production reproduction productivity adjective productive ≠ unproductive counterproductive reproductive reproducible verb produce reproduce adverb productively
From English Dictionary - LDOCE
coun‧ter‧pro‧duc‧tive /ˌkaʊntəprəˈdʌktɪv◂ $ -tər-/ ●○○ adjective
achieving the opposite result to the one that you want
Sending young offenders to prison can be counterproductive.
Examples from the Corpus
counterproductive
• Putting very young offenders in prison can be counterproductive.
• Being too available can be counterproductive.
• Is it not true that giving 17-year-olds fines does not work and sending them to prison is counterproductive?
• Thus replication begets replication, until the costs of these counterproductive activities finally bring the organization to a long-delayed breaking point.
• This is a false and counterproductive approach; it is to true open-mindedness what glib moral relativism is to genuine tolerance.
• Constant correction by a teacher is often counterproductive, as the student may become afraid to speak at all.
• Counterpoints may therefore be counterproductive, especially if they are obscure.
• A confrontation is really going to be counterproductive for everyone.
• It would be counterproductive to do otherwise.
From Business Dictionary
coun‧ter‧pro‧duc‧tive /ˌkaʊntəprəˈdʌktɪv-tər-/ adjective
having the opposite effect from the one that you intended
Increasing government spending too quickly can be counterproductive.
Unwanted habit
counterproductive habit
to become interested in a new activity and to spend time doing it
take up phrasal verb
1 take something ↔ up to become interested in a new activity and to spend time doing it
Roger took painting up for a while, but soon lost interest.
2 take something up to start a new job or have a new responsibility
Peter will take up the management of the finance department.
take up a post/a position/duties etc
The headteacher takes up her duties in August.
3 take something ↔ up if you take up a suggestion, problem, complaint etc, you start to do something about it
Now the papers have taken up the story.
take something ↔ up with
The hospital manager has promised to take the matter up with the member of staff involved.
I am still very angry and will be taking it up with the authorities.
4 take up something to fill a particular amount of time or space
be taken up with something
The little time I had outside of school was taken up with work.
take up space/room
old books that were taking up space in the office
5 take something ↔ up to accept a suggestion, offer, or idea
Rob took up the invitation to visit.
take up the challenge/gauntlet
Rick took up the challenge and cycled the 250-mile route alone.
6 take up something to move to the exact place where you should be, so that you are ready to do something
The runners are taking up their positions on the starting line.
7 take something ↔ up to make a piece of clothing shorter OPP let down
8 take something ↔ up to continue a story or activity that you or someone else had begun, after a short break
I’ll take up the story where you left off.
→ take→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
take up a post/a position/duties etc
• One eye shifts right round the body so that it takes up a position alongside the other.
• Edward took up a position at the door-post.
• I took up a position in a university library after a career break.
• The I in enunciating a signifying chain signifies the self by taking up a position in the signifying chains enunciated.
• The strong Auckland group within the team took up a position of influence.
• Robert took up a position on the boundary, fairly near to the maths master.
• Then she took up a position standing right at the back.
• In addition, Lacan feels that taking up a position with respect to meaning structures is inextricably gender-linked.
take the matter up
• When Parliament returned, the Opposition would take the matter up and proceed to a vote of censure.
• I told him the President should take the matter up directly with the First Lady.
• I recommend that the hon. Gentleman take the matter up with his council.
• She was furious, denied everything and said her husband would be taking the matter up with my editor.
• Should a student have any security problems, he/she should take the matter up with Security Staff.
• Male speaker I can and shall take the matter up with the Attorney General in relation to the sentence which has been past.
• I am going to take the matter up with the company to try to save the jobs for Worcester.
• If not you can take the matter up with their manager.
take up space/room
• And all that good seaweed I collected just sits in a bag in the cupboard, taking up space.
• I mean, they take up space and so on, they need dusting.
• But the brain is surrounded by the skull, and all that escaped blood takes up space, squeezing the brain.
• She believes that it was wrong of her to take up space within her school.
take up the challenge/gauntlet
• Ability Franchisees come from all sorts of backgrounds, with women increasingly taking up the challenge.
• If you are dissatisfied it is your responsibility to determine why and to take up the challenge.
• Johnson gleefully took up the challenge.
• If the profession does not take up the challenge others will, and an opportunity will have been missed.
• If human beings took up the challenge, their response would lay the foundations of civilization.
• He has taken up the challenge to lead.
• As it stands, few serious runners are likely to take up the challenge to turn it on.
taking up … positions
• Out we went at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, taking up our positions as dusk arrived.
• Reader Activity My interviewees are taking up subject positions as readers as they talk to me.
• Taking up Positions as Readers Knowledge of the ways in which texts circulate colours reading.
Related topics: Trade
ˈtake-up noun [uncountable] British English
the rate at which people accept something that is offered to them
Take-up for college places has been slow.
Examples from the Corpus
take-up
• This was not mentioned and highlights the intricacies of benefit take-up.
• To date, however, take-up has been disappointing.
• This increased take-up is a result of the in-service training programme aimed directly at teachers.
• He is also concerned about the low take-up of conducting case conferences by telephone.
• Nowhere was this clearer than in moralists’ take-up of scientific logic and a language of rationality.
• Assuming a proportionally similar take-up on university validated courses, there were about 8,500 students on all Dip.HE courses.
• Up to £2 million has been budgeted for the special needs grant but the amount spent will depend on the take-up.
• The take-up has been disappointing in some respects, with the most highly motivated members attending several courses.
From Business Dictionary
take something → up phrasal verb [transitive]
1to start a new job or have a new responsibility
He is leaving to take up a position in the private sector.
2to do something about an idea or suggestion that you have been considering
I’m going to take this matter up with my lawyer.
3to use a particular amount of space or time
Computer equipment takes up about a quarter of the office space.
This problem is taking up too much of my time.
→ take→ See Verb table
ˈtake-up noun [uncountable]
the rate at which people buy or accept something offered by a company, government etc
The bank has not announced targets but it will need high take-up rates to justify its investment.
adjective
1 difficult to see, hear, smell etc
feeling weak and as if you are about to become unconscious because you are very ill, tired, or hungry
faint1 /feɪnt/ ●●○ adjective 1 difficult to see, hear, smell etc She gave a faint smile. a very faint noise the faint light of dawn ► see thesaurus at quiet 2 → a faint hope/possibility/chance etc 3 → not have the faintest idea 4 feeling weak and as if you are about to become unconscious because you are very ill, tired, or hungry The heat made him feel quite faint. faint with I was faint with hunger. —faintly adverb Everyone looked faintly surprised. The sun shone faintly through the clouds. —faintness noun [uncountable] → damn somebody/something with faint praise at damn4(6) Examples from the Corpus faint • The men went away, and we could hear their voices get fainter and fainter. • For a moment she looked quite faint, but with a great effort she stood her ground. • Before she got there, however, there was a faint cracking from the surrounding darkness. • Then Freitag made a faint gesture to his partner, who put away his pen and notebook. • Immediately four faint, narrow lines appeared, bracketing a tiny and undistinguished star. • We heard a faint noise coming from the room. • I could just make out the faint outline of the cliffs. • On the wall you could see the faint outline of where a picture had once hung. • M56 is not at all prominent, but shows up as a faint patch of light. • There were a few faint pencil lines on the page. • He could not resist a faint smile creeping over his face. • There was silence for a moment as they held each other's eyes, broken only by the faint sound of dance music from down below. • Jean opened the window, and heard the faint sound of the bells drifting across the Old Town. • A second set of shadows appeared; at first long and faint, they shortened and sharpened rapidly. • Far down the inverted telescope he saw the faint white figure of May Welland-in New York. faint light • He knew he was quite safe, yet he felt increasingly tense as he ascended the steep path in the faint light. • In the distance I could see a faint light, and I decided to try to reach it. • A street lamp threw faint light and out of it came a young woman. • Standing all day on the wet clay floor under the dropping ceiling in the faint light cast by tallow candles was grim. • I inspected the room in the faint light coming in around the shutters. • A faint light now appears behind the beaded curtain of one of the houses that face the courtyard. • In the faint light of what is left of day, she can barely make out the road ahead. • A laser transmitted faint light signals to an electronic detector. feel ... faint • He was starting to feel faint. • One Saturday, in September 1995, my pulse races, I get dizzy, and feel faint. • She should not be embarrassed or alarmed if she feels faint. • She stopped using the drugs in January when she suddenly passed out and began feeling faint and weak. • She was already feeling faint, as much from the stale heat of the attic room as for any other reason. • I saw her often just lying down in the afternoons because she felt faint from hunger. • She felt faint when she thought how near she had come to disaster. • Resting there, in the protection of the mighty canopy, was an object which made him feel faint with fear. faint2 ●●○ verb [intransitive] 1 to suddenly become unconscious for a short time SYN pass out Several fans fainted in the blazing heat. 2 → I nearly/almost fainted → See Verb table Examples from the Corpus faint • Just went around in my wrapper all the livelong day, my mama would faint. • I need to go outside. I feel as if I'm going to faint. • It was hot and crowded, and several people fainted. • Flatch replied, determined not to faint. • I must have fainted, and when I came to I didn't know where I was. • He wondered whether he might not faint away. • My grandmother continued to have fainting fits and hysterical fits. • Almost fainting from lack of air, she could only answer in choked gasps. • One of the soldiers guarding the palace fainted in the heat. • Hyperventilation and Anxiety Symptoms Symptoms of a panic attack initiated by adrenalin can never cause us to faint or be sick. • Hi, Robyn, Don't faint with shock, but I felt like writing you a letter! Related topics: Illness & disability faint3 noun [singular] an act of becoming unconscious in a (dead) faint She fell down in a faint. Examples from the Corpus faint • In the eighth round, she faced syncope, which means a faint or swoon. in a (dead) faint • When the chanting stops they fall back in a faint. • David collapsed to the carpet in a faint. • He whirled around at Leif's horrified cry and the bump as the maid fell in a dead faint to the floor. • She slipped forward out of the chair and hit the floor in a dead faint. • As she did so, the colourless lips moved in a faint moan. • Mostly black on black, its central diamond is traced in faint gold and barely visible. • So he made me pretend I was in a dead faint. Origin faint1 (1200-1300) Old French faindre, feindre “to pretend”; → FEIGN
phrasal verb
1 to bring food or drink up from your stomach out through your mouth because you are ill SYN vomit
throw up phrasal verb
1 to bring food or drink up from your stomach out through your mouth because you are ill SYN vomit
Georgia was bent over the basin, throwing up.
2 throw something ↔ up British English to produce problems, ideas, results etc
The arrangement may throw up problems in other areas.
3 throw something ↔ up if a vehicle, runner etc throws up dust, water etc as they move along, they make it rise into the air
4 throw something ↔ up British English informal to suddenly leave your job, your home etc
I can’t just throw everything up and come and live with you.
5 throw something ↔ up British English to build something quickly
new houses hastily thrown up by developers
→ throw→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
throw up
• I tried giving him some cool, boiled water, but he even threw that up.
• Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up.
• Keith’s had a particularly nasty form of the illness - he’s even been throwing up with it.
verb [transitive]
to succeed in doing something, especially after trying very hard SYN achieve
ac‧com‧plish /əˈkʌmplɪʃ $ əˈkɑːm-, əˈkʌm-/ ●○○ verb [transitive]
to succeed in doing something, especially after trying very hard SYN achieve
We have accomplished all we set out to do.
Mission accomplished (=we have done what we intended to do).
► see thesaurus at succeed
→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
accomplish
• Amy’s very proud of what she’s accomplished.
• At any rate, it had been accomplished.
• Easy enough to say, but sometimes hard to accomplish!
• She found the job frustrating, and felt she wasn’t accomplishing anything there.
• How can so much movement in the wrong direction be accomplished in one year?
• As you accomplish tasks, cross them off your list.
• But not all pretended deeds have to fall short of their normal function in order to accomplish their communicative purpose.
• What exactly do you hope to accomplish this year?
Mission accomplished
• And that was it? Mission accomplished?
• Carol hadn’t stirred. Mission accomplished.
• Then retreat along the trail. Mission accomplished.
Origin accomplish (1300-1400) Old French acomplir, from Vulgar Latin accomplere, from Latin ad- “to” + complere ( → COMPLETE1)
