English vocabulary Flashcards
Enticement
The act of persuading someone to do something by offering them something pleasant.
One of the enticements of the job is the company car.
Foreign investors were offered every imaginable free-market enticement.
Lingering
Lasting a long time
She gave him a long, lingering kiss.
She says she stopped seeing him, but I still have lingering doubts.
The defeat ends any lingering hopes she might have had of winning the championship.
By all means
Used to give permission - Yes, certainly
May I borrow this book?, By all means
Could I have a glass of water, please?. By all means, I’ll get it for you.
Honourable
honest and fair, or deserving praise and respect:
an honourable person
Comprise
To have things or people as parts or members. To consist of.
The course comprises a class book, a practice book, and a CD.
To be the parts or members of something.
Italian students comprise 60 percent of the class.
The class is comprised mainly of Italian and French students.
Visible light comprises only a minute fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Symtom
Any feeling of illness or physical or mental change that is caused by a particular disease
or
Any single problem that is caused by and shows a more serious and general problem.
He’s complaining of all the usual flu symptons, a high temperature, headache, and so on.
It’s her feeling that the recent outbreaks of violence are a sympton of the dissatisfaction that is currently affecting our society.
The never never - informal
On the never-never using a system of payment in which part of the cost of something is paid immediately and then small regular payments are made until the debt is reduced to nothing.
I do not like buying things on the never-never because they charge you such a lot in interest.
They dont like to pay in the never-never
Surge
A sudden and great increase
An unexpected surge in electrical power caused the computer to crash.
There has been a surge in house prices recently.
Copious
in large amounts, or more than enough:
They drank copious amounts of wine.
He took copious notes during the lecture.
Mislay
To lose something temporarily by forgetting where you have put it
Could I borrow a pen? I seem to have mislaid mine.
I was sure He had mislaid the check.
Resumption
The start of something again after it has stopped.
The president called for an immediate ceasefire and a resumption of negotiations between two sides.
shore something up
to stop a wall or a building from falling down by supporting it with building materials such as wood or metal:
Boundary walls have had to be shored up.
to support or improve an organization, agreement, or system that is not working effectively or that is likely to fail:
The new public relations manager has the difficult task of shoring up the company’s troubled image.
stump up - informal
to pay an amount or type of money for something, especially unwillingly:
It can be cheaper to stump up for a new washing machine than to get your old one repaired.
Chissano said Western governments should stump up the cash to fund land redistribution.
overhaul
to repair an engine, machine, etc. so that every part of it works as it should:
I got the engine overhauled. to completely change a system so that it works more effectively:
The government has recently overhauled the healthcare system.
The school chose to overhaul its curriculum by equipping classrooms with new technology.
draw the line
idiom to put a limit on what you will do or allow to happen, esp. because you feel something is wrong:
I’ll do whatever my company asks me to, but I draw the line when someone asks me to lie for them.
hike
a long walk, especially in the countryside.
an increase in the cost of something, especially a large or unwanted increase:
The recent hike in train fares came as a shock to commuters.
a long walk, especially in the countryside
on track
making progress and likely to succeed in doing something or in achieving a particular result:
I’m on track.
They’re on track to make record profits.
The theme park is on track for a record yeard with more thatn 4 million visitors.
With the help of ther parents, she’s finally back on track.
Signpost
A pole at the side of a road, especially at a point where two or more roads meet, that gives information about routes and distances.
Something that shows what is going to happen, or what should happen, in the future.
To show clearly how something is going to develop.
This upturn in the country’s economy is a spendid signpost to the future.
The signpost said “London 18 miles”
The road wasn’t very well signposted.
The early chapters of the book signpost what is goingt to happen further on.
Rampant
adjective (INCREASING) (of something bad) getting worse quickly and in an uncontrolled way.
rampant corruption.
Rampant inflation means that our wage increases soon become worth nothing.
He said that he had encountered rampant prejudice in his attempts to get a job.
Roll smt out
to make a new product, service, or system available for the first time. (implies that is gradual)
The government plans to roll out a series of tax cuts over the next few years.
Universally
in a way that exists everywhere, or involves everyone.
It is universally acknowledged as one of the best new cars to be produced in recent years.
He is universally recognised as the world’s greatest living guitarist.
Tinker
To make small changes to something, especially in an attempt to repair or improve it.
He spends every weekend tinkering with his car.
I wish the government would stop tinkering with healthcare.
Weed sth/smone out
To get rid of unwanted things or people from a group.
The first round of interviews only really serves to weed out the very weakest of applicants.
Ditch
To get rid of something or someone that is no longer wanted.
The gateway car had been ditched a couple of miles away from the scene of the robbery.
It’s time to ditch this old, torn sweater.
Chatter
To talk for a long time about things that are not important.
She spent the morning chattering away to her friends.
He chattered happily about nothing in particular.
Resume
If an activity resumes, or if you resume it, it starts again after a pause.
Normal services will be resumed in the sprint.
The talks are due to resume today.
The director hopes to resume filming next week.
Seesaw.
A long board that children play on. The board is balanced on a central place point.
Changing repeatedly from one emotion, situation, etc. to another and then back again.
The stock market’s recent seesaw movements have made many investors nervous.
Maxim.
A brief statement of a general truth, principle, or rule for behaviour.
Se lived by the maxim, “Do right, risk consequences.”
This maxim als holds true at microscopic scales.
Pat
To touch someone or something gently and usually repeatedly with the hand flat.
He patted my head.
I bent down to pat the little puppy.
She patted him lightly on the bottom.
Dubious
Thoght not to be completely true or not able to be trusted.
Feeling doubt or not feeling certain.
These claims are dubious and not scientifically proven.
He has been associated with some dubious characters.
I’am dubious about his promises to change his ways.
Cue
To give someone a signal to do something.
Wit a nod of his head, the drummer cued the lead singer in.
Binge.
An occasion when an activity is done in an extreme way, especially eating, drinking, or spending money.
To eat too much of something.
A drinking/eating/spending binge.
He went on a five day drinking binge.
I tend to binge on chocolate when I’m watching TV.
Foster
To encourage the development or growth of ideas or feelings.
They were discussing the best way to foster democracy and prosperity in the former communist countries.
Clog
To become blocked or filled so that movement or activity is difficult.
The roads ar clogged with holiday traffic.
Eating too much fat causes your arteries to clog up.
Toilet paper had clogged the toilet.
Crate
An large box made of wood, plastic, or metal, used for storing or transporting things:
To put a dog in a crate.
Do you crate her at night?
A crate of empty bottles
The wooden shipping crates were unloaded at the dock.
Dock
A long structure built over water where passengers can get on or off a boat or where goods can be put on and taken off.
The ship sailed into the dock to be refitted.
We are currently in dock waiting to disembark.
Goose bumps
A temporary condition in which small raised swelling appear on the skin because of cold, fear, or excitement.
Let’s move out into the sun, I’m getting goose bumps
Short-tempered
If someone is short-tempered, they get angry easily, often for no good reason.
He admits to being short-tempered and not treating her well.
Sprout
To produce leaves, hair, or other new developing parts or to begin to grow.
It takes about three days for the seeds to sprout.
New factories have sprouted up everywhere.
A bean sprout.
Habitual
Usual or repeated.
A habitual thief.
Habitual drug use.
Soar
To rise very quickly to high level.
All nigh long fireworks soared into the sky.
House prices soared a further 20%.
Temperatures/prices soared.
Foreboding
A feeling that something very bad is going to happen soon.
There is a sense of foreboding in the capital, as if fighting might at any minute break out.
Her foreboding about the future were to prove justified.
The gloomy weather gave a sense of foreboding.
Bode/augur
The company augur well for the rest of the year.
Escalate
To become or make something become greater or more serious.
His financial problems escalated after her became unemployed.
The row could escalate into full-blown conflict.
The customer is threatening to escalate his complaint.
Sending more troops will escalate the war.
Worrisome
Alcohol and tobacco consumption by young people is especially worrisome because habits formed early and likely to persist.
Snowball
If a plan, problem, idea, etc. snowballs, it quickly grows bigger and more important
I suggested a few drinks after work, and the whole thing snowballed into a company party.
Public support for military action has snowballed.
Rumination
The act of thinking carefully and for a long peior about something.
Lopsided
With one side bigger, higher, etc. Than the other.
Not equally balanced in amount, importance…
The comparison is not as lopsided as it seems at first.
Boastful
Prasing yourself and what you have done.
It’s easy to see why he’s so boastful.
Knit
To make clothes, etc. by using two long needles to connect yarn or another type of thread into joined rows.
To join together.
She’s busy knitting baby clothes.
The broken bone should begin to knit in a few days.
Grooming
The things that you do to make your appearance clean and neat, for example brushing your hair, or the things that you do to keep an animal’s hair or fur clean and neat.
She pays great attention to make-up, grooming and clothes.
The constant grooming cats do is likely to make them swallow a lot of hair.
One of the things that binds groups of monkeys together is grooming.
Overhaul
To repair an engine, machine, etc. So that every part of it works as it should
The governement has recently overhauled the healthcare system.
The restaurant has overhauled its menu, cutting portions and eliminating items with lots of calories.
