English Vocabulary In Use Upper-intermediate Flashcards
fog
[a weather condition in which very small drops of water come together to form a thick cloud close to the land or seaocean, making it difficult to see]
Outside the fields were blanketed in fog.
a foggy day.
damp
[slightly wet, especially in a way that is not pleasant or comfortable]
This shirt still feels a bit damp.
thaw
[to (cause to) change from a solid, frozen state to a liquid or soft one, because of an increase in temperature]
The sun came out and thawed the ice.
stifling
[extremely hot and unpleasant]
Several hundred people were crammed into the stifling room.
muggy
[When the weather is muggy, it is unpleasantly warm and the air contains a lot of water
The muggy air made even the lightest of sheets awkward to sleep under.
drought
[a long period when there is little or no rain] This year (a) severe drought has ruined the crops.
gale
[a very strong wind]
Hundreds of old trees were blown down in the gales.
hurricane
[a violent wind that has a circular movement, especially in the West Atlantic Ocean]
The roof of their house caved in during a hurricane.
wrinkle
[a small line in the skin caused by old age]
fine wrinkles around the eyes
plump
[polite word for fat]
He’s got rather plump since I last saw him.
stocky
[A stocky person, especially a man, is fairly short and has a body that is wide across the shoulders and chest
The man was described as short and stocky and very strong.
obese
[extremely fat in a way that is dangerous for health
She was not just overweight; she was clinically obese.
scruffy
[untidy and looking a little dirty]
They live in a scruffy part of town.
shrewd
[having or based on a clear understanding and good judgment of a situation, resulting in an advantage]
It was a shrewd move to buy your house just before property prices started to rise.
daft
[silly or stupid]
You daft idiot!
cunning
[Cunning people are clever at planning something so that they get what they want, especially by tricking other people, or things that are cleverly made for a particular purpose]
They made their way safely back through enemy territory by stealth and cunning.
crafty
[clever, especially in a dishonest or secret way]
I have some crafty ideas for getting around the regulations.
sly
[deceiving people in a clever way in order to get what you want]
He’s a sly old devil - I wouldn’t trust him with my money.
pessimistic
[thinking that bad things are more likely to happen or emphasizing the bad part of a situation]
The doctors are pessimistic (= not hopeful) about his chances of recovery.
optimistic
[hoping or believing that good things will happen in the future]
She is optimistic about her chances of winning a gold medal.
extrovert
[an energetic person who enjoys being with other people]
Most sales people are extroverts.
introvert
[someone who is shy, quiet, and prefers to spend time alone rather than often being with other people]
He is remembered as a quiet, introverted individual.
gregarious
[(of people) liking to be with other people]
Leo was an open, gregarious, kind individual, who loved people.
quarrelsome
[A quarrelsome person repeatedly argues with other people]
Seeing his slovenly and quarrelsome wife’s face, he leaves his meal and goes outside.
sadistic
[getting pleasure, sometimes sexual, by being cruel to or hurting another person]
He enjoyed a sadistic pleasure when watching people get hurt.
obstinate
[unreasonably determined, especially to act in a particular way and not to change at all, despite what anyone else says]
her obstinate refusal to compromise
stingy
[unwilling to spend money; small in amount]
He’s really stingy and never buys anyone a drink when we go out.
tight-fisted
[unwilling to spend money]
Don’t wait for Gillian to buy you a drink - she’s too tight-fisted.
miser
[someone who has a strong wish to have money and hates to spend it]
On environmental spending, the president is a miser.
arrogant
[unpleasantly proud and behaving as if you are more important than, or know more than, other people]
Like a lot of hospital consultants, he terrifies his patients with his arrogant manner.
eccentric
[strange or unusual, sometimes in a humorous way]
She was an elderly eccentric who lived with 25 cats.
blunt
[saying what you think without trying to be polite or caring about other people’s feelings]
Blunt and outspoken, he often quarreled with fellow officials.
abrupt
[using too few words when talking, in a way that seems rude and unfriendly]
His abrupt manner makes me uncomfortable.
brusque
[quick and rude in manner or speech]
As the president’s chief of staff, he offended many with his brusque manner.
curt
[If someone’s manner or speech is curt, it is rude as a result of being very quick]
She nodded to him curtly and kept talking to someone else.
inquisitive
[wanting to discover as much as you can about things, sometimes in a way that annoys people]
She could see inquisitive faces looking out from the windows next door.
extravagant
[spending too much money, or using too much of something]
It was very extravagant of you to buy strawberries out of season.
pushy
[behaving in an unpleasant way by trying too much to get something or to make someone do something]
The salesman was a little too pushy, and we felt uncomfortable.
assertive
[Someone who is assertive behaves confidently and is not frightened to say what they want or believe]
He taught his children to be assertive and to stand up to the bullies.
aggressive
[behaving in an angry and violent way towards another person]
If I criticize him, he gets aggressive and starts shouting.
accquaintance
[a person that you have met but do not know well]
It was at the Taylors’ party that I first made his acquaintance (= first met him).
loathe
[to hate someone or something]
From an early age the brothers have loathed each other.
detach
[to separate or remove something from something else that it is connected to]
Detach the lower part of the form from this letter and return it to the above address.
terrace
[a row of often small houses joined together along their side walls]
bungalow
[a house that usually has only one storey (= level), sometimes with a smaller upper storey set in the roof and windows that come out from the roof]
There were small, white bungalows dotted over the hillside.
cottage
[a small house, usually in the countryside]
We used to while away the weekends at my aunt’s cottage in the country.
villa
[a house, usually in the countryside or near the sea, especially in southern Europe, and often one that people can rent for a holiday]
The role of the villa might remain the space that enables contemplation to become an ethos, and for action to become reconciled with poetry.
cellar
[a room under the ground floor of a building, usually used for storing things]
He led us down a small staircase into a dank, dark cellar.
porch
[a covered structure in front of the entrance to a building]
The back porch looks out on our garden.
leak
[(of a liquid or gas) to escape from a hole or crack in a pipe or container; (of a container) to allow liquid or gas to escape]
Water was leaking from the pipe.
smash
[to cause something to break noisily into a lot of small pieces]
Some thugs smashed his windows.
twist
[If you twist a part of your body, such as your ankle, you injure it by suddenly turning it]
She slipped on the ice and twisted her knee.
bruise
[an injury or mark where the skin has not been broken but is darker in colour, often as a result of being hit by something]
I’ve got a big purple bruise where I hit my leg against the corner of the table.
dent
[a small hollow mark in the surface of something, caused by pressure or by being hit]
I dropped a hammer on the floor, and it dented the floorboard.
landslide
[a mass of rock and earth moving suddenly and quickly down a steep slope]
The opinion polls are predicting a landslide for the Republicans in next week’s election.
epidemic
[the appearance of a particular disease in a large number of people at the same time]
covid
casualty
[a person injured or killed in a serious accident or war]
The train was derailed but there were no casualties, police said.
rabies
[a serious disease of the nervous system that can cause death. Rabies can be passed on to humans by other animals]
Dogs, cats, foxes, and bats can all carry rabies.
[bệnh dại]
malaria
[a disease that you can get from the bite of a particular type of mosquito (= a small flying insect). Malaria causes periods of fever and makes you shiver and feel very cold. It is common in many hotter parts of the world]
[sốt rét]
cholera
[a serious infection of the bowels caused by bacteria esp. in water, causing severe diarrhea and sometimes death]
[bệnh tả]
typhoid
[an infectious disease spread by dirty water and food, causing a high body temperature, red spots on the upper body, severe pains in the bowels, and sometimes death]
[thương hàn]
diarrhoea
[an illness in which the body’s solid waste is more liquid than usual and comes out of the body more often]
[tiêu chảy]
dissertation
[a long piece of writing on a particular subject, especially one that is done in order to receive a degree at college or university]
Ann did her dissertation on Baudelaire.
brook
[a small stream]
I could hear the sound of a babbling brook.
be fringe with
[If a place is fringed with something, that thing forms a border along the edge]
The river is fringed with wild flowers.
intricate
[with many complicated details that make something difficult to understand]
Police officers uncovered an intricate web of deceit.
decency
[behaviour that is good, moral, and acceptable in society]
She didn’t even have the decency to apologize.
cascade
[a small waterfall, often one of a group]
A cascade of golden hair fell down his back.
decorum
[behaviour that is controlled, calm, and polite]
As young ladies we were expected to act with proper decorum.
by dint of
[as a result of something]
She got what she wanted by dint of pleading and threatening.
