fce 9 Flashcards
mis‧for‧tune / mɪsfɔtʃ ə n $ -ɔr- / noun [ uncountable and countable ]
very bad luck, or something that happens to you as a result of bad luck :
It seems the banks always profit from farmers’ misfortunes.
have the misfortune to do/of doing something
The French soldiers had the misfortune to be caught in the crossfire
in‧hab‧i‧tant / ɪnhæbətənt, ɪnhæbɪtənt / noun [ countable ]
one of the people who live in a particular place :
a city of six million inhabitants
mol‧ten / məʊlt ə n $ moʊl- / adjective [ usually before noun ]
molten metal or rock has been made into a liquid by being heated to a very high temperature : molten iron molten lava (= liquid rock from a volcano )
im‧pre‧cise AC / ɪmprɪ’saɪs◂ / adjective
not clear or exact OPP precise , exact :
vague imprecise estimates
Alcohol affects the brain, making speech slurred and imprecise.
— imprecisely adverb
— imprecision / -sɪʒ ə n / noun [ uncountable ] :
an imprecision in the terminology
meet a challenge/rise to a challenge
(= successfully deal with one )
a new and vibrant initiative to meet the challenge of the 21st century
ex‧ceed AC / ɪksid / verb [ transitive ] formal
1 to be more than a particular number or amount :
Working hours must not exceed 42 hours a week.
His performance exceeded our expectations .
2 to go beyond what rules or laws say you are allowed to do :
He was fined for exceeding the speed limit.
The riot police had exceeded their authority .
flank 1 / flæŋk / noun [ countable ]
1 the side of an animal’s or person’s body, between the rib s and the hip
2 the side of an army in a battle, or a sports team when playing :
We were attacked on our left flank.
3 the side of a hill, mountain, or very large building
plume 1 / plum / noun [ countable ]
1 a cloud of smoke, dust etc which rises up into the air
plume of smoke/dust/gas/spray etc
A black plume of smoke rose above the city.
2 a large feather or bunch of feathers, especially one that is used as a decoration on a hat
→ nom de plume
plain 2 noun
plain 2 noun
1 ( also plains ) [ countable ] a large area of flat dry land → prairie :
The grassy plain gave way to an extensive swamp.
the vast plains of central China
2 [ uncountable ] the ordinary stitch in knitting
roam / rəʊm $ roʊm / verb
1 [ intransitive and transitive ] to walk or travel, usually for a long time, with no clear purpose or direction → wander
roam over/around/about etc
The dogs are allowed to roam around.
Chickens and geese roam freely in the back yard.
You shouldn’t let your children roam the streets .
roam the countryside/desert/forests etc
Wild sheep roam the hills.
sus‧tain W3 AC / səsteɪn / verb [ transitive ]
make something continue to make something continue to exist or happen for a period of time SYN maintain :
She found it difficult to sustain the children’s interest.
He was incapable of sustaining close relationships with women.
the policies necessary to sustain economic growth → sustained
drive somebody/something ↔ out phrasal verb
1 to force someone or something to leave :
Downtown stores are being driven out by crime.
2 written to make something stop existing :
As we went forward, our fear was driven out by horror.
graze 1 / ɡreɪz / verb
1 [ intransitive and transitive ] if an animal grazes, or if you graze it, it eats grass that is growing
graze on
Groups of cattle were grazing on the rich grass.
fields where they used to graze their sheep
2 [ transitive ] to accidentally break the surface of your skin by rubbing it against something :
I fell on the gravel, severely grazing my knee.
cat‧tle / kætl / noun [ plural ]
cows and bull s kept on a farm for their meat or milk :
herds of cattle
dairy/beef cattle
20/100 etc head of cattle (= 20, 100 etc cattle )
a cattle rancher
dig something ↔ up phrasal verb
1 to remove something from the earth using a spade :
I’ll dig up that plant and move it.
2 to remove the surface of an area of ground, road etc, or to make holes in it :
They’re digging up the road just outside my flat.
3 to find hidden or forgotten information by careful searching :
They tried to dig up something from his past to spoil his chances of being elected.
suc‧ces‧sion AC / səkseʃ ə n / noun
1 in succession happening one after the other without anything different happening in between :
She won the championship four times in succession.
in quick/rapid/close succession (= quickly one after the other )
He fired two shots in quick succession.
anchor 2 verb
1 [ intransitive and transitive ] to lower the anchor on a ship or boat to hold it in one place SYN moor :
Three tankers were anchored in the harbor.
2 [ transitive usually passive ] to fasten something firmly so that it cannot move :
The shelves should be securely anchored to the wall.
mi‧grant AC / maɪɡrənt / noun [ countable ]
1 someone who goes to live in another area or country, especially in order to find work → emigrant , immigrant
migrant worker/labourer
A lot of factory work is done by migrant workers.
economic migrant (= someone who goes to live in another country because they are likely to find a better job there )
2 a bird or animal that travels regularly from one part of the world to another
sub‧si‧dy AC / sʌbsədi, sʌbsɪdi / noun ( plural subsidies ) [ countable ]
money that is paid by a government or organization to make prices lower, reduce the cost of producing goods etc
trade/agricultural subsidies etc
international disagreement over trade subsidies
measure 2 W2 noun [ countable ]
action an action, especially an official one, that is intended to deal with a particular problem SYN step :
Measures are being taken to reduce crime in the city.
drastic/tough/extreme etc measures
drastic measures to reduce traffic problems
New safety measures were being demanded after last night’s horrific train crash.
The new bridge was erected as a temporary measure to replace the one which was destroyed by floods.
precautionary/preventative measure (= something done to stop something bad from happening )
He was kept in hospital overnight as a precautionary measure.
a‧cre / eɪkə $ -ər / noun [ countable ]
1 a unit for measuring area, equal to 4,840 square yards or 4,047 square metres :
They own 200 acres of farmland.
a 200-acre wood
2 acres of space/room British English informal a large amount of space
neg‧li‧gent / neɡlɪdʒ ə nt / adjective
not taking enough care over something that you are responsible for, with the result that serious mistakes are made SYN irresponsible OPP responsible
negligent in (doing) something
The report stated that Dr Brady had been negligent in not giving the patient a full examination.
Mr Brown was found guilty of negligent driving.
vi‧cin‧i‧ty / və’sɪnəti, vɪ’sɪnəti / noun formal
1 in the vicinity (of something) in the area around a particular place :
The stolen car was found in the vicinity of the station.
There used to be a mill in the vicinity.
2 in the vicinity of £3 million/$1,500/2 billion years etc close to a particular amount or measurement :
All meteorites are of the same age, somewhere in the vicinity of 4.5 billion years old.
mon‧soon / mɒnsun $ mɑn- / noun [ countable ]
1 [ usually singular ] the season, from about April to October, when it rains a lot in India and other southern Asian countries
2 the heavy rain that falls during the monsoon, or the wind that brings the rain
be‧fore‧hand S3 / bɪfɔhænd $ -fɔr- / adverb
before something else happens or is done :
The police need to be briefed beforehand on how to deal with this sort of situation.
When you give a speech, it’s natural to feel nervous beforehand.
practise what you preach
to do the things that you advise other people to do :
She didn’t always practise what she preached.
THESAURU
wake up and smell the coffee
American English spoken used to tell someone to recognize the truth or reality of a situation
wake up to something phrasal verb
to start to realize and understand a danger, an idea etc :
It’s time you woke up to the fact that it’s a tough world.
mis‧place / mɪspleɪs / verb [ transitive ]
to lose something for a short time by putting it in the wrong place SYN mislay :
Oh dear, I seem to have misplaced the letter.
dis‧place AC / dɪspleɪs / verb [ transitive ]
2 to make a group of people or animals have to leave the place where they normally live :
Fifty thousand people have been displaced by the fighting.
3 to force something out of its usual place or position :
The water displaced by the landslides created a tidal wave.
push somebody around ( also push somebody about British English ) phrasal verb
to tell someone what to do in an impolite or threatening way :
Europeans sometimes feel the Americans are trying to push them around.
have a screw loose informal
slightly crazy, often in an amusing way‧ “Fernando can be really weird sometimes.” “Yeah, he’s got a screw loose, no question.”
dig‧ni‧ty / dɪɡnəti, dɪɡnɪti / noun [ uncountable ]
the ability to behave in a calm controlled way even in a difficult situation
with dignity
The family faced their ordeal with dignity.
an appearance of quiet dignity
in‧teg‧ri‧ty AC / ɪnteɡrəti, ɪnteɡrɪti / noun [ uncountable ]
1 the quality of being honest and strong about what you believe to be right
personal/professional/political etc integrity
a man of great moral integrity
2 formal the state of being united as one complete thing :
the territorial integrity of the country
per‧ish / perɪʃ / verb
1 [ intransitive ] formal or literary to die, especially in a terrible or sudden way :
Hundreds perished when the ship went down.
van‧ish / vænɪʃ / verb [ intransitive ]
1 to disappear suddenly, especially in a way that cannot be easily explained :
My keys were here a minute ago but now they’ve vanished.
vanish without (a) trace/vanish off the face of the earth (= disappear so that no sign remains )
The youngster vanished without a trace one day and has never been found.
The bird vanished from sight .
She seemed to have just vanished into thin air (= suddenly disappeared in a very mysterious way ) .
im‧mi‧grate AC / ɪməɡreɪt, ɪmɪɡreɪt / verb [ intransitive ]
to come into a country in order to live there permanently → emigrate , migrate :
His father and mother immigrated when he was two.
em‧i‧grate / eməɡreɪt, emɪɡreɪt / verb [ intransitive ]
to leave your own country in order to live in another country → immigrate
emigrate to/from
He emigrated to Australia as a young man.
mi‧grate AC / maɪɡreɪt $ maɪɡreɪt / verb
1 [ intransitive + from/to ] if birds or animals migrate, they travel regularly from one part of the world to another → migratory
2 [ intransitive + from/to ] if people migrate, they go to live in another area or country, especially in order to find work → emigrate
