For and Against - 17 - 'Childhood is certainly not the happiest time of your Life' Flashcards
hoary /ˈhɔːri/ adjective
سالخورده,کهن,سفید,هوس انگیز
1 [usually before noun] a hoary joke, remark etc is so well known that people no longer find it amusing or interesting
- Not that hoary old chestnut (=old idea, joke, remark etc) again.
- It’s about time somebody exploded that hoary old myth about childhood being the happiest period of your life.
2 old-fashioned grey or white in color, especially through age
myth /mɪθ/ noun [countable, uncountable]
اسطوره, افسانه
1 an idea or story that many people believe, but which is not true SYN fallacy
- It’s about time somebody exploded that hoary old myth about childhood being the happiest period of your life.
myth of
- the myth of male superiority
myth that
- It was important to dispel the myth that AIDS was a gay disease.
2 an ancient story, especially one invented in order to explain natural or historical events → mythology
- a book of Greek myths
myth of
- the myth of Orpheus
- the giants of myth and fairytale
fairly /ˈfeəli $ ˈferli/ adverb
منصفانه
Word family: (noun) fairness ≠ unfairness (adjective) fair ≠ unfair (adverb) fairly ≠ unfairly fair
1 [+adj/adverb] more than a little, but much less than very → quite
- The house had a fairly large garden.
- She speaks English fairly well.
- The instructions seem fairly straightforward.
- Childhood may certainly be fairly happy, but its greatest moments can’t compare with the sheer joy of being an adult.
2 in a way that is fair, honest, and reasonable
- I felt I hadn’t been treated fairly.
3 British English old-fashioned used to emphasize the degree, force etc of an action
- He fairly raced past us on his bike.
sheer /ʃɪə $ ʃɪr/ adjective
خالص، ناب, مطلق, محض
1 → the sheer weight/size etc
used to emphasize that something is very heavy, large etc
the sheer weight/size etc of
- The sheer size of the country makes communications difficult.
2 → sheer luck/happiness/stupidity etc
luck, happiness etc with no other feeling or quality mixed with it SYN pure
- I’ll never forget the look of sheer joy on her face.
- sheer hypocrisy
- its greatest moments can’t compare with the sheer joy of being an adult.
3 a sheer drop, cliff, slope etc is very steep and almost vertical
4 sheer nylon, silk etc is very thin and fine, so that it is almost transparent
- sheer stockings
kindly adjective
[only before noun] kind and caring
- Mother and father are kindly but absolute dictators.
subjection /səbˈdʒekʃən/ noun [uncountable] formal
تابعیت, پیروی
when a person or a group of people are controlled by a government or by another person
in subjection
- The government used brute force to keep people in subjection.
subjection to
- a period of subjection to Assyrian rulers
- the subjection of women
- The essential difference between manhood and childhood is the same as the difference between independence and subjection.
curfew/ˈkɜːfjuː $ ˈkɜːr-/ noun [countable, uncountable]
مقررات حکومت نظامی وخاموشی در ساعت معین شب
1 a law that forces people to stay indoors after a particular time at night, or the time people must be indoors
- The government imposed a night-time curfew throughout the country.
- The curfew was lifted (=ended) on May 6th.
- The whole town was placed under curfew.
- Anyone found in the streets after curfew was shot.
2 American English the time, decided by a parent, by which a child must be home or asleep in the evening
- Think of the curfews, the martial law, the times you had to go to bed early.
dire /daɪə $ daɪr/ adjective
وخیم, ترسناک, شوم, مهیب
1 extremely serious or terrible
- warnings of dire consequences that often don’t come true
- The country is in dire need of food aid.
- The situation looked dire.
2 → be in dire straits
3 → dire warning/prediction/forecast
a warning about something terrible that will happen in the future
- Last night there were dire warnings of civil war.
- Remember how ‘gentle’ pressure was applied with remarks like ‘if you don’t do as I say, I’ll .. .’ and a dire warning would follow.
abject /ˈæbdʒekt/ adjective
افتضاح, خفیف, پست,سرافکنده
1 (of something bad) experienced or present to the maximum degree.
- his letter plunged her into abject misery.
- Nothing can equal the abject fear a child may feel in the dark.
2 (of a person or their behavior) completely without pride or dignity; self-abasing.
- an abject apology
invariably /ɪnˈveəriəbli $ -ˈver-/ adverb
همیشه
If something invariably happens or is invariably true, it always happens or is true
- It invariably rains when I go there.
- The security guards were invariably ex-servicemen.
- Children invariably face their fears alone
emerge /ɪˈmɜːdʒ $ -ɜːrdʒ/ verb [intransitive]
بیرون آمدن, پدیدار شدن, ظهور
1 to appear or come out from somewhere
- The flowers emerge in the spring.
emerge from
- The sun emerged from behind the clouds.
2 If facts emerge, they become known after being hidden or secret → come out
- Eventually, the truth emerged.
it emerges that
- Later it emerged that the judge had employed an illegal immigrant.
3 to come out of a difficult experience
emerge from
- She emerged from the divorce as a stronger person.
- The most painful part of childhood is the period when you begin to emerge from it.
4 to begin to be known or noticed
- a religious sect that emerged in the 1830s
emerge as
- Local government has recently emerged as a major issue.
over-conscious /ˌō-vər-ˈkän(t)-shəs / adjective
بیش از حد هوشیار
excessively conscious or aware of something or someone
- Before, I’d been overconscious of time; now I had no awareness of it at all.
- Adolescents are over-conscious of their appearance and the impression they make on others.
tremendous /trɪˈmendəs/ adjective
عظیم, شگرف, فاحش
1 very big, fast, powerful etc
- Suddenly, there was a tremendous bang, and the whole station shook.
- She was making a tremendous effort to appear calm.
- She praised her husband for the tremendous support he had given her.
- Sales have been tremendous so far this year.
- This plan could save us a tremendous amount of money.
- Teenagers experience moments of tremendous elation or black despair.
2 excellent
- She’s got a tremendous voice, hasn’t she?
elation /ɪˈleɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
سرفرازی شادی
a feeling of great happiness and excitement; pleasure
- But he felt no elation about it.
-Teenagers experience moments of tremendous elation or black despair.
despair /dɪˈspeə $ -ˈsper/ noun [uncountable]
مایوس شدن, ناامیدی
1 a feeling that you have no hope at all
in despair
- She killed herself in despair.
the depths of despair (=very strong feelings of despair)
- The noise from the neighbors used to drive him to despair.
to the despair of somebody
- To the despair of the workers, the company announced the closure of the factory.
- Teenagers experience moments of tremendous elation or black despair.
2 → Be the despair of somebody
