For and Against - 27 - 'Capital punishment is the only way to deter criminals'

Question 1

Capital punishment noun [uncountable]
مجازات اعدام، اشد مجازات

Answer 1

punishment which involves killing someone who has committed a crime → death penalty
- Capital punishment is the only way to deter criminals

Question 2

deter /dɪˈtɜː $ -ˈtɜːr/verb (deterred, deterring) [transitive]
بازداشتن, ترساندن

Answer 2

to stop someone from doing something, by making them realize it will be difficult or have bad results → deterrent
- The company’s financial difficulties have deterred potential investors.
deter somebody from (doing) something
- The security camera was installed to deter people from stealing.
- Capital punishment is the only way to deter criminals
In everyday English, people usually say put someone off rather than deter someone:
- Don’t let a few problems put you off.

Question 3

thug /θʌɡ/ noun [countable]
اراذل و اوباش,قاتل, گردن کلفت

Answer 3

a violent man
- He was beaten up by a gang of young thugs.
- It will never do, these days, to go around referring to criminals as violent thugs.

Question 4

social misfit /ˈsəʊʃəl ˈmɪsˌfɪt / noun [countable]

Answer 4

a person who does not conform to others’ views of what is normal or acceptable in society
- He was shy, but not a social misfit; he had held down a senior position at the Welsh Office.
- You must refer to them politely as ‘social misfits’.

Question 5

cosh /kɒʃ $ kɑːʃ/ noun [countable]

Answer 5

1 a heavy weapon in the shape of a short thick pipe
- The professional killer who wouldn’t think twice about using his cosh or crowbar to batter some harmless old lady to death in order to rob her of her meagre life-savings must never be given a dose of his own medicine.
2 → under the cosh
British English informal in a difficult situation and under a lot of pressure
- A lot of people are under the cosh financially at present.

Question 6

crowbar /ˈkrəʊbɑː $ ˈkroʊbɑːr/ noun [countable]
دیلم

Answer 6

a heavy iron bar used to lift something or force it open
- It looked as if it would take a crowbar to open his mouth.
- The professional killer who wouldn’t think twice about using his cosh or crowbar to batter some harmless old lady to death in order to rob her of her meagre life-savings must never be given a dose of his own medicine.

Question 7

batter /ˈbætə $ -ər/ verb
[intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive]
داغان کردن, خراب کردن,پی درپی زدن

Answer 7

to hit someone or something many times, in a way that hurts or damages them
- He was battered to death.
- The professional killer who wouldn’t think twice about using his cosh or crowbar to batter some harmless old lady to death in order to rob her of her meagre life-savings must never be given a dose of his own medicine.
As a child, she was battered by her father.
batter at/on/against etc
- People were battering at the door.
batter somebody with something
- He was battered on the head with a cricket bat.
batter away
- She battered away at his chest with her fists.
batter something down
- Armed police battered his door down.

Question 8

meagre British English, meager American English /ˈmiːɡə $ -ər/ adjective
ناچیز

Answer 8

a meagre amount of food, money etc is too small and is much less than you need → substantial
- a meagre diet of bread and beans
meagre income/earnings/wages etc
- He supplements his meager income by working on Saturdays.
- a school with meagre resources
- The professional killer who wouldn’t think twice about using his cosh or crowbar to batter some harmless old lady to death in order to rob her of her meagre life-savings must never be given a dose of his own medicine.
—meagrely adverb
—meagreness noun [uncountable]

Question 9

absurdly/əbˈsɜːdli, -ˈzɜːd- $ -ɜːr-/ adverb
غیر منطقی, نامعقول, غیر عقلانی, بی معنی

Answer 9

Surprisingly or unreasonably SYN ridiculously
- We have done away with the absurdly harsh laws of the nineteenth century and this is only right.
absurdly low/high
- Prices seem absurdly low to Western tourists.

Question 10

harsh /hɑːʃ $ hɑːrʃ/ adjective
خشن, ناگوار, تند

Answer 10

1 CONDITIONS harsh conditions are difficult to live in and very uncomfortable SYN severe
- The hostages are being held in harsh conditions.
- We have done away with the absurdly harsh laws of the nineteenth century and this is only right.
harsh winter/weather/climate
- the harsh Canadian winters
- a young girl suddenly exposed to the harsh realities of life
2 TREATMENT/CRITICISM severe, cruel, or unkind
harsh criticism/treatment/punishment etc
- the harsh measures taken against the protesters
- ‘She’s an idiot!’ ‘Aren’t you being a bit harsh?’
► see thesaurus at strict
3 SOUND unpleasantly loud and rough OPP soft
harsh voice/laugh/tone etc
- His voice was harsh and menacing.

Question 11

legislation /ˌledʒəˈsleɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
قانون گذاری

Answer 11

law or set of laws
- It is a very important piece of legislation.
- The most senseless piece of criminal legislation in Britain and a number of other countries has been the suspension of capital punishment.
legislation on
- the legislation on abortion
legislation to do something
- new legislation to protect children
introduce/bring in legislation
- The government is bringing in legislation to combat this problem.
under new/existing/current etc legislation
- The company can be prosecuted under the new legislation.

Question 12

glorified/ˈɡlɔːrɪfaɪd/ adjective [only before noun]
تجلیل شده

Answer 12

made to seem like something more important
- Many bosses view secretaries as no more than glorified typists.
- He is glorified on the screen; he is pursued by the press and paid vast sums of money for his ‘memoirs’.

Question 13

memoirs
خاطرات گذشته، خاطرات

Answer 13

a book by someone important and famous in which they write about their life and experiences
- Lady Thatcher had just published her memoirs.
- He is glorified on the screen; he is pursued by the press and paid vast sums of money for his ‘memoirs’.

Question 14

hardened criminal
مجرم سابقه دار

Answer 14

hardened criminal/police officer etc
a criminal, police officer etc who has had a lot of experience of things that are shocking and is therefore less affected by them
-The hardened criminal is cuddled and cosseted by the sociologists.

Question 15

cosset/ˈkɒsɪt $ ˈkɑː-/ verb [transitive]
بچه نازپرورده، بره دست اموز

Answer 15

to give someone as much care and attention as you can, especially too much SYN pamper
- He cosseted her with flowers and champagne.
-The hardened criminal is cuddled and cosseted by the sociologists.

Question 16

privileged /ˈprɪvəlɪdʒd/ adjective
ممتاز

Answer 16

1
a) having advantages because of your wealth, social position etc OPP underprivileged
- Students from a privileged background have an advantage at university.
- It’s no wonder he is a privileged person who expects and receives VIP treatment wherever he goes.
b) the privileged [plural] people who are privileged
► see thesaurus at rich
2 Having a special advantage or a chance to do something that most people cannot do
- Kylie feels fortunate to be in such a privileged position because of her successful TV career.
be privileged to do something
- I was privileged to lead the team.
3 law privileged information is private and is not allowed to be made public by law

Question 17

ponder /ˈpɒndə $ ˈpɑːndər/ verb [intransitive, transitive]
اندیشیدن, تعمق کردن, سنجیدن

Answer 17

formal to spend time thinking carefully and seriously about a problem, a difficult question, or something that has happened SYN consider
- He continued to ponder the problem as he walked home.
- It gave the cold-blooded poisoner something to ponder about
ponder on/over/about
- The university board is still pondering over the matter.
ponder how/what/whether
- Jay stood still for a moment, pondering whether to go or not.
► see thesaurus at think

Question 18

mow down phrasal verb informal

Answer 18

mow somebody ↔ down
1 to kill large numbers of people at the same time, especially by shooting them
- The soldiers were mown down by machine-gun fire.
- It prevented unarmed policemen from being mowed down while pursuing their duty.
2 to kill someone by driving into them fast
- He was sentenced to two years in prison for mowing down a nine-year old girl.

Question 19

villain /ˈvɪlən/ noun [countable]
تبه کار, لات, شرور

Answer 19

1 the main bad character in a film, play, or story
- After ten years or so of ‘good conduct’, the most desperate villain is free to return to society.
2 → the villain of the piece
the person or thing that has caused all the trouble in a particular situation
3 informal a bad person or criminal

Question 20

offences British English, offense American English /əˈfens/ noun
جرایم

Answer 20

1 [countable] an illegal action or a crime
- His solicitor said he committed the offence because he was heavily in debt.
- he will go on committing offences until he is caught again.
offence against
sexual offences against children
► see thesaurus at crime
2 [uncountable] when you offend or upset someone by something you do or say
cause/give offence
- The problem was how to say ‘no’ to her without causing offence.
- Don’t be upset by what he said; he meant no offence (=did not intend to offend anyone).
3 → no offence
spoken used to tell someone that you hope that what you are going to say or do will not offend them
- No offense, but this cheese tastes like rubber.
4 → take offence (at something)
to feel offended because of something someone says or does
- I think he took offence at my lack of enthusiasm.
5 [uncountable] formal the act of attacking
- the weapon of offence used during the attack

Question 21

underdog/ˈʌndədɒɡ $ ˈʌndərdɒːɡ/ noun [countable]
ضعیف

Answer 21

a person, team etc that is weaker than the others, is always expected to be unsuccessful, and that is often treated badly
- Crowds often feel sympathy for the underdog.
- It’s always fashionable to pose as the defender of the under-dog.

Question 22

towards /təˈwɔːdz $ tɔːrdz, twɔːrdz/especially British English,
toward /təˈwɔːd $ tɔːrd, twɔːrd/ especially American English
به سمت, طرف

Answer 22

preposition
1 DIRECTION used to say that someone or something moves, looks, faces, etc. in the direction of someone or something
- He noticed two policemen coming towards him.
- All the windows face toward the river.
- He was standing with his back towards me.
- There has been a marked trend in society towards the humane treatment of less fortunate member
2 PRODUCING A RESULT in a process that will produce a particular result
- These negotiations are the first step toward reaching an agreement.
- The crisis continued as Britain drifted towards war.
3 FEELING/ATTITUDE Your feeling, attitude, or behavior towards someone or something is how you feel or think about them or how you treat them
- Brian’s attitude towards his work has always been very positive.
- Her parents had been more sympathetic towards her.
4 HELP PAY FOR money put, saved, or given towards something is used to pay for it
- The money collected will be put towards repairing the church roof.
5 BEFORE just before a particular time
- Toward the end of the afternoon, it began to rain.
6 NEAR near a particular place
- Uncle Dick and Aunt Mavis live at High Burnton out towards the coast.

Question 23

retaliation /rɪˌtæliˈeɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]
عمل متقابل, تلافی

Answer 23

action against someone who has done something bad to you → revenge
- Those in favour of capital punishment are motivated only by desire for revenge and retaliation.
in retaliation (for something)
- This action was undoubtedly in retaliation for last week’s bomb attack.
retaliation against
- the threat of massive retaliation against British troops

Question 24

motivated /ˈməʊtɪveɪtɪd $ ˈmoʊ-/ AWL adjective

Answer 24

1 Very keen to do something or achieve something, especially because you find it interesting or exciting
- The students are all highly motivated.
- The key to a successful modern economy is a well-educated and motivated workforce.
- Those in favor of capital punishment are motivated only by desire for revenge and retaliation.
2 → politically/economically/financially etc motivated
done for political, economic etc reasons
- a politically motivated decision
- Police believe the attack was racially motivated.

Question 25

elimination/ɪˌlɪməˈneɪʃən/ noun [uncountable]

Answer 25

1 REMOVAL OF SOMETHING the removal or destruction of something → eradication
elimination of
- The elimination of lead in petrol
2 DEFEAT the defeat of a team or player in a competition, so that they may no longer take part
3 KILLING the act of killing someone, especially to prevent them from causing trouble
elimination of
- The killings are part of a campaign of the elimination of the political opposition.
- Crime can only be drastically reduced by the elimination of social injustices - not by creating so-called ‘deterrents’ when the real problems remain unsolved.
4 BODY PROCESS technical the process of getting rid of substances that your body no longer needs
elimination of
- the elimination of toxins from the body