Language in use

Question 1

brutish
BrE / brutɪʃ /
NAmE / brutɪʃ /
adjective

Answer 1

unkind and violent and not showing thought or intelligence
Life for our early ancestors was nasty, brutish and short, according to the evidence.
bru • tish • ness / BrE brutɪʃnəs ; NAmE brutɪʃnəs / noun [ uncountable ]

Question 2

merely
BrE / mɪəli /
NAmE / mɪrli /
adverb

Answer 2

used meaning ‘only’ or ‘simply’ to emphasize a fact or sth that you are saying
It is not merely a job, but a way of life.
He said nothing, merely smiled and watched her.
They agreed to go merely because they were getting paid for it.
I’m merely stating what everybody knows anyway.

Question 3

contribute     
BrE   / kəntrɪbjut / 
BrE   / kɒntrɪbjut / 
NAmE   / kəntrɪbjut / 
  verb

Answer 3

1 [ transitive ,  intransitive ] to give sth, especially money or goods, to help sb/sth
~ sth (to/towards sth) We contributed £5 000 to the earthquake fund.
~ (to/towards sth) Would you like to contribute to our collection?
Do you wish to contribute?

Question 4

Mark sb out as/for sth

Answer 4

To make people recognize sb as special in some way .

She was marked out for early promotion.

Question 5

smacking 
BrE   / smækɪŋ / 
NAmE   / smækɪŋ / 
  noun 
  [ singular ,  uncountable ]  ( especially BrE )

Answer 5

an act of hitting sb, especially a child, several times with your open hand, as a punishment
He gave both of the children a good smacking.
We don’t approve of smacking.
I’ll give you a good smacking when we get home!

Question 6

outlaw verb, noun
BrE / aʊtlɔ /
NAmE / aʊtlɔ /

Answer 6

verb   
1   ~ sth   to make sth illegal 
    SYN: ban 
plans to outlaw the carrying of knives 
  the outlawed nationalist party   
2   ~ sb   (in the past) to make sb an  outlaw

Question 7

Ever since (…)

Answer 7

Continuously since the time mentioned.

He’s had a car ever since he was 18.

I was bitten by a dog once and I’ve been afraid of them ever since.

Question 8

stereotype noun, verb
BrE / steriətaɪp /
NAmE / steriətaɪp /

Answer 8

noun
a fixed idea or image that many people have of a particular type of person or thing, but which is often not true in reality
cultural/gender/racial stereotypes
He doesn’t conform to the usual stereotype of the businessman with a dark suit and briefcase.
stereo • typ • ical / BrE steriətɪpɪkl ; NAmE steriətɪpɪkl / adjective
the stereotypical image of feminine behaviour
stereo • typ • ical • ly / BrE ; NAmE / adverb

Question 9

authoritarian 
BrE   / ɔθɒrɪteəriən / 
NAmE   / əθɔrəteriən / 
NAmE   / əθɑrəteriən / 
  adjective

Answer 9

believing that people should obey authority and rules, even when these are unfair, and even if it means that they lose their personal freedom
an authoritarian regime/government/state
The school was very authoritarian and exam-orientated.
Father was an authoritarian figure.
au • thori • tar • ian noun
Father was a strict authoritarian.
au • thori • tar • ian • ism / BrE ɔθɒrɪteəriənɪsm ; NAmE əθɔrəteriənɪsm ; əθɑrəteriənɪsm / noun [ uncountable ]

Question 10

encounter verb, noun
BrE / ɪnkaʊntə(r) /
NAmE / ɪnkaʊntər /

Answer 10

verb
1 ~ sth to experience sth, especially sth unpleasant or difficult, while you are trying to do sth else
meet with , run into
We encountered a number of difficulties in the first week.
I had never encountered such resistance before.
2 ~ sb/sth ( formal ) to meet sb, or discover or experience sth, especially sb/sth new, unusual or unexpected
come across
She was the most remarkable woman he had ever encountered.

Question 11

afield 
BrE   / əfild / 
NAmE   / əfild / 
  adverb 
far/farther/further afield

Answer 11

far away from home; to or in places that are not near
You can hire a car if you want to explore further afield.
Journalists came from as far afield as China.

Question 12

finish sb/sth off

Answer 12

to destroy sb/sth, especially sb/sth that is badly injured or damaged
The hunter moved in to finish the animal off.
finish sth off to do the last part of sth; to make sth end by doing one last thing
I need about an hour to finish off this report.
They finished off the show with one of their most famous songs.

Question 13

afield 
BrE   / əfild / 
NAmE   / əfild / 
  adverb 
far/farther/further afield

Answer 13

far away from home; to or in places that are not near
You can hire a car if you want to explore further afield.
Journalists came from as far afield as China.

Question 14

curtail
BrE / kɜteɪl /
NAmE / kɜrteɪl /
verb

Answer 14

~ sth ( formal )
to limit sth or make it last for a shorter time
Spending on books has been severely curtailed.
The lecture was curtailed by the fire alarm going off.
cur • tail • ment / BrE kɜteɪlmənt ; NAmE kɜrteɪlmənt / noun [ uncountable ]
the curtailment of civil liberties

Question 15

resemblance 
BrE   / rɪzembləns / 
NAmE   / rɪzembləns / 
  noun 
  [ countable ,  uncountable ] 
*bear a (striking) resemblance to sb/sth

Answer 15

the fact of being or looking similar to sb/sth
SYN: likeness
a striking/close/strong resemblance
family resemblances
~ to sb/sth She bears an uncanny resemblance to Dido.
The movie bears little resemblance to the original novel.
~ between A and B The resemblance between the two signatures was remarkable.

Question 16

at (your) ease

Answer 16

relaxed and confident and not nervous or embarrassed
I never feel completely at ease with him.
She was at her ease straight away in the new job.

put sb at (their) ease
to make sb feel relaxed and confident, not nervous or embarrassed
Try to put the candidate at ease by being friendly and informal.

Question 17

be down to sb ( informal )

Answer 17

to be the responsibility of sb
It’s down to you to check the door.
be down to sb/sth
to be caused by a particular person or thing
She claimed her problems were down to the media.