Lesson 25 - Y words Flashcards
spiral
verb [ I usually + adv/prep ]
UK /ˈspaɪə.rəl/ US /ˈspaɪr.əl/
-ll- or US usually -l-
to move in a spiral:
- With one wing damaged, the model airplane spiralled downwards.
If costs, prices, etc. spiral, they increase faster and faster:
- Spiralling costs have squeezed profits.
spiral downwards (of prices, etc.) to become less, at a faster and faster rate
If a situation spirals, it quickly gets worse in a way that becomes more and more difficult to control:
- Violence in the country is threatening to spiral out of control.
- He spiralled into a drug addiction that cost him his life.
spiral | BUSINESS ENGLISH
(also spiral up/upward(s))
if costs, prices, etc. spiral, they increase quickly:
Costs spiral, and the patient is subjected to tests they don’t need.
- Inflation began to spiral upward.
(spiral (from sth) to sth)
- The country’s foreign debt spiralled from $840 million to $2.6 billion.
spiral out of control
if a situation spirals out of control, it becomes impossible to control because one bad event causes another:
- The project spiraled out of control, running $300 million over budget.
- There is a great deal of evidence that internet gambling is spiralling rapidly out of control.
spiralling
(US spiraling)
- spiralling fuel costs
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subsequent
adjective
UK /ˈsʌb.sɪ.kwənt/ US /ˈsʌb.sɪ.kwənt/
последующий
C1
happening after something else:
- The book discusses his illness and subsequent resignation from politics.
- Those explosions must have been subsequent to our departure, because we didn’t hear anything.
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strain
verb
UK /streɪn/ US /streɪn/
strain verb (SEPARATE)
[ T ]
to separate liquid food from solid food, especially by pouring it through a utensil with small holes in it:
- Could you strain the vegetables, please.
- The oil in which the fish is fried is strained off and used to cook potatoes.
strain verb (PRESSURE)
B2 [ I or T ]
to become stretched or to experience pressure, or to make something do or experience this:
- I’ve put on such a lot of weight recently - this dress is straining at the seams.
- I strained a muscle in my back playing squash.
- Don’t watch TV in the dark - you’ll strain your eyes!
([ + to infinitive ] figurative)
- I really had to strain (= try very hard) to reach those top notes.
(figurative)
I was straining (my ears) (= listening hard) to hear what they were saying.
strain verb (MONEY)
C2 [ T ]
to cause too much of something to be used, especially money:
- Increases in wholesale oil prices have strained the company’s finances.
strain verb (CAUSE WORRY)
[ T ]
to cause anxiety or problems:
- This relationship has been strained almost to the breaking point.
- These extra costs have strained our financial resources.
strain verb (CAUSE INJURY)
[ T ]
to cause an injury by working the muscles too hard:
- I strained my back carrying those boxes.
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scramble
verb
UK /ˈskræm.bəl/ US /ˈskræm.bəl/
scramble verb (MOVE QUICKLY)
[ I ]
to move or climb quickly but with difficulty, often using the hands:
- She scrambled to safety away from the fighting.
([ + to infinitive ] fig.)
- Poultry farmers scrambled (= worked hard and fast) to provide water to their flocks as pipes burst in Georgia’s coldest weather this century.
scramble verb (MIX EGGS)
[ T ]
to mix together and cook the transparent and yellow parts of eggs:
- We had bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast.
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infancy
noun [ U ]
UK /ˈɪn.fən.si/ US /ˈɪn.fən.si/
младенец, младенчество
C2
the time when someone is a baby or a very young child:
- Her youngest child died in infancy.
be in its infancy
C2
to be very new and still developing:
- The system is still in its infancy.
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substance
noun
UK /ˈsʌb.stəns/ US /ˈsʌb.stəns/
substance noun (MATERIAL)
B2 [ C or U ]
material with particular physical characteristics:
- an organic/chemical substance
- What sort of substance could withstand those temperatures?
illegal substance formal
an illegal drug
substance noun (IMPORTANCE)
C2 [ U ]
the most important part of what someone has said or written:
- Later that year, the substance of their secret conversation appeared in a newspaper article.
[ U ]
importance, seriousness, or relationship to real facts:
- There is no substance in/to the allegation.
- This new information gives substance to the stories we have heard.
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come across
phrasal verb with come verb
UK /kʌm/ US /kʌm/
came | come
(BEHAVE)
C1
to behave in a way that makes people believe that you have a particular characteristic:
- She comes across really well (= creates a positive image) on television.
- He comes across as a bit of a bore in interview.
(EXPRESS)
C2
If an idea or emotion comes across in writing, film, music, or when someone is speaking, it is expressed clearly and people notice it:
- What comes across in his later poetry is a great sense of sadness.
come across something phrasal verb with come verb B2 to find something by chance: - He came across some of his old love letters in his wife's desk.
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pollen
noun [ U ]
UK /ˈpɒl.ən/ US /ˈpɑː.lən/
пыльца
a powder, produced by the male part of a flower, that causes the female part of the same type of flower to produce seeds. It is carried by insects or the wind.
pollinate
verb [ T ] UK /ˈpɒl.ə.neɪt/ US /ˈpɑː.lə.neɪt/
- Bees pollinate the plants by carrying the pollen from one flower to another.
pollination
noun [ U ] UK /ˌpɒl.əˈneɪ.ʃən/ US /ˌpɑː.ləˈneɪ.ʃən/
- Many species of tree depend on the wind for pollination.
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proverb
noun [ C ]
UK /ˈprɒv.ɜːb/ US /ˈprɑː.vɝːb/
пословица
C2
a short sentence, etc., usually known by many people, stating something commonly experienced or giving advice:
- The appetite, says the proverb, grows with eating.
- [ + that ] There is an old Arab proverb that everything you write or speak should pass through three gates: Is this kind? Is this necessary? Is this true?
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fishbowl
noun [ C ] US
UK /ˈfɪʃ.bəʊl/ US /ˈfɪʃ.boʊl/
круглый аквариум
a round glass container for fish that you keep as pets
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perspective
noun
UK /pəˈspek.tɪv/ US /pɚˈspek.tɪv/
perspective noun (THOUGHT)
C1 [ C ]
a particular way of considering something:
- Her attitude lends a fresh perspective to the subject.
- He writes from a Marxist perspective.
- Because of its geographical position, Germany’s perspective on the situation in Russia is very different from Washington’s.
get/keep something in perspective
C2
to think about a situation or problem in a wise and reasonable way:
- You must keep things in perspective - the overall situation isn’t really that bad.
put something in(to) perspective
C2
to compare something to other things so that it can be accurately and fairly judged:
- Total investments for this year reached $53 million, and, to put this into perspective, investments this year were double those made in 2013.
perspective noun (ART)
[ U ]
the way that objects appear smaller when they are further away and the way parallel lines appear to meet each other at a point in the distance:
- In 15th-century Italy, artists rediscovered the rules of perspective.
in perspective
If something is in perspective, it is considered as part of a complete situation so that you have an accurate and fair understanding of it:
- Let’s try to talk about both sides of the issue and put it in perspective.
out of perspective
An object or person that is out of perspective does not have the correct size or position in comparison with other things in the picture, and therefore does not look real or natural.
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roam
verb
UK /rəʊm/ US /roʊm/
roam verb (MOVE AROUND)
[ I + adv/prep, T ]
to move about or travel, especially without a clear idea of what you are going to do:
- After the bars close, gangs of youths roam the city streets.
- She roamed around America for a year, working in bars and restaurants.
[ I or T ]
If someone’s hands or eyes roam, they touch or look in many different places, especially in a sexual way or when they should not do this:
- She enjoys his company, but occasionally he lets his hands roam where they shouldn’t.
- We are sick of fighting off roaming hands on dates.
- Her eyes boldly roamed the room.
[ I ]
to have sexual relationships or experiences outside of your marriage or usual relationship:
- There are some people who are faithful and some who tend to roam.
- She put up with a roaming husband in order to protect her child.
roam verb (PHONE SERVICE) to connect to a mobile phone service that is not the one that you normally use, for example if you are in another country: - Trying to place an outbound mobile phone call results in an error message telling you that you are roaming. - You can stop your phone from roaming if you want to avoid big charges when abroad.
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jolt
verb
UK /dʒəʊlt/ US /dʒoʊlt/
jolt verb (MOVE SUDDENLY)
[ I or T, usually + adv/prep ]
to (cause something or someone to) move suddenly and violently:
- The train stopped unexpectedly and we were jolted forwards.
- The truck jolted along the rough track through the field.
jolt verb (SHOCK) [ T ] to shock someone in order to change their behaviour or way of thinking: - The charity used photos of starving children in an attempt to jolt the public conscience (= make people feel guilty and take action).
jolt someone into/out of something
to give someone a sudden shock that forces them to act:
- The news about Sam’s illness jolted her into action.
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seize
verb
UK /siːz/ US /siːz/
B2 [ T ]
to take something quickly and keep or hold it:
- I seized his arm and made him turn to look at me.
- He seized the chance/opportunity of a free flight with both hands (= with eagerness or enthusiasm).
C2 [ T ]
to take using sudden force:
- The rebels have seized ten soldiers to use as hostages.
- Political instability helped the army to seize power.
- Troops yesterday seized control of the broadcasting station.
[ T ]
If the police or other officials seize something, they take possession of it with legal authority:
- Customs officers at Heathrow have seized 60 kilos of heroin.
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seize up
phrasal verb with seize verb
UK /siːz/ US /siːz/
to stop being able to move or work in the normal way:
- The washing machine totally seized up on Thursday.
- The traffic had seized up for miles because of the roadworks.
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