LXXIII Flashcards
buckle /ˈbʌkəl/
1) to become bent or curved because of heat or pressure, or to make something bend or curve in this way
“The steel pillars began to buckle.”
buckle under
“The rails buckled under the intense heat of the fire.”
2) if your knees or legs buckle, they become weak and bend SYN give way
J”ohn felt his knees start to buckle.”
3) to do something that you do not want to do because a difficult situation forces you to do it SYN give in
“He refused to buckle.”
buckle under the pressure/strain/weight
“A weaker person would have buckled under the weight of criticism.”
4) to fasten a buckle, or be fastened with a buckle
“Amy buckled the belt around her waist.”
buckle something on/up/together
“Lou was buckling on his revolver.”
5) a piece of metal used for fastening the two ends of a belt, for fastening a shoe, bag etc, or for decoration
buckle down
to start working very hard
to
“You’d better buckle down to some revision now.”
buckle up
to fasten your seat belt in a car, aircraft etc
goon /ɡuːn/
1) a silly or stupid person
2) a violent criminal who is paid to frighten or attack people
stunt /stʌnt/
1) a dangerous action that is done to entertain people, especially in a film
“Not many actors do their own stunts.”
“a stunt flying show”
2) something that is done to attract people’s attention, especially in advertising or politics
“Todd flew over the city in a hot-air balloon as a publicity stunt.”
3) to stop something or someone from growing to their full size or developing properly
“Lack of sunlight will stunt the plant’s growth.”
stunt man/woman
a man/woman who is employed to take the place of an actor when something dangerous has to be done in a film
reckless /ˈrekləs/
not caring or worrying about the possible bad or dangerous results of your actions
“He was accused of causing death by reckless driving.”
“a reckless disregard for safety”
“He ran into the burning house with reckless abandon”
canvas /ˈkænvəs/
1) strong cloth used to make bags, tents, shoes etc
“a canvas bag”
2) a painting done with oil paints, or the piece of cloth it is painted on
“The gallery has a canvas by Paul Cézanne.”
“‘Four Women on a Bench’, oil on canvas, 1991”
a broader/wider/larger canvas
the whole of a situation, and not just a part of it
“These questions must be considered on a broader canvas.”
under canvas
British English in a tent
impede /ɪmˈpiːd/
m‧pede /ɪmˈpiːd/ verb [transitive]
to make it difficult for someone or something to move forward or make progress
“Storms at sea impeded our progress.”
obstruct /əbˈstrʌkt/
1) to block a road, passage etc SYN block
“A small aircraft was obstructing the runway.”
“The column obstructed our view of the stage.”
2) to prevent someone from doing something or something from happening, by making it difficult SYN block
“The group is trying to obstruct the peace process.”
“He was fined for obstructing the work of the police.”
handicap /ˈhændikæp/
1) if someone has a handicap, a part of their body or their mind has been permanently injured or damaged. Many people think that this word is offensive.
2) a situation that makes it difficult for someone to do what they want
“Not speaking the language is a real handicap.”
3) an advantage that is given to a weaker player in a game of golf
“He’s improved a lot, and his handicap has come down from 18 to 12.”
4) a race for horses in which the best horses carry extra weight so that all the horses have an equal chance of winning
5) to make it difficult for someone to do something that they want or need to do
“The charity is handicapped by lack of funds.”
impairment /ɪmˈpeəmənt/
mental/visual/cognitive/hearing etc impairment
a condition in which a part of a person’s mind or body is damaged or does not work well
consensual /kənˈsenʃuəl/
1) involving the agreement of all or most people in a group
“a consensual style of management”
2) consensual sexual activity is wanted and agreed to by the people involved
