MO Book 16 - Words Flashcards
bedrock noun BrE /ˈbedrɒk/ ; NAmE /ˈbedrɑːk/
1) [singular] a strong base for something, especially the facts or the principles on which it is based ex) We begin tonight with a question of fairness in America, and a bedrock belief.
impartial adjective BrE /ɪmˈpɑːʃl/ ; NAmE /ɪmˈpɑːrʃl/
not supporting one person or group more than another synonym neutral, unbiased ex) You don’t have to like the IRS, but you do expect them to be completely impartial about politics.
be/come under fire
to be criticized severely for something you have done ex) But tonight the IRS is under fire.
tea party noun
2) the Tea Party [singular] a conservative political movement in the US, begun in 2009 in protest against the government. In particular they want to reduce the amount of money that the national government spends and to cut taxes ex) Did they target the Tea Party and other conservative groups?
in search of
Also, in quest of. Looking for, seeking, as in They went to California in search of gold, or I went to the library in quest of a quiet place to read. The first term dates from the mid-1400s, the second from the second half of the 1500s. ex) ABC’s chief White House correspondent, Jonathan Karl, goes in search of the facts.
tyranny noun BrE /ˈtɪrəni/ ; NAmE /ˈtɪrəni/ [uncountable, countable] (pl. tyrannies)
1) unfair or cruel use of power or authority ex) Liberty, not tyranny!
grill verb BrE /ɡrɪl/ ; NAmE /ɡrɪl/
3) grill somebody (about something) to ask somebody a lot of questions about their ideas, actions, etc., often in an unpleasant way ex) And that’s what Jennifer Stefano, a mom and conservative activist from Philadelphia, said she confronted when she was grilled by the IRS after trying to start her own Tea Party group.
scrutiny noun BrE /ˈskruːtəni/ ; NAmE /ˈskruːtəni/ uncountable
careful and thorough examination synonym inspection ex) Extra scrutiny that it turns out many other conservative groups have faced over the past three years when trying to register as tax-exempt organizations.
sic something on somebody present simple I / you / we / they sic BrE /sɪk/ ; NAmE /sɪk/ ; BrE /siːk/ ; NAmE /siːk/ he / she / it sics BrE /sɪks/ ; NAmE /sɪks/ past simple sicced BrE /sɪkt/ ; NAmE /sɪkt/ past participle sicced BrE /sɪkt/ ; NAmE /sɪkt/ -ing form siccing BrE /ˈsɪkɪŋ/ ; NAmE /ˈsɪkɪŋ/
(North American English, informal) to tell a dog to attack somebody sic somebody (North American English, informal) to attack somebody ex) Four years ago, President Obama joked about sicking the IRS on people when he gave a commencement address at Arizona State University, and didn’t get an honorary degree.
board of regents
a committee of university officers who have general supervision over the welfare and conduct of students ex) President Crowe and the board of regents will soon learn all about being audited by the IRS.
hold someone accountable (for something)
to consider someone responsible for something; to blame something on someone ex) It is contrary to our traditions, and people have to be held accountable, and it’s got to be fixed.
recourse noun BrE /rɪˈkɔːs/ ; NAmE /ˈriːkɔːrs/ uncountable
the fact of having to, or being able to, use something that can provide help in a difficult situation ex) And John, do these groups have any recourse? She made a complete recovery without recourse to surgery.
damage noun BrE /ˈdæmɪdʒ/ ; NAmE /ˈdæmɪdʒ/
3) damages [plural] an amount of money that a court decides should be paid to somebody by the person, company, etc. that has caused them harm or injury ex) I just spoke to a top lawyer for - representing many of these groups, who says they’re looking into suing the IRS for damages, of all the work they had to go through with these applications and the questioning.
brew verb BrE /bruː/ ; NAmE /bruː/
4) [intransitive] brew (up) (usually used in the progressive tenses) if something unpleasant is brewing or brewing up, it seems likely to happen soon ex) Well, it’s certainly a brewing and building controversy.
build verb BrE /bɪld/ ; NAmE /bɪld/
3) [intransitive] (of a feeling) to become gradually stronger ex) Well, it’s certainly a brewing and building controversy.
acting adjective BrE /ˈæktɪŋ/ ; NAmE /ˈæktɪŋ/
[only before noun] doing the work of another person for a short time synonym temporary ex) So how high did it go? Well, tonight, we learned that the acting commissioner of the IRS knew about this all in May of 2012, one year ago.
entrench verb (also intrench) BrE /ɪnˈtrentʃ/ ; NAmE /ɪnˈtrentʃ/
[usually passive] entrench something (sometimes disapproving) to establish something very firmly so that it is very difficult to change ex) The most obvious explanation for this entrenched disparity is racial discrimination.
disparity noun BrE /dɪˈspærəti/ ; NAmE /dɪˈspærəti/ uncountable, countable(formal)
a difference, especially one connected with unfair treatment ex) The most obvious explanation for this entrenched disparity is racial discrimination.
culprit noun BrE /ˈkʌlprɪt/ ; NAmE /ˈkʌlprɪt/
2) a person or thing responsible for causing a problem ex) But in my research I have found a somewhat different culprit: favoritism.
favouritism noun (especially US English favoritism) BrE /ˈfeɪvərɪtɪzəm/ ; NAmE /ˈfeɪvərɪtɪzəm/ uncountable
the act of unfairly treating one person better than others because you like them better ex) And while exclusion or discrimination is illegal, inclusion or favoritism is not.
innocuous adjective BrE /ɪˈnɒkjuəs/ ; NAmE /ɪˈnɑːkjuəs/ (formal)
2) not harmful or dangerous synonym harmless (1) ex) Through such seemingly innocuous networking, white Americans tend to help other whites , because social resources are concentrated among whites.
insidious adjective BrE /ɪnˈsɪdiəs/ ; NAmE /ɪnˈsɪdiəs/ (formal, disapproving)
spreading gradually or without being noticed, but causing serious harm ex) And while exclusion or discrimination is illegal, inclusion or favoritism is not - meaning it can be more insidious and largely immune to legal challenges.
all but
1) almost 2) everything or everyone except something/somebody ex) In interviews with hundreds of people on this topic, I found that all but a handful used the help of family and friends to find 70 percent of the jobs they held over their lifetimes; they all used personal networks and insider information if it was available to them.
land verb BrE /lænd/ ; NAmE /lænd/
7) [transitive] (informal) to succeed in getting a job, etc., especially one that a lot of other people want ex) You don’t usually need a strong social network to land a low-wage job at a fast-food restaurant or retail store.
reciprocate verb BrE /rɪˈsɪprəkeɪt/ ; NAmE /rɪˈsɪprəkeɪt/
1) [transitive, intransitive] to behave or feel towards somebody in the same way as they behave or feel towards you ex) It is only natural that when there are jobs to be had, people who know about them will tell the people who are close to them, those with whom they identify, and those who at some point can reciprocate the favor.
categorical adjective BrE /ˌkætəˈɡɒrɪkl/ ; NAmE /ˌkætəˈɡɔːrɪkl/ [usually before noun] (formal)
expressed clearly and in a way that shows that you are very sure about what you are saying ex) Because we still live largely segregated lives, such networking fosters categorical inequality: whites help other whites, especially when unemployment is high.
allow for allow for somebody | allow for something
to consider or include somebody/something when calculating something ex) Although people from every background may try to help their own, whites are more likely to hold the sorts of jobs that are protected from market competition, that pay a living wage and that have the potential to teach skills and allow for job training and advancement.
intuitive adjective BrE /ɪnˈtjuːɪtɪv/ ; NAmE /ɪnˈtuːɪtɪv/
1) (of ideas) obtained by using your feelings rather than by considering the facts 2) (of people) able to understand something by using feelings rather than by considering the facts ex) All of this may make sense intuitively, but most people are unaware of the way racial ties affect their job prospects.
revealing adjective BrE /rɪˈviːlɪŋ/ ; NAmE /rɪˈviːlɪŋ/
1) giving you interesting information that you did not know before ex) Seeing contemporary labor-market politics through the lens of favoritism, rather than discrimination alone, is revealing.
affirmative adjective BrE /əˈfɜːmətɪv/ ; NAmE /əˈfɜːrmətɪv/
(formal) an affirmative word or reply means ‘yes’ or expresses agreement opposite negative ***affirmative action noun (especially North American English) (usually British English positive discrimination) [uncountable] the practice or policy of making sure that a particular number of jobs, etc. are given to people from groups that are often treated unfairly because of their race, sex, etc. ex) It explains, for example, why even though the majority of all Americans, including whites, support civil rights in principle, there is widespread opposition on the part of many whites to affirmative action policies - despite complaints about “reverse discrimination,” my research demonstrated that the real complaint is that affirmative action undermines long-established patterns of favoritism.
betray verb BrE /bɪˈtreɪ/ ; NAmE /bɪˈtreɪ/
4) to tell somebody or make them aware of a piece of information, a feeling, etc., usually without meaning to synonym give away ex) But interviewees’ feelings about such policies betrayed the reality of their experience of them.
pass somebody↔over
to not consider somebody for promotion in a job, especially when they deserve it or think that they deserve it ex) I found these attitudes evident among my interviewees - even though, among the 1,463 jobs they discussed with me, there were only two cases in which someone might have been passed over for a job because of affirmative action policies benefiting African-Americans.
into preposition BrE /ˈɪntə/ ; NAmE /ˈɪntə/ ; BrE before vowels /ˈɪntu/ ; NAmE before vowels /ˈɪntu/ ; BrE strong form /ˈɪntuː/ ; NAmE strong form /ˈɪntuː/
4) to a point during a period of time ex) Into the late 1980s, things have changed in America’s payment schemes, perhaps in an absurd way.
pronounced adjective /prəˈnaʊnst/
very obvious or noticeable ex) Things look especially pronounced in the financial sector, the engine of the American economy.
for that matter
used to add a comment on something that you have just said ex) If you’re one of those workers, you know that very few small companies offer comprehensive health insurance - or, for that matter, any health insurance at all. I didn’t like it much. Nor did the kids, for that matter.
prohibitively adverb BrE /prəˈhɪbətɪvli/ ; NAmE /proʊˈhɪbətɪvli/
at such a high price that people are prevented from buying something or doing something synonym exorbitantly ex) Even when they do, premiums can be prohibitively expensive, because small businesses can’t negotiate the discounts given to large group plans.
pay-off noun BrE ; NAmE (informal)
3) an advantage or a reward from something you have done ex) Despite rising tuition and student-loan debt levels, the long-term payoff from earning a college degree is growing.
median adjective BrE /ˈmiːdiən/ ; NAmE /ˈmiːdiən/ only before noun
1) having a value in the middle of a series of values ex) The median earnings of full-time workers with bachelor’s degrees were $55,700 in 2008 - $21,900 more than those of workers who finished only high school.
faithfully adverb BrE /ˈfeɪθfəli/ ; NAmE /ˈfeɪθfəli/
2) in a loyal way; in a way that you can rely on ex) Starting in their 40s or 50s, most women in this country faithfully get a mammogram every year, as recommended by health officials.
mammogram noun BrE /ˈmæməɡræm/ ; NAmE /ˈmæməɡræm/
an examination of a breast using X-rays to check for cancer ex) Starting in their 40s or 50s, most women in this country faithfully get a mammogram every year, as recommended by health officials.
a close call/shave
1) a very difficult decision 2) something bad that almost happened ex) But a new study suggests that the decision about whether to have the screening test may now be a close call.
wash out
Fig. to deplete the strength or vitality of someone ex) While it is unlikely to settle the debate over mammograms, it indicates that improved treatments with hormonal therapy and other targeted drugs may have, in a way, washed out most of mammography’s benefits by making it less important to find cancers when they are too small to feel.
yet adverb BrE /jet/ ; NAmE /jet/
7) yet worse, more importantly, etc. used to emphasize an increase in the degree of something (= how bad, important, etc. it is) synonym even, still (used for making a comparison stronger) ex) Kindle2 was twice as fast as Nook. Kindle 3 is slightly faster yet. a recent and yet more improbable theory The next day was warmer still. If you can manage to get two tickets that’s better still. You know even less about it than I do. She’s even more intelligent than her sister.
rocker switch/button noun BrE ; NAmE (specialist)
a type of electrical switch often used, for example, for lights or electrical sockets, where you press one end down to switch it on, and the other end down to switch it off again ex) When you use the rocker button on Kindle3, the cursor moves almost immediately.
lag noun BrE /læɡ/ ; NAmE /læɡ/
1) an interval between one event or phenomenon and another ex) In contrast, when you use the virtual rocker button on Nook’s color touch screen, there is noticeable lag before the cursor moves.
shed verb BrE /ʃed/ ; NAmE /ʃed/ present simple I / you / we / they shed BrE /ʃed/ ; NAmE /ʃed/ he / she / it sheds BrE /ʃedz/ ; NAmE /ʃedz/ past simple shed BrE /ʃed/ ; NAmE /ʃed/ past participle shed BrE /ʃed/ ; NAmE /ʃed/ -ing form shedding BrE /ˈʃedɪŋ/ ; NAmE /ˈʃedɪŋ/
1) shed something (often used in newspapers) to get rid of something that is no longer wanted ex) It is time to shed that pesky few winter weight.
pesky adjective BrE /ˈpeski/ ; NAmE /ˈpeski/ only before noun
annoying ex) It is time to shed that pesky few winter weight.
flap verb BrE /flæp/ ; NAmE /flæp/
1) flap (something) if a bird flaps its wings, or if its wings flap, they move quickly up and down synonym beat ex) So we’re going to squat down and flap your wings, right over there, full extension.
fraught adjective BrE /frɔːt/ ; NAmE /frɔːt/
1) very worried and with a lot of problems ex) But that’s not the case in today’s fraught economy.
underlying adjective BrE /ˌʌndəˈlaɪɪŋ/ ; NAmE /ˌʌndərˈlaɪɪŋ/ [only before noun]
1) underlying causes, facts, ideas etc are the real or basic ones, although they are not obvious or directly stated ex) Spending actually fell on goods - which are better measures of underlying demand.
cut something↔back
1) (also cut back (on something)) to reduce something ex) So rather than a sign of strength, spending figures for March show that money is tight, causing households to cut back on other spending in the face of higher spending on necessities.
in the face of something
2) as a result of something ex) So rather than a sign of strength, spending figures for March show that money is tight, causing households to cut back on other spending in the face of higher spending on necessities.
backdrop noun BrE /ˈbækdrɒp/ ; NAmE /ˈbækdrɑːp/ (British English also backcloth)
3) the general conditions in which an event takes place, which sometimes help to explain that event ex) Against that backdrop, it should come as no surprise that consumer confidence fell in April to a nine-month low, as measured by the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer-sentiment index.
low noun BrE /ləʊ/ ; NAmE /loʊ/
1) a low level or point; a low figure [fall/rise to a low/high] ex) Against that backdrop, it should come as no surprise that consumer confidence fell in April to a nine-month low, as measured by the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer-sentiment index. The yen has fallen to an all-time low against the dollar. fall/plunge to a new low: The euro fell to a new low against the dollar yesterday. a record/all-time low (=worse than ever before): Share prices hit an all-time low.
buoy verb BrE /bɔɪ/ ; NAmE /bɔɪ/ , also /ˈbuːi/ [usually passive]
3) buoy something (up) to keep prices at a high or acceptable level ex) It is also cause to think twice about claims that consumer spending will be buoyed by the wealth effect from rising home values and rising stock prices.
wealth effect
The wealth effect is the change in spending that accompanies a change in perceived wealth. Usually the wealth effect is positive: spending changes in the same direction as perceived wealth. The premise that when the value of stock portfolios rises due to escalating stock prices, investors feel more comfortable and secure about their wealth, causing them to spend more. For example, economists in 1968 were baffled when a 10% tax hike failed to slow down consumer spending. Later this continued spending was attributed to the wealth effect. While disposable income fell as a result of increased taxes, wealth was rising sharply as the stock market moved up. Undaunted, consumers continued their spending spree. ex) It is also cause to think twice about claims that consumer spending will be buoyed by the wealth effect from rising home values and rising stock prices.
foreclosure noun BrE /fɔːˈkləʊʒə(r)/ ; NAmE /fɔːrˈkloʊʒər/ uncountable, countable
the act of foreclosing on money that has been borrowed; an example of this ex) House prices have risen as the number of foreclosures and other distressed sales has declined.
distressed adjective BrE /dɪˈstrest/ ; NAmE /dɪˈstrest/
4) (formal or business) having problems caused by lack of money ex) House prices have risen as the number of foreclosures and other distressed sales has declined.
be here to stay, have come to stay
to be accepted or used by most people and therefore a permanent part of our lives ex) Is anyone convinced that those gains are here to stay?
tepid adjective
2) not very excited or enthusiastic synonym lukewarm ex) The economy is slowing - from an already tepid 2.5 percent annual growth rate in the first quarter, economists forecast growth of 1 percent to 1.5 percent in the second quarter.
blindly adverb BrE /ˈblaɪndli/ ; NAmE /ˈblaɪndli/
2) without thinking about what you are doing ex) The economy is slowing - from an already tepid 2.5 percent annual growth rate in the first quarter, economists forecast growth of 1 percent to 1.5 percent in the second quarter. Meanwhile, policymakers are blindly pursuing austerity.
austerity noun BrE /ɒˈsterəti/ , /ɔːˈsterəti/ ; NAmE /ɔːˈsterəti/ (pl. austerities)
1) [uncountable] a situation when people do not have much money to spend because there are bad economic conditions ex) The economy is slowing - from an already tepid 2.5 percent annual growth rate in the first quarter, economists forecast growth of 1 percent to 1.5 percent in the second quarter. Meanwhile, policymakers are blindly pursuing austerity.
on the cards(British English) (North American English in the cards)
(informal) likely to happen ex) Neither job growth nor pay raises are in the cards, and until they are, confidence will be hard to find and impossible to sustain.
incorporate verb BrE /ɪnˈkɔːpəreɪt/ ; NAmE /ɪnˈkɔːrpəreɪt/
1) to include something so that it forms a part of something ex) Two months ago, Billboard began incorporating YouTube views in the formula for computing its all-important Hot 100 singles chart, allowing viral-video smashes to reach No. 1 even if they trailed other songs in sales and airplay, two of the chart’s other criteria.
smash noun BrE /smæʃ/ ; NAmE /smæʃ/
4) (also smash hit) [countable] a song, film/movie or play that is very popular ex) Two months ago, Billboard began incorporating YouTube views in the formula for computing its all-important Hot 100 singles chart, allowing viral-video smashes to reach No. 1 even if they trailed other songs in sales and airplay, two of the chart’s other criteria.
trail verb BrE /treɪl/ ; NAmE /treɪl/
3) [intransitive, transitive] (used especially in the progressive tenses) to be losing a game or other contest ex) Two months ago, Billboard began incorporating YouTube views in the formula for computing its all-important Hot 100 singles chart, allowing viral-video smashes to reach No. 1 even if they trailed other songs in sales and airplay, two of the chart’s other criteria.
airplay noun BrE /ˈeəpleɪ/ ; NAmE /ˈerpleɪ/ [uncountable]
time that is spent broadcasting a particular record, performer, or type of music on the radio ex) Two months ago, Billboard began incorporating YouTube views in the formula for computing its all-important Hot 100 singles chart, allowing viral-video smashes to reach No. 1 even if they trailed other songs in sales and airplay, two of the chart’s other criteria.
embody verb BrE /ɪmˈbɒdi/ ; NAmE /ɪmˈbɑːdi/
to express or represent an idea or a quality synonym represent ex) If one artist embodies viral video smashes, it is Psy, the South Korean singer and rapper of “Gangnam Style.”
rack up something
(especially North American English) to collect something, such as profits or losses in a business, or points in a competition ex) His new song, “Gentleman,” was released two weeks ago, and immediately racked up big numbers on YouTube.
shoo-in noun
shoo-in (for something) shoo-in (to do something) (North American English, informal) a person or team that will win easily ex) It hit 100 million views in four days, and is now at about 218 million. Sounds like a shoo-in for No. 1, right?
catch on
to become popular or fashionable ex) “Gentleman” has also not caught on with pop radio (like “Gangnam Style,” it is sung mostly in Korean), and its sales are low for a song that is supposedly one of the most popular in the world.
channel verb BrE /ˈtʃænl/ ; NAmE /ˈtʃænl/
1) channel something (into something) to direct money, feelings, ideas, etc. towards a particular thing or purpose ex) So there’s no mystery about those investment banks channeling huge funds into high-risk financial derivatives and going all out to raise as much funds as they could to ‘grow the pie.’
chip in (with something)(informal)
2) (also chip in something) to give some money so that a group of people can buy something together synonym contribute *** shell out (for something) | shell something↔out (for something) (informal) to pay a lot of money for something synonym fork out (for something) ex) Meanwhile, those of us making a 400th of what the CEOs brought home were left chipping in what little we had to pull the financial industry out of the abyss.
abyss noun BrE /əˈbɪs/ ; NAmE /əˈbɪs/ usually singular
a very deep wide space or hole that seems to have no bottom ex) Meanwhile, those of us making a 400th of what the CEOs brought home were left chipping in what little we had to pull the financial industry out of the abyss.
deplore verb BrE /dɪˈplɔː(r)/ ; NAmE /dɪˈplɔːr/
deplore something (formal) to strongly disapprove of something and criticize it, especially publicly ex) US President Barak Obama deplored saying the CEO compensations turned out to be a reward for recklessness rather than for responsibility.
indignant adjective BrE /ɪnˈdɪɡnənt/ ; NAmE /ɪnˈdɪɡnənt/
feeling or showing anger and surprise because you think that you have been treated unfairly ex) Some Americans went so indignant as to call the Wall Street CEOs ‘flesh-eating bacteria.’
retort verb BrE /rɪˈtɔːt/ ; NAmE /rɪˈtɔːrt/
to reply quickly to a comment, in an angry, offended or humorous way ex) The CEOs, after all, are in no position to retort that.
juror noun BrE /ˈdʒʊərə(r)/ ; NAmE /ˈdʒʊrər/
a member of a jury ex) Dr. Kermit Gosnell, led away in handcuffs today after jurors convicted him of murdering three babies.
botch verb BrE /bɒtʃ/ ; NAmE /bɑːtʃ/
botch something (up) (informal) to spoil something by doing it badly ex) Killing them with scissors after they were born during botched abortions he performed on women who where as much as seven months pregnant.
grisly adjective BrE /ˈɡrɪzli/ ; NAmE /ˈɡrɪzli/ usually before noun
extremely unpleasant and frightening and usually connected with death and violence ex) For two months, jurors heard often shocking, grisly (grizzly) testimony, including from members of Gosnell’s staff, who claimed they witnessed him killing live babies.
seize on something | seize upon something
to suddenly show a lot of interest in something, especially because you can use it to your advantage synonym pounce on/upon ex) Opponents of legalized abortion seized on this case.
aberration noun BrE /ˌæbəˈreɪʃn/ ; NAmE /ˌæbəˈreɪʃn/ countable, uncountable
a fact, an action or a way of behaving that is not usual, and that may be unacceptable ex) Well, Gosnell’s not an aberration. Abortion clinics are unregulated across our country and every year we see the deaths of women inside these abortion clinics.
epicentre noun (especially US English epicenter) BrE /ˈepɪsentə(r)/ ; NAmE /ˈepɪsentər/
2) (formal) the central point of something ex) Sure enough, their gamble served as the epicenter of last year’s global financial crisis.
auspicious adjective BrE /ɔːˈspɪʃəs/ ; NAmE /ɔːˈspɪʃəs/ (formal)
showing signs that something is likely to be successful in the future synonym promising ex) Until she came to Washington DC to meet Barack Obama on May 7th and to address both houses of Congress the following day, South Korea’s new leader, Park Geun-hye, had not had an auspicious start to her presidency.
crank up↔something
to increase something ex) Meanwhile, North Korean provocations cranked up regional tensions.
inauguration noun BrE /ɪˌnɔːɡjəˈreɪʃn/ ; NAmE /ɪˌnɔːɡjəˈreɪʃn/
1) [uncountable, countable] a special ceremony at which a new public official or leader is introduced or a building or organization is officially opened ex) After testing a nuclear device shortly before Ms Park’s February inauguration, the North continued by threatening war and, last month, by denying South Korean managers entry to the Kaesong industrial complex.
deny verb BrE /dɪˈnaɪ/ ; NAmE /dɪˈnaɪ/
3) (formal) to refuse to allow somebody to have something that they want or ask for deny somebody something They were denied access to the information. deny something to somebody Access to the information was denied to them. ex) After testing a nuclear device shortly before Ms Park’s February inauguration, the North continued by threatening war and, last month, by denying South Korean managers entry to the Kaesong industrial complex.
rally noun BrE /ˈræli/ ; NAmE /ˈræli/
4) [singular] (in sport or on the Stock Exchange) an act of returning to a strong position after a period of difficulty or weakness synonym recovery ex) South Korean shares have signally failed to take part in this year’s Asia-wide rally.
rapport noun BrE /ræˈpɔː(r)/ ; NAmE /ræˈpɔːr/
[singular, uncountable] rapport (with somebody) rapport (between A and B) a friendly relationship in which people understand each other very well ex) Perhaps partly because of this rapport between the two leaders, things went better than Ms Park’s advisers dared hope.
belligerence noun BrE /bəˈlɪdʒərəns/ ; NAmE /bəˈlɪdʒərəns/ [uncountable]
2) (formal) the state of fighting a war or the act of going to war ex) Her visit was to mark the 60th anniversary of South Korea’s alliance with the United States, and North Korea’s recent belligerence underscored how the alliance’s chief reason for being is essentially unchanged since 1953: as a “bulwark of stability,” as Ms Park said, on a tricky peninsula.
underscore verb BrE /ˌʌndəˈskɔː(r)/ ; NAmE /ˌʌndərˈskɔːr/ (especially North American English) = underline
2) to emphasize or show that something is important or true ex) Her visit was to mark the 60th anniversary of South Korea’s alliance with the United States, and North Korea’s recent belligerence underscored how the alliance’s chief reason for being is essentially unchanged since 1953: as a “bulwark of stability,” as Ms Park said, on a tricky peninsula.
bulwark noun BrE /ˈbʊlwək/ ; NAmE /ˈbʊlwɜːrk/
1) [usually singular] bulwark (against something) (formal) a person or thing that protects or defends something ex) Her visit was to mark the 60th anniversary of South Korea’s alliance with the United States, and North Korea’s recent belligerence underscored how the alliance’s chief reason for being is essentially unchanged since 1953: as a “bulwark of stability,” as Ms Park said, on a tricky peninsula.
take to somebody | take to something
[no passive] to start liking somebody/something ex) Yet Ms Park cannot have been sure how Mr Obama and his administration would take to her proposals for managing relations with the North in future.
strike a balance (between A and B)
to manage to find a way of being fair to two opposing things; to find an acceptable position which is between two things ex) She calls them “trustpolitik,” aiming in broad terms to strike a balance between the hard line of her predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, and ht e “sunshine policy,” or uncritical engagement, of the two South Korean presidents before him.
let something off
to fire a gun or make a bomb, etc. explode ex) In principle, her approach consists of refusing to reward provocative behaviour (“give us more money and we will refrain from attacking you/letting off missiles/closing Kaesong”), while remaining open to engagement once North Korea demonstrates sincerity.
resort to something
to make use of something, especially something bad, as a means of achieving something, often because there is no other possible solution synonym recourse ex) Crucially, and in contrast to Mr Lee, Ms Park says she will strike back hard should the North ever again resort to violence.
unruffled adjective BrE /ʌnˈrʌfld/ ; NAmE /ʌnˈrʌfld/
(of a person) calm synonym unperturbed ex) Remaining unruffled in the face of provocations is part of the game, and both South Korea and America have played it well of late, as did foreign diplomats in Pyongyang who stayed when North Korea ordered them to leave or risk the consequences.
tantrum noun BrE /ˈtæntrəm/ ; NAmE /ˈtæntrəm/
a sudden short period of angry, unreasonable behaviour, especially in a child ex) And now Kim Jong Un, the North’s young ruler (who, some joke, probably learnt geopolitical strategy at the gaming console), may be climbing down after his staged tantrums.
at any rate(informal)
1) used to say that a particular fact is true despite what has happened in the past or what may happen in the future ex) At any rate, missile launchers visible from satellite imagery have recently been withdrawn from sites on the country’s east coast.
