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.