More Breaking bad

Question 1

regardless

Answer 1

paying no attention, even if the situation is bad or there are difficulties
The weather was terrible but we carried on regardless.

Question 2

scourge

Answer 2

scourge (of somebody/something) (formal) a person or thing that causes trouble, difficulty or mental pain
the scourge of war/disease/poverty
Inflation was the scourge of the 1970s.

Question 3

skint

Answer 3

​having no money

I can’t go out tonight—I’m skint.

Question 4

clandestine

Answer 4

done secretly or kept secret
a clandestine meeting/relationship
the clandestine sale of weapons

Question 5

severance

Answer 5

​1) the act of ending a connection or relationship
the severance of diplomatic relations
2) the act of ending somebody’s work contract
employees given notice of severance
severance pay/terms

Question 6

contrition

Answer 6

the feeling of being very sorry for something bad that you have done
SYNONYM remorse
a look of contrition

Question 7

deceit

Answer 7

​dishonest behaviour that is intended to make somebody believe something that is not true; an example of this behaviour
SYNONYM deception
He was accused of lies and deceit.
Everyone was involved in this web of deceit.
Their marriage was an illusion and a deceit.
She realized that their whole relationship had been based on lies and deceit.

Question 8

surrender

Answer 8

[intransitive, transitive] to admit that you have been defeated and want to stop fighting; to allow yourself to be caught, taken prisoner, etc.
SYNONYM give in (to somebody/something)
The rebel soldiers were forced to surrender.
surrender to somebody He surrendered voluntarily to his enemies.
surrender yourself (to somebody) The hijackers eventually surrendered themselves to the police.

Question 9

moan

Answer 9

1) (of a person) to make a long deep sound, usually because you are unhappy or suffering or are experiencing sexual pleasure
SYNONYM groan
The injured man was lying on the ground, moaning.
moan in/with something to moan in/with pain
+ speech ‘I might never see you again,’ she moaned.
2) moan (at somebody) (informal) to complain about something in a way that other people find annoying
SYNONYM grumble, whine
moan (on) (about something) (to somebody) What are you moaning on about now?
moan (at somebody) (about something) They’re always moaning and groaning about how much they have to do.
3) (especially of the wind) to make a long deep sound
The wind was moaning through the trees.

Question 10

groan

Answer 10

1) to make a long deep sound because you are annoyed, upset or in pain, or with pleasure
SYNONYM moan
He lay on the floor groaning.
groan with something to groan with pain/pleasure
groan at something We all groaned at his terrible jokes.
+ speech ‘It’s a complete mess!’ she groaned
2) to complain about something, especially in an annoying way
SYNONYM grumble (1)
groan about something They were all moaning and groaning about the amount of work they had.
+ speech ‘It’s not fair!’ she groaned.
3) to make a sound like a person groaning
SYNONYM moan
The trees creaked and groaned in the wind..

Question 11

lucrative

Answer 11

producing a large amount of money; making a large profit
a lucrative business/contract/market
Had the plan worked it would have proved highly lucrative.

Question 12

purify

Answer 12

1)​purify something to make something pure by removing substances that are dirty, harmful or not wanted
One tablet will purify a litre of water.
2) purify somebody/something/yourself to make somebody pure by removing evil from their souls
Hindus purify themselves by bathing in the River Ganges.
3) ​purify something (from something) (specialist) to take a pure form of a substance out of another substance that contains it

Question 13

turmoil

Answer 13

​a state of great worry in which everything is confused and nothing is certain
SYNONYM confusion
emotional/mental/political turmoil
His statement threw the court into turmoil.
Her mind was in (a) turmoil.
She felt much calmer after the turmoil of recent weeks.
смятение

Question 14

hazard

Answer 14

​something that can be dangerous or cause damage
a fire/safety hazard
hazard to somebody/something Growing levels of pollution represent a serious health hazard to the local population.
hazard of (doing) something Everybody is aware of the hazards of smoking.

Question 15

astounded

Answer 15

​very surprised or shocked by something, because it seems very unlikely
SYNONYM astonished
an astounded expression
How can you say that? I’m absolutely astounded.
astounded at/by something She looked astounded at the news.
astounded (that)… The doctors were astounded (that) he survived.
astounded to find/hear/learn/see… I was astounded to see her appear from the house.

Question 16

constraint

Answer 16

1) a thing that limits something, or limits your freedom to do something
SYNONYM restriction
constraints of time/money/space
financial/economic/legal/political constraints
constraint on something This decision will impose serious constraints on all schools.
2) strict control over the way that you behave or are allowed to behave
At last we could relax and talk without constraint.

Question 17

stickler

Answer 17

​stickler (for something) a person who thinks that a particular quality or type of behaviour is very important and expects other people to think and behave in the same way
a stickler for punctuality

Question 18

disparity

Answer 18

a difference, especially one connected with unfair treatment
disparity between A and B The wide disparity between rich and poor was highlighted.
disparity (in something) growing regional disparities in economic prosperity
disparity (in something) There are growing regional disparities in economic prosperity.

Question 19

brag

Answer 19

brag (to somebody) (about/of something) | brag that… | + speech to talk too proudly about something you own or something you have done
SYNONYM boast
He bragged to his friends about the crime.
I’m not bragging but I think I did very well in the interview.

Question 20

cheapen

Answer 20

​1)cheapen somebody/yourself to make people lose respect for somebody or for yourself
SYNONYM degrade
She never cheapened herself by lowering her standards.
It just cheapens you when you make jokes like that.
2)cheapen something to make something lower in price
to cheapen the cost of raw materials
​3)cheapen something to make something appear to have less value
The movie was accused of cheapening human life.

Question 21

flatter

Answer 21

1) transitive] flatter somebody to say nice things about somebody, often in a way that is not sincere, because you want them to do something for you or you want to please them
Are you trying to flatter me?
2) flatter yourself (that…) to choose to believe something good about yourself and your abilities, especially when other people do not share this opinion
‘How will you manage without me?’ ‘Don’t flatter yourself.’
3) flatter somebody/something to make somebody look attractive; to make somebody seem more attractive or better than they really are
That colour doesn’t flatter many people.

Question 22

scatter

Answer 22

1) to throw or drop things in different directions so that they cover an area of ground
scatter something They scattered his ashes at sea.
scatter something on/over/around something Scatter the grass seed over the lawn.
He banged his fist on the table and the chess pieces scattered over the floor.
scatter something with something Scatter the lawn with grass seed.
2) to move or to make people or animals move very quickly in different directions
SYNONYM disperse
At the first gunshot, the crowd scattered.
The mice scattered when I entered the room.
scatter somebody/something The explosion scattered a flock of birds roosting in the trees.

Question 23

groggy

Answer 23

​weak and unable to think or move well because you are ill or very tired
The sleeping pills left her feeling very groggy.

Question 24

succubus

Answer 24

a female evil spirit, supposed to have sex with a sleeping man

Question 25

immerse

Answer 25

1)​immerse somebody/something (in something) to put somebody/something into a liquid, especially so that they or it are completely covered
The seeds will swell when immersed in water.
2)​to become or make somebody completely involved in something
immerse yourself in something She immersed herself in her work.
I immediately immersed myself in the task.
be immersed in something Clare and Phil were immersed in conversation in the corner.

Question 26

ruthless

Answer 26

​(of people or their behaviour) hard and cruel; determined to get what you want and not caring if you hurt other people
a ruthless dictator
The way she behaved towards him was utterly ruthless.
He has a ruthless determination to succeed.

Question 27

suboptimal

Answer 27

​of less than the best standard or quality
Some breeders keep their animals in suboptimal conditions.
A score of 6 is optimal; 5 or less is suboptimal.

Question 28

diminish

Answer 28

1) to become smaller, weaker, etc.; to make something become smaller, weaker, etc.
SYNONYM decrease
The world’s resources are rapidly diminishing.
His influence has diminished with time.
diminish something The new law is expected to diminish the government’s chances.
2)diminish somebody/something to make somebody/something seem less important than they really are
I don’t wish to diminish the importance of their contribution.

Question 29

abundance

Answer 29

abundance (of something) a large quantity that is more than enough
The brochure promised beautiful walks with an abundance of wildlife.
The country has an abundance of natural resources.

Question 30

contradict

Answer 30

1)​to say that something that somebody else has said is wrong, and that the opposite is true
contradict something All evening her husband contradicted everything she said.
contradict somebody/yourself You’ve just contradicted yourself (= said the opposite of what you said before).
contradict (somebody) + speech ‘No, it’s not,’ she contradicted (him).
2)contradict something | contradict each other (of statements or pieces of evidence) to be so different from each other that one of them must be wrong
The two stories contradict each other.