oxford word skills advanced 1

Question 1

phase

Answer 1

stage

Question 2

synonymous

Answer 2

/sɪˈnɒnɪməs $ -ˈnɑː-/ ●○○ adjective
1 something that is synonymous with something else is considered to be very closely connected with it
synonymous with
Nixon’s name has become synonymous with political scandal.
2 two words that are synonymous have the same meaning
—synonymously adverb

Question 3

in one sense

Answer 3

Meaning 8: a way in which something can be true or real
PHRASES
in a sense (also in one sense)
The results are not terribly surprising in one sense.
in some sense (also in some senses)
George was perfectly right in some senses.
in every sense
He is lucky in every sense.
in no sense (=not at all)
This is in no sense a criticism.
in a general/broad sense
In a general sense, a rapid rate of technological change creates uncertainty.
in a (very) real sense (=used to emphasise that a statement or description is true)
The truth is that in a very real sense most families in Britain are not poor.
in a literal sense (=according to the actual or physical meaning of words)
I wasn’t suggesting that in a literal sense.

Question 4

interchangeable

Answer 4

hings that are interchangeable can be used instead of each other
These two words are almost interchangeable.
a camera with interchangeable lenses
—interchangeably adverb
—interchangeability /ˌɪntətʃeɪndʒəˈbɪləti $ -tər-/ noun [uncountable]

Question 5

ambiguous

Answer 5

/æmˈbɪɡjuəs/ ●●○ AWL adjective
something that is ambiguous is unclear, confusing, or not certain, especially because it can be understood in more than one way OPP unambiguous
The language in the Minister’s statement is highly ambiguous.
His role in the affair is ambiguous.
—ambiguously adverb
The legislation had been ambiguously worded.
Register
In everyday English, people also use the phrase you can take something two ways instead of saying it is ambiguous:
What she says is ambiguous. → You can take what she says two ways.

Question 6

interpret

Answer 6

/ɪnˈtɜːprɪt $ -ɜːr-/ ●●○ W3 AWL verb
1 [intransitive, transitive] to translate spoken words from one language into another
They spoke good Spanish, and promised to interpret for me.
2 [transitive] to believe that something someone does or something that happens has a particular meaning
interpret something as something
His refusal to work late was interpreted as a lack of commitment to the company.
3 [transitive] to explain the meaning of something
Freud’s attempts to interpret the meaning of dreams
4 [transitive] to perform a part in a play, a piece of music etc in a way that shows your feelings about it or what you think it means

Question 7

wrapping paper

Answer 7

coloured paper that you use for wrapping presents SYN gift wrap

Question 8

transparent

Answer 8

easy to understand opp opaque translucent
transparency noun [uncountable]

Question 9

self-explanatory

Answer 9

clear and easy to understand without needing any more explanation
The video controls are pretty self-explanatory.

Question 10

precise

Answer 10

clear and accurate

/prɪˈsaɪs/ ●●○ W3 AWL adjective
1 precise information, details etc are exact, clear, and correct SYN exact

Question 11

precision

Answer 11

prɪˈsɪʒən/ ●○○ AWL noun [uncountable]
the quality of being very exact or correct
with precision
The work was carried out with military precision (=the work was done in a carefully planned and exact way).

Question 12

virtually

Answer 12

/ˈvɜːtʃuəli $ ˈvɜːr-/ ●●● S2 W2 AWL adverb
1 almost SYN practically
Virtually all the children come to school by bus.
He was virtually unknown before running for office.
► see thesaurus at almost
2 on a computer, rather than in the real world
Professors can help students virtually by communicating over the Internet.

virtually the same/impossible/certain

Question 13

opaque

Answer 13

/əʊˈpeɪk $ oʊ-/ ●○○ adjective [usually before noun]
1 opaque glass or liquid is difficult to see through and often thick OPP transparent
a shower with an opaque glass door
2 formal difficult to understand SYN obscure
an opaque style of writing

Question 14

hide and conceal

Answer 14

/kənˈsiːl/ ●●○ verb [transitive] formal
1 to hide something carefully
The shadows concealed her as she crept up to the house.
The path was concealed by long grass.
a concealed weapon
► see thesaurus at hide
2 to hide your real feelings or the truth
She tried to conceal the fact that she was pregnant.
conceal something from somebody
She was taking drugs and trying to conceal it from me.
—concealment noun [uncountable]
deliberate concealment of his activities

Question 15

irony N
ironic adj

Answer 15

/ˈaɪərəni $ ˈaɪrə-/ ●○○ noun (plural ironies)
1 [countable, uncountable] a situation that is unusual or amusing because something strange happens, or the opposite of what is expected happens or is true
Life is full of little ironies.
tragic/cruel/bitter etc irony
The tragic irony is that the drug was supposed to save lives.
2 [uncountable] when you use words that are the opposite of what you really mean, often in order to be amusing
trace/hint/touch of irony
Wagner calls his program ‘the worst talk show in America, ’ without a hint of irony.
heavy irony British English (=a lot of irony)
‘Of course Michael won’t be late; you know how punctual he always is, ’ she said with heavy irony.

Question 16

sarcasm N
sarcastic adj

Answer 16

/ˈsɑːkæzəm $ ˈsɑːr-/ ●○○ noun [uncountable]
a way of speaking or writing that involves saying the opposite of what you really mean in order to make an unkind joke or to show that you are annoyed
‘Good of you to arrive on time, ’ George said, with heavy sarcasm (=very clear sarcasm).
hint/trace/edge/touch of sarcasm
There was just a touch of sarcasm in her voice.

Question 17

make fun of some sb

Answer 17

poke fun at some one
to mock sb

Question 18

figurative

Answer 18

/ˈfɪɡjərətɪv, -ɡə-/ ●○○ adjective
1 a figurative word or phrase is used in a different way from its usual meaning, to give you a particular idea or picture in your mind → literal
He’s my son, in the figurative sense of the word.
2 technical figurative art shows objects, people, or the countryside as they really look → abstract
—figuratively adverb
They have a taste – figuratively speaking – for excitement.

Question 19

literary

Answer 19

used of the kind of language you find in stories or poems
/ˈlɪtərəri $ ˈlɪtəreri/ ●●○ W2 adjective [only before noun]
1 relating to literature
a literary prize
literary criticism (=the study of the methods used in writing literature)
2 typical of the style of writing used in literature rather than in ordinary writing and talking
a literary style of writing
3 liking literature very much, and studying or producing it
a literary woman

Question 20

disapproving

Answer 20

/ˌdɪsəˈpruːvɪŋ◂/ adjective
showing that you think someone or something is bad or wrong OPP approving
a disapproving frown
—disapprovingly adverb

Question 21

old-fashioned

Answer 21

not considered to be modern or fashionable anymore OPP fashionable
She wears really old-fashioned clothes!
old-fashioned farming methods
The idea seems rather old-fashioned now.
2 someone who is old-fashioned has ideas, attitudes etc that were more usual in the past than now SYN conservative
He’s very old-fashioned when it comes to music.

Question 22

slang

Answer 22

slæŋ/ noun [uncountable]
very informal, sometimes offensive language that is used especially by people who belong to a particular group, such as young people or criminals
schoolboy slang
slang word/expression/term
► see thesaurus at word
—slangy adjective

Question 23

pejorative

Answer 23

/pɪˈdʒɒrətɪv $ -ˈdʒɔː-, -ˈdʒɑː-/ adjective formal
a word or expression that is pejorative is used to show disapproval or to insult someone
For hard-line Republicans, the word ‘liberal’ had become a pejorative term.
—pejoratively adverb
= derogatory

Question 24

insulting
insult sb v

Answer 24

/ɪnˈsʌltɪŋ/ ●●○ adjective
very rude and offensive to someone
insulting remarks
insulting to
Sexist language is insulting to women.
► see thesaurus at rude
—insultingly adverb

Question 25

derogatory

Answer 25

/dɪˈrɒɡətəri $ dɪˈrɑːɡətɔːri/ adjective
derogatory remarks, attitudes etc are insulting and disapproving
Their conversation contained a number of derogatory racial remarks

Question 26

to mock someone

Answer 26

to make fun of them by copying what they say or do
he’s always mocking her country accent

Question 27

curtain fell on her career

Answer 27

her career ended
(it’ll) be curtains for somebody/something
informal used to say that someone will die or that something will end
→ curtain
Examples from the Corpus
(it’ll) be curtains for somebody/something
* And will it be curtains for Coombs in Swindon?
* But does it have to be Curtains for you and me?

Question 28

deliberately

Answer 28

/dɪˈlɪbərətli/ ●●○ S3 adverb
1 done in a way that is intended or planned
He deliberately upset her.
2 done or said in a slow careful way
He shook his head slowly and deliberately.
THESAURUS
deliberately if you do something deliberately, you do it because you want to
He upset her deliberately.
I deliberately kept the letter short.
on purpose especially spoken deliberately, especially in order to annoy someone or get an advantage for yourself
I didn’t push her on purpose; it was an accident.
intentionally deliberately, especially in order to have a particular result or effect
Very few teenagers become pregnant intentionally.
consciously /ˈkɒnʃəsli/ done after thinking carefully about what you are doing, especially because you know what the results of your actions might be
Parents pass their values to their children, though not always consciously.
knowingly if you knowingly do something wrong or illegal, you do it even though you know it is wrong
FBI agents arrested Dillon for ‘knowingly making a false statement on a passport application’.