oxford word skills advanced 3 Flashcards
drawing pins
paper clips
barbed wire
/bɑːbd $ bɑːrbd/ adjective
1 a barbed hook or arrow has one or more sharp curved points on it
2 a barbed remark is unkind
driving licence
birth certificate
spare part
/speə $ sper/a key etc that you keep in addition to the one you usually use, so that it is available if the one you usually use breaks, gets lost etc
a spare key
Bring a towel and some spare clothes.
a supply of spare batteries
a spare tyre
passer-by
/ˌpɑːsəˈbaɪ $ ˌpæsər-/ noun (plural passersby) [countable]
someone who is walking past a place by chance
They sell drinks to passersby.
long weekend
three or more days, including Saturday and Sunday, when you do not have to go to work or school
life expectancy
he length of time that a person or animal is expected to live
2 the length of time that something is expected to continue to work, be useful etc
short cut/shortcut
short-cut / $ ˈ../ ●○○ noun [countable]
1 a quicker and more direct way of getting somewhere than the usual one
Carlos decided to take a short-cut home.
We were late for the game, but found a short cut through the fields.
2 a quicker way of doing something
short cut to
There aren’t really any short cuts to learning English.
fancy dress
nursery rhyme
a short traditional poem or song for children
fruit/slot machine
a machine used for playing a game, that starts when you put money into it
2 British English a machine that you buy cigarettes, food, or drink from SYN vending machine
next of kin
your closest living relative or relatives
May I have your name, address and next of kin, please?
last minute decision
built-up
a built-up area has a lot of buildings and not many open spaces
He was fined for speeding in a built-up area.
absent-minded
likely to forget things, especially because you are thinking about something else SYN forgetful
Grandad’s been getting rather absent-minded lately.
—absent-mindedly adverb
—absent-mindedness noun [uncountable]
panic-stricken
so frightened that you cannot think clearly or behave sensibly
Lucy suddenly looked panic-stricken.
worn out
adjective
1 very tired because you have been working hard SYN exhausted
You must be absolutely worn out.
2 too old or damaged to be used
a pair of old worn-out walking boots
hard-wearing
products that are hard-wearing will remain in good condition for a long time even when they are used a lot
long-wearing
thick-skinned
not easily offended by other people’s criticism or insults OPP thin-skinned
a thick-skinned insurance salesman
off-putting
if someone’s behaviour or the appearance of something is off-putting, you do not like it or you think it is unattractive
Some women found the competitive style of the discussions off-putting.
—off-puttingly adverb
tongue-tied
ongue-tied adjective
unable to talk in a relaxed way because you feel nervous or embarrassed
When adults spoke to her, she became tongue-tied and shy.
narrow-minded
nwilling to accept or understand new or different ideas, opinions, or customs SYN prejudiced OPP broadminded
His attitude is narrow-minded and insensitive.
narrow-minded nationalism
—narrow-mindedness
the rows seem to be never-ending
seems to last for ever
bad-tempered
someone who is bad-tempered becomes easily annoyed and talks in an angry way to people SYN irritable► see thesaurus at angry
prejudiced
/ˈpredʒədɪst/ ●●○ adjective
1 having an unreasonable dislike of someone or something, especially a dislike of a group of people who belong to a different race, sex, or religion – used to show disapproval
Some officers were racially prejudiced.
an intolerant and prejudiced man
prejudiced against
The early Christian church was prejudiced against the Jews.
Environmentalists are prejudiced against the dam.
2 seriously affected by a bad situation
The council must provide housing for young people whose welfare is seriously prejudiced.
absent-minded
forgetful
single-minded
thinking in a concentrated way about sth and determined to achieve it
broad-minded
open-minded
opp bigoted /ˈbɪɡətɪd/ adjective
having such strong opinions about a group of people that you are unwilling to listen to anyone else’s opinions SYN prejudiced
the course has been a real let down
a disappointment
let sb down
some people have dropped out
leave school college without finishing your studies
dropout N
the turnout was awful
turn-out /ˈtɜːnaʊt $ ˈtɜːrn-/ ●○○ noun
1 [singular] the number of people who vote in an election
high/low turnout
the low turn-out of 54 percent in the March elections
→ turn out
2 [singular] the number of people who go to a party, meeting, or other organized event
I was disappointed by the turn-out for our home match.
3 [countable] American English a place at the side of a narrow road where cars can wait to let others pass
shake-up
shake something ↔ up phrasal verb [transitive]
to make changes in an organization or system to make it more successful, effective etc
They restructured organizations and introduced competition, to shake up monopolies perceived as inefficient and complacent
broke down
stop working
crashed into it
held up
delay sth / sb
ensuing tailback
happening after a particular action or event, especially as a result of it SYN following
the ensuing battle/conflict/debate etc
In the ensuing fighting, two students were killed.
the ensuing days/months/years etc (=the days, months etc after an event)
The situation deteriorated over the ensuing weeks.
ˈteɪlbæk/ noun [countable]
1 British English a line of traffic that is moving very slowly or not moving at all
a five-mile tailback on the M25
2 American English the player who is the furthest back from the front line in American football
write-off
British English a vehicle that has been so badly damaged that it can never be used again
The car was a complete write-off.
2 a period of time when you fail to achieve anything
This morning was a complete write-off.
3 an official agreement that someone does not have to pay a debt
break-up
the ending of the marriage
a real setback
a problem that delays or prevents progress, or makes things worse than they were
setback for
The December elections were a major setback for the party.
The team’s hopes of playing in Europe suffered a setback last night.
outbreak/outlay
a few compound based on phrasal verbs change the position of the particle
the outbreak(start) of war followed
what was the initial outlay(spend)
lay out
lay something → out phrasal verb [transitive]
informal to spend a lot of money on something
lay out something for/on something
Some people are willing to lay out huge amounts of money for electronic equipment
set fire to
made it start burning
catch fire
start to burn
fire broke out
the fire started
be on fire
burning
fire spread
the fire moved and covered a larger area
burst into flames
suddenly began burning strongly
went up in flames
was destroyed by fire
fire/ flames died down
the fire / flames became weak
put out the fire
stop the fire burning
extinguish the fire
forest fires
fires that occur in forests during hot summer months
lit a fire
started a fire for a purpose in a fireplace or garden
fire went out
the fire stopped burning
suddenly the light went out
put that cigarette out
the little girl burst into tears
a fight broke out
this disease could spread easily
the noise soon died down
torrential rain
/təˈrenʃəl, tɒ- $ tɔː-/
very heavy rain
gale-force winds
gale-force adjective
a gale force wind is strong enough to be dangerous or cause damage
considerable difficulty
great difficulty
/kənˈsɪdərəbəl/ ●●○ W3 AWL adjective
fairly large, especially large enough to have an effect or be important → inconsiderable
considerable amount/number etc of something
extensive damage
a lot of damage
widespread damage /ˈdæmɪdʒ/
strong accent
opp slight accent
great honour
real effort
a big effort
special/concerted effort /kənˈsɜːtɪd $ -ɜːr-/
main concern
biggest worry
principal concern
growing concern
familiar face
brief summary
classic example
a very typical example
perfect example
strong criticism
a lot of disapproval from others
fierce criticism
widespread criticism
/ˈkrɪtɪsɪzəm/
utter chaos
a state of complete confusion
total chaos
/ˈʌtə $ -ər/ ●○○ adjective [only before noun]
complete – used especially to emphasize that something is very bad, or that a feeling is very strong
That’s utter nonsense!
This company treats its employees with utter contempt.
I watched in complete and utter horror as he pulled out a gun.
fifteen years of utter confusion
narrow escape
they were lucky to get away safely
mend fences
o try to become friendly with someone again after you have offended them or argued with them
Is it too late to mend fences with your ex-wife?
→ mend
a real eyesore
a building or object that is very unpleasant to look at
took offence
show you are angry and upset about sth or feeling insulted by it
made it clear that
say sth to make sb understand a situation
would do no such things
refuse to do the thing you have been asked to do
reach agreement
successfully arrive at an agreement
reach a conclusion
reach a compromise
reach a verdict /ˈvɜːdɪkt $ ˈvɜːr-/
face the prospect
recognize the possibility that sth may happen
settle their dispute
end an argument between people
settle an argument
absurd
əbˈsɜːd, -ˈzɜːd $ -ɜːrd/ ●●○ adjective
1 completely stupid or unreasonable SYN ridiculous
quite/slightly/completely etc absurd
It seems quite absurd to expect anyone to drive for 3 hours just for a 20-minute meeting.
It seems an absurd idea.
hold sb responsible for sth
think that sb should be blamed for sth
take the blame
accept responsibility for sth
reach the point
arrive at a time or stage at which sth happens
back down
stop asking for sth or stop saying you will do sth
entirely
completely
entirely different
entirely responsible
agree entirely
not entirely
sure/happy/satisfied
