Oxford word skills Advanced Flashcards
figurative
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
He’s my son, in the figurative sense of the word.
literal
the literal meaning of a word or expression is its basic or original meaning → figurative
literally
according to the most basic or original meaning of a word or expression
The name of the cheese is Dolcelatte, literally meaning ‘sweet milk’.
unlikely
not likely to happen
Donna might be able to come tomorrow, but it’s very unlikely.
very unlikely
highly unlikely
unlikely to do something
The weather is unlikely to improve over the next few days.
collocations of unlikely
highly/most/very unlikely
It’s highly unlikely that he’ll survive.
extremely unlikely
The government is extremely unlikely to change its policy.
rather/pretty/quite/fairly unlikely
I may have thrown it away by mistake, but that’s pretty unlikely.
increasingly unlikely (=more and more unlikely as time passes)
It looks increasingly unlikely that the Bank of England will cut interest rates.
interchangeable
these two words are almost interchangeable
sense = collocation
in a sense/in one sense/in some senses etc (=in one way, in some ways etc)
What he says is right, in a sense.
The hotel was in no sense (=not at all) comfortable.
explanatory
giving information about something or describing how something works, in order to make it easier to understand
There are explanatory notes at the end of each chapter.
self-explanatory
clear and easy to understand without needing any more explanation
• It should be self-explanatory and easy to understand.
virtually
almost SYN practically
Virtually all the children come to school by bus.
He was virtually unknown before running for office.
synonymous
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.
ambiguity/ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːəti/
the state of being unclear, confusing, or not certain, or things that produce this effect
ambiguity
There was an element of ambiguity in the president’s reply.
opaque
opaque glass or liquid is difficult to see through and often thick
!= transparent
a shower with an opaque glass door
irony
a situation that is unusual or amusing because something strange happens, or the opposite of what is expected happens or is true
طنز ، طعنه، مسخره
Life is full of little ironies.
tragic/cruel/bitter etc irony
sarcasm, dramatic irony
a hint of of irony, a trace of irony
humorous
funny and enjoyable
The film has some mildly humorous moments.
mildly
slightly
The drug is only mildly addictive.
in a gentle way without being angry
to put it mildly
Losing two members of staff was unfortunate, to put it mildly.
sarcasm
sarcastic
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).
طعنه
literary/ˈlɪtərəri $ ˈlɪtəreri/
relating to literature
ادبی
disapproving
expressing an unfavorable opinion.
he shot a disapproving glance at her
unfavorable
expressing or showing a lack of approval or support.
single mothers are often the target of unfavorable press attention
wicked
evil or morally wrong.
the wicked stepmother in ‘Hansel and Gretel’
behaving badly in a way that is amusing
Tara hasn’t lost her wicked sense of humour.
pejorative
a word or expression that is pejorative is used to show disapproval or to insult someone
تحقیر آمیز،
For hard-line Republicans, the word ‘liberal’ had become a pejorative term.
permissive
not strict, and allowing behaviour that many other people would disapprove of
parents who are too permissive
easygoing,
derogatory
showing a critical or disrespectful attitude.
she tells me I’m fat and is always making derogatory remarks
موهن، مضر، خفت آور، ناخوشایند
mock
1 [intransitive, transitive] formal to laugh at someone or something and try to make them look stupid by saying unkind things about them or by copying them SYN make fun of
Opposition MPs mocked the government’s decision.
laugh at somebody/something
poke fun at somebody/something
redicule
deliberately
1 done in a way that is intended or planned
start having doubts about a decision
have second thought
as i crawled along the motorway, i was having second thoughts
My first thought was that a bomb had gone off.
be unable to decide what to do about
i’d been in two minds about going in the first place
be busy and unable to do other things
be tied up
i wasnt tied up, so i said yes.
dawn on somebody
if a fact dawns on you, you realize it for the first time
The ghastly truth dawned on me.
It dawned on me that Jo had been right all along.
ulterior / /ʌlˈtɪəriə $ -ˈtɪriər/
ulterior motive/purpose etc
he may have had an ulterior motive.
be the thing that somebody is least likely to be thinking about
be the last thing on sb’s mind
Keep
remain fresh
we must eat the grapes.they wont keep
be enough for somebody until a later time
keep somebody going
i will have a sandwich. that will keep me going until lunch time.
say or write something in a particular way
it is hard to put your feelings into words
i think he put it very well in this essay
allow sb to take care of sth
leave sth to/with sb
i will leave that to you
leave it to me. i will do that
cause sb to reach a particular condition or place
it was the war that brought him to power
what brings you here? I’ve got a meeting
be sold or produced with a particular feature
come with
come in
i am sure the radio comes with batteries
the chairs come in four different colors
be enough or be acceptable in a particular situation
do(for sb /sth)
will these shoes do for the wedding?
I peeled six potatoes?will that do?
think or calculate sth to be a particular time or number
make sth sth
if we can find another ten chairs, that will make it 90 altogether
a person walking past a place by chance
passer-by
clothes that you wear, especially to parties, that make you look like a famous person, a character from a story etc
fancy dress
an invitation to a fancy-dress party
a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries, but usage of the term only dates from the late 18th/early 19th century.
nursery rhymes
The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with .[1]
a machine which you put money into, and which gives you more money back if three of the same pictures appear on a screen
fruit machine
SYN slot machine
formal your most closely related family
next of kin
We’ll have to notify the next of kin of his death.
family
kin
area has a lot of buildings and not many open spaces
built-up
He was fined for speeding in a built-up area.
so frightened that you cannot think clearly or behave sensibly
panic-stricken
1 very tired because you have been working hard SYN exhausted
worn out
You must be absolutely worn out.
2 too old or damaged to be used
a pair of old worn-out walking boots
products that are …… will remain in good condition for a long time even when they are used a lot
hard-wearing
SYN long-wearing American English
• It is hard-wearing, crease-resistant, easy to wash and quick drying.
not easily offended by other people’s criticism or insults
thick-skinned
OPP thin-skinned
a thick-skinned insurance salesman
if someone’s behaviour or the appearance of something is ……, you do not like it or you think it is unattractive
off-putting
Some women found the competitive style of the discussions off-putting.
unpleasant, disconcerting, or repellent.
unable to talk in a relaxed way because you feel nervous or embarrassed
tongue-tied
When adults spoke to her, she became tongue-tied and shy.
seeming to continue for a very long time SYN endless
never-ending
bigot
someone who is bigoted
racist bigots
متعصب
to wrongly think that one person or thing is someone or something else
mistake somebody/something for somebody/something
A woman mistook him for a well-known actor, and asked him for his autograph.
The doctor mistook the symptoms for blood poisoning.
1 [intransitive, not in progressive] to do something very well, or much better than most people
excel at/in
Rick has always excelled at foreign languages.
to finish the last part of a plan, business deal etc
finalize/ˈfaɪnəl-aɪz/
Jo flew out to Thailand to finalize the details of the deal.
a group of supporters
1 [usually singular] a group of people who support or admire someone
The band has a big following in Europe.
the houses or conditions that people live in
housing
health problems caused by bad housing
a scheme to provide affordable housing for local people
1 DO WORK [transitive] to do the things that are necessary to complete a job
I handled most of the paperwork.
The case is being handled by a top lawyer.
The finance department handles all the accounts.
making people have strong feelings SYN emotional
Child abuse is an emotive subject.
showing or saying that you are sorry that something has happened, especially because you feel guilty or embarrassed about it
apologetic/əˌpɒləˈdʒetɪk◂
The manager was very apologetic about everything.
She gave me an apologetic smile.
an ………. action is so bad or cruel that you cannot forgive the person who did it
unforgivable
the unforgivable sin of informing on your friends
Patrick had deceived her, and that was unforgivable.
inexcusable
1 formal used to say that although something is true of one thing, it is not true of another
The old system was fairly complicated whereas the new system is really very simple.
Whereas the city spent over $1 billion on its museums and stadium, it failed to look after its schools.
1 [singular] the number of people who vote in an election
turn out
the low turn-out of 54 percent in the March elections
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.
1 to give someone a very unpleasant shock, so that they feel very upset and frightened
shake somebody/something ↔ up phrasal verb
She was badly shaken up by the accident.
2 to make changes to an organization in order to make it more effective SYN overhaul
the government’s plans to shake up the educational system
2 to change a system or method in order to improve it
overhaul
All the community’s decision-making institutions need to be overhauled.
happening after a particular action or event, especially as a result of it SYN following
en‧su‧ing /ɪnˈsjuːɪŋ $ -ˈsuː-/
In the ensuing fighting, two students were killed.
The situation deteriorated over the ensuing weeks.
a line of traffic that is moving very slowly or not moving at all
tailback
a five-mile tailback on the M25
1 British English a vehicle that has been so badly damaged that it can never be used again
write-off
The car was a complete write-off.
if there is an …….. of fighting or disease in an area, it suddenly starts to happen
outbreaks of fighting
the outbreak of World War II
make it start burning
two boys set fire to the school
the fire started
the fire broke out in the kitchen
suddenly began burning strongly
the plane burst into flames
go up in flames
if something …………., it becomes less strong, active, or violent
die down
the fire soon died down
dont worry, the gossip will soon die down
when the excitement died down
relating to sound and the way people hear things
acoustic əˈkuːstɪk
an acoustic guitar or other musical instrument does not have its sound made louder electronically
the scientific study of the structure of human or animal bodies
a‧nat‧o‧my /əˈnætəmi/
Knowledge of human anatomy is essential to figure drawing.
the scientific study of the movement of objects that are thrown or fired through the air, such as bullets shot from a gun
bəˈlɪstɪks/
ballistics
Ballistics is followed by a singular verb:
Ballistics is used to understand where and how a gun was fired.
the scientific study of plants
Related topics: Plants
bot‧a‧ny /ˈbɒtəni $ ˈbɑː-/ noun [uncountable]
the scientific study of plants
the activity of making maps
cartography/kɑːˈtɒɡrəfi $ kɑːrˈtɑː-/
نقشه کشی
the scientific study of weather conditions
me‧te‧o‧rol‧o‧gy /ˌmiːtiəˈrɒlədʒi $ -ˈrɑː-/
The storms have baffled meteorologists in the United States.
the practice or profession of examining the eyes for visual defects and prescribing corrective lenses.
optometry/äpˈtämitrē
the scientific study of drugs and medicines
pharmacology//ˌfɑːməˈkɒlədʒi $ ˌfɑːrməˈkɑː-/
insight collocation
The article gives us a real insight into the causes of the present economic crisis
centrifuge
ˈsentrəfjuːdʒ
a machine that spins a container around very quickly so that the heavier liquids and any solids are forced to the outer edge or bottom
using the most modern and recently developed methods, materials, or knowledge
state-of-the-art technology
His new laptop is state-of-the-art.
advanced, modern
to be slowly destroyed by a natural chemical process, or to make something do this
Her body was already starting to decay.
Most archaeological finds are broken, damaged, or decayed.
decaying organic matter
In everyday English, people usually say rot rather than decay when talking about food:
There was a smell of rotting vegetables.
very unpleasant and offensive SYN repellent
re‧pug‧nant /rɪˈpʌɡnənt
I find his political ideas totally repugnant.
very unpleasant →
repellent/rɪˈpelənt
She found him physically repellent.
including everything
inclusive <> exclusive
all-inclusive/fully inclusive
The fully inclusive fare for the trip is £22.
inclusive of
The rent is £120 a week, inclusive of heating.
similar to something else in size, number, quality etc, so that you can make a comparison → compare, comparison
comparable
A car of comparable size would cost far more abroad.
comparable figures for the same period of time last year
comparable with/to
Pluto is comparable in size to the Moon.
respected
having a good reputation.
reputable ˈrepjətəbəl
respected for being honest or for doing good work SYN reliable OPP disreputable
reputable firm/company
If you have a burglar alarm fitted, make sure it is done by a reputable company.
► see thesaurus at honest
considered to be dishonest, bad, illegal etc
dis‧rep‧u‧ta‧ble /dɪsˈrepjətəbəl/
full of interesting or important events
e‧vent‧ful /ɪˈventfəl/
She’s led an eventful life.
an eventful day
When Marilyn Monroe died the press was anxious to uncover every aspect of her eventful career.
that can not be explained
in‧ex‧plic‧a‧ble/ ɪnˈeksplɪkəbəl, inexplicably incomprehensible, strange inexplicable behaviour For some inexplicable reason, he felt depressed.
to live or stay in a place
He occupies the house without paying any rent.
if something occupies you or your time, you are busy doing it
Football occupies most of my leisure time.
keep you occupied.
1 to admit, especially to the police, that you have done something wrong or illegal → confession
confess to (doing) something
Edwards confessed to being a spy for the KGB.
make a confession
commit
1 CRIME [transitive] to do something wrong or illegal
Women commit fewer crimes than men.
commit murder/rape/arson etc
Brady committed a series of brutal murders.
make a commitment
if a married person …….., they have sex with someone who is not their husband or wife
commit adultery
1 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, not in progressive] formal to come from a particular place or start in a particular situation
How did the plan originate?
what is the origin of this disease
to make something easier or less complicated
an attempt to simplify the tax system The law needs to be simplified. a simplified version of the game simplification These figures are a simplification. The real situation is much more complicated than this.
weak and unable to protect yourself from attack or harm
defenceless
a defenceless old lady
• If she had allowed him in, she would have been defenceless.
VERY SERIOUS severe problems, injuries, illnesses etc are very bad or very serious
severe
severity /səˈverəti/ noun [countable, uncountable]
We didn’t realize the severity of her illness.
something that is …….. continues for a long time and is not interesting
tedious/ˈtiːdiəs The work was tiring and tedious, boring tediously a tediously long film Doing all those calculations without a computer would be extremely tedious.
to make someone feel very excited and happy
exhilarate/ɪɡˈzɪləreɪt/
making you feel happy, excited, and full of energy
exhilarating/ /ɪɡˈzɪləreɪtɪŋ/
an exhilarating experience
an exhilarating walk
• Learning to surf is exhausting but exhilarating.
2 someone who likes a particular thing or activity very much SYN enthusiast
fanatic
1 someone who has extreme political or religious ideas and is often dangerous SYN extremist
fanatics who represent a real danger to democracy
a religious fanatic
a health food fanatic
a fitness fanatic
none at all, or not at all
not the least/not in the least/not the least bit
His voice was alert, not the least bit sleepy.
I tried to convince them, but they weren’t the least interested.
I’m not in the least afraid of you anymore.
a sport such as American football, rugby etc in which players have physical contact with each other
contact sport
• Wrestling was the competitive contact sport to boxing at the Y.. It was no match.
contact sports
boxing, judo, rugby, wrestling, taekwando/taɪˈkwɒndəʊ/
water sports
diving, jet-skiing, kayaking /ˈkaɪæk/, kitesurfing, rowing, sailing, scuba-diving, snorkelling,
swimming, water polo, waterskiing, windsurfing
Extreme sports
abseiling, bungee jumping,
gliding, hang-gliding, rock climbing, sky diving,
snowboarding, snowmobiling, white-water rafting
to go down a cliff or a rock by sliding down a rope and pushing against the rock with your feet SYN rappel
abseil
Team sports
baseball, basketball, cricket,
football, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse,
rowing, sailing, volleyball, water polo
Individual sports
abseiling, archery, athletics,
badminton, boxing, bungee jumping, chess
archery
the sport or skill of shooting with a bow and arrows, especially at a target.
(in some sports) an official who watches a game or match closely to enforce the rules and arbitrate on matters arising from the play.
umpire/ˈəmˌpī(ə)r
arbitrate/ˈärbiˌtrāt
(of an independent person or body) reach an authoritative judgment or settlement.
the board has the power to arbitrate in disputes
arbitrate between
A committee will arbitrate between management and unions.
words related to food, agriculture
pesticide, herbicide,
food shortage, chemical, artificial methods, fertiliser, naturally produced food, preservative, stay fresh, more food may be wasted,
strengthen (a place) with defensive works so as to protect it against attack.
fortify/ˈfôrtəˌfī
the whole town was heavily fortified
very heavy rain
torrential/təˈrenʃəl, tɒ- $ tɔː-/
torrential rain
• As El Ni o ebbs away, drought follows the torrential rain.
• Bob Weber’s house south of Larimore has had water to the top of the basement since last week’s torrential rains.
a very strong wind.
gale
a fierce gale (=a very strong wind)
The tree was blown down during a fierce gale in 1987.
a howling gale (=one that makes a lot of noise)
The ship was drifting towards the shore in a howling gale.
a severe/strong gale
Severe gales disrupted road and rail travel throughout Britain.
…………………
gale-force
a gale-force wind is strong enough to be dangerous or cause damage
a lot of difficulty
considerable difficulty
great difficulty
have difficulties
By the age of eight, Robbie was having difficulties at school.
experience/encounter difficulties formal (=have difficulties)
Graduates often experience considerable difficulties in getting their first job.
a lot of damage
extensive damage
widespread damage
a very noticeable accent
he speaks with strong accent
<> slight accent
باعث خوشبختی بسیار است ملاقات با شما آقای رییس جمهور
it was a great honour to meet the president
a big effort
real effort
special/concerted effort
biggest worry
main concern, principle concern, growing concern,
my main concern is the effect of drugs
a short statement giving the main points of sth
could you give us a brief summary
a very typical example of sth
it was a classic example of his stupidity
perfect example
a lot of disapproval from others
I had to face strong criticism over this issue
fierce criticism, widespread criticism
a state of complete confusion
utter chaos, total chaos,
the place was in utter chaos when i arrived
course
take a course (also do a course British English)
I decided to do a course in Italian.
pass/fail a course
If you pass the course, you get a diploma in psychology.
apply for a course
The following year she applied for a nursing course.
enrol on a course/put your name down for a course British English (=to arrange to officially join a course)
How about enrolling on a sailing course?
thoroughly
completely ˈθʌrəli-/
She sat feeling thoroughly miserable.
thoroughly cooked meat
The room had been thoroughly cleaned.
the signs in or on a building, or in a public place
sign‧age /ˈsaɪnɪdʒ/ noun [uncountable] formal
The signage at the hospital is being made clearer.
meet the requirement
fulfill the requirements
to do something to show that you remember and respect someone important or an important event in the past
a parade to commemorate the town’s bicentenary
• When a famous citizen died, he was commemorated by a statue or a plaque.
predicate//ˈpredɪkət/
technical the part of a sentence that makes a statement about the subject, such as ‘swim’ in ‘Fish swim’ and ‘is an artist’ in ‘She is an artist’
a sound, word, or short sentence that you say suddenly and loudly because you are surprised, angry, or excited
exclamation/ˌekskləˈmeɪʃən
horrified exclamations of disgust
1 always thinking of the things you can do to make people happy or comfortable
thoughtful OPP thoughtless
Paul is very thoughtful.
it is thoughtful of somebody to do something
It was really thoughtful of you to remember my birthday.
thoughtful silence
having a pleasant smell
fragrant/ˈfreɪɡrənt
• The forest was cool and fragrant, and the walk through it calmed my spirits.
a hot fragrant spice made from the rhizome of a plant. It is chopped or powdered for cooking, preserved in syrup, or candied.
ginger/ˈjinjər
زنجبیل
……….. are small brown spots on someone’s skin, especially on their face, which the sun can cause to increase in number and become darker →
freck‧le /ˈfrekəl/
• I looked over to the corner where a pretty girl with long brown hair and freckles was sitting.
کک و مک
mole
1 extremely beautiful or attractive
gor‧geous /ˈɡɔːdʒəs $ ˈɡɔːr-/
‘What do you think of my new flatmate?’ ‘He’s absolutely gorgeous!’
lovely, beautiful
• And to top it all off, he was gorgeous.
she has a gorgeous figure and shows it off at every opportunity
spoken in addition to other bad things that have happened to you
to top it all
To top it all I lost my job.
a man’s fat stomach
paunch / pɒːntʃ
paunchy
• You’re getting a paunch, did you know that?
my uncle’s got a paunch, which really sticks out
1 if something ………., you notice it because part of it comes out further than the rest of a surface
stick out
The children were so thin their ribs stuck out.
be nearly a particular age, number, time
be getting on for sth
he is getting on for 80.
1 someone who is frail is weak and thin because they are old or ill
frail frail elderly people she looks a bit frail something that is frail is easily damaged or broken SYN fragile the country’s frail economy
the thing that makes you able to understand or achieve sth.
the key to
the key to dressing for your body shape is to enhance your best features
the secret of
