Oxford Words Skills (Advanced) book

Question 1

if a vehicle ?, it moves forward very slowly

Answer 1

crawl1 /krɔːl $ krɒːl/ ●●○ verb [intransitive]
4 if a vehicle crawls, it moves forward very slowly
crawl by/along etc
The traffic was crawling along.
As I crawled along the motorway,…. .

Question 2

be ? ?
to be very busy, so that you cannot do anything else OR if your money is ?? in something, it is all being used for that thing and is not available for anything else OR be _ _ with something to be very closely related to something SYN be linked to

? ? ? ? = to do the things that are necessary in order to finish a piece of work

Answer 2

be tied up to be very busy, so that you cannot do anything else
I can’t see you tomorrow – I’ll be tied up all day.

MONEY be tied up if your money is tied up in something, it is all being used for that thing and is not available for anything else
be tied up in
My money’s all tied up in the house.

be tied up with something to be very closely related to something SYN be linked to
The shortage of teachers is tied up with the issue of pay.

8 tie up loose ends to do the things that are necessary in order to finish a piece of work
I need to tie up a few loose ends before I go on vacation.

Question 3

? ? somebody phrasal verb
if a fact _ _ you, you realize it for the first time

Answer 3

dawn on somebody phrasal verb
if a fact dawns on you, you realize it for the first time
The ghastly truth dawned on me.
it dawns on somebody (that)
It dawned on me that Jo had been right all along.

Question 4

? ?/? etc
a reason for doing something that you deliberately hide in order to get an advantage for yourself

Answer 4

ulterior motive/purpose etc
a reason for doing something that you deliberately hide in order to get an advantage for yourself
He’s just being nice. I don’t think he has any ulterior motives.

Question 5

STUPID British English informal a ? person is stupid
He’s a nice guy, but he’s a bit _.
(as) ? as two ? ? (=very stupid)

Answer 5

thick
STUPID British English informal a thick person is stupid
He’s a nice guy, but he’s a bit thick.
(as) thick as two short planks (=very stupid)

if someone has a thick accent, the way they speak shows clearly which particular place or part of a country they come from
a thick German/Yorkshire etc accent
Olga speaks English with a thick Russian accent.

Question 6

used to introduce surprising and often unwelcome news.

Answer 6

You’re not gonna believe this, … = used to introduce surprising and often unwelcome news.

Question 7

be the ? ? ? somebody’s ?
(also be the ? ? ? somebody’s ?) to be the thing that someone is least likely to be thinking about

Answer 7

be the last thing on somebody’s mind
(also be the furthest thing from somebody’s mind) to be the thing that someone is least likely to be thinking about
Insurance was the last thing on my mind when we set off that day.

Question 8

? = remain fresh

Answer 8

keep = remain fresh
We must eat the fruits - they won’t keep.

Question 9

? sb ? = be enough for sb until a later time.

Answer 9

keep sb going = be enough for sb until a later time.
I’ll have a sandwich. That will keep me going until lunchtime.

Question 10

allow sb to take care of sth

Answer 10

leave sth to/with sb
We need to book the table. I’ll leave that to you.
Leave it to/with me. I’ll do it.

Question 11

be sold/produced with a particular feature

Answer 11

come with/ come in
My flip phone didn’t come with a charger but it came in many different colors.

Question 12

be enough or be acceptable in a certain situation

Answer 12

do (for sb/sth)

I bought six apples. Will that do?
Will this dress do for the wedding?

Question 13

a short metal pin with a round flat head, used especially for putting notices on boards or walls

Answer 13

drawing pin (UK) = thumbtack (US) /ˈθʌmtæk/

Question 14

wire with short sharp points on it

Answer 14

ˌbarbed ˈwire noun [uncountable]
wire with short sharp points on it
a high barbed wire fence

Question 15

a new part for a vehicle or machine, that is used to replace a part that is damaged or broken

Answer 15

ˌspare ˈpart noun [countable usually plural]
a new part for a vehicle or machine, that is used to replace a part that is damaged or broken

Question 16

someone who is walking past a place by chance

Answer 16

pass‧er‧by /ˌpɑːsəˈbaɪ $ ˌpæsər-/ noun (plural passersby) [countable]
someone who is walking past a place by chance
They sell drinks to passersby.

Question 17

three or more days, including Saturday and Sunday, when you do not have to go to work or school

Answer 17

long weekend
three or more days, including Saturday and Sunday, when you do not have to go to work or school
* The long weekend also gave me time to myself to rest and ponder on all that had gone and was to come.
* During the school year, long weekends are good opportunities to explore together.
When did you last go away for a long weekend?

Question 18

clothes that you wear, especially to parties, that make you look like a famous person, a character from a story etc

Answer 18

ˌfancy ˈdress noun [uncountable] British English
clothes that you wear, especially to parties, that make you look like a famous person, a character from a story etc
an invitation to a fancy-dress party

Question 19

noun [countable]
1 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

Answer 19

slot maˌchine noun [countable]
1 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

Question 20

adjective
a - area has a lot of buildings and not many open spaces

Answer 20

ˌbuilt-ˈup adjective
a built-up area has a lot of buildings and not many open spaces
He was fined for speeding in a built-up area.

Question 21

?-?
adjective
not easily offended by other people’s criticism or insults OPP ?-?

Answer 21

ˌthick-ˈskinned adjective
not easily offended by other people’s criticism or insults OPP thin-skinned
a thick-skinned insurance salesman

Question 22

?-?
adjective
so frightened that you cannot think clearly or behave sensibly

Answer 22

ˈpanic-ˌstricken adjective
so frightened that you cannot think clearly or behave sensibly
Lucy suddenly looked panic-stricken.

Question 23

ˈ?-ˌ? adjective British English
if someone’s behaviour or the appearance of something is _, you do not like it or you think it is unattractive.

Answer 23

ˈoff-ˌputting adjective British English
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.

<= put somebody ↔ off British English to make you dislike something or not want to do something
Don’t let the restaurant’s decor put you off – the food is really good.
put somebody off (doing) something
Don’t let your failures put you off trying harder.

Question 24

?-?
adjective
unable to talk in a relaxed way because you feel nervous or embarrassed

Answer 24

ˈtongue-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.

Question 25

ˌ?-ˈ? adjective British English
products that are _ will remain in good condition for a long time even when they are used a lot SYN ?-? American English

Answer 25

ˌhard-ˈwearing adjective British English
products that are hard-wearing will remain in good condition for a long time even when they are used a lot SYN long-wearing American English

Question 26

ˌ?-ˈ? adjective
unwilling to accept or understand new or different ideas, opinions, or customs SYN ? OPP ?

Answer 26

ˌnarrow-ˈminded adjective
unwilling to accept or understand new or different ideas, opinions, or customs SYN prejudiced = bigoted OPP broad(-)minded, open-minded
His attitude is narrow-minded and insensitive.
narrow-minded nationalism
—narrow-mindedness noun [uncountable]

Question 27

?-? = forgetful

Answer 27

absent-minded

Question 28

?-ˈ? adjective
someone who is _ has one clear aim and works very hard to achieve it

Answer 28

single-ˈminded adjective
someone who is single-minded has one clear aim and works very hard to achieve it

Question 29

if traffic ? ?, a long line of cars forms, for example because the road is blocked

Answer 29

tail back phrasal verb
British English if traffic tails back, a long line of cars forms, for example because the road is blocked
* Traffic tailed back for twelve miles.
* Traffic tailed back fourteen miles after police were forced to close the inside lane of the northbound carriageway.

=> tailback (n):
We were held up in the ensuing tailback.
There was a five-mile tailback.

Question 30

phrasal verb
to cause large changes in something such as an organization, usually in order to make improvements

=> ? noun [countable]
a process by which an organization makes a lot of big changes in a short time to improve its effectiveness

Answer 30

shake something up
phrasal verb with shake verb
UK /ʃeɪk/ US /ʃeɪk/
shook | shaken

C1
to cause large changes in something such as an organization, usually in order to make improvements:
Technological changes have shaken up many industries.
The first thing the new chairman of the company did was to shake up the management.
Several new players have been brought in to shake up the team.

=> shake‧up /ˈʃeɪkʌp/ noun [countable]
a process by which an organization makes a lot of big changes in a short time to improve its effectiveness
shakeup of
a big shakeup of the education system

Question 31

phrasal verb

B1
to delay someone or something:

Answer 31

hold someone/something up
phrasal verb with hold verb
UK /həʊld/ US /hoʊld/
held | held
(DELAY)

B1
to delay someone or something:
Traffic was held up for several hours by the accident.

=> hold-up noun (DELAY)

[ C ] informal
a delay:
Come on, let’s go. What’s the hold-up?

Question 32

the number of people who are present at an event, especially the number who go to vote at an election:

Answer 32

phrasal verb
If people turn out for an event, they go to be there or to watch:
Thousands of people turned out to welcome the team home.

=> turnout
noun [ C ]
UK /ˈtɜːn.aʊt/ US /ˈtɝːn.aʊt/

the number of people who are present at an event, especially the number who go to vote at an election:
Good weather on polling day should ensure a good turnout.

Question 33

phrasal verb

(MONEY)
to accept that an amount of money has been lost or that a debt will not be paid:

to be able to use the cost of something you have bought to reduce the amount of tax you owe:

(VEHICLE)
UK
to damage a vehicle so badly that it cannot be repaired:

C2
to decide that a particular person or thing will not be useful, important, or successful:

=>
noun [ C usually singular ]

a period of time during which you fail to achieve anything:

(VEHICLE)
UK
a vehicle that is too damaged to be worth repairing:

Answer 33

write something off

(MONEY)
to accept that an amount of money has been lost or that a debt will not be paid:
The World Bank is being urged to write off debts from developing countries.

to be able to use the cost of something you have bought to reduce the amount of tax you owe:
You might be able to write off the car as a business expense.

(VEHICLE)
UK
to damage a vehicle so badly that it cannot be repaired:
His car was completely written off in the accident.

C2
to decide that a particular person or thing will not be useful, important, or successful:
A lot of companies seem to write people off if they’re over 50.

=> write-off
noun [ C usually singular ]
UK /ˈraɪ.tɒf/ US /ˈraɪ.t̬ɑːf/
write-off noun [C usually singular] (WASTED TIME)

a period of time during which you fail to achieve anything:
Yesterday was a complete write-off as far as work is concerned.
write-off noun [C usually singular] (VEHICLE)

UK
a vehicle that is too damaged to be worth repairing:
She wasn’t hurt, but the car’s a complete write-off.

Question 34

phrasal verb
to spend money, especially a large amount:

Answer 34

lay something out
C2 informal
to spend money, especially a large amount:
It’s not every day you lay out $500 on a dress.
=> outlay noun