Personal

Question 1

Blatant (adj)

Answer 1

very obvious and intentional, when this is a bad thing:
- a blatant lie
- The whole episode was a blatant attempt to gain publicity.

Question 2

Marginalize

Answer 2

to treat someone or something as if they are not important:

• Now that English has taken over as the main language, the country’s native language has been marginalized.

Question 3

Innocuous

Answer 3

completely harmless (= causing no harm):
- Some mushrooms look innocuous but are in fact poisonous.

Question 4

Relish

Answer 4

to like or enjoy something:
I always relish a challenge.
[ + -ing verb ] I don’t relish telling her that her son has been arrested.

Question 5

barrage

Answer 5

A barrage is also a great number of complaints, criticisms, or questions suddenly directed at someone:

• Morris fired off a barrage of questions about Halperin’s politics.

Question 6

Glaring

Answer 6

used to say that something bad is very obvious:
glaring errors
a glaring injustice

Question 7

rhetoric

Answer 7

Speech or writing intended to be effective and influence people

Question 8

courtesy

Answer 8

polite behaviour, or polite action or remark
* You might get along better with your parents if you showed them some courtesy.
* He could at least have had the courtesy to say sorry.
The president welcomed her visitors with the usual courtesies.

Question 9

resonate

Answer 9

to produce, increase or fill with sound, by vibrating (=shaking) objects that are near
* His voice resonated in the empty church.
The noise of the bell resonated through the building.

Question 10

Distraught (adj)

Answer 10

extremely worried, nervous, or upset:
* The missing child’s distraught parents made an emotional appeal for information on TV.

Question 11

buff

Answer 11

a person who is very interested in a subject and knows a lot about it
* a history/movie buff
* synonym FAN GEEK

Question 12

charade

Answer 12

an act or event that is clearly false

• everyone knew who was going to get the job from the start - the interviews were just a charade

Question 13

bleak (adj)

Answer 13

If a situation is bleak, there is little or no hope for the future
* the economic outlook is bleak

Question 14

barf

Answer 14

to vomit (very informal)
* he got drunk and barfed all over the carpet

Question 15

taint (v)

Answer 15

to spoil something or give it an unpleasant quality
* His reputation was permanently tainted by the financial scandal.
He warned of toxins such as mercury tainting some fish.

Question 16

impose

Answer 16

to force someone to accept something, especially a belief or way of living:
* I don’t want them to impose their religious beliefs on my children.
* We must impose some kind of order on the way this office is run.

Question 17

self-imposed

Answer 17

decided by yourself, without being influenced or ordered by other people
* The end of the year was their self-imposed deadline for finishing the work.
* After the military coup, the family left for self-imposed exile in America.

Question 18

perseverance

Answer 18

continued effort to do or achieve something, even when this is difficult or takes a long time:
* It took a lot of patience and perseverance for all sides to reach an agreement.
* Over and over, they have shown perseverance in the face of adversity.
* A combination of brilliant imagination and dogged perseverance enabled them to triumph.
* Eventually, her perseverance paid off and she won a contract with a major recording company.
* I think the reason I won a gold medal was sheer perseverance, not because I was more talented than anybody else.

Question 19

badger (v)

Answer 19

(annoying)to persuade someone by telling them repeatedly to do something, or to question someone repeatedly:
Stop badgering me - I’ll do it when I’m ready.
[ + into + -ing verb ] She’s been badgering me into doing some exercise.
[ + to infinitive ] Every time we go into a shop, the kids badger me to buy them sweets.

Question 20

overbearing

Answer 20

too confident and too determined to tell other people what to do, in a way that is unpleasant.
Synonyms:
- domineering
- imperious
* Milligan had a pompous, overbearing father.

Question 21

Dispense

Answer 21

to give out things, especially products, services, or amounts of money:
* There is a vending machine on the platform that dispenses snacks.

Question 22

Agenda

Answer 22

1. a list of matters to be discussed at a meeting
   * There were several important items on the agenda.
   The question of security is high on the agenda for this afternoon’s meeting.
2. a list of aims or possible future achievements
   * Women’s rights have been put back on the agenda (= are being discussed publicly again).
   * The subject of safety needs to be placed high on/at the top of the agenda (= must be discussed because it is very important).
   * Education was placed firmly on the political agenda in the prime minister’s weekend speech.
3. Secret aim or reason for doing something
   * She felt that some of the group had an agenda.
   * There’s no hidden agenda - I’m just trying to help.

Question 23

Masculinity

Answer 23

the characteristics that are traditionally thought to be typical of or suitable for men
* I don’t think his masculinity is in question

Question 24

chum up (pv)

Answer 24

to become friends
* she chummed up with some girls from Bristol on holiday.

Question 25

Flee

Answer 25

to escape by running away, especially because of danger or fear
* She fled (from) the room in tears.
* In order to escape capture, he fled to the mountains.

Question 26

rebellious

Answer 26

1. If someone is rebellious, they are difficult to control and do not behave in the way that is expected:
   * Her teachers regard her as a rebellious, trouble-making girl.
2. If a group of people are rebellious, they oppose the ideas of the people in authority and plan to change the system, often using force:
   * rebellious groups of southern tribespeople

Question 27

rebel

Answer 27

to react against a feeling, action, etc
* My poor sick stomach rebelled at the idea of any more food.
* If you are too strict with teenagers, they often rebel.

Question 28

undignified

Answer 28

making you look silly and lose people’s respect, especially because of not being controlled, serious, or calm.
* There was an undignified scramble for seats on the train.
* We felt it would be undignified to respond to the criticism in the press.

Question 29

bantering

Answer 29

involving conversation that is funny and not serious:
* I grew weary of his bantering style of conversation.
* She adopted a bantering tone as they spoke.

Question 30

banter(v)

Answer 30

to talk to someone in a friendly and humorous way
* He stood around bantering with his colleagues.

Question 31

cramp

Answer 31

a sudden painful tightening in a muscle, often after a lot of exercise, that limits movement:
* Several runners needed treatment for cramp (US cramps) and exhaustion.
* I’ve got cramp in my foot.
* stomach cramps

Question 32

Epiphany

Answer 32

1. a moment when you suddenly feel that you understand, or suddenly become conscious of, something that is very important to you
2. a powerful religious experience

Question 33

dunk (v)

Answer 33

to put something into liquid for a short time
* She dunked a biscuit in her coffee.
* Dunk the sponge in water every once in a while to stop it from drying out.

Question 34

Overture

Answer 34

1. an approach made to someone in order to discuss or establish something
   * The country’s leaders rejected all overtures for a peace settlement.
2. a communication made to someone in order to offer something:
   * overtures of friendship.
   * Neither side in the conflict seems willing to make peace overtures.
   * [informal] So he’s been making overtures (= showing a sexual interest), has he?

Question 35

march(verb)

Answer 35

to walk somewhere quickly and in a determined way, often because you are angry:
* She marched into my office and demanded to know why I hadn’t written my report.