Personal Flashcards
Blatant (adj)
very obvious and intentional, when this is a bad thing:
- a blatant lie
- The whole episode was a blatant attempt to gain publicity.
Marginalize
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.
Innocuous
completely harmless (= causing no harm):
- Some mushrooms look innocuous but are in fact poisonous.
Relish
to like or enjoy something:
I always relish a challenge.
[ + -ing verb ] I don’t relish telling her that her son has been arrested.
barrage
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.
Glaring
used to say that something bad is very obvious:
glaring errors
a glaring injustice
rhetoric
Speech or writing intended to be effective and influence people
courtesy
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.
resonate
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.
Distraught (adj)
extremely worried, nervous, or upset:
* The missing child’s distraught parents made an emotional appeal for information on TV.
buff
a person who is very interested in a subject and knows a lot about it
* a history/movie buff
* synonym FAN GEEK
charade
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
bleak (adj)
If a situation is bleak, there is little or no hope for the future
* the economic outlook is bleak
barf
to vomit (very informal)
* he got drunk and barfed all over the carpet
taint (v)
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.
impose
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.
self-imposed
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.
perseverance
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.
badger (v)
(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.
overbearing
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.
Dispense
to give out things, especially products, services, or amounts of money:
* There is a vending machine on the platform that dispenses snacks.
Agenda
- 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. - 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. - 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.
Masculinity
the characteristics that are traditionally thought to be typical of or suitable for men
* I don’t think his masculinity is in question
chum up (pv)
to become friends
* she chummed up with some girls from Bristol on holiday.
Flee
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.
rebellious
- 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. - 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
rebel
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.
undignified
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.
bantering
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.
banter(v)
to talk to someone in a friendly and humorous way
* He stood around bantering with his colleagues.
cramp
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
Epiphany
- a moment when you suddenly feel that you understand, or suddenly become conscious of, something that is very important to you
- a powerful religious experience
dunk (v)
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.
Overture
- an approach made to someone in order to discuss or establish something
* The country’s leaders rejected all overtures for a peace settlement. - 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?
march(verb)
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.
