phone 10 Flashcards
embark
to go on to a ship or an aircraft:
We embarked at Miami for our Caribbean cruise.
- to start something new or important:
We’re embarking upon a new project later this year.
grim
extremely bad, worrying, or without hope:
look grim The future looks grim.
stern
C2
severe, or showing disapproval:
a stern look/warning/voice
She is her own sternest critic.
Journalists received a stern warning not to go anywhere near the battleship.
If something, such as a job, is stern, it is difficult:
The country’s president is facing the sternest test of his authority since he came to power five years ago.
ranch
a very large farm on which animals are kept, especially in North and South America:
a cattle ranch
a sheep ranch
He went to work on a ranch.
abound
to exist in large numbers:
Theories abound about how the universe began.
arboreal
of or living in trees:
arboreal animals
Humans evolved from arboreal ancestors.
teeming
If a place is teeming, it is full of people:
the teeming metropolis
hallow
to give something great importance and respect, often because it is very old:
methods that have been hallowed by centuries of use
RELIGION
to make something holy:
The bread and wine has been hallowed by being dedicated to
haughty
unfriendly and seeming to consider yourself better than other people:
She has a rather haughty manner.
supercilious
behaving as if you are better than other people, and that their opinions, beliefs, or ideas are not important:
He spoke in a haughty, supercilious voice.
centrifugal
(of a turning object) moving away from the point around which it is turning:
centrifugal force
trunk
the thick main stem of a tree, from which its branches grow
the long, tube-shaped nose of an elephant
[ C ]
the main part of a person’s body, not including the head, legs, or arms:
The statue shows the head, trunk, and arms of an old man.
a large, strong container that is used for storing clothes and personal possessions, often when travelling or going to live in a new place
frigid
(of weather conditions or the conditions in a room) extremely cold:
Few plants can grow in such a frigid environment.
- unfriendly or very formal:
She turned her frigid gaze on him.
giddily
in a way that shows you feel silly, happy, and excited:
They laugh giddily, too caught up in the moment to care.
“It’s like a dream,” she says giddily.
insular
interested only in your own country or group and not willing to accept different or foreign ideas
inclement
Inclement weather is unpleasant, especially with cold wind and rain
dismayed
feeling unhappy and disappointed:
I was dismayed to discover that he’d lied.
She was utterly dismayed by the tone of the letter
bearing`
get/find your bearings
to discover your exact position:
The road system was so complicated that we had to stop to get our bearings several times.
They lost their bearings in the dark.
to succeed in becoming familiar with a new situation:
It takes a while to get your bearings when you start a new job.
have a bearing on something
to have an influence on something or a relationship to something:
What you decide now could have a considerable bearing on your future.
nefarious
(especially of activities) morally bad:
The company’s CEO seems to have been involved in some nefarious practices/activities.
drab
boring, especially in appearance; having little colour and excitement:
She walked through the city centre with its drab, grey buildings and felt depressed.
I feel so drab in this grey uniform.
perpetrate
to commit a crime or a violent or harmful act:
In this country, half of all violent crime is perpetrated by people who have been drinking alcohol.
Federal soldiers have been accused of perpetrating atrocities against innocent people.
conjunction
the situation in which events or conditions combine or happen together:
An unfortunate conjunction of circumstances led to his downfall.
There is a team of writers working in conjunction (with each other) on the book.
impair
to spoil something or make it weaker so that it is less effective:
A recurring knee injury may have impaired his chances of winning the tournament.
tinnitus
a condition of the ear in which the person suffering from it hears noises such as ringing
boycott
to refuse to buy a product or take part in an activity as a way of expressing strong disapproval:
People were urged to boycott the country’s products.
The union called on its members to boycott the meeting.
reciprocate
to share the same feelings as someone else, or to behave in the same way as someone else:
Sadly, my feelings for him were not reciprocated.
We invited them to dinner and a week later they reciprocated.
ENGINEERING specialized
If a part of a machine reciprocates, it moves backwards and forwards:
Some electric razors have reciprocating heads.
complaisant
willing to satisfy others by being polite and fitting in with their plans:
She carried on passionate love affairs with the consent of her complaisant husband.
His comment went unchallenged by the complaisant Morgan.
deplete
to reduce something in size or amount, especially supplies of energy, money, etc.:
If we continue to deplete the earth’s natural resources, we will cause serious damage to the environment.
The illness depletes the body of important vitamins.
humorous That last holiday seriously depleted my bank account!
lax
without much care, attention, or control:
The subcommittee contends that the authorities were lax in investigating most of the cases.
not severe or strong enough:
He took a gun through baggage control to highlight the lax security.
allegation
a statement, made without giving proof, that someone has done something wrong or illegal:
Several of her patients have made allegations of professional misconduct about/against her.
[ + that ] Allegations that Mr Dwight was receiving money from known criminals have caused a scandal.
polarize
to cause something, especially something that contains different people or opinions, to divide into two completely opposing groups:
The issue has polarized the nation.
Two developments have polarized the debate.
showdown
an important argument that is intended to end a disagreement that has existed for a long time:
The president is preparing for a showdown with Republicans over his plans to reform the economy.
Millions of dollars were spent on lawyers in a courtroom showdown between the two companies.
apostate
someone who has given up their religion or left a political party
renegade
a person who has changed their feelings of support and duty from one political, religious, national, etc. group to a new one:
A band of renegades had captured the prince and were holding him to ransom.
turncoat
a person who changes from one opinion to an opposite one in a way that shows they are not loyal to people who share the original opinion
fief
an area of land, especially one that is rented and paid for by work
an area or type of activity that is controlled by someone:
The stage is his personal fiefdom.
patchwork
cloth made by sewing together a lot of smaller pieces of cloth with different patterns and colours, or the activity of doing this:
a patchwork quilt/jacket
The old lady sat in the corner doing patchwork.
a mixture of different things:
We looked out of the aircraft window down onto the patchwork of fields below.
recrudescence
a sudden new appearance and growth, especially of something dangerous and unpleasant:
There has been an unwelcome recrudescence of racist attacks.
topple
to (cause to) lose balance and fall down:
The statue of the dictator was toppled (over) by the crowds.
The tree toppled and fell.]
- to force a leader or government out of power:
The church was prominently involved in the struggle that toppled the dictatorship.
odious
extremely unpleasant and causing or deserving hate:
an odious crime
an odious little man
abrogate
to end a law, agreement, or custom formally:
The treaty was abrogated in 1929.
transcendental
A transcendental experience, event, object, or idea is extremely special and unusual and cannot be understood in ordinary ways:
a transcendental vision of the nature of God
appal
to make someone have strong feelings of shock or of disapproval:
I was appalled at/by the lack of staff in the hospital.
The state of the kitchen appalled her.
abominate
to hate something very much:
He abominates cruelty of all kinds.
circumnavigate
to sail all the way around something:
They circumnavigated Cape Horn Island in canoes.
divulge
to make something secret known:
Journalists do not divulge their sources.
[ + question word ] The CEO refused to divulge how much she earned.
veracious
honest and not telling or containing any lies:
a veracious and trustworthy historian
coerce
to persuade someone forcefully to do something that they are unwilling to do:
The court heard that the six defendants had been coerced into making a confession.
bungle
to do something wrong, in a careless or stupid way
outward
relating to how people, situations, or things seem to be, rather than how they are inside:
The outward appearance of the building has not changed at all in 200 years.
If he is suffering, he certainly shows no outward sign of it.
To all outward appearances everything was fine, but under the surface the marriage was very shaky.
