phone

Question 1

fawning

Answer 1

praising someone too much and giving them a lot of attention that is not sincere in order to get a positive reaction:
a fawning young man

Question 2

jargon

Answer 2

C1 special words and phrases that are used by particular groups of people, especially in their work:
military/legal/computer jargon

Question 3

pare something (down) to the bone

Answer 3

to reduce something to a level at which only what is absolutely necessary is left

Question 4

pare

Answer 4

to cut away the outer layer from something, especially a fruit or a vegetable:

He was busy paring apples in the kitchen.
Pare off any bits of the carrots that don’t look very nice.

to reduce something, especially by a large amount:

The three-hour play has been pared (down/back) to two hours.

Question 5

unencumbered

Answer 5

without something making it difficult for you to do something:

People can decide how to care for their children, unencumbered by interference from the state.

On the other hand, this approach may complicate grantor access to financing against the unencumbered portion of the described assets.

Question 6

upfront

Answer 6

speaking or behaving in a way that makes intentions and beliefs clear:

She’s very upfront about why she wants the job - she’d earn a lot more money.

Question 7

ahold

Answer 7

get ahold of something

to get something:

Drugs are too easy to get ahold of.
get ahold of someone

to find or communicate with someone:

I’d like to get ahold of Debbie and talk to her about this

o get power or control over someone or something:
Once the drugs get ahold of you, it just changes you completely.

to calm yourself or succeed in controlling your actions or emotions

Question 8

mend

Answer 8

B1 to repair something that is broken or damaged:

Could you mend this hole in my shirt?

UK I’ve left my watch at the jeweller’s to be mended.

Question 9

unravel

Answer 9

If a piece of knitted or woven cloth, a knot, or a mass of thread unravels, it separates into a single thread, and if you unravel it, you separate it into a single thread:
You’d better mend that hole before the whole sweater starts to unravel.
I had to unravel one of the sleeves because I realized I’d knitted it too small.

If a process or achievement that was slow and complicated unravels or is unravelled, it is destroyed:
As talks between the leaders broke down, several months of careful diplomacy were unravelled.

Question 10

unrivaled

Answer 10

having no equal; better than any other of the same type:
The museum boasts an unrivaled collection of French porcelain.

Question 11

hop

Answer 11

to jump on one foot or to move about in this way:
I tried to hop on my good foot while holding onto Jim.

Question 12

stagnate

Answer 12

to stay the same and not grow or develop:
The electronics industry is showing signs of stagnating after 15 years of growth.
My music career had stagnated.

2) (of a liquid or air) to not move or flow, often resulting in it becoming dirty:
For now, the strong currents mean water is relatively clean but when the levels subside the water will stagnate.
Valleys where air tends to stagnate often have high levels of pollutants.

Question 13

hinge

Answer 13

a piece of metal that fastens the edge of a door, window, lid, etc. to something else and allows it to open or close:
We had to take the front door off its hinges to get our new sofa into the house.

Question 14

infraction

Answer 14

an occasion when someone breaks a rule or law:

Any attempt to influence the judges will be seen as an infraction of the rules.

a minor infraction

Question 15

turmoil

Answer 15

a state of confusion, uncertainty, or disorder:
The whole region is in turmoil.

The country is in a state of political turmoil.

The Stock Exchange is in turmoil following a huge wave of selling.

Question 16

jeopardize

Answer 16

to put smth in danger

to put something such as a plan or system in danger of being harmed or damaged:

She knew that by failing her finals she could jeopardize her whole future.

The rate increase may jeopardize economic recovery.

Question 17

prom

Answer 17

Vibusknoy
a formal party held for older students at the end of the school year, at which there is dancing:
Who are you taking to the Senior Prom?

Question 18

ornery

Answer 18

likely to get angry and argue with people:

He had been in an ornery mood all day, arguing with everyone who got in his way.

Question 19

abscond

Answer 19

to go away suddenly and secretly in order to escape from somewhere:

She absconded from boarding school and hitchhiked to the city.

Two prisoners absconded last night.

Question 20

to travel by getting free rides in someone else’s vehicle:

I would never hitchhike on my own.
They hitchhiked to Paris.

Answer 20

hitchhike

Question 21

emaciated

Answer 21

very thin and weak, usually because of illness or extreme hunger:
There were pictures of emaciated children on the cover of the magazine.

Question 22

clammy

Answer 22

sticky and slightly wet in an unpleasant way:
My hands felt all clammy.
It was a hot, clammy day.

Question 23

scrawny

Answer 23

unpleasantly thin, often with bones showing:
He came home after three months at college looking terribly scrawny.

Question 24

errant

Answer 24

behaving wrongly in some way, especially by leaving home:
an errant husband
errant children

Question 25

vapid

Answer 25

showing no intelligence or imagination:
a vapid reality TV show
He’s attractive, but vapid.

Question 26

gulf

Answer 26

a very large area of sea surrounded on three sides by a coast:
the Gulf of Mexico

2) an important difference between the ideas, opinions, or situations of two groups of people:
There is a widening gulf between the rich and the poor in our society.

It is hoped that the peace plan will bridge the gulf (= reduce the very large difference) between the government and the rebels.

Question 27

cords

Answer 27

Shnur, kabel, arqon

rope or string made of twisted threads:
Where’s the cord that ties back the curtains?

2) a piece of wire covered in plastic, used to connect electrical equipment to a power supply:
an extension cord

Question 28

crude

Answer 28

simple and not skilfully done or made:
a crude device/weapon

rude and offensive:
a crude remark/comment

Question 29

crate

Answer 29

a box made of wood, plastic, or metal, especially one divided into parts to hold bottles:
a milk crate
a crate of empty bottles
a packing crate

Question 30

cynical

Answer 30

believing that people are only interested in themselves and are not sincere:
She has a pretty cynical view of men.
I’ve always been deeply cynical about politicians.

2) not showing fairness or respect to an opposing player:
Most of my injuries have come from bad cynical tackles.

Question 31

delegate

Answer 31

C1 a person chosen or elected by a group to speak, vote, etc. for them, especially at a meeting:
Delegates have voted in favour of the motion.
Each union elects several delegates to the annual conference.

2) C2 [ I or T ] to give a particular job, duty, right, etc. to someone else so that they do it for you:
As a boss you have to delegate (responsibilities to your staff).
Authority to make financial decisions has been delegated to a special committee.

Question 32

slumber

Answer 32

sleep:
I fell into a gentle slumber.
I didn’t want to rouse you from your slumbers.

Sharp cuts in interest rates have failed to bring the economy out of its slumber.

2) 1. Literally, to trip on someone or something with one’s foot.
I wasn’t watching where I was going and stumbled upon the root of a tree.
I entered the living room and nearly stumbled upon someone who was asleep on the floor.
2. To find, discover, or happen upon someone or something casually or by chance.
I stumbled upon this fantastic little café the other day.
The police officer stumbled upon a couple of thieves trying to break into the building.

Question 33

trip on (someone or something)

Answer 33

1. Literally, to bump into someone or something with one’s foot and stumble or fall as a result.
   He tripped on the step running up the stairs and fell face first on the hallway.

Question 34

resonate

Answer 34

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.

to be filled with a particular quality:
The building resonates with historic significance.

to continue to have a powerful effect or value:
The significance of those great stories resonates down the centuries.

If an experience or memory resonates, it makes you feel an emotional connection:
Her experiences resonate powerfully with me, living, as I do, in a similar family situation.
What exactly is it about that music that resonates with you?

If you resonate with something, it feels true or has meaning for you:
She spoke about both doubting herself and believing in herself, and I definitely resonate with that.
The thing that I resonated with as a kid was that you always had special protection from your parents.

Question 35

allure

Answer 35

the quality of being attractive, interesting, or exciting:

the allure of working in television
sexual allure

Question 36

allude

Answer 36

formal

to mention someone or something without talking about him, her, or it directly:
She mentioned some trouble that she’d had at home and I guessed she was alluding to her son.

Question 37

obsolescence

Answer 37

the quality of being obsolete:
Mobile phone technology is developing so quickly that many customers are concerned about obsolescence

Much of our existing military hardware is obsolescent.

Question 38

fragmented

Answer 38

consisting of several separate parts:
In this increasingly fragmented society, a sense of community is a thing of the past.
The Democratic Party has only held onto power because the Republican Party is so fragmented.

Question 39

lever

Answer 39

If you lever someone or something to a place, you move them there with great physical effort:
He levered himself out of his chair with the usual difficulty and opened his arms wide.
Jim fought to pull himself up, levering his arms down.

2) to change a situation in order to suit yourself, often using unfair methods:
The company gobbles up rivals or levers them out of the market.
They accused the companies of using political pressure to lever out competition.

Question 40

impend

Answer 40

If an event impends, usually an event that is unpleasant or unwanted, it is going to happen soon:
A crisis of huge proportions impends in the area.

Question 41

loom

Answer 41

C2 to appear as a large, often frightening or unclear shape or object:
Dark storm clouds loomed on the horizon

If an unwanted or unpleasant event looms, it seems likely to happen soon and causes worry:
Her final exams are looming.
Here, too, the threat of unemployment has been looming on the horizon.

on the horizon
idiom
Add to word list
C1 likely to happen or exist soon:
There is no new drug on the horizon that will make this disease easier to treat.

Question 42

backdrop

Answer 42

the view behind something:
The mountains form a dramatic backdrop to the little village.

[ S ] the general situation in which particular events happen:
Their love affair began against a backdrop of war.

Question 43

ablaze

Answer 43

burning very strongly:
The house was ablaze, and the flames and smoke could be seen for miles around.

Question 44

casing

Answer 44

a covering that protects something

casing string

a container or cover that goes around something to hold it together or protect it:
A metal casing enclosed the three-inch thick cable.

Question 45

hew

Answer 45

to cut a large piece out of rock, stone, or another hard material in a rough way:
The monument was hewn out of the side of a mountain.
The monument was hewn out of stone.

2) to obey or behave according to (rules, principles, or expectations):
He never states his own opinion but hews to the party line

Question 46

wright

Answer 46

a person who makes or builds things, especially out of wood:
He was among the first to witness the damage which the teams of wrights and carpenters now laboured to repair.

Question 47

slit

Answer 47

to make a long, straight, narrow cut in something:
He slit open the envelope with a knife.
She killed herself by slitting her wrists.
He was found the next day with his throat slit.
She was wearing one of those skirts that’s slit up the front.

Question 48

upfront

Answer 48

speaking or behaving in a way that makes intentions and beliefs clear:
She’s very upfront about why she wants the job - she’d earn a lot more money.

paid or obtained in advance:
The roofer wants 20% of the money upfront.

in the beginning:
Every consumer should know upfront what it is going to cost them.

Question 49

mishap

Answer 49

C2 bad luck, or an unlucky event or accident:
The parade was very well organized and passed without mishap.
A series of mishaps led to the nuclear power plant blowing up.

Question 50

shroud

Answer 50

shroud noun [C] (CLOTH)
Add to word list
a cloth or long, loose piece of clothing that is used to wrap a dead body before it is buried