phone 16 Flashcards
sneer
to talk about or look at someone or something in an unkind way that shows you do not respect or approve of him, her, or it:
You may sneer, but a lot of people like this kind of music.
She’ll probably sneer at my new shoes because they’re not expensive.
[ + speech ] “Is that the best you can do?” he sneered.
desecrate
to damage or show no respect towards something holy or very much respected:
The mosque/shrine was desecrated by vandals.
It’s a crime to desecrate the country’s flag.
rabble
a large, noisy, uncontrolled group of people:
The defeated army returned home as a demoralized rabble.
He views his opponents as a mindless rabble.
people of a low social position:
Her speech stirred the emotions of the rabble.
the mass of people who are ordinary, unimportant, and poor, and sometimes threatening
pesky
annoying or causing trouble:
Those pesky kids from next door have let the air out of my car tyres again!
coddle
to cook food, especially eggs, in water just below boiling temperature:
coddled eggs
to protect someone or something too much:
The steel industry is coddled by trade protection and massive subsidies.
to protect and treat someone or something with great care:
The coach does not coddle his players.
gustatory
connected with taste:
gustatory pleasures
odyssey
a long, exciting journey:
The film follows one man’s odyssey to find the mother from whom he was separated at birth.
figurative a spiritual odyssey
a long trip or period involving a lot of different and exciting activities, esp. while searching for something:
The movie follows one man’s odyssey to find the mother he was separated from at birth.
chasm
a very deep, narrow opening in rock, ice, or the ground:
They leaned over the rails and peered down into the dizzying chasm below.
picture of chasm
formal
a very large difference between two opinions or groups of people:
There is still a vast economic chasm between developed and developing countries.
abscond
to go away suddenly and secretly in order to escape from somewhere:
abscond from She absconded from boarding school and hitchhiked to the city.
Two prisoners absconded last night.
to go away suddenly and secretly because you have stolen something, usually money:
abscond with They think they know who absconded with the funds from the bake sale.
abscond with humorous Someone absconded with my pen.
glean
to collect information in small amounts and often with difficulty:
From what I was able to glean, the news isn’t good.
glean something (from someone) They’re leaving on Tuesday - I managed to glean that much (from them).
candid`
honest and telling the truth, especially about something difficult or painful:
The two presidents have had candid talks about the current crisis.
To be candid with you, I think you’re making a dreadful mistake.
pungent
smelling or tasting very strong and sharp:
the pungent whiff of a goat
I sat down to a cup of wonderfully pungent Turkish coffee
ramp up
If a business ramps up its activity, it increases it:
The company announced plans to ramp up production to 10,000 units per month.
To stay competitive, they’ll have to ramp up product development as well as cut prices.
to increase the speed, power, or cost of something:
Announcement of the merger is expected to ramp up share prices over the next few days.
Mitsubishi has ramped up the speed of its new micro-controllers.
pitch
a speech or act that attempts to persuade someone to buy or do something:
The man in the shop gave me his (sales) pitch about quality and reliability.
She made a pitch for the job but she didn’t get it.
[ + to infinitive ] The city made a pitch to stage the Olympics.
[ C ] UK
a place in a public area where a person regularly sells goods or performs:
The flower seller was at his usual pitch outside the station.
slew
a large amount or number:
The product inspired a whole slew of copycats.
The bad weather could bring a slew of bankruptcies among farmers.
(of a vehicle) to turn or be turned round suddenly and awkwardly:
The car hit a patch of ice and slewed around violently.
He slewed the van to the left to avoid the dog.
Eventually the pilot managed to slew the aircraft round before it settled on all wheels on the runway.
wrap my head around
You can use this phrase when you want to express that you are having difficulty understanding something or comprehending a concept. Example: “I’m having trouble wrapping my head around this math problem.”. It took me awhile to wrap my head around this peculiar political pickle. I simply can’t wrap my head around this.
to find a way to understand or accept (something)
to persuade someone easily to do what you want them to do:
She could wrap her father around her little finger.
to dress in warm clothes, or to dress someone in warm clothes:
Wrap up well - it’s cold outside.
taint
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.
fusion
an occasion when two or more things join or are combined:
nuclear fusion
Their music is described as “an explosive fusion of Latin American and modern jazz rhythms”.
multitudinous
consisting of many things or parts:
a night sky of multitudinous stars
The performers displayed their multitudinous talents.
hue
(a degree of lightness, darkness, strength, etc. of) a colour:
In the Caribbean waters there are fish of every hue.
a different type or group:
of all hues Politicians of all hues wish to get sleaze off the agenda so that they can discuss the real issues.
