phone 4

Question 1

upfront

Answer 1

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.
She’s very upfront about her feelings.

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

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

Question 2

gradable

Answer 2

GRAMMAR (of adjectives and adverbs) able to be used with words like “more” and “less,” or having different forms that show this:
“Cold” is a gradable adjective and has the forms “colder” and “coldest.”

Question 3

condolence

Answer 3

sympathy and sadness for the family or close friends of a person who has recently died, or an expression of this, especially in written form:
a letter of condolence
Dignitaries from all over the world came to offer their condolences.

Question 4

outrage

Answer 4

a feeling of anger and shock:
These murders have provoked outrage across the country.
Many politicians and members of the public expressed outrage at the verdict.

C2 [ C ] a shocking, morally unacceptable, and usually violent action:
The bomb, which killed 15 people, was the worst of a series of terrorist outrages.
[ + that ] It’s an outrage (= it is shocking and morally unacceptable) that so much public money should have been wasted in this way.

Question 5

empathic

Answer 5

having the ability to imagine how someone else feels:
a kind and empathetic friend
programmes training doctors to be empathic

Question 6

oblivion

Answer 6

the state of being completely forgotten:
He was another minor poet who was consigned to oblivion.
These toys will be around for a year or two, then fade/slide/sink into oblivion.

He sought oblivion in a bottle of whisky.

2) the state of being completely destroyed:
The planes bombed the city into oblivion.

Question 7

consign

Answer 7

to send something to someone:
The goods have been consigned to you by air.

2) to give or send, or to put someone in an unpleasant place or situation:
She refused to consign her children to a life of poverty.

Question 8

surpass

Answer 8

formal C2
to do or be better than:
His time for the 100 metres surpassed the previous world record by one hundredth of a second.
The book’s success has surpassed everyone’s expectations.
The director has really surpassed himself (= done better than he has done before) with this new film.

Question 9

disgrace

Answer 9

embarrassment and the loss of other people’s respect, or behaviour that causes this:
They were sent home in disgrace.
He brought disgrace on the whole team by falsifying the results.
be a disgrace

B2 to be a very bad situation:
Three families living in one room - it’s a disgrace!
[ + that ] It’s a disgrace that the government spends so much on guns and so little on education.

Question 10

squad

Answer 10

C2 a small group of people trained to work together as a unit:
An army bomb squad arrived and defused the bomb.
the seizure of a large amount of heroin by the drug squad
The company was under investigation by the fraud squad.

C2 a team in sports from which the players for a match are chosen:
Eight of their 24-man squad are injured.

Question 11

flabbergast

Answer 11

feeling shocked, usually because of something you were not expecting:
When they announced her name, the winner just sat there, flabbergasted.
She is flabbergasted by the whole affair.

to shock someone, usually by telling that person something they were not expecting:
He was flabbergasted when we told him how cheap it was.

Question 12

float around

Answer 12

You say that an object is floating around when you think it is not far away but you cannot see exactly where:
I can’t find my purse, but it must be floating around here somewhere.

rumours floating around

Question 13

sneer

Answer 13

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.

2) an unkind expression on your face that shows you do not respect or approve of someone or something:
“How much did you say you earned last year?” she said with a sneer.

Question 14

obnoxious

Answer 14

very unpleasant or rude:
Some of his colleagues say that he’s loud and obnoxious.
When she’s in a bad mood she’s obnoxious to everyone.
Can’t you express your opinions without being obnoxious?

Question 15

unsavory

Answer 15

unpleasant, or morally offensive:
unsavory sexual practices
an unsavory reputation

Question 16

delectable

Answer 16

looking or tasting extremely good, and giving great pleasure:

a delectable cheesecake
a delectable cake

Question 17

encapsulate

Answer 17

to express or show the most important facts about something:

It was very difficult to encapsulate the story of the revolution in a single one-hour documentary.
She encapsulates the stereotyped image that the British have of Americans.

Answer 18

a piece of thread sewn in cloth, or the single movement of a needle and thread into and out of the cloth that produces this:
Secure the two pieces together with a couple of stitches.

2) one of the small circles of wool that you make when you are knitting:
He cast on/off a stitch (= added/removed a length of thread from the needle).
I’ve dropped a stitch (= lost a length of thread from the needle).

3) a length of special thread used to join the edges of a deep cut in the flesh:
Her head wounds needed 50 stitches.
He got hit with a broken bottle and needed five stitches in his cheek.

4) without any clothes:
I don’t have a stitch to wear (= I do not have anything suitable to wear) for this party tonight.
She ran down the hall to the bathroom without a stitch on (= naked).

Question 19

quilt (duvet)

Answer 19

a decorative cover for a bed

She pulled the duvet over her head to try to shut out the light.
The children’s duvets have some type of synthetic filling, not goose-down or anything like that.
I was just snuggling down into my warm duvet when my phone rang.

Question 20

staunch

Answer 20

always loyal in supporting a person, organization, or set of beliefs or opinions:
a staunch friend and ally
He gained a reputation as being a staunch defender/supporter of civil rights.

2) to stop something happening, or to stop liquid, especially blood, from flowing out:
The country’s asylum laws were amended to staunch the flow/flood of economic migrants.
Mike pressed hard on the wound and staunched the flow of blood.

Question 21

grope

Answer 21

to feel with your hands, especially in order to find or move towards something when you cannot see easily:

She groped for her glasses on the bedside table.
I had to grope my way up the dark stairs.
She stands on her toes and gropes around on the closet shelf.

Question 22

scrabble

Answer 22

to use your fingers to quickly find something that you cannot see:
He was scrabbling in the sand searching for the ring.
She scrabbled around in her bag, trying to find her keys.

to try to get something quickly that is not easily available:
The government is scrabbling around for ways to raise revenue without putting up taxes.

to climb quickly and without care:
Paul scrabbled up the cliff, dislodging several small stones.
We were scrabbling over the rocks as fast as we could.

Question 23

1) get (something) off the ground

2) get (something) through (to someone)

Answer 23

1) If a plan or activity gets off the ground or you get it off the ground, it starts or succeeds:
A lot more money will be required to get this project off the ground.

2) to succeed in making someone understand or believe something:
[ + question word ] UK We can’t get through to the government just how serious the problem is!
I don’t seem to be able to get through to (= communicate with) him these days.

Question 24

enumeration

Answer 24

the act of naming things separately, one by one:
Graphs and enumerations accompany the report.
The enumeration from the census is important in distributing federal dollars.

Question 25

prose

Answer 25

written language in its ordinary form rather than poetry:
I’ve always preferred reading prose to poetry.

Question 26

butcher

Answer 26

to kill or cut up an animal for meat:
He raises pigs and butchers his own meat.
This is where farmers brought their livestock to be butchered.
The truck was transporting freshly butchered chickens.

Question 27

smattering

Answer 27

very small amount or number:
There’s only a smattering of people who oppose the proposal.

a slight knowledge of something, or a small amount:
I know a smattering of German.
There was a smattering of boos when he was introduced.

Question 28

naive

Answer 28

too willing to believe that someone is telling the truth, that people’s intentions in general are good, or that life is simple and fair. People are often naive because they are young and/or have not had much experience of life:
She was very naive to believe that he’d stay with her.
They make the naive assumption that because it’s popular it must be good.
It was a little naive of you to think that they would listen to your suggestions.

Question 29

ardent

Answer 29

showing strong feelings:
an ardent supporter of Manchester United
an ardent feminist

Question 30

tailor

Answer 30

to adjust something to suit a particular need or situation:
Their services are tailored to clients’ needs.

COMMERCE to make something specially so that it is right for a particular person, organization, or purpose:
tailor sth for sb/sth You have to tailor application letters for each job you apply for.
tailor sth to sb/sth The company is tailoring its services to specific industrial sectors.
tailor sth to sb’s needs Some of the best growth prospects lie in tailoring products to customers’ needs.
tailor sth to do sth A financial advisor can tailor a product to fit each person’s circumstances.

2) someone whose job is to repair, make, and adjust (= make changes to) clothes, especially someone who makes jackets, trousers, coats, etc. for men

Question 31

anonymous

Answer 31

C2 made or done by someone whose name is not known or not made public:
The money was donated by an anonymous benefactor.
Police said an anonymous caller warned that a bomb was about to go off.

having no unusual or interesting features:
He has a rather anonymous face.

Question 32

recuperate

Answer 32

to become well again after an illness; to get back your strength, health, etc.:
She spent a month in the country recuperating from/after the operation.

After leaving the hospital, he continued to recuperate at home.

2) to get back money that you have spent or invested:
I don’t think we will be able to recuperate all our outlay.

Question 33

trickle

Answer 33

trickle down, from, out of, etc. something

If liquid trickles somewhere, it flows slowly and without force in a thin line:
Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth.
Oil was trickling from a tiny hole in the tank.

to arrive or move somewhere slowly and gradually, in small numbers:
Gradually people trickled back into the theatre for the second half.

3) a very small number of people or things arriving or leaving somewhere:
We usually only get a trickle of customers in the mornings.

Question 34

exodus

Answer 34

the movement of a lot of people from a place:
There has been a mass exodus of workers from the villages to the towns.
The hurricane warning caused a mass exodus.

Question 35

wit

Answer 35

the ability to use words in a clever and humorous way:
a woman of great intelligence and wit
Her conversation sparkled with her own subtle blend of wit and charm.
He was known for his dry/ready/sharp wit.

a person who is skilled at using words in a clever and humorous way:
Sydney Smith, a notable wit, once remarked that he never read a book before he reviewed it because it might prejudice his opinion of it.

Question 36

scintillating

Answer 36

funny, exciting, and clever:
scintillating wit/repartee/conversation
a scintillating personality/speech

Question 37

hinge on/upon something

Answer 37

If one thing hinges on another, the first thing depends on the second thing or is very influenced by it:
The prosecution’s case hinged on the evidence of a witness who died before the trial.

If a story or situation hinges on an idea or subject, it develops from that idea or that is the most important subject in it:
The film’s plot hinges on a case of mistaken identity.

Question 38

envoy, emissary

Answer 38

someone who is sent as a representative from one government or organization to another:
a United Nations special envoy

2) a person sent by one government or political leader to another to take messages or to take part in discussions:
He flew to China as the personal emissary of the President.

Question 39

optimize

Answer 39

to make something as good as possible:
We need to optimize our use of the existing technology

If you optimize the production process you could speed up the assembly line dramatically.

Question 40

narcissistic

Answer 40

having too much interest in and admiration for yourself:
a narcissistic personality
Narcissistic people have a hard time seeing another person’s point of view.

Question 41

confine

Answer 41

C2 to limit an activity, person, or problem in some way:
Let’s confine our discussion to the matter in question, please!
Please confine your use of the phone to business calls.
By closing the infected farms we’re hoping to confine the disease to the north of the region (= stop it from spreading to other areas).

C2 [ T usually passive ] to keep someone closed in a place, often by force:
The hostages had been confined for so long that they couldn’t cope with the outside world.

3) be confined to somewhere/something

to exist only in a particular area or group of people:
We know that the illness is not confined to any one group in society.

Question 42

comply

Answer 42

C1 to act according to an order, set of rules, or request:
He’s been ordered to have the dog destroyed because it’s dangerous, but he refuses to comply.
There are serious penalties for failure to comply with the regulations.

to obey an order, rule, or request:
Comosa says he will comply with the judge’s ruling.

Question 43

irrevocable

Answer 43

impossible to change:
an irrevocable decision

The judge said that the option was an irrevocable offer by the owner to sell.
The irrevocable loan facility agreed today has a term of 15 years.

Question 44

con

Answer 44

to make someone believe something false, usually so that that person will give you their money or possessions:
She felt she had been conned into buying the car.
Thieves conned him out of his life savings.
He managed to con £20 out of them (= get that amount from them by deceiving them).

Question 45

pummel

Answer 45

to hit someone or something repeatedly, especially with your fists (= closed hands):
The boxer had pummelled his opponent into submission by the end of the fourth round.

informal to defeat someone easily at a sport:
They were pummelled in the second round.

Question 46

prevalence

Answer 46

the fact that something is very common or happens often:
the prevalence of smoking among teenagers
The prevalence of the disease is higher in some families.

Question 47

disparate

Answer 47

different in every way:
The two cultures were so utterly disparate that she found it hard to adapt from one to the other.

Question 48

desperate

Answer 48

C2 very serious or bad:
desperate poverty
a desperate shortage of food/supplies
The situation is desperate - we have no food, very little water and no medical supplies.

very great or extreme:
The earthquake survivors are in desperate need of help.
He has a desperate desire to succeed.
informal I’m in a desperate hurry.

2) needing or wanting something very much:
They are desperate for help.
UK humorous I’m desperate for a drink!
[ + to infinitive ] UK humorous He was desperate to tell someone his good news.

Question 49

approbation

Answer 49

approval or agreement, often given by an official group:
The council has finally indicated its approbation of the plans.

Kids need their fathers’ approbation.

2) She feared her father’s disapprobation.

Question 50

conceal

Answer 50

C2 to prevent something from being seen or known about:
The listening device was concealed in a pen.
I tried to conceal my surprise when she told me her age.
It was said that the police concealed vital evidence.
Is there something you’re concealing from me?

Question 51

endear someone to someone

Answer 51

to cause someone to be liked by someone:
She is unlikely to endear herself to her colleagues with such an aggressive approach.
His fiery temper did not endear him to his coworkers