phone 7 Flashcards
scrub
to rub something hard in order to clean it, especially using a stiff brush, soap, and water:
She scrubbed (at) the mark on the wall for a long time, but it wouldn’t come off.
[ + obj + adj ] He scrubbed the old saucepan clean, and it looked as good as new.
2) ) to decide not to do something you had planned to do:
We had to scrub our plans when I lost my job.
cascade
a large amount of something that hangs down:
A cascade of golden hair fell down his back.
Coins cascaded from/out of the fruit machine.
2) to pass on information by giving it to just a few people, who then give it to more people; to be passed on in this way:
Guest information is cascaded through employee shift briefings.
Communication cascades down the organization until the information has been communicated through each level, to the front lines.
C2 something that causes growth or activity:
Foreign investment has been a stimulus to the industry.
The book will provide a stimulus to research in this very important area.
2) BIOLOGY specialized something that causes part of the body to react:
The tip of the tongue is sensitive to salt and sweet stimuli and the back of the tongue is sensitive to bitter stimuli.
broach
to begin a discussion of something difficult:
At some point we’ve got to discuss money but I don’t know how to broach the subject with him.
2) formal to open a bottle or barrel in order to drink its contents:
Shall we broach another cask of wine?
insoluble
so difficult that it is impossible to solve:
Traffic congestion in large cities seems to be an insoluble problem.
2) impossible to dissolve:
These minerals are all insoluble in water.
conflate
to combine two or more separate things, especially pieces of text, to form a whole:
She conflated the three plays to produce a fresh new work.
a young animal or child:
disapproving He looked at me as if I was a spawn of Satan because I was smoking a cigarette.
2) to cause something new, or many new things, to grow or start suddenly:
The new economic freedom has spawned hundreds of new small businesses.
Her death spawned countless films and books.
3) to produce eggs:
The frogs haven’t spawned yet.
ample
C1 more than enough:
You’ll have ample opportunity to ask questions after the talk.
There’s ample evidence that the lawyer knew exactly what she was doing.
They had ample warning of the factory closure.
inoculate
] to give a weak form of a disease to a person or animal, usually by injection, as a protection against that disease:
My children have been inoculated against polio.
Louis Pasteur inoculated an 8-year-old boy with cowpox and then exposed him to smallpox to test his theory.
There may be a shortage of flu vaccine to inoculate the elderly and other vulnerable groups.
Compare
hold sway
have great power or influence over a particular person, place, or domain.
“they had held sway in France for a quarter of a century”
to have power or a very strong influence:
Fundamentalist beliefs hold sway over whole districts, ensuring the popularity of religious leaders.
sinewy
with strong muscles and little fat:
The fighter had a strong, sinewy body.
sway
to move slowly from side to side:
The trees were swaying in the wind.
The movement of the ship caused the mast to sway from side to side/back and forth.
A drunk was standing in the middle of the street, swaying uncertainly and trying hard to stay upright.
[ T ] to cause something to move or change:
Recent developments have swayed the balance of power in the region.
2) to persuade someone to believe or do one thing rather than another:
Her speech failed to sway her colleagues into supporting the plan.
3) formal control or influence:
In the 1980s, the organization came under the sway of (= became strongly influenced by) Christian fundamentalism.
Her parents no longer seem to have much sway over her.
The party could hold sway (= have an important influence) on some crucial votes.
dimly
in a way that does not give or have much light:
The room was dimly lit.
The February sun shone dimly.
slightly, but not very well:
I dimly remembered reading the book a few years before.
They were only dimly aware of the telephone ringing.
toss something off
to do something quickly, especially in a careless way or with little effort:
She tossed off a reply to the letter before she left for the meeting.
tassel
a group of short threads or ropes held together at one end, used as a hanging decoration on hats, curtains, furniture, etc.
pardadi tegidagi narsa
larch
a tall tree that grows in cold northern countries and has leaves shaped like needles that it loses in winter
clump
a group, especially of trees or flowers:
a clump of grass/daffodils
knoll
a small low hill with a rounded top:
a grassy knoll
hiss
to make a noise like a long s sound:
Why do snakes hiss?
The iron was hissing and spluttering.
People in the audience were hissing their disapproval.
2) to say something in a quiet angry way:
“Shut up, Tom!” she hissed.
leverage
power to influence people and get the results you want:
If the United Nations had more troops in the area, it would have greater leverage.
2) the act of using borrowed money to buy an investment or a company:
With leverage, the investor’s $100,000 buys $500,000 or more of stock if he wants.
accrue
to increase in number or amount over a period of time:
Interest will accrue on the account at a rate of seven percent.
Little benefit will accrue to the city (= it will receive little benefit) from the new transport links.
2) if a payment or an advantage accrues to you, you receive it or have the right to receive it:
accrue to sb Building societies are mutually owned, and benefits accrue to members rather than shareholders.
The school district is being criticized for allowing $74 million in vacation pay to accrue to school administrators and other nonteachers.
decree
an official statement that something must happen:
The decree stopped short of a full declaration of independence.
More than 200 people were freed by military decree.
scruple
a feeling that prevents you from doing something that you think is morally wrong or makes you uncertain about doing it:
Robin Hood had no scruples about robbing the rich to give to the poor.
He is a man without scruple - he has no conscience.
Strenuous
C2 needing or using a lot of physical or mental effort or energy:
He rarely does anything more strenuous than changing the channels on the television.
His doctor advised him not to do any strenuous exercise.
Strenuous efforts were made throughout the war to disguise the scale of civilian casualties.
autonomy
the right of an organization, country, or region to be independent and govern itself:
Demonstrators demanded immediate autonomy for their region.
The universities want to preserve their autonomy from central government.
District officials had rebuffed a proposal to grant greater autonomy to local schools.
bureaucratic
relating to a system of controlling or managing a country, company, or organization that is operated by a large number of officials:
The company was inefficient because it was highly bureaucratic.
involving complicated rules and processes that make something slow and difficult:
I had a lot of bureaucratic hassle trying to get the information I needed.
bog down
to prevent someone or something from moving on or progressing:
He’s a big-picture leader and doesn’t get bogged down in the details.
strike
to refuse to continue working because of an argument with an employer about working conditions, pay levels, or job losses:
Democratization has brought workers the right to strike and join a trade union.
We’re striking for better pay and improved safety standards.\
2) C2 [ I or T ] to cause a person or place to suffer severely from the effects of something very unpleasant that happens suddenly:
I have a life insurance policy that will take care of my family if disaster strikes.
The disease has struck the whole community, sometimes wiping out whole families.
They predict that a large earthquake will strike the west coast before the end of the decade.
ostracize
to avoid someone intentionally, or to prevent someone from taking part in the activities of a group:
His colleagues ostracized him after he criticized the company in public.
Raucous
loud and unpleasant:
I heard the raucous call of the crows.
Raucous laughter came from the next room.
The party was becoming rather raucous.
recourse
using something or someone as a way of getting help, especially in a difficult or dangerous situation:
It is hoped that the dispute will be settled without recourse to litigation.
a way of dealing with a difficult or unpleasant situation:
If the company won’t pay me, the only recourse left to me is to sue them.
litigation
the process of taking a case to a court of law so that a judgment can be made:
The company has consistently denied responsibility, but it agreed to the settlement to avoid the expense of lengthy litigation.
shriek
a short, loud, high cry, especially one produced suddenly as an expression of a powerful emotion:
shrieks of delight
He suddenly let out a piercing shriek.
piercing
going through or into something:
Troops have been issued with new armour-piercing anti-tank grenades.
2) strongly
tantamount
being almost the same or having the same effect as something, usually something bad:
Her refusal to answer was tantamount to an admission of guilt.
equal:
Her silence was tantamount to an admission of guilt.
utopia
a perfect society in which people work well with each other and are happy:
Try and imagine a perfect society, a utopia, in which the government really got everything right.
Humans, in the developed world at least, are as close to utopia as they are ever likely to be, argues the professor.
clandestine
planned or done in secret, especially describing something that is not officially allowed:
The group held weekly clandestine meetings in a church.
He has been having a clandestine affair with his secretary for three years.
She undertook several clandestine operations for the CIA.
contingency
something that might possibly happen in the future, usually causing problems or making further arrangements necessary:
You must be able to deal with all possible contingencies.
Have you made any contingency plans?
exonerate
to show or state that someone or something is not guilty of something:
The report exonerated the crew from all responsibility for the collision.
incongruous
unusual or different from what is around or from what is generally happening:
The new computer looked incongruous in the dark book-filled library.
It seems incongruous to have a woman as the editor of a men’s magazine.
liability
C1 [ U ] the fact that someone is legally responsible for something:
He denies any liability for the damage caused.
prolific
producing a great number or amount of something:
He was probably the most prolific songwriter of his generation.
Rabbits and other rodents are prolific (= have a lot of babies).
reinstate
to give someone back their previous job or position, or to cause something to exist again:
A month after being unfairly dismissed, he was reinstated in his job.
The Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.
anteroom
a small room, especially a waiting room, that leads into a larger, more important room:
The ministers waited for their meeting in the Cabinet anteroom.
derail
If a train derails or is derailed, it comes off the railway tracks.
] to prevent a plan or process from succeeding:
Renewed fighting threatens to derail the peace talks.
eject
to push, throw, or force something out of a place :
Small splatters of molten lava were ejected from the crater.
When X-rays are absorbed by matter, electrons are ejected from the atoms of which it is composed.
A number of fans had been ejected from the bar for causing trouble.
apolitical
not interested in or connected with politics, or not connected to any political party:
The organization insists that it is apolitical and does not identify with any one particular party.
infidel
(used especially between Christians and Muslims) someone who does not have the same religious beliefs as the person speaking:
He lived among infidels/the infidel.
infidel armies
panacea
something that will solve all problems:
Technology is not a panacea for all our problems.
pan out
to develop in a particular way or in a successful way:
We’ll have to see how things pan out.
Their attempt to start a new business didn’t pan out.
primeval
ancient; existing at or from a very early time:
primeval forests
rectify
C1 formal to correct something or make something right:
I am determined to take whatever action is necessary to rectify the situation.
Every effort is made to rectify any errors/mistakes before the book is printed.
