Review 9 Flashcards
Recital
/rɪˈsaɪ.t̬əl/
a performance of music or poetry, usually given by one person or a small group of people:
I went to a violin recital today.
He is giving a recital of Bach’s sonatas.
a detailed description of something or a list of things:
She gave us a long, boring recital of all her troubles.
Accolade
/ˈæk.ə.leɪd/
praise and approval:
He’s been granted the ultimate accolade - his face on a postage stamp.
Her approval was the highest accolade he could receive.
Engrossed
/ɪnˈɡroʊst/
absorbed
giving all your attention to something:
We were engrossed in conversation.
She was so engrossed by/in the book that she forgot the cookies in the oven.
They were so engrossed in/with what they were doing that they didn’t hear me come in.
Anglophile
/ˈæŋ.ɡlə.faɪl/
a person who is not English but is interested in, likes, or supports England or the UK
Bleak
(esp. of a place or the weather) cold and not welcoming:
It was a bleak, unpleasant day in December.
The house stands on a bleak, windswept hilltop.
Bleak also means without hope:
With no job, the future looked bleak.
The economic outlook is bleak.
Fit
a sudden, brief period when something happens that is beyond your control:
a coughing/sneezing fit
Epilepsy can cause severe fits (= sudden muscle movements that you cannot control).
an experience of a strong emotion or reaction:
a fit of laughter/jealousy
[ C ] A fit can be a feeling or expression of great anger:
Your mother will have/throw a fit when she sees this mess.
Skirmish
/ˈskɝː.mɪʃ/
to fight for a short time with a small group of people, away from the main area of fighting in a war:
Police and protesters skirmished in the chilly rain.
Rebels skirmished with nearby American forces.
to argue for a short time:
Although many legal disputes were resolved, lawyers still were skirmishing yesterday in a few places.
The parties skirmished about attorney fees.
(in wars) a short fight that is usually not planned and happens away from the main area of fighting, or any short fight:
Government troops lost a minor skirmish.
The court skirmish over video rights to the movie continues.
a short argument:
There was a short skirmish between the two of them over who would pay for the meal.
Condition
to train or influence a person or animal mentally so that they do or expect a particular thing without thinking about it:
a conditioned reflex/response
[ + to infinitive ] Pavlov conditioned dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell.
Women were conditioned to expect lower wages than men.
Gusto
/ˈɡʌs·toʊ/
eager enjoyment experienced when doing something:
We ate and drank with gusto.
Dossier
/ˈdɑː.si.eɪ/
a set of papers containing information about a person, often a criminal, or on any subject:
The secret service probably has a dossier on all of us.
Customs & Excise has given the committee a six-page dossier on the activities of the company.
prepare/compile/keep a dossier
She presented a dossier of customer complaints to the bank.
Robocall
/ˈroʊ.boʊ.kɑːl/
a telephone call made automatically by a computer, giving a recorded message, or the system of using such calls:
Most people hang up in the first minute when they get a robocall.
He will even take a robocall during dinner.
We’ve done robocall campaigns at every political level.
Cranial
/ˈkreɪ.ni.əl/
of the skull
Fuddy-Duddy
/ˈfʌd.iˌdʌd.i/
a person who has old-fashioned ideas and opinions:
They think I’m an old fuddy-duddy because I don’t approve of tattoos.
Tampering
the illegal act of touching or making changes to something when you should not:
Medications are sent in sealed factory containers which protect against tampering.
tampering with sth They were charged with tampering with evidence.
product/evidence/records tampering
Sacrilege
/ˈsæk·rə·lɪdʒ/
the failure to treat something holy with the respect it should have, or an example of this:
[ U ] Many thought it was sacrilege to move the bones to another place.
He considered the artwork to be sacrilegious.
Audicity
/ɔˈdæs·ɪ·t̬i/
Temerity
unusually strong and esp. rude confidence in yourself:
[ + to infinitive ] Our mayor has the audacity to claim credit for improvements he had nothing to do with.
It took a lot of audacity to stand up and criticize the chairman.
disapproving He had the audacity to blame me for his mistake!
Temerity
/təˈmer.ə.t̬i/
audacity
a willingness to do or say something that shocks or upsets other people:
[ + to infinitive ] She had the temerity to call me a liar.
Entrant
/ˈen.trənt/
a person who becomes a member of a group or organization:
new entrants to the school/company
a person who takes part in a competition or an exam:
All entrants complete two three-hour papers.
a company that starts selling a particular product or service, or selling in a particular place, for the first time:
As a recent entrant to the Japanese market, the company is at a disadvantage compared to Japanese suppliers.
Familial
/fəˈmɪl.i.əl/ similar to that in a family: a familial relationship affecting several members of the same family: a familial disease
Capitulate
/kəˈpɪtʃ·əˌleɪt/
to accept defeat, or to give up or give in:
I capitulated and let my daughter go with her friends.
Their forces capitulated five hours after the bombardment of the city began.
The sports minister today capitulated to calls for his resignation.
This was not a capitulation but an agreement.
Insomniac
/ɪnˈsɑːm.ni.æk/
someone who often finds it difficult to sleep
Benign
/bɪˈnɑɪn/
pleasant and kind; not harmful or severe:
a benign smile
His humor was benign, never cruel or hurtful.
medical (of a disease or tissue growing because of a disease) not likely to result in death:
a benign tumor
Discolor
/dɪsˈkʌl·ər/
to cause a substance or material to change from its original color when you do not want it to:
[ T ] Direct sunlight will discolor this fabric.
Skin discoloration
Fraudulent
intended to deceive people for the purpose of obtaining money or property:
There’s been a rise in fraudulent insurance claims.
dishonest and illegal:
A worrying trend for insurers has been a rise in fraudulent claims.
Stillbirth
/ˈstɪlˌbɜrθ/
the birth of a baby who has already died inside the mother
Unmet
/ʌnˈmet/ not satisfied, or achieved: These children have many unmet needs. The demand for affordable housing is largely unmet.
Mushroom
to grow quickly:
If your business were to mushroom, would you be happy?
The number of computers in schools has mushroomed in recent years.
Sow
to cause a bad emotion or condition to begin somewhere so that it will grow or continue:
Now that you’ve sown doubts in my mind, I’ll never be sure I can trust him.
Discord
/ˈdɪs·kɔrd/
a lack of agreement or feeling of trust between people:
The plan to build the highway created discord in our community.
A note of discord has crept into relations between the two countries.
Standoff
/ˈstændˌɔf/
stalemate
a situation in which neither side has won a competition or argument, or an occasion when someone prevents officials from acting, usually by threatening violence:
The battle of wills between teacher and student was a standoff.
She locked herself in the house, but after a brief standoff, police convinced her to come out.
Stalemate
/ˈsteɪlˌmeɪt/
a situation in which nothing can change or no action can be taken:
[ U ] Stalemate in Congress over education reform has made voters angry.
[ C ] The arrival of fresh troops broke the military stalemate.
Tomorrow’s meeting between the two leaders is expected to break a diplomatic stalemate that has lasted for ten years.
Despite long discussions, the workers and the management remain locked in stalemate.
Contentious
/kənˈten.ʃəs/
causing , involving, or likely to cause disagreement and argument:
a contentious decision/policy/issue/subject
She has some very contentious views on education.
The director had a contentious relationship with the eccentric actor.
Contentiousness
/kənˈten.ʃəs.nəs/
the fact of being contentious (= causing or likely to cause disagreement):
The debate highlights the contentiousness of the plan.
The book’s contentiousness is part of the reason why it’s such a great read.
disagreement and argument:
There has been increasing contentiousness between the two politicians.
Contention
the disagreement that results from opposing arguments:
There’s a lot of contention about that issue - for every person firmly in favour, there’s someone fiercely against it.
The issue has been settled - it’s no longer in contention.
formal an opinion expressed in an argument:
[ + that ] It is her contention that exercise is more important than diet if you want to lose weight.
be in/out of contention for sth
to be able/not able to achieve or win something, especially in sports:
This loss puts them out of contention for the playoffs this year.
Issuance
issue noun :
$715,000 was provided from the issuance of common stock.
stock/bond issuance The firm plans to raise at least $500 million through a bond issuance denominated in dollars.
Antagonize
/ænˈtæɡ·əˌnɑɪz/
to anger someone enough to dislike and oppose you:
The company doesn’t want to antagonize one of its biggest oil suppliers.
It’s a very delicate situation and I’ve no wish to antagonize him.
Restive
/ˈres·tɪv/
restless
unwilling to be controlled or be patient:
The crowd began to get restive during the long wait for the concert to begin.
Restless
moving because you are unable to relax, esp. because you are worried or bored, or (of an activity) having a lot of movement as a characteristic:
He dozed off to a restless sleep.
The audience began to get restless.
Restless can also mean not satisfied with your situation and wanting a change:
The opposition parties provide no clear alternative for restless voters.
Offset
to balance one influence against an opposing influence so that no great difference results:
The extra cost of commuting to work from the suburbs is offset by cheaper rents.
He keeps his petrol receipts because petrol is one of the expenses that he can offset against tax (= can show to the government as being a business cost, and so not pay tax).
Bloc
a group of countries or people that have similar political interests:
The European Union is a powerful trading/trade bloc.
the former Eastern/Communist bloc countries
EU heads of state agreed on the bloc’s environmental goals at a meeting on March 9.
Separatist
/ˈsep·ər·ə·t̬ɪst/
someone who supports an effort to become independent of the country or group to which the person belongs:
Albanian/Basque/Chechen separatists
Bristle
(of hairs) to stand up because of fear or anger, or (of people) to show anger:
The cat’s fur bristled.
She bristles at injustice.
to react angrily:
She bristled at the suggestion that she had in any way neglected the child.
Paramilitary
/ˌpær·əˈmɪl·ɪˌter·i/
similar to an army, but not official and sometimes not legal:
paramilitary forces
connected with and helping the official armed forces:
In some countries, police and firefighters have paramilitary training.
Secession
/sɪsˈeʃ.ən/
the act of becoming independent and no longer part of a country, area, organization, etc.:
Norway’s secession from Sweden in 1905
Secede
/sɪˈsid/
US history to decide not to continue to be part of a larger group or organization:
The American Civil War began when the South seceded from the Union.
There is likely to be civil war if the region tries to secede from the south.
Seethe
to feel very angry but to be unable or unwilling to express it clearly:
The rest of the class positively seethed with indignation when Julia won the award.
By the end of the meeting he was seething.
(of a large number or amount) to move around energetically in a small space:
The streets were seething (= busy and crowded) with tourists.
Set on
[ often passive ] to attack someone:
He was set upon by a vicious dog.
to surround or catch someone and prevent them from escaping:
As he left the theatre, the singer was set upon by fans desperate for autographs.
Get at
to criticize a person repeatedly:
He keeps getting at me and I really don’t know what I’ve done wrong.
to reach something:
I keep cleaning supplies on a high shelf where my three-year-old can’t get at them.
Bigot
/ˈbɪɡ.ət/
a person who has strong, unreasonable beliefs and who does not like other people who have different beliefs or a different way of life:
a religious bigot
He was known to be a loud-mouthed, opinionated bigot.
Slur
words intended to insult someone or injure someone’s reputation:
He apologized for shouting an ethnic slur at a fan.
Her letter contained several outrageous slurs against/on her former colleagues.
His comments cast a slur on the integrity of his employees.
to harm someone’s reputation by criticizing them:
The report slurs both the teachers and students.
a way of pronouncing the sounds of a word that is unclear, uncontrolled, or wrong:
The drug affected her vision and made her speak with a slur.
to pronounce the sounds of a word in a way that is wrong or not clear:
Her speech was slurred but she still denied she was drunk.
Fine-tune
/ˌfaɪnˈtuːn/
to make very small changes to something in order to make it work as well as possible:
She spent hours fine-tuning her speech.
The training program helped him fine-tune his skill set.
The company’s aim is to fine-tune its manufacturing system.
fine-tuning
There is some fine-tuning to be done, but the majority of the work on the marketing concept has been done.
Fabricate
/ˈfæb.rɪ.keɪt/
to invent or produce something false in order to deceive someone:
He was late, so he fabricated an excuse to avoid trouble.
He claims that the police fabricated evidence against him.
especially us to produce a product, especially in an industrial process:
The company fabricates and sells steel.
An electronic circuit is fabricated on a silicon wafer.
Insinuate
/ɪnˈsɪn·juˌeɪt/
to express but not directly state something:
What exactly are you insinuating?
[ + (that) clause ] She insinuated (that) I’m getting fat.
Contrary to your insinuation, we are not being unreasonable.
Rebuttal
/rɪˈbʌt̬.əl/
a statement that says that something is not true:
She issued a point-by-point rebuttal of the company’s accusations.
She issued a rebuttal of the charges.
Definitive
/dɪˈfɪn.ə.t̬ɪv/
C2 not able to be changed or improved:
a definitive judgment/ruling
There are no definitive answers/solutions to this problem.
The police have no definitive proof of her guilt.
considered to be the best of its type:
He’s written the definitive guide to Thailand.
/dɪˈfɪn.ə.t̬ɪv.li/
in a way that is not able to be changed or improved:
The President has spoken definitively about the situation in the region.
The link between lung cancer and air pollution has not been definitively proved.
Compulsive
/kəmˈpʌl.sɪv/
C2 doing something a lot and unable to stop doing it:
a compulsive liar/thief/eater
compulsive gambling
a compulsive eating disorder
C2 If a film, play, sports event, book, etc. is compulsive, it is so interesting or exciting that you do not want to stop watching or reading it:
I always find programmes about hospitals compulsive viewing.
Her latest book is compulsive reading/a compulsive read.
Buoy
to make someone feel happier or more confident about a situation:
She was buoyed (up) by the warm reception her audience gave her.
I was really buoyed by the nice comments on my work.
to support something and make it more successful:
House prices have been buoyed (up) in the area by the possibility of a new factory opening.
Extol
/ɪkˈstoʊl/ -ll-
to praise something or someone very much:
His book extolling the benefits of vegetarianism sold thousands of copies.
She is forever extolling the virtues of her children.
Apt
be apt to do sth/be apt to be sth
to be likely to do something or to often do something:
The kitchen roof is apt to (= likely to) leak when it rains.
She’s in her eighties now and apt to be a little forgetful.
Speculate
to guess possible answers to a question when you do not have enough information to be certain:
I don’t know why she did it - I’m just speculating.
A spokesperson declined to speculate on the cause of the train crash.
Journalists are speculating about whether interest rates will be cut.
[ + that ] The newspapers have speculated that they will get married next year.
to buy and sell in the hope that the value of what you buy will increase and that it can then be sold at a higher price in order to make a profit:
He made his money speculating on the London gold and silver markets.
The company has been speculating in property for years.
Interweave
/ˌɪn.t̬ɚˈwiːv/ interwove | interwoven
to twist together or combine two or more things so that they cannot be separated easily:
She has created an intriguing story by skilfully interweaving fictional and historical events.
Tribulation
A problem or difficulty
trials and tribulations literary or humorous troubles and events that cause suffering: the trials and tribulations of marriage
Vain
unsuccessful; of no value:
The doctors gave him more powerful drugs in the vain hope that he might recover.
formal It was vain to pretend to himself that he was not disappointed.
in vain
C1 unsuccessfully:
I tried in vain to start a conversation.
All the police’s efforts to find him were in vain.
Cohort
/ˈkoʊ.hɔːrt/
social science specialized a group of people who share a characteristic, usually age:
This study followed up a cohort of 386 patients aged 65+ for six months after their discharge home.
disapproving a group of people who support a particular person, usually a leader:
The Mayor and his cohorts have abused their positions of power.
Troll
a message that someone leaves on the internet that is intended to annoy people:
A well-constructed troll will provoke irate or confused responses from flamers and newbies.
to search among a large number or many different places in order to find people or information you want:
They are trolling the internet for new customers.
to leave an insulting message on the internet in order to annoy someone:
He’s already getting trolled on social media for his comments after the game.
Radio silence
/ˈreɪ.di.oʊ ˌsaɪ.ləns/
a period of time when nothing is broadcast by radio:
Radio silence may be imposed on other stations during a distress call.
a period of time when someone does not communicate with another person or other people:
He texted me every day for a week, and then: radio silence.
Maddening
/ˈmæd.ən.ɪŋ/
making you angry:
She has a maddening habit of interrupting me when I’m talking to her.
Incense
/ɪnˈsens/
to cause someone to be extremely angry:
The editor said a lot of readers would be incensed by my article on class.
I was so incensed by what he was saying I had to walk out.
extremely angry:
The villagers are incensed at the decision to close the railway station.
Deluge
/ˈdel.juːdʒ/ a very large amount of rain or water: This little stream can become a deluge when it rains heavily. a deluge of sth a lot of something: The newspaper received a deluge of complaints/letters/phone calls about the article.
Outstrip
/ˌaʊtˈstrɪp/ -pp-
to be or become greater in amount, degree, or success than something or someone:
The demand for food in the war zone now far outstrips supply.
Synonyms
outdistance
outperform
Intervention
/ˌɪn.t̬ɚˈven.ʃən/
C2 action taken to intentionally become involved in a difficult situation in order to improve it or prevent it from getting worse:
Half the people questioned said they were opposed to military intervention (in the civil war).
Repeated interventions on the currency markets have failed to prevent the value of the currency falling.
Clunky
heavy and solid in an ugly way:
The clunky handsets looked old-fashioned as soon as they were launched.
He wore a clunky gold ring.
awkward or badly done:
The writing is clunky in places and full of clichés.
Blob
a fat, round drop, usually of something sticky or thick:
a blob of glue/paint
Ply
to sell or to work regularly at something, especially at a job that involves selling things:
Fishermen in small boats ply their trade up and down the coast.
Dealers are openly plying drugs in school playgrounds.
The market traders were loudly plying their wares.
ply for business, trade, etc.
to try to get customers for your business in a public place, for example, as a taxi driver, by driving around or waiting in a regular place:
uk There are never any taxis plying for trade/hire in our area.
I noticed a couple of prostitutes plying for business on the corner.
old-fashioned When a boat, train, bus, etc. plies a particular route, it makes that journey regularly:
High-speed trains regularly ply between Paris and Lyons.
This airline has been plying the transatlantic route for many years.
Enrapture
/ɪnˈræp.tʃɚ/
to give someone very great pleasure:
The performance enraptured adults and children alike.
/ɪnˈræp.tʃɚd/
filled with great pleasure or extremely pleased by something:
The audience was enraptured by the young soloist’s performance.
Emulate
/ˈem·jəˌleɪt/
to copy someone’s behavior or try to be like someone else because you admire or respect that person:
Officials are looking to emulate successful ideas from other cities.
He just wants to emulate his dad.
They hope to emulate the success of other software companies.
Fitzgerald is eager to emulate Martin’s record of three successive world titles.
Decadent
/ˈdek.ə.dənt/
corrupt
A decadent person or group has low moral standards:
a decadent society
the decadent court surrounding the king
humorous Champagne and chocolates for breakfast - how decadent!
Corrupt
decadent
dishonestly using your position or power to get an advantage, especially for money:
Both companies are under investigation for corrupt practices.
The whole system was corrupt - every official she approached wanted money before helping her.
morally bad:
a corrupt society
to make someone dishonest and willing to use their position or power for personal advantage, esp. to get money:
Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Don’t let your friends corrupt you (= have a bad moral influence on you).
Exodus
/ˈek.sə.dəs/
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.
Capricious
/kəˈprɪʃ.əs/
impulsive fickle
changing mood or behaviour suddenly and unexpectedly:
a capricious child
He was a cruel and capricious tyrant.
likely to change, or reacting to a sudden desire or new idea:
We have had very capricious weather lately.
Fickle
Capricious
disapproving likely to change your opinion or your feelings suddenly and without a good reason:
She’s so fickle - she’s never been interested in the same man for more than a week!
The world of popular music is notoriously fickle.
Fickle conditions are likely to change suddenly and without warning:
Fickle winds made sailing conditions difficult.
Await
/əˈweɪt/
expect
to wait for or be waiting for something:
He’s anxiously awaiting his test results.
A marvellous reception awaited me on my first day at work.
The long/eagerly awaited sequel is now available online.
Scowl
/skaʊl/
to look at someone or something with a very annoyed expression:
The boy scowled at her and reluctantly followed her back into school.
a very annoyed expression:
She was clearly annoyed, as you could tell from the scowl on her face.
He opened the door again, not bothering to hide his fierce scowl.
Provenance
/ˈprɑː.vən.əns/
the place of origin of something:
jewels of uncertain provenance
This raised doubts about the provenance of the painting.
I don’t need to see a label to identify the provenance of a garment that someone is wearing.
Vet
/vet/ -tt-
to examine something or someone carefully to make certain that they are acceptable or suitable:
During the war, the government vetted all news reports before they were published.
The bank carefully vets everyone who applies for an account.
All agencies must carefully vet new workers.
Before we signed this contract, our lawyer vetted it.
