Set 2 Flashcards
glean
glean
/ɡliːn/
1 to gather (something, such as information) bit by bit; If you glean something such as information or knowledge, you learn or collect it slowly and patiently, and perhaps indirectly: OBTAIN, get, take, draw, derive, extract, cull, garner, gather, reap; select, choose, pick; learn, find out
→ glean sth from sb/sth
… She gleaned her data from various studies.
…10,000 pages of evidence were gleaned from hundreds and hundreds of interviews.
…They spent days gleaning the files for information.
…Tyler Loudon, 42, pleaded guilty Thursday to securities fraud for buying and selling stocks based on details gleaned from his wife’s business conversations while both were working from home.
—CBS News, 26 Feb. 2024
…An extra step incubated each target with T-cells gleaned from each patient’s blood.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024
…After that, look for a series of recipes gleaned from some of our top restaurants, tested and curated by Free Press food writer Susan Selasky.
—Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024
2 to collect grain that has been left behind after the crops have been cut
…They spent hours gleaning in the wheat fields.
> early 14c., “to gather by acquisition, scrape together,” especially grains left in the field after harvesting, but the earliest use in English is figurative, from Old French glener “to glean” (14c., Modern French glaner) “to glean,” from Late Latin glennare “make a collection,” of unknown origin. Perhaps from Gaulish (compare Old Irish do-glinn “he collects, gathers,” Celtic glan “clean, pure”). Figurative sense was earlier in English than the literal one of “gather grain left by the reapers” (late 14c.). Related: Gleaned; gleaning.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
gestation
ges‧ta‧tion
/dʒeˈsteɪʃən/
1 MEDICAL
the process by which a child or young animal develops inside its mother’s body before birth, or the period of time when this happens: PREGNANCY, development, incubation, maturation /ˌmaCHəˈrāSH(ə)n/, ripening /ˈrīpəniNG/
…The gestation period of a horse is about 11 months.
2 the process by which a new idea, piece of work etc is developed, or the period of time when this happens: DEVELOPMENT, origination, drafting, formation, evolution
→ in gestation
…The report was a very long time in gestation.
> mid 16th century (denoting an excursion on horseback, in a carriage, etc., considered as exercise): from Latin gestatio(n- ), from gestare ‘carry, carry in the womb’, frequentative of gerō (“carry, bear”).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Wiktionary
beleaguer
be·lea·guer
1 to cause problems or difficulties for
…We have issues in our community that continue to plague and beleaguer us.
2 ARCHAIC
to lay siege to (a place); besiege.
be‧lea‧guered
/bɪˈliːɡəd $ -ərd/
1 A beleaguered person, organization, or project is experiencing a lot of difficulties, opposition, or criticism: HARD-PRESSED, troubled, in difficulties, under pressure
…the country’s beleaguered steel industry
…an economically beleaguered city
2 ARCHAIC
surrounded by an army: BESIEGED, under siege, blockaded
…Supplies are being brought into the beleaguered city.
…The rebels continue their push towards the beleaguered capital.
> 1580s, “besiege, surround, blockade,” literal and figurative, from Dutch or Low German belegeren “to besiege,” from be- “around” (from Proto-Germanic *bi- “around, about;” see by) + legeren “to camp,” from leger “bed, camp, army, lair,” from Proto-Germanic *legraz- (from PIE *legh-ro-, suffixed form of root *legh- “to lie down, lay”). A word from the Flemish Wars (cognates: Swedish belägra, Dutch belegeren “besiege,” German Belagerung “siege”). The spelling influenced by unrelated league. Related: Beleaguered; beleaguering.
> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
simmer
simmer
1 to boil gently, or to cook something slowly by boiling it gently.
2 if you are simmering with anger, or if anger is simmering in you, you feel very angry but do not show your feelings.
simmer with
…He was left simmering with rage.
3 if an argument is simmering, people feel angry with each other but only show it slightly.
> mid 17th century: alteration of dialect simper (in the same sense), perhaps imitative.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English
nascent
nas‧cent
/nay·snt/
coming into existence or starting to develop; Nascent things or processes are just beginning, and are expected to become stronger or to grow bigger: JUST BEGINNING, budding, developing, growing, embryonic /ˌembrēˈänik/
…Kenya’s nascent democracy
…The actress is now focusing on her nascent singing career.
…one of the leading figures in the nascent civil-rights movement
…the nascent space industry
…the still nascent science of psychology
…The Ripple case is one of the major battles in the nascent blockchain industry.
—Byleo Schwartz, Fortune Crypto, 9 Aug. 2023
> 1620s, “in the act of being born;” 1706 in the figurative sense of “beginning to exist or grow, coming into being,” from Latin nascentem (nominative nascens) “arising young, immature,” present participle of nasci “to be born” (Old Latin gnasci), from PIE root *gene- “give birth, beget.” Related: Nascence (1560s); nascency.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
scourge
scourge
/skərj/
noun
1 A scourge is something that causes a lot of trouble or suffering to a group of people: AFFLICTION /əˈflɪkʃən/, bane, curse, plague
scourge of
…Union chiefs demanded more urgent action to stop the scourge of unemployment.
2 a whip used to punish people in the past.
verb
1 If something scourges a place or group of people, it causes great pain and suffering to people: AFFLICT /əˈflɪkt/, plague, torment, torture, curse
…Economic anarchy scourged the post-war world.
2 to hit someone with a whip as punishment in the past.
> Middle English: shortening of Old French escorge (noun), escorgier (verb), from Latin ex- ‘thoroughly’ + corrigia ‘thong, whip’.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
extol
ex·tol
/ikˈstōl/
If you extol something or someone, you praise them enthusiastically: PRAISE ENTHUSIASTICALLY, acclaim, applaud
…The health benefits of exercise are widely extolled.
→ extol the virtues/benefits etc of something
…a speech extolling the merits of free enterprise
…campaign literature extolling the candidate’s military record
…The transition team for Pamela Price, Alameda County’s first Black district attorney, held a news conference Thursday afternoon to extol her accomplishments during her first 75 days in office and try to shift the conversation away from the unsteady start of her tenure.
—Justin Phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, 2 Apr. 2023
> also extoll, c. 1400, “to lift up,” from Latin extollere “to place on high, raise, elevate,” figuratively “to exalt, praise,” from ex “up” (see ex-) + tollere “to raise,” from PIE *tele- “to bear, carry,” “with derivatives referring to measured weights and thence money and payment” [Watkins].
> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
take a break; get some rest
take a break; get some rest
go for sth
go for sth
mayhem
may‧hem
/ˈmeɪhem/
noun [uncountable]
You use mayhem to refer to a situation that is not controlled or ordered, when people are behaving in a disorganized, confused, and often violent way: CHAOS, disorder, confusion, havoc, bedlam, pandemonium
…Their arrival caused mayhem as crowds of people rushed towards them.
…There was complete mayhem after the explosion.
…the economic mayhem that this country’s going through now
→ cause/create/wreak mayhem
…For some children, the first fall of snow is an opportunity to create mayhem.
> late 15c., “the violent doing of a bodily hurt to another person,” from Anglo-French maihem (13c.), from Old French mahaigne “injury, wrong, a hurt, harm, damage;” related to mahaignier “to injure, wound, mutilate, cripple” (see maim), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“to change”). The original meaning referred to the crime of maiming, the other senses derived from this.
> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus Wiktionary, Etymonline
moat
moat
fair enough
fair enough
quintuple
quin·tu·ple
/kwinˈt(y)o͞opəl,kwinˈtəpəl/
posthumous
post‧hu‧mous
/ˈpɒstjəməs $ ˈpɑːstʃə-/
happening, printed etc after someone’s death
…a posthumous collection of his articles
—posthumously adverb
…He was posthumously awarded the Military Cross.
> From Latin posthumus, a variant spelling of postumus, superlative form of posterus (“coming after”), the ⟨h⟩ added by association with humus (“ground, earth”) referring to burial.
> mid-15c., posthumus, “born after the death of the originator” (author or father), from Late Latin posthumus, from Latin postumus “last,” especially “last-born,” superlative of posterus “coming after, subsequent” (see posterior). Altered in Late Latin by association with Latin humare “to bury,” suggesting death; the one born after the father is in the ground obviously being his last. An Old English word for this was æfterboren, literally “after-born.” Related: Posthumously.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Etymonline, Wiktionary
hairy
hairy
1 a hairy person or animal has a lot of hair on their body
2 INFORMAL
alarming and difficult; If you describe a situation as hairy, you mean that it is exciting, worrying, and rather frightening: RISKY, unsafe, dangerous, perilous, hazardous, high-risk, touch-and-go, fraught with danger; tricky, ticklish, difficult, unpredictable
…We drove up yet another hairy mountain road.
…It got very hairy when we ran into some troops guarding the border.
…It was pretty hairy climbing down the cliff.
…His driving was a bit hairy.
…a few hairy moments
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
yen
yen
noun
a strong desire; If you have a yen to do something, you have a strong desire to do it: HANKERING, yearning, longing, urge, desire
→ yen for
…a yen for foreign travel
→ yen to do sth
…She’d always had a yen to write a book.
verb
to feel a longing or yearning
…It’s no use yenning for the old simplicities.
> “sharp desire, hunger,” 1906, earlier yen-yen (1900), yin (1876) “intense craving for opium,” from Chinese (Cantonese) yan “craving,” or from a Beijing dialect word for “smoke.” Reinforced in English by influence of yearn.
> Although yen suggests no more than a strong desire these days (as in “a yen for a beach vacation”), at one time someone with a yen was in deep trouble: the first meaning of yen was an intense craving for opium. The word comes from Cantonese yīn-yáhn, a combination of yīn, meaning “opium,” and yáhn, “craving.” In English, the Chinese syllables were translated as yen-yen.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
leery
leer‧y
/ˈlɪəri $ ˈlɪri/
cautious, suspicious, wary, hesitant, or nervous about something; having reservations or concerns: WARY, cautious, careful, guarded, chary, suspicious
→ leery of
…leery of strangers
…I was very leery of him after I found out he had lied to Jennifer.
…She seemed a little leery of the proposal.
> “knowing, wide-awake, untrusting, suspicious, alert,” 1718, originally slang, with -y (2), but otherwise of unknown origin. Perhaps from dialectal lere “learning, knowledge” (see lore), or from leer (v.) in a now-obscure sense “walk stealthily with averted looks, sneak away” (1580s). OED suggests connection with archaic leer (adj.) “empty, useless,” a general Germanic word (cognate with German leer, Dutch laar), of unknown origin.
> Wiktionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
demagogue
dem‧a‧gogue
/ˈdeməɡɒɡ $ -ɡɑːɡ/
a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power; If you say that someone such as a politician is a demagogue you are criticizing them because you think they try to win people’s support by appealing to their emotions rather than using reasonable arguments: RABBLE-ROUSER, POLITICAL AGITATOR, agitator, soapbox orator, firebrand
…a gifted demagogue with particular skill in manipulating the press
…Though a cult figure for his supporters, Khan was seen by critics as a demagogue and would-be authoritarian, who demonized political opponents and mismanaged the country’s affairs.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2023
…During an interview with USA TODAY in May, Kennedy described Trump as a demagogue, which is defined as a political leader who manipulates voters by playing on their prejudices and exploiting them.
—Rachel Looker, USA TODAY, 29 June 2023
> 1640s, “an unprincipled popular orator or leader; one who seeks to obtain political power by pandering to the prejudices, wishes, ignorance, and passions of the people or a part of them,” ultimately from Greek dēmagōgos “popular leader,” also “leader of the mob,” from dēmos “people, common people” (originally “district,” from PIE *da-mo- “division,” from root *da- “to divide”) + agōgos “leader,” from agein “to lead” (from PIE root *ag- “to drive, draw out or forth, move”). When the ancient Greeks used dēmagōgos (from dēmos, meaning “people,” and agein, “to lead”) they meant someone good—a leader who used outstanding oratorical skills to further the interests of the common people. But alas, the word took a negative turn, suggesting one who uses powers of persuasion to sway and mislead.
> ag-: Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to drive, draw out or forth, move.”
It forms all or part of: act; action; active; actor; actual; actuary; actuate; agency; agenda; agent; agile; agitation; agony; ambagious; ambassador; ambiguous; anagogical; antagonize; apagoge; assay; Auriga; auto-da-fe; axiom; cache; castigate; coagulate; cogent; cogitation; counteract; demagogue; embassy; epact; essay; exact; exacta; examine; exigency; exiguous; fumigation; glucagon; hypnagogic; interact; intransigent; isagoge; litigate; litigation; mitigate; mystagogue; navigate; objurgate; pedagogue; plutogogue; prodigal; protagonist; purge; react; redact; retroactive; squat; strategy; synagogue; transact; transaction; variegate.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
sobriety
so‧bri‧e‧ty
/səˈbraɪəti/
noun [uncountable]
1 FORMAL
Sobriety is the state of being sober rather than drunk: SOBERNESS, clear-headedness; ABSTINENCE, teetotalism, nonindulgence
…He hated her more in his sobriety than when he was drunk.
2 FORMAL
Sobriety is serious and thoughtful behavior: SERIOUSNESS, solemnness, solemnity, thoughtfulness, gravity, graveness, somberness, severity, earnestness, sedateness, staidness, dignity, dignified demeanor, steadiness, self-restraint
…His daughter had always been a model of sobriety.
> sober (adj.): mid-14c., sobre, “moderate in desires or actions, habitually temperate, restrained,” especially “abstaining from strong drink,” also “calm, quiet, not overcome by emotion,” from Old French sobre “decent; sober” (12c.), from Latin sobrius “not drunk, temperate, moderate, sensible,” from a variant of se- “without” (see se-) + ebrius “drunk,” which is of unknown origin. The meaning “free from the influence of intoxicating liquors; not drunk at the moment” is from late 14c.; also “appropriately solemn, serious, not giddy.” As “plain or simple in color” by 1590s. Jocular sobersides “sedate, serious-minded person” is recorded from 1705.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
tantamount
tan‧ta‧mount
/ˈtæntəmaʊnt/
be tantamount to sth
equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as: EQUIVALENT TO, equal to, amounting to, as good as, more or less, synonymous with, virtually the same as, much the same as, comparable to, on a par with, commensurate with, along the lines of, as serious as, identical to
…To leave a dog home alone is tantamount to cruelty.
…The resignations were tantamount to an admission of guilt.
…They see any criticism of the President as tantamount to treason.
> 1640s, from verbal phrase tant amount “be equivalent” (1620s), from Anglo-French tant amunter “amount to as much” (late 13c.), from Old French tant “as much” (11c., from Latin tantus, from tam “so;” see tandem) + amonter “amount to, go up” (see amount (v.)).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
stratify
stratify
#conditionals
#conditionals
furlough
fur‧lough
/ˈfɜːləʊ $ ˈfɜːrloʊ/
noun
1 When soldiers are given furlough, they are given official permission to leave the area where they are based or are fighting, for a certain period: LEAVE
…a young soldier home on furlough
2 NORTH AMERICAN
a period of time when workers are told not to work, especially because there is not enough money to pay them
…workers forced to take a long, unpaid furlough
…This could mean a massive furlough of government workers.
3 NORTH AMERICAN
a short period of time during which a prisoner is allowed to leave prison before returning
…Morton stabbed the man while on furlough.
verb
If people who work for a particular organization are furloughed, they are given a furlough.
…280,000 federal workers have been furloughed.
> 1620s, vorloffe, “leave of absence,” especially in military use, “leave or license given by a commanding officer to an officer or a soldier to be absent from service for a certain time,” from Dutch verlof, literally “permission,” from Middle Dutch ver- “completely, for” + laf, lof “permission,” from Proto-Germanic *laubo-, from PIE root *leubh- “to care, desire, love.” In English, the elements of it are for- + leave. The -gh spelling predominated from 1770s and represents the “f” that had been pronounced at the end of the word but later disappeared in English.
> By 1946 in reference to temporary layoffs of workers (originally of civilian employees in the U.S. military); by 1975 applied to conditional temporary releases of prisoners for the purpose of going to jobs (work-release).
> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Etymonline
find
find
cringeworthy
cringe·wor·thy
/ˈkrin(d)ZHˌwərT͟Hē/
so embarrassing, awkward, or upsetting as to cause one to cringe
…The play’s cast was excellent, but the dialogue was unforgivably cringeworthy.
> cringe (v.): 1570s, “to bend or crouch, especially with servility or fear,” variant of crenge, crenche “to bend” (c. 1200), from causative of Old English cringan “yield, give way, fall (in battle); become bent,” from Proto-Germanic *krank- “bend, curl up” (source also of Old Norse kringr, Dutch kring, German Kring “circle, ring”). Related: Cringed; cringing. As a noun from 1590s. Cringe-worthy (adj.) is attested by 1990.
> Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline
pass over
pass over
1 → pass sb over
If someone is passed over for a job or position, they do not get the job or position and someone younger or less experienced is chosen instead.
…This is the second time I’ve been passed over for promotion (=someone else has been given a higher job instead of me).
GRAMMAR
Pass over is usually passive in this meaning.
2 → pass over sth
to skip, ignore, or disregard (someone or something).
…I’m sorry, but the board passed your idea over in favor of something more traditional.
…I think we’d better pass over that last remark.
> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, The Free Dictionary
pare
pare
1 to cut off the outer layer of something, using a sharp knife; When you pare something, or pare part of it off or away, you cut off its skin or its outer layer: CUT (OFF), trim (off), peel (off), shave (off), strip (off), clip (off), skin
…pare apples
…paring his nails
…pared the stray branches on the tree
…Pare the rind from the fruit.
2 to diminish or reduce by or as if by paring; If you pare something down or back, or if you pare it, you reduce it: REDUCE, diminish, decrease, cut, cut back/down, make cutbacks in, whittle away/down, salami-slice, trim, slim down, prune, lower, lessen, retrench, curtail
…The company has to find a way to pare expenses.
…The novel was pared down to 200 pages.
…The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third.
…The firm has not been able to pare costs fast enough to match competitors.
…Instead, merchants from big-box retailers like Walmart and Target to more specialized sellers like Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods have pared back their inventories while trying to focus their supply chains more tightly on products that shoppers want.
—Liz Young, WSJ, 27 Nov. 2023
…But the two worked together to pare down her ideas, landing on a tight collection that combines her aesthetic with the jeweler’s heritage.
—Tori Latham, Robb Report, 14 Nov. 2023
> Middle English: from Old French parer ‘adorn, prepare’, also ‘peel, trim’, from Latin parare ‘prepare’. ~ Oxford Dictionary of English
> c. 1300, paren, “peel (fruit), cut off the crust (of bread),” from Old French parer “arrange, prepare; trim, adorn,” and directly from Latin parare “make ready, prepare, furnish, provide, arrange, order; contrive, design, intend, resolve; procure, acquire, obtain, get; get with money, buy, purchase” (related to parire “produce, bring forth, give birth to”), from PIE *par-a-, suffixed form of root *pere- (1) “to produce, procure.” From late 14c. in the more general sense of “trim by cutting or scraping off an outer layer;” meaning “to reduce something little by little” is from 1520s. Pare down “reduce by cutting or striking off” is from late 15c. Related: Pared; paring. ~ Etymonline
> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus , Etymonline
in the clutch
in the clutch
INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN
in a very important or critical situation especially during a sports competition.
…He is known for his ability to come through in the clutch.
…She scored a basket in the clutch.
…Why are some athletes able to perform in the clutch while others choke?
> The slang modifier clutch, for “done well in a crucial situation,” appears to originate in sports, particularly baseball. A sports clutch, in noun form, is a high-pressure moment that can determine the outcome of a game. This dates back to at least the 1920s and is metaphorical, i.e., the moment at which something has or is in something’s clutch, or “grip” or “control.” https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/clutch/
> Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary of English, Dictionary.com
@coffee-shop
@coffee-shop
ditto
ditto
as before or aforesaid : in the same manner —used to indicate that a previous statement also applies to something or someone else
…‘I hated school.’ ‘Ditto.’
> 1620s, “in the month of the same name,” Tuscan dialectal ditto “(in) the said (month or year),” literary Italian detto, past participle of dire “to say,” from Latin dicere “speak, tell, say” (from PIE root *deik- “to show,” also “pronounce solemnly”). Italian used the word to avoid repetition of month names in a series of dates, and in this sense it was picked up in English. Its generalized meaning of “the aforesaid, the same thing, same as above” is attested in English by 1670s. In early 19c. a suit of men’s clothes of the same color and material through was ditto or dittoes (1755). Dittohead, self-description of followers of U.S. radio personality Rush Limbaugh, attested by 1995. dittoship is from 1869.
> Merriam-Webster, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Etymonline
svelte
svelte
Someone who is svelte is slim and looks attractive and elegant: SLENDER, slim, graceful, elegant, willowy
…svelte swimsuit models
…She has a svelte figure.
…the svelte dancer seemed to float across the stage
> “slender, lithe,” 1817, svelt, from French svelte “slim, slender” (17c.), from French svelte, from Italian svelto (“stretched out”), past participle of svellere (“to pluck out, root out”), from Vulgar Latin *exvellere, from ex + vellere (“to pluck, stretch”).
> Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary, Etymonline
on the shelf
on the shelf
1 if something is left on the shelf, it is not used or considered
…first-rate plans which sit on the shelf
…The album stayed on the shelf for several years, until it was finally released.
2 DATED•INFORMAL
past an age when one might expect to have the opportunity to marry (typically used of a woman).
…In those days, if you hadn’t married by the time you were 30, you were definitely on the shelf.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Cambridge Dictionary
snag
snag
noun
1 INFORMAL
a problem or disadvantage, especially one that is not very serious, which you had not expected; A snag is a small problem or disadvantage: OBSTACLE, DIFFICULTY, complication, catch, hitch, stumbling block, pitfall, unseen problem, problem
…There’s a snag – I don’t have his number.
…It’s an interesting job. The only snag is that it’s not very well paid.
→ hit/run into a snag
to encounter an unexpected problem or delay.
…The grand opening hit a snag when no one could find the key.
…A police clampdown on car thieves hit a snag when villains stole one of their cars.
2 a part of a dead tree that sticks out, especially one that is under water and can be dangerous
3 a sharp part of something that sticks out and holds or cuts things that touch it
verb
1 to damage something by getting it stuck on something sharp; If you snag part of your clothing on a sharp or rough object or if it snags, it gets caught on the object and tears: CATCH, TEAR, rip, hole
…Oh no! I’ve snagged my stockings.
…She snagged a heel on a root and tumbled to the ground.
…Local fishermen’s nets kept snagging on underwater objects.
2 INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN
to succeed in getting something, especially something difficult to get
…I snagged a parking space in the last row.
> From earlier snag (“stump or branch of a tree”), from Middle English *snagge, *snage, from Old Norse snagi (“clothes peg”) (compare Old Norse snag-hyrndr (“snag-horned, having jagged corners”)), perhaps ultimately from a derivative of Proto-Germanic *snakk-, *snēgg, variations of *snakaną (“to crawl, creep, wind about”).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary
tumble
tumble
> c. 1300, “to perform as an acrobat,” also “to fall down,” from Middle English tumben (“to fall, leap, dance”), from a frequentative form of Old English tumbian “dance about, tumble, leap.” This is of unknown origin but apparently related to Middle Low German tummelen “to turn, dance,” Dutch tuimelen “to tumble,” Old High German tumon, German taumeln “to turn, reel.” Transitive sense from late 14c. Related: Tumbled; tumbling.
> Wiktionary, Etymonline
litany
lit‧a‧ny
/ˈlɪtəni/
1 a long list of problems, excuses etc – used to show disapproval: RECITAL, recitation, repetition, enumeration
1a a resonant or repetitive chant
…a litany of cheering phrases ~ Herman Wouk
1b a usually lengthy recitation or enumeration
…a familiar litany of complaints
1c a sizable series or set
…a litany of problems
…The drug has a litany of possible side effects.
2 A litany is part of a church service in which the priest says a set group of words and the people reply, also using a set group of words: PRAYER, invocation, petition, supplication
> c. 1200, “solemn prayer of supplication,” from Old French letanie (13c., Modern French litanie) and directly from Medieval Latin letania, Late Latin litania (source also of Spanish letania, Italian litania), from Greek litaneia “prayer, an entreating,” from lite “prayer, supplication, entreaty,” a word of unknown origin. From the notion of monotonous enumeration of petitions in Christian prayer services came the generalized sense of “repeated series” (early 19c.), which originated in French.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
off-putting
off-putting
provoking uneasiness, dislike, annoyance, or repugnance; disturbing or disagreeable: UNPLEASANT, unappealing, uninviting, unattractive, disagreeable, offensive, distasteful, unsavory, unpalatable, unappetizing, objectionable, nasty, disgusting, obnoxious, repellent; DISCOURAGING, disheartening, demoralizing, dispiriting, daunting, dismaying, forbidding, intimidating, frightening, formidable; informal horrid, horrible
> Dictionary.com, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
bear down
bear/bore/borne down
1 → bear down on sb/sth
When used with on or upon, as in to bear down on, this can also mean to quickly move towards something; If someone or something bears down on you, they move quickly towards you in a threatening way: ADVANCE ON, close in on, move in on, converge on
…A group of half a dozen men entered the pub and bore down on the bar.
…a storm bearing down on the island
…I could see a police car bearing down on us.
2 → bear down on sb/sth
to take strict measures to deal with; to behave in a threatening or controlling way towards a person or group
…Federal regulators have been bearing down on campaign contributors.
3 → bear down (on sth)
To bear down on something means to push or press downwards with steady pressure.
…The roof support structure had collapsed and the entire weight was bearing down on the ceiling.
> This first meaning comes from nautical origins, as in a ship bearing down upon a smaller ship, or a storm bearing down upon the sailors. ~ Writing Explained
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Macmillan Dictionary
erstwhile
erst‧while
/ˈɜːstwaɪl $ ˈɜːrst-/
former or in the past: FORMER, old, past, one-time, sometime, as was, ex-, late, then; previous, prior, foregoing
…Erstwhile workers may have become managers.
…She found herself ostracized by erstwhile friends.
…My erstwhile friend ignored me when I ran into her at the reunion.
> 1560s, “formerly,” from erst “first, at first; once, long ago; till now” (13c.), earlier erest from Old English ærest “soonest, earliest,” superlative of ær (see ere) + while (adv.). As an adjective, “former,” from 1903. Cognate with Old Saxon and Old High German erist, German erst.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
salutary
sal‧u‧ta‧ry
/ˈsæljətəri $ -teri/
/sa·lyuh·teh·ree/
FORMAL
producing a beneficial effect; a salutary experience or warning is one that has a good effect although it is unpleasant; A salutary experience is good for you, even though it may seem difficult or unpleasant at first: BENEFICIAL, good, good for one, advantageous, profitable, productive, helpful, useful, of use, of service, valuable
→ salutary experience/lesson/reminder etc
…a salutary warning that resulted in increased production
…The low interest rates should have a salutary effect on business.
…The accident should be a salutary lesson to be more careful.
…It was a salutary lesson to see the whole team so easily defeated.
…Losing money in this way taught young Jones a salutary lesson.
…On that front, expanding accessibility and workforce diversity initiatives should play a salutary role, creating new opportunities for skilled and promising practitioners.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 23 Nov. 2023
USAGE NOTES:
-
Salutary describes something corrective or beneficially effective, even though it may in itself be unpleasant.
- a salutary warning that resulted in increased production
> “wholesome, healthful, healing,” late 15c. (Caxton), from Old French salutaire “beneficial,” or directly from Latin salutaris “healthful,” from salus (genitive salutis) “good health” (from PIE root *sol- “whole, well-kept”). By 19c. also in a general sense, “contributing to some beneficial purpose.” Earlier as a noun, salutari, “a remedy,” (early 15c.), from Latin salutaris (n.).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
inextricable
in‧ex‧tric‧a‧ble
/ˌɪnɪkˈstrɪkəbəl◂, ɪnˈekstrɪk-/
1 impossible to disentangle or separate; If there is an inextricable link between things, they cannot be considered separately: INSEPARABLE, impossible to separate, indivisible, entangled, tangled, ravelled, mixed up, confused
…The past and the present are inextricable.
…Meetings are an inextricable part of business.
2 impossible to escape from: INESCAPABLE, impossible to escape from, unavoidable, unpreventable
…an inextricable situation
> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
put off
put off
sizzling
sizzling
1 very hot: EXTREMELY HOT, red-hot
…a sizzling afternoon
2 very exciting, especially in a sexual way: PASSIONATE, torrid, amorous, ardent, sexy, lustful, erotic, steamy, hot, red-hot
…a sizzling sex scene
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Collins English Dictionary
divvy
div‧vy
/ˈdɪvi/
verb
→ divvy sth up
to divide up and share; to share something between several people
…We can divvy up the profits between us.
…We divvied up the chores.
…Money is easier to divvy up than property, …
—Susan E. Kuhn
…Since then, Canada has divvied up C$30 billion in initial funding amongst its provinces with the goal of creating 250,000 new childcare spaces that will cost parents only C$10 a day by March 2026.
—Gretchen Cuda Kroen, cleveland, 7 May 2023
noun
1 short for dividend, esp (formerly) one paid by a cooperative society
2 INFORMAL•BRITISH
If you call someone a divvy, you are saying in a humorous way that you think they are rather foolish.
> “to divide (up),” 1877, American English, originally a noun (1865), a slang shortening of dividend. The verb is primary now (the noun is not in “Webster’s New World Dictionary”), leading some (such as “Webster’s”) to think the word is a slang alteration of divide. Related: Divvying. In early 20c. British slang the same word was a shortening of divine (adj.).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
duplicity
du‧plic‧i‧ty
doo·pli·suh·tee
/djuːˈplɪsəti $ duː-/
deceitfulness; double-dealing; dishonest behavior that is intended to deceive someone: DECEITFULNESS, deceit, deception, deviousness, two-facedness, double-dealing, underhandedness, dishonesty
…She accused him of duplicity in the negotiations.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English
rift
rift
1 A rift between people or countries is a serious quarrel or disagreement that stops them having a good relationship: BREACH, division, split; quarrel, squabble, disagreement, difference of opinion, falling-out, fight, row, altercation, argument; ESTRANGEMENT, alienation, schism
→ rift between/with
…The interview reflected a growing rift between the President and the government.
…The fight will only widen the rift with his brother.
…They hope to heal the rift with their father.
→ rift over
…Today’s announcement could lead to a further rift over public spending.
2 a crack or narrow opening in a large mass of rock, cloud etc: CRACK, fault, flaw, split
…a deep rift in the Antarctic ice
…We could see some stars through the rifts in the clouds.
> early 14c., “a split, a breaking, an act of tearing or rending,” from a Scandinavian source (compare Danish and Norwegian rift “a cleft,” Old Icelandic ript (pronounced “rift”) “breach;” related to Old Norse ripa, rifa “to tear apart, break a contract” (see riven). Probably influenced in Middle English by rive (v.).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
confound
confound
1 to confuse and surprise people by being unexpected; If someone or something confounds you, they make you feel surprised or confused, often by showing you that your opinions or expectations of them were wrong: AMAZE, astonish, dumbfound, stagger, surprise, startle, stun, stupefy, daze, nonplus; throw, shake, unnerve, disconcert, discompose, dismay, bewilder, set someone thinking, baffle, mystify, bemuse, perplex, puzzle, confuse
…The choice of Governor may confound us all.
…The tragic news confounded us all.
USAGE NOTES:
Confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement.
2 to prove (a theory, expectation, or prediction) wrong: INVALIDATE, negate, contradict, counter, go against, discredit, give the lie to, drive a coach and horses through; quash, explode, demolish, shoot down, destroy; disprove, prove wrong, prove false, falsify
…The rise in prices confounded expectations.
…This new evidence confounds your theory.
> c. 1300, “to condemn, curse,” also “to destroy utterly;” from Anglo-French confoundre, Old French confondre (12c.) “crush, ruin, disgrace, throw into disorder,” from Latin confundere “to confuse, jumble together, bring into disorder,” especially of the mind or senses, “disconcert, perplex,” properly “to pour, mingle, or mix together,” from assimilated form of com “together” (see con-) + fundere “to pour” (from nasalized form of PIE root *gheu- “to pour”).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Macmillan Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
make bank
make bank
inextricably
in‧ex‧tric‧a‧ble
/ˌɪnɪkˈstrɪkəbəl◂, ɪnˈekstrɪk-/
1 impossible to disentangle or separate; If there is an inextricable link between things, they cannot be considered separately: INSEPARABLE, impossible to separate, indivisible, entangled, tangled, ravelled, mixed up, confused
…The past and the present are inextricable.
…Meetings are an inextricable part of business.
2 impossible to escape from: INESCAPABLE, impossible to escape from, unavoidable, unpreventable
…an inextricable situation
in‧ex‧tric‧a‧bly
/ˌɪnɪkˈstrɪkəbli, ɪnˈekstrɪk-/
If two or more things are inextricably linked, they cannot be considered separately: INSEPARABLY, totally, intricately, irretrievably
→ be inextricably linked/bound up/mixed etc
…For many top executives, golf and business are inextricably linked.
…Physical health is inextricably linked to mental health.
> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
flip out
flip out
to lose one’s reason or composure or become very angry.
…She’s going to flip out when she sees the great present I got her!
…She would have flipped out if someone had done this to her.
…I nearly flipped out when she told me she and David were getting married.
…He flipped out on the server when they messed up his wife’s order.
—Ajani Bazile
> Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Cambridge Dictionary
gripping
gripping
foray
for‧ay
/ˈfɒreɪ $ ˈfɔː-, ˈfɑː-/
1 an initial and often tentative attempt to do something in a new or different field or area of activity
→ foray into
…It will be my first foray into local government.
…Wright is about to make his first foray into the music business.
2 a short sudden attack by a group of soldiers, especially in order to get food or supplies: RAID, attack, assault, incursion, swoop, strike
→ foray into
…their nightly forays into enemy territory
3 a short journey somewhere in order to get something or do something: TRIP
→ foray into/to
…We make regular forays to France to buy wine.
verb
1 to make a raid or brief invasion
…forayed into enemy territory
2 to do or attempt something outside one’s accustomed sphere; to enter into a new or different field or area of activity
…Tesla, known for its high-end electric cars, has forayed into the trucking industry with a Nov. 16 reveal of its latest prototype, the Tesla Semi.
—Meagan Nichols
> late 14c., “predatory incursion,” Scottish, from the verb (14c.), perhaps a back-formation of Middle English forreyer “raider, forager” (mid-14c.), from Old French forrier, from forrer “to forage,” from forrage “fodder; foraging; pillaging, looting” (see forage (n.)). Disused by 18c.; revived by Scott. As a verb from 14c.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline
conjure
con‧jure
/ˈkʌndʒə $ ˈkɑːndʒər, ˈkʌn-/
If you conjure something out of nothing, you make it appear as if by magic: MAKE SOMETHING APPEAR, produce, materialize, magic, summon, generate, whip up
…The magician conjured a rabbit out of his hat.
…Thirteen years ago she found herself having to conjure a career from thin air.
…They managed to conjure a victory.
conjure sth up
1 to bring a thought, picture, idea, or memory to someone’s mind
→ conjure up images/pictures/thoughts etc (of something)
…She had forgotten how to conjure up the image of her mother’s face.
2 to make something appear when it is not expected, as if by magic
…Somehow we have to conjure up another $10,000.
> Middle English (also in the sense ‘oblige by oath’): from Old French conjurer ‘to plot or exorcise’, from Latin conjurare ‘band together by an oath, conspire’ (in medieval Latin ‘invoke’), from con- ‘together’ + jurare ‘swear’.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
flair
flair
USAGE NOTES:
skill for doing something, especially something that needs imagination and creativity
1 [singular] a natural ability to do something very well; If you have a flair for a particular thing, you have a natural ability to do it well: APTITUDE, talent, gift, knack, instinct, natural ability, ability, capability, capacity, faculty, facility, skill, bent, feel, genius
…She has a flair for languages.
2 [uncountable] stylishness and originality; If you have flair, you do things in an original, interesting, and stylish way: STYLE, stylishness, panache, verve, dash, elan, finesse, poise, elegance, sparkle, brio; inventiveness, creativity; taste, good taste, discernment, discrimination
→ artistic/creative flair
…a job for which artistic flair is essential
…Irwin has real entrepreneurial flair.
> mid-14c., “an odor,” from Old French flaire “odor or scent,” especially in hunting, “fragrance, sense of smell,” from flairier “to give off an odor; stink; smell sweetly” (Modern French flairer), from Vulgar Latin *flagrare, a dissimilation of Latin fragrare “emit (a sweet) odor” (see fragrant). Sense of “special aptitude” is American English, 1925, probably from hunting and the notion of a hound’s ability to track scent.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
absolutely
absolutely
mythology
mythology
flout
flout
/flaʊt/
to treat with contemptuous disregard; to deliberately disobey a law, rule etc, without trying to hide what you are doing; If you flout something such as a law, an order, or an accepted way of behaving, you deliberately do not obey it or follow it: DEFY, refuse to obey, go against, rebel against, scorn, spurn, scoff at
…illegal campers who persist in flouting the law
…Building regulations have been habitually flouted.
…Some companies flout the rules and employ children as young as seven.
…The union had openly flouted the law.
…Despite repeated warnings, they have continued to flout the law.
…an able-bodied motorist openly flouting the law and parking in a space reserved for the disabled
…Uber has often flouted local laws in its drive for growth.
—Newley Purnell, WSJ, 3 Aug. 2017
…The state is slow to discipline doctors even when they are accused of flouting board rules.
—Stephen Hobbs, Sun-Sentinel.com, 27 Oct. 2017
…Donald Trump flouts norms and ignores conventions and tells lies all the time.
—Jay Willis, GQ, 18 Oct. 2017
…When one side regularly flouts norms, the other side pays the price for striving to uphold them.
—Alex Shephard, New Republic, 24 Jan. 2018
…The rapid pace of the trial reflected, in part, the fact that the case turned on a straightforward question, whether Mr. Navarro had willfully defied lawmakers in flouting a subpoena.
—Zach Montague, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
…At recent state party conventions, right-leaning delegates have begun flouting the wishes of the party by going against the governor’s picks for key statewide offices.
—Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Aug. 2023
USAGE NOTES:
If you flout a rule or societal norm, you ignore it without hiding what you’re doing, or showing fear or shame. The similar-sounding word flaunt is sometimes used in the same way, though that word’s older and more common meaning is “to display ostentatiously.” Critics have been complaining about the confusion of these two words since the early 1900s, but use of flaunt with the meaning “to treat with contemptuous disregard” is found in even polished, edited writing, and so that meaning is included in our and other dictionaries as an established use of the word. Nonetheless, you may want to avoid it: there are still many who judge harshly those who fail to keep these two words distinct.
-
Flout stresses contempt shown by refusal to heed.
- flouted the conventions of polite society
> “treat with disdain or contempt” (transitive), 1550s, intransitive sense “mock, jeer, scoff” is from 1570s; of uncertain origin; perhaps a special use of Middle English flowten “to play the flute” (compare Middle Dutch fluyten “to play the flute,” also “to jeer”). Related: Flouted; flouting.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
mull
mull
usually mull sth over
to think about (a fact, proposal, or request) deeply and at length; If you mull something, you think about it for a long time before deciding what to do: PONDER, consider, think over/about, reflect on, contemplate, deliberate, turn over in one’s mind, chew over, weigh up, cogitate on, meditate on, muse on, ruminate over/on, brood on, have one’s mind on, give some thought to
…Last month, a federal grand jury began mulling evidence in the case.
…She began to mull over the various possibilities.
…He’s mulling over the proposals before making any changes.
…McLaren had been mulling over an idea to make a movie.
…I’ll leave you alone here so you can mull it over.
…Barney sat there for a while, mulling things over.
…The Commerce Department has issued extensive trade restrictions on sales of chips, software and machinery to China’s semiconductor industry and is mulling an expansion of those rules that could be issued soon after Ms. Raimondo returns to Washington.
—Ana Swanson, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2023
…The Fed is still mulling one last rate hike this year, even though the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index — rose 3% in June from a year earlier.
—Bryan Mena, CNN, 6 Aug. 2023
> “ponder, turn over in one’s mind,” 1873, perhaps from a figurative use of mull (v.) “grind to powder” (which survived into 19c. in dialect), from Middle English mullyn, mollen “grind to powder, soften by pulverizing,” also “to fondle or pet” (late 14c.), from Old French moillier and directly from Medieval Latin molliare,mulliare, from Latin molere “to grind,” from PIE root *mele- “to crush, grind.”
> melə-: Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to crush, grind,” with derivatives referring to ground or crumbling substances and crushing or grinding instruments. It forms all or part of: amyl; amyloid; blintz; emmer; emolument; immolate; maelstrom; mall; malleable; malleolus; mallet; malleus; maul; meal (n.2) “edible ground grain;” mill (n.1) “building fitted to grind grain;” millet; mola; molar (n.); mold (n.3) “loose earth;” molder; ormolu; pall-mall.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline
bum sb out
bum sb out
INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN
to disappoint, annoy, or upset someone; to depress, sadden, dispirit
…He’s been really bummed out since his girlfriend moved to California.
…It really bummed me out that she could have helped and didn’t.
> From bum (“unpleasant, depressing”).
> Oxford Dictionary of English, Collins English Dictionary, Dictionary.com, Wiktionary
bereave
bereave
1 to deprive and make desolate, especially by death (usually followed by of): DEPRIVE, dispossess, rob, divest, strip.
…Illness bereaved them of their mother.
2 to deprive ruthlessly or by force (usually followed by of)
…The war bereaved them of their home.
> From Middle English bireven, from Old English berēafian (“to bereave, deprive of, take away, seize, rob, despoil”), from Proto-Germanic *biraubōną, and Old English berēofan (“to bereave, deprive, rob of”); both equivalent to be- + reave. Cognate with Dutch beroven (“to rob, deprive, bereave”), German berauben (“to deprive, rob, bereave”), Danish berøve (“to deprive of”), Norwegian berøve (“to deprive”), Swedish beröva (“to rob”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐍂𐌰𐌿𐌱𐍉𐌽 (biraubōn).
> Middle English bireven, from Old English bereafian “to deprive of, take away by violence, seize, rob,” from be- + reafian “rob, plunder,” from Proto-Germanic *raubōjanan, from PIE *runp- “to break” (see corrupt (adj.)). A common Germanic formation; compare Old Frisian biravia “despoil, rob, deprive (someone of something),” Old Saxon biroban, Dutch berooven, Old High German biroubon, German berauben, Gothic biraubon.
> Dictionary.com, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary, Etymonline
skirt
skirt
noun
…
verb
1 Something that skirts an area is situated around the edge of it: BORDER, edge, lie alongside, line
…We raced across a large field that skirted the slope of a hill.
2 If you skirt something, you go around the edge of it: GO ROUND, bypass, walk round, circumvent
…We shall be skirting the island on our way.
…She skirted round the edge of the room to the door.
3 to attempt to ignore; to avoid dealing with; If you skirt a problem or question, you avoid dealing with it.
…He skirted the hardest issues, concentrating on areas of possible agreement.
…He skirted round his main differences with her.
…a disappointing speech that skirted around all the main issues
> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English
defraud
de‧fraud
/dɪˈfrɔːd $ -ˈfrɒːd/
to deprive of something by deception or fraud; to trick a person or organization in order to get money from them; If someone defrauds you, they take something away from you or stop you from getting what belongs to you by means of tricks and lies: SWINDLE, CHEAT, ROB, deceive, dupe, hoodwink, double-cross, fool, trick; informal CON, bamboozle, do, sting, diddle, rip off, shaft, bilk, rook, take for a ride, pull a fast one on, pull the wool over someone’s eyes, put one over on, take to the cleaners, gull, finagle, milk; British informal fiddle, swizzle, sell a pup to
…He faces charges of theft and conspiracy to defraud(=a secret plan to cheat someone, made by two or more people).
→ defraud sb of sth
…She defrauded her employers of thousands of pounds.
…Investors in the scheme were defrauded of their life savings.
…allegations that he defrauded taxpayers of thousands of dollars
> late 14c., defrauden, “deprive of right, by deception or breech of trust or withholding,” from Old French defrauder, from Latin defraudare “to defraud, cheat,” from de- “thoroughly” + fraudare “to cheat, swindle” (see fraud). Related: Defrauded; defrauding.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
relish
rel‧ish
/ˈrelɪʃ/
verb
1 to enjoy greatly; If you relish something, you get a lot of enjoyment from it: ENJOY, delight in, love, like, adore, be pleased by, take pleasure in, rejoice in, appreciate, savor, revel in, luxuriate in, glory in; GLOAT OVER, feel self-satisfied about, crow about; informal get a kick out of, get a thrill out of
…I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.
…He ate quietly, relishing his meal.
…He took particular relish in pointing out my error.
2 relish the prospect/thought/idea
If you relish the idea, thought, or prospect of something, you are looking forward to it very much: LOOK FORWARD TO, fancy, long for, hope for
…He relished the idea of getting some cash.
noun
1 [uncountable] great enjoyment of something: ENJOYMENT, gusto, delight, pleasure, glee, rapture, satisfaction, contentment, contentedness, gratification, happiness, exhilaration, excitement, titillation, appreciation, liking, fondness, enthusiasm, appetite, zest
→ with relish
…I ate with great relish, enjoying every bite.
2 [countable, uncountable] a thick spicy sauce made from fruits or vegetables, and usually eaten with meat: CONDIMENT /ˈkɒndəmənt $ ˈkɑːn-/, accompaniment, sauce, dressing, flavoring, seasoning, dip.
> relish (n.): 1520s, “a sensation of taste, a flavor distinctive of anything,” alteration of reles “scent, taste, aftertaste,” (c. 1300), from Old French relais, reles, “something remaining, that which is left behind,” from relaisser “to leave behind,” from Latin relaxare “loosen, stretch out,” from re- “back” (see re-) + laxare “loosen” (from PIE root *sleg- “be slack, be languid”). Especially “a pleasing taste,” hence “pleasing quality” in general. The meaning “enjoyment of the taste or flavor of something” is attested from 1640s. The sense of “condiment, that which is used to impart a flavor to plain food to increase the pleasure of eating it” is recorded by 1797, especially a piquant sauce or pickle: The modern stuff you put on hot dogs (or don’t) is a sweet green pickle relish.
> relish (v.): 1560s (implied in relished), “give flavor to, give an agreeable taste to,” from relish (n.). The sense of “to enjoy, like the taste or flavor of, take pleasure in” is from 1590s (compare sense reversals in other similar “taste” verbs: like, please, disgust, etc.). Related: Relishing.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
slip sb’s mind
slip sb’s mind
If something slips your mind, you forget it:
…I’m sorry I forgot your birthday - it just slipped my mind.
…Her birthday completely slipped my mind.
…I meant to pick up the wine but it slipped my mind.
…I’m sorry I didn’t call you back sooner, it totally slipped my mind.
> Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, The Free Dictionary
commiserate
com‧mis‧e‧rate
/kəˈmɪzəreɪt/
to feel or express sympathy; If you commiserate with someone, you show them pity or sympathy when something unpleasant has happened to them: OFFER SYMPATHY TO, be sympathetic to, express sympathy for
…After the layoffs, we all went to the bar to commiserate.
…She went over to commiserate with Rose on her unfortunate circumstances.
…They commiserated with him over the loss of his job.
commiseration
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [also NOUN in plural]
…After half an hour’s commiseration, we turned to more practical matters.
…We have sent the team our commiserations.
> late 16th century: from Latin commiserat- ‘commiserated’, from the verb commiserari, from com- ‘with’ + miserari ‘to lament’ (from miser ‘wretched’).
> Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, Vocabulary.com, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus
snarl
snarl
1 When an animal snarls, it makes a fierce, rough sound in its throat while showing its teeth.
snarl at
…The dog growled and snarled at me.
2 If you snarl something, you say it in a fierce, angry way.
…‘Shut up,’ he snarled.
…‘Aubrey.’ Hyde seemed almost to snarl the name.
snarl at
…I vaguely remember snarling at someone who stepped on my foot.
> “growl and bare the teeth,” as an angry dog or wolf, 1580s, perhaps from Dutch or Low German snarren “to rattle,” which are probably of imitative origin (compare German schnarren “to rattle,” schnurren “to hum, buzz”). The meaning “speak in a harsh, quarrelsome manner” is recorded by 1690s. Related: Snarled; snarling.
snarl sth up
1 to entangle or impede (something): TANGLE, entangle, entwine, enmesh, ravel, knot, twist, intertwine, jumble, muddle, foul
…The bus got snarled up in the downtown traffic.
…Recurring wildcat labor actions by union members snarled freight traffic at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which handle nearly 40% of the U.S. imports from Asia and together make up the nation’s largest cargo container complex.
—Ronald D. White, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023
…Heavy rains in the California desert collapsed a bridge on Interstate 10 eight years ago, snarling traffic for about five days on the key route linking Southern California and Arizona.
—Russ Wiles, The Arizona Republic, 19 Aug. 2023
2 to make excessively complicated: COMPLICATE, confuse, muddle, jumble, throw into disorder, embroil, make difficult; informal mess up
…A heavy backlog of cases has snarled up the court process.
> late 14c., snarlen, “tangle, catch in a snare or noose” (transitive; literal and figurative), from the obsolete noun snarl “a snare, a noose” (late 14c.), which is probably a diminutive of snare (n.1). The intransitive sense of “become twisted or entangled” is from c. 1600. Related: Snarled; snarling.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
recourse
re‧course
/rɪˈkɔːs $ ˈriːkɔːrs/
FORMAL
If you achieve something without recourse to a particular course of action, you succeed without carrying out that action. To have recourse to a particular course of action means to have to do that action in order to achieve something.
1a : a turning to someone or something for help or protection
…settled the matter without recourse to law
…It enabled its members to settle their differences without recourse to war.
1b : a source of help or strength : RESORT
…The public believes its only recourse is to take to the streets.
…If the company won’t pay me, the only recourse left to me is to sue them.
> “act of relying on someone or something,” late 14c., recours, from Old French recours (13c.), from Latin recursus “a return, a retreat,” literally “a running back, a going back,” from past-participle stem of recurrere “run back, return,” from re- “back, again” (see re-) + currere “to run” (from PIE root kers- “to run”). Especially in have recourse (late 14c.) “apply for help, rely on for aid.” As the word for the thing applied to for help, by late 15c. Sometimes in Middle English it also was used in an etymological sense of “a returning” from one state or place to another; “a flowing back,” but these are obsolete.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster
deal breaker
deal breaker
trinket
trin‧ket
/ˈtrɪŋkɪt/
a small decorative object, or a piece of jewellery that is cheap or of low quality: KNICKKNACK, BAUBLE, ORNAMENT, piece of bric-a-brac, bibelot, curio, trifle, toy, novelty, gimcrack, gewgaw
…She always returns from vacation with a few souvenirs, mostly just cheap trinkets.
> Old English trenket (“a sort of knife”), hence, probably, a toy knife worn as an ornament; probably from an Old French dialectal form of trenchier (“to cut”). Compare trench.
> Cambridge Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary
skulduggery
skul‧dug‧ge‧ry, skullduggery
/ˌskʌlˈdʌɡəri/
secretly dishonest or illegal activity – also used humorously; underhanded or unscrupulous behavior; Skulduggery is behavior in which someone acts in a dishonest way in order to achieve their aim: TRICKERY, swindling, machinations, duplicity, fraudulence, double-dealing, sharp practice, unscrupulousness, underhandedness, chicanery; informal shenanigans, funny business, hanky-panky, monkey business; British informal monkey tricks, jiggery-pokery; North American informal monkeyshines.
…a firm that investigates commercial skulduggery
…He is serving a prison sentence for financial skulduggery.
…The company’s apparently healthy bottom line was merely an illusion, the result of years of accounting skulduggery.
> “underhanded dealings, roguish intrigue,” 1856, apparently an alteration of Scottish sculdudrie “adultery” (1713), via sculduddery “bawdry, obscenity, grossness, unchastity” (1821), a euphemism of uncertain origin but probably popularized in English via Scott.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
idiosyncrasy
id‧i‧o‧syn‧cra‧sy
/ˌɪdiəˈsɪŋkrəsi/
a peculiarity of constitution or temperament; If you talk about the idiosyncrasies of someone or something, you are referring to their rather unusual habits or characteristics: PECULIARITY, individual/personal trait, oddity, eccentricity, foible, crotchet, habit, characteristic, speciality, quality, feature; individuality; unconventionality, unorthodoxy
…Her habit of using “like” in every sentence was just one of her idiosyncrasies.
…one of the many idiosyncrasies of English spelling
…The book is a gem of Victorian idiosyncrasy.
> c. 1600, from French idiosyncrasie, from Latinized form of Greek idiosynkrasia “a peculiar temperament,” from idios “one’s own” (see idiom) + synkrasis “temperament, mixture of personal characteristics,” from syn “together” (see syn-) + krasis “mixture,” from PIE root *kere- “to mix, confuse; cook”. Originally in English a medical term meaning “physical constitution of an individual;” mental sense “peculiar mixture” of the elements in one person that makes up his character and personality first attested 1660s. In modern use, loosely, one’s whims, habits, fads, or tastes. Sometimes confused in spelling with words in -cracy, but it is from krasis not kratos.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
awry
a‧wry
/əˈraɪ/
1 away from the appropriate, planned, or expected course: AMISS, wrong, not right
→ go awry
If something goes awry, it does not happen in the way it was planned.
…She was in a fury over a plan that had gone awry.
…My carefully laid plans had already gone awry.
2 out of the normal or correct position: ASKEW, crooked /ˈkro͝okəd/, lopsided
…He rushed out, hat awry.
…His dark hair was all awry.
> late 14c., “crooked, askew, turned or twisted to one side,” from a- (1) “on” + wry (adj.).
also from late 14c.
> wry (adj.): 1520s, “distorted, somewhat twisted to one side,” from obsolete verb wry “to contort, to twist or turn,” from Old English wrigian “to turn, bend, move, go,” from Proto-Germanic *wrig- (source also of Old Frisian wrigia “to bend,” Middle Low German wrich “turned, twisted”), from PIE *wreik- “to turn” (source also of Greek rhoikos “crooked,” Lithuanian raišas “lame, limping”), from root *wer- (2) “to turn, bend.” Of words, thoughts, etc., from 1590s. The original sense is preserved in awry.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
eligible
el‧i‧gi‧ble
/ˈelɪdʒəbəl/
1 qualified to participate or be chosen; Someone who is eligible to do something is qualified or able to do it, for example because they are old enough: ENTITLED, permitted, allowed, qualified; ACCEPTABLE, suitable, appropriate, fit, fitting
→ eligible for
…Students on a part-time course are not eligible for a loan.
→ eligible to do sth
…Over 500,000 18-year-olds will become eligible to vote this year.
2 [only before noun] an eligible man or woman would be good to marry because they are rich, attractive, and not married
> early 15c., “fit or proper to be chosen,” from Old French eligible “fit to be chosen” (14c.), from Late Latin eligibilis “that may be chosen,” from Latin eligere “choose” (see election). Related: Eligibly.
> election (n.): c. 1300, eleccioun, “act of choosing” someone to occupy a position, elevation to office” (whether by one person or a body of electors); also “the holding of a vote by a body of electors by established procedure; the time and place of such a vote,” from Anglo-French eleccioun, Old French elecion “choice, election, selection” (12c.), from Latin electionem (nominative electio) “a choice, selection,” noun of action from past-participle stem of eligere “pick out, select,” from ex “out” (see ex-) + -ligere, combining form of legere “to choose,” from PIE root *leg- (1) “to collect, gather.”
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Etymonline
rapture
noun
1 Rapture is a feeling of extreme happiness or pleasure: ECSTASY, bliss, euphoria, elation, exaltation, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, cloud nine, seventh heaven, transport, rhapsody, enchantment, delight, exhilaration, happiness, pleasure, ravishment; informal the top of the world
…His speech was received with rapture by his supporters.
…The boys gazed up at him in rapture.
2 → be in raptures/go into raptures
to express or feel great pleasure and happiness about something; If you are in raptures or go into raptures about something, you are extremely impressed by it and enthusiastic about it: ENTHUSE, rhapsodize, rave, gush, wax lyrical, express intense pleasure/enthusiasm; heap praise on, praise to the skies, make much of; informal go wild/mad/crazy.
…The critics went into raptures about her performance.
…His goal sent the crowd into raptures.
> late 16th century (in the sense ‘seizing and carrying off’): borrowed from Middle French rapture, from Latin raptūra, future active participle of rapiō (“snatch, carry off”).
> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary
hunker down
hunker down
get your shit together
get your shit together
amass
amass
on the cusp
on the cusp
at the point when something is about to change to something else
…The country was on the cusp of economic expansion.
…She is on the cusp of being a star.
…on the cusp between childhood and adolescence
…Lloyd’s students are seventeen years old, high-school students on the cusp of adulthood.
— Merve Emre, The New Yorker, 11 July 2023
> Merriam-Webster, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary
foil
foil
verb
to prevent something bad that someone is planning to do; If you foil someone’s plan or attempt to do something, for example to commit a crime, you succeed in stopping them from doing what they want: THWART, frustrate, counter; stop, check, block, prevent, defeat, nip in the bud; informal mess up, screw up, stymie, cook someone’s goose
…A massive arms-smuggling plan has been foiled by the CIA.
…A brave police chief foiled an armed robbery on a jeweler’s by grabbing the raider’s shotgun.
GRAMMAR
Foil is often used in the passive.
noun
1 very thin sheet metal
2 → be a foil to/for sb/sth
a person or thing that contrasts with and so emphasizes and enhances the qualities of another; If you refer to one thing or person as a foil for another, you approve of the fact that they contrast with each other and go well together, often in a way that makes the second thing or person seem better or less harmful: CONTRAST, background, setting, relief, antithesis; COMPLEMENT
…He thought of her serenity as a foil for his intemperance.
…The simple stone floor is the perfect foil for the brightly colored furnishings.
> foil (v.):
From Middle English foilen (“spoil a scent trail by running over it”), from Old French fouler (“tread on, trample”), ultimately from Latin fullō (“I trample, I full”). Compare full (v.). Hence, “to overthrow, defeat” (1540s; as a noun in this sense from late 15c.); “frustrate the efforts of” (1560s). Related: Foiled; foiling. Foiled again! as a cry of defeat and dismay is from at least 1847.
> foil (n.1): “very thin sheet of metal,” early 14c., foile, from Old French foil, fueill, fueille “leaf; foliage; sheet of paper; sheet of metal” (12c., Modern French feuille), from Latin folia, plural (mistaken for fem. singular) of folium “leaf” (from PIE root *bhel- (3) “to thrive, bloom”).
> foil (n.2): The sense of “one who enhances another by contrast” (1580s) is from the practice of backing a gem with metal foil to make it shine more brilliantly. The meaning “light sword used in fencing” (1590s) could be from this sense, or from foil (v.). The sense of “metallic food wrap” is from 1897.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary, Etymonline
what makes somebody tick
what makes somebody tick
If you talk about what makes someone tick, you are talking about the beliefs, wishes, and feelings that make them behave in the way that they do.
…He wanted to find out what made them tick.
…I’m interested in how people tick.
> Collins English Dictionary
get hold of
get hold of
home and dry
home and dry
INFORMAL•BRITISH
: sure of succeeding, winning, etc. : no longer in danger of failing; having successfully achieved or being within sight of achieving one’s objective; If you say that someone is, in British English home and dry, or in American English home free, you mean that they have been successful or that they are certain to be successful.
…If we can meet this next deadline, we’ll be home and dry.
…We just have to finish this section, then we’re home and dry.
…We’re not home and dry yet.
> Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Cambridge Dictionary, Macmillan Dictionary
qualm
qualm
/kwɑːm $ kwɑːm, kwɑːlm/
noun [countable usually plural]
an uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear, especially about one’s own conduct; a misgiving; If you have no qualms about doing something, you are not worried that it may be wrong in some way: MISGIVING, doubt, reservation, second thought, worry, concern, anxiety; (qualms) hesitation, hesitance, hesitancy, demur, reluctance, disinclination, apprehension, trepidation, disquiet, disquietude, unease, uneasiness
…Military regimes generally have no qualms about controlling the press.
…The manager has no qualms about dropping players who do not perform well.
…Did she see him as capable of murder? She had used the word without a qualm.
> Perhaps from Middle English qualm, cwalm (“death, sickness, plague”), which is from Old English cwealm (West Saxon: “death, disaster, plague”), ūtcwalm (Anglian: “utter destruction”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwalm (“killing, death, destruction”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to stick, pierce; pain, injury, death”), whence also quell. Although the sense development is possible, this has the problem that there are no attestations in intermediate senses before the appearance of “pang of apprehension, etc.” in the 16th century. The alternative etymology is from Dutch kwalm or German Qualm (“steam, vapor, mist”) earlier “daze, stupefaction”, which is from the root of German quellen (“to stream, well up”). The sense “feeling of faintness” is from 1530; “uneasiness, doubt” from 1553; “scruple of conscience” from 1649.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary
impinge on
impinge on/upon sb/sth
1 to affect (something) in a way that is unwanted : to have a bad effect on (something); Something that impinges on you affects you to some extent: AFFECT, have an effect on, have a bearing on, touch, influence, exert influence on, make an impression on
…Her work is impinging on her social life.
…Personal problems experienced by students may impinge on their work.
…The government’s spending limits will seriously impinge on the education budget.
…the cuts in defense spending that have impinged on two of the region’s largest employers
…Given their short career expectancy, NFL players inevitably feel anxiety when injuries or coaching decisions impinge on their financial outlook.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 20 July 2023
2 to advance over an area belonging to someone or something else; encroach: ENCROACH ON, intrude on, infringe, invade, trespass on, obtrude into, make inroads into; violate; informal muscle in on.
…The site impinges on a greenbelt area.
> mid 16th century: from Latin impingere ‘to drive something in or at; to dash against; to impinge’, from in- ‘into’ + pangere ‘to fix, drive’. The word originally meant ‘thrust at forcibly’, then ‘come into forcible contact’; hence ‘encroach’ (mid 18th century).
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Meirram-Webster, Oxford Dictionary of English, Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, Wiktionary
temper sth with sth
or temper sth by sth
temper sth with sth
or temper sth by sth
to make something less severe or extreme.
…The heat in this coastal town is tempered by cool sea breezes.
> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
