small steps count.

Question 1

pithy

Answer 1

≠ long-winded
a series of pithy quotations

Question 2

mirage

Answer 2

illusion/ an effect caused by hot air in a desert, which makes you think that you can see objects when they are not actually there

Question 3

despair

Answer 3

to feel that there is no hope at all

Despite his illness, Ron never despaired.

Question 4

mighty

Answer 4

very strong and powerful, or very big and impressive

high and mighty
talking or behaving as if you think you are better or more important than other people
Don’t get high and mighty with me.

Question 5

aphorism

Answer 5

a short phrase that contains a wise idea

Question 6

trivial

Answer 6

not serious, important, or valuable
trivial problem/matter/complaint etc

Question 7

top-down

Answer 7

a top-down way of understanding or explaining something starts with a general idea and adds details later

Question 8

representational

Answer 8

a representational painting or style of art shows things as
they actually appear in real life SYN figurative

Question 9

probe

Answer 9

to ask questions in order to find things out, especially things that other people do not want you to know
probe into
I don’t want to probe too deeply into your personal affairs.
Police probed claims that he had sold drugs.

Question 10

deficit(n)

Answer 10

a temporary or permanent lack in someone’s ability to operate normally

cognitive deficits
deficit in speech production

Question 11

rehabilitation / rehab

Answer 11

the process of returning to a healthy or good way of life, or the process of helping someone to do this after they have been in prison, been very ill

a rehab clinic (for drugs)
Many amputees in the early stages of their rehabilitation feel despair.

Question 12

nuance

Answer 12

a very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound, etc.:
nuance of The painter has managed to capture every nuance of the woman’s expression.

Question 13

intact (adj)

Answer 13

not broken, damaged, or spoiled
Only the medieval tower had remained intact

Question 14

wrinkle (v)(n)

Answer 14

[intransitive] if a piece of clothing wrinkles, it
gets small untidy folds in it SYN crease
4) The trouble with linen is that it wrinkles so easily.

Question 15

introspection (n)

Answer 15

the process of thinking deeply about your own thoughts, feelings, or behaviour

Question 16

prosthesis (prostheses)

Answer 16

medical an artificial leg, tooth, or other part of the body which takes the place of a missing part

Question 17

subject

Answer 17

subject somebody/something to something

to force someone or something to experience something very unpleasant, especially over a long time

Police subjected him to hours of questioning.
subject somebody to an ordeal/abuse/harassment
Barker subjected his victim to awful abuse.

Question 18

hostile

Answer 18

angry and deliberately unfriendly towards someone, and ready to argue with them

Question 19

prudent

Answer 19

sensible and careful, especially by trying to avoid unnecessary risks
prudent house buyers
it is prudent (for somebody) to do something
It might be prudent to get a virus detector for the network.

Question 20

you are very good at covert ops

Answer 20

someone is very good at keeping secrets or handling situations discreetly without drawing attention.

Question 21

cumulative

Answer 21

increasing gradually as more of something is added or happens

Learning is a cumulative process.
cumulative effect (of something)
Depression is often caused by the cumulative effects of stress and overwork.

Question 22

stifle

Answer 22

to stop something from happening or developing OPP encourage

rules and regulations that stifle innovation
How can this party stifle debate on such a crucial issue?

Question 23

insensitive

Answer 23

not noticing, or not taking the care to notice, other people’s feelings, and not realizing when they are upset or when something that you do will upset them

Question 24

unprejudiced

Answer 24

able to be fair because you are not influenced by an unreasonable opinion of someone or something:

Question 25

Manifest (v, t)

Answer 25

Formal, to show sth clearly through signs of actions.
Manifest something in something
Manifest itself in/as

The illness first manifested itself in severe stomach pains

Question 26

know(n)

Answer 26

to have more information about something than anyone else has

Question 27

know(n)

Answer 27

in the know informal having more information about something than most people

Question 28

impede (v)

Answer 28

to make it difficult for someone or something to move forward or make progress

to make it difficult for someone or something to move forward or make progress

there were a few minor errors, but they did not impede understanding

Question 29

get the hang of something

Answer 29

informal to learn how to do something or use something

you’ll soon get the hang of this useful method of communicating

Question 30

Ubiquity (n)
ubiquitous(adj)

Answer 30

seeming to be everywhere – sometimes used humorously

Coffee shops are ubiquitous these days.

Question 31

repercussion(n)

Answer 31

the effects of an action or event, especially bad effects that continue for some time

The collapse of the company had repercussions for the whole industry.
repercussion on
There were serious repercussions on his career.
repercussion of
the repercussions of the crisis
political/social/economic etc repercussions

Question 32

the advent of something

Answer 32

written

the time when something first begins to be widely used

Question 33

spike(n)

Answer 33

a sudden large increase in the number or rate of something
spike in
a spike in interest rates

Question 34

Fragrant (adj)

Answer 34

having a pleasant smell

Question 35

pep talk

Answer 35

informal a short speech intended to encourage someone to work harder, win a game etc

Question 36

be on the cusp of something

Answer 36

to be at the time when a situation or state is going to change
The country was on the cusp of economic expansion.

Question 37

the upshot (of something)

Answer 37

the final result of a situation
The upshot was that after much argument they all agreed to help her

Question 38

repercussion

Answer 38

the effects of an action or event, especially bad effects that continue for some time

Question 39

ˌill-ˈmannered adjective formal

Answer 39

not polite and behaving badly in social situations OPP well-mannered

Question 40

re‧trieve(v)

Answer 40

retrieve something from something

It took four days to retrieve all the bodies from the crash.

“Efforts to retrieve native plant species have shown significant improvements in local biodiversity and air quality within urban green spaces, helping to mitigate the broader environmental problems caused by urbanization.

Question 41

bid (n)

Answer 41

an attempt to achieve or obtain something
bid for
a bid for power

a bid to do something
a desperate bid to free herself from a loveless marriage

Question 42

touch (n)

Answer 42

detail/addition [countable]
a small detail that improves or completes something
put the final/finishing touches to something
Emma was putting the finishing touches to the cake.
There was a vase of flowers in the room, which was a nice touch.
Brass pans added a decorative touch to the plain brick wall.

to add homey touches

Question 43

hue(n)

Answer 43

a colour or type of colour ➔ tint, shade

I would balance it with warm hues for furnishings and fabrics