Telegraph Flashcards

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1
Q

Inadvertently

A

Without realizing what you are doing (accidentally)

Ex: He inadvertently passed on the virus to 11 Britons.

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2
Q

Axe

A
  1. To get rid of a plan, system or service, especially in order to save money
  2. To suddenly dismiss someone from their job
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3
Q

Breach

A

To break a law, rule or agreement

Ex: The company accused him of breaching his contract.

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4
Q

Heighten

A

If something heightens a feeling, effect etc, or if a feeling etc heightens, it becomes stronger or increases
Ex: The drama came amid heightened tension in the face of the virus’ arrival in London.

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5
Q

Stem

A

To stop something from happening, spreading or developing

Ex: They are due to hold a meeting to discuss how to stem the spread of the virus.

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6
Q

Expulsion

A

The act of stopping someone from going to the school where they were studying or from being part of the organization where they worked
Ex: He faces expulsion from the Liberal Democrats.

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7
Q

Castigate

A

To criticize or punish someone severely

Ex: The committee is set to castigate her.

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8
Q

Convene

A

If a group of people convene, or someone convenes them, they came together, especially for a formal meeting.
Ex: They are being convened to discuss her future in the party once the document is made public.

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9
Q

Be without foundation

A

If a statement, idea etc is without foundation, there is no proof that it is true
Ex: Many allegations have since proved to be without foundation.

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10
Q

Low-hanging fruit

A

A job that is easy to do, or something that is very easy to achieve

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11
Q

Sham

A

Someone or something that is not what they are claimed to be - used to show disapproval
Ex: The elections were a complete sham.

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12
Q

Tentacles

A

The influence or effect that something has on other people or things- used to show disapproval
Ex: The company’s tentacles spread from car manufacturing to railways.

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13
Q

Callous

A

Not caring that other people are suffering

Ex: The company showed callous disregard for the safety of their employees.

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14
Q

Come to terms with

A

To accept an unpleasant or sad situation and no longer feel upset or angry about it
Ex: Ann’s family struggled to come to terms with her death.

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15
Q

Implore

A

To ask for something in an emotional way

Ex: Widely shared messages on social media implored anyone with information on her whereabouts to speak out.

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16
Q

Amount to

A

If an attitude, remark or situation etc amounts to something, it has the same effect
Ex: The defendant’s actions amounted to “reckless murder..”

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17
Q

Recrimination

A

When you blame or criticize someone for something that has happened
Ex: Meanwhile, political recriminations began flying.

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18
Q

Delusion

A

A false belief about yourself or the situation you are in

Ex: He is under the illusion that I am going to cheat him.

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19
Q

Manifesto

A

A written statement by a political party, saying what they believe in and what they want to do

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20
Q

Disingenuous

A

Not sincere and slightly dishonest

Ex: Keeping the details vague is disingenuous.

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21
Q

Adherent

A

Someone who supports a particular belief, plan, political party etc

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22
Q

Ruthless

A

So determined to get what you want that you do not care if you have to hurt other people in order to do it
Ex: Such ideas have no place in modern society and must be ruthlessly stamped out.

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23
Q

Harbour

A

To keep bad thoughts, fears or hopes in your mind for a long time
Ex: I am willing to bet that if we probed the depths of Europe’s soul, we would find that this is a widely shared, largely unspoken anxiety harboured by millions of people.

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24
Q

Disarray

A

The state of being untidy or not organized

Ex: The delay threw the entire timetable into disarray.

25
Q

Statutory

A

Fixed or controlled by law (mandatory)

Ex: She is below the statutory age for school attendance.

26
Q

Fait accompli

A

Something that has already happened or been done and cannot be changed

27
Q

Apoplectic

A

So angry that your face becomes red

Ex: He was apoplectic with rage.

28
Q

Fortnight

A

Two weeks

Ex: He met and married this girl all in the course of one short fortnight.

29
Q

Lactic acid

A

乳酸

30
Q

Ratchet up

A

To increase something by a small amount, especially after a series of increases, or to increase in this way
Ex: Officials were locked in talks about how far to ratchet up restrictions which could affect thousands of people.

31
Q

Pandemic

A

流行病(epidemic)

32
Q

Shambolic

A

Very disorganized

33
Q

Unwittingly

A

In a way that shows you do not know or realize something (unknowingly)
Ex: He was concerned that he might be unwittingly carrying the virus.

34
Q

Fall in with

A

To accept someone’s ideas, decisions etc and not disagree with them
Ex: Once she explained her problem, he was happy to fall in with her plans.

35
Q

Onerous

A

Work or a responsibility that is onerous is difficult and worrying or makes you tired

36
Q

Woeful

A

Very bad or serious

Ex: The EU has woefully misjudged what Britain is prepared to accept.

37
Q

Bogus

A

Not true or real, although someone is trying to make you think it is
Ex: Number 10 accused the EU of making up bogus reasons for offering Britain a worse deal that it has offered other trading partners.

38
Q

Proximity

A

Nearness in distance or time

Ex: We chose the house for its proximity to the school.

39
Q

Rein in

A

To start to control a situation more strictly

Ex: The government is reining in public expenditure.

40
Q

Frenzy

A

A state of great anxiety or excitement, in which you cannot control your behavior
Ex: Rumors of their divorce stirred up a frenzy of media attention.

41
Q

Quell

A

To end a situation in which people are behaving violently or protesting, especially by using force (put down)
Ex: The police stood idly by, failing to quell a mob that left many with horrific injuries.

42
Q

Provocation

A

An action or event that makes someone angry or upset, or is intended to do this
Ex: The CAA is seen as the latest provocation from the India’s Hindu-nationalist prime minister.

43
Q

Stoke

A

To cause something to increase

Ex: The scandal has stoked public outrage.

44
Q

Shrill

A

A shrill sound is very high and unpleasant

Ex: As she became angry her voice got shriller.

45
Q

Disintegrate

A

To become weaker or less united and be gradually destroyed

Ex: Central Mali is disintegrating into ethnic pogroms and jihadist massacres.

46
Q

Play off

A

挑撥

Ex: The extremist played off ethnic divisions and set villages against each other.

47
Q

Fourfold

A

Four times as much or as many

Ex: The number of people forced to flee their homes increased fourfold to 1.1 million.

48
Q

Onslaught

A

A large violent attack by an army

Ex: They launched a full-scale onslaught on the capital.

49
Q

Pogrom

A

A planned killing of large numbers of people, usually done for reasons of race or religion

50
Q

Ludicrous

A

Completely unreasonable, stupid or wrong

Ex: It was ludicrous to suggest that I was driving under the influence of alcohol.

51
Q

Payout

A

A large payment of money to someone, for example from an insurance claim or from winning a competition.
Ex: Some of the victims have been offered massive cash payouts.

52
Q

Reiterate

A

To repeat a statement or opinion in order to make your meaning as clear as possible
Ex: Lawyers reiterated that there was no direct evidence against Mr Evans.

53
Q

Forthright

A

Direct and honest - used in order to show approval

Ex: She answered in her usual forthright manner.

54
Q

Periphery

A

The edge of an area
Ex: It can contain the risk by limiting Huawei’s involvement to 35 percent of the system and only the periphery in order to protect the core.

55
Q

Adversary

A

A country or person you are fighting or competing against

Ex: A hostile adversary could disable our 5G network.

56
Q

Mitigate

A

To make a situation or the effects of something less unpleasant, harmful or serious
Ex: Such kill switches are nigh on impossible to detect and, as a result, mitigate.

57
Q

Intrepid

A

Willing to do dangerous things or go to dangerous places - often used humorously
Ex: The intrepid exploits of competitors brought servicemen and women together across the world.

58
Q

Stringent

A

A stringent law, rule, standard etc is very strict and must be obeyed
Ex: There are now stringent controls on pollution from all power stations.