Unit 1

Question 1

Gist

Answer 1

/dʒɪst/

The most important pieces of information about something, or general information without details:

• That was the gist of what he said.
• I think I got (= understood) the gist of what she was saying.

Question 2

To enquire/inquire

Answer 2

/ɪnˈkwaɪər/

to ask for information:

-Shall I inquire about the price of tickets?

Question 3

Blissful

Answer 3

/ˈblɪs.fəl/

extremely or completely happy:

• a blissful childhood/holiday
• We spent a blissful year together before things started to go wrong.

Question 4

To haunt

Answer 4

/hɔːnt/

to cause repeated suffering or anxiety:

• Fighting in Vietnam was an experience that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
• 30 years after the fire he is still haunted by images of death and destruction.

Question 5

Neglected

Answer 5

/nɪˈɡlek.tɪd/

not receiving enough care or attention:

-She was distressed at how neglected the children looked.

Question 6

Wholeheartedly

Answer 6

/ˌhəʊlˈhɑː.tɪd.li/

in a way that is completely enthusiastic and without any doubt :

• Both groups are wholeheartedly in favour of the changes.
• I hear what you say and I wholeheartedly agree.

Question 7

Outlast

Answer 7

/ˌaʊtˈlɑːst/

to live or exist, or to stay energetic and determined, longer than another person or thing:

• The empress outlasted all her children.
• The Orioles outlasted the Yankees, finally winning 10 to 9.

Question 8

Attrition

Answer 8

/əˈtrɪʃ.ən/

(1) gradually making something weaker and destroying it, especially the strength or confidence of an enemy by repeatedly attacking it:
- Terrorist groups and the government have been engaged in a costly war of attrition since 2008.
(2) a reduction in the number of people who work for an organization that is achieved by not replacing those people who leave
(3) the people who leave an educational or training course before it has finished:
- The high attrition rates on the degree programs are a cause for concern.

Question 9

Stopover

Answer 9

/ˈstɒpˌəʊ.vər

a short stay in a place that you make while you are on a longer journey to somewhere else:

-Our tickets to Australia include a stopover for two nights in Singapore.

Question 10

Serendipity

Answer 10

/ˌser.ənˈdɪp.ə.t̬i/

the fact of finding interesting or valuable things by chance

Question 11

Mismatch

Answer 11

/ˌmɪsˈmætʃ/

(1) to put together people or things that are unsuitable for each other:
- I always thought Chris and Monique were mismatched, so I wasn’t surprised when they got divorced.
(2) an occasion when people or things are put together that are not suitable for each other:
- There is a mismatch between the capacity of the airport and the large number of people wanting to fly from it.

Question 12

To table

Answer 12

/ˈteɪ.bəl/

(1) to suggest something for discussion:
- An amendment to the proposal was tabled by Mrs James.
(2) to delay discussion of a subject:
- The suggestion was tabled for discussion at a later date.

Question 13

To chair

Answer 13

/tʃeər/

to be the person in charge of a meeting, etc.:

-Would you like to chair tomorrow’s meeting?

Question 14

To floor

Answer 14

/flɔːr/

to hit someone and cause them to fall:

-He was floored with a single punch to the head.

Question 15

To glass

Answer 15

/ɡlɑːs/

to attack someone with a broken bottle or glass:

• He was sentenced to two years in jail for glassing a student in a bar.
• I got glassed in the face and needed treatment.

Question 16

Rusty

Answer 16

/ˈrʌs.ti/

(1) covered with rust (= metal decay):
- a rusty car/nail
(2) If a skill you had is rusty, it is not as good as it was because you have not practised it:
- My Italian is a bit rusty these days.

Question 17

Command

Answer 17

/kəˈmɑːnd/

(1) an order, especially one given by a soldier:
- When I give the command, fire!
- He hated being in the army because he had to obey commands.
(2) control over someone or something and responsibility for him, her, or it:
- Colonel Sailing has command over/is in command of the Guards Regiment.
(3) a great knowledge of a subject and an ability to use that knowledge:
- She has an impressive command of the English language.

Question 18

Loanword

Answer 18

/ˈləʊn.wɜːd/ US

a word taken from one language and used in another:

• diacritic marks used in loan words like the French “naïveté”

Question 19

Articulate

Answer 19

/ɑːˈtɪk.jə.lət/
(NO CONFUNDIR CON JOINT)

able to express thoughts and feelings easily and clearly, or showing this quality:

• an intelligent and highly articulate young woman
• She gave a witty, entertaining, and articulate speech.

Question 20

Swarm

Answer 20

/swɔːm/

(1) a large group of insects all moving together:

-a swarm of bees/wasps/ants/locusts
The dead sheep was covered with swarms of flies.

(2) a large group of people all moving together:
- During the summer, tourists swarm the little beachside town.

Question 21

Clatter

Answer 21

/ˈklæt.ər/

to make continuous loud noises by hitting hard objects against each other, or to cause objects to do this:

-Don’t clatter the dishes - you’ll wake the baby up.

Question 22

Footbridge

Answer 22

/ˈfʊt.brɪdʒ/

a narrow bridge that is only used by people who are walking

Question 23

Forecourt

Answer 23

/ˈfɔː.kɔːt/

(1) a flat area in front of a large building:
- the garage forecourt
(2) the area next to the net in sports such as tennis

Question 24

Stubble

Answer 24

/ˈstʌb.əl/

the short hair that grows on a man’s face if he has not shaved (= cut the hair) for a few days:

-With the back of his hand, he rubbed the stubble on his chin.

Question 25

To yank

Answer 25

/jæŋk/

(1) to pull something forcefully with a quick movement:

-He tripped over the cord and yanked the plug out.
She yanked open the cupboard door and everything fell out.

(2) to suddenly remove someone or something:
- I was yanked out of school and forced to go to work

Question 26

To purse your lips

Answer 26

/pɜːs/

to bring your lips tightly together so that they form a rounded shape, usually as an expression of disapproval:

-“I don’t approve of that kind of language,” she said, pursing her lips.

Question 27

Dregs

Answer 27

/dreɡz/

the small solid pieces that sink to the bottom of some liquids, such as wine or coffee, that are not usually drunk:

• I wanted a last drink of coffee, but there were only dregs left.
• She had drunk her coffee down to the dregs (= finished it).

Question 28

Bundles

Answer 28

/ˈbʌn.dəl/

a number of things that have been fastened or are held together:

• a bundle of clothes/newspapers/books
• a bundle of sticks

Question 29

Shovel

Answer 29

/ˈʃʌv.əl/

a tool consisting of a wide, square metal or plastic blade, usually with slightly raised sides, attached to a handle, for moving loose material such as sand, coal, or snow

Question 30

Obliterate

Answer 30

/əˈblɪt.ər.eɪt/

(1) to remove all signs of something, either by destroying it or by covering it so that it cannot be seen:
- The missile strike was devastating - the target was totally obliterated.
- All of a sudden the view was obliterated by the fog.
(2) to make an idea or feeling disappear completely:
- Maybe she gets drunk to obliterate painful memories.

Question 31

To give sth/sb a wide berth

Answer 31

to avoid a person or place:

-I tend to give the city centre a wide berth on Saturdays because it’s so busy.

Question 32

To go to great lengths

Answer 32

to try very hard to achieve something:

• Some people go to great lengths to make their homes attractive.
• He’ll go to any lengths to get what he wants.

Question 33

To look on the bright side

Answer 33

to find good things in a bad situation:

-Look on the bright side - no one was badly hurt.

Question 34

Windfall

Answer 34

/ˈwɪnd.fɔːl/

an amount of money that you win or receive from someone unexpectedly:

• Investors each received a windfall of £3,000.
• The government is hoping to collect a windfall tax (= extra tax on a large unexpected company profit) from British Electric.

Question 35

to take the wind out of sb’s sails

Answer 35

to make someone feel less confident or less determined to do something, usually by saying or doing something that they are not expecting:

-I was all ready to tell him that the relationship was over when he greeted me with a big bunch of flowers - that took the wind out of my sails.

Question 36

Headwind

Answer 36

/ˈhed.wɪnd/

a wind blowing in the opposite direction to the one you are moving in:

-The runners had to battle against a stiff/strong headwind.

Question 37

Impending

Answer 37

/ɪmˈpen.dɪŋ/

used to refer to an event, usually something unpleasant or unwanted, that is going to happen soon:

• impending disaster/doom
• The player announced his impending retirement from international football.

Question 38

Pending

Answer 38

/ˈpen.dɪŋ/

about to happen or waiting to happen:

• There were whispers that a deal was pending.
• The pending releases of the prisoners are meant to create a climate for negotiation.

Question 39

Barrister

Answer 39

/ˈbær.ɪ.stər/

a type of lawyer in the UK , Australia, and some other countries who can give specialized legal advice and can argue a case in both higher and lower courts

Question 40

Solicitor

Answer 40

/səˈlɪs.ɪ.tər/

a type of lawyer in Britain and Australia who is trained to prepare cases and give advice on legal subjects and can represent people in lower courts:

-a firm of solicitors

Question 41

Outweigh

Answer 41

/ˌaʊtˈweɪ/

to be greater or more important than something else:

-The benefits of this treatment far outweigh any risks.

Question 42

To come to terms with sth

Answer 42

to gradually accept a sad situation, often the death of someone you love:

-I think he’s still coming to terms with the death of his wife.

Question 43

Sift

Answer 43

/sɪft/

to put flour, sugar, etc. through a sieve (= wire net shaped like a bowl) to break up large pieces:

-When the cake is cooked, sift some icing sugar over the top of it.

Question 44

Sheer

Answer 44

/ʃɪər/

used to emphasize how very great, important, or powerful a quality or feeling is; nothing except:

• The suggestion is sheer nonsense.
• His success was due to sheer willpower/determination.
• It was sheer coincidence that we met.

Question 45

Attention span

Answer 45

/əˈten.ʃən ˌspæn/

the length of time that someone can keep their thoughts and interest fixed on something:

-Young children have quite short attention spans.

Question 46

To chart

Answer 46

/tʃɑːt/

(1) to show something on a chart:

• We need some sort of graph on which we can chart our progress.
• The map charts the course of the river where it splits into two.

(2) to watch something with careful attention or to record something in detail:
- A global study has just been started to chart the effects of climate change.
(3) to arrange a plan of action:
- The local branch of the party is meeting to chart their election campaign.

Question 47

Juggling

Answer 47

/ˈdʒʌɡ.lɪŋ/

the action of juggling objects (= throwing and catching several of them at the same time) in order to entertain people:

-The Chinese circus includes aerial dance, double trapeze and juggling.

Question 48

shrewd

Answer 48

/ʃruːd/

having or based on a clear understanding and good judgment of a situation, resulting in an advantage:

• He was shrewd enough not to take the job when there was the possibility of getting a better one a few months later.
• She is a shrewd politician who wants to avoid offending the electorate unnecessarily.
• It was a shrewd move to buy your house just before property prices started to rise.

Question 49

Workforce

Answer 49

/ˈwɜːk.fɔːs/

the group of people who work in a company, industry, country, etc.:

• The majority of factories in the region have a workforce of 50 to 100 (people).
• Much of the workforce in the banking sector is/are affected by the new legislation.

Question 50

Leisure

Answer 50

/ˈleʒ.ər/

the time when you are not working or doing other duties:

• leisure activities
• Most people only have a limited amount of leisure time.

Question 51

sb’s heart’s desire

Answer 51

something that you want very much

Question 52

be just the job

Answer 52

to be exactly what you want or need:

-I’ve been looking for a new stereo system for my car, and this is just the job.

Question 53

To busk

busking, busker

Answer 53

to play music or sing in a public place so that the people who are there will give money

Question 54

Hog

Answer 54

/hɒɡ/

(1) a pig, especially one that is allowed to grow large so that it can be eaten
(2) someone who takes much more than a fair share of something, especially by eating too much:
- You’ve eaten it all? You hog!
(3) to hog: to take or use more than your share of something:
- He’s always hogging the bathroom (= spending too much time in the bathroom, so that no one else can use it).