Unit 5.2 & 5.3 Flashcards
strip
If you strip someone of something, you remove it from that person:
Canada wants to strip Luitjens, a retired University of British Columbia botany instructor, of his citizenship.
in the midst of sth
in the middle of an event, situation, or activity:
I’m sorry but I’m too busy - I’m in the midst of writing a report.
maelstrom
a situation in which there is great confusion, violence, and destruction:
The country is gradually being sucked into the maelstrom of civil war.
get sucked into something
to become involved in a situation when you do not want to be involved:
I got sucked into the argument because I was a friend of the family.
swirl
to move quickly with a twisting, circular movement, or to make something do this:
The fog swirled thickly around us.
unleash
to suddenly release a violent force that cannot be controlled:
At worst, nuclear war could be unleashed.
harness
to control something, usually in order to use its power:
There is a great deal of interest in harnessing wind and waves as new sources of power.
austere
very simple, with only the things that are absolutely necessary, especially because of severe limits on money or goods:
an austere childhood during the war
very severe and unfriendly in manner:
He was a tall, austere, forbidding figure.
spartan
simple and severe with no comfort:
a spartan diet/meal
bleak
If a place is bleak, it is empty, and not welcoming or attractive:
The house stands on a bleak, windswept hilltop.
If a situation is bleak, there is little or no hope for the future:
The economic outlook is bleak.
pane
a flat piece of glass used in a window or door:
a window pane
a pane of glass
gust
a sudden strong wind:
A sudden gust of wind blew his umbrella inside out.
inside out
If you know something inside out, you know it very well:
He’s the best person to tell you how to get there because he knows the city inside out.
scope
the range of a subject covered by a book, programme, discussion, class, etc.:
I’m afraid that problem is beyond/outside the scope of my lecture.
the opportunity for doing something:
There is limited scope for further reductions in the workforce.
imbed
to fix something firmly into a substance
contention
the disagreement that results from opposing arguments:
There’s a lot of contention about that issue - for every person firmly in favour, there’s someone fiercely against it.
inherently
in a way that exists as a natural or basic part of something:
There’s nothing inherently wrong with his ideas.
a barrage of sth
a great number of complaints, criticisms, or questions suddenly directed at someone:
The TV station has received a barrage of complaints about the amount of violence in the series.
He faced a barrage of questions over his handling of the problem.
shell out
to pay money for something, especially when the cost is unexpected and not wanted:
If we lose the case, we’ll be forced to shell out.
dawn on
If a fact dawns on you, you understand it after a period of not understanding it:
[ + that ] I was about to pay for the shopping when it suddenly dawned on me that I’d left my wallet at home.
nagging
complaining or criticizing:
a nagging voice
used to describe an unpleasant feeling that continues for a long period of time:
nagging doubts/pain
speck
a very small mark, piece, or amount:
He’d been painting the door and there were specks of paint all over the floor.
an item of news
a particular piece of news:
John, you’ve found several news items that might interest our listeners.
rumble on
If something such as a disagreement rumbles on, it continues for a long time without being resolved:
The dispute rumbled on for months.
vanish/go up/disappear in a puff of smoke
to disappear suddenly and completely:
One moment he was standing behind me, the next he had vanished in a puff of smoke.
All his hard work seemed to be going up in a puff of smoke.
state of emergency
a temporary system of rules to deal with an extremely dangerous or difficult situation:
After the floods the government declared a state of emergency.
