Unit 7.2 & 7.3 Flashcards
dazzling
A dazzling light is so bright that you cannot see for a short time after looking at it:
a dazzling white light
extremely attractive or exciting:
dazzling good looks
a dazzling smile
eyeball
to look closely at someone:
He eyeballed me across the bar.
unimaginable
Something that is unimaginable is difficult to imagine because it is so bad, good, big, etc.:
unimaginable pain/wealth
flamboyant
very confident in your behaviour, and liking to be noticed by other people, for example because of the way you dress, talk, etc.:
a flamboyant gesture
The writer’s flamboyant lifestyle was well known.
indistinct
not clear:
an indistinct shape/sound/recollection
clear-cut
clear or obvious without needing any proof:
She has clear-cut evidence that the company cheated her.
to top it all off
If you have been describing bad things that happened, and then say that to top it all off something else happened, you mean that the final thing was even worse:
natural
A natural ability or characteristic is one that you were born with:
natural beauty
spectacular
especially great:
We’ve had spectacular success with the product.
arguably
used when stating an opinion or belief that you think can be shown to be true:
He is arguably the world’s best football player.
Arguably, the drug should not have been made available.
perceive
to see something or someone, or to notice something that is obvious:
Bill perceived a tiny figure in the distance.
I perceived a note of unhappiness in her voice.
reminiscent of sb/sth
making you remember a particular person, event, or thing:
That song is so reminiscent of my adolescence.
warm up
If an event warms up, it starts to become more interesting, enjoyable, or exciting:
The party was only just starting to warm up as I left.
story (buildings’ floors)
a level of a building:
a three-story house
Their new house has four stories including the attic.
temperamental
A temperamental person is someone whose mood often changes very suddenly:
Be careful how you approach her - she’s very temperamental.
provoke
to cause a reaction, especially a negative one:
The prospect of increased prices has already provoked an outcry.
Test results provoked worries that the reactor could overheat.
precariously
in a way that is likely to fall, be damaged, fail, etc.:
Her suitcase was precariously balanced on the tiny luggage rack above her head.
imitate
to behave in a similar way to someone or something else, or to copy the speech or behaviour, etc. of someone or something:
Some of the younger pop bands try to imitate their musical heroes from the past.
occur
to exist or be present in, among, etc.:
Violence of some type seems to occur in every society.
occur to sb
If a thought or idea occurs to you, it comes into your mind:
The thought did occur to me.
It never even occurred to us that he hadn’t been invited.
be hell-bent on sth
to be extremely determined to do something, without considering the risks or possible dangerous results:
He was hell-bent on revenge.
walk sth off
to walk in order to try and get rid of pain or an unpleasant feeling such as anger:
I’m going out to walk off this headache.
She twisted her ankle and tried to walk it off, but it hurt too much.
He managed to walk off his bad mood.
sow the seeds of sth
to do something that will cause something to happen in the future:
He’s sowing the seeds of his own downfall.
familiarity
a good knowledge of something, or the fact that you know it so well:
Ellen’s familiarity with pop music is astonishing.
squat
short and wide, usually in a way that is not attractive:
a row of ugly, squat houses
wield influence, power, etc.
to have a lot of influence or power over other people:
He still wields enormous influence in politics.
wield
to hold a weapon or tool and look as if you are going to use it:
She was confronted by a man wielding a knife.
radiant
obviously very happy, or very beautiful:
He gave a radiant smile when he heard her news.
tranquil
calm and peaceful and without noise, violence, worry, etc.:
She stared at the tranquil surface of the water.
outset
the beginning:
I told him at/from the outset I wasn’t interested.
obeying completely and having no original thoughts or ideas:
a slavish devotion to duty
a slavish translation
very interesting because of being unusual or mysterious:
an intriguing possibility/question
She has a really intriguing personality.
fatuous
stupid, not correct, or not carefully thought about:
a fatuous idea
florid
with too much decoration or detail:
a florid architectural style
glaring
used to say that something bad is very obvious:
glaring errors
a glaring injustice
landmark
an important stage in something’s development:
The invention of the silicon chip was a landmark in the history of the computer.
devalue
to cause someone or something to be considered less valuable or important:
I don’t want to devalue his achievement, but he managed to get a promotion without working very hard.
commonplace
happening often or often seen or experienced and so not considered to be special:
Electric cars are increasingly commonplace.
