Vacab P6 (14-30) Flashcards
recede
/rɪˈsiːd/ to move gradually away from a previous position, move back
“The sound of the truck receded into the distance.”
(especially of a problem, feeling or quality) to become gradually weaker or smaller
“The prospect of bankruptcy has now receded (= it is less likely).”
“The pain was receding slightly.”
raze
to completely destroy a building, town, etc. so that nothing is left
“The woodland was razed by fire.”
a spate of sth
a large number of unpleasant things, happening suddenly within a short period of time
“The bombing was the latest in a spate of terrorist attacks.”
“a recent spate of killings/thefts”
blitz
[noun] a sudden and intensive attack
“Five shops were damaged in a firebomb blitz.”
[verb] to attack or defeat with or as if with a blitz:
empower
to give power or authority to. SYNONYM authorize
“I empowered my agent to make the deal for me. “
denounce
to strongly criticize somebody/something that you think is wrong, illegal. To publicly say sth is not true.
“to denounce a politician as morally corrupt.”
calamity
an event that causes great damage to people’s lives, property, etc.
SYNONYM disaster
“The country suffered a series of calamities during the 1980s.”
[adj] calamitous SYNONYM disastrous
estranged
/ɪˈstreɪndʒd/
Couple no longer live together. “He is being questioned in connection with the death of his estranged wife.”
no longer friendly or in contact. “He became estranged from his family after the argument.”
farce
- a funny play for the theatre based on silly and unlikely situations and events; this type of writing or performance
“I think that we should stop this farce, here and now.” - a situation or an event that is so unfair or badly organized that it becomes silly
“She admitted that the interview had been a complete farce from start to finish.”
“The elections have been reduced to a farce.”
sage
[noun] a very wise person. Synonyms: philosopher, guru
“ancient Chinese sages.”
[adj] very wise, especially as a result of a lot of experience
“He was famous for his sage advice to younger painters. “
monologue
a long speech by one person. refer to: dialogue
“Henry looked up, then continued his monologue.”
“No one wants a boss’ rambling, spur of the minute monologue at the end of the day.”
“He went into a long monologue about life in Singapore.”
caricature /ˈkærɪkətʃər/
[noun] a funny drawing or picture of somebody that exaggerates some of their features, and makes them seem silly
The caricature is crude, but recognisable.
“The poster showed a caricature of him with a devil’s horns and tail.”
“The film gives a crude caricature of African history.”
[verb] to produce a caricature of somebody
“She was unfairly caricatured as a dumb blonde.” “He was caricatured as a turnip.”
contentious /kənˈtenʃəs/
likely to cause people to disagree, argue. SYN controversial
“Both views are highly contentious.”
“In liquor he became sullen and contentious.”
“Animal welfare did not become a contentious issue until the late 1970s.”
wile
[noun] trickery, cunning, or craftiness
[verb] to trick someone, to lure, beguile, or entice
“The music wiled him from his study”
[adj] wily /waili/ cunning
amass /əˈmæs/
to gradually collect a large amount of something, gradually accumulate a lot of it
“How had he amassed his fortune? He amassed a fortune from silver mining.”
“They amassed enough evidence to convict her.”
grievous /ˈɡriːvəs/
very serious and often causing great pain or difficulty
“He had been the victim of a grievous injustice.”
“a grievous shortage of hospital beds”
“a grievous shortage of hospital beds”
“He survived in spite of suffering grievous injuries.”
roll call
the reading of a list of names to a group of people to check who is there.
“Roll call will be at 7 a.m.”
“We had to stand in the snow every morning for roll call. “
“Her list of pupils read like a roll-call of the great and good.”
cite
to mention something as a reason or an example, to support what you are saying.
“He cited personal reasons for his decision to resign.”
“Their method is similar to those used by many studies cited in this report.”
“Several factors have been cited as the cause of the unrest.”
assailant /əˈseɪlənt/
a person who attacks somebody, especially physically. SYNONYM attacker
“The alleged assailants appeared in court.” “Other party-goers rescued the injured man from his assailant.” “Sleep came to him like an unseen assailant.”
assail [verb] to attack somebody/something violently
“The proposal was assailed by the opposition party.”
“(figurative) A vile smell assailed my nostrils.”
conspicuous <> inconspicuous
easy to see or notice; likely to attract attention.
“Mary’s red hair always made her conspicuous at school.”
“I felt very conspicuous in my new car.”
“The award is given for notable or conspicuous achievement in science.”
“She tried to look as inconspicuous as possible.”
“Its dull brown feathers make the bird inconspicuous.”
distinguish
to recognize the difference between two people or things. SYNONYM differentiate
“English law clearly distinguishes between murder and manslaughter.”
“The male bird is distinguished from the female by its red beak.”
[adj] distinguished:
- very successful and admired by other people. “He has had a long and distinguished career in medicine.”
- looking very important, noble and respectable. “a tall distinguished figure in a dark suit”
concoct /kənˈkɒkt/
- to make food or drink, by mixing different things. “The soup was concocted from up to a dozen different kinds of fish.” “Jean concocted a great meal from the leftovers.”
- to invent a story, an excuse, etc. or create a plan, especially for a dishonest purpose
SYNONYM cook up, make up
“She concocted some elaborate story to explain her absence.” “the prisoner concocted the story to get a lighter sentence.”
confer /kənˈfɜːr/
- to discuss something with somebody, in order to exchange opinions or get advice
“He wanted to confer with his colleagues before reaching a decision.”
“Franklin leant over and conferred with his attorneys.” - to give somebody an award, a university degree or a particular honour
“An honorary degree was conferred on him by Oxford University in 2019.”
“Never imagine that rank confers genuine authority.”
decimate /ˈdesɪmeɪt/
- to kill large numbers of animals, plants or people.
“The rabbit population was decimated by the disease.” “The army sent to meet this threat was decimated at Adrianople: the road to Rome now lay open to the barbarians.” - to severely damage something or make something weaker
“Cheap imports decimated the British cycle industry.” “Legal aid for the poor is being decimated.”
disintegrate /dɪsˈɪntɪɡreɪt/
to break into small parts or pieces and be destroyed
“The plane disintegrated as it fell into the sea.”
“The wall just disintegrated in a shower of fragments and dust.”
denote
to mean something, to represent or be a sign of something. SYN indicate, represent
“A very high temperature often denotes a serious illness.”
“What does the word ‘curriculum’ denote that ‘course’ does not?”
“In this example ‘X’ denotes the time taken and ‘Y’ denotes the distance covered.”
“The red triangle denotes danger.”
flame somebody
to send somebody an angry or offensive message by email or on the internet.
“Our website gets a lot of flame mails, but they’re usually so childish that we just laugh at most of them.”
“Flaming your boss really isn’t a good idea, however angry you are.”
be / come under fire
to be severely criticized for something you have done.
“Rail chiefs came under fire after raising train fares.”
“The president’s plan first came under fire from critics who said he didn’t include enough spending cuts.”
anecdote /ˈænɪkdəʊt/
a short, interesting or funny story about a real person or event.
“amusing anecdotes about his brief career as an actor”
“The book is full of amusing anecdotes about his life in Japan.”
“Pete was telling them an anecdote about their mother.”
“This research is based on anecdote, not fact.”
do something up
- to fasten a coat, skirt, etc. “Do up your coat or you’ll get cold.” He never bothers to do his jacket up.
- to make something into a package: “She was carrying a package done up in brown paper.”
- to repair and decorate a house, etc. “He makes money by buying old houses and doing them up.”
- to make yourself look neat and attractive: “Sue spent ages doing herself up.”
blow over
- to fade/go away without having a serious effect: “The storm blew over in the night.”
“The scandal will soon blow over.”
“They weren’t speaking to each other, but I think it’s blown over now.” - if something blows over, the wind makes it fall
“Our fence blew over in the storm”
pass over
- if you are passed over for a job, do not get the job or position and someone younger or less experienced is chosen instead.
“she was repeatedly passed over for promotion.” “He was passed over in favour of a younger man.” - pass over something: to ignore or avoid something
“I want to pass over this quite quickly.” “They seem to think her crimes should be passed over in silence.”
drop off
- to fall into a light sleep
“I dropped off and missed the end of the film.” “She kept dropping off at her desk.” - drop somebody/something off: “I’ll drop you off on my way home.”
- to become fewer or less
“Traffic in the town has dropped off since the bypass opened.” “The number of graduates going into teaching has dropped off sharply.”
drop out
- to stop doing sth: “He has dropped out of active politics.”
- to leave school, college, etc. without finishing your studies
“She started a degree but dropped out after only a year.”
[noun] a person who leaves school or college before they have finished their studies
“Michael Dell is a college dropout”
hold out
- to withstand and last, especially in a difficult situation
“We can stay here for as long as our supplies hold out.” I didn’t know how much longer I could hold out against their relentless questioning. - to resist or survive in a dangerous or difficult situation
“The rebels held out in the mountains for several years.” ““He can only hold out a few more weeks
catch on
to become popular or fashionable
“He invented a new game, but it never really caught on.” “The idea caught on fast.”
- to begin to understand or realize something
“It was a long time before the police caught on to what he was really doing.” “It’s not that hard, once you catch on to it.” “She catches on fast and will soon be promoted.”
appeal to
- for + to: make a formal / public request
“Church and community leaders have appealed for calm.” “Farmers have appealed to the government for help.” Appealing to the referee does not often result in a decision being changed.””
- for + to: make a formal / public request
- if someone or something appeals to you, it’s attractive and interesting
“The programme appeals to young children.”
“The idea of working abroad really appeals to me.”
iron out
to get rid of problems or difficulties, especially small ones
“We need to iron out a few problems first.”
“There are still a few details that need ironing out.”
“The two parties need to iron out their differences.”
rule out
to make it impossible for something to happen.
“The mountainous terrain rules out most forms of agriculture.”
“She has refused to rule out the possibility of singing again.”
“Police have not ruled out the possibility that the man was murdered.”
“The proposed solution was ruled out as too expensive.”
clamp down
to take firm action to stop a particular type of crime
“The US government is clamping down on drugs.”
“The police are clamping down on drink-driving offenders.”
“Police are clamping down on drivers who exceed the speed limit.”
disengage <> engage
- to stop being involved or interested in something
“Too many young people disengage from learning.”
“After the Gulf War, the U.S. disengaged quickly from the Middle East.” - make it move away from another part that it was connected to
“John gently disengaged himself from his sister’s tearful embrace.”
“Disengage the gears when you park the car.”
“He tapped in the code and the lock disengaged.”
figment
somebody’s imagination; something merely imagined or made up in the mind
“True, the commercially successful electric car is still a figment.”
“The noises in the attic were just a figment of her imagination”
hanker
to have a strong desire for something
“She hankered for a new life in a different country.”
“She hankered to go back to Australia.”
compare with hunker (hunker down: squat, stay somewhere for a long time)
hammer home sth
to repeatedly emphasize a point, an idea, etc. so that people fully understand it
“The school tries to hammer home the importance of homework.”
“The message must be hammered home that crime doesn’t pay.”
learning curve
the rate at which you learn a new subject or a new skill; the process of learning from the mistakes you make
“We have all been through a steep learning curve to master the new procedures. (have to learn very quickly)”
““There is a learning curve in the process of seeking employment.
think the world of
to like or love someone very much, to be extremely fond of or hold in very high esteem
“The children think the world of their mother”.
“Very quiet woman but a good worker, We think the world of her.”
rake up
SYN dredge up
to mention something unpleasant that happened in the past and that other people would like to forget
“Raking up the past will only make things worse.”
“It upsets Dad when that story is raked up again.””
Rake in:: to earn a lot money
comb through sth
to examine or search something very carefully
“We spent weeks combing through huge piles of old documents.”
“ They have combed through the suspect’s correspondence, his computer files and old letters.”
cruise /kruːz/
to move at a steady speed in a car, aircraft etc.
“We were cruising along at 50 miles per hour.”
“ We fly at a cruising speed of 500 mph.”
“Try cruising around the Greek islands in a traditional fishing boat.”
be endowed with
to naturally have a particular feature, quality, etc.
“She was endowed with intelligence and wit.” “She was endowed with good looks.” “He was endowed too with a very strong male chemistry. ““Shakespeare was an adult genius in that he was endowed with it at birth.”
[verb] endow: to give a college, hospital etc a large sum of money
well-rounded
well developed in many different aspects.
“You have to be a well-rounded individual to succeed.”
“She has a well-rounded background in management.”
At Cornell University, she received a well-rounded education.””
stitch
to sew two pieces of cloth together, or to sew a decoration onto a piece of cloth
“A pocket was stitched to the front of the jacket.”
“The cut (wound) will need to be stitched.”
flip (out)
(informal) to become very angry, excited or unable to think clearly
“She finally flipped under the pressure.”
“He completely flipped when he saw the mess in the kitchen.”
floor someone
- to surprise or confuse somebody so that they are not sure what to say or do:
“His reply completely floored me.” A couple of the questions completely floored me.”” - to make somebody fall down by hitting them, especially in a sport
“He was floored in the first round of the fight..” “He was floored twice in the second round.”
temper [verb]
to neutralize or counterbalance something, to make something less severe or extreme.
“Justice must be tempered with mercy.”
“The heat in this coastal town is tempered by cool sea breezes.”
“His delight was tempered by regret.”
2. to make metal as hard as it needs to be by heating and then cooling it
flare (up)
- (of a person) to suddenly become angry and violent
“She flares up at the slightest provocation.”
“Rioting has flared up in several towns.” - (of a a disease or illness) flares up, it suddenly becomes worse
“The injury has flared up again, keeping him out of today’s game.”
“Students often find that their acne flares up before and during exams.”
wisp
- a wisp of hair, grass, hay etc.
“A wisp of hair had escaped from under her hat.” - a wisp of smoke, cloud, mist etc is a small thin line of it that rises upwards
“Wisps of smoke rose into the air.”
substantial
significant or large in amount, value or importance
“We were able to see a substantial improvement.”
“The document requires substantial changes.”
“A substantial number of houses were damaged by the floods.”
squander
to waste money, time, etc. in a stupid or careless way
“He squandered all his money on gambling.”
“She squandered her chances of winning.”
“They squandered the profits on expensive cars.”
flounder
- to not know what to say or do because you feel confused or upset
“I found myself floundering as I tried to answer her questions.” “‘I’m sorry, ’ she floundered helplessly.” - to have a lot of problems and be likely to fail completely
“More and more firms are floundering because of the recession.” - to move unsteadily or unable to move easily in water, mud, etc.
“She was floundering around in the deep end of the swimming pool.” “A man came floundering through the snow towards us.”
stark
- very plain in appearance, with little or no colour or decoration
“I think white would be too stark for the bedroom.” “The hills stood stark against the winter sky.” - unpleasant; real, and impossible to avoid. SYNONYM bleak
“The author paints a stark picture of life in a prison camp.” “The stark truth is that there is not enough money left.” - very different from something in a way that is easy to see
“The good weather was in stark contrast to the storms of previous weeks.”
