voc "atomic habits"

Question 1

sophomore

Answer 1

a second-year university or high-school student
*
freshman year = 9th grade or 1st year uni
sophomore year = 10th grade or 2d year uni
junior year = 11th grade or 3d year uni
senior year = 12th grade or 4th year uni

Question 2

spinal tap

Answer 2

lumbar puncture

Question 3

to seep

Answer 3

If something such as liquid or gas seeps somewhere, it flows slowly and in small amounts into a place where it should not go.
= s’infiltrer

sep through / into / out of / from
*
water began to seep through the soles of his boots

Question 4

varsity (adj)

Answer 4

adj British
Used varsity to describe things that relate to universities, especially sports activities or teams at a university or competitions between universities.

noun US
The varsity is the main or first team for a particular sport at a high school, college, or university.

Question 5

to fall by the wayside

Answer 5

If someone falls by the wayside, they fail to finish an activity,
if something falls by the wayside, people stop doing it, making it, or using it
wayside = bord de la route
*
A business lunch doesn’t mean you have to let your healthy lifestyle fall by the wayside.
Of the nine starters, three fell by the wayside

Question 6

to sprout

Answer 6

When plants, vegetables, or seeds sprout, they produce new shoots or leaves / they grow there
sth appear or develop suddenly and in large numbers.
*
Leaf-shoots were beginning to sprout on the hawthorn.
More than a million satellite dishes have sprouted on homes across the country.
Since its first shop was opened in 1976, it has sprouted outlets in 39 countries.

Question 7

a pack rat

Answer 7

US only

someone who collects things that they do not need

Question 8

congruent (with) / incongruent

Answer 8

If one thing is congruent with another thing, they are similar or fit together well.
out of place, compatible
[formal]
incongruent = opposite (US)
= conforme
*
They want to work in an organisation whose values are congruent with their own.

Question 9

to groom

to be groomed for / to

Answer 9

give a neat and tidy appearance to (someone).
prepare or train (someone) for a particular purpose or activity.
*
a beautifully groomed woman
star pupils who are groomed for higher things
George was already being groomed for the top job.
Marshall was groomed to run the family companies.

Question 10

slumber / to slumber

Answer 10

sleep / to sleep
*
He had fallen into exhausted slumber.
Sleeping Beauty slumbered in her forest castle

Question 11

groove

Answer 11

A settled existence, routine, etc, to which one is suited or accustomed, esp one from which it is difficult to escape.
A groove is a deep line cut into a surface (eg vinyl record)
If you can’t “find your groove,” you feel off track and out of whack. But when you’re “in the groove,” everything is working smoothly and you’ve found a good routine.
*
Their wheels left grooves in the ground.
His thoughts were slipping into a familiar groove.
Alex proved he was back in the groove by winning the 100 metres freestyle.

Question 12

to uphold (sth)

Answer 12

If you uphold something such as a law, a principle, or a decision, you support and maintain it.
If a court of law upholds a legal decision that has already been made, it decides that it was the correct decision.
= maintenir, défendre, confirmer
*
The court upheld his claim for damages
They uphold a tradition of not causing distress to living creatures

Question 13

a rudder

Answer 13

un gouvernail

Question 14

impending

Answer 14

An impending event is one that is going to happen very soon.
*
On the morning of the expedition I awoke with a feeling of impending disaster.
He’d spoken to Simon that morning of his impending marriage.

Question 15

to tip off

a tip-off

Answer 15

If someone tips you off, they give you information about something that has happened or is going to happen.
*
He was arrested two days later after a friend tipped off the FBI.
The man was arrested at his home after a tip-off to police from a member of the public.

Question 16

to cast

Answer 16

When you cast your vote in an election, you vote.
*
About ninety-five per cent of those who cast their votes approve the new constitution.

Question 17

wary

Answer 17

If you are wary of something or someone, you are cautious because you do not know much about them and you believe they may be dangerous or cause problems.
= prudent, vigilant
*
Be wary of risky things like wild mushrooms and Internet deals!
A wary glance at the black clouds.

Question 18

guarded

Answer 18

If you describe someone as guarded, you mean that they are careful not to show their feelings or give away information.
= prudent
*
The boy gave him a guarded look.

Question 19

end cap

Answer 19

An end cap is a rack or counter at the end of a store aisle used to display promotional or sale items.
*
Products displayed on end caps rather than the regular shelves

Question 20

to nudge

Answer 20

If you nudge someone, you push them gently, usually with your elbow, in order to draw their attention to something.
If you nudge someone or something into a place or position, you gently push them there.

Question 21

mishmash

mish-mash

Answer 21

(disapproval)
If something is a mishmash, it is a confused mixture of different types of things.
= méli-mélo, fourre-tout
*
a bizarre mishmash of colours and patterns

Question 22

to thrive / to thrive on

Answer 22

If someone or something thrives, they do well and are successful, healthy, or strong.
= prospérer, s’épanouir
*
Today his company continues to thrive.
Creative people are usually very determined and thrive on overcoming obstacles.

Question 23

flurry

Answer 23

A flurry of something such as activity or excitement is a short intense period of it.
A flurry of something such as snow is a small amount of it that suddenly appears for a short time and moves in a quick, swirling way.
*
A flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at ending the war.
There was a flurry of chicken feathers.

Question 24

to upend

Answer 24

If you upend something, you turn it upside down.
*
He upended the can, and swallowed
Upended flower pots.

Question 25

devoid (of)

Answer 25

(formal, emphasis)
If you say that someone or something is devoid of a quality or thing, you are emphasizing that they have none of it.
= dépourvu de
*
I have never looked on a face that was so devoid of feeling.

Question 26

a counter

Answer 26

Something that is a counter to something else has an opposite effect to it or makes it less effective.
= contre-attaque, contre-poids
*
Pay and benefits can be used as a counter to job insecurity.

Question 27

grit

Answer 27

If someone has grit, they have the determination and courage to continue doing something even though it is very difficult.
= détermination, courage, fermeté
*
You’ve got to admire her grit.

Question 28

to muster

Answer 28

If you muster something such as support, strength, or energy, you gather as much of it as you can in order to do something.
= rassembler, regrouper
*
He travelled around West Africa trying to muster support for his movement.

Question 29

to peck

Answer 29

If a bird pecks at something or pecks something, it moves its beak forward quickly and bites at it.
If you peck someone on the cheek, you give them a quick, light kiss.
+ nom : He gave me a little peck on the cheek.
*
It was winter and the sparrows were pecking at whatever they could find.
She pecked his cheek / him on his cheek

Question 30

to waddle

Answer 30

To waddle somewhere means to walk there with short, quick steps, swinging slightly from side to side. A person or animal that waddles usually has short legs and a fat body.
= se dandiner
*
In the evenings, ducks waddle up to the front door to be fed.

Question 31

frenzy

Answer 31

Frenzy or a frenzy is great excitement or wild behaviour that often results from losing control of your feelings.
*
The country was gripped by a frenzy of nationalism.

Question 32

to forage

Answer 32

To search for food.
+ nom = fourrage
*
We disturbed a wild boar that had been foraging by the roadside.

Question 33

gooey

Answer 33

(informal)
If you describe a food or other substance as gooey, you mean that it is very soft and sticky.
*
These cakes are fudgy, gooey, and delicious.

Question 34

to splice

Answer 34

If you splice two pieces of rope, film, or tape together, you join them neatly at the ends so that they make one continuous piece.
= épisser
*
He taught me to edit and splice film.

Question 35

enticing

to entice

Answer 35

extremely attractive and makes you want to get it or to become involved with it.
= alléchant, attrayant
*
a show which should entice a new audience into the theatre

Question 36

grueling

Answer 36

A grueling activity is extremely difficult and tiring to do.
= éreintant
*
He had complained of exhaustion after his grueling schedule over the past week.

Question 37

to prevail

Answer 37

If a proposal, principle, or opinion prevails, it gains influence or is accepted, often after a struggle or argument.
If a situation, attitude, or custom prevails in a particular place at a particular time, it is normal or most common in that place at that time.
= prévaloir, avoir cours, prédominer
*
We hope that common sense would prevail.
How people bury their dead says much about the prevailing attitudes toward death.

Question 38

to exert

Answer 38

If someone or something exerts influence, authority, or pressure, they use it in a strong or determined way, especially in order to produce a particular effect.
If you exert yourself, you make a great physical or mental effort, or work hard to do something.
*
He exerted considerable influence on the thinking of the scientific community.

Question 39

to splurge

Answer 39

If you splurge on something, you spend a lot of money, usually on things that you do not need.
= dépenser beaucoup
*
We splurged on Bohemian glass for gifts, and for ourselves.

Question 40

unbeknownst (parfois unbeknown)

Answer 40

happening or existing without the knowledge of someone specified —usually used with to
= à l'insu
*
unbeknownst to us rumors were flying
unbeknown to me, she made some enquiries

Question 41

bewildered

Answer 41

If you are bewildered, you are very confused and cannot understand something or decide what you should do.
= déconcerté
*
Some shoppers looked bewildered by the sheer variety of goods on offer.

Question 42

a slob

Answer 42

(informal, disapproval)
If you call someone a slob, you mean that they are very lazy and untidy.
*
My boyfriend used to call his brother a fat slob.

Question 43

to take up on

Answer 43

If you take someone up on their offer or invitation, you accept it.
If you take a person up on something, you ask them to explain something that they have just said or done, for example because you think it is wrong or strange.
*
Since she’d offered to babysit, I took her up on it.
She was making herself unnaturally casual. But he did not take her up on it.

Question 44

to swear up and down

Answer 44

US
to insist that you are telling the truth.
The usual British expression is swear blind.
*
He’d sworn up and down he was going to get the cash and bring it right back.