voc "atomic habits" Flashcards
sophomore
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
spinal tap
lumbar puncture
to seep
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
varsity (adj)
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.
to fall by the wayside
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
to sprout
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.
a pack rat
US only
someone who collects things that they do not need
congruent (with) / incongruent
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.
to groom
to be groomed for / to
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.
slumber / to slumber
sleep / to sleep
*
He had fallen into exhausted slumber.
Sleeping Beauty slumbered in her forest castle
groove
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.
to uphold (sth)
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
a rudder
un gouvernail
impending
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.
to tip off
a tip-off
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.
to cast
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.
wary
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.
guarded
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.
end cap
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
to nudge
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.
mishmash
mish-mash
(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
to thrive / to thrive on
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.
flurry
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.
to upend
If you upend something, you turn it upside down.
*
He upended the can, and swallowed
Upended flower pots.
devoid (of)
(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.
a counter
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.
grit
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.
to muster
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.
to peck
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
to waddle
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.
frenzy
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.
to forage
To search for food.
+ nom = fourrage
*
We disturbed a wild boar that had been foraging by the roadside.
gooey
(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.
to splice
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.
enticing
to entice
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
grueling
A grueling activity is extremely difficult and tiring to do.
= éreintant
*
He had complained of exhaustion after his grueling schedule over the past week.
to prevail
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.
to exert
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.
to splurge
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.
unbeknownst (parfois unbeknown)
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
bewildered
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.
a slob
(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.
to take up on
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.
to swear up and down
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.
