voc "Islam" very short introduction (draft)

Question 1

arguably

Answer 1

it may be argued (used to qualify the statement of an opinion or belief).
*
She is arguably the greatest woman tennis player of all time

Question 2

thereof

Answer 2

(formal)
of the thing just mentioned; of that.
*
A problem and the solution thereof.
The fund pays for tuition and books, or a portion thereof.
Money, or the lack thereof, played a major role in their marital problems.

Question 3

to be reckoned with

Answer 3

worth taking seriously because of being powerful, important, or good
= à ne pas sous-estimer, à tenir en compte
*
Are unions still a force to be reckoned with?
Her new novel marks her as a writer to be reckoned with.

Question 4

adept at

Answer 4

very skilled or proficient at something.
= être experte en qq chose
*
He’s usually very adept at keeping his private life out of the media. [+ at]
He proved adept in the art of avoiding potholes in the road.
He is an adept guitar player.
I’m afraid she’s also an adept liar.

Question 5

acculturation

Answer 5

the process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group.

Question 6

hark back

Answer 6

to return to an earlier subject, point, or position, as in speech or thought.
to evoke an older style or genre.
*
If it was such a rotten holiday, why hark back to it?
He always harks back to the good old days of his youth.
The paintings hark back to Constable and Turner.
The movie has a style that harks back to the golden age of Hollywood.

Question 7

spearhead

Answer 7

lead (an attack or movement)
= être le fer de lance, mener
(spear = lance)
*
He’s spearheading a campaign to reduce the number of accidents at work.
She is spearheading a national campaign against bullying.

Question 8

grievance

Answer 8

If you have a grievance about something that has happened or been done, you believe that it was unfair.
= grief
*
A website which enabled staff to air their grievances
Three pilots have filed grievances against the company
The main grievance of the drivers is the imposition of higher fees for driving licences.

Question 9

rampage

Answer 9

(especially of a large group of people) When people or animals rampage through a place, they rush about there in a wild or violent way, causing damage or destruction.
= se livrer à des saccages
*
Several thousand demonstrators rampaged through the city.
He used a sword to try to defend his shop from a rampaging mob.

Question 10

nostrum

Answer 10

(formal)
If you refer to a medicine as a nostrum, you mean that it is not effective or has not been tested in a proper scientific way.
= panacée
A scheme or remedy for bringing about some social or political reform or improvement.
You can refer to ideas or theories about how something should be done as nostrums, especially when you think they are old-fashioned or wrong in some way.
*
During tough times, populist nostrums gain favour.
…pills, tablets, and other nostrums claiming to be magic potions.

Question 11

deal a blow

Answer 11

(formal)
If an event deals a blow to something or someone, it causes them great difficulties or makes failure more likely.
*
The summer drought has dealt a heavy blow to the government’s economic record.
The French were dealt another blow yesterday when he withdrew from the squad.

Question 12

to shade into (sth)

Answer 12

to slowly or gradually change into (something) or become the same as (something) as day shades into night.
*
The tail feathers are dark blue at their bases, shading to pale blue at their tips.
Distrust of foreigners can shade into racism.

Question 13

to vest

to be vested with

Answer 13

(formal)
If something is vested in you, or if you are vested with it, it is given to you as a right or responsibility.
= être investi (d’un pouvoir)
*
By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife.
The mass media have been vested with significant power in modern societies.

Question 14

beleaguered

Answer 14

(formal)
A beleaguered person, organisation, or project is experiencing a lot of difficulties, opposition, or criticism.
A beleaguered place or army is surrounded by its enemies.
= cerné, assiégé, sous pression
*
There have been seven coup attempts against the beleaguered government.
The rebels continue their push towards the beleaguered capital.

Question 15

to tar

Answer 15

blame or damage the reputation of (someone).
*
He is trying to stop his company from being tarred by association.

Question 16

to dissent

Answer 16

strong disagreement or dissatisfaction with a decision or opinion, especially one that is supported by most people or by people in authority.
= contester
*
He is the toughest military ruler yet and has responded harshly to any dissent.
Political dissent would no longer be tolerated.

Question 17

secular

Answer 17

You use secular to describe things that have no connection with religion.
*
He spoke about preserving the country as a secular state.

Question 18

on the back of

Answer 18

In immediate succession after something else has happened and/or as a result of it.
*
The cuts, if approved, come on the back of a difficult eight years that have seen three fire stations closed.
On the back of their first album’s unexpected success, the band began receiving offers to play gigs all over the world.

Question 19

spurious

Answer 19

(disapproval)
Something that is spurious seems to be genuine, but is false.
A spurious argument or way of reasoning is incorrect, and so the conclusion is probably incorrect.
= infondé
*
The justification of this chart is entirely spurious.
He was arrested in 1979 on spurious corruption charges.

Question 20

an espousal

Answer 20

an act of adopting or supporting a cause, belief, or way of life.
*
his espousal of Western ideas

Question 21

ahistorical

Answer 21

lacking historical perspective or context.

Question 22

to be inform

to be informed by

Answer 22

to influence something such as an opinion or decision:
inform sb’s choices/behaviour/decisions

to be informed by = être influencé, se fonder sur, être façonné par

Concern for the patient’s well-being is paramount and should be informed by ethical and professional judgement.
(se fonder sur)
Action must be informed by evidence
(être nourrie par)

Question 23

untrammelled

Answer 23

not hindered or restricted in thought or action
= sans entrave
*
The global credit crunch exposed the limits of untrammelled free markets.
She thought of herself as a free woman, untrammelled by family relationships.

Question 24

to cast/spread one’s net wide

Answer 24

to try many different things so that one will have the best chance of finding what one wants
= ratisser large
*
Companies are casting their nets wide in search of young, talented employees.
He had cast his net wide in search of supporting evidence for his theory.

Question 25

nominal

Answer 25

(of a role or status) existing in name only.
*
She’s the nominal head of our college - the real work is done by her deputy.
I was brought up a nominal Christian = non pratiquant

Question 26

esoteric

Answer 26

Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest, or an enlightened inner circle.
*
esoteric philosophical debates

Question 27

exoteric

Answer 27

intended for or likely to be understood by the general public.

Question 28

hallmark

Answer 28

A distinguishing characteristic. 
= marque de fabrique
*
The tiny bubbles are the hallmark of fine champagnes
Simplicity is a hallmark of this design.

Question 29

overarching

Answer 29

ICI RECOMMENCE

comprehensive or all-embracing.
You use overarching to indicate that you are talking about something that includes or affects everything or everyone.
“a single overarching principle”

Question 30

ordained

Answer 30

1.
make (someone) a priest or minister; confer holy orders on.
“he was ordained a minister before entering Parliament”

2.
order (something) officially.
“equal punishment was ordained for the two crimes”

Question 31

the former the latter

Answer 31

Former refers to something that is first in the order of two or more things. Latter refers to something that is either second in a group of two things or last in a group of several.
the former …. the latter

Question 32

agency

Answer 32

(= means)

through the agency of, by the agency of par l’entremise de ⧫ par l’action de

Question 33

ascetical = ascetic

Answer 33

characterized by severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons.
“an ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and manual labour”

Question 34

kinship

Answer 34

If you feel kinship with someone, you feel close to them, because you have a similar background or similar feelings or ideas.
She evidently felt a sense of kinship with the woman. [+ with]
…the warmth and kinship one farmer feels for another.
Kinship is the relationship between members of the same family.
The ties of kinship may have helped the young man find his way in life.
= affinité

Question 35

oblivious

Answer 35

If you are oblivious to something or oblivious of it, you are not aware of it.
She lay motionless where she was, oblivious to pain. [+ to/of]
Llewelyn appeared oblivious of his surroundings.

Question 36

flogging

Answer 36

flagellation

Question 37

apportion

Answer 37

When you apportion something such as blame, you decide how much of it different people deserve or should be given.
[formal]
The experts are even-handed in apportioning blame among E.U. governments. [VERB noun preposition]
The allowable deduction is apportioned between the estate and the beneficiaries.

Question 38

preclude

Answer 38

If something precludes an event or action, it prevents the event or action from happening.
[formal]
At 84, John feels his age precludes too much travel.
He would rebuff enquiries in such a way as to preclude any further discussion.

Question 39

groundwork

Answer 39

The groundwork for something is the early work on it which forms the basis for further work.
Yesterday’s meeting was to lay the groundwork for the task ahead.
These courses provide the groundwork of statistical theory.

Question 40

to bear witness to sth

témoigner de qch

Answer 40

to bear witness to sth

témoigner de qch

Question 41

priesthood

Answer 41

The priesthood is all the members of the Christian clergy, especially in a particular Church.

Question 42

lay

Answer 42

You use lay to describe people who are involved with a Christian church but are not members of the clergy or are not monks or nuns.
Edwards is a Methodist lay preacher and social worker.

Question 43

assume

Answer 43

If someone assumes power or responsibility, they take power or responsibility.
Mr Cross will assume the role of Chief Executive with a team of four directors. [VERB noun]
If there is no president, power will be assumed by the most extremist forces.

Question 44

internecine

Answer 44

An internecine conflict, war, or quarrel is one which takes place between opposing groups within a country or organization.
[formal]
The whole episode has drawn attention again to internecine strife in the ruling party.

Question 45

difference between venture and adventure

Answer 45

As nouns the difference between venture and adventure is that venture is a risky or daring undertaking or journey while adventure is that which happens without design; chance; hazard; hap; hence, chance of danger or loss.
As verbs the difference between venture and adventure is that venture is to undertake a risky or daring journey while adventure is to risk or hazard; jeopard; venture.

Question 46

rough and ready

Answer 46

crude but effective.
“a rough-and-ready estimating method”
(of a person or place) unsophisticated or unrefined.
“the Hague, a town so bourgeois it makes Amsterdam seem rough and ready”

Question 47

conspicuous

Answer 47

If someone or something is conspicuous, people can see or notice them very easily.
He spent his money in a conspicuous way on fast cars and luxury holidays.
You may feel tearful in situations where you feel conspicuous.

Question 48

towering

Answer 48

If you describe someone or something as towering, you are emphasizing that they are impressive because of their importance, skill, or intensity.
[literary, emphasis]
He remains a towering figure in modern British politics.
I saw her in a towering rage only once.
If you describe something such as a mountain or cliff as towering, you mean that it is very tall and therefore impressive.

Question 49

populist

Answer 49

[literary, emphasis]
He remains a towering figure in modern British politics.
I saw her in a towering rage only once.

Question 50

to effect

Answer 50

If you effect something that you are trying to achieve, you succeed in causing it to happen.
[formal]
Prospects for effecting real political change have taken a step backwards.

Question 51

to compound

Answer 51

To compound a problem, difficulty, or mistake means to make it worse by adding to it.
[formal]
Additional bloodshed and loss of life will only compound the tragedy. [VERB noun]
The problem is compounded by the medical system here. [be VERB-ed + by]

Question 52

manned

Answer 52

A manned vehicle such as a spacecraft has people in it who are operating its controls.
In thirty years from now the United States should have a manned spacecraft on Mars.
…the history of manned flight.
…manned exploration of the solar system.

Question 53

welfare

Answer 53

aide sociale

Question 54

to overlay

Answer 54

VERB [usually passive]
If something is overlaid with something else, it is covered by it.
The floor was overlaid with rugs of oriental design. [be VERB-ed + with]
…woollen cloth, overlaid with gold and silver embroidery.

Question 55

culled

Answer 55

If items or ideas are culled from a particular source or number of sources, they are taken and gathered together.
All this, needless to say, had been culled second-hand from radio reports. [be VERB-ed + from]
Laura was passing around photographs she’d culled from the albums at home. [VERB noun + from]