Vocabulary Flashcards
Baffle
Totally bewilder or perplex.
“An unexplained occurrence that baffled everyone”
Biased
A strong inclination of the mind or a preconceived opinion about something or someone
Cynical
Believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity.
“He was brutally cynical and hardened to every sob story under the sun”
Deduce
Arrive at (a fact or a conclusion) by reasoning; draw as a logical conclusion
Deliberate
Done consciously and intentionally.
“A deliberate attempt to provoke conflict”
Dubious
Hesitating or doubting.
“I was rather dubious about the whole idea”
Gather
Come together; assemble or accumulate.
“As soon as a crowd gathered, the police came”
Grasp
Seize and hold firmly.
“She grasped the bottle”
Hunch
A feeling or guess based on intuition rather than fact.
“I have a hunch that someone is telling lies”
Ingenious
(Of a person) clever, original, and inventive.
“He was ingenious enough to overcome the limited budget”
Naive
(Of a person or action) showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgement.
“The rather naive young man had been totally misled”
(Of a person) natural and unaffected; innocent.
“Andy had a sweet, naive look when he smiled”
Prejudiced
Having or showing a dislike or distrust that is derived from prejudice; bigoted.
“People are prejudiced against us”
Query
A question, especially one expressing doubt or requesting information.
“If you have any queries please telephone our office”
Reckon
To think or suppose (something) / to believe that (something) is true or possible.
“I reckon that we’ll have to leave early.”
Conscientious
Wishing to do one’s work or duty well and thoroughly.
“A conscientious man, he took his duties very seriously”
Cram
Completely fill (a place or container) to the point of overflowing.
“The ashtray by the bed was crammed with cigarette butts”
Study intensively over a short period of time just before an examination.
“Lectures were called off so students could cram for the semester finals”
Inattentive
Not paying attention to something.
“A particularly dull and inattentive pupil”
Dull
Lacking interest or excitement.
“Your diet doesn’t have to be dull and boring”
Brush up (on) (phrasal verb)
Practise and improve your skills or knowledge of something
“These private lessons will give them a chance to brush up on their technique”
Come (a)round (to) (phrasal verb)
Change your opinion or decision because someone has persuaded you to agree with them.
“It looks like they’re coming around to our way of thinking.”
“She will eventually come round.”
Come up with (phrasal verb)
Think of something, such as an idea or a plan
“She came up with a new idea for increasing sales.”
Face up to (phrasal verb)
Accept something and try to deal with it
“She had to face up to the fact that she would never walk again.”
Figure out (phrasal verb)
Be able to understand something or solve a problem; understand what someone is like and why they behave in the way they do
“Have you figured out how much the trip will cost?”
Hit upon (phrasal verb)
Suddenly have an ideia; discover something by chance
“Uninspired by the proposed game plan, she hit upon an idea.”
Make out (phrasal verb)
See, hear or understand someone or something with difficulty; suggest, imply
“I couldn’t make out what he was saying.”
Mull over (phrasal verb)
Think carefully about something over a period of time
“Whenever I have to make a big decision, I take plenty of time to mull things over.”
Piece together (phrasal verb)
Learn the truth about something by considering all the separate bits of information you have.
“Police are trying to piece together the last hours of her life”
Puzzle out (phrasal verb)
Solve a confusing or complicated problem by thinking carefully about it
“She puzzled out the meaning of the strange phrase.”
Read up (on/about) (phrasal verb)
Get information on a particular subject by reading a lot about it
“I’ll need to read up on the case before the meeting.”
Swot up (on) (phrasal verb)
Study something very hard, specially for an examination
“She swotted up for the French exam.”
Take in (phrasal verb)
Understand and remember something that you hear or read; accept something as real or true; trick someone into believing something that is not true
“Halfway through the chapter I realized I hadn’t taken anything in.”
“She took me in completely with her story.”
Think over (phrasal verb)
Consider a problem or decision carefully
“I need some time to think over his proposal.”
Think through (phrasal verb)
Consider the facts about something in an organised and thorough way
“I need time to think this through”
Think up (phrasal verb)
Invent or imagine something, specially an excuse
“We have to think up an excuse.”
Go to your head (idiom)
If success goes to your head it makes you think that you are better or more important than you really are
“Fame and fortune had gone to his head.”
Have/keep your wits about you (idiom)
Be able to think quickly and make sensible decisions, be constantly alert and vigilant.
“You have to have your wits about you when driving through Birmingham”
In the dark (about) (idiom)
Not knowing very much about something, because other people are keeping it secret from you
“They kept me in the dark about their plans”
Know what’s what (idiom)
Know the important facts about a situation
“Linda’s been in the business for 30 years - she knows what’s what”
Not have a leg to stand on (idiom)
Not have any way of proving that you are right about something
“If you have no witnesses, you don’t have a leg to stand on”
Not see the wood for the trees (idiom)
Used for saying that someone cannot understand what is important in a situation because they are thinking too much about small details
“I don’t think we can see the wood for the trees at this stage, so let’s get an outsider to take a look at the project and give us a progress report”
Put two and two together (idiom)
Guess what is happening or what something means based on what you have seen or heard
“You weren’t home so I put two and two together and went back to your office to find you.”
Quick/slow on the uptake (idiom)
Taking a very short/long time to understand or realise something
“He’s a little slow on the uptake, so you may have to repeat the instructions a few times.”
Ring a bell (idiom)
Something that rings a bell sound familiar to you, although you cannot remember the exact details
“The name doesn’t ring a bell.”
Round the bend (idiom)
Crazy
“People thought I was round the bend”
Split hairs (idiom)
Argue or worry about very small details or differences that are not important
“Don’t split hairs. You know what I’m getting at”
Take stock (of)
Spend some time thinking about the situation you are in before tou decide what to do next
“He needed a period of peace and quiet in order to take stock of his life”
Put your money where your mouth is (idiom)
To give or spend money or take some action in order to do or support something that one has been talking about.
“It’s time for the mayor to put his money where his mouth is and increase funding for schools.”
Add up to (phrasal verb)
If separate amounts add up to a total amount, together they form that total; combine to produce a particular result or affect
“For a hit show, profits can add up to millions of dollars.”
Break down (phrasal verb)
Divide something such as a total amount into separate parts
“The report breaks down the results region by region”
Build up (phrasal verb)
Increase or make something increase; gradually develop
“The collection has been built up over the last seventeen years.”
Talk about someone or something in a very positive way so that people are impressed with them
“Historians built him up as the champion of parliament”
make someone bigger, healthier and stronger, especially by making them eat more
“Dr. Johnson and I have been trying to build him up physically.”
Buy off (phrasal verb)
Give someone money so that they don’t work against you
“In buying your children all these things, you are in a sense buying them off. “
Buy out (phrasal verb)
Pay money to your business partner so that you can control all of a business you previously owned together
“The bank had to pay to buy out most of the 200 former partners”
Buy up (phrasal verb)
Buy large amounts of something or all of it that is available
“The mention of price rises sent citizens out to their shops to buy up as much as they could”
Carry over (phrasal verb)
Take something that you earn or are given in one year or period of time into the next one
“Springs and wells were decorated, a custom which was carried over into Christian times in Europe.”
Clock up (phrasal verb)
Reach a particular number or amount
“In two years, he clocked up over 100 victories.”
