Vocabulary

Question 1

prune

Answer 1

to cut off branches from a tree, bush, or plant, especially so that it will grow better in the future:
She spent the afternoon pruning roses.

to reduce something by removing things that are not necessary:
Arco has reacted to the loss in revenue by pruning (back) its expansion plans.
I felt his essay needed a little pruning.

Question 2

clamp down (on something)

Answer 2

to take strong action to stop or limit a harmful or unwanted activity:
The government is clamping down on teenage drinking.

Question 3

deaden

Answer 3

to make something less painful or less strong:
Morphine is often used to deaden the pain of serious injuries.
Double glazing has helped to deaden the noise from the road.

Question 4

upkeep

Answer 4

the cost or process of keeping something, such as a building, in good condition:
The upkeep of larger old properties is very expensive.
Council employees are responsible for the upkeep of the gardens.

Question 5

outlay

Answer 5

an amount of money spent for a particular purpose, especially as a first investment in something:
For an initial outlay of $2,000 to buy the equipment, you can earn up to $500 a month if the product sells well.
Few are able to afford the cash outlay.

Question 6

accompany

Answer 6

to go with someone or to be provided or exist at the same time as something:
accompanied by The course books are accompanied by four CDs.
Depression is almost always accompanied by insomnia.
The salmon was accompanied by (= served with) a fresh green salad.

Question 7

climbdown

Answer 7

an occasion when you change your opinion or admit that you were wrong:
Saying she was wrong was a difficult climbdown for Sarah.

Question 8

turn-off

Answer 8

something that you dislike or that you do not find interesting or sexually exciting:
This system may provide a powerful tool for adults who find computers a turn-off yet need to learn to use them.
Rudeness is, for me, the ultimate turn-off.

Question 9

let-down

Answer 9

decepción
The bad news was a let-down.

Question 10

write-off

Answer 10

(verb)
to damage a vehicle so badly that it cannot be repaired:
His car was completely written off in the accident.
(noun)
a vehicle that is too damaged to be worth repairing:
She wasn’t hurt, but the car’s a complete write-off.

Question 11

giveaway

Answer 11

something that tells or shows something secret, often without intending to:
a dead giveaway He said he’d given up smoking, but the empty packs in the bin were a dead giveaway (= clearly showed the secret truth).

Question 12

hold-up

Answer 12

a delay:
Come on, let’s go. What’s the hold-up?

Question 13

turn out

Answer 13

If people turn out for an event, they go to be there or to watch:
Thousands of people turned out to welcome the team home.
to come, appear, or be present:
A lot of actors turned out for the audition.

Question 14

make over

Answer 14

to improve something or someone by working on or changing various parts:
Ed Carey has been chosen to make over the losing football team.
The shop’s had a make over, and it’s now much more modern

Question 15

set something back

Answer 15

to reduce something to a weaker or less advanced state:
This defeat has set back their chances of winning the competition.

Question 16

paean

Answer 16

a song, film, or piece of writing that praises someone or something very enthusiastically:
The song is a paean to solitude and independence.

Question 17

rallying cry

Answer 17

words that inspire coming together (grito de guerra)
The call to “defund the police” has become a rallying cry at protests across America this week

Question 18

owing

Answer 18

still to be paid:
You have the option of paying off the whole amount owing, without it costing you a penny in interest.
There is $4,000 owing on my loan

Question 19

dreary

Answer 19

boring and making you feel unhappy, dull:
a dreary little town
She had spent another dreary day in the office.

Question 20

break-in

Answer 20

an occasion when a building is entered illegally by a criminal or criminals, usually by damaging a window or door, especially in order to steal something

Question 21

handout

Answer 21

a document given to students or reporters that contains information about a particular subject:
On page two of your handout you will find a list of the books that I have referred to during the lecture.

Question 22

crackdown

Answer 22

a situation in which someone starts to deal with bad or illegal behaviour in a more severe way:
There has been a series of government crackdowns on safety in factories.

Question 23

dropout

Answer 23

a person who leaves school, college, or university before completing a qualification, or a person who lives in an unusual way:
a high school/college dropout
He was a loner and a dropout.

Question 24

hang-up

Answer 24

a permanent and unreasonable feeling of anxiety about a particular feature of yourself:
He’s got a hang-up about lifts.
sexual hang-up He says he’s looking for an attractive woman who has “no sexual hang-ups”.
hang-up about He’s one of these men who went bald very young and has a terrible hang-up about it.

Question 25

show-off

Answer 25

a person who shows off (= behaves in a way intended to attract attention that other people often find annoying):
Jimena’s such a show-off, she always wants to be the centre of attention.

Question 26

shout-out

Answer 26

an occasion when someone mentions a person or thing in order to thank them or praise them:
I want to give a shout-out to my dad, who helped me a lot.
Also worth a shoutout is Joe and Jerry’s burger bar.

Question 27

fencing

Answer 27

esgrima