Week One Flashcards
Voracious
Adj: very eager for something, especially a lot of food
Example:
-He has a voracious appetite (= he eats a lot).
-He’s a voracious reader of historical novels (= he reads a lot of them eagerly and quickly).
Indiscriminate
Adj: not showing careful choice or planning, especially so that harm results
Example:
-an indiscriminate terrorist attack on civilians
-The indiscriminate use of fertilizers can cause long-term problems.
Indiscriminate
Adj: not showing careful choice or planning, especially so that harm results
Example:
-an indiscriminate terrorist attack on civilians
-The indiscriminate use of fertilizers can cause long-term problems.
Eminent
Adj: famous, respected, or important
Example:an eminent historian
Steep
V: To be steeped in something is to be filled with it or to know a lot about it
Example:
The college is steeped in tradition.
Replete
Adj: full
Example:
a heart replete with (= full of)affection
Coed
Adj: for male and female students together
Example: a coed private school
Abound
V: to exist in large numbers
Example:Theories abound about how the universe began.
Prognosticate
V: to predict or foretell a future event
Example:He is in a good position to prognosticate on the future of commerce.
Automaton
N: a machine that operates on its own without the need for human control, or a person who acts like a machine, without thinking or feeling
Example:I take the same route to work every day, like some sort of automaton.
Matron
N: and older married woman
Domesticated
Adj: (of animals or plants) brought under human control in order to provide food, power, or company
Example:domesticated animals
Contend with something
Phrasal verb: to have to deal with a difficult or unpleasant situation
Example:At the age of nine, he had the death of both parents to contend with.
Scour
V: to remove dirt from something by rubbing it hard with something rough
Example:
You’ll have to scour out those old cooking pots before you use them.
Grime
N: a layer of dirt on skin or on a building
Example:
-The walls were covered with grime.
-Wash off all the accumulated grime and dirt using water and detergent.
Slaughter
N: the killing of animals for meat
Example:The geese are being fattened for slaughter.
Exclusively
Adv: only
Example:
-This offer is available exclusively to our established customers.
-an exclusively female audience
Annals
N: historical records
Example: This period was one of the darkest in the annals of US history.
Compound
V: to make a problem or difficult situation worse
Example:
-Her terror was compounded by the feeling that she was being watched.
-His financial problems were compounded when he unexpectedly lost his job.
Tinge
V: to contain a slight amount of
Example:
-Her joy at the birth of her son was tinged with sadness that her father had not lived to see him.
Cast doubt on something
Phrase: to make something seem uncertain
Example:
-Witnesses have cast doubt on the accused’s innocence.
-New evidence has emerged which casts doubt on the veracity of his testimony.
Cuisine
N: a style of cooking
Example:
Southern/Japanese/Mexican cuisine
Gloom
N: feelings of great unhappiness and loss of hope
Example:
Bergman’s films are often full of gloom and despair.
Badger
V: to annoy someone by repeatedly asking questions or telling the person to do something
Example:He badgered officials at the American Embassy to help.
Get off someone’s back
Idiom: used to tell someone to stop criticizing you
Example:Why don’t you get off my back! I’m doing my best.
Implore
V: to ask for something in a sincere and emotional way
Example:She clasped her hands, and glancing upward, seemed to implore divine assistance.
Drudgery
N: hard boring work
Example:
the drudgery of housework
Interminable
Adj: continuing for too long and therefore boring or annoying
Example:
-an interminable delay
-his interminable stories
Nag
V: to criticize or complain often in an annoying way, especially in order to try and make someone do something
Example:
-My mum’s always nagging me to get my hair cut.
-If you stop nagging at me, I might actually do it.
-I’m always nagging him about his diet.
