Week Two Flashcards
Laconic
Adj: expressing much in few words
Example: She had a laconic wit.
Sermon
N: a part of a Christian church ceremony in which a priest gives a talk on a religious or moral subject, often based on something written in the Bible
Throng
N: a crowd or large group of people
Example: A huge throng had gathered around the speaker.
Intrepid
Adj: extremely brave and showing no fear of dangerous situations
Example:a team of intrepid explorers
Accost
V: to approach and speak to
Example: I’m usually accosted by beggars and drunks as I walk to the station.
Reticent
Adj: unwilling to speak about your thoughts or feelings; silent
Example:He is very reticent about his past.
Rambling
Adj: too long and confused
Example:a long rambling speech
Surly
Adj: often in a bad mood, unfriendly, and not polite
Example:We were served by a very surly waiter.
Panhandler
N: someone who asks people passing by for money
Example:Tourists have been warned not to give these panhandlers spare change.
Howling
Adj: (of people) making a lot of noise
Example:Their premises were stormed by a howling drunken mob.
Mob
N: a large, angry crowd, especially one that could easily become violent
Example:
angry mob: The angry mob outside the jail was/were ready to riot.
Premises
N: the land and buildings owned by someone, especially by a company or organization
Example: There is no smoking allowed anywhere on school premises.
Corporal
N: a person of low rank in the army or the air force
Deed
N: an intentional act, especially a very bad or very good one
Example:
-do an evil deed: It seems to me that a lot of evil deeds are done in the name of religion.
-do a good deed: She’s always helping people and doing good deeds.
Furtive
Adj: (of people) behaving secretly and often dishonestly, or (of actions) done secretly and often dishonestly
Example:furtive glance I saw him cast a furtive glance at the woman at the table to his right.
Felon
N: a person who is guilty of a serious crime
Example: a convicted felon
Plethora
N: a very large amount of something, especially a larger amount than you need, want, or can deal with
Example:There’s a plethora of books about the royal family.
Hapless
Adj: unlucky and usually unhappy
Example:hapless victim: Many children are hapless victims of this war.
Irate
Adj: very angry
Example:We have received some irate phone calls from customers.
Accuse
V: to say that someone has done something morally wrong, illegal, or unkind
Example:
“It wasn’t my fault.” “Don’t worry, I’m not accusing you.”
Bribe
N: money or a present that you give to someone so that they will do something for you, usually something dishonest
Example:
-accept a bribe He was accused of accepting bribes from wealthy businessmen.
-take a bribe The judge took a bribe in exchange for giving a lenient sentence to the defendant.
Tiptoe
V: to walk on your toes with the heel of your foot lifted off the ground, especially in order not to make a noise
Example:He waited until his daughter was asleep, then tiptoed quietly out of the room.
Alibi
N: an excuse for something bad or for a failure
Example:After eight years in power, the government can no longer use the previous government’s policy as an alibi for its own failure.
Convict
N: someone who is in prison because they are guilty of a crime
Example:an escaped convict
Pretext
N: a pretended reason for doing something that is used to hide the real reason; an excuse
Example:The border dispute was used as a pretext for military intervention.
Fabricate
V: to invent or produce something false in order to deceive someone; to lie; to construct
Example:He was late, so he fabricated an excuse to avoid trouble.
Adroit
Adj: very skilful and quick in the way you think or move; skillful
Example:
-an adroit reaction/answer/movement of the hand
-She became adroit at dealing with difficult questions.
Get away with something
Phrasal verb: to succeed in avoiding punishment for something
Example: If I thought I could get away with it, I wouldn’t pay my taxes at all.
Phony
Adj: not sincere or not real
Example:
-All salespeople seem to have the same phony smile.
-He gave the police a phony address.
Gesticulate
V: to make movements with your hands or arms, to express something or to emphasize what you are saying; move the arms energetically
Example: gesticulate wildly There was a man outside the window gesticulating wildly.
Scalpel
N: a very sharp knife that is used for cutting through skin and flesh during an operation
Vigilant
Adj: always being careful to notice things, especially possible danger; watchful
Example:Following the bomb scare at the airport, the staff have been warned to be extra vigilant.
Fraud
N: someone who deceives people by saying that they are someone or something that they are not
Example:She was a psychic who was later revealed to be a fraud.
Marvel
V: to show or experience great surprise or admiration
Example:
-We paused to marvel at the view.
-I often marvel that humans can treat each other so badly.
Avid
Adj: extremely eager or interested
Example:
-an avid football fan
-an avid supporter of the arts
-He took an avid interest in the project.
Cajole
V: to persuade someone to do something they might not want to do, by pleasant talk and promises, sometimes ones which are false; coax
Example:
-cajole someone into something/doing something: He really knows how to cajole people into doing what he wants.
-I managed to cajole her out of leaving too early.
-The most effective technique is to cajole rather than to threaten
Rudimentary
Adj: basic; elementary
Example:
Her knowledge is still only rudimentary.
Intricate
Adj: with many complicated details that make something difficult to understand
Example: The novel’s intricate plot will not be easy to translate into a movie.
Enhance
V: to improve the quality, amount, or strength of something
Example:These scandals will not enhance the organization’s reputation.
Nuance
N: a very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound, etc.
Example:
nuance of: The painter has managed to capture every nuance of the woman’s expression.
Grasp
V: to understand something, especially something difficult
Example:
-I think I managed to grasp the main points of the lecture.
-The government has acknowledged that homelessness is a problem but it has failed to grasp the scale of the problem.
Satire
N: a way of criticizing people or ideas in a humorous way, especially in order to make a political point, or a piece of writing that uses this style
Example:
-political satire
-Her play was a biting/cruel satire on life in the 80s.
Oversleep
V: to sleep for longer than you intended to and so wake up late
Example:I missed the bus this morning because I overslept again.
Sprint
V: to run as fast as you can over a short distance, either in a race or because you are in a great hurry to get somewhere
Example:We had to sprint to catch the bus.
Uneventful
Adj: An uneventful time or situation is one in which nothing interesting or surprising happens
Example:It was an uneventful journey.
Courtesy
Adj: provided at no cost
Example:There is a courtesy bus provided to take you to the terminal.
Gall bladder
N: a small organ in the body, connected to the liver, that stores bile (= a bitter liquid that helps to digest food)
Example:
-She had an operation to remove a stone from her gall bladder.
-He was diagnosed with treatable gallbladder disease.
Slack
Adj: not tight; loose
Example:His jaw went slack, and he looked puzzled.
Ward
N:
1.one of the parts or large rooms into which a hospital is divided, usually with beds for patients
Example:a geriatric/maternity/psychiatric ward
2.one of the parts into which a prison is divided
Accomplice
N: a person who helps someone else to commit a crime or to do something morally wrong
Seizure
N: a very sudden attack of an illness in which someone becomes unconscious or develops violent movements
Example:
an epileptic seizure
Smuggle
V: to take goods or people into or out of a country illegally
Example:He was sentenced to 65 months in prison for smuggling 14 kilograms of cocaine.
Slip out of something
Phrasal verb: to remove clothing quickly and easily
Example:Rose slipped out of her work clothes.
Schemer
N: someone who makes clever, secret plans, often to deceive others
Example:He’s a schemer who always finds a way of getting what he wants.
Foil
V: to prevent someone or something from being successful
Example:The prisoners’ attempt to escape was foiled at the last minute when police received a tip-off.
Tip-off
N: a secret warning or piece of secret information
Example:
-Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested the drug dealers.
-tip-off from: Following a tip-off from a friend, we sold all our shares in the company.
