Words Flashcards
Yardstick
Masura, etalon, criteriu
“There is currently a worldwide debate on poverty yardsticks to identify the poor.”
Hone in
to move toward or focus attention on an objective <a>
“We now need to hone in on our unique strategy.”
“Obama homes in on our economy.”</a>
Make off
A o sterge, a o lua la sanatoasa
Make off with
A o sterge cu; a fura
“Make sure that scruffy guy isn’t trying to make off with the crockery.”
To parse
A face analiza gramaticala, a analiza
“It is the scientists’ job to parse out exactly what is the relevance of our work to the public.”
Puny
Mic, slab
Anemic, plapand
“Puny humans”
Impish
Poznas, malitios; dracesc
“Impish grin”
Dour
Aspru, dur
“Dour young man who displays all the symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder.”
Skewer
Frigaruie
Moniker
Nume, porecla
Debauchery
Desfrau, destrabalare; lacomie
“He returned to Rome, where he abandoned himself to all kinds of debauchery and excess.”
Lambaste
A dojeni cu asprime
“Old hand Kevin Spacey has lambasted audience members in character.”
To scoff
A dispretui; a-si bate joc
“A rider scoffed at Mayor de Blasio’s planned vacation.”
To irk
A obosi, a plictisi
“Broken ticket machines, unforgiving conductors still irk riders even if new equipment is available.”
To renege
A nu se tine de cuvant
“Now the railroad threatened to renege on its most basic promise.”
To weather
to deal with or experience (something dangerous or unpleasant) without being harmed or damaged too much
“Some riders planned to weather the strike by taking a few extra vacation days at home.”
Harried
Hartuit, chinuit
“Harried riders swarmed out of the train and onto the platform.”
To dwarf
A se micsora, a pali
“The inconvenience of getting off a train two stops early was dwarfed by a strike.”
Poised
: not moving but ready to move
: ready or prepared for something
: in a state, place, or situation that is between two different or opposite things
“He stands to the left of the train door, poised to dash out as soon as it begins to slide open.”
To stave off
A opri, a ingradi, a restrange
“He staved off gloom by muttering a prayer.”
To roil
A tulbura; a supara, a necaji
“Eastern Ukraine has been roiled for months by an uprising.”
Airborne
: in the air : moving or being carried through the air
of soldiers : specially trained to jump from airplanes into enemy territory for battle ; also : of or relating to airborne soldiers
“Flights already airborne are being routed around the area by traffic controllers.”
To ramp up
to increase, expand, or decrease especially quickly or at a constant rate — with up or down
Jaw-dropping
: causing great surprise or astonishment
Germane
Inrudit, corespunzator; care are legatura cu
synonyms relevant
To be down on your luck
to be experiencing a bad situation or to have very little money :
“Mr. Taylor was perpetually down on his luck, living in an abandoned house and looking for odd jobs.”
To err on the side of something
To choose an action that may be too extreme
“If we’re not sure what to do, let’s err on the side of being prepared.”
To garble
to cause (a word, name, message, etc.) to be unclear or confusing
Rattle
4 : to upset especially to the point of loss of poise and composure : disturb
“He seemed unusually rattled, so they sat on the porch and performed breathing exercises.”
Etch
to delineate or impress clearly
“A dance routine as sharply etched as a tango”
Face off
to be in or come into opposition or competition
To taunt
synonyms ridicule
“A taunting seduction”
To jeer
to shout insulting words at someone : to laugh at or criticize someone in a loud and angry way
Trite
not interesting or effective because of being used too often : not fresh or original
Tarring and feathering
a form of public humiliation, used to enforce unofficial justice or revenge
To manhandle
A brutaliza
To walk on eggshells
to try very hard not to upset someone or something
“We’ve been walking on eggshells with this child from the beginning”
To withhold consent
A nu-si da consimtamantul
Look before you leap
Think carefully before you are about to do sth
Blank slate
Tabula rasa
Bad blood
feelings of dislike between two people or groups
One-note actor
Actor manierist
Galore
abundant, plentiful — used postpositively
Debacle
a great disaster or complete failure
“The financial debacle that was the stock market crash of 1929”
To hinge
to be contingent on a single consideration or point — used with on or upon
“Everything hinges on the ending.”
To get a go ahead
A permission to proceed
Head start
: an advantage given to a someone at the beginning of a race
: an advantage that you have or get when you are starting to do something
Scourge
1 : whip; especially : one used to inflict pain or punishment
2 : an instrument of punishment or criticism
3 : a cause of wide or great affliction
a city ravaged by the scourge of unemployment/poverty
Underhanded
: done in a secret and dishonest way : intended to deceive or trick someone
“Much of what Cornelia does is underhanded.”
Tally
a recorded reckoning or account (as of items or charges)
“Mounting tally of fatalities due to ebola”
To tamp
to put a check on : reduce, lessen
“Governments sought to tamp down the worries”
To play down
to attach little importance to : minimize
“The Transport Association also played down the hazards outside the affected region of West Africa.”
Slapstick
A boisterous form of comedy marked by chases, collisions, and crude practical jokes.
To spike
4 a : to add an alcoholic beverage to (a drink)
b : to add a foreign substance to
d : to add vitality, zest, or spice to : liven
6 : to undergo a sudden sharp increase in (temperature or fever)
intransitive verb
: to increase sharply
To scour
: to move about quickly especially in search
To zero in
to close in on or focus attention on an objective — usually used with in
Caveat
: an explanation or warning that should be remembered when you are doing or thinking about something
Bootless
Useless, unprofitable
The international alliance that won the Cold War has been bootless in the case of Syria.
Tantrum
: an uncontrolled expression of childish anger : an angry outburst by a child or by someone who is behaving like a child
To tap into sth
to manage to use something in a way that brings good results:
If only we could tap into all that energy and creativity.
Finicky
1 : extremely or excessively particular, exacting, or meticulous in taste or standards <a>
2 : requiring much care, precision, or attentive effort <a></a></a>
At the hands of
because of someone’s actions
James Foley lost his life at the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq
In retaliation for
As payback
To spiral
: to greatly increase, decrease, or get worse in a continuous and usually fast and uncontrolled way
“Everything spiraled into civil war”
Cue
1 a : a signal (as a word, phrase, or bit of stage business) to a performer to begin a specific speech or action
b : something serving a comparable purpose : hint
“When Jim was not answering his phone - this was the cue that something had gone terribly wrong”
Foreboding
: a feeling that something bad is going to happen
“Balboni, reached for his Blackberry and had a terrible sense of foreboding”
Sizable
: fairly large
“governments paid sizable ransoms”
Stint
b : a period of time spent at a particular activity
“GlobalPost brought him back to Boston, where he spent a stint as an editor, but it did not last long”
Staunch
: very devoted or loyal to a person, belief, or cause
“Staunch supporter of the law”
To coddle
treat (someone) in an indulgent or overprotective way.
“Audience coddling”
To dote on
to love someone or something a lot, sometimes foolishly or too much
“Doting on a pet”
Throe
a hard or painful struggle
“She grew up poor in Soweto, began studying law in the throes of apartheid”
To retch
to vomit or feel as if you are about to vomit
“he sobbed uncontrollably and retched at times”
Scrum
A usually tightly packed or disorderly crowd : throng
“Mr. Pistorius made his way through the scrum of reporters and onlookers”
To segue
to make a transition without interruption from one activity, topic, scene, or part to another
“Mad Men is a show segued into a parlor game of reading signs”
Curmudgeon
A person (especially an old man) who is easily annoyed or angered and who often complains "only a curmudgeon would object to the nursing home's holiday decorations"
Dud
one that is ineffectual; also : failure <a></a>
A bomb or missile that fails to explode
Back to back
Consecutive
“Back-to-back executions”
Hard line
Uncompromising, strict
“Hard line policy”
To cavort
1 : to leap or dance about in a lively manner
2 : to engage in extravagant behavior
“His nubile young friends, men and women, cavorting unclothed outdoors”
To dovetail
1 a : to join by means of dovetails
b : to cut to a dovetail
2 a : to fit skillfully to form a whole
b : to fit together withintransitive verb
: to fit together into a whole
“The exhibition dovetails neatly with a capitalist economy that turns the right kind of bodies into visual commodities”
To haze
1 a : to harass by exacting unnecessary or disagreeable work
b : to harass by banter, ridicule, or criticism
“He is hazed, manipulated, spectacularly insulted by his perfectionist instructor.”
Whopping
: very large, impressive, etc.
“The series was a whopping 21%, making it the most influential in the world.”
