Words found during general reading Flashcards
imposter
impostor, imposter
noun [C] a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others:
He felt like an impostor among all those intelligent people, as if he had no right to be there.
imposture noun [C or U] FORMAL
the act of pretending to be someone else in order to deceive others
dilapidated
adjective
describes something old and in poor condition:
The hotel we stayed in was really dilapidated.
a dilapidated old car/shed
dilapidation noun [U]
The farmhouse fell into a state of dilapidation.
botch
verb [T] (UK ALSO bodge) to spoil something by doing it badly: We botched (up) our first attempt at wallpapering the bathroom.
botched adjective (UK ALSO bodged) Our landlord redecorated the bedroom, but it was such a botched job (= it was so badly done) that we decided to redo it. Thousands of women are infertile as a result of botched abortions.
botch(-up) noun [C] (UK ALSO bodge(-up))
The company made a series of botches before it went bankrupt.
The concert was very badly organized. In fact, the whole thing was a real botch-up.
sabotage
verb [T]
1 to damage or destroy equipment, weapons or buildings in order to prevent the success of an enemy or competitor:
The rebels had tried to sabotage the oil pipeline.
2 to intentionally prevent the success of a plan or action:
This was a deliberate attempt to sabotage the ceasefire.
sabotage noun [U]
They began a campaign of industrial and economic sabotage.
saboteur noun [C]
a person who sabotages something
abdication
ab·di·ca·tion noun
BrE /ˌæbdɪˈkeɪʃn/
NAmE /ˌæbdɪˈkeɪʃn/
[uncountable, countable]
1 the action of giving up the position of being king or queen
the chain of events leading to the kingʼs abdication
2 abdication of responsibility the fact of failing or refusing to perform a duty
a complete abdication of responsibility by the government
obliterate
verb
often passive] obliterate something to remove all signs of something, either by destroying or covering it completely
The building was completely obliterated by the bomb.
The snow had obliterated their footprints.
Everything that happened that night was obliterated from his memory.
BrE /əˈblɪtəreɪt/
NAmE /əˈblɪtəreɪt/
▼︎ Verb Forms
present simple:
I / you / we / they obliterate BrE /əˈblɪtəreɪt/ ; NAmE /əˈblɪtəreɪt/
he / she / it obliterates BrE /əˈblɪtəreɪts/ ; NAmE /əˈblɪtəreɪts/
past simple: obliterated BrE /əˈblɪtəreɪtɪd/ ; NAmE /əˈblɪtəreɪtɪd/
past participle: obliterated BrE /əˈblɪtəreɪtɪd/ ; NAmE /əˈblɪtəreɪtɪd/
-ing form: obliterating BrE /əˈblɪtəreɪtɪŋ/ ; NAmE /əˈblɪtəreɪtɪŋ/
smear
smear noun BrE /smɪə(r)/ NAmE /smɪr/ 1 an oily or dirty mark a smear of jam ▶︎ Synonyms 2 a story that is not true about somebody that is intended to damage their reputation, especially in politics He was a victim of a smear campaign. 3 (British English) ➔ = smear test
smattering smear noun smear verb BrE /smɪə(r)/ NAmE /smɪr/ ▶︎ Verb Forms 1 [transitive] to spread an oily or soft substance over a surface in a rough or careless way ➔ SYNONYM daub smear something on/over something The children had smeared mud on the walls. smear something with something The children had smeared the walls with mud. His face was smeared with blood. 2 [transitive] smear something to make something dirty or greasy His glasses were smeared. smeared windows 3 [transitive] smear somebody/something to damage somebodyʼs reputation by saying unpleasant things about them that are not true ➔ SYNONYM slander The story was an attempt to smear the party leader. 4 [transitive, intransitive] smear (something) to rub writing, a drawing, etc. so that it is no longer clear; to become not clear in this way ➔ SYNONYM smudge The last few words of the letter were smeared. ▼︎ Word Origin Old English smierwan (verb), smeoru ‘ointment, greaseʼ, of Germanic origin; related to German schmieren (verb), Schmer (noun). ▼︎ Extra examples His hands were smeared with blood. She smeared the cream liberally on her face. The child had smeared jam all over her face. Their faces were heavily smeared with mud. Her make-up was smeared over her face and her hair was a mess.
Panacea
noun
BrE /ˌpænəˈsiːə/
NAmE /ˌpænəˈsiːə/
panacea (for something) something that will solve all the problems of a particular situation
There is no single panacea for the problem of unemployment.
▼︎ Word Origin
mid 16th cent.: via Latin from Greek panakeia, from panakēs ‘all-healingʼ, from pan ‘allʼ + akos ‘remedyʼ.
insinuate
in·sinu·ate verb
1 to suggest indirectly that something unpleasant is true
➔ SYNONYM imply
insinuate that… The article insinuated that he was having an affair with his friendʼs wife.
insinuate something What are you trying to insinuate?
an insinuating smile
2 insinuate yourself into something (formal, disapproving) to succeed in gaining somebodyʼs respect, affection, etc. so that you can use the situation to your own advantage
In the first act, the villain insinuates himself into the household of the man he intends to kill.
3 insinuate yourself/something + adv./prep. (formal) to slowly move yourself or a part of your body into a particular position or place
She insinuated her right hand under his arm.
▶︎ Word Origin
Conundrum
noun
BrE /kəˈnʌndrəm/
NAmE /kəˈnʌndrəm/
1 a confusing problem or question that is very difficult to solve
The role of clouds is one of the big conundrums of climatology.
2 a question, usually involving a trick with words, that you ask for fun
➔ SYNONYM riddle
Sulk
Alaka (Telugu). Like how kids get grumpy and moody when they don’t get what they like.
Tase
Armed Florida woman tased in Walmart by police
Stumps
Stumps grinder
The remaining base of a cut tree
Gravid
She is pregnant
The dog is gravid
The hen is going to lay eggs
Mosquito is going to lay eggs
The Apple tree is going to bare fruits
Raise
Lower
Wiggle
Furrow
Quirk
Relax
I raise my eyebrows
I lower my eyebrows
I furrow my eyebrows
I wiggle my eyebrows
I quirk my eyebrows
I relax my eyebrows
