Words P101-150 Flashcards
Acquit
She was acquitted of all the charges against her.
to decide officially in a court of law that someone is not guilty of a particular crime
-Scale
scale sth down
■to make something smaller than it was or smaller than it was planned to be
*A shortage of money has forced them to scale down the project.
scale sth up
■to increase the size, amount or importance of something, usually an organization or process
*My company is scaling up its operations in the Middle East.
Hotbed
the university was a hotbed of radical protest
a hotbed of something a place where a lot of a particular type of activity, especially bad or violent activity, happens:
Gauge
- INSTRUMENT an instrument for measuring the size or amount of something
fuel/temperature/pressure etc gauge
The petrol gauge is still on full. - a gauge of something something that helps you make a judgment about a person or situation
Retail sales are a gauge of consumer spending.
Disparity
the growing disparity between rich and poor
a state in which there is no equality and similarity, especially in a way that is not fair; difference
Subdue
He criticized the school for trying to subdue individual expression.
The people in the street subdued the gunman after hurting lots of people.
to reduce the force of something, or to prevent something from existing or developing
– Spring - sprang
MOVE QUICKLY
■to move quickly and suddenly towards a particular place
The bar said that customers sprang into action and subdued the shooter.
Bleak
*The house stands on a bleak, windswept moor.
■If weather or a place is bleak, it is cold, empty and not welcoming or attractive
–Gesture
*The prisoner raised his fist in a gesture of defiance as he was led out of the courtroom.
■a movement of the hands, arms or head, etc. to express an idea or feeling
Overt
an overt attempt to silence their political opponents
overt actions are done publicly, without trying to hide anything
Covert
the government was accused of covert military operations against regime.
secret or hidden
–Puff
-
to breathe quickly and with difficulty after the effort of running, carrying something heavy etc:
puff along/up etc
He caught up with Gary, puffing for breath. - to breathe in and out while smoking a cigarette or pipe
puff at/on
Kinane sat in silence, puffing thoughtfully at his pipe.
[n.]1. the action of taking the smoke from a cigarette, pipe etc into your lungs
He laughed and took a puff on his cigar.
[n.]2. a sudden small movement of wind, air, or smoke
puff of smoke/wind/air/steam etc
The dragon disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Languish
*After languishing in obscurity for many years, her early novels have recently been rediscovered.
■*to exist in an unpleasant or unwanted situation, often for a long time *
Prodigious - prodigy
■extremely great in ability, amount or strength
*She wrote a truly prodigious number of novels.
Prodigy
Mozart was a musical prodigy
a young person who has a great natural ability in a subject or skill ⇨ genius
child/infant prodigy.
–Stride
The government has made great strides in reducing poverty.
IMPROVEMENT [countable] an improvement in a situation or in the development of something
make great/major/giant etc strides
Plank
PRINCIPLE
■an important principle on which the activities of a group, especially a political group, are based
*The party’s policy is based on five central planks.
Anthem
a song which has special importance for a particular group of people, an organization or a country, often sung on a special occasion
–Carpet
The whole garden was carpeted with maple foliage.
if leaves, flowers etc carpet the ground, they cover it in a thick layer
be carpeted with something
Inquisitive
I’d have asked more questions, but I didn’t want to seem inquisitive.
– inquire
asking too many questions and trying to find out too many details about something or someone:
Foliage
dark green foliage
the leaves of a plant
Foliage
dark green foliage
the leaves of a plant
Deciduous
▪ evergreen adjective an evergreen tree does not lose its leaves in winter: English ivy is evergreen and grows even during the winter.
▪ deciduous adjective a deciduous tree loses its leaves in winter: The oak is deciduous, but loses its leaves late in the year.
▪conifer noun [countable] a tree such as a pine or fir that has leaves like needles and produces cones containing seeds: The owners have planted conifers along the fence in order to reduce the traffic noise. | a dwarf conifer
▪ fruit tree noun [countable] a tree that produces fruit that can be eaten: Fruit trees such as apples and pears can be pruned during the winter months.
Shed
- GET RID OF to get rid of something that you no longer need or want:
The company is planning to shed about a quarter of its workforce. - PLANTS/ANIMALS if a plant sheds its leaves or if an animal sheds skin or hair, they fall off as part of a natural process:
The trees were starting to shed their leaves.
Standstill
Strikers brought production to a standstill. / Traffic was at a standstill
a situation in which there is no movement or activity at all
come to a standstill/bring something to a standstill
.
–Tender
GENTLE
■gentle, loving or sympathetic
*What you need is some tender loving care.
YOUNG
■young
*He was sent off to boarding school at the tender age of seven.
■If you tender for a job, you make a formal offer to do it for a stated price
*Five companies have tendered for the hospital contract.
■to give or offer something
*The health minister has tendered her resignation (= has offered to leave her job).
Twig
a small very thin stem of wood that grows from a branch on a tree
–Shoot
*Two weeks after we’d planted the seeds, little green shoots started to appear
the first part of a plant to appear above the ground as it develops from a seed, or any new growth on an already existing plant
Textile
any type of woven cloth that is made in large quantities, used especially by people in the business of making clothes etc:
textile industry/design/manufacture etc
textile design and technology
–Ruin n.
*We visited a Roman ruin
the broken parts that are left from an old building or town
Traverse
Two minute to traverse the park.
formal to move across, over, or through something, especially an area of land or water
Procession
The festival will open with a procession led by the mayor.
a line of people who are all walking or travelling in the same direction, especially in a formal way as part of a religious ceremony or public celebration
– Floor v.
■to surprise or confuse someone so much that they are unable to think what to say or do next
I love video games and I was floored by the intricate strategies and precision reflexes required to play them well.
Pinnacle
SUCCESS
■the most successful or admired part of a system or achievement
*By the age of thirty-two she had reached the pinnacle of her career.
TOP
■a small pointed tower on top of a building, or the top part of a mountain
*The pinnacles of the Himalayas were visible above the clouds.
Abut
■If a building or area of land abuts on something, it is next to it or touches it on one side
Mexico abuts (on) some of the richest parts of the United States / shrine consists of a tone pinnacles abutting a smooth stone platform.
Seminal
a seminal study of eighteenth-century France
formal a seminal article, book etc is important, andinfluences the way things develop in the future:
Monumental
extremely large, bad, good, impressive etc:
a monumental task
There was a monumental traffic jam on the freeway.
– Brilliant
*The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue.
SHINING ■full of light, shining or bright in colour
Drainage
a plan to improve the town’s drainage system
the process or system by which water or waste liquid flows away:
–Outlet
Her work provided no outlet for her energies and talents
a way in which emotion or energy can be expressed or made use of
Baton
MUSIC
■a stick used by a conductor (= person who controls the performance of a group of musicians) to show the speed of the music
SPORT
■a stick that is passed from one runner to another in a relay race
WEAPON
■a thick heavy stick used as a weapon by police officers
Eavesdrop
I caught him eavesdropping on our conversation.
to deliberately listen secretly to other people’s conversations
Bug
n. a small piece of electronic equipment for listening secretly others’ conversations
v. to put a bug (=small piece of electronic equipment) somewhere secretly in order to listen to conversations
Condescending
Professor Hutter’s manner is extremely condescending
behaving as though you think you are better, more intelligent, or more important than other people – used to show disapproval
Antithesis
Thanks to the collapse of communism the political antithesis between Left and Right is less important.
the exact opposite
Discreet
careful not to cause embarrassment or attract too much attention, especially by keeping something secret
Discern
The family made discreet enquiries about his background.
Roy. I’m more subtle and discreet than you.
Habitat
watching monkeys in their natural habitat
Eerie - eerily
strange and frightening
the eerie sound of an owl hooting at night
—eerily adverb
This makes the videos look eerily realistic.
Impersonate
■to intentionally copy another person’s characteristics, such as their behavior, speech, appearance or expressions, especially to make people laugh
*She’s the woman who impersonates the Queen on TV.
■to attempt to deceive someone by pretending that you are another person
*He was fined for impersonating a police officer.
– Brace
brace yourself
■to prepare yourself physically or mentally for something unpleasant
They brace themselves for the worst.
– Lecture
He began to lecture us about making too much noise.
to talk angrily or seriously to someone in order to criticize or warn them, in a way that they think is unfair or unnecessary
Chant
The Shanghai people around Urmuqi road chanted the slogan – “step down XI, step down the CCP”
to repeat a word or phrase again and again
Irresistible
so attractive, desirable etc that you cannot prevent yourself from wanting it
irresistible to
This aftershave makes a man quite irresistible to woman.
Fare
[n.] the price you pay to travel somewhere by bus, train, plane etc
half-fare/full-fare
Children under 14 travel half-fare.
[v.] fare well/badly/better etc
to be successful, unsuccessful etc
Although Chicago has fared better than some cities, unemployment remains a problem.
Scorch
By the morning, it has already scorched 4000 acres
■to (cause to) change color with dry heat, or to burn slightly
