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
Kick off
if a meeting, event, or a football game kicks off, it starts
The match kicks off at noon.
Provision
The agreement includes a provision for each side to check the other side’s weapons.
a condition in an agreement or law
Rebuke
Members of the jury were sharply rebuked for speaking to the press.
to speak to someone severely about something they have done wrong
THESAURUS
▪ reprimand formal to tell someone that they have done something wrong or illegal and are being punished for it – used especially in official contexts
▪ scold formal In everyday British English people usually say tell somebody off
▪** tell somebody off** to talk angrily to someone because they have done something wrong. Dad told me off for getting home late.
▪ lecture
Teeming
the teeming streets of the city
full of people, animals etc that are all moving around
Brittle
hard but easily broken
As you get older your bones become increasingly brittle.
THESAURUS
▪ fragile
▪ delicate easily damaged – used especially about things that are made from thin material and look attractive: a delicate gold necklace | The plant has delicate blue flowers. | delicate fabrics
▪ brittle
▪ breakable breakable objects must be handled carefully because they will break easily: Put breakable objects out of the reach of children. | breakable ornaments
▪ frail
Ascertain
to discover; to make certain
*The police have so far been unable to ascertain the cause of the explosion.
Loot
to steal things, especially from shops or homes that have been damaged in a war or riot
Shops were looted and burned.
[n.] goods taken by soldiers from a place where they have won a battle
SYN plunder
A host of
a large number of people or things
A host of show business celebrities have pledged their support.
Fortuitous
happening by chance, especially in a way that has a good result
The meeting with Jack was fortuitous.
SYN
▪ lucky
▪ fortunate
▪ miraculous extremely lucky in a way that is almost unbelievable: A teenager had a miraculous escape last night when the car she was travelling in overturned.
▪ fortuitous
▪ be in the right place at the right time you just have to be in the right place at the right time.
Ravage - revenge
The area has been ravaged by drought.
At that time, Japan was also ravaged by civil wars.
top cause great damage to something
Massacre
when a lot of people are killed violently, especially people who cannot defend themselves:
the only survivor of the massacre
Precious - price
of great value because of being rare, expensive or important
a precious moment/memory**
**Clean water is a precious commodity in many parts of the world.
Hapless
unlucky and usually unhappy
It bought thinly traded stocks and then talked them up to hapless customers, scamming them out of tens of millions of dollars.
Hostage
*She was taken/held hostage by the gunmen.
The terrorists haveseized 20 hostages* and are threatening to kill one a day unless their demands are met.
Terrace
■one of several narrow strips of land which are built like steps on the slope of a hill and which are used for growing crops on
Granite
a very hard grey rock, often used in building
– Spill
spill (sth) out
■to talk about or express an emotion freely
All his resentment spilled out**.
**I listened quietly as she spilled out all her anger and despair
Grand
SPLENDID
■splendid in style and appearance; attracting admiration and attention
*The Palace of Versailles is very grand.
.
■used in the name of a place or building to show that it is splendid or large
*the Grand Hotel *the Grand Canyon *the Grand Canal
Baffle
■to cause someone to be completely unable to understand or explain something
She was completely baffled by his strange behavior.
Expert was baffled by the grand hotel in the hill.
–Spirit
the form of a dead person, similar to a ghost, or the feeling that a dead person is present though you cannot see them
*an evil spirit
Haunt
REPEATEDLY TROUBLE
■to cause repeated suffering or anxiety
*Thirty years after the fire he is still haunted by images of death and destruction.
SPIRIT
■(of a ghost) to appear in a place repeatedly
*A ghostly lady is said to haunt the stairway looking for her children.
– Litter
ANIMAL TOILET uncountable
■a substance that is put in a container to be used as a toilet by pets
*cat/pet litter
Ramrod
I don’t have the ramrod posture I had when I was in the Navy
straight/stiff as a ramrod sitting or standing with your back straight and your body stiff
Mist
▪ cloud
▪ fog very thick cloud near the ground which is difficult to see through: The cars crashed into each other in thick fog.
▪ mist Mist is usually not as thick as fog. You often get mist near areas of water or mountains
▪ haze smoke, dust, or mist in the air which is difficult to see through: He saw the horses coming towards him through a haze of dust.
▪ smog dirty air that looks like a mixture of smoke and fog, caused by smoke from cars and factories in cities: A smog warning was issued for parts of Southern Oregon.
▪ thundercloud
▪ vapor trail the white line that is left in the sky by a plane: High overhead, a jet left its vapor trail across.
Misty
misty weather is weather with a lot of mist
where people invited me to abandon my wheels and follow them up stone pathways to villages that lay across mist peaks.
▪ cloudy
▪ gray American English gray in color, because there are dark clouds – used especially in written descriptions: Mary looked out at the cold gray sky.
▪overcast dark and completely covered with clouds: a chilly overcast day
▪ leaden literary a leaden sky is grey and full of dark clouds: Snow fell from a leaden sky.
▪ gloomy dark and cloudy, in a depressing way: The gloomy weather shows no sign of improving.
▪ foggy with thick low cloud that is difficult to see through. You use foggy especially about low-lying places: a foggy day in London in November
▪ misty with light low cloud that is difficult to see through. You use misty especially about places that are next to water or in the mountains: a cold misty morning on hill
▪ hazy with air that looks cloudy, because there is smoke, dust, or mist in it: hazy sunshine
Strew
to scatter things around a large area
The street was strewn with broken glass.
clothes strewn across the floor
Cobblestone
a small round stone set in the ground, especially in the past, to make a hard surface for a road
Stoop
[v.] ■to bend the top half of the body forward and down
The doorway was so low that we had to stoop to go through it.
[v.] ■If someone stoops, their head and shoulders are always bent forwards and down
He’s over six feet tall, but the way he stoops makes him look shorter.
STEPS
■a raised flat area in front of the door of a house, with steps leading up to it
*She got home to find the kids sitting on the stoop waiting for her.
Entourage
The rock-star arrived in London with her usual entourage of dancers and backing singers.
the group of people who travel with and work for an important or famous person
Demoralize
■to make someone or something feel much less confident
Losing several matches in succession had completely demoralized the team.
Translucent
not transparent, but clear enough to allow light to pass through:
Blue veins showed through her translucent skin.
Transparent
if something is transparent, you can see through it
a transparent plastic container
–Age
The whisky is aged for at least ten years.
Almost all the fish have been pickled or salted or aged in some other way before they end up on your plate.
to improve and develop in taste over a period of time, or to allow food or alcohol to do this
Appetizer
the first part of a meal
The average cost of a full three-course meal - appetizer, main course and dessert - including tip and a modest wine is about $45.
Rapport
establish/build up/develop (a) rapport
He built up a good rapport with the children.
friendly agreement and understanding between people ⇨ relationship
Commentary
*The commentary on the Olympic games was much better on the other channel.
a spoken description of an event on the radio or television that is broadcast as the event happens
Incubate
*The female bird incubates the eggs for about sixteen days while the male brings food.
■When a bird, etc. incubates its eggs, it keeps them warm until the young come out, and when eggs incubate, they develop to the stage at which the young come out
Lodge
STAY
■to pay rent to stay somewhere
*She lodged with Mrs Higgins when she first came to Cambridge
Jolt
MOVE SUDDENLY
■to (cause something or someone to) move suddenly and violently
*The train stopped unexpectedly and we were jolted forwards.
SHOCK
■to shock someone in order to change their behavior or way of thinking
*The charity used photos of starving children in an attempt to jolt the public conscience (= make them feel guilty and take action).
Incredulous
unable or unwilling to believe something:
‘You sold the car?’ she asked, incredulous.
She shot him an incredulous look
Induct
*Li Xiannian was inducted into the Politburo in 1956.
to introduce someone formally or with a special ceremony to an organization or group, or to beliefs or ideas
Affable
friendly and easy to talk to
*He struck me as an affable sort of a man.
–Reason v.
■to try to understand and to make judgments based on practical facts
*[+ (that)] Newton reasoned (that) there must be a force such as gravity, when an apple fell on his head.
Trespass
He will be prosecuted for trespass
the offence of going onto someone’s land without their permission.
– Extend
I should like to extend my thanks to you for your kindness.**
**The government is extending (= giving) aid to people who have been affected by the earthquake.
to offer or give
Rhetorical
using speech or writing in special ways in order to persuade people or to produce an impressive effect:
Without fanfare or a hint of the kind of rhetorical rancor and calamitous opposition that administration has faced for its proposal to do the same.
Exert
Environmental groups are exerting pressure on the government to tighten pollution laws.
to use your power, influence etc in order to make something happen
Accessible
- easy to obtain or use
Computers should be made readily accessible to teachers and pupils. - someone who is accessible is easy to meet and talk to, even if they are very important or powerful
SYN approachable
I think that you’ll find she’s very accessible. - a book, poem, painting etc that is accessible is easy to understand and enjoy
He wants his music to be accessible to everyone.
–Pencil
to arrange for something to happen or for someone to do something on a particular date or occasion, knowing that the arrangement might be changed later
*We’ll pencil in the dates for the next two meetings and confirm them later.
Study hall
a period of time during the school day when students must go to a room to study, instead of going to a lesson
So, we will have about 2 hours’ study hall time.
Feat
*The Eiffel Tower is a remarkable feat of engineering.
something difficult needing a lot of skill, strength, bravery, etc. to achieve it
Agrarian
relating to farming or farmers:
an agrarian economy (=based on farming)
This part of the country is mainly agrarian.
Circumvent
to avoid something, especially cleverly or illegally
*Ships were registered abroad to circumvent employment and safety regulations
Refined
someone who is refined is polite and seems to be well-educated or to belong to a high social class – sometimes used humorously
Cat, on other hand, seem somewhat more refined and independent
Refract
if glass or water refracts light, the light changes direction when it passes through the glass or water
Willful
done intentionally or (of a person) determined to do exactly as you want, even if you know it is wrong
*She developed into a wilful, difficult child.
Grip v.
INTEREST SOMEBODY
[transitive] to hold someone’s attention and interest
a story that really grips you / I was gripped by a two-hour film.
Apportion
to decide how something should be shared among various people –
distribute / hand out
Propensity
the male propensity to fight
He seems to have a propensity for breaking things.
a natural tendency to behave in a particular way
Confidant
someone you tell your secrets to or who you talk to about personal things
A close confidant
Informant
someone who gives information to another person or organization
*a police/secret informant
Feign
You know how everyone feigns surprise when you tell them how old you are.
to pretend to feel something, usually an emotion
Snide
if you say something snide, you say something unkind, often in a clever indirect way
snide remarks/comments
a snide remark about her clothes
That looks damned snide on the page, but I am speaking with complete sincerity.
Stampede
if a group of large animals or people stampede, they suddenly start running together in the same direction because they are frightened or excited:
a herd of stampeding buffalo
Children came stampeding out of the school doors.
Shirk
to deliberately avoid doing something you should do, because you are lazy
parents who shirk their responsibilities towards their children
Shirk
to deliberately avoid doing something you should do, because you are lazy
parents who shirk their responsibilities towards their children
Dormant
not active or not growing at the present time but able to be active later OPP active
lie/remain dormant
The seeds remain dormant until the spring.
Pensive
thinking in a quiet way, often with a serious expression on your face
“We shall see”, replied XX, becoming suddenly pensive.
Dubious
- probably not honest, true, right etc:
Many critics regard this argument as dubious or, at best, misleading.
■ seeming to be dishonest
▪ suspicious ▪ dubious
▪ shifty someone who looks shifty looks as if they are doing or planning something dishonest - [not before noun] not sure whether something is good or true
I can see you are dubious; take some time to think about it.
Vacillate
to continue to change your opinions, decisions, ideas etc
vacillate between
Her parents vacillated between different approaches to discipline.
Reel
to walk, moving from side to side, looking like you are going to fall
She hit him so hard that he reeled backwards
Liken
to say that someone or something is similar to another person or thing
Critics have likened the new theater to a supermarket.
Relay
TEAM
■a group of people who continue an activity that others from the same team or organization have been doing previously
After the landslide, volunteers worked in relays to rescue people buried under the rubble.
■a running or swimming race between two or more teams in which each person in the team runs or swims part of the race – relay race
Gravel
small stones, used to make a surface for paths, roads etc
Asphalt
a black sticky substance that becomes hard when it dries, used for making the surface of roads
Plaque
The team’s coach was given a plaque
piece of flat metal, wood, or stone with writing on it, used as a prize in a competition or attached to a building to remind people of an event or person:
Brisk
quick, energetic and active
*He set a brisk pace and we struggled to keep up.
Vigorous
very forceful or energetic
*There has been vigorous opposition to the proposals for a new road
Exotic /ɪɡˈzɒtɪk $ ɪɡˈzɑː-/
exotic flowers/food/designs
unusual and often exciting because of coming (or seeming to come) from a far, especially tropical country
Trumpet
ANNOUNCE
■to announce or state something proudly to a lot of people
The museum has been loudly trumpeting its reputation as one of the finest in the world.
Flatten
to destroy a building or town by knocking it down, bombing it etc
Hundreds of homes were flattened by the tornado.
▪ destroy ▪ devastate ▪ demolish ▪ flatten
▪ wreck to deliberately damage something very badly, especially a room or building: The toilets had been wrecked by vandals. | They just wrecked the place.
▪ obliterate formal The nuclear blast obliterated most of Hiroshima.
Gallop
if a horse gallops, it moves very fast with all its feet leaving the ground together
The wild horse galloped down the hill.
–Challenge
STOP SOMEBODY to stop someone and demand proof of who they are, and an explanation of what they are doing
We were challenged by the security guard at the gate.
Retention
retain
the act of keeping something
*Two influential senators have argued for the retention of the unpopular tax.
