Words P151-200 Flashcards
Usher
to show someone where they should go, or to make someone go where you want them to go
She ushered us into her office and offered us a coffee.
Portal
- a website that helps you find other websites
- [usually plural] literary a tall and impressive gate or entrance to a building
– Against
One favorite, a tiny post office installed against dogwood, collected around 100 letters.
next to and touching or being supported by (something)
Offset v.
The extra cost of travelling to work is offset by the lower price of houses here.
to balance one influence against an opposing influence, so that there is no great difference as a result
Arbitrary
CHANCE
■based on chance rather than being planned or based on reason
arbitrary decision-making
UNFAIR
■using unlimited personal power without considering other people’s wishes
*The company has been the subject of an arbitrary take-over.
Esophagus
the tube which food passes down from your mouth to your stomach
Soluble
a soluble substance can be dissolved in a liquid
OPP insoluble
water-soluble (=that can be dissolved in water) fat-soluble
Constipation
the condition of having difficulty in getting rid of solid waste from your body
Imbibe
Both men imbibed considerable quantities of gin.
to drink something, especially alcohol – sometimes used humorously
Gestric
relating to your stomach
Peppermint
a plant with a strong taste and smell, often used in sweets
Strenuous
*His doctor advised him not to take any strenuous exercise.
■needing or using a lot of physical or mental effort or energy
Stool
medical a piece of solid waste from your bowels
Cramp
n. a severe pain that you get in part of your body when a muscle becomes too tight, making it difficult for you to move that part of your body
Several players were suffering from cramp
v. to prevent the development of someone or something
SYN hinder, restrict:
Stricter anti-pollution laws may cramp economic growth.
Debut
[n.] the first public appearance of an entertainer, sports player etc or of something new and important
[v.] to appear in public or become available for the first time
Yale has consistently ranked as the top law school since the list debuted, while Harvard has been in the top five. Law schools submit data to US News & World Report for its rankings.
Rostrum
a small platform that you stand on when you are making a speech or conducting musicians
Savvy n.
practical knowledge and ability
He’s obviously got a lot of political savvy.
Fallout
The political fallout of the revelations has been immense.
the results of a particular event, especially when they are unexpected
Obscurity
- [uncountable] the state of not being known or remembered
It has been preserved by centuries of obscurity and abandonment. - [uncountable and countable] something that is difficult to understand, or the quality of being difficult to understand vague – obscure
obscurities in the text
Trek
to walk a long way, especially in the mountains, as an adventure
SYN hike
For five days he trekked across the mountains of central China.
Frigid
COLD
■(of weather conditions or the conditions in a room) extremely cold
*Few plants can grow in such a frigid environment.
UNFRIENDLY
■unfriendly or very formal
*There’s a rather frigid atmosphere in the school.
Thaw
- [intransitive and transitive] (also thaw out) if ice or snow thaws, or if the sun thaws it, it turns into water
OPP freeze:
The lake thawed in March. - [intransitive and transitive] (also thaw out) to let frozen food become warmer until it is ready to cook
OPP freeze:
Thaw frozen meat in its packet and then cook as soon as possible.
Bracelet
a band or chain that you wear around your wrist or arm as a decoration
Taper
■to become gradually narrower at one end, or to make something do this
In Japan, the chopsticks are shorter and taper to the end.
Phrasal Verbs taper off
■to become gradually smaller or less frequent
Her voice tapered off as she realized everyone was listening.
Customary
Traditional
In my village, it is customary for a girl to take her mother’s name.
Spike
if the number or rate of something spikes, it increases quickly and by a large amount
When gang violence spiked, parents at a Louisiana high school said “not on our watch”
Brawl
two groups of boys brawled across the courtyard at Southwood high school in Shreveport, Louisiana.
to quarrel or fight in a noisy way, especially in a public place
– Battery
CRIME [uncountable] law the crime of hitting someone
One was charged with battery for allegedly hitting an assistant principal.
Boisterous
someone, especially a child, who is boisterous makes a lot of noise and has a lot of energy
Now, anyone who wants to enter the school with rage and a closed fist will have to dodge boisterous papa bears, big smiles, and positive affirmation.
– Pilot
to test a new idea, product etc on people to find out whether it will be successful
The new exams are currently being piloted in a number of areas
Allot
to use a particular amount of time for something, or give a particular share of money, space etc to someone or something
Everyone who works for the company has been allotted ten shares.
Accrue /əˈkruː/
if advantages accrue to you, you get those advantages over a period of time
the benefits that accrue to upper-class students
if money accrues or is accrued, it gradually increases over a period of time:
The study revealed that the effect take times to accrue, so aspirin should be taken over a long period.
Libel
a piece of writing which contains bad and false things about a person
She threatened to sue the magazine for libel.
Lax
not strict or careful enough about standards of behavior, work, safety etc
SYN slack
He toke a gun through baggage control to highlight the lax security.
– Sanction
to officially accept or allow something
SYN approve:
The church refused to sanction the king’s second marriage.
Debris
the pieces of something that are left after it has been destroyed in an accident, explosion etc
So far, they found only debris.
– Appropriate
to take something, especially money, to use for a particular purpose
Congress appropriated $5 million for International Women’s Year.
Bluff
■to deceive someone by making them think either that you are going to do something when you really have no intention of doing it, or that you have knowledge that you do not really have, or that you are someone else
Is he going to jump or is he only bluffing**?
**Tony seems to know a lot about music, but sometimes I think he’s only bluffing.
Incursion
- a sudden attack on or act of going into a place, especially across a border
Russia began a military incursion into eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Supplant
to take the place of a person or thing so that they are no longer used, no longer in a position of power etc
SYN replace:
all over the world, open-air markets are being supplanted by supermarket.
Tract
the digestive/reproductive/urinary etc tract a system of connected organs that have one main purpose in a part of your body
Plasma is made mostly of water and salts that we absorb through our digestive tracts everyday.
Stipulate
if an agreement, law, or rule stipulates something, it must be done
SYN state
Laws stipulate the maximum interest rate that banks can charge.
Apprehend
if the police apprehend a criminal, they catch him or her
SYN arrest:
The police have failed to apprehend the culprits.
Havoc
a situation in which there is a lot of damage or a lack of order, especially so that it is difficult for something to continue in the normal way
SYN chaos
A strike will cause havoc for commuters.
In a bind
in a difficult situation
Now, the costs of that approach are piling up, putting China in a bind from which there appears to be on easy escape, scientists said in interviews.
Glaring
very bad and very noticeable
SYN obvious:
Glaring errors
The vaccination gaps in China’s older population are all the more glaring because the country has achieved relatively strong coverage overall.
Lip service
to say that you support or agree with something without doing anything to prove it
But some experts, like Yanzhong Huang, a global health specialist and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, expressed skepticism that the move was much more than lip service.
Provocation
an action or event that makes someone angry or upset, or is intended to do this ⇨ provoke
She claims that Graham attacked her without any provocation.
Thwart
to stop something from happening or someone from doing something
Colleges and universities have been critical of the U.S. News ranking system of decades, saying that it was unreliable and skewed educational priorities, but they have rarely taken action to thwart it, and every year almost always submitted their data for judgement on their various undergraduate and graduate programs.
Motif
an idea, subject, or image that is regularly repeated and developed in a book, film, work of art etc:
The designer balance is two very different motifs and brand histories.
Feudal
relating to the social system of Western Europe in the Middle Ages or any society that is organized according to rank
*the feudal system
Sustenance
food that people or animals need in order to live:
Without sustenance, the animals will soon die
Astute
able to understand situations or behavior very well and very quickly, especially so that you can get an advantage for yourself
SYN clever
an astute politician
Throng
a large group of people in one place
he got lost in the throng.
a throng of excited spectators
▪ crowd
▪ mass athe mass of people in the station
▪ throng literary a very large crowd: A great throng had gathered to listen to his speech.
▪ flock flock of children were being shown through the museum.
▪ pack a pack of reporters shouted questions.
▪ crush There was such a crush on the Metro this morning.
▪ multitude formal literary a very large number of people, especially ordinary people: The Emperor came out to speak to the multitude.
Subsist
to stay alive when you only have small amounts of food or money
SYN survive
subsist on We had to subsist on bread and water.
Purport
■to pretend to be or to do something, especially in a way that is not easy to believe
*They purport to represent the wishes of the majority of parents at the school.
Snug
clothes that are snug fit closely
SYN tight the snug jeans
Scald
to burn your skin with hot liquid or steam
Don’t scald yourself with that kettle!
I dropped a pan of boiling water and scalded my leg.
Knock out
DEFEAT defeat a person or team in a competition so that they can no longer take part
** The German team were knocked out in the first round.**
– Upset
DEFEAT to defeat an opponent who is considered to be much better than you
Japan and South Korea upset the German, Spain and Portugal in the 2022 Qatar FIFA world cup.
Inaugurate
to hold an official ceremony when someone starts doing an important job in government
inaugurate somebody as something
On 8 January 1959 de Gaulle was inaugurated as First President of the Fifth Republic.
Time-tested
describes something, for example a method, that has been used for a long period and has been proved to work well
The school uses old, time-tested techniques for teaching children to read.
Vigil
a silent political protest in which people wait outside a building, especially during the night
silent/candle-lit vigil
2,000 demonstrators held a candle-lit vigil outside the embassy.
Flare
When something bad such as violence, pain or anger flares (up), it suddenly starts or gets much worse
*Violence flared up again last night.
