youtube vocab Flashcards
convulsion
a sudden shaking movement of the body that cannot be controlled
The child went into convulsions.
in convulsions He fell to the ground in convulsions.
Extra Examples
The patient lost consciousness and went into convulsions.
He felt a sudden convulsion of fear at the pit of his stomach.
She started to have convulsions again.
The drug can cause paranoia, memory loss and convulsions.
metabolism
the chemical processes in living things that change food, etc. into energy and materials for growth
The body’s metabolism is slowed down by extreme cold.
paradox
a person, thing or situation that has two opposite features and therefore seems strange
He was a paradox—a loner who loved to chat to strangers.
It is a curious paradox that professional comedians often have unhappy personal lives.
The author tackles one of the deepest paradoxes of life.
The facts pose something of a paradox.
the paradox in the relationship between creativity and psychosis
The paradox about time is that it seems to go faster as we become older and less active.
hover
to stay close to something, or to stay in an uncertain state ============= Temperatures hovered around freezing. He hovered on the edge of consciousness. A smile hovered on her lips. She was hovering between life and death.
harness
harness something to control and use the force or strength of something to produce power or to achieve something
attempts to harness the sun’s rays as a source of energy
We must harness the skill and creativity of our workforce.
How can this energy be harnessed effectively for the good of humankind?
They are attempting to harness the power of the sun.
intake
the amount of food, drink, etc. that you take into your body
high fluid intake
to reduce your daily intake of salt
Make sure you have a balanced intake of vitamins A, B, C and D.
One of the best ways to get to your ideal size is to cut fat intake right down.
You need to watch your alcohol intake.
You should maintain a low intake of fat.
your recommended daily intake of vitamin C
rhythm
a strong regular repeated pattern of sounds or movements
to dance to the rhythm of the music
I listened to the steady rhythm of her breathing.
music with a fast/slow/steady rhythm
I love these jazz rhythms.
abnormal heart rhythms
in rhythm He can’t seem to play in rhythm.
in rhythm with something The boat rocked up and down in rhythm with the sea.
a dancer with a natural sense of rhythm (= the ability to move in time to a fixed beat)
shiver
(of a person) to shake slightly because you are cold, frightened, excited, etc.
Don’t stand outside shivering—come inside and get warm!
He shivered at the thought of the cold, dark sea.
shiver with something to shiver with cold/fear/excitement/pleasure
His cruel and callous comments made me shiver.
I was shivering with cold.
She shivered involuntarily as he approached her.
constrict
to become tighter or narrower; to make something tighter or narrower
Her throat constricted and she swallowed hard.
constrict something a drug that constricts the blood vessels
unwind
unwind (something) (from something) if something that has been wrapped into a ball or around something unwinds or you unwind it, it becomes, or you make it, straight, flat or loose again
to unwind a ball of string
He unwound his scarf from his neck.
The bandage gradually unwound and fell off.
replenish
replenish something (with something) to make something full again by replacing what has been used (refill, refresh, restock) =================== to replenish food and water supplies Allow me to replenish your glass.
forage
forage (for something) (of a person or an animal) to search widely for food
The female only leaves the young when she forages for food.
The pigs are allowed to forage around in a large orchard.
blindfold
blindfold somebody to cover somebody’s eyes with a piece of cloth or other material so that they cannot see
The hostages were tied up and blindfolded.
vertebrate
(of an animal) having a backbone
swamp
an area of ground that is very wet or covered with water and in which plants, trees, etc. are growing
tropical swamps
The country contains around 700 square km of swamp.
buoyancy
the fact of floating, being able to float or able to keep things floating
a buoyancy aid (= something to help you float)
skyrocket
(of prices, etc.) to rise quickly to a very high level
Wages and prices have skyrocketed.
The economic boom sent property prices skyrocketing.
plummet
to fall suddenly and quickly from a high level or position
Share prices plummeted to an all-time low.
Her spirits plummeted at the thought of meeting him again.
The jet plummeted into a row of houses.
placental
having a placenta
placental mammals
top something off (with something)
to complete something successfully by doing or adding one final thing
The outfit was topped off with a large black hat.
gracefully
in a polite and kind way, especially in a difficult situation
I think we should just give in gracefully.
inflated
(especially of prices) higher than is acceptable or reasonable
inflated prices/salaries
The prices of meals are often artificially inflated.
Consumers are paying inflated prices for food.
These figures are grossly inflated.
company directors with inflated salaries
justify
to show that somebody/something is right or reasonable
justify doing something How can they justify paying such huge salaries?
justify somebody/something doing something The results of the inquiry did not justify them departing from their existing policy.
justify something Her success had justified the faith her teachers had put in her.
Extra Examples
Can you really justify the destruction of such a fine old building?
The decision is justified on the grounds that there is no realistic alternative.
The events that followed served to justify our earlier decision.
The extra effort involved would go a long way in helping to justify their high price tags.
The meagre result hardly justified the risks they took to get it.
The university could not easily justify spending the money on this.
It would be difficult for an employer to justify dismissing someone on those grounds.
unify
unify something to join people, things, parts of a country, etc. together so that they form a single unit
The new leader hopes to unify the country.
the task of unifying Europe
a unified transport system
Extra Examples
attempts to unify different groups into one political party
relatively unified societies
a step towards a complete, fully unified theory
attribute
attribute something to something to say or believe that something is the result of a particular thing
She attributes her success to hard work and a little luck.
The power failure was attributed to the recent storms and high winds.
brawl
a noisy and violent fight involving a group of people, usually in a public place
He got into a drunken brawl in a bar.
a pub/tavern/nightclub/barroom brawl
Police officers were injured in a mass brawl outside a nightclub.
Synonyms fight
regress
regress (to something) to return to an earlier or less advanced form or way of behaving
humility
the quality of not thinking that you are better than other people; the quality of being humble
Her first defeat was an early lesson in humility.
an act of genuine humility
manual
a book that tells you how to do or operate something, especially one that comes with a machine, etc. when you buy it
a computer/car/instruction manual
Why don’t you read the manual?
