0423 Flashcards
endear somebody to somebody
So the fact that I did speak Africa languages immediately endeared me to the black kids.
to make someone popular and liked
endear yourself to somebody
The emperor saw an opportunity to endear himself to the Athenians.
cripple
The only way to make apartheid work, therefore, was to cripple the black mind.
1 old-fashioned to hurt someone badly so that they cannot walk properly SYN disable
She was crippled in a car accident.
2 to damage something badly so that it no longer works or is no longer effective
Industry is being crippled by high interest rates.
till
They taught metrics and agriculture: how to count potatoes, how to pave roads, chop wood, till the soil.
to prepare land for growing crops SYN cultivate
till the soil/land/fields etc
pasture
This will only mislead them, showing him posture in which he is not allowed to graze.
1 land or a field that is covered with grass and is used for cattle, sheep etc to feed on
large areas of rough upland pasture
the lush pastures of the southern counties
graze
1 [intransitive, transitive] if an animal grazes, or if you graze it, it eats grass that is growing
graze on
Groups of cattle were grazing on the rich grass.
fields where they used to graze their sheep
dilapidated
Most of them shut down, and black children were forced into crowded classroom in dilapidated schools, often with teachers who were barely literate themselves.
a dilapidated building, vehicle etc is old and in very bad condition → derelict
anglicize
If they could learn to speak correct English and dress in proper clothes, if they could Anglicize and civilize themselves, one day they might be welcome in society.
to make something or someone more English
Leszek anglicized his name to ‘Lester’.
bulldoze
The government seized their home and bulldozed the whole area to build a fancy, new white suburb.
tomboy
My mom was the problem child, a tomboy, stubborn, defiant.
a girl who likes playing the same games as boys
defiant
clearly refusing to do what someone tells you to do
Mark smashed a fist on the desk in a defiant gesture.
