Words 0015

Question 1

apiary

Answer 1

a place where people keep bees, especially a collection of hives kept to provide honey

Question 2

swathe (AREA)

/sweɪð/

Answer 2

(1) a long strip or large area of something, especially of land
(2) a large part of something that includes several different things
(4) (CLOTH) a long strip of cloth
(3) (VERB) to wrap round or cover with cloth

• Huge swathes of rainforest are being cleared for farming and mining.
• These people represent a broad/wide swathe of public opinion.
• His head was wrapped in swathes of bandages.
• He came out of the hospital swathed in bandages.
• I love to swathe (= dress) myself in silk.

Question 3

swaddle

/ˈswɒd.l̩/

Answer 3

to wrap a baby tightly in cloth

• Swaddling a baby tightly in a blanket can be a good way to stop it crying.

Question 4

paunch

Answer 4

a fat stomach, especially on a man

• paunchy (ADJECTIVE)
• paunchiness (NOUN)

Question 5

pauper

/ˈpɔː.pər/

Answer 5

a very poor person

Question 6

foible

Answer 6

a strange habit or characteristic that is seen as not important and not harming anyone

• We all have our little foibles.

Question 7

foghorn

/ˈfɒɡ.hɔːn/

Answer 7

a horn that makes a very loud sound to warn ships that they are close to land or other ships

• He has a voice like a foghorn (= an unpleasantly loud voice).

Question 8

svelte

adjective

Answer 8

attractively thin, graceful, and stylish

Question 9

heft

verb

Answer 9

to lift, hold, or carry something heavy using your hands

• I watched him heft the heavy sack onto his shoulder.

Question 10

détente

/deɪˈtɒnt/

Answer 10

an improvement in the relationship between two countries that in the past were not friendly and did not trust each other

• The talks are aimed at furthering détente between the two countries.

Question 11

précis

/ˈpreɪ.si/

Answer 11

a short form of a text that gives only the important parts

(noun and verb)

• You have all been given a précis of the report.
• If I may précis the president’s words - “This country will never give in to terrorism.”

Question 12

hackneyed

Answer 12

describes a phrase or an idea that has been said or used so often that it has become boring and has no meaning

• The plot of the film is just a hackneyed boy-meets-girl scenario.

Question 13

gawp

Answer 13

to look at something or someone in a stupid or rude way

• Don’t sit there gawping like that - give me a hand!
• They just stood there gawping at me.

Question 14

gawky

Answer 14

tall and awkward

• a gawky teenager

Question 15

guile

Answer 15

clever but sometimes dishonest behaviour that you use to deceive someone

• The president will need to use all her political guile to stay in power.
• He is a simple man, totally lacking in guile.

∆ guileless = honest, not able to deceive

• She regarded him with wide, guileless blue eyes.

Question 16

inundate

Answer 16

to give someone so much work or so many things that they cannot deal with them all

• We have been inundated with requests for help.

(FLOOD) to flood an area with water

• If the dam breaks it will inundate large parts of the town.

∆ inundation

Question 17

inure sb to sth

Answer 17

(PHRASAL VERB)
If you become inured to something unpleasant, you become familiar with it and able to accept and bear it

• After spending some time on the island they became inured to the hardships.

Question 18

clemency

Answer 18

kindness when giving a punishment

• The jury passed a verdict of guilty, with an appeal to the judge for clemency

Question 19

Clement

Answer 19

(1) describes weather that is pleasant or not severe
(2) clemency = the quality of being pleasant or not severe

• It’s very clement for the time of year.
• Brisbane is known for its clemency

Question 20

cleft

Answer 20

an opening or crack, especially in a rock or the ground

• Eagles often nest in a cleft in the rocks.

∆ abnormalities: cleft lip, cleft palate