Words 0013 Flashcards
Rumple
to make something become creased (= not smooth) or untidy
- You’ll rumple your jacket if you don’t hang it up properly.
- a rumpled suit/sheet/bed
- He hadn’t brushed his hair and his clothes were rumpled.
gargantuan
Very large:
- a problem of gargantuan proportions
- a gargantuan appetite
litigate
to cause an argument to be discussed in a law court so that a judgment can be made that must be accepted by both sides
cove
- a curved part of a coast that partly surrounds an area of water. Like a bay, but much smaller
- [old] a man
• He’s an odd-looking cove.
inquisitive
wanting to discover as much as you can about things, sometimes in a way that annoys people
- an inquisitive child
- an inquisitive mind
- She could see inquisitive faces looking out from the windows next door.
- The mouse looked around the room inquisitively.
- inquisitiveness
lapidary
A lapidary (or lapidarist) is an artist or artisan who forms stone, mineral, gemstones into decorative items such as engraved gems, including cameos, or cabochons, and faceted designs, or who is an expert in precious stones; and can be a collector of or dealer in gems.
quell
to stop something, especially by using force
- Police in riot gear were called in to quell the disturbances/unrest.
- This latest setback will have done nothing to quell the growing doubts about the future of the club.
quirk
an unusual habit or part of someone’s personality, or something that is strange and unexpected
- You have to get used to other people’s quirks and foibles.
- There is a quirk in the rules that allows you to invest money without paying tax.
- By some strange quirk/By an odd quirk of fate (= unexpectedly), we ended up on the same train.
vanquish
to defeat an enemy or opponent, especially in war
- Napoleon was vanquished at the battle of Waterloo in 1815.
- The vanquished army surrendered their weapons.
beguile
to persuade, attract, or interest someone, sometimes in order to deceive them
- He was completely beguiled by her beauty.
- The salesman beguiled him into buying a car he didn’t want.
nibble
- to eat something by taking a lot of small bites
- Have you got some peanuts for us to nibble while the party warms up?
- A mouse has nibbled through the computer cables.
- Jenny’s hamster’s nibbled a hole in the sofa.
- Just take/have a nibble to see if you like the taste.
- to bite something gently and repeatedly
• She nibbled his ear.
- nibbles [plural UK informal]: small pieces of food that are eaten between or before meals, often with alcoholic drinks
• I bought some crisps and nuts and other nibbles.
- an expression of interest in something
• Our house was on the market for six months and there wasn’t a single nibble.
- nibble (away) at sth: to slowly reduce something
• Even when inflation is low, it nibbles away at people’s savings, reducing their value considerably over several years.
mettle
ability and determination when competing or doing something difficult
- The German athletes showed/proved their mettle in the final round.
- The real test of her political mettle came in the May elections.
- on your mettle: ready to do something as well as you can in a difficult situation
- Both players were on their mettle in the final round.
- Cooking for such important people really puts you on your mettle.
clamber
to climb up, across, or into somewhere with difficulty, using the hands and the feet
- They clambered over/up the rocks.
- I clambered into/onto the bus.
- She clambered into bed.
- I was worn out after my clamber up the hillside.
relinquish
- to give up something such as a responsibility or claim
- He has relinquished his claim to the throne.
- She relinquished control of the family investments to her son.
- to unwillingly stop holding or keeping something
• She relinquished her hold/grip on the steering wheel.
gash
- a long, deep cut, especially in the skin
- to make a long, deep cut in something, especially the skin on a part of the body
• She slipped on a rock and gashed her knee.
