Chapter 1.6 Vocabulary

Question 1

Dart

Answer 1

Verb

1. To move quickly or suddenly

I darted behind the sofa and hid.

Dart a glance/look at sb

1. To look quickly at someone.

She darted an angry look at me.

Question 2

Tantrum

Answer 2

Noun

1. A sudden period of uncontrolled anger like a young child’s

If she doesn’t get her own way she has temper tantrums.

Question 3

Hone

Answer 3

Verb

1. To make an object sharp
2. To make sth perfect or completely suitable for its purpose.

His physique was honed to perfection.

Her debating skills were honed in the students’ union.

Question 4

Limber

Answer 4

Adj

1. Of a person able to bend and move easily and smoothly.

Question 5

Disarming

Answer 5

Adj

1. Making someone begin to like you

He had a disarming reason for arriving late - he was reading to his children

One of the most disarming aspects of robert’s vocals always has been his tendency to shy away from the peak notes in any given melody line.

Question 6

Succumb

Answer 6

Verb

1. To lose the determination to oppose something; to accept defeat.

I’m afraid I succumbed to temptation and had a piece of cheesecake.

I felt sure it would only be a matter of time before he succumbed to my charms.

2. To die or suffer badly from an illness.

Thousands of cows have succumbed to the disease in the past few months.

Question 7

Loom

Answer 7

Verb

1. To appear as a large, often frightening or unclear shape or object

Dark storm clouds loomed on the horizon.

Second leg of chelsea’s champions league round of 16 tie against barcelona on Wednesday looms large ahead of the Palace game, but conte insisted that his players will not be distracted from the task at hand.

2. If an unwanted or unpleasant event looms, it seems likely to happen soon and causes worry.

Her final exams are looming.

Here, too, the threat of unemployment has been looming on the horizon.

The threat of closure looms over the workforce.

Noun

1. A piece of equipment for weaving.

Question 8

Infamy

Answer 8

Noun

1. The quality of being famous for sth considered bad

The president described the attack as “a day that will live in infamy”

2. A bad and shocking act or event

For the relatives of those who had died in the war, the final infamy was the pardoning of the draft-dodgers.

Question 9

Dismay

Answer 9

Noun

1. A feeling of unhappiness and disappointment

The fans watched in/with dismay as their team lost 42-11

To my dismay, the door was locked.

She discovered, to her dismay, that her exam was a whole month earlier than she’d expected.

Question 10

Deprecate

Answer 10

Verb

1. To not approve of sth or say that you do not approve of sth

We deprecate this use of company funds for political purposes.

2. To say that you think sth is of little value or importance

He always deprecates my achievements.

Question 11

Lethal

Answer 11

Adjective

1. able to cause or causing death; extremely dangerous:

Three minutes after the fire started, the house was full of lethal fumes.

A lethal weapon

In the car the police found guns, knives, and other lethal weapons (= weapons that can kill).

Question 12

Impressionable

Answer 12

adjective

1. easily influenced by other people, especially because you are young

He’s at that impressionable age when he’s very easily led by other children.

Almost all are highly impressionable and seek leadership to help them begin to realise their strong ideals and aspirations.

They will remember that, after all, this boy was at the most sensitive and impressionable period of human life.

Question 13

susceptible

Answer 13

Adjective

1. easily influenced or harmed by something

She isn’t very susceptible to flattery.

These plants are particularly susceptible to frost.

Among particularly susceptible children, the disease can develop very fast.

2. used to describe someone who is easily emotionally influenced

They persuade susceptible teenagers to part with their money.

3. formal (especially of an idea or statement) able to be understood, proved, explained, etc. in a particular way:

Shakespeare’s plays are susceptible to various interpretations.

The facts are susceptible of other explanations.

Question 14

Detriment

Answer 14

Noun

1. harm or damage

Are you sure that I can follow this diet without detriment to my health?

She was very involved with sports at college, to the detriment of (= harming) her studies.

Question 15

Deplete

Answer 15

verb

1. to reduce something in size or amount, especially supplies of energy, money, etc.

If we continue to deplete the earth’s natural resources, we will cause serious damage to the environment.

The illness depletes the body of important vitamins.

Acid rain depletes the region’s fish stocks.

That last holiday seriously depleted my bank account!

Question 16

Expense

Answer 16

Noun

1. the use of money, time, or effort.

Buying a bigger car has proved to be well worth the expense.

We’ve just had a new garage built at great expense.

We went on holiday at my father’s expense (= he paid for it).

It’s silly to go to the expense of (= spend money on) buying new clothes when you don’t really need them.

Question 17

At the expense of sth

Answer 17

1. If you do one thing at the expense of another, doing the first thing harms the second thing:

Military strength is often achieved at the expense of a country’s economic health.

Question 18

Entitled

Answer 18

Adjective

1. feeling that you have the right to do or have what you want without having to work for it or deserve it, just because of who you are

These kids are spoiled, entitled, self-absorbed, and apathetic.

Question 19

Endorse

Answer 19

Verb

1. to make a public statement of your approval or support for something or someone

The Council is expected to endorse the committee’s recommendations.

[formal] I fully endorse (= agree with) everything the Chairperson has said.

2. to appear in an advertisement, saying that you use and like a particular product:

They paid $2 million to the world champion to endorse their new aftershave.

Question 20

Modest

Answer 20

Adjective

1. not large in size or amount, or not expensive.

They live in a fairly modest house, considering their wealth.

There has been a modest improvement/recovery in housing conditions for the poor.

The party made modest gains in the elections, but nothing like the huge gains that were predicted.

Question 21

Spectrum

Answer 21

Noun

1. the set of colours into which a beam of light can be separated, or a range of waves, such as light waves or radio waves:

The colours of the spectrum - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet - can be seen in a rainbow.

2. a range of different positions, opinions, etc. between two extreme points:

He has support from across the whole political spectrum.

The group includes students from both ends of the social spectrum (= range of social classes).

A wide spectrum of opinion was represented at the meeting.

My disease is nowhere near as bad as hers but they are on the same spectrum.

Question 22

Pioneer

Answer 22

Noun

1. a person who is one of the first people to do something:

one of the pioneers of modern science.

It was universities that pioneered these new industries.

a pioneer heart surgeon

2. a person who goes to an area and builds a house, begins a farm, etc.:

The pioneers went west across North America, cutting down forests and planting new crops.

Question 23

Laid-back

Answer 23

Adjective

1. relaxed in manner and character; not usually worried about other people’s behaviour or things that need to be done.

I’ve never seen her worried or anxious in any way - she’s so laid-back.

It’s a laid-back company – you can choose your own hours and the dress is very casual.

Question 24

Segregation

Answer 24

Noun

1. the policy of keeping one group of people apart from another and treating them differently, especially because of race, sex, or religion.

The system of racial segregation that used to exist in South Africa was called apartheid.

The community fought to end segregation in schools and housing.

The segregation of employment by gender.

Question 25

Breathtaking

Answer 25

Adjective 1. extremely exciting, beautiful, or surprising: The view from the top of the mountain is breathtaking. The violin solo was breathtaking. His performance is described in the paper as "a breathtaking display of physical agility".

Question 26

Overhaul

Answer 26

Verb 1. To repair or improve something so that every part of it works as it should: I got the engine overhauled. The government has recently overhauled the healthcare system. They repaired and maintained aircraft and overhauled their engines. Congressional leaders are considering overhauling the Clean Air Act.

Question 27

Feverishly

Answer 27

Adverb 1. very actively or with great excitement: Doctors and nurses worked feverishly to save his life.

Question 28

Unconventional

Answer 28

Adjective 1. different from what is usual or from the way most people do things: He has an unconventional attitude toward work. an unconventional childhood/lifestyle/marriage.

Question 29

Circumstantial

Answer 29

Adjective 1. containing information, especially about a crime, that makes you think something is true but does not completely prove it: Circumstantial evidence. The case against her was circumstantial. The report said most of the data was circumstantial, so no conclusions could be drawn from it. The judge reminded the jury that circumstantial evidence is information that may be important but is not proof of guilt.

Question 30

Fringe

Answer 30

Noun 1. the outer or less important part of an area, group, or activity: The southern fringe of the city. The radical fringes of the party. He attended several of the fringe meetings at the conference. His organization is a fringe group (= one that represents the views of a small number of people).

Question 31

Decimate

Answer 31

Verb 1. to kill a large number of something, or to reduce something severely: Populations of endangered animals have been decimated. Overfishing has decimated the cod population. We decimated public transportation in the 1950s and ’60s.

Question 32

Abundance

Answer 32

Noun 1. the situation in which there is more than enough of something: There was an abundance of food at the wedding. Grapes and olives grow in abundance in the valley. We all seem to have an abundance of those plastic grocery bags. We had wine in abundance.

Question 33

Dispense

Answer 33

Verb 1. to give out things, especially products, services, or amounts of money: There is a vending machine on the platform that dispenses snacks. Is there a tourism agency that dispenses city maps? This gasoline pump is capable of dispensing eight blends of gasoline.

Question 34

Prevalent

Answer 34

Adjective 1. existing very commonly or happening often: These diseases are more prevalent among young children. Drought conditions have been prevalent across the area for several years. Trees are dying in areas where acid rain is most prevalent.

Question 35

Evident

Answer 35

Adj 1. easily seen or understood: The full extent of the damage only became evident the following morning. From the smell it was evident that the drains had been blocked for several days. Harry's courage during his illness was evident to everyone. Her love for him was evident in all that she did.

Question 36

Startle

Answer 36

Verb 1. to do something unexpected that surprises and sometimes worries a person or animal She was concentrating on her book and his voice startled her. She startled him when she said hello. The noise of the car startled the birds and the whole flock flew up into the air. Her article on diet startled many people into changing their eating habits.

Question 37

Disastrous

Answer 37

Adj 1. extremely bad or unsuccessful: Such a war would be disastrous for the country. This decision will have a disastrous impact on foreign policy. It was a disastrous mistake which he lived to regret. In 1837, there was a disastrous smallpox epidemic. His first attempt was disastrous.

Question 38

Melee

Answer 38

Noun 1. a large noisy uncontrolled crowd, in which people are moving in different directions and sometimes fighting with each other: We lost sight of each other in the melee. A melee erupted in the stands near the end of the game.

Question 39

Sumptuous

Answer 39

Adj 1. luxurious and showing that you are rich: The celebrity guests turned up dressed in sumptuous evening gowns. 2. of high quality, and often expensive. I had never seen such a sumptuous apartment.

Question 40

Lash out

Answer 40

Phrasal verb 1. to suddenly attack someone or something physically or criticize him, her, or it in an angry way: I was only teasing him and suddenly he lashed out (at me) and hit me in the face. Why's Tina in such a bad mood? She really lashed out at me when I was late for work.

Question 41

Probe

Answer 41

Verb 1. to try to discover information that other people do not want you to know, by asking questions carefully and not directly: The interviewer probed deep into her private life. Detectives questioned him for hours, probing for any inconsistencies in his story. The article probes (= tries to describe and explain) the mysteries of nationalism in modern Europe. They probed in/into the mud with a special drill.

Question 42

Exacerbate

Answer 42

Verb 1. to make something that is already bad even worse: This attack will exacerbate the already tense relations between the two communities. Her allergy was exacerbated by the dust.

Question 43

Obsolete

Answer 43

Adj 1. not in use any more, having been replaced by something newer and better or more fashionable: Gas lamps became obsolete when electric lighting was invented. Typewriters have been rendered obsolete by computers. Payment by cheque will soon be obsolete.

Question 44

Overt

Answer 44

Adj 1. done or shown publicly or in an obvious way and not secret: overt criticism It was an overtly sexual advertising campaign. overt racism He shows no overt signs of his unhappiness.

Question 45

Transcend

Answer 45

Verb 1. to go further, rise above, or be more important or better than something, especially a limit: The best films are those which transcend national or cultural barriers. The underlying message of the film is that love transcends everything else.

Question 46

Reluctance

Answer 46

Noun 1. an unwillingness to do something. Her reluctance to contribute financially is going to cause problems for us. I fully understand his reluctance to leave his children. He tried to explain his reluctance to get involved.

Question 47

Indulge

Answer 47

Verb 1. to allow yourself or another person to have something enjoyable, especially more than is good for you: The soccer fans indulged their patriotism, waving flags and singing songs. I love champagne but I don't often indulge myself. He indulged his passion for skiing whenever he could. We took a deliberate decision to indulge in a little nostalgia.

Question 48

Sophisticated

Answer 48

Adj 1. having a good understanding of the way people behave and/or a good knowledge of culture and fashion: She was slim, svelte, and sophisticated. I don't think I have any books that would suit your sophisticated tastes. He was older than me and from London and I thought him very sophisticated. 2. intelligent or made in a complicated way and therefore able to do complicated tasks: I think a more sophisticated approach is needed to solve this problem. These are among the most sophisticated weapons in the world.

Question 49

Cascade

Answer 49

Noun 1. a small waterfall, often one of a group ​ 2. a large amount of something that hangs down: A cascade of golden hair fell down his back.(= Her hair seemed to flow down her back). Verb 1. to pass on information by giving it to just a few people, who then give it to more people; to be passed on in this way: Guest information is cascaded through employee shift briefings. Communication cascades down the organization until the information has been communicated through each level, to the front lines.

Question 50

Pilgrimage

Answer 50

Noun 1. a special journey made by a pilgrim: Muslims try to make a pilgrimage/go on a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life. ​ 2. a visit to a place that is considered special, where you go to show your respect: For many fans, the national stadium is a place of pilgrimage. 3. a trip, often a long one, made to a holy place for religious reasons