Deck 21 Flashcards
(100 cards)
1
Q
to take a rain check (on sth)
A
used to tell someone that you cannot accept an invitation now, but would like to do so at a later time
- ‘Mind if I take a rain check on that drink? I have to work late tonight.’
2
Q
larceny
A
theft of personal property
3
Q
homely
A
(of a person) unattractive in appearance
4
Q
at large
A
(especially of a criminal or dangerous animal) at liberty; escaped or not yet captured
5
Q
a bachelor party
A
a party for a man who is going to get married, to which only his male friends are invited
6
Q
defamation
A
the act of harming someone’s reputation by saying or writing bad things about them
7
Q
a wuss
A
a coward (= person who is not brave)
8
Q
unseemly
A
(of behaviour or actions) not proper or appropriate
9
Q
cerulean
A
deep blue in colour like a clear sky
10
Q
to commend
A
to formally and officially praise someone
11
Q
a bearing on sth
A
relation; relevance
- ‘The case has no direct bearing on the issues being considered.’
12
Q
a bloke
A
a man
13
Q
to nick
A
to steal
14
Q
a bellend
A
a stupid or annoying man
15
Q
to say something in a roundabout way
A
to say something indirectly
16
Q
compliance
A
the act of obeying an order, rule, or request
17
Q
abhorrent
A
inspiring disgust by being morally very bad
18
Q
brittle
A
delicate and easily broken
19
Q
embittered
A
very angry about unfair things that have happened to you
20
Q
donezo
A
an exclamation to be used when finished wtih something
- ‘I’m donezo!’
21
Q
to bump uglies
A
to have sex
22
Q
to play coy
A
to avoid giving a direct or complete answer
- ‘When asked about his next book, he played coy.’
23
Q
haphazard
A
not having an obvious order or plan
- ‘He tackled the problem in a typically haphazard manner.’
24
Q
to consort
A
to spend a lot of time in the company of a particular group of people, especially people whose character is not approved of
- ‘They claimed he had been consorting with drug dealers.’
25
a waiver
an agreement that you do not have to pay or obey something
26
ennui [U]
a feeling of being bored and mentally tired caused by having nothing interesting or exciting to do
27
to bemoan
to complain or express sadness about something
28
intrepid
extremely brave and showing no fear of dangerous situations
29
perchance
by chance; possibly; perhaps
- 'Do you know her, perchance?'
30
a bee's knees
a highly admired person or thing
31
frayed
with the threads at the edge coming loose
32
to exonerate
to show or state that someone or something is not guilty of something
- 'The report exonerated the crew from all responsibility for the collision.'
33
a stumper
a puzzling question
34
phat
excellent
35
to hit the mark
be successful in an attempt or accurate in a guess
36
in the sticks
in the middle of nowhere
37
to have/keep several balls in the air
to try to do several different things at the same time
38
whimsical
playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an unusual and amusing way
39
to stonewall
to stop a discussion from developing by refusing to answer questions or by talking in such a way that you prevent other people from giving their opinions
40
reprehensible
If someone's behaviour is reprehensible, it is extremely bad or unacceptable
41
thine
archaic form of yours
42
shrill
(of a voice or sound) high-pitched and piercing
43
hark
used to tell someone to listen
- 'Hark, I hear a distant trumpet!'
44
same old same old
used to say that a situation or someone's behaviour remains the same, especially when it is boring or annoying
- 'Most people just keep on doing the same old same old every day.'
45
to strut
to walk in a proud way trying to look important
46
to desist
to stop doing something, especially something that someone else does not want you to do
- 'The soldiers have been ordered to desist from firing their guns.'
47
to clout
to hit someone or something hard
48
to stymie
prevent or hinder the progress of
- 'The changes must not be allowed to stymie new medical treatments.'
49
to skedaddle
to depart quickly or hurriedly; run away
50
serene
calm, peaceful and untroubled; tranquil
51
frenetic
fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way
52
an intricacy - intricacies
details, especially of an involved or perplexing subject
53
an cobweb
a spider's web, especially when old and dusty
54
semblance [U]
a situation or condition that is similar to what is wanted or expected, but is not exactly as hoped for
- 'The city has now returned to some semblance of normality after last night's celebrations.'
55
a celebutante /sɪˈlɛbjuːtɑːnt/
a celebrity who is well known in fashionable society
56
draught /drɑːft/
denoting beer or cider served from a barrel or tank rather than from a bottle or can
- 'draught ale'
57
a next of kin
the person or group of people you are most closely related to
58
henpecked
A henpecked man is controlled by and a little frightened of a woman, especially his wife.
59
to browbeat
to try to force someone to do something by threatening them or persuading them forcefully and unfairly
- 'Don't be browbeaten into working more hours than you want.'
60
a linchpin
a person or thing vital to an enterprise or organisation
61
crinkly
full of creases or wrinkles; wrinkled
62
to limp
to walk slowly and with difficulty because of having an injured or painful leg or foot
63
brazen
bold and without shame
64
a misnomer
a name that does not suit what it refers to, or the use of such a name
- 'It was the scruffiest place I've ever stayed in, so "Grand Hotel" was a complete misnomer.'
65
forceps (pl.)
a metal instrument with two handles used in medical operations for picking up, pulling, and holding things
66
poised
ready to do a particular thing at any moment
- 'The company is poised to launch its new advertising campaign.'
67
to go south
to make an escape; to disappear
- 'The mugger went South just after the crime.'
68
to garrotte
to kill someone by putting a metal wire or cord around their neck and pulling it
69
to rout
to defeat an opponent completely
70
to work around the clock
to work all day and all night long
71
temerity [U]
a willingness to do or say something that shocks or upsets other people
- 'She had the temerity to call me a liar.'
72
on the lam
moving from place to place to avoid being found or caught
- 'Richard has been on the lam for a week now.'
73
a dearth
an amount or supply that is not large enough
- 'a dearth of new homes in the region'
74
a tadpole
a small, black creature with a large head and long tail that lives in water and develops into a frog or toad
75
to bifurcate
(of roads, rivers, branches, etc.) to divide into two parts
76
toodles!
a shortened anglicised version of the French phrase à tout à l'heure which means goodbye.
77
to tinker with sth
to make small changes to something, especially in an attempt to repair or improve it
- 'I wish the government would stop tinkering with the health service.'
78
to glean
to collect information in small amounts and often with difficulty
- 'From what I was able to glean, the news isn't good.'
79
a lackey
a servant or someone who behaves like one by obeying someone else's orders or by doing unpleasant work for them
80
mottled
covered with areas of different colours that do not form a regular pattern
- 'mottled skin'
81
a courtship
a period during which a couple develop a romantic relationship before getting married
82
to court
to be involved with (someone) romantically, with the intention of marrying
- 'He was courting a girl from the neighbouring farm.'
83
dejection [U]
a sad and depressed state; low spirits
84
inclined
likely or wanting to do something
- 'No one seemed inclined to help.'
85
weepy
feeling likely to cry
86
a frontier
a border between two countries
87
to dissipate
to (cause to) gradually disappear or waste
- 'The heat gradually dissipates into the atmosphere.'
- 'His anger dissipated as the situation became clear.'
88
to hover
to remain in one place in the air
89
to clamp down on sth
to take strong action to stop or limit a harmful or unwanted activity
- 'The government is clamping down on teenage drinking.'
90
the brunt of sth
the main force of something unpleasant
- 'Small companies are feeling the full brunt of the recession.'
91
an enclosure
an area surrounded by fences or walls
- 'an enclosure for the horses'
92
stirring
causing excitement or strong emotion; rousing
93
to scrutinise
to examine something very carefully in order to discover information
94
to cop out
to avoid doing something that one ought to do
- 'He would not cop out of the difficult tax decisions.'
95
upkeep [U]
the cost or process of keeping something, such as a building, in good condition
- 'The upkeep of larger old properties is very expensive.'
96
uproar [S/U]
a situation in which a lot of people complain about something angrily or make a lot of noise
- 'The book caused an uproar in France.'
97
the subject matter
the things that are being talked or written about, or used as the subject of a piece of art, etc.
- 'The subject matter of the documentary was not really suitable for children.'
98
to excavate
to remove earth that is covering very old objects buried in the ground in order to discover things about the past
99
to undulate
to move with a smooth wave-like motion
- 'Her body undulated to the thumping rhythm of the music.'
100
perverse
strange and not what most people would expect or enjoy
- 'She took a perverse pleasure in hearing that her sister was getting divorced.'
