Movies Flashcards
QueenGambit (43 cards)
Insipid (adj)
1foodordrinkthat is insipid does not have muchtasteSYNbland
an insipid pasta dish
2notinteresting,exciting, orattractive
insipid colours
Uncork (verb)
to open abottlebyremovingitscork
Allowance (noun)
1[countable usually singular]anamountof money that you are given regularly or for aspecialpurposea monthly/annual etc allowanceHis father gives him a monthly allowance of £200.allowance forDo youget an allowancefor clothes?Sales staff get a generous mileage allowance or a company car.If you are entitled to sickness allowance, you must claim it from your employer.
2[countable usually singular]an amount of something that isacceptableorsafethe recommendeddaily allowanceof Vitamin CPassengers’ baggage allowance is 75 pounds per person.
play possum informal
Topretendto beasleepor dead so that someone will notannoyorhurtyou
Sher‧pa/ˈʃɜːpə$ˈʃɜːr-/noun[countable]
a Himalayan person who is often employed toguidepeople throughmountainsand carry theirequipment
thrilled/θrɪld/●●○adjective[not before noun]
veryexcited,happy, andpleased
be thrilled to see/hear/learn etc something
We were so thrilled to hear about the baby.
thrilled (that)I’m absolutely thrilled that you are coming.
thrilled about
He was thrilled about being asked to play.
thrilled to bits/pieces(=very thrilled)
pes‧ter/ˈpestə$-ər/verb[intransitive, transitive]
toannoysomeone, especially by asking them manytimesto do something→harass
She’d been pestered by reporters for days.
pester somebody for something
I can’t even walk down the street without being continually pestered for money.
pester somebody to do something
The kids have been pestering me to buy them new trainers.
cra‧dle1/ˈkreɪdl/noun
1[countable] a smallbedfor ababy, especially one that moves gently from side to side→cot
Sherockedthecradleto quieten the child.
2→the cradle of something
3→from (the) cradle to (the) grave
4[singular]the beginning of something
Like most Catholic children, he had heard stories of Irelandfrom the cradle.5[countable]astructurethat is used toliftsomething heavy up or down
a window-cleaner’s cradle
6[countable]the part of atelephonewhere you put thereceiverwhen you are not using it
She replaced the receiver on the cradle
hail1/heɪl/●○○verb
1[transitive]todescribesomeone or something as being very goodhail somebody/something as something
Lang’s first film was immediately hailed as a masterpiece.
be hailed something
The new service has been
hailed a success.
A young man is being
hailed a herotonight after rescuing two children.
2[transitive]to call to someone in order togreetthem ortrytoattracttheirattention
She leaned out of the window and hailed a passerby.
hail a cab/taxi
The hotel doorman will hail a cab for you.
3→it hails→hail fromsomething
bough/baʊ/noun[countable] literary
a mainbranchon a tree
grove/ɡrəʊv$ɡroʊv/●○○noun
1[countable]a piece of land with trees growing on itgrove ofa smallgroveof beechtreesolive/lemon/palm etc grove
He owns an orange grove near Tel Aviv
sa‧cred/ˈseɪkrɪd/●●○adjective
1relatingto agodorreligion
a sacred vowthe miraculous powers of sacred relicsCertain animals were considered sacred.
sacred to
The land is sacred to these tribesmen.
2very important or greatlyrespected
Human life is sacred.Frontiers which have held for over forty years are no longer sacred.
sacred to
Few things were sacred to Henry, but local history was one of them.He had no respect for everything Iheld sacred.
sor‧row1/ˈsɒrəʊ$ˈsɑːroʊ, ˈsɔː-/●○○noun
1[uncountable]a feeling of greatsadness, usually because someone hasdiedor because somethingterriblehas happened to you→griefgreat/deep sorrow
a time of great sorrow
sorrow at
He expressed his sorrow at my father’s death.
sorrow for
Claudia felt a deep pang of sorrow for the woman.
RegisterIn everyday English, people usually saysadnessrather thansorrow:
She talked about hersadnessafter his death.
2[countable]aneventorsituationthat makes you feel great sadness
the family’s joys and sorrows
fate/feɪt/●○○noun
1[countable usually singular]the things that happen to someone or something, especiallyunpleasantthings that end theirexistenceor end a particular period
I wouldn’t wish such a fate on my worst enemy.
fate of
No one knows what the fate of the hostages will be.
2[uncountable]a power that is believed to control what happens in people’s lives
Fate plays cruel tricks sometimes.
a twist/quirk of fate(=something unexpected that happens)
By astrange twist of fate, Smith’s first match is against the team that gave him the sack last season
pre‧vail/prɪˈveɪl/●○○verb[intransitive]formal
1if abelief,custom,situationetc prevails, itexistsamong a group of people at acertaintimeprevail in/among etc
the economic conditions which prevail in England and WalesI admired the creativity which prevailed among the young writers.2if a person, idea, orprincipleprevails in afight,argumentetc, they aresuccessfulin the end
Justice will prevail.
common sense prevails/reason prevails(=a sensible decision is made)
He considered lying, but then common sense prevailed.
prevail over/against
Your inner strength will enable you to prevail over life’s obstacles.
hea‧then1/ˈhiːðən/adjectiveold-fashioned
Notconnectedwith or belonging to theChristianreligionor any of the largeestablishedreligions
ale/eɪl/noun[uncountable]
1a type ofbeermade frommalt(1)
2old-fashionedbeer
oar/ɔː$ɔːr/noun[countable]
1a longpolewith awideflatbladeat one end, used forrowingaboat→paddle
2→put/stick/get your oar in
de‧feat1/dɪˈfiːt/●●●W3noun[countable, uncountable]
1failureto win orsucceed
defeat in
The socialist party suffered a crushing defeat in the elections.She was a woman who hated to admit defeat.
2victoryover someone or something
defeat of
The defeat of the army was followed by the establishment of constitutional government.
pre‧vail/prɪˈveɪl/●○○verb[intransitive]formal
1if abelief,custom,situationetc prevails, itexistsamong a group of people at acertaintime.
prevail in/among etc
the economic conditions which prevail in England and WalesI admired the creativity which prevailed among the young writers.
2if a person, idea, orprincipleprevails in afight,argumentetc, they aresuccessfulin the end
Justice will prevail.
common sense prevails/reason prevails(=a sensible decision is made)
He considered lying, but then common sense prevailed.
prevail over/against
Your inner strength will enable you to prevail over life’s obstacles.
plun‧der1/ˈplʌndə$-ər/verbwritten
1[intransitive, transitive]tosteallarge amounts of money orpropertyfrom somewhere, especially whilefightingin awar
The rich provinces of Asia Minor were plundered by the invaders.
2[transitive]to use up all or most of thesuppliesof something in acarelessway
Unlicensed fishermen have plundered tuna stocks.
the egotism of man as he plunders our planet
plunder2noun[uncountable]written
1things that have been stolen during aviolentattack, especially during a war
Henry’s army returned loaded down with plunder.2theactof plundering
fear of invasion and plunder
bare1/beə$ber/●●○adjective
1WITHOUT CLOTHESnot covered by clothesSYNnaked
a ragged child with bare feet.
She felt the warm sun on her bare arms.
bare-headed/bare-chested/bare-legged etc
2LAND/TREESnot covered by trees orgrass, or not having any leaves
The trees soon gave way to bare rock.
3NOT COVERED/EMPTYempty, not covered by anything, or not having anydecorations
She looked round her tiny bare room.
a bare wood staircase
stran‧gle/ˈstræŋɡəl/verb[transitive]
1tokillsomeone by pressing theirthroatwith your hands, aropeetc→chokestrangle with
The victim had been strangled with a belt.2tolimitorpreventthegrowthordevelopmentof something
Mills argues that high taxation strangles the economy.
