Set 1 Flashcards

Question

fervor

Answer 1

fer‧vor /ˈfɜːvə $ ˈfɜːrvər/ very strong belief or feeling; **Fervor** for something is a very strong feeling for or belief in it: PASSION, ARDOR, intensity, zeal, vehemence, vehemency, emotion, warmth, sincerity, earnestness, avidness, avidity, eagerness, keenness, enthusiasm, excitement ...religious **fervor** ...revolutionary **fervor** ...patriotic **fervor** ...They were concerned only with their own religious **fervor**. \> mid-14c., "warmth or glow of feeling," from Old French fervor "heat; enthusiasm, ardor, passion" (12c., Modern French ferveur), from Latin fervor "a boiling, violent heat; passion, ardor, fury," from fervere "to boil; be hot" (from PIE root *bhreu- "to boil, bubble, effervesce, burn"). \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 2

(n.) a series of words said as a magic spell or charm ##Footnote The wizard muttered an ancient incantation to summon the spirits. \> "art or act of enchanting by uttering magical words, with ceremonies supposed to have magical power; the formula of words or the ceremony employed," late 14c., from Old French incantacion "spell, exorcism" (13c.), from Late Latin incantationem (nominative incantatio) "art of enchanting," noun of action from past-participle stem of incantare "to bewitch, charm, cast a spell upon, chant magic over, sing spells", from Latin incantare "to enchant, fix a spell upon," from in- "upon, into" (from PIE root **en** "in") + cantare "to sing" (from PIE root **kan-** "to sing") (see **enchantment**). \> Etymonline

Answer 3

bul‧lion /ˈbʊljən/ bars of gold or silver \> mid-14c., "uncoined gold or silver," from Anglo-French bullion, Old French billon "bar of precious metal," also "place where coins are made, mint," from Old French bille "stick, block of wood" (see billiards), influenced by Old French boillir "to boil," from Latin bullire "boil" (see boil (v.)), through the notion of "melting." \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Etymonline

Answer 4

ca‧jole /kəˈdʒəʊl $ -ˈdʒoʊl/ to persuade someone to do something by praising them or making promises to them; If you **cajole** someone **into** doing something, you get them to do it after persuading them for some time: PERSUADE, wheedle, coax, talk into, maneuver, get round → cajole sb into doing sth ...He hoped to **cajole** her **into** selling her house. ...It was he who had **cajoled** Garland **into** doing the film. \> "deceive or delude by flattery," 1640s, from French cajoler "to cajole, wheedle, coax," a word of uncertain origin; perhaps a blend of cageoler "to chatter like a jay" (16c., from gajole, southern diminutive of geai "jay;" see **jay** (n.)), and Old French gaioler "to cage, entice into a cage" (see **jail** (n.)). Related: Cajoled; cajoling. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 5

@restaurant

Answer 6

rav‧age /ˈrævɪdʒ/ to damage something very badly; A town, country, or economy that **has been ravaged** is one that has been damaged so much that it is almost completely destroyed: DESTROY, ruin, devastate, wreck /rek/ ...For two decades the country **has been ravaged** by civil war and foreign intervention. GRAMMAR **Ravage** is usually passive. \> From French ravage (“ravage, havoc, spoil”), from ravir (“to bear away suddenly, to take away hastily”), from Latin rapere (“to snatch, seize”), akin to Ancient Greek ἁρπάζω (harpázō, “to seize”). \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Wiktionary, Etymonline

Answer 7

interesting

Answer 8

ad‧a‧mant /ˈædəmənt/ determined not to change your opinion or a decision that you have made: DETERMINED, FIRM, UNSHAKEABLE, immovable, inflexible, unwavering, uncompromising, resolute, resolved ...She begged me to change my mind, but I **remained adamant**. ...The prime minister is **adamant that** he will not resign. ...Sue was **adamant about** that job in Australia. —adamantly adverb ...Britain is **adamantly opposed to ** the new directive. \> Old English (as a noun), from Old French adamaunt-, via Latin from Greek adamas, adamant-, ‘untameable, invincible’ (later used to denote the hardest metal or stone, hence diamond), from a- ‘not’ + daman ‘to tame’. The phrase to be adamant dates from the 1930s, although adjectival use had been implied in such collocations as ‘an adamant heart’ since the 16th century. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus

Answer 9

used to suggest that someone should do something, because there is no good reason to do anything else SYN might as well ...If there’s nothing more to do, we may as well go to bed. ...You may as well tell us now – we’ll find out sooner or later. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Answer 10

san‧guine /ˈsæŋɡwɪn/ happy and hopeful about the future: OPTIMISTIC, bullish, hopeful, buoyant, positive, disposed to look on the bright side ...They have begun to take a more **sanguine** view. ...But by the late 1990s, nearly 20 years behind schedule on his book, Sherwin’s attitude toward the project became less **sanguine**. —David Amsden, *Los Angeles Times*, 18 July 2023 → sanguine about ...He's remarkably **sanguine about** the problems involved. ...He is **sanguine about** the company's future. ...I'm **sanguine about** the eventual success of the project. ...Saval is **sanguine about** socialism’s future—and how its ideas on the economy and health care, at least, have penetrated the mainstream. —Ross Barkan, *The New Republic*, 3 Aug. 2023 ...When I last compiled investment firms' long-term asset-class return forecasts, in April 2020, most of the companies surveyed were feeling at least somewhat **sanguine about** stocks' prospects. — Benz, Christine. "Experts Forecast Stock and Bond Returns: 2021 Edition." *Morningstar*, 20 Jan. 2021 ...Most experts are also relatively **sanguine about** these potential downsides. —David Leonhardt, *BostonGlobe.com*, 28 Aug. 2023 \> Middle English: from Old French sanguin(e ) 'blood red', from Latin sanguineus 'of blood', from sanguis, sanguin- 'blood'. The meaning "cheerful, hopeful, vivacious, confident" is attested by c. 1500, because these qualities were thought in old medicine to spring from an excess or predominance of blood as one of the four humors. The sense of "of or pertaining to blood" (mid-15c.) is rare. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline

Answer 11

bon‧kers /ˈbɒŋkəz $ ˈbɑːŋkərz/ INFORMAL•BRITISH mad; crazy. ...I nearly **went bonkers** with frustration. ...The man must be **bonkers** to take such a risk. → drive sb bonkers to make someone feel crazy or very annoyed ...Thinking about the whole problem **has driven** me nearly **bonkers**. \> Perhaps from *bonk* (a blow or punch on the head), perhaps related to earlier *bonce*. \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Wiktionary

Answer 12

flum‧moxed /ˈflʌməkst/ so confused that you do not know what to do: BAFFLED, BEWILDERED, puzzled, stumped /stʌmpt/, perplexed ...He looked completely **flummoxed**. ...I was completely **flummoxed** by the whole thing. ...Doctors were **flummoxed** by the boy's symptoms. ...an actor who's easily **flummoxed** by any changes in the script ...Motive remains elusive as investigation unfolds Law enforcement officials remain **flummoxed** so far about Crooks' motive, multiple news outlets reported. —Kenny Jacoby, *USA TODAY*, 17 July 2024 \> mid 19th century: probably of dialect origin; flummock ‘to make untidy, confuse’ is recorded in western counties and the north Midlands. + ‘-ed’. The formation seems to be onomatopœic, expressive of the notion of throwing down roughly and untidily \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Cambridge English Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 13

ten·ta·tive /ˈten(t)ədiv/ 1 not definite or certain, because you may want to change things: PROVISIONAL, unconfirmed, unsettled, indefinite, pencilled in, preliminary, to be confirmed, subject to confirmation ...I passed on my **tentative conclusions** to the police. ...The government is taking **tentative steps** towards tackling the country’s economic problems. ...Political leaders have reached a **tentative** agreement. 2 If someone is tentative, they are cautious and not very confident because they are uncertain or afraid: HESITANT, uncertain, cautious, unconfident, timid, hesitating, faltering, shaky, unsteady, halting, wavering, unsure, doubtful, diffident ...My first attempts at complaining were rather **tentative**. ...She did not return his **tentative** smile. \> French tentatif, from Latin tentativus (“trying, testing”), from tentare, past participle tentatus (“to try, test”); see **tent**, **tempt**. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary, Etymonline

Answer 14

im‧pel /ɪmˈpel/ to urge or drive forward or on by or as if by the exertion of strong moral pressure; If something **impels** you to do something, it makes you feel very strongly that you must do it. → impel sb to do sth ...The lack of democracy and equality **impelled** the oppressed **to** fight for independence. → be/feel impelled to do sth ...She was in such a mess I **felt impelled to** (= felt I had to) offer your services. \> early 15c., from Latin impellere "to push, strike against; set in motion, drive forward, urge on," from assimilated form of in- "into, in, on, upon" (from PIE root *en "in") + pellere "to push, drive" (from PIE root *pel- (5) "to thrust, strike, drive"). Related: Impelled; impelling. \> Merriam-Webster, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Cambridge Dictionary, Macmillan Dictionary, Etymonline

Answer 15

(n.) a particular way of speaking or using words, especially in a particular professional or social group ##Footnote In legal parlance, this is referred to as "hearsay evidence."

Answer 16

\#have #has #have-had #had-had

Answer 17

I have a lot on my plate

Answer 18

behest A command, bidding; sometimes also, an authoritative request; now usually in the phrase at the behest of: INSTRUCTION, bidding, request, requirement, wish, desire, command, order, decree, edict, rule, ruling, directive, direction \> c. 1200, biheste, "a promise or pledge," from Old English behæs "a vow," perhaps from behatan "to promise" (from be- + hatan "command, call") and confused with obsolete hest "command," which may account for the unetymological -t as well as the Middle English shift in meaning to "command, injunction" (late 12c.). Both hatan and hest are from Proto-Germanic *haitanan, for which see hight. at the behest of sb FORMAL because someone has asked for something or ordered something to happen; If something is done **at** someone's **behest**, it is done because they have ordered or requested it. ...The committee was set up **at the behest of** the president. ...Both posts were removed **at the** school's **behest**. ...The policy document was produced **at the behest of** the Prime Minister. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 19

rickety /**ri**·kuh·tee/ A rickety structure or piece of furniture is not very strong or well made, and seems likely to collapse or break: SHAKY, unsteady, unsound, unsafe, tottering, crumbling ...a **rickety** old bicycle ...a **rickety** bridge ...He lived in a **rickety** hut on the beach for several years. ...Mona climbed the **rickety** wooden stairway. \> late 17th century: from rickets + -y: mid 17th century: modern Latin, from Greek rhakhitis, from rhakhis ‘spine’. \> **rickets (n.)**: disease caused by vitamin D deficiency, 1630s, of uncertain origin (see note in OED). Originally a local name for the disease in Dorset and Somerset, England. Some derive it from a Dorset word, rucket "to breathe with difficulty," but the sense connection is difficult. The Modern Latin name for the disease, rachitis, comes from Greek rhakhis "spine" (see **rachitic**), but this was chosen by English physician Daniel Whistler (1619-1684) for resemblance to rickets. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 20

(v.) to avoid or neglect a duty or responsibility. ##Footnote He was criticized for trying to shirk his responsibilities at work.

Answer 21

(v.) to weaken or damage something, especially in a way that limits its effectiveness ##Footnote Drinking alcohol can seriously impair your ability to drive safely.

Answer 22

com‧pat‧ri‧ot /kəmˈpætriət $ -ˈpeɪt-/ Your compatriots are people from your own country: FELLOW COUNTRYMAN, countryman, fellow citizen ...Schmidt defeated his **compatriot** Hausmann in the quarter final. \> From French compatriote, from Latin cum (“with, together”) + patria (“homeland”): late 16th century: from French patriote, from late Latin patriota ‘fellow countryman’, from Greek patriōtēs, from patrios ‘of one's fathers’, from patris ‘fatherland’. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Wiktionary

Answer 23

pa‧thol‧o‧gy /pəˈθɒlədʒi $ -ˈθɑː-/ 1 the study of the causes and effects of illnesses ...research people skilled in experimental **pathology** 2 Pathosis: any deviation from a healthy or normal structure or function; abnormality; illness or malformation: ABNORMALITY, disease, illness, pathosis ...Some sort of renal **pathology** was suspected, but imaging and even biopsy found no discernible **pathology**, glomerular or otherwise. ...Some sort of mental and social **pathology** seemed to sweep over the discourse later that autumn. \> From French pathologie, from Ancient Greek πάθος (páthos, “disease”) and -λογία (-logía, “study of”). \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Wiktionary

Answer 24

pen‧chant /ˈpɒnʃɒn, ˈpentʃənt $ ˈpentʃənt/ If someone has **a penchant for** something, they have a special liking for it or a tendency to do it: LIKING, fondness, preference, taste, relish /ˈrelɪʃ/ ...**a penchant for** fast cars ...a stylish woman with **a penchant for** dark glasses ...He had **a penchant for** playing jokes on people. \> Borrowed from French penchant, present participle of pencher (“to tilt, to lean”), from Middle French, from Old French pengier (“to tilt, be out of line”), from Vulgar Latin \*pendicāre, a derivative of Latin pendere (“to hang”). \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 25

syc‧o‧phant /**si**·kuh·fnt/ FORMAL someone who praises powerful people too much because they want to get something from them – used to show disapproval: TOADY, crawler, creep, yes man ...a dictator surrounded by **sycophants** ...Reese's mistake was to surround himself with **sycophants**. \> mid 16th century (denoting an informer): from French sycophante, or via Latin Latin sycophanta “someone who tells about the bad actions of another; sense probably developed from 'accuser' to 'informer, flatterer'”, from sukon ‘fig’ + phainein ‘to show’, perhaps with reference to making the insulting gesture of the ‘fig’ (sticking the thumb between two fingers) to informers. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus

Answer 26

ex‧po‧si‧tion /ˌekspəˈzɪʃən/ 1 An **exposition of** an idea or theory is a detailed explanation or account of it: EXPLANATION, description, elucidation, explication ...a clear **exposition** of his ideas ...We would have understood the play better if there had been some initial **exposition** of the background. ...Great care must be taken to make the **exposition** clear to a non-technical audience. 2 An exposition is an exhibition in which something such as goods or works of art are shown to the public: EXHIBITION, fair ...an art **exposition** \> late 14c., exposicioun, "explanation, narration," from Old French esposicion "explanation, interpretation" (12c.) and directly from Latin expositionem (nominative expositio) "a setting or showing forth; narration, explanation," noun of action from past-participle stem of exponere "put forth; explain; expose," from ex "from, forth" (see **ex-**) + ponere "to put, place" (see **position** (n.)). The meaning "public display" is attested by 1851 in reference to the Crystal Palace Exposition in London. Abbreviation Expo is recorded from 1963, in reference to planning for the world's fair held in Montreal in 1967. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster, Vocabulary.com, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 27

to prevent or delay something bad or undesirable from happening; If you **stave off** something bad, or if you **stave** it **off**, you succeed in stopping it happening for a while: AVERT, prevent, head off, avoid ...The company implemented cost-cutting measures to **stave off** bankruptcy. ...She drank a cup of coffee to **stave off** the afternoon drowsiness. ...We’re still trying to **stave off** a trade war with the US. ...He drank plenty of orange juice, hoping to **stave off** the cold making the rounds at the office. ...We ate grass in an attempt to **stave off** our hunger. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Macmillan Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 28

loom \> mid 16th century: probably from Low German or Dutch; compare with East Frisian lōmen ‘move slowly’, Middle High German lüemen ‘be weary’. \> Oxford Dictionary of English

Answer 29

(adj.) displaying or having a disinclination for physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed ##Footnote She spent a languid afternoon lounging by the pool. \> Borrowed from Middle French languide (“fatigued, weak; apathetic, indifferent”) (modern French languide), or from its etymon Latin languidus (“faint, weak; dull; slow, sluggish; ill, sick, unwell; (figuratively) inactive, inert, listless”), from a variant of Latin languere ‘to be faint, unwell’, related to laxus ‘loose, lax’.

Answer 30

pet‧ri‧fy /ˈpetrɪfaɪd/ 1 If something petrifies you, it makes you feel very frightened: TERRIFY, horrify, frighten, scare ...Prison **petrifies** me and I don't want to go there. ...I found the climb absolutely **petrifying**. **petrified** adjective very frightened – used especially when you are so frightened that you cannot think or move → petrified of ...She’s absolutely **petrified of** spiders. → petrified with fright/fear ...He was **petrified with fear** when he saw the gun 2 If something such as a society or institution petrifies, or if something petrifies it, it stops changing and developing. ...the fear that a political deadlock may **petrify** economic initiatives \> From Middle French pétrifier, from Medieval Latin petrificāre, from Latin petra (“rock”), from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra, “rock”) + -ficāre, from facere (“do, make”), equivalent to petro- +‎ -ify. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 31

rav‧e‧nous /ˈrævənəs/ 1 If you are ravenous, you are extremely hungry: VERY HUNGRY, starving, starved, famished, sharp-set, esurient /əˈso͝orēənt/ ...She realized that she had eaten nothing since leaving home, and she was **ravenous**. 2 wanting something very much or wanting a lot of something: VORACIOUS, insatiable, ravening, wolfish; greedy, gluttonous ...her **ravenous** appetite ...a **ravenous** appetite **for** cash ...a stage star who was **ravenous for** attention —ravenously adverb ...She began to eat **ravenously**. ...She emerged looking **ravenously hungry**. USAGE NOTES: **Voracious**, **Gluttonous**, **Ravenous**, **Rapacious** mean excessively greedy. - **Voracious** applies especially to habitual gorging with food or drink. - teenagers are often *voracious* eaters - **Gluttonous** applies to one who delights in eating or acquiring things especially beyond the point of necessity or satiety. - an admiral who was *gluttonous* for glory - **Ravenous** implies excessive hunger and suggests violent or grasping methods of dealing with food or with whatever satisfies an appetite. - a nation with a *ravenous* lust for territorial expansion - **Rapacious** often suggests excessive and utterly selfish acquisitiveness or avarice. - *rapacious* developers indifferent to environmental concerns \> late 14c., ravinous, "obsessed with plundering, extremely greedy", from Old French ravineus, from raviner ‘to ravage’ (see raven): late 15th century (in the sense ‘take as spoil’): from Old French raviner, originally ‘to ravage’, based on Latin rapina ‘pillage’. \> Collins English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 32

en‧deav‧or /ɪnˈdevə $ -ər/ verb FORMAL to try very hard; If you **endeavor to** do something, you try very hard to do it: TRY, attempt, venture, undertake, aspire, aim, seek, set out, strive, struggle, labor, toil, work hard, try hard, exert oneself, apply oneself, do one’s best, do one’s utmost, give one’s all ...Each employee shall **endeavor** to provide customers with the best service possible. ...They are **endeavoring** to protect labor union rights. USAGE NOTES: - **Attempt** stresses the initiation or beginning of an effort: *will attempt to photograph the rare bird* - **Endeavor** heightens the implications of exertion and difficulty: *endeavored to find crash survivors in the mountains* noun [countable, uncountable] FORMAL An **endeavor** is an attempt to do something, especially something new or original: ATTEMPT, try, bid, effort, trial, venture → scientific/creative etc endeavor ...an outstanding example of **human endeavor** → endeavor to do sth ...They **made every endeavor** to find the two boys. ...Despite our **best endeavors**, we couldn’t start the car. \> **endeavor (n.)**: early 15c., "pains taken to attain an object," literally "in duty," from phrase *put (oneself) in dever* "make it one's duty" (a partial translation of Old French *mettre en deveir* "put in duty"), from Old French dever "duty," from Latin debere "to owe," originally, "keep something away from someone," from **de-** "away" (see de-) + habere "to have" (from PIE root *ghabh- "to give or receive"). One's endeavors meaning one's "utmost effort" is from late 15c. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 33

e‧clec‧tic /uh·**klek**·tuhk/ adjective 1 including a mixture of many different things or people, especially so that you can use the best of all of them: WIDE-RANGING, DIVERSE, wide, broad, broad-ranging, broad-based, extensive, varied ...an **eclectic** collection of paintings, drawings, and prints ...an **eclectic** mixture of 18th- and 19th-century furniture 2 selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles **ANTONYMS** dogmatic ...an **eclectic** approach to teaching the curriculum noun FORMAL someone who chooses the best or most useful parts from many different ideas, methods etc \> 1680s, "not confined to or following any one model or system," originally in reference to ancient philosophers who selected doctrines from every system; from French eclectique (1650s), from Greek eklektikos "selective," literally "picking out," from eklektos "selected," from eklegein "pick out, select," from ek ‘out’ + legein ‘to choose, count’. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, Wiktionary, Etymonline

Answer 34

to strengthen one's commitment to a particular strategy or course of action, typically one that is potentially risky; If you **double down**, you commit more strongly to a position. ...Rather than admit his policies had failed, he simply **doubled down**. → double down on sth ...The third quarter of the year saw central banks **doubling down on** the quantitative easing approach. ...In yesterday's interview, the Prime Minister **doubled down on** his pledge to increase security measures. ...Expect to see Fox **double down on** its marketing efforts to give the movie a big boost. ...It’s time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that rarely has been more profitable, and **double-down on** a clean energy industry that never has been more promising. \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Collins English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Macmillan Dictionary

Answer 35

va·gar·y /**vay**·gr·ee/ an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone's behavior; **Vagaries** are unexpected and unpredictable changes in a situation or in someone's behavior which you have no control over: QUIRK, WHIM, caprice, idiosyncrasy, peculiarity, oddity, eccentricity, unpredictability, sport → vagaries of /ˈveɪɡəriz/ ...the **vagaries of** the English weather ...I take an assortment of clothes on holiday, as a provision against the **vagaries of** the weather. ...the perplexing **vagaries of** politics \> From Italian vagare (“wander”) and/or its source Latin vagārī (“to wander”), from Latin vagus (“wandering”). Later apparently reinterpreted in English as vague +‎ -ery but without changing the spelling. \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 36

crest /krest/ noun 1 The **crest of** a hill or a wave is the top of it: SUMMIT, peak ...It took us over an hour to reach the **crest of** the hill. 2 A bird's crest is a group of upright feathers on the top of its head: TUFT, crown, comb, plume ...Both birds had a dark blue **crest**. ...exotic birds with colorful **crests** 3 A crest is a design that is the symbol of a noble family, a town, or an organization: INSIGNIA /ɪnˈsɪɡniə/, EMBLEM, regalia, badge ...On the wall is the **family crest**. verb FORMAL When someone crests a hill, they reach the top of it. ...They **crested** a wooded **hill** shortly before sunset. \> **crest (n.)**: early 14c., "highest part of a helmet," an extended sense, from Old French creste "tuft or tuft-like growth on the top of an animal's head, comb" (12c., Modern French crête), from Latin crista "tuft, plume," which is derived from the same source as words for "hair" (such as crinis, crispus), but it also was used for crest of a cock or the upright ornaments of a helmet. Said by Watkins to be from an extended form of PIE root *sker- (2) "to turn, bend." Replaced Old English hris. The "tuft of an animal" sense is from late 14c. in English.Meaning "highest part of a hill or mountain range" is from late 14c. \> **crest (v.)**: late 14c., "provide with a crest," from Old French crester (12c.), from creste (see crest (n.)). Meaning "to come over the top ('crest') of" is from 1832; intransitive sense of "form or rise in a crest, reach the highest point" is from 1850. Related: Crested; cresting. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 37

not be fussed INFORMAL•BRITISH to not mind what happens or is done; If you say you **are not fussed** about something, you mean you do not mind about it or do not mind what happens. ...‘Where do you want to go?’ ‘**I’m not fussed.**’ ...**I'm not fussed** as long as we get where we want to go. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary

Answer 38

\#would-rather

Answer 39

cul‧i‧na‧ry /ˈkʌlənəri $ ˈkʌləneri, ˈkjuːl-/ FORMAL relating to cooking ...**culinary** skills \> 1630s, "of the kitchen;" 1650s, "pertaining to the art of cookery," from Latin culinarius "pertaining to the kitchen," from culina "kitchen, cooking stove, food," an unexplained variant from coquere "to cook" (from PIE root *pekw- "to cook, ripen"). \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Etymonline

Answer 40

frat‧er‧nize /ˈfrætənaɪz $ -ər-/ to be friendly with someone, especially if you have been ordered not to be friendly with them; If you **fraternize with** someone, you associate with them in a friendly way: ASSOCIATE, mix, mingle, consort, socialize, go around, keep company, rub shoulders ...Mrs Zuckerman does not **fraternize** widely. ...In the recession, disparate groups have **fraternized** in an atmosphere of mutual support. → fraternize with ...The troops were forbidden to **fraternize with** the enemy. ...At these conventions, executives **fraternized with** the key personnel of other banks. ...Don't **fraternize** just **with** people of the same race, religion, or social background. \> early 17th century: from French fraterniser, from medieval Latin fraternizare, from Latin fraternus 'brotherly', from Latin fraternus, from frater 'brother'. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

Answer 41

stin‧gy /ˈstɪndʒi/

Answer 42

en‧sconce /ɪnˈskɒns $ ɪnˈskɑːns/ 1 to settle yourself in a place where you feel comfortable and safe: SETTLE, install, establish, park, shut, plant, lodge, position, seat, entrench, shelter → be ensconced in/at/on etc ...I found her in the library, **ensconced in** an armchair. ...Nick was comfortably **ensconced in front of** the TV set. ...He was **ensconced in** a large armchair in his warm living room. → ensconce yourself ...Agnes **ensconced herself in** their bedroom. ...After dinner, I **ensconced myself in** an armchair with a book. 2 to cover or shelter; hide securely ...He **ensconced himself in** the closet in order to eavesdrop. GRAMMAR **Ensconce** is usually either passive or reflexive (=followed by **myself/herself** etc). \> late 16th century (in the senses ‘fortify’ and ‘shelter within or behind a fortification’; formerly also as insconce ): from en-, in- ‘in’ + sconce. Origin ensconce (1500-1600) sconce “small strong building for defense” ((16-19 centuries)), from Dutch schans \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Cambridge Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English

Answer 43

ex‧cur‧sion /ɪkˈskɜːʃən $ ɪkˈskɜːrʒən/ 1 a short journey arranged so that a group of people can visit a place, especially while they are on holiday: TRIP, airing, tour, journey → excursion to ...Included in the tour is an **excursion to** the Grand Canyon. → on an excursion ...We went on an **excursion to** the Pyramids. 2 a short journey made for a particular purpose; You can refer to a short journey as an excursion, especially if it is made for pleasure or enjoyment. ...a shopping **excursion** ...In Bermuda, Sam's father took him on an **excursion to** a coral barrier. 3 → excursion into sth If you describe an activity as an **excursion into** something, you mean that it is an attempt to develop or understand something new that you have not experienced before. ...the company’s **excursion into** new markets ...Radio 3's latest **excursion into** ethnic music, dance and literature ...During the meeting, the two leaders made brief **excursions into** the issue of Asian security. \> Borrowed from Latin excursio (“a running out, an inroad, invasion, a setting out, beginning of a speech”), from excurrere (“to run out”), from ex (“out”) + currere (“to run”). \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Wiktionary

Answer 44

gal‧va‧nize /ˈɡælvənaɪz/ 1 to coat with a thin layer of metal by electrochemical means: ELECTROPLATE 2 to shock or stimulate into sudden activity, as if by electric shock; To **galvanize** someone means to cause them to take action, for example by making them feel very excited, afraid, or angry: JOLT, STIMULATE, shock, startle, impel, stir, spur, prod, urge, encourage, inspire, prompt ...The girl’s picture helped **galvanize** public opinion against the administration’s policy. ...The report **galvanized** world opinion. ...Republicans are hoping a proposed gas-tax repeal will **galvanize** their voters. → galvanize sb into (doing) sth ...The letter managed to **galvanize** him **into action**. ...The possibility of defeat finally **galvanized** us **into action**. \> From French galvaniser, from galvanisme, named after Italian physiologist Luigi Aloisio Galvani (1737–1798). \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 45

(adj.) pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely ##Footnote The forlorn puppy wandered the streets, looking for its owner.

Answer 46

ac‧crue /əˈkruː/ **1** If things such as profits or benefits **accrue to** someone, they are added to over a period of time. ...the expectation that profits will **accrue** → accrue to ...benefits that **accrue to** students ...a project from which considerable benefit will **accrue to** the community → accrue from ...advantages **accruing from** the introduction of new technology **2** If money or interest **accrues** or if you **accrue** it, it gradually increases in amount over a period of time. ...I owed £5,000–part of this was **accrued** interest. ...If you do not pay within 28 days, interest will **accrue**. ...Officials say the options will offer investors a longer time in which to **accrue** profits. \> First attested in mid 15th century. From Middle English acrewen, borrowed from Old French acreüe, past participle of accreistre (“to increase”), from Latin accrēsco (“increase”), from ad (“in addition”) + crescere (“to grow”). \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Wiktionary

Answer 47

re‧nege /rɪˈniːɡ, rɪˈneɪɡ $ rɪˈnɪɡ, rɪˈniːɡ/ → renege on an agreement/deal/promise etc to not do something you have promised or agreed to do; If someone **reneges on** a promise or an agreement, they do not do what they have promised or agreed to do: DEFAULT ON, GO BACK ON, break your word, fail to honor, back out of, pull out of, withdraw from, retreat from, welsh on, backtrack on, repudiate, retract ...They **reneged on** a pledge to release the hostages. ...If someone **reneged on** a deal, they could never trade here again. ...He **reneged on** a campaign promise to keep taxes down. ...The administration had **reneged on** its election promises. \> mid 16th century (in the sense ‘deny, renounce, abandon’): from medieval Latin renegare, from Latin re- (expressing intensive force) + negare ‘to deny, to refuse’. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 48

caught up in sth

Answer 49

orb \> From Middle English orbe, from Old French orbe, from Latin orbis (“circle, orb”). Compare orbit. \> Wiktionary

Answer 50

ratchet up

Answer 51

an‧tics /ˈæntɪks/ \> early 16th century: from Italian antico ‘antique’, used to mean ‘grotesque’. \> Oxford Dictionary of English

Answer 52

subversive

Answer 53

the last straw (*also* the straw that breaks the camel’s back) ...Making me work late on Friday was **the last straw**. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Answer 54

pur‧port¹ /pɜːˈpɔːt $ pɜːrˈpɔːrt/ FORMAL [intransitive, transitive] to claim to be or do something, even if this is not true; If you say that someone or something purports to do or be a particular thing, you mean that they claim to do or be that thing, although you may not always believe that claim: CLAIM, allege, proclaim, maintain → purport to do sth ...a book that purports to tell the whole truth ...Two undercover officers purporting to be dealers infiltrated the gang. → be purported to be something ...The document is purported to be 300 years old. pur‧port² /ˈpɜːpɔːt, -pət $ ˈpɜːrpɔːrt/ FORMAL the general meaning of what someone says: GIST, substance, drift, implication, intension, meaning ...I do not understand the **purport** of your remarks. \> From Middle English purporten, from Anglo-Norman purporter and Old French porporter (“convey, contain, carry”), from pur-, from Latin pro (“forth”) + Old French porter (“carry”), from Latin portō (“carry”). The sense ‘appear to be’ dates from the late 18th century. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 55

a tall tale an account that is fanciful and difficult to believe; A **tall tale** is a long and complicated story that is difficult to believe because most of the events it describes seem unlikely or impossible. ...Speakers delighted the audience with true stories and **tall tales**. ...the imaginative **tall tales** of sailors ...They sat around the campfire telling **tall tales** about their hunting adventures. \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Collins English Dictionary, Encyclopedia Britannica

Answer 56

det‧ri‧men‧tal /deh·truh·**men**·tl/ \> From Medieval Latin *dētrīmentālis, from Latin dētrīmentum (“harm”), from detere (“to rub off, wear away,” figuratively "to weaken, impair,"), from de- (“down, away”) + terere (“to rub, wear”). \> Wiktionary, Etymonline

Answer 57

fray verb 1 If something such as cloth or rope **frays**, or if something **frays** it, its threads or fibers start to come apart from each other and spoil its appearance: UNRAVEL, wear, wear thin, wear out, wear away, wear through, become worn, become threadbare, become tattered, become ragged 2 If your temper **frays** or your nerves **fray**, you gradually become upset or annoyed; If your nerves or your temper **fray**, or if something **frays** them, you become nervous or easily annoyed because of mental strain and anxiety: STRAIN, IRRITATE, tax, overtax, put on edge, make edgy, make tense ...a botched new bus system … which has **frayed** tempers. ~ The Economist ...Tempers began to **fray** as the two teams failed to score. ...Tempers **frayed** as thousands of drivers began the Christmas holiday with long waits in traffic jams. ...This kind of living was beginning to **fray** her nerves. ...**My nerves are getting frayed**(= I am becoming nervous) from the constant noise around here. ...Despite the situation, remarkably few nerves were **frayed**. noun **The fray** is an exciting or challenging activity, situation, or argument that you are involved in: BATTLE, engagement, conflict, armed conflict, fight, clash, skirmish ...There will have to be a second round of voting when new candidates can enter **the fray**. ...Three civilians were injured during **the fray**. → into the fray ...He launched himself **into the fray**. ...He would be inspiring young people to get **into the** political **fray**. → join/enter the fray ...The other soldiers quickly **joined the fray**, launching missile attacks in the city. \> The verb is derived from Late Middle English fraien (“to beat so as to cause bruising, to bruise; to crush; to rub; to wear, wear off”), borrowed from Old French fraier, freier, freiier (modern French frayer (“to clear, open up (a path, etc.); (figuratively) to find one’s way through (something); (obsolete) to rub”)), from Latin fricare ‘to rub, rub down’. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, Wiktionary, Etymonline

Answer 58

(v.) to move in an unsteady way; to be about to fall or collapse ##Footnote - The old man tottered across the room, leaning heavily on his cane for support. - The property market is tottering. - further criticism of the tottering government \> Collins English Dictionary

Answer 59

glut noun a supply of something, especially a product or crop, that is more than is needed; If there is a **glut of** something, there is so much of it that it cannot all be sold or used: SURPLUS, SURFEIT, excess, plethora, superfluity, overabundance, superabundance, oversupply, mountain ...a **glut of** oil on the world market ...There's a **glut of** agricultural products in Western Europe. verb to cause something to have too much of something; If a market **is glutted with** something, there is a glut of that thing: CRAM FULL, fill to excess, saturate, overfill, overload, oversupply, supersaturate, flood, inundate, deluge, swamp ...the **glutted** property **market** ...The region **is glutted with** hospitals. ...Soldiers returning from the war had **glutted** the job market. \> **glut (v.)**: early 14c., glotien "to feed to repletion" (transitive), probably from Old French glotir "to swallow, gulp down, engulf," from Latin glutire/gluttire "to swallow, gulp down" (see **gullet**). Intransitive sense "feed (oneself) to repletion" is from c. 1400. Related: Glutted; glutting. \> **glut (n.)**: 1530s, "a gulp, a swallowing," from **glut** (v.). Meaning "condition of being full or sated" is 1570s; mercantile sense "superabundance, oversupply of a commodity on the market" first recorded 1590s. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 60

den‧i‧zen /ˈdenɪzən/ an animal, plant, or person that lives or is found in a particular place; A **denizen of** a particular place is a person, animal, or plant that lives or grows in this place: INHABITANT, resident, townsman, townswoman, native, local; occupier, occupant, dweller ...Many Hollywood **denizens** are businessmen who have been involved in politics for years. ...Gannets are **denizens of** the open ocean. \> early 15c., "a citizen, a dweller, an inhabitant," especially "legally established inhabitant of a city or borough, a citizen as distinguished from a non-resident native or a foreigner," from Anglo-French deinzein, denzein, (Old French deinzein) "one within" (the privileges of a city franchise; opposed to forein "one without"), from deinz "within, inside," from Late Latin deintus, from de- "from" + intus "within" (see **ento**-). \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 61

Be that as it may FORMAL used to say that even though you accept that something is true, it does not change a situation; You say '**Be that as it may**' when you want to move onto another subject or go further with the discussion, without deciding whether what has just been said is right or wrong. ...‘He was only joking.’ ‘**Be that as it may**, silly remarks like that can do a lot of harm.’ ...My dad was a nice man. A gentleman. **Be that as it may**, he hated Conservatives. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary

Answer 62

ex‧tri‧cate /ˈekstrɪkeɪt/ 1 to escape from a difficult or embarrassing situation, or to help someone escape; If you **extricate yourself** or another person **from** a difficult or serious situation, you free yourself or the other person from it: LIBERATE, disentangle, free, save, disengage, rescue, untangle, redeem, release, cut, loose, disembarrass, clear, unravel ...How was he going to **extricate himself from** this situation? ...It represents a last ditch attempt by the country to **extricate itself from** its economic crisis. 2 to remove someone from a place in which they are trapped; If you **extricate** someone or something from a place where they are trapped or caught, you succeed in freeing them: EXTRACT, free, release, disentangle, get out, remove, withdraw, let loose, loosen, unloose, detach, disengage, disencumber, untwine, disentwine, unfasten, unclasp, disconnect, liberate ...**extricate** the survivors ...Firemen had to **extricate** the driver **from** the wreckage. ...He endeavored to **extricate** the car, digging with his hands in the blazing sunshine. \> early 17th century (in the sense ‘unravel, untangle’): from Latin extricat- ‘unravelled’, from the verb extricare, from ex- ‘out’ + tricae ‘perplexities, hindrances’. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline

Answer 63

on‧set /**aan**·set/ **The onset of** something is the beginning of it, used especially to refer to something unpleasant: START, beginning, arrival ...Most of the passes have been closed with **the onset of** winter. ...Treatment was administered soon after **the onset of** symptoms. \> Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus

Answer 64

(v.) to support, strengthen, or reinforce something, especially to prevent it from failing or collapsing ##Footnote The company had to shore up its finances with a new investment to avoid bankruptcy.

Answer 65

(v.) to sharpen or improve a skill or talent through practice ##Footnote She spent years honing her writing skills to become a successful author.

Answer 66

revocation

Answer 67

(v.) to compete eagerly with someone in order to do or achieve something ##Footnote Several candidates are vying for the position of team captain.

Answer 68

off guard (*also* off one's guard) unprepared for a surprise or difficulty: UNPREPARED, unready, inattentive, unwary, unwatchful, with one's defenses down, by surprise, cold, unsuspecting ...The government was **caught off guard** by the unexpected announcement. ...He was **caught off guard** when the man charged toward him. catch sb off guard to surprise someone by doing something that they are not expecting or ready for; If someone **catches** you **off guard**, they surprise you by doing something you do not expect. If something **catches** you **off guard**, it surprises you by happening when you are not expecting it. ...Charm the audience and **catch** them **off guard**. ...The invitation had **caught** me **off guard**. ...The news **caught** her completely **off guard** – she didn't know what to say. \> Collins English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus

Answer 69

wield /wiːld/ 1 If you **wield** a weapon, tool, or piece of equipment, you carry and use it: BRANDISH, flourish, swing, wave, twirl, display, flaunt, hold aloft; use, put to use, employ, handle, ply, manipulate, operate ...a lone assailant **wielding** a kitchen knife ...One of our assailants was **wielding** a sword. ...She had her car windows smashed by a gang **wielding** baseball bats (=A group of people attacked her car with baseball bats and broke the windows). 2 If someone **wields** power, they have it and are able to use it: EXERCISE, EXERT, be possessed of, have, have at one’s disposal, hold, maintain → wield power/influence/authority etc ...She remains chairwoman, but **wields** little power at the company. ...The Church **wields** immense power in Ireland. \> From Middle English wēlden, which combines forms from two closely related verbs: Old English wealdan (“to control, rule”) (strong class 7) and Old English wieldan (“to control, subdue”) (weak). Both verbs ultimately derive from Proto-West Germanic *waldan, from Proto-Germanic *waldaną (“to rule”) \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 70

deem FORMAL [transitive] to think of something in a particular way or as having a particular quality; If something **is deemed to** have a particular quality or **to** do a particular thing, it is considered to have that quality or do that thing: CONSIDER, REGARD AS, judge, adjudge, hold to be, look on as, view as, see as, take to be, take for, class as, estimate as, count, rate, find, esteem, calculate to be, gauge, suppose, reckon, account, interpret as; think, believe to be, feel to be, imagine to be, conceive to be ...They **deemed that** he was no longer capable of managing the business. ...those whom she **deemed** worthy ...a movie **deemed** appropriate for all ages ...French and German were **deemed** essential. ...Many of these campaigns have been **deemed** successful. ...I was **deemed** to be a competent shorthand typist. ...He says he would support the use of force if the U.N. **deemed** it **necessary**. ...They were told to take whatever action they **deemed necessary**. ...They **were deemed to** be illegal immigrants. ...UK plans **were deemed to** infringe EU law. \> Old English deman "to judge, decide on consideration, condemn;, think, judge, hold as an opinion," from Proto-Germanic *domjanan(source also of Old Frisian dema"to judge," Old Saxon adomian, Middle Dutch doemen, Old Norse dma, Old High German tuomen, Gothic domjan "to deem, judge"), denominative of *domaz, from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put" (compare doom). Related: Deemed; deeming. Originally "to pronounce judgment" as well as "to form an opinion." Compare Old English, Middle English deemer "a judge." The two judges of the Isle of Man were called deemsters in 17c., a title formerly common throughout England and Scotland and preserved in the surname Dempster. \> The word is cognate with Danish and Norwegian Bokmål dømme (“to judge”), Dutch doemen (“to condemn, foredoom”), North Frisian dema (“to judge, recognise”), Norwegian Nynorsk døma (“to judge”), Swedish döma (“to judge, sentence, condemn”). It is also related to doom. \> Originally, *deem* meant "to legally condemn." The word is still frequently used in contexts pertaining to the law but with the general meaning "to judge" or "to decide after inquiry and deliberation," as in "The act was deemed unlawful" or "The defendant is deemed to have agreed to the contract." Outside of the law, *deem* usually means simply "to consider." \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary, Etymonline

Answer 71

con‧ge‧ni‧al /kənˈdʒiːniəl/ A **congenial** person, place, or environment is pleasant: PLEASANT, pleasing, to one's liking, agreeable, enjoyable, pleasurable, nice ...The department provides a **congenial atmosphere** for research. ...Frank was a very **congenial** colleague. → congenial to ...The summers out here are not **congenial to** the average North European. \> 1620s, "kindred, partaking of the same nature or natural characteristics," from assimilated form of Latin com "with, together" (see con-) + genialis "of birth," thus, "kindred" (from PIE root *gene- "give birth, beget," with derivatives referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups). Sense of "agreeable" is first recorded 1711 on the notion of "having natural affinity." Also compare congenital. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Etymonline

Answer 72

non‧pa‧reil /naan·pr·**el**/ noun an unrivaled or matchless person or thing: BEST, FINEST, PARAGON, crème de la crème, peak of perfection, elite ...He was a great player, Britain's **nonpareil** of the 1980s. ...reviews by film critic **nonpareil** Pauline Kael adjective having no equal: INCOMPARABLE, matchless, unrivaled, unparalleled, unequaled, without equal, peerless, unmatched, beyond comparison, beyond compare, second to none, unsurpassed, unsurpassable, unbeatable, inimitable ...Her performance was **nonpareil**. ...Our baker's cakes are **nonpareil**. ...a **nonpareil** drummer ...Gould is a **nonpareil** storyteller. \> From Late Middle English non-parail (“unparalleled, nonpareil”) [and other forms], from Middle French nonpareille, nonpareil (“unparalleled”) (obsolete), from non- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + pareil (“alike, like, same”). Pareil is derived from Old French pareil, from Late Latin pāriculus (“equal; like; of a number: even”), from Latin pār (“equal; like; of a number: even; suitable”) + -culus (a variant of -ulus (suffix forming diminutives)). \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 73

(n.) the condition of being intense, serious, or extreme ##Footnote The severity of the storm caused widespread damage across the region.

Answer 74

\#phone-conversations

Answer 75

fend → fend for yourself to look after yourself without needing help from other people: TAKE CARE OF ONESELF, look after oneself, provide for oneself, shift for oneself, manage by oneself, get by alone ...The kids had to **fend for themselves** while their parents were away. ...The woman and her young baby had been thrown out and left to **fend for themselves**. → fend sb/sth off 1 to defend yourself from something such as difficult questions, competition, or a situation you do not want to deal with; If you **fend off** unwanted questions, problems, or people, you stop them from affecting you or defend yourself from them, but often only for a short time and without dealing with them completely: WARD OFF, head off, stave off, hold off, keep off, repel, repulse, resist, forestall, preempt, fight off, defend oneself against ...She uses her secretary to **fend off** unwanted phone calls. ...The company managed to **fend off** the hostile takeover bid. ...He had struggled to pay off creditors but couldn't **fend** them **off** any longer. 2 to defend yourself against someone who is attacking you; If you **fend off** someone who is attacking you, you use your arms or something such as a stick to defend yourself from their blows: WARD OFF, head off, stave off, hold off, keep off, repel, repulse, resist, forestall, preempt, fight off, defend oneself against ...He raised his hand to **fend off** the blow. ...Tabitha threw up an arm to **fend** her attacker **off**. \> From Middle English fenden (“defend, fight, prevent”), shortening of defenden (“defend”), from Old French deffendre (Modern French défendre), from Latin dēfendō (“to ward off”), from de "from, away" (see de-) + -fendere "to strike, hit, push", from Proto-Italic *fendō, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- (“strike, kill”). \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary, Etymonline

Answer 76

egg on to encourage someone to do something, especially something that they do not want to do or should not do; If you **egg** a person **on**, you encourage them to do something, especially something dangerous or foolish: URGE, goad, incite, provoke, prick, sting, propel, push, drive, prod, prompt, induce, impel, spur on ...Bob didn’t want to jump, but his friends kept **egging** him **on**. ...“Teach him a lesson”, shouted the boys, **egging** their friend **on**. ...He’d never have stolen it if she hadn’t **egged** him **on**. ...He was throwing snowballs. She was laughing and **egging** him **on**. ...They **egged** each other **on** to argue and to fight. \> From Middle English eggen (“to incite; urge on; instigate”), from Old Norse eggja (“to incite”), from egg (“edge”). More at edge. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Macmillan Dictionary, Wiktionary

Answer 77

(v.) to engage in a vigorous struggle or scuffle ##Footnote The two siblings often tussle over who gets to use the computer first.

Answer 78

I suppose so

Answer 79

hodgepodge /ˈhɒdʒ pɒdʒ $ ˈhɑːdʒ pɑːdʒ/ INFORMAL A **hodgepodge** is an untidy mixture of different types of things: MIXTURE, mix, mixed bag, assortment, assemblage, collection, selection, jumble, ragbag, hotchpotch, miscellany ...Rob's living room was a **hodgepodge** of modern furniture and antiques. ...a **hodgepodge** of maps, small tools, and notebooks \> also *hodge podge, hodge-podge*, early 15c., hogpoch, alteration of hotchpotch (late 14c.) "a kind of stew," especially "one made with goose, herbs, spices, wine, and other ingredients," earlier an Anglo-French legal term meaning "collection of property in a common 'pot' before dividing it equally" (late 13c.), from Old French hochepot "stew, soup." First element from hocher "to shake," from a Germanic source (such as Middle High German hotzen "shake"). \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 80

stratify; stratum (plural strata)

Answer 81

tu‧mult /ˈtjuːmʌlt $ ˈtuː-/ SYN turmoil \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Answer 82

like pulling teeth INFORMAL be extremely difficult to do; —used to say that something is very difficult and frustrating ...Getting the kids to do their homework was **like pulling teeth**. ...Getting her to tell me about her childhood was **like pulling teeth**. ...It had been **like pulling teeth** to extract these two small items from Moore. ...Getting him to make a decision is **like pulling teeth**. ...In my experience, it is **like pulling teeth** to persuade the board to do so. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

Answer 83

co‧a‧lesce /ˌkəʊəˈles $ ˌkoʊ-/ If two or more things **coalesce**, they come together and form a larger group or system: UNITE, join together, combine, merge, fuse, mingle, meld, blend, intermingle, knit (together), amalgamate, consolidate, integrate, affiliate, link up, homogenize ...His sporting and political interests **coalesced** admirably in his writing about climbing. → coalesce into/with ...Gradually the different groups of people **coalesced into** one dominant racial group. ...Cities, if unrestricted, tend to **coalesce into** bigger and bigger conurbations. \> 1540s, "grow together, unite by growing into one body," from Latin coalescere "unite, grow together, become one in growth," from assimilated form of com- "together" (see co-) + alescere "be nourished," hence, "increase, grow up," inchoative of alere "to suckle, nourish," from PIE root *al- (2) "to grow, nourish." Related: Coalesced; coalescing; coalescence; coalescent. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 84

mi·sog·y·ny /muh·**saa**·juh·nee/ mi·sog·y·nis·tic /muh·saa·juh·**ni**·stuhk/ \> mid 17th century: from Greek misos ‘hatred’ + gunē ‘woman’. \> Oxford Dictionary of English

Answer 85

(n.) a measure taken in advance to prevent something dangerous or unpleasant from happening ##Footnote As a precaution, we locked all the doors before leaving for vacation.

Answer 86

ech·e·lon /**eh**·shuh·laan/ 1 a rank or level of authority in an organization, business etc, or the people at that level: LEVEL, rank, grade, step, rung, tier, stratum, plane, position, order, division, sector → upper/higher/lower echelons ...**the upper echelons** of government ...He reached **the upper echelons** of government. ...Their clients are drawn from **the highest echelons** of society. 2 An echelon is a military formation in which soldiers, vehicles, ships, or aircraft follow each other but are spaced out sideways so that they can see ahead. \> 1796, echellon, "step-like arrangement of troops," borrowed from French échelon (“rung; echelon”), from échelle (“ladder”) + -on (“suffix forming diminutives”). Échelle is derived from Latin scalae (plural) "ladder, steps," from scandō (“to ascend, climb”), from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to jump”). \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary, Etymonline

Answer 87

**1** VERB If you **clutch at** something or **clutch** something, you hold it tightly, usually because you are afraid or anxious: SEIZE, catch, grab, grasp ...I staggered and had to **clutch at** a chair for support. ...She was **clutching** a photograph. **2** PLURAL NOUN If someone is in another person's **clutches**, that person has captured them or has power over them. ...Sophie had fallen into the **clutches** of a human trafficker. ...Stojanovic escaped their **clutches** by jumping from a moving vehicle. → in somebody’s clutches ...She’ll have him **in her clutches** soon enough. **3** COUNTABLE NOUN In a vehicle, the **clutch** is the pedal that you press before you change gear. ...Laura let out the **clutch** and pulled slowly away down the drive. **4** COUNTABLE NOUN A **clutch of** eggs is a number of eggs laid by a bird at one time: GROUP, batch, nestful ...a **clutch of** eggs (=the number of eggs laid by a bird at one time) **5** COUNTABLE NOUN A **clutch of** people or things is a small group of them: GROUP, collection, set, quantity, raft; handful, fistful, armful; *informal* load, bunch. ...a **clutch of** young mothers ...The party has attracted a **clutch of** young southern liberals. ...a **clutch of** songs about adolescent experiences **6** → be clutching at straws to be trying everything possible to find a solution or hope in a difficult situation, even though it will probably be unsuccessful ...I knew that trying the alternative medicine was just **clutching at straws**. \> **1** From Middle English clucchen, clicchen, cluchen, clechen, cleken, from Old English clyċċan (“to clutch, clench”), from Proto-Germanic *klukjaną, from Proto-Germanic *klu- (“to ball up, conglomerate, amass”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to ball up; lump, mass”). Cognate with Swedish klyka (“clamp, fork, branch”). The noun is from Middle English cleche, cloche, cloke ("claw, talon, hand"; compare Scots cleuk, cluke, cluik (“claw, talon”)), of uncertain origin, with the form probably assimilated to the verb. \> **4** Variant form of cletch, from Middle English cleken (“to hatch”), perhaps from Old Norse klekja (“to hatch”). \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 88

a‧base /əˈbeɪs/ FORMAL to lower in rank, office, prestige, or esteem: HUMBLE, humiliate, belittle, demean, lower, degrade, disgrace, disparage, debase, cheapen, discredit, mortify, bring low, demote, reduce, grovel, kowtow, bow and scrape, toady, fawn, crawl, suck up to someone, lick someone’s boots → abase yourself to behave in a way that shows you accept that someone has complete power over you ...I watched my colleagues **abasing themselves** before the board of trustees. \> From Middle French abaisser, from Old French abaissier, abessier (“to prostrate oneself; to lower, reduce”) (also compare Old French esbahir (“to amaze”), Vulgar Latin abbassiāre (“to lower”)), from a- (“prefix indicating movement towards something”) (from Latin ad (“toward, to”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“at, to”)) + baissier (“to lower”) (from Medieval Latin bassus (“short of stature, low; base”), possibly from Ancient Greek βᾰ́σῐς (básis, “foot; base, foundation”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- (“to step”)). The spelling of the English word has been influenced by base, thus ostensibly analyzable as a- (“towards”) +‎ base. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 89

bristle noun … verb **1** to behave in a way that shows you are very angry or annoyed: GET ANGRY, become infuriated, be furious, be maddened, bridle, become indignant, be irritated; take offense, take umbrage; be defensive → bristle with rage/indignation etc ...John pushed back his chair, **bristling with rage**. → bristle at If you **bristle at** something, you react to it angrily, and show this in your expression or the way you move. ...He **bristled at** her rudeness. ...Ellis **bristles at** accusations that Berkeley's experiment is ill-conceived. **2** if an animal’s hair bristles, it stands up stiffly because the animal is afraid or angry **3** If you say that a place or thing **bristles with** people or with other things, you are emphasizing that it contains a great number of them: ABOUND, swarm, teem, crawl, overflow, be alive, hum ...The country **bristles with** armed groups. ...The idea fairly **bristles with** controversy. \> c. 1200 (implied in past-participle adjective bristled) "set or covered with bristles," from bristle (n.). Of hair, "to stand or become stiff and upright," late 15c. The extended meaning "become angry or excited" is 1540s, from the way animals show fight. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 90

filch /fɪltʃ/ INFORMAL•BRITISH to steal something small or not very valuable: PILFER, STEAL, PINCH, NICK, thieve, rob, take, purloin, snatch, abstract, misappropriate, embezzle, shoplift ...He **filched** a bottle of wine from the cellar. ...I **filched** some notes from his wallet. \> From Middle English filchen (“to pilfer, steal”). The further origin of the word is uncertain, but it is likely from or related to Old English fylċian (“to marshal troops”) and Old English ġefylċe (“band of men, army, host”), which would make it also related to folk. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 91

re‧sound‧ing /rɪˈzaʊndɪŋ/ **1** → resounding success/victory/defeat etc a very great or complete success, victory etc: ENORMOUS, huge, massive, very great, tremendous, terrific, colossal, emphatic, decisive, conclusive, striking, impressive, outstanding, unmistakable, notable ...The show was a **resounding** success. **2** (of a sound) loud enough to reverberate: REVERBERANT, reverberating, resonant, resonating, echoing, vibrant, ringing, sonorous ...a **resounding** thud \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English

Answer 92

\#proverbs

Answer 93

poised **1** not moving, but ready to move or do something at any moment; If a part of your body is **poised**, it is completely still but ready to move at any moment. → poised for ...She waited by the door like a small animal **poised for** flight. → poised on ...His finger was **poised on** the camera’s shutter release. → poised to do something ...He stood on the edge of the roof, **poised to** jump. **2** completely ready to do something or for something to happen, when it is likely to happen soon; If someone is **poised to** do something, they are ready to take action at any moment: READY, waiting, prepared, standing by ...U.S. forces are **poised for** a massive air, land and sea assault. → poised to do something ...Britain was **poised to** fly medical staff to the country at short notice. ...Spain was **poised to** become the dominant power in Europe. → poised on the brink/edge of something ...The economy is **poised on the edge of** collapse. **3** → poised between something and something to be in a position or situation in which two things have an equally strong influence ...The world stood **poised between** peace **and** war. **4** behaving in a calm confident way, and able to control your feelings and reactions; If you are **poised**, you are calm, dignified, and self-controlled. ...She was self-assured, **poised**, almost self-satisfied. ...Rachel appeared **poised** and calm. ...Abigail walked to the microphone, **poised** and confident. \> From Middle English poys, poyse, from Anglo-Norman pois, Middle French pois (“weight”) and Anglo-Norman poise, Middle French poise (“measure of weight”), from Latin pēnsāre (“to ponder, weight, think”). \> From the early senses of ‘weight’ and ‘measure of weight’ arose the notion of ‘equal weight, balance’, leading to the extended senses ‘composure’ and ‘elegant bearing’. \> **poise (v.)**: The meaning "to weigh, ascertain by weighing or balancing is from 1590s, hence the meaning "to hold or place in equilibrium or balance," from 1630s (compare **equipoise**). The intransitive sense of "be balanced or suspended," figuratively "to hang in suspense" is by 1847; the passive sense of "to be ready" (for or to do something) is by 1932. Related: *Poised; poising*. In 15c. a *poiser* was an official who weighed goods. The secondary sense of "to ponder, consider" in Latin *pensare* yielded **pensive**; that sense was occasional, but rare in Middle English *poise*. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Wiktionary, Etymonline

Answer 94

harry **1** persistently carry out attacks on (an enemy or an enemy's territory): ATTACK, assail, assault, maraud, ravage, devastate, wreak havoc on; plunder, rob, sack, ransack, raid, pillage, lay waste to ...The raiders then spent three months **harrying** and burning the area. **2** persistently harass; If someone **harries** you, they keep bothering you or trying to get something from you: HARASS, hound, pressurize, bring pressure to bear on, put pressure on, lean on, keep on at, go on at, chivvy, bedevil, torment, pester, bother, disturb, worry, annoy, badger, nag, plague, persecute, molest ...The government is being mercilessly **harried** by a new lobby. ...He is increasingly active in **harrying** the government in late-night debates. **harried** feeling strained as a result of having demands persistently made on one: HARASSED, hard-pressed, beleaguered, agitated, flustered, bothered, troubled, distressed, vexed ...**harried** detectives answer ringing phones ...All day, every day, they are **harried** by everyone they meet. ...He looks **harried** from having had to push his way through to reach me. \> Old English hergian "make war, lay waste, ravage, plunder," the word used in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for what the Vikings did to England, from Proto-Germanic *harjon (source also of Old Frisian urheria "lay waste, ravage, plunder," Old Norse herja "to make a raid, to plunder," Old Saxon and Old High German herion, German verheeren "to destroy, lay waste, devastate"). This is literally "to overrun with an army," from Proto-Germanic *harjan "an armed force" (source also of Old English here, Old Norse herr "crowd, great number; army, troop," Old Saxon and Old Frisian heri, Dutch heir, Old High German har, German Heer, Gothic harjis "a host, army"). \> The Germanic words come from PIE root *korio- "war" also "war-band, host, army" (source also of Lithuanian karas "war, quarrel," karias "host, army;" Old Church Slavonic kara "strife;" Middle Irish cuire "troop;" Old Persian kara "host, people, army;" Greek koiranos "ruler, leader, commander"). Weakened sense of "worry, goad, harass" is from c. 1400. Related: Harried; harrying. \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Etymonline

Answer 95

in store 1 in a safe place while not being used or displayed ...items held **in store** 2 coming in the future; about to happen; If something unexpected such as a surprise or problem is in store for someone, it is about to happen to them ...He did not yet know what lay **in store** for him. ...There were also surprises **in store** for me. ...Who knows what lies **in store** for the President? ...As we left, I wondered what the future **held in store**. \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary

Answer 96

vault noun ... verb 1 If you **vault** something or **vault over** it, you jump quickly onto or over it, especially by putting a hand on top of it to help you balance while you jump: JUMP (OVER), leap (over), skip (over), leapfrog (over), spring over ...The robber **vaulted over** the counter and took $200 in cash. 2 to move quickly from a lower rank or level to a higher one → vault from/to ...On Sunday Michigan **vaulted from** No. 4 **to** the nation’s top team. \> **vault (n.)**: "arched roof or ceiling," c. 1300, vaute, from Old French voute "arch, vaulting, vaulted roof or chamber," from Vulgar Latin *volta, contraction of *volvita, noun use of fem. of *volvitus, alteration of Latin volutus "bowed, arched," past participle of volvere "to turn, turn around, roll," from PIE root *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve." The -l- appeared in English c. 1400, an etymological insertion in imitation of earlier forms \> **vault (v.)**: "jump or leap over," especially by aid of the hands or a pole, 1530s, transitive (implied in vaulting); 1560s, intransitive, from French volter "to gambol, leap," from Italian voltare "to turn," from Vulgar Latin *volvitare "to turn, leap," frequentative of Latin volvere "to turn, turn around, roll" (from PIE root *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve"). Related: Vaulted; vaulting. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 97

capeesh /kuh·**peesh**/ do you understand? ..."Upstairs is off limits. **Capeesh**?" \> "do you understand?" 1940s slang, from Italian capisci? "do you understand?" from capire "to understand," from Latin capere "seize, grasp, take" (from PIE root *kap- "to grasp"). Also spelled coppish, kabish, capiche, etc. \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 98

get to do sth INFORMAL to have the opportunity to do something; to be given permission or the opportunity to do something, especially that which is desirable and out of the ordinary. ...You **get to** watch an extra hour of TV if you eat all of your vegetables. ...Why does Timmy **get to** be the one who helps Dad? It's my turn! ...We **get to** visit our cousins in Spain this summer! I can't wait! ...We **got to** meet all the stars after the show. ...She **gets to** travel all over the place with her job. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, The Free Dictionary

Answer 99

waffle noun ... verb **1** INFORMAL•BRITISH (*also* waffle on) If you say that someone **waffles**, you are critical of them because they talk or write a lot without actually making any clear or important points: PRATTLE, chatter, babble, ramble, jabber, gibber, gabble, gab, burble, run on, mutter, mumble, prate, drivel, bleat, cackle ... Stop **waffling** and get to the point. ...I wish he would stop **waffling** and get to the point! ...My teacher often tells me I **waffle**. ...There was some bloke on the phone **waffling about** an airline ticket. ...Whenever I open my mouth I don't half **waffle on**. ...That's all I had to say on the subject–we don't want to **waffle on** about it all day. **2** INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN to be unable to decide what action to take; If someone **waffles** on an issue or question, they cannot decide what to do or what their opinion is about it: WAVER, hesitate, falter, fluctuate ...He cannot continue to **waffle on** this issue. ...He's **waffled on** abortion and gay rights. ...He kept **waffling** and finding excuses not to close the deal. ...Facebook’s **waffling over** its responsibility to clamp down on hate speech and misleading information spurred Unilever to make a major pronouncement in June: ... — Steinberg, Brian. “(Very) Mad Men in Advertising.” *Variety* \> 1690s, "to yelp, bark," frequentative of provincial waff "to yelp, to bark like a puppy" (1610); possibly of imitative origin. Figurative sense of "talk foolishly" (c. 1700) led to that of "vacillate, equivocate" (1803), originally a Scottish and northern English usage. Late 17c. Scottish also had waff "act of waving," variant of waft, from Proto-Germanic *wabōną, *wabjaną (“to sway; to wander”), which might have influenced the sense. \> Regarding sense 1 (“to speak or write (something) at length without any clear aim or point”), compare Old English wæflian (“to talk foolishly”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Germanic *babalōną (“to babble, chatter”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- (“to say”) and/or Proto-Indo-European *baba- (“to talk vaguely; to mumble”). \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline, Wiktionary

Answer 100

hightail INFORMAL (*also* hightail it) to leave a place quickly ...Last we saw of him, he was **hightailing** down the street. ...kids **hightailing it** down the street on their bikes ...I cut my trip short and **hightailed it** home. \> high +‎ tail; refers to the behavior of fleeing animals, such as deer, that raise their tail when running away. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Wiktionary

Answer 101

(n.) a state of wild excitement, agitation, or uncontrolled activity ##Footnote The crowd went into a frenzy when the band took the stage.

Answer 102

Watch out for the cold!

Answer 103

re‧buff /rɪˈbʌf/ verb to refuse to accept someone’s offer, request, or suggestion; If you **rebuff** someone or **rebuff** a suggestion that they make, you refuse to do what they suggest: REJECT, turn down, spurn, refuse ...He **rebuffed** all her suggestions. ...His proposals have already been **rebuffed** by the Prime Minister. ...The company raised its offer to $6 billion, but was **rebuffed**. ...He was politely **rebuffed** when he suggested holding the show in Dublin. —rebuff noun FORMAL an unkind or unfriendly answer to a friendly suggestion or offer of help: REJECTION, SNUB, slight, repulse, cut; refusal, spurning, repudiation, repulsion, cold-shouldering ...He received a humiliating **rebuff** from his manager. \> "make blunt resistance to, put off with abrupt denial," 1580s, from obsolete French rebuffer "to check, snub," from Italian ribuffare "to check, chide, snide," from ribuffo "a snub," from ri- "back" (from Latin re-, see **re-**) + buffo "a puff," a word of imitative origin (compare **buffoon**, also **buffet** (n.2)). Related: Rebuffed; rebuffing. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 104

den‧i‧grate /ˈdenəˈɡreɪt/ to criticize unfairly; disparage; If you **denigrate** someone or something, you criticize them unfairly or insult them: DISPARAGE /dɪˈspærɪdʒ/, RUN DOWN, belittle, diminish, deprecate, cast aspersions on, decry, criticize unfairly ...people who **denigrate** their own country ...It amused him to **denigrate** his guests. ...They **denigrated** his work, questioning whether it did anything to confront the problems. ...Again, none of this is to **denigrate** his accomplishments as a U.S. attorney, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, or governor of Arkansas. —The Editors, *National Review*, 28 Aug. 2023 ...In 2020, the Russian government conducted influence campaigns to **denigrate** U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden and undermine Americans’ confidence in their electoral process. —Richard Fontaine, *Foreign Affairs*, 7 Aug. 2023 —denigration /ˌdenɪˈɡreɪʃən/ noun [uncountable] ...the **denigration** of minorities in this country \> late Middle English (in the sense ‘blacken, make dark’): from Latin denigrat- ‘blackened’, from the verb denigrare, from de- ‘away, completely’ + nigrare ‘to blacken’ (from niger ‘black’). \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 105

pull ahead

Answer 106

garner FORMAL to take or collect something, especially information or support: GATHER, COLLECT, accumulate, amass, assemble ...The party **garnered** 70 percent of the vote. ...He has **garnered** extensive support for his proposals. ...His priceless collection of Chinese art and artifacts was **garnered** over three decades. \> late 15c., "to store grain", from Middle English (originally as a noun): from Old French gernier, from Latin granarium ‘granary’, from granum ‘grain’. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 107

mi·sog·y·ny /muh·**saa**·juh·nee/ mi·sog·y·nis·tic /muh·saa·juh·**ni**·stuhk/ \> "hatred of women," 1650s, from Modern Latin misogynia, from Greek misogynia, abstract noun from misogynēs "woman-hater," from miso- "hatred" (see miso-) + gynē "woman" (from PIE root *gwen- "woman"). Its opposite is *philogyny* (1620s). \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 108

sur‧rep‧ti‧tious /sur·uhp·**ti**·shuhs/ A **surreptitious** action is done secretly: SECRET, CLANDESTINE, furtive /ˈfɜːtɪv/, stealthy, secretive, sneaky, sly, concealed, hidden, undercover, covert, veiled, under the table, cloak-and-dagger, backstair, indirect ...Rory tried to sneak a **surreptitious glance** at Adam’s wristwatch. ...He made a **surreptitious** entrance to the club through the little door in the brick wall. ...They had several **surreptitious** conversations. —surreptitiously adverb in a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention; secretively. ...Mary **surreptitiously** slipped from the room. \> mid-15c., from surreptus, past participle of surripere "seize secretly, take away, steal, plagiarize," from assimilated form of sub "from under" (hence, "secretly;" see sub-) + rapere "to snatch; to seize" (see rapid) + -ous + -ly. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 109

(adj.) representing the most perfect or typical example of something ##Footnote The small Italian cafe is the quintessential spot for an authentic espresso experience.

Answer 110

fête /feɪt/ \> 1754, from French fête "festival, feast," from Old French feste "feast, celebration" (see feast (n.)). If the date is right, first used in English by Horace Walpole (1717-1797). \> Etymonline

Answer 111

heave verb: **heave**; 3rd person present: **heaves**; past tense: **heaved**; past participle: **heaved**; past tense: **hove**; past participle: **hove**; gerund or present participle: **heaving** ...We had to **heave on** the rope holding the anchor to get it on board.(It means that they had to lift or pull the rope that was holding the anchor with effort to get it on board the ship or boat.) \> Old English hebban "to lift, raise; lift up, exalt" (class VI strong verb; past tense hof, past participle hafen), from Proto-Germanic *hafjan (source also of Old Norse hefja, Dutch heffen, German heben, Gothic hafjan "to lift, raise"), from PIE *kap-yo-, from root *kap- "to grasp." The sense evolution would be "to take, take hold of," thence "lift." \> Related to **have** (Old English habban "to hold, possess"). Meaning "to throw" is from 1590s. Nautical meaning "haul or pull" in any direction is from 1620s. Intransitive use from early 14c. as "be raised or forced up;" 1610s as "rise and fall with alternate motion." Sense of "retch, make an effort to vomit" is first attested c. 1600. Related: *Heaved*; *heaving*. Nautical heave-ho was a chant in lifting (c. 1300, hevelow). \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 112

(n.) a driving force or stimulus that causes an action or increased activity ##Footnote The new policy provided fresh impetus for economic growth.

Answer 113

flaunt **1** to show your money, success, beauty etc so that other people notice it; If you say that someone **flaunts** their possessions, abilities, or qualities, you mean that they display them in a very obvious way, especially in order to try to obtain other people's admiration – used to show disapproval; SHOW OFF, display ostentatiously, draw attention to, make a (great) show of, put on show, put on display, parade, exhibit; flourish, brandish, wave, dangle; exult in, brag about, crow about, vaunt ...The rich **flaunted** their wealth while the poor starved on the streets. ...They drove around in Rolls-Royces, openly **flaunting** their wealth. ...One secret he learned very early on was not to **flaunt** his success. ...In ad photos, the two **flaunted** their best fashions while in an airport covered in Gucci from head to toe. —Angel Saunders, *Peoplemag*, 2 Oct. 2023 USAGE NOTES: **Flaunt** suggests a shameless, boastful, often offensive parading. ...nouveaux riches *flaunting* their wealth **2** to dress or behave in a sexually provocative way; If you say that someone **is flaunting themselves**, you disapprove of them because they are behaving in a very confident way, or in a way that is intended to attract sexual attention ...tourists **flaunting themselves** in front of the castle guards in bra and shorts \> Of North Germanic origin. Perhaps related to Norwegian flanta ("to show off, wander about"), Icelandic flana ("to rush about, act rashly or heedlessly") and then also to French flâner ("to wander around, loiter"). \> Alternatively, it could be related to Swedish flankt ("loosely, flutteringly") (compare English flaunt-a-flaunt), from flanka ("waver, hang and wave about, ramble"), a nasalised variant of flakka ("to waver"), related to Middle English flacken ("to move to and fro, flutter, palpitate"). See flack. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Wiktionary

Answer 114

fascinating

Answer 115

prow‧ess /**prau**·uhs/ **1** FORMAL great skill at doing something; Someone's **prowess** is their great skill at doing something: SKILL, ability, talent, expertise ...his **prowess** as a fisherman ...his physical **prowess** ...He's always bragging about his **prowess** as a cricketer. ...The best and the brightest pupils competed to demonstrate their intellectual **prowess**. **2** bravery in battle: COURAGE, bravery, gallantry, valor, heroism, intrepidness, intrepidity, nerve, pluck, pluckiness, doughtiness, hardihood, braveness, courageousness, dauntlessness ...The hereditary nobility had no monopoly of skill and **prowess** in war. ...The knights were famed for their **prowess** in battle. \> From Middle English prowesse, prouwesse, proues, prouesce, prouesse (“bravery in battle; act of bravery; excellence; nobility of character; intelligence”), from Old French proeche, proesce, proeësche (“goodness; excellence; bravery”), from Old French preu, prou, prouz, proz, pruz (“good; excellent; brave”). Compare English proud. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary

Answer 116

re‧prieve /rɪˈpriːv/ verb **1** to delay the punishment of (someone, such as a condemned prisoner); If someone who has been sentenced in a court **is reprieved**, their punishment is officially delayed or cancelled: GRANT A STAY OF EXECUTION TO, pardon, spare, acquit, grant an amnesty to, amnesty, let off, let off the hook, respite ...Fourteen people on death row for murder have been **reprieved**. **2** to abandon or postpone plans to close or put an end to (something): SAVE, rescue, grant a stay of execution to, give a respite to ...The accident and emergency unit has also been **reprieved**. GRAMMAR **Reprieve** is usually passive. noun **1** a delay before something bad happens or continues to happen; A **reprieve** is a delay before a very unpleasant or difficult situation which may or may not take place. ...It looked as though the college would have to shut, but this week it was given a **reprieve**. → reprieve from ...Shoppers will get a temporary **reprieve from** the new sales tax. **2** an official order stopping the killing of a prisoner as a punishment: STAY OF EXECUTION, cancellation of punishment, postponement of punishment, remission, suspension of punishment, respite; pardon, amnesty, acquittal ...A man awaiting death by lethal injection has been saved by a last minute **reprieve**. → give/grant somebody a reprieve ...The US Supreme Court voted against **granting** Smith **a reprieve** (=against giving him one). \> late 15th century (as the past participle repryed ): from Anglo-Norman French repris, past participle of reprendre, from Latin re- ‘back’ + prehendere ‘seize’. The insertion of -v- (16th century) remains unexplained. Sense development has undergone a reversal, from the early meaning ‘send back to prison’, via ‘postpone a legal process’, to the current sense ‘rescue from impending punishment’. Meaning "to suspend an impending execution" is recorded from 1590s; this sense evolved probably because being sent back to prison was the alternative to execution. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Etymonline

Answer 117

write sth down to reduce the book value of (an asset); to reduce the value of an asset as shown in a company’s accounts ...The giant hospital chain said it will **write down** about $100 million in assets and reserves. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary

Answer 118

di‧vulge /daɪˈvʌldʒ, də-/ to give someone information that should be secret; If you **divulge** a piece of secret or private information, you tell it to someone: DISCLOSE, REVEAL, MAKE KNOWN, tell, impart, publish, broadcast, proclaim, promulgate; expose, uncover, make public, go public with, bring into the open, give away, let slip, let drop, blurt out, leak ...Officials refuse to **divulge** details of the negotiations. ...He was charged with **divulging** state secrets. ...The Pentagon refused to **divulge** what type of plane it was. ...The bank has refused to **divulge** its plans. ...I’m afraid I cannot **divulge** what was said to me. ...He refused to **divulge** Father O'Neill's whereabouts. \> late Middle English (in the sense ‘to make public’): from Latin divulgare, from di- ‘widely’ + vulgare ‘to publish; to make common property’, from vulgus ‘common people’ \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 119

jaw‧bone /ˈdʒɔːbəʊn $ ˈdʒɒːboʊn/ to attempt to persuade or pressure by the force of one's position of authority. ...The Federal Reserve Board Vice Chairman **jawboned** the dollar higher by calling its recent steep decline a purely speculative phenomenon. \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Answer 120

duke it out **1** to fight, especially with the fists; do battle ...In the opening scene, Bond and his adversary are **duking it out** on top of a train. ...The adversaries were prepared to **duke it out** in the alley. **2** to compete or argue against each other ...Smaller universities could lose out if they have to **duke it out** for funding. ...We do not have the resources to **duke it out** in court. ...He's eager to see the two candidates **duke it out** in the debate. \> Cambridge Dictionary, Dictionary.com

Answer 121

po‧tent /**pow**·tnt/ Something that is **potent** is very effective and powerful: STRONG, powerful, mighty, vigorous ...Their most **potent** weapon was the Exocet missile. ...The drug is extremely **potent**, but causes unpleasant side effects. \> early 15c., "mighty, very powerful, possessed of inherent strength," from Latin potentem (nominative potens) "powerful," present participle of *potere "be powerful," from potis "powerful, able, capable; possible;" of persons, "better, preferable; chief, principal; strongest, foremost," from PIE root *poti- "powerful; lord." Meaning "having sexual power, capable of orgasm in sexual intercourse" (of men) is recorded by 1893. \> Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Etymonline

Answer 122

knacker **1** to tire (someone) out: EXHAUST ...This weekend has really **knackered** me. → knacker yourself (out) ...Slow down – you’ll **knacker yourself out**! **2** to damage (something) severely ...I **knackered** my ankle playing on Sunday. knackered **1** INFORMAL•BRITISH If you say that you are **knackered**, you are emphasizing that you are extremely tired: EXHAUSTED, worn out, tired out, drained ...I was absolutely **knackered** at the end of the match. **2** If you say that something is **knackered**, you mean that it is completely broken or worn out. ...a **knackered** old T- shirt ...faded pictures on a **knackered** TV set \> late 16th century (originally denoting a harness-maker, then a slaughterer of horses): possibly from obsolete knack ‘trinket’. The word also had the sense ‘old worn-out horse’ (late 18th century). knacker (sense 2 of the noun) may be from dialect knacker ‘castanet’, from obsolete knack ‘make a sharp abrupt noise’, of imitative origin. It is unclear whether the verb represents a figurative use of ‘slaughter’. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English

Answer 123

stint noun A **stint** is a period of time which you spend doing a particular job or activity or working in a particular place. → stint in/at ...He is returning to this country after a five-year **stint in** Hong Kong. ...Mark **did** a two-year **stint in** the army. → stint as ...his **stint as** chairman verb [intransitive, transitive usually in negatives] to provide or use too little of something → stint on ...They didn’t **stint on** food and drink at their wedding. → stint yourself ...In order to avoid **stinting yourself**, make sure you have enough money to cover all your expenses. \> From Middle English stinten, from Old English styntan (“to make blunt”) and *stintan (attested in āstintan (“to make dull, stint, assuage”)), from Proto-West Germanic *stuntijan, from Proto-Germanic *stuntijaną and Proto-Germanic *stintaną (“to make short”), probably influenced in some senses by cognate Old Norse *stynta, stytta (“to make short, shorten”). \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Wiktionary

Answer 124

to come out of the woodwork (*also* to crawl out of the woodwork) if someone crawls out of the woodwork, they suddenly and unexpectedly appear in order to take advantage of a situation, express their opinion etc – used to show disapproval; If you say that people are **coming out of the woodwork**, you are criticizing them for suddenly appearing in public or revealing their opinions when previously they did not make themselves known. ...Since I've had this column, several people from my past **have come out of the woodwork**. \> The phrase to crawl, or to come, out of the woodwork means, of an unpleasant or unwelcome person or thing, to come out of hiding, to emerge from obscurity. The image is of vermin or insects crawling out of crevices or other hidden places in a building. (Source: https://wordhistories.net/2018/04/21/crawl-woodwork-origin/) \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary

Answer 125

wager **1** to agree to win or lose an amount of money on the result of something such as a race: BET, gamble, lay a wager, place/make/lay a bet, lay odds, put money on; stake, pledge, risk, venture, hazard, chance, speculate → wager sth on sth ...Stipes **wagered** all his money **on** an unknown horse. ...Just because people **wagered on** the Yankees did not mean that they liked them. ...He never **wagered** money **on** games involving his own team. **Wager** is also a noun: BET, gamble, speculation, venture, game of chance; stake, pledge, hazard, ante ...There have been various **wagers on** certain candidates since the Bishop announced his retirement. **2** If you say that you will **wager that** something is the case, you mean you are confident that it is the case. ...She was willing to **wager that** he didn't own the apartment he lived in. ...**I'll wager** she'll still make the same impact when she's 70. \> c. 1300, wajour "a promise, a vow, something pledged or sworn to;" also "a bet, a wager; stakes, something laid down as a bet," from Anglo-French wageure, Old North French wagiere (Old French gagiere, Modern French gageure) "pledge, security," from wagier "to pledge" (see wage (n.)). \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Etymonline

Answer 126

might as well **1** used to suggest that someone should do something, because there is no good reason to do anything else ...If there’s nothing more to do, we **might as well** go to bed. ...You **might as well** tell us now – we’ll find out sooner or later. ...We **might as well** sit down while we’re waiting. ...You **might as well** enjoy your money while you’ve got it. **2** used to say that something else could have been done with the same result; used for saying that it would not make any difference if you did something else; If you say that something, usually something bad, **might as well** be true or **may as well** be true, you mean that the situation is the same or almost the same as if it were true. ...The party was so dull that I **might just as well** have stayed home. ...The meeting was a complete waste of time. I **might just as well** have stayed at home. ...The couple **might as well** have been strangers. ...For readers seeking illumination, this book **might as well** have been written in Serbo-Croatian. ...The road was open again, but **might as well** have remained closed, such were the delays. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, MacMillan Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

Answer 127

pre‧sup‧pose /ˌpriːsəˈpəʊz $ -ˈpoʊz/ **1** to suppose beforehand **2** to require as an antecedent in logic or fact Examples: ...The idea of heaven **presupposes** the existence of God. ...The end of an era **presupposes** the start of another. ...Your argument **presupposes that** Dickens was a social reformer. ...All your arguments **presuppose that** he's a rational, intelligent man. ...The rule **presupposes** a need to restrict student access to the library. ...Without struggle there can be no progress, and struggle **presupposes** winners and losers. (=It means that in order to make progress or improve something, you need to go through some difficulties or challenges. These difficulties can be like a game where there are winners and losers. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. But it’s important to keep trying and not give up because that’s how you learn and get better.) \> Merriam-Webster, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary

Answer 128

Do you have a moment to spare?

Answer 129

night 8:30-11:59 ~ Marissa C

Answer 130

im‧pu‧ni‧ty /ɪmˈpjuːnəti/ exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action: IMMUNITY, indemnity, exemption from punishment, freedom from punishment, exemption, nonliability, license; amnesty, dispensation, pardon, reprieve, stay of execution, exoneration; privilege, special treatment, favoritism; *French* carte blanche ...the **impunity** enjoyed by military officers implicated in civilian killings → with impunity If you say that someone does something **with impunity**, you disapprove of the fact that they are not punished for doing something bad ...It’s astonishing that these criminals are free to walk the streets **with impunity**. ...She mistakenly believed that she could insult people **with impunity**. ...She thought that her money and power gave her the right to ignore the law **with impunity**. ...But all the violence and effort, prosecutors and analysts say, has missed the most pressing security challenge confronting this notoriously turbulent region: A shadow force made up of active and retired police officers themselves, which extorts, traffics drugs and kills at will and **with impunity**. —Paulina Villegas, *Washington Post*, 26 Sep. 2023 \> 1530s, from French impunité (14c.) and directly from Latin impunitatem (nominative impunitas) "freedom from punishment, omission of punishment," also "rashness, inconsideration," from impunis "unpunished, without punishment," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + poena "punishment" (see penal). \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 131

to put (something) on (one's) tab To add a charge for some food or drink to one's bill so that one can pay for it later. A "tab" is an informal term for a bill or check, most often in a bar or restaurant. ...Hey, barkeep! Another whisky for my friend here, and put it on my tab! ...Mind if I put an order of nachos on your tab? \> The Free Dictionary

Answer 132

vin‧di‧cate /ˈvɪndɪkeɪt/ **1** to free from allegation or blame; to prove that someone who was blamed for something is in fact not guilty: ACQUIT, CLEAR, EXONERATE, ABSOLVE, free from blame, declare innocent, exculpate, discharge, liberate, free, deliver, redeem ...The charges are false, and we are sure we will be **vindicated** in court. **2** to prove that someone or something is right or true; If a person or their decisions, actions, or ideas **are vindicated**, they are proved to be correct, after people have said that they were wrong: JUSTIFY, warrant, substantiate, establish, demonstrate, ratify, authenticate, verify, confirm, corroborate, prove, defend, offer grounds for ...The decision to advertise has been **vindicated** by the fact that sales have grown. —vindication noun ...He called the success a **vindication** of his party's free-market economic policy. \> 1620s, "to avenge or revenge," from Latin vindicatus, past participle of vindicare "to stake a claim; to liberate; to act as avenger" (see vindication). Meaning "to clear from censure or doubt, by means of demonstration" is recorded from 1630s. \> mid 16th century (in the sense ‘deliver, rescue’): from Latin vindicat- ‘claimed, avenged’, from the verb vindicare, from vindex, vindic- ‘claimant, avenger’, from vim, accusative singular of vīs (“force, power”), + dīcō (“say; declare, state”) \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary of English, Wiktionary, Etymonline

Answer 133

seethe **1** to feel an emotion, especially anger, so strongly that you are almost shaking; When you are **seething**, you are very angry about something but do not express your feelings about it: BE ANGRY, be furious, be enraged, be incensed, be infuriated, be beside oneself, have lost one's temper; rant and rave, storm, fume, smolder ...I was absolutely **seething**. ...She took it calmly at first but under the surface was **seething**. ...He is **seething at** all the bad press he is getting. ...a **seething** anger fueled by decades of political oppression → seethe with ...He was **seething with** anger. ...She grinned derisively while I **seethed with** rage. **2** be seething (with sth) If you say that a place **is seething with** people or things, you are emphasizing that it is very full of them and that they are all moving about: TEEM, be full of, abound, swarm ...The cellar **was seething with** spiders. ...The forest below him **seethed and teemed with** life. ...Madrigueras station was a **seething** mass of soldiers. \> Old English sēothan ‘make or keep boiling’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zieden. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Oxford Dictionary of English.

Answer 134

stand‧still /ˈstændˌstɪl/ a state characterized by absence of motion or of progress; If movement or activity comes **to** or is brought **to a standstill**, it stops completely: HALT, STOP, dead stop, stand → come to a standstill/bring sth to a standstill ...The traffic **came to a standstill**. ...Abruptly the group ahead of us **came to a standstill**. ...Strikers **brought** production **to a standstill**. → at a standstill ...Production is more or less **at a standstill**. ...Traffic was **at a standstill**. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus

Answer 135

in fits and starts (*also* by fits and starts) stopping and starting again many times, rather than progressing steadily; If something happens in fits and starts, it does not happen smoothly, but keeps starting and then stopping again. ...Technology advances **by fits and starts**. ...He spoke **in fits and starts**. ...Replies to the advertisement are arriving **in fits and starts**. ...Efforts at reform seem to come **in fits and starts**. \> The expression has an interesting history. In fact, it evolved by fits and starts. The story begins back in the 1500s when a "fit" was a paroxysm and a "start" was a sudden burst of activity. By the late 1500s, the words showed up in two separate adverbial phrases, "by fits" (irregularly or fitfully) and "by starts" (intermittently). ~ [The Grammarphobia Blog](https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2017/05/fits-and-starts.html) \> **fit (n.2)**: "paroxysm, sudden attack" (as of anger), 1540s, probably via Middle English sense of "painful, exciting experience" (early 14c.), from Old English fitt "conflict, struggle," which is of uncertain origin, with no clear cognates outside English. Perhaps ultimately cognate with **fit** (adj.) on notion of "to meet." Meaning "sudden impulse toward activity or effort" is from 1580s. \> Macmillan Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Cambridge Dictionary, Etymonline

Answer 136

lam·baste /lam·**bayst**/ or /ˈlæmbæst/ to criticize someone or something very strongly, usually in public: CRITICIZE, slate, castigate, chastise, censure, condemn, take to task, harangue, attack, rail at, rant at, revile, fulminate against, haul/call over the coals, upbraid, scold, reprimand, rebuke, chide, reprove, admonish, berate, rap someone's knuckles, slap someone's wrist, lay into, pitch into, tear into, lace into, dress down, give someone a dressing-down, carpet, tell off, bawl out ...Democrats **lambasted** the president’s budget plan for being ‘inadequate’. ...They **lambasted** the report as a gross distortion of the truth. ...The coach **lambasted** the team for its poor play. ...They wrote several letters **lambasting** the new law. ...It was **lambasted** by mainstream critics but is now considered a classic. —Steve Appleford, *SPIN*, 31 Oct. 2023 ...Israel **lambasted** United Nations Secretary General António Guterres over his calls for a cease-fire and other comments during a heated Security Council meeting. —Rachel pannett, *Washington Post*, 25 Oct. 2023 \> First attested in 1637. Probably lam (“beat”) +‎ baste (“beat”) \> 1630s, apparently from baste "to thrash" (see **baste** (v.3)) + the obscure verb **lam** "to beat, to lame" or the related Elizabethan noun *lam* "a heavy blow" (implied by 1540s in puns on *lambskin*). Compare earlier *lamback* "to beat, thrash" (1580s, used in old plays). A dictionary from c. 1600 defines Latin *defustare* as "to lamme or bumbast with strokes." Related: Lambasted; lambasting. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary, Etymonline

Answer 137

north of sth INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN greater than; If an amount is north of another amount, it is more than that amount. ...To be a big player, a company must spend somewhere **north of** $500 million a year. ...They expect to spend **north of** $6 million for this latest campaign. ...Auburn coach Bruce Pearl earned **north of** $3.9 million this season … —Tom Green ...Fighting as he is now to keep his approval rating **north of** 40%, November 2009 probably looks to Obama like the good old days. —Elias Isquith ...Cognacs of similar quality typically go **north of** $100. —Jack Bettridge \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Merriam-Webster

Answer 138

tit‧il‧late /ˈtɪtəleɪt/ to stimulate or excite (someone), especially in a sexual way; If something **titillates** someone, it pleases and excites them, especially in a sexual way: AROUSE, rouse, excite, stimulate, stir, thrill, interest, attract, please, fascinate; TANTALIZE, lead on, seduce, tempt, ravish, inflame, kindle, provoke, quicken; *informal* turn on, send ...the lurid sensationalism designed to **titillate** local audiences ...Details of the sex scandal are being revealed just to **titillate** the public, not inform them. ...The sex scandal is **titillating** the American public. ...He **titillated** himself with thoughts of her applying that cruelty to him. \> from Latin *titillare* "to tickle" \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 139

de‧ba‧cle, débâcle /deɪˈbɑːkəl, dɪ-/ A **debacle** is an event or attempt that is a complete failure: FIASCO, failure, catastrophe, disaster, disintegration, mess, wreck, ruin; downfall, collapse, defeat, rout, overthrow, conquest, trouncing; *informal* foul-up, screwup, hash, botch, washout, fail ...But remember what happened in the 1994 bond **debacle**. ...The coup attempt resulted in an embarrassing **debacle**. ...After the **debacle of** the war the world was never the same again. ...The convention was a **debacle**. \> "disaster," 1848, from French débâcle "downfall, collapse, disaster" (17c.), a figurative use, literally "breaking up (of ice on a river) in consequence of a rise in the water," extended to the violent flood that follows when the river ice melts in spring; from débâcler "to free," earlier desbacler "to unbar," from des- "off" (see dis-) + bacler "to bar," from Vulgar Latin *bacculare, from Latin baculum "stick" (see bacillus). The literal sense is attested in English from 1802, in geology, to explain the landscapes left by the ice ages. Figurative sense of "disaster" was present in French before English borrowed the word. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 140

ex‧hort /ɪɡˈzɔːt $ -ɔːrt/ FORMAL to try very hard to persuade someone to do something; If you **exhort** someone **to** do something, you try hard to persuade or encourage them to do it: URGE, encourage, call on, enjoin, adjure, charge, try to persuade, press, pressure, put pressure on, use pressure on, pressurize, lean on, push; egg on, spur, incite, goad ...He **exhorted** his companions, 'Try to accomplish your aim with diligence.' exhort sb to do sth ...Police **exhorted** the crowd **to** remain calm. ...Kennedy **exhorted** his listeners **to** turn away from violence. ...She **exhorted** her listeners **to** support the proposition. ...He **exhorted** the workers **to** end the strike. ...And after a masked mob attacked anti-government student protesters in January 2020, the director flew to New Delhi, picked up a microphone and **exhorted** the students **to** fight on. —Anant Gupta, *Washington Post*, 21 Nov. 2023 —exhortation /eg·zor·**tay**·shn/ /ˌekzɔːˈteɪʃən,ˌeksɔːˈteɪʃən $ -ɔːr-/ noun [countable, uncountable] ...Despite the **exhortations** of the union leaders the workers voted to strike. ...The book is essentially **an exhortation to** religious tolerance. \> c. 1400, exhorten, "to exhort, encourage," from Old French exhorer (13c.) and directly from Latin exhortari "to exhort, encourage, stimulate," from ex, here probably "thoroughly" (see **ex-**) + hortari "encourage, urge" (from PIE root \*gher- (2) "to like, want"). ~ Etymonline \> Arriving in the 15th century from the Anglo-French word *exorter*, *exhort* traces back further to the Latin verb *hortari*, meaning “to incite to action, urge on, or encourage.” Latin users added the prefix *ex-* to *hortari* to intensify it; in essence, *exhortari* is a succinct way of saying “to really, really urge.” The Latin words *adhortari* (its meaning similar to that of *exhortari*) and *dehortari* (“to dissuade”) also found their way into English as * adhort* and *dehort*, respectively, but neither of these remains in current use. ~ Merriam-Webster \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 141

strew /struː/ verb (*past tense* **strewed**, *past participle* **strewn** /struːn/ or **strewed**) **1** to scatter things around a large area; To **strew** things somewhere, or to **strew** a place **with** things, means to scatter them there: SCATTER, spread, disperse, distribute, litter, toss ...A woman was **strewing** the floor **with** chalk so that the dancing shoes would not slip. → be strewn with something ...The street **was strewn with** broken glass. → be strewn around/about/over etc something ...clothes **strewn across** the floor ...The racoons knock over rubbish bins and **strew** the contents all **over** the ground. ...By the end, bodies **were strewn** all **round** the building. **2** → strewn with sth containing a lot of something ...conversation liberally **strewn with** swear words ...His career **was strewn with** misfortune. ...Her stories **are strewn with** clichés. (=her stories have many clichés) \> Old English strewian, streowian "to scatter," from Proto-Germanic *strawjan- (source also of Old Frisian strewa, Old Saxon strowian, Old Norse stra, Danish strø, Swedish strö, Middle Dutch strowen, Dutch strooien, Old High German strouwen, German streuen, Gothic straujan "to sprinkle, strew"), from suffixed form of PIE root *stere- "to spread." Related: Strewed; strewn; strewing. \> **stere-**: *sterə-, also *ster-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to spread." It forms all or part of: **consternate**; **consternation**; **construct**; **construction**; **destroy**; **destruction**; **industry**; **instruct**; **instruction**; **instrument**; **obstruct**; **obstruction**; **perestroika**; **prostrate**; **sternum**; **sternocleidomastoid**; **strain** (n.2) "race, stock, line;" **stratagem**; **strategy**; **strath**; **strato-**; **stratocracy**; **stratography**; **stratosphere**; **stratum**; **stratus**; **straw**; **stray**; **street**; **strew**; **stroma**; **structure**; **substrate**; **substratum**; **substructure**. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Macmillan Dictionary, The Britannica Dictionary, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 142

un‧rav‧el /ʌnˈrævəl/ **1** to cause to come apart by or as if by separating the threads of, or to disengage or separate the threads of; If you **unravel** something that is knotted, woven, or knitted, or if it **unravels**, it becomes one straight piece again or separates into its different threads: UNTANGLE, disentangle, straighten out, separate out, unsnarl, unknot, unwind, untwist, undo, untie, unkink, unjumble ...He cut the rope and started to **unravel** its strands. **2** If something such as a plan or system **unravels**, it breaks up or begins to fail: FALL APART, come apart (at the seams), fail, collapse, go wrong ...His government began to **unravel** because of a banking scandal. ...The company started to **unravel** when two of the directors were arrested. ...Their plans **unraveled** when she lost her job. ...His frequent absences from home caused his marriage to **unravel**. **3** to investigate and solve or explain (something complicated or puzzling); If you **unravel** a mystery or puzzle, or if it **unravels**, it gradually becomes clearer and you can work out the answer to it: SOLVE, resolve, work out, clear up, puzzle out, find an answer to, get to the bottom of, explain, elucidate, fathom, decipher, decode, crack ...Detectives are still trying to **unravel** the mystery surrounding his death. ...Scientists are still **unraveling** the secrets of DNA. ...The connection helped **unravel** Galochkin’s offline identity. —Matt Burgess, *WIRED*, 30 Aug. 2023 ...The move marks a significant turn in the Justice Department's ongoing investigation of Hunter Biden, whose plea deal with prosecutors to resolve tax evasion and gun charges **unraveled** in court last month. —Taylor Wilson, *USA TODAY*, 12 Aug. 2023 \> c. 1600 (transitive), from un- (2) + ravel (v.). Intransitive from 1640s. "The prefix is either reversive or intensive, according as ravel is taken to mean 'tangle' or 'untangle'" [Century Dictionary]. Related: Unravelled; unravelling; unravellment. \> **ravel (v.)**: The verb is borrowed from Dutch ravelen, rafelen (“to tangle, become entangled; to fray; to unweave”) [and other forms]; further etymology uncertain. It has been suggested that the verb is originally derived from the noun, but the Oxford English Dictionary regards this as “very uncertain”,[1] and instead regards the noun as having derived from the verb (compare Dutch rafel, raffel (“frayed thread”)). Ravel is a contranym having both the senses of tangling (verb senses 1.1, 1.2, 1.4.1, and 2.3; noun sense 1) and untangling (verb senses 1.3, 1.4.2, 1.4.3, 2.1, and 2.2; noun sense 2). It would appear that the tangling senses predate the untangling ones (as in Dutch), but this is uncertain because the first published uses of both senses of the words occur around the same time. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Wiktionary, Etymonline

Answer 143

embroil to involve someone or something in a difficult situation; If someone **embroils** you **in** a fight or an argument, they get you deeply involved in it: INVOLVE, entangle, ensnare, enmesh, catch up, mix up → embroil sb/sth in sth ...I became **embroiled in** an **argument** with the taxi driver. ...Any hostilities could result in retaliation and further **embroil** U.N. troops **in** fighting. \> c. 1600, "throw into disorder," from French embrouillier "entangle, confuse, embroil" (cognate of Italian imbrogliare), from assimilated form of en- in- "in, into" (from PIE root *en "in") + brouiller "confuse," from Old French brooillier "to mix, mingle," figuratively "to have sexual intercourse" (13c., Modern French brouiller), perhaps from breu, bro "stock, broth, brew," from Frankish or another Germanic source (compare Old High German brod "broth"), from PIE root *bhreu- "to boil, bubble, effervesce, burn." Compare broil (v.2). Sense of "involve in a quarrel" is first attested c. 1610. Related: *Embroiled*; *embroiling*. *Embrangle* "mix confusedly" is from 1660s. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Collins English Dictionary, Etymonline

Answer 144

(adj.) wicked or criminal; extremely evil or villainous ##Footnote The detective uncovered the nefarious plot behind the fraud scheme.

Answer 145

(n.) a feeling of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected; amazement or dismay that hinders or throws into confusion ##Footnote - The two … stared at each other in consternation, and neither knew what to do. —Pearl Buck - The sudden announcement of layoffs caused widespread consternation among the employees. \> Merriam-Webster

Answer 146

take sth under advisement FORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN to consider (something) carefully; to consider or deliberate upon some advice, request, idea, warning, etc., very carefully. (Sometimes used sarcastically or ironically to imply the opposite.) ...Thank you for your suggestion. We’ll **take** the matter **under advisement**. ...We will be **taking** all these formal complaints **under advisement**. ...Thank you for your input Mr Walters - I'll **take** what you've said **under advisement**. ...The committee acknowledged her request and will **take** it **under advisement**. ...The Secretary of State gave assurances that he would **take** the matter **under advisement**. \> Merriam-Webster, Cambridge Dictionary, The Free Dictionary

Answer 147

cinch /sɪntʃ/ noun **1** : a strap that holds a saddle on a horse **2** : a tight grip **3a** : a thing done with ease; something that is very easy; If you say that something is **a cinch**, you mean that you think it is very easy to do: EASY, uncomplicated, not difficult, undemanding, unexacting, unchallenging, effortless, painless, trouble-free, facile, simple, straightforward, elementary, idiot-proof, plain sailing, a walkover, a gift, nothing ...It sounds difficult, but compared to full-time work it was **a cinch**. ...Getting reelected would be **a cinch** for him. ...Thankfully, with its Bluetooth support, the Deck makes connecting peripherals **a cinch**. —*WIRED*, 28 Oct. 2023 → be a cinch to do sth ...The program is **a cinch to install**. **3b** NORTH AMERICAN : a certainty to happen; something that will definitely happen, or someone who will definitely do something: CERTAINTY, sure thing → be a cinch to do sth ...It's **a cinch** he'll break the record. ...Most observers say the president is **a cinch to** win re-election. verb **1** NORTH AMERICAN to fasten (something, such as a belt or strap) tightly ... He **cinched** his belt tight. ...a blue dress **cinched** at the waist by a wide belt ...The look hinges on a white ten-gallon hat and a black-and-silver checker print suit jacket layered a white collared shirt and matching studded shorts **cinched** with a black YSL belt. —Hanna Lustig, *Glamour*, 5 Feb. 2024 **2** INFORMAL•NORTH AMERICAN to make certain of : ASSURE ...the goal that **cinched** the victory ...His advice **cinched** her decision to accept the offer. \> **cinch (n.):** 1859, American English, "saddle-girth," from Spanish cincha "girdle," from Latin cingulum "a girdle, a swordbelt," from cingere "to surround, encircle," from PIE root *kenk- (1) "to gird, encircle" (source also of Sanskrit kankate "binds," kanci "girdle;" Lithuanian kinkau, kinkyti "to harness horses"). Replaced earlier surcingle. Sense of "an easy thing" is 1895 (in lead-pipe cinch), via notion of "a firm or sure hold" (1888). \> **cinch (v.):** 1866, "to pull in, gird with or as with a cinch," from **cinch** (n.). Figurative meaning "make certain" is from 1891, American English slang, via Western U.S. colloquial sense "bind or subdue by force" (1875). Related: Cinched; cinching. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Merriam-Webster, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 148

(n.) intolerance toward those who are different or hold different opinions, especially in a prejudiced way ##Footnote - The community took a strong stand against bigotry and promoted inclusion for all. - The company implemented diversity training to combat bigotry in the workplace.

Answer 149

din‧gy /ˈdɪndʒi/ A **dingy** building or place is rather dark and depressing, and perhaps dirty: GLOOMY, DULL, drab, dark, badly/poorly lit, dim; dismal, somber, grim, dreary, cheerless; dirty, discolored, grimy, soiled; faded, shabby, dowdy, worn, seedy, run down, tacky ...Shaw took me to his rather **dingy** office. ...a **dingy** side-street \> 1736, in Kentish dialect, "dirty, foul," a word of uncertain origin, but perhaps related to dung. Meaning "soiled, tarnished, having a dull, brownish color" (from grime or weathering) is by 1751; hence "shabby, shady, drab" (by 1855). The noun dinge "dinginess" (1816) is a back-formation; as a derogatory word for "black person, Negro," by 1848. Related: Dingily; dinginess. \> Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 150

gird **1** to encircle (a person or part of the body) with a belt or band: FASTEN, belt, bind, tie **2** to surround; encircle: SURROUND, ENCLOSE, ENCIRCLE, circle, ring, encompass, circumscribe, border, bound, edge, skirt, fringe ...The island was **girded** by treacherous rocks. **3** → gird (yourself) for sth If you **gird yourself for** a battle or contest, you prepare yourself for it: PREPARE, get ready, make ready, gear up, nerve, steel, galvanize, brace ...They are **girding themselves for** the upcoming court case. ...With audiences in the U.S. falling for the first time in a generation, Hollywood is **girding itself for** recession. \> Old English gyrdan "put a belt or girdle around; encircle; bind with flexible material; invest with attributes," from Proto-Germanic *gurdjan (source also of Old Norse gyrða, Old Saxon gurdian, Old Frisian gerda, Dutch gorden, Old High German gurtan, German gürten), from PIE *ghr-dh-, suffixed form of root *gher- (1) "to grasp, enclose." Related: Girded; girding. \> As in to *gird oneself* "tighten the belt and tuck up loose garments to free the body in preparation for a task or journey." \> Oxford Dictionary of English, Collins English Dictionary, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford American Writer's Thesaurus, Etymonline

Answer 151

tamp down **1** to press or push something down by lightly hitting it several times; If you **tamp** something, you press it down by tapping it several times so that it becomes flatter and more solid. ...Then I **tamp down** the soil with the back of a rake. ...The old man **tamped down** the tobacco with his thumb. **2** to put a check on : REDUCE, LESSEN ...**tamp down** rumors ...The military has adamantly sought to **tamp down** that speculation and is zealously protective of its historically nonpartisan nature. ...As the price of gasoline rose above $3 a gallon, consumers cut their spending elsewhere, **tamping down** profits in retail, travel and other industries. ...The party retained power by boosting the economy and **tamping down** corruption. \> Probably a back-formation from tampin (misinterpreted as tamping), a variant of tampion: First attested in 1848. Borrowed from French tampon, from Middle French tampion, a nasalised variant of tapon, a diminutive or augmented form of Old French tape (“plug, bung, tap”), from Frankish *tappo (“stopper, plug”), from Proto-Germanic *tappô (“plug, tap”). Cognate with Old High German zapfo (“stopper”), Old English tæppa (“stopper”). More at **tap**. \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Wiktionary

Answer 152

ca‧reen /kəˈriːn/ NORTH AMERICAN to move forwards quickly without control, making sudden sideways movements → careen down/over/along etc ...The truck sways wildly, **careening down** narrow mountain roads. ...An electric golf cart **careened around** the corner. \> 1590s, "turn a ship on its side" (with the keel exposed, for inspection, repairs, etc.), from French cariner, literally "expose a ship's keel," from French carene "keel" (16c.), from Italian (Genoese dialect) carena, from Latin carina "keel of a ship," also (and perhaps originally) "nutshell," possibly from PIE root *kar- "hard." \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Oxford Dictionary of English, Collins English Dictionary, Etymonline

Answer 153

zero in on sb/sth **1** to aim a gun or other weapon towards something or someone; To **zero in on** a target means to aim at it or move towards it. ...Jet fighters **zeroed in on** the rebels' position. **2** to direct all your attention towards a particular person or thing; If you **zero in on** a problem or subject, you give it your full attention: FOCUS ON, focus attention on, center on, concentrate on, home in on, fix on, pinpoint ...She immediately **zeroed in on** the weak point in his argument. ...Critics have **zeroed in on** his plan to raise gasoline taxes 10 cents a gallon. ...The newspapers have **zeroed in on** his private life \> Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Collins English Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary of English, Macmillan Dictionary

Answer 154

(v.) to be of use, benefit, or advantage to; to help or assist ##Footnote His attempts to explain the situation did not avail; his parents were still upset with him.

Answer 155

**Let's get cracking.** Let's begin. \> [English with Lucy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6rtPM4jO3E)

Answer 156

**I've got back-to-back meetings today.** I have one meeting after another with no breaks. More examples: - **back-to-back** presentations - **back-to-back** classes - **back-to-back** filming - **back-to-back** social occasions \> [English with Lucy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6rtPM4jO3E)

Answer 157

**I'm up to my ears.** I'm very busy. \> [English with Lucy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6rtPM4jO3E)

Answer 158

**I'm going to power through.** **I'm going to power on through.** I'm going to work until I have finished. \> [English with Lucy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6rtPM4jO3E)

Answer 159

**I'm a bit peckish.** I'm hungry. \> [English with Lucy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6rtPM4jO3E)

Answer 160

**Fancy a nightcap?** Do you want one last drink before you go to bed? **NOTE**: It's usually alcohol, but it can refer to any drink. \> [English with Lucy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6rtPM4jO3E)