Vocabulary Flashcards
(115 cards)
1
Q
CROUCH
A
= to bend your knees and lower yourself so that you are close to the ground and leaning forward slightly.
Ex.: She saw him coming and crouched (down) behind a bush
2
Q
TAKE PRECEDENCE
A
= deal with sth before other things because it is considered more important than these other things
Ex.: Business people often think that fluency and communication take precedence over grammar when speaking.
3
Q
BLESSED
A
= bringing you happiness, luck, or something you need
Ex.: She found the routine of a regular job a blessed relief.
4
Q
OBSESSION
A
= someone or something that you think about all the time
Ex.: They have an obsession with making money.
5
Q
PERMEATE
A
= to spread through something and be present in every part of it.
Ex.: Dissatisfaction with the government seems to have permeated every section of society.
6
Q
IMPULSE
A
= a sudden feeling that you must do something
Ex.: Her first impulse was to run away.
7
Q
REINFORCEMENT
A
= the act of making something stronger.
Ex.: The harbour walls need urgent reinforcement.
8
Q
ERODE
A
= to rub or be rubbed away gradually.
Ex.: The cliffs are eroding several feet a year.
9
Q
FALLIBLE
A
= able or likely to make mistakes.
Ex.: We place our trust in doctors, but they are fallible like everyone else.
10
Q
MUNDANE
A
= very ordinary and therefore not interesting.
Ex.: Mundane matters such as paying bills and shopping for food do not interest her.
11
Q
INITIATIVE
A
= the power or ability to begin or to follow through energetically with a plan or task; enterprise and determination.
Ex: I’m talking to the physicist Alicia Graham and science enthusiast Jeremy Ingles, both of whom are involved a scientific initiative called ‘open science’.
12
Q
BE UP TO SPEED WITH (sth)
A
= be well-informed about something, especially with the latest details; up-to-date on the state of someone or something.
Typically: be ~; bring someone ~; get ~; get someone ~.
Ex:
Please bring me up to speed on this matter.
I’ll feel better about it when I get up to speed on what’s going on.
13
Q
COLLABORATION
A
= to work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort
Ex:
But I can’t help but think that a little more collaboration wouldn’t go amiss.
People need to see the advantage in collaboration.
14
Q
GO AMISS
A
= to be helpful and appreciated
Ex:
But I can’t help but think that a little more collaboration wouldn’t go amiss.
15
Q
SPONSOR
A
= a person who vouches for, is responsible for or supports a person or thing
EX: Corporations which sponsor research projects expect a return on their investment.
16
Q
VOUCH FOR (sth/sb)
A
= to support or back someone or something; to endorse someone or something
Ex.: I can vouch for Tom.
Irene will vouch for my honesty.
17
Q
VOUCHER
A
= (Commerce) Brit a ticket or card serving as a substitute for cash
“Corona” voucher
18
Q
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
A
= to have new and unusual ideas.
Ex.: We need to think outside the box and imagine science conducted without such constraints.
19
Q
CONSTRAINT
A
= limitation or restriction.
Ex.: We need to think outside the box and imagine science conducted without such constraints.
20
Q
TINKERER
A
= a person who enjoys fixing and experimenting with machines and their parts
Ex.:
I’m a ‘tinkerer’ – out in my garage, conducting experiments till late at night, and all that.
21
Q
STIFLE
A
= to suppress, curb, or withhold;
Ex.: Because although some breakthroughs did come about as a result of rivalries between scientists, many more might’ve been stifled by them.
22
Q
DIEHARD
A
= one who stubbornly resists change or tenaciously adheres to a seemingly hopeless or outdated cause
Ex.: There are still plenty of diehard opponents.
23
Q
BARRIER
A
= anything built or serving to bar passage, as a railing, fence, or the like; anything that obstructs progress, access.
Ex.: This is already breaking down barriers, and encouraging professionals to view us ‘tinkerers’ with a lot less suspicion!
24
Q
BASED ON THE PREMISE
A
= to state or assume (a proposition) as a premise for a conclusion
Ex.: Open science is based on the premise that scientific data should be released from the restrictions of the past.
25
PREMISES
= a building or part of a building together with its grounds or other appurtenances
Ex: Is your mother on the premises?
26
KEEP ALL AVENUES OPEN
EXPLORE EVERY AVENUE
= To investigate every conceivable possibility
Ex.: But in the real world of scientific research, we need to keep all avenues for funding open, even if that does mean accepting some restrictions on what we do.
27
FIND A WAY ROUND
= to discover a way to move around something or some place without getting lost
Ex.: Now the problem can be posted online, so that others can bring ideas to it, and maybe a way round them can be found that saves both time and other resources.
28
AVANT-GARDE
= radically new or original, modern for the time it was launched, exposed, shown, etc
New York is the international capital of the musical avant-garde.
29
BREAKTHROUGH
= a major achievement or success that permits further progress, as in technology.
Scientists are hoping for a breakthrough in the search for a cure for cancer.
30
CUTTING-EDGE
= the position of greatest advancement or importance; the forefront.
California is on the cutting edge of trends that spread nationwide.
31
MIND-BOGGLING
= extremely surprising and difficult to understand or imagine.
She was paid the mind-boggling sum of ten million dollars for that film.
32
MIND-BLOWING
= extremely exciting or surprising.
The special effects in this film are pretty mind-blowing
33
BE BETTER OFF (-ing)
= to be in a better situation or condition if or after something happens
French thinker Blaise Pascal argued that if we can't prove God exists we are better off believing in him.
34
LOO
= n. pl. loos Chiefly British: a toilet.
"I even get followed to the loo." How big families are coping with the lockdown.
35
GET THE KNACK OF
= to learn how to do something competently or well after a certain period of practice or development.
What's called communicative competence is the knack of saying what you mean succinctly, yet clearly enough to avoid your being misunderstood.
36
ABOUND (v.)
= to exist or occur in abundance; be plentiful.
the gardens abound with flowers;
the fields abound in corn.
37
ENSUE (v.)
= to follow or occur as a consequence; result.
After what he said much speculation has ensued.
38
SPECULATION (n.)
= a conclusion, opinion, or theory reached by conjecture.
After what he said much speculation has ensued.
39
STACK (v./n.)
(v. ) to arrange in a stack; pile.
(n. ) an orderly pile, especially one arranged in layers.
It's not just about stacking books on a bookcase, it's how you stack them.
40
DEEM (v.)
= to regard as; consider.
In the era of the internet, books are deemed redundant.
41
TANGIBLE (adj.)
= possible to be treated as fact; real or concrete.
The police have found a piece of tangible evidence.
42
RELEGATE (v.)
= to consign to an inferior or obscure place, rank, category, or condition.
Moro has been relegated to the Communist group.
43
DEPLOY (v.)
= to arrange, place, or move strategically or appropriately, as along a front or line in a battle formation.
"Samuel Beckett's friends suspected that he was a genius, yet no one knew ... how his abilities would be deployed" (Richard Ellmann).
44
ODDS (pl.n.)
= the probability, expressed as a ratio, that a certain event will take place.
The odds against the outsider are a hundred to one.
45
WHAT'S THE ODDS?
(informal Brit.) what difference does it make?
46
AT ODDS
= in bad terms, in disagreement; in conflict.
"The artist and the self-critic ... are, with a few felicitous exceptions, forever at odds" (Joyce Carol Oates).
47
KUDOS
= acclaim or praise for exceptional achievement.
You deserve the kudos of the great work you've done.
48
ALTERNATIVE (adj.)
= existing outside traditional or established institutions or systems; espousing or reflecting values that are different from those of the establishment or mainstream.
How effective is the alternative treatment?
49
BLEAK (adj.)
= gloomy and sombre, providing no encouragement; depressing; offering little hope or excitement; dismal.
Sci-fi books often provide readers with a perspective of a bleak future.
The future looks bleak.
50
BLUEPRINT (n.)
= model or prototype.
Sci-fi books should provide scientists with a blueprint for an alternative world.
In May 1921, the great Manchester Guardian editor CP Scott wrote a leading article to mark the centenary of the paper. The essay, published under the headline “A Hundred Years”, is still recognised around the world as the blueprint for independent journalism.
51
CONCEIVE (v.)
= to form or develop in the mind, to apprehend mentally; understand; to begin or originate in a specific way.
I couldn't conceive the meaning of that sentence.
I didn't conceive that such a tragedy could occur.
A political movement that was conceived in the ferment of the 1960s.
Jules Verne conceived the idea of submarines in one of his books.
52
GENERATE (v.)
= to produce or bring into being; create.
Project Hieroglyph is an online platform for writers and innovators to exchange ideas, publish stories and generate discussion in the hope of inspiring a more positive vision of the future.
53
INJECT (v.)
= to force or drive (a fluid) into something; to introduce sth into conversation or consideration.
We need to inject humor INTO the current situation.
54
INNOVATIVE (adj.)
= marked by innovation or given to making innovations; using or showing new methods, ideas, etc.
How innovative ideas could be applied to daily life?
55
INSPIRATION (n.)
= stimulation or arousal of the mind, feelings, etc, to special or unusual activity or creativity.
Art is a source of inspiration for personal development.
56
REALISE (v.)
= make real or concrete; give reality or substance to; be fully aware or cognizant of sth; perceive (an idea or situation) mentally; "Now I see!".
He finally realised his dream of buying a house.
57
STAGNATING (adj.)
= to stop developing or progressing.
The team is stagnating, we need to change that.
58
HARBOUR (n. and v.)
n. = a sheltered port, a place of refuge or safety
v. = to give shelter to, to maintain secretly
... claimed Moro, a former judge who many suspect harbours presidential ambitions of his own.
59
UNFOLDING (n., adj.)
= a developmental process
Ex.: And what a fantastic read it is!
Such insight into motivation and thought processes
– together with amazing descriptive detail and a
gradually unfolding plot that keeps you on
tenterhooks – brilliant!
60
KEEP (sb) ON TENTERHOOKS
= to cause one to remain in a continual state of anxious, excited, or nervous anticipation.
"Tenterhooks" were the hooks on a frame called a "tenter." They were used to fasten stretched cloth to allow it to dry.
Ex.: And what a fantastic read it is!
Such insight into motivation and thought processes
– together with amazing descriptive detail and a
gradually unfolding plot that keeps you on
tenterhooks – brilliant!
61
QUIRKY (adj.)
= strikingly unconventional
Ex.: The stories are full of quirky detail and
one thing that shines through, even in translation, is
his subtle ironic touch.
62
QUIRK (n.)
= a peculiarity of behaviour; an idiosyncrasy
"Every man had his own quirks and twists" (Harriet Beecher Stowe).
63
DAUNTING (adj.)
= intimidating, discouraging through fear
Ex.: Although it may seem daunting at a thousand pages plus, if you only read one book this year, make it
this timeless classic.
64
BLOW (SB) AWAY
= 1. for the wind, to blow someone or something away from its current location.
= 2. to overwhelm a person; to excite a person very much
Ex.: Although it may seem daunting at a thousand pages plus, if you only read one book this year, make it
this timeless classic. What blew me away was the
beautiful prose.
65
INTRICATE (adj.)
= having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate: an intricate pattern; an intricate procedure; difficult to understand, analyze, or solve for having many interconnected elements.
Ex.: What blew me away was the
beautiful prose – it’s intricate, poetic and flowing
and transports you into a fantasy world, that’s
somehow totally credible.
66
BROWSE (v.)
= 1. to inspect something leisurely and casually;
= 2. to read something superficially by selecting passages at random;
= 3. to look for information on the internet.
Ex.: I was browsing in a second-hand bookshop, and was drawn to the cover illustration.
67
ECLECTIC (adj.)
= selecting what seems best from various styles, doctrines, ideas, methods, etc.
Ex.: You could call me an eclectic reader, but the one genre that I find a real turn-off is prize-winning modern novels.
68
EYE-OPENER (n.)
= something startling or revealing
Ex.: A book that stands out for me is one that my cousin
put me on to. A true story, it throws light on transformations taking place in China during the last century. It was a real eye-opener and I’m looking forward to hearing what the group thought of it.
69
ENDEAVOUR (n.)
= conscientious or concerted effort toward an end; an earnest attempt; purposeful or industrious activity; enterprise.
Ex.: Although I usually expect to be entertained, even
amused, by the books I read, nothing’s inspired me
like the one I’ve just read about extremes of human
endeavour.
70
RELISH (v., n.)
= to take keen pleasure in; enjoy fully.
Ex.: I relish the fact that we can forge new contacts all around the world.
71
GRIMY (adj.)
= covered with grime; dirty.
Ex.: Trains were grimy and unreliable.
72
PRIVILEGED OFFICIALDOM
= autoridades privilegiadas
Ex.: Air travel was reserved largely for privileged officialdom.
73
FRAUGHT (adj.)
= showing or producing tension or anxiety, tense.
Ex.: While travel is a lot less fraught than it used to be, it has lost some of its allure for me.
74
ALLURE (n., v.)
= (n.) the power to attract; enticement.
= (v.) to attract with something desirable; entice.
Ex.: While travel is a lot less fraught than it used to be, it has lost some of its allure for me.
75
HUB (n.)
1. the center part of a wheel, fan, or propeller.
2. a center of activity or interest; a focal point.
Ex.: Los Angeles airport is a hub of modern travel.
76
TIDES OF HISTORY
Ex.: Though the tides of history keep washing agaisnt a Havana or a Beirut, for instance, their natural spiritedness or resilience or sense of style never seems greatly diminished.
77
AN OLD CHESTNUT (FROM)
= a topic, saying, or joke that has been repeated so much that it has become boring or irksome.
Ex.: My motto as a traveller has always been that old chestnut from the writings of Marcel Proust: "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new sights, but in seeing with new eyes."
78
A FAR CRY (FROM)
= vastly different from something; a long distance away from something.
Ex.: Sure, it's a far cry from what came before, but one day these will be the current generation's 'good old days'.
79
VAGABOND (n., v.)
= to wander or travel about, especially as a vagabond..
Ex.: Many of the older travellers I met when I first started vagabonding 15 years ago argued that my travel experiences were tainted by luxuries such as email and credit cards.
80
RAVAGE (v.)
= wreak great destruction or devastation
Ex.: Parts of the town were ravaged by the earthquake, and will take time to recover.
81
DIMINISH (v.)
= to make smaller or less; reduce or lessen
Ex.: "Her upper-class perfection ... somehow diminished me" (Shirley Abbott).
82
DIVERSE (adj.)
= unlike in kind; distinct; separate; divergent
Ex.: There were diverse beliefs among the parishioners.
83
FAR-FLUNG (adj.)
= remote, distant
Ex.: She loves travelling to all the obscure far-flung corners of the Earth.
84
GLORIFIED (adj.)
= to give glory, honour, or high praise to; exalt.
Ex.: She wrote a description that glorified the place.
85
TAINTED (adj.)
= contaminated or infected, tarnished
Ex.: Many of the older travellers I met when I first started vagabonding 15 years ago argued that my travel experiences were tainted by luxuries such as email and credit cards.
86
HAPHAZARD (n., adj., adv.)
adj. = dependent upon or characterized by mere chance.
n. = mere chance; fortuity.
adv. = by chance; casually.
Ex.: Wandering along the haphazard network of back streets, ...
87
BEWILDERED (adj.)
= puzzled; confused
Ex.: I came out of the movie a bit bewildered, but I enjoyed it.
88
NOSTALGIA (n.)
= a bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.
Ex.: I generally feel content and have managed to avoid the nostalgia that besets so many in middle age.
89
SPONTANEITY (n.)
= spontaneous behaviour, impulse, or movement.
Ex.: I longed for the spontaneity of travelling to distant parts without an itinerary.
90
CYNICISM (n.)
= an attitude of scornful or jaded (worn out) negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others.
Ex.: I am occasionally filled with cynicism for those times.
91
RESILIENCE (n.)
1. the power or ability to return to the original form, position, etc., after being bent, compressed, or stretched; elasticity.
2. ability to recover readily from illness, depression, adversity, or the like.
Ex.: I acquired a certain resilience.
92
BUOYANCY (n.)
BUOY (bo͞o′ē, boi) = bóia
= the ability to float in a liquid or to rise in a fluid
Ex.: We tested the boat for buoyancy.
93
MOTTO (n.)
= a brief statement used to express a principle, goal, or ideal.
Ex.: "We explain that when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don't stoop to their level—no, our motto is 'when they go low, we go high'" (Michelle Obama).
94
MUSING (n., adj.)
adj. : deep in thought; contemplative.
n. : contemplation; meditation.
Ex.: Musings of a veteran traveller.
95
BESET (v.)
= to attack from all sides; to trouble persistently; harass.
Ex.: I generally feel content and have managed to avoid the nostalgia that besets so many in middle age.
96
TAP INTO (sth)
= to access some large, abundant, or powerful resource
Ex.: A creative writer has to learn to tap into the potential of their imaginative powers.
97
PACK IT IN
= to cease doing something, especially a job, hobby, or endeavour.
Ex.: I packed in my job and bought a ticket on the magic bus to see the world.
98
CONSCIENTIOUS
= principled, thorough and assiduous
Ex.: a conscientious traveller
99
UNDERLIE (v.)
= to be located under or below; to be the support or basis of; account for.
Ex.: We have ‘eco-travel’, ‘green travel’, ‘sustainable
travel’, ‘responsible travel’ – the list goes on.
Essentially, these all mean the same thing: the idea of showing respect for the environment
and lives of the local community in the places
we visit. This underlies the notion of ethical
travel.
100
NOTION (n.)
= a vague idea; impression; an idea, concept, or opinion
Ex.: We have ‘eco-travel’, ‘green travel’, ‘sustainable
travel’, ‘responsible travel’ – the list goes on.
Essentially, these all mean the same thing: the idea of showing respect for the environment
and lives of the local community in the places
we visit. This underlies the notion of ethical
travel.
101
INTRINSIC (adj.)
= of or relating to the essential nature of a thing; inherent.
Ex.: ‘Sustainable tourism’ focuses on the development of a tourist area which will last so that the intrinsic appeal of the area is not destroyed by tourism.
102
WATCHDOG (adj.)
= one who serves as a guardian or protector against waste, loss, or illegal practices.
Ex.: And while international watchdog organisations like the Ethical Tourism Journal are pushing for
stricter regulations, some travel companies do
manage to slip through the net.
103
SLIP THROUGH THE NET
= to go unnoticed or undealt with; to be unintentionally neglected or ignored, especially in a corporate, political, or social system.
Ex.: And while international watchdog organisations like the Ethical Tourism Journal are pushing for
stricter regulations, some travel companies do
manage to slip through the net.
104
CREDENTIALS (n.)
= a document attesting to the truth of certain stated facts.
Ex.: Customers should check out each company’s
green credentials online, though, just to be
sure they are actually going to get what they
sign up for.
105
UNWIND (v.)
= to disentangle; to make or become relaxed.
Ex.: Slow travel’s more about respecting the
tourist’s need to unwind and just appreciate
the fact of being. People rarely take the time to
do this anymore.
106
ENTHUSIAST (n.)
= a person filled with or motivated by enthusiasm; fanatic.
Ex.: food enthusiasts
107
EXPERTISE (n.)
= special skill, knowledge, or judgment; expertness
Ex.: demonstrate culinary expertise
108
WORKSHOP (n.)
1. a room, group of rooms, or building in which work, esp. mechanical work, is carried on.
2. a seminar or small group that meets to explore some subject, develop a skill or technique, carry out a creative project, etc.
Ex.: offer a cookery workshop
109
UNSPOILT (adj.)
= good, fresh
Ex.: an unspoilt mountainous region
110
BACKGROUND (n.)
1. the ground or parts, as of a scene, situated in the rear (opposed to foreground).
2. the part of a painted or carved surface against which represented objects and forms are perceived or depicted.
3. one's origin, education, experience, etc., in relation to one's present character or status: a religious background.
4. the social, historical, and other antecedents or causes of an event or condition: the background of the war.
5. the set of conditions against which an occurrence is perceived.
Ex.: against that magnificent background
111
DIVERSITY (n.)
= the state or quality of being different or varied
Ex.: the diversity of wild herbs and berries
112
INCOMPARABLE (adj.)
= beyond or above comparison; matchless; unequalled.
Ex.: the incomparable flavour of the chestnut
113
ENRICHED (adj.)
= to make rich or richer; to make fuller, more meaningful, or more rewarding.
Ex.: the pasta was enriched with nettles
114
SELF-INDULGENCE
= excessive indulgence of one's own appetites and desires.
Ex.: allow yourself a little self-indulgence this autumn
115
INFUSE WITH
1) to add an ingredient to something by soaking or steeping.
Ex.: Their gastronomic delights are infused with the diversity of wild herbs and berries.
2) to put forth effort so that someone learns or remembers something.
Ex.: She really needs to infuse her kids with a sense of respect for others, sheesh.
