Week Four

Question 1

Alacrity

Answer 1

N: speed and eagerness; lively actions

Example:
She accepted the money with alacrity

Question 2

Stool

Answer 2

N: a seat without any support for the back or arms

Example:
-a piano stool
-Sarah sat on a kitchen stool.

Question 3

Alacrity

Answer 3

N: speed and eagerness

Example:She accepted the money with alacrity.

Question 3

Disdain

Answer 3

N: the feeling of not liking someone or something and thinking that they do not deserve your interest or respect; contempt

Example:
with disdain: He regards the political process with disdain.

Question 4

Belligerent

Answer 4

Adj: wishing to fight or argue; warlike

Example:
-a belligerent person
-a belligerent gesture
-Watch out! Lee’s in a belligerent mood.

Question 5

Intimidate

Answer 5

V: to frighten or threaten someone, usually in order to persuade them to do something that you want them to do

Example:
They were intimidated into accepting a pay cut by the threat of losing their jobs.

Question 6

Feint

Answer 6

N: a false attack

Example: He produced a brilliant feint, passed two defenders, and smashed the ball into the net.

Question 7

Pugnacious

Answer 7

Adj: ready to fight or to argue very forcefully

Example:a pugnacious politician

Question 8

Promulgate

Answer 8

V: to announce something publicly, especially a new law

Example:The new law was finally promulgated in the autumn of last year.

Question 9

Brash

Answer 9

Adj: (of people) showing too much confidence and too little respect; impudent

Example:a brash young banker

Question 10

Scoff

Answer 10

V: to laugh and talk about a person or idea in a way that shows that you think they are stupid or silly

Example:
-The critics scoffed at his paintings.
-Years ago people would have scoffed at the idea that cars would be built by robots.

Question 11

Belittle

Answer 11

V: to make a person or an action seem as if he, she or it is not important

Example:
-Though she had spent hours fixing the computer, he belittled her efforts.
-Stop belittling yourself - your work is highly valued.

Question 12

Knock

Answer 12

V: to hit, especially forcefully, and cause to move or fall

Example:
-knock something off something: He accidentally knocked the vase off the table.
-knock something against something: She knocked her head against the wall as she fell.

Question 13

Irate

Answer 13

Adj: very angry

Example:We have received some irate phone calls from customers.

Question 14

Press charges

Answer 14

Phrase: to complain officially about someone in a law court

Example:press charges against: The family have decided not to press charges against him.

Question 15

Sue

Answer 15

V: to take legal action against a person or organization, especially by making a legal claim for money because of some harm that they have caused you

Example:He was so furious about the accusations in the letter that he threatened to sue.

Question 16

Assault

Answer 16

N: a violent attack

Example:
launch an assault: They launched an assault on the capital yesterday.

Question 17

Tangible

Answer 17

Adj: real and not imaginary; able to be shown, touched, or experienced

Example:We need tangible evidence if we’re going to take legal action.

Question 18

Lacerations

Answer 18

N: a cut

Example:
-The boy had received horrific injuries in the attack, including lacerations to both arms.
-The body showed signs of laceration and bruising.

Question 19

Castigate

Answer 19

V: to criticize someone or something severely

Example:Health inspectors castigated the kitchen staff for poor standards of cleanliness.

Question 21

Sordid

Answer 21

Adj: dirty and unpleasant

Example:There are lots of really sordid apartments in the city’s poorer areas.

Question 22

Spring

Answer 22

V: to move quickly and suddenly towards a particular place

Example:I sprang out of bed to answer the door.

Question 23

Referee

Answer 23

N: (in some sports) a person who controls a game and makes sure the rules are followed, or more generally a person who helps to find a fair solution to a disagreement

Question 24

Intrepid

Answer 24

Adj: extremely brave and showing no fear of dangerous situations

Example:a team of intrepid explorers

Question 25

Octogenarian

Answer 25

N: a person who is between 80 and 89 years old

Question 26

Stunt

Answer 26

N: something that is done to get attention for the person or people responsible for it Example: -an advertising stunt -publicity stunt: Their marriage was just a cheap publicity stunt.

Question 27

Solace

Answer 27

N: help and comfort when you are feeling sad or worried Example:When his wife left him, he found solace in the bottle (= drank alcohol).

Question 28

Aspirant

Answer 28

N: someone who very much wants to achieve something; candidate for high position Example:an aspirant to the throne

Question 29

Crown

Answer 29

N: In a sports competition, a crown is a prize or position which you get for beating all the other competitors Example:They won six NBA crowns in seven years.

Question 30

Dregs

Answer 30

N: The dregs is the part of something that is considered unimportant and unwanted Example:the dregs of society

Question 31

Frenzy

Answer 31

N: excited, uncontrollable, and sometimes violent behavior or emotion Example: -Duncan’s game-winning shot sent the crowd into a frenzy. -The Saturday night sale can best be described as a buying frenzy.

Question 32

Trumpet

Answer 32

V: (of an animal, esp. an elephant) to produce a loud call Example:We heard the elephants trumpeting in the distance.

Question 33

Scurrilous

Answer 33

Adj: rude and cruel, and sometimes damaging Example: -scurrilous remarks

Question 34

Malcontent

Answer 34

N: a person who is not satisfied with the way things are, and who complains a lot and is unreasonable and difficult to deal with

Question 35

Vilification

Answer 35

N: the act of saying or writing unpleasant things about someone or something, in order to cause other people to have a bad opinion of them Example: -Participants were asked whether they had experienced discrimination or vilification because of their race or religion.