Week Nineteen

Question 1

Afflict

Answer 1

V: If a problem or illness afflicts a person or thing, they or it suffer from it

Example:
-It is an illness that afflicts women more than men.
-a country afflicted by civil war

Question 2

Megalomania

Answer 2

N: an unnaturally strong wish for power and control, or the belief that you are very much more important and powerful than you really are; abnormal desire for wealth and power

Question 3

Profligate

Answer 3

Adj: spending money or using something in a way that wastes it and is not wise; wasteful

Example:
-She is well-known for her profligate spending habits.
-The profligate use of antibiotics has led to the evolution of resistant bacteria.

Question 4

The treasury

Answer 4

N: the government department, in the UK and some other countries, that is responsible for financial matters such as spending and tax

Question 5

Rampant

Answer 5

Adj: (of something bad) getting worse quickly and in an uncontrolled way

Example:
-rampant corruption
-Rampant inflation means that our wage increases soon become worth nothing.
-He said that he had encountered rampant prejudice in his attempts to get a job.
-Disease is rampant in the overcrowded city.

Question 6

Strife

Answer 6

N: discord; violent or angry disagreement

Example:
-What are the prospects for overcoming the strife between the Christian minority and Muslim majority?
-20 years of civil strife have left the country’s economy in ruins.

Question 7

Domestic

Answer 7

Adj: relating to a person’s own country

Example:
-domestic airlines/flights
-Domestic opinion had turned against the war.

Question 8

Incarcerate

Answer 8

V: to put or keep someone in prison or in a place used as a prison

Example:
Thousands of dissidents have been interrogated or incarcerated.

Question 9

Dissident

Answer 9

N: a person who publicly disagrees with and criticizes their government

Example:
political dissidents

Question 10

Interrogate

Answer 10

V: to ask someone a lot of questions for a long time in order to get information, sometimes using threats or violence

Example:
Thousands of dissidents have been interrogated or imprisoned in recent weeks.

Question 11

Legion

Answer 11

Adj: very large in number

Example:
The difficulties surrounding the court case are legion.

Question 12

Bloodless

Answer 12

Adj: A bloodless military operation involves no deaths

Example:
The rebel soldiers seized power in a bloodless coup.

Question 13

Coup

Answer 13

N:
1. an unexpectedly successful achievement

Example:
It was a tremendous coup for the local paper to get an exclusive interview with Prince Charles.

2. a sudden illegal, often violent, taking of government power, especially by part of an army; revolution

Example:
a military coup

Question 14

Singular

Answer 14

Adj: of an unusual quality or standard; noticeable

Example:
-It was a building of singular grace and beauty.
-He showed a singular lack of skill in painting.

Question 15

Culpable

Answer 15

Adj: deserving to be blamed or considered responsible for something bad

Example:
The landowner could be proved culpable for starting the fire.

Question 16

Obviate

Answer 16

V: to remove a difficulty, especially so that action to deal with it becomes unnecessary

Example:
A peaceful solution would obviate the need to send a UN military force.

Question 17

Inferiority

Answer 17

N: the state of not being good, or not as good as someone or something else

Example:
-sense of inferiority: His ill treatment as a child had given him a strong sense of inferiority.
-Women had a position of social inferiority as compared with men

Question 18

Voracious

Answer 18

Adj: very eager for something, especially a lot of food

Example:
-He has a voracious appetite (= he eats a lot).
-He’s a voracious reader of historical novels (= he reads a lot of them eagerly and quickly).

Question 19

Amnesty

Answer 19

N: a decision by a government that allows political prisoners to go free; a general pardon

Example:
Most political prisoners were freed under the terms of the amnesty.

Question 20

Expatriate

Answer 20

N: someone who does not live in their own country; an exile

Example:
A large community of expatriates has settled there.

Question 21

Exonerate

Answer 21

V: to show or say officially that someone or something is not guilty of something; to free from guilt

Example:
-We have proof which will completely exonerate him.
-exonerate sb from sth:I do not wholly exonerate her from blame.

Question 22

Tribunal

Answer 22

N: a special court chosen, esp. by a government or governments, to examine a particular problem

Example:
An international tribunal of judges was established to investigate alleged war crimes.

Question 23

Oppressive

Answer 23

Adj: cruel and unfair

Example:
an oppressive government/military regime

Question 24

Fiat

Answer 24

N: an order given by a person in authority; an official order; a decree

Example:
by fiat: No company can set industry standards by fiat.

Question 25

Perceive

Answer 25

V: to think of something in a particular way Example: -The way people perceive the real world is strongly influenced by the language they speak. -In those days, crime wasn’t even perceived as a problem.

Question 26

Sincerity

Answer 26

N: honesty Example: The priest was a man of deep sincerity.

Question 27

Mendacious

Answer 27

Adj: not telling the truth; untrue; lying Example: Some of these statements are misleading and some are downright mendacious.

Question 28

Downright

Answer 28

Adj: (especially of something bad) extremely or very great Example: I think the way she was treated is a downright disgrace.

Question 29

Look up

Answer 29

Phrasal verb: to become better Example: -I hope things will start to look up in the new year. -Our financial situation is looking up at last.

Question 30

Delibrare

Answer 30

V: to think or talk seriously and carefully about something Example: -deliberate on: The jury took five days to deliberate on the case. -The committee has deliberated the question at great length.

Question 31

Feint

Answer 31

N: an action taken in order to deceive someone about what you intend to do, for example in war or politics Example: -During the advance, the French had been kept unsure of Marlborough's destination by feints. -US officials now dismiss his visit as just another feint.

Question 32

Astute

Answer 32

Adj: able to understand a situation quickly and see how to take advantage of it; sharp; shrewd Example: -an astute investor/businesswoman -his astute handling of the situation -an astute observer of human behaviour

Question 33

Parsimonious

Answer 33

Adj: not willing to spend money or use a lot of something Example: -She's too parsimonious to heat the house properly. -I had to be a little parsimonious with the fresh thyme. -I think that politicians are often parsimonious with the (= do not tell the complete) truth.

Question 34

Pecuniary

Answer 34

Adj: relating to money Example: pecuniary interest/loss/benefit a pecuniary matter

Question 35

Slash

Answer 35

V: to very much reduce something, such as money or jobs Example: Prices have been slashed by 50 percent!

Question 36

Dismantle

Answer 36

V: to take a machine apart or to come apart into separate pieces; to strip of covering; take apart Example: -She dismantled the washing machine to see what the problem was, but couldn't put it back together again. -The good thing about the bike is that it dismantles if you want to put it in the back of the car.

Question 37

Strip

Answer 37

V: to remove, pull, or tear the covering or outer layer from something Example: -Because of the pollution, the trees are almost completely stripped of bark. -The paintwork was so bad that we decided to strip off all the paint and start again.

Question 38

Sumptuous

Answer 38

Adj: of high quality, and often expensive; lavish Example: I had never seen such a sumptuous apartment.

Question 39

Incompetent

Answer 39

Adj: not having the ability to do something as it should be done Example: -an incompetent teacher/doctor -He has described the government as corrupt and incompetent.

Question 40

Underwrite

Answer 40

V: agree to finance Example: The museum show was largely underwritten by a grant from the government of Sweden.

Question 41

Desperate

Answer 41

Adj: very serious or bad Example: -desperate poverty -desperate shortage: The refugees are living in camps, where there's a desperate shortage of food/supplies. -desperate situation:The situation is desperate - we have no food, very little water and no medical supplies.

Question 42

Feast

Answer 42

N: a special meal with very good food or a large meal for many people Example: "What a feast!" she said, surveying all the dishes on the table. a wedding feast

Question 43

Fractious

Answer 43

Adj: tending to argue, fight, or complain, and hard to control Example: -fractious relationships -the fractious nature of politics

Question 44

Picket line

Answer 44

N: a group of people holding signs to show that they are not working and are having a disagreement with their employer Example: Truck drivers refused to cross the picket line.

Question 45

Dedication

Answer 45

N: the willingness to give a lot of time and energy to something because it is important Example: -dedication to: He has always shown great dedication to the cause. -She thanked the staff for their dedication and enthusiasm.

Question 46

Restrictive

Answer 46

Adj: limiting the freedom of someone or preventing something from growing Example: -He is self-employed because he finds working for other people too restrictive. -The college is not able to expand because of restrictive planning laws.

Question 47

Balk

Answer 47

V: to be unwilling to do something or to allow something to happen; reluctant; to refuse to move Example: I balked at the prospect of spending four hours on a train with him.

Question 48

Rationing

Answer 48

N: a system of limiting the amount of something that each person is allowed to have Example: fuel rationing

Question 49

Blunt

Answer 49

Adj: saying what you think without trying to be polite or considering other people's feelings; plain spoken Example: I'll be blunt - that last piece of work you did was terrible.

Question 50

Nostalgia

Answer 50

N: a feeling of pleasure and also slight sadness when you think about things that happened in the past; yearning for the past Example: -Some people feel nostalgia for their schooldays. -Hearing that song again filled him with nostalgia. -a wave (= sudden strong feeling) of nostalgia

Question 51

Graft

Answer 51

N: the act of getting money or advantage through the dishonest use of political power and influence Example: -The whole government was riddle with (full of) graft, bribery, and corruption.

Question 52

Rife

Answer 52

Adj: If something unpleasant is rife, it is very common or happens a lot; widespread Example: Graft and corruption were rife in city government.

Question 53

Tempt

Answer 53

V: to encourage someone to want to have or do something, esp. something wrong Example: I’m trying to diet – don’t tempt me with that cake!

Question 54

Caustic

Answer 54

Adj: A caustic remark or way of speaking is hurtful, critical, or intentionally unkind; strongly critical Example: -caustic comments -She's famous in the office for her caustic wit.

Question 55

Epithet

Answer 55

N: a word or phrase used to describe someone, often as an insult Example: -a racial epithet -His stubbornness earned him the epithet “Senator No.”

Question 56

Recruit

Answer 56

N: a new member of an organization, especially the army Example: -Raw recruits (= completely new soldiers) were trained for six months and then sent to the war front.

Question 57

Exacerbate

Answer 57

V: to make something that is already bad even worse Example: This attack will exacerbate the already tense relations between the two communities.

Question 58

Credulous

Answer 58

Adj: too willing to believe what you are told and so easily deceived; gullible