Words P151-200 Flashcards

(161 cards)

1
Q

Usher

A

to show someone where they should go, or to make someone go where you want them to go
She ushered us into her office and offered us a coffee.

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2
Q

Portal

A
  1. a website that helps you find other websites
  2. [usually plural] literary a tall and impressive gate or entrance to a building
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3
Q

Against

A

One favorite, a tiny post office installed against dogwood, collected around 100 letters.

next to and touching or being supported by (something)

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4
Q

Offset v.

A

The extra cost of travelling to work is offset by the lower price of houses here.

to balance one influence against an opposing influence, so that there is no great difference as a result

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5
Q

Arbitrary

A

CHANCE
■based on chance rather than being planned or based on reason
arbitrary decision-making

UNFAIR
■using unlimited personal power without considering other people’s wishes
*The company has been the subject of an arbitrary take-over.

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6
Q

Esophagus

A

the tube which food passes down from your mouth to your stomach

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7
Q

Soluble

A

a soluble substance can be dissolved in a liquid
OPP insoluble
water-soluble (=that can be dissolved in water) fat-soluble

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8
Q

Constipation

A

the condition of having difficulty in getting rid of solid waste from your body

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9
Q

Imbibe

A

Both men imbibed considerable quantities of gin.

to drink something, especially alcohol – sometimes used humorously

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10
Q

Gestric

A

relating to your stomach

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11
Q

Peppermint

A

a plant with a strong taste and smell, often used in sweets

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12
Q

Strenuous

A

*His doctor advised him not to take any strenuous exercise.

needing or using a lot of physical or mental effort or energy

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13
Q

Stool

A

medical a piece of solid waste from your bowels

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14
Q

Cramp

A

n. a severe pain that you get in part of your body when a muscle becomes too tight, making it difficult for you to move that part of your body
Several players were suffering from cramp

v. to prevent the development of someone or something
SYN hinder, restrict:
Stricter anti-pollution laws may cramp economic growth.

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15
Q

Debut

A

[n.] the first public appearance of an entertainer, sports player etc or of something new and important

[v.] to appear in public or become available for the first time

Yale has consistently ranked as the top law school since the list debuted, while Harvard has been in the top five. Law schools submit data to US News & World Report for its rankings.

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16
Q

Rostrum

A

a small platform that you stand on when you are making a speech or conducting musicians

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17
Q

Savvy n.

A

practical knowledge and ability
He’s obviously got a lot of political savvy.

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18
Q

Fallout

A

The political fallout of the revelations has been immense.

the results of a particular event, especially when they are unexpected

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19
Q

Obscurity

A
  1. [uncountable] the state of not being known or remembered
    It has been preserved by centuries of obscurity and abandonment.
  2. [uncountable and countable] something that is difficult to understand, or the quality of being difficult to understand vague – obscure
    obscurities in the text
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20
Q

Trek

A

to walk a long way, especially in the mountains, as an adventure
SYN hike
For five days he trekked across the mountains of central China.

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21
Q

Frigid

A

COLD
■(of weather conditions or the conditions in a room) extremely cold
*Few plants can grow in such a frigid environment.

UNFRIENDLY
■unfriendly or very formal
*There’s a rather frigid atmosphere in the school.

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22
Q

Thaw

A
  1. [intransitive and transitive] (also thaw out) if ice or snow thaws, or if the sun thaws it, it turns into water
    OPP freeze:
    The lake thawed in March.
  2. [intransitive and transitive] (also thaw out) to let frozen food become warmer until it is ready to cook
    OPP freeze:
    Thaw frozen meat in its packet and then cook as soon as possible.
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23
Q

Bracelet

A

a band or chain that you wear around your wrist or arm as a decoration

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24
Q

Taper

A

■to become gradually narrower at one end, or to make something do this
In Japan, the chopsticks are shorter and taper to the end.

Phrasal Verbs taper off
■to become gradually smaller or less frequent
Her voice tapered off as she realized everyone was listening.

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25
Customary
*Traditional* **In my village, it is customary for a girl to take her mother's name.**
26
**Spike**
if the number or rate of something spikes, it increases quickly and by a large amount **When gang violence spiked, parents at a Louisiana high school said “not on our watch**”
27
Brawl
**two groups of boys brawled across the courtyard at Southwood high school in Shreveport, Louisiana**. to quarrel or fight in a noisy way, especially in a public place
28
-- **Battery**
CRIME [uncountable] law the crime of hitting someone **One was charged with battery for allegedly hitting an assistant principal.**
29
**Boisterous**
someone, especially a child, who is boisterous makes a lot of noise and has a lot of energy **Now, anyone who wants to enter the school with rage and a closed fist will have to dodge boisterous papa bears, big smiles, and positive affirmation**.
30
-- **Pilot**
to test a new idea, product etc on people to find out whether it will be successful **The new exams are currently being piloted in a number of areas**
31
Allot
to use a particular amount of time for something, or give a particular share of money, space etc to someone or something **Everyone who works for the company has been allotted ten shares**.
32
**Accrue** /əˈkruː/
if advantages accrue to you, you get those advantages over a period of time **the benefits that accrue to upper-class students** if money accrues or is accrued, it gradually increases over a period of time: **The study revealed that the effect take times to accrue, so aspirin should be taken over a long period**.
33
**Libel**
a piece of writing which contains bad and false things about a person **She threatened to sue the magazine for libel**.
34
**Lax**
*not strict or careful enough about standards of behavior, work, safety etc* SYN slack **He toke a gun through baggage control to highlight the lax security**.
35
-- **Sanction**
*to officially accept or allow something* SYN approve: **The church refused to sanction the king’s second marriage**.
36
Debris
the pieces of something that are left after it has been destroyed in an accident, explosion etc **So far, they found only debris**.
37
-- **Appropriate**
to take something, especially money, to use for a particular purpose **Congress appropriated $5 million for International Women’s Year**.
38
**Bluff**
■to deceive someone by making them think either that you are going to do something when you really have no intention of doing it, or that you have knowledge that you do not really have, or that you are someone else ***Is he going to jump or is he only bluffing**? ***Tony seems to know a lot about music, but sometimes I think he's only bluffing**.
39
**Incursion**
* a sudden attack on or act of going into a place, especially across a border **Russia began a military incursion into eastern Ukraine in 2014**.
40
**Supplant**
*to take the place of a person or thing so that they are no longer used, no longer in a position of power* etc SYN replace: **all over the world, open-air markets are being supplanted by supermarket.**
41
Tract
the digestive/reproductive/urinary etc tract a system of connected organs that have one main purpose in a part of your body **Plasma is made mostly of water and salts that we absorb through our digestive tracts everyday**.
42
Stipulate
if an agreement, law, or rule stipulates something, it must be done SYN state **Laws stipulate the maximum interest rate that banks can charge**.
43
**Apprehend**
if the police apprehend a criminal, they catch him or her SYN arrest: **The police have failed to apprehend the culprits.**
44
Havoc
a situation in which there is a lot of damage or a lack of order, especially so that it is difficult for something to continue in the normal way SYN chaos **A strike will cause havoc for commuters**.
45
In a bind
in a difficult situation **Now, the costs of that approach are piling up, putting China in a bind from which there appears to be on easy escape, scientists said in interviews**.
46
**Glaring**
*very bad and very noticeable* SYN obvious: **Glaring errors** **The vaccination gaps in China's older population are all the more glaring because the country has achieved relatively strong coverage overall.**
47
Lip service
to say that you support or agree with something without doing anything to prove it **But some experts, like Yanzhong Huang, a global health specialist and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, expressed skepticism that the move was much more than lip service**.
48
**Provocation**
an action or event that makes someone angry or upset, or is intended to do this ⇨ provoke **She claims that Graham attacked her without any provocation.**
49
**Thwart**
to stop something from happening or someone from doing something **Colleges and universities have been critical of the U.S. News ranking system of decades, saying that it was unreliable and skewed educational priorities, but they have rarely taken action to thwart it, and every year almost always submitted their data for judgement on their various undergraduate and graduate programs**.
50
**Motif**
an idea, subject, or image that is regularly repeated and developed in a book, film, work of art etc: **The designer balance is two very different motifs and brand histories**.
51
**Feudal**
relating to the social system of Western Europe in the Middle Ages or any society that is organized according to rank ***the feudal system**
52
**Sustenance**
food that people or animals need in order to live: **Without sustenance, the animals will soon die**
53
Astute
able to understand situations or behavior very well and very quickly, especially so that you can get an advantage for yourself SYN clever **an astute politician**
54
**Throng**
a large group of people in one place he got lost in the throng. **a throng of excited spectators** ▪ crowd ▪ mass athe mass of people in the station ▪ throng literary a very large crowd: A great throng had gathered to listen to his speech. ▪ flock flock of children were being shown through the museum. ▪ pack a pack of reporters shouted questions. ▪ crush There was such a crush on the Metro this morning. ▪ multitude formal literary a very large number of people, especially ordinary people: The Emperor came out to speak to the multitude.
55
Subsist
to stay alive when you only have small amounts of food or money SYN survive **subsist on We had to subsist on bread and water.**
56
**Purport**
■to pretend to be or to do something, especially in a way that is not easy to believe ***They purport to represent the wishes of the majority of parents at the school.**
57
**Snug**
clothes that are snug fit closely SYN tight **the snug jeans**
58
**Scald**
to burn your skin with hot liquid or steam Don’t scald yourself with that kettle! **I dropped a pan of boiling water and scalded my leg.**
59
**Knock out**
DEFEAT defeat a person or team in a competition so that they can no longer take part ** The German team were knocked out in the first round.**
60
-- **Upset**
DEFEAT to defeat an opponent who is considered to be much better than you **Japan and South Korea upset the German, Spain and Portugal in the 2022 Qatar FIFA world cup**.
61
Inaugurate
to hold an official ceremony when someone starts doing an important job in government inaugurate somebody as something **On 8 January 1959 de Gaulle was inaugurated as First President of the Fifth Republic.**
62
Time-tested
describes something, for example a method, that has been used for a long period and has been proved to work well **The school uses old, time-tested techniques for teaching children to read**.
63
Vigil
a silent political protest in which people wait outside a building, especially during the night silent/candle-lit vigil **2,000 demonstrators held a candle-lit vigil outside the embassy**.
64
Flare
When something bad such as violence, pain or anger flares (up), it suddenly starts or gets much worse ***Violence flared up again last night**.
65
**Pelt**
to throw a number of things quickly at someone or something ***We saw rioters pelting police with bricks and bottles**.
66
Morgue
place where dead bodies are kept
67
**Cremate**
to burn the body of a dead person at a funeral ceremony **But when family members were taken to the morgue, they found his body covered in bruises. The authorities cremated the body five days after his death**.
68
**Preside**
to be in charge of a formal meeting or ceremony **Who would be the best person to preside at/over the public enquiry**?
69
Spectacle
UNUSUAL EVENT ■an unusual or unexpected event or situation which attracts attention, interest or disapproval ***It was a strange spectacle to see the two former enemies shaking hands and slapping each other on the back.** PUBLIC EVENT ■a public event or show which is exciting to watch; an exciting appearance ***The carnival was a magnificent spectacle**.
70
**Glue**
to look at something with all your attention **He glued to his phone for at least 3 hours, what going on?**
71
Plateau
a large area of flat that is higher than the land around it
72
-- **Avenue**
a possible way of achieving something **the president wants to explore every avenue towards peace in the region**. **here are many avenues open to researchers**.
73
Credence
*the acceptance of something as true* give credence to something (=to believe or accept something as true) **I don’t give any credence to these rumors**.
74
Blurt out
to say something suddenly and without thinking, usually because you are nervous or excited **Peter blurted the news out before we could stop him**.
75
Aftermath
the period which follows an unpleasant event or accident, and the effects which it causes **Many more people died in the aftermath of the explosion**.
76
**Ambience**
*the qualities and character of a particular place and the way these make you feel* SYN atmosphere pleasant/relaxing/friendly etc ambience **The restaurant’s new owners have created a welcoming ambience.**
77
Onslaught
a large violent attack by an army onslaught on/against **In December they launched a full-scale onslaught on the capital.**
78
**Arid**
arid land or an arid climate is very dry because it has very little rain **Water from the Great Lakes is pumped to arid regions**.
79
Thrifty
using money carefully and wisely SYN economical **hard-working, thrifty people**
80
**Damp**
slightly wet, often in an unpleasant way: a cold, damp day **Iron the shirt while it is still damp**.
81
Corny
■(especially of jokes, films, stories, etc.) showing no new ideas and not sincere; too often repeated and therefore not funny or interesting **corny jokes**
82
**Mill around**
if a lot of people mill around, they move around a place in different directions without any particular purpose **Dad on duty Mike Morgan noticed that a student who’d been bullied was milling about outside with friends**.
83
Tormentor
Someone's tormentor is a person who deliberately causes them physical or mental pain.
84
**Foil**
metal sheets that are as thin as paper, used for wrapping food silver/aluminium/kitchen foil **Cover the chicken with silver foil and bake.** to prevent something bad that someone is planning to do: **A massive arms-smuggling plan has been foiled by the CIA**.
85
--**Apply**
■to spread or rub a substance such as cream or paint on a surface **The paint should be applied thinly and evenly.**
86
Parabola
a curve in the shape of the imaginary line an object makes when it is thrown high in the air and comes down a little distance away
87
Unbounded
infinite
88
Inbound
an inbound flight or train is arriving at a place OPP outbound **We expect delays to both inbound and outbound train.**
89
Commemorate
to do something to show that you remember and respect someone important or an important event in the past **a parade to commemorate the town’s XXX** **a commemorative plaque**
90
**Backtrack**
1. to change an opinion or promise that you gave so that it is not as strong as it was earlier ⇨ backpedal backtrack on **The President is backtracking on his promise to increase health care spending**. 2. to return by the same way that you came: **We went the wrong way and had to backtrack till we got to the right turning**.
91
**Peddle**
1. to sell goods to people, especially goods that people disapprove of because they are* illegal, harmful, or of not very high quality* **They were accused of peddling drugs**. 3. to try to persuade people to accept an opinion or idea which is wrong or false: **politicians peddling instant solutions to long-standing problems**
92
Lengthy
continuing for a long time, often too long **A federal judge on Friday, Nov. 18, will decide whether Holmes should serve a lengthy prison sentence for endangering patients while peddling a blood-testing technology**.
93
**Recognition**
1. [singular, uncountable] the act of realizing and accepting that something is true or important **There is general recognition that the study techniques of many students are weak.** **official recognition of the need for jail reform** 2. [singular, uncountable] public respect and thanks for someone’s work or achievements **He has achieved recognition and respect as a scientist**. He was presented with a gold watch in recognition of his service to the company.
94
**Commutation**
law a reduction in how severe a punishment is **A complete commutation of sentences.**
95
-- **Plot**
SECRET PLAN n. ■a secret plan made by several people to do something that is wrong, harmful or not legal, especially to do damage to a person or a government ***The plot was discovered before it was carried out.** MARK ■to make marks to show the position, movement or development of something, usually in the form of lines or curves between a series of points on a map or piece of paper ***We've plotted our projected costs for the coming year, and they show a big increase.** SECRET PLAN ■to make a secret plan to do something wrong, harmful or illegal ***The army is plotting the overthrow of the government.**
96
**Oscillate**
to keep changing between two extreme amounts or limits **The stock market is oscillating wildly at the moment.** **His income oscillated between £1,500 and £2,000 a month.**
97
**Slash**
■to cut with a sharp blade using a quick strong swinging action ***The museum was broken into last night and several paintings were slashed**. ***She tried to commit suicide by slashing her wrists**. ■to very much reduce something, such as money or jobs **Prices have been slashed by 50%**!
98
**Stir**
to make someone have a strong feeling or reaction **I was deeply stirred by her performance.**
99
**Fragrant**
with a pleasant smell ***fragrant flowers** ***The sauce itself was light, fragrant and slightly sweet**.
100
**Revert**
revert to sth ■*to return to doing, using, being or referring to something, usually something bad or less satisfactory* ***Why does the conversation have to revert to money every five minutes**?
101
Metropolis
a very large city that is the most important city in a country or area: **The city has become a huge, bustling metropolis**.
102
**Tenuous**
A tenuous connection, idea or situation is weak and possibly does not exist **We were only able to make a tenuous connection between the two robberies**
103
Indignant
angry and surprised because you feel insulted or unfairly treated indignant at/about **Liz was indignant at the way her child had been treated**.
104
Lore
knowledge or information about a subject, for example nature or magic, that is not written down but is passed from person to person **According to local lore, a ghost still haunts the castle**.
105
**Meticulous**
*very careful about small details,* and always making sure that everything is done correctly **Their planning and preparation were meticulous**.
106
**Malicious**
very unkind and cruel, and deliberately behaving in a way that is likely to upset or hurt someone **Who is responsible for these malicious rumors?**
107
To date
until now **So what have we learned to date**?
108
Overarching
including or influencing every part of something The crisis gave an overarching justification to the government’s policy.
109
**Surface**
KNOWN ■If a feeling or information surfaces, it becomes known **Doubts are beginning to surface about whether the right decision has been made**.
110
Spring
something, usually a twisted piece of metal, that will return to its previous shape after it has been pressed down
111
Adjourn
if a meeting, parliament, law court etc adjourns, or if the person in charge adjourns it, it stops for a short time **His trial was adjourned until May**.
112
**Desert**
to leave someone or something and no longer help or support them SYN abandon: **Helen was deserted by her husband**.
113
Dew
the small drops of water that form on outdoor surfaces during the night
114
Pavilion
one of a group of related buildings **the West Pavilion of Central General Hospital**
115
**Rebuff**
to refuse to accept a helpful suggestion or offer from someone, often by answering in an unfriendly way **The two deans said they had decided to withdraw only after they and “a number” of other schools had taken their concerns directly to U.S. News and been rebuffed**
116
**Conciliatory**
*doing something that is intended to make someone stop arguing with you* conciliatory approach/tone/gesture etc **Perhaps you should adopt a more conciliatory approach**..
117
Prospective
prospective employee/candidate/buyer etc someone who is likely to do a particular thing or achieve a particular position **U.S. News said, our mission is, and has always been, to provide data on schools for prospective students and their families.**
118
**Boycott** v. /n.
to refuse to buy something, use something, or take part in something as a way of protesting: **We boycott all products tested on animals**
119
Dupe
to deceive someone, usually by making them do something they did not intend to do **What’s new here is they duped Americans into helping them seem more credible**.
120
Flick
to move or hit something with a short sudden movement **Horses flick their tails to make flies go away**.
121
Implore
to ask for something in an emotional way SYN beg **She implored the soldiers to save her child.**
122
Squander
to carelessly waste money, time, opportunities etc: **The home team squandered a number of chances in the first half.** **We dare not squander the moment.**
123
**Anguish** n.
mental or physical suffering caused by extreme pain or worry **His anguish at the outcome of the court case was very clear.**
124
Attentive
listening to or watching someone carefully because you are interested OPP inattentive **an attentive audience**
125
Protrude
to stick out from somewhere **A rotting branch protruded from the swamp like a ghostly arm.**
126
**Genial**
friendly and happy **The headteacher is very genial / has a genial manner.**
127
**Corollary**
something that is the direct result of something else corollary of/to **But the corollary of better performance is higher pay.**
128
Aquatic
living or growing in water: **an aquatic plant**
129
Allude
to mention something or someone indirectly **Rick didn’t want to discuss his past, though he alluded darkly to ‘some bad things that happened.’**
130
**Notch**
■an imaginary point or position in a system of comparing values, where a higher position is better and a lower position is worse **Among current players, she is rated a notch above (= is better than) the rest**.
131
Misfire
if a plan or joke misfires, it goes wrong and does not have the result that you intended ⇨ backfire **His attempt at a joke misfired**.
132
Spatula
a kitchen tool with a wide flat blade, used for spreading, mixing, or lifting soft substances
133
-- **Minute** /maɪˈnjuːt $ -ˈnuːt/
extremely small: **You only need a minute amount**.
134
**Hatch**
if an egg hatches, or if it is hatched, it breaks, letting the young bird, insect etc come out: **They have laid a clutch of eggs every spring for the past nine years. Gertie faithfully sits on them every spring, but, sadly, the eggs never hatch**.
135
Probe
■to try to discover information that other people do not want you to know, by asking questions carefully and not directly ***The interviewer probed deep into her private life**. ■an attempt to discover information by asking a lot of questions ***an FBI probe into corruption**
136
**Repeal**
if a government repeals a law, it officially ends that law
137
**Annul**
to officially state that a marriage or legal agreement no longer exists: **Their marriage was annulled last year**.
138
**Revoke**
to officially state that a law, decision, or agreement is no longer effective **Their work permits have been revoked.**
139
Shell
■a container, usually with a pointed end, which is filled with explosives and shot from a large gun ***Artillery and mortar shells were landing in the outskirts of the city**.
140
**Dissolve**
to formally end a parliament, business arrangement, marriage etc: **This landmark piece of legislation protects the marriages of millions of LGBTQ Americans who have not slept well for months, wondering if our marriages would be dissolved by an activist court. While the Respect for Marriage Act is undoubtedly one of the most important pro-LGBTQ laws ever passed, it does not require states to grant marriages to LGBTQ couples. Until then, our fight is not over.**
141
Swath / swathe
a long thin area of something, especially land swathe of **The bomb had left a swathe of the town center in ruins**.
142
**Reprisal** n.
something violent or harmful which you do to punish someone for something bad they have done to you ⇨ revenge **They didn’t tell the police for fear of reprisal.**
143
**Scramble**
MOVE QUICKLY ■to move or climb quickly but with difficulty, often using your hands to help you *She scrambled up the steep hillside and over the rocks. **He scrambled into his clothes (= put them on quickly) and raced to fetch a doctor**. ■to compete with other people for something there is very little of **After China’s boldest and most widespread protests in decades, the security apparatus built by CCP leader Xi, who prizes his reputation for ironclad authority, is scrambling to reassert control**.
144
Nip in the bud
nip something in the bud to prevent something from becoming a problem by stopping it as soon as it starts **Since the protests of 1989 Chinese leaders have fixated on the dangers of anti-government social movements, determined to nip them in the bud and avoid the trauma of another bloody crackdown**.
145
Discredit
to make people stop respecting or trusting someone or something **The party’s army of online loyalists try to discredit protesters as tools of American-led subversion**.
146
**Elope**
to leave your home secretly in order to get married: **My parents didn’t approve of the marriage, so we eloped**.
147
-- **Eliminate**
to defeat a team or person in a competition, so that they no longer take part in it SYN knock out: **Our team was eliminated in the first round. / Round of 16**
148
Lash out
to suddenly speak angrily to someone or criticize someone angrily **Olson lashed out at the media**.
149
**Aloof**
unfriendly and deliberately not talking to other people keep/hold yourself aloof (from somebody) **She had always kept herself aloof from the boys in class**.
150
**Filthy**
extremely or unpleasantly dirty **Wash your hands - they're filthy!**
151
-- **Owe**
GOOD EFFECT*to be successful because of the good effect or influence of something or someone* **Their success owes more to good luck than to careful management.** **Pearson’s work owed much to the research of his friend, Hugh Kingsmill**.
152
Smudge
to make a dirty mark on a surface: **someone had smudged the paper with their greasy hands**.
153
**Blip**
a short pause or change in a process or activity, especially when the situation gets worse for a while before it improves again: **A government spokesman described the rise in inflation as a temporary blip**.
154
Justification
a good reason or explanation for something ***There is no justification for treating people so badly.**
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**Forge**
CREATE ■to make or produce, especially with some difficulty ***The accident forged a close bond between the two families**. COPY ■to make an illegal copy of something in order to deceive ***a forged passport / *a forged signature**
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Forgery
a document, painting, or piece of paper money that has been copied illegally SYN fake **The painting was a very clever forgery**.
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**Topple**
*to become unsteady and then fall over, or to make something do this* topple over **The withdrawal of heavyweight institutions like Harvard and Yale is unlikely to topple the rankings industry**.
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**Decry**
**They decried what they called ever more burdens from Brussels.** ■to criticize something as bad, with no value or not necessary; to condemn
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-- **Discount**
to regard something as unlikely to be true or important: Experts discounted the accuracy of the polls. **U.S. News appears to discount these invaluable opportunities to such an extent that these graduates are effectively classifies as unemployed**.
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Promising
showing signs of being successful or good in the future **This heavily weighted metric imposes tremendous pressure on schools to overlook promising students, especially those who cannot afford expensive test preparation courses.**
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**Precedent**
1. [countable] an action or official decision that can be used to give support to later actions or decisions: a legal precedent set/create a precedent **UN involvement in the country’s affairs would set a dangerous precedent.** 2. [uncountable and countable] something of the same type that has happened or existed before without precedent **An epidemic on this scale is without precedent.** 3. [uncountable] the way that things have always been done **break with precedent** (=do something in a new way)