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67 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
1. eating or wanting large amounts of food
2. wanting a lot of new information and knowledge |
voracious
1. a voracious eater 2. a voracious reader * a boy with a voracious and undiscriminating appetite for facts |
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1. an *** action is done without thought about what the result may be, especially when it causes people to be harmed
2. acting without careful judgement |
indiscriminate, unüberlegt, wahllos
1. indiscriminate attacks on motorists by youths throwing stones * the indiscriminate nature of nuclear weapons * Doctors have been criticized for their indiscriminate use of antibiotics. 2. She's always been indiscriminate in her choice of friends. |
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1. (of people) famous and respected, especially in a particular profession
2. (of good qualities) unusual; excellent |
eminent
1. an eminent architect 2. a man of eminent good sense |
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1. to put food in a liquid and leave it for some time so that it becomes soft and flavoured by the liquid
2. steep yourself in sth (written) to spend a lot of time thinking or learning about sth |
steep
1. Steep the fruit in brandy overnight. 2. They spent a month steeping themselves in Chinese culture. |
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1. filled with sth; with a full supply of sth
2. very full of food |
replete
1. literature replete with drama and excitement 2. We all felt pleasantly replete. |
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1. to exist in great numbers or quantities
2. to have sth in great numbers or quantities |
abound, abound with
1. Stories about his travels abound. 2. The lakes abound with fish. |
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1. a person who behaves like a machine, without thinking or feeling anything
2. a machine that moves without human control; a small ROBOT |
automaton
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1. a woman who works as a nurse in a school
2. an older married woman 3. a senior female nurse in charge of the other nurses in a hospital |
matron
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1. an area of activity, interest, or knowledge
2 (formal) a country ruled by a king or queen |
realm
1. in the realm of literature / science * At the end of the speech he seemed to be moving into the realms of fantasy. 2. the defence of the realm IDIOM: beyond the realms of possibility |
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an official record of events or activities year by year; historical records
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annals
His deeds went down in the annals of British history. |
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1. to make sth bad become even worse by causing further harm
2. a thing consisting of two or more separate things combined together |
to compound
1. The problems were compounded by severe food shortages |
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a small amount of a colour, feeling or quality
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tinge
to feel a tinge of envy / regret / sadness * There was a faint pink tinge to the sky. |
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to put pressure on sb by repeatedly asking them questions or asking them to do sth
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badger sb (into doing sth) | ~ sb
I finally badgered him into coming with us. * Reporters constantly badger her about her private life. * His daughter was always badgering him to let her join the club. |
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to ask sb to do sth in an anxious way because you want or need it very much
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to implore
She implored him to stay. 'Help me,' he implored. * Tell me it's true. I implore you. |
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lasting a very long time and therefore boring or annoying
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interminable
an interminable speech / wait / discussion * The drive seemed interminable |
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using only a few words to say sth:
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laconic
a laconic comment / manner |
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to go up to sb and speak to them, especially in a way that is rude or threatening
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accost
She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger |
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bad-tempered and rude
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surly
a surly face / manner / youth |
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1. a talk on a moral or religious subject, usually given by a religious leader during a service
2. moral advice that a person tries to give you in a long talk |
sermon
2. We had to listen to a long sermon on the evils of wasting time. |
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1. a crowd of people
2. to go somewhere or be present somewhere in large numbers |
throng, to throng
1. We pushed our way through the throng. * He was met by a throng of journalists and photographers. 2. children thronged into the hall. * People are thronging to see his new play. * Crowds thronged the stores. |
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unwilling to tell people about things
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reticent
She was shy and reticent. * He was extremely reticent about his personal life. |
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very brave; not afraid of danger or difficulties
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intrepid
an intrepid explorer |
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a thing that sb does that is usually very good or very bad
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deed
a brave / charitable / evil deed * a tale of heroic deeds |
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behaving in a way that shows that you want to keep sth secret and do not want to be noticed
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furtive
She cast a furtive glance over her shoulder. * He looked sly and furtive. |
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a person who has committed a serious crime
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felon
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an amount that is greater than is needed or can be used
(excess) |
plethora
The report contained a plethora of detail. |
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not lucky; unfortunate
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the hapless victims of exploitation
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very angry
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irate
irate customers * an irate phone call |
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a false reason that you give for doing sth, usually sth bad, in order to hide the real reason; an excuse
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pretext
The incident was used as a pretext for intervention in the area. * He left the party early on the pretext of having work to do. * Be careful not to give him a pretext to report you. * People were being arrested on the flimsiest of pretexts |
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1. to invent false information in order to deceive people
2. to make or produce goods, equipment, etc. from various different materials. |
to fabricate
1. The evidence was totally fabricated. * The prisoner claimed the police had fabricated his confession |
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skilful and clever, especially in dealing with people:
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adroit
an adroit negotiator |
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to move your hands and arms about in order to attract attention or make sb understand what you are saying:
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to gesticulate
He gesticulated wildly at the clock. * She was shouting and gesticulating from the other side of the road. |
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very careful to notice any signs of danger or trouble
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vigilant
A pilot must remain vigilant at all times. * The thief was spotted by vigilant neighbours. |
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1. very enthusiastic about sth (often a hobby)
2. wanting to get sth very much |
avid
1. an avid reader / collector * She has taken an avid interest in the project (= she is extremely interested in it). 2. He was avid for more information. |
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to make sb do sth by talking to them and being very nice to them
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to cajole
He cajoled me into agreeing to do the work. * I managed to cajole his address out of them. * Her voice was soft and cajoling. |
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1. dealing with only the most basic matters or ideas
2. not highly or fully developed |
rudimentary
1. They were given only rudimentary training in the job. * His understanding of the language is very rudimentary. 2. rudimentary housing / weapons * Health care in the village is still quite rudimentary. * Some dinosaurs had only rudimentary teeth. * the most rudimentary forms of life |
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to increase or further improve the good quality, value or status of sb/sth
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to enhance
This is an opportunity to enhance the reputation of the company. * the skilled use of make-up to enhance your best features |
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a very slight difference in meaning, sound, colour or sb's feelings that is not usually very obvious:
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nuance
He watched her face intently to catch every nuance of expression. * Her singing has both warmth of sound and delicacy of nuance. * You need to be able to convey the subtle nuances of meaning of each word. |
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to persuade sb to do sth by talking to them in a kind and gentle way
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coax
She coaxed the horse into coming a little closer. * He was coaxed out of retirement to help the failing company. * She had to coax the car along. * Police managed to coax the man down from the ledge. * 'Nearly there,' she coaxed. |
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not real or true; false, and trying to deceive people
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phoney
She spoke with a phoney Russian accent. |
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having a lot of different parts and small details that fit together
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intricate
intricate patterns / designs / structures * an intricate network of loyalties and relationships |
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to dislike sb/sth very much
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to loathe
I loathe modern art. * They loathe each other |
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to tell sb officially that you do not approve of them or their actions
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to reprimand
The officers were severely reprimanded for their unprofessional behaviour. |
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not interesting or exciting; dull
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lacklustre
a lacklustre performance / campaign * lacklustre hair |
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1. (of a chemical substance) able to destroy or dissolve other substances
2. critical in a bitter or SARCASTIC way |
caustic
1. a caustic cleaning product * caustic liquid which blisters the skin 2. caustic comments / wit * Her speech was a caustic attack on government officials. |
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1. to take sth such as power or control from sb/sth with great effort
2. to take sth from sb that they do not want to give, suddenly or violently |
wrest sth from sb/sth
1. They attempted to wrest control of the town from government forces. 2. He wrested the gun from my grasp. |
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well known for being bad or evil
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infamous
a general who was infamous for his brutality * the most infamous concentration camp * (humorous) the infamous British sandwich |
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to push roughly against sb in a crowd
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to jostle
The visiting president was jostled by angry demonstrators. * People were jostling, arguing and complaining. |
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a person who is tricked or cheated
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dupe
These men were simply the dupes of their unscrupulous leaders. |
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just beginning
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incipient
signs of incipient unrest |
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by accident; without intending to
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inadvertent
an inadvertent omission |
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suggesting that sth bad is going to happen, threatening
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ominous
an ominous silence; Those black clouds are a bit ominous. |
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(1) shaking slightly because of being nervous, week or excited
(2) nervous, afraid or uncertain |
tremulous
(1) in a tremulous voice; with a tremulous hand (2) a tremulous look/smile/laugh |
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(1a) to refuse to accept sth; to reject sth
(1b) to refuse to do sth that is required by an authority or an agreement (2) to refuse to deal with or be connected with sb any longer; to disown sb |
repudiate
(1a) repudiate a charge/view/claim/suggestion (1b) repudiate a treaty/contract/vow; repudiate one's depts (refuse to pay) (2) repudiate one's lover/former friend/son |
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the action or act of spopping; a pause
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cessation
the bombardment continied without cessation; a temprary cessation of hostiles |
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(1) a short stiff hair
(2) one of the short stiff hairs in a brush |
bristle
(1) a face covered with bristles (2) my toothbrush is loosing it's bristles |
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ordinary and with little excitement
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mundane
I lead a pretty munedane life - nothing interesting ever happens to me; a mundane film/job; Having decided on the prizewinners, the committee moved on to more mundane matters |
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strange because not in harmony with the surroundings; out of place
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incongruous
Such traditional methods seem incongruous in this modern technical age |
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an expression of sympathy
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condolence
a letter of condolence; please accept my condolences on your father's death |
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nervous and uncertain
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jittery
jittery inverstors/financial markets |
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to shake or tremble slightly
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quiver
quivering leaves; His voice quivered with emotion; 'I'm sorry' she said, her lip quivering |
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(1) ~ up: to stand up stiff because of fear or anger
(2) ~ with sth at sth: show anger, annoyance in one's face or movements (3) ~ with sth: to have a large number of sth |
to bristle
(1) the dog's fur bristeld as it sensed danger. (2) bristle with defiance/pride; she bristled with rage at the mention of his name (3) troops bristling with weapons |
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(1) to make sb start to feel hope, anger, desire, etc
(2) to set light to sth |
to kindle
(1) kindle hopes. She had kindled a flame within him (2) the sparks kindled the dry grass kindling: Kleinholz |
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not interesting or exciting
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mundane
a mundane task / job * I lead a pretty mundane existence. * On a more mundane level, can we talk about the timetable for next week? |
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strange, and not suitable in a particular situation
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incongruous
Such traditional methods seem incongruous in our technical age. * The two of them made an incongruous couple. |
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sympathy that you feel for sb when a person in their family or that they know well has died; an expression of this sympathy:
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condolence
to give / offer / express your condolences * Our condolences go to his wife and family. * a letter of condolence |
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to make a process happen more quickly
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expedite
We have developed rapid order processing to expedite deliveries to customers. |