Vocab7

Front 1

polio(poliomyelitis)

Back 1

a serious infectious disease that can cause permanent paralysis(= inability to move the body)>a ----- vaccination programme

Front 2

insidious

Back 2

(of something unpleasant or dangerous) gradually and secretly causing harm>High-blood pressure is an -------- condition which has few symptoms.

Front 3

vertigo

Back 3

a feeling of spinning round and being unable to balance, caused by looking down from a height>She can't stand heights and has always suffered from -------.

Front 4

concussion

Back 4

temporary damage to the brain caused by a fall or hit on the head or by violent shaking>He's been a bit dizzy and confused since the accident. Do you think it's mild ---------?

Front 5

shrapnel

Back 5

small pieces of metal that are scattered by a bomb or similar weapon when it explodes and are intended to injure people>Twelve people were hit by --------- in the attack.
a --------- wound

Front 6

convalesce

Back 6

to rest in order to get better after an illness>After your operation, you'll need to ------- for a week or two.

Front 7

apocalypse

Back 7

a very serious event resulting in great destruction and change>The book offers a vision of the future in which there is a great nuclear ----------.

Front 8

vis-a-vis

Back 8

in relation to>I've got to speak to James Lewis --- - --- the arrangements for Thursday.

Front 9

envoy

Back 9

someone who is sent as a representative from one government or organization to another>a United Nations special -----

Front 10

chapel

Back 10

a room within a larger building, which is used for Christian worship>The college/hospital/prison has its own ------.

Front 11

mesh

Back 11

When different things or people mesh, they suit each other or work well together>Whether the new personal pension works will depend much on how well it ----s with employers' schemes.

Front 12

plausible

Back 12

seeming likely to be true, or able to be believed>a -------- explanation/excuse

Front 13

clique

Back 13

a small group of people who spend their time together and do not welcome other people into that group>Our golf club is run by a very unfriendly ------- (of people).

Front 14

humble

Back 14

poor or of a low social rank>Even when she became rich and famous, she never forgot her ------ background.

Front 15

mercurial

Back 15

changing suddenly and often>She was entertaining but unpredictable, with ------- mood swings.

Front 16

pseudo

Back 16

not real; pretended>-------religious
a -------intellectual

Front 17

warped

Back 17

strange and unpleasant>I suppose I shouldn't be laughing about death - perhaps I've got a ------ mind/sense of humour

Front 18

deplorable

Back 18

very bad>I thought his behaviour absolutely --------.

Front 19

clampdown

Back 19

a sudden action taken by a government or people in authority to stop or limit a particular activity>Following the military coup, there has been a -------- on press reporting in the capital

Front 20

hard line

Back 20

when someone is very strict and severe>The government wants to take a ---- ---- against the strikers

Front 21

implicate

Back 21

to show that someone is involved in a crime or partly responsible for something bad that has happened>Have they any evidence to -------- him in the robbery?

Front 22

laureate

Back 22

a person who has been given a very high honour because of their ability in a subject of study>a Nobel --------

Front 23

barb

Back 23

the sharp part which points backwards from a fish hook or arrow, making it hard to remove it from something

Front 24

dissident

Back 24

a person who publicly disagrees with and criticizes their government>political --------s

Front 25

hotbed

Back 25

a hotbed of sth a place or situation where a lot of a particular activity, especially an unwanted or unpleasant activity, is happening or might happen>The police department was a ----- of corruption.

Front 26

headwind

Back 26

a wind blowing in the opposite direction to the one you are moving in>The runners had to battle against a stiff/strong ------.

Front 27

pace-setter or pace-maker

Back 27

the person or animal that establishes the speed in a race, or a person or organization that is an example for others by being successful

Front 28

coalesce

Back 28

If two or more things --------, they come or grow together to form one thing or system.

Front 29

outcry

Back 29

a strong expression of anger and disapproval about something, made by a group of people or by the public>The release from prison of two of the terrorists has provoked a public -----.

Front 30

on a shoestring

Back 30

If you do something on a ---------, you do it with a very small amount of money?>The film was made on a ---------.

Front 31

rickshaw, ricksha

Back 31

a small covered passenger vehicle with two wheels which is usually pulled by one person

Front 32

behead

Back 32

to cut off someone's head>Ten of them were ------ed.

Front 33

restive

Back 33

unwilling to be controlled or be patient>The audience was becoming ------ as they waited for the performance to begin

Front 34

refute

Back 34

to say or prove that a person, statement, opinion, etc. is wrong or false>to ------ a person/theory/argument/claim

Front 35

inquest

Back 35

an official process to discover the cause of someone's death>An ------- is always held if murder is suspected.

Front 36

exhume

Back 36

to remove a dead body from the ground after it has been buried

Front 37

cataract

Back 37

a disease in which an area of the eye becomes cloudy so that a person cannot see correctly, or the area diseased in this way

Front 38

draw/get the short straw

Back 38

to have to do the least enjoyable of a range of duties, often because you have been chosen to do it>Colin, I'm afraid you've ------ the ----- ----- - you're cleaning out the toilets

Front 39

acclaim

Back 39

to give public approval and praise>She was universally/widely/publicly -------ed for her contribution to the discovery

Front 40

harrowing

Back 40

extremely upsetting because connected with suffering>a ------- story

Front 41

ponder

Back 41

to think carefully about something, especially for a noticeable length of time>She sat back for a minute to ------ her next move in the game

Front 42

xenophobia

Back 42

extreme dislike or fear of foreigners, their customs, their religions, etc

Front 43

pedestal

Back 43

a long thin column which supports a statue, or a tall column-like structure on which something rests>In the riot, the statues were toppled from their -------s

Front 44

rosy

Back 44

If a situation is described as ----, it gives hope of success or happiness>Our financial position is ----.

Front 45

pacifism

Back 45

the belief that war is wrong, and therefore that to fight in a war is wrong

Front 46

pragmatic

Back 46

solving problems in a realistic way which suits the present conditions rather than obeying fixed theories, ideas or rules>In business, the -------- approach to problems is often more successful than an idealistic one

Front 47

reticent

Back 47

unwilling to speak about your thoughts or feelings>He is very -------- about his past

Front 48

round-up

Back 48

a gathering together of people, cattle, things, etc>The President ordered the ---------- and imprisonment of all opposition politicians.

Front 49

retribution

Back 49

deserved and severe punishment>She was asked whether a civilian government should seek ---------- against military officers involved in human rights abuses.

Front 50

cringe

Back 50

to feel very embarrassed>I ------ed at the sight of my dad dancing

Front 51

perplex

Back 51

to confuse and worry someone slightly by being difficult to understand or solve>The disease has continued to ------- doctors

Front 52

moribund

Back 52

(especially of an organization or business) not active or successful>How can the Trade Department be revived from its present ------- state?

Front 53

epithet

Back 53

an adjective added to a person's name or a phrase used instead of it, usually to criticize or praise them>The opera-singer's 104-kilo frame has earned him the -------- of 'Man Mountain' in the press

Front 54

turn-off

Back 54

something which you dislike or which you do not find interesting or sexually exciting>Hairy backs are for me the ultimate ----------.

Front 55

slant

Back 55

a particular way of showing or viewing something>The book had a personal/political/sociological ------.

Front 56

Interpol

Back 56

an international police organization which helps national police forces to work together to catch criminals

Front 57

disguise

Back 57

to give a new appearance to a person or thing, especially in order to hide its true form>He -------ed himself by shaving his head and wearing a false beard.

Front 58

dummy,pacifier

Back 58

a smooth rubber or plastic object that is given to a baby to suck in order to comfort it and make it stop crying

Front 59

avatar

Back 59

(Internet) online image that represents a user in chat rooms or in a virtual "space"

Front 60

bestride

Back 60

to sit or stand with a leg on either side of an object or animal>He ------- the chair as though it were a horse

Front 61

burgeon

Back 61

to develop or grow quickly>Love ------ed between them.

Front 62

litany

Back 62

a ------- of sth a long list of unpleasant things, particularly things that are repeated>The manufacturers are reported to have received a -------- of complaints from dissatisfied customers

Front 63

difficile

Back 63

stubborn; hard to deal with, hard to manage

Front 64

clostridium

Back 64

type of rod-shaped anaerobic bacteria

Front 65

aseptic

Back 65

medically clean or without infection>an ------- wound/dressing/bandage

Front 66

strobe

Back 66

a light which quickly flashes on and off>The -------s and loud music in the club made her want to dance.

Front 67

flare

Back 67

When something bad such as violence, pain or anger -----s (up), it suddenly starts or gets much worse>Violence ------ed up again last night

Front 68

choke

Back 68

(usually in sports) to fail to do something at a time when it is urgent, usually because you suddenly lose confidence>He could score points at will during the qualifying matches, but in the final he completely ----ed

Front 69

droop

Back 69

If your spirits (= feelings of happiness) -----, you start to feel less happy and energetic

Front 70

slink

Back 70

to walk away from somewhere quietly so that you are not noticed>I tried to ----- out of the room so that nobody would see me go.

Front 71

pan

Back 71

(of a film camera) to move slowly from one side to another or up and down>In the first scene, the camera ---s slowly across the room.

Front 72

inebriated

Back 72

having drunk too much alcohol>In her ---------- state, she was ready to agree to anything.

Front 73

meager

Back 73

(of amounts or numbers) very small or not enough>a ------ salary

Front 74

off the bat

Back 74

immediately>You can't expect to be accepted in a new town right/straight --- --- ---.

Front 75

lugubrious

Back 75

sad, especially in a slow or serious way>a -------- face

Front 76

blubber

Back 76

the thick layer of fat under the skin of sea mammals such as whales, which keeps them warm

Front 77

paradigm

Back 77

a model of something, or a very clear and typical example of something>Some of these educators are hoping to produce a change in the current cultural ---------.

Front 78

amenity

Back 78

something, such as a swimming pool or shopping centre, that is intended to make life more pleasant or comfortable for the people in a town, hotel or other place>The council has some spare cash which it proposes to spend on public -------s.

Front 79

sedate

Back 79

to cause a person or animal to be very calm or go to sleep by giving them a drug>When I saw him after the accident he was still in shock and was heavily -------ed.

Front 80

stench

Back 80

a strong unpleasant smell>the ------- of rotting fish/burning rubber/cigarette smoke

Front 81

euthanize

Back 81

(in a terminally ill person or injured animal) kill out of mercy, allow to die in order to prevent prolonged suffering (also euthanise)

Front 82

spay

Back 82

to remove the ovaries of a female animal>We're having the cat ----ed

Front 83

culminate

Back 83

If an event or series of events --------s in something, it ends with it, having developed until it reaches this point>My arguments with the boss got worse and worse, and it all -------ed in my deciding to change jobs

Front 84

poach

Back 84

to catch and kill animals without permission on someone else's land>The farmer claimed that he shot the men because they were ------ing on his land

Front 85

Monsignor

Back 85

a title used with the name of a Roman Catholic priest of high rank>-------- Healey

Front 86

ricochet

Back 86

If a ball or bullet --------s, it hits a surface and bounces away from it at an angle>The ball --------ed off the goalkeeper and into the net.

Front 87

sequin

Back 87

a small shiny metal or plastic disc sewn onto clothes for decoration

Front 88

bride price

Back 88

sum of money or goods given by the groom to the bride's parents

Front 89

decry

Back 89

to criticize something as bad, worthless or unnecessary; to condemn>She -----ed the appalling state of the British film industry.

Front 90

rig

Back 90

a truck consisting of two or more parts which bend where they are joined so that the vehicle can turn corners more easily

Front 91

ischemia

Back 91

localized anemia caused by an obstruction (Pathology)

Front 92

gaffe

Back 92

a remark or action that is a social mistake and not considered polite; faux pas> made a real ------ - I called his new wife 'Judy' which is the name of his ex-wife.

Front 93

retract

Back 93

to take back an offer or statement, etc. or admit that a statement was false>------ an invitation/confession/promise

Front 94

upheaval

Back 94

(a) great change, especially causing or involving much difficulty, activity or trouble>Yesterday's coup brought further ------ to a country already struggling with famine

Front 95

purge

Back 95

to get rid of people from an organization because you do not agree with them>Party leaders have undertaken to ----- the party of extremists

Front 96

knik

Back 96

something that is wrong>Pete still needs to iron out a few ----s in his game

Front 97

seam

Back 97

a line where two things join, especially a line of sewing joining two pieces of cloth or leather>The bags we sell have very strong ----s, so they will last for years.

Front 98

fit the bill

Back 98

to be suitable for a particular purpose>This new software certainly ---s --- ----.