Objective Proficiency p 41. Vocabulary

Ex 3
KEY
1 C 
join/combine forces (with somebody) to work together in order to achieve a shared aim. E.g. The two firms joined forces to win the contract.



2 B
bring somebody/something to life: to make somebody/ something active, more interesting or exciting. E.g.  The new teacher really brought French to life for us. Flowers can bring a dull room back to life.



3 B  
deem something + noun/adjective 
deem something to be something 
deem (that)… 
to have a particular opinion about something. Consider. E.g. The evening was deemed a great success. I deem it an honour to be invited. She deemed it prudent not to say anything. They would take any action deemed necessary.

4 D 



5 A 
trimmings [plural] the small pieces of something that are left when you have cut something. E.g. hedge trimmings.


6 C



 7 D



 8 A 
come down to something to be able to be explained by a single important point. E.g. What it comes down to is, either I get more money or I leave.
 
set something (off) against something 1 to judge something by comparing good or positive qualities with bad or negative ones. E.g. Set against the benefits of the new technology, there is also a strong possibility that jobs will be lost. 2 (finance) to record something as a business cost as a way of reducing the amount of tax you must pay. E.g. to set capital costs off against tax.

Ex 4

• Froth: ideas, activities, etc. that seem attractive and enjoyable but have no real value. These ideas are not merely froth.
• Wacky: funny or amusing in a slightly crazy way. Chiflado, absurdo. Zany /ˈzeɪni/. E.g. wacky ideas. Some of his friends are pretty wild and wacky characters. Weird and wacky fashion creations. 
• Cryptography: /krɪpˈtɒɡrəfi/ the art of writing or solving codes. E.g. Books on cryptography.
• Chronometry: is the science of the measurement of time, or timekeeping. E.g. Books on chronometry.
• Cod: (plural cod) a large sea fish with white flesh that is used for food. Bacalao. E.g. Fishing for cod. Cod fillets.
• Outdo: to do more or better than somebody else. E.g. Sometimes small firms can outdo big business when it comes to customer care. 
• Permeate: /ˈpɜːmieɪt/ to affect every part of something. Impregnar. E.g. a belief that permeates all levels of society.
• Vast: extremely large in area, size, amount, etc. E.g. a vast area of forest. A vast crowd. A vast amount of information.
• Quantum: /ˈkwɒntəm/ plural: quanta /ˈkwɒntə/ a very small quantity of electromagnetic energy. E.g. a quantum is the minimum amount of any physical entity involved in an interaction.
• Bumper: unusually large; producing an unusually large amount. Extraordinario. E.g. a bumper issue (= of a magazine, etc.). A bumper crop/harvest/season/year. 
• Frothy: seeming attractive and enjoyable but having no real value. E.g. frothy romantic novels 
• Meringue: /məˈræŋ/
• Cram: to push or force somebody/something into a small space; to move into a small space with the result that it is full. E.g. He crammed eight people into his car. I could never cram in all that she does in a day. Supporters crammed the streets. We all managed to cram into his car.
• Regurgitate: /rɪˈɡɜːdʒɪteɪt/ to repeat something you have heard or read without really thinking about it or understanding it. E.g. Others in the media simply regurgitated this inaccurate information.
• Anchorman: (fem. anchorwoman, pl. anchormen, anchorwomen) a man or woman who presents a live radio or television programme and introduces reports by other people.   
• Fleck :to cover or mark something with small areas of a particular colour or with small pieces of something. Salpicar. E.g. The fabric was red, flecked with gold. His hair was flecked with paint. Mud and rain flecked the car windows.
• Sound: sensible; that you can rely on and that will probably give good results. Sensato. E.g. a person of sound judgement. He gave me some very sound advice.  

Crossword

• Toe the line: to say or do what somebody in authority tells you to say or do, even if you do not share the same opinions, etc. E.g. One or two of them refused to toe the line. To toe the party line.
• Foolproof: very well designed and easy to use so that it cannot fail and you cannot use it wrongly. E.g. This recipe is foolproof—it works every time. No system can ever be completely foolproof. 
• Take over: to gain control of a business, a company, etc, especially by buying shares. E.g. CBS Records was taken over by Sony. 
• Prevail: 1. to exist or be very common at a particular time or in a particular place. E.g. We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. Those beliefs still prevail among certain social groups. 2. to be accepted, especially after a struggle or an argument. E.g. Justice will prevail over tyranny. Fortunately, common sense prevailed.
• Touch and go: used to say that the result of a situation is uncertain and that there is a possibility that something bad or unpleasant will happen. E.g. She's fine now, but it was touch-and-go for a while (= there was a possibility that she might die). It was touch-and-go whether they'd allow him into the country or not.  
• Chalk and cheese: (British English) if two people or things are like chalk and cheese or as different as chalk and cheese, they are completely different from each other. E.g. Frank and I will never get along. We're chalk and cheese. 
• In lieu (of something): instead of. E.g. They took cash in lieu of the prize they had won. We work on Saturdays and have a day off in lieu during the week.
• Track down: to find somebody/something after searching in several different places. E.g. The police have so far failed to track down the attacker. I finally tracked the reference down in a book of quotations.
• Spill the beans: to tell somebody something that should be kept secret or private. Who spilt the beans about her pregnancy?
• Foot the bill: to be responsible for paying the cost of something. E.g. Once again it will be the taxpayer who has to foot the bill. Who will be footing the bill for the party?
• Apologetic: feeling or showing that you are sorry for doing something wrong or for causing a problem. E.g. ‘Sorry,’ she said, with an apologetic smile. They were very apologetic about the trouble they'd caused.
• Live up to: to do as well as or be as good as other people expect you to. E.g. He failed to live up to his parents' expectations. The team called ‘The No-Hopers’ certainly lived up to its name.
• In vogue: fashionable. E.g. Black is in vogue again. Sixties music has come back into vogue.