Objective Proficiency p 109. Vocabulary

Ex 3

• Playroom: a room in a house for children to play in.
• Alternate: /ɔːlˈtɜːnət/ if something happens on alternate days, nights, etc. it happens on one day, etc. but not on the next. E.g. John has to work on alternate Sundays. The ferry service will initially run on alternate days, increasing eventually to daily sailings. 
• Go on to do something: to do something after completing something else. E.g. The book goes on to describe his experiences in the army. After her early teaching career she went on to become a doctor. 
• Lose sight of somebody/something: 1 to become no longer able to see somebody/something. E.g. They finally lost sight of land. 2. to stop considering something; to forget something. E.g. We must not lose sight of our original aim.

Ex 4

• Intercontinental: between continents. E.g. intercontinental flights/missiles/travel/trade.
• Long-standing: that has existed or lasted for a long time. E.g. a long-standing relationship.
• Wide-ranging: including or dealing with a large number of different subjects or areas. E.g. The commission has been given wide-ranging powers. A wide-ranging discussion. A wide-ranging review of public spending.
• Extend: to offer or give something to somebody. E.g. I'm sure you will join me in extending a very warm welcome to our visitors. To extend hospitality to overseas students. The bank refused to extend credit to them (= to lend them money). To extend somebody an invitation.
• Grounding: the act of keeping a plane on the ground or a ship in a port, especially because it is not in a good enough condition to travel.
• High point: the most interesting, enjoyable or best part of something. E.g. It was the high point of the evening. He had reached the high point of his career.
• Exhilarating: /ɪɡˈzɪləreɪtɪŋ/ very exciting and enjoyable. E.g. My first parachute jump was an exhilarating experience.
• In view of something: (formal) considering something. E.g. In view of the weather, the event will now be held indoors.
• Table something (British English) to present something formally for discussion. E.g. to table a question in Parliament. They have tabled a motion for debate at the next Party Conference.
• Feature (on somebody/something): (in newspapers, on television, etc.) a special article or programme about somebody/something. E.g. a special feature on education.
• Mailshot: advertising or information that is sent to a large number of people at the same time by mail.

Crossword
Across

• Discriminating: able to judge the good quality of something. Discerning. E.g. a discriminating audience/customer.
• Veto: vetoes, vetoing, vetoed. 1. veto something to stop something from happening or being done by using your official authority (= by using your veto ). E.g. Plans for the dam have been vetoed by the Environmental Protection Agency. 2. veto something to refuse to accept or do what somebody has suggested. Rule out. E.g. I wanted to go camping but the others quickly vetoed that idea.
• Strand: a single thin piece of thread, wire, hair, etc. E.g. a strand of wool. A few strands of dark hair. She wore a single strand of pearls around her neck.
• Spick and span: neat and clean. E.g. Their house is always spick and span.
• Toss and turn: not sleep properly. E.g. I couldn't sleep but kept tossing and turning in bed all night. 
• Ta: /tɑː/ thank you.
• Cusp: a point of transition between two different states. Sp. a las puertas, al borde. E.g. those on the cusp of adulthood.
• Brain-teaser: a problem that is difficult but fun to solve. Sp. rompecabezas. E.g. There were some real brain-teasers in the quiz.
• Eat humble pie: to say and show that you are sorry for a mistake that you made. Make a humble apology and accept humiliation. E.g. he will have to eat humble pie at training after being sent off for punching. Etymology:  From a pun on the old word umbles, meaning ‘offal’(the inside parts of an animal), which was considered to be food for poor people.

Down

• Mishear: to fail to hear correctly what somebody says, so that you think they said something else. E.g. You may have misheard her—I'm sure she didn't mean that. I thought he said he was coming today, but I must have misheard. 
• Tone something down: to make a speech, an opinion, etc. less extreme or offensive. E.g. The language of the article will have to be toned down for the mass market.
• Gigantic: /dʒaɪˈɡæntɪk/ extremely large. E.g. a gigantic house. The problem was beginning to take on gigantic proportions.
• Slush: 1. partly melted snow that is usually dirty. E.g. In the city the clean white snow had turned to grey slush. 2. stories, films/movies or feelings that are considered to be silly and without value because they are too emotional and romantic. E.g. Her novels are full of sentimental slush.
• Slushy: (adj) 1. resembling, consisting of, or covered with slush. E.g. slushy snow. Slushy pavements. 2 informal excessively sentimental. Sp. sentimentaloide, sensiblero. E.g. slushy novels. Slushy romantic fiction.
• Abrupt: /əˈbrʌpt/ speaking or acting in a way that seems unfriendly and rude; not taking time to say more than is necessary. Sp. brusco, cortante. E.g. She was very abrupt with me in our meeting. An abrupt manner. You were rather abrupt with that young man.
• Rapture: /ˈræptʃə(r)/ a feeling of extreme pleasure and happiness. Delight. Sp. éxtasis. E.g. Charles listened with rapture to her singing. The children gazed at her in rapture. Never before had she known such rapture. 
• Stir something up: to make people feel strong emotions.Arouse or prompt (a feeling or memory) or inspire (the imagination). E.g. the story stirred many memories of my childhood. The rumours had stirred up his anger. To stir up hatred.
• Tease something out: to spend time trying to find out information or the meaning of something, especially when this is complicated or difficult. E.g. The teacher helped them tease out the meaning of the poem. 
• Put/turn the clock back: 1 to return to a situation that existed in the past; to remember a past age. Sp. volver atrás. E.g. I wish we could turn the clock back two years and give the marriage another chance.We can’t turn the clock back—what’s happened has happened. No revolution can turn the clock back and abolish industry. 2 (disapproving) to return to old-fashioned methods or ideas. E.g. The new censorship law will turn the clock back 50 years