Objective Proficiency p 121. Vocabulary

Style extra

• Chatty: having a friendly informal style. E.g. a chatty letter.
• Smooth: very polite and pleasant, but in a way that is often not very sincere. E.g. I don't like him. He's far too smooth for me. He's something of a smooth operator.
• Slick: speaking very easily and smoothly but in a way that does not seem sincere. Sp. de mucha labia. E.g. slick TV presenters. A slick salesman. Her reply was too fast, too slick.

Ex 4

• Flout something: / flaʊt/ to show that you have no respect for a law, etc. by openly not obeying it. Defy. Sp. desobedecer. E.g. Motorists regularly flout the law. To flout authority/convention.
• Defy somebody/something: to refuse to obey or show respect for somebody in authority, a law, a rule, etc. Sp. desacatar, desobedecer. E.g. I wouldn't have dared to defy my teachers. Hundreds of people today defied the ban on political gatherings.
• Harangue somebody: /həˈræŋ/ to speak loudly and angrily in a way that criticizes somebody/something or tries to persuade people to do something. E.g. He walked to the front of the stage and began to harangue the audience.
• Resolve: to make a firm decision to do something. E.g. resolve to do something He resolved not to tell her the truth. Resolve (that)… She resolved (that) she would never see him again. Resolve on something/on doing something We had resolved on making an early start.
• Scrounge: / skraʊndʒ/ (informal, disapproving) to get something from somebody by asking them for it rather than by paying for it. Sp. gorronear. E.g. scrounge (something) (off/from somebody) He's always scrounging free meals off us. Can I scrounge a cigarette from you? I don't want to spend the rest of my life scrounging off other people. Scrounge (for something) What is she scrounging for this time?
• Crave: crave (for) something/ crave to do something to have a very strong desire for something. E.g. She has always craved excitement.
• Seethe: to be extremely angry about something but try not to show other people how angry you are. E.g. She seethed silently in the corner. Seethe with something He marched off, seething with frustration. Seethe at something Inwardly he was seething at this challenge to his authority.
• Yank: to pull something/somebody hard, quickly and suddenly. Yank something/somebody (+ adverb/preposition) He yanked her to her feet. Yank something/somebody + adjective I yanked the door open.(+ adverb/preposition) Liz yanked at my arm.
• Unearth: 1. unearth something to find something in the ground by digging. E.g. to unearth buried treasures. Police have unearthed a human skeleton. 2. unearth something to find or discover something by chance or after searching for it. E.g. I unearthed my old diaries when we moved house. The newspaper has unearthed some disturbing facts.

Phrase spot 

• Live it up: (informal) to enjoy yourself in an exciting way, usually spending a lot of money. Sp. disfrutar de la vida. Tirar la casa por la ventana. E.g. they’re living it up in Hawaii. 
• Live up to something: to do as well as or be as good as other people expect you to. Sp. estar a la altura de. E.g. He failed to live up to his parents' expectations. The team called ‘The No-Hopers’ certainly lived up to its name.
• Live something down: to be able to make people forget about something embarrassing you have done. Sp. lograr que se olvide. E.g. She felt so stupid. She'd never be able to live it down.
• Be/live in clover: (informal) to have enough money to be able to live a very comfortable life. Sp. en la abundancia. A cuerpo de rey. E.g. we’ll be in clover down there, lying around in the sun and fishing on the lake food. Retailers are in clover.
• Clover: a small wild plant that usually has three leaves on each stem and purple, pink or white flowers that are shaped like balls. Sp trébol.
• Conman: a man who tricks others into giving him money, etc.
• Get by (on/in/with something): to manage to live or do a particular thing using the money, knowledge, equipment, etc. that you have. E.g. How does she get by on such a small salary? I can just about get by in German (= I can speak basic German).
• Live by your wits: to earn money by clever or sometimes dishonest means. Sp. vivir de tu ingenio. E.g. he lived by his wits and was involved with many shady characters.
• Shady: /ˈʃeɪdi/ seeming to be dishonest or illegal. Sp. sospechoso. E.g. a shady businessman/deal. A shady character.