Objective Proficiency p 59. Keys and Vocabulary

Idiom spot

• Catch somebody's eye: 

1. if something catches your eye, you suddenly notice it. E.g. There was one painting that caught my eye.
2. to attract somebody's attention. E.g. Can you catch the waiter's eye?

• look somebody in the eye(s)/face

  (usually used in negative sentences and questions) to look straight at somebody without feeling embarrassed or ashamed. E.g. Can you look me in the eye and tell me you're not lying? I'll never be able to look her in the face again! 

• Cast/run an eye/your eyes over something: to look at or examine something quickly. Check. E.g. Could you just run your eyes over this report?
• Have an eye for something: to be able to judge if things look attractive, valuable, etc. E.g. I've never had much of an eye for fashion. She has an eye for a bargain. 
• Turn a blind eye (to something): to pretend not to notice something bad that is happening, so you do not have to do anything about it. E.g. The authorities were either unaware of the problem or turned a blind eye to it. 
• Not see eye to eye with somebody (on something): to not share the same views as somebody about something. E.g. The two of them have never seen eye to eye on politics.
• in the public eye well known to many people through newspapers and television. E.g. She doesn't want her children growing up in the public eye.
• Petty: /ˈpeti/ small and unimportant. E.g. petty crime/theft (= that is not very serious).

Ex 4

• Pointillism:  /ˈpɔɪntɪlɪzəm/ /ˈpwæntɪlɪzəm/ a style of painting that was developed in France in the late 19th century in which very small dots of colour are used to build up the picture. Sp. Puntillismo. Pointillist /pɔɪntɪlɪst/ /ˈpwæntɪlɪst/

  

• Lucid: /ˈluːsɪd/ clearly expressed; easy to understand. Clear. E.g a lucid style/explanation.

1. essence

2. Hitherto: /ˌhɪðəˈtuː/ until now; until the particular time you are talking about. E.g. a hitherto unknown species of moth. Her life hitherto had been devoid of adventure.

• Stroke: a mark made by moving a pen, brush, etc. once across a surface. E.g. to paint with fine brush strokes (pinceladas) At the stroke of a pen (= by signing something) they removed thousands of people from the welfare system.

3. unpredictable

• Smear (something): to rub writing, a drawing, etc. so that it is no longer clear; to become not clear in this way. Smudge. E.g. The last few words of the letter were smeared. 

• Streaky: /ˈstriːki/ marked with lines of a different colour. E.g. streaky blonde hair. The wallpaper was streaky with grease. (British English) streaky bacon (= with layers of fat in it).

• Squidgy: /ˈskwɪdʒi/ soft and wet, and easily squashed. E.g. a squidgy sofa. Chocolates with squidgy centres.

 4. intuitively

• Conform to/with something: to obey a rule, law, etc. Comply. Sp. Cumplir con, ajustarse a. E.g. The building does not conform with safety regulations. 

5. stability

• Draw on/upon something: to use a supply of something that is available to you.  Sp. Recurrir a. E.g. I'll have to draw on my savings. The novelist draws heavily on her personal experiences.

6. incomparable

• Incomparable: /ɪnˈkɒmprəbl/ so good or impressive that nothing can be compared to it. E.g. the incomparable beauty of Lake Garda. The incomparable Frank Sinatra.

7. influential 



8. interaction

• Hue: /hjuː/ a colour; a particular shade of a colour. E.g. His face took on an unhealthy whitish hue. Her paintings capture the subtle hues of the countryside in autumn.