Objective Proficiency p 98. Vocabulary

Comic Relief 

• Comic relief: something that is enjoyable that replaces something boring, difficult or unpleasant for a short period of time. Sp. momento cómico, interludio humorístico. E.g. There was little comic relief in his speech. 

• Dub somebody/something  + noun to give somebody/something a particular name, often in a humorous or critical way. Sp. apodar. E.g. The Belgian actor Jean–Claude Van Damme has been dubbed ‘Muscles from Brussels’.
• Prompt: to encourage somebody to speak by asking them questions or suggesting words that they could say. E.g. ‘And then what happened?’ he prompted. 
• Tack something on / tack something onto something: (informal) to add something to something that already exists, especially in a careless way. Sp. añadir. E.g. The poems were tacked on at the end of the book.
• Rogue: /rəʊɡ/ behaving in a different way from other similar people or things, often causing damage. E.g. a rogue gene. A rogue police officer.
• Remnant: / ˈremnənt/ a part of something that is left after the other parts have been used, removed, destroyed, etc. Sp. reliquia, vestigio, restos. E.g. The woods are remnants of a huge forest which once covered the whole area. Many of the traditions are remnants of a time when most people worked on the land. 
• Circuitry: /ˈsɜːkɪtri/ a system of electrical circuits or the equipment that forms this. Sp. sistema de circuitos. E.g. A rogue remnant of circuitry buried deep in the brainstem. 
• Brainstem: /ˈbreɪnstem/ the central part of the brain, which continues downwards to form the spinal cord. Sp. bulbo raquídeo.
• Busy: (v) to fill your time doing an activity or a task. Sp. Entretenerse. E.g. busy yourself (with something) She busied herself with the preparations for the party. Busy yourself (in/with) doing something While we talked, Bill busied himself fixing lunch.
• Risqué: /ˈrɪskeɪ/ (adj.) a risqué performance, comment, joke, etc. is a little shocking, usually because it is about sex. Sp. atrevido, subido de tono.
• Obscure: /əbˈskjʊə(r)/ uncertain, difficult to understand. E.g. I found her lecture very obscure. For some obscure reason, he failed to turn up. The meaning of his comment was obscure to everyone but himself.
• Pedigree: a person's family history or the background of something, especially when this is impressive. E.g. She was proud of her long pedigree. The product has a pedigree going back to the last century. 
• Long-running: that has been continuing for a long time. E.g. a long-running dispute. A long-running TV series.
• Revel in something: /ˈrevl/ to enjoy something very much. Sp. deleitarse en. E.g. She was clearly revelling in all the attention. He revelled in the freedom he was allowed. Some people seem to revel in annoying others. She revelled in defying the critics.
• Build sth up: to create or develop something. E.g. desarrollar. E.g. She's built up a very successful business. These finds help us build up a picture of life in the Middle Ages. I am anxious not to build up false hopes (= to encourage people to hope for too much). The gallery has built up a fine collection of contemporary art. We've built up good relationships with our clients.
• Puncture: / ˈpʌŋktʃə(r)/ to make a small hole in something; to get a small hole. E.g. to puncture a tyre. She was taken to the hospital with broken ribs and a punctured lung. One of the front tyres had punctured. 
• Ludicrousness: /ˈluːdɪkrəsnəs/ something unreasonable; that you cannot take seriously. Absurdity. E.g Joke telling relies on building up a psychic tension which is punctured by the ludicrousness of the punchline.
• Punchline: / ˈpʌntʃlaɪn/ the last few words of a joke that make it funny. E.g. He forgot the punchline and the joke fell flat.
• Pent-up: that cannot be expressed or released. Sp. reprimido. E.g. pent-up frustration/energy. 
• Settle on something: to choose or make a decision about something after thinking about it. Sp. decidirse por. E.g. Have you settled on a name for the baby yet?
• Incongruity: /ˌɪnkɒnˈɡruːəti/ Strangeness, the quality of not being suitable in a particular situation. Inappropriacy. E.g. She was struck by the incongruity of the situation.