Objective Proficiency 2002 p 17. Vocabulary

Ex 4

• Record: (also criminal record) the fact of having committed crimes in the past. Antecedentes penales. E.g. Does he have a record?
• Cop Show: a crime TV drama.

Style extra

• Figurative: /ˈfɪɡərətɪv/ used in a way that is different from the usual meaning, in order to create a particular mental picture. E.g. A figurative device. 
• Spin: 1. to turn round and round quickly; to make something do this. Girar. E.g. The plane was spinning out of control. 2. To make thread from wool, cotton, silk, etc. by twisting it. Hilar, tejer. E.g. She sat by the window spinning. Her hair is like spun gold.
• Crisp: 1. pleasantly hard and dry. Crujiente. E.g Bake until the pastry is golden and crisp. 2. Firm and fresh. E.g. Snow as crisp as an apple
• Fluffy: Looking as if it is soft and light. Suave y sedoso. E.g. Fluffy white clouds. 
• Like water off a duck's back: (informal) used to say that something, especially criticism, has no effect on somebody/something. Como quien oye llover. E.g. I can't tell my son what to do; it's water off a duck's back with him. 
• As clean as a whistle: (informal) very clean. Limpio como una patena. When he finished washing his car, it was as clean as a whistle.
• As deaf as a post: (informal) very deaf. Más sordo que una tapia. E.g. My uncle can't hear a thing. He's as deaf as a post. 
• Like 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.
• Like a bat out of hell: (informal) very fast. E.g. She was driving like a bat out of hell.
• As warm as toast: very warm and cozy. E.g. The baby will be warm as toast in that blanket. We were as warm as toast by the side of the fire.
• As white as a sheet: To be very pale, usually because you are frightened or ill. E.g. She was trembling all over and as white as a sheet. 
• Have a memory/mind like a sieve: (informal) to have a very bad memory; to forget things easily. Tener la cabeza como un colador. E.g. I've never known anyone so forgetful - she's got a memory like a sieve.

Ex 5

• Appearance: the moment at which something begins to exist or starts to be seen or used. Aparición. E.g. the early appearance of daffodils in spring. The appearance of organic vegetables in the supermarkets.
• Surge: a sudden increase in the amount or number of something; a large amount of something. Repentino aumento. E.g. A surge in consumer spending.
• Bewildering: /bɪˈwɪldərɪŋ/ making you feel confused because there are too many things to choose from or because something is difficult to understand. Confusing. Desconcertante. E.g. Here is a bewildering variety of software available.
• Wilderness: /ˈwɪldənəs/ a large area of land that has never been developed or used for growing crops because it is difficult to live there. E.g. The Antarctic is the world's last great wilderness. 
• Doubtless: almost certainly. Without doubt. E.g. He would doubtless disapprove of what Kelly was doing. Doubtless Williams, as the star of the movie, is getting five times the salary of everyone else.