Ubiquitous:
/juːˈbɪkwɪtəs / seeming to be everywhere or in several places at the same time; very common. E.g.The ubiquitous bicycles of university towns. The ubiquitous movie star, Tom Hanks.
/juːˈbɪkwɪtəs / seeming to be everywhere or in several places at the same time; very common. E.g.The ubiquitous bicycles of university towns. The ubiquitous movie star, Tom Hanks.
Enhance something:
to increase or further improve the good quality, value or status of somebody/something. E.g. This is an opportunity to enhance the reputation of the company. The skilled use of make-up to enhance your best features.
Unnerve
somebody:
to make somebody feel nervous or frightened or lose confidence. E.g. His silence unnerved us. She appeared strained and a little unnerved. An unnerving experience.
to make somebody feel nervous or frightened or lose confidence. E.g. His silence unnerved us. She appeared strained and a little unnerved. An unnerving experience.
Reminiscent of sth/sb:
/ˌremɪˈnɪsnt/ reminding you of somebody/something. E.g. The way he laughed was strongly reminiscent of his father. She writes in a style reminiscent of both Proust and Faulkner.
Upstanding:
behaving in a moral and honest way. Upright. Sp. Íntegro. E.g. an upstanding member of the community.
Conceal:
/kənˈsiːl/ to hide somebody/something. E.g. Tim could barely conceal his disappointment.
rendezvous:
/ ˈrɒndɪvuː/ (with somebody) an arrangement to meet somebody at a particular time and place. E.g. I had a secret rendezvous with John that evening.
encounter:
a meeting, especially one that is sudden, unexpected or violent. E.g. Three of them were killed in the subsequent encounter with the police. The story describes the extraordinary encounter between a man and a dolphin. I've had a number of close encounters(= situations that could have been dangerous) with bad drivers.
Crave:
crave (for) something/ crave to do something to have a very strong desire for something. E.g. She has always craved excitement.
Dazzle:
if a strong light dazzles you, it is so bright that you cannot see for a short time. Sp. Deslumbrar. E.g. He was momentarily dazzled by the strong sunlight.
rant:
speak or shout at length in a noisy, excited manner or in an angry, impassioned (showing strong feelings) way . E.g. she was still ranting on about the unfairness of it all
Jangle:
/ ˈdʒæŋɡl/ if your nerves jangle, or if somebody/something jangles them, you feel anxious or upset. E.g. She was suddenly wide awake, her nerves jangling.
rotten:
to a large degree; very much. E.g. She spoils the children rotten. He fancies you rotten.
Moronic:
/məˈrɒnɪk/ an offensive way of referring to something that you think is very stupid. E.g a moronic TV programme.
Fatuous:
/ˈfætʃuəs/ stupid. E.g. a fatuous comment/grin.
Alluring:
/əˈlʊərɪŋ/ powerfully and mysteriously attractive or fascinating; seductive. E.g. the town offers alluring shops and restaurants.
Meadow:
/ ˈmedəʊ/ a field covered in grass. Sp.prado, pradera. E.g. He'd built a house in the meadow.
Haven:
a place that is safe and peaceful where people or animals are protected. E.g. The hotel is a haven of peace and tranquility. The river banks are a haven for wildlife. The camp offers a haven to refugees.
Parkland:
/ˈpɑːklænd/ open land with grass and trees, for example around a large house in the country. Sp. zonas verdes. E.g. The house stands in 500 acres of rolling (ondulado) parkland. The college is set in 30 acres of attractive parkland.
Country bumpkin:
a person from the countryside who seems stupid.
hold/keep somebody/something at bay:
to prevent an enemy from coming close or a problem from having a bad effect. Ward off. E.g. I'm trying to keep my creditors at bay. Charlotte bit her lip to hold the tears at bay.
hold forth:
to speak for a long time about something in a way that other people might find boring. E.g. Sadie held forth on the virtues of home cooking. Sharon is holding forth, and everyone is paying close attention.
hold good
(often + for ): to be true. If a statement holds good for something or someone, it is true of that thing or person. E.g. The saying 'good things come in small packages' holds good for this excellent miniature TV set. It looks as though my predictions for snow at Christmas are holding good. The same argument does not hold good in every case.
sway:
power or influence over somebody. E.g. Rebel forces hold sway over much of the island. She was brought up under the sway of Communism.
Tribulation:
/ˌtrɪbjuˈleɪʃn/ great trouble or suffering. E.g. the tribulations of modern life. His time of tribulation was just beginning
blend:
to combine with something in an attractive or effective way; to combine something in this way. Blend (something) (together) The old and new buildings blend together perfectly. Blend something (and/with something) Their music blends traditional and modern styles.
cross
(between A and B) a mixture of two different things,
breeds of animal, etc. E.g. The play was a cross between a farce
and a tragedy. A mule is a cross between a horse and a donkey.
association:
1. organization. 2. a connection between things where one is caused by the other. E.g. a proven association between passive smoking and cancer.
Rapture:
/ ˈræptʃə(r)/ a feeling of extreme pleasure and happiness. Delight. Sp. éxtasis. Charles listened with rapture to her singing. The children gazed at her in rapture. Never before had she known such rapture.
Somersault:
/ˈsʌməsɔːlt/ a movement in which somebody turns over completely, with their feet over their head, on the ground or in the air. Sp. voltereta. E.g. to do/turn a somersault. He turned back somersaults. (figurative) Her heart did a complete somersault when she saw him.
Clutter:
a lot of things in an untidy state, especially things that are not necessary or are not being used; a state of confusion. Mess. Sp. Desorden. E.g. There's always so much clutter on your desk! There was a clutter of bottles and tubes on the shelf.
constraint:
/kənˈstreɪnt/ a thing that limits or restricts something, or your freedom to do something. Restriction. E.g. constraints of time/money/space. Financial/economic/legal/political constraints. This decision will impose serious constraints on all schools.
rumpus:
cause a disturbance.
riven
(by/with something): (v) torn apart. E.g. the party was riven by disagreements over Europe (adj) 1 (of a group of people) divided because of disagreements, especially in a violent way. E.g. a party riven by internal disputes. 2 (of an object) divided into two or more pieces. E.g. The wood was riven with deep cracks.
Stacked:
/stækt/ if a surface is stacked with objects, there are large numbers or piles of them on it. E.g. a table stacked with glasses. Shelves stacked with files.
Haunt:
/hɔːnt/ 1. Haunt something/somebody if the ghost of a dead person haunts a place, people say that they have seen it there. E.g. A headless rider haunts the country lanes. I'll come back to haunt you! 2. Haunt somebody to continue to cause problems for somebody for a long time. E.g. That decision came back to haunt him. She has been haunted by her past during her career.
Battered:
/ ˈbætəd /attacked violently and injured; attacked and badly damaged by weapons or by bad weather. E.g. battered women/children The child had suffered what has become known as ‘battered baby syndrome.’Rockets and shells continued to hit the battered port. After the hurricane, thousands were rescued from the battered coastal towns.
Drift:
1. to move or go somewhere slowly. E.g. The crowd drifted away from the scene of the accident. Her gaze drifted around the room. People began to drift back to their houses. 2. (+ adverb/preposition) to happen or change, or to do something without a particular plan or purpose. E.g. I didn't intend to be a teacher—I just drifted into it. He hasn't decided what to do yet—he's just drifting. The conversation drifted onto politics.
border on something
to come very close to being something, especially a strong or unpleasant emotion or quality. E.g. She felt an anxiety bordering on hysteria.
spell something out:
to explain something in a simple, clear way. E.g. You know what I mean—I'm sure I don't need to spell it out. Spell out why, what, etc… Let me spell out why we need more money.
Hamlet:
/ˈhæmlət/ a very small village.
Menagerie:
/məˈnædʒəri/ a collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition.
Medley:
/ˈmedli/ a mixture of people or things of different kinds. E.g. a medley of flavours/smells. The building was a medley of styles from different periods.
stint
(as something) a period of time that you spend working somewhere or doing a particular activity. E.g. He did a stint abroad early in his career. A two-year stint in the Navy. I've done my stint in the kitchen for today.
smart-arse:
a person who thinks they are very clever and likes to show people this in an annoying way.
wry:
amusing in a way that shows irony. E.g. a wry comedy about family life. E.g. a wry comment. Wry humour
foresight:
the ability to predict what is likely to happen and to use this to prepare for the future. E.g. She had had the foresight to prepare herself financially in case of an accident. The government's policies show a remarkable lack of foresight.
hindsight: / ˈhaɪndsaɪt/ the understanding that you have of a situation only after it has happened and that means you would have done things in a different way. E.g. With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. What looks obvious in hindsight was not at all obvious at the time. It's easy to criticize with the benefit of hindsight.
in retrospect:
/ˈretrəspekt/ thinking about a past event or situation, often with a different opinion of it from the one you had at the time. E.g. In retrospect, I think that I was wrong.The decision seems extremely odd, in retrospect.
bug:
any small insect.
nutter:
(also nut) a strange or crazy person. E.g. His friends are a bunch of nutters. He's a complete nut, if you ask me.
dodginess:
having low quality.
interlude:
/ˈɪntəluːd/1. a period of time between two events during which something different happens. E.g. a romantic interlude (= a short romantic relationship). Apart from a brief interlude of peace, the war lasted nine years. 2. a short period of time between the parts of a play, film/movie, etc. E.g. There will now be a short interlude.
line:
the division between one area of thought or behaviour and another. E.g. We want to cut across lines of race, sex and religion. There is a fine line between showing interest in what someone is doing and interfering in it.
allure:
/ əˈlʊə/ the quality of being attractive and exciting. E.g. sexual allure. The allure of the big city.
Hype:
advertisements and discussion on television, radio, etc. telling the public about a product and about how good or important it is. Sp. bombo publicitario. E.g. marketing/media hype. Don't believe all the hype—the book isn't that good.
Stamina:
the physical or mental strength that enables you to do something difficult for long periods of time. Sp. resistencia. E.g. It takes a lot of stamina to run a marathon. Exercises aimed at increasing stamina.
Rampage:
/ ˈræmpeɪdʒ / a sudden period of wild and violent behaviour, often causing damage and destruction. Gangs of youths went on the rampage in the city yesterday. A state of emergency was declared following overnight rampages by student demonstrators.
Haughty:
behaving in an unfriendly way towards other people because you think that you are better than them. Arrogant. E.g. a haughty face/look/manner. He replied with haughty disdain.
Obsequious:
/ əbˈsiːkwiəs/ trying too hard to please somebody, especially somebody who is important. Servile . E.g. an obsequious manner. Smiling obsequiously.
sloppy:
that shows a lack of care, thought or effort. Sp. Descuidado, desaliñado. E.g. sloppy thinking. Your work is sloppy. A sloppy worker
engross somebody:
/ ɪnˈɡrəʊs/ if something engrosses you, it is so interesting that you give it all your attention and time. E.g. As the business grew, it totally engrossed him. An engrossing problem. The most engrossing parts of the book.
Wordformation
bleary-eyed
with bleary (not able
to see clearly, especially because you are tired) eyes and seeming tired. E.g. He
appeared at breakfast bleary-eyed and with a hangover.
checkout:
the place where you pay for the things that
you are buying in a supermarket. E.g. a checkout
assistant/operator. Long queues at the
checkouts.
disseminate something
(formal) to
spread information, knowledge, etc. so that it reaches many people. E.g. Their
findings have been widely disseminated.
Flawed:
spoiled by something such as a
fault or mark, or lacking something. E.g. Experts say the flawed gene triggers cancer.
The current healthcare system is seriously flawed.
awkwardness:
being embarrassed. E.g. She
laughed to cover up her feeling of awkwardness.
with bleary (not able to see clearly, especially because you are tired) eyes and seeming tired. E.g. He appeared at breakfast bleary-eyed and with a hangover.
checkout:
the place where you pay for the things that you are buying in a supermarket. E.g. a checkout assistant/operator. Long queues at the checkouts.
disseminate something
(formal) to spread information, knowledge, etc. so that it reaches many people. E.g. Their findings have been widely disseminated.
Flawed:
spoiled by something such as a fault or mark, or lacking something. E.g. Experts say the flawed gene triggers cancer. The current healthcare system is seriously flawed.
awkwardness:
being embarrassed. E.g. She laughed to cover up her feeling of awkwardness.
