Objective Proficiency 2002 p 101. Vocabulary

The Subjectivity of Psychology

• Meagre: /ˈmiːɡə(r)/ small in quantity and poor in quality. Sp. escaso, precario. E.g. a meagre diet of bread and water. She supplements her meagre income by cleaning at night.
• Apt: likely or having a natural tendency to do something. Apt to be… apt to be forgetful/careless. Apt to do something Babies are apt to put objects into their mouths.
• Worship: /ˈwɜːʃɪp/ a strong feeling of love and respect for somebody/something. Adoration. E.g. What she feels for him is akin to (similar to) worship.
• Bruise somebody: /bruːz/ to affect somebody badly and make them feel unhappy and less confident. Sp. herir. E.g. They had been badly bruised by the defeat. 
• Paraphernalia: /ˌpærəfəˈneɪliə/ a large number of objects or personal possessions, especially the equipment that you need for a particular activity. E.g. skiing paraphernalia. An electric kettle and all the paraphernalia for making tea and coffee.
• Clutter: /ˈklʌtə(r)/ clutter something (up) (with something/somebody) to fill a place with too many things, so that it is untidy. Sp. abarrotar. E.g. Don't clutter the page with too many diagrams. I don't want all these files cluttering up my desk. (figurative) Try not to clutter your head with trivia (unimportant matters, details or information).
• Compulsion: /kəmˈpʌlʃn / strong pressure that makes somebody do something that they do not want to do. Sp. obligación, coacción. E.g. You are under no compulsion to pay immediately. There are no compulsions on students to attend classes. The legal system is based on compulsion.
• Revulsion: /rɪˈvʌlʃn/ a strong feeling of disgust or horror. Repugnance. Sp. repugnancia, asco. E.g. She felt a deep sense of revulsion at the violence. I started to feel a revulsion against their decadent lifestyle. Most people viewed the bombings with revulsion. Wisdom, as usual, lies somewhere between compulsion and revulsion.
• Acknowledge: /əkˈnɒlɪdʒ/ to accept that something is true. E.g. acknowledge something She refuses to acknowledge the need for reform. Are you prepared to acknowledge your responsibility? Acknowledge that… I did not acknowledge that he had done anything wrong. Acknowledge something to be, have, etc. something It is generally acknowledged to be true.

Questions

• Overawe: /ˌəʊvərˈɔː/ to impress somebody so much that they feel nervous or frightened. Sp. intimidar. E.g. The younger players were overawed by the occasion and played badly. Overawed (adj) E.g. He's mature for his age and he's not overawed.
• Scornful: /ˈskɔːnfl/ showing or feeling scorn. Contemptuous. Sp. desdeñoso. E.g. a scornful laugh. Scornful of something He was scornful of such ‘female’ activities as cooking.

Objective Proficiency 2002 p 100. Vocabulary

The Perfectionist

• Tear something + adverb/preposition: to remove something from something else by pulling it roughly or violently. E.g. The storm nearly tore the roof off. I tore another sheet from the pad. He tore his clothes off (= took them off quickly and carelessly) and dived into the lake.
• Shove something (+ adverb/preposition): /ʃʌv/ to put something somewhere roughly or carelessly. E.g. She shoved the book into her bag and hurried off. He came over and shoved a piece of paper into my hand. Shove your suitcase under the bed. (figurative) Could he be lying? She shoved the thought to the back of her mind. 
• Day in, day out: every day for a long period of time. E.g. Living on junk food day in day out is not good for you.
• Treadmill: work or a way of life that is boring or tiring because it involves always doing the same things. E.g. I'd like to escape the office treadmill.
• Sitcom: / ˈsɪtkɒm / (situation comedy). Regular programme on television that shows the same characters in different amusing situations. E.g. It's America's most popular sitcom. He has made the difficult leap from sitcom to the theatre. 
• Trite: / traɪt/ dull and boring because it has been expressed so many times before; not original. Banal /bəˈnɑːl/.
• Formulaic: /ˌfɔːmjuˈleɪɪk/ made up of fixed patterns of words or ideas. E.g. Traditional stories make use of formulaic expressions like ‘Once upon a time…’.
• Postage stamp: /ˈpəʊstɪdʒ/ stamp.

Questions

• Strive, strove, striven: to try very hard to achieve something. Sp. luchar o esforzarse por alcanzar algo. E.g. strive (for something) We encourage all members to strive for the highest standards. Strive (against something) striving against corruption. Strive to do something Newspaper editors all strive to be first with a story. She strove to find a solution that was acceptable to all.

Objective Proficiency p 99. Vocabulary

Shaking Hands

• Grip (on somebody/something): an act of holding somebody/something tightly; a particular way of doing this. E.g. Keep a tight grip on the rope. To loosen/release/relax your grip.
• Limp: not stiff or firm. Sp. flojo. E.g. The hat had become limp and shapeless.
• Clammy: damp in an unpleasant way. Humedo. E.g. His skin felt cold and clammy. Clammy hands.
• Pulverise: /ˈpʌlvəraɪz/ 1. to crush something into a fine powder. Sp. Pulverizar. 2. to defeat or destroy somebody/something completely. E.g. We pulverized the opposition..
• Purposeful: /ˈpɜːpəsfl/ having a useful purpose; acting with a clear aim and with determination. Sp. resuelto, decidido. E.g. Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. She looked purposeful and determined.
• Urge: to advise or try hard to persuade somebody to do something. E.g. urge somebody to do something. She urged him to stay.
• Get/take a grip (on yourself): to improve your behaviour or control your emotions after being afraid, upset or angry. E.g. I have to take a grip on myself, he told himself firmly. (informal) Get a grip! (= make an effort to control your emotions).
• Unshakeably: With determination. In a determined way. Firmly. E.g. A firm handshake seems unshakeably linked to a good first impression. 
• Bear somebody/something out: (bear /beə(r)/, bore /bɔː(r)/, borne / bɔːn/) to show that somebody is right or that something is true. Sp. corroborar, confirmar. E.g. The other witnesses will bear me out. The other witnesses will bear out what I say.
• Scrutiny: /ˈskruːtəni/ careful and thorough examination. E.g. The situation is bound to come under the scrutiny of the public health authorities. 
• Any old…: (informal) any item of the type mentioned (used when it is not important which particular item is chosen). E.g. Any old room would have done.
• School: to train somebody/yourself/an animal to do something. E.g. She had schooled herself in patience. 
• Let loose:  to do something or to happen in a way that is not controlled. E.g. Teenagers need a place to let loose.
• Trait: a particular quality in your personality. E.g. personality traits. Awareness of class is a typically British trait.
• Confound: / kənˈfaʊnd/ to prove somebody/something wrong. E.g. to confound expectations. She confounded her critics and proved she could do the job.
• Lukewarm: 1 slightly warm. Tepid. E.g. Our food was only lukewarm. Heat the milk until it is just lukewarm. 2 not interested or enthusiastic. E.g. a lukewarm response. Lukewarm about somebody/something: She was lukewarm about the plan.

Questions

• Offhand: /ˌɒfˈhænd/  not showing much interest in somebody/something. Sp. sin mostrar interés. E.g. an offhand manner. He was very offhand with me.
• Pun: the clever or humorous use of a word that has more than one meaning, or of words that have different meanings but sound the same. E:g. ‘The violinist spent the night in a vile inn’, vile inn (=poor hotel) sounds like violin.

Objective Proficiency p 98. TV Licensing Advert. Extra Listening

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.