Vocabulary
supersede: /ˌsuːpəˈsiːd/ to take the place of something/somebody that is considered to be old-fashioned or no longer the best available
- be superseded (by something) The theory has been superseded by more recent research.
Sp. reemplazar, substituir.
thorny: [usually before noun] causing difficulty or disagreement. Synonym: knotty. Sp. controvertido
- There are still some thorny questions to be answered.
- They must tackle the thorny issue of refugees to negotiate a final settlement.
- It's an elegant solution to a thorny problem.
- Winner: Kay Hall. Runner-up: Chris Platts.
- They finished runners-up behind Sweden.
- The runners-up will all receive a £50 prize.
Sp. segundo, finalista.
drop something to stop doing or discussing something; to not continue with something
- I dropped German (= stopped studying it) when I was 14.
- Drop everything and come at once!
- Look, can we just drop it (= stop talking about it)?
- I think we'd better drop the subject.
- The police decided to drop the charges against her.
- Let's drop the formalities—please call me Mike.
- (informal) to start
- What time shall we kick off?
- And then it all kicked off.
- Tom will kick off with a few comments.
- She's dead. I can't get my head round it yet
- (disapproving) to make something less accurate or educational, and of worse quality, by trying to make it easier for people to understand
- The BBC denies that its broadcasting has been dumbed down.
Sp. bajar el nivel
bent on (doing) something:
- determined to do something (usually something bad)
- She seems bent on making life difficult for me.
- to be bent on destruction/revenge
- He's your typical supervillain, bent on world domination.
Sp. decidido, empeñado.
hell-bent on something/on doing something determined to do something even though the results may be bad
- He seems hell-bent on drinking himself to death.
- Sometimes small firms can outdo big business when it comes to customer care.
- Not to be outdone (= not wanting to let somebody else do better), she tried again.
- The brothers tried to outdo each other in everything.
Sp. superar.
the lowest common denominator: something that is simple
enough to seem interesting to, or to be understood by, the highest
number of people in a particular group; the sort of people who are least
intelligent or accept something that is of low quality.
The biggest possible number of people, including people who are very easily influenced or are willing to accept low standards E.g. Television quiz shows often seem to target the lowest common denominator.
Used
to refer in a disapproving way to the sort of people in society who are
least intelligent and who will accept low-quality products and
entertainment: E.g. The problem with so much television is that it is
aimed at the lowest common denominator
Sp. mínimo común denominador.
- The school syllabus seems aimed at the lowest common denominator.
- ‘Villa’ was something of a misnomer—the place was no more than an old farmhouse.
Sp. nombre equivocado
compelling: that makes you pay attention to it because it is so interesting and exciting
- Her latest book makes compelling reading.
- His eyes were strangely compelling.
Sp. emocionante, absorbente, cautivador
shrewd:clever at understanding and making judgements about a situation. Sp. listo, astuto, inteligente.
(informal) including all the bad or unpleasant features of somebody/something. Sp. con todos sus defectos. E.g. The documentary shows the life of a fashion model, warts and all.
She still loves him, warts and all.
to gradually disappear or stop
- The effects of the drug will soon wear off.
- The novelty of married life was beginning to wear off
- crave (for) something She has always craved excitement.
- to crave alcohol/drugs/sweet food/carbohydrates/cigarettes/coffee
- crave to do something They craved to return to their homeland.
- You can stream the song for a single listen.
- The programme was streamed on the Web 24 hours a day.
- The show has gone up in the ratings.
- The BBC is currently ahead in the ratings war.
- a pushy salesman
- Her parents were never pushy although they encouraged her acting ambitions from an early age.
- He did an impression of Tom Hanks.
- She did her Marilyn Monroe impression.
on-demand: able to be watched at any time: Most people in this region do not even have television, let alone on-demand movies. Sp. a la carta.
be on your/its last legs
to be going to die or stop functioning very soon; to be very weak or in bad condition. E.g. The car’s on its last legs.
