change up (British
English) to start using a higher gear when driving a car, etc. E.g. Change up
into fifth.
change something up (informal) to
do something in a different way. E.g. The team needs to change things up and
engage a new player.
devolved: /dɪˈvɒlvd/
if power or authority is devolved, it has been passed to somebody who has less
power. Sp. transferido. E.g. devolved responsibility. a system of devolved
government.
prowl: /praʊl/ 1.
(+ adv./prep.) | prowl something (of an animal) to move quietly and carefully
around an area, especially when hunting. E.g. The tiger prowled through the
undergrowth. 2. (+ adv./prep.) | prowl something to move quietly and
carefully around an area, especially with the intention of committing a crime.
E.g. A man was seen prowling around outside the factory just before the
fire started. 3. prowl something | (+ adv./prep.) to walk around a room,
an area, etc., especially because you are bored, anxious, etc., and cannot
relax. E.g. He prowled the empty rooms of the house at night.
bevy: /ˈbevi/
a large group of people or things of the same kind. E.g. a bevy of beauties (=
beautiful young women) A bevy of movie stars arrived at the White House.
tails [plural] (also tailcoat [countable]) a long jacket divided
at the back below the waist into two pieces that become narrower at the bottom,
worn by men at very formal events. E.g. The men all wore top hat and tails.
tail: a person who is sent to follow somebody secretly and find out
information about where that person goes, what they do, etc. E.g. The police
have put a tail on him. We picked up a tail.
lint: 1. small soft pieces of wool, cotton, etc. that stick on the surface of
cloth. Sp. pelusa. E.g. John picked some lint out of his pocket and threw it
away. lint remover n (gadget for getting rid of fibres) Sp. quita pelusas
2. a type of soft cotton cloth used for covering and protecting wounds. Sp.
venda adhesiva. E.g. The medic dressed the wound with some lint to stop the
bleeding.
consist in something
(formal) to have something as the main or only part or feature. E.g. The
beauty of the city consists in its magnificent buildings. The beauty of air
travel consists in its speed and ease. consist in doing something True
education does not consist in simply being taught facts. For her, happiness
consists in watching television and reading magazines
consist of somebody/ consist of something to be formed from the people
or things mentioned. E.g. The committee consists of ten members. Their diet
consisted largely of vegetables. Their conversation consisted almost entirely
of gossip. a gas station that basically consists of two gas pumps and a vending
machine. consist of doing something Most of the fieldwork consisted of making
tape recordings.
licentious: /laɪˈsenʃəs/ behaving in a way that is
considered sexually immoral. E.g. the ruler's tyrannical and licentious
behaviour
licentiousness: /laɪˈsenʃəsnəs/ behaviour
that is considered sexually immoral. E.g. The drink merely lubricated the
licentiousness
debacle: /deɪˈbɑːkl/ /dɪˈbɑːkl/
an event or a situation that is a complete failure and causes embarrassment.
Sp. desastre. E.g. He should take responsibility for the debacle and resign. Let’s
hope this is the end of the debacle over player transfer fees. The ceremony
ended up being a debacle because of poor planning and bad luck
hardwired: /ˌhɑːdˈwaɪəd/ (of a skill, quality or type of
behaviour) present when you are born and not changing during your life Many
aspects of morality appear to be hardwired in the brain. Anxiety is a hardwired
response that everyone experiences. There is evidence that we are hardwired to
be musical.
Bank freeze: freezing of financial assets. Sp.corralito.
gritty:
1. containing or like grit (Sp. arenilla, gravilla). Sp. arenoso. E.g. a layer
of gritty dust. The gritty sandpaper worked well to remove the old paint from
the wood.
2. showing the courage and determination to continue doing something difficult
or unpleasant. Sp. valiente. E.g. gritty determination (Sp.obstinada
determinación). a gritty performance from the British player. Tottenham’s
gritty fightback was rewarded by a goal in the closing minutes. The gritty
soldier kept going despite the explosions.
3. showing something unpleasant as it really is. realistic, unidealized. Sp.
crudo. E.g. a gritty description of urban violence. gritty realism. A gritty
industrial city.
profusely: /prəˈfjuːsli/ in large amounts, To a great
degree. E.g. to bleed profusely. to apologize profusely. the book is profusely
illustrated with period photos. the waiter was profusely apologetic.
kayaking: E.g. the centre is ideal for kayaking.
pull your socks up
(British English, informal) to try to improve your performance, work,
behaviour, etc. E.g. You're going to have to pull your socks up.
nudge: /nʌdʒ/ a slight push, usually with the elbow. E.g. She gave me a
gentle nudge in the ribs to tell me to shut up. (figurative) He can work hard
but he needs a nudge now and then.
nudge somebody/something + adv./prep. to push somebody/something gently
or gradually in a particular direction. E.g. He nudged the ball past the goalie
and into the net. She nudged me out of the way. (figurative) He nudged the
conversation towards the subject of money. (figurative) She tried to nudge him
into changing his mind (= persuade him to do it).
remnant: /ˈremnənt/ a part of something that is left
after the other parts have been used, removed, destroyed, etc. 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.
tenable: /ˈtenəbl/ (of a theory, an opinion, etc.) easy to defend
against attack or criticism. Sp. sostenible. E.g. a tenable position The old
idea that this work was not suitable for women was no longer tenable.
brainy: /ˈbreɪni/ very
intelligent. E.g. He’s a
brainy kid.
vicissitude: one of the many changes and problems in a situation or in your life, that you have to deal with. E.g. the vicissitudes of family life.
profitable, fruitful, productive: Sp. Fructífero
creak: to make
the sound that a door sometimes makes when you open it or that a wooden floor
sometimes makes when you step on it. Sp. chirriar. E.g. She heard a floorboard
creak upstairs. a creaking bed/gate/stair. The table creaked and groaned
under the weight. The timbers creaked as the boat set sail. + adj. The door
creaked open.
impregnable: /ɪmˈpreɡnəbl/ 1. an impregnable building is so strongly
built that it cannot be entered by force. Sp. impenetrable. E.g. an impregnable
fortress. 2. strong and impossible to defeat or change. Invincible. E.g. The
team built up an impregnable 5–1 lead. the seemingly impregnable Nazi regime.
blight something to spoil or damage something, especially by causing a
lot of problems. Sp. arruinar, frustrar. E.g. His career has been
blighted by injuries. an area blighted by unemployment. His life was
blighted by alcohol.
adept: (adj) /əˈdept/
adept (at/in something) | adept (at/in doing something) good at doing
something that is quite difficult. Skilful. E.g. He became adept at getting
even the shyest students to talk.
adept: (N) /ˈædept/ a person who is good at doing something that is
quite difficult. E.g. He was an adept at concealing the truth. to be an adept
at sth/at doing sth Sp. ser experto or maestro en algo/en hacer algo.
trough: /trɒf/ a period of time when the level of something is low,
especially a time when a business or the economy is not growing. E.g. There
have been peaks and troughs in the long-term trend of unemployment. be
persistent and take the peaks with the troughs. Economists believe we are past
the trough of the recession. Investing small amounts regularly is a good way of
smoothing out the peaks and troughs of the stock market.
emblem: /ˈembləm/ a design or picture that represents a country or an
organization. E.g. America’s national emblem, the bald eagle. the club emblem.
unbelief: lack of belief, or the state of not believing,
especially in God, a religion, etc. The fact of not having religious belief.
E.g. He claimed that all sin originated from unbelief and pride.
disbelief: the feeling of not being able to believe something. E.g. He
stared at me in disbelief. To enjoy the movie you have to suspend
your disbelief (= pretend to believe something, even if it seems very
unlikely).
custodial: /kʌˈstəʊdiəl/ involving sending
somebody to prison. E.g. The judge gave him a custodial sentence (= sent
him to prison).
landmark (in
something) an event, a
discovery, an invention, etc. that marks an important stage in something. E.g. The ceasefire was seen as a major landmark in the fight
against terrorism. a landmark
decision/ruling (decision that sets
legal precedent) Sp. jurisprudenciain. A landmark hearing.
