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my vocabulary 15

Terms

undefined, object
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fidgety (of a person)
unable to remain still or quiet, usually because of being bored or nervous: The children get fidgety if they have nothing to do. As the questioning continued, he became fidgety and uneasy.
grime
dirt that forms a layer on the surface of sth: a face covered with grime and sweat Keep plants healthy by regularly removing any dust and grime from their leaves.
navel (also belly button)
the small hollow part or lump in the middle of the stomach where the umbilical cord was cut at birth
coincide (with sth/sb)
(of two or more events) to take place at the same time: It's a pity our trips to New York don't coincide. The strike was timed to coincide with the party conference.
happy-go-lucky
not caring or worrying about the future: a happy-go-lucky attitude / person
sidetrack
to make sb start to talk about or do sth that is different from the main thing that they are supposed to be talking about or doing: I was supposed to be writing a letter but I'm afraid I got sidetracked. Don't be sidetracked into discussing individual cases.
umbilical cord
a long tube of tissue that connects a baby to its mother before it is born and is cut at the moment of birth
tweak
to make slight changes to a machine, system, etc. to improve it: I think you'll have to tweak these figures a little before you show them to the boss.
spin dryer (also spin drier)
a machine that partly dries clothes that you have washed by turning them round and round very fast to remove the water
sheer (of fabrics, etc.)
thin, light and almost transparent: sheer nylon
stand up to sb
to resist sb; to not accept bad treatment from sb without complaining: It was brave of her to stand up to those bullies.
cognizance (cognizant)
knowledge or understanding of sth
executioner
a public official whose job is to execute criminals
petty
1 small and unimportant: petty squabbles / restrictions petty crime / theft (= that is not very serious) a petty criminal / thief a petty bureaucrat / official (= who does not have much power or authority)
2 concerned with small and unimportant matters, especially when this is unkind to other people: How could you be so petty?
apply yourself (to sth / to doing sth)
to work at sth or study sth very hard: You would pass your exams if you applied yourself. We applied our minds to finding a solution to our problem.

bliss
extreme happiness; joy: married / wedded / domestic bliss My idea of bliss is a month in the Bahamas. Swimming on a hot day is sheer bliss.
sb's pet peeve
something that you particularly dislike
hassock
a large thick cushion used as a seat or for resting your feet on
strand
a single thin piece of thread, wire, hair, etc: a strand of wool a few strands of dark hair She wore a single strand of pearls around her neck.
fiscal
connected with government or public money, especially taxes: fiscal policies / reforms the country's fiscal system
flux
1 continuous movement and change: Our society is in a state of flux.
2 a flow; an act of flowing: a flux of neutrons magnetic flux
soot
black powder that is produced when wood, coal, etc. is burnt The fireplace was blackened with soot. a cloud of smoke and soot
lint
small soft pieces of wool, cotton, etc. that stick on the surface of fabric
gravelly (of a voice)
deep and with a rough sound: His gravelly voice is perfect for radio.
peeved ~ (about sth)
annoyed: He sounded peeved about not being told.
fallacious
wrong; based on a false idea: a fallacious argument
precipitation
rain, snow, etc. that falls; the amount of this that falls: There is heavy precipitation in some parts of the country. Acid precipitation may cause a reduction in forest productivity. an increase in annual precipitation
skylight
a small window in a roof
repentant
feeling or showing that you are sorry for sth wrong that you have done: She was not in the least repentant. His words left us all feeling suitably repentant.
tender (of part of the body)
painful when you touch it: My leg is still very tender where I banged it.
flip-flop (also thong)
a type of sandal (= open shoe) that has a strap that goes between the big toe and the toe next to it: a pair of flip-flops
uproot
to pull a tree, plant, etc. out of the ground: The storms uprooted a number of large trees.
twinge
1 a sudden short feeling of pain: He felt a twinge in his knee as he jumped over the wall.
2 ~ (of sth) a sudden short feeling of an unpleasant emotion: a twinge of disappointment / envy / guilt / jealousy / regret She felt a twinge of guilt about cancelling at the last moment. I felt a twinge of envy at her success.
crummy
of very bad quality: Most of his songs are pretty crummy.

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