my vocabulary 9
Terms
undefined, object
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- be par for the course
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to be just what you would expect to happen or expect sb to do in a particular situation: Starting early and working long hours is par for the course in this job.
- wan
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looking pale and weak: his grey, wan face She gave me a wan smile (= showing no energy or enthusiasm). the wan sunlight of a winter's morning
- warp
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1 to become, or make sth become, twisted or bent out of its natural shape, for example because it has become too hot, too damp, etc: The window frames had begun to warp.
2 to influence sb so that they begin to behave in an unacceptable or shocking way: His judgement was warped by prejudice.
- cue ~ (for sth)| ~ (to do sth)
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1 an action or event that is a signal for sb to do sth: Jon's arrival was a cue for more champagne. I think that's my cue to explain why I'm here. v-Can you cue me when you want me to begin speaking?
2 a few words or an action in a play that is a signal for another actor to do sth: She stood in the wings and waited for her cue to go on.
- marbles
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small balls of coloured glass that children roll along the ground in a game
2 a game played with marbles: Three boys were playing marbles.
3 a way of referring to sb's intelligence or mental ability: He's losing his marbles (= he's not behaving in a sensible way). - ire
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anger (wrath): to arouse / raise / provoke the ire of local residents, to draw the ire of local residents
- fury
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1 extreme anger that often includes violent behaviour: Her eyes blazed with fury. Fury over tax increases (= as a newspaper headline). There was no shelter from the fury of the storm.
2 a state of being extremely angry about sth: He flew into a fury when I refused.
- meek
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quiet, gentle, and always ready to do what other people want without expressing your own opinion: They called her Miss Mouse because she was so meek and mild. They hung their heads in meek submission.
- weal
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a sore red mark on sb's skin where they have been hit: His back was covered in weals and bruises.
- nil
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1 the number 0, especially as the score in some games: Newcastle beat Leeds four nil / by four goals to nil.
2 nothing: The doctors rated her chances as nil (= they did not exist).
- tint
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a shade or small amount of a particular colour; a faint colour covering a surface: leaves with red and gold autumn tints, the brownish tint of an old photo
- sty
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1 a small building or an enclosed area where pigs are kept
2 an infection of the eyelid (= the skin above or below the eye) which makes it red and sore
- on the lam
- escaping from sb, especially from the police: He was recaptured after four months on the lam.
- below / under par
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less well, good, etc. than is usual or expected: I may take tomorrow off if I'm still feeling under par. Teaching in some subjects has been well below par.
- pall ~ (on sb)(verb)
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to become less interesting to sb over a period of time because they have done or seen it too much: Even the impressive scenery began to pall on me after a few hundred miles.
- tad (a tad-adv.)
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a very small amount: Could you turn the sound down just a tad?
It's a tad too expensive for me.
- wrest sth from sb/sth
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1 to take sth such as power or control from sb/sth with great effort: They attempted to wrest control of the town from government forces.
2 to take sth from sb that they do not want to give, suddenly or violently: He wrested the gun from my grasp. -
eke
1 eke sth out
2 ~ a living, etc. -
1 to make a small supply of sth such as food or money last longer by using only small amounts of it: She managed to eke out her student loan till the end of the year.
2 to manage to live with very little money: For years he eked out a miserable existence in a dreary bedsit in Bristol.
- nub - the ~ (of sth)
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the central or essential point of a situation, problem, etc: The nub of the matter is that business is declining. She's too selfish to help. That's the nub.
- dean
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a person in a university who is in charge of a department of studies: the dean of the Faculty of Medicine
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pail
- bucket- a round open container with a handle, used for carrying or holding liquids, sand, etc
- hoar frost
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a layer of small pieces of ice that look like white needles and that form on surfaces outside when temperatures are very low
- rue
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to feel bad about sth that happened or sth that you did because it had bad results
(regret): He rued the day they had bought such a large house.
- truce
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an agreement between enemies or opponents to stop fighting for an agreed period of time; the period of time that this lasts: to call / break a truce
- deem
- to have a particular opinion about sth (consider): The evening was deemed a great success. I deem it an honour to be invited. She deemed it prudent not to say anything. They would take any action deemed necessary.
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pall (noun)
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1 ~ of sth a thick dark cloud of sth: a pall of smoke / dust News of her death cast a pall over the event.
2 a cloth spread over a coffin (= a box used for burying a dead person in)
- slip
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to put sth somewhere quickly, quietly or secretly: Anna slipped her hand into his. He slipped the letter back into its envelope. She slipped her head around the door. I managed to slip a few jokes into my speech. I managed to slip in a few jokes. They'd slipped the guards some money. They'd slipped some money to the guards.
(a student slips a note to another one)
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ail
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1 to cause problems for sb/sth: They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry.
2 (old use) to make sb ill/sick: What is ailing you?
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par
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(in golf) the number of strokes a good player should need to complete a course or to hit the ball into a particular hole: a par five hole Par for the course is 72. She went round the course in three under (= three strokes less than) par.
- tine
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any of the points or sharp parts of, for example, a fork or a deer's antlers