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question American English réponse American English
bury the hatchet
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to stop an argument and become friends again: Can't you two just bury the hatchet?
angst
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strong worry and unhappiness, especially about personal problems: All my children went through a period of late-adolescent angst.
angsty
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often worried or unhappy, especially about personal problems: an angsty teenage boy
kook
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a strange person
perpetuate
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to cause something to continue: Increasing the supply of weapons will only perpetuate the violence and anarchy. The aim of the association is to perpetuate the skills of traditional furniture design.
scuttle
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to move quickly, with small, short steps, especially in order to escape: A crab scuttled away under a rock as we passed. The children scuttled off as soon as the principal appeared.
snarky
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criticizing someone in an annoyed way and trying to hurt their feelings: There was some idiot at the back of the room making snarky comments.
swirl
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to move quickly with a twisting, circular movement, or to make something do this: The fog swirled thickly around us./ ideas or stories about somebody or something swirl, they are often heard but may not be based on fact
insipid
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not having a strong taste or character, or having no interest or energy: a pale insipid wine He's an insipid old bore. Why anyone buys music with such insipid lyrics is a mystery.
disdain
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to feel disdain for someone or something: The older musicians disdain the new, rock-influenced music./disdain to do something formal to refuse to do something because you feel you are too important to do it
void of
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without; lacking in: He's completely void of charm as far as I can see.
void (n/adj)
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having no legal authority and therefore unacceptable: The lawyers declared the contract (null and) void./a large hole or empty space
void
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a feeling of unhappiness because someone or something is missing: They tried to describe their attempts to fill the void left by their son's death.
no good deed goes unpunished
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is a sardonic commentary on the frequency with which acts of kindness backfire on those who offer them
sardonic
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humorous in an unkind way that shows you do not respect someone or something: a sardonic smile/look/comment
appendage
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something that exists as a smaller and less important part of something larger: The committee is a mere appendage of the council and has no power of its own. The organism has small leaf-like appendages.
purgatory
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the place where the spirits of dead people go and suffer for the evil acts
rickety
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in bad condition and therefore weak and likely to break: Careful! That chair's a bit rickety. She slowly climbed the rickety wooden steps.
velocity
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the speed at which an object is traveling: Light travels at the highest achievable velocity in the universe. He always used high velocity lead bullets in his rifle.
propel
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to push or move something somewhere, often with a lot of force: a rocket propelled through space The Kon-Tiki sailed across the Pacific Ocean propelled by wind power.
propel someone into/to/towards something
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to cause someone to do an activity or be in a situation: The movie propelled him to international stardom.
forge
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to make an illegal copy of something /to make or produce something, especially with some difficulty: The accident forged a close bond between the two families. She forged a new career for herself as a singer.
errand
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a short trip either to take a message or to take or collect something: I'll meet you at six, I have some errands to do/run first.
liquidate
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to cause a business to close, so that its assets can be sold to pay its debts/to kill someone
mercurial
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changing suddenly and often: a mercurial temperament She was entertaining but unpredictable, with mercurial mood swings./intelligent, enthusiastic, and quick: a mercurial mind/wit
berate
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to criticize someone in an angry manner: His mother berated him for making a mess.
rebuke
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to speak angrily to someone because you disapprove of what they have said or done: I was rebuked by my manager for being late. The Justice Department publicly rebuked him over a leaked memorandum
memorandum
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a short written report prepared specially for a person or group of people that contains information about a particular matter: Michael Davis has prepared a memorandum outlining our need for an additional warehouse.
folly (n)
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the fact of being stupid, or a stupid action, idea, etc.: She said that the idea was folly. [+ to infinitive ] It would be folly for the country to become involved in the war.
clunky
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heavy and solid in an ugly way: The clunky handsets looked old-fashioned as soon as they were launched. He wore a clunky gold ring./awkward or badly done
antics
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funny, silly, or strange behavior: But the rock star, whose stage antics used to include smashing guitars, is older and wiser now.
interlude
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a short period when a situation or activity is different from what comes before and after it: After a brief interlude working as an architect, he went traveling. The musical interludes don't really fit in with the rest of the play.
boisterous (rambunctious)
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noisy, energetic, and rough: boisterous children a boisterous game
limerick
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a humorous poem with five lines
tardy
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slow or late in happening or arriving: Any child who is tardy getting to school must have a note from a parent.
perplex
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to confuse and worry someone slightly by being difficult to understand or solve: The disease has continued to perplex doctors. Synonyms baffle flummox informal
gregarious
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(of people) liking to be with other people: Emma's a gregarious, outgoing sort of person.
nothing ventured, nothing gained
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You have to take a risk in order to get something good.
dissect
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to examine or consider something in detail: He's the kind of person who watches a movie and then dissects it for hours./to cut open something
patronizing
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speaking or behaving toward someone as if they are stupid or not important: It's that patronizing tone of hers that I can't bear.
the-nitty-gritty
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the basic facts of a situation: Let's get down to the nitty-gritty - how much will it cost?
change/shift/switch gears
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to change the position of the gears to make a vehicle go faster or more slowly to suddenly do something in a different way: The first half is a comedy, but then the movie shifts gears.
acronym
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an abbreviation consisting of the first letters of each word in the name of something, pronounced as a word: AIDS is an acronym for "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome."
moot
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to suggest something for discussion: The idea was first mooted as long ago as the 1840s. His name was mooted as a possible successor.
draught
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draught
infamous (notorious)
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famous for something considered bad: The list included the infamous George Drake, a double murderer. He's infamous for his bigoted sense of humor.
gauge (US also gage)
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to calculate an amount, especially by using a measuring device: Use a thermometer to gauge the temperature. make a judgment It's difficult to gauge how they'll react.
sap
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to make someone weaker or take away strength or an important quality from someone, especially over a long period of time: Constant criticism saps you of your confidence. Taking care of her dying mother had sapped all her energy.
drain
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remove liquid, to make someone very tired: The long trip completely drained me./to reduce or cause something to reduce: The long war had drained the resources of both countries.
great minds think alike
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said to someone just after you have discovered that they have had the same idea as you
trial and tribulations
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troubles and events that cause suffering: the trials and tribulations of marriage
overrun
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to continue past an intended limit, especially a finishing time or a cost: My evening class overran by ten minutes./ unwanted people or things overrun, they fill a place quickly and in large numbers
flabbergasted (flabbergast)
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to shock someone, usually by telling that person something they were not expecting: He was flabbergasted when we told him how cheap it was.
boggle
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to (cause something or someone to) have difficulty imagining or understanding something: My mind boggles at the amount of money they spend on food.
socket
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socket ?
1
prong
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one of two or more long, sharp points on an object, especially a fork, electric plug etc
ambivalent (ambiguous)
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having two opposing feelings at the same time, or being uncertain about how you feel: I felt very ambivalent about leaving home. He has fairly ambivalent feelings toward his father. an ambivalent attitude to exercise
equivocal
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not clear and seeming to have two opposing meanings, or confusing and able to be understood in two different ways: His words to the press were deliberately equivocal - he didn't deny the reports but neither did he confirm them.
caripricious
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changing mood or behavior suddenly and unexpectedly: a capricious child He was a cruel and capricious tyrant.(impulsive)
whimsical
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unusual and strange in a way that might be funny or annoying: a whimsical tale Despite his kindly, sometimes whimsical air, he was a shrewd observer of people.
esoteric
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very unusual and understood or liked by only a small number of people, especially those with special knowledge: He has an esoteric collection of old toys and games. disapproving or humorous She has a somewhat esoteric taste in clothes.
exoteric
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intended or suitable for people generally, not only for some people
flippant
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not serious about a serious subject, in an attempt to be funny or to appear smart: a flippant remark/attitude It's easy to be flippant, but we have a serious problem to deal with here. I think she just thought I was being flippant.
grandiose
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larger and containing more detail than necessary, or intended to seem important or great: grandiose plans/designs/ideas for making money
histrionic (melodramatic)
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very emotional and energetic, but not sincere or without real meaning: a histrionic outburst She put on a histrionic display of grief at the funeral.
incongruous
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unusual or different from what is around or from what is generally happening: The new computer looked incongruous in the dark book-filled library. It seems incongruous to have a woman as the editor of a men's magazine.
juxtapose
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to put things that are not similar next to each other to compare or contrast: The exhibition juxtaposes Picasso's early drawings with some of his later works
laud
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to praise
laudable
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deserving praise
pernicious
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having a very harmful effect or influence: The cuts in government funding have had a pernicious effect on local health services.
quixotic
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having or showing ideas that are different and unusual but not practical or likely to succeed: This is a vast, exciting and some say quixotic project.
resplendent
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having a very bright or beautiful appearance: the queen's resplendent purple robes I saw Anna at the other end of the room, resplendent in a red cocktail dress.
subservient
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willing to do what other people want, or considering your wishes as less important than those of other people: Women were expected to adopt a subservient role/position. His other interests were subservient to his compelling passion for art.
slavish
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obeying completely and having no original thoughts or ideas: a slavish devotion to duty a slavish translation
servile
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too eager to serve and please someone else in a way that shows you do not have much respect for yourself: As a waiter you want to be pleasant to people without appearing totally servile.
vicarious
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experienced as a result of watching, listening to, or reading about the activities of other people, rather than by doing the activities yourself: She took vicarious pleasure in her friend's achievements.
advocate
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to publicly support or suggest an idea, development, or way of doing something: [+ -ing verb ] She advocates taking a more long-term view. He advocates the return of capital punishment.
amplify
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to make something louder: amplified music/guitar formal to increase the size or effect of something: A funeral can amplify the feelings of regret and loss for the relatives.
corroborate
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to add proof to an account, statement, idea, etc. with new information: Recent research seems to corroborate his theory.
decipher
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to discover the meaning of something written badly or in a difficult or hidden way: Can you decipher the writing on this envelope?
efface
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to remove something intentionally: The whole country had tried to efface the memory of the old dictatorship.
exacerbate
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to make something that is already bad even worse: This attack will exacerbate the already tense relations between the two communities.
extrapolate
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to guess or think about what might happen using information that is already known: You can't really extrapolate a trend from such a small sample.
facilitate
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facito make something possible or easier: The new ramp will facilitate the entry of wheelchairs. The current structure does not facilitate efficient work flow. litate
galvanize
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to cause someone to suddenly take action, especially by shocking or exciting them in some way: Western charities were galvanized by TV pictures of starving people. The prospect of his mother coming to stay galvanized him into action and he started
mitigate
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to make something less harmful, unpleasant, or bad: It is unclear how to mitigate the effects of tourism on the island.
squint
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to partly close your eyes in order to see more clearly: The sun was shining straight in her eyes and made her squint.
insidious
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(of something unpleasant or dangerous) gradually and secretly causing harm: Cancer is an insidious disease.

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