Cambridge English Proficiency, Unit 12

Terms in this set (89)

abominable
(əˈbɒmɪnəbəl) (showman, behaviour, face, interview)

extremely bad, offensive, or unpleasant
The prisoners are forced to live in abominable conditions.
The weather's been abominable all week.

ultimate (ˈʌltɪmɪt)
(⇒ an ultimate question; ⇒ the ultimate goal; ⇒ genocide is the ultimate abuse of human rights; ⇒ an ultimate cost of twenty million pounds)

last, final or total; the highest or most significant; most extreme

1) SHOWING DISAPPROVAL behaving and talking in a loud and confident way that annoys other people
(a brash young salesman)
2) big, bright, or colourful in a way that is not attractive

1) if you are hooked on something, you find it so attractive or interesting that you want to do it as much as possible
2) shaped like a hook
(a hooked finger)

[UNCOUNTABLE] a lot of noisy activity in a crowded place
(the bustle of the big city)

scamster/scammer

someone who tries to cheat people, especially by tricking them into paying for non-existent goods or services
(Scammers are persistent and will keep trying, and we usually can't catch them until after some damage is done.)

clatter (ˈklætə)

(1) a rattling sound or noise;
(2) a noisy commotion, such as one caused by loud chatter

rugged (ˈrʌɡɪd)

1 not smooth or flat
a rugged coastline

2 strong and able to deal with difficult conditions
a rugged piece of equipment
They like to think of themselves as rugged individualists.

3 not regular in shape, but attractive
He had a tanned rugged face.

4 needing a lot of physical strength
a rugged sport

delectable
(dɪˈlɛktəbəl) (body, food, chocolate, smell, sound)

highly enjoyable, esp pleasing to the taste; delightful

to make a low continuous sound

imposing (ɪmˈpəʊzɪŋ)
(⇒ an imposing building)

grand or impressive

acrid (ˈækrɪd) (smoke, smell, fumes, stench, air, discharges)

(1) unpleasantly pungent or sharp to the smell or taste;
(2) an acrid remark expresses criticism in a rather cruel way

(1) a rapidly vibrating humming sound, as that of a prolonged z or of a bee in flight;
(2) a low sound, as of many voices in conversation;
(3) a rumour; report; gossip;
(4) when an insect such as a fly or bee ~, it makes a rough continuous sound

heady (ˈhɛdɪ)
(1 the heady scent of jasmine;
2 the heady freedom of the late 1960s)

(1) - affecting you in a strong and pleasant way;
(2) very exciting and making you feel that you can achieve anything you want

tart (tɑːt) adj
(1 especially of fruit - tasting sour or acidic: You might need some sugar on the rhubarb - it's a little tart. 2 -especially of a way of speaking - quick or sharp and unpleasant:

(1) (of a flavour, food, etc) sour, acid, or astringent;
(2) cutting, sharp, or caustic
(a tart remark/comment/reply)

fragrant (ˈfreɪɡrənt)

having a pleasant or sweet smell
(душистый, благоухающий, ароматный)

creamy (ˈkriːmɪ)

resembling cream in colour, taste, or consistency

mouth-watering food smells or looks very good

odorous (ˈəʊdərəs)

having or emitting a characteristic smell or odour
(душистый, благоухающий, ароматный)

rumble (ˈrʌmbəl)
(Thunder rumbled in the distance.)

to make or cause to make a deep resonant sound

musty (ˈmʌstɪ)
(smell, air, odor, room, atmosphere)

(1) smelling or tasting old, stale, or mouldy;
(2) old-fashioned, dull, or hackneyed

hackneyed words or ideas have been used so often that they no longer seem interesting or original

screech (skriːtʃ)

a shrill, harsh, or high-pitched sound or cry
(визгливый или хриплый звук)

heaving (ˈhiːvɪŋ)
(1 He was lowered onto the heaving deck.
2 The fish market was absolutely heaving.)

(1) moving up and down with large regular movements;
(2) (inf) very busy and full of people

stench (stɛntʃ)

a strong and extremely offensive odour; stink

sweltering
(ˈswɛltərɪŋ)
(⇒ a sweltering day)

oppressively hot and humid

clammy (ˈklæmɪ )
(1 ⇒ clammy hands)

sticky and slightly wet in an unpleasant way:

My hands felt all clammy.
It was a hot, clammy day.

nippy (ˈnɪpɪ)

informal Nippy weather or air is quite cold:

It's a little nippy today - you might need a coat.

doddle (ˈdɒdəl)
(I'd read an article about what a doddle climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was)

(British, informal) something easily accomplished

throw caution to the wind
('you may even throw caution to the wind and try one of our Mystery Trips')

act in a completely reckless manner;
to do something without worrying about the risk or negative results

on the spur of the moment
(We hadn't planned to go away - it was one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions. We just jumped in a car on the spur of the moment and drove to the seaside.)

used to say that a decision, action, etc. is sudden and done without any planning

put your mind to (sth),
set your mind to (sth)
(it made me realize that if you really put your mind to something, you do find the hidden energy and determination;)

to decide you are going to do something and to put a lot of effort into doing it:

(1) any fragile mosquito-like dipterous insect of the family Chironomidae, occurring in dancing swarms, esp near water;
(2) any similar or related insect, such as the biting midge and gall midge;
(3) a small or diminutive person or animal

someone or something that is almost exactly like another person or thing

originally: a copy of a document, made with carbon paper;

chuffed (tʃʌft)
(He was really chuffed with his present.;
⇒ none too chuffed)

(British, slang) pleased or delighted about something

umpteen (ˌʌmpˈtiːn)
(1 ⇒ umpteen things to do; 2 ⇒ umpteen of them came)

a lot of
(We must have phoned umpteen times but never got a reply.)

cut out
(One of the plane's engines cut out, so they had to land with only one.)

If an engine, machine, or piece of equipment ~~, it suddenly stops working:

cut and dried
(We need a cut-and-dried decision by the end of the week.)

already decided and unlikely to be changed:

not be cut out for (sth)
(I'm not cut out for an office job.)

to not be the right type of person for something

be cut up by
(I was really cut up by what she said - I wish she had kept her feelings to herself.)

(usually passive) (informal) to affect the feelings of deeply

cut up (of a driver)
(we had to swerve to avoid the driver that cut us up)

(informal) (of a driver) to overtake or pull in front of (another driver) in a dangerous manner

swerve (swɜːv)

(1) to turn or cause to turn aside, usually sharply or suddenly, from a course;
The bus driver swerved to avoid hitting a cyclist.

(2) (transitive) to avoid (a person or event) /

(3) If you do not swerve from a principle or certain actions, you continue to think or act as you did in the beginning:
She is one of those rare politicians whom one can trust not to swerve from policy and principle.

a cut above
(This hotel is a cut above the others we've stayed at - especially with regards to the impeccable service.)

(informal) superior (to); better (than)

1) to move quickly and suddenly downwards through the air, especially in order to attack or catch someone or something
(The aircraft swooped down over the fields in search of its target.
We watched the hawk swoop on its prey.)
2) to make a sudden and unexpected attack on a place
(Police swooped on Blake's home yesterday.)

1) lively and exciting
(a vibrant city
a strong vibrant market economy)
2) bright and colourful
(a vibrant green)

a patriarchal society, system, organization etc is one in which men have all or most of the power and influence

1) in a way that appears to have a particular quality, even though this is probably not true
(Heidi was seemingly calm when she left to take the test.)
2) according to what you know or how something appears
(Seemingly, the cats had been living on their own for months.)

1) to end, or to finish something gradually
(The party started to wind down around 2.00 am.
The UN has decided to wind down the peacekeeping mission.)
2) to gradually reduce work before stopping completely
(The factory will wind down production before closing next year.)
3) to relax after a period of excitement or worry
(Will you be winding down a bit by then?)

1) food, especially hay or straw, for animals such as cows and horses
2) someone or something considered useful only for one particular purpose
(We are not just voting fodder for professional politicians.) see also: cannon fodder
3) someone or something that people talk or write about
(The band has given plenty of fodder to tabloid journalists.)

1) [COUNTABLE] something that will definitely happen or that you feel very sure about
(He clung to the certainties of his Catholic faith.)
2) [UNCOUNTABLE] the feeling of being completely sure about something
(with certainty: I can't tell you with any certainty what the outcome of the operation will be.)

1) vehicle pulled by horses
2) [COUNTABLE] BRITISH one of the vehicles that are joined together to make a train. The American word is car.
...

1) [INTRANSITIVE/TRANSITIVE] to become familiar with a new way of life, place, or job, or to make someone do this
(She seems to have settled in quickly at her new company.)
2) to make yourself comfortable in a place because you are going to stay there for a long time
(settle in for: We found our seats and settled in for the journey.)

a long period of hard work
(The meat trade faces a long haul back to profitability.)

1) to be pushed along very slowly by the movement of air or water
(The boat started to drift out to sea.
Thick smoke drifted across the town.)
2) if snow or sand drifts, the wind blows it into a large pile
3) to move somewhere slowly as though you do not know where you are going
(People were drifting around the conference centre.)
4) to go from one state to another without realizing it
(He was drifting in and out of consciousness.)
5) to do something or to happen in a way that is not planned
(The conversation drifted from one dull subject to the another.
I just drifted into nursing really.)

to cover a roof of a building with dried plants such as straw or reeds
(a thatched cottage)

a small stone, especially one that has been made smooth by water

if a heavy metal object clanks, or if you clank it, it makes a short loud sound
(The machines whirred and clanked.)

1 a desolate place is completely empty with no people or pleasant features in it
(desolate streets)
2 feeling very sad and lonely

1) a pitted surface has small marks or holes in it
pitted skin

2) pitted fruit has had the seed taken out of it
pitted dates

pockmark
ADJECTIVE: pockmarked

a small permanent mark on your skin that goes inwards, caused by a disease such as chickenpox or acne

1 a large bird that eats the bodies of dead animals
2 also used for people who try to gain an advantage from weaker people

amongst others..
1) [INTRANSITIVE/TRANSITIVE] to clean a floor, the ground, or another surface using a broom (=brush with a long handle)
After you've swept, you can do the washing-up.
Her work consisted mainly of making coffee and sweeping the floor.
I want you to sweep up the garage.
b) to clean something such as a chimney with a long brush
(Little children used to be used to sweep chimneys.)

1) to enjoy an experience, activity, or feeling as much as you can and for as long as you can
(Bill savoured the view as he cruised along the coastline.)
2) to enjoy the flavour of something as much as you can by eating or drinking it slowly
(I sipped my coffee, savouring every mouthful.)

savour of something:
to seem to have a small amount of an unpleasant quality
(He disapproved of anything that savoured of discrimination.)

1) [UNCOUNTABLE] a feeling of great happiness and pleasure
delight in: Joe's delight in his children's achievements was beautiful to see.
with/in delight: They would slide down the icy slopes, shrieking with delight.
to someone's delight: To my great delight, she said yes.
2) [COUNTABLE] something that gives you pleasure or happiness
be a delight: I must say she was a delight to teach.
the delights of something: Enjoy the delights of rural Spain.

take (a) delight in (doing) something

to enjoy something, or to enjoy doing something
(He seemed to take great delight in embarrassing me.)

to climb something with difficulty, using your hands and feet
(clamber up/over/into etc: I clambered up the ladder into the hay loft.)

to walk in or through water or other liquid that is not very deep
(She waded across the stream to get the ball.)

to put something or someone in a liquid, especially so that they are covered completely
(immerse something in something: Loosen the contents by immersing the bowl in warm water.)

immerse yourself in something

to spend most of your time doing something or thinking about it
(Sandra immersed herself in work to try and forget her problems at home.)

not be cut out for something/to do something

to lack the right qualities or character for doing something
(Bill was never cut out to be a parent.)

1) if a piece of equipment cuts in, it starts operating automatically when it is needed
(The cooling system cuts in when the temperature gets too high.)
2) [INTRANSITIVE] to interrupt someone who is speaking
('That's rubbish,' Sue cut in.)

1) to remove something by cutting it
(Cut the tops off the carrots.)
2) stop supply etc (same as cut)
(The government has threatened to cut off our funding.)
3) to stop someone from going somewhere, especially by blocking their way
(A second policeman cut off his escape.)
4) to make a place difficult or impossible to enter, leave, or communicate with
(The floods completely cut off the town.
cut something off from something: Our house is cut off from the rest of the town.)

1) to drive past a vehicle and move quickly in front of it in a dangerous way
(Did you see the way he cut me up there?)
2) cut up nasty/rough BRITISH INFORMAL OLD-FASHIONED to become angry, threatening, or violent
(When Steve cut up rough, she realized she'd gone too far.)

to be much better than someone or something else
(This is a cut above the average Hollywood thriller.)

if something is cut and dried, it is already clearly decided or settled

if something such as a vehicle swerves, or if you swerve it, it changes direction suddenly in order to avoid someone or something
(He swerved suddenly, narrowly missing a cyclist.)

give someone free rein to do something

give someone absolute freedom in solving a task

to be taken in by

4 [USUALLY PASSIVE] to trick someone into believing something that is not true

Don't be taken in by their promises.

1) BRITISH the number of people who want to do something such as use a service or study a particular subject

There was an especially high uptake in the Business Management course.

2) BIOLOGY a process in which living creatures use substances such as food or water to breathe, produce energy etc

uptake of: Vitamin C increases your uptake of minerals such as iron.

be quick/slow on the uptake

to take a very short/long time to understand or realize something

I'm sorry, I'm being a bit slow on the uptake: what do you mean?

an extremely unpleasant experience, especially one that lasts for a long time

They have suffered a terrible ordeal.
The hostages' ordeal came to an end when soldiers stormed the building.
I'm sorry to put you through this ordeal.
The love of my family and friends sustained me through my ordeal.
Throughout the ordeal of her husband's funeral, Mrs Holmes was a model of deportment .

none the better / worse (for) etc.

no better/worse etc than before

We woke up next morning none the worse for our terrible experience.

rumours abound that

put someone at (their) ease

to make someone who is nervous feel more relaxed

to be shocked or surprised, especially by something that someone says or does to you

Bill was taken aback by the girl's directness.

so surprised, shocked, or interested that you continue to look at or listen to someone or something without moving

The child looked up at him, transfixed.
Ella stood transfixed in shock and disbelief.

be billed to sing/play etc

if a performer is billed to sing, play etc somewhere, they are listed in a programme or advertisement

behaving or done in a way that is morally good and right

She always tried to lead a virtuous life.

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