MBA Vocab - Oxford Examples - Vol 3

novelty

[originality, knick-knack]: [the novelty of being a married woman wore off] [in 1914 air travel was still a novelty] [a novelty teapot] [he bought chocolate novelties to decorate the Christmas tree]

bite the bullet

[]: [decisions have to be taken and as director you have got to bite the bullet]

steak

[]: [he liked his steak rare] [a plate of steak and chips] [half a pound of fillet steak] [a fillet steak] [a salmon steak]

out of the frying pan into the fire

[]: [he may find himself jumping out of the frying pan into the fire]

reluctantly

[]: [he reluctantly agrees to do his duty]

draw on

[]: [he remembered sitting in silence with his grandmother as evening drew on]

projector

[]: [he was a tobacco-grower and projector]

votary

[]: [he was a votary of John Keats]

flour

[]: [manioc flour]

aptly

[ably, capably, competently]: [America's aptly named Sunshine State]

abhorrence

[abomination, detestation, execration, loathing, odium]: [the thought of marrying him filled her with abhorrence]

esoteric

[abstruse]: [esoteric philosophical debates]

addict

[abuser, junkie, enthusiast, fan]: [a former heroin addict] [a self-confessed chocolate addict]

scurrilous

[abusive, unfounded]: [a scurrilous attack on his integrity] [a very funny collection of bawdy and scurrilous writings]

scholarly

[academic, learned, well researched]: [scholarly journals] [a scholarly career] [a scholarly account of the period] [an earnest, scholarly man]

invariably

[always]: [ranch meals are invariably big and hearty]

debacle

[fiasco]: [the only man to reach double figures in the second-innings debacle]

advanced

[forward-looking, innovative, modern]: [negotiations are at an advanced stage] [his advanced views made him unpopular]

odorous

[foul-smelling, fragrant]: [a dark and odorous cave]

aromatic

[fragrant]: [a massage with aromatic oils]

debility

[frailty]: [most of the cases presented with general debility, muscle weakness, and weight loss]

framework

[frame, structure]: [a conservatory in a delicate framework of iron] [the theoretical framework of political sociology]

candidly

[frankly, honestly]: [he candidly discussed his efforts to find employment]

frenetic

[frantic]: [a frenetic pace of activity]

sociable

[friendly]: [being a sociable person, Eva loved entertaining] [a very sociable little village] [a church sociable]

genial

[friendly]: [our genial host]

camaraderie

[friendship]: [the enforced camaraderie of office life]

intimidate

[frighten]: [the forts are designed to intimidate the nationalist population] [the intimidating defence barrister]

underlie

[fundamental]: [limestone underlies much of the site] [the fundamental issue which underlies the conflict] [the underlying causes of poverty and drug addiction]

pall

[funeral cloth, cloud, spoil, become/grow tedious]: [a pall of black smoke hung over the quarry] [torture and murder have cast a pall of terror over the villages] [the novelty of the quiet life palled]

permeate

[pervade, soak through]: [the aroma of soup permeated the air] [his personality has begun to permeate through the whole organization]

querulous

[petulant]: [she became querulous and demanding]

phonology

[phonemics]:

setback

[problem]: [a serious setback for the peace process] [they had to get permission to overlap the city's setback lines]

adjective

[procedural]:

proscription

[prohibition, condemnation]: [the proscription of the party after the 1715 Rebellion] [he plays a the priest whose moral proscriptions lead only to catastrophe]

furtherance

[promotion]: [the court held that the union's acts were not in furtherance of a trade dispute]

duly

[properly, at the proper time]: [a document duly signed and authorized by the inspector] [the ceremony duly began at midnight] [I used the tent and was duly impressed]

suggestion

[proposal, insinuation, hint]: [here are some suggestions for tackling the problem] [at my suggestion, the museum held an exhibition of his work] [there is no suggestion that he was involved in any wrongdoing] [there was a suggestion of a smile on his lips] [the power of suggestion]

panoramic

[sweeping, wide-ranging]: [on a clear day there are panoramic views] [his panoramic vision of post-World War I peace]

inexplicable

[unaccountable]: [for some inexplicable reason her mind went completely blank]

annuity

[rente]: [he left her an annuity of £1,000 in his will:] [loans secured on an older person's home which are used to purchase a life annuity] [an annuity scheme]

endear

[]: [Flora's spirit and character endeared her to everyone who met her]

universe

[cosmos, province]: [the front parlour was the hub of her universe]

forgery

[counterfeiting, fake]: [he was found guilty of forgery] [the notes must be forgeries]

innumerable

[countless]: [innumerable flags of all colours]

preponderant

[dominant]: [the preponderant influence of the US within the alliance]

humiliate

[embarrass, embarrassing]: [you'll humiliate me in front of the whole school!]

hug

[embrace, keep close to, cling to, embrace]: [he hugged her close to him] [people kissed and hugged each other] [we hugged and kissed] [he hugged his knees to his chest] [a pair of jeans that hugged the contours of his body]

exhaustion

[extreme tiredness, consumption]: [he was pale with exhaustion] [the rapid exhaustion of fossil fuel reserves]

drastic

[extreme]: [a drastic reduction of staffing levels]

immensely

[extremely]: [the president was immensely popular]

optic

[eye, oculus]:

legendary

[fabled, famous, celebrated]: [a legendary British king of the 4th century] [her wisdom in matters of childbirth was legendary]

textile

[fabric]: [a fascinating range of pottery, jewellery, and textiles] [in textiles, more women were employed than men] [nudists to the left, textiles to the right] [the textile industry] [textile beaches]

fiasco

[failure]: [his plans turned into a fiasco]

empathy

[]: [both authors have the skill to make you feel empathy with their heroines] [they had great sympathy for the flood victims]

non profit

[]: [charities and other non-profit organizations] [I spent the next six years working for small non-profits]

barometer

[]: [furniture is a barometer of changing tastes]

tellingly

[]: [the events of the story tellingly illustrate the changing face of society] [there was, perhaps tellingly, no mention of the wedding]

excretory

[]: [the excretory organs]

christendom

[]: [the greatest church in Christendom]

sever

[cut off, cut, break off]: [the head was severed from the body] [severed limbs] [the notice itself may be sufficient to sever the joint tenancy]

amputate

[cut off]: [surgeons had to amputate her left hand]

abscission

[cutting off]: [leaf abscission in trees] [abscission layer]

dissection

[cutting up, analysis]: [the dissection of animals for scientific research] [this dissection of modern relationships]

periodicity

[cyclicity]: [the periodicity of the sunspot cycle]

hurricane

[cyclone]:

encyclopedia

[cyclopaedia, cyclopedia, encyclopaedia]:

quotidian

[daily, ordinary]: [the car sped noisily off through the quotidian traffic] [his story is an achingly human one, mired in quotidian details]

blasted

[damned]: [make your own blasted coffee!] [a blasted heath] [an area of blasted trees] [I got really blasted]

muffler

[damper]:

swarthy

[dark]: [swarthy men with gleaming teeth]

gloom

[darkness, despondency]: [he strained his eyes peering into the gloom] [the meadow-hen floats off, to sink into remoter shades and ferny glooms] [a year of economic gloom for the car industry] [his gloom deepened] [the black gibbet glooms beside the way]

dodge

[dart, elude, avoid, dart, ruse]: [marchers had to dodge missiles thrown by loyalists] [Adam dodged between the cars] [he'd caught her dodging fares on the underground] [the grant system's widespread use as a tax dodge]

urging

[importunity, urgency]: [she bought a new one at Gregory's urging] [the urgings of the crowd made him look around] [I have had maternal urgings]

incarcerate

[imprison, confine]: [many are incarcerated for property offences]

reform

[improve, mend one's ways, improvement]: [the Bill will reform the tax system] [the state has a duty to reform criminals] [I'm considered a reformed character these days] [it was only when his drunken behaviour led to blows that he started to reform] [the reform of the divorce laws]

elaborately

[in an elaborate way, intricately]: [elaborately decorated cakes] [the press conferences have become elaborately staged events]

de facto

[in practice, actual]: [the country was de facto divided between two states] [a de facto one-party system]

scarce

[in short supply, rare]: [as raw materials became scarce, synthetics were developed] [the freshwater shrimp becomes scarce in soft water] [a babe scarce two years old] [I could see he was annoyed so I made myself scarce]

despite

[in spite of]: [he remains a great leader despite age and infirmity] [the despite done by him to the holy relics] [the theatre only earns my despite] [in despite of its tranquillity, this is not a dreary place] [despite herself Frau Nordern laughed]

poetic

[in verse, expressive]: [the muse is a poetic convention] [a poetic drama] [the orchestral playing was colourful and poetic]

inaction

[inactivity]: [future generations will condemn us for inaction]

inducement

[incentive]: [companies were prepared to build only in return for massive inducements] [there is no inducement to wait for payment] [it is claimed that she was offered an inducement to plead guilty]

sedition

[incitement (to riot/rebellion), rebellion]:

delirious

[incoherent, deranged, ecstatic]: [he became delirious and couldn't recognize people] [there was a great roar from the delirious crowd] [Rose was deliriously happy]

revenue

[income]: [traders have lost £10,000 in revenue since the traffic scheme was implemented] [his priority was to raise government revenue and to lower expenditure] [the government's tax revenues] [when the revenue makes a demand for tax, that demand is implicitly backed by the powers of the state]

nonpareil

[incomparable, best]: [he is a nonpareil storyteller] [a film critic nonpareil] [a great player, Britain's nonpareil of the 1980s]

inept

[incompetent]: [the referee's inept handling of the match]

partial

[incomplete, biased, like]: [a question to which we have only partial answers] [the paper gave a distorted and very partial view of the situation] [you know I'm very partial to bacon and eggs] [strings would like to oscillate as closely as possible to harmonic partials]

include

[incorporate, add, allow for]: [the price includes dinner, bed, and breakfast] [other changes included the abolition of the death penalty] [we have included some hints for beginners in this section] [there were doubts as to whether she was included in the invitation] [the accommodation comprises 2 bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, and living room]

proliferate

[increase rapidly]: [the science fiction magazines which proliferated in the 1920s] [cultured cells often proliferate indefinitely] [electromagnetic radiation can only proliferate cancers already present]

increment

[increase]: [all sizes from 4-30 mm in 1 mm increments] [your first increment will be payable six months from your date of commencement]

enhance

[increase]: [his refusal does nothing to enhance his reputation]

crescendo

[increasing]: [each time the key changes, there is a gradual crescendo] [the port engine revs rose to a crescendo] [a crescendo of misery] [the hysteria reached a crescendo around the spring festival] [a short crescendo kettledrum roll]

indecision

[indecisiveness]: [government indecision over the future of local taxation] [a gesture of indecision]

dent

[indentation, reduction, make a dent in, diminish]: [there was a hideous dent in the front passenger door] [he has barely made a dent in the poverty rate] [he hit a concrete bollard, denting the wing] [this neither deterred him nor dented his enthusiasm]

self-sufficient

[independent]: [I don't think the country could ever be self-sufficient in food] [their son was a little bit of a loner and very self-sufficient]

unspeakable

[indescribable, dreadful]: [I felt an unspeakable tenderness towards her] [a piece of unspeakable abuse] [he was unspeakably cruel]

inexpressible

[indescribable]: [a mood of inexpressible longing]

apathy

[indifference]: [widespread apathy among students]

blase

[indifferent to]: [she was becoming quite blasé about the dangers]

offhand

[indifferent, casual, without preparation]: [you were a bit offhand with her this afternoon] [I can't think of a better answer offhand]

aboriginal

[indigenous, native]:

sidelong

[indirect, surreptitious, indirectly, surreptitiously]: [Steve gave her a sidelong glance] [he looked sidelong at her with a quick smile]

invaluable

[indispensable]: [an invaluable source of information]

undeniable

[indisputable, certain]: [it is an undeniable fact that some dogs are easier to train than others]

maverick

[individualist]: [he's the maverick of the senate] [a maverick detective]

inaccurate

[inexact]: [false or inaccurate descriptions of goods] [a forecast that proved wildly inaccurate]

notorious

[infamous, well known]: [Los Angeles is notorious for its smog] [he was a notorious drinker and womanizer]

frailty

[infirmity, weakness]: [the increasing frailty of old age] [all drama begins with human frailty] [you're too self-righteous to see your own frailties]

educated

[informed]: [a Harvard-educated lawyer] [educated tastes]

immersion

[ingress]: [his back was still raw from immersion in the icy Atlantic sea] [a week's immersion in the culinary heritage of Puglia] [as a teacher she advocates learning by immersion] [an immersion school]

tailor

[outfitter, customize]: [he was wearing a sports coat which had obviously been tailored in London] [arrangements can be tailored to meet individual requirements]

effusion

[outflow, outburst]: [a massive effusion of poisonous gas] [he studied the rates of effusion of gases] [middle ear effusions] [literary effusions]

out-of-the-way

[outlying, distant, strange]: [we're too out of the way for mains electricity] [an out-of-the-way rural district] [economic recovery will begin once the election is out of the way] [why did Josie want her out of the way?] [he'd seen nothing out of the way]

outermost

[outmost]: [the outermost layer of the earth] [the orbit of the outermost of these eight planets]

infest

[overrun, overrun]: [the house is infested with cockroaches] [shark-infested waters]

pedantic

[overscrupulous, learned]: [his analyses are careful and even painstaking, but never pedantic]

abroad

[overseas, widely, at large]: [we usually go abroad for a week in May] [competition from companies at home and abroad] [millions of seeds are annually scattered abroad] [there is a new buccaneering spirit abroad] [hospital inmates abroad on the streets of the town]

exaggerate

[overstate, overstated]: [she was apt to exaggerate any aches and pains] [I couldn't sleep for three days—I'm not exaggerating] [exaggerated features such as a massive head and beetling brows]

connotation

[overtone]: [the word 'discipline' has unhappy connotations of punishment and repression] [the work functions both by analogy and by connotation]

miser

[penny-pincher, hoarder, skinflint]: [a typical miser, he hid his money in the house in various places]

preoccupation

[pensiveness, obsession]: [his preoccupation with politics] [their main preoccupation was how to feed their families]

pentagram

[pentacle, pentangle]:

incense

[perfume, enrage, enraged]: [the sharp lingering sweetness of incense] [incense sticks] [the swirls of incense in the air] [the aroma of cannabis incensed the air] [locals are incensed at the suggestion]

outlook

[point of view, view, prospects]: [he had a practical outlook on life] [the pleasant outlook from the club window] [the deteriorating economic outlook] [the outlook for tomorrow is dry and cold]

rotund

[plump, round, sonorous]: [her brother was slim where she was rotund] [huge stoves held great rotund cauldrons]

verse

[poetry, poem, stanza]: [a lament in verse] [verse drama] [the second verse] [we were each required to recite a Bible verse from memory] [on the walls were framed verses from the Koran]

venom

[poison, rancour, malevolence]: [snake venoms have different effects] [his voice was full of venom]

nudge

[poke, touch, prompt, approach, poke]: [people were nudging each other and pointing at me] [the canoe nudged a bank of reeds] [we have to nudge the politicians in the right direction] [both men were nudging fifty] [he gave her shoulder a nudge]

multiform

[polymorphic, polymorphous]: [a very complex, multiform illness like cancer]

pusillanimous

[poor-spirited, unmanly]:

deploy

[position, use]: [forces were deployed at strategic locations] [the air force began to deploy forward] [small states can often deploy resources more freely]

summons

[writ, subpoena, order, serve with a summons]: [a summons for non-payment of a parking ticket] [they might receive a summons to fly to France next day] [he has been summonsed to appear in court next month]

container

[receptacle]: [the cakes will keep for up to two weeks if kept in an airtight container] [a container lorry]

recitation

[recital, account, reading]: [the recitation of traditional poems] [the history of an organization is more important than the recitation of details like this]

identification

[recognition, ID, empathy, association]: [each child was tagged with a number for identification] [it may be impossible for relatives to make positive identifications] [do you have any identification?] [children's identification with story characters] [the growing identification of anti-slavery with political liberalism]

afterthought

[reconsideration, rethink, second thought]: [as an afterthought she said 'Thank you']

remodel

[reconstruct, redo]: [the station was remodelled and enlarged in 1927] [she remodelled the head with careful fingers]

regain

[recover, return to]: [he soon regained his composure] [they were unable to regain their boats]

reparable

[rectifiable]:

withhold

[refuse to give, suppress]: [the name of the dead man is being withheld] [the withholding of consent to treatment] [Elizabeth could no longer withhold her sentiments] [her mouth clenched as if withholding a cry]

casual

[relaxed, offhand, cursory, indifferent, promiscuous, chance, informal, temporary worker]: [a casual attitude to life] [a casual remark] [to the casual observer, rugby looks something like football] [the casual way in which victims were treated] [a casual worker]

dependable

[reliable]: [a dependable supply of cold beer] [the most valuable and dependable of America's allies]

rite

[religious rite]: [the rite of communion] [pagan fertility rites] [the Byzantine rite] [the British family Christmas rite] [a novel which depicts the state of adolescence and the rites of passage that lead to adulthood]

pious

[religious, sanctimonious, sincere]: [a deeply pious woman] [his pious platitudes]

waive

[relinquish, disregard]: [he will waive all rights to the money] [her tuition fees would be waived]

sauce

[relish, alcohol, impudence]: [tomato sauce] [the stock cubes can be added to soups and sauces] [she's been on the sauce for years] ['None of your sauce,' said Aunt Edie] [the vegetables were deliciously spiced and sauced]

lingering

[remaining, protracted]: [there are still some lingering doubts in my mind] [a painful and lingering death]

remnant

[remains, scrap]: [the bogs are an endangered remnant of a primeval landscape] [he sat sewing patchwork cushions with all the remnants] [a remnant of the past] [if any one ceases to be a witness, he ceases to be one of the remnant] [remnant strands of hair]

extraordinary

[remarkable, very great]: [the extraordinary plumage of the male] [it is extraordinary that no consultation took place] [young children need extraordinary amounts of attention] [an extraordinary session of the Congress] [an Ambassador Extraordinary]

expostulate

[remonstrate]: [he found Fox expostulating with a young man]

withdrawal

[removal, departure]: [the withdrawal of legal aid] [Italy's withdrawal from NATO] [methadone provides a way off heroine that minimizes withdrawal symptoms] [sports fans suffering withdrawal symptoms since the end of the World Cup]

withdraw

[remove, take out, leave, pull out of, go, abolish, retract]: [Ruth withdrew her hand from his] [she prised open the lid and withdrew a slim diamond ring] [normally you can withdraw up to £50 in cash] [UN forces withdrew from the province] [both countries agreed to withdraw their troops]

recant

[renounce, change one's mind, retract]: [heretics were burned if they would not recant] [Galileo was forced to recant his assertion that the earth orbited the sun]

unveil

[reveal]: [the Princess unveiled a plaque] [the unveiling of the memorial] [the Home Secretary has unveiled plans to crack down on crime]

inversion

[reversal]: [the inversion of the normal domestic arrangement] [an inversion of traditional customer-supplier relationships]

odious

[revolting]: [a pretty odious character] [odious hypocrisy]

pistol

[revolver]: [when we first met, he was a pistol, full of ideals and a natural leader]

repugnance

[revulsion, disgust]: [our repugnance at the bleeding carcasses]

disgust

[revulsion, revolt, outrage]: [the sight filled her with disgust] [some of the audience walked out in disgust] [they were disgusted by the violence] [a disgusted look]

cadence

[rhythm]: [the measured cadences that he employed in the Senate] [the dry cadences of the essay] [the thumping cadence of the engines] [the final cadences of the Prelude]

unsound

[rickety, disordered, untenable]: [the tower is structurally unsound] [Dorinda was mentally unsound] [this line of argument is unsound] [activities deemed to be environmentally unsound]

infidelity

[unfaithfulness]: [her infidelity continued after her marriage] [I ought not to have tolerated his infidelities]

miserable

[unhappy, dreary, unpleasant, grumpy, inadequate, wretched]: [their happiness made Anne feel even more miserable] [horribly wet and miserable conditions] [a miserable man in his late sixties] [all they pay me is a miserable £8,000 a year] [a lousy dollar a day — could any government be more miserable?]

unscathed

[unharmed]: [I came through all those perils unscathed]

trivial

[unimportant, frivolous]: [huge fines were imposed for trivial offences] [trivial details]

apathetic

[uninterested, indifferent]: [an apathetic electorate]

cataract

[waterfall, opacity]: [the river descends in a succession of spectacular cataracts] [the rain enveloped us in a deafening cataract] [she had cataracts in both eyes]

turning point

[watershed]: [this could be the turning point in Nigel's career]

mentality

[way of thinking, intellect]: [I had inherited not only my father's blood but his bourgeois mentality as well] [machines can possess mentality]

route

[way, direct]: [the scenic route from Florence to Siena] [proposals have been put forward for a new route around the south of the town] [the many routes to a healthier diet will be described] [all lines of communication were routed through London]

achilles heel

[weak spot]: [the Achilles' heel of the case for nuclear power remains the issue of the disposal of waste]

well-to-do

[wealthy]: [a well-to-do family]

abrade

[wear away/down]: [it was a landscape slowly abraded by a fine, stinging dust]

intact

[whole]: [the church was almost in ruins but its tower remained intact]

width

[wideness, range]: [the yard was about seven feet in width] [a single width of hardboard] [the width of experience required for these positions]

feral

[wild, fierce]: [a feral cat] [his teeth were bared in a feral snarl] [gangs of feral youths] [we expected bearded ferals chaining themselves to trees in protest]

wilderness

[wilds, wasteland]: [the garden had become a wilderness of weeds and bushes] [the man who led the Labour Party out of the wilderness] [his wilderness years]

sapiential

[wise]: [I saw them as sapiential metaphors, far more meaningful than their didactic pretext]

desire

[wish, yearning, lust, wish for, want, required, wished for, be attracted to]: [he resisted public desires for choice in education] [they were clinging together in fierce desire] [he never achieved the status he so desired] [the bribe had its desired effect] [there had been a time, years ago, when he had desired her]

nostalgia

[wistfulness]: [I was overcome with acute nostalgia for my days at university] [an evening of TV nostalgia]

adjourn

[withdraw, suspend]: [the meeting was adjourned until December 4] [let's adjourn and reconvene at 2 o'clock] [they adjourned to a local pub] [sentence was adjourned for a social inquiry report]

refusal

[withholding, non-acceptance]: [he became tired of his friend's refusal to see him] [an appeal against the refusal of a licence] [Dollar Girl hit several fences and had a refusal]

fleece

[wool]: [as the sheep came on board, we grabbed their long shaggy fleeces] [he clutched the ram by two handfuls of thick fleece] [the shed can be used for storing fleeces] [a reversible fleece jacket] [the city's cab drivers are notorious for fixing fares and fleecing tourists]

toil

[work hard, struggle, hard work]: [we toiled away] [Richard toiled to build his editorial team] [she began to toil up the cliff path] [a life of toil]

envelope

[wrapper]: [the external envelope of the swimming pool] [the switch itself is a glass envelope filled with rare gases and containing two contacts] [a proposal drawn up on the back of an envelope] [these are extremely witty and clever stories that consistently push the envelope of TV comedy]

abject

[wretched, obsequious]: [his letter plunged her into abject misery] [abject poverty] [the abject condition of the peasants] [an abject apology]

indicator

[measure, meter]: [car ownership is frequently used as an indicator of affluence] [a speed indicator] [an altitude indicator] [the indicator board] [an indicator light]

mattress

[]:

on the carpet

[]: [we've all been on the carpet for the chances we took]

apposite

[appropriate]: [an apposite quotation] [the observations are apposite to the discussion]

turquoise

[aqua, aquamarine, cobalt blue, greenish blue, peacock blue]: [the turquoise waters of the bay]

excluding

[boot out, chuck out, eject, turf out, turn out]: [the holiday cost £180, excluding accommodation]

by hook or by crook

[by any means]: [the government intends, by hook or by crook, to hold on to the land]

compute

[calculate]: [the hire charge is computed on a daily basis] [the idea of a woman alone in a pub did not compute]

impugn

[call into question]: [the father does not impugn her capacity as a good mother]

conscript

[call up, impressed man]: [they were conscripted into the army] [army conscripts] [conscript troops]

calmness

[calm, composure, equanimity]: [those who worked with him refer time and again to his calmness under pressure] [she exuded calmness and good humour] [this relative calmness ended at around 7 a.m., when the wind picked up speed]

soothe

[calm, relaxing, palliative, alleviate]: [a shot of brandy might soothe his nerves] [to soothe the skin try chamomile or thyme] [it contains a mild anaesthetic to soothe the pain]

canvass

[campaign, poll]: [in each ward, two workers canvassed some 2,000 voters] [he's canvassing for the Green Party] [they're canvassing support among shareholders] [they promised to canvass all member clubs for their views] [early retirement was canvassed as a solution to the problem of unemployment]

destructive

[devastating, negative]: [the destructive power of weapons] [destructive criticism]

scathing

[devastating]: [she launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister]

evolve

[develop, emit]: [the company has evolved into a major chemical manufacturer] [the Gothic style evolved from the Romanesque] [each school must evolve its own way of working] [the domestic dog is thought to have evolved from the wolf] [the energy evolved during this chemical change is transferred to water]

incipient

[developing]: [he could feel incipient anger building up] [an incipient black eye] [we seemed more like friends than incipient lovers]

appliance

[device, application]: [electrical and gas appliances] [three fire appliances were rushed to the scene] [one appliance attended the fire] [the appliance of science could increase crop yields]

machiavellian

[devious]: [a whole range of outrageous Machiavellian manoeuvres]

clockwise

[dextrorotary, dextrorotatory, right-handed, dextral]: [turn the knob clockwise] [a clockwise direction]

alternative

[different, unorthodox, option]: [the various alternative methods for resolving disputes] [the facts fit two alternative scenarios] [an alternative lifestyle] [audio cassettes are an interesting alternative to reading] [she had no alternative but to break the law]

dissimilar

[different]: [a collection of dissimilar nations lacking overall homogeneity] [the pleasures of the romance novel are not dissimilar from those of the chocolate bar]

distinguish

[differentiate, separate, single out, distinctive, discern, attain distinction]: [the child is perfectly capable of distinguishing reality from fantasy] [we must distinguish between two kinds of holiday] [what distinguishes sport from games?] [it was too dark to distinguish anything more than their vague shapes] [many distinguished themselves in the fight against Hitler]

sunset

[nightfall]: [sunset was still a couple of hours away] [a blue and gold sunset] [the sunset of his life]

ordinal

[no., ordinal number]: [ordinal scales]

curtail

[reduce]: [civil liberties were further curtailed] [I that am curtailed of this fair proportion]

rotary

[rotating]: [a rotary mower] [there is an output level rotary for overall volume setting]

neolithic

[]:

octagon

[]:

artillery

[(big) guns]: [tanks and heavy artillery] [each corps included two regiments of field artillery] [he served in the Royal Artillery]

thrill

[(feeling of) excitement, tremor, excite, exciting, be/feel excited, rush]: [the thrill of jumping out of an aeroplane] [to ride a winner is always a thrill] [a thrill of excitement ran through her] [his kiss thrilled and excited her] [they were thrilled with the results]

hundredth

[100th, centesimal]: [her hundredth birthday] [the hundredth anniversary of his birth] [hundredths of a second determine the winners and losers]

trinity

[3, III, deuce-ace, leash, tercet, ternary, ternion, terzetto, three, threesome, tierce, trey, triad, trine, trio, triplet, troika]: [the wine was the first of a trinity of three excellent vintages] [God is said to be trinity in unity]

pentad

[5, Little Phoebe, Phoebe, V, cinque, fin, five, fivesome, quint, quintet, quintuplet]:

cholera

[Asiatic cholera, Indian cholera, epidemic cholera]:

pumpkin

[Cucurbita pepo, autumn pumpkin, pumpkin vine]:

adulterant

[adulterating]:

nectar

[ambrosia]: [the cold pint at the pub was nectar]

botanical

[botanic]: [botanical specimens]

perplexing

[confusing, puzzling]: [a perplexing problem]

vacillation

[dithering]: [the First Minister's vacillation over the affair]

operetta

[light opera]:

rescind

[revoke]: [the government eventually rescinded the directive]

sightseeing

[rubber-necking]: [a sightseeing tour]

thigh

[second joint]: [a big-thighed man]

tremulous

[shaky, timid]: [Barbara's voice was tremulous] [he gave a tremulous smile]

pensive

[thoughtful]: [a pensive mood]

explorer

[traveller]: [a polar explorer]

deface

[vandalize]: [he defaced library books]

oath

[vow, swear word]: [they took an oath of allegiance to the king] [each took the oath and then gave evidence] [he exploded with a mouthful of oaths] [he was muttering foul oaths] [he was made to testify under oath]

operate

[work, function, take effect, direct, perform surgery]: [the Prime Minister operates a system of divide and rule] [market forces were allowed to operate freely] [many foreign companies operate factories in the United States] [neither company had operated within the terms of its constitution] [the mountain bases from which the guerrillas were operating]

viable

[workable]: [the proposed investment was economically viable] [most clones can produce thousands of viable seeds] [the largest and most viable population of this endangered vetch] [little of the frozen semen has been viable when thawed] [what if the fetus were viable?]

globe

[world, sphere]: [goods from all over the globe] [orange trees clipped into giant globes] [a female figure holding a sceptre and globe] [there, in miniature, the world was globed like a fruit]

bored

[world-weary]: [she got bored with staring out of the window] [they hung around all day, bored stiff] [bored teenagers] [John was soon bored to tears with the work] [she's bored out of her mind]

frayed

[worn]: [the frayed collar of her old coat] [an effort to soothe frayed nerves]

distraught

[worried]: [a distraught woman sobbed and screamed for help] [he is terribly distraught]

anxiety

[worry, eagerness]: [he felt a surge of anxiety] [anxieties about the moral decline of today's youth] [she suffered from anxiety attacks] [the housekeeper's eager anxiety to please]

muffle

[wrap, deaden, indistinct]: [everyone was muffled up in coats and scarves] [the soft beat of a muffled drum] [his voice was muffled] [the trade unions fear their voice within the party is being muffled] [a muffle furnace]

pantheism

[]:

pentathlon

[]:

phenomena

[]:

heteromorphic

[]:

introgression

[]:

lacteal

[]:

lough

[]:

mermaid

[]:

motel

[]:

nebula

[]:

adjutant

[Leptoptilus dubius, adjutant bird, adjutant stork]: [he eventually became adjutant to the commander of the tactical air force] [Hoare was his adjutant in all the talks with the government]

viceroy

[Limenitis archippus]:

altar

[Lord's table, communion table]: [no businessman is going to sacrifice his company on the altar of such altruism]

oxygen

[O, atomic number 8]: [if breathing stops, there is no oxygen getting to the brain and the cells begin to die] [hydrogen and carbon in the fuel combine with the oxygen in the air to form carbon dioxide and water] [an oxygen supply]

orca

[Orcinus orca, grampus, killer, killer whale, sea wolf]:

jellyfish

[Portuguese man-of-war, man-of-war]:

ultraviolet

[UV, ultraviolet illumination, ultraviolet light, ultraviolet radiation]: [an ultraviolet telescope]

al qaeda

[]:

amidst

[]:

anhydrous

[]:

anthropology

[]:

antilogy

[]:

antitoxin

[]:

arthritis

[]:

astroturf

[]:

baconian

[]:

bier

[]:

borough

[]:

burn the midnight oil

[]:

bury the hatchet

[]:

calvinism

[]:

chiropractor

[]:

counting-house

[]:

delphic

[]:

derrick

[]:

differentia

[]:

epicycloid

[]:

epiphany

[]:

flag-officer

[]:

fungi

[]:

alder

[alder tree]:

sibling

[brother or sister, siblings]:

sculptor

[carver]:

category

[class]: [the various categories of research]

diplomatist

[diplomat]:

orchestra

[ensemble]:

acetate

[ethanoate]: [acetate silk]

fishmonger

[fishwife]:

idiot

[fool]:

immeasurable

[incalculable]: [immeasurable suffering]

directory

[index]:

lingual

[linguistic]: [his demonstrations of lingual dexterity]

hobby

[pastime]: [her hobbies are reading and gardening]

dramatist

[playwright]:

sewage

[sewerage]: [sewage treatment]

symphonious

[symphonic]: [a symphonious name]

illegal

[unlawful, foul]: [illegal drugs]

broad

[wide, in breadth, extensive, comprehensive, general, obvious, indecent, noticeable, full]: [a broad staircase] [the valley is three miles long and half a mile broad] [a broad expanse of paddy fields] [the company has a broad range of experience] [our range of programmes comprises three broad categories]

eclectic

[wide-ranging, selective]: [universities offering an eclectic mix of courses]

widely

[wide]: [a tall man with widely spaced eyes] [lending policies vary widely between different banks] [people in widely different circumstances] [Deborah has travelled widely] [she was widely read]

wayward

[wilful]: [a wayward adolescent] [his wayward emotions]

cornice

[pelmet, valance, valance board]:

penitential

[penitentiary]: [penitential tears]

galvanic

[electric, galvanising, galvanizing]: [a searing, galvanic experience]

transistor

[electronic transistor, junction transistor]:

vigilant

[watchful]: [the burglar was spotted by vigilant neighbours]

vigilance

[watchfulness]: [security duties that demand long hours of vigilance]

quantum

[]: [the court must determine the quantum of compensation due] [each man has only a quantum of compassion]

comportment

[bearing, mien, presence]: [he displayed precisely the comportment expected of the rightful king]

premonition

[boding, foreboding, presentiment]: [he had a premonition of imminent disaster]

gentrification

[]: [an area undergoing rapid gentrification] [football has undergone gentrification] [Miss Havisham's plan for his gentrification]

razor

[]: [an electric razor] [the tapered cut is razored to give movement]

ultramundane

[]: [an ultramundane god]

aye

[]: [aye, you're right there] [aye aye, captain] [all in favour say aye] [the House divided: Ayes 211, Noes 271] [I've aye fancied seeing Edinburgh]

a feather in one's cap

[]: [beating him would be a feather in my cap]

rainbow

[]: [all the colours of the rainbow] [a rainbow of medals decorated his chest] [a big rainbow packet of felt pens] [the long-lost loving parent who waits at the end of every unhappy child's rainbow] [I couldn't afford to waste petrol chasing rainbows as far as Leeds and back]

gosling

[]:

grindstone

[]:

habitude

[]:

holistic

[]:

hydrosphere

[]:

ichthyic

[]:

iliad

[]:

neo-latin

[]:

outrigger

[]:

phonogram

[]:

piccolo

[]:

pledgee

[]:

polycracy

[]:

prescriptible

[]:

pronoun

[]:

protomartyr

[]:

screwdriver

[]:

seismograph

[]:

sheriff

[]:

subtile

[]:

taxidermy

[]:

technography

[]:

tempter

[]:

the die is cast

[]:

thermometer

[]:

tribune

[]:

trident

[]:

unitarian

[]:

venous

[]:

viscount

[]:

misnomer

[]: ['King crab' is a misnomer—these creatures are not crustaceans at all] [to call this 'neighbourhood policing' would be a misnomer]

moderator

[]: [Egypt managed to assert its role as a regional moderator] [the debates will each feature one moderator and a panel of three questioners] [the newly elected Moderator of the Dutch Reformed Church] [after marking by the tutor, the papers are returned to a moderator] [in a fast reactor there is no moderator to slow the reaction down]

executor

[]: [Hugh appointed him an executor of his will] [the executors of the late John B. Smith] [the makers and executors of policy]

parse

[]: [I asked a couple of students to parse these sentences for me] [a user question input is parsed into an internal conceptual representation] [a failed parse was retried]

armature

[]: [Shakespeare's plots have served as the armature for many novels]

jungian

[]: [a Jungian analyst] [one of the most distinguished Jungians of our day]

cameo

[]: [a cameo brooch] [cameos of street life] [he played numerous cameo roles]

cricket

[]: [a cricket bat] [England looked set to run up a cricket score when they went four tries ahead] [an appeal by the Crown against too lenient a sentence is simply not cricket]

brae

[]: [a figure was spied struggling up the brae] [Skara Brae]

gentrify

[]: [a gentrified Irish American]

monogram

[]: [a handkerchief with his monogram embroidered on one corner] [Irish linen napkins monogrammed with the initials C.S.] [monogrammed sheets]

mantra

[]: [a mantra is given to a trainee meditator when his teacher initiates him] [her high, sweet voice began chanting the mantra of life] [the environmental mantra that energy has for too long been too cheap]

recruiter

[]: [a recruiter will schedule you for an interview] [military recruiters]

species

[]: [a species of invective at once tough and suave] [a political species that is becoming more common, the environmental statesman] [a new molecular species]

transatlantic

[]: [a transatlantic flight] [the transatlantic relationship]

hanger

[]: [a wallpaper-hanger]

environmental

[]: [acid rain may have caused major environmental damage] [environmental tourism] [environmental noise]

all inclusive

[]: [an all-inclusive holiday] [the book doesn't claim to be all-inclusive]

belay

[]: [he belayed his partner across the ice] ['Belay that, mister. Man your post.'] [the leader may require belays to tackle more difficult sections] [the trees along the top are used as belays]

intestate

[]: [he died intestate]

expansionist

[]: [he was an aggressive expansionist] [the imperial government became increasingly bent on expansionist policies]

homicide

[]: [he was charged with homicide] [knives account for a third of all homicides] [a man from Homicide]

ruminant

[]: [he was destined to become a ruminant, a haunter of libraries] [a ruminant animal]

gendarme

[]: [he was hauled off by a gendarme to the police station] [the granite pillars and gendarmes kept the sun from warming us]

low spirits

[]: [he was in low spirits]

adversely

[]: [his self-confidence was adversely affected for years to come]

accrete

[]: [ice that had accreted grotesquely into stalactites] [the collection of art he had accreted was to be sold] [the gas will cool and then accrete to the galaxy's core]

molecular

[]: [interactions between polymer and solvent at the molecular level] [molecular oxygen]

upholstery

[]: [leather upholstery]

libertarian

[]: [libertarian philosophy]

lymphatic

[]: [lymphatic vessels] [lymphatic drainage] [the fluid is drained by the lymphatics and returned to the circulation]

tightly

[]: [my hand gripped tightly onto the knife] [my eyes were tightly shut] [a tightly sealed container] [the government tightly controlled the movement of money] [public companies are tightly regulated]

overprice

[]: [overpriced hotels]

scot

[]: [persons keep their own houses and pay taxes, scot and lot]

pathology

[]: [research people skilled in experimental pathology] [the pathology of Huntington's disease] [the dominant pathology is multiple sclerosis] [the city's inability to cope with the pathology of a burgeoning underclass]

supramundane

[]: [revelation has familiarized Christians with the angels as supramundane beings]

take the bull by the horns

[]: [she decided to take the bull by the horns and organize things for herself]

keyboard

[]: [she plays keyboards and guitar] [entries would be keyboarded] [keyboarding is an important job skill]

confessor

[]: [she sent for her confessor because she was in mortal sin] [if one prisoner confesses and implicates the other, the confessor will go free as a reward]

involuntarily

[]: [she shuddered involuntarily at the memory] [Alicia had her husband involuntarily hospitalized]

awkwardly

[]: [she waddled up the stairs awkwardly] [he landed awkwardly after both of his vaults] [the conclusion seems awkwardly grafted on to the main text] [Seth responded awkwardly, allowing the silence once again to settle between them] [I cleared my throat awkwardly]

a lick and a promise

[]: [she would give a lick and a promise to her parlour, and sit down to await the American gentleman]

effluvium

[]: [smoke and effluvia from factory chimneys]

grout

[]: [soak off the facing paper with a damp sponge, then grout the tiles] [is it best to grout with mortar between paving slabs?]

solar

[]: [solar radiation] [solar heating]

anthropologist

[]: [some anthropologists think that members of hunting and gathering societies tend to have more leisure]

sustainable

[]: [sustainable economic growth] [our fundamental commitment to sustainable development] [sustainable definitions of good educational practice]

lava

[]: [tablelands of lava] [porphyritic lavas]

mucho

[]: [that caused me mucho problems] [he was being mucho macho]

emote

[]: [the actors would emote for the camera]

ante

[]: [the antes were at the $10,000-$20,000 level] [he anted up $925,000 of his own money] [the owners have to ante up if they want to attract the best talent] [he decided to up the ante in the trade war]

percuss

[]: [the bladder was percussed]

missal

[]: [the bookcase contained an assortment of old prayer books, missals, and devotional pamphlets] [Christian influence on Viking art is demonstrated by the illuminated missals and gold reliquaries]

cost an arm and a leg

[]: [the coat had cost him an arm and a leg]

spin off

[]: [the commercial spin-off from defence research] [spin-off merchandising]

actively

[]: [the company is actively looking for a buyer] [they were actively engaged in supporting the war effort] [actively growing weeds]

conferee

[]: [the conferees discussed the need to control emissions of greenhouse gases]

electronically

[]: [the information can be recorded electronically] [electronically controlled access gates] [online services that can be accessed electronically] [molecules that can accept energy to form electronically excited states]

optics

[]: [the issue itself is secondary to the optics of the Democrats opposing this administration in a high-profile way]

funder

[]: [the largest charitable funder of cancer research] [the money was coming from a private funder]

omniscience

[]: [the notion of divine omniscience] [his reputation for near omniscience and infallibility]

citizenship

[]: [the refugees could be granted dual citizenship]

apollonian

[]: [the struggle between cold Apollonian categorization and Dionysiac lust and chaos]

sustainability

[]: [the sustainability of economic growth] [schemes to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project] [the pursuit of global environmental sustainability] [the ecological sustainability of the planet]

mead

[]: [the tavern stocks beer, cider, perry, and mead]

taxonomy

[]: [the taxonomy of these fossils] [a taxonomy of smells]

colloquy

[]: [they broke off their colloquy at once] [he found her in earnest colloquy with the postman] [students attend colloquies and seminars in their chosen fields of study]

take no prisoners

[]: [they will be taking no prisoners tonight against bitter rivals Wigan]

coed

[]: [three Iowa State coeds] [they're going coed in September] [a coed comprehensive school]

ethically

[]: [to be spiritual may be interpreted both ethically and religiously] [MPs accused of ethically questionable behaviour] [we will act ethically in our relations with the public] [she was keen to see her money invested ethically] [ethically produced T-shirts]

triplicate

[]: [triplicate measurements] [the triplicate of a letter to the Governor] [titles which have been sparingly ordered can be later duplicated or triplicated] [the procedure was repeated in triplicate] [this form is in triplicate and must be handed to all employees]

anglo-saxon

[]: [using a lot of good old Anglo-Saxon expletives]

reck

[]: [ye reck not of lands or goods] [what recks it?]

pittance

[a very small amount]: [he paid his workers a pittance]

bide

[abide, stay]: [how long must I bide here to wait for the answer?] [she patiently bided her time before making an escape bid]

hearing

[ability to hear, earshot, chance to speak, trial]: [people who have very acute hearing] [she had moved out of hearing] [I think I had a fair hearing] [the court may stay execution pending a hearing]

anomalous

[abnormal]: [an anomalous situation] [sentences which are grammatically anomalous]

plentiful

[abundant, be abundant]: [coal is cheap and plentiful]

bumper

[abundant]: [she started the car with a jerk and hit the bumper of the car in front] [a bumper crop] [everyone in the business predicts a bumper year] [choose our 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty]

acquiesce

[accede, assent]: [Sara acquiesced in his decision]

credence

[acceptance, credibility]: [psychoanalysis finds little credence among laymen] [being called upon by the media as an expert lends credence to one's opinions] [a credence table]

sufferance

[acceptance, toleration]: [Charles was only here on sufferance] [an estate at sufferance]

misadventure

[accident]: [the coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure] [the petty misdemeanours and misadventures of childhood]

lodging

[accommodation]: [a fee for board and lodging] [he was looking for lodgings and a job]

agreement

[accord, contract, correspondence]: [the governments failed to reach agreement] [the two officers nodded in agreement] [a trade agreement] [a verbal agreement to sell] [agreement between experimental observations and theory]

memoir

[account, autobiography]: [in 1924 she published a short memoir of her husband] [a revealing passage from Khrushchev's memoirs] [an important memoir on Carboniferous crustacea] [Memoirs of the Royal Society]

description

[account, sort]: [people who had seen him were able to give a description] [the emphasis was placed on explanation rather than description] [it is laughably easy to buy drugs of all descriptions] [his face was swollen beyond description] [the sheer scale of the Requiem defies description]

defendant

[accused]: [the defendant tried to claim that it was self-defence]

acidify

[acetify, acidulate, sour]: [pollutants can acidify surface water]

chalk

[achieve, attribute]: [he chalked a message on the board] [blackboards chalked with Japanese phrases] [he chalked the bill on to the Professor's private account] [we'll never get on—we're like chalk and cheese] [she is, by a long chalk, the highest paid]

exculpate

[acquit, assoil, clear, discharge, exonerate]: [the article exculpated the mayor]

mime

[act out]: [mime is part of our cultural heritage] [the ceremony was followed by a series of precise mimes, dances, and songs] [he performed a brief mime of someone fencing] [he's a very fine actor and mime artist] [troupes of feminist mimes]

severity

[acuteness, strength, intensity, harshness, harshness, brutality, sternness, plainness]: [sentences should reflect the severity of the crime] [hay fever symptoms vary in severity] [she stared at me with mock severity]

supplement

[addition, magazine section, surcharge, augment]: [the handout is a supplement to the official manual] [multivitamin supplements] [our special supplement is packed with ideas for healthy hair] [an earnings-related supplement was paid during the first six months of unemployment] [the single room supplement is £2 per night]

adherence

[adhesion, attachment]: [a strict adherence to etiquette] [he moved to Avignon and won the adherence of the French king] [observing the adherence of the seeds to clothing prompted the development of Velcro]

adieu

[adios, arrivederci, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, bye, bye-bye, cheerio, good day, good-by, good-bye, goodby, goodbye, sayonara, so long]: [he whispered a fond adieu]

induct

[admit to, introduce to]: [arrangements for inducting new members to an organization] [he was then inducted as vicar of St Paul's] [my master inducted me into the skills of magic] [Hugh and his friends were inducted into the most honourable seats]

maturity

[adulthood, ripeness]: [the progress of an ingénue from childhood to maturity] [the fish takes 35 years to reach maturity] [interest is not paid until maturity] [the maturity date] [some investors found a safe harbour in shorter-term maturities]

disjunctive

[adversative, oppositive, alternative, contrastive, divisional, partitive, separative, separative]: [the novel's disjunctive detail]

consultant

[adviser, expert, senior doctor]: [he acted as campaign consultant to the president] [a consultant paediatrician]

astronautics

[aeronautics]:

amour

[affair, affaire, intimacy, involvement, liaison]: [he is enraged at this revelation of his past amours]

pretentious

[affected]: [pretentious art films] [the pretentious jargon of wine experts]

smite

[afflict]: [he smites the water with his sword] [he may smite our enemies] [various people had been smitten with untimely summer flu] [she was smitten with the boy] [the kirk rang with slaps and smites]

elderly

[aged, old people]: [an elderly relative] [specialist services for the elderly]

strong arm

[aggressive]: [they were furious at what they said were government strong-arm tactics] [the culprit shouted before being strong-armed out of the door]

indignant

[aggrieved]: [he was indignant at being the object of suspicion]

consent

[agreement, agree to]: [no change may be made without the consent of all the partners] [he consented to a search by a detective] [he had consented to serve as external assessor on the panel] [it was, by common consent, our finest performance] [written informed consent was obtained from each patient]

pact

[agreement, treaty]: [the country negotiated a trade pact with the US]

toe

[alert, conform, conform]: [he cut his big toe on a sharp stone] [socks that were holed at the toes] [valley widening and river meandering have eroded the toe of the slopes and caused new landslides] [the contrast potential of the printing is indicated by the steepness of the curve from shoulder to toe] [he toed off his shoes and flexed his feet]

orient

[align, get/find one's bearings, aim]: [the treasures of the Orient] [orient kings] [the fires are oriented in direct line with the midsummer sunset] [there were no street names to enable her to orient herself] [we were oriented towards the building]

nutriment

[aliment, alimentation, nourishment, nutrition, sustenance, victuals]: [the bees reprocess the food and extract the last particle of nutriment from it] [he took the Bible for spiritual nutriment]

hypersensitive

[allergic, hypersensitised, hypersensitized, sensitised, sensitized, supersensitised, supersensitive, supersensitized]: [proximity to death makes people hypersensitive and aware]

association

[alliance, relationship]: [the National Association of Probation Officers] [a bog association containing ericaceous plants] [he developed a close association with the university] [the programme was promoted in association with the Department of Music] [an association agreement between Bulgaria and the EU]

assign

[allocate, appoint, earmark, ascribe, transfer]: [Congress had assigned the task to the agency] [his leader assigned him this mission] [she has been assigned to a new job] [managers happily assign large sums of money to travel budgets] [it is difficult to decide whether to assign the victory to Godwin]

quota

[allocation]: [the country may be exceeding its OPEC quota of 1,100,000 barrels of oil per day] [they were arrested to help fill the quota of arrests the security police had to make during the crackdown] [the removal of entry quotas encouraged young people to enter universities]

allocation

[allotment, sharing out, allowance]: [more efficient allocation of resources] [ticket allocation] [unclaimed allocations would be held for three years]

grant

[allow, bestow on, admit, endowment, assume]: [they were granted a meeting] [her request was granted] [they will grant you asylum] [he hasn't made much progress, I'll grant you that] [a research grant]

able

[allowed to, intelligent]: [he was able to read Greek at the age of eight] [they would never be able to afford such a big house] [the dancers were technically very able]

advert

[allude, touch]: [I have already adverted to the solar revolution]

magnetic

[alluring]: [the clock has a magnetic back to stick to the fridge] [steel is magnetic] [his magnetic personality]

accumulation

[amassing, mass]: [the accumulation of wealth] [the accumulation of paperwork on her desk]

confound

[amaze, invalidate]: [the inflation figure confounded economic analysts] [the rise in prices confounded expectations] [we will confound these tactics by the pressure groups] [God chose to use natural disorders to confound Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt] [he was forever confounding managerialism with idealism]

equivocal

[ambiguous]: [the equivocal nature of her remarks] [he has always been equivocal about the meaning of his lyrics] [the results of the investigation were equivocal]

stroller

[ambler, saunterer]: [shady gardens where strollers could relax] [a little stroller taps on the window and cups his hands in a begging gesture]

corrigible

[amendable, correctable, improvable, redeemable, reformable]:

awry

[amiss, askew]: [many youthful romances go awry] [I got the impression that something was awry] [he was hatless, his silver hair awry]

starch

[amylum]: [they eat far too much starch] [crisp linen, stiff with starch] [the starch in her voice] [his immaculately starched shirt] [Ray Domenge starched Jeff Geddami in the first]

anagram

[anagrammatise, anagrammatize]:

critique

[analysis]: [a critique of Marxist historicism] [the authors critique the methods and practices used in the research]

primordial

[ancient, instinctive]: [the primordial oceans] [the primordial needs of the masses] [primordial germ cells]

irate

[angry]: [a barrage of irate letters]

creature

[animal, fellow, minion]: [night sounds of birds and other creatures] [as fellow creatures on this planet, animals deserve respect] [a creature from outer space] [you heartless creature!] [the village teacher was expected to be the creature of his employer]

bestial

[animal, savage, depraved]: [Darwin's revelations about our bestial beginnings] [bestial and barbaric acts]

wipe out

[annihilate, carry off, decimate, eliminate, eradicate, extinguish]:

annunciation

[announcement, declaration, proclamation]: [the annunciation of a set of rules applying to the relationships between states]

irritation

[annoyance, irritant]: [much to my irritation, Chris fell asleep] [the minor irritations of life] [some chemicals cause a direct irritation to the skin leading to dermatitis]

irritant

[annoyance]: [a powerful skin irritant] [in 1966 Vietnam was becoming an irritant to the government] [chlorine bleaches can be irritant to the skin]

pesky

[annoying, bothersome, galling, irritating, nettlesome, pestering, pestiferous, plaguey, plaguy, teasing, vexatious, vexing]: [a pesky younger brother]

key

[answer, tone, style, crucial]: [there were two keys to the cupboard] [a room key] [Nat turned the key in the ignition] [press the ENTER key] [a piece composed solely for the white keys on the piano]

antecede

[antedate, forego, forgo, precede, predate]: [investigative reporting long antecedes the invention of miniature cameras]

anthracite

[anthracite coal, hard coal]: [a wide range of colours from anthracite to blush pink] [the anthracite finish on these cupboard doors]

anthropomorphous

[anthropomorphic, humanlike]:

man-eater

[anthropophagite, anthropophagus, cannibal]: [occasionally, a tiger becomes a man-eater] [he obviously imagined that she was some kind of flighty man-eater!]

antibiotic

[antibiotic drug]: [course of antibiotics] [an injection of antibiotic] [a prolonged course of antibiotic therapy]

expect

[anticipate, suppose, require, pregnant]: [it's as well to expect the worst] [the hearing is expected to last a week] [one might expect that Hollywood would adjust its approach] [they were not expecting him to continue] [Celia was expecting a visitor]

foresee

[anticipate]: [we did not foresee any difficulties] [it is impossible to foresee how life will work out]

antispasmodic

[antispasmodic agent, spasmolytic]:

eager

[anxious, keen]: [the man was eager to please] [young intellectuals eager for knowledge] [small eager faces looked up and listened]

aphorism

[apophthegm, apothegm]: [the old aphorism 'the child is father to the man'] [the debate begins and ends at the level of aphorism, with commentators saying that something must be done] [the opening sentence of the first aphorism of Hippocrates]

entry

[appearance, entrance, admission, item, recording, contestant]: [the door was locked, but he forced an entry] [the entry to a block of flats] [people seeking entry to Australia] [more young people are postponing their entry into full-time work] [a fluffed entry]

conciliate

[appease, mediate]: [concessions were made to conciliate the peasantry] [he sought to conciliate in the dispute] [all complaints about charges will be conciliated if possible] [the arts which conciliate popularity]

widget

[appliance, contraption, contrivance, convenience, gadget, gismo, gizmo]:

wax

[approach full moon, increase, become, become enthusiastic]: [he didn't get on wax until 1959] [I washed and waxed the floor] [she waxed her legs when necessary] [he waxed a series of tracks that emphasized his lead guitar work] [the latest waxing by the Grams]

alienable

[appropriable, assignable, conveyable, negotiable, transferable, transferrable]: [it was in the interest of the public and the landowners to make land freely alienable]

vault

[arched roof, cellar, strongroom, arched, jump]: [a Gothic ribbed vault] [the vault of heaven] [the cranial vault] [a wine vault] [the masterpieces were deposited in the vaults of Swiss banks]

toilsome

[arduous, backbreaking, grueling, gruelling, hard, heavy, laborious, operose, punishing]: [toilsome chores]

strenuous

[arduous, vigorous]: [the government made strenuous efforts to upgrade the quality of the teaching profession]

tract

[area, treatise]: [large tracts of natural forest] [it took courage to privatize vast tracts of nationalized industry] [the digestive tract]

originate

[arise, invent]: [the word originated as a marketing term] [he is responsible for originating this particular cliché]

arithmetic

[arithmetical]: [the laws of arithmetic] [arithmetic had never been her strong point] [arithmetic calculations]

limb

[arm, branch, isolated, in a precarious position]: [they got out, stretching their cramped limbs] [fractured limbs] [the bare limbs of a high tree] [a burglar risking life and limb to scramble into an open third-floor window] [Aberdeen is rather out on a limb]

armory

[armoury, inventory]:

negotiate

[arrange, discuss terms, get round/past/over]: [he negotiated a new contract with the sellers] [they refused to negotiate with the rebels] [she cautiously negotiated the hairpin bend]

layout

[arrangement, design]: [the road layout] [the layout is uncluttered and the illustrations are helpful] [doing layout for newspapers and magazines] [a model railway layout]

array

[arrangement, dress, arrange, dress]: [there is a vast array of literature on the topic] [a bewildering array of choices] [several arrays of solar panels will help provide power] [the lens focuses light on to an array of pixels] [I shall have my men drawn up here in battle array ready to come to your help]

supercilious

[arrogant]: [a supercilious lady's maid]

neuter

[asexual, castrate, spay]: [the Spirit is a neuter word in Greek] [soft, languid, sexually neuter types] [the conquering hero is a neuter] [all pit bulls must be registered and neutered] [a neutered tomcat]

charge

[ask in payment, bill, accuse of, entrust, burden, fill, suffuse, rush, attack, fee, cost, accusation, care, ward, duty, instruction, attack, responsible for, managing]: [wedding planners may charge an hourly fee of up to £150] [he charged me five dollars for the wine] [they charge the calls to their credit-card accounts] [they were charged with assault] [opponents charged that below-cost pricing would reduce safety]

appeal

[ask urgently/earnestly, implore, attract, plea, retrial, attraction]: [police are appealing for information about the incident] [she appealed to Germany for political asylum] [I appealed to his sense of justice] [he said he would appeal against the conviction] [they have 48 hours to appeal the decision]

congregate

[assemble]: [some 4,000 demonstrators had congregated at a border point]

appraise

[assess, value]: [there is a need to appraise existing techniques] [she cast an appraising eye over the notes] [some companies are considering team appraisals instead of appraising individuals] [they appraised the painting at £200,000] [a need to appraise existing techniques]

evaluation

[assessment]: [the evaluation of each method] [an initial evaluation of the programme]

consign

[assign, send, send, confine in, deposit]: [he consigned three paintings to Sotheby's] [the package was consigned by a famous sporting goods company] [she consigned the letter to the waste-paper basket]

ally

[associate, combine, unite]: [debate continued among NATO allies] [he was forced to dismiss his closest political ally] [they were caught between the German army of occupation and the advancing Allies] [he allied his racing experience with his father's business acumen] [he allied himself with the forces of change]

aeronautics

[astronautics]:

percipient

[astute]: [he is a percipient interpreter of the public mood]

leisure

[at your convenience]: [people with too much enforced leisure] [increased opportunities for leisure] [leisure activities] [writers with enough leisure to practise their art] [the rest of the day can be spent at leisure]

molecule

[atom, corpuscle, mote, particle, speck]:

giant

[colossus, huge]: [a giant among sportsmen] [giant multinational corporations] [a giant meteorite]

achievement

[attainment, accomplishment]: [to reach this stage is a great achievement] [the achievement of professional recognition] [assessing ability in terms of academic achievement] [a sense of achievement]

bean

[attic, bonce, dome, noggin, noodle]: [a tin of beans] [beans on toast] [a bean casserole] [there is not a single bean of substance in the report] [he didn't have a bean]

allure

[attraction, attract, enticing]: [people for whom gold holds no allure] [will sponsors really be allured by such opportunities?]

gravity

[attraction, seriousness, solemnity]: [crimes of the utmost gravity] [has the poet ever spoken with greater eloquence or gravity?]

audition

[auditory modality, auditory sense, hearing, sense of hearing]: [the Royal Ballet gave Nicola an audition] [I auditioned and was lucky enough to get the part] [she was auditioning people for her new series]

foreshadow

[augur]: [other new measures are foreshadowed in the White Paper]

necessarily

[automatically, unavoidably]: [the prognosis can necessarily be only an educated guess]

consciousness

[awareness, awareness of]: [she failed to regain consciousness and died two days later] [her acute consciousness of Luke's presence] [consciousness emerges from the operations of the brain]

awed

[awestricken, awestruck]: [he spoke in a hushed, awed whisper] [I watched her in awed silence]

inconvenient

[awkward]: [she telephoned frequently, usually at inconvenient times]

irritable

[bad-tempered]: [she was tired and irritable] [the seeds have been reputed to help conditions such as irritable bladder]

poise

[balance, composure, balance, position oneself]: [poise and good deportment can be cultivated] [at least he had a moment to think, to recover his poise] [the balance has passed the point where the spring is in poise] [he poised motionless on his toes] [the world was poised between peace and war]

bead

[ball, beads, droplet, aim at]: [long strings of beads] [rosary beads] [she fastened the beads round my neck] [a bead bracelet] [beads of sweat]

vote

[ballot, suffrage, go to the polls, elect, depose, suggest]: [they are ready to put it to a vote] [the nationalist vote in Northern Ireland] [they voted against the resolution] [I voted Labour] [incompetent judges are voted out of office]

gang

[band, circle, squad, conspire]: [a gang of bank robbers] [gang warfare] [three men were attacked by a gang of youths] [a street gang] [a government road gang]

desperado

[bandit]:

swap

[bandy, exchange, exchange]: [we swapped phone numbers] [I'd swap places with you any day] [I was wondering if you'd like to swap with me] [swap one of your sandwiches for a cheese and pickle?] [I swapped my busy life in London for a peaceful village retreat]

crack

[bang, blow, joke, attempt, split, break down, go bang, hit, solve, get tough on, break down, burst out laughing]: [a hairline crack down the middle of the glass] [he climbed into a crack between two rocks] [the door opened a tiny crack] [the company spotted a crack in their rival's defences] [a loud crack of thunder]

insolvency

[bankruptcy]: [the club was facing insolvency] [insolvencies in the media sector rose by 8%]

disqualify

[banned, ban]: [he was disqualified from driving for six months] [she was disqualified after failing a drugs test] [he was hit by a disqualified driver] [a heart murmur disqualified him for military service]

bagatelle

[bar billiards]: [dealing with these boats was a mere bagatelle for the world's oldest yacht club]

barcarole

[barcarolle]:

bleak

[bare, cold, unpromising]: [a bleak and barren moor] [he looked round the bleak little room in despair] [a bleak midwinter's day] [he paints a bleak picture of a company that has lost its way] [the future looks bleak]

baseball

[baseball game]: [a game of baseball] [a baseball player]

marvel

[be amazed, wonder, miracle]: [she marvelled at Geoffrey's composure] ['It looks huge,' marvelled Clare] [the marvels of technology]

consist

[be composed, exist]: [the crew consists of five men] [his poetry consisted in the use of emotive language] [the information perfectly consists with our friend's account] [to turn an entire consist requires a wye]

stretch

[be elastic, pull, extend, lie down, extend, prolong, be sufficient for, put a strain on, bend, reach out, stretchy, expanse, period, prison sentence, go for a walk]: [my jumper stretched in the wash] [rubber will stretch easily when pulled] [stretch the elastic] [small squares of canvas were stretched over the bamboo frame] [the cat yawned and stretched]

alternate

[be interspersed, give turns to, every other, alternating, alternative]: [bouts of depression alternate with periods of elation] [a season of alternating hot days and cool nights] [some adults who wish to alternate work with education] [the government alternated between the Labour and Conservative parties] [she was asked to attend on alternate days]

adjoin

[be next to, connecting]: [the dining room adjoins a conservatory] [to them were adjoined branches of trees]

close up

[be quiet, belt up, button up, clam up, dummy up, keep mum, shut up]: [close up she was no less pretty] [he didn't like her laughter and his face closed up angrily] [a close-up of her face] [they see themselves in close-up] [the book's close-up account of the violence]

tolerable

[bearable, fairly good]: [a stimulant to make life more tolerable] [he was fond of music and had a tolerable voice] [the welfare state works tolerably well]

endurable

[bearable]: [my journey was long but endurable]

appropriately

[befittingly, fitly, fittingly, suitably]: [volunteers need to be approachable, calm, and able to respond appropriately] [walls of raw concrete form a neutral yet appropriately rugged backdrop for the various objects]

importune

[beg, harass, solicit]: [she importuned a waiter for profiteroles] [they said they were arresting me for importuning]

take root

[begin to germinate, become established]: [the idea had taken root in my mind]

proceed

[begin, go ahead, take to court, go, originate]: [the consortium could proceed with the plan] [opposite the front door was a staircase which I proceeded to climb] [my studies are proceeding well] [he may still be able to proceed against the contractor under negligence rules] [from the High Street, proceed over Magdalen Bridge]

tyro

[beginner, initiate, novice, tiro]:

initial

[beginning, initial letter, initials, put one's initials on, ratify]: [our initial impression was favourable] [the witness was identified simply by an initial letter] [initial consonants] [they carved their initials into the desktops] [the man initialled the three warrants]

commencement

[beginning]: [the commencement of the trial] [the date of commencement] [a commencement address]

misbehave

[behave badly]: [Josh misbehaved, pushing his food off the table] [her regularly serviced car was misbehaving]

treatment

[behaviour towards, presentation, therapy]: [the directive required equal treatment for men and women in social security schemes] [comparison with earlier artists is useful in analysis of the treatment of women in her painting] [a bit of soft-shoe shuffle got the full treatment] [I'm receiving treatment for an injured shoulder] [anti-cancer treatments]

indebted

[beholden]: [heavily indebted countries] [I am indebted to her for her help in indexing my book]

tardy

[belated, late]: [please forgive this tardy reply] [this makes the car feel tardy in quick manoeuvres]

underground

[below ground, into hiding, subterranean, clandestine, alternative, underground railway, resistance movement]: [miners working underground] [many were forced to go underground by the government] [an underground car park] [Czech underground literature] [the New York underground art scene]

band

[belt, stripe, group, join (up)]: [wads of banknotes fastened with gummed paper bands] [Victoria settled the velvet band on her hair] [a narrow band of gold was her only jewellery] [look for a leg band on the osprey] [I'm wearing clerical bands, which are a sign of my office]

philanthropy

[benevolence]: [he acquired a considerable fortune and was noted for his philanthropy] [a philanthropy was incorporated to help oldsters obtain benefits like pension rights]

amelioration

[betterment, melioration]: [progress brings with it the amelioration of the human condition]

inconceivable

[beyond belief]: [it seemed inconceivable that the president had been unaware of what was going on] [they behaved with inconceivable cruelty] [a crisis of inconceivably devastating proportions]

unjust

[biased, wrongful]: [resistance to unjust laws]

prejudiced

[biased]: [people are prejudiced against us] [prejudiced views]

gravid

[big, enceinte, expectant, great, heavy, large, with child]: [the retroverted gravid uterus] [the scene is gravid with unease]

persnickety

[bigheaded, snooty, snot-nosed, snotty, stuck-up, too big for one's breeches, uppish]:

ecology

[bionomics, environmental science]:

piece

[bit, broken, component, share, work of art, article, example, token, put together, share, have a (mental/nervous) breakdown, unbroken, unhurt, similar, criticize, criticize]: [a piece of cheese] [the dish lay in pieces on the floor] [take a car to pieces] [a piece of luggage] [each employee owns a piece of the company]

acrimony

[bitterness]: [the AGM dissolved into acrimony]

tent

[bivouac, camp, camp out, encamp]: [the garden had been completely tented over for supper] [they were living in large tented camps] [Tim tented his fingers]

flare

[blaze, distress signal, burst, widening, blaze, burn, recur, break out, lose one's temper, spread]: [the flare of the match lit up his face] [a distress flare] [a flare gun] [she felt a flare of anger within her] [corticosteroid treatment for colitis flares]

wintry

[bleak, cold, unfriendly]: [a wintry landscape]

blurry

[bleary, blurred, foggy, fuzzy, hazy, muzzy]: [video projectors provided extremely blurry images] [vision may be hazy or blurry for a few days after surgery] [their eyes were blurry with tears] [there's a very blurry line between art and advertising] [my memories of him are blurry at best]

commingle

[blend, coalesce, combine, conflate, flux, fuse, immix, meld, merge, mix]: [the part of the brain where the senses commingle] [his humanitarian stance was commingled with a desire for survival]

dazzle

[blind temporarily, overpower, glare]: [she was dazzled by the headlights] [I was dazzled by the beauty and breadth of the exhibition] [I screwed my eyes up against the dazzle]

flush

[blush, red, rinse (out), drive, blush, bloom, well supplied with, plentiful]: [Rachel flushed angrily] [a wave of colour flushed his cheeks] [the sky was flushed with the gold of dawn] [she flushed the loo] [the nurse flushed out the catheter]

boatswain

[bo's'n, bo'sun, bos'n, bosun]:

vainglory

[boastfulness]: [his vainglory put the Republic at risk]

carcass

[body]: [she saw the mud-covered carcass of a sheep] [the carcass has a high proportion of meat to bone] [my obsession will last while there's life in this old carcass] [automotive carcasses stripped of radios, hubcaps and even body panels]

brazen

[bold, shameless, brass, put on a bold front]: [he went about his illegal business with a brazen assurance] [a brazen hussy] [brazen fire irons] [the music's brazen chords] [there was nothing to do but brazen it out]

windfall

[bonanza]: [members are to get an average £520 cash windfall for voting 'yes' to the merger]

volume

[book, capacity, quantity, loudness]: [a biography of George Bernard Shaw in three volumes] [a four-volume work] [a botanical library of 5,000 volumes] [her volume of short stories] [Chemistry in Britain Volume 28 Number 1]

edge

[border, sharpness, advantage, border, trim, creep, tense, allay]: [a willow tree at the water's edge] [she perched on the edge of a desk] [the cliff edge] [the economy was teetering on the edge of recession] [a knife with a razor-sharp edge]

flask

[bottle]: [a flask of coffee]

burgher

[bourgeois]: [the poem is not the sort of thing the sturdy burghers of Manchester would wish to read]

basin

[bowl, valley]: [she poured water from the jug into the basin] [the loch is cupped in a shallow basin among low hills] [the Amazon basin] [the gravel pit is to be used as a yacht basin]

wield

[brandish, exercise]: [a masked raider wielding a handgun] [faction leaders wielded enormous influence within the party]

courageous

[brave]: [her courageous human rights work]

severance

[breach, break, falling out, rift, rupture]: [the severance and disestablishment of the Irish Church] [a complete severance of links with the Republic] [employees were offered severance terms]

tum

[breadbasket, stomach, tummy]:

aurora

[break of day, break of the day, cockcrow, dawn, dawning, daybreak, dayspring, first light, morning, sunrise, sunup]:

disintegrate

[break up, break down, crumbling]: [our shoes had to last until they disintegrated on our feet] [a meson can spontaneously disintegrate] [it has become a relatively easy matter to disintegrate almost any atom] [their marriage disintegrated]

split

[break, break apart, fork, share (out), break up, divide, inform on/against, crack, rip, division, break-up, roar with laughter]: [the ice cracked and split] [split and toast the muffins] [a group of Nottinghamshire miners split away to create a separate union] [the river had split into a number of channels] [splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen]

disunion

[breaking up]: [his rejection of disunion was consistent with his nationalism]

exhale

[breathe out, give off]: [she sat back and exhaled deeply] [he exhaled the smoke towards the ceiling] [the jungle exhaled mists of early morning]

expiration

[breathing out, exhalation]: [the expiration of the lease] [the expiration of three years] [at the end of expiration there is still a slight inflation in the lungs]

laconic

[brief, taciturn]: [his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic]

contrive

[bring about, devise, manage]: [his opponents contrived a cabinet crisis] [you contrived to be alone with me despite the supervision] [he contrived to flood the flat three times]

broach

[bring up]: [he broached the subject he had been avoiding all evening] [he watched a pot boy broach a new cask] [boxed wines will remain in good condition for up to four months once broached] [the salmon broach, then fall to slap the water] [we had broached badly, side on to the wind and sea]

smuggle

[bring/take illegally]: [he's been smuggling cigarettes from Gibraltar into Spain] [cocaine smuggling has increased alarmingly] [he smuggled out a message]

sweeping

[broad, extensive, overwhelming, wholesale]: [sweeping, desolate moorlands] [a smooth sweeping motion] [we cannot recommend any sweeping alterations] [a sweeping assertion] [the sweepings from the house]

bronze

[bronze medal, tanned]: [the Minoans made large numbers of statuettes in ivory and bronze] [a bronze statue] [on the black bookcase were three exquisite bronzes] [rich, gleaming shades of bronze] [Alison was bronzed by outdoor life]

stream

[brook, jet, succession, flow, pour, flutter]: [a perfect trout stream] [Frank blew out a stream of smoke] [the blood gushed out in scarlet streams] [there is a steady stream of visitors] [a woman screamed a stream of abuse]

contuse

[bruise]: [the whole region beneath the ribcage was contused]

atrocious

[brutal, appalling]: [atrocious cruelties] [he attempted an atrocious imitation of my English accent] [atrocious weather]

bulbous

[bulging]: [a bulbous nose] [the bulbous buttercup]

hefty

[burly, heavy, substantial, powerful]: [a hefty young chap] [a hefty £10 million] [they could face hefty fines] [he aimed a hefty kick at the door]

cauterize

[burn]: [I'll freeze the hand and cauterize the wound]

incinerate

[burn]: [waste packaging is to be incinerated rather than buried in landfills]

salvo

[burst, fusillade, volley]: [a deafening salvo of shots rang out] [another salvo crashed nearer to the German positions] [the pardons provoked a salvo of accusations]

inhume

[bury, entomb, inter, lay to rest]: [no hand his bones shall gather or inhume]

grave

[burying place, serious, solemn]: [the coffin was lowered into the grave] [a mass grave] [life beyond the grave] [they lifted the aircraft from its watery grave] [you're digging your own grave by walking away right now]

dealing

[business methods, relations, trade]: [they had dealings with an insurance company] [my dealings with the gentler sex] [share dealings] [drug dealing]

clientele

[business, patronage]: [the solicitor's clientele] [the dancers don't mix with the clientele]

sanguineous

[butcherly, gory, sanguinary, slaughterous]:

remit

[cancel, pardon, send, pass (on), postpone, diminish, area of responsibility]: [the excess of the sentence over 12 months was remitted] [God's act of remitting the sins of guilty men] [the income they remitted to their families] [the request for an investigation was remitted to a special committee] [it remits an offender to another court after convicting him]

remission

[cancellation, reduction in sentence, forgiveness, respite]: [the scheme allows for the partial remission of tuition fees] [for every two days they work the prisoners earn one day's remission of their sentence] [ten patients remained in remission]

applicant

[candidate]: [applicants for the degree course] [a job applicant]

beatify

[canonize]: [he beatified Juan Diego, an Indian believed to have had a vision of the Virgin Mary in 1531]

give in

[capitulate]: [he reluctantly gave in to the pressure]

fickle

[capricious]: [celebs trying to appeal to an increasingly fickle public]

card

[cardboard, greetings card, identification, credit card, playing card, cards, dismiss, likely]: [some notes jotted down on a card] [a piece of card] [a birthday card] [a membership card entitled you to library services] [she dug into her bag and produced her card]

light-hearted

[carefree]: [a light-hearted speech]

negligence

[carelessness]: [his injury was due to the negligence of his employers]

load

[cargo, commitment, a lot, fill, pack, reward, bias, prime, insert]: [in addition to their own food, they must carry a load of up to eighty pounds] [a lorry-load of soldiers] [I do at least six loads of washing a week] [the streams deposited their loads, leaving thin sheets of gravel or sand] [the increased load on the heart caused by a raised arterial pressure]

freight

[cargo, transportation, transport]: [a decline in the amount of freight carried by rail] [a freight train] [the truck-based system can outperform air freight at distances of up to seven hundred miles] [a bill indicating that the freight has been paid] [the metals had been freighted from the city]

hypercritical

[carping, picky]: [he was a sarcastic, hypercritical man]

perform

[carry out, function, stage, appear]: [I have my duties to perform] [the car performs well at low speeds] [our £120 million investment in the company is not performing at present] [when I go to bed with any other woman I am quite unable to perform] [the play has already been performed in Britain]

ignite

[catch fire, light, arouse]: [furniture can give off lethal fumes when it ignites] [he lit a cigarette which ignited the petrol fumes] [the words ignited new fury in him]

shibboleth

[catchword, motto, slogan]: [liberal shibboleths about education]

mordant

[caustic]: [a mordant sense of humour] [mordanting a fibre is simple] [mordanted wool]

corrosive

[caustic]: [the corrosive effects of salt water]

incessant

[ceaseless]: [the incessant beat of the music]

chastity

[celibacy]: [vows of chastity]

expurgate

[censor]: [an expurgated English translation]

attest

[certify]: [his status is attested by his becoming an alderman] [his numerous drawings of babies attest to his fascination with them] [I can attest to his tremendous energy] [the deceased's solicitor attested that he had been about to institute divorce proceedings] [the witnesses must attest and sign the will in the testator's presence]

contender

[challenger, competition, competitor, rival]: [a presidential contender] [the major contenders in the football championship]

fortune

[chance, fate, luck, circumstances, wealth]: [some malicious act of fortune keeps them separate] [only good fortune has prevented British casualties] [he is credited with turning round the company's fortunes] [he inherited a substantial fortune] [I spent a fortune on drink]

personality

[character, charisma, celebrity]: [she had a sunny personality that was very engaging] [she has triumphed by sheer force of personality] [she's always had loads of personality] [an official opening by a famous personality]

charcoal

[charcoal-gray, charcoal-grey]: [lamb grilled on charcoal] [a selection of works in pencil and charcoal] [with a thick charcoal he traced out the line of the front] [charcoal cord trousers]

accuse

[charge with, blame for]: [he was accused of murdering his wife's lover] [he was accused of favouritism]

incitement

[egging on, instigation]: [this amounted to an incitement to commit murder]

philanthropic

[charitable]: [they receive financial support from philanthropic bodies]

prattle

[chatter, chatter]: [she began to prattle on about her visit to the dentist] [do you intend to keep up this childish prattle?]

fudge

[chewy sweet, compromise, evade, falsify]: [a sundae with whipped cream, ice cream, hot fudge, and a cherry on top] [a fudge cake] [the new settlement is a fudge rushed out to win cheers at the conference] [I hope your marriage will cure you of your silly fudge] [the authorities have fudged the issue]

lily-livered

[chicken, chickenhearted, white-livered, yellow, yellow-bellied]: [he hates lily-livered politicians and permissive judges]

chin

[chin up]: [grey stubble covered his cheeks and chin] [he looked about ready to chin someone] [each boy must chin a bar four times] [keep your chin up, we're not lost yet] [one of her great strengths is her ability to take it on the chin]

plump

[chubby, put, flop, choose]: [the berries were plump and sweet] [she wore an outfit she'd always wanted to try but felt she was too plump to risk] [she plumped up her pillows] [stew the dried fruits gently until they plump up] [she plumped her bag on the table]

disc

[circle, record, compact disc]: [coins were made by striking a blank disc of metal] [a man's body with an identity disc around the neck] [the smudged yellow disc of the moon] [he suffered a prolapsed disc]

round

[circular, plump, sonorous, complete, candid, circle, circuit, stage, succession, bullet, around, throughout, go round, approximately, smooth off, complete, snap at]: [she was seated at a small, round table] [round brackets] [a round glass ball] [the grapes are small and round] [he could move quickly despite his round physique]

perimeter

[circumference, boundary]: [the perimeter of a rectangle] [the perimeter of the garden] [a perimeter fence] [he was very patient in working the ball around the perimeter]

context

[circumstances, frame of reference]: [the proposals need to be considered in the context of new European directives] [skilled readers use context to construct meaning from words as they are read] [the complex meaning of irony is only graspable in context] [the article portrayed her as domineering by dropping quotes from her out of context]

skirted

[circumvent, dodge, duck, elude, evade, fudge, hedge, parry, put off, sidestep]: [a long-skirted dress] [a plaid-skirted schoolgirl] [skirted coats]

caste

[class]: [members of the lower castes] [a man of high caste] [caste has survived among Goa's Christians] [the caste system] [those educated in private schools belong to a privileged caste]

hygiene

[cleanliness]: [poor standards of food hygiene] [personal hygiene]

distinct

[clear, discrete, separate]: [the patterns of spoken language are distinct from those of writing] [there are two distinct types of sickle cell disease] [the gallery is divided into five distinct spaces] [a distinct smell of nicotine] [he got the distinct impression that Melissa wasn't best pleased]

explicit

[clear, precise, uncensored]: [the arrangement had not been made explicit] [let me be explicit] [a sexually explicit blockbuster]

cashier

[clerk, dismiss]: [he was found guilty and cashiered] [the team owner had been cashiered for consorting with a gambler]

brightness

[cleverness, smartness]: [we can change the brightness of the bulb] [the comet's brightness had dimmed] [his mother called to him from the brightness of the kitchen] [the brightness will linger through Wednesday] [the brightness of a winter's day]

precipice

[cliff face]: [we swerved toward the edge of the precipice]

culmination

[climax]: [the deal marked the culmination of years of negotiation]

coterie

[clique]: [a coterie of friends and advisers]

conjunction

[co-occurrence, together]: [a conjunction of favourable political and economic circumstances] [he postulated that the Americas were formed by the conjunction of floating islands] [the conjunctions and oppositions of the planets] [the planet reached conjunction with the sun] [herbal medicine was used in conjunction with acupuncture and massage]

seashore

[coast, sea-coast, seacoast]:

persuasion

[coaxing, belief, group]: [Monica needed plenty of persuasion before she actually left] [writers of all political persuasions] [the village had two chapels for those of the Primitive Methodist persuasion] [half a dozen gents of British persuasion]

spiral

[coiled, coil, coil, soar, deteriorate]: [a spiral pattern] [a wrought-iron spiral staircase] [a spiral notebook] [a spiral of smoke] [an inflationary spiral]

cooperation

[collaboration, assistance]: [they worked in close cooperation with the British Tourist Authority] [we should like to ask for your cooperation in the survey]

fund

[collection, money, stock, finance]: [he had set up a fund to coordinate economic investment] [a concert to raise funds for the church] [a vast fund of information] [the World Bank refused to fund the project] [he had bought a painting by Modigliani when he was in funds]

biased

[colored, coloured, one-sided, skewed, slanted]: [we will not tolerate this biased media coverage]

resonate

[come across]: [the sound of the siren resonated across the harbour] [the words resonate with so many different meanings] [the judge's ruling resonated among many of the women] [the crystal resonates at 16 MHz]

arrival

[coming, comer, emergence]: [Ruth's arrival in New York] [he was dead on arrival at hospital] [hotel staff greeted the late arrivals] [the arrival of democracy] [sociology is a relatively new arrival on the academic scene]

memorize

[commit to memory]: [he memorized thousands of verses]

analogous

[comparable]: [they saw the relationship between a ruler and his subjects as analogous to that of father and children]

amends

[compensation, compensate]: [try to make amends for the rude way you spoke to Lucy] [the plaintiff cannot succeed if the defendant proves that an offer of amends was made in good time]

vie

[compete]: [the athletes were vying for a place in the British team]

protestant

[complaining, complaintive]: [the Protestant religion] [the family were staunchly Protestant]

consummate

[complete, perfect]: [his first wife refused to consummate their marriage] [the property sale is consummated] [she dressed with consummate elegance]

complicated

[complex]: [a complicated stereo system] [a long and complicated saga] [complicated appendicitis]

amenable

[compliant, susceptible]: [parents who have amenable children] [cardiac failure not amenable to medical treatment]

involved

[complicated]: [a long, involved conversation]

flatter

[compliment, honour, suit]: [she was flattering him in order to avoid doing what he wanted] [I was very flattered to be given the commission] [she felt flattered that he was confiding in her] ['Don't flatter yourself! I wasn't doing it for your benefit!'] [the final scoreline flattered England]

conform

[comply with, follow convention, match]: [the kitchen does not conform to hygiene regulations] [the changes were introduced to conform with international classifications] [the pressure to conform] [the countryside should conform to a certain idea of the picturesque]

element

[component, trace, basics, the weather, natural environment]: [the death had all the elements of a great tabloid story] [there are four elements to the proposal] [it was the element of danger he loved in flying] [legal training may include the elements of economics and political science] [extreme right-wing elements in the army]

constitution

[composition, health]: [Britain lacks a codified constitution] [the genetic constitution of a species] [the constitution of a police authority] [pregnancy had weakened her constitution] [the individual's constitution is commonly described as his nature]

composite

[compound, amalgamation]: [this soup is one of those composite dishes which you gradually build up] [modern composite materials] [composite coaches containing first-class and third-class compartments] [the English legal system is a composite of legislation and judicial precedent] [the next decade may well see the introduction of more designer polymers and composites]

detailed

[comprehensive]: [more detailed information was needed] [an exquisitely detailed carving]

hide

[conceal, obscure, keep secret, conceal oneself, skin]: [he hid the money in the house] [they swept up the pieces and hid them away] [clouds rolled up and hid the moon] [Herbert could hardly hide his dislike] [Juliet's first instinct was to hide under the blankets]

bother

[concern oneself, worry, disturb, trouble, nuisance]: [scientists rarely bother with such niceties] [the driver didn't bother to ask why] [secrecy is an issue which bothers journalists] [it bothered me that I hadn't done anything] [don't bother about me—I'll find my own way home]

succinct

[concise]: [use short, succinct sentences]

brevity

[conciseness, shortness]: [the staff will edit manuscripts with a view to brevity and clarity] [for brevity, it is worth using these little symbols] [the brevity of human life]

concordance

[concord, harmony]: [a concordance to the Bible] [the concordance between the teams' research results] [the value of concordanced information]

dependent

[conditional on, reliant on, addicted to]: [the various benefits will be dependent on length of service] [an economy heavily dependent on oil exports] [households with dependent children] [people dependent on drugs] [a clause dependent on another clause]

comport

[conduct oneself, behave]: [articulate students who comported themselves well in interviews] [they do all that nature and art can do to comport with his will]

conductivity

[conduction]: [they constructed models from two materials with different thermal conductivities]

federal

[confederate]: [a federal Europe] [the health ministry has sole federal responsibility for health care]

federation

[confederation, combination]: [the Russian Federation] [the World Chess Federation] [a first step in the federation of Europe]

morale

[confidence]: [the team's morale was high]

secret

[confidential, hidden, cryptic, secluded, uncommunicative, confidential matter, mystery, recipe, secretly]: [how did you guess I'd got a secret plan?] [the resupply effort was probably kept secret from Congress] [a secret drinker] [he can be the most secret man] [a state secret]

constellation

[configuration]: [no two patients ever show exactly the same constellation of symptoms]

convergent

[confluent, merging, focused, focussed, oblique]: [a convergent boundary] [there are a number of convergent reasons for the growth of interest in pragmatics] [one of the most bizarre examples of convergent evolution concerns the so-called periodical cicadas]

perplexed

[confused, at a loss, nonplused, nonplussed, puzzled, at sea, baffled, befuddled, bemused, bewildered, confounded, confused, lost, mazed, mixed-up, metagrabolised, metagrabolized, metagrobolised, metagrobolized, mystified, questioning, quizzical, stuck]: [she gave him a perplexed look]

coagulate

[congeal]: [blood had coagulated round the edges of the gash] [adrenaline coagulates the blood]

relation

[connection, relevance, dealings, relative, relations]: [questions about the relation between writing and reality] [the size of the targets bore no relation to their importance] [the improvement in relations between the two countries] [the meetings helped cement Anglo-American relations] [did you always have good, healthy relations with your wife?]

correlation

[connection]: [research showed a clear correlation between recession and levels of property crime] [there was no correlation between the number of visits to the clinic and the treatment outcome] [the increasingly similar basis underlying national soil maps allows correlation to take place more easily]

overtone

[connotation]: [the decision may have political overtones]

subdue

[conquer, curb]: [she managed to subdue an instinct to applaud] [Charles went on a campaign to subdue the Saxons]

subjugate

[conquer]: [the invaders had soon subjugated most of the population] [the new ruler firmly subjugated the Church to the state]

dutiful

[conscientious, obedient]: [a dutiful daughter] [dutiful applause] [a dutiful visit]

sequential

[consecutive, sequent, serial, successive]: [a series of sequential steps] [sequential processing of data files]

conservatism

[conservativism]: [proponents of theological conservatism] [a party that espoused conservatism] [the thrust of post-war Conservatism]

ingredient

[constituent, ingredients]: [mix all of the ingredients together] [pork is an important ingredient in many stir-fried dishes] [the affair contains all the ingredients of an insoluble mystery]

restraint

[constraint, confinement, belt, self-control, reserve, subtlety]: [decisions are made within the financial restraints of the budget] [a policy of restraint in public spending] [he remained aggressive and required physical restraint] [car safety restraints] [he urged the protestors to exercise restraint]

tub

[container, pot, bath]: [a rainwater tub] [a margarine tub] [she ate a tub of yogurt] [a soak in the tub] [they are loading the coal into tubs for transportation]

meditation

[contemplation]: [a life of meditation] [this is not a mythopoetic meditation on manhood, it's a historical study]

current

[contemporary, prevalent, steady flow, course, trend]: [keep abreast of current events] [I started my current job in 2001] [the other meaning of the word is still current] [ocean currents] [this completes the circuit so that a current flows to the lamp]

dismissive

[contemptuous]: [monetarist theory is dismissive of the need to control local spending] [his dismissive attitude towards women left him isolated]

continuity

[continuousness, interrelationship]: [a consensus favouring continuity of policy] [they have provided the country with a measure of continuity] [a firm line of continuity between pre-war and post-war Britain] [a continuity error] [the BBC continuity announcer]

belie

[contradict, conceal]: [his lively, alert manner belied his years] [the quality of the music seems to belie the criticism]

compare

[contrast, liken, be (nearly) as good as, without equal]: [individual schools compared their facilities with those of others in the area] [the survey compares prices in different countries] [total attendance figures were 28,000, compared to 40,000 at last year's event] [her novel was compared to the work of Daniel Defoe] [he compared the religions to different paths towards the peak of the same mountain]

disparate

[contrasting]: [they inhabit disparate worlds of thought] [a culturally disparate country]

stylize

[conventionalize, stylise]: [gracefully shaped vases decorated with stylized but recognizable white lilies]

overlap

[convergence, intersection]: [the canopy overlaps the house roof at one end] [the curtains overlap at the centre when closed] [the union's commitments overlapped with those of NATO] [two new series overlapped] [an overlap of about half an inch]

transport

[convey, banish, thrill, conveyance, transit, frenzy, rapture]: [the bulk of freight traffic was transported by lorry] [he was convicted of theft and transported] [the book transported her to new worlds] [she was transported with pleasure] [many possess their own forms of transport]

sophisticate

[convolute, pervert, twist, twist around]: [readers who have been sophisticated by modern literary practice] [she'll sophisticate in three languages] [books of casuistry, which sophisticate the understanding and defile the heart] [he is still the butt of jokes made by New York sophisticates]

convolve

[convolute]:

cuisine

[cooking]: [much Venetian cuisine is based on seafood] [we spent the evening sampling the local cuisine]

collaborate

[cooperate, fraternize]: [he collaborated with him on numerous hotel projects] [during the last war they collaborated with the Nazis]

collaboration

[cooperation, fraternizing]: [he wrote a book in collaboration with his son] [his recent opera was a collaboration with Lessing] [he faces charges of collaboration]

profuse

[copious]: [I offered my profuse apologies] [they are profuse in hospitality]

crown

[coronet, monarch, title, top, invest, top, round off, hit over the head]: [their loyalty to the Church came before their loyalty to the Crown] [shiny covers embossed with gold crowns] [the world heavyweight crown] [the crown of the hill] [his hair was swept straight back over his crown]

caustic

[corrosive, sarcastic, cutting]: [a caustic cleaner] [the players were making caustic comments about the refereeing]

cosmos

[cosmea]: [he sat staring deep into the void, reminding himself of man's place in the cosmos] [the new gender-free intellectual cosmos]

expense

[cost, outgoing, expenses, sacrifice]: [conference rooms were equipped at great expense] [book into the best hotel you can find and hang the expense] [his hotel and travel expenses] [tolls are a daily expense] [up to $17,500 in capital expenditures can be expensed in the year they were incurred]

face

[countenance, expression, (outward) appearance, side, dial, look out on, accept, brave, be confronted by, beset, stand up to, cover, effrontery, respect, ostensibly, front]: [she was scarlet in the face and perspiring profusely] [the happy faces of these children] [the unacceptable face of social drinking] [the faces of a cube] [the north face of the Eiger]

judicature

[court, tribunal]: [the constitutional principle that the legislature is separate from the judicature]

percussion

[crash]: [percussion instruments] [the clattering percussion of objects striking the walls and the shutters] [the chest sounded dull on percussion]

gullible

[credulous]: [an attempt to persuade a gullible public to spend their money]

doctrine

[creed]: [the doctrine of predestination] [the Truman Doctrine]

cradle

[crib, birthplace, framework, hold]: [the baby slept peacefully in its cradle] [the welfare state was set up to provide care from the cradle to the grave] [the Middle East is generally held to be the cradle of agriculture] [she cradled his head in her arms] [the north-eastern states cradled an American industrial revolution]

felonious

[criminal]: [they turned their felonious talents to the smuggling trade] [his conduct was felonious]

mongrel

[cross-bred, cross-breed]: [she's a particularly intelligent mongrel with a lot of collie in her] [three-week-old mongrel pups] [she was a mongrel, only half French]

major

[crucial, important, serious, greatest]: [the use of drugs is a major problem] [he got the major share of the spoils] [C to E is a major third] [Prelude in G Major] [a trumpet major]

crisp

[crunchy, firm, brisk, terse, brusque]: [crisp bacon] [the snow is lovely and crisp] [a crisp lettuce] [£65 in crisp new notes] [a crisp autumn day]

squash

[crush, force, put an end to, humiliate]: [wash and squash the cans before depositing them] [a squashed packet of cigarettes] [she squashed some of her clothes inside the bag] [I squashed into the middle of the crowd] [the mournful sound did nothing to squash her high spirits]

cryptogram

[cryptograph, secret writing]:

perpetrator

[culprit]: [the perpetrators of this horrific crime must be brought to justice]

crafty

[cunning]: [a crafty crook faked an injury to escape from prison] [he sneaked off to a toilet for a crafty smoke] [a market full of crafty pots and interesting earrings]

transfuse

[cup]: [it is usual to transfuse blood screened for cytomegalovirus] [white cells in the transfused blood] [the decision to transfuse was made] [we became transfused by a radiance of joy]

custodian

[curator]: [the custodians of pension and insurance funds] [the custodian of the Great Seal in Canada is always the Secretary of State]

bridle

[curb, bristle]: [grooms came at once to take the bridles] [five horses, saddled and bridled, were tied by the reins to branches of trees] [the fact that he was their servant bridled his tongue] [she bridled at his tone]

terse

[curt]: [a terse statement]

customize

[customise]: [the software can be customized to the developing needs of your students] [many caterers offer private tastings and customized menus]

fell

[cut down, knock down, all at once]: [33 million trees are felled each day] [Whitlock felled him with one punch] [a flat-felled seam] [Cross Fell] [the fell disease that was threatening her sister]

datum

[data point]: [the fact is a datum worth taking into account] [this is not a permanent and unchangeable datum] [an accurate datum is formed by which other machining operations can be carried out]

epoch

[date of reference]: [the Victorian epoch] [these events marked an epoch in their history] [the Pliocene epoch]

stun

[daze, astound]: [the man was stunned by a blow to the head] [the community was stunned by the tragedy] [she stared at him in stunned disbelief]

fatal

[deadly, disastrous]: [a fatal accident] [there were three fatal flaws in the strategy]

internecine

[deadly]: [the region's history of savage internecine warfare] [the party shrank from the trauma of more internecine strife]

paucity

[dearth]: [a paucity of information]

demise

[death, end]: [Mr Grisenthwaite's tragic demise] [the demise of industry] [the manor and the mill were demised for twenty-one-year terms] [the demised property]

degenerate

[debased, corrupt, reprobate, deteriorate, waste away]: [a degenerate form of a higher civilization] [degenerate offshoots from the main line of vertebrate progress] [get out of my house, you degenerate!] [the quality of life had degenerated] [the debate degenerated into a brawl]

disputation

[debate]: [promoting consensus rather than disputation] [a lengthy disputation about the rights and wrongs of a particular request] [the founding father of logical disputation] [scholastic disputations]

rubble

[debris]: [two buildings collapsed, trapping scores of people in the rubble] [the tower is built of stone rubble faced with ashlar]

decapod

[decapod crustacean]:

deception

[deceit, trick]: [obtaining property by deception] [a range of elaborate deceptions]

hoodwink

[deceive]: [staff were hoodwinked into thinking the cucumber was a sawn-off shotgun]

bluff

[deception, subterfuge, pretend, deceive, plain-spoken, cliff]: [the offer was denounced as a bluff] [his game of bluff] [he's been bluffing all along] [they bluffed their way past the sentries] [the object is to bluff your opponent into submission]

decisive

[deciding, resolute]: [the archers played a decisive part in the victory] [a decisive battle] [she had an image of being tough and decisive] [he handled the situation in a calm, decisive way]

decimal

[decimal fraction]: [decimal arithmetic] [decimal coinage] [write these decimals as vulgar fractions] [the computer converts the initial data from decimal to binary]

statement

[declaration]: [do you agree with this statement?] [this is correct as a statement of fact] [Minton's love of clear statement] [the ministers issued a joint statement calling for negotiations] [she made a statement to the police]

refuse

[decline, withhold, rubbish]: [I refused to answer] [he was severely beaten when he refused] [she refused a cigarette] [the old lady was refused admission to four hospitals] [the car refused to start]

illustrate

[decorate, with illustrations, explain, exemplify]: [the guide is illustrated with full-colour photographs] [the results are illustrated in Figure 7] [the World Cup illustrated what high standards our players must achieve]

ribbon

[decoration, laurel wreath, medal, medallion, palm]: [the tiny pink ribbons in her hair] [four lengths of ribbon] [his medal ribbons were bright as a rainbow] [in the Silk Cup trophy class Mullins stayed in the ribbons] [slice the peppers into ribbons lengthways]

decriminalize

[decriminalise, legalise, legalize, legitimate, legitimatise, legitimatize, legitimise, legitimize]: [a battle to decriminalize cannabis]

orotund

[deep, pompous]:

libel

[defamation, defame]: [he was found guilty of a libel on a Liverpool inspector of taxes] [she sued two newspapers for libel] [a libel action] [the jury found that he was libelled by a newspaper] [if a ship does you any injury you libel the ship]

conquer

[defeat, seize, overcome, climb]: [he conquered Cyprus] [they've conquered new markets in Japan] [a conquered people] [a fear she never managed to conquer] [the second Briton to conquer Everest]

worst

[defeat]: [he was the company's worst driver] [the speech was the worst he had ever made] [at least 32 people died in Australia's worst bus accident] [manufacturing and mining are the industries worst affected by falling employment] [he was voted the worst-dressed celebrity]

fault

[defect, defect, responsibility, find fault with, to blame, excessively]: [my worst fault is impatience] [a fire caused by an electrical fault] [the fault of the keen therapist is to start to intervene during the assessment phase] [if books were not selling, it wasn't the fault of the publishers] [it was his fault she had died]

protection

[defence, safe keeping, barrier]: [the B vitamins give protection against infection] [his son was put under police protection] [the castle was built as protection against the Saxons] [a protection against the evil eye] [most Western countries provide constitutional protections for the civil and political rights of their citizens]

shortfall

[deficit, shortage]: [they are facing an expected $10 billion shortfall in revenue]

thaw

[defrost, melt, become friendlier]: [the river thawed and barges of food began to reach the capital] [catastrophic summer floods caused by thawing] [European exporters simply thawed their beef before unloading] [Riven began to feel his ears and toes thaw out] [she thawed out sufficiently to allow a smile to appear]

ornate

[elaborate, elaborate]: [an ornate wrought-iron railing] [peculiarly ornate and metaphorical language]

demean

[degrading, discredit, cheapen, demean oneself]: [I had demeaned the profession] [good potential MPs would not demean themselves by setting out to acquire popularity] [no man demeaned himself so honourably]

procrastinate

[delay]: [the temptation will be to procrastinate until the power struggle plays itself out]

disarmament

[demilitarization]: [the public wanted peace and disarmament] [disarmament treaties between America and the former Soviet Union]

dweller

[denizen, habitant, indweller, inhabitant]: [city dwellers] [the majority of urban dwellers live in small apartments]

reliance

[dependence, trust in]: [the farmer's reliance on pesticides]

symbiotic

[dependent]: [the fungi form symbiotic associations with the roots of plant species] [the reader can have a symbiotic relationship with the writer]

epilation

[depilation]:

derivation

[deriving, induction, origin, etymology]: [the derivation of scientific laws from observation] [music of primarily Turkish derivation] [a good dictionary includes derivations]

desalination

[desalinisation, desalinization]: [the newly constructed plant for the desalination of seawater remains inoperative] [the water supply comes from desalination plants]

espy

[descry, spot, spy]: [she espied her daughter rounding the corner]

sacrilege

[desecration]: [putting ecclesiastical vestments to secular use was considered sacrilege]

abandonment

[desertion, disuse, renunciation]: [she had a feeling of utter abandonment and loneliness]

pattern

[design, model, system, decorated, shape]: [a neat blue herringbone pattern] [the house had been built on the usual pattern] [a complicating factor is the change in working patterns] [make a pattern for the zigzag edge] [the bag contained wool, needles, and a pattern for a sweater]

indicate

[designate, demonstrate, state, point to, advisable]: [dotted lines indicate the text's margins] [sales indicate a growing market for such art] [his tone indicated that he didn't hold out much hope] [the president indicated his willingness to use force against the rebels] [he indicated Cindy with a brief nod of the head]

architect

[designer, originator]: [the great Norman architect of Durham Cathedral] [the architects of the reform programme] [an architected information interface]

bureau

[desk, agency, department]: [a news bureau] [the London bureau of the Washington Post] [the intelligence bureau]

melancholy

[desolation, sad]: [an air of melancholy surrounded him] [he had an ability to convey a sense of deep melancholy and yearning through much of his work] [at the centre of his music lies a profound melancholy and nostalgia] [she felt a little melancholy] [a dark, melancholy young man with deep-set eyes]

desperate

[despairing, anguished, last-ditch, grave, dire, urgent, violent, in great need of, eager]: [a desperate sadness enveloped Ruth] [drugs used in a desperate attempt to save his life] [there is a desperate shortage of teachers] [a desperate criminal] [that beer's desperate—it's a wonder you've the nerve to offer it for sale]

devastation

[destruction, laying waste, shock]: [the floods caused widespread devastation] [she spoke of her devastation at his death]

wreck

[destruction, shipwreck, wreckage, shipwreck, demolish, ruin]: [the survivors of the wreck] [the salvaging of treasure from wrecks] [the profits of wreck] [the plane was reduced to a smouldering wreck] [the wreck of their marriage]

resolute

[determined]: [he was resolute in his fight to uphold liberal values]

divergent

[differing]: [divergent interpretations] [varieties of English can remain astonishingly divergent from one another] [divergent thinking]

unearth

[dig up, discover]: [workmen unearthed an ancient artillery shell] [they have done all they can to unearth the truth]

dwindle

[diminish, decline]: [traffic has dwindled to a trickle] [dwindling resources]

tumult

[din, turmoil]: [a tumult of shouting and screaming broke out] [the whole neighbourhood was in a state of fear and tumult] [his personal tumult ended when he began writing songs]

statecraft

[diplomacy, statesmanship]: [issues of statecraft require great deliberation]

destitution

[dire poverty]: [the family faced eviction and destitution]

unilateral

[direct, lineal]: [unilateral nuclear disarmament] [unilateral cerebral lesions]

inactivate

[disable]: [household bleach does not inactivate the virus] [inactivated polio vaccine]

drawback

[disadvantage]: [the main drawback of fitting catalytic converters is the cost] [they had been complaining of difficulties in getting quick reimbursement of duty drawback]

dissension

[disagreement, dissonance]: [these issues caused bitter dissension in the party] [the mill was the cause of a dissension in 1620]

tragic

[disastrous, dreadful, sad]: [the shooting was a tragic accident] [the tragic parents reached the end of their tether] [the fact that they are so loved-up reminds me just how spectacularly tragic my life is] [she wears tragic cardigans, usually done up the wrong way] [the same rules apply whether the plot is tragic or comic]

ruinous

[disastrous, extortionate, derelict]: [a ruinous effect on the environment] [the cost of their ransom might be ruinous] [the castle is ruinous]

catastrophic

[disastrous]: [a catastrophic earthquake] [catastrophic mismanagement of the economy] [the body undergoes catastrophic collapse towards the state of a black hole]

demobilize

[disband]: [he was demobilized in February 1946] [Germany demanded that they demobilize within twelve hours]

discourse

[discussion, essay, lecture, hold forth, converse]: [the language of political discourse] [an imagined discourse between two people] [a discourse on critical theory] [she could discourse at great length on the history of Europe] [he spent an hour discoursing with his supporters]

eviscerate

[disembowel]: [the goat had been skinned and neatly eviscerated] [myriad little concessions that would eviscerate the project]

disenfranchise

[disfranchise]: [the law disenfranchised some 3,000 voters on the basis of a residence qualification] [we strongly oppose any measure which would disenfranchise people from access to legal advice]

camouflage

[disguise, protective colouring, facade, disguise]: [on the trenches were pieces of turf which served for camouflage] [figures dressed in army camouflage] [the whiteness of polar bears provides camouflage] [much of my apparent indifference was merely protective camouflage] [the caravan was camouflaged with netting and branches from trees]

discourage

[dishearten, disheartened, depressing, prevent, inhibit, deter]: [tedious regulations could discourage investors] [the plan is designed to discourage the use of private cars] [we want to discourage children from smoking]

fraudulent

[dishonest]: [fraudulent share dealing] [fraudulent psychics]

disingenuous

[dishonest]: [this journalist was being somewhat disingenuous as well as cynical]

disgrace

[dishonour, shame, out of favour, scandal, discredit, bring shame on, discredit, humiliate, discredited]: [he left the army in disgrace] [if he'd gone back it would have brought disgrace on the family] [he's a disgrace to the legal profession] [you have disgraced the family name] [John stiffened his jaw so he wouldn't disgrace himself by crying]

crumble

[disintegrate, crush]: [the plaster started to crumble] [their crumbling ancestral home] [the easiest way to crumble blue cheese] [the party's fragile unity began to crumble] [sprinkle the crumble over the rhubarb]

ruin

[disintegration, remains, downfall, bankruptcy, destroy, derelict, wreck, destroyed, bankrupt, derelict, destroyed]: [a large white house falling into gentle ruin] [the ruins of the castle] [the church is a ruin now] [the ruin and heartbreak wrought by alcohol, divorce, and violence] [the financial cost could mean ruin]

insubordinate

[disobedient]: [an insubordinate attitude]

affliction

[disorder, suffering, afflictions]: [a crippling affliction of the nervous system] [poor people in great affliction]

refugee

[displaced person]: [tens of thousands of refugees fled their homes] [a refugee camp]

irreverent

[disrespectful]: [she is irreverent about the whole business of politics]

heresy

[dissension]: [Huss was burned for heresy] [the doctrine was denounced as a heresy by the Pope] [the heresy of being uncommitted to the right political dogma]

nonconformist

[dissenter]: [originally a Nonconformist, he was later converted to Anglo-Catholicism] [Jenkins was a nonconformist who disdained the rugby union coaching certificate] [she was a nonconformist, an individualist] [teetotalism was a largely Nonconformist movement] [a Nonconformist minister]

personal

[distinctive, direct, in person, individual, private, derogatory]: [her personal fortune was recently estimated at £37 million] [the President and his wife made personal appearances for the re-election of the state governor] [the book describes his sporting career and gives little information about his personal life] [he had the cheek to make personal remarks] [personal hygiene]

unmistakable

[distinctive, plain]: [the unmistakable sound of his laughter]

specialty

[distinctiveness, peculiarity, speciality, specialness]:

characterize

[distinguish, portray]: [she characterized the period as the decade of revolution] [the disease is characterized by weakening of the immune system]

upset

[distress, knock over, disrupt, unexpected result, distress, disorder, distressed, disordered]: [the accusation upset her] [a painful and upsetting divorce] [he upset a tureen of soup] [the dam will upset the ecological balance] [the motion of the boat would upset his stomach]

region

[district, approximately]: [the equatorial regions] [a major wine-producing region] [Lothian Region] [Saxony was divided into four large regions] [the promotion of investment in the regions]

perturbation

[disturbance]: [she sensed her friend's perturbation] [Frank's atheism was more than a perturbation to Michael] [these shifts and swings in wildlife populations are possibly related to climatic perturbations]

commotion

[disturbance]: [she was distracted by a commotion across the street] [they set off firecrackers to make a lot of commotion] [damage caused by civil commotion]

syllabic

[disyllabic, monosyllabic, octosyllabic, pentasyllabic, polysyllabic, decasyllabic, syllabled]: [a system of syllabic symbols] [the recreation of classical syllabic metres] [syllabic singing] [Inuit syllabics]

trench

[ditch]: [dig a trench around the perimeter of the fire] [the slaughter in the trenches created a new cynicism] [the Marianas Trench] [she trenched the terrace to a depth of 6 feet] [this would surely trench very far on the dignity and liberty of citizens]

distraction

[diversion, amusement, frenzy]: [the firm found passenger travel a distraction from the main business of moving freight] [there are plenty of distractions such as sailing] [he roved the district in search of distraction] [her uncharacteristic air of distraction] [she loved him to distraction]

factious

[divided]: [a factious country]

separable

[divisible]: [body and soul are not separable]

dissentious

[divisive, factious]: [dissentious rogues]

reveal

[divulge, confess, show]: [Brenda was forced to reveal Robbie's whereabouts] [he revealed that he had received death threats] [the clouds were breaking up to reveal a clear blue sky] [the truth revealed at the Incarnation] [the big reveal at the end of the movie answers all questions]

docket

[document, document]: [one new case on the docket from Florida] [the clothes would be handed in and neatly docketed] [the case may be docketed for the fall term]

kennel

[dog house, doghouse]: [I put my dog in kennels if I go away] [the proper care of a kennel of dogs is a business and a science] [the dogs have been kennelled]

subscription

[donation, membership fee, signature]: [make sure you get a copy every month by taking out a subscription] [the newsletter is available only on subscription] [membership is available at an annual subscription of £300] [the school was built by public subscription in 1878] [he signed the letter and added a subscription]

collection

[donations, offering, group, hoard, set, anthology]: [the collection of data] [refuse collection] [she left the envelope in the office for collection] [withdrawal of the Sunday collections] [a collection is to be taken up for the Ecclesiastical Students Fund]

dormitory

[dorm, hall, residence hall, student residence]: [he visited the boarders in their dormitory] [a dormitory town]

playwright

[dramatist]:

bandage

[dressing, bind]: [her leg was swathed in bandages] [a strip of bandage] [bandage the foot so that the ankle is supported]

impulsion

[drift, impetus]: [the impulsion of the singers to govern the pace] [attitudes changed under the impulsion of humanitarian considerations]

bore

[drill, calibre, borehole, be tedious to]: [bore a hole in the wall to pass the cable through] [the drill can bore through rock] [his eyes bored into hers] [an 1100 cc road bike bored out to 1168 cc] [a small-bore rifle]

exorcism

[driving out, catharsis]: [the rite of exorcism] [an exorcism of the authoritarian past]

peddler

[drug dealer, drug peddler, drug trafficker, pusher]: [a drug peddler] [peddlers of dangerous Utopianism]

flue

[duct]:

cathedral

[duomo]: [St Paul's Cathedral]

sirocco

[dust storm, duster, sandstorm]:

excise

[duty, cut out, delete]: [the rate of excise duty on spirits] [excised goods] [the precision with which surgeons can excise brain tumours] [excised tissue] [the clauses were excised from the treaty]

obsolescent

[dying out]: [obsolescent equipment] [obsolescent slang] [existing systems begin to obsolesce]

terrestrial

[earthly]: [increased ultraviolet radiation may disrupt terrestrial ecosystems] [a fifth terrestrial channel] [a submarine eruption will be much more explosive than its terrestrial counterpart]

conspicuous

[easily seen, obvious]: [he was very thin, with a conspicuous Adam's apple] [he showed conspicuous bravery] [ratepayers grumbled that the police were conspicuous by their absence]

overeat

[eat too much]: [the effect of overeating is weight gain]

comestible

[eatable, edible, pabulum, victual, victuals]: [a fridge groaning with comestibles] [sugar, coffee, and sundry other comestible requisites]

recession

[economic decline]: [the country is in the depths of a recession] [measures to pull the economy out of recession]

brink

[edge, verge]: [the brink of the cliffs] [at the brink of the pond I hesitated] [the country was on the brink of a constitutional crisis] [the club has come close to the brink, surviving winding-up orders]

periphery

[edge]: [new buildings on the periphery of the hospital site] [a shift in power from the centre to the periphery]

editor

[editor program]: [the editor of The Times] [a sports editor] [you will be able to use the editor to make any changes you want]

expeditiously

[efficiently]: [the directors will move expeditiously to reach a conclusion]

exertion

[effort, use]: [she was panting with the exertion] [a well-earned rest after their exertions] [the exertion of authority]

ease

[effortlessness, peace, affluence, relieve, abate, facilitate, relaxed, calm]: [she gave up smoking with ease] [ease of use] [I was always vexed by her self-contained ease] [a life of wealth and ease] [a huge road-building programme to ease congestion]

yolk

[egg yolk]: [two yolks] [a mass of yolk]

grace

[elegance, courtesy, favour, favour, deferment, prayer of thanks, dignify, adorn, willingly]: [she moved through the water with effortless grace] [he had the good grace to apologize to her afterwards] [she has all the social graces] [the scheme has proved to be a great grace for the Church] [we'll give them 30 days' grace and then we'll be doing checks]

ennoble

[elevate to the nobility/peerage, dignify]: [they receive life baronies on appointment unless they are already ennobled] [the theatre is a moral instrument to ennoble the mind]

lengthen

[elongate, grow longer, prolong]: [the mascara will lengthen your lashes] [in the spring when the days are lengthening] [the lengthening shadows]

prolonged

[elongated, extended, lengthened]: [the region suffered a prolonged drought]

expressive

[eloquent, emotional, indicative]: [she has big expressive eyes] [the spires are expressive of religious aspiration]

evade

[elude, avoid]: [friends helped him to evade capture for a time] [sleep still evaded her] [he denied evading the question] [he never sought to evade responsibility for his actions] [she was sentenced on three counts of conspiracy to evade taxes]

emanate

[emerge, exude]: [warmth emanated from the fireplace] [she felt an undeniable charm emanating from him] [the proposals emanated from a committee] [he emanated a powerful brooding air]

expatriate

[emigrant, emigrant, settle abroad]: [American expatriates in London] [expatriate workers] [we expatriated the prisoners of war immediately after the end of the war] [people that have illegally expatriated funds] [money found to have been expatriated to Singapore banks]

shine

[emit light, gleaming, shiny, glowing, excel, paragon, polish, light]: [the sun shone through the window] [she brushed her hair until it shone] [his eyes shone with excitement] [he shone the torch around the room before entering] [a boy who shone at nothing]

imitate

[emulate, mimic, resemble]: [his style was imitated by many other writers] [she imitated my Scots accent] [synthetic fabrics can now imitate everything from silk to rubber]

promote

[encourage, advertise, advance]: [some regulation is still required to promote competition] [they are using famous personalities to promote the library nationally] [the government of the day would not be promoting the bill] [she was promoted to General Manager] [they were promoted from the Third Division last season]

intrude

[encroach, force]: [he had no right to intrude into their lives] [she felt awkward at intruding on private grief] [the noise began to intrude into her thoughts] [to intrude political criteria into military decisions risks reducing efficiency] [the granite may have intruded these rock layers]

abiding

[enduring]: [he had an abiding respect for her] [an abidingly mysterious quality]

lasting

[enduring]: [they left a lasting impression] [a lasting, happy marriage]

foe

[enemy, the foe]: [his work was praised by friends and foes alike]

locomotive

[engine, locomotive engine, railway locomotive]: [a diesel locomotive] [locomotive power] [locomotive bivalves have the strongest hinges]

inscription

[engraving, wording, dedication]: [the inscription on her headstone] [the inscription of memorable utterances on durable materials]

inscrutable

[enigmatic, mysterious]: [Guy looked blankly inscrutable]

cryptic

[enigmatic]: [he found his boss's utterances too cryptic] [cryptic plumage is thought to minimize predation]

delectation

[enjoyment]: [they had all manner of rock 'n' roll goodies for our delectation]

dilate

[enlarge, expatiate]: [her eyes dilated with horror] [the woman dilated her nostrils] [the faithful could hear the minister dilate on the role religion could play]

saint

[enshrine]: [a place dedicated to a seventh-century saint] [figures of apostles and saints] [Innocent III stressed that only the Pope had the authority to declare a saint] [the epistles of Saint Paul] [St Mary's Church]

mesh

[entanglement, engage, entangle, harmonize]: [mesh for fishing nets] [finer wire meshes are used for smaller particles] [if the mesh is too big, small rabbits can squeeze through] [you are just common people going about your lives caught in the common mesh of history] [cell fragments which agglutinate and form intricate meshes]

joust

[enter the lists, tournament]: [to joust, a man must have an opponent to ride against] [jousting goes back to medieval days] [the guerrillas jousted for supremacy] [the king and the young knights at court passed their time in jousts, tournaments, and the chase]

initiative

[enterprise, advantage, plan]: [use your initiative, imagination, and common sense] [anti-hunting groups have seized the initiative in the dispute] [a new initiative against car crime] [a Middle East peace initiative] [an activity in which the nurse acts on her own initiative]

venture

[enterprise, travel, put forward, dare]: [pioneering ventures into little-known waters] [a joint venture between two aircraft manufacturers] [she ventured out into the blizzard] [agents for other people's money, they do not venture their own capital] [may I venture to add a few comments?]

regale

[entertain, supply lavishly]: [he regaled her with a colourful account of that afternoon's meeting] [he was regaled with excellent home cooking]

avidity

[enthusiasm]: [he read detective stories with avidity]

maniac

[enthusiast, lunatic]: [when he sits in front of a PlayStation he transforms into a karate-choppin' maniac] [a religious maniac]

enfranchise

[give voting rights to, emancipate]: [a proposal that foreigners should be enfranchised for local elections]

attract

[entice, draw]: [a campaign to attract more visitors to Shetland] [he hoped this strategy would attract foreign investment by multinationals] [I did not want to attract attention] [his criticism of the government attracted widespread support] [I was attracted to the idea of working for a ballet company]

tempting

[enticing, appetizing, seductive]: [a tempting financial offer] [it is often tempting to bring about change rapidly]

retinue

[entourage]: [the rock star's retinue of security guards and personal cooks]

supplicate

[entreat]: [the plutocracy supplicated to be made peers]

weave

[entwine, invent, thread (one's way)]: [textiles woven from linen or wool] [cotton spinning and weaving was done in mills] [woven shawls] [some thick mohairs can be difficult to weave] [he weaves colourful, cinematic plots]

milieu

[environment]: [Gregory came from the same aristocratic milieu as Sidonius]

visualize

[envisage]: [it is not easy to visualize the future] [the DNA was visualized by staining with ethidium bromide]

jealousy

[envy, suspicion, protectiveness]: [a sharp pang of jealousy] [resentments and jealousies festered]

tantamount

[equivalent to]: [the resignations were tantamount to an admission of guilt]

counterpart

[equivalent]: [the minister held talks with his French counterpart]

ambiguous

[equivocal]: [ambiguous phrases] [the election result was ambiguous]

quicksilver

[erratic, fickle, mercurial]: [his quicksilver wit]

intensify

[escalate]: [the dispute began to intensify] [they had intensified their military campaign] [the negative may be intensified with bichloride]

escalator

[escalator clause]:

kernel

[essence, nucleus]: [the kernel of a walnut] [pine kernels] [the milky kernel of the wheat grain] [this is the kernel of the argument]

marrow

[essence]: [marrow donors] [a bone marrow transplant] [such men were the marrow of the organization] [a sight which chilled me to the marrow] [come here, marrer, we need to talk]

integral

[essential, built-in, unified]: [games are an integral part of the school's curriculum] [systematic training should be integral to library management] [the unit comes complete with integral pump and heater] [the first integral recording of the ten Mahler symphonies]

projection

[estimate, protuberance]: [plans based on projections of slow but positive growth] [population projection is essential for planning] [quality illustrations for overhead projection] [the band use stage projections featuring moon shots] [I taught him voice projection]

racial

[ethnic]: [a racial minority] [racial abuse]

harmony

[euphony, balance, concord]: [the piece owes its air of tranquillity largely to the harmony] [an exciting variety of improvised harmonies] [delightful cities where old and new blend in harmony] [man and machine in perfect harmony]

assess

[evaluate, value]: [the committee must assess the relative importance of the issues] [it is difficult to assess whether this is a new trend] [the damage was assessed at £5 billion] [all empty properties will be assessed at 50 per cent]

assessment

[evaluation, valuation]: [the assessment of educational needs] [assessments of market value]

smooth

[even, clean-shaven, creamy, calm, straightforward, suave, mellow, flatten, settle, ease]: [smooth flat rocks] [his face was curiously smooth and youthful] [cook gently until the sauce is smooth] [the smooth summer sea] [the trucks gave a smooth ride]

contingency

[eventuality]: [a detailed contract which attempts to provide for all possible contingencies] [stores were kept as a contingency against a blockade] [allow an extra fifteen per cent on the budget for contingencies] [the island's public affairs can occasionally be seen to be invaded by contingency]

ultimately

[eventually, fundamentally]: [the largest firms may ultimately become unstoppable] [ultimately he has only himself to blame]

eternal

[everlasting, constant]: [the secret of eternal youth] [fear of eternal damnation] [eternal truths of art and life] [eternal nagging demands] [she is an eternal optimist]

evidential

[evidentiary]: [the evidential bases for her argument]

exigent

[exacting]: [the exigent demands of her contemporaries' music took a toll on her voice]

majestic

[exalted, stately]: [the majestic Canadian Rockies]

investigation

[examination]: [he is under investigation for receiving illicit funds] [an investigation into fresh allegations of malpractice] [a murder investigation]

inspect

[examine]: [they inspected the paintwork for cracks and flaws] [customs officers came aboard to inspect our documents]

merit

[excellence, good point, deserve]: [composers of outstanding merit] [the relative merits of both approaches have to be considered] [if you expect to pass, why not go for a merit or a distinction?] [a plaintiff who has a good arguable case on the merits] [the results have been encouraging enough to merit further investigation]

suspend

[exclude, adjourn, hang]: [work on the dam was suspended] [two officers were suspended from duty pending the outcome of the investigation] [the judge suspended judgement until January 15] [the sentence was suspended for six months] [a suspended jail sentence]

perquisite

[exclusive right, prerogative, privilege]: [the wife of a president has all the perquisites of stardom]

display

[exhibit, show off, manifest, exhibition, manifestation, ostentation]: [the palace used to display a series of tapestries] [a notice was displayed in the booking office] [pressing the F1 key will display a help screen] [both players displayed a great deal of spirit] [she photographed the peacock, which chose that moment to display]

parade

[exhibition, promenade, march, display]: [a St George's Day parade] [the festival began with a parade of the competitors] [a military parade] [the men massed for parade] [the parade of Hollywood celebrities who troop on to his show]

absolve

[exonerate, forgive]: [the pardon absolved them of any crimes] [she asked the bishop to absolve her sins]

pregnant

[expecting a baby, be pregnant with, filled, meaningful]: [she was heavily pregnant with her second child] [she was six months pregnant] [a pregnant pause] [a development pregnant with implications]

spit

[expectorate, snap, sizzle, rain lightly, spittle, exact likeness, skewer]: [Todd spat in Hugh's face] [the baby spat out its porridge] [their infants fretted, mewled, and spat up over their jeans] [she spat abuse at the jury] ['Go to hell!' she spat]

exploration

[expedition, explorations]: [space exploration] [an exploration of the African interior] [onshore oil and gas exploration] [some changes in the care-giving situation may need exploration] [an exploration of society and human nature]

efficiently

[expeditiously]: [it is essential to make sure businesses operate efficiently to maximize profits] [they recycle waste cheaply and efficiently] [he worked efficiently to accomplish the tasks set]

write off

[expense, write down]: [the passengers were unharmed, but my car was a total write-off] [the magazine was a write-off, its credibility rating below zero] [their profits are weakening thanks to loan write-offs]

adept

[expert]: [she is adept at cutting through red tape] [an adept negotiator] [he is an adept at imitation]

remonstrance

[expostulation, objection, remonstration]: [angry remonstrances in the Commons] [he shut his ears to any remonstrance]

photometer

[exposure meter, light meter]:

impassive

[expressionless]: [his cold, impassive face]

extrinsic

[external]: [a complex interplay of extrinsic and intrinsic factors] [reasons extrinsic to the music itself]

preternatural

[extraordinary]: [autumn had arrived with preternatural speed]

data

[facts, information]: [there is very little data available] [the data were collected and classified] [data was collected over a number of years]

forget

[fail to remember, neglect, stop thinking about, act improperly]: [he had forgotten his lines] [she had completely forgotten how hungry she was] [she forgot to lock her door] [forget all this romantic stuff] [for years she had struggled to forget about him]

loyal

[faithful]: [he remained loyal to the government] [loyal service]

bogus

[fake, counterfeit]: [a bogus insurance claim]

counterfeit

[fake, fake, fake]: [counterfeit £10 notes] [a counterfeit image of reality] [he knew the tapes to be counterfeits] [my signature is extremely hard to counterfeit] [no pretence could have counterfeited such terror]

acquaintance

[familiarity, association, contact]: [the pupils had little acquaintance with the language] [I renewed my acquaintance with Herbert] [a wide circle of friends and acquaintances] [his extensive acquaintance included Oscar Wilde and Yeats] [I'm honoured to make your acquaintance, Miss Morland]

remote

[faraway, isolated, irrelevant to, unlikely, aloof]: [the valley is remote from the usual tourist routes] [a remote Welsh valley] [a second feature allows pagers to be alerted from remote alarm sensors] [a golden age in the remote past] [the theory seems rather intellectual and remote from everyday experience]

distant

[faraway, remote, long ago, away, remote, aloof, distracted]: [distant parts of the world] [I remember that distant afternoon] [the star is 30,000 light years distant from Earth] [the town lay half a mile distant] [the distant bark of some farm dog]

clip

[fastener, brooch, magazine, fasten, trim, remove, hit, hit, cut, extract, smack, speed, restrict someone's freedom]: [he undid two clips and lifted the lid] [a gilt clip fastened her hair] [a diamanté clip] [he drew two fifties from his golden clip] [he shot twice, but his clip was empty]

corpulent

[fat]: [a short, somewhat corpulent man]

overweight

[fat]: [she was a stone overweight] [an overweight lorry] [surgical procedures for overweight] [he toppled back like an overweighted mannequin]

defect

[fault, desert]: [genetic defects] [the property is free from defect] [he defected to the Soviet Union after the war]

demerit

[fault]: [the merits and demerits of these proposals]

auspicious

[favourable]: [it was not the most auspicious moment to hold an election] [they said it was an auspicious moon—it was rising] [he was respectful to his auspicious customers]

mighty

[fearsome, dominant, powerful, huge, extremely]: [three mighty industrial countries] [mighty beasts] [a mighty blow] [a mighty £450] [my ears got cold mighty fast]

aspect

[feature, appearance, outlook, face]: [personal effectiveness in all aspects of life] [the financial aspect can be overstressed] [from every aspect theirs was a changing world] [the air of desertion lent the place a sinister aspect] [a man of decidedly foreign aspect]

fertile

[fecund, imaginative, able to conceive]: [the fertile coastal plain] [her fertile imagination] [conditions at the time provided fertile ground for revolutionary movements]

savage

[ferocious, vicious, fierce, severe, primitive, rugged, barbarian, brute, maul, criticize severely]: [packs of savage dogs roamed the streets] [a savage attack on the government] [the decision was a savage blow for the town] [the mother of one of the victims has described his assailants as savages] [police are rounding up dogs after a girl was savaged]

suture

[fibrous joint, sutura]: [sutures are removed on the 5th to 7th day after the operation] [the small incision was sutured]

fictional

[fictitious, invented]: [fictional texts] [a fictional character]

ferocious

[fierce, brutal, intense]: [a ferocious beast] [a ferocious battle] [a ferocious headache]

skirmish

[fight, argument, fight]: [the unit was caught in several skirmishes and the commanding officer was killed] [there was a skirmish over the budget] [reports of skirmishing along the border]

struggle

[fight, compete, strive, scramble, fight, conflict, contest, endeavour, effort]: [before she could struggle, he lifted her up] [he struggled to break free] [politicians continued to struggle over familiar issues] [new authors are struggling in the present climate] [many families on income support have to struggle to make ends meet]

military

[fighting, armed forces]: [the build-up of military activity] [he organized his shows with military precision] [as a young man he joined the military and pursued a career in the Army] [most militaries remain subordinate to civilian authorities]

ascertain

[find out]: [an attempt to ascertain the cause of the accident] [management should ascertain whether adequate funding can be provided]

locate

[find, situate]: [engineers were working to locate the fault] [these popular apartments are centrally located] [they locate their policies in terms of wealth creation] [his marketing strategy has been to locate in small towns]

talent

[flair]: [he possesses more talent than any other player] [she displayed a talent for garden design] [I signed all the talent in Rome] [Simon is a talent to watch] [most Saturday nights I have this urge to go on the hunt for new talent]

meretricious

[flashy]: [meretricious souvenirs for the tourist trade]

puncture

[flat tyre, hole, make a hole in, put an end to]: [she was on her way home when she had a puncture] [a puncture wound] [one of the knife blows had punctured a lung] [the tyre had punctured and it would have to be replaced] [the earlier mood of optimism was punctured]

compliment

[flattering remark, compliments, congratulations, greetings, praise]: [she paid me an enormous compliment] [it's a compliment to the bride to dress up on her special day] [my compliments on your cooking] [carry my compliments to your kinsmen] [he complimented Erika on her appearance]

wool

[fleece, deceive]: [Harris tweed is made from pure new wool] [carpets made of 80 per cent wool and 20 per cent nylon] [a sampler in coloured wools] [her blue wool suit] [beaver wool]

fledge

[flight]: [the young fledge around four weeks after hatching] [they fledged twenty-four chicks in fourteen months]

facetious

[flippant]: [a facetious remark]

flutter

[flit, flap, flicker, flap, beat weakly/irregularly, agitation, flicker, flapping, tremor, fluster, bet]: [a couple of butterflies fluttered around the garden] [flags of different countries fluttered in the breeze] [a fluttering banner] [Mavis fluttered about nervously] [there was a flutter of wings at the window]

ground

[floor, earth, estate, reason, sediment, prevent from flying, run aground, base, instruct, rare, make headway, get going, set in motion, hide]: [he lay on the ground] [an adjoining area of ground had been purchased] [my feet squelched over marshy ground] [the device fell to the ground, where it exploded, blowing a hole in the floor] [shore dumping can pollute fishing grounds]

flux

[flow, continuous change]: [the flux of ions across the membrane] [the whole political system is in a state of flux]

circulation

[flow, dissemination, distribution, around]: [an extra pump for good water circulation] [three 20-minute sessions a week which make you breathe a bit harder can improve circulation] [his music has achieved wide circulation] [the new-look coins go into circulation today] [the magazine had a large circulation]

bloom

[flower, prime, lustre, blossom, flourish]: [an exotic bloom] [the apple trees were in bloom] [a young girl, still in the bloom of youth] [her face had lost its usual bloom] [the remastering has lost some of the bloom of the strings]

liquid

[fluid, fluid, clear, pure, mellifluous, convertible]: [drink plenty of liquids] [washing-up liquid] [liquid fertilizer] [liquid refreshments] [looking into those liquid dark eyes]

myth

[folk tale, misconception]: [ancient Celtic myths] [the heroes of Greek myth] [the belief that evening primrose oil helps to cure eczema is a myth, according to dermatologists] [nobody had ever heard of Simon's mysterious friend—Anna said he was a myth] [the book is a scholarly study of the Churchill myth]

henchman

[follower]: [the dictator's henchman]

cereal

[food grain, grain]: [cereal crops] [a bowl of cereal]

witless

[foolish, stupid, out of one's mind]: [a witless retort] [I was scared witless]

temporarily

[for the time being]: [symptoms may disappear temporarily] [a temporarily vacant department store]

soothsayer

[forecaster, predictor, prognosticator]:

momentous

[important]: [a period of momentous changes in East-West relations] [a momentous decision]

ceremonial

[formal, ritual]: [a ceremonial occasion] [the largely ceremonial position of Lord Lieutenant of Kent] [the procedure was conducted with all due ceremonial] [the Great Court was built to accommodate the grandest of ceremonials]

officially

[formally]: [on June 24 the election campaign will officially begin] [it was officially acknowledged that the economy was in recession] [there is a possibility he was murdered—officially, he died in a car smash]

fortress

[fort]: [he had proved himself to be a fortress of moral rectitude]

imminence

[forthcomingness, imminency, imminentness, impendence, impendency]: [the populace was largely unaware of the imminence of war]

hull

[framework, shell, shell]: [the ship was being hulled and all would die] [a wooden-hulled narrowboat] [a cup of hulled strawberries]

suffrage

[franchise]: [universal adult suffrage] [the women's suffrage movement] [the suffrages of the community]

release

[free, untie, make available, make public, launch, let off, freeing, CD, version]: [the government announced that the prisoners would be released] [she released his arm and pushed him aside] [growth hormone is released into the blood during sleep] [the strategy would release forces for service in other areas] [he released the handbrake]

hospitality

[friendliness]: [Scotland is renowned for its hospitality] [the BBC's hospitality suite]

cordial

[friendly, intense, squash, liqueur]: [the atmosphere was cordial and relaxed] [I earned his cordial loathing] [wine cups and fruit cordials] [a tall glass of blackcurrant cordial]

intimidation

[frightening, threatening]: [the intimidation of witnesses and jurors] [allegations of police intimidation]

foam

[froth, froth]: [a beer with a thick head of foam] [shaving foam] [foam rubber] [Venus rising from the foam] [the sea foamed beneath them]

laudatory

[full of praise]: [enthusiastic and laudatory articles]

outspread

[fully extended]: [outspread hands] [that eagle outspreading his wings for flight]

endowment

[funding, bequest, gift, quality]: [he tried to promote the endowment of a Chair of Psychiatry] [university endowments] [his natural endowments were his height and intelligence] [differences in genetic endowment] [an endowment policy]

elegy

[funeral poem/song]:

pyre

[funeral pyre]:

posterity

[future generations, descendants]: [the victims' names are recorded for posterity] [God offered Abraham a posterity like the stars of heaven]

choke

[gag, suffocate, strangle, clog (up), suppress]: [Willie choked on a mouthful of tea] [the toys contained parts that could choke a very young child] [the bracken will choke the wild gladiolus] [higher rates of interest choke off investment demand] [we were the only team not to choke when it came to the crunch]

takeover

[gaining of control]: [they sought a controlling interest rather than a takeover] [a company threatened with takeover] [a takeover bid]

necrosis

[gangrene, mortification, sphacelus]:

jug

[gaol, immure, imprison, incarcerate, jail, lag, put away, put behind bars, remand]: [she gave us a big jug of water] [three months in the jug] [jugged hare] [the hotel could jug him for trespassing]

harvest

[gathering in of the crops, yield, return, gather in]: [farmers work longer hours during the harvest] [a poor harvest] [a limited harvest of wild mink] [in terms of science, Apollo yielded a meagre harvest] [after harvesting, most of the crop is stored in large buildings]

billion

[gazillion, jillion, million, trillion, zillion]: [a world population of nearly 5 billion] [half a billion dollars] [our immune systems are killing billions of germs right now] [the problem persists despite the billions spent on it]

gear

[gearwheel, gear ratio, equipment, clothes, belongings, prepare, get ready]: [a racing bike with ten-speed gears] [he was belting along in fifth gear] [from this weekend, the campaign is expected to step up a gear] [now the champions moved up a gear] [the play moves down a gear whenever he walks off stage]

universal

[general]: [universal adult suffrage] [the incidents caused universal concern]

munificent

[generous]: [a munificent bequest] [a munificent patron of the arts]

brilliance

[genius]: [the nights were dark, lit only by the brilliance of Aegean stars] [lapis lazuli was highly regarded for the brilliance of its colour] [he's played the stock market with great brilliance]

gesticulate

[gesture]: [they were shouting and gesticulating frantically at drivers who did not slow down]

fetch

[get, sell for, end up]: [he ran to fetch help] [she fetched me a cup of tea] [kind offers fetched tears from me] [the land could fetch over a million pounds] [that brute Cullam fetched him a wallop]

testify

[give evidence, attest, be evidence/proof of]: [he testified against his own commander] [two guards testified that he was one of the assailants] [the bleak lines testify to inner torment]

feed

[give food to, eat, graze, live on, strengthen, supply, meal, fodder]: [did you remember to feed the cat?] [she fed him bits of biscuit] [the baby will feed according to her needs] [you look as though you need feeding up] [the island's simple agriculture could hardly feed its inhabitants]

renounce

[give up, repudiate, abstain from, become a recluse]: [Isabella offered to renounce her son's claim to the French Crown] [there will be forms enabling the allottee to renounce] [these agreements were renounced after the fall of the Tsarist regime] [they renounced the armed struggle] [he renounced alcohol completely]

award

[give, prize, payment, grant, giving]: [he was awarded the Military Cross] [a 3.5 per cent pay rise was awarded to staff] [the company was awarded a contract to refurbish the timber mill] [the company's annual award for high-quality service] [a 1.5 per cent pay award]

jar

[glass/earthenware container, grate on, clash, clashing]: [a large storage jar] [a jar of coffee] [let's have a jar] [he jarred the knee in training] [the stick jarred on the bottom of the pond]

slide

[glide, trickle, creep, sink, fall, transparency, neglect]: [she slid down the bank into the water] [the tank should have a sliding glass cover] [she slid the keys over the table] [I quickly slid into a seat at the back of the hall] [she slid the bottle into her pocket]

flicker

[glimmer, twinkle, flutter]: [the interior lights flickered, and came on] [the candle flickered again] [the flickering flames cast long shadows] [amusement flickered briefly in his eyes] [her eyelids flickered]

dingy

[gloomy]: [a dingy room]

glossary

[gloss]: [a glossary of Inuktitut words]

surpass

[go by, go past, pass, pass by, travel by]: [pre-war levels of production were surpassed in 1929] [he continued to surpass me at all games] [the organist was surpassing himself]

divine

[godly, religious, lovely, theologian, guess, foretell, dowse, fortune teller, clairvoyant]: [heroes with divine powers] [paintings of shipwrecks being prevented by divine intervention] [divine liturgy] [he had the most divine smile] [mum had divined my state of mind]

conducive

[good for, be conducive to]: [the harsh lights and cameras were hardly conducive to a relaxed atmosphere]

attractive

[good-looking, appealing]: [an attractive village] [foliage can be as attractive as flowers] [a stunningly attractive, charismatic man] [the site is close to other prestige schemes which should make it attractive to developers] [the attractive force between the magnets and the metal plate]

gorgeous

[good-looking, spectacular, resplendent, excellent]: [gorgeous colours and exquisite decoration] [the weather was gorgeous]

politics

[government, political science, political views/beliefs/leanings/sympathies, power struggle]: [the party quickly gained influence in French politics] [thereafter he dropped out of active politics] [in the conduct of global politics, economic status must be backed by military capacity] [a politics lecturer] [people do not buy their paper purely for its politics]

regime

[government, system]: [ideological opponents of the regime] [detention centres with a very tough physical regime] [a tax regime] [a low-calorie, low-fat regime]

regulator

[governor]: [regulators of privatized utilities] [industry regulators] [the driver had opened the regulator to ease forward] [a speed regulator]

clasp

[grasp, embrace, fastener, embrace]: [he clasped her arm] [Kate's arms were clasped around her knees] [he clasped Joanne in his arms] [one modest emerald clasped her robe] [a gold bracelet with a turquoise clasp]

gravitation

[gravitational attraction, gravitational force, gravity]: [this recent gravitation towards the Continent]

mourn

[grieve for, deplore]: [Isobel mourned her husband] [she mourned for her friends who died in the accident] [publishers mourned declining sales of hardback fiction]

clutch

[grip, reach for, power, group, group]: [he stood clutching a microphone] [Mrs Longhill clutched at the idea] [she made a clutch at his body] [Tom had fallen into Amanda's clutches] [she let the clutch in and the car surged forward]

moan

[groan, sough, complaint, sough, complain]: [she gave a low moan of despair] [the moan of the wind in the chimneys] [there were moans about the car's feeble ventilation] [just then their patient moaned and opened his eyes] ['Help me,' I moaned]

clan

[group]: [the clan Macleod] [civil strife has followed as rival clans jockey for power] [the Watts clan is one of racing's oldest families] [New York's garrulous clan of artists]

conjecture

[guess, guess]: [conjectures about the newcomer were many and varied] [a matter for conjecture] [many conjectured that she had a second husband in mind]

advice

[guidance]: [my advice is to see your doctor] [he should take advice from his accountant] [remittance advices] [the want of fresh advices from Europe]

lodestar

[guide]: [she dominated his existence as chief muse and intellectual lodestar]

credulity

[gullibility]: [moneylenders prey upon their credulity and inexperience]

frankincense

[gum olibanum, olibanum, thus]:

sewer

[gutter, toilet]:

clothier

[haberdasher]:

addictive

[habit-forming]: [a highly addictive drug] [he has an addictive personality]

gaunt

[haggard, bleak]: [a tall, gaunt woman in black] [gaunt tenement blocks]

capillary

[hairlike]: [capillary blood]

hinder

[hamper]: [language barriers hindered communication between scientists] [the hinder end of its body]

encumber

[hamper]: [she was encumbered by her heavy skirts] [they had arrived encumbered with families]

handcraft

[handicraft, handiwork, handwork]: [a handcrafted rocking chair]

writing

[handwriting, compositions, omen]: [parents want schools to concentrate on reading, writing, and arithmetic] [a leather product with gold writing on it] [he asked them to put their complaints in writing] [his writing looked crabbed] [she made a decent living from writing]

pleasure

[happiness, enjoyment, joy, sensual gratification, hedonism, enjoy, wish, gladly]: [she smiled with pleasure at being praised] [she had not travelled for pleasure for a long time] [the car makes driving in the city a pleasure] [the touch of his fingers gave her such pleasure] [pleasure boats]

dock

[harbour, moor, deduct, reduce, cut off]: [the boat nosed up to a dock] [the tanker was coming into dock] [dock workers] [the ship docked at Southampton] [the yard where the boats were docked and maintained]

once in a blue moon

[hardly ever]: [he comes round once in a blue moon]

inimical

[harmful, hostile]: [the policy was inimical to Britain's real interests] [an inimical alien power]

melodious

[harmonious]: [the melodious chant of the monks] [he heard a fruity melodious voice]

raucous

[harsh, rowdy]: [raucous youths]

strident

[harsh]: [his voice had become increasingly strident] [public pronouncements on the crisis became less strident]

misanthropy

[hatred of mankind]: [the streak of misanthropy in his nature]

drag

[haul, become tedious, persist, prolong, pull, bore, delay]: [we dragged the boat up the beach] [my girlfriend is dragging me off to Rhodes for a week] [I have to drag myself out of bed each day] [you can move the icons into this group by dragging them in with the mouse] [the nuns walked in meditation, their habits dragging on the grassy verge]

hawthorn

[haw]:

pulse

[heartbeat, burst, rhythm, throb]: [the doctor found a faint pulse] [the idea was enough to set my pulse racing] [a pulse of gamma rays] [a pulse generator] [those close to the financial and economic pulse maintain that there have been fundamental changes]

cordially

[heartily, warmly]: [he was greeted cordially by the archbishop] [he was cordially detested for his brutality and injustice]

pagan

[heathen, heathen]: [a Muslim majority had to live in close proximity to large communities of Christians and pagans] [a pagan god]

gentile

[heathen, infidel, pagan]: [a predominantly Gentile audience]

paradise

[heaven, the Garden of Eden, Utopia, bliss]: [martyrs who die in battle with the ungodly earn instant transmission to paradise] [the surrounding countryside is a walker's paradise] [my idea of paradise is to relax on the seafront]

altitude

[height]: [flight data including airspeed and altitude] [flying at altitudes over 15,000 feet] [the mechanism can freeze at altitude]

harbinger

[herald]: [witch hazels are the harbingers of spring] [these works were not yet opera but they were the most important harbinger of opera]

plant

[herb, plants, factory, machinery, spy, sow, put, insert, hide]: [garden plants] [a giant car plant] [inadequate investment in new plant] [we thought he was a CIA plant spreading disinformation] [we planted a lot of fruit trees]

herb

[herbaceous plant]: [bundles of dried herbs] [a herb garden] [the banana plant is the world's largest herb]

hold back

[hesitate]: [he held back, remembering the mistake he had made before]

heterogeneity

[heterogeneousness]: [the genetic heterogeneity of human populations]

exalted

[high, noble, elated]: [it had taken her years of infighting to reach her present exalted rank] [his exalted hopes of human progress] [I felt exalted and newly alive]

uppermost

[highest, predominant]: [the uppermost windows] [her father was uppermost in her mind] [investors put environmental concerns uppermost on their list]

nervous

[highly strung, anxious, neurological]: [a sensitive, nervous person] [staying in the house on her own made her nervous] [he's nervous of speaking in public] [nervous energy] [a nervous disorder]

impede

[hinder]: [the sap causes swelling which can impede breathing]

thrash

[hit, beating, flail, trounce, crushing defeat, resolve, produce]: [she thrashed him across the head and shoulders] [the wind screeched and the mast thrashed the deck] [he lay on the ground thrashing around in pain] [she thrashed her arms, attempting to swim] [two months of thrashing around on my own have produced nothing]

rap

[hit, knock, blow, knock, be punished, whit]: [he stood up and rapped the table] [she rapped on the window] [she rapped her stick on the floor] [she rapped my fingers with a ruler] [certain banks are to be rapped for delaying interest rate cuts]

handle

[hold, administer, trade in, deal with, control, haft]: [heavy paving slabs can be difficult to handle] [people who handle food] [he was sent off in the 84th minute for handling the ball] [the first penalty came as Brown handled] [a lawyer's ability to handle a case properly]

crater

[hollow]: [the blast left a crater in the car park] [Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, has relatively few impact craters] [a great plume of gas and ash rises above the crater] [using the rounded end of a rolling pin, make craters over the surface of the cake] [pilots returned to the airfields to crater the runways]

homologize

[homologise]: [the shifting points of view that homologize disparate experiences as versions of the same event]

endocrine

[hormone, internal secretion]: [the endocrine system]

frightful

[horrible, awful]: [there's been a most frightful accident] [her hair was a frightful mess]

infirmary

[hospital]: [the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary] [the prison infirmary]

belligerent

[hostile, warring]: [the mood at the meeting was belligerent] [a conference of socialists from all belligerent countries] [ships and goods captured at sea by a belligerent]

balloon

[hot-air balloon, swell (out), increase rapidly]: [the room was festooned with balloons and streamers] [his derision pricked the fragile balloon of her vanity] [he set his sights on crossing the Pacific by balloon] [a balloon reading 'Ka-Pow!'] [a balloon of armagnac]

search

[hunt, look around/round, examine, hunt, searching for, I don't know]: [I searched among the rocks, but there was nothing] [Daniel is then able to search out the most advantageous mortgage] [Hugh will be searching for the truth] [she searched the house from top to bottom] [the guards searched him for weapons]

offend

[hurt someone's feelings, displease, break the law]: [17 per cent of viewers said they had been offended by bad language] [the smell of ash offended him] [she eliminated the offending foods from her diet] [a small hard core of young criminals who offend again and again] [those activities which offend against public order and decency]

shed

[hut, slough off, take off, make redundant, discard, cast, let fall, weep]: [a bicycle shed] [a garden shed] [a shed is required for the three engines] [the buses were temporarily shedded in that depot] [both varieties shed leaves in winter]

somniferous

[hypnagogic, hypnogogic, somnific, soporiferous, soporific]: [lifeless actors made the experience even more somniferous for the audiences]

frost

[ice crystals, cold snap]: [the lanes were glistening with frost] [it is not unusual for buds to be nipped by frost] [following two or three nights of hard frost, my garden is a wreck] [there have been several sharp frosts recently] [Caroline was shocked to hear the frost in her brother's voice]

notion

[idea, understanding, impulse]: [children have different notions about the roles of their parents] [I had no notion of what her words meant] [she had a notion to ring her friend at work]

quixotic

[idealistic]: [a vast and perhaps quixotic project]

laziness

[idleness]: [it was sheer laziness on my part]

inexperience

[ignorance]: [the accident was due to the inexperience of the driver] [despite his inexperience, Andy wins the first race]

maltreat

[ill-treat]: [children die from neglect or are maltreated by their carers]

unlawful

[illegal, criminal]: [the use of unlawful violence] [they claimed the ban was unlawful]

icon

[image]: [this iron-jawed icon of American manhood]

simulate

[imitate, artificial, feign, feigned]: [red ochre intended to simulate blood] [it was impossible to force a smile, to simulate pleasure] [future population changes were simulated by computer]

impersonate

[imitate]: [it's a very serious offence to impersonate a police officer]

derivative

[imitative, derived word, by-product]: [an artist who is not in the slightest bit derivative] [Darwin's work is derivative of the moral philosophers] [equity-based derivative products] [the aircraft is a derivative of the Falcon 20G] ['fly-tip' is a derivative of the phrase 'on the fly']

pristine

[immaculate]: [pristine copies of an early magazine] [a pristine white shirt]

inestimable

[immeasurable]: [a treasure of inestimable value]

magnitude

[immensity, importance, size, value, brightness]: [they may feel discouraged at the magnitude of the task before them] [events of tragic magnitude] [electorates of less than average magnitude] [the magnitudes of all the economic variables could be determined] [the brightest stars have the lowest magnitudes]

submersion

[immersion, submergence, submerging]: [five small islands threatened by submersion]

forthcoming

[imminent, available, communicative, talkative]: [the forthcoming cricket season] [financial support was not forthcoming] [she had never been forthcoming about her time in the States]

neutral

[impartial, unaligned, inoffensive, pale]: [neutral and non-aligned European nations] [the trial should be held on neutral ground] [her tone was neutral, devoid of sentiment] [walls are painted in neutral tones] [a neutral solution]

blemish

[imperfection, mark, defect, mar, sully]: [the girl's hands were without a blemish] [the offences were an uncharacteristic blemish on an otherwise clean record] [local government is not without blemish] [my main problem was a blemished skin] [his reign as world champion has been blemished by controversy]

repellent

[impermeable, revolting]: [water-repellent nylon] [the idea was slightly repellent to her] [a flea repellent] [treat brick with a silicone water repellent]

impudent

[impertinent]: [he could have strangled this impudent upstart]

resistant

[impervious to, opposed to]: [some of the old Churches are resistant to change] [a water-resistant adhesive] [cooked rice, like bread, contains a useful amount of resistant starch, which acts like fibre in the digestive system]

breathe

[inhale and exhale, be alive, blow softly, whisper, give an impression of, instil, reinvigorate]: [she was breathing deeply] [breathe in through your nose] [he breathed out heavily] [we are polluting the air we breathe] [at least I'm still breathing]

intrinsic

[inherent, integral]: [access to the arts is intrinsic to a high quality of life]

gulf

[inlet, opening, divergence, schism]: [the widening gulf between the rich and the poor]

insatiate

[insatiable, unsatiable]: [your strong desire is insatiate]

implant

[insert, instil, transplant]: [electrodes had been implanted in his brain] [rats were implanted with amphetamine pellets] [some days later the fertilized egg implants into the lining of the uterus] [this idea was implanted in my mind by a coincidence] [a silicone breast implant]

obscurity

[insignificance, incomprehensibility, enigma]: [he is too good a player to slide into obscurity] [poems of impenetrable obscurity] [the obscurities in his poems and plays]

bankrupt

[insolvent, completely lacking in, insolvent, ruin]: [his father went bankrupt and the family had to sell their home] [a bankrupt country with no natural resources] [their cause is morally bankrupt] [the strike nearly bankrupted the union]

installation

[installing, swearing in, equipment, base]: [the installation of a central heating system] [the use of the system could be followed by installations on other vehicles] [computer installations] [nuclear installations] [a video installation]

occasion

[instance, social event, opportunity, reason, cause]: [on one occasion I stayed up until two in the morning] [she was presented with a gold watch to mark the occasion] [Sunday lunch has a suitable sense of occasion about it] [by-elections are traditionally an occasion for registering protest votes] [it's the first time that I've had occasion to complain]

intuitive

[instinctive]: [his intuitive understanding of the readers' real needs]

introduce

[institute, propose, present, insert, instil, announce]: [various new taxes were introduced] [measures were introduced to help families with children] [horses and sheep introduced to the island did not survive] [the programme is a bid to introduce opera to the masses] [bills can be introduced in either House of Parliament]

prescription

[instruction, medicine, method]: [he scribbled a prescription for tranquillizers] [the lotion is available on prescription] [the unnecessary prescription of antibiotics] [I've got to pick up my prescription from the chemist's] [effective prescriptions for sustaining rural communities]

resistive

[insubordinate, resistant]:

flimsy

[insubstantial, jerry-built, thin, weak]: [a flimsy barrier] [the flimsy garment fell from her] [a pretty flimsy excuse] [credit-card flimsies] [sheets of yellow flimsy]

inadequate

[insufficient, incompetent]: [these labels prove to be wholly inadequate] [inadequate funding] [a sad, solitary, inadequate man] [I felt like a fraud, inadequate to the task]

snub

[insult, rebuff, insult]: [he snubbed faculty members and students alike] [they snubbed his invitation to a meeting of foreign ministers] [a horse snubbed to a tree] [the move was a snub to the government] [snub-nosed]

insuperable

[insurmountable]: [insuperable financial problems]

probity

[integrity]: [financial probity]

intelligence

[intellectual/mental capacity, information gathering, information]: [an eminent man of great intelligence] [extraterrestrial intelligences] [the chief of military intelligence] [British intelligence has secured numerous local informers] [the gathering of intelligence]

cerebral

[intellectual]: [a cerebral haemorrhage] [the cerebral cortex] [she excelled in cerebral pursuits]

reflective

[intellectual]: [reflective glass] [reflective clothing] [a colourful reflective glow] [a quiet, reflective, astute man]

clever

[intelligent, skilful, shrewd]: [she was an extremely clever and studious young woman] [how clever of him to think of this!] [he was very clever at getting what he wanted] [both Grandma and Mother were clever with their hands] [a simple but clever idea for helping people learn computing]

heighten

[intensify, make higher]: [the pleasure was heightened by the sense of guilt that accompanied it] [the heightened colour of her face] [concern over CFCs has heightened] [the stage will be extended, heightening the grid by 3.4 metres]

deliberately

[intentionally, carefully]: [the fire was started deliberately] [slowly and deliberately he rose from the armchair]

interdependence

[interdependency, mutuality]: [the new economic interdependence of the two nations]

intrigue

[interest, interesting, plot, plotting, secret love affair, conspirator]: [I was intrigued by your question] [Henry and Louis intrigued with the local nobles] [the cabinet was a nest of intrigue] [within the region's borders is a wealth of interest and intrigue]

interposition

[interjection, interpellation, interpolation]: [the interposition of members between tiers of management] [it was prevented by the interposition of your wife]

construe

[interpret]: [his words could hardly be construed as an apology] [both verbs can be construed with either infinitive] [she was construing straight-faced a suggestive passage of Ovid]

entangle

[intertwine, catch, involve]: [fish attempt to swim through the mesh and become entangled] [they were suspicious of becoming entangled in a civil war]

splice

[interweave, get married]: [we learned how to weave and splice ropes] [the work splices detail and generalization] [commercials can be spliced in later] [he had to splice the short music films together] [they have spliced a gene into tomatoes that improves flavour]

entrails

[intestines]: [a priest would find omens in the steaming entrails of a sacrificed animal] [digging copper out of the entrails of the earth]

inherent

[intrinsic]: [any form of mountaineering has its inherent dangers]

intrusive

[intruding, invasive, personal]: [that was an intrusive question] [tourist attractions that are environmentally intrusive]

overrun

[invade, exceed]: [the Mediterranean has been overrun by tourists] [the northern frontier was overrun by invaders] [let the text overrun the right-hand margin] [Rufus overran third base] [an overrunning clutch]

negate

[invalidate, undo, deny]: [alcohol negates the effects of the drug] [negating the political nature of education]

originality

[inventiveness]: [she's a writer of great originality] [he congratulated her on the originality of her costume]

financier

[investor]:

indomitable

[invincible]: [a woman of indomitable spirit]

participation

[involvement]: [participation in chapel activities] [the scheme is based on employer participation]

impregnable

[invulnerable, unassailable]: [a massive and impregnable fortress] [the seat I was offered appeared to be an impregnable Tory stronghold] [Liverpool used their good fortune to forge an impregnable lead]

weak-kneed

[irresolute]: [she still felt weak-kneed whenever he came towards her] [no one could say that our news programmes have been weak-kneed in their coverage] [the other two, a couple of weak-kneed cowards, had run off]

irreparable

[irreversible]: [they were doing irreparable damage to my heart and lungs]

nettle

[irritate, upset, irritated]: ['I was only asking,' Jess said, nettled]

irk

[irritate]: [it irks her to think of the runaround she received]

weed

[isolate]: [keep the seedlings clear of weeds] [at the far side of the beach the rocks began, some humped with brown weed] [smokers are advised to eat more fruit, as the weed can increase the risk of gastric cancer] [he thought party games were for weeds and wets] [my tiny bay weed could jump like a stag]

seclusion

[isolation]: [they enjoyed ten days of peace and seclusion]

commodity

[item]: [commodities such as copper and coffee] [a commodities broker] [commodity markets] [water is a precious commodity]

gem

[jewel, best]: [a pagoda embellished with precious gems] [this architectural gem of a palace] [a gemmed necklace] [tiny drops of sweat gemmed his forehead]

wholesaler

[jobber, middleman]: [chicken supplied by wholesalers to restaurants] [the largest pharmaceuticals wholesaler in the country]

remind

[jog someone's memory, make one think of]: [he would have forgotten my birthday if you hadn't reminded him] ['You had an accident,' he reminded her] [his impassive, fierce stare reminded her of an owl] [the barman reminded them that singing was not permitted] [she reminded me to be respectful]

periodical

[journal]: [she took periodical gulps of her tea] [Britain's best periodical art magazine]

pitcher

[jug]: [a pitcher of water]

succulent

[juicy]: [a succulent steak] [the ever-increasing popularity of succulent plants] [a low plant with slightly succulent leaves] [a book on cacti and succulents]

pounce

[jump on, leap]: [as he watched, a mink pounced on the vole] [the gang pounced on him and knocked him to the ground] [the paper pounced on her admission that she is still a member of CND]

perpetuate

[keep alive]: [the confusion was perpetuated through inadvertence] [a monument to perpetuate the memory of those killed in the war]

abduct

[kidnap, nobble, snatch]: [the millionaire who disappeared may have been abducted] [the posterior rectus muscle, which abducts the eye]

stab

[knife, lunge, knife wound, twinge, attempt, betray]: [he stabbed her in the stomach] [she stabbed at the earth with the fork] [she stabbed the air with her forefinger] [a sharp end of wicker stabbed into his sole] [a stitch stabbed at her side]

pommel

[knob]:

spill

[knock over, overflow, stream, reveal, unseat, spillage, fall, reveal everything]: [you'll spill that tea if you're not careful] [azaleas spilled cascades of flowers over the pathways] [some of the wine spilled on to the floor] [light spilled into the room from the landing] [the bag fell to the floor, spilling out its contents]

unconscious

[knocked out, out cold, unintentional, heedless, unaware, subconscious mind]: [the boy was beaten unconscious] [he would wipe back his hair in an unconscious gesture of annoyance] ['What is it?' he said again, unconscious of the repetition] [horrific apparitions surfaced out of the recesses of his unconscious]

deficient

[lacking, defective]: [this diet is deficient in vitamin B] [the documentary evidence is deficient]

torch

[lamp, firebrand, burn]: [mountain warlords carried the torch of Greek independence] [the shops had been looted and torched] [he was carrying a torch for the local strawberry blonde] [heretics were put to the torch]

landline

[land line]:

bulky

[large, heavily built, stout]: [a bulky carrier bag] [a bulky, overcoat-clad figure]

permanent

[lasting, long-term]: [a permanent ban on the dumping of radioactive waste at sea] [damage was not thought to be permanent] [some temporary workers did not want a permanent job] [he's in a permanent state of rage] [a woman with a home permanent]

laundress

[laundrywoman, washerwoman, washwoman]:

legislative

[law-making]: [the country's supreme legislative body] [legislative proposals] [legislative elections]

loaf

[laze]: [a loaf of bread] [a granary loaf] [don't let him see you loafing about with your hands in your pockets]

sloth

[laziness]: [he should overcome his natural sloth and complacency] [the pair had been attacked by a sloth of bears]

indolence

[laziness]: [my failure is probably due to my own indolence]

slothful

[lazy]: [fatigue made him slothful]

erudite

[learned]: [Ken could turn any conversation into an erudite discussion] [she was very erudite]

omit

[leave out, forget]: [he was omitted from the second Test] [he modestly omits to mention that he was a pole-vault champion]

constitutional

[legal, inherent, walk]: [a constitutional amendment] [a constitutional monarchy] [a constitutional weakness] [she went out for a constitutional]

legionary

[legionnaire]: [legionaries would be marched up the road to quell the troublesome natives] [the legionary fortress of Isca]

licit

[legitimate, permitted, lawful]: [usage patterns differ between licit and illicit drugs]

legume

[leguminous plant]: [he sows a mixture of grasses and legumes] [the new diet is high in fruit, vegetables, and legumes]

unhurried

[leisurely]: [he began opening the drawers of his desk in an unhurried way] [discover the region's unspoilt beauty and its easy, unhurried pace] [the singing is unhurried]

longevity

[length of service]: [the greater longevity of women compared with men] [her longevity in office now appeared as a handicap to the party]

prolix

[lengthy]: [he found the narrative too prolix and discursive]

mercy

[leniency, blessing, in the power of, defenceless against]: [the boy was screaming and begging for mercy] [the mercies of God] [his death was in a way a mercy] [mercy missions to refugees caught up in the fighting] ['Mercy me!' uttered Mrs Diggory]

clement

[lenient, merciful]: [it is a very clement day]

mild

[lenient, warm, slight, bland, gentle]: [mild criticism] [mild flu-like symptoms] [mild winters] [she looked at him in mild surprise] [a mild sedative]

reduce

[lessen, make cheaper, bring to, impoverished, demote]: [the need for businesses to reduce costs] [the workforce has been reduced to some 6,100] [the number of priority homeless cases has reduced slightly] [increase the heat and reduce the liquid] [by May she had reduced to 9 stone]

anticlimax

[let-down]: [the rest of the journey was an anticlimax by comparison] [a sense of anticlimax and incipient boredom]

torpid

[lethargic]: [we sat around in a torpid state] [the animal need not lie around in a torpid state, vulnerable to attack]

defamation

[libel, slander]: [she sued him for defamation]

defamatory

[libellous, slanderous]: [a defamatory allegation]

generous

[liberal, magnanimous, lavish]: [a generous benefactor to the University] [a generous assessment of his work] [a generous helping of pasta]

generosity

[liberality, magnanimity, abundance]: [I was overwhelmed by the generosity of friends and neighbours] [diners certainly cannot complain about the generosity of portions]

perjure

[lie under oath]: [she admitted that she had perjured herself] [she was charged with giving perjured evidence in a court of law] [the evidence was perjured]

liege

[liege lord]: [an oath of fealty and liege homage] [the Scots obeyed him as their liege lord] [the king's lieges]

flash

[light up, blink, zoom, display, show off, expose oneself, flare, emblem, burst, instantly]: [lightning flashed overhead] [an irritating neon sign flashed on and off] [a police car with a flashing light] [the oncoming car flashed its lights] [red lights started to flash a warning]

radiance

[light, joy, splendour]: [the radiance of the sunset dwindled and died] [the radiance of the bride's smile] [restore your skin's natural radiance]

prospect

[likelihood, coming soon, vision, possibilities, candidate, view, inspect, search]: [there was no prospect of a reconciliation] [some training which offered a prospect of continuous employment] [this presents a disturbing prospect of one-party government] [the poor prospects for the steel industry] [Norwich's unbeaten heavyweight prospect]

restrict

[limit, hinder, confine]: [some roads may have to be closed at peak times to restrict the number of visitors] [cities can restrict groups of protesters from gathering on a residential street] [I shall restrict myself to a single example] [the Zoological Gardens were at first restricted to members and their guests] [at first the Americans tried to restrict news of their involvement in Vietnam]

stripe

[line]: [a pair of blue shorts with pink stripes] [he was wearing his old uniform without its sergeant's stripes] [entrepreneurs of all stripes are joining in the offensive] [her body was striped with bands of sunlight] [she's earning her stripes by showing how hard she's willing to work]

littoral

[litoral, littoral zone, sands]: [the littoral states of the Indian Ocean] [limpets and other littoral molluscs] [irrigated regions of the Mediterranean littoral]

burden

[load, responsibility, gist, load, burdened, oppress]: [the tax burden on low-wage earners] [the burden of establishing that the authority had misused its powers rests upon the prosecution] [the schooner Wyoming, of about 6,000 tons burden] [she walked forwards burdened with a wooden box] [they were not yet burdened with adult responsibility]

lode

[load]: [the tin oxide was very thinly scattered within the lode] [a rich lode of scandal and alleged crime]

lend

[loan, add, be suitable for, listen]: [Stewart asked me to lend him my car] [the pictures were lent to each museum in turn] [no one would lend him the money] [banks lend only to their current account customers] [balance sheets weakened by unwise lending]

locust

[locust tree]:

coherent

[logical]: [they failed to develop a coherent economic strategy] [she was lucid and coherent and did not appear to be injured] [the arts could be systematized into one coherent body of knowledge]

crave

[long for]: [if only she had shown her daughter the love she craved] [Will craved for family life] [I must crave your indulgence]

coil

[loop, wind]: [a coil of rope] [the snake wrapped its coils around her] [many women don't like the idea of having a coil fitted] [a relay coil] [he began to coil up the heavy ropes]

overlord

[lord, master]: [Charles was overlord of vast territories in Europe] [the Jews rebelled against their Roman overlords] [the undisputed overlord of the crime family]

mislay

[lose]: [I seem to have mislaid my car keys]

speechless

[lost for words, silent]: [he was speechless with rage]

below

[lower than, less than, beneath, further down, underneath]: [just below the pocket was a stain] [the blistered skin below his collar] [the aristocracy rank below the monarchy] [they rated the company's financial soundness below its competitor's] [pupils of below average ability]

allegiance

[loyalty]: [those wishing to receive citizenship must swear allegiance to the republic] [a complex pattern of cross-party allegiances]

wad

[lump, quid, bundle, stuff]: [a wad of lint-free rag] [I made a wad out of the young leaves and twigs and tried to masticate slowly] [she held up a wad of greenbacks] [she was working on TV and had wads of money] [tea and wads in some church hall]

consumptive

[lunger, tubercular]: [from birth he was sickly and consumptive] [he travelled to Torquay for the health of his consumptive son] [tourism represents an insidious form of consumptive activity] [for some consumptives, the outlook was hopeless]

crazy

[mad, absurd, very enthusiastic, energetically]: [Stella went crazy and assaulted a visitor] [a crazy look] [the noise was driving me crazy] [it was crazy to hope that good might come out of this mess] [I'm crazy about Cindy]

prime

[main, fundamental, top-quality, archetypal, heyday, prepare, brief]: [a nurse's prime concern is the well-being of the patient] [Diogenes' conclusion that air is the prime matter] [prime cuts of meat] [the novel is a prime example of the genre] [any hospital with high costs is a prime candidate for closure]

primary

[main, original]: [the government's primary aim is to see significant reductions in unemployment] [the primary stage of their political education] [a primary bone tumour] [the research involved the use of primary source materials] [a primary teacher]

briny

[main]: [the briny tang of the scallops] [the vortices that suck ships to the bottom of the briny]

heal

[make better, curative, get better, put right]: [his concern is to heal sick people] [the bullet wounds had healed] [time can heal the pain of grief] [the rift between them was never really healed]

embitter

[make bitter]: [he died an embittered man]

befriend

[make friends with]: [he makes a point of befriending newcomers to Parliament]

depress

[make sad, slow down, reduce, push (down)]: [that first day at school depressed me] [fear of inflation in America depressed bond markets] [alcohol depresses the nervous system] [depress the lever]

conjure

[make something appear, bring to mind]: [they hoped to conjure up the spirit of their dead friend] [Anne conjured up a delicious home-made hotpot] [she had forgotten how to conjure up the image of her mother's face] [a special tune that conjures up a particular time and place] [she conjured him to return]

flatten

[make/become flat, compress, demolish, knock down, humiliate, crush]: [her hair had been flattened by the storm] [after Kendal, the countryside begins to flatten out] [Guy flattened himself against the wall] [the entire town centre was flattened by the 500 lb bomb] [Flynn flattened him with a single punch]

fill

[make/become full, crowd, stock, block up, pervade, occupy, carry out, enough, substitute, inform of, complete, grow fatter, expand]: [I filled up the bottle with water] [the office was filled with reporters] [Elinor's eyes filled with tears] [the dining car filled up] [a pungent smell of garlic filled the air]

malevolence

[malice, spite]: [his eyes were glowing with malevolence]

supervisor

[manager]:

administrator

[manager]: [hospital administrators] [administrators of justice]

arbor

[mandrel, mandril, spindle]:

handbook

[manual, guide]: [a handbook of poisonous plants] [the handbook says an alkaline battery should be good for around 2000 hours of continuous performance]

by hand

[manually]: [the crop has to be harvested by hand] [he drafted a statement and sent it by hand]

produce

[manufacture, yield, create, give rise to, present, stage, food]: [the company have just produced a luxury version of the aircraft] [the vineyards in the Val d'Or produce excellent wines] [the plant produces blue flowers in late autumn] [the garden where the artist produced many of his flower paintings] [no conventional drugs had produced any significant change]

numerous

[many]: [she had complained to the council on numerous occasions] [the orchestra and chorus were numerous]

tick

[mark, clicking, moment, (very) soon, mark, click, annoy, idle]: [the comforting tick of the grandfather clock] [I shan't be a tick] [I'll be with you in a tick] [just tick the appropriate box below] [I could hear the clock ticking]

bazaar

[market, fete]:

mobilize

[marshal, bring into play]: [the government mobilized regular forces, reservists, and militia] [it would be hard for worker representatives to mobilize the workforce against the employers] [at sea we will mobilize any amount of resources to undertake a rescue] [the physiotherapist might mobilize the patient's shoulder girdle] [acid rain mobilizes the aluminium in forest soils]

substance

[material, solidity, meaningfulness, content, wealth]: [a steel tube coated with a waxy substance] [he was suspended for using a banned substance] [substance abuse] [proteins compose much of the actual substance of the body] [the substance of the Maastricht Treaty]

tissue

[matter, tissue paper, paper handkerchief, gauze, web]: [inflammation is a reaction of living tissue to infection or injury] [the organs and tissues of the body] [a slim package wrapped in blue tissue] [a box of tissues] [Rosheen wiped her fingers on a sheet of tissue]

autumnal

[mature]: [rich autumnal colours]

stingy

[mean]: [his boss is stingy and idle]

loophole

[means of evasion/avoidance, hole]: [they exploited tax loopholes] [the walls of the barracks were loopholed for muskets]

gauge

[measuring instrument, measure, size, measure, assess]: [a fuel gauge] [mark out the details of the angled surfaces with a knife and gauge] [emigration is perhaps the best gauge of public unease] [a fine 0.018-inch gauge wire] [a 12-gauge shotgun]

intercede

[mediate]: [I prayed that she would intercede for us]

intercession

[mediation]: [he only escaped ruin by the intercession of his peers with the king] [prayers of intercession]

converge

[meet, close in on]: [a pair of lines of longitude are parallel at the equator but converge toward the poles] [convoys from America and the UK traversed thousands of miles to converge in the Atlantic] [half a million sports fans will converge on the capital for the London Marathon] [the aims of the two developments can and should converge] [the powers of E therefore converge very slowly indeed]

monument

[memorial, gravestone, testament]: [a simple stone monument marked the nearby crash site] [a monument to Magellan is in the main square of the city] [a handsome monument of granite is placed over the grave] [the amphitheatre is one of the many Greek monuments in Sicily] [recordings that are a monument to the art of playing the piano]

baleful

[menacing]: [Bill shot a baleful glance in her direction] [the baleful influence of Rasputin]

psychotherapy

[mental hygiene, psychotherapeutics]:

relaxation

[mental repose, recreation, loosening, moderation]: [I guided my patient into a state of hypnotic relaxation] [his favourite form of relaxation was reading detective novels] [relaxation of censorship rules]

forgiving

[merciful]: [Taylor was in a forgiving mood] [Perry is surprisingly forgiving of his stepfather] [snow is a forgiving surface on which to fall]

deserve

[merit, earn, well earned]: [the referee deserves a pat on the back] [we didn't deserve to win] [as a psychiatric nurse he deserves a medal, anyway]

transmute

[metamorphose, transform]: [the raw material of his experience was transmuted into stories] [the discovery that elements can transmute by radioactivity] [the quest to transmute lead into gold]

transfiguration

[metamorphosis]: [in this light the junk undergoes a transfiguration; it shines]

meteorological

[meteoric, meteorologic]: [detailed meteorological data] [the effect of global warming on meteorological conditions]

migratory

[migrant]: [migratory birds] [the migratory route for whale sharks]

microphone

[mike]:

muleteer

[mule driver, mule skinner, skinner]:

millennial

[millennian]: [the current increase in hurricanes is only a small fluctuation within this longer millennial cycle] [the millennial anniversary of Leif Eiriksson's voyage to the New World] [the millennial celebrations in New York's Times Square] [most social networking groups are dominated by the millennial generation] [the industry brims with theories on what makes millennials tick]

bodyguard

[minder]:

amusement

[mirth, entertainment, activity]: [we looked with amusement at our horoscopes] [an evening's amusement] [she was like an adult planning amusements for a child] [on the promenade the amusements were still open]

misunderstand

[misapprehend]: [he had misunderstood the police officer's hand signals] [I must have misunderstood—I thought you were anxious to leave] [don't misunderstand me—I'm not implying she should be working] [he is one of football's most misunderstood men]

embezzlement

[misappropriation]: [charges of fraud and embezzlement]

woe

[misery, trouble]: [the Everton tale of woe continued] [to add to his woes, customers have been spending less] [woe betide anyone wearing the wrong colour!] [he thinks he can go to his constituents and say 'Woe is me! I only earn £30,000 a year.']

delude

[mislead]: [too many theorists have deluded the public] [the poor deluded creature]

misogyny

[misogynism]: [she felt she was struggling against thinly disguised misogyny]

distorted

[misrepresented, perverted, twisted]: [his report gives a distorted view of the meeting] [distorted guitars]

extenuate

[mitigating]: [hunger and poverty are not treated by the courts as extenuating circumstances] [drawings of extenuated figures]

racy

[mobile]: [the novel was considered rather racy at the time] [the yacht is fast and racy]

moccasin

[mocassin]:

satire

[mockery, parody]: [the crude satire seems to be directed at the fashionable protest singers of the time] [a stinging satire on American politics] [a number of articles on Elizabethan satire]

renovate

[modernize]: [the old school has been tastefully renovated as a private house] [a little warm nourishment renovated him for a short time]

humility

[modesty]: [he needs the humility to accept that their way may be better]

inflect

[modulate, tone]: [Arabic verbs are inflected for person, number, and gender] [all of these words inflect irregularly] [his slight voice, inflected with a token touch of grit] [her analysis may have been inflected by the upsurge of feminism] [blues-inflected bar rock]

riches

[money, resources]: [riches beyond their wildest dreams] [the riches of the world's waters] [the riches of the Serbian oral tradition]

tedium

[monotony]: [the tedium of car journeys]

mooring

[mooring line]: [they tied up at Water Gypsy's permanent moorings] [the great ship slipped her moorings and slid out into the Atlantic]

morgue

[mortuary]: [the cadavers were bagged and removed to the city morgue] [she put us in that draughty morgue of a sitting room] [a full-time obituaries editor in charge of the morgue]

paramount

[most important]: [the interests of the child are of paramount importance] [a paramount chief]

still

[motionless, quiet, quietness, up to this time, nevertheless, quieten, abate]: [the still body of the young man] [the sheriff commanded him to stand still and drop the gun] [she sat very still, her eyes closed] [he lay still, unable to move] [her voice carried on the still air]

mountaineer

[mountain climber]:

lugubrious

[mournful]: [his face looked even more lugubrious than usual]

indent

[move to the right, notch, order, order]: [type a paragraph of text and indent the first line] [a coastline indented by many fjords] [we were indenting for paper clips one by one in those days] [Hawthorn refused to approve the indent for silk scarves] [six-character indents]

transfer

[move, hand over, movement, conveyance]: [he intends to transfer the fund's assets to the Treasury] [I went to sleep on the couch before transferring to my bedroom later in the night] [she transferred to the Physics Department] [employees have been transferred to the installation team] [he transferred to the Brooklyn Dodgers]

budge

[move, move, move up/over, change one's mind]: [the queue in the bank hasn't budged] [I couldn't budge the door] [budge up, boys, make room for your uncle] [he wouldn't budge on his decision]

gravitate

[move]: [young western Europeans will gravitate to Berlin] [the electron does not gravitate towards the nucleus] [water does not gravitate on any part of itself beneath it]

motion

[movement, gesture, proposal, gesture, pretend, start]: [the laws of planetary motion] [a cushioned shoe that doesn't restrict motion] [flowing blonde hair that was constantly in motion] [she made a motion with her free hand] [the earliest engines had the Gresley conjugated motion for the middle cylinder]

mumble

[mutter]: [he mumbled something she didn't catch] ['Sorry,' she mumbled] [she mumbled a piece of black bread] [Rosie had replied in a mumble]

mythology

[myth(s)]: [tales from Greek mythology] [Jewish and Christian mythologies] [we look for change in our thirties, not in our forties, as popular mythology has it] [this field includes archaeology, comparative mythology, and folklore]

milksop

[namby-pamby, wet]: [you could have respect for a man who fought for you, but none for this milksop, who backed away]

constrict

[narrow, impede]: [chemicals that constrict the blood vessels] [constricted air passages] [he felt his throat constrict] [boas constrict and suffocate their prey] [the fear and the reality of crime constrict many people's lives]

patriotism

[nationalism]: [a highly decorated officer of unquestionable integrity and patriotism]

habitat

[natural environment]: [wild chimps in their natural habitat]

idiomatic

[natural]: [he spoke fluent, idiomatic English] [a short Bach piece containing lots of idiomatic motifs]

fleet

[navy]: [the small port supports a fishing fleet] [a fleet of battleships] [the US fleet] [a fleet of ambulances took the injured to hospital] [a man of advancing years, but fleet of foot]

tidy

[neat, smart, large, put in order, groom oneself]: [his scrupulously tidy apartment] [the lives they lead don't fit into tidy patterns] [she was a tidy little girl] [he wrote down her replies in a small, tidy hand] [the book will bring in a tidy sum]

entail

[necessitate]: [a situation which entails considerable risks] [her father's estate was entailed on a cousin] [I cannot get rid of the disgrace which you have entailed upon us] [the damage being done in England by entails] [landed property was governed by primogeniture and entail]

embroidery

[needlework, elaboration]: [my mother decided I should learn embroidery] [the bazaars stock a wide variety of embroidery] [she frequently exhibited embroideries] [fanciful embroidery of the facts]

surround

[neighbouring, encircle, border]: [the hotel is surrounded by its own gardens] [he loves to surround himself with family and friends] [troops surrounded the parliament building] [the killings were surrounded by controversy] [an oak fireplace surround]

neoclassical

[neoclassic]:

aristocrat

[nobleman]: [a decadent old blue-blooded aristocrat] [the trout is the aristocrat of freshwater fish]

peripatetic

[nomadic]: [the peripatetic nature of military life] [a peripatetic music teacher] [peripatetics have been cut under local management of schools]

non-combatant

[non-fighting]:

dutiable

[nonexempt, taxable]: [dutiable goods]

drivel

[nonsense, talk nonsense]: [don't talk such drivel!] [he was drivelling on about the glory days] [the nurse leaves you to drivel, and never wipes your nose]

herbaceous

[nonwoody]:

inadmissible

[not allowable]: [he held that such evidence was inadmissible] [an inadmissible interference in the affairs of the Church]

theoretical

[not practical, hypothetical]: [a theoretical physicist] [the training is practical rather than theoretical] [the theoretical value of their work]

less

[not so much, a smaller amount, to a lesser degree, minus]: [the less time spent there, the better] [storage is less of a problem than it used to be] [they returned in less than an hour] [a population of less than 200,000] [James the Less]

markedly

[noticeably]: [new diagnoses have increased markedly since 1998] [this advice is markedly different to that last year]

naked

[nude, unprotected, bare, vulnerable, undisguised]: [he'd never seen a naked woman before] [he was stripped naked] [her room was lit by a single naked bulb] [the naked branches of the trees] [areas of skin naked of feathers]

indebtedness

[obligation]: [the industry is taking steps to reduce indebtedness and cut costs] [I wish to express my indebtedness to my parents for all they have done]

abstruse

[obscure]: [an abstruse philosophical inquiry]

subservience

[obsequiousness, servility]: [he demonstrated his complete subservience to his masters] [blind subservience to authority] [is it a case of the subservience of the divine to political beliefs?]

empirical

[observed]: [they provided considerable empirical evidence to support their argument]

beholder

[observer, perceiver, percipient]: [the building and landscape can elicit imaginative responses from the beholder]

obstruction

[obstacle]: [walkers could proceed with the minimum of obstruction] [the tractor hit an obstruction] [they presented with severe intestinal obstruction] [they were held for obstruction and other public order offences] [he was charged with obstruction of a police officer in the execution of his duty]

obstetric

[obstetrical]: [obstetric and gynaecological services at the hospital]

in the lap of the gods

[out of one's hands]:

derive

[obtain, originate in, originate in]: [they derived great comfort from this assurance] [some maintain that he derived the idea of civil disobedience from Thoreau] [the word 'punch' derives from the Hindustani 'pancha'] [the word 'man' is derived from the Sanskrit 'manas'] [words whose spelling derives from Dr Johnson's incorrect etymology]

acquire

[obtain]: [I managed to acquire all the books I needed] [I've acquired a taste for whisky] [he acquired a reputation for scrupulous honesty] [pumpkin pie is an acquired taste]

elicit

[obtain]: [I tried to elicit a smile from Joanna] [the work elicited enormous public interest] [a corrupt heart elicits in an hour all that is bad in us]

tenancy

[occupancy, tenure]: [Holding took over the tenancy of the farm]

invade

[occupy, conquer, permeate, intrude on]: [during the Second World War the island was invaded by the Axis powers] [demonstrators invaded the Presidential Palace] [sometimes the worms invade the central nervous system] [he felt his privacy was being invaded]

event

[occurrence, competition, regardless, as it turned out]: [the momentous political events of the late 1980s] [staff have been holding a number of events to raise money for charity] [he repeated the success in the four-lap, 600 cc event] [it is much better to stop the crime rather than having police chasing felons after the event] [I knew nothing about it until after the event]

incidence

[occurrence]: [an increased incidence of cancer] [the entire incidence falls on the workers] [the point of incidence of the beam]

mobocracy

[ochlocracy]: [the court will never permit mobocracy to overwhelm the law of the land] [will mobocracies emerge to replace the old despots?]

optical

[ocular, opthalmic, optic]: [optical illusions] [an optical aid] [optical telescopes] [integrated optical circuits] [he pushed his opticals on to the bridge of his nose]

volition

[of one's own free will]: [without conscious volition she backed into her office] [they choose to leave early of their own volition]

functionary

[official]:

equestrian

[on horseback, horseman, horsewoman]: [his amazing equestrian skills] [an equestrian statue]

punctual

[on time]: [he's the sort of man who's always punctual]

burdensome

[onerous]: [the burdensome responsibilities of professional life] [bureaucratically burdensome assessment procedures]

solely

[only]: [he is solely responsible for any debts the company may incur] [people are appointed solely on the basis of merit]

unfold

[open out, develop, narrate]: [he unfolded the map and laid it out on the table] [the white flowers were just starting to unfold] [there was a fascinating scene unfolding before me] [Eva unfolded her secret exploits to Mattie]

pore

[opening, study]: [I spent hours poring over cookery books] [he has thought and pored on it] [I spent hours poring over cookery books] [water poured off the stones] [pour the marinade over the pork]

vacancy

[opening, unoccupied room, vacancies, empty space, empty-headedness]: [a vacancy for a shorthand typist] [vacancies in local authority homes] [Cathy stared into vacancy, seeing nothing] [vacancy, vanity, and inane deception]

aperture

[opening]: [the bell ropes passed through apertures in the ceiling] [the genital aperture of an insect] [a refracting telescope with an aperture of 3 inches]

machinist

[operator]:

animadvert

[opine, sound off, speak out, speak up]: [we shall be obliged to animadvert most severely upon you in our report]

opportunist

[opportunistic, timeserving]: [most burglaries are committed by casual opportunists] [the calculating and opportunist politician]

laser

[optical maser]: [she had her eyes lasered so she could ditch her glasses] [he has had tattoos lasered off his chest]

recourse

[option, resort to]: [surgery may be the only recourse] [a means of solving disputes without recourse to courts of law] [all three countries had recourse to the IMF for standby loans] [the bank has recourse against the exporter for losses incurred] [the drawer of funds is not liable and can discount without recourse]

discretionary

[optional]: [there has been an increase in year-end discretionary bonuses] [discretionary portfolios]

ordination

[order, ordering]: [the ordination of women] [they travel to Exeter for an ordination]

efficiency

[organization, competence]: [greater energy efficiency] [the reforms will lead to efficiencies and savings] [the boiler has an efficiency of 45 per cent]

entity

[organization, existence]: [Church and empire were fused in a single entity] [entity and nonentity]

institute

[organization, install]: [the Institute of Architects] [a research institute] [Coke's Institutes of the Laws of England] [the state instituted a national lottery] [the award was instituted in 1900]

decoration

[ornamentation, medal]: [the lavish decoration of cloth with gilt] [interior decoration] [inside there was little decoration] [an authority on English furniture and decoration] [Christmas tree decorations]

bric-a-brac

[ornaments]: [then came donations of bric-a-brac] [bric-a-brac stalls]

possession

[ownership, seize, occupancy, asset, belongings, colony]: [she had taken possession of the sofa] [the book came into my possession] [he remains in full possession of his sanity] [the landlord wishes to gain possession of the accommodation] [they're charged with possession]

stow

[pack, hide]: [Barney began stowing her luggage into the boot] [stow it, motormouth!] [he stowed away on a ship bound for South Africa]

twinge

[pain, pang]: [he felt a twinge in his knee] [Kate felt a twinge of guilt] [stop the exercises if the tummy twinges]

couple

[pair, husband and wife, a few, combine, connect]: [a couple of girls were playing marbles] [in three weeks the couple fell in love and became engaged] [a honeymoon couple] [he hoped she'd be better in a couple of days] [we got some eggs—would you like a couple?]

jury

[panel]: [the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts] [the exhibition was juried by a nationally acclaimed artist] [he had a painting in the juried exhibition] [the jury is still out on whether self-regulation by doctors is adequate] [we need to get that jury rudder fixed]

procession

[parade, series]: [a funeral procession] [the fully robed civic dignitaries walk in procession] [magistrates complain that they see a procession of recidivist minor offenders]

heaven

[paradise, the sky, ecstasy, ecstatic, try one's hardest]: [those who practised good deeds would receive the reward of a place in heaven] [Juno, Queen of Heaven and wife of Jupiter] [Constantine was persuaded that disunity in the Church was displeasing to heaven] [the everlasting happiness with God that we call heaven] [heaven knows!]

horizontal

[parallel]: [a horizontal line] [a horizontal steam engine] [horizontal class loyalties] [horizontal expansion of the international community] [a horizontal merger]

whittle

[pare, erode, reduce]: [he was sitting at the tent door, whittling a piece of wood with a knife] [a set of chess pieces he had whittled himself] [the shortlist of fifteen was whittled down to five]

parish

[parishioners, district]: [a parish church] [a parish councillor]

role

[part, capacity]: [Dietrich's role as a wife in war-torn Paris] [his first major film role] [the equipment will play a vital role in the fight against cancer] [he took an active role in bringing about reform]

percentage

[part, portion, share]: [the percentage of Caesareans at the hospital was three per cent higher than the national average] [a large percentage increase] [only a tiny percentage of the day trippers are aware of the village's gastronomic distinction] [I hope to be on a percentage] [I don't see the percentage in selling perfectly good furniture]

infect

[pass infection to, contaminate, affect]: [the chance that a child may have been infected with HIV] [the bacteria can get into a crop from an infected water supply] [viruses have infected computer networks] [the panic in his voice infected her]

overtake

[pass, outstrip, befall]: [the driver overtook a line of vehicles] [he overtook in the face of oncoming traffic] [Germany rapidly overtook Britain in industrial output] [disaster overtook the town in ad 296] [weariness overtook him and he retired to bed]

elapse

[pass]: [weeks elapsed before anyone was charged with the attack]

aisle

[passage]: [the musical had the audience dancing in the aisles] [I spend much of my time at the shops, wandering through the aisles] [the tiled roof over the south aisle] [she became a mother within a year of walking down the aisle]

ardent

[passionate]: [an ardent supporter of the conservative cause] [the ardent flames]

pitiable

[pathetic, pitiful]: [the men were in a pitiable condition] [a pitiable imitation of the real thing]

poignancy

[pathos]: [the pregnancy has a special poignancy for her family]

condescend

[patronize, deign]: [take care not to condescend to your reader] [he condescended to see me at my hotel]

afford

[pay for, bear, provide]: [the best that I could afford was a first-floor room] [we could never have afforded to heat the place] [it was taking up more time than he could afford] [only aristocrats could afford to stoop to such practices] [the rooftop terrace affords beautiful views]

remittance

[payment, allowance]: [complete your booking form and send it together with your remittance] [remittance may be made by credit card]

peaceable

[peace-loving, peaceful]: [an industrious, peaceable people] [peaceable demonstrations for democratic reform]

peccant

[peccable]: [the peccant officials fell on their knees] [peccant matter]

hierarchy

[pecking order]: [the initiative was with those lower down in the hierarchy] [the trend is to get away from hierarchy and control] [the Roman Catholic hierarchy in Romania] [the magazine was read quite widely even by some of the hierarchy] [a taxonomic hierarchy of phyla, classes, orders, families, genera, and species]

genealogy

[pedigree]: [the genealogies of the kings of Mercia]

allow

[permit, provide for, set aside, admit]: [the dissident was allowed to leave the country] [she was allowed a higher profile] [the river was patrolled and few people were allowed across] [political advertising on television is not allowed] [they agreed to a ceasefire to allow talks with the government]

baffle

[perplex, puzzling, thwart]: [an unexplained occurrence that baffled everyone] [to baffle the noise further, I pad the gunwales] [you can cut out glare from a strip light by concealing it behind a baffle] [a baffle plate]

oppress

[persecute, persecuted, depress]: [a system which oppressed working people] [he was oppressed by some secret worry]

embody

[personify, incorporate]: [a national team that embodies competitive spirit and skill] [nothing of the personality of the Spirit as embodied in Jesus will be lost] [the changes in law embodied in the Children Act] [Livius embodied the population of the town]

sweater

[perspirer]: [a close-knit wool sweater for icy weather]

seduce

[persuade someone to have sexual intercourse, attract, womanizer]: [a lawyer had seduced a female client] [they should not be seduced into thinking that their success ruled out the possibility of a relapse] [the melody seduces the ear with warm string tones]

suasion

[persuasion]: [the clearing banks found the use of both moral suasion and direct controls particularly irksome]

physiography

[physical geography]:

physics

[physical science]: [the physics of plasmas]

bodily

[physical, forcefully]: [children learn to control their bodily functions] [God is not present in bodily form] [he hauled her bodily from the van] [he built ships on the Atlantic shore, transporting them bodily over the hills and sailing them off into the Pacific]

sensual

[physical, sexually attractive]: [the production of the ballet is sensual and passionate] [swimming is a beautiful, sensuous experience] [a sensual massage]

coin

[piece, mint, invent]: [she opened her purse and took out a coin] [gold and silver coins] [large amounts of coin and precious metal] [guineas and half-guineas were coined] [the company was coining it in at the rate of £90 a second]

slice

[piece, share, cut, cut off]: [four slices of bread] [potato slices] [local authorities control a huge slice of public spending] [slice the onion into rings] [a sliced loaf]

slab

[piece]: [paving slabs] [she settled on a slab of rock] [a fishmonger's slab] [he averted his eyes from the corpse on the slab] [he handled the rope competently and set out up the centre of the slab]

penetrate

[pierce, infiltrate, understand, be understood]: [the shrapnel had penetrated his head] [tunnels that penetrate deep into the earth's core] [M15 had been penetrated by Russian intelligence] [the company has succeeded in penetrating Western motorcycle markets] [I could never penetrate his thoughts]

prick

[pierce, trouble, goad, raise, hole, jab, pang, listen carefully]: [prick the potatoes all over with a fork] [she felt her scalp prick and her palms were damp] [tears of disappointment were pricking her eyelids] [her conscience pricked her as she told the lie] [the police were pricked into action by the horrifying sight]

perforate

[pierce]: [a perforated appendix] [continuous stationery is perforated to allow separation into single sheets] [a perforate shell]

devout

[pious, dedicated]: [she was a devout Catholic] [a rabbi's devout prayers] [the most devout environmentalist]

fishery

[piscary]:

compassion

[pity]: [the victims should be treated with compassion]

beset

[plague, surround, persistent]: [the social problems that beset the UK] [she was beset with self-doubt] [I was beset by clouds of flies] [the ship was beset by ice and finally sank] [springy grass all beset with tiny jewel-like flowers]

pestilence

[plague]: [neither prayers nor demonstrations halted the advance of the pestilence] [she died of pestilence]

idea

[plan, concept, thought, purpose]: [recently, the idea of linking pay to performance has caught on] [it's a good idea to do some research before you go] [our menu list will give you some idea of how interesting a low-fat diet can be] [nineteenth-century ideas about drinking] [I took a job with the idea of getting some money together]

tableland

[plateau]:

cliche

[platitude]: [that old cliché 'a woman's place is in the home'] [the usual worn-out clichés about the English] [a mixture of good humour, innuendo, and cliché] [each building is a mishmash of tired clichés] [you're a walking cliché]

recreate

[play]: [the door was now open to recreate a single German state] [he recreated Mallory's 1942 climb for TV]

recreation

[pleasure, pastime]: [she rides for recreation] [sport and recreation facilities] [his recreations included golf and rugby] [the periodic destruction and recreation of the universe] [they enjoyed television's recreations of more confident times]

plenitude

[plenteousness, plentifulness, plentitude, plenty]: [an ancient Celtic god thought to bring a plenitude of wealth or food] [the plenitude of the Pope's powers]

pedestal

[plinth, idealize]: [a bronze bust on a marble pedestal] [a pedestal washbasin] [It's as if I'm on a pedestal and he worships me - I hate that] [last week's leaders were knocked off their pedestal, losing their first game of the season] [pedestalled dishes]

orientation

[positioning, attitude, adaptation]: [studies of locational awareness and orientation in young children] [using the orientation of a building to capture energy from the sun] [recent research in animal orientation] [his book is well worth reading, regardless of your political orientation] [many judges give instructions to assist jury orientation]

bearing

[posture, demeanour, relevance, endurance, direction, orientation]: [a man of precise military bearing] [she has the bearing of a First Lady] [the case has no direct bearing on the issues being considered] [school was bad enough, but now it's past bearing] [the Point is on a bearing of 015°]

earthenware

[pottery]: [an earthenware jug]

granular

[powder]: [a granular database]

coercive

[powerful]: [coercive measures]

puissant

[powerful]: [he would become a puissant man]

commendation

[praise, award]: [the film deserved the highest commendation] [the book gives commendations for initiative] [the detectives received commendations for bravery]

commend

[praise, recommend, entrust]: [he was commended by the judge for his courageous actions] [I commend her to you without reservation] [the emphasis on peace will commend itself to all] [most one-roomed flats have little to commend them] [as they set out on their journey I commend them to your care]

laud

[praise]: [the obituary lauded him as a great statesman and soldier] [her much-lauded rendering of Lady Macbeth] [all glory, laud, and honour to Thee Redeemer King]

foreknowledge

[precognition]: [there was the foreknowledge of every role she would dance]

prejudice

[preconceived idea, bigotry, bias, detriment, bias, damage]: [English prejudice against foreigners] [deep-rooted class prejudices] [accusations of racial prejudice] [prejudice resulting from delay in the institution of the proceedings] [the statement might prejudice the jury]

antecedent

[precursor, ancestor, antecedents, previous]: [some antecedents to the African novel might exist in Africa's oral traditions] [her early life and antecedents have been traced] [antecedent events]

foretell

[predict, augur]: [a seer had foretold that the earl would assume the throne]

prophecy

[prediction, foretelling the future]: [a bleak prophecy of war and ruin] [the gift of prophecy]

gestation

[pregnancy, development]: [a thorough and painstaking work which was a long time in gestation]

draft

[preliminary version, plan, cheque]: [the first draft of the party's manifesto] [a draft document] [a manuscript draft representing the explorer's latest findings] [25 million men were subject to the draft] [the White Sox chose him in the 13th round of the 1990 draft]

absurd

[preposterous]: [the allegations are patently absurd] [short skirts and knee socks looked absurd on such a tall girl] [the incidents that followed bordered on the absurd]

portend

[presage]: [the eclipses portend some major events]

forebode

[presage]: [this lull foreboded some new assault upon him] [I foreboded mischief the moment I heard]

currently

[presently]: [the EC is currently attempting greater economic integration]

protective

[preservative, solicitous]: [protective gloves are worn to minimize injury] [I felt protective towards her] [as adults we are naturally protective of children] [protective tariffs] [an effectual protective against the midge]

save

[preserve, put aside, economize, prevent]: [they brought him in to help save the club from bankruptcy] [the doctors did everything they could to save him] [church ladies approach me trying to save my soul] [God save the Queen] [she had never been able to save much from her salary]

officiate

[preside (over), conduct]: [three judges will officiate at the two Grands Prix] [he baptized children and officiated at weddings]

kudos

[prestige]: [she was looking for kudos rather than profit] [kudos to everyone who put the event together] [he received many kudos for his work] [he received much kudos for his work]

sham

[pretence, charlatan, fake, feign, pretend]: [our current free health service is a sham] [George abhorred sham and affectation] [he was a sham, totally unqualified for his job as a senior doctor] [a clergyman who arranged a sham marriage] [was he ill or was he shamming?]

masquerade

[pretence, masked ball, pretend to be]: [I doubt he could have kept up the masquerade for long] [dressing up, role playing, and masquerade] [a journalist masquerading as a man in distress] [idle gossip that masquerades as news]

affectation

[pretension, facade]: [the affectation of a man who measures every word for effect] [she called the room her boudoir, which he thought an affectation] [an affectation of calm]

affected

[pretentious]: [affected areas] [the gesture appeared both affected and stagy] [you might become differently affected towards him]

principality

[princedom]:

canon

[principle, law, (list of) works]: [the appointment violated the canons of fair play and equal opportunity] [a set of ecclesiastical canons] [legislation which enables the Church of England General Synod to provide by canon for women to be ordained] [the biblical canon] [the Shakespeare canon]

tenet

[principle, tenets]: [the tenets of classical liberalism]

precept

[principle]: [the legal precept of being innocent until proven guilty] [children learn far more by example than by precept] [the Commissioner issued precepts requiring the companies to provide information] [the precept required a supplementary rate of 6.1p in the pound]

captive

[prisoner, confined]: [the policeman put a pair of handcuffs on the captive] [the farm was used to hold prisoners of war captive] [a captive animal] [advertisements at the cinema reach a captive audience] [a captive power plant]

probate

[probate will]: [the house has been valued for probate] [she has been granted a probate to execute her late father's estate]

conundrum

[problem, riddle]: [one of the most difficult conundrums for the experts]

possessive

[proprietorial, grasping]: [has he become jealous or possessive?] [he placed a firm, possessive hand on her elbow] [young children are proud and possessive of their own property]

prosecutor

[prosecuting attorney, prosecuting officer, public prosecutor]: [prosecutors are fully entitled to bring any number of offences against a single defendant] [the prosecutor rose to give the opening address]

rail

[protest strongly at, object to]: [a curtain rail] [the goods train left the rails] [rail fares] [travelling by rail] [the anode must be connected to the positive supply rail]

complain

[protest]: [local authorities complained that they lacked sufficient resources] ['You never listen to me,' Larry complained] [we all complained bitterly about the food] [let the warbling flute complain] [her husband began to complain of headaches]

probationary

[provisional, provisionary, tentative]: [she recently completed her two-year probationary period with the police] [he received a two-year probationary sentence]

promptly

[punctually, quickly]: [he paid the fine promptly] [every time she managed to pay her credit card off, she promptly went shopping again] [Jamie arrived promptly at 8:30]

puppy

[pup]: [you ungrateful puppy!] [these puppies were way over my budget]

exhibit

[put on display, show, object on display]: [only one sculpture was exhibited in the artist's lifetime] [she was invited to exhibit at several French museums] [no foreign painters were exhibited] [he could exhibit a saintlike submissiveness] [patients with alcoholic liver disease exhibit many biochemical abnormalities]

lay

[put, devise, bring, bet, assign, produce, reveal, obtain, bless, exaggerate, abandon, defer, put aside, formulate, store, stock up with/on, attack, criticize harshly, give up, make redundant, provide, knock out, design, spread out, spend, bedridden, non-clerical, non-professional]: [she laid the baby in his cot] [there may have been the odd light shower just to lay the dust] [it is advisable to have your carpet laid by a professional] [she laid the table for dinner] [the floor was laid with mattresses]

quadruple

[quadruplet, quartet, quartette]: [a quadruple murder] [a quadruple vodka] [oil prices quadrupled in the 1970s]

measurable

[quantifiable, appreciable]: [objectives should be measurable and achievable] [a small but measurable improvement in behaviour] [the company's performance was measurably better]

prey

[quarry, victim, hunt, exploit, oppress]: [the kestrel pounced on its prey] [he was easy prey for the two con men] [small birds that prey on insect pests] [this is a mean type of theft by ruthless people preying on the elderly] [the problem had begun to prey on my mind]

questionnaire

[question sheet]:

brisk

[quick, busy, no-nonsense, brusque, bracing]: [a good brisk walk] [business appeared to be brisk] [she adopted a brisk, businesslike tone] [the sea was shimmering and heaving beneath the brisk breeze] [Mary brisked up her pace]

rapid

[quick]: [the country's rapid economic decline] [they lost three wickets in rapid succession] [they made a rapid exit] [those of you looking for adventure can shoot the rapids]

radius

[r]: [there are plenty of local pubs within a two-mile radius]

lottery

[raffle]: [the introduction of a national lottery] [lottery tickets] [you can appeal, but the procedure is something of a lottery]

waif

[ragamuffin]: [she is foster-mother to various waifs and strays] [skimpily clad waifs pranced down the catwalk]

demur

[raise objections, objection]: [normally she would have accepted the challenge, but she demurred] [they accepted this ruling without demur]

gamut

[range]: [the whole gamut of human emotion] [the orchestral gamut] [Owen runs the gamut of emotions in the space of the film]

proliferation

[rapid increase]: [a continuing threat of nuclear proliferation] [we attempted to measure cell proliferation] [stress levels are high, forcing upon them a proliferation of ailments]

canyon

[ravine]: [the Grand Canyon]

reproach

[rebuke, rebuke, disgrace, perfect]: [her friends reproached her for not thinking enough about her family] ['You know that isn't true,' he reproached her] [his wife reproached him with cowardice] [he gave her a look of reproach] [a farrago of warnings and pained reproaches]

mend

[repair, get better, put/set right, stoke (up), recovering]: [workmen were mending faulty cabling] [foot injuries can take months to mend] [quarrels could be mended by talking] [he mended the fire and turned the meat on the greenwood racks] [the mend was barely visible]

substitute

[replacement, exchange]: [soya milk is used as a substitute for dairy milk] [a father substitute] [Stewart was the Rovers substitute] [a sheriff substitute] [dried rosemary can be substituted for the fresh herb]

bulletin

[report, newsletter]:

mimetic

[representational]: [mimetic patterns in butterflies]

reptile

[reptilian]: [are you contradicting me, you ignorant little reptile?] [reptile eggs]

prestigious

[reputable, impressive]: [a prestigious academic post]

repute

[reputation, fame, thought, supposed, well thought of]: [pollution could bring the authority's name into bad repute] [chefs of international repute] [he was reputed to have a fabulous house] [this area gave the lie to the reputed flatness of the country] [intensive training with reputed coaches]

demand

[request, demands, requirement, market, order to, ask, call for, insist on, require, sought-after]: [a series of demands for far-reaching reforms] [he's got enough demands on his time already] [a recent slump in demand] [a demand for specialists] ['Where is she?' he demanded]

divert

[reroute, distract, amuse, entertaining]: [a scheme to divert water from the river to irrigate agricultural land] [an aircraft has diverted and will be with you shortly] [more of their advertising budget was diverted into promotions] [she managed to divert Rose from the dangerous topic of Lady Usk] [a diverting book]

domicile

[residence, settle]: [his wife has a domicile of origin in Germany] [the builder I've hired to renovate my new domicile] [the tenant is domiciled in the United Kingdom] [he was domiciled in a frame house in the outskirts of Bogotá]

withstand

[resist]: [the structure had been designed to withstand winds of more than 100 mph] [Constantinople withstood the eastern invaders]

opposition

[resistance, opponents, conflict]: [there was considerable opposition to the proposal] [the home team made short work of the opposition] [the leader of the Opposition] [a nature-culture opposition] [the opposition between practical and poetic language]

defiance

[resistance]: [an act of defiance] [the demonstration was held in defiance of official warnings]

decisively

[resolutely]: [I want the person who wins the election to win decisively] [samples from his body proved decisively that he was poisoned] [the government will act decisively against all extremist activities] [we must respond decisively to protect our national interests]

esteem

[respect, respect, consider]: [he was held in high esteem by colleagues] [many of these qualities are esteemed by managers] [a highly esteemed scholar] [I should esteem it a favour if you could speak to them]

resume

[restart, return to, summary, CV]: [a day later normal service was resumed] [the talks resumed in April] [he sipped at the glass of water and then resumed] [the judge resumed his seat] [I gave him a quick résumé of events]

restive

[restless, unruly, rebellious]: [the crowd had been waiting for hours and many were becoming restive] [he reiterated his determination to hold the restive republics together] [both their horses became restive at once]

rehabilitate

[restore to health/normality, reinstate, recondition]: [helping to rehabilitate former criminals] [with the fall of the government many former dissidents were rehabilitated] [the campaign aims to rehabilitate the river's flood plain]

reinstate

[restore]: [the union threatened strike action if Owen was not reinstated]

trammel

[restraint, trammels, restrict]: [we will forge our own future, free from the trammels of materialism] [those less trammelled by convention than himself]

accrue

[result, accumulate]: [financial benefits will accrue from restructuring] [the accrued interest] [they accrue entitlements to holiday pay] [at 31 December the amount due for the final quarter is accrued]

effect

[result, force, come into force, work, impact, belongings, achieve, cause, be in force, really, implement, sense]: [the lethal effects of hard drugs] [politicians have some effect on the lives of ordinary people] [wind power can be used to great effect] [the Renner effect] [gentle music can have a soothing effect]

consequential

[resulting, important]: [a loss of confidence and a consequential withdrawal of funds] [consequential damages] [the new congress lacked consequential leaders]

retailer

[retail merchant]: [the big supermarkets have forced many independent retailers out of business] [Europe's biggest fashion retailer] [as a writer I see myself as a retailer of Big Ideas]

rejoin

[return to, answer]: [the stone had been cracked and crudely rejoined] [the soldiers were returning from leave to rejoin their unit] ['It's nice to talk under the stars.' 'No stars tonight,' he rejoined]

restitution

[return, compensation]: [the ANC had demanded the restitution of land seized from blacks] [he was ordered to pay £6,000 in restitution] [restitution of the damaged mucosa] [the coefficient of restitution]

reconciliation

[reuniting, resolution, restoration of friendly relations, harmonizing]: [his reconciliation with your uncle] [the earl was seeking a reconciliation with his wife] [any possibility of reconciliation between such clearly opposed positions] [the reconciliation process should be consistent with the business strategy]

disclose

[reveal, uncover]: [they disclosed her name to the press] [he cleared away the grass and disclosed a narrow opening descending into the darkness]

ceremony

[rite, pomp]: [the winners were presented with their prizes at a special ceremony] [a public ceremony] [we found a rabbi to perform the ceremony for us] [the new Queen was proclaimed with due ceremony] [he showed them to their table with great ceremony]

liturgy

[ritual]: [the Church of England liturgy] [a tradition which found its expression in ritual and liturgy] [at the conclusion of the liturgy the Bishop presented the certificates]

competition

[rivalry, contest, opposition]: [there is fierce competition between banks] [the competition for university places is greater than ever this year] [a beauty competition] [I walked round to check out the competition] [competition with ungulates or condylarths appears to have been the undoing of marsupials in North America]

chamber

[room, bedroom, compartment]: [a council chamber] [the upper chamber] [a burial chamber] [a chamber concert] [he chambered a fresh cartridge]

ward

[room, district, dependant, admit to hospital, fend off, parry, avert]: [a children's ward] [the second most marginal ward in Westminster] [for the last three years, the boy has been my ward] [the ward and care of the Crown] [I saw them keeping ward at one of those huge gates]

spacious

[roomy, extensive]: [the hotel has a spacious lounge and TV room]

gyrate

[rotate]: [the dog yelped frenetically, wildly gyrating her tail] [strippers gyrated to rock music on a low stage]

circular

[round, leaflet]: [the building features a circular atrium] [a circular walk] [the reality of standard English rests on the circular argument that that is good which good users use] [a circular letter was sent asking for support] [I received a circular from a building society]

circuitous

[roundabout, indirect]: [the canal followed a circuitous route] [a circuitous line of reasoning]

noisy

[rowdy, loud]: [a noisy, giggling group of children] [diesel cars can be very noisy] [the pub was crowded and noisy] [noisy pressure groups]

dump

[rubbish tip, hovel, dispose of, put down, abandon]: [a nuclear waste dump] [an ammunitions dump] [why are you living in a dump like this?] [trucks dumped 1,900 tons of refuse here] [the couple dumped the car and fled]

rifle

[rummage, burgle]: [a hunting rifle] [the Burma Rifles] [a line of replacement rifled barrels] [Ferguson rifled home his fourth goal of the season] [she rifled through the cassette tapes]

expire

[run out, end, die, breathe out]: [his driving licence expired] [the three-year period has expired] [the lady had expired bearing her lord a son] [the volume of expired air]

dash

[rush, hurl, be hurled, shatter, rush, small amount, verve, scribble]: [I dashed into the garden] [I must dash, I'm late] [the ship was dashed upon the rocks] [a gust of rain dashed against the bricks] [the budget dashed hopes of an increase in funding]

competitive

[ruthless, ambitious, reasonable]: [a competitive sport] [the intensely competitive newspaper industry] [she had a competitive streak] [a car industry competitive with any in the world] [we offer prompt service at competitive rates]

merciless

[ruthless]: [a merciless attack with a blunt instrument] [the merciless summer heat]

disconsolate

[sad]: [she left Fritz looking disconsolate]

precaution

[safeguard]: [he had taken the precaution of seeking legal advice] [we never took precautions]

demonstrator

[sales demonstrator]: [troops opened fire on crowds of demonstrators] [the demonstrators arrived and launched into a two-hour sales pitch] [she was appointed demonstrator in botany at Newnham College] [the dealer represented the car to be new when it had been used as a demonstrator]

salutatory

[salutatory address, salutatory oration]:

shelter

[sanctuary, protection, protect, protected, take shelter, secluded]: [huts like this are used as a shelter during the winter] [an air-raid shelter] [did they give you any breakfast at the shelter?] [the shelter sees many dogs which have been dumped on Dartmoor] [he hung back in the shelter of a rock]

jaded

[satiated, dulled, tired]: [meals to tempt the most jaded appetites] [I have to work tonight and I don't want to become totally jaded before I even get there]

satiety

[satiation]: [a molecule that seems to regulate satiety]

supply

[satisfy, stock, provision, provisions, equipment, substitute]: [the farm supplies apples to cider makers] [make sure the workers are supplied with enough building materials] [the two reservoirs supply about 1% of the city's needs] [when she died, no one could supply her place] [a farm with good water supply]

brute

[savage, animal, physical]: [he was a cold-blooded brute] [what an unfeeling little brute you are] [a great brute of a machine] [we, unlike dumb brutes, can reflect upon our impulses] [a brute struggle for social superiority]

redeem

[save, compensating, vindicate, atone for, save, retrieve, exchange, pay off, fulfil]: [a disappointing debate redeemed only by an outstanding speech] [Australia redeemed themselves by dismissing India for 153] [the thief on the cross who by a single act redeemed a life of evil] [he was a sinner, redeemed by the grace of God] [statutes enabled state peasants to redeem their land]

redemption

[saving, retrieval, exchange, paying off, fulfilment]: [God's plans for the redemption of his world] [his marginalization from the Hollywood jungle proved to be his redemption] [the peasants found the terms of redemption unattractive] [soldiers who were captured had to seek redemption] [serfs began paying redemption dues]

famine

[scarcity of food, shortage]: [drought resulted in famine throughout the region] [the famine of 1921-2] [the cotton famine of the 1860s]

appointed

[scheduled, furnished]: [she arrived at the appointed time] [a luxuriously appointed lounge]

contrivance

[scheme, device, gadget]: [the requirements of the system, by happy chance and some contrivance, can be summed up in an acronym] [the often tiresome contrivances of historical fiction] [an assortment of electronic equipment and mechanical contrivances]

contempt

[scorn, disrespect]: [Pam stared at the girl with total contempt] [he wouldn't answer a woman he held in such contempt] [this action displays an arrogant contempt for the wishes of the majority] [when he was found to have lied to the House this was a contempt] [tawdry trash that is beneath contempt]

doodle

[scrabble, scribble]: [he was only doodling in the margin] [the text was interspersed with doodles]

shutter

[screen]: [he threw open the shutters to let in air and light] [painted wooden shutters] [the windows were shuttered against the afternoon heat] [barred and shuttered shops] [the city was gripped by economic forces that were squeezing its tax base and shuttering its factories]

propeller

[screw]:

evangelical

[scriptural, evangelistic]: [she was evangelical about organic farming]

frowzy

[scruffy, dingy, stuffy]: [seedy-looking doormen in frowzy uniforms] [a frowzy drinking-club]

seal

[sealant, emblem, fasten, stop up, close off, clinch, endorse]: [attach a draught seal to the door itself] [many fittings have tapered threads for a better seal] [for most domestic applications, a 75 mm seal is required] [the monarchy is the seal of the unbroached integrity of the Isles] [I was told under the seal]

quest

[search, expedition, search]: [the quest for a reliable vaccine has intensified] [he was a real scientist, questing after truth] [they quest wisdom]

gland

[secreter, secretor, secretory organ]: [symptoms include swollen glands]

cagey

[secretive]: [a spokesman was cagey about the arrangements his company had struck]

furtive

[secretive]: [they spent a furtive day together] [he stole a furtive glance at her] [the look in his eyes became furtive]

temporal

[secular, of time]: [the Church did not imitate the secular rulers who thought only of temporal gain] [the spatial and temporal dimensions of human interference in complex ecosystems] [arterial biopsy usually confirms the diagnosis of temporal arteritis]

tighten

[secure, strengthen, tauten, narrow, increase]: [he tightened up the clips] [central government has tightened control over local authority spending] [his arms tightened around her]

collateral

[security]: [she put her house up as collateral for the bank loan] [the collateral meanings of a word] [munitions must be able to destroy the target without causing collateral damage] [collateral casualties] [a collateral descendant of Robert Burns]

staid

[sedate]: [staid law firms]

apparently

[seemingly]: [the child nodded, apparently content with the promise]

ooze

[seep, exude, seepage, mud]: [blood was oozing from a wound in his scalp] [honey oozed out of the comb] [her mosquito bites were oozing and itching like mad] [she oozes a raunchy sex appeal] [I picked a fruit and watched the ooze of fig milk from the stem]

section

[segment, subdivision, department]: [I unscrewed every section of copper pipe, from the roof tank to the hot-water cylinder] [the New York Times business section] [this last section of the questionnaire relates solely to training] [a residential section of the capital] [the non-parliamentary section of the party]

expropriate

[seize]: [their assets were expropriated by the government] [the measures expropriated the landlords]

independence

[self-government, self-sufficiency]: [Argentina gained independence from Spain in 1816] [I've always valued my independence]

poised

[self-possessed]: [not every day you saw that poised, competent kid distressed] [she had learnt from the girls at the salon how to appear perfectly poised]

sanctimonious

[self-righteous]: [what happened to all the sanctimonious talk about putting his family first?]

bail

[sell up]: [he has been released on bail] [they feared the financier would be tempted to forfeit the £10 million bail and flee] [nine were bailed on drugs charges] [he was bailed to appear at Durham Crown Court] [offering to stand bail for a guy who had been involved in a vicious attack]

vendor

[seller]: [an Italian ice-cream vendor]

translucent

[semi-transparent]: [her beautiful translucent skin]

summon

[send for, serve with a summons, convene, muster, call to mind]: [a waiter was summoned] [if the person summoned does not appear he may be arrested] [she summoned medical assistance] [he summoned a meeting of head delegates] [she managed to summon up a smile]

transmitter

[sender]: [reggae has established itself as the principal transmitter of the Jamaican language] [glutamate is one among many dozens of transmitters]

receptor

[sense organ, sensory receptor]: [the retina of the octopus has up to 20 million light receptors] [when viruses succeed in binding to cell membrane receptors they still have to enter the cell before they can replicate]

touchy

[sensitive, irritable, delicate, sensitivity, irritability]: [she's a little touchy about her age] [the monarchy has become a touchy topic]

quiet

[silent, soft, private, calm, unobtrusive, peacefulness, secret, in secret]: [the car has a quiet, economical engine] [I was as quiet as I could be, but he knew I was there] [the street below was quiet, little traffic braving the snow] [all he wanted was a quiet drink] [we wanted a quiet wedding]

sense

[sensory faculty, awareness, appreciation, wisdom, purpose, meaning, discern]: [the bear has a keen sense of smell which enables it to hunt at dusk] [she had the sense of being a political outsider] [you can improve your general health and sense of well-being] [she had a fine sense of comic timing] [he earned respect by the good sense he showed at meetings]

pithy

[sententious]: [his characteristically pithy comments]

divergence

[separation, difference, deviation]: [the divergence between primates and other groups] [a fundamental divergence of attitude]

segregation

[separation]: [the segregation of pupils with learning difficulties] [an official policy of racial segregation]

halcyon

[serene, happy]: [the halcyon days of the mid 1980s, when profits were soaring]

sergeant

[sergeant-at-law, serjeant, serjeant-at-law]:

trail

[series, train, track, wake, line, path, drag, creep, trudge, fade, follow, lose, advertise]: [a trail of blood on the grass] [the torrential rain left a trail of devastation] [police followed his trail to Dorset] [smoke trails] [we drove down in a trail of tourist cars]

overhaul

[service, overtake]: [the steering box was recently overhauled] [moves to overhaul the income tax system] [Jodami overhauled his chief rival] [a major overhaul of environmental policies]

obsequious

[servile]: [they were served by obsequious waiters]

enshrine

[set down]: [relics are enshrined under altars] [the right of all workers to strike was enshrined in the new constitution]

tint

[shade, dye]: [the sky was taking on an apricot tint] [a tint of glamour] [peering into the mirror to see if any white hair showed after her last tint] [her skin was tinted with delicate colour] [a black car with tinted windows]

stigma

[shame]: [the stigma of having gone to prison will always be with me] [debt has lost its stigma and is now a part of everyday life] [knee deformities or other stigmata of childhood rickets]

inglorious

[shameful]: [an inglorious episode in British imperial history] [inglorious though the peasants may have been, this is not synonymous with mute]

waist

[shank]: [he put an arm around her waist] [the last time you had a waist was around 1978] [her waist has reduced from 35 to 28 inches] [trousers with an elasticated waist] [a jacket with a high waist]

bang

[sharp noise, blow, hit, explode, go bang, precisely, completely, suddenly]: [the door slammed with a bang] [I went to answer a bang on the front door] [a nasty bang on the head] [she brushed back her wispy bangs] [he began to bang the table with his fist]

acerbic

[sharp, sour]: [his acerbic wit]

angular

[sharp-cornered, bony, lean]: [angular chairs] [Adam's angular black handwriting] [her angular face] [angular acceleration]

gloss

[shine, facade, make glossy, conceal, explain]: [hair with a healthy gloss] [the undercoat is applied, followed by two coats of gloss] [a gloss finish] [beneath the gloss of success was a tragic private life] [the pebble-dash of the walls was glossed stickily white]

gleam

[shine, glimmer, shine]: [light gleamed on the china cats] [her eyes gleamed with satisfaction] [Victor buffed the glass until it gleamed] [gleaming black limousines] [affection gleamed in her large green eyes]

luminous

[shining]: [the luminous dial on his watch] [a luminous glow] [her eyes were luminous with joy] [he wore luminous green socks] [luminous intensity]

shipwright

[ship builder, shipbuilder]:

customer

[shopper, customers, person]: [Mr Harrison was a regular customer at the Golden Lion] [he's a tough customer]

scarcity

[shortage, rarity]: [a time of scarcity] [the growing scarcity of resources]

truncate

[shorten]: [a truncated cone shape] [discussion was truncated by the arrival of tea]

abbreviation

[shortened form, shortening]: [SKU is the abbreviation for Stock Keeping Unit] [nursing records must be written without abbreviation]

contraction

[shrinking, tightening, labour pains, abbreviation]: [the general contraction of the industry did further damage to morale] [the manufacturing sector suffered a severe contraction] [neurons control the contraction of muscles] [she was now in no doubt that she was having contractions] ['goodbye' is a contraction of 'God be with you']

parallel

[side by side, similar, coexisting, counterpart, similarity, resemble, equal]: [parallel lines never meet] [the road runs parallel to the Ottawa River] [a parallel universe] [they shared a flat in London while establishing parallel careers] [highly parallel multiprocessor systems]

fallout

[side effect]: [a fallout shelter] [acid fallout from power stations] [he's prepared to take calculated risks regardless of political fallout]

lateral

[sideways, unorthodox]: [the plant takes up water through its lateral roots] [the upper lateral incisor] [the radius lies lateral to the ulna] [lateral sclerosis] [the greater lateral forces encountered by the front wheel during cornering]

indication

[sign]: [the visit was an indication of the improvement in relations between the countries] [heavy bleeding is a common indication for hysterectomy]

mute

[silent, wordless, quiet, dumb, deaden, muffle, restrain]: [Harry sat mute, his cheeks burning resentfully] [she gazed at him in mute appeal] [the great church was mute and dark] [he'd been bullied into silence—people often wondered if he was actually mute] [mute e is generally dropped before suffixes beginning with a vowel]

alike

[similar, similarly]: [the brothers were very much alike] [the houses all looked alike] [the girls dressed alike in black trousers and jackets] [he talked in a friendly manner to staff and patients alike]

akin

[similar]: [something akin to gratitude overwhelmed her] [genius and madness are akin] [my parents were akin, probably half cousins]

resemblance

[similarity]: [they bear some resemblance to Italian figurines] [there was a close resemblance between herself and Anne] [the physical resemblances between humans and apes]

boil

[simmer, bring to the boil, be turbulent, be angry, boiling point, come down to, condense, swelling, spot]: [we asked people to boil their drinking water] [he waited for the water to boil] [she boiled the kettle and took down a couple of mugs] [the kettle boiled and he filled the teapot] [boil the potatoes until well done]

obtuse

[simple, unsubdivided]: [he wondered if the doctor was being deliberately obtuse] [some of the lyrics are a bit obtuse] [an obtuse angle of 150°] [it had strange obtuse teeth]

vignette

[sketch]: [a classic vignette of embassy life] [instructions had been sent to the shop to make a cropped, oval, vignetted copy of a family group portrait]

finesse

[skill, tact, winning move, bluff]: [orchestral playing of great finesse] [clients want advice and action that calls for considerable finesse] [Karen spent ten months finessing the financing for the property] [despite the administration's attempts to finesse its mishaps, the public remained wary]

cavort

[skip, dance]: [the players cavorted about the pitch] [he'd been cavorting with a hooker]

lurk

[skulk]: [a ruthless killer still lurked in the darkness] [danger lurks beneath the surface] [he lives with a lurking fear of exposure as a fraud] [you'll soon learn the lurks and perks]

cranium

[skull]:

soporific

[sleep-inducing, sleeping pill]: [the motion of the train had a somewhat soporific effect] [some medicine made her soporific] [a libel trial is in large parts intensely soporific]

ajar

[slightly open]: [the home help had left the window ajar] [the door to the sitting room was ajar]

gradually

[slowly]: [the situation gradually improved] [gradually, his powers of speech returned]

posh

[smart, upper-class]: [a posh hotel] [I'll have to look posh] [she had a posh accent] [trying to talk posh] [we finally bought a colour TV, which seemed the height of posh]

aroma

[smell]: [the tantalizing aroma of fresh coffee] [the aroma of officialdom]

struck

[smitten, stricken]:

complacency

[smugness]: [the figures are better, but there are no grounds for complacency]

a fly in the ointment

[snag]:

saturate

[soak, permeate, flood]: [the soil is saturated] [the groundwater is saturated with calcium hydroxide] [the air is saturated with the smells of food] [Japan's electronics industry began to saturate the world markets] [as far as the heart is concerned saturates are considered the main enemy]

concrete

[solid, definite]: [concrete objects like stones] [I haven't got any concrete proof] [slabs of concrete] [concrete blocks] [the precious English countryside may soon be concreted over]

three-dimensional

[solid]: [a three-dimensional object] [the drama is never anything less than three-dimensional]

harden

[solidify, toughen]: [wait for the glue to harden] [bricks which seem to have been hardened by firing] [she hardened her heart] [suspicion hardened into certainty] [this served only to harden the resolve of the island nations]

occasionally

[sometimes]: [we met up occasionally for a drink] [very occasionally the condition can result in death]

magic

[sorcery, conjuring tricks, allure, skill, supernatural, fascinating]: [suddenly, as if by magic, the doors start to open] [his parents bought him a magic set for Christmas] [the magic of the theatre] [he's been working his magic on New Zealand movies for the past two decades] [a magic wand]

rancid

[sour]: [rancid meat] [without preservatives, fat goes rancid] [his columns are just rationales for every kind of rancid prejudice]

range

[span, assortment, row, pasture, stove, line up, roam]: [the cost will be in the range of $1-5 million a day] [grand hotels were outside my price range] [in this film he gave some indication of his range] [she was gifted with an incredible vocal range] [a guide to the range of debate this issue has generated]

orator

[speaker]: [a theatrically effective orator]

expedite

[speed up]: [he promised to expedite economic reforms]

rate

[speed, charge, percentage, assess, consider to be, think highly of, merit, in any case]: [the island has the lowest crime rate in the world] [buying up sites at a rate of one a month] [the band is shedding vocalists at an alarming rate] [your heart rate] [a £3.40 minimum hourly rate of pay]

velocity

[speed]: [the velocities of the emitted particles] [the tank shot backwards at an incredible velocity]

improvident

[spendthrift]: [improvident and undisciplined behaviour]

surrogate

[substitute]: [wives of MPs are looked on as surrogates for their husbands while the latter are at Westminster]

backbone

[spine, mainstay, strength of character]: [prickles of sweat broke out along her backbone] [the great Pennine range is the backbone of England] [these firms are the backbone of our industrial sector] [he has enough backbone to see us through this difficulty]

malicious

[spiteful]: [he was found guilty of malicious damage] [a hotbed of rumour and malicious chit-chat] [the transmission of malicious software such as computer viruses]

lien

[spleen]: [they shall be entitled to a lien on any lot sold] [make sure there are no liens against the car] [they may assert a lien claim on your property]

divide

[split, diverge, classify, share out, separate, breach]: [consumer magazines can be divided into a number of categories] [the cell clusters began to divide rapidly] [Jack divided up the rest of the cash] [profits from his single were divided between a number of charities] [the last years of her life were divided between Bermuda and Paris]

cleave

[split, plough, stick to]: [the large chopper his father used to cleave wood for the fire] [the egg cleaves to form a mulberry-shaped cluster of cells] [they watched a coot cleave the smooth water] [an unstoppable warrior clove through their ranks] [Rose's mouth was dry, her tongue cleaving to the roof of her mouth]

defile

[spoil, desecrate]: [the land was defiled by a previous owner] [the tomb had been defiled and looted] [and the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom] [the twisting track wormed its way up a defile to level ground] [we emerged after defiling through the mountainsides]

oral

[spoken, oral examination]: [they had reached an oral agreement] [oral literature] [a society with an oral tradition] [oral hygiene] [oral contraceptives]

patron

[sponsor, customer, patrons]: [a celebrated patron of the arts] [the Mental Health Foundation, of which Her Royal Highness is Patron] [we surveyed the plushness of the hotel and its sleek, well-dressed patrons]

miscarriage

[spontaneous abortion, failure]: [his wife had a miscarriage] [some pregnancies result in miscarriage] [the miscarriage of the project]

periodically

[sporadically]: [I will periodically check on your progress] [the students received help from a friend only periodically] [the newsletter is sent out periodically to update members] [the lamps were periodically switched on and off at 30 minute intervals]

athlete

[sportswoman]: [he had the broad-shouldered build of a natural athlete]

dot

[spot, scatter, precisely, promptly]: [a symbol depicted in coloured dots] [they were mere dots on the horizon now] [OUP dot com] [wet spots of rain began to dot his shirt] [churches dot the countryside]

diffusion

[spreading]: [the rapid diffusion of ideas and technology] [the rate of diffusion of a gas]

leap

[spring, rush, arrive at hastily, accept eagerly, increase rapidly, jump, sudden rise, rapidly]: [he leapt on to the parapet] [Fabia's heart leapt excitedly] [Peter leapt the last few stairs] [Polly leapt to her feet] [everybody leapt into action]

sprung

[springtime]:

germinate

[sprout, develop]: [the idea germinated and slowly grew into an obsession]

boycott

[spurn, ban]: [we will boycott all banks which take part in the loans scheme] [an advert urges consumers to boycott the firm's coffee] [most parties indicated that they would boycott the election] [a boycott of the negotiations]

telescope

[spyglass, slide together, crush, condense]: [five steel sections that telescope into one another] [the sliding carriage escapes were telescoped into a shorter length] [he drove right into another car—telescoped it] [a large portion of the past had to be telescoped and summarized for her]

crouch

[squat (down)]: [we crouched down in the trench] [Leo was crouched before the fire] [he dropped into a defensive crouch]

clench

[squeeze together, grip, contraction]: [she clenched her fists, struggling for control] [Ian's right hand clenched into a fist] [he struck the wall with his clenched fist] [he clenched his teeth, fighting waves of nausea] [he clenched the steering wheel so hard that the car wobbled]

stabilization

[stabilisation]: [the derelict buildings will require some structural stabilization] [the economy is starting to show signs of stabilization] [stabilization of the patient's cardiac function] [the corporation's stabilization fund was still in arrears]

phase

[stage, period, aspect, introduce gradually, eliminate gradually]: [the final phases of the war] [phase two of the development] [most of your fans are going through a phase] [the invertebrate residents of the tundra pass the winter in dormant phase] [solid carbon dioxide passes directly into the gas phase without becoming a liquid]

stagnation

[stagnancy]: [blocked drains resulting in water stagnation] [clotting in blood vessels is associated with stagnation of the blood] [a period of economic stagnation] [there is a risk of intellectual stagnation]

deadlock

[stalemate, impasse, bolt, tie]: [an attempt to break the deadlock] [Ashton broke the deadlock with a penalty after 15 minutes] [the meeting is deadlocked] [you can deadlock any exit door from the outside]

insist

[stand firm, demand, maintain]: [she insisted on carrying her own bag] [he insisted that she came] [he insisted on answers to his allegations] [the heavy studded boots she insisted on wearing] [the chairman insisted that all was not doom and gloom]

outset

[start]: [the project was flawed from the outset]

condition

[state, fitness, disorder, circumstances, stipulation, constrain, train, treat, improve, unfit]: [the wiring is in good condition] [the bridge is in an extremely dangerous condition] [the baby was in good condition at birth] [she was in a serious condition] [a heart condition]

bullock

[steer]: [people have dropped dead bullocking their guts out]

pace

[step, gait, speed, walk]: [Kirov stepped back a pace] [her eyes could size up a lad's wallet at fifty paces] [I steal with quiet pace] [he's an aggressive player with plenty of pace] [the ring road allows traffic to flow at a remarkably fast pace]

adhesion

[sticking, traction]: [the adhesion of the gum strip to the paper] [the sole unit provides good adhesion for walking on all surfaces] [he was harshly criticized for his adhesion to Say's law] [endoscopic surgery for pelvic adhesions]

adhesive

[sticky, glue]: [an adhesive label] [tile adhesive]

viscous

[sticky, glutinous]: [viscous lava]

fetid

[stinking]: [the fetid water of the marsh]

stockpile

[stock, store up]: [a stockpile of sandbags was being prepared] [a stockpile of nuclear weapons] [he claimed that the weapons were being stockpiled]

hosiery

[stockings, socks]:

gastric

[stomach, intestinal]: [a gastric ulcer] [gastric acid secretion]

abdomen

[stomach]:

knock off

[stop work]: [knock-off merchandise]

gale

[storm, outburst]: [I slept well despite the howling gales outside] [it was blowing a gale] [gale-force winds battered the North Sea coast] [she collapsed into gales of laughter]

anecdote

[story]: [he told anecdotes about his job] [his wife's death has long been the subject of rumour and anecdote] [the use of inversions of hierarchy, anecdote, and paradox by Magritte, Dali, and others]

maroon

[strand]: [ornate maroon and gold wallpaper] [the hat is available in either white or maroon] [cold pinks, purples, and maroons] [a novel about schoolboys marooned on a desert island]

becalm

[stranded]: [both boats hung on before the whole fleet was becalmed south of Rampholme]

sturdy

[strapping, robust, vigorous]: [he had a sturdy, muscular physique] [the bike is sturdy enough to cope with bumpy tracks] [the townspeople have a sturdy independence]

pour

[stream, gush out, tip, drain, express, rain heavily/hard, throng]: [water poured off the roof] [words poured from his mouth] [she poured a little whisky into a glass] [the remaining liquid is poured out] [he poured a cup of coffee]

force

[strength, coercion, intensity, agency, cogency, body, break open, propel, extract, compel, in great numbers, effective]: [he was thrown backwards by the force of the explosion] [a force-nine gale] [they ruled by law and not by force] [the force of popular opinion] [he might still be a force for peace and unity]

rigorously

[strictly]: [the court rigorously scrutinises the settlement] [a blackout was rigorously enforced after darkness] [rigorously honest documentation of confidential experiences] [the government was punishing traffic law violators more rigorously]

spectacular

[striking, impressive, extravaganza]: [spectacular mountain scenery] [the party suffered a spectacular loss in the election] [French history was represented in a spectacular for tourists]

wander

[stroll, travelling, meander, stray, get lost, stroll]: [I wandered through the narrow streets] [he found her wandering the streets] [the narrow road wanders along the foreshore] [please don't wander off again] [his attention had wandered]

resilient

[strong, flexible, durable]: [babies are generally far more resilient than new parents realize] [the fish are resilient to most infections] [a shoe with resilient cushioning]

scan

[study, examine, glance through/over, inspection, glance, examination]: [he raised his binoculars to scan the coast] [we scan the papers for news from the trouble spots] [I scanned through the reference materials] [their brains are scanned so that researchers can monitor the progress of the disease] [we scanned the beam over a sector of 120°]

stupefy

[stun, drug, shock]: [the offence of administering drugs to a woman with intent to stupefy her] [the amount they spend on clothes would appal their parents and stupefy their grandparents] [a stupefyingly tedious task]

rhetorical

[stylistic, extravagant]: [repetition is a common rhetorical device] [the rhetorical commitment of the government to give priority to primary education] [the general intended his question to be purely rhetorical]

chasten

[subdue]: [the director was somewhat chastened by his recent flops] [a chastening experience]

exposure

[subjection, frostbite, introduction, uncovering, publicity, outlook]: [the dangers posed by exposure to asbestos] [they were suffering from exposure] [his exposure to the banking system] [New Delhi increased its exposure to hard loans] [an $8-million loan exposure to the real estate industry]

subservient

[submissive, subordinate, ancillary]: [she was subservient to her parents] [he expected her career to become subservient to his] [the whole narration is subservient to the moral plan of exemplifying twelve virtues in twelve knights]

assistant

[subordinate, helper]: [the managing director and his assistant] [an assistant manager] [a care assistant]

secondary

[subordinate, indirect, alternative]: [luck plays a role, but it's ultimately secondary to local knowledge] [a secondary school] [the lead-acid accumulator used in cars consists of secondary cells] [the primary and secondary coils of the transformer]

effective

[successful, convincing, logical, operative, virtual]: [effective solutions to environmental problems] [the regulation will be effective from January] [she has been under effective house arrest since September] [an effective price of £176 million] [when the battles broke out, he had a total of 920 effectives]

consecutive

[successive]: [five consecutive months of serious decline] [a consecutive pattern of what the film would be like] [a consecutive clause]

martyr

[suffer from, put to death]: [the first Christian martyr] [she wanted to play the martyr] [I'm a martyr to migraine!] [she was martyred for her faith] [there was no need to martyr themselves again]

drown

[suffocate in water, flood, make inaudible]: [a motorist drowned when her car plunged off the edge of a quay] [two fishermen were drowned when their motor boat capsized] [he immediately drowned four of the dogs] [when the ice melted the valleys were drowned] [his voice was drowned out by the approaching engine noise]

fit

[suitable, competent, ready, healthy, be the right/correct size (for), lay, equip, join, be appropriate to, qualify, correlation, livid, conform, equip, falsely incriminate, convulsion, fits, outbreak, tantrum, spasmodically]: [the house was not fit for human habitation] [is the water clean and fit to drink?] [the party was fit to govern] [a fit subject on which to correspond] [he baited even his close companions until they were fit to kill him]

convene

[summon, assemble]: [he had convened a secret meeting of military personnel] [the committee had convened for its final plenary session]

lavish

[sumptuous, generous, abundant, give freely]: [a lavish banquet] [he was lavish with his hospitality] [lavish praise] [the media couldn't lavish enough praise on the film] [he was lavished with gifts]

shallow

[superficial]: [serve the noodles in a shallow bowl] [being fairly shallow, the water was warm] [the shallow bed of the North Sea] [a shallow roof] [a shallow analysis of contemporary society]

warden

[superintendent, ranger, principal, prison officer]: [the warden of a nature reserve] [an air-raid warden] [the Warden of All Souls College, Oxford] [securely handcuffed to a warden, he was taken to Wandsworth Prison]

furbish

[supply]: [the newly furbished church] [old arms duly furbished]

partisan

[supporter, guerrilla, biased]: [partisans of the exiled Stuarts] [the partisans opened fire from the woods] [it is not in the nature of partisan warfare to produce victory in the field] [newspapers have become increasingly partisan]

encouraging

[supporting]: [she gave me an encouraging smile] [the results are very encouraging] [encouragingly, there is more research being done today] [the level of activity continues to be encouragingly high]

excess

[surplus, overindulgence, surplus, more than]: [are you suffering from an excess of stress in your life?] [as regards other cancers in this age group, there is a small excess during 1984—90] [there is no issue as to excess of jurisdiction] [bouts of alcoholic excess] [the worst excesses of the French Revolution]

capitulate

[surrender]: [the patriots had to capitulate to the enemy forces]

enclose

[surround, include]: [the entire estate was enclosed with walls] [a dark enclosed space] [the open fields in the parish were enclosed in 1808] [a Mother Superior in an enclosed order] [I enclose a copy of the job description]

envelop

[surround]: [a figure enveloped in a black cloak] [a feeling of despair enveloped him]

encircle

[surround]: [the town is encircled by fortified walls]

environs

[surroundings]: [the picturesque environs of the loch]

abeyance

[suspension, suspend]: [matters were held in abeyance pending further enquiries]

askance

[suspiciously, disapprovingly, suspect]: [the reformers looked askance at the mystical tradition] [a waiter looked askance at his jeans]

marsh

[swamp]: [the marsh marigold loves damp fields, riverbanks, and marshes] [patches of marsh] [marsh plants]

swing

[sway, brandish, stride, change, accomplish, swaying, change, trend, fluctuation, rhythm]: [her long black skirt swung about her legs] [the door swung shut behind him] [a priest began swinging a censer] [local girls with their castanets and their swinging hips] [now he was going to swing for it]

blaspheme

[swear]: [he has blasphemed against the Holy Spirit]

fragrance

[sweet smell, perfume]: [the fragrance of fresh-ground coffee] [the bushes fill the air with fragrance] [our fine selection of classic fragrances for men and women] [men who don't customarily wear fragrance]

corn

[sweetcorn, maize]: [fields of corn] [the film is pure corn]

indicative

[symptomatic]: [having recurrent dreams is not necessarily indicative of any psychological problem]

temple

[synagogue, tabernacle]: [June treats her body like a temple: she takes yoga classes every day] [a temple of science] [a man with curly hair greying at the temples]

synthesize

[synthesise]: [the element was first synthesized by Russian chemists in 1964] [pupils should synthesize the data they have gathered] [Darwinian theory has been synthesized with modern genetics] [trigger chips that synthesize speech] [synthesized chords]

codify

[systematize]: [the statutes have codified certain branches of common law] [in the United Kingdom there is no codified constitution] [this would codify existing intergovernmental cooperation on drugs]

sparing

[thrifty, mean]: [physicians advised sparing use of the ointment]

stoic

[unemotional person]: [a look of stoic resignation] [the Stoic philosophers] [Seneca preached Stoic abstinence]

undertake

[tackle]: [a firm of builders undertook the construction work] [the firm undertook to keep price increases to a minimum] [a lorry driver implicitly undertakes that he is reasonably skilled as a driver] [he undertook me, at 70 mph, while on his mobile] [speeding, tailgating, and undertaking on a motorway are all examples of driving without due care and attention]

label

[tag, brand, designation, tag, categorize]: [the alcohol content is clearly stated on the label] [price labels] [a garment with the label 'Laura Ashley'] [independent labels] [she plans to launch her own designer clothes label]

subtract

[take away]: [subtract 43 from 60] [programs were added and subtracted as called for]

umbrage

[take offence]: [she took umbrage at his remarks]

voluble

[talkative]: [she was as voluble as her husband was silent] [an excited and voluble discussion]

commission

[task, warrant, committee, percentage, perpetration, order, engage, in service, not in service]: [one of his first commissions was to redesign the Great Exhibition building] [he received a commission to act as an informer] [Mozart at last received a commission to write an opera] [in that year Zeuxis painted his most famous commission] [the divine Commission of Christ]

vulgar

[tasteless, impolite, rude]: [a vulgar check suit] [a vulgar joke]

insipid

[tasteless, uninteresting, unimaginative]: [mugs of insipid coffee] [many artists continued to churn out insipid, shallow works]

ragged

[tattered, dressed in rags, jagged, disorganized]: [a rough-looking man wearing ragged clothes] [a ragged child] [a ragged coastline] [a pair of ragged ponies] [the ragged discipline of the players]

tuition

[teaching]: [private tuition in French] [tuition fees] [I'm not paying next year's tuition]

rip

[tear, tear, tear, swindle]: [a fan tried to rip his trousers off during a show] [countries ripped apart by fighting] [you've ripped my jacket] [the truck was struck by lightning and had a hole ripped out of its roof] [the skirt of her frock ripped]

temperance

[teetotalism]: [the temperance movement]

inform

[tell, denounce, suffuse]: [he wrote to her, informing her of the situation] ['That's nothing new,' she informed him] [they were informed that no risk was involved] [he had been recruited by the KGB to inform on his fellow students] [religion informs every aspect of their lives]

narrate

[tell]: [the story is narrated by the heroine] [the series is narrated by Richard Baker]

inviting

[tempting]: [the sea down there looks so inviting]

dogged

[tenacious]: [success required dogged determination]

inclination

[tendency, liking, gradient, bowing]: [John was a scientist by training and inclination] [Fanny showed little inclination to talk about anything serious] [he was free to follow his inclinations] [my inborn inclination for things with moving parts] [changes in inclination of the line on the graph]

triennial

[tercentenary, tercentennial]: [the triennial meeting of the Association]

abortion

[termination]: [concerns such as abortion and euthanasia] [illegal abortions]

territorial

[territorial reserve]: [territorial disputes] [these sharks are aggressively territorial] [the gerbils' territorial behaviour] [a bizarre territorial rite] [territorially ambitious companies]

horror

[terror, awfulness, dismay, hate, rascal]: [children screamed in horror] [photographs showed the horror of the tragedy] [the horrors of civil war] [a horror film] [to her horror she found that a thief had stolen the machine]

mankind

[the human race]: [research for the benefit of all mankind]

cinema

[the pictures, films]: [I was weaned on a diet of Hollywood fantasy at my local cinema] [I never go to the cinema] [one of the giants of British cinema]

dense

[thick, close-packed]: [as the storm cleared, a dense fog came down] [she made her way through the dense undergrowth] [Am I being dense? I don't quite understand] [a dark, dense novel]

densely

[thickly]: [a densely populated country] [densely packed layers] [the best way to keep weeds at bay is to plant densely] [densely plotted historical fiction] [staff can be surly should they decide a customer is behaving densely]

skinny

[thin, slim]: [his skinny arms] [a skinny jumper] [in the winter I live in skinny jeans and boots] [I love jeans—either bootcut or skinny] [a pair of skinny cords]

sparse

[thin]: [areas of sparse population] [information on earnings is sparse]

object

[thing, target, purpose, protest (against)]: [he was dragging a large object] [small objects such as shells] [disease became the object of investigation] [he hated being the object of public attention] [the Institute was opened with the object of promoting scientific study]

ponder

[think about]: [I pondered the question of what clothes to wear for the occasion] [she sat pondering over her problem]

strap

[thong, fasten, bandage, beat]: [her bra strap] [the strap of his shoulder bag] [when Fred was naughty he'd give him the strap] [I had to strap the bag to my bicycle] [the children were strapped into their car seats]

consideration

[thought, factor, attentiveness, payment, consider]: [your case needs very careful investigation and consideration] [the idea was motivated by political considerations] [companies should show more consideration for their employees] [you can buy the books for a small consideration] [he paid them in consideration of their services]

cubic

[three-dimensional]: [a cubic room] [the sodium and chloride ions form two intersecting cubic structures] [15 billion cubic metres of water] [a cubic equation]

dispose

[throw away, part with, incline, arrange]: [the waste is disposed of in the North Sea] [people now have substantial assets to dispose of after their death] [she came up with schemes for disposing of her husband] [the Scottish champions were buoyant after they disposed of English champions Leeds] [she watched him dispose of a large slice of cheese]

period

[time, era, lesson, menstruation, full stop, and that's that]: [he had long periods of depression] [the period 1977-85] [the training period is between 16 and 18 months] [the early medieval period] [the Cretaceous period]

apex

[tip, climax]: [the apex of the roof] [the central bank is at the apex of the financial system] [the apex of his career was in 1966 when he hoisted aloft the World Cup for England] [melodic lines build up to the chorus and it apexes at the solo] [he understands when to apex a corner]

harangue

[tirade, deliver a tirade to]: [they were subjected to a ten-minute harangue by two border guards] [he harangued the public on their ignorance]

fatigue

[tiredness, menial work, khakis, tire]: [he was nearly dead with fatigue] [buccinator and orbicularis oris muscles showing signs of fatigue] [votes were showing signs of election fatigue] [metal fatigue] [we're on cookhouse fatigues, sir]

wearisome

[tiring]: [they have schedules and inventories that tell them in wearisome detail what they should look for] [they insisted on his presence at wearisome musical soirées]

jointly

[together]: [a report prepared jointly by Harvard and Yale universities]

knell

[toll, end]: [emails and text messages are sounding the knell for the written word]

restorative

[tonic]: [the restorative power of long walks] [herbal restoratives]

completely

[totally]: [the fire completely destroyed the building] [you must be completely mad!]

vagrant

[tramp]: [most birders are hoping to find the wind-blown vagrants of migration] [vagrant beggars] [vagrant whales] [the vagrant heart of my mother]

transplant

[transfer, replant, graft]: [it was proposed to transplant the club to the vacant site] [she's a transplanted New Yorker] [lift and transplant bulbs when they are becoming overcrowded] [a kidney was transplanted from one identical twin to another] [the rejection of transplanted organs]

transmission

[transference, broadcasting, broadcast]: [the transmission of the HIV virus] [television transmissions] [a three-speed automatic transmission]

transient

[transitory]: [a transient cold spell] [the transient nature of the labour force in catering]

suitcase

[travelling bag, suitcases]: [three huge suitcases and a plethora of hand baggage]

peregrination

[travels]: [she kept Aunt Ilsa company on her peregrinations]

irradiate

[treat with radiation, illuminate]: [happiness filled her, irradiating her whole face]

remedy

[treatment, solution, (means of) redress, put right]: [herbal remedies for aches and pains] [shopping became a remedy for personal problems] [compensation is available as a remedy against governmental institutions] [money will be given to remedy the poor funding of nurseries]

probation

[trial period]: [I went to court and was put on probation] [for an initial period of probation your manager will closely monitor your progress]

toast

[tribute, darling, brown, warm, pay tribute to]: [she buttered a slice of toast] [Stilton and pear toasts] [he raised his glass in a toast to his son] [he found himself the toast of the baseball world] [he sat by the fire and toasted a piece of bread]

subterfuge

[trickery, trick]: [he had to use subterfuge and bluff on many occasions] [I hated all the subterfuges, I hated lying to you]

bauble

[trinket]: [clutch bags embellished with glittering baubles] [once stripped of their tinsel and baubles, most Christmas trees end up in landfill] [people in quest of honours are wasting time and effort to secure baubles]

treble

[triple]: [the fish were caught with large treble hooks] [she turned back to make a double and treble check] [call Kate on 0500 403 treble zero] [the tip was at least treble what she would normally have given] [the victory completed a treble for the horse's trainer]

banal

[trite]: [songs with banal, repeated words]

fiddling

[trivial]: [fiddling little details]

afflict

[trouble]: [his younger child was afflicted with a skin disease] [serious ills afflict the industry] [he comforted the afflicted] [Jupiter is afflicted by Mars in opposition]

armistice

[truce]: [the Italian government signed an armistice with the Allies]

tramp

[trudge, trek, trample, vagrant, footstep, trek, slut]: [he tramped about the room] [he had tramped all over the city] [it had been ages since I had tramped with a whole pack] [she regularly tramps the New Zealand wilderness] [one of the few wines still tramped by foot]

faith

[trust, religion, be disloyal to, be loyal to]: [this restores one's faith in politicians] [bereaved people who have shown supreme faith] [the Christian faith] [men with strong political faiths] [faith, I was shown the door myself and came home]

veracity

[truthfulness]: [officials expressed doubts concerning the veracity of the story] [voters should be concerned about his veracity and character]

bulb

[tuber]:

immortal

[undying, timeless, god, great]: [our mortal bodies are inhabited by immortal souls] [the immortal children's classic, 'The Wind in the Willows'] [he will always be one of the immortals of soccer]

wrench

[tug, yank, painful parting, spanner, tug, yank, sprain]: [with a wrench Tony wriggled free] [it will be a real wrench to leave after eight years] [you will need a wrench to tighten it in position] [Casey grabbed the gun and wrenched it from my hand] [she wrenched herself free of his grip]

melody

[tune, musicality]: [he picked out an intricate melody on his guitar] [her great gift was for melody] [we have the melody and bass of a song composed by Strozzi]

uproar

[turmoil, noise, outcry]: [the room was in an uproar] [the assembly dissolved in uproar] [it caused an uproar in the press]

avert

[turn aside, prevent]: [she averted her eyes while we made stilted conversation] [talks failed to avert a rail strike]

reject

[turn down, rebuff, failure, rejects, substandard article, rejects]: [union negotiators rejected a 1.5 per cent pay award] [these explanations of criminal behaviour have been rejected by sociologists] [an application to hold a pop concert at the club was rejected] [she didn't want him to feel he had been rejected after his sister was born] [his body could begin to reject the implanted heart]

invert

[turn upside down]: [invert the mousse on to a serving plate]

tortuous

[twisting, convoluted]: [the route is remote and tortuous] [a tortuous argument] [a tortuous route] [a torturous five days of fitness training] [a tortuous piece of bureaucratic language]

bikini

[two-piece]: [Karen put on a yellow sun dress over her bikini] [a bikini top]

quintessential

[typical]: [he was the quintessential tough guy—strong, silent, and self-contained]

exemplify

[typify, illustrate]: [the best dry sherry is exemplified by the fino of Jerez] [he exemplified his point with an anecdote]

abscess

[ulcer]: [once the abscesses burst, they usually discharge for several days before gradually healing up] [one of his priorities as prime minister was to lance the abscess of corruption]

transalpine

[ultramontane]: [transalpine road freight]

umpteen

[umteen]: [you need umpteen pieces of identification to cash a cheque] [umpteen of them arrived at once]

unequivocal

[unambiguous]: [an unequivocal answer] [he was unequivocal in condemning the violence]

implacable

[unappeasable, inexorable]: [he was an implacable enemy of Ted's] [the implacable advance of the enemy]

inevitable

[unavoidable]: [war was inevitable] [the inevitable letter from the bank] [by the morning he had accepted the inevitable]

infidel

[unbeliever]: [a crusade against infidels and heretics] [the infidel foe]

disinterested

[unbiased, uninterested]: [a banker is under an obligation to give disinterested advice] [her father was so disinterested in her progress that he only visited the school once] [the judgements of disinterested outsiders are likely to be more useful]

weird

[uncanny, bizarre]: [weird, inhuman sounds] [a weird coincidence] [all sorts of weird and wonderful characters] [blue eyes weirded him out, and Ivan's were especially creepy]

confusion

[uncertainty, disorder, jumble, bewilderment]: [there seems to be some confusion about which system does what] [he cleared up the confusion over the party's policy] [the guaranteed income bond market was thrown into confusion] [all I can see is a confusion of brown cardboard boxes] [she looked about her in confusion]

straightforward

[uncomplicated, honest]: [in a straightforward case no fees will be charged] [a straightforward young man]

subconscious

[unconscious, unconscious mind]: [my subconscious fear] [uncertainties were lurking around the edge of her subconscious]

eccentricity

[unconventionality]: [the eccentricity of his views] [her eccentricities were amusing rather than irritating] [Halley's Comet has an eccentricity of about 0.9675]

beneath

[under, inferior to, unworthy of, underneath]: [a 2.5-mile tunnel beneath the Alps] [the ancient city has lain hidden beneath the sea for 2,000 years] [beneath this floor there's a cellar] [her eyes had dark shadows beneath them] [he was relegated to the rank beneath theirs]

undersized

[underdeveloped, stunted]: [the undersized cubs may not survive the winter]

undergraduate

[undergrad]: [a group of Oxford undergraduates] [an undergraduate degree] [undergraduate students] [undergraduate life on campus]

devious

[underhand, circuitous]: [he's as devious as a politician needs to be] [they have devious ways of making money] [they arrived at the town by a devious route]

pants

[underpants, trousers]: [corduroy pants] [wide pant legs] [he thought we were going to be absolute pants] [it's a wonder the government hasn't been caught with its pants down] [I was flying by the seat of my pants because I'd never managed anybody before]

fathom

[understand, measure the depth of]: [sonar says that we're in eighteen fathoms] [the locals could not fathom out the reason behind his new-found prosperity] [he couldn't fathom why she was being so anxious] [an attempt to fathom the ocean]

overt

[undisguised]: [an overt act of aggression] [people with HIV progressing to overt AIDS]

nondescript

[undistinguished, ordinary]: [she lived in a nondescript suburban apartment block] [the nondescripts were straight out of the nine-to-five banking bureaucracy]

unjustified

[undue, unwarranted]: [unjustified price increases]

inedible

[uneatable]: [an inedible variety of mushroom]

dull

[uninteresting, drab, overcast, muffled, blunt, slack, sluggish, unintelligent, lessen, numb, fade, darken, dampen]: [your diet doesn't have to be dull and boring] [she said she wouldn't be dull and lonely] [his face glowed in the dull lamplight] [his black hair looked dull] [next morning dawned dull]

corps

[unit, group]: [the 5th Army Corps] [the Royal Army Medical Corps] [at 9:30 a.m., the press corps was handed what looked to be a routine list of orders]

brigade

[unit, squad]: [he commanded a brigade of 3,000 men] [a volunteer ambulance brigade] [the anti-smoking brigade] [the militia, which was brigaded with regular formations to improve its training] [they thought the speech too closely brigaded with illegal action]

knit

[unite, heal, furrow, knitted garment]: [she was knitting a sweater] [cast on and knit a few rows] [knit one, purl one] [disparate regions had begun to knit together under the king] [the experience knitted the men together]

unify

[unite]: [the government hoped to centralize and unify the nation] [opposition groups struggling to unify around the goal of replacing the regime] [a unified system of national education]

cohesion

[unity]: [the work at present lacks cohesion]

panacea

[universal cure]: [the panacea for all corporate ills] [the time-honoured panacea, cod liver oil]

disservice

[unkindness, injury]: [you have done a disservice to the African people by ignoring this fact]

uncertain

[unknown, changeable, unsure, hesitant]: [an uncertain future] [I was uncertain how to proceed] [she has already refused me, in no uncertain terms]

indefinite

[unknown, indeterminate, vague]: [they may face indefinite detention] [an indefinite number of generations] [in Greek the dual contrasts with the indefinite plural]

uncluttered

[unlittered]: [the rooms were plain and uncluttered]

intractable

[unmanageable, stubborn]: [intractable economic problems]

motionless

[unmoving]: [an eagle hung almost motionless close to the ground]

redundant

[unnecessary, surplus, sacked, unemployed]: [an appropriate use for a redundant church] [many of the old skills had become redundant] [eight permanent staff were made redundant] [the modules are linked using a redundant fibre-optic cable]

inconspicuous

[unobtrusive]: [an inconspicuous red-brick building]

uninhabited

[unpopulated, vacant]: [small uninhabited islands]

relentlessly

[unrelentingly]: [Joseph worked relentlessly] [he was being bullied relentlessly at school] [the songs are relentlessly upbeat]

altruistic

[unselfish]: [it was an entirely altruistic act] [I question how altruistic his motives were]

altruism

[unselfishness]: [some may choose to work with vulnerable elderly people out of altruism] [reciprocal altruism]

flawed

[unsound]: [a fatally flawed strategy] [a flawed hero]

random

[unsystematic, unsystematically]: [apparently random violence] [a random sample of 100 households] [are you going to take some random guy on Twitter's word?] [we stumbled on another live band playing at a random bar] [the class was hard but he was so random that it was always fun]

unravel

[untangle, fall apart, solve]: [part of the crew neck had unravelled] [his painstaking diplomacy of the last eight months could quickly unravel] [they were attempting to unravel the cause of death]

unimaginable

[unthinkable]: [lives of almost unimaginable deprivation]

nontraditional

[untraditional]: [moves to encourage women into nontraditional occupations]

lying

[untruthful]: [he's a lying, cheating, snake in the grass]

abnormal

[unusual, strange]: [the illness is recognizable from the patient's abnormal behaviour]

unaccustomed

[unusual, unused]: [they finished their supper with unaccustomed speed] [the visitors were unaccustomed to country roads]

atypical

[unusual]: [a sample of people who are rather atypical of the target audience] [there were somewhat atypical results in May and November]

reluctance

[unwillingness]: [she sensed his reluctance to continue]

utopian

[unworldly, idealistic]: [a utopian ideology] [it is easy to dismiss this as naive or utopian] [he describes himself as an educational Utopian]

plateau

[upland, level]: [the peace process had reached a plateau] [the industry's problems have plateaued out]

agitate

[upset, stir, campaign]: [the thought of questioning Toby agitated him extremely] [agitate the water to disperse the oil] [they agitated for a reversal of the decision]

pressing

[urgent, important, insistent]: [inflation was the most pressing problem] [he had pressing business in Scotland] [a pressing invitation] [pure-grade olive oil is the product of the second or third pressings] [the EP sold out its first pressing in one day]

avail

[use, help, in vain]: [my daughter did not avail herself of my advice] [no amount of struggle availed Charles] [he begged her to reconsider, but to no avail] [this protest availed her nothing]

gait

[walk]: [the easy gait of an athlete]

utility

[usefulness]: [he had a poor opinion of the utility of book learning] [a handy utility for converting one graphics file type to another] [a utility truck] [a utility player] [utility clothing]

exploitation

[utilization]: [the exploitation of migrant workers] [the Bronze Age saw exploitation of gold deposits] [the Government's exploitation of the fear of crime]

blow hot and cold

[vacillate]: [he had behaved badly, stringing her along, blowing hot and cold]

conceited

[vain, be conceited]: [Fred's so conceited he'd never believe anyone would refuse him]

justifiable

[valid, defensible]: [it is not financially justifiable] [their justifiable fears]

variant

[variation, alternative]: [clinically distinct variants of malaria] [a variant spelling]

vermin

[varmint]: [killed as vermin or game, the pumas have gone] [his clothes are infested with vermin] [the vermin who ransacked her house]

vegetal

[vegetative]: [a vegetal aroma] [vegetal cells] [the vegetal region]

vegetative

[vegetive]: [vegetative spores] [a vegetative replicating phase] [environmental factors trigger the switch from vegetative to floral development] [diverse vegetative types]

velvety

[velvet, velvet-textured]: [robes of velvety black] [soup with a velvety texture] [the surface feels velvety to the touch]

feud

[vendetta, quarrel]: [his long-standing feud with Universal Pictures] [a savage feud over drugs money] [Hoover feuded with the CIA for decades]

sinus

[venous sinus]: [sinus rhythm] [sinus tachycardia]

outlet

[vent, outfall, market, means of expression]: [a fast-food outlet] [the state system provided an outlet for farm produce] [a designer outlet] [an outlet store] [writing became the main outlet for his energies]

frigid

[very cold, sexually unresponsive, stiff]: [frigid water] [I've never been good at rejecting people, so I told him I was frigid] [the frigid elegance of the new Opera Bastille]

extremely

[very]: [this is an extremely difficult thing to do]

casualty

[victim, casualties, victim]: [the shelling caused thousands of civilian casualties] [the building industry has been one of the casualties of the recession] [he went to casualty to have a cut stitched] [the Insurers acquire all the Policyholder's rights in respect of the casualty which caused the loss]

vista

[view]: [sweeping lawns and landscaped vistas] [vistas of freedom seemed to open ahead of him]

alert

[vigilant, quick-witted, vigilance, warning, warn]: [an alert police officer discovered a lorry full of explosive] [schools need to be constantly alert to this problem] [she remained active and alert until well into her eighties] [security forces are on the alert for an upsurge in violence] [a bomb alert]

desecrate

[violate]: [more than 300 graves were desecrated] [many lanes are desecrated with yellow lines]

cello

[violoncello]:

masculine

[virile, mannish, male]: [he is outstandingly handsome and robust, very masculine] [a masculine voice] [masculine pronouns] [the dance presents the world of the masculine, its raw energy]

nobility

[virtue, aristocracy]: [a man of nobility and learning] [after 1722 nobility was only acquired by service in the army or bureaucracy] [a member of the English nobility]

virulence

[virulency]: [the proportion of birds which die depends on the virulence of the virus] [poverty increases the incidence and virulence of racism]

discernible

[visible]: [the scandal had no discernible effect on his career] [the inscription was barely discernible]

pilgrim

[visitor to a shrine]: [thousands of pilgrims converged in Memphis for the 16th anniversary of Presley's death] [we should recognize our status as mere pilgrims in this world] [he pilgrimed to his old sporting places]

vocative

[vocative case]:

assonance

[vowel rhyme]: [the use of assonance throughout the poem creates the sound of despair] [alliterative assonances such as 'fail' and 'fall' are very common in Old English poetry]

vowel

[vowel sound]: [her deep-vowelled Russian pronunciation]

bet

[wager, be certain, wager, bet, option, prediction]: [he bet on baseball games] [I would be prepared to bet that he wanted to leave] [most people would bet their life savings on the prospect] [I bet you £15 you won't chat her up] [I bet this place is really spooky late at night]

cart

[wagon, handcart, transport, carry]: [a horse and cart] [from the product page select the size and quantity you'd like and click 'Buy' to add it to your cart] [the meat was pickled in salt and carted to El Paso] [they carted the piano down three flights of stairs] [they were carted off to the nearest police station]

awaken

[wake (up), arouse]: [Anna was awakened by the telephone] [he sighed but did not awaken] [different images can awaken new emotions within us] [the film helped to awaken many to the horrors of apartheid]

perambulate

[walk about, walk around]: [the locals perambulate up and down the thoroughfare] [she perambulated the square] [commissioners were appointed to perambulate the Devon forests before Whitsun 1319]

compose

[write, design, make up, calm down]: [he composed the First Violin Sonata four years earlier] [the first sentence is so hard to compose] [compose and draw a still life] [the National Congress is composed of ten senators] [Christians compose 40 per cent of the state's population]

author

[writer, originator]: [he is the author of several books on the subject] [I had to read authors I disliked] [the authors of the peace plan] [she has authored several articles on wildlife] [the concept has been authored largely by insurance companies]

handwriting

[writing, script]: [this method of duplicating can reproduce typewriting, handwriting, or drawings] [her handwriting was small and neat]

literature

[written works, publications, printed matter]: [a great work of literature] [the literature on environmental epidemiology] [advertising and promotional literature]

literary

[written, scholarly, formal]: [the great literary works of the nineteenth century] [the newspaper's literary editor] [the script was too literary]

cursive

[written]: [cursive script] [this style of writing began to compete with Gothic cursive]

misdeed

[wrongdoing]: [his past misdeeds were forgiven]

thread

[yarn, streak, train of thought, pass, weave (one's way), string]: [he had a loose thread on his shirt] [the thread that bound them had snapped] [she put her needle and thread away] [the Thames was a thread of silver below them] [a major thread running through the book is the primacy of form over substance]

annually

[yearly]: [the prize is awarded annually] [sales are increasing by about 17% annually]

succumb

[yield, die from]: [we cannot merely give up and succumb to despair] [after a few blows there, the porcupine succumbs]

parable

[allegory]: [the parable of the blind men and the elephant] [a modern-day parable]

essay

[article, attempt, attempt]: [a misjudged essay in job preservation] [Donald essayed a smile]

asthma

[asthma attack, bronchial asthma]:

bidirectional

[biface, bifacial, duplex, two-way]:

prow

[bow]: [the commanding prow of the Jaguar]

disaster

[catastrophe, failure]: [159 people died in the disaster] [disaster struck within minutes of take-off] [a disaster movie] [a string of personal disasters] [reduced legal aid could spell financial disaster]

edition

[issue]: [a paperback edition] [a first edition] [variations occurred after some of the edition had already been published] [the Monday edition will be repeated on Wednesdays]

statute

[law]: [the Act consolidated statutes dealing with non-fatal offences] [immunities granted to trade unions by statute] [the appointment will be subject to the statutes of the university]

shiftless

[lazy]: [a shiftless lot of good-for-nothings]

fusible

[liquid, liquified, melted]:

parsimonious

[mean]: [even the parsimonious Joe paid for drinks all round]

prehensible

[]:

submittal

[]:

whereby

[]: [a system whereby people could vote by telephone]

impassible

[]: [belief in an impassible God]

hydraulic

[]: [hydraulic fluid] [hydraulic analysis of streams]

spinning

[]: [in fine weather spinning was done out of doors]

interplanetary

[]: [interplanetary missions]

upheave

[]: [the area was first upheaved from the primeval ocean]

banker

[]: [the horse should be a banker for him in the Members' race] [the creek is running a banker]

theoretically

[]: [the method has been studied theoretically] [the concept is theoretically flawed] [this scenario is theoretically possible, but not very likely] [the Internet, at least theoretically, is infinite]

monograph

[]: [they are publishing a series of monographs on music in late medieval and Renaissance cities] [Meissner first monographed the plant in 1826]

urge

[advise, encourage, impel, desire]: [he urged her to come and stay with us] ['Do try to relax,' she urged] [I urge caution in interpreting these results] [they are urging that more treatment facilities be provided] [drawing up outside the house, he urged her inside]

mentor

[adviser, trainer]: [he was her friend and mentor until his death] [regular meetings between mentor and trainee help guide young engineers through their early years] [a mentor program] [both trainees were expertly mentored by a site supervisor] [mentoring should be encouraged]

redirect

[airt]: [get the post office to redirect your mail] [resources were redirected to a major project] [when you're in Australia entering google.com into your browser will usually result in a redirect to google.com.au] [to get messages sent to your GetMail account, you need to set up a redirect from your main email account]

qualification

[certificate, modification]: [I left school at 15 with no qualifications] [her qualification as a barrister] [only one qualification required—fabulous sense of humour] [the five-year residency qualification for presidential candidates] [they need to beat Poland to ensure qualification for the World Cup finals]

institutionalize

[charge, commit, institutionalise, send]: [he institutionalized the practice of collaborative research on a grand scale] [institutionalized religion] [he was institutionalized in a school for the destitute] [I became less institutionalized, more able to function as an individual]

fry

[child, kid, minor, nestling, nipper, shaver, small fry, tiddler, tike, tyke, youngster]: [she fried a rasher of bacon, a sausage and a slice of bread] [I fried up some sardines] [put half a dozen steaks to fry in a pan] [with the sea and sun and wind you'll fry if you don't take care] [drugs fry the brain]

speculate

[conjecture, gamble]: [my colleagues speculate about my private life] [observers speculated that the authorities wished to improve their image] [he didn't look as though he had the money to speculate in shares]

aware

[conscious of, well informed]: [most people are aware of the dangers of sunbathing] [he was aware that a problem existed] [everyone needs to become more environmentally aware]

preserve

[conserve, continue, guard, conserve, jam, domain, sanctuary]: [all records of the past were zealously preserved] [a magnificently preserved monastery] [a fight to preserve local democracy] [the film has preserved all the qualities of the novel] [a place for preserving endangered species]

coherence

[consistency]: [this raises further questions on the coherence of state policy] [the group began to lose coherence and the artists took separate directions]

panel

[console, group]: [a layer of insulating material should be placed between the panels and the wall] [body panels for the car trade] [the dress has a panel of lace over the bodice] [the central panel depicts the Crucifixion] [the cartoon strip has four panels]

continuance

[continuation, duration]: [his interests encouraged him to favour the continuance of war] [the trademarks shall be used only during the continuance of this agreement] [the king's ministers depended on his favour for their continuance in office] [scheduling trial dates and refusing to grant continuances are part of a judge's prerogative]

transverse

[crosswise]: [a transverse beam supports the dashboard]

fiat

[decree, edict, order, rescript]: [the reforms left most prices fixed by government fiat]

compact

[dense, small, concise, compress, treaty]: [a compact cluster of houses] [this compact car has plenty of boot space] [a compact summary of the play] [towns compact of wooden houses] [the rubbish was taken to the depot to be compacted]

disavow

[deny]: [the union leaders resisted pressure to disavow picket-line violence]

demanding

[difficult, challenging, nagging]: [she has a busy and demanding job] [he was a demanding baby, and rarely slept through the night]

problematic

[difficult]: [the situation was problematic for teachers] [the problematics of artificial intelligence]

dorm

[dormitory, hall, residence hall, student residence]:

exuberant

[ebullient, luxuriant]: [a noisy bunch of exuberant youngsters] [exuberant, over-the-top sculptures] [exuberant foliage]

hiss

[fizz, jeer, fizz, jeer, hisses]: [the escaping gas was hissing] [the audience hissed loudly at the mention of his name] [he was hissed off the stage] ['Get back!' he hissed] [the spit and hiss of a cornered cat]

gyroscope

[gyro]:

recognize

[identify, remember, acknowledge, realize, officially approve, pay tribute to]: [I recognized her when her wig fell off] [Julia hardly recognized Jill when they met] [Pat is very good at recognizing wild flowers] [Dr Friedman is programming his computer to recognize the shapes of strokes in the hands of various writers] [the defence is recognized in British law]

invulnerable

[impervious]: [no state in the region is now invulnerable to attack by another]

device

[implement, ploy, emblem]: [a measuring device] [an incendiary device] [writing a letter to a newspaper is a traditional device for signalling dissent] [a rhetorical device] [the decorative device on the invitations]

implicit

[implied, inherent, absolute]: [comments seen as implicit criticism of the policies] [the values implicit in the school ethos] [an implicit faith in God]

serviceable

[in working order, functional, hard-wearing]: [an ageing but still serviceable water supply system] [only twelve aircraft were fully serviceable this morning] [sturdy, serviceable laced-up shoes]

individualism

[independence]: [a culture that celebrates individualism and wealth] [encouragement has been given to individualism, free enterprise, and the pursuit of profit]

notify

[inform, make known]: [you will be notified of our decision as soon as possible] [they were notified that John had been taken prisoner] [births and deaths are required by law to be notified to the Registrar]

resolution

[intention, motion, determination, solution to]: [she kept her resolution not to see Anne any more] [a New Year's resolution] [the conference passed two resolutions] [he handled the last British actions of the war with resolution] [the peaceful resolution of all disputes]

doubtful

[irresolute, in doubt, questionable]: [he looked doubtful, but gave a nod] [I was doubtful of my judgement] [the fire was of doubtful origin] [it is doubtful whether these schemes have any lasting effect] [of doubtful legality]

cap

[mortar board, lid, limit, top, round off, beat, set a limit on, choose]: [a man wearing a raincoat and a flat cap] [her cap of dark hair] [a shower cap] [a bathing cap] [he has won three caps for Scotland]

chattel

[movable, personal chattel]:

rise

[move up/upwards, make progress, stand up, adjourn, come back to life, rebel, react to, originate, slope upwards, loom, swell, go up, improve, get higher, lift, progress, (upward) slope, increase, improvement, pay increase]: [the tiny aircraft rose from the ground] [the sun had just risen] [a fish rose and was hooked and landed] [the officer was a man of great courage who had risen from the ranks] [he struggled to rise above his humble background]

addle

[muddled]: [being in love must have addled your brain] [the extremely hot and dry weather had caused the eggs to addle] [the film is addle-brained]

manifold

[multiply]: [the implications of this decision were manifold] [the appeal of the crusade was manifold] [US aircraft attacked the pipeline manifold feeding the Sea Island] [the exhaust manifold]

instrumentalist

[musician, player]: [is the skilled pop instrumentalist an endangered species?] [an instrumentalist account of the liberal state]

nasal

[nasal bone, os nasale]: [the nasal passages] [a nasal spray] [a drawling nasal voice]

ancient

[of long ago, old, antiquated]: [the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean] [ancient forests] [an ancient pair of jeans] [you make me feel ancient] [a solitary ancient in a tweed jacket]

provenance

[origin]: [an orange rug of Iranian provenance] [the manuscript has a distinguished provenance]

wade

[paddle, ford, work one's way, attack, get involved in, move in]: [he waded out to the boat] [I waded ditches instead of finding easier crossing places] [they could just click it up on screen rather than have to wade through some hefty document] [Seb waded into the melee and started to beat off the boys] [Nicola waded in and grabbed the baby]

congregation

[parishioners, gathering]: [the singing of psalms by the whole congregation] [he was a member of the Emmanuel Chapel congregation] [large congregations of birds may cause public harm] [drought conditions lead to the congregation of animals around watering points] [the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]

pacific

[peace-loving, conciliatory]: [a pacific gesture] [the Pacific War]

seduction

[persuading someone to have sexual intercourse, temptation, attraction, seductions, appeal]: [if seduction doesn't work, she can play on his sympathy] [she was planning a seduction] [the seductions of the mainland]

reconnaissance

[preliminary survey]: [an excellent aircraft for low-level reconnaissance] [after a reconnaissance British forces took the island] [conducting client reconnaissance]

batter

[pummel, damage]: [a prisoner was battered to death with a table leg] [outrage at wife-battering and child abuse] [the film took a battering from critics] [pancake batter] [a batter thin enough to be poured]

reserve

[put to one side, retain, book, defer, stock, backup, reserves, substitute, national park, reticence, reservation, available]: [roll out half the dough and reserve the other half] [Japanese food has been presented as expensive and reserved for special occasions] [the editor reserves the right to edit letters] [a place was reserved for her in the front row] [I'll reserve my views on his ability until he's played again]

inhabitant

[resident, inhabitants]:

tussle

[scuffle, argument, scuffle]: [there was a tussle for the ball] [the demonstrators tussled with police]

underestimate

[set too low, underrate]: [the government has grossly underestimated the extent of the problem] [he had underestimated the new President] [£7.5 million is a considerable underestimate]

dividend

[share, benefit]: [buying a rail pass may still pay dividends]

nagging

[shrewish]: [a nagging wife] [a nagging pain] [only a handful of nagging doubts remained]

navigate

[steer, map-read, sail across/over, steer]: [they navigated by the stars] [he taught them how to navigate across the oceans] [whales use their own inbuilt sonar system to navigate] [we'll go in my car—you can navigate] [I used a browser to navigate around the Web]

deduct

[subtract]: [tax has been deducted from the payments]

perfidious