unit 63

gravel (They proceeded in silence along the gravel walk that led to the copse; Elizabeth was determined to make no effort for conversation with a woman who was now more than usually insolent and disagreeable.)

small stones, used to make a surface for paths, roads etc

deceitful (His manner was sly and deceitful. "Nothing is more deceitful," said Darcy, "than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast.")

someone who is deceitful tells lies in order to get what they want

diligent (So farmers release commercially reared bees by the thousands onto their fields, where the insects buzz along diligently and pollinate billions of dollars' worth of crops every year.)

someone who is diligent works hard and is careful and thorough

precipitance (At least, therefore, I did not assume the character of needless precipitance merely to show off before the ladies)

the quality of happening with headlong haste or without warning

prevail on ​ (prevail on/upon someone They might be prevailed upon to come with us.)

to ask or persuade someone to do something

peer (He was peering through the wet windscreen at the cars ahead.)

to look very carefully at something, especially because you are having difficulty seeing it

crackle

to make repeated short sounds like something burning in a fire

placate (These changes did little to placate the unions. a placatory smile)

to make someone stop feeling angry SYN appease OPP rile

touch on/upon something (The report touches on the relationship between poverty and poor health.)

to mention a particular subject when talking or writing

potty mouth

using offensive language

ebullient (My father is a naturally ebullient personality.)

very happy and excited

serendipity (What a delightful find - a true serendipity!)

when interesting or valuable discoveries are made by accident → luck

peruse (She leant forward to peruse the document more closely.)

(v.) to read thoroughly and carefully

blast (A blast of cold air swept through the hut.)

1 AIR/WIND a sudden strong movement of wind or air 2 EXPLOSION an explosion, or the very strong movement of air that it causes 3 LOUD NOISE a sudden very loud noise, especially one made by a whistle or horn 6 EMOTION a sudden strong expression of a powerful emotion

grip (The latest event is particularly intriguing to scientists because it struck just a few dozen miles east of two large temblors that gripped the region in 2020: a magnitude 7.8 on July 22 and a magnitude 7.6 on October 19.)

1 FIRM HOLD [countable usually singular] the way you hold something tightly, or your ability to do this 2 POWER [singular] power and control over someone or something 3 UNDERSTANDING [singular] an understanding of something 1 HOLD TIGHTLY [transitive] to hold something very tightly

fancy (No, she would go home. I fancy she was wanted about the mince-pies. All the girls fancied him.)

1 LIKE/WANT British English informal to like or want something, or want to do something SYN feel like 2 SEXUAL ATTRACTION British English informal to feel sexually attracted to someone 5 THINK SOMETHING WILL BE SUCCESSFUL British English to think someone or something is likely to be successful in something 7 THINK/BELIEVE literary to think or believe something without being certain

confine (The country," said Darcy, "can in general supply but a few subjects for such a study. In a country neighbourhood you move in a very confined and unvarying society.")

1 LIMIT to keep someone or something within the limits of a particular activity or subject SYN restrict 2 KEEP SOMEBODY IN A PLACE to keep someone in a place that they cannot leave, such as a prison 3 STOP SOMETHING SPREADING to stop something bad from spreading to another place 4 STAY IN ONE PLACE if you are confined to a place, you have to stay in that place, especially because you are ill

dip (As bees dip into flowers to find food, their fuzzy little bodies pick up powdery pollen that gets spread when they visit the next flower, and the next, and the next.)

1 PUT SOMETHING IN LIQUID [transitive] to put something into a liquid and lift it out again 2 MOVE DOWN [intransitive, transitive] to move down, or to make something move down, usually for just a short time 3 BECOME LESS [intransitive] if an amount or level dips, it becomes less, usually for just a short time SYN fall 4 ROAD/PATH [countable] if land or a road or path dips, it slopes down and then goes up again 6 ANIMALS [transitive] to put animals in a chemical that kills insects on their skin

inclination

1 [countable, uncountable] a feeling that makes you want to do something

execution (The indirect boast; for you are really proud of your defects in writing, because you consider them as proceeding from a rapidity of thought and carelessness of execution, which, if not estimable, you think at least highly interesting. the execution of a will)

1 [countable, uncountable] when someone is killed, especially as a legal punishment 2 [uncountable] formal a process in which you do something that has been carefully planned SYN implementation 3 [uncountable] law the process of making sure that the instructions in a legal document are followed 4 [uncountable] formal the performance of a difficult action or movement 5 [uncountable] formal the process of producing something such as a painting, film, book etc, or the way it is produced 6 [countable, uncountable] technical when you make a computer program work, or a command (=instruction) happen

rattle (But the pair of tectonic plates don't smoothly slide by each other, and each slow shift builds stresses along the fault until it hits a breaking point and the land suddenly shifts in a ground-rattling quake. His mocking smile rattled her more than his anger. The cart rattled along the stony road. The window rattled in the wind.)

1 [intransitive, transitive] if you rattle something, or if it rattles, it shakes and makes a quick series of short sounds 2 [intransitive] if a vehicle rattles somewhere, it travels there while making a rattling sound 3 [transitive] informal to make someone lose confidence or become nervous

dissipate (As he thought it over, his anger gradually dissipated. This intense shaking had dissipated to gentle rocking by the time it reached Aderhold, an earthquake seismologist also at IRIS)

1 [intransitive, transitive] to gradually become less or weaker before disappearing completely, or to make something do this 2 [transitive] to waste something valuable such as time, money, or energy

bunch (also bunch together, bunch up) verb (As the Pacific plate shoves its way under the Alaskan coast, the overlying North American plate bunches up.)

1 [intransitive, transitive] to stay close together in a group, or to make people do this 2 [intransitive, transitive] to make part of your body tight, or to become tight like this 3 [intransitive, transitive] to pull material together tightly in folds 4 [transitive] to hold or tie things together in a bunch

boast (I do not like to boast of my own child, but to be sure, Jane—one does not often see anybody better looking. Amy boasted that her son was a genius.)

1 [intransitive, transitive] to talk too proudly about your abilities, achievements, or possessions 2 [transitive not in progressive] if a place, object, or organization boasts something, it has something that is very good

disarm (Getting the rebels to disarm will not be easy.)

1 [intransitive] to reduce the size of your army, navy etc, and the number of your weapons OPP arm

wail ('But what shall I do?' Bernard wailed.)

1 [transitive] to say something in a loud, sad, and complaining way 2 [intransitive] to cry out with a long high sound, especially because you are very sad or in pain 3 [intransitive] to make a long high sound

reproof (a mild reproof She greeted me with a look of cold reproof. "Your humility, Mr. Bingley," said Elizabeth, "must disarm reproof.")

1 [uncountable] blame or disapproval 2 [countable] a remark that blames or criticizes someone

remnant (The remnants of a meal stood on the table. . She looked up to see her hanging stained glass lamp—a remnant from the house's past owners—slowly swinging side to side "like a pendulum," she says.)

1 [usually plural] a small part of something that remains after the rest of it has been used, destroyed, or eaten 2 a small piece of cloth left from a larger piece and sold cheaply

cornucopia (a cornucopia of delights The modern supermarket offers a rainbow cornucopia of fruits and vegetables.)

1 a container in the shape of an animal's horn, full of fruit and flowers, used to represent a time when there are large supplies of food 2 literary a lot of good things

lease (You will not think of quitting it in a hurry, I hope, though you have but a short lease.)

1 a legal agreement which allows you to use a building, car etc for a period of time, in return for rent 1if you lease something to someone, you give them the right to use it for a particular period of time in return for payment

jolt (Now, scientists have found that—like for many humans—a jolt of caffeine helps bees stay on task and get the job done more efficiently.)

1 a sudden shock 2 a sudden rough shaking movement 3 a small but powerful amount of something

layer (While an earthquake may release stress in one area, it can layer on stress in nearby zones, increasing their potential for future quakes.)

1 an amount or piece of a material or substance that covers a surface or that is between two other things 1 to make a layer of something or put something down in layers 2 to cut someone's hair so that the hair on top is in shorter lengths than the lower hair

struck off (Terri was told to strike off the names of every person older than 30. The powerful earthquake struck off the southern coast of Perryville, on the Alaskan Peninsula.)

1 be struck off British English if a doctor, lawyer etc is struck off, their name is removed from the official list of people who are allowed to work as doctors, lawyers etc 2 to remove someone or something from a list

potty (What a potty idea! You must be potty!)

1 crazy or silly a container used by very young children as a toilet

luscious (her luscious body a luscious and fragrant dessert wine)

1 extremely good to eat or drink 2 informal very sexually attractive

stout (Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may. Everything nourishes what is strong already.)

1 fairly fat and heavy, or having a thick body 2 literary strong and thick SYN sturdy 3 formal brave and determined

insipid (insipid colours an insipid pasta dish)

1 food or drink that is insipid does not have much taste SYN bland 2 not interesting, exciting, or attractive

strident (strident criticism)

1 forceful and determined, especially in a way that is offensive or annoying 2 a strident sound or voice is loud and unpleasant

oscillate (A slowly oscillating wail cut through the sunlit summer night outside Kasey Aderhold's house in Homer, Alaska. Her attitude towards me oscillated between friendship and hostility. His income oscillated between £1,500 and £2,000 a month.)

1 formal to keep changing between two extreme amounts or limits 2 formal to keep changing between one feeling or attitude and another 3 to move backwards and forwards in a regular way 4 technical if an electric current oscillates, it changes direction very regularly and very frequently колебаться

integral (Vegetables are an integral part of our diet.)

1 forming a necessary part of something 2 [usually before noun] British English provided as part of something, rather than being separate

depend on/upon somebody/something ("You may depend upon it, Madam," said Miss Bingley, with cold civility, "that Miss Bennet will receive every possible attention while she remains with us.")

1 if something depends on something else, it is directly affected or decided by that thing 2 to need the support, help, or existence of someone or something in order to exist, be healthy, be successful etc SYN rely on 3 to trust or have confidence in someone or something

lest (Darcy only smiled; and the general pause which ensued made Elizabeth tremble lest her mother should be exposing herself again. She turned away from the window lest anyone see them. He paused, afraid lest he say too much.)

1 in order to make sure that something will not happen 2 used to show that someone is afraid or worried that a particular thing might happen

dense (It struck far from dense population centers and only caused rough seas. dense black smoke Am I being dense? I don't quite understand. Water is eight hundred times denser than air.)

1 made of or containing a lot of things or people that are very close together SYN thick 2 difficult to see through or breathe in 3 informal not able to understand things easily SYN stupid 4 a dense piece of writing is difficult to understand because it contains a lot of information or uses complicated language 5 technical a substance that is dense has a lot of mass in relation to its size

genteel ("Yes, she called yesterday with her father. What an agreeable man Sir William is, Mr. Bingley, is not he? So much the man of fashion! So genteel and easy! He has always something to say to everybody.)

1 polite, gentle, or graceful 2 old-fashioned from or relating to a good social class

pitiful ("I wish I might take this for a compliment; but to be so easily seen through I am afraid is pitiful.")

1 someone who is pitiful looks or sounds so sad and unfortunate that you feel very sorry for them → pity

stray (But commercial bees sometimes stray from farm fields to peruse nearby wildflowers.)

1 to move away from the place you should be 2 to begin to deal with or think about a different subject from the main one, without intending to 3 if your eyes stray, you begin to look at something else, usually without intending to 4 to start doing something that is wrong or immoral, when usually you do not do this

tremble (His lip started to tremble and then he started to cry.)

1 to shake slightly in a way that you cannot control, especially because you are upset or frightened

unleash (Lefèvre's comments unleashed a wave of protest. The release of big tectonic jolts has the potential to unleash another devastating force: tsunamis.)

1 to suddenly let a strong force, feeling etc have its full effect 2 to let a dog run free after it has been held on a leash

tether (Other research shows that tethered honeybees exposed to a target scent while eating caffeine stick out their tongues in response for longer periods of time, but those bees were unable to freely choose which flowers to visit.)

1 to tie an animal to a post so that it can only move around within a limited area 2 technical to use a mobile phone to make a computer able to connect with the Internet 2 a rope or chain that an animal is tied to so that it can only move around within a limited area

partiality (I do not trust my own partiality.)

1 unfair support of one person or one group against another SYN bias

restless (After a few weeks in Marseille, I grew restless and decided to move on. The quake now serves as a powerful reminder of the restlessness of our planet's surface—and it presents an exciting opportunity to peer deeper at our planet's inner workings.)

1 unwilling to keep still or stay where you are, especially because you are nervous or bored SYN fidgety 2 unwilling to stay in one place, and always wanting new experiences

towering (great towering cliffs Right after the July 28 quake, warning systems sent out tsunami alerts for places as far away as the Hawaiian islands, and more waves than usual began crashing on nearby shores, but no towering walls of water materialized.)

1 very tall 2 much better than other people of the same kind SYN outstanding

arouse (She felt aroused by the pressure of his body so close to hers. Anne had to be aroused from a deep sleep.)

3 to make someone feel sexually excited SYN excite 4 literary to wake someone 1 → arouse interest/expectations etc 2 → arouse hostility/suspicion/resentment/anger etc

withdrawal (As with most child accounts, children can not make withdrawals until they are seven.)

5 DRUGS [uncountable] the period after someone has given up a drug that they were dependent on, and the unpleasant mental and physical effects that this causes 1 ARMY [countable, uncountable] the act of moving an army, weapons etc away from the area where they were fighting 2 REMOVAL/ENDING [uncountable] the removal or stopping of something such as support, an offer, or a service 3 MONEY [countable, uncountable] the act of taking money from a bank account, or the amount you take out 4 STOP TAKING PART [uncountable] the act of no longer taking part in an activity or being a member of an organization 6 STATEMENT [uncountable] the act of saying that something you previously said was in fact untrue SYN retraction

pine (an ancient pine forest Rob York walks calmly through the quiet pines deep in California's Sierra Nevada foothills, trailing a mix of kerosene and gas from a canister behind him onto the forest floor, which crackles alight into low flames.)

[countable, uncountable] (also pine tree) a tall tree with long hard sharp leaves that do not fall off in winter 2 [uncountable] the pale wood of pine trees, used to make furniture, floors etc

witticism (Jokes and witticisms about the Führer proliferated.)

a clever amusing remark

hackneyed (This may sound hackneyed, but he really did treat the bar girls as ladies.)

a hackneyed phrase is boring and does not have much meaning because it has been used so often

deer (A deer makes tracks in the snow.)

a large wild animal that can run very fast, eats grass, and has horns

pendulum (As we neared the center, we saw the pendulum clearly.)

a long metal stick with a weight at the bottom that swings regularly from side to side to control the working of a clock

juncture (At this juncture, I suggest we take a short break. The talks are at a critical juncture (=very important point).)

a particular point in an activity or period of time стык

mince pie (We might get a mince pie.)

a pie filled with mincemeat, especially one that people eat at Christmas

innuendo (a comic act full of sexual innuendo a campaign based on rumour, innuendo, and gossip)

a remark that suggests something sexual or unpleasant without saying it directly, or these remarks in general → double entendre the use of statements with a second possible meaning, usually referring to sex and intended as a joke, or one of these statements

adjacent (We stayed in adjacent rooms. These quakes both sit adjacent to a curious area known as the Shumagin Gap.)

a room, building, piece of land etc that is adjacent to something is next to it

temblor (Some 380 miles to the west, off the coast of the Alaskan Peninsula, a magnitude 8.2 earthquake had just ripped through this part of the planet—the biggest temblor the U.S. has seen in more than 50 years.)

an earthquake

indissoluble (the indissoluble link between language and culture)

an indissoluble relationship cannot be destroyed

ingrate

an ungrateful person

naughty (You're a very naughty boy! Look what you've done!)

badly behaved 1 a naughty child does not obey adults and behaves badly OPP good 2 British English if an adult does something naughty, they do something that is not right or good, but is not very serious

puffed or puffed out (Each group was released from its hive and into a laboratory arena dotted with robotic flowers, some of which puffed out the same strawberry smell and others that released a completely different "distractor" floral scent. The boiler was puffing thick black smoke.)

breathing very quickly because you have been running, jumping etc 3 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] if smoke, steam etc puffs from somewhere, or if something puffs it, it comes out in little clouds

prerequisite (A reasonable proficiency in English is a prerequisite for the course.)

formal something that is necessary before something else can happen or be done

efficacy (There has been many a one, I fancy, overcome in the same way. I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love!)

formal the ability of something to produce the right result SYN effectiveness OPP inefficacy

instantly (All four victims died instantly. Mrs. Bennet and her daughters then departed, and Elizabeth returned instantly to Jane, leaving her own and her relations' behaviour to the remarks of the two ladies and Mr. Darcy; the latter of whom, however, could not be prevailed on to join in their censure of her, in spite of all Miss Bingley's witticisms on fine eyes.)

immediately

sunlit (a sunlit garden)

lighted by sunlight

recurring (a recurrent theme)

occur again, periodically, or repeatedly

panegyric (When you told Mrs. Bennet this morning that if you ever resolved upon quitting Netherfield you should be gone in five minutes, you meant it to be a sort of panegyric, of compliment to yourself—and yet what is there so very laudable in a precipitance which must leave very necessary business undone, and can be of no real advantage to yourself or anyone else?)

old-fashioned formal a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something a lot

profuse (bleeding profusely Mrs. Bennet was profuse in her acknowledgments.)

produced or existing in large quantities

self-righteous (She's a vegetarian, but she's not at all self-righteous about it.)

proudly sure that your beliefs, attitudes, and morals are good and right, in a way that annoys other people - used to show disapproval SYN sanctimonious

pompous (He seems rather pompous.)

someone who is pompous thinks that they are important, and shows this by being very formal and using long words - used to show disapproval someone who is pompous thinks they are very important and speaks or behaves in a very serious and formal way

dissipated (The haze of myth is dissipated, with extraordinary suddenness, from the origins of the world and of life.)

spending too much time enjoying physical pleasures such as drinking alcohol in a way that is harmful

unvarying (They carried on at an unvarying pace.)

steady and never changing

saliva (One study suggests it may be spread in saliva.)

the liquid that is produced naturally in your mouth SYN spit