Reading vocabularies

Galore

(Adj.) (Informal, Written, To Express Emphasis) You use galore to emphasize that something you like exists in very large quantities. 2. in abundance; in plentiful amounts.

Meager

(Adj.) (To Express Disapproval) If you describe an amount or quantity of something as meager, you are critical of it because it is very small or not enough. 2. deficient in quantity or quality; lacking fullness or richness; scanty; inadequate. 3. having little flesh; lean; thin. 4. Maigre.

Slender

(Adj.) (Written, To Express Approval) A slender person is attractively thin and graceful. 2. (Written) You can use slender to describe a situation which exists but only to a very small degree. 3. having a circumference that is small in proportion to the height or length. 4. thin or slight; light and graceful. 5. small in size, amount, extent, etc.; meager. 6. having little value, force, or justification. 7. thin or weak, as sound.

Crude

(Adj.) A crude method or measurement is not exact or detailed, but may be useful or correct in a rough, general way. 2. If you describe an object that someone has made as crude, you mean that it has been made in a very simple way or from very simple parts. 3. (To Express Disapproval) If you describe someone as crude, you disapprove of them because they speak or behave in a rude, offensive, or unsophisticated way. 4. Crude substances are in a natural or unrefined state, and have not yet been used in manufacturing processes. 5. in a raw or unprepared state; unrefined or natural. 6. lacking in intellectual subtlety, perceptivity, etc.; rudimentary; undeveloped. 7. lacking finish, polish, or completeness. 8. lacking culture, refinement, tact, etc. 9. undisguised; blunt. 10. unripe; not mature. 11. (N.) Crude oil.

Obedient

(Adj.) A person or animal who is obedient does what they are told to do. 2. obeying or willing to obey; complying with or submissive to authority.

Sly

(Adj.) A sly look, expression, or remark shows that you know something that other people do not know or that was meant to be a secret. 2. (To Express Disapproval) If you describe someone as sly, you disapprove of them because they keep their feelings or intentions hidden and are clever at deceiving people. 3. cunning or wily. 4. stealthy, insidious, or secret. 5. playfully artful, mischievous, or roguish. 6. (N.) on the sly, secretly; furtively.

Feral

(Adj.) Feral animals are wild animals that are not owned or controlled by anyone, especially ones that belong to species which are normally owned and kept by people. 2. existing in a natural state, as animals or plants; not domesticated or cultivated; wild. 3. having reverted to the wild state, as from domestication. 4. of or characteristic of wild animals; ferocious; brutal. 5. causing death; fatal. 6. funereal; gloomy.

Airtight

(Adj.) If a container is airtight, its lid fits so tightly that no air can get in or out. 2. An airtight alibi, case, argument, or agreement is one that has been so carefully put together that nobody will be able to find a fault in it. 3. preventing the entrance or escape of air or gas. 4. having no weak points or openings of which an opponent may take advantage.

Vehement

(Adj.) If a person or their actions or comments are vehement, the person has very strong feelings or opinions and expresses them forcefully. 2. zealous; ardent; impassioned. 3. characterized by rancor or anger; violent. 4. strongly emotional; intense or passionate. 5. marked by great energy or exertion; strenuous.

Involuntary

(Adj.) If you make an involuntary movement or exclamation, you make it suddenly and without intending to because you are unable to control yourself. 2. You use involuntary to describe an action or situation that is forced on someone. 3. not voluntary; independent of one's will; not by one's own choice. 4. unintentional; unconscious. 5. Physiology. acting independently of or done or occurring without volition.

Bitter

(Adj.) In a bitter argument or conflict, people argue very angrily or fight very fiercely. 2. If someone is bitter after a disappointing experience or after being treated unfairly, they continue to feel angry about it. 3. A bitter taste is sharp, not sweet, and often slightly unpleasant. 4. A bitter experience makes you feel very disappointed. 5. You can also use bitter to emphasize feelings of disappointment. 6. Bitter weather, or a bitter wind, is extremely cold.

Tender

(Adj.) Someone or something that is tender expresses gentle and caring feelings. 2. If you say that someone does something at a tender age, you mean that they do it when they are still young and have not had much experience. 3. Meat or other food that is tender is easy to cut or chew. 4. If part of your body is tender, it is sensitive and painful when it is touched. 5. soft or delicate in substance; not hard or tough. 6. weak or delicate in constitution; not strong or hardy. 7. (of plants) unable to withstand freezing temperatures. 8. young or immature. 9. delicate or soft in quality. 10. delicate, soft, or gentle. 11. easily moved to sympathy or compassion; kind. 12. affectionate or loving; sentimental or amatory. 13. considerate or careful; chary or reluctant (usually followed by of ). 14. acutely or painfully sensitive. 15. easily distressed; readily made uneasy. 16. yielding readily to force or pressure; easily broken; fragile. 17. of a delicate or ticklish nature; requiring careful or tactful handling. 18. Nautical. crank. 19. (V.) (Business) If a company tenders for something, it makes a formal offer to supply goods or do a job for a particular price. 20. to make tender. 21. to regard or treat tenderly. 22. to present formally for acceptance; make formal offer of. 23. to offer or proffer. 24. Law. to offer, as money or goods, in payment of a debt or other obligation, especially in exact accordance with the terms of the law and of the obligation. 25. to make or submit a bid (often followed by for ). 26. (N.) (Business) a formal offer to supply goods or to do a particular job, and a statement of the price that you or your company will charge. 27. (Business) If a contract is put out to tender , formal offers are invited. 28. (Business) If a company wins a tender , their offer is accepted. 29. the act of tendering; an offer of something for acceptance. 30. something tendered or offered, especially money, as in payment. 31. Commerce. an offer made in writing by one party to another to execute certain work, supply certain commodities, etc., at a given cost; bid. 32. Law. an offer, as of money or goods, in payment or satisfaction of a debt or other obligation. 33. a person who tends; a person who attends to or takes charge of someone or something. 34. an auxiliary ship employed to attend one or more other ships, as for supplying provisions. 35. a dinghy carried or towed by a yacht. 36. Railroads. a car attached to a steam locomotive for carrying fuel and water.

Mottled

(Adj.) Something that is mottled is covered with patches of different colors which do not form a regular pattern. 2. spotted or blotched in coloring.

Slack

(Adj.) Something that is slack is loose and not firmly stretched or tightly in position. 2. A slack period is one in which there is not much work or activity. 3. (To Express Disapproval) Someone who is slack in their work does not do it properly. 4. not tight, taut, firm, or tense; loose. 5. negligent; careless; remiss. 6. slow, sluggish, or indolent. 7. not active or busy; dull; not brisk. 8. moving very slowly, as the tide, wind, or water. 9. weak; lax. 10. Nautical. easy. 11. (V.) (To Express Disapproval) If someone is slacking, they are not working as hard as they should. 12. to be remiss in respect to (some matter, duty, right, etc.); shirk; leave undone. 13. to make or allow to become less active, vigorous, intense, etc.; relax (efforts, labor, speed, etc.); lessen; moderate (often followed by up ). 14. to make loose, or less tense or taut, as a rope; loosen (often followed by off or out ). 15. to slake (lime). 16. to be remiss; shirk one's duty or part. 17. to become less active, vigorous, rapid, etc. (often followed by up). 18. to become less tense or taut, as a rope; to ease off. 19. to become slaked, as lime. 20. (Adv.) in a slack manner. 21. (N.) a slack condition or part. 22. the part of a rope, sail, or the like, that hangs loose, without strain upon it. 23. a decrease in activity, as in business. 24. a period of decreased activity. 25. Geography. a cessation in a strong flow, as of a current at its turn. 26. a depression between hills, in a hillside, or in the land surface. 27. Prosody. (in sprung rhythm) the unaccented syllable or syllables. 28. British Dialect. a morass; marshy ground; a hollow or dell with soft, wet ground at the bottom. 29. take up the slack, to pull in or make taut a loose section of a rope, line, wire, etc. 30. Take up the slack, to provide or compensate for something that is missing or incomplete. 31. the fine screenings of coal.

Slippery

(Adj.) Something that is slippery is smooth, wet, or oily and is therefore difficult to walk on or to hold. 2. (To Express Disapproval) You can describe someone as slippery if you think that they are dishonest in a clever way and cannot be trusted. 3. If someone is on a slippery slope, they are involved in a course of action that is difficult to stop and that will eventually lead to failure or trouble. 4. tending or liable to cause slipping or sliding, as ice, oil, a wet surface, etc. 5. tending to slip from the hold or grasp or from position. 6. likely to slip away or escape. 7. not to be depended on; fickle; shifty, tricky, or deceitful. 8. unstable or insecure, as conditions.

Niche

(N.) (Business) A niche in the market is a specific area of marketing which has its own particular requirements, customers, and products. 2. a hollow area in a wall which has been made to hold a statue, or a natural hollow part in a hill or cliff. 3. Your niche is the job or activity which is exactly suitable for you. 4. an ornamental recess in a wall or the like, usually semicircular in plan and arched, as for a statue or other decorative object. 5. a place or position suitable or appropriate for a person or thing. 6. a distinct segment of a market. 7. Ecology. the position or function of an organism in a community of plants and animals. 8. (Adj.) (Business) Niche marketing is the practice of dividing the market into specialized areas for which particular products are made. 9. (Business) A niche market is one of these specialized areas. 10. pertaining to or intended for a market niche; having specific appeal. 11. (V.) to place (something) in a niche.

Conglomerate

(N.) (Business) a large business firm consisting of several different companies. 2. anything composed of heterogeneous materials or elements. 3. a corporation consisting of a number of subsidiary companies or divisions in a variety of unrelated industries, usually as a result of merger or acquisition. 4. Geology. a rock consisting of pebbles or the like embedded in a finer cementing material; consolidated gravel. 5. (Adj.) gathered into a rounded mass; consisting of parts so gathered; clustered. 6. consisting of heterogeneous parts or elements. 7. of or relating to a corporate conglomerate. 8. Geology. of the nature of a conglomerate. 9. (V.) to bring together into a cohering mass. 10. to gather into a ball or rounded mass. 11. to collect or cluster together. 12. (of a company) to become part of or merge with a conglomerate.

Conglomeration

(N.) A conglomeration of things is a group of many different things, gathered together. 2. the act of conglomerating; the state of being conglomerated. 3. a cohering mass; cluster. 4. a heterogeneous combination.

Deck

(N.) A deck on a vehicle such as a bus or ship is a lower or upper area of it. 2. The deck of a ship is the top part of it that forms a floor in the open air which you can walk on. 3. a flat wooden area next to a house, where people can sit and relax or eat. 4. A deck of cards is a complete set of playing cards. 5. a floorlike surface wholly or partially occupying one level of a hull, superstructure, or deckhouse, generally cambered, and often serving as a member for strengthening the structure of a vessel. 6. the space between such a surface and the next such surface above. 7. any open platform suggesting an exposed deck of a ship. 8. an open, unroofed porch or platform extending from a house or other building. 9. any level, tier, or vertical section, as of a structure or machine. 10. Flight deck. 11. a flat or nearly flat watertight surface, as at the top of a French roof. 12. a floor or roof surface composed of decking units. 13. Meteorology. cloud deck. 14. Slang. a small packet of a narcotic, especially heroin. 15. a pack of playing cards. 16. Printing. bank. 17. Also called rear deck. the cover of a space behind the backseat of an automobile or the space itself. 18. Library Science. a level of book shelving and associated facilities in the stacks of a library, as one of a series of floors or tiers. 19. Cutter deck. 20. A cassette deck or tape deck. 21. Clear the deck, to prepare for combat, as by removing all unnecessary gear. 22. Clear the deck, to prepare for some activity or work, as by getting rid of hindrances. 23. Hit the deck, Slang. Nautical. to rise from bed. 24. Hit the deck, Slang. to fall, drop, or be knocked to the ground or floor. 25. On deck, Baseball. next at bat; waiting one's turn to bat. 26. On deck, Informal. next in line; coming up; scheduled. 27. On deck, Informal. prepared to act or work; ready. 28. play with / have a full deck, Slang. to be sane, rational, or reasonably intelligent. 29. stack the deck. stack. 30. (Adj.) Civil Engineering. (of a bridge truss) having a deck or floor upon or above the structure. 31. (V.) to clothe or attire (people) or array (rooms, houses, etc.) in something ornamental or decorative (often followed by out ). 32. to furnish with a deck. 33. Informal. to knock down; floor.

Strand

(N.) A strand of something such as hair, wire, or thread is a single thin piece of it. 2. the land bordering the sea, a lake, or a river; shore; beach. 3. one of a number of fibers, threads, or yarns that are plaited or twisted together to form a rope, cord, or the like. 4. a similar part of a wire rope. 5. a rope made of such twisted or plaited fibers. 6. a fiber or filament, as in animal or plant tissue. 7. a thread or threadlike part of anything. 8. a tress of hair. 9. a string of pearls, beads, etc. 10. (V.) If you are stranded, you are prevented from leaving a place, for example because of bad weather. 11. to drive or leave (a ship, fish, etc.) aground or ashore. 12. (usually used in the passive) to bring into or leave in a helpless position. 13. to be driven or left ashore; run aground. 14. to be halted or struck by a difficult situation. 15. to form (a rope, cable, etc.) by twisting strands together. 16. to break one or more strands of (a rope).

Strain

(N.) If strain is put on an organization or system, it has to do more than it is able to do. 2. an injury to a muscle in your body, caused by using the muscle too much or twisting it. 3. a state of worry and tension caused by a difficult situation. 4. a force that pushes, pulls, or stretches something in a way that may damage it. 5. If you say that a situation is a strain , you mean that it makes you worried and tense. 6. A strain of a germ, plant, or other organism is a particular type of it. 7. any force or pressure tending to alter shape, cause a fracture, etc. 8. strong muscular or physical effort. 9. great or excessive effort or striving after some goal, object, or effect. 10. an injury to a muscle, tendon, etc., due to excessive tension or use; sprain. 11. Mechanics, Physics. deformation of a body or structure as a result of an applied force. 12. condition of being strained or stretched. 13. a task, goal, or effect accomplished only with great effort. 14. severe, trying, or fatiguing pressure or exertion; taxing onus. 15. a severe demand on or test of resources, feelings, a person, etc. 16. a flow or burst of language, eloquence, etc. 17. Often, strains. a passage of melody, music, or songs as rendered or heard. 18. Music. a section of a piece of music, more or less complete in itself. 19. a passage or piece of poetry. 20. the tone, style, or spirit of an utterance, writing, etc. 21. a particular degree, height, or pitch attained. 22. the body of descendants of a common ancestor, as a family or stock. 23. any of the different lines of ancestry united in a family or an individual. 24. a group of plants distinguished from other plants of the variety to which it belongs by some intrinsic quality, such as a tendency to yield heavily; breed. 25. an artificial variety of a species of domestic animal or cultivated plant. 26. a variety, especially of microorganisms. 27. ancestry or descent. 28. hereditary or natural character, tendency, or trait. 29. a streak or trace. 30. a kind or sort. 31. Procreation. 32. (V.) To strain something means to make it do more than it is able to do. 33. If you strain a muscle, you injure it by using it too much or twisting it. 34. If you strain to do something, you make a great effort to do it when it is difficult to do. 35. When you strain food, you separate the liquid part of it from the solid parts. 36. to draw tight or taut, especially to the utmost tension; stretch to the full. 37. to exert to the utmost. 38. to impair, injure, or weaken (a muscle, tendon, etc.) by stretching or overexertion. 39. to cause mechanical deformation in (a body or structure) as the result of stress. 40. to stretch beyond the proper point or limit. 41. to make excessive demands upon. 42. to pour (liquid containing solid matter) through a filter, sieve, or the like in order to hold back the denser solid constituents. 43. to draw off (clear or pure liquid) by means of a filter or sieve. 44. to hold back (solid particles) from liquid matter by means of a filter or sieve. 45. to clasp tightly in the arms, the hand, etc. 46. to constrain, as to a course of action. 47. to pull forcibly. 48. to stretch one's muscles, nerves, etc., to the utmost. 49. to make violent physical efforts; strive hard. 50. to resist forcefully; balk. 51. to be subjected to tension or stress; suffer strain. 52. to filter, percolate, or ooze. 53. to trickle or flow.

Distaste

(N.) If you feel distaste for someone or something, you dislike them and consider them to be unpleasant, disgusting, or immoral. 2. dislike; disinclination. 3. dislike for food or drink. 4. (V.) to dislike.

Vocation

(N.) If you have a vocation, you have a strong feeling that you are especially suited to do a particular job or to fulfill a particular role in life, especially one that involves helping other people. 2. If you refer to your job or profession as your vocation, you feel that you are particularly suited to it. 3. a particular occupation, business, or profession; calling. 4. a strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career. 5. a divine call to God's service or to the Christian life. 6. a function or station in life to which one is called by God.

Tenacity

(N.) If you have tenacity, you are very determined and do not give up easily. 2. the quality of being tenacious, or of holding fast; persistence. 3. the quality of retaining something. 4. the quality or property of holding together firmly.

Paranoia

(N.) If you say that someone suffers from paranoia, you think that they are too suspicious and afraid of other people. 2. In psychology, if someone suffers from paranoia, they wrongly believe that other people are trying to harm them, or believe themselves to be much more important than they really are. 3. Psychiatry. a mental disorder characterized by systematized delusions and the projection of personal conflicts, which are ascribed to the supposed hostility of others, sometimes progressing to disturbances of consciousness and aggressive acts believed to be performed in self-defense or as a mission. 4. baseless or excessive suspicion of the motives of others.

Downtime

(N.) In industry, downtime is the time during which machinery or equipment is not operating. 2. In computing, downtime is time when a computer is not working. 3. time when people are relaxing or not working. 4. a time during a regular working period when an employee is not actively productive. 5. an interval during which a machine is not productive, as during repair, malfunction, maintenance.

Potbelly

(N.) Someone who has a potbelly has a round, fat stomach that sticks out, usually because they eat or drink too much. 2. a distended or protuberant belly. 3. Potbelly stove. 4. Potbelly wood.

Breadth

(N.) The breadth of something is the distance between its two sides. 2. The breadth of something is its quality of consisting of or involving many different things. 3. the measure of the second largest dimension of a plane or solid figure; width. 4. an extent or piece of something of definite or full width or as measured by its width. 5. freedom from narrowness or restraint; liberality. 6. size in general; extent. 7. Art. a broad or general effect due to subordination of details or nonessentials.

Hull

(N.) The hull of a boat or tank is the main body of it. 2. the husk, shell, or outer covering of a seed or fruit. 3. the calyx of certain fruits, as the strawberry. 4. any covering or envelope. 5. the hollow, lowermost portion of a ship, floating partially submerged and supporting the remainder of the ship. 6. Aeronautics. the boatlike fuselage of a flying boat on which the plane lands or takes off. 7. Aeronautics. the cigar-shaped arrangement of girders enclosing the gasbag of a rigid dirigible. 8. (V.) to remove the hull of. 9. Midland U.S. to shell (peas or beans). 10. to pierce (the hull of a ship), especially below the water line. 11. to drift without power or sails. 12. hull down, (of a ship) sufficiently far away, or below the horizon, that the hull is invisible. 13. hull up, (of a ship) sufficiently near, or above the horizon, that the hull is visible.

Rim

(N.) The rim of a container such as a cup or glass is the edge that goes all the way around the top. 2. The rim of a circular object is its outside edge. 3. the outer edge, border, margin, or brink of something, especially of a circular object. 4. any edge, margin, or frame added to or around a central object or area. 5. the outer circle of a wheel, attached to the hub by spokes. 6. a circular strip of metal forming the connection between an automobile wheel and tire, either permanently attached to or removable from the wheel. 7. a drive wheel or flywheel, as on a spinning mule. 8. Basketball. the metal ring from which the net is suspended to form the basket. 9. Journalism. the outer edge of a usually U -shaped copy desk, occupied by the copyreaders. 10. Metallurgy. (in an ingot) an outer layer of metal having a composition different from that of the center. 11. (V.) to furnish with a rim, border, or margin. 12. (of a golf ball or putt) to roll around the edge of (a hole) but not go in. 13. Basketball. (of a basketball) to roll around (the rim of the basket) and not go in. 14. to coat or encrust the rim of (a glass).

Boon

(N.) You can describe something as a boon when it makes life better or easier for someone. 2. something to be thankful for; blessing; benefit. 3. something that is asked; a favor sought. 4. the ligneous waste product obtained by braking and scutching flax. 5. (Adj.) jolly; jovial; convivial. 6. kindly; gracious; bounteous.

Incisor

(N.) Your incisors are the teeth at the front of your mouth that you use for biting into food. 2. any of the four anterior teeth in each jaw, used for cutting and gnawing.

Indenture

(N.) a deed or agreement executed in two or more copies with edges correspondingly indented as a means of identification. 2. any deed, written contract, or sealed agreement. 3. a contract by which a person, as an apprentice, is bound to service. 4. any official or formal list, certificate, etc., authenticated for use as a voucher or the like. 5. the formal agreement between a group of bondholders and the debtor as to the terms of the debt. 6. Indentation. 7. (V.) to bind by indenture, as an apprentice. 8. to make a depression in; wrinkle; furrow.

Latch

(N.) a fastening on a door or gate. 2. a lock on a door which locks automatically when you shut the door, so that you need a key in order to open it from the outside. 3. a device for holding a door, gate, or the like, closed, consisting basically of a bar falling or sliding into a catch, groove, hole, etc. 4. (V.) If someone latches onto a person or an idea or latches on, they become very interested in the person or idea, often finding them so useful that they do not want to leave them. 5. If one thing latches onto another, or if it latches on, it attaches itself to it and becomes part of it. 6. to close or fasten with a latch. 7. to close tightly so that the latch is secured. 8. Latch on, to grab or hold on, as to an object or idea, especially tightly or tenaciously. 9. Latch on, to include or add in; attach. 10. Latch onto, to take possession of; obtain; get. 11. Latch onto, to acquire understanding of; comprehend. 12. to attach oneself to; join in with.

Clan

(N.) a group which consists of families that are related to each other. 2. You can refer to a group of people with the same interests as a clan. 3. a group of families or households, as among the Scottish Highlanders, the heads of which claim descent from a common ancestor. 4. a group of people of common descent; family. 5. a group of people, as a clique, set, society, or party, especially as united by some common trait, characteristic, or interest. 6. Anthropology. the principal social unit of tribal organization, in which descent is reckoned exclusively in either the paternal or the maternal line. 7. Anthropology. a group of people regarded as being descended from a common ancestor.

Workhorse

(N.) a horse which is used to do a job, for example, to pull a plow. 2. If you describe a person or a machine as a workhorse, you mean that they can be relied upon to do a large amount of work, especially work that is dull or routine. 3. a horse used for plowing, hauling, and other heavy labor, as distinguished from a riding horse, racehorse, etc. 4. a person who works tirelessly at a task, assumes extra duties, etc.

Shiv

(N.) a knife, especially a switchblade.

Reservoir

(N.) a lake that is used for storing water before it is supplied to people. 2. A reservoir of something is a large quantity of it that is available for use when needed. 3. a natural or artificial place where water is collected and stored for use, especially water for supplying a community, irrigating land, furnishing power, etc. 4. a receptacle or chamber for holding a liquid or fluid. 5. Geology. See under pool. 6. Biology. a cavity or part that holds some fluid or secretion. 7. a place where anything is collected or accumulated in great amount. 8. a large or extra supply or stock; reserve.

Reef

(N.) a long line of rocks or sand, the top of which is just above or just below the surface of the sea. 2. a ridge of rocks or sand, often of coral debris, at or near the surface of the water. 3. Mining. a lode or vein. 4. a part of a sail that is rolled and tied down to reduce the area exposed to the wind. 5. (V.) to shorten (sail) by tying in one or more reefs. 6. to reduce the length of (a topmast, a bowsprit, etc.), as by lowering, sliding inboard, or the like. 7. to pull (old oakum) out of seams, as with a rave hook (often followed by out ).

Torrent

(N.) a lot of water falling or flowing rapidly or violently. 2. A torrent of abuse or questions is a lot of abuse or questions directed continuously at someone. 3. a stream of water flowing with great rapidity and violence. 4. a rushing, violent, or abundant and unceasing stream of anything. 5. a violent downpour of rain. 6. a violent, tumultuous, or overwhelming flow. 6. (Adj.) Torrential.

Cache

(N.) a quantity of things such as weapons that have been hidden. 2. (Computing) A cache or cache memory is an area of computer memory that is used for temporary storage of data and can be accessed more quickly than the main memory. 3. a hiding place, especially one in the ground, for ammunition, food, treasures, etc. 4. anything so hidden. Computers. a temporary storage space or memory that allows fast access to data. 5. Alaska and Northern Canada. a small shed elevated on poles above the reach of animals and used for storing food, equipment, etc. 6. (V.) to put in a cache; conceal; hide.

Tarp

(N.) a sheet of heavy waterproof material that is used as a protective cover. 2. Tarpaulin.

Shack

(N.) a simple hut built from tin, wood, or other materials. 2. a rough cabin; shanty. 3. Radio shack. 4. (V.) If someone has shacked up with someone else or two people have shacked up together, they have started living together as lovers. 5. Shack up, to live together as spouses without being legally married. 6. Shack up, to have illicit sexual relations. 7. Shack up, to live in a shack. 8. to chase and throw back; to retrieve.

Hut

(N.) a small house with only one or two rooms, especially one which is made of wood, mud, grass, or stones. 2. (British) a small wooden building in someone's garden, or a temporary building used by builders or repair workers. 3. a small or humble dwelling of simple construction, especially one made of natural materials, as of logs or grass. 4. a simple roofed shelter, often with one or two sides left open. 5. Military. a wooden or metal structure for the temporary housing of troops. 6. (V.) to furnish with a hut as temporary housing; billet. 7. to lodge or take a shelter in a hut.

Tin

(N.) a soft silvery-white metal. 2. a metal container with a lid in which things such as cookies, cakes, or tobacco can be kept. 3. You can use tin to refer to a tin and its contents, or to the contents only. 4. (Mainly British) a metal container which is filled with food and sealed in order to preserve the food for long periods of time. 5. (mainly British) You can use tin to refer to a tin and its contents, or to the contents only. 6. (British) A baking tin is a metal container used for baking things such as cakes and bread in an oven. 7. Chemistry. a low-melting, malleable, ductile metallic element nearly approaching silver in color and luster: used in plating and in making alloys, tinfoil, and soft solders. Symbol: Sn; atomic weight: 118.69; atomic number: 50; specific gravity: 7.31 at 20°C. 8. Tin plate. 9. any shallow pan, especially one used in baking. 10. any pot, box, can, or other container or vessel made of tin or tin plate. 11. Squash. telltale. 12. Chiefly British. a hermetically sealed can containing food. 13. Slang. a small quantity of an illicit drug, especially from two to five grams of cocaine: usually sold in a small plastic bag, a glassine envelope, or often a small tin container. 14. British Slang. money. 15. (Adj.) made or consisting of tin or tin plate. 16. false; worthless; counterfeit. 17. indicating the tenth event of a series, as a wedding anniversary. 18. (V.) Metallurgy. to cover or coat with tin. 19. Metallurgy. to coat with soft solder. 20. Chiefly British. to preserve or pack (especially food) in cans; can. 21. to cover (windows and doors in an abandoned or unoccupied building or apartment) with sheets of tin to prevent vandalism or occupancy by vagrants, squatters, etc.

Pus

(N.) a thick yellowish liquid that forms in wounds when they are infected. 2. a yellow-white, more or less viscid substance produced by suppuration and found in abscesses, sores, etc., consisting of a liquid plasma in which white blood cells are suspended.

Cypress

(N.) a type of conifer. 2. any of several evergreen coniferous trees constituting the genus Cupressus, having dark-green, scalelike, overlapping leaves. 3. any of various other coniferous trees of allied genera, as the bald cypress. 4. any of various unrelated plants resembling the true cypress. 5. the wood of these trees or plants.

Grub

(N.) a young insect which has just come out of an egg and looks like a short, fat worm. 2. food. 3. the thick-bodied, sluggish larva of several insects, as of a scarab beetle. 4. a dull, plodding person; drudge. 5. an unkempt person. 6. Slang. food; victuals. 7. any remaining roots or stumps after cutting vegetation to clear land for farming. 8. (V.) If you grub around, you search for something. 9. to dig; clear of roots, stumps, etc. 10. to dig up by the roots; uproot (often followed by up or out ). 11. Slang. to supply with food; feed. 12. Slang. to scrounge. 13. to dig; search by or as if by digging. 14. to lead a laborious or groveling life; drudge. 15. to engage in laborious study. 16. Slang. to eat; take food.

Dock

(N.) an enclosed area in a harbor where ships go to be loaded, unloaded, and repaired. 2. a platform for loading vehicles or trains. 3. a small structure at the edge of water where boats can tie up, especially one that is privately owned. 4. In a law court, the dock is where the person accused of a crime stands or sits. 5. a landing pier. 6. the space or waterway between two piers or wharves, as for receiving a ship while in port. 7. such a waterway, enclosed or open, together with the surrounding piers, wharves, etc. 8. Dry dock. 9. a platform for loading and unloading trucks, railway freight cars, etc. 10. an airplane hangar or repair shed. 11. Also called scene dock. a place in a theater near the stage or beneath the floor of the stage for the storage of scenery. 12. the solid or fleshy part of an animal's tail, as distinguished from the hair. 13. the part of a tail left after cutting or clipping. 14. the place in a courtroom where a prisoner is placed during trial. 15. in the dock, being tried in a court, especially a criminal court; on trial. 16. any of various weedy plants belonging to the genus Rumex, of the buckwheat family, as R. obtusifolius (bitter dock) or R. acetosa (sour dock) having long taproots. 17. any of various other plants, mostly coarse weeds. 18. (V.) When a ship docks or is docked, it is brought into a dock. 19. If you dock someone's pay or money, you take some of the money away. 20. If you dock someone points in a contest, you take away some of the points that they have. 21. When one spacecraft docks or is docked with another, the two crafts join together in space. 22. to bring (a ship or boat) into a dock; lay up in a dock. 23. to place in dry dock, as for repairs, cleaning, or painting. 24. to join (a space vehicle) with another or with a space station in outer space. 25. to come or go into a dock or dry dock. 26. (of two space vehicles) to join together in outer space. 27. to cut off the end of; cut short. 28. to cut short the tail of. 29. to deduct from the wages of, usually as a punishment. 30. to deduct from (wages).

Talisman

(N.) an object which you believe has magic powers to protect you or bring you luck. 2. a stone, ring, or other object, engraved with figures or characters supposed to possess occult powers and worn as an amulet or charm. 3. any amulet or charm. 4. anything whose presence exercises a remarkable or powerful influence on human feelings or actions.

Tilapia

(N.) any freshwater cichlid of the genus Tilapia, of African waters: an important food fish.

Superstition

(N.) belief in things that are not real or possible, for example magic. 2. a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like. 3. a system or collection of such beliefs. 4. a custom or act based on such a belief. 5. irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, especially in connection with religion. 6. any blindly accepted belief or notion.

Ripple

(N.) little waves on the surface of water caused by the wind or by something moving in or on the water. 2. If an event causes ripples, its effects gradually spread, causing several other events to happen one after the other. 3. a small wave or undulation, as on water. 4. any similar movement or appearance; a small undulation or wave, as in hair. 5. a small rapid. 6. Geology. ripple mark. 7. a sound, as of water flowing in ripples. 8. a toothed or comblike device for removing seeds or capsules from flax, hemp, etc. 9. (V.) When the surface of an area of water ripples or when something ripples it, a number of little waves appear on it. 10. If something such as a feeling ripples over someone's body, it moves across it or through it. 11. (of a liquid surface) to form small waves or undulations, as water agitated by a breeze. 12. to flow with a light rise and fall or ruffling of the surface. 13. (of a solid surface) to form or have small undulations, ruffles, or folds. 14. (of sound) to undulate or rise and fall in tone, inflection, or magnitude. 15. to form small waves or undulations on; agitate lightly. 16. to mark as if with ripples; give a wavy form to. 17. to remove the seeds or capsules from (flax or hemp) with a ripple.

Petroleum

(N.) oil that is found under the surface of the earth or under the sea bed. 2. an oily, thick, flammable, usually dark-colored liquid that is a form of bitumen or a mixture of various hydrocarbons, occurring naturally in various parts of the world and commonly obtained by drilling: used in a natural or refined state as fuel, or separated by distillation into gasoline, naphtha, benzene, kerosene, paraffin, etc.

Twine

(N.) strong string used especially in gardening and farming. 2. a strong thread or string composed of two or more strands twisted together. 3. an act of twining, twisting, or interweaving. 4. a coiled or twisted object or part; convolution. 5. a twist or turn in anything. 6. a knot or tangle. 7. (V.) If you twine one thing around another, or if one thing twines around another, the first thing is twisted or wound around the second. 8. to twist together; interwind; interweave. 9. to form by or as by twisting together. 10. to twist (one strand, thread, or the like) with another; interlace. 11. to insert with a twisting or winding motion (usually followed by in or into ). 12. to clasp or enfold (something) around something else; place by or as if by winding (usually followed by about, around, etc.). 13. to cause (a person, object, etc.) to be encircled with something else; wreathe; wrap. 14. to wind about something; twist itself in spirals (usually followed by about, around, etc.). 15. to wind in a sinuous or meandering course. 16. to separate; part.

Ganesha

(N.) the Hindu god of wisdom.

Speculation

(N.) the contemplation or consideration of some subject. 2. a single instance or process of consideration. 3. a conclusion or opinion reached by such contemplation. 4. conjectural consideration of a matter; conjecture or surmise. 5. engagement in business transactions involving considerable risk but offering the chance of large gains, especially trading in commodities, stocks, etc., in the hope of profit from changes in the market price. 6. a speculative commercial venture or undertaking.

Margin

(N.) the difference between two amounts, especially the difference in the number of votes or points between the winner and the loser in an election or other contest. 2. The margin of a written or printed page is the empty space at the side of the page. 3. The margin of a place or area is the extreme edge of it. 4. If there is a margin for something in a situation, there is some freedom to choose what to do or decide how to do it. 5. To be on the margins of a society, group, or activity means to be among the least typical or least important parts of it. 6. the space around the printed or written matter on a page. 7. an amount allowed or available beyond what is actually necessary. 8. a limit in condition, capacity, etc., beyond or below which something ceases to exist, be desirable, or be possible. 9. a border or edge. 10. Philately. selvage. 11. Finance. security, as a percentage in money, deposited with a broker by a client as a provision against loss on transactions. 12. Finance. the amount representing the customer's investment or equity in such an account. 13. the difference between the amount of a loan and the market value of the collateral pledged as security for it. 14. Commerce. the difference between the cost and the selling price. 15. an amount or degree of difference. 16. Economics. the point at which the return from economic activity barely covers the cost of production, and below which production is unprofitable. 17. Entomology. the border of an insect's wing. 18. (V.) to provide with a margin or border. 19. to furnish with marginal notes, as a document. 20. to enter in the margin, as of a book. 21. Finance. to deposit a margin upon. 22. Stock Exchange. to purchase (securities) on margin.

Surf

(N.) the mass of white bubbles that is formed by waves as they fall upon the shore. 2. the swell of the sea that breaks upon a shore or upon shoals. 3. the mass or line of foamy water caused by the breaking of the sea upon a shore, especially a shallow or sloping shore. 4. (V.) If you surf, you ride on big waves in the sea on a special board. 5. (Computing) If you surf the Internet, you spend time finding and looking at things on the Internet. 6. to ride a surfboard. 7. to float on the crest of a wave toward shore. 8. to swim, play, or bathe in the surf. 9. to search haphazardly, as for information on a computer network or an interesting program on television. 10. to ride a surfboard on. 11. to search through (a computer network or TV channels) for information or entertainment.

Fume

(N.) the unpleasant and often unhealthy smoke and gases that are produced by fires or by things such as chemicals, fuel, or cooking. 2. Often, fumes. any smokelike or vaporous exhalation from matter or substances, especially of an odorous or harmful nature. 3. an irritable or angry mood. 4. (V.) If you fume over something, you express annoyance and anger about it. 5. to emit or exhale, as fumes or vapor. 6. to treat with or expose to fumes. 7. to show fretful irritation or anger. 8. to rise, or pass off, as fumes. 9. to emit fumes.

Strut

(V.) ( To Express Disapproval ) Someone who struts walks in a proud way, with their head held high and their chest out, as if they are very important. 2. to walk with a vain, pompous bearing, as with head erect and chest thrown out, as if expecting to impress observers. 3. strut one's stuff, to dress, behave, perform, etc., one's best in order to impress others; show off. 4. to brace or support by means of a strut or struts. 5. (N.) a piece of wood or metal which holds the weight of other pieces in a building or other structure. 6. the act of strutting. 7. a strutting walk or gait. 8. any of various structural members, as in trusses, primarily intended to resist longitudinal compression.

Mummify

(V.) If a dead body is mummified, it is preserved, for example by rubbing it with special oils, and wrapping it in cloth. 2. to make (a dead body) into a mummy, as by embalming and drying. 3. to make (something) resemble a mummy; dry or shrivel up. 4. to preserve (an idea, institution, custom, etc.) that may have outlived its usefulness or relevance. 5. to dry or shrivel up.

Pillage

(V.) If a group of people pillage a place, they steal property from it using violent methods. 2. to strip ruthlessly of money or goods by open violence, as in war; plunder. 3. to take as booty. 4. to rob with open violence; take booty. 5. (N.) the act of plundering, especially in war. 6. booty or spoil.

Plummet

(V.) If an amount, rate, or price plummets, it decreases quickly by a large amount. 2. to plunge. 3. (N.) Also called plumb bob. a piece of lead or some other weight attached to a line, used for determining perpendicularity, for sounding, etc.; the bob of a plumb line. 4. something that weighs down or depresses.

Hyperventilate

(V.) If someone hyperventilates, they begin to breathe very fast in an uncontrollable way, usually because they are very frightened, tired, or excited. 2. to be afflicted with hyperventilation; breathe abnormally fast and deep. 3. to cause (a patient) to breathe more rapidly and deeply than normal.

Hearten

(V.) If someone is heartened by something, it encourages them and makes them cheerful. 2. to give courage or confidence to; cheer.

Hurtle

(V.) If someone or something hurtles somewhere, they move there very quickly, often in a rough or violent way. 2. to rush violently; move with great speed. 3. to move or go noisily or resoundingly, as with violent or rapid motion. 4. to strike together or against something; collide. 5. to drive violently; fling; dash. 6. to dash against; collide with. 7. (N.) clash; collision; shock; clatter.

Sheathe

(V.) If something is sheathed in a material or other covering, it is closely covered with it. 2. When someone sheathes a knife, they put it in its sheath. 3. to put (a sword, dagger, etc.) into a sheath. 4. to plunge (a sword, dagger, etc.) in something as if in a sheath. 5. to enclose in or as if in a casing or covering. 6. to cover or provide with a protective layer or sheathing. 7. to cover (a cable, electrical connector, etc.) with a metal sheath for grounding.

Float

(V.) If something or someone is floating in a liquid, they are in the liquid, on or just below the surface, and are being supported by it. 2. You can also float something on a liquid. 3. (Business) If a government floats its country's currency or allows it to float, it allows the currency's value to change freely in relation to other currencies. 4. Something that floats lies on or just below the surface of a liquid when it is put in it and does not sink. 5. Something that floats in or through the air hangs in it or moves slowly and gently through it. 6. If you float a project, plan, or idea, you suggest it for others to think about. 7. (Business) If a company director floats their company, they start to sell shares in it to the public. 8. to rest or remain on the surface of a liquid; be buoyant. 9. to move gently on the surface of a liquid; drift along. 10. to rest or move in a liquid, the air, etc. 11. to move lightly and gracefully. 12. to move or hover before the eyes or in the mind. 13. to pass from one person to another. 14. to be free from attachment or involvement. 15. to move or drift about. 16. to vacillate (often followed by between ). 17. to be launched, as a company, scheme, etc. 18. (of a currency) to be allowed to fluctuate freely in the foreign-exchange market instead of being exchanged at a fixed rate. 19. (of an interest rate) to change periodically according to money-market conditions. 20. Commerce. to be in circulation, as an acceptance; be awaiting maturity. 21. to cause to float. 22. to cover with water or other liquid; flood; irrigate. 23. to launch (a company, scheme, etc.); set going. 24. to issue on the stock market in order to raise money, as stocks or bonds. 25. to let (a currency or interest rate) fluctuate in the foreign-exchange or money market. 26. to make smooth with a float, as the surface of plaster. 27. Theater. to lay down (a flat), usually by bracing the bottom edge of the frame with the foot and allowing the rest to fall slowly to the floor. 28. (N.) a light object that is used to help someone or something float. 29. a small object attached to a fishing line which floats on the water and moves when a fish has been caught. 30. a truck on which displays and people in special costumes are carried in a parade. 31. something that floats, as a raft. 32. something for buoying up. 33. an inflated bag to sustain a person in water; life preserver. 34. (in certain types of tanks, cisterns, etc.) a device, as a hollow ball, that through its buoyancy automatically regulates the level, supply, or outlet of a liquid. 35. a floating platform attached to a wharf, bank, or the like, and used as a landing. 36. Aeronautics. a hollow, boatlike structure under the wing or fuselage of a seaplane or flying boat, keeping it afloat in water. 37. Angling. a piece of cork or other material for supporting a baited line in the water and indicating by its movements when a fish bites. 38. Zoology. an inflated organ that supports an animal in the water. 39. a vehicle bearing a display, usually an elaborate tableau, in a parade or procession. 40. a glass of fruit juice or soft drink with one or more scoops of ice cream floating in it. 41. (especially in the northeastern U.S.) a milk shake with one or more scoops of ice cream floating in it. 42. Paddle. 43. Banking. uncollected checks and commercial paper in process of transfer from bank to bank. 44. the total amount of any cost-of-living or other variable adjustments added to an employee's pay or a retiree's benefits. 45. an act or instance of floating, as a currency on the foreign-exchange market. 46. Building Trades. a flat tool for spreading and smoothing plaster or stucco. 47. Building Trades. a tool for polishing marble. 48. a single-cut file of moderate smoothness. 49. a loose-fitting, sometimes very full dress without a waistline. 50. (in weaving and knitting) a length of yarn that extends over several rows or stitches without being interworked. 51. British. a sum of money used by a storekeeper to provide change for the till at the start of a day's business. 52. British. a small vehicle, usually battery powered, used to make deliveries, as of milk. 53. a low-bodied dray for transporting heavy goods. 54. Geology, Mining. loose fragments of rock, ore, etc., that have been moved from one place to another by the action of wind, water, etc. 55. Geology, Mining. ore that has been washed downhill from an orebody and is found lying on the surface of the ground. 56. Geology, Mining. any mineral in suspension in water. 57. Usually, floats. British Theater. footlight.

Swish

(V.) If something swishes or if you swish it, it moves quickly through the air, making a soft sound. 2. to move with or make a sibilant sound, as a slender rod cutting sharply through the air or as small waves washing on the shore. 3. to rustle, as silk. 4. to move or behave in an exaggeratedly effeminate manner. 5. to flourish, whisk, etc., with a swishing movement or sound. 6. to bring, take, cut, etc., with such a movement or sound. 7. (N.) a swishing movement or sound. 8. a stock or rod for flogging or a stroke with this. 9. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to an effeminate male homosexual. 10. (Adj.) Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. swishy. 11. Chiefly British Informal. stylishly elegant; fashionable.

Stymie

(V.) If you are stymied by something, you find it very difficult to take action or to continue what you are doing. 2. to hinder, block, or thwart. 3. (N.) Golf. (on a putting green) an instance of a ball's lying on a direct line between the cup and the ball of an opponent about to putt. 4. a situation or problem presenting such difficulties as to discourage or defeat any attempt to deal with or resolve it.

Crimp

(V.) If you crimp something such as a piece of fabric or pastry, you make small folds in it. 2. To crimp something means to restrict or reduce it. 3. to press into small regular folds; make wavy. 4. to curl (hair), especially with the use of a curling iron. 5. to press or draw together, as the ends of something. 6. to check, restrain, or inhibit; hinder. 7. Cookery. to pinch and press down the edges of (a pie crust), especially to seal together the top and bottom layers of pastry. 8. Cookery. to gash (the flesh of a live fish or of one just killed) with a knife to make more crisp when cooked. 9. to produce a corrugated surface in; corrugate, as sheet metal, cardboard, etc. 10. to bend (leather) into shape. 11. Metalworking. to bend the edges of (skelp) before forming into a tube. 12. Metalworking. to fold the edges of (sheet metal) to make a lock seam. 13. to enlist (sailors, soldiers, etc.) by such means. 14. (N.) the act of crimping. 15. a crimped condition or form. 16. Usually, crimps. waves or curls, especially in hair that has been crimped or that displays a crimped pattern. 17. the waviness of wool fibers as naturally grown on sheep. 18. the waviness imparted to natural or synthetic fibers by weaving, knitting, plaiting, or other processes. 19. a crease formed in sheet metal or plate metal to make the material less flexible or for fastening purposes. 20. put a crimp in, to interfere with; hinder.

Douse

(V.) If you douse a fire, you stop it from burning by pouring a lot of water over it. 2. If you douse someone or something with a liquid, you throw a lot of that liquid over them. 3. to plunge into water or the like; drench. 4. to splash or throw water or other liquid on. 5. to extinguish. 6. to remove; doff. 7. to lower or take in (a sail, mast, or the like) suddenly. 8. to slacken (a line) suddenly. 9. to stow quickly. 10. to plunge or be plunged into a liquid. 11. (N.) British Dialect. a stroke or blow.

Perch

(V.) If you perch on something, you sit down lightly on the very edge or tip of it. 2. To perch somewhere means to be on the top or edge of something. 3. When a bird perches on something such as a branch or a wall, it lands on it and stands there. 4. If you perch something on something else, you put or balance it on the top or edge of that thing. 5. to alight or rest upon a perch. 6. to settle or rest in some elevated position, as if on a perch. 7. to set or place on or as if on a perch. 8. to inspect (cloth) for defects and blemishes after it has been taken from the loom and placed upon a perch. 9. (N.) a short rod for a bird to stand on. 10. an edible fish. There are several kinds of perch. 11. a pole or rod, usually horizontal, serving as a roost for birds. 12. any place or object, as a sill, fence, branch, or twig, for a bird, animal, or person to alight or rest upon. 13. a high or elevated position, resting place, or the like. 14. a small, elevated seat for the driver of any of certain vehicles. 15. a pole connecting the fore and hind running parts of a spring carriage or other vehicle. 16. a post set up as a navigational aid on a navigational hazard or on a buoy. 17. British. a linear or square rod. 18. British. a measure of volume for stone, about 24 cubic feet (0.7 cubic meters). 19. Textiles. an apparatus consisting of two vertical posts and a horizontal roller, used for inspecting cloth after it leaves the loom. 20. any pole, rod, or the like. 21. any spiny-finned, freshwater food fish of the genus Perca, as P. flavescens (yellow perch) of the U.S., or P. fluviatilis, of Europe. 22. any of various other related, spiny-finned fishes. 23. any of several embioticid fishes, as Hysterocarpus traski (tule perch) of California.

Regard

(V.) If you regard someone or something as being a particular thing or as having a particular quality, you believe that they are that thing or have that quality. 2. If you regard something or someone with a feeling such as dislike or respect, you have that feeling about them. 3. to look upon or think of with a particular feeling. 4. to have or show respect or concern for. 5. to think highly of; esteem. 6. to take into account; consider. 7. to look at; observe. 8. to relate to; concern. 9. to see, look at, or conceive of in a particular way; judge (usually followed by as). 10. to pay attention. 11. to look or gaze. 12. (N.) If you have regard for someone or something, you respect them and care about them. 13. If you hold someone in high regard , you have a lot of respect for them. 14. ( Common Expressions ) Regards are greetings. You use regards in expressions such as best regards and with kind regards as a way of expressing friendly feelings toward someone, especially in a letter. 16. You can use with regard to or in regard to to indicate the subject that is being talked or written about. 17. reference; relation. 18. an aspect, point, or particular. 19. thought; attention; concern. 20. look; gaze. 21. respect, esteem, or deference. 22. kindly feeling; liking. 23. regards, sentiments of esteem or affection. 24. with / in regard to, referring to; concerning.

Relent

(V.) If you relent, you allow someone to do something that you had previously refused to allow them to do. 2. to soften in feeling, temper, or determination; become more mild, compassionate, or forgiving. 3. to become less severe; slacken. 4. to cause to soften in feeling, temper, or determination. 5. to cause to slacken; abate. 6. to abandon; relinquish.

Intrude

(V.) If you say that someone is intruding into a particular place or situation, you mean that they are not wanted or welcome there. 2. If something intrudes on your mood or your life, it disturbs it or has an unwanted effect on it. 3. If someone intrudes into a place, they go there even though they are not allowed to be there. 4. to thrust or bring in without invitation, permission, or welcome. 5. Geology. to thrust or force into. 6. to install (a cleric) in a church contrary to the wishes of its members. 7. to thrust oneself without permission or welcome.

Scald

(V.) If you scald yourself, you burn yourself with very hot liquid or steam. 2. to burn or affect painfully with or as if with hot liquid or steam. 3. to subject to the action of boiling or hot liquid. 4. to heat to a temperature just short of the boiling point. 5. to parboil or blanch (fruit, vegetables, etc.). 6. to be or become scalded. 7. (N.) a burn caused by very hot liquid or steam. 8. a burn caused by the action of hot liquid or steam. 9. any similar condition, especially as the result of too much heat or sunlight. 10. Plant Pathology. a blanching of the epidermis and adjacent tissues, which turn pale or dark brown, caused by extreme heat or sun exposure. 11. Plant Pathology. a condition resembling scald caused by improper conditions of growth or storage, as in apples, or by fungi, as in cranberries. 12. Skald. 13. A scab. 14. (Adj.) Also, scalled. scabby; scurvy.

Trudge

(V.) If you trudge somewhere, you walk there slowly and with heavy steps, especially because you are tired or unhappy. 2. to walk, especially laboriously or wearily. 3. to walk laboriously or wearily along or over. 4. (N.) a laborious or tiring walk; tramp.

Counteract

(V.) To counteract something means to reduce its effect by doing something that produces an opposite effect. 2. to act in opposition to; frustrate by contrary action.

Demonstrate

(V.) To demonstrate a fact means to make it clear to people. 2. If you demonstrate a particular skill, quality, or feeling, you show by your actions that you have it. 3. If you demonstrate something, you show people how it works or how to do it. 4. When people demonstrate, they march or gather somewhere to show their opposition to something or their support for something. 5. to make evident or establish by arguments or reasoning; prove. 6. to describe, explain, or illustrate by examples, specimens, experiments, or the like. 7. to manifest or exhibit; show. 8. to display openly or publicly, as feelings. 9. to exhibit the operation or use of (a device, process, product, or the like), usually to a purchaser or prospect. 10. to make, give, or take part in, a demonstration. 11. Military. to attack or make a show of force to deceive an enemy.

Disassemble

(V.) To disassemble something means to take it apart. 2. to take apart. 3. to come apart.

Illuminate

(V.) To illuminate something means to shine light on it and to make it brighter and more visible. 2. If you illuminate something that is unclear or difficult to understand, you make it clearer by explaining it carefully or giving information about it. 3. to supply or brighten with light; light up. 4. to make lucid or clear; throw light on (a subject). 5. to decorate with lights, as in celebration. 6. to enlighten, as with knowledge. 7. to make resplendent or illustrious. 8. to decorate (a manuscript, book, etc.) with colors and gold or silver, as was often done in the Middle Ages. 9. to display lights, as in celebration. 10. to become illuminated. 11. (Adj.) illuminated. 12. Enlightened. 13. (N.) a person who is or affects to be specially enlightened.

Liberate

(V.) To liberate a place or the people in it means to free them from the political or military control of another country, area, or group of people. 2. To liberate someone from something means to help them escape from it or overcome it, and lead a better way of life. 3. to set free, as from imprisonment or bondage. 4. to free (a nation or area) from control by a foreign or oppressive government. 5. to free (a group or individual) from social or economic constraints or discrimination, especially arising from traditional role expectations or bias. 6. to disengage; set free from combination, as a gas. 7. Slang. to steal or take over illegally.

Mar

(V.) To mar something means to spoil or damage it. 2. to damage or spoil to a certain extent; render less perfect, attractive, useful, etc.; impair or spoil. 3. to disfigure, deface, or scar.

Zap

(V.) To zap someone or something means to kill, destroy, or hit them, for example, with a gun or in a computer game. 2. To zap something such as a computer file or document means to delete it from the computer memory or to clear it from the screen. 3. to kill or shoot. 4. to attack, defeat, or destroy with sudden speed and force. 5. to bombard with electrical current, radiation, laser beams, etc. 6. to strike or jolt suddenly and forcefully. 7. to cook in a microwave oven. 8. to skip over or delete (TV commercials), as by switching channels or pushing a fast-forward button on a playback device. 9. to add a sudden infusion of energy, verve, color, attractiveness, or the like (often followed by up ). 10. to move quickly, forcefully, or destructively. 11. (N.) force, energy, or drive; zip. 12. a jolt or charge, as or as if of electricity. 13. a forceful and sudden blow, hit, or attack. 14. any method of political activism, usually of a disruptive nature.

Hatch

(V.) When a baby bird, insect, or other animal hatches, or when it is hatched, it comes out of its egg by breaking the shell. 2. When an egg hatches or when a bird, insect, or other animal hatches an egg, the egg breaks open and a baby comes out. 3. If you hatch a plot or a scheme, you think of it and work it out. 4. to bring forth (young) from the egg. 5. to cause young to emerge from (the egg) as by brooding or incubating. 6. to bring forth or produce; devise; create; contrive; concoct. 7. to be hatched. 8. to brood. 9. to mark with lines, especially closely set parallel lines, as for shading in drawing or engraving. 10. Hachure. 11. (N.) an opening in the deck of a ship, through which people or cargo can go. 12. the act of hatching. 13. something that is hatched, as a brood. 14. Also called hatchway. an opening, usually rectangular, in the deck through which passengers can pass, cargo can be loaded or unloaded, etc. 15. the cover over such an opening. 16. an opening that serves as a doorway or window in the floor or roof of a building. 17. the cover over such an opening. 18. Slang. the throat as used for drinking. 19. Aeronautics. an opening or door in an aircraft. 20. the lower half of a divided door, both parts of which can be opened separately. 21. a small door, grated opening, or serving counter in or attached to the wall of a building, room, etc., as for a merchant's stall. 22. a bin or compartment built into a confined space, especially a deep storage bin. 23. Automative. the cargo area in a hatchback. 24. Automative. Also called liftgate. the hinged lid of a hatchback that swings upward to provide access to the cargo area. 25. anything resembling a hatch. 26. batten down the / one's hatches, prepare for stormy weather: used as a command. 27. Batted down the/ one's hatches, to prepare to meet an emergency or face a great difficulty. 28. a shading line in drawing or engraving.

Tick

(V.) When a clock or watch ticks, it makes a regular series of short sounds as it works. 2. If you tick something that is written on a piece of paper, you put a tick next to it. 3. (British) If you tick off items on a list, you write a tick or other mark next to them, in order to show that they have been dealt with. 4. If you say that someone or something ticks you off, you mean that they annoy you. 5. to emit or produce a tick, like that of a clock. 6. to pass as with ticks of a clock. 7. to sound or announce by a tick or ticks. 8. to mark with a tick or ticks; check (usually followed by off ); to tick off the items on the memo. 9. Tick off, Slang. to make angry. 10. Tick off, Slang. Chiefly British. to scold severely. 11. (N.) The tick of a clock or watch is the series of short sounds it makes when it is working, or one of those sounds. 12. (British) a written mark like a V: . It is used to show that something is correct or has been selected or dealt with. 13. a small creature which lives on the bodies of people or animals and uses their blood as food. 14. a slight, sharp, recurring click, tap, or beat, as of a clock. 15. Chiefly British Informal. a moment or instant. 16. a small dot, mark, check, or electronic signal, as used to mark off an item on a list, serve as a reminder, or call attention to something. 17. Stock Exchange. a movement in the price of a stock, bond, or option. 18. Stock Exchange. the smallest possible tick on a given exchange. 19. Manège. a jumping fault consisting of a light touch of a fence with one or more feet. 20. a small contrasting spot of color on the coat of a mammal or the feathers of a bird. 21. what makes one tick, the motive or explanation of one's behavior. 22. any of numerous bloodsucking arachnids of the order Acarina, including the families Ixodidae and Argasidae, somewhat larger than the related mites and having a barbed proboscis for attachment to the skin of warm-blooded vertebrates. 23. Sheeptick. 24. the cloth case of a mattress, pillow, etc., containing hair, feathers, or the like. 25. Ticking. 26. a score or account. 27. on tick, on credit or trust.

Tingle

(V.) When a part of your body tingles, you have a slight stinging feeling there. 2. If you tingle with a feeling such as excitement, you feel it very strongly. 3. to have a sensation of slight prickles, stings, or tremors, as from cold, a sharp blow, excitement, etc. 4. to cause such a sensation. 5. (N.) a tingling sensation. 6. the tingling action of cold, a blow, excitement, etc.

Pucker

(V.) When a part of your face puckers or when you pucker it, it becomes tight or stretched, often because you are trying not to cry or are going to kiss someone. 2. to draw or gather into wrinkles or irregular folds, as material or a part of the face; constrict. 3. (N.) a wrinkle; an irregular fold. 4. a puckered part, as of cloth tightly or crookedly sewn. 5. a state of agitation or perturbation.

Jangle

(V.) When objects strike against each other and make a ringing noise, you can say that they jangle or are jangled. 2. to produce a harsh, discordant sound, as two comparatively small, thin, or hollow pieces of metal hitting together. 3. to speak angrily; wrangle. 4. to cause to make a harsh, discordant, usually metallic sound. 5. to cause to become irritated or upset. 6. (N.) a harsh or discordant sound. 7. an argument, dispute, or quarrel.

Assemble

(V.) When people assemble or when someone assembles them, they come together in a group, usually for a particular purpose such as a meeting. 2. To assemble something means to collect it together or to fit the different parts of it together. 3. to bring together or gather into one place, company, body, or whole. 4. to put or fit together; put together the parts of. 5. Computers. compile. 6. to come together; gather; meet.

Scurry

(V.) When people or small animals scurry somewhere, they move there quickly and hurriedly, especially because they are frightened. 2. to go or move quickly or in haste. 3. to send hurrying along. 4. (N.) a scurrying rush. 5. a short run or race.

Drift

(V.) When something drifts somewhere, it is carried there by the movement of wind or water. 2. If someone or something drifts into a situation, they get into that situation in a way that is not planned or controlled. 3. (To Express Disapproval) If you say that someone drifts around, you mean that they travel from place to place without a plan or settled way of life. 4. To drift somewhere means to move there slowly or gradually. 5. If sounds drift somewhere, they can be heard but they are not very loud. 6. If snow drifts, it builds up into piles as a result of the movement of the wind. 7. to be carried along by currents of water or air, or by the force of circumstances. 8. to wander aimlessly. 9. to be driven into heaps, as by the wind. 10. to deviate or vary from a set course or adjustment. 11. to carry along. 12. to drive into heaps. 13. Machinery. to enlarge (a punched or drilled hole) with a drift. 14. Machinery. to align or straighten (holes, especially rivet holes) with a drift. 15. drift off, to fall asleep gradually. 16. If you drift off to sleep, you gradually fall asleep. 17. (N.) a movement away from somewhere or something, or a movement toward somewhere or something different. 18. a mass of snow that has built up into a pile as a result of the movement of wind. 19. The drift of an argument or speech is the general point that is being made in it. 20. a driving movement or force; impulse; impetus; pressure. 21. Navigation. (of a ship) the component of the movement that is due to the force of wind and currents. 22. Oceanography. a broad, shallow ocean current that advances at the rate of 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 km) a day. 23. the flow or the speed in knots of an ocean current. 24. the distance between the end of a rope and the part in use. 25. the distance between two blocks in a tackle. 26. the difference in diameter between two parts, one of which fits within the other, as a mast and its mast hoops, or a treenail and its hole. 27. Aeronautics. the deviation of an aircraft from a set course due to cross winds. 28. the course along which something moves; tendency; aim. 29. a meaning; intent; purport. 30. something driven, as animals, rain, etc. 31. a heap of any matter driven together. 32. a snowdrift. 33. Geology. glacial drift. 34. the state or process of being driven. 35. overbearing power or influence. 36. Military. a tool used in charging an ordnance piece. 37. Electronics. a gradual change in some operating characteristic of a circuit, tube, or other electronic device, either during a brief period as an effect of warming up or during a long period as an effect of continued use. 38. Electronics. a gradual change in some operating characteristic of a circuit, tube, or other electronic device, either during a brief period as an effect of warming up or during a long period as an effect of continued use. 39. the movement of charge carriers in a semiconductor due to the influence of an applied voltage. 40. Linguistics. gradual change in the structure of a language. 41. Machinery. Also called driftpin. a round, tapering piece of steel for enlarging holes in metal, or for bringing holes in line to receive rivets or bolts. 42. Machinery. a flat, tapered piece of steel used to drive tools with tapered shanks, as drill bits, from their holders. 43. Civil Engineering. a secondary tunnel between two main tunnels or shafts. 44. Mining. an approximately horizontal passageway in underground mining. 45. Physics. the movement of charged particles under the influence of an electric field. 46. Aerospace. the gradual deviation of a rocket or guided missile from its intended trajectory. 47. Mechanics. displacement of the gimbals of a gyroscope due to friction on bearings, unbalance of the gyroscope's mass or other imperfections. 48. the thrust of an arched structure. 49. Dentistry. a shift of the teeth from their normal position in the dental arch. 50. Western U.S. a flock of animals or birds.

Spew

(V.) When something spews out a substance or when a substance spews from something, the substance flows out quickly in large quantities. 2. to discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth; vomit. 3. to eject from the stomach through the mouth; vomit. 4. to cast forth, gush, or eject, as in disgust or anger. 5. (N.) something that is spewed; vomit.

Accumlate

(V.) When you accumulate things or when they accumulate, they collect or are gathered over a period of time. 2. to gather or collect, often in gradual degrees; heap up. 3. to gather into a heap, mass, cover, etc.; form a steadily increasing quantity.

Pigstick

(V.) to hunt for wild boar, usually on horseback and using a spear.

Mottle

(V.) to mark or diversify with spots or blotches of a different color or shade. 2. (N.) a diversifying spot or blotch of color. 3. mottled coloring or pattern.

Hunker

(V.) to squat on one's heels (often followed by down ). 2. to hunch. 3. to hide, hide out, or take shelter (usually followed by down ). 4. to hold resolutely or stubbornly to a policy, opinion, etc., when confronted by criticism, opposition, or unfavorable circumstances (usually followed by down ). 5. Slang. to lumber along; walk or move slowly or aimlessly. 6. If you hunker down, you bend your knees so that you are in a low position, balancing on your feet. 7. If you say that someone hunkers down, you mean that they are trying to avoid doing things that will make them noticed or put them in danger. 8. (N.) hunkers, one's haunches. 9. on one's hunkers, British Informal. squatting on one's heels. 10. On one's hunkers, suffering a period of poverty, bad luck, or the like.

Vouch

(V.) to support as being true, certain, reliable, etc. (usually followed by for). 2. to attest; guarantee; certify (usually followed by for). 3. to sustain or uphold by, or as if by, practical proof or demonstration. 4. (formerly) to call or summon (a person) into court to make good a warranty of title. 5. to adduce or quote in support, as extracts from a book or author; cite in warrant or justification, as authority, instances, facts, etc. 6. to warrant or attest; to support or authenticate with vouchers. 7. to declare as with warrant; vouch for. 8. to call or take as a witness. 9. (N.) a vouching; an assertion. 10. a formal attestation; a supporting warrant.