20080611
1. Sneak: If you sneak somewhere, you go there very quietly on foot, trying to avoid being seen or heard. Sometimes he would sneak out of his house late at night to be with me. Don't sneak away and hide. The form snuck is also used in American English for the past tense and past participle. = slip
2. Sneak: if you sneak something somewhere, you take it there secretly. He smuggled papers out each day, photocopied them, and snuck them back. You even snuck me a cigarette. The form snuck is also used in American English for the past tense and past participle.
3. Sneak: If you sneak a look at someone or something, you secretly have a quick look at them. You sneak a look at your watch to see how long you've got to wait. The form snuck is also used in American English for the past tense and past participle. = steal
4. Smuggle: If someone smuggles things or people into a place or out of it, they take them there illegally or secretly. My message is `If you try to smuggle drugs you are stupid'. Police have foiled an attempt to smuggle a bomb into Belfast airport. Had it really been impossible to find someone who could smuggle out a letter?. Everything along the border has its price: drugs, teak, smuggled goods. Smuggling: An air hostess was arrested and charged with drug smuggling. ...the smuggling of arms.
5. Teak: Teak is the wood of a tall tree with very hard, light-coloured wood which grows in South-East Asia. The door is beautifully made in solid teak.
6. Foil: Foil consists of sheets of metal as thin as paper. It is used to wrap food in. Pour cider around the meat and cover with foil. ...aluminum foil.
7. Foil: If you foil someone's plan or attempt to do something, for example to commit a crime, you succeed in stopping them from doing what they want. (JOURNALISM) A brave police chief foiled an armed robbery on a jewellers' by grabbing the raiders' shotgun. The idea of building a roof terrace was also foiled by the planning authorities. = thwart
8. Foil: If you refer to one thing or person as a foil for another, you approve of the fact that they contrast with each other and go well together, often in a way that makes the second thing or person seem better or less harmful. He thought of her serenity as a foil for his intemperance. A cold beer is the perfect foil for a curry. = complement
9. Foil: A foil is a thin light sword used in fencing, which has a button on its tip to prevent injury.
10. Complement: If one thing complements another, it goes well with the other thing and makes its good qualities more noticeable. Nutmeg, parsley and cider all complement the flavour of these beans well.= set off
11. Complement: If people or things complement each other, they are different or do something different, which makes them a good combination. There will be a written examination to complement the practical test. We complement one another perfectly.
12. Complement: Something that is a complement to something else complements it. The green wallpaper is the perfect complement to the old pine of the dresser. Political knowledge is a necessary complement to science in approaching solutions to these problems.
13. Complement: The complement of things or people that something has is the number of things or people that it normally has, which enable it to function properly. (FORMAL) Each ship had a complement of around a dozen officers and 250 men. Not one house on the Close still had its full complement of windows.
14. Complement: In grammar, the complement of a link verb is an adjective group or noun group which comes after the verb and describes or identifies the subject. For example, in the sentence `They felt very tired', `very tired' is the complement. In `They were students', `students' is the complement.
15. Dresser: A dresser is a chest of drawers, usually with a mirror on the top. (AM; in BRIT use dressing table)
16. Dresser: A dresser is a piece of furniture which has cupboards or drawers in the lower part and shelves in the top part. It is usually used for storing china. (mainly BRIT)
17. Dresser: A dresser is someone who works in a theatre and helps the actors and actresses to dress. `Tell them to hold all my calls, Theresa,' she instructed her dresser.
18. Dresser: You can use dresser to refer to the kind of clothes that a person wears. For example, if you say that someone is a smart dresser, you mean that they wear smart clothes. She had always been a smart dresser and had on one of her linen frocks. ...a legendary beauty and unconventional dresser who only once bought `normal' clothes.
19. Unconventional: If you describe a person or their attitude or behaviour as unconventional, you mean that they do not behave in the same way as most other people in their society. Linus Pauling is an unconventional genius. He was known for his unconventional behaviour. He had rather unconventional work habits, preferring to work through the night.
20. Unconventional: An unconventional way of doing something is not the usual way of doing it, and may be rather surprising. The vaccine had been produced by an unconventional technique. Despite his unconventional methods, he has inspired pupils more than anyone else. Their marriage was unconventional.
21. Inspired: If someone or something inspires you to do something new or unusual, they make you want to do it. These herbs will inspire you to try out all sorts of exotic-flavoured dishes!. Our challenge is to motivate those voters and inspire them to join our cause. And what inspired you to change your name?= encourage
22. Inspire: If someone or something inspires you, they give you new ideas and a strong feeling of enthusiasm. In the 1960s, the electric guitar virtuosity of Jimi Hendrix inspired a generation.
23. Inspire: If a book, work of art, or action is inspired by something, that thing is the source of the idea for it. The book was inspired by a real person, namely Tamara de Treaux....a political murder inspired by the same nationalist conflicts now wrecking the country. –inspired: ...Mediterranean-inspired ceramics in bright yellow and blue... Jamaica's socialist government is adopting US-inspired free market practices.
24. Inspire: Someone or something that inspires a particular emotion or reaction in people makes them feel this emotion or reaction. The car's performance is effortless and its handling is precise and quickly inspires confidence.
25. Precise: You use precise to emphasize that you are referring to an exact thing, rather than something vague. I can remember the precise moment when my daughter came to see me and her new baby brother in hospital. The precise location of the wreck was discovered in 1988. He was not clear on the precise nature of his mission. We will never know the precise details of his death.= exact
26. Precise: Something that is precise is exact and accurate in all its details. They speak very precise English. He does not talk too much and what he has to say is precise and to the point.
27. Precise: You say `to be precise' to indicate that you are giving more detailed or accurate information than you have just given. More than a week ago, Thursday evening to be precise, Susanne was at her evening class. The restaurant in which we ate that night had more people in it at 11pm, 51 more to be precise, than it did at 10pm.
28. Vague: If something written or spoken is vague, it does not explain or express things clearly. A lot of the talk was apparently vague and general. The description was pretty vague. ...vague information. * Precise* vaguely: `I'm not sure,' Liz said vaguely. They issued a vaguely worded statement. Vagueness...the vagueness of the language in the text.
29. Vague: If you have a vague memory or idea of something, the memory or idea is not clear. They have only a vague idea of the amount of water available. Waite's memory of that first meeting was vague. = faint vaguely: Judith could vaguely remember her mother lying on the sofa.
30. Vague: If you are vague about something, you deliberately do not tell people much about it. He was vague, however, about just what U.S. forces might actually do. Democratic leaders under election pressure tend to respond with vague promises of action. Christopher's answer was deliberately vague.
31. Vague: If you describe someone as vague, you mean that they do not seem to be thinking clearly. She had married a charming but rather vague Englishman. His eyes were always so vague when he looked at her. Vaguely: He looked vaguely around the room as he spoke, his mind elsewhere. Vagueness...a girl wandering in the blissful vagueness of someone in love.
32. Vague: If something such as a feeling is vague, you experience it only slightly. He was conscious of that vague feeling of irritation again. He had a vague impression of rain pounding on the packed earth.
33. Vague: A vague shape or outline is not clear and is therefore not easy to see. He looked at her vague shape through the frosted glass. The bus was a vague shape in the distance.
34. Frosted: Frosted glass is glass that you cannot see through clearly. The top half of the door to his office was of frosted glass.
35. Frosted: Frosted means covered with frost. ...the frosted trees.
36. Frosted: Frosted means covered with something that looks like frost. ...frosted blue eye shadow.
37. Frosted: Frosted means covered with icing. (AM; in BRIT usually use iced) ...a plate of frosted cupcakes.
38. Irritation: Irritation is a feeling of annoyance, especially when something is happening that you cannot easily stop or control. For the first time Leonard felt irritation at her methods. He tried not to let his irritation show as he blinked in the glare of the television lights. = annoyance
39. Irritation: An irritation is something that keeps annoying you. Don't allow a minor irritation in the workplace to mar your ambitions. He describes the tourists as an irritation.= annoyance
40. Irritation: Irritation in a part of your body is a feeling of slight pain and discomfort there. These oils may cause irritation to sensitive skins. This is an irritation and inflammation of the edge of the eyelid.
41. Eyelid: Your eyelids are the two pieces of skin which cover your eyes when they are closed.
42. Inflammation: An inflammation is a painful redness or swelling of a part of your body that result from an infection, injury, or illness. (FORMAL) The drug can cause inflammation of the liver. ...throat inflammations.
43. Throat: Your throat is the back of your mouth and the top part of the tubes that go down into your stomach and your lungs. She had a sore throat. As she stared at him she felt her throat go dry.
44. Throat: Your throat is the front part of your neck. His striped tie was loosened at his throat.
45. Throat: If you clear your throat, you cough once in order to make it easier to speak or to attract people's attention. Cross cleared his throat and spoke in low, polite tones.
46. throat: If you ram something down someone's throat or force it down their throat, you keep mentioning a situation or idea in order to make them accept it or believe it. I've always been close to my dad but he's never rammed his career down my throat. I can't understand why we're trying to ram Shakespeare down their throats.
47. Throat: If two people or groups are at each other's throats, they are quarrelling or fighting violently with each other. The idea that Billy and I are at each other's throats couldn't be further from the truth. = at loggerheads
48. Throat: If something sticks in your throat, you find it unacceptable. What sticks in my throat is that I wasn't able to win the trophy. She wanted to ask if he had news of Keith, but the words stuck in her throat.
49. Trophy: A trophy is a prize, for example a silver cup that is given to the winner of a competition or race.
50. Trophy: Trophy is used in the names of some competitions and races in which the winner receives a trophy. He finished third in the Tote Gold Trophy.
51. Trophy: A trophy is something that you keep in order to show that you have done something very difficult. His office was lined with animal heads, trophies of his hunting hobby.
52. Tote: The Tote is a system of betting money on horses in races. (BRIT; in AM use pari-mutuel)
53. Tote: To tote something, especially a gun, means to carry it with you in such a way that people can see it. (JOURNALISM)The demonstrators fled when soldiers toting machine guns advanced on the crowd. Toting: They are too frightened to speak out against the gun-toting thugs. Durham has much to offer the camera-toting visitor.
54. Thug: You can refer to a violent person or criminal as a thug. ...the cowardly thugs who mug old people.
55. Mug: A mug is a large deep cup with straight sides and a handle, used for hot drinks. He spooned instant coffee into two of the mugs. A mug of something is the amount of it contained in a mug. He had been drinking mugs of coffee to keep himself awake.
56. Mug: If someone mugs you, they attack you in order to steal your money. I was walking out to my car when this guy tried to mug me. He has been mugged more than once. Mugging: Bank robberies, burglaries and muggings are reported almost daily in the press. We usually think of a victim of mugging as being someone elderly.
57. Mug: If you say that someone is a mug, you mean that they are stupid and easily deceived by other people. (BRIT, INFORMAL) He's a mug as far as women are concerned. I feel such a mug for signing the agreement. disapproval
58. Mug: If you say that an activity is a mug's game, you mean that it is not worth doing because it does not give the person who is doing it any benefit or satisfaction. (BRIT, INFORMAL) I used to be a very heavy gambler, but not any more. It's a mug's game. Dieting is a mug's game.
59. Mug: Someone's mug is their face. (INFORMAL) He managed to get his ugly mug on the telly.
60. Diet: Your diet is the type and range of food that you regularly eat. It's never too late to improve your diet. ...a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables...Poor diet and excess smoking will seriously damage the health of your hair.
61. Diet: If a doctor puts someone on a diet, he or she makes them eat a special type or range of foods in order to improve their health. He was put on a diet of milky food. ...a special diet for children with high cholesterol.
62. Diet: If you are on a diet, you eat special kinds of food or you eat less food than usual because you are trying to lose weight. Have you been on a diet? You've lost a lot of weight. Diet and exercise will alter your shape. I've only lost sixteen pounds since I started this diet.
63. Diet: If you are dieting, you eat special kinds of food or you eat less food than usual because you are trying to lose weight. I've been dieting ever since the birth of my fourth child. Most of us have dieted at some time in our lives. dieting She has already lost around two stone through dieting.
64. Diet: Diet drinks or foods have been specially produced so that they do not contain many calories. ...sugar-free diet drinks. ...diet margarine.
65. Diet: If you are fed on a diet of something, especially something unpleasant or of poor quality, you receive or experience a very large amount of it. The radio had fed him a diet of pop songs. People are rejecting this constant diet of despair.
66. Despair: Despair is the feeling that everything is wrong and that nothing will improve. I looked at my wife in despair. There is always someone to whom you can admit feelings of despair or inadequacy.
67. Despair: If you despair, you feel that everything is wrong and that nothing will improve. `Oh, I despair sometimes,' he says in mock sorrow. He does despair at much of the press criticism.
68. Despair: If you despair of something, you feel that there is no hope that it will happen or improve. If you despair of someone, you feel that there is no hope that they will improve. He wished to earn a living through writing but despaired of doing so. ...efforts to find homes for people despairing of ever having a roof over their heads... There are signs that many voters have already despaired of politicians.
69. Sorrow: Sorrow is a feeling of deep sadness or regret. It was a time of great sorrow. Words cannot express my sorrow.=anguish
70. Anguish: Anguish is great mental suffering or physical pain. (WRITTEN) A cry of anguish burst from her lips. Mark looked at him in anguish.
71. Mock: If someone mocks you, they show or pretend that they think you are foolish or inferior, for example by saying something funny about you, or by imitating your behaviour. I thought you were mocking me. I distinctly remember mocking the idea. `I'm astonished, Benjamin,' she mocked.
72. Mock: You use mock to describe something which is not real or genuine, but which is intended to be very similar to the real thing. `It's tragic!' swoons Jeffrey in mock horror. One of them was subjected to a mock execution. ...a mock Tudor mansion.
73. Mock: Mocks are practice exams that you take as part of your preparation for real exams. (BRIT, INFORMAL) She went from a D in her mocks to a B in the real thing.
74. Horror: Horror is a feeling of great shock, fear, and worry caused by something extremely unpleasant. I felt numb with horror. As I watched in horror the boat began to power away from me.= terror
75. Horror: If you have a horror of something, you are afraid of it or dislike it very much. ...his horror of death.
76. Horror: The horror of something, especially something that hurts people, is its very great unpleasantness. ...the horror of this most bloody of civil wars.
77. Horror: You can refer to extremely unpleasant or frightening experiences as horrors. Can you possibly imagine all the horrors we have undergone since I last wrote you?
78. Horror: If you refer to someone or something as a horror, you mean that you think they are very unpleasant or ugly. (INFORMAL) Our host was arrogant and offensive. How his sweet wife could tolerate such a horror was baffling.
79. Horror: A horror film or story is intended to be very frightening....a psychological horror film.
80. Horror: You can refer to an account of a very unpleasant experience or event as a horror story. ...a horror story about lost luggage while flying.
81. Horror: Horror of horrors is used to refer to something that you consider to be the worst part of a situation. (INFORMAL, HUMOROUS) The company has already boosted its share of the UK tea market with its round tea bags. Now it is successfully converting the nation to (horror of horrors) instant tea.
82. Boost: If one thing boosts another, it causes it to increase, improve, or be more successful. It wants the government to take action to boost the economy. The move is designed to boost sales during the peak booking months of January and February. It would get the economy going and give us the boost that we need. The proposal received a boost on Sunday when The New York Times endorsed it in a leading article.
83. Boost: If something boosts your confidence or morale, it improves it. We need a big win to boost our confidence. Do what you can to give her confidence and boost her morale. =bolster it did give me a boost to win such a big event.
84. Bolster: If you bolster something such as someone's confidence or courage, you increase it. Hopes of an early cut in interest rates bolstered confidence. ...a number of measures intended to bolster morale. = boost
85. Bolster: If someone tries to bolster their position in a situation, they try to strengthen it. Britain is free to adopt policies to bolster its economy.= boost bolster up: Bolster up means the same as bolster. ...an aid programmes to bolster up their troubled economy.
86. Bolster: A bolster is a firm pillow shaped like a long tube which is sometimes put across a bed under the ordinary pillows.
87. Morale: Morale is the amount of confidence and cheerfulness that a group of people have. Many pilots are suffering from low morale. They hope to boost the morale of their troops.
88. Endorse: If you endorse someone or something, you say publicly that you support or approve of them. I can endorse their opinion wholeheartedly. ...policies agreed by the Labour Party and endorsed by the electorate.
89. Endorse: If someone's driving licence is endorsed, an official record is made on it that they have been found guilty of a driving offence. (BRIT) For failing to report the accident, his licence was endorsed. He also had his licence endorsed with eight penalty points.
90. Endorse: When you endorse a cheque, you write your name on the back of it so that it can be paid into someone's bank account. The payee of the cheque must endorse the cheque.
91. Endorse: If you endorse a product or company, you appear in advertisements for it. The twins endorsed a line of household cleaning products.
92. Household: A household is all the people in a family or group who live together in a house. ...growing up in a male-only household... Many poor households are experiencing real hardship.
93. Household: The household is your home and everything that is connected with looking after it. My husband gave me cash to manage the household, but none of it was ever my own. ...household chores.
94. Household: Someone or something that is a household name or word is very well known. Today, fashion designers are household names. My agent told me, `This'll make your name a household word.'
95. Household: The word Household is used in the names of groups of soldiers who have the job of protecting a king or queen and their family. (BRIT)...the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.
96. Regiment: A regiment is a large group of soldiers that is commanded by a colonel.
97. regiment: A regiment of people is a large number of them....robust food, good enough to satisfy a regiment of hungry customers.= army
98. Robust: Someone or something that is robust is very strong or healthy. More women than men go to the doctor. Perhaps men are more robust or worry less. We've always specialised in making very robust, simply designed machinery. = sturdy robustly: He became robustly healthy. Robustness: The robustness of diesel engines is another attractive quality. = strength
99. Robust: robust views or opinions are strongly held and forcefully expressed. A British Foreign Office minister has made a robust defence of the agreement. He has the keen eye and robust approach needed. Robustly: In the decisions we have to make about Europe, we have to defend our position very robustly indeed. Robustness: a prominent industrialist renowned for the robustness of his right-wing views.
100. Renowned: A person or place that is renowned for something, usually something good, is well known because of it. The area is renowned for its Romanesque churches. James was renowned as a forward thinker. ...Sir William Crookes, the renowned chemist.
101. Chemist: A chemist or a chemist's is a shop where drugs and medicines are sold or given out, and where you can buy cosmetics and some household goods. Compare drugstore, pharmacy. (BRIT) There are many creams available from the chemist which should clear the infection. She went into a chemist's and bought some aspirin. = pharmacy
102. Chemist: a chemist is someone who works in a chemist's shop and is qualified to prepare and sell medicines. (BRIT; in AM use druggist or pharmacist) = pharmacist
103. Chemist: A chemist is a person who does research connected with chemistry or who studies chemistry. She worked as a research chemist.
104. Pharmacy: A pharmacy is a shop or a department in a shop where medicines are sold or given out. Compare chemist, drugstore. Make sure you understand exactly how to take your medicines before you leave the pharmacy. ...the pharmacy section of the drugstore.
105. Pharmacy: Pharmacy is the job or the science of preparing medicines. He spent four years studying pharmacy.
106. Cosmetic: Cosmetics are substances such as lipstick or powder, which people put on their face to make themselves look more attractive.= make-up
107. Cosmetic: If you describe measures or changes as cosmetic, you mean they improve the appearance of a situation or thing but do not change its basic nature, and you are usually implying that they are inadequate. It is a cosmetic measure which will do nothing to help the situation long term. In general, the students view these changes as merely cosmetic. = superficial
108. Superficial: If you describe someone as superficial, you disapprove of them because they do not think deeply, and have little understanding of anything serious or important. This guy is a superficial yuppie with no intellect whatsoever. The tone of his book is consistently negative, occasionally arrogant, and often superficial. Superficiality: e hated the superficiality, the neon glamour and the cheap prettiness of life in L.A. superficially: Hill cannot write badly or superficially; his characters and plotting are, as usual, admirable. Superficial: if you describe something such as an action, feeling, or relationship as superficial, you mean that it includes only the simplest and most obvious aspects of that thing, and not those aspects which require more effort to deal with or understand. Their arguments do not withstand the most superficial scrutiny. His roommate had been pleasant on a superficial level. Father had no more than a superficial knowledge of music. Superficiality: His assessment only serves to demonstrate the superficiality of the judgments we make when we first meet people. Superficially: The film touches on these difficult questions, but only superficially.
109. Superficial: Superficial is used to describe the appearance of something or the impression that it gives, especially if its real nature is very different. Despite these superficial resemblances, this is a darker work than her earlier novels. Spain may well look different but the changes are superficial. Superficially: Many of these killers are frequently glib and superficially charming. Superficially there have been many changes in Britain in recent years.
110. Superficial: Superficial injuries are not very serious, and affect only the surface of the body. You can also describe damage to an object as superficial. The 69-year-old clergyman escaped with superficial wounds. The explosion caused superficial damage to the fortified house. = slight
111. Superficial: The superficial layers of the skin are the ones nearest the surface. (MEDICAL) ...superficial blood vessels in the forearm.
112. Forearm: Your forearm is the part of your arm between your elbow and your wrist.
113. Fortify: To fortify a place means to make it stronger and more difficult to attack, often by building a wall or ditch round it....British soldiers working to fortify an airbase in Bahrain. Fortified: He remains barricaded inside his heavily-fortified mansion....fortified castles and villages.
114. Fortify: If food or drink is fortified, another substance is added to it to make it healthier or stronger. It has also been fortified with vitamin C. All sherry is made from wine fortified with brandy....fortified cereal products. Fortification: In some countries, iron fortification of foods is carried out to reduce iron deficiency.
115. Fortify: If you are fortified by something such as food, drink, or an idea, it makes you feel more cheerful, determined, or energetic. The volunteers were fortified by their patriotic belief. They will be laying on liquid refreshment to fortify brides-to-be for the shopping extravaganza ahead. Would you care for some tea, or even a light meal, to fortify yourself before your adventure?. They drove on fortified with still more Scotch. = sustain
116. Fortify: To fortify something means to make it more powerful and more likely to succeed. (FORMAL) His declared agenda is to raise standards in schools, fortify parent power and decentralize control. = strengthen
117. Decentralize: To decentralize government or a large organization means to move some departments away from the main administrative area, or to give more power to local departments. They have at last persuaded the bureaucracy to decentralize the company, slim it down and make it more entrepreneurial. ...the need to decentralize and devolve power to regional governments... The German constitution is an excellent model of decentralized government. Decentralization: He seems set against the idea of increased decentralization and greater powers for regional authorities.
118. Constitution: The constitution of a country or organization is the system of laws which formally states people's rights and duties. The king was forced to adopt a new constitution which reduced his powers. ...the American Constitution... The club's constitution prevented women from becoming full members.
119. Constitution: Your constitution is your health. He must have an extremely strong constitution. I've always had the constitution of an ox.
120. Ox: An ox is a bull that has been castrated. Oxen are used in some countries for pulling vehicles or carrying things.
121. Castrate: To castrate a male animal or a man means to remove his testicles. In the ancient world, it was probably rare to castrate a dog or cat. ...a castrated male horse. Castration: ...the castration of male farm animals.
122. Rare: Something that is rare is not common and is therefore interesting or valuable....the black-necked crane, one of the rarest species in the world... She collects rare plants. Do you want to know about a particular rare stamp or rare stamps in general? = uncommon * common*
123. Rare: An event or situation that is rare does not occur very often. ...on those rare occasions when he did eat alone... Heart attacks were extremely rare in babies, he said. It's apparently rare for anyone to have two legs the same length. I think it's very rare to have big families nowadays. = uncommon * common*
124. Rare: You use rare to emphasize an extremely good or remarkable quality. Ferris has a rare ability to record her observations on paper. It was a rare pleasure to see him in action. ...a leader of rare strength and instinct. = uncommon
125. Rare: Meat that is rare is cooked very lightly so that the inside is still red. Thick tuna steaks are eaten rare, like beef. Waiter, I specifically asked for this steak rare.
126. Steak: A steak is a large flat piece of beef without much fat on it. You cook it by grilling or frying it. See also rump steak, T-bone steak.
127. Steak: Steak is beef that is used for making stews. It is often cut into cubes to be sold. ...steak and kidney pie. See also stewing steak.
128. Steak: A fish steak is a large piece of fish that contains few bones. ...fresh salmon steaks.
129. Salmon: A salmon is a large silver-coloured fish. Salmon is both the singular and the plural form. Salmon is the pink flesh of this fish which is eaten as food. It is often smoked and eaten raw. He gave them a splendid lunch of smoked salmon.
130. Splendid: If you say that something is splendid, you mean that it is very good. The book includes a wealth of splendid photographs. Our house has got a splendid view across towards the Cotswold’s. I found him to be splendid company during the hour of our acquaintance. = marvellous splendidly: I have heard him tell people that we get along splendidly.
131. Splendid: If you describe a building or work of art as splendid, you mean that it is beautiful, impressive, and extremely well made. ...a splendid Victorian mansion. = magnificent splendidly: The young women are splendidly dressed, some in floor-length ball gowns. Its historic buildings are being slowly and splendidly renovated....this splendidly readable and robust autobiography. = magnificently
132. Splendid: You can say `splendid' in a conversation to indicate that you approve of a particular situation or something that someone has said. `I was thinking I might do a lemon cream sauce and baked potatoes.' `Splendid!' Midge applauded. = super, great
133. Autobiography: our autobiography is an account of your life, which you write yourself. He published his autobiography last autumn.
134. Renovate: If someone renovates an old building, they repair and improve it and get it back into good condition. The couple spent thousands renovating the house. She lives in a large, renovated farmhouse. Renovation: ...a property which will need extensive renovation.
135. Extensive: Something that is extensive covers or includes a large physical area. ...an extensive tour of Latin America... When built, the palace and its grounds were more extensive than the city itself. Extensively: Mark, however, needs to travel extensively with his varied business interests.
136. Extensive: Something that is extensive covers a wide range of details, ideas, or items. Developments in South Africa receive extensive coverage in The Sunday Telegraph. ...the extensive research into public attitudes to science... The facilities available are very extensive. Extensively: the extensively reported trial... All these issues have been extensively researched in recent years.
137. Extensive: If something is extensive, it is very great. The blast caused extensive damage, shattering the front hall and the ground-floor rooms. The security forces have extensive powers of search and arrest. Mr. Marr makes extensive use of exclusively Scottish words. Extensively: Hydrogen is used extensively in industry for the production of ammonia.
138. Ammonia: Ammonia is a colourless liquid or gas with a strong, sharp smell. It is used in making household cleaning substances.
139. Hydrogen: Hydrogen is a colourless gas that is the lightest and commonest element in the universe.
140. Universe: The universe is the whole of space and all the stars, planets, and other forms of matter and energy in it. Einstein's equations showed the Universe to be expanding. Early astronomers thought that our planet was the centre of the universe.
141. Universe: If you talk about someone's universe, you are referring to the whole of their experience or an important part of it. Good writers suck in what they see of the world, re-creating their own universe on the page. They marked out the boundaries of our visual universe. Behind his eyes was a whole universe of pain. = world
142. Universe: If you say that something is, for example, the best or biggest thing of its kind in the universe, you are emphasizing that you think it is bigger or better than anything else of its kind. (INFORMAL) According to my friends I am the coolest, thinnest, cleverest, funniest journalist in the universe.
143. Astronomer: An astronomer is a scientist who studies the stars, planets, and other natural objects in space.
144. Expand: If something expands or is expanded, it becomes larger. Engineers noticed that the pipes were not expanding as expected. The money supply expanded by 14.6 per cent in the year to September. We have to expand the size of the image. ...a rapidly expanding universe. ...strips of expanded polystyrene.
145. Expand: If something such as a business, organization, or service expands, or if you expand it, it becomes bigger and includes more people, goods, or activities. The popular ceramics industry expanded towards the middle of the 19th century. The interest rate's coming down. I'll be able to expand or stay in business. I owned a bookshop and desired to expand the business. Health officials are proposing to expand their services by organizing counseling.
146. Counsel: Counsel is advice. (FORMAL) He had always been able to count on her wise counsel. His parishioners sought his counsel and loved him.= advice
147. Counsel: If you counsel someone to take a course of action, or if you counsel a course of action, you advise that course of action. (FORMAL) My advisers counselled me to do nothing. The prime minister was right to counsel caution about military intervention = advise
148. Counsel: If you counsel people, you give them advice about their problems. ...a psychologist who counsels people with eating disorders... Crawford counsels her on all aspects of her career.
149. Counsel: Someone's counsel is the lawyer who gives them advice on a legal case and speaks on their behalf in court. Singleton's counsel said after the trial that he would appeal. The defence counsel warned that the judge should stop the trial.
150. Counsel: If you keep your own counsel, you keep quiet about your opinions or intentions. Guscott rarely speaks out, preferring to keep his own counsel.
151. Warn: If you warn someone about something such as a possible danger or problem, you tell them about it so that they are aware of it. When I had my first baby friends warned me that children were expensive. They warned him of the dangers of sailing alone. Analysts warned that Europe's most powerful economy may be facing trouble. He also warned of a possible anti-Western backlash.
152. Warn: If you warn someone not to do something, you advise them not to do it so that they can avoid possible danger or punishment. Mrs. Blount warned me not to interfere. Children must be warned to stay away from main roads. `Don't do anything yet,' he warned. `Too risky.’ `Keep quiet, or they'll all come out,' they warned him. I wish I'd listened to the people who warned me against having the operation. Mr Lowe warned against complacency.
153. Warn: If someone says to you `be warned', they are advising you to be cautious, because there are risks that you may not have thought about. But be warned: this is not a cheap option.
154. Option: An option is something that you can choose to do in preference to one or more alternatives. He's argued from the start that America and its allies are putting too much emphasis on the military option. What other options do you have? = choice
155. Option: If you have the option to do something, you can choose whether to do it or not. Criminals are given the option of going to jail or facing public humiliation. We had no option but to abandon the meeting.= choice
156. Option: In business, an option is an agreement or contract that gives someone the right to buy or sell something such as property or shares at a future date. (TECHNICAL) Each bank has granted the other an option on 19.9% of its shares.
157. Option: an option is one of a number of subjects which a student can choose to study as a part of his or her course. Several options are offered for the student's senior year.
158. Option: If you keep your options open or leave your options open, you delay making a decision about something. I am keeping my options open. I have not made a decision on either matter. * commit yourself *
159. Option: If you take the soft option, you do the thing that is easiest or least likely to cause trouble in a particular situation. (mainly BRIT) We take the soft option. I like to keep the crowd happy because that's what they pay for. The job of chairman can no longer be regarded as a convenient soft option. = easy option
160. Share: A company's shares are the many equal parts into which its ownership is divided. Shares can be bought by people as an investment. This is why Sir Colin Marshall, British Airways' chairman, has been so keen to buy shares in US-AIR. They faced a period of some months when the share price would remain fairly static.
161. Share: If you share something with another person, both you have it, use it, or occupy it. You can also say that two people share something....the small income he had shared with his brother from his father's estate... Two Americans will share this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine. Scarce water resources are shared between states who cannot trust each other. Most hostel tenants would prefer single to shared rooms.
162. Share: If you share a task, duty, or responsibility with someone, you each carry out or accept part of it. You can also say that two people share something. You can find out whether they are prepared to share the cost of the flowers with you. The republics have worked out a plan for sharing control of nuclear weapons.
163. Share: If you share an experience with someone, you have the same experience, often because you are with them at the time. You can also say that two people share something. Yes, I want to share my life with you. I felt we both shared the same sense of loss, felt the same pain.
164. Share: If you share someone's opinion, you agree with them. The forum's members share his view that business can be a positive force for change in developing countries. Prosperity and economic success remain popular and broadly shared goals.
165. Share: If one person or thing shares a quality or characteristic with another, they have the same quality or characteristic. You can also say that two people or things share something. La Repubblica and El Pais are politically independent newspapers which share similar characteristics with certain British newspapers. ...Two groups who share a common language.
166. Share: If you share something that you have with someone, you give some of it to them or let them use it. The village tribe is friendly and they share their water supply with you. Scientists now have to compete for funding, and do not share information among themselves. Toddlers are notoriously antisocial when it comes to sharing toys.
167. Share: If you share something personal such as a thought or a piece of news with someone, you tell them about it. It can be beneficial to share your feelings with someone you trust. Film critic Bob Mondello shares his thoughts on the movie `City of Hope'.
168. Share: If something is divided or distributed among a number of different people or things, each of them has, or is responsible for, a share of it. Sara also pays a share of the gas, electricity and phone bills. He is counting on winning seats and perhaps a share in the new government of Macedonia.
169. Share: If you have or do your share of something, you have or do an amount that seems reasonable to you, or to other people. Women must receive their fair share of training for good-paying jobs. I have had more than my full share of adventures.
