PHRASES

a blaze of glory (= when someone or something is praised a lot ) The film opened in a
blaze of glory with rave reviews from critics.
somebody's moment of glory The team's only moment of glory came in the second
half of the game.
somebody's dream of glory His dreams of glory were shattered when he lost to
Federer.
VERBS
bask/bathe in the glory of something (= enjoy the fame and admiration you get )
Challenor basked in the glory of his achievement.
cover yourself in glory (= do something that makes people admire you ) As team
captain, he hasn't covered himself in glory.
steal somebody's glory (= do something that makes you more admired than someone
else who is doing something similar ) Collins is wonderful, but Shaw steals all the glory
with his magnificent performance.
win glory He wanted to win glory in battle.
bring glory to somebody/something Locals hope the discovery will bring prosperity
and glory to the town.
ADJECTIVES
reflected glory (= fame that you get because you are close to someone who has done
something that people admire ) She basked in the reflective glory of her daughter's
marriage to such a famous actor.
personal glory He put the team's interests above any chance of personal glory.
greater glory (= more fame and admiration ) He aimed to bring greater glory to
France.
grasp 1 / rsp $ rsp / verb [ transitive ]
1 to take and hold something firmly SYN grip :
I grasped his arm firmly and led him away.
Alan grasped the handle and pulled it.
2 [ not in progressive ] to completely understand a fact or an idea, especially a
complicated one :
At that time, we did not fully grasp the significance of what had happened.
Some people find the idea of relativity difficult to grasp.
grasp what/how etc
A short opening paragraph enables the reader to quickly grasp what the article is about.
grasp that
Nick had grasped that something was wrong.
3 grasp an opportunity to eagerly and quickly use an opportunity to do
something :
She is ready to grasp any opportunity to expand the business.
4 grasp the nettle British English to deal with an unpleasant situation firmly and
without delay :
We need to grasp the nettle of prison reform.
grasp at something phrasal verb
to try to hold on to something :
His foot slipped and he grasped at the top of the wall.
scanty / sknti / adjective
1 not enough :
There is only scanty evidence of his involvement.
2 scanty clothes are small and do not cover very much of your body used to show
disapproval SYN skimpy
scantily adverb :
scantily clad young women
attire / ta $ tar / noun [ uncountable ] formal
clothes :
business attire
subservient / sbsvint $ -sr- / adjective
1 always obeying another person and doing everything they want you to do used
when someone seems too weak and powerless
subservient to
Don remained entirely subservient to his father.
subservient role/position
His wife refused to accept a traditional subservient role.
2 formal less important than something else SYN subordinate
subservient to
the rights of the individual are made subservient to the interests of the state
subserviently adverb
subservience noun [ uncountable ]
distressing / dstres / ( also distressful / dstresf l / ) adjective
making you feel very upset :
a distressing experience
distressingly adverb
dominate W3 AC / dmnet, dmnet $ d- / verb
1 [ intransitive and transitive ] to control someone or something or to have more
importance than other people or things :
The industry is dominated by five multinational companies.
New Orleans dominated throughout the game.
Her loud voice totally dominated the conversation.
Education issues dominated the election campaign.
2 [ transitive ] to be larger and more noticeable than anything else in a place :
The cathedral dominates the city.
dominating adjective :
his dominating characteristic
domination / dmne n $ d- / noun [ uncountable ] :
the desire for political domination
depraved / dprevd / adjective
completely evil or morally unacceptable :
a killers depraved mind
depravity / dprvti, dprvti / noun [ uncountable ]
smug / sm / adjective
showing too much satisfaction with your own cleverness or success used to show
disapproval SYN self-satisfied
smug about
What are you looking so smug about?
smug expression/look/face/smile etc
I knew Id win, she said with a smug smile.
smugly adverb
smugness noun [ uncountable ]
THESAURUS
proud very pleased with what you, your family, or your country have achieved, or of
something you own : I felt so proud when my son graduated from college. | Judiths
very proud of her new Ferrari.
pleased with yourself feeling pleased because something good has happened,
especially because you think you have been very clever, skilful etc : He was smoking a
big cigar and was obviously pleased with himself. | Id made a big profit and was feeling
pretty pleased with myself.
arrogant disapproving behaving in an unpleasant and annoying way, because you think
you are better or know more than other people, and that your opinions are always
right : He was arrogant and regarded people who disagreed with him as fools. | his
arrogant attitude to women
vain disapproving too proud of your appearance, in a way that annoys other people :
Hes so vain he thinks all the girls fancy him.
conceited/big-headed disapproving proud of yourself because you think you are very
intelligent, skilful, beautiful etc, especially without good reason and in a way that annoys
people : Stewarts the most arrogant conceited person Ive ever known. | She was
offered a brilliant job and became incredibly big-headed overnight.
pompous disapproving thinking that you are much more important than you really are,
and using very long and formal words to try to sound important : The clerk was a
pompous little man with glasses. | a pompous speech
smug disapproving pleased with yourself in a quiet but annoying way because you think
you are in a better position than other people : Milly was looking very smug about
coming top of the class. | a smug expression
self-satisfied disapproving pleased with what you have achieved and showing it clearly
in an annoying way : She glared angrily into his self-satisfied face. | a self-satisfied grin
provocative / prvktv $ -v- / adjective
1 provocative behaviour, remarks etc are intended to make people angry or upset,
or to cause a lot of discussion
provocative comment/remark/statement
The ministers provocative remarks were widely reported in the press.
a provocative act by a terrorist group
She was accused of being deliberately provocative .
2 provocative clothes, movements, pictures etc are intended to make someone
sexually excited :
provocative images of young girls
provocatively adverb
endanger / ndend $ -r / verb [ transitive ]
to put someone or something in danger of being hurt, damaged, or destroyed :
Smoking during pregnancy endangers your babys life .
endangered adjective :
The lizards are classed as an endangered species (= one that soon may no longer
exist ) .
endangerment noun [ uncountable ] law :
charges of child endangerment
mutilate / mjutlet, mjutlet / verb [ transitive ]
1 to severely and violently damage someones body, especially by cutting or
removing part of it :
The prisoners had been tortured and mutilated.
extra protection for mental patients who might mutilate themselves
2 to damage or change something so much that it is completely spoiled :
The sculpture was badly mutilated in the late eighteenth century.
mutilation / mjutle n, mjutle n / noun [ uncountable and countable ]
gang rape noun [ countable ]
an occasion when several men attack a woman and force her to have sex with them
prostitute 1 / prsttjut, prsttjut $ prsttut / noun [ countable ]
someone, especially a woman, who earns money by having sex with people
prostitute 2 verb
1 [ transitive ] if someone prostitutes a skill, ability, important principle etc, they use
it in a way that does not show its true value, usually to earn money :
Friends from the theater criticized him for prostituting his talent in the movies.
2 prostitute yourself to work as a prostitute
incisive / nsasv / adjective
showing intelligence and a clear understanding of something
incisive remarks/criticism etc
Her questions were well-formulated and incisive.
incisively adverb
incisiveness noun [ uncountable ]
shorthand / thnd $ rt- / noun [ uncountable ]
1 a fast method of writing using special signs or shorter forms to represent letters,
words, and phrases
in shorthand
The reporter took notes in shorthand.
a secretary who takes shorthand (= writes in shorthand )
LONGHAND
2 a shorter but less clear way of saying something
shorthand for
Hes been relocated, which is shorthand for given a worse job a long way away.
succinct / skskt / adjective
clearly expressed in a few words use this to show approval SYN concise :
a succinct explanation
succinctly adverb :
Anderson put the same point more succinctly.
succinctness noun [ uncountable ]
convey / knve / verb [ transitive ]
1 to communicate or express something, with or without using words :
All this information can be conveyed in a simple diagram.
Ads convey the message that thin is beautiful.
He was sent to convey a message to the UN Secretary General.
convey something to somebody
I want to convey to children that reading is one of lifes greatest treats.
convey a sense/an impression/an idea etc
You dont want to convey the impression that theres anything illegal going on.
2 formal to take or carry something from one place to another :
Your luggage will be conveyed to the hotel by taxi.
3 law to legally change the possession of property from one person to another
COLLOCATIONS
NOUNS
convey information Your movements also convey information to people.
convey a message (= express an important idea used about books, films, art etc )
Do you think the poem conveys a message about society?
convey a sense/an impression of something The music conveys a senses of
sadness and despair.
convey an idea Art can be used to convey an idea.
convey an image At an interview, make sure your clothes convey the right image.
convey a feeling How could he convey his feelings for her?
convey meaning Children sometimes find it easier to use pictures to convey meaning,
rather than words.
ADVERBS
clearly convey something His tone of voice clearly conveyed his disgust.
adequately convey something The words did not adequately convey how strongly she
felt.
effectively convey something The novel effectively conveys some of the countrys
problems.
extent S2 W1 / kstent / noun
1 to ... extent used to say how true something is or how great an effect or change
is
to a certain extent/to some extent/to an extent (= partly )
We all to some extent remember the good times and forget the bad.
I do agree with him to an extent.
to a great/large extent
Its success will depend to a large extent on local attitudes.
to a lesser/greater extent (= less or more )
It will affect farmers in Spain and to a lesser extent in France.
They examined the extent to which (= how much ) age affected language-learning
ability.
To what extent (= how much ) did she influence his decision?
to such an extent that/to the extent that (= so much that )
Violence increased to the extent that residents were afraid to leave their homes.
2 [ uncountable ] how large, important, or serious something is, especially
something such as a problem or injury
extent of
Considering the extent of his injuries, hes lucky to be alive.
Its too early to assess the full extent of the damage.
3 [ uncountable ] the length or size of something :
They opened out the nets to their full extent .
in extent
The region is over 10,000 square kilometres in extent.
COLLOCATIONS
PHRASES
to some extent/to a certain extent (= partly ) What you say is true to some extent,
but its not the whole picture.
to a large/great extent (= a large amount ) The materials we use will depend to a
large extent on what is available.
to a small extent (= a small amount ) The plan succeeded to a small extent.
to a greater extent (= more ) Children suffer the effects of poor diet to a greater
extent than adults.
to a lesser extent ( also to less extent ) (= less ) The same is true for women, though
to a lesser extent.
to a considerable/significant extent (= a considerable or significant amount ) The
affair affected his popularity to a considerable extent.
to a limited extent (= not a very large amount ) In the USA, and to a limited extent in
Britain, the housing market is in recession.
to such an extent that/to the extent that (= so much that ) He annoyed her to such
an extent that she had to leave the room.
to the same extent (= to the same amount ) The roads were congested but not to the
same extent as in London.
to what extent? (= how much? ) To what extent does cutting down trees contribute to
climate change?
the extent to which (= how much ) The report focused on the use of speed cameras,
particularly the extent to which they reduced accidents.
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES
the full extent He refused to reveal the full extent of his debts.
the actual/true extent Rescue workers still do not know the true extent of the
disaster.
VERBS
know/realize the extent of something We do not yet know the extent of the
damage.
understand the extent of something Other people didnt seem to understand the
extent of his disability.
discover/find out the extent of something We were shocked when we discovered
the extent of the fraud.
assess/establish/determine the extent of something We are still trying to assess
the extent of the problem.
show/reveal the extent of something These pictures show the extent of the
devastation caused by the earthquake. | A report published by the government has
revealed the extent of air pollution in the area.
THESAURUS
size noun [ uncountable and countable ] how big someone or something is : What size
is that shirt? | The price will depend on the size and quality of the carpet. | Your desk is
exactly the same size as mine. | Fire has destroyed an area of forest the size of
Luxembourg. | The seeds are very small, about half the size of a grain of salt. | There
were several pieces of wood of different sizes. | Cover the dough and allow it to rise
until it has doubled in size. | The black spots on her skin seemed to be slowly increasing
in size. | The American states vary enormously in size, from very large to very small. |
In a class this size, there will always be a few problems.
dimensions noun [ plural ] the length, width, and height of an object, room, building
etc : What are the dimensions of the table?
measurements noun [ plural ] the length, width, or height of something, or of
someones body : I need to check the measurements of the window. | your waist
measurement is 31 inches | The nurse took my measurements.
proportions noun [ plural ] the relative sizes of the different parts of an object, room,
building etc : The proportions dont look right to me. | You can sit in the Plaza and
admire the proportions of the cathedral.
area noun [ uncountable and countable ] the amount of space that a flat surface such
as a floor or field covers : To measure the area of a room, you need to multiply the
length by the width.
extent noun [ uncountable ] the size of a large area : The extent of the ranch is
enormous. | The island measured about 1,600 kilometres in extent.
bulk noun [ uncountable ] the very large size of something : The statues massive bulk
made it difficult to move. | his enormous bulk | The view was dominated by the huge
bulk of the power station.
capacity noun [ singular ] the amount that a container will hold : The capacity of the
tank is around 500 gallons. | The computers memory has a capacity of over 200
megabytes. | All the storage units were filled to capacity.
volume noun [ singular ] the amount of space that a substance fills, or that an object
contains : The average domestic swimming pool has a volume of 45,000 litres. | This
instrument measures the volume of air in your lungs. | Help me figure out the volume of
this fish tank. | The shifting of continents has an impact on the volume of water the
oceans can contain.
rude S3 / rud / adjective ( comparative ruder , superlative rudest )
1 speaking or behaving in a way that is not polite and is likely to offend or annoy
people SYN impolite OPP polite :
a rude remark
I didnt mean to be rude, but I had to leave early.
rude to
Why are you so rude to her?
it is rude to do something
Its rude to stare.
2 rude jokes, words, songs etc are about sex SYN dirty American English
3 rude awakening/shock a situation in which you suddenly realize something
unpleasant :
If they expect the match to be friendly, theyre in for a rude awakening.
4 in rude health British English old-fashioned very healthy
5 literary made in a simple basic way :
a rude wooden hut
rudely adverb :
We were rudely awakened by the storm.
He answered me very rudely.
rudeness noun [ uncountable ]
THESAURUS
rude not following the rules of good social behaviour or treating other people with a lack
of respect : Its rude to interrupt. | Hes the rudest man Ive ever met. | rude remarks
about her stomach
impolite/not polite not following the rules of good social behaviour. Impolite sounds
rather formal : It is impolite to stare. | Its not polite to talk with your mouth full of food.
cheeky British English , smart/sassy American English behaving in a way that is a
little rude, especially when this is amusing or annoying used especially about children :
a cheeky grin | Let go, you cheeky monkey (= cheeky child ) ! | Dont get smart with
me!
tactless saying things that are likely to upset or embarrass someone, without intending
to : a tactless remark | How could you be so tactless?
offensive speaking or behaving in a way that is likely to upset or offend someone : His
remarks are offensive to African-Americans. | offensive language
insulting speaking or behaving in a way that is very rude and offensive to someone :
comments that are insulting to women | The article was full of insulting language.
discourteous / dsktis $ -r- / formal rather rude. Discourteous sounds very formal
and is often used when talking about being careful not to upset someones feelings : He
did not wish to appear discourteous towards his host. | It would seem discourteous to
refuse her offer.
ill-mannered ( also bad-mannered ) especially written behaving in a rude way,
especially because you have never been taught how to behave politely : Ill-mannered
movie-goers talked throughout the entire picture. | It was very bad-mannered.
disrespectful not showing the proper respect for someone or something : I felt her
comments were disrespectful to all the people who have worked so hard on this project.
impertinent formal not showing a proper respect for someone, especially by asking or
talking about subjects that you do not have a right to know about : an impertinent
question about his private life | an impertinent young man | Would it be impertinent to
ask how old you are?
insolent formal behaving in a way that is deliberately very rude to someone in
authority : The girls only response was an insolent stare. | Dont be so insolent!
impudent formal rude, and having no respect for people who are older or more
important : The boy gave an impudent smile.
irreverent showing a lack of respect for someone or something who people are
supposed to respect used especially about comedy programmes and newspaper
articles : an irreverent look at the weeks events | his irreverent sense of humour
COLLOCATIONS CHECK
cheeky boy/monkey/grin
impertinent question
insulting behaviour/remark/comment/language
insolent stare/tone
tactless remark/question/attempt
armpit / mpt $ rm- / noun [ countable ]
1 the hollow place under your arm where it joins your body
2 the armpit of something American English informal the ugliest or worst place in
a particular city or area :
Dale says Butte is the armpit of Montana.
ignorant AC / nrnt / adjective
1 not knowing facts or information that you ought to know :
an ignorant and uneducated man
ignorant of
Political historians are often rather ignorant of economics.
ignorant about
Many people remain blissfully ignorant about the dangers of too much sun (= happy
because they do not know about the dangers ) .
2 caused by a lack of knowledge and understanding :
an ignorant remark
ignorant opinions
3 British English spoken rude or impolite :
ignorant behaviour
ignorantly adverb
simplicity / smplsti, smplsti / noun [ uncountable ]
the quality of being simple and not complicated, especially when this is attractive or
useful :
Mona wrote with a beautiful simplicity of style.
For the sake of simplicity, the tax form is divided into three sections.
James solution to this problem was simplicity itself (= very simple ) .
foolish / ful / adjective
1 a foolish action, remark etc is stupid and shows that someone is not thinking
sensibly SYN silly :
Ive never heard anything so foolish in all my life.
It would be foolish to ignore his advice.
be foolish enough to do something
I was foolish enough to believe him.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say silly or stupid rather than foolish :
It was a silly thing to say.
I felt a bit stupid when she said no.
2 a foolish person behaves in a silly way or looks silly SYN stupid :
I was young and foolish at the time.
a foolish grin
look/feel foolish
Hed been made to look foolish.
foolishly adverb :
She foolishly agreed to go with them.
foolishness noun [ uncountable ]
THESAURUS
stupid showing a total lack of good sense or good judgment. Stupid sounds very strong
and is often used when you are annoyed or strongly criticizing someones behaviour : I
wish youd stop asking stupid questions. | It was stupid of me to leave the door
unlocked. | Well, if youre stupid enough to skate on the lake, you deserve to fall in.
silly doing or saying things that are not sensible or serious, and that may make you feel
embarrassed later. Silly sounds much gentler than stupid : a silly mistake | Dont be so
silly! Theres nothing wrong with you. | I think youre silly to worry so much about your
hair.
daft informal not sensible, often in a way that is also amusing : Is this another of your
daft ideas? | Dont be daft! Of course youre not too old to go clubbing.
dumb informal especially American English stupid : a dumb question | He was dumb
enough to believe her. | Oh, I just did the dumbest thing back there, I forgot my purse.
foolish stupid. Foolish sounds rather formal and is used mainly in written English. The
usual words to use in everyday English are silly or stupid : It was a foolish thing to say.
| They did not want to look foolish. | It was all a foolish dream. | I think the board of
directors made a foolish choice that it will later regret.
unwise formal done without thinking carefully enough about the possible disadvantages
that may result : She knew the marriage was unwise. | an unwise choice of words | It
would be very unwise to speculate.
brave British English often humorous used when you think that what someone is
planning or suggesting is certain to fail, but you do not want to say directly that they are
behaving in a stupid way : The leader of the opposition described it as a brave decision.
| I think hes being very brave.
horrify / hrfa, hrfa $ h-, h- / verb ( past tense and past participle horrified ,
present participle horrifying , third person singular horrifies ) [ transitive ]
to make someone feel very shocked and upset or afraid :
Henry was horrified by what had happened.
horrified to see/hear/find etc
She was horrified to discover that he loved Rose.
struck 2 adjective
be struck on somebody/something British English informal to think that
someone or something is very good :
She seemed rather struck on Vincent.
pout / pat / verb [ intransitive and transitive ]
to push out your lower lip because you are annoyed or unhappy, or in order to look
sexually attractive :
He sounded like a pouting child.
Her full lips pouted slightly.
pout noun [ countable ]
pouty adjective
THESAURUS
DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXPRESSION
frown the expression on your face when you move your eyebrows together because you
are angry, unhappy, or confused : With a frown, she asked, So whats wrong with that?
smile an expression in which your mouth curves upwards, when you are being friendly
or are happy or amused : She gave him a quick smile.
scowl an angry or disapproving expression : There was a scowl of irritation on his face.
glare a long angry look : He gave her a furious glare, but said nothing.
grimace an expression you make by twisting your face because you do not like
something or because you are feeling pain : His face twisted into a grimace of anguish.
sneer an expression that shows you have no respect for something or someone : Thats
what you said last time, she said with a sneer.
smirk an expression in which you smile in an unpleasant way that shows you are
pleased by someone elses bad luck or that you think you are better than other people :
He had a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
pout an expression in which you push out your lower lip because you are unhappy that
you did not get what you want : Youre going away? she said with a pout.
encounter 1 W3 AC / nkant $ -r / verb [ transitive ]
1 to experience something, especially problems or opposition
encounter problems/difficulties
They encountered serious problems when two members of the expedition were injured.
encounter opposition/resistance
The government has encountered strong opposition to its plans to raise income tax.
The doctor had encountered several similar cases in the past.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say come across problems/difficulties rather
than encounter problems/difficulties and come up against opposition/resistance
rather than encounter opposition/resistance :
Did you come across any problems?
We came up against quite a lot of opposition from local people.
2 formal to meet someone without planning to :
I first encountered him when studying at Cambridge.
summons 2 verb [ transitive usually passive ]
to order someone to appear in a court of law :
She has been summonsed to appear in court.
Basil was summonsed for wounding a police officer.
obscene / bsin / adjective
1 relating to sex in a way that is shocking and offensive rude :
Bradford made an obscene gesture .
obscene phone calls (= calls from an unknown person saying obscene things )
obscene photographs
2 extremely unfair, immoral, or unpleasant, especially in a way that makes you
angry :
Some players earn obscene amounts of money.
an obscene act of cruelty
obscenely adverb
strung-out adjective [ not before noun ] informal
1 strongly affected by a drug, so that you cannot react normally SYN high
strung-out on
strung-out on drugs
2 extremely tired and worried
strung-up adjective British English informal
very nervous, worried, or excited