p.98
hassle /ˈhæsl/
noun [ C , U ]
1 PROBLEM something that is annoying because it
is difficult or unpleasant to do
I don't want to
drive - it's such a hassle finding a place to park.
2 ARGUMENT an argument or fight
They aren't giving
you any hassle, are they?
maternity/sick/compassionate leave
time that you are allowed to spend away from work
because you have had a baby, because you are ill, or because of a personal
problem such as the death of a relative
yuck‧y /ˈjʌki/ adjective informal extremely unpleasant
They painted the bathroom a yucky green colour.
The food was yucky.
purchase /ˈpɜːtʃəs/
noun formal
1 BUYING [ C , U ] when you buy something
the illegal
purchase of guns
long-last•ing (lông′las′ting,
-lä′sting, long′-),USA pronunciation adj.
1. enduring or existing for a long period of time:a
long-lasting friendship.
2. effective for a relatively long period of time:a
long-lasting pain reliever.
iden′tity
theft′,
Lawthe fraudulent appropriation and use of another
person's identifying data or documents, as a credit card.
explain /ɪkˈspleɪn/ verb [ I , T ]
to make something clear or easy to understand by
giving reasons for it or details about it
[ + question word ] Can you explain why you did
this?
Can you explain
to me how this mobile phone works?
[ + (that) ] He explained that he was going to stay
with his sister.
How do you explain
her strange behaviour?
explaining noun [
U ]
when you have to explain or give a good reason for
your actions
You'll have a
lot of explaining to do when dad finds out what happened.
/ˈsɪɡnəl/
doomed /duːmd/ adjective
certain to fail, die, or have problems
Their marriage was
doomed from the start.
Tumbler lock
scru‧ti‧ny /ˈskruːtɪni/
e‧nor‧mous /ɪˈnɔːməs $ -ɔːr-/
mes‧mer‧ize (also mesmerise British English)
/ˈmezməraɪz/ verb [transitive]
if you are mesmerized by someone or something, you
cannot stop watching them or listening to them because they are so attractive
or have such a powerful effect syn captivate
The first time I saw Diana I was mesmerized by her
beauty.
strew
/struː/ verb (past tense strewed, past participle strewn /struːn/ or strewed)
[transitive]
1 to scatter things around a large area
be strewn with something
The street was strewn with broken glass.
be strewn around/about/over etc something
clothes strewn across the floor
dim /dɪm/
●○○ adjective (comparative dimmer, superlative dimmest)
1 dark fairly dark or not giving much light, so that
you cannot see well
opp bright
in the dim light of the early dawn
a dim glow
pit somebody/something against somebody/something
phrasal verb
to test someone’s strength, ability, power etc in a
competition or fight against someone or something else
We’ll be pitting our team against the champions.
pit your wits against somebody (=compete against
someone using your intelligence or knowledge)
Pit your wits against family or friends!
pit yourself against something/somebody
The men had to pit themselves against the forces of
nature.
break into sth phrasal verb
1 USE FORCE to get into a building or car using force,
usually to steal something
The office has been broken into twice since Christmas.
break a habit/routine, etc
to stop doing something that you usually do
etiquette /ˈetɪket/ noun [ U ]
rules about what is polite and correct behaviour
ice•break•er /ˈaɪsˌbreɪkɚ/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
something that eases tension:
His joke was an icebreaker at the party.
if my memory serves (me correctly/right) (=used to say
that you are almost certain you have remembered something correctly)
If my memory serves me correctly, Johnson was also
there.
I’ve lost my train of thoughts
have your head in the clouds
to think about something in a way that is not
practical or sensible, especially when you think things are much better than
they really are
be on cloud nine
informal
to be very happy about something
p. 100
"Hedging" or "vague
language" is the concept of cautious or tentative language. It is used to lessen the impact of words.
ten‧ta‧tive /ˈtentətɪv/ ●○○ adjective
1 not definite or certain, because you may want to
change things syn provisional
opp definite
I passed on my tentative conclusions to the police.
The government is taking tentative steps towards
tackling the country’s economic problems.
as it were
used when describing someone or something in a way
that is not quite exact
Jim Radcliffe became our idol, as it were, the man we
all wanted to be.
arguably /ˈɑːgjuəbli/ adverb
possibly
He's arguably the
greatest footballer in the world.
to tuck in one's shirt
