Moja lekcja

indiscriminate

not showing careful choice or planning, especially so that harm results: an indiscriminate terrorist attack on civilians The indiscriminate use of fertilizers can cause long-term problems.

mortar

a mixture of sand, water, and cement or lime that is used to join bricks or stones to each other when building walls/a gun with a short, wide barrel (= part shaped like a tube) that can fire bombs high in the air

dagger

a short, pointed knife that is sharp on both sides, used especially in the past as a weapon

infringe

to act in a way that is against a law or that limits someone’s rights or freedom: [T ] Copying videos infringes copyright law. [I always + adv/prep ] The senator is opposed to any laws that infringe on a citizen’s right to free speech.

proliferate

to increase a lot and suddenly in number: Small businesses have proliferated in the last ten years.

enshrine

to contain or keep something as if in a holy place: A lot of memories are enshrined in this photograph album./The right of freedom of speech is enshrined in law/in the constitution.

promulgate

to spread beliefs or ideas among lots of people/to announce something publicly, especially a new law: The new law was finally promulgated in the autumn of last year.

effusive

expressing welcome, approval, or pleasure in a way that shows very strong feeling: They gave us such an effusive welcome it was quite embarrassing.

indignant

angry because of something that is wrong or not fair: She wrote an indignant letter to the paper complaining about the council's action. He became very indignant when it was suggested he had made a mistake.

inscribe

to write words in a book or cut words onto the surface of an object: She inscribed the book, "To my number-one fan."/The wall of the church was inscribed with the names

minute

to make a written record of what is said at a meeting: The chairman is minuted as having said that profits had fallen to an all-time low./extremely small: a minute amount/quantity

divulge

to make something secret known: Journalists do not divulge their sources. [+ question word ] The CEO refused to divulge how much she earned.

extort

to get something by force or threats, or with difficulty: He had been extorting money from the old lady for years. Confessions shown to have been extorted by officers of the state are void.

slither

(of bodies) to move easily and quickly across a surface while twisting or curving: She watched the snake slither away.

peal

When bells peal, they ring with a loud sound: After their wedding, the bells pealed out from the tower.

slash

to cut with a sharp blade using a quick, strong movement: The museum was broken into last night and several paintings were slashed. She tried to commit suicide by slashing her wrists.

erode

The cliffs are eroding several feet a year./to slowly reduce or destroy something: His behavior over the last few months has eroded my confidence in his judgment.

ingenuous

honest, sincere, and trusting, sometimes in a way that seems silly: It has to be said it was rather ingenuous of him to ask a complete stranger to take care of his luggage.

derision

the situation in which someone or something is laughed at and considered stupid or of no value: They treated his suggestion with derision. Her speech was met with hoots/howls of derision.

derisive/derisory

showing derision: derisive laughter a derisive comment/remark

credulous

too willing to believe what you are told and so easily deceived Synonym gullible

scornful

showing or feeling scorn for someone or something: a scornful look/remark/laugh/tone They are openly scornful of the new plans.

contemptuous

expressing contempt: a contemptuous manner/laugh He was very contemptuous of "popular" writers, whom he described as having no talent.

suggestible

A suggestible person is easily influenced by other people's opinions: The success of advertising proves that we are all highly suggestible.

inquisitive

wanting to discover as much as you can about things, sometimes in a way that annoys people: an inquisitive child an inquisitive mind

upright

honest, responsible, and moral: She behaved as any upright citizen would have under the circumstances.

pragmatic

solving problems in a sensible way that suits the conditions that really exist now, rather than obeying fixed theories, ideas, or rules: In business, the pragmatic approach to problems is often more successful than an idealistic one.

g[nomic

used to describe something spoken or written that is short, mysterious, and not easily understood, but often seems wise: Peter is always coming out with gnomic utterances/pronouncements.

utterance

something that someone says: The senator's recent utterances were promptly rebutted by three of his colleagues on Monday.

pronouncement

an official announcement: The treasurer has been taking a more optimistic view of economic recovery in his recent public pronouncements.

resourceful

skilled at solving problems and making decisions on your own: She's a very resourceful manager.

impulsive

showing behavior in which you do things suddenly without any planning and without considering the effects they may have: Don't be so impulsive - think before you act. an impulsive man/decision/gesture

in lieu of

instead (of): He worked on Sunday and took Monday off in lieu. They gave some books in lieu of payment for the work I did.

ad infinitum

forever, without ending: "Why was she such a lousy boss?" "Oh, because she was unreasonable, disrespectful, rude, inconsiderate - I could go on ad infinitum."

ad nauseam

If someone discusses something ad nauseam, he or she talks about it so much that it becomes very boring: He talks ad nauseam about how smart his children are.

par exellence

of the best quality of its type: He praised her as the teacher par excellence

quid pro quo

something that is given to a person in return for something they have done: The government has promised food aid as a quid pro quo for the stopping of violence.

prima facie

at first sight (= based on what seems to be the truth when first seen or heard): There is prima facie evidence that he was involved in the fraud.

niche

a job or position that is very suitable for someone, especially one that they like: He has carved/made a niche for himself as a financial advisor./an area or position that is exactly suitable for a small group of the same type: an ecological niche

risque

(of jokes or stories) slightly rude or shocking, especially because of being about sex

protege

a young person who is helped and taught by an older and usually famous person: The young composer regarded himself as Berg's protégé.

fracas

a noisy argument or fight: He was injured in a Saturday-night fracas outside a disco. The senator has joined the fracas over the proposed changes.

cul-de-sac

a situation that leads nowhere: an intellectual cul-de-sac

clique

a small group of people who spend their time together and do not welcome other people into that group: Our golf club is run by a very unfriendly clique (of people).

nom de plume

a name chosen by a writer to use instead of using his or her real name when publishing books(pen name)

bete noire

a person or thing that you dislike very much or that annoys you: My particular bête noire is cigarette butts being left in half-empty glasses.

tete a tete

an informal private conversation between two people, especially friends: We must have a tête-à-tête sometime.

hoi polloi

an action that ends something that has been gradually getting worse, or that kills a person or animal in order to end their suffering: Jane's affair was the coup de grâce to her disintegrating marriage.

terminal

(of a disease or illness) leading gradually to death: She has terminal cancer./extreme, when referring to something unpleasant or negative: She claims that the shipbuilding industry is in terminal decline.

shelling

the act of firing shells (= containers full of explosives) at something: Shelling of enemy lines continued all day. The shelling of some villages was so commonplace that people no longer lived there.

curfew

a rule that everyone must stay home between particular times, usually at night, especially during a war or a period of political trouble: to impose/lift a curfew a midnight curfew He was shot for breaking (= not obeying) the curfew.

pillage

to steal something from a place or a person by using violence, especially during war: Works of art were pillaged from many countries in the dark days of the Empire.

martitime

connected with human activity at sea: Amalfi and Venice were important maritime powers. Make sure you visit the maritime museum if you're interested in anything to do with ships or seafaring.

arbitrary

based on chance rather than being planned or based on reason: arbitrary decision-making Did you have a reason for choosing your destination or was it arbitrary?/unfair /an unfair ruler