INSIGHT ADV 8_10

abundant

existing in large quantities; more than enough.

acute

very serious or severe.

chaotic

in a state of complete confusion and lack of order.

congested thoroughfare

crowded public street used by traffic, especially a main road in a city.

drain

an opening in the road where rainwater can flow down.

impoverished

very poor; without money.

scarce

that there is not enough of and that is only available in small quantities.

sewage system

the connected pipes for carrying away used water and waste substances.

slum tenement

a large building divided into flats/apartments, in a very poor area of a city.

squalid

very dirty and unpleasant.

stand-alone building

a building that is not joined to any others.

stark

very different to sth in a way that is easy to see.

unprecedented

that has never happened, been done or been known before.

urban infrastructure

the basic systems and services that are necessary for a town or city to run smoothly.

resolve (a dispute / crisis / situation)

to find an acceptable solution to a problem or difficulty.

(be) a no-brainer

a decision or a problem that you do not need to think about much because it is obvious what you should do.

have the upper hand

to have an advantage over sb so that you are in control of a particular situation.

(be) up in arms about/over

to be very angry about sth and ready to protest strongly about it.

commence

to begin to happen; to begin sth.

endeavour

to try very hard to do sth.

fasten

to fix or place sth in a particular position, so that it will not move.

human

of or connected with people rather than animals, machines or gods.

inflict

to make sb/sth suffer sth unpleasant.

seize

to take sb/sth in your hand suddenly and using force.

yield

to stop resisting sth/sb; to agree to do sth that you do not want to do.

(a(n) political / economic / humanitarian) crisis

a time of great danger, difficulty or confusion when problems must be solved or important decisions must be made.

(be) a storm in a teacup

a lot of anger or worry about sth that is not important.

abolish

to officially end a law, a system or an institution.

assert

to state clearly and firmly that sth is true.

city dweller

sb who lives in a city.

fall into the trap (of doing sth)

to do sth that is a mistake but which seems at first to be a good idea.

fight an uphill battle

to take part in a struggle or argument that is difficult to win.

pour cold water on

to give reasons for not being in favour of sth; to criticize sth.

take the bull by the horns

to face a difficult or dangerous situation directly and with courage.

alleviate (pressure / suffering / a shortage)

to make sth less severe.

antisocial

harmful or annoying to other people, or to society in general.

elicit

to get information or a reaction from sb, often with difficulty.

emigrant

a person who leaves their country to live in another.

humane

showing kindness towards people and animals by making sure that they do not suffer more than is necessary.

illicit

not allowed by the law.

immigrant

a person who has come to live permanently in a country that is not their own.

migrant

a person who moves from one place to another, especially in order to find work.

panacea

sth that will solve all the problems of a particular situation.

(a(n) possible / potential / obvious) pitfall

a danger or difficulty, especially one that is hidden or not obvious at first.

(a desperate / sad / tragic) plight

a difficult and sad situation.

principal

most important; main.

principle

a moral rule or a strong belief that influences your actions.

quick fix

a rapid solution to a problem, especially an easy or temporary one.

remedy

a way of dealing with or improving an unpleasant or difficult situation.

tackle (crime / an issue / a challenge)

to make a determined effort to deal with a difficult problem or situation.

unsociable

not enjoying the company of other people; not friendly.

unsocial

outside the normal times of working.

aficionado

sb who likes a particular sport, activity or subject very much and knows a lot about it.

agony

extreme physical or mental pain.

be sb’s cup of tea

what sb likes or is interested in.

(a) breath of fresh air

sth that is new and exciting.

compulsion

a strong desire to do sth, often sth that others feel is wrong.

coup

the fact of achieving sth that was difficult to do.

disparity

a difference, especially one connected with unfair treatment.

exhaustion

the state of being very tired.

fatigue

a feeling of being extremely tired, usually because of hard work or exercise.

feat

an action or a piece of work that needs skill, strength or courage.

(not) get a wink of sleep

to not be able to sleep.

grain of truth

a very small amount of truth.

grit

the courage and strength of mind that makes it possible for sb to continue doing sth difficult.

imbalance

a situation in which two or more things are not the same size or treated the same.

incentive

sth that encourages you to do sth.

(be) in the running

having some chance of succeeding.

(a) piece of cake

a thing that is very easy to do.

preoccupation

a state of thinking about sth continuously.

sound a note of caution

to express feelings or opinions to warn.

(a) stroke of luck

sth that happens or succeeds suddenly because of luck.

take sth with a pinch of salt

be careful about believing that sth is completely true.

tenacity

the quality of not giving up easily.

torture

mental or physical pain.

addiction (to)

condition of being addicted to sth harmful.

association (with)

a connection or relationship between people or organizations.

aversion (to)

a strong feeling of not liking sb/sth.

conformity (with)

behaviour that follows the accepted rules of society.

fixation (with)

a very strong interest in sb/sth.

menace (to)

a person or thing that causes harm or danger.

obsession (with)

a thing or person that sb thinks about too much.

reliance (on)

the state of needing sb/sth to survive or be successful.

restriction (on)

a rule that limits what you can do.

susceptibility (to)

the state of being very likely to be influenced or harmed.

a level playing field

a situation in which everyone has the same opportunities.

across the board

involving everyone or everything.

drop the ball

to make a mistake and cause sth to fail.

neck and neck

level with sb in a race or competition.

par for the course

just what you would expect to happen.

set the pace

to do sth at a particular speed or standard.

win hands down

to win sth very easily.

give or take

approximately correct.

in the region of

used when you are giving a number to show that it is not exact.

more or less

approximately.

or so

used to say that a particular number is not exact.

or thereabouts

used to say that a particular number is not exact.

something like

used to show that an amount is not exact.

somewhere around

approximately the number or amount mentioned.

dependence (on)

the state of needing help and support.