Advanced English Vocabulary and Idiomatic Expressions

Comprehensive practice flashcards reviewing key academic, political, business, and idiomatic vocabulary covered throughout the lecture notes.

Vantage point

A position or perspective that affords a comprehensive view or standpoint on an issue.

To beseech

To ask someone urgently and fervently to do something; to implore or beg.

To alleviate

To make suffering, deficiency, or a problem less severe; to relieve pain.

To exacerbate

To make a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling worse or more severe.

In hindsight

Understanding the nature of an event or situation only after it has already occurred.

To lean into

To embrace an idea, trend, or challenge fully rather than avoiding it.

To shirk

To avoid or neglect a duty, responsibility, or unpleasant task.

To go cold turkey

To abruptly and completely cease a habit or addiction rather than quitting gradually.

A landmark decision

A historic and legally significant decision that sets a major new precedent.

To substantiate

To provide evidence to support, confirm, or prove the truth of a claim or statement.

Adamant

Refusing to be persuaded or to change one's mind; categorical and unyielding.

To suss out

To discover, figure out, or deduce the true nature of something or someone.

To usher in

To mark, cause, or herald the beginning of a new period, development, or era.

To dillydally

To waste time through indecision, delay, or excessive hesitation.

To condone

To accept, sanction, or allow behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive.

To beget

To cause, produce, or bring about as a result (e.g., violence produces further violence).

Daunting

Seeming difficult to deal with in anticipation; intimidating or overwhelming.

A benchmark

A standard or reference point against which things may be compared and assessed.

Complacent

Showing uncritical or overly confident satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements.

To shun

To persistently avoid, ignore, or reject someone or something through antipathy or caution.

A dearth

A scarcity, acute lack, or inadequate supply of something.

To foil

To prevent an effort, plan, or opponent from succeeding; to block or frustrate.

Collusion

Secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others.

To mitigate

To make something bad, painful, or severe less severe, serious, or painful.

To undermine

To gradually or insidiously lessen the power, effectiveness, or foundation of something.

To muster

To gather, assemble, or summon up feelings, energy, or courage.

To yearn for

To experience an intense feeling of longing or deep desire for something.

To corroborate

To confirm or give support to a statement, theory, or finding with additional evidence.

A gagging order

An official legal ruling that forbids individuals from speaking publicly about a case.

Nonplussed

Feeling completely bewildered, perplexed, or unsure of how to react.

Qualms

Uneasy feelings of doubt, hesitation, or conscience regarding a course of action.

Cogent

Clear, logical, and convincing to the mind; highly persuasive.

To get round to + ING

To finally manage to find the time and resolve to do something after delaying it.

To sow mistrust

To deliberately plant, encourage, or deepen suspicion and distrust among people.

To toe the line

To strictly conform to rules, policies, or authoritative instructions.

The onus

The responsibility, burden, or duty to carry out a particular action.

To hamper

To hinder, impede, or restrict the smooth movement, progress, or development of something.

A cornerstone

An indispensable, fundamental element or bedrock upon which something is built.

Flagship policy

The most important, prominent, or defining policy promoted by a government or organization.

To withstand

To resist, endure, or survive without yielding or suffering damage.

To stave off

To ward off, prevent, or defer an impending threat or undesirable outcome.

Stalemate

A situation or impasse in which neither side in a confrontation can make further progress.

Moribund

Being in terminal decline, near failure, or at the point of extinction or death.

To clamp down on

To enforce strict punitive measures in order to curb or suppress illegal or unwanted activity.

To abscond

To depart secretly and suddenly, typically in order to avoid legal arrest or detection.