Basic

a one-upper (I mentioned I got a small bonus at work, and of course, Jake had to chime in about how he got a huge raise. He's such an one-upper.)

a person who tops your stories or achievements

bound to (If you keep eating like that and never exercise, you're bound to feel sluggish and out of shape.)

inevitable or certain to happen

up to par (The team's performance hasn't been up to par lately - we need to figure out what's going wrong.)

meeting expected standards

to break the ice (He told a funny a joke at the start of the meeting to break the ice, and everyone relaxed after that.)

to ease tention

to crack up (That comedian is hilarious - I cracked up at every joke he told!)

to burst into laughter

off and on (I've been learning Spanish off and on for a few years, but I need to be more consistent.)

when something happens occasionally, but not cosistently or regularly

go-getter (She's a real go-getter - she started her own business at just 22 years old.)

someone who's ambitious, proactive and determined

to catch one's eye (That red dress really caught my eye when I walked past the boutique.)

when something grabs your attention because it's interesting, attractive or unusual

to ace an exam (I studied all night, and I'm sure aced the math test.)

to do extremely well on a test

to stay out of the spotlight (She's an incredible writer, but she prefers to stay out of the spotlight and let her work speak for itself.)

to avoid public attention

to wear many hats (At our startup, I wear many hats - I handle marketing, sales, and customer service.)

to take multiple roles or many responsibilites

to take a toll on (The stress of working long hours has really taken a toll on his health.)

to negatively effects your wellbeing

to give it a try (I've never played tennis before, but I'll give it a try.)

to attempt or experiment something when you are unsure about it

to pigeonhole (People often pigeonhole him as just a musician, but he's also a talented filmmaker.)

to assign someone to a rigid category

to grapple with something (She's grapping with whether to take the new job offer or stay at her current company.)

to struggle with a difficult situation

conscience (He will defeat you, you will lose! The injustice that Ekrem is facing is touching everyone's conscience.)

a person's moral sense of right and wrong

contentious (The twice-annual time change has long been contentious and was even voted against in an EU open consultation back in 2018.)

likely to cause an argument

over-the-top (Some make over-the-top accusations that the UK's education system has fallen and that parents should take their children out of school.)

too extreme

to affiliate (The national curriculum is a set of subjects and standards used by schools so children learn the same things, meaning the teaching of RE can differ from school to school, for example if it's affiliated with the Church of England.)

to be officially connected with a company or organization

full-fledged (Our homeland, Hungary, will once again be a proud and reliable ally of NATO. Hungary will once again be a full-fledged member of the EU.)

completely developed

water scarcity (These societal structures can lead to undesired outcomes like the climate crisis, water scarcity and over exploitation of Earth's resources.)

there's not enough water available to meet the needs of people

exploitation (These societal structures can lead to undesired outcomes like the climate crisis, water scarcity and over exploitation of Earth's resources.)

using something unfairly

groundwater depletion (In their 2024 report the UNU researchers warned that the world is approaching six tipping points, including groundwater depletion, climate change driven glacial melt and unbearable heat.)

reduction of water stored underground due to over-pumping or insufficient natural recharge

glacial melt (In their 2024 report the UNU researchers warned that the world is approaching six tipping points, including groundwater depletion, climate change driven glacial melt and unbearable heat.)

refers to the melting of glaciers

denomination (The Bank of Spain said that it does this for all denominations, not just $50, and stressed that even if a banknote is damaged, it doesn't lose its value and can be exchanged for a new one.)

the value of a banknote

venerable (In the Catholic Church,, the steps to sainthood are to become a servant of God, then venerable, blessed, and finally a saint.)

somebody or something commands respect because of age or achievements

to deem (Gaudy, born on 25 June 1852,, and died on 10 June 1926 in Barcelona, is already deemed to be a servant on his journey towards beatification and will have to go through several stages.)

to express someone's opinion or belief about something based on their perspective

beatificaton (The process for the architect's beatification is now underway in Rome, and a tribunal has to determine whether there have been any miraculous events connected with him.)

giving the title "Blessed"

to accelerate (The self-described "illiberal" leader has accelerated his longstanding efforts to crack down on critics.)

to increase the speed or rate of progress

endeavour ("This whole endeavour which we see launched by the government, it has nothing to do with children's rights," said Dániel Döbrentey, a lawyer with the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, dismissing it as "pure propaganda".)

effort or attempt to achieve something

to dismiss ("This whole endeavour which we see launched by the government, it has nothing to do with children's rights," said Dániel Döbrentey, a lawyer with the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, dismissing it as "pure propaganda".)

to send away or to end a situation

amendment (The new amendment also states that the constitution recognizes two sexes, male and female, an expansion of an earlier amendment that prohibits same-sex adoption.)

formal change in a document, law or agreement

to constrain (The EMA warns that the EU's current supply chain is not only constrained by limited manufacturing capacity, but also hampered by fragmented transport regulations and a heavy reliance on third countries for key raw materials.)

to limit, restrict

to hamper (The EMA warns that the EU's current supply chain is not only constrained by limited manufacturing capacity, but also hampered by fragmented transport regulations and a heavy reliance on third countries for key raw materials.)

to make something more difficult

precipitation (At the end of October in Spain, extreme precipitation brought flooding with devastating impacts and fatalities for people in Valencia and neighbouring regions.)

any form of water that falls from the sky

to take the cake (I've had some pretty bad experiences with the train system here, but this one really takes the cake.)

used for extremes like the best or the worst

cherry on top (The garden is not our main reason for buying this house, but it's the cherry on top.)

something that makes something that is already good even better

the proof is in the pudding (Is she the best of all time? The proof is in the pudding—and I think her accomplishments speak for themselves.)

you can only judge after you tried it

to be endorsed by someone (I ignore celebrities so I avoid anything that is endorsed by them.)

to declare approval of that product

to tackle (The State Department will close an office that tackled desinformation around the world.)

to try to deal with something or someone

tidal bulge (The Moon pulls most strongly on the side of Earth closest to it, creating a tidal bulge.)

a rise in sea level caused by gravity

enlargement (It is frequently asked what are the conditions of the EU enlargement.)

the act of increasing

prosperity (The EU is about the spreading of stability, peace and prosperity across the continent.)

the state of being successful and having a lot of money

to implement (The obligatons include the capacity to implement all EU law and adhere to the aims of the Union.)

to put a plan into action

to adhere (The obligatons include the capacity to implement all EU law and adhere to the aims of the Union.)

to be devoted

treaty (Commission gives its opinion whether the candidate is ready to become a Member State, then an accession treaty is prepared.)

a written agreement between countries

bouncer (Jorge studied chemistry at secondary school while working as a bouncer and janitor.)

bodyguard at clubs, bars, etc.

confession (One spring day the 19-year-old passed a church and went into confession.)

the act of admitting that you have done something wrong

seminary (He was inspired by the priest and decided to join the seminary. )

a college where people learn to become priests

brush with death (The brush with death changed his perspective on life and in 1960 he joined the Society of Jesus aka the Jesuit order.)

near death experience

pilgrimage (In 1969 he was ordained as priest and in 1973 he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. )

a journey to a holy place

upheaval (Between 1974 and ’83 Argentina suffered through another era of violent political upheaval known as the dirty war and nearly 30 000 people were killed or disappeared.)

sudden or violent disturbance

tenure (He was deeply dedicated to social justice during his tenure, often engaging with the poor and marginalized by using public transport and visiting jails and hospitals. )

the period of time when somebody holds a job, position

to marginalise (He was deeply dedicated to social justice during his tenure, often engaging with the poor and marginalized by using public transport and visiting jails and hospitals. )

to treat somebody or something as if they are not important

cardinal (He was elevated to cardinal in 2001 following his outspoken stance on Argentinian politics.)

a priest of very high rank in the Roman Catholic Church

social being (It is an undeniable fact that humans are social beings, but sometimes we prefer to do things alone and it is important to spend time with ourselves as well.)

being able to live with others

to be distracted by (You can go and buy straight the clothes or things you had already decided to buy and will not be distracted by some chit-chat.)

having your thoughts or attention drawn away

golden middle way/golden mean (We must find the golden middle way between the two in order to live a harmonized life.)

the perfect middle ground

to set records (In China, for example, the new bridge has already set records for being the highest and longest in the world.)

to achieve the best results

to link (The bridge crosses a deep valley, linking two mountain cliffs, with a drop of 300 metres below.)

to make a connection

to carry up (It is made almost entirely of glass and can carry up to 800 people at a time.)

to hold or support something

to rehearse (Choreographers can lose sight of what it's like to be rehearsing all day long.)

to practice

to lose sight of (Choreographers can lose sight of what it's like to be rehearsing all day long.)

to forget about an important fact

to lift the mood (I'd like to be more experimental and be given the option of switching to different pieces - it'd certainly help to lift the mood when things get tough in rehearsals.)

to cheer up

to devise (It is thought to be the most complex game ever devised.)

to invent a plan, system or object

to concede (Then a message appeared on AlphaGo's screen confirming that it had conceded defeat for the first time.)

to admit and surrender

to attain (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie for some are synonymous with the genre, attaining the same celebrity status as their fictional creations, the eponymous Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, respectively.)

to succeed in getting something

to raise the bar (In the creation of such memorable characters, these two authors raised the bar for future crime fiction writers.)

to raise the standard

gripping (So how can you, too, write gripping fiction that also will stand the test of time?)

interesting

awash (The fiction world is awash with different types of crime novels. )

having a very large amount of something than necessary or wanted

credible (In this way you will learn how to create credible fictional characters and plots.)

able to be believed or trusted

make-or-break (Of course the make-or-break in any crime novel is the ending.)

success or failure

to throw someone off the scent (But how do we build up the suspense and throw the reader off the scent of the real culprit?)

to fool someone to prevent them from discovering something that you do not want them to know

red herring (Well, the answer is to use as many red herrings and subplots as possible without becoming too involved.)

distraction

forensic (If, on the other hand, you are using a contemporary setting then ensure you are fully knowledgeable of modern hi-tech detection methods and forensic techniques.)

scientific methods of solving crimes

rummage (A rummage through a few local and national papers may uncover a potential storyline.)

searching for something difficult

embellishment (It goes without saying that a degree of fictional embellishment of real-life people is necessary to avoid being accused of libel and a sudden curtailing of an otherwise budding career.)

something added or changed to make something more interesting

libel (It goes without saying that a degree of fictional embellishment of real-life people is necessary to avoid being accused of libel and a sudden curtailing of an otherwise budding career.)

a piece of writing that contains bad and false things about a person

to eclipse the fame of someone (So famous were the fictional characters of Conan Doyle and Christie’s crime novels that they eclipsed the fame of their authors.)

to become more famous than that person

less accomplished (The novels of Conan Doyle and Christie are less accomplished than those of modern crime writers.)

not as skilled, successful, or experienced as someone else

to hand down (His wife usually stays behind the scenes turning out simply delicious dishes, the recipes for which were handed down from her grandmother.)

to pass something on a successor

bespoke (Bespoke concoctions also on offer. )

specially made for a particular reason

concoction (Bespoke concoctions also on offer. )

something put together from several different things

to extricate (And then, our enthusiasm takes a downturn as we extricate a jokey Christmas pullover, a pair of woolen socks or a knitted tea cosy. )

to remove something with difficulty

to single out (Yale researcher Novemsky claims to have singled out the factor that deter mines if a gift will be well received or not. )

to choose one person or thing from a group for special attention, especially criticism or praise

unsolicited (Another tip for successful gift-giving is to avoid giving unsolicited presents.)

not asked for

to trawl (So, best to save fruitless hours spent trawling the internet for gifts or pounding the high streets in vain and just be direct: ask the recipient what they want.)

to search among many things

to satiate (Accordingly, there is a plethora of genealogy websites ready to be accessed on the internet to satiate the curiosity of those so inclined.)

to completely satisfy yourself

to inundate (Just type in the name of one of your ancestors into a search engine and you will be immediately inundated with genealogy sites.)

to give sy so much work they cannot deal with it

cramped (The cramped room barely got any light, and everything felt damp.)

uncomfortably small

damp (The cramped room barely got any light, and everything felt damp.)

slightly wet

musty (It smelled constantly of musty ols books.)

mouldy

downpour (What happened was more shocking than that, more shocking even that seeing frogs raining from the sky in a downpour.)

heavy rainfall

puzzled (I was still puzzled.)

confused

to mull (It's only once I'm alone, mulling things over, that I can figure out what on earth I'm really feeling.)

to think about something carefully

palpable (A grief that was so violent, so intensely palpable, that I felt like I could reach out and touch it.)

able to be touched or felt

excruciating (He kept contacting me as much as ever, which was excruciating.)

intensely painful

precipitously (My weight dropped precipitously.)

hastily

drenched (Leaving Madrid behind its sun-drenched terraces, late-night dinners and close-knit social circles wasn't easy.)

completely wet

to acclimatise (Carlos struggled to acclimatise.)

to get used to a new environment