Destination C1&C2 Unit 22 Quality and the arts EN - EN

aggravate

make something bad become worse, especially a situation or a medical condition:
E.g. His headache was aed by all the noise.

better

1. achieve a better result than somebody or something:
   E.g. Bradman's average score of 96 has never been b_ed.
2. improve something:
   E.g. It's an important step towards bing relations between the two countries.

blemish

a mark or spot that spoils the appearance of something:
E.g. The painting was spoiled for me by a b_ on the frame.

chaos

great confusion, disorder:
E.g. There have been severe floods, bringing c_ to the region.

cheapen

diminish worth:
E.g. This type of advertising c___s the image of the brand.

contaminate

make something dirty, polluted or poisonous by adding a chemical, waste or infection:
E.g. Industrial sewage continues to c our beaches.

decay

make or become gradually worse in quality, or weaker in power or influence:
E.g. Too much sugar will d_ your teeth.

decline

become less or worse:
E.g. The number of people buying their own homes has dd.

defective

not made correctly or not working properly:
The car was found to have d_ brakes.

detrimental

harmful or damaging:
E.g. Overexposure to sunlight can have a d_ effect on the skin.

devastate

1. seriously damage or completely destroy something:
   E.g. Western India was d___d by a huge earthquake.
2. make someone feel extremely shocked and upset:
   E.g. Mary's sisters were d__d by her disappearance.

enhance

improve something, or make it more attractive or more valuable:
E.g. The measures taken should considerably e___ the residents' quality of life.

evaluate

think carefully about something before making a judgment about its value, importance or quality:
E.g. The performance of each employee is e_d once a year.

exacerbate

make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse:
E.g. Complaining will only e_ an already difficult situation.

exquisite

extremely beautiful and, typically, delicate:
E.g. It was an e__ hand-painted vase from China.

first-rate

of the highest quality:
E.g. The service is f__-r.

flaw

a mistake or fault in something that makes it useless, less effective or less beautiful:
E.g. There are serious fs in the way we train our teachers..

ideal

1. of the best or most suitable type:
   E.g. The fair provides an i opportunity for job seekers and employers to meet.
2. as good as you can imagine, and probably too good to be real:
   E.g.In an i world there would be no poverty.

inadequate

not enough, or not good enough for a particular purpose:
E.g. We are trying to provide basic education with i resources.

invaluable

extremely useful, indispensable:
E.g. The Internet is an i resource for students.

optimum

1. best or most suitable within a range of possibilities:
   E.g. The warm water provides the o_ conditions for breeding.
2. the best or most suitable situation, level or amount:
   E.g. The o_ we should be producing is 100 units per hour..

outclass

be much better than someone or something else:
E.g. The team was completely oed by the opposition.

prime

first in rank, excellence, quality, importance, or time:
E.g. Our p___ concern was the safety of our customers.

redeeming feature

a positive quality which improves something that is not very good by including something that is good:
E.g. Smith's only r_ f_ is that he knows the job.

refurbish

improve a room or building by cleaning and painting it, adding new furniture or equipment, etc.:
E.g. They're planning to r the teachers' room.

reinforce

1. make an idea, belief, or feeling stronger.
   E.g. The latest figures r_ the view that economic growth is slowing:
2. make a building, structure or object stronger:
   E.g. Crews started to r the seriously damaged bridge.

renovate

make something old look like new again by repairing and improving it, especially a building:
E.g. The council's planning to r the old fire station.

rotten

1. something that has decayed:
   E.g. There was a horrible smell of r eggs.
2. of low quality, standard or ability:
   E.g. She's a r__ singer.

rusty

(a metal object) covered in rust:
E.g. I don't know why you bought that r_ old car.

satisfactory

1. good enough to be accepted in a particular situation:
   E.g. I have still not received a s____ answer to my question.
2. enjoyable and pleasing:
   E.g. This new arrangement proved highly s to us all.

shambles

something that is very badly organised and does not operate effectively:
E.g. Government corruption has left the economy in a s.

shoddy

of poor quality and characterised by inferior workmanship:
E.g. The work they did on the new road was very s__ in places.

sound

1. involving the use of good judgement, and therefore likely to be effective:
   E.g. Administrators should make sure the programmes are legally s____.
2. thorough:
   E.g. You'll need a s_ understanding of basic teaching skills before you enter the classroom.

stale

(of food) old or no longer fresh:
E.g. Wrap the bread up well or it'll go s_.

streamline

improve a business, organisation, process, etc by making it more modern or simple:
E.g. We need to s_ the whole process.

strengthen

make something stronger:
E.g. The bridge will need to be s____ed.

surpass

to be better or greater than something else, or better than what was expected or hoped for:
E.g. Winning the gold medal s_ed my wildest dreams.

ultimate

1. happening at the end of a process or activity:
   E.g. The incident a__ed the ultimate outcome of the war.
2. as good or as bad as possible:
   The house provides the u luxury retreat.

worsen

become worse or make something worse:
E.g. The weather w___ed, and temperatures fell.

wreck

1. something that has been badly damaged:
   The car was a w after the accident.
2. severely damage:
   The town has been w_ed by the bombing.

abstract

1. _ art expresses the artist's ideas or feelings rather than showing the exact appearance of people or things:
   E.g. I'm not very keen on a paintings.
2. an painting or design:
   E.g. You're not supposed to understand what it is; it's an a_!

auction

the public sale of something to the highest bidder:
E.g. They bought the paintings at the a_ in 2018.

audition

a short performance to show the talents of someone (such as an actor or musician):
E.g. I've got an a for the school play tomorrow.

bestseller

a book that sells very well:
E.g. His first novel was a b.

collector's item

a rare or valuable object that collectors want to own:
E.g. Do you think this watch is a c i__?

curator

the person in charge of a museum, art collection, etc.:
E.g. Ask the c__ - he'll be able to tell you more about it.

fine art

art made to be experienced visually; activity in which people create beautiful or interesting objects, for example painting and sculpture:
E.g. I'm thinking of studying f a at university.

installation

an artwork created by the assembling and arrangement of objects in a specific location:
E.g. There's an interesting i___ at the Tate Gallery at the moment.

lines

words spoken by the actors in a drama:
E.g. He forgot his l.

lyrics

the words of a song:
E.g. I've written the music but haven't written any l_ yet.

masterpiece

a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship:
E.g. Vertigo is the film widely regarded as Hitchcock's m_.

paperback

a book with paper covers:
E.g. His collection of poetry is now out in p_.

period

1. typical of a particular historical time:
   E.g. Will you be wearing p costumes in the play?
2. a particular time in history.
   E.g. Their collection is confined solely to the Roman period.

priceless

very valuable and impossible to replace:
E.g. These are p___ jewels.

recital

a performance of music or dance especially by soloists:
E.g. Are you coming to the piano r_ tonight?

retrospective

1. looking back at past things:
   E.g. The show takes a r_ look at the 1990s.
2. an exhibition that includes examples of a particular artist's work from their whole career:
   E.g. I really want to go to the Norman Rockwell r____.

score

the music written for a film, play, etc.:
E.g. Who wrote the musical s for Star Wars?

sketch

1. a drawing made quickly that does not have many details:
   E.g. Draw a rough s__ of the dog.
2. a short funny scene performed within a longer show:
   E.g. She toured Europe with a programme of songs and s___es.

work of art

1. something such as a painting or sculpture that is of very high quality:
   E.g. There are many priceless w__s of ____ in the Louvre.
2. something that is made or done in a skilful or attractive way:
   E.g. Her house is a real w of __.

worthless

not having any value or good qualities, or not useful:
E.g. The country's currency is nearly w____.

brighten up

Phrasal Verb.

1. become sunnier:
   E.g. It's bing ____, at last.
2. start to have more colour or light, give something more colour or light:
   E.g. You could b _ that skirt with a red blouse.
3. start looking or feeling happier:
   Sara b__ed ______ considerably as she thought of Emily's words.

brush up on

Phrasal Verb.
practise and improve your skills or knowledge of something:
E.g. I took a class to b (_) my Spanish before the trip.

check out

Phrasal Verb.

1. examine someone or something in order to be certain that everything is correct, true or satisfactory:
   E.g. I've been taking loads of photographs, just to c the camera.
2. If information cs , you feel that it is true after examining it: E.g. Their story just didn't c _.

liven up

Phrasal Verb.

1. make something more interesting or exciting, or become more interesting or exciting:
   E.g. What we needed was some music to l things .
2. give sth a more interesting appearance, taste or other quality:
   E.g. You can l_ ____ a plain shirt with a colourful scarf.

make over

Phrasal Verb.
change or improve the appearance of somebody or something:
E.g. They m_ o_ three contestants on the show. When they'd finished, they looked completely different.

mess up

Phrasal Verb.

1. be the cause of someone's physical, emotional or mental problems:
   E.g. Drugs really m__ed her ______.
2. make a mistake or do something badly:
   E.g. She says she completely med the interview.
3. make something dirty or untidy:
   E.g. The wind had m_ her hair ____.

paper over

Phrasal Verb.
hide a problem or disagreement rather than finding a satisfactory solution to it:
E.g. Fundamental problems were ped _, not resolved.

patch up

Phrasal Verb.

1. become friends with someone again after a disagreement:
   E.g. The meeting was intended to p relations between two sides.
2. give basic medical treatment to someone who is injured:
   E.g. The nurses managed to p_ her ____ temporarily.
3. repair something, often quickly and not very well:
   E.g. The road needs resurfacing, not just p_ing ____.

pick up

Phrasal Verb.

1. improve:
   E.g. They won't let him out of hospital until his health has p_ed ____ quite a lot.
2. go and meet someone or something that you have arranged to take somewhere in a vehicle:
   E.g. I'll p you at twelve.
3. learn a new skill or start a habit without intending to:
   E.g. I p_ed Chinese ____ when I was living there.

run down

Phrasal Verb.
(of a place) dilapidated; in a bad condition; (of a person) weak or exhausted:
E.g. They've been ring the factory d__ for the last five years.

scrape through

Phrasal Verb.
succeed in doing sth, but not in a very impressive way:
E.g. He just managed to s _ the Matura exams.

smarten up

Phrasal Verb.

1. improve the appearance of something by cleaning or painting it:
   E.g. This room needs s_ing ____.
2. make yourself look tidy and clean:
   E.g. I'm going to s_ myself ____ a bit before the date.

stand out

Phrasal Verb.

1. be very easy to see or notice because of being different:
   E.g. His turquoise tie s against his black suit.
2. be much more impressive or important than others:
   E.g. Switzerland ss as the leader in environmental reporting.

touch up

Phrasal Verb.
make a surface look better with small improvements:
E.g. T_ ____ the paintwork before you try to sell the house.

waste away

Phrasal Verb.
gradually become thinner and weaker over a period of time, usually because of an illness:
E.g. He hadn't eaten properly for weeks and was starting to w .

write off

Phrasal Verb.

1. damage a vehicle so badly that it is not worth repairing:
   E.g. My uncle w____ his car _____ in an accident last weekend.
2. decide that someone or something will not succeed and stop giving them your attention and energy:
   E.g. He felt hopelessness; his family had w him .

a sight for sore eyes

Idiom.
someone or something that you are very pleased to see:
E.g. You're a s s_ e__, Claire! Thank goodness you're here - we desperately need your input.

Achilles' heel

Idiom.
weak spot:
E.g. Jean Paul is clearly a very talented designer. His one A h, however, may be his lack of business sense.

add fuel to the fire

Idiom.
make a bad situation worse:
E.g. The discovery that the government was aware of the cover-up has really aed f ____ ____ f.

below/under par

Idiom.
below the usual or expected standard:
E.g. Amis' new novel is slightly b/u p for a writer of his stature; I was a little disappointed.

clean as a whistle

Idiom.
completely honest or legal; spotless:
E.g. I've spent the whole morning vacuuming inside of the car. It's now c w_.

draw the line at

Idiom.
say that you will definitely not allow or accept something:
E.g. I'm happy to simplify things for the readers, but I d__ the l____ ______ telling them blatant untruths.

last word in

Idiom.
the newest and best type of something:
E.g. "Soccer Maestro" is certainly not the l_ w ____ online football simulation games anymore.

out of this world

Idiom.
exceptional:
E.g. The buffet at the party was o____ ___ t_ w____! I've never tasted such exquisite strawberries.

over the top

Idiom.
more than what is considered normal or suitable:
I think the media's response has been a little o t_ - it's only a TV programme, after all.

pride of place

Idiom.
in the place that is most central or important:
E.g. The picture that takes p ____ p on our mantelpiece, though, is the one of our granddaughter graduating.

steal the show

Idiom.
receive a lot of attention because you give the best performance in a show or other event:
E.g. All the bands were fantastic, but Coldplay s __ s____.

the edge over

Idiom.
an advantage that makes someone or something more successful than other people or things:
E.g. The Gordon Gallery clearly has the e _ other modern art galleries; they have the largest collection, and the largest budget to spend on acquiring new pieces.

have/get something down to a fine art

Idiom.
be or become very good at doing something, especially something difficult:
E.g. Mike had got the breakfast routine d to a f a.

art of doing

Phrase.
an activity that needs special skills or knowledge:
E.g. I have now mastered the a_ of letter-writing.

go from bad to worse

Phrase.
continue getting worse:
Things went f_ b_ _ w, and in the end she lost her job.

bad apple

Phrase.
a person who negatively impacts an entire group of people through his or her words or actions:
E.g. The best way to deal with b_ a__s is to take them out of the group as quickly as possible.

bad blood

Phrase.
negative feelings, disagreements, bitterness:
E.g. There's been a lot of b_ b__ between them since their quarrel.

to the best of my knowledge

Phrase.
used for saying that you think your statement is true, because it is based on what you know/believe, but you are not completely sure:
E.g. T_ the b____ __ my k_, no similar book has been published.

at best

Phrase.
under the most favourable circumstances:
E.g. He's an average writer a__ b___.

to the best of someone's ability

Phrase.
used for saying that someone does something as well as they can:
E.g. Conrad must do his job t_ the b___ ______ his _____ies.

the best of both worlds

Idiom.
a situation in which you can enjoy the advantages of two very different things at the same time:
E.g. Not only does Don have the freedom a student enjoys, his fellowship at the university means he also gets paid. It really is the b _ b_ w_.

get the better of somebody

Phrase.
win or defeat by gaining an advantage over someone:
E.g. He fought fiercely, but his opponent easily g__ the b____ ____ him.

better off

Phrase.
in a more desirable or advantageous position, especially in financial terms:
E.g. The proposals would make her about £400 a year b__ o__.

for better or (for) worse

Phrase.
used to say that something cannot be changed, whether the result is good or bad:
E.g. Anyway, for b____ or ____ w_, I followed her advice.