Unit 12 (Proficiency Masterclass)

ultimate

most extreme; best, worst, greatest, most important, etc.

vibrant

lively; full of life

brash

confident in an aggressive way; (of clothes) too bright and colourful

get under sb's skin

annoy sb; become a source of irritation

hooked

enjoying sth very much, so that you want to do it, see it, etc. as much as possible (informal)

bustle

busy and noisy activity

scamster

a person who perpetrates a scam or fraud; a swindler (informal)

buzz

be full of excitement, activity, etc.; make a continuous, low sound such as the one a bee makes

swoop

move quickly in a smooth path, esp. through the air

overwhelm

cause sb to feel sudden strong emotion

abominable

extremely unpleasant and causing horror

improvised

done or made using whatever is available; performed with little or no preparation

strait

a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water

mountainous

having many mountains

clatter

a rattling sound; make continuous loud noises, often by hitting hard objects against each other

rugged

(of land) wild and not even; (esp. of a man's face) strong and rough

delectable

looking or tasting extremely good, and giving great pleasure

hum

a continuous low sound; make a continuous low sound; smell very unpleasant (informal)

imposing

having an appearance that looks important or causes admiration

acrid

strong and bitter smell or taste, which may cause a burning feeling in the throat

heady

intoxicating; having a powerful effect; making you feel slightly drunk or excited

tart

(especially of fruit) tasting sour or acidic

fragrant

having a pleasant smell

odorous

having an unpleasant smell

roar

a loud, deep noise; make a long, loud, deep sound

rumble

a continuous low sound; make a continuous low sound

sharp

sour in taste; easy to see or understand; clear

tender

(of meat or vegetables) easy to cut or chew

thriving

flourishing, prosperous

musty

smelling unpleasantly old and slightly wet

screech

unpleasant high sharp sound; shriek; make an unpleasant, loud, high noise

heaving

extremely crowded, full of people

stench

a strong and very unpleasant smell

sweltering

uncomfortably hot and humid

clammy

unpleasantly damp and sticky or slimy to touch

nippy

quite cold, chilly

crisp

used to describe cooked foods, such as pastry and biscuits, that are well cooked so that they are just dry and hard enough; (of fruit or vegetables) fresh and firm

temptation

something that makes you want to do or have something that you know you should not

rose-tinted glasses

a happy or positive attitude that fails to notice negative things, leading to a view of life that is not realistic

flowery

full of flowers; full of ornate expressions

lustre

a very special, attractive quality that people admire

see through sth/sb

realize that sb's behaviour is intended to deceive you; understand the truth about the situation

be caught up in

be so involved in an activity that you do not notice other things

off the beaten track/path

away from populated areas or areas popular with tourists

mundane

very ordinary and therefore not interesting

wind down

end gradually

fodder (for)

people or things that are useful for the stated purpose

mishap

bad luck; an unlucky event or accident

the middle of nowhere

far away from any towns and cities and where few people live

desirability

the quality of being worth having

pop up

appear suddenly

get carried away

become so excited about sth that you do not control what you say or do

earmark

intend sth for a particular purpose

infallible

never wrong, failing, or making a mistake

on the right track

doing something correctly or well

fiddle

act dishonestly in order to get sth for yourself; change sth dishonestly, especially to your advantage

the end of the road

the point at which it is no longer possible to continue with a process or activity

paths cross

meet (esp. by chance)

on the road

traveling to different places

further down the road

at some time in the future

make tracks

leave somewhere to go home (informal)

hit the road

leave a place; begin a journey

lose track of

no longer know what is happening; not to remember sth

stop dead in my tracks

suddenly stop moving or doing sth

unconcerned

not worried; not interested

haul

a journey, often a difficult one

drift

move slowly, especially as a result of outside forces, with no control over direction

dotted with

having similar things scattered in random positions in an area

thatched

having a roof that is made from straw or reeds

pebble

a small stone

scatter

cover a surface with things that are far apart and in no particular arrangement

clank

make a short, loud sound like that of metal objects hitting each other

desolate

empty and not attractive, with no people or nothing pleasant in it

as far as the eye can/could see

for a long distance until sth is so far away and small it cannot be seen any more

pitted

covered with holes

pock-marked

with a lot of holes; having small hollows on the skin

plateau

a large flat area of land that is high above sea level

vulture

a large bird with almost no feathers on its head or neck, that eats the flesh of dead animals

come to a halt

stop completely

sweep through

move, rush, or pass quickly through sth or some place

savour

enjoy food or an experience slowly, in order to enjoy it as much as possible

not be cut out for sth

not be the right type of person for sth

cut off

stop providing sth such as electricity, supplies, etc.

cut in

(of a machine) start automatically; interrupt what sb is saying by saying sth yourself

be cut up

be upset

a cut above

of a higher quality or ability than others

cut sb up / cut sb off (US)

suddenly move your car sideways in front of another car that was in front of you, leaving too little space (also 'cut in')

cut and dried

already decided and unlikely to be changed; simple and easy to understand

undergrowth

a mass of bushes, small trees, and plants, especially growing under the trees in a forest

overgrown

covered with plants that are growing thickly and in an uncontrolled way

rendezvous

an arrangement to meet someone, especially secretly, at a particular place and time; a place where a particular group of people often go or meet, by arrangement or habit

swerve

change direction, especially suddenly

cranny

a small opening in a wall or rock face; an out-of-the-way place or corner

rickety

shaky, likely to break

pampa

a flat area of land covered in grass in South America

barren

unable to produce plants or fruit

outpost

a place, especially a small group of buildings or a town, that represents the authority or business interests of a government or company that is far away; an outlying settlement.

scrubby

covered with low or undersized trees; inferior in quality

immersion

the fact of becoming completely involved in something

shotgun

used to refer to the seat next to the driver in a car or other vehicle