FG 12 Unit 2-P1

shameful /ˈʃeɪmfl/

that should make you feel ashamed

• There is nothing shameful about being poor.

content yourself with doing something

to accept and be satisfied with something and not try to have or do something better

The crowd contented themselves with shouting insults.

disillusion somebody

to destroy somebody’s belief in or good opinion of somebody/something

• I hate to disillusion you, but not everyone is as honest as you.

fury/ˈfjʊri/

extreme anger that often includes violent behaviour

• Her eyes blazed with fury.

hysterics/hɪˈsterɪks/

an expression of extreme fear, excitement or anger that makes somebody lose control of their emotions and cry, laugh, etc.

• He went into hysterics when he heard the news.

hysterical/hɪˈsterɪkl/

in a state of extreme excitement, and crying, laughing, etc. without any control

• He became almost hysterical when I told him.

misery/ˈmɪzəri/

great physical or mental pain

• Fame brought her nothing but misery.

miserable/ˈmɪzrəbl/

very unhappy or uncomfortable

• She knows how to make life miserable for her employees.

thrill somebody

to cause somebody to feel very pleased or excited

• This band has thrilled audiences all over the world.

upbeat/ˈʌpbiːt/

positive and enthusiastic; making you feel that the future will be good

• The tone of the speech was upbeat.

be down in the dumps

feeling unhappy

• He’d been down in the dumps since his girlfriend left him.

blow your top

to get very angry

My father will blow his top when he sees what happened to the car.

be on edge

to be nervous, excited or easily made angry

Carly seemed on edge while her family was away.

be green with envy

to be very unhappy because someone has something that you want

Chad is heading off to Spain for the week, and I'm green with envy.

tear your hair out

If you tear your hair out over a problem, you are worrying a lot about it

She's been tearing her hair out over the final chapter of her novel for the last month.

be in two minds

to be unable to decide about something

I was in two minds whether or not to come this morning.

contender/kənˈten.dɚ/

someone who competes with other people to try to win something

Now aged 42, he is no longer considered a serious contender for the title.

disinfectant/ˌdɪsɪnˈfektənt/

a substance that kills bacteria, used for cleaning

• a strong smell of disinfectant

clear-headed

able to think in a clear and sensible way, especially in a difficult situation

• In business Jane was clear-headed and decisive.

solvable

(of a problem or difficult situation) that can be dealt with successfully

• These problems are all solvable.

fire brigade/ˈfaɪər brɪɡeɪd/

an organization of people who are trained and employed to put out fires and to rescue people from fires; the people who belong to this organization

• to call out the fire brigade