VOCAB SET INFINITY

GOGGLE-EYED

= flummoxed ; discombobulated ; CONFOUNDED

• GOBSMACKED ; SLACK-JAWED ; OPEN-MOUTHED

• WITH MOUTH AGAPE

• AGOG ; ASTIR ; ABLAZE ; AFIRE ; ABUBBLE ; ALIGHT ; AFLAME

BE A BADGE OF SUCCESS

to be something that shows that you have achieved a particular thing

DENOTATION

• the main meaning of a word, not including the feelings or ideas that people may connect with the word

• the act of referring to something or naming it using a word

CARRYING-ON

activity that is not honest or moral

COME-HITHER

used to refer to a way of looking at someone that shows you are sexually interested in them

INTEREST-BEARING

used to describe a financial product that pays money in the form of interest:

an interest-bearing account

FIEFDOM

an area or type of activity that is controlled by someone

• FORTE ; STOCK-IN-TRADE

GREENHUSHING

the practice where companies underreport or deliberately withhold information about their environmental efforts and achievements.

GREENWASHING

behaviour or activities that make people believe that a company is doing more to protect the environment than it really is

UPCYCLE

to make new furniture, objects, etc. out of old or used things or waste material

WISHCYCLING

the disposal of consumer waste in a recycling bin in hopes of it being recycled, when it cannot or is unlikely to be recycled.

DESERTER

a person who leaves the armed forces without permission

NON-ALIGNED

= UNAFFILIATED

CUSTOM

• REACCUSTOM

• UNACCUSTOMED

• CÚSTOMARY

• CUSTOMIXATION // CUSTOMIZABLE

• CUSTOM-MADE/BUILT

BIGFOOT SB/STH

to get much more attention than something or someone, or to take control of a situation instead of someone else, because of being very strong, powerful, or important:

Digital effects have bigfooted the world of movies.

CURATE

• to be in charge of selecting and caring for objects to be shown in a museum or to form part of a collection of art, an exhibition, etc.:

  She curated a recent exhibition of Indian artwork.

  to be in charge of selecting films, performers, events, etc. to be included in a festival:

  a Messiaen festival curated by pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard

  to select things such as documents, music, products, or internet content to be included as part of a list or collection, or on a website

CLOBBER

• to hit someone or something hard and repeatedly

  
  

• to punish someone

  
  

• to harm someone financially

VULPINE

clever and dishonest

ILL-GOTTEN

dishonestly obtained:

ill-gotten gains

PARAMOUR

the person you are having a romantic or sexual relationship with, but are not married to

• CONCUBINE ; COURTESAN ; ODALISQUE ; INAMORATA

ANTHROPOMORPHIZE

to show or treat an animal, god, or object as if it is human in appearance, character, or behaviour

METONYMY

hoán dụ

COMMANDINNG VIEW // POSITION

a position or view from which a lot of land can be seen

INFERENCE

a guess that you make or an opinion that you form based on the information that you have

• BY INFERENCE

• SURMISE ; EXTRAPOLATION ; CONJECTURE ; PROPOUND

• REASON INDUCTIVELY // DEDUCTIVELY

ATIMONY

a situation in which two statements or beliefs that are both reasonable seem to contradict (= disagree with or be opposite to) each other, or a statement or pair of statements like this

SYLLOGISM

(in philosophy) a process of logic in which two general statements lead to a more particular statement

TELEOLOGY

(in philosophy) the belief that everything has a special purpose or use

TAUTOLOGICAL

• using two words or phrases that express the same meaning, in a way that is unnecessary and usually unintentional

  
  

• in logic (= a formal scientific method of examining ideas), relating to a statement that is always true

SOPHISTRY // SOPHISM

the clever use of arguments that seem true but are really false, in order to deceive people

• CASUISTRY ; SUBTERFUGE ; ARTIFICE

• SOPHISTICALLY

SYNCATEGOREMATIC

only able to be correctly understood when considered in connection with other words or ideas

SOLIPSISTIC

relating to or characteristic of solipsism (= the belief that only your own experiences and existence can be known or are important)

• ETIOLOGY

• NIHILSM

PATHOLOGICAL

= (of a person) unable to control part of their behaviour; unreasonable

• CHRONIC ; INVETERATE

PATHOS

the power of a person, situation, piece of writing, or work of art to cause feelings of sadness, especially because people feel sympathy

• ETHOS ; THROES ; ECHELON ; PANTHEON

• POIGNANCY ; PLAINTIVE ; RUEFUL

• COMMISERATIVE ; COMPASSIONATE ; COMMUNAL ; SYMPATHETIC

REHUMANIZE

to give back to someone the human qualities of independent thought, feeling for other people, etc.; to make something more suitable for human beings

• FIND SOLACE IN

• BE OF NO CONSOLATION TO SB

• HEART-RENDING ; HARROWING

PITEOUS

causing you to feel sadness and sympathy

• CONDOLENCE

TENDER/SOFT-HEARTED

very kind and showing a lot of sympathy

• MILD-MANNERED

MILD-MANNERED

very calm and do not show strong emotions such as anger.

• TENDER-HEARTED

CARESSINGLY

in a soft and gentle way

• MOLLYCODDLE ; COSSET

ORACULAR

mysterious and difficult to understand, but probably wise:

an oracular statement

• byzantine ; labyrinthine ; convoluted ; intangible ; abstruse ; recondite ; arcane // cryptic ; obscure ; equivocal ; nebulous ; ambiguous ; UNFATHOMABLE ; esoteric ; impalpable

• IMPONDERABLE ; INARTICULATE ; indiscernible ; incomprehensive

RECHERCHÉ

very unusual, not generally known about, and chosen with great care in order to make people admire your knowledge or style:

a recherché word/topic

a recherché menu

• UNGRASPABLE ; UNANSWERABLE ; unintelligible

CATHARTIC

involving the release of strong emotions through a particular activity or experience:

a cathartic experience

• FINE-TUNE ; OVERHAUL ; RETROFIT ; PURGE ; REFURBISHMENT

REVISE STH DOWNWARDS

to reduce a number after calculating it again, usually because of new information

• TROUBLESHOOTING ; RECALIBRATE

CATHEXIS

the act of directing your mental energy towards a particular person, object, or aim

CONATION

mental processes that relate to wanting, intending, or trying to do something

SUBLIMATE

to express strong emotions or use energy by doing an activity, especially an activity that is considered socially acceptable

PSYCHIATRIST

a doctor with special training in treating mental illness

NON SEQUITUR

a statement that does not correctly follow from the meaning of the previous statement

• IMPUTE STH TO SB

• PREMISE ; RATIOCINATION

A POSTERIORI

in a way that is based on known facts or on what has been seen to happe

A PRIORI

relating to an argument that suggests the probable effects of a known cause, or using general principles to suggest likely effects

A FORTIORI

for an even stronger reason than one that has already been accepted:

The proposition is incomprehensible to us, and hence a fortiori we cannot be justified in believing it.

EQUIPROBABLE

equally probable, or equally likely to happen

INTELLECTUALIZE

to think about or discuss a subject in a detailed and intellectual way, without involving your emotions or feelings

EPISTEMOLOGICAL

relating to the part of philosophy that is about the study of how we know things

WOLFISHLY

in a way that looks as though you want to trick or harm someone

• CHARLATAN ; DOUBLE-CROSSER//DEALER ; MOUNTEBANK

• PRESS TRUMPED-UP CHARGES AGAINST

WRONG-FOOT

to cause someone to be in a difficult situation by doing something unexpected

SUCKER SB INTO VING

to persuade someone to do something by deceiving them

• COAX // CAJOLE // JOCKEY // INVEIGLE // WHEEDLE SB INTO VING

• COZEN SB INTO VING

BLUDGE

• to take advantage of the efforts of other people rather than working hard or taking responsibility for something yourself

  
  

• to get something from someone without paying for it

ETHNOCENTRIC

believing that the people, customs, and traditions of your own race or nationality are better than those of other races

• JINGOISTIC

CRONYISM

the situation in which someone important gives jobs to friends rather than to independent people who have the necessary skills and experience

• NEPOTISM ; MERITOCRACY

TWO-TIER

used to describe a system that is not the same for all groups of people, and gives more advantages to one group than to another group

• LIVE IN A TWO-TIER SYSTEM

• BIGOTEDNESS ; PARTISANSHIP ; PARTIALITY

FLANNEL

to use a lot of words to avoid telling the truth or answering a question, often in order to deceive

• FLEECE ; DUPE ; CON ;SWINDLE ; HOODWINK ; BAMBOOZLE

• DIDDLE SB OUT OF STH

FINESSE

• great skill or style

  
  

• to deal with a situation or a person in a skilful and often slightly dishonest way

  
  

• to improve something so it is the best it can possibly be

GRIFT

ways of getting money dishonestly that involve tricking someone

• SNAFFLE ; FILCH ; FINAGLE ; PURLOIN

• MALFEASANCE ; MISDEMEANOUR ; RASCALITY

• VULPINE ; underhanded ; surreptitiously ; cloak-and-dagger ; hole-and-corner ; clandestine ; furtively

HONEYFUGGLE

to deceive or cheat someone by talking to them nicely

• HUMBUG SB FOR STH

• SHENANIGANS

BLAGGER

someone who gets what they want in a clever way and by saying things that are not true

• BLANDISMENT ; ADULATION

• BROWBEAT // BULLDOZE // STEAMROLLER // DRAGOON // EXHORT // PRESS-GANG // BLUDGEON

• AMBULANCE-CHASING ; BADGER ; PESTER

CHIVVY SB INTO VING

to encourage someone to do something they do not want to do

• BADGER ; PESTER ; ACCOST ; IMPORTUNE

AMBULANCE-CHASING

an attempt by a lawyer to get work by persuading someone who has been injured to claim money from the person or company responsible

PSYCH ONESELF UP

to try to make yourself feel confident and ready to do something difficult

• PSYCH SB OUT

• PREVAIL ON SB TO V

RALLYING CRY

something such as a piece of writing, speech, phrase, or situation that causes people to come together in order to support something or make a shared effort

• BE GIVEN A PEP TALK

INTERCEDE WITH SB

to use your influence to persuade someone in authority to forgive another person, or save this person from punishment

• INTERPOSE ONESELF BETWEEN

• PREACH TO THE CONVERTED

PROSELYTIZE

to try to persuade someone to change their religious or political beliefs or way of living to your own

• SELF-FLAGELLATION // IMMOLATION

TUB-THUMPING

[of a style of speaking] forceful or violent

WILES

ways of persuading someone that trick them into doing something:

She'll have to use all her feminine wiles to get him to agree.

ONE’S WHEELHOUSE

an area that someone is interested in and skilled at

• IN // OUTSIDE ONE’S WHEELHOUSE

• UPLIFTMENT ;REVAMP

CANARD

a false report or piece of information that is intended to deceive people

VENALITY

the state or quality of being venal (= willing to behave dishonestly in exchange for money)

• TRAVESTY ; PARODY

SUBORN

to persuade someone, for example by offering them money, to commit an illegal act, especially to tell lies in a court of law

• HUMBUGGERY ; FLIMFLAM ; SHENANIGANS

• DEFALCATION ; EMBEZZLEMENT ; PECULATION ; filch ; snaffle ; purloin

SIPHON STH OFF

to dishonestly take money from an organization or other supply, and use it for a purpose for which it was not intended

SKEWED

not accurate or exact

• SHIFTINESS

• MANUFACTURE ; ORCHESTRATE ; ENGINEER

COUNTER-MYTH

a myth (= a commonly believed but false idea) that states the opposite to another myth

LAPIDARY

clever but simple:

He writes in fine lapidary prose.

SUBLITERATE

• not able to read and write well

  
  

• written to a poor standard, or not intelligent

• FORTE ; REPERTOIRE

PYROTECHNIC

impressive; showing great skill:

It was a pyrotechnic exhibition of hot technologies.

She has knack for conceptualizing, a pyrotechnic intelligence, and a remarkable flair for the dramatic.

PRESTIDIGITATION

magic tricks, especially ones performed in a very skilful way using the hands:

Blaine's feats of prestidigitation mesmerize audiences.

very skilful actions, especially ones that deceive people

• THAUMATURGY ; LEGERDEMAIN ; SLEIGHT OF HAND

BLING STH UP

to make something attract more attention by adding jewellery or decoration that is very noticeable and looks expensive

FILLIP

something that causes a sudden improvement:

• provide a fillip to/for STH

• give SB/STH a big fillip

GAMIFY

to make an activity more like a game in order to make it more interesting or enjoyable

• BE HONED TO PERFECTION

LEAVEN

to make something less boring:

Even a speech on a serious subject should be leavened with a little humour.

REDOUND TO SB

to have a result that is an advantage to someone

• REVIVIFY ; REPRISTINATE ; REVITALIZE ; STREAMLINE

• SHORE//PROP STH UP

TECHNOCRAT

an expert in science or technology who has a lot of power in or influence with the government or industry

• COGNOSCENTI ; SAVANT ; PUNDIT ; DOYENNE ; WUNDERKIND ; WHIZZKID

OENOPHILE

a person who loves wine and knows a lot about it

• GOURMET ; GASTRONOME

LEGERDEMAIN

• skilful hiding of the truth in order to trick people = A SLEIGHT OF HANND

  
  

• skilful tricks done as part of a performance

NIRVANA

a state of freedom from all suffering that Buddhists believe can be achieved by removing all personal wishes

MANTRA

a word or phrase that is often repeated and expresses a particular strong belief

SET-TO

an argument or fight

• SCUFFLE ; KERFUFFLE ; SKIRMISH ; SCRIMMAGE ; MELEE ; AFFRAY

LAY UP TROUBLE FOR ONESELF

to do something that will cause you trouble in the future

• MAKE A ROD FOR ONE’S OWN BACK

• LIKE PULLING TEETH // HERDING CATS

PITCHFORK SB INTO STH

to cause someone suddenly to be in a particular situation, usually a difficult one, especially when they are not ready

• LAND SB IN STH

NO-PLATFORM // DEPLATFORM

to refuse someone an opportunity to make their ideas or beliefs known publicly, because you think these beliefs are dangerous or unacceptable

• BROACH THE SUBJECT

• ENGAGE IN A COLLOQUY WITH SB

• CONSULT // CONFER WITH SB ON STH

• BEARD STH

• DELIBERATE ON//ABOUT STH

THEMATIZE

to mention or discuss a particular subject or idea

• EDGELORD ; AGENT PROVOCATEUR

• DIALOGUE ; TRIALOGUE

PARLEY

a discussion between two groups of people, especially one that is intended to end an argument

• PALAVER