Destination C1 & C2: Thinking, Learning, and Beyond

Vocabulary, phrasal verbs, idioms, and collocations compiled from the Destination C1 & C2 lecture notes, focusing on themes such as Thinking, Technology, Work, Communication, and Quality.

assess

To make a judgement about the nature or quality of somebody/something.

assume

To think or accept that something is true but without having proof of it.

baffle

To confuse somebody completely; to be too difficult or strange for somebody to understand or explain.

biased

Tending to show favour towards or against one group of people or one opinion for personal reasons; making unfair judgements.

cynical

Believing that people only do things to help themselves rather than for good or honest reasons; not believing that something good will happen.

deduce

To form an opinion about something based on the information or evidence that is available.

dilemma

A situation that makes problems, often one in which you have to make a very difficult choice between things of equal importance.

discriminate

To treat one person or group worse/better than another in an unfair way.

ingenious

Of a person: very intelligent and skilful; of a thing: skilfully made or planned and involving new ideas and methods.

paradox

A situation or statement that seems impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics.

plausible

Reasonable and likely to be true.

cram

To learn a lot of things in a short time, in preparation for an exam.

mock exam

An examination taken as practice before an official examination.

self-study

The activity of learning about something without a teacher to help you.

brush up (on)

To improve your knowledge of something already learned but partly forgotten.

mull over

To spend time thinking carefully about a plan or proposal.

puzzle out

To find the answer to a difficult or confusing problem by thinking carefully.

swot up (on)

To study a particular subject very hard, especially in order to prepare for an exam.

go to your head

If something goes to someone's head, it makes that person think that they are very important and makes them a less pleasant person.

put two and two together

To guess the truth about a situation from what you have seen or heard.

status quo

The situation as it is now, or as it was before a recent change.

broadband

A way of connecting to the internet that allows you to receive information very quickly and is always active.

reinvent the wheel

To waste time creating something that already exists and works well.

anachronism

A person, a custom or an idea that seems old-fashioned and does not belong to the present.

interim

During the period of time between two events; intended to last for only a short time until something more permanent is found.

obsolete

No longer used because something new has been invented.

headhunt

To find somebody who is suitable for a senior job and persuade them to leave their present job.

clamber

To climb or move with difficulty or a lot of effort, using your hands and feet.

jet lag

The feeling of tiredness and confusion experienced after making a long plane journey to a place where the time is different.

cordon off

To stop people from getting into an area by surrounding it with police, soldiers, etc.

off the beaten track

Away from populated areas or areas popular with tourists.

allege

To state something as a fact but without giving proof.

ambiguous

Having or expressing more than one possible meaning, sometimes intentionally.

colloquial

Informal and more suitable for use in speech than in writing.

manifesto

A written statement of the beliefs, aims, and policies of an organization, especially a political party.

tabloid

Newspapers with small pages and short articles with a lot of pictures and stories about famous people, often thought of as less serious.

blurt out

To say something suddenly and without thinking about the effect it will have, usually because you are nervous or excited.

get across

To make people understand something.

ascribe

To believe something is the cause of something else.

fossil fuels

Fuel such as coal or oil, made from decayed material from animals or plants that lived thousands of years ago.

out of the blue

Happening in a way that is sudden and unexpected, and does not seem connected with anything that happened before.

meagre

Smaller or less than you want or need.

dividend

A share of the profits of a company, paid once or twice a year to the people who own the company's shares.

mortgage

A legal agreement in which you borrow money from a bank in order to buy a house.

a drop in the ocean

A very small amount that will not have much effect.

unassuming

Modest.

conceivable

Possible.

prognosis

A doctor's opinion about the way in which a disease or illness is likely to develop.

benign

Kind and gentle; not hurting anybody.

bureaucracy

A complicated and annoying system of rules and processes.

deterrent

Something that makes somebody less likely to do something.

red tape

Official rules and processes that seem unnecessary and delay results.

exacerbate

To make something that is already bad even worse.

Achilles’ heel

A small problem or weakness in a person or system that can result in failure.

on the same wavelength

To think in a similar way and to understand each other well.

arbitrary

Not seeming to be based on a reason, system or plan and sometimes seeming unfair.

tedious

Lasting or taking too long and not interesting.