Ready for C2 Wordlist - Unit 4

a breath of fresh air

someone or something that is new, interesting, and exciting

a grain of truth

a small amount of truth

bouts of anxiety

short periods when you feel very anxious

fit of anger

a sudden strong feeling of anger that you cannot control

fits of laughter

a sudden strong reaction of laughing

glimmer of hope

a very small sign that something might improve or succeed

glimmer of light

a soft weak light that is not steady

hint of bitterness

a slight feeling of anger and unhappiness about something

hint of irony

a small amount of irony (= a form of humour in which you use words to express the opposite of what the words really mean)

pang of regret

a very strong, sudden feeling of regret

pang of guilt

a very strong, sudden feeling of guilt

round of applause

a period of time when an audience reacts by clapping their hands

school of thought

a way of thinking about a particular subject or idea that is shared by a group of people

scrap of evidence

a small amount of information that helps to prove something

stroke of genius

a very intelligent act or idea

stroke of luck

something that happens by chance and that helps you to achieve something

become a scapegoat

to be blamed for something that is not your fault, especially because someone else wants to avoid being blamed

be on the same wavelength

to understand the way that another person thinks because you often have the same ideas and opinions as they do

break the stalemate

to stop or end a situation in which progress is impossible because the people or groups involved cannot agree

cherished keepsake

a small object that you like very much and keep in order to remind you of someone or something

employee turnover

the rate at which employees leave an organization and new employees arrive

flaws and shortcomings

faults and problems in something or someone that make them useless or less effective

proofread carefully

to carefully read something written or printed and mark any mistakes so that they can be corrected

sheer willpower

when you only use the ability to control your thoughts and behaviour in order to achieve something

spark a backlash

to cause a strong, negative, and often angry reaction to something that has happened, especially a political or social change

watershed moment

a time when an event causes an important change to take place

agree to differ

to accept that someone else does not have the same opinion as you and agree not to argue about it any more

clear the air

to discuss a problem or difficult situation with someone in order to make it better

draw the line at

to say that you will definitely not allow or accept something

find common ground

to find something that people can agree about, especially when they disagree about other things

get off on the wrong foot

to immediately establish a bad relationship with someone when you first meet them or first start working with them

grey area

a situation in which the rules are not clear, or in which you are not sure what is right or wrong

meet halfway

to agree to do something that someone wants, if they do something that you want

nail down the finer points

to definitely decide the details of something

sticking point

something that people cannot agree on and that stops them from continuing with a discussion

the bottom line

the most basic fact or issue in a situation