Words from reading/listening

uncanny

so remarkable as to seem supernatural, зловещий

sheepish

acting embarrassed or ashamed because you've done smth stupid

stealthy

behaving in a secret and sneaky way

furtive

doing smth secretly so that people don't notice

covert

hidden; undercover

clutch

to hold tightly

fumble

move the fingers and hands awkwardly (in search of something)

snatch

to take something quickly and suddenly

grapple with

to struggle with, to deal with smth difficult

albeit

although

nevertheless

despite that

hitherto

until now

set somebody apart

make sb different from or better than others

let oneself go

either take less care of your appearance or relax completely and enjoy yourself

put oneself down

to criticise

eerie

unusual and slightly frightening

inscrutable

not showing emotions or thoughts and therefore very difficult to understand or get to know

cryptical

mysterious

notorious

famous for something bad

harbinger

sb or sth that shows that smth bad is going to happen soon

portent

a sign that something bad is likely to happen in the future

precursor

sth that happened before another thing

herald

sign that sth important , usually good, is starting to happen

put a spin on

describe an idea that makes it seem better than it really is

harbinger of doom

предвестник гибели

curl your lip

to show by an upward movement of one side of your mouth that you feel no respect for sth or someone

filthy

disgustingly dirty

self-worth

self-esteem

eminent

of high reputation, outstanding

vicious

having bad habits; painfully severe or extreme

fleeting

lasting for a very short time

formidable

inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable

pertinent

relevant, to the point

decency

the quality of being polite and respectable

virtue

behaviour that is morally good

by virtue of smth

because of, as a result of

cotton on to something

to begin to understand or realise something

be apt to do something

to be likely to do something or to often do something

The kitchen roof is __ (likely to) leak when it rains

destiny

fate; the things that will happen in the future

revoke

to make invalid; to say officially that an agreement, permission or law is no longer in effect

like a patchwork quilt

A mixture of different things or people put or existing together without any regular system or order

He described the country's system of early childhood as a “__” and said that other countries had a much more cohesive system.

handle rough times

to deal with a difficult period in life

counterintuitive

contrary to what intuition or common sense would indicate

to have something completely upended

cause something to be completely overturned or drastically changed, often resulting in a new or unexpected situation

fend for yourself

to take care and provide for yourself without depending on anyone else

The company will no longer receive a government subsidy, and must _ _ itself financially.

unwavering

firm and determined, steady; never changing

Her belief in the project has been _.

be propelled by

to be motivated by

adversity

hardship

innocuous

completely harmless

Some mushrooms look _ but are in fact poisonous.

the sole purpose of doing smth

the reason for doing smth

I went to the conference with _ _ _ _ advertising our services.

heady

making you feel slightly drunk or excited; producing a feeling of high energy, confidence

But in order to reach the _ heights of success, you need to work more.

unceasing

continuing and unlikely to stop or become less

The authors are grateful for the _ support of the editors in London.

vigil

an act of staying awake, especially at night, in order to be with a person who is very ill or dying, or to make a protest, or to pray

The boy's parents kept a long _ in his hospital room.

be on the lookout for smth

to search for smth/SB

I'm always _ _ _ _ interesting new recipes.

be under no illusion about

to know/understand the truth

I'm _ _ _ about the man I married.

exert

to use smth such as authority, power, influence in order to make smth happen

Some managers _ considerable pressure on their staff to work extra hours without being paid.

have your heart set on something

to want something very much, so that you would be very disappointed if you don't get it

She _ her _ _ on ballet lessons.

sought-after

wanted by many people and usually of high quality or rare

He was one of the most _-_ speakers at political rallies.

be prized by sb

be considered valuable and important

The 1961 vintage is highly _ among wine connoisseurs.

paramount

more important than anything else

The question of who gave the order is of _ importance.

advent

the fact of an event happening, an invention being made, or a person arriving

Life was transformed by the _ of the steam engine.

shelf life

the length of time a product, especially food, can be kept in a shop before it becomes too old to be sold or used

Fresh fruit has a very short _ _.

coax someone to do something

to persuade sb gently to do smth or go somewhere, by being kind and patient

I _ her to eat a little bit.

lure someone to something

to persuade someone to do something or go somewhere by offering smth exciting

Supermarket chains try to _ customers with price discounts.

He has _ his victim to a deserted house.