Class 45. American Culture

notion /ˈnəʊʃ(ə)n/

I haven't the faintest notion what they mean.

Wild notions inhabit his mind.

Don't get carried away with romantic notions.

a conception of or belief about something

contingent /kənˈtɪn.dʒənt/

Our success is contingent upon your support.

Growth is contingent upon setting and achieving goals.

The success of the mission will be contingent on the weather.

depending on or influenced by something else

attribute /əˈtrɪbjuːt/

To what do you attribute this delay?

She attributes her success to hard work and a bit of luck.

Across multiple states, at least 47 deaths have been attributed to the storm.

to say or think that something is the result of a particular thing

hue [hjuː]

hue and cry — объявление о розыске в аресте беглого преступника; громко протестовать

Men of all political hues submerged their feuds |fjuːd| .

The press raised a hue and cry against Feds spying into people's business through wiretapping.

overall character or appearance to the mind

shove /ʃʌv/

He shoved the door until it finally opened.

Could he be lying? She shoved the thought to the back of her mind.

I'll just shove this laundry in the washer before we go out.

I try to put my arm around him, but he shoves me off.

move something quickly and carelessly

hew /hjuː/

to hew out a career for oneself — сделать карьеру

He never states his own opinion but hews to the party line.

I have always hewed to his political principles.

I want to hew out a career for myself.

to obey or behave according to (rules, principles, or expectations)

obnoxious

_____ waiter, boss, roommate, husband, teenager, way, attitude, nature, practice

Ken's obnoxious habit of biting his fingernails bothers a lot of people.

These fires produce really obnoxious fumes and smoke.

He said some really obnoxious things about his ex-girlfriend at the party.

disagreeable in a way that disgusts other people

oblivious

Congress was seemingly oblivious to these events.

He drove off, oblivious of the damage he had caused.

His own arrogance made him oblivious to the criticisms of others.

They soon fell asleep, oblivious of the danger.

not aware of or concerned about what is happening around one

denigrate /ˈden.ə.ɡreɪt/

SYN: belittle

No one is trying to denigrate the importance of a good education.

It was unkind to denigrate her achievement.

This is very important, as users frequently denigrate applications that have jerky or overly slow animations.

to treat or represent as lacking in value or importance; criticize unfairly

cast

I'm afraid my teachers cast me as a dummy when I was very young.

Murthy has written a book about loneliness, which he casts as an epidemic in America.

to decide or fantasize that someone is going to follow a particular pattern of behavior in real life

manifestation

These latest riots are a clear manifestation of growing discontent.

She sees them as a manifestation of spirituality.

Manifestation of the disease often doesn't occur until middle age.

an event, action, or object that clearly shows or embodies something abstract or theoretical

sterling

This organization does sterling work for youngsters.

Those are sterling qualities to be admired in anyone.

Everyone has made a sterling effort.

(of a person or their work or qualities) excellent or valuable

abysmal /əˈbɪz.məl/

They were living in abysmal ignorance.

The weather was abysmal on our wedding day.

The film was so abysmal that I fell asleep.

He took courses to remedy his abysmal ignorance.

very bad or poor in quality

boisterous /ˈbɔɪ.stɚ.əs/

As boisterous as you are, I am surprised your doctor has not prescribed anxiety medication.

As midnight drew on,the party became more boisterous.

She had been boisterous and sharp, a humorous woman, a woman of decision.

noisy, energetic, and cheerful

cringe

She felt herself cringe with embarrassment at the memory.

I cringe when I think of the poems I wrote then.

The very idea made him cringe inside.

to feel disgust or embarrassment and often to show this feeling by a movement of your face or body

albeit /ɑːlˈbiː.ɪt/

I am a huge fan of Madonna's music, albeit I do not own any of her albums.

used to add information that reduces the force or importance of what you have just said

gregarious /ɡrɪˈɡer.i.əs/

SYN sociable

He is a gregarious person who avoids solitude.

She can be as engaging at public events as her gregarious husband.

We are a gregarious species and not built to interact with only one person.

But his friendly, gregarious nature quickly puts the people he meets at ease.

(of people) liking to be with other people

insufferable /ɪnˈsʌf.ɚ.ə.bəl/

SYN unbearable

Jean filed for divorce from her insufferable husband after only three days of marriage.

The heat was insufferable.

I can't take any more of her insufferable arrogance.

very annoying, unpleasant, or uncomfortable, and therefore extremely difficult to bear

weave into (past - wove)

The sound of his cello is woven into my childhood memories.

to include something in a story, plan etc.

legacy /ˈleɡ.ə.si/

She received a small legacy from her aunt.

Such attitudes are a legacy from colonial times.

Future generations will be left with a legacy of pollution and destruction.

The legacy of Ancient Rome represented the overwhelming influence on Romanesque |ˌrəʊməˈnesk| architecture.

something that is a part of your history or that remains from an earlier time

apace /əˈpeɪs/

Education and welfare reforms proceed apace.

Ill news comes [travels] apace.

Work is now proceeding apace.

The news of victory spread apace.

swiftly; quickly

foster

to advance / foster / promote science

to cherish / foster values

Such conditions foster the spread of the disease.

Elena fostered Nicu's interest in nuclear physics.

They fostered the development of a new, urban, cultural tradition.

to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage

dismissal

She is now faced with dismissal on the grounds of misconduct.

Wilson was claiming compensation for unfair dismissal .

Dismissal of the last piece of evidence as unreliable would severely affect our case.

a decision that something or someone is not important and not worth considering

milieu /miːlˈjɜː/ (plural: milieux or milieus)

They stayed, safe and happy, within their own social milieu.

She never felt happy in a student milieu.

In such cases, neighbourhood rather than milieu may have brought people together.

Proust's work reflected his own social and cultural milieu.

a person's social environment

hostile [ˈhɒstaɪl]

Their hostile looks showed that he was unwelcome.

She was openly hostile towards her parents.

The audience gave him a downright hostile reception.

She could sense the hostile atmosphere in the room.

showing strong dislike; unfriendly

tinge

She felt a tinge of contempt mingle itself with her pain at having refused him.

There was a tinge of sadness in her voice.

Do I detect a tinge of irony?

There was a tinge of condescension |ˌkɒndɪˈsenʃn| in her greeting.

a very small amount of a color, emotion, or quality

bastion

In the film, the princess believed the wise old man was her last bastion of hope.

an individual or object dedicated to a belief or idea

fierce

A cornered cat becomes as fierce as a lion.

He may look fierce, but he means no harm.

The girl backed away from the fierce dog.

severe or extremely strong; violent or eager to fight or kill

ingrained

My morning routine was ingrained in me so much so that if I missed a step, it threw off my entire day.

Ingrained attitudes and habitual ways of thinking are very difficult to change.

Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others.

(of a habit, belief, or attitude) firmly fixed or established; difficult to change

anthem /ˈæn.θəm/

Please will you all join with me in singing the national anthem.

a song that has special importance for a particular group of people or country, often sung on special occasions

bombard |bɒmˈbɑːd|

When people discover you won the big lottery, they're going to bombard you with requests for money.

We're all constantly bombarded with television advertisements.

We are all so bombarded with information that it requires a lot of will-power to set out to find more information.

to attack continually, either physically or verbally

drawn-out

We had another drawn-out discussion after the meeting ended.

The negotiations were difficult and drawn-out.

Policy-making is inevitably, and universally, a long, drawn-out process which involves many people within the organisation.

lasting longer than is usual or necessary

kaleidoscopic /kəˌlaɪ.dəˈskɑː.pɪk/

London is a kaleidoscopic world.

Thoughts appear as kaleidoscopic patterns of light and sound.

quickly changing from one thing to another

upturned

She looked down at the sea of upturned faces.

I sat on an upturned box.

An upturned boat on the beach provided shelter.

pointing or facing upwards

flap

The curtains were flapping at the open window.

The bird flapped its way up the stream.

A gust of wind flapped the tents.

to wave something, especially wings when or as if flying

condiment /ˈkɑːn.də.mənt/

No wonder soy sauce is most often used as a condiment.

Friendship is not only the condiment but also the anodyne ( |ˈænədæɪn|

болеутоляющее средство) of life.

Thomas Jefferson advised Americans that meat should be treated as a condiment for vegetables.

a substance such as salt, pepper, or mustard that you add to food when you eat it in order to improve the flavour

plain

Perhaps the youth was just plain stupid.

The book is written in plain English.

Serve with plain boiled rice.

I want a plain black jumper with no fancy trimmings.

used for emphasis

draconian |drəˈkəʊnɪən|

Draconian measures have been implemented to control population growth.

The new law is quite draconian and many are worried about how it will be enforced.

The consequences |ˈkɒnsɪkwənsɪz| for making the wrong choice are draconian.

extremely harsh and severe

construe /kənˈstruː/

We were all amazed by the detective's ability to construe logic out of the killer's strange riddle.

He may construe the approach as a hostile act.

So, when you construe something, you're giving your own interpretation to it.

to understand the meaning of something in a particular way

largesse /lɑːrˈʒes/

Our people are in no need of richer nations' largesse.

The largesse of the wealthy is often taken for granted.

generous acts of giving gifts or money to a large number of people

affable /ˈæf.ə.bəl/

Her grandfather has always been the most affable man around.

He was affable at one moment, choleric |ˈkɒlərɪk| the next.

Mr Brooke is an extremely affable and approachable man.

friendly, kind, relaxed, and easy to talk to

afoot

Plans are afoot to stage a new opera.

Everybody knew that something awful was afoot.

We sensed that there was trouble afoot.

happening, or being planned or prepared

lax

One of the problem areas is lax security for airport personnel.

He's too lax with his pupils.

Isn't he rather lax in calling for social change?

not sufficiently strict, severe, or careful

intersperse |ɪntəˈspɜːs|

You should intersperse these pictures evenly throughout the book.

Originally the intention was to intersperse the historical scenes with modern ones.

to put things of one type in different parts or places among other things

get worked up

It's easy to get worked up when you're tired and everything seems to be against you.

No need to get worked up over such a trifle.

It's easy to get worked up about things that you're passionate about.

I don't get worked up about much and tend to go with the flow.

gradually bring someone to a state of intense excitement, anger, or anxiety

omnipresence

The sound of sirens was an omnipresent background noise in New York.

The slums are omnipresent in this city.

It's a sad reality that crime is omnipresent in our society.

the fact of being present or having an effect everywhere at the same time

overbearing

He can be quite overbearing with his staff.

His wife felt stifled in the presence of her overbearing mother-in-law.

The color is consistent and vibrant, without feeling thick, heavy, or just overbearing.

always trying to control other people without considering their wishes or feelings

designate |ˈdezɪɡneɪt|

One of the lines was designated for people with an EC passport.

to say officially that a place or thing has a particular character or purpose

per capita /pɝ ˈkæp.ɪ.t̬ə/

They have the world's largest per capita income.

translates literally as "by the head," but it's used to mean "per person"

to deck

Elisabeth decked herself up for the dancing party.

to dress or decorate especially in a fancy way

to sport sth

Back in the 1960s he sported platform heels and hair down past his shoulders.

to wear or be decorated with something