OLYMPIC 30/4 | Grade 10 | 2017

magisteral

(adj)

​(especially of a person or their behaviour) having or showing power or authority

• His neighbour found his ______ manner bossy and irritating, and they stopped inviting him to backyard barbeques.

in lieu of

(idiom)

instead of

• They took cash ______ the car previously offered as a prize.

reiterate

(v)

to repeat sth in order to stress it

• The government has _______d its refusal to compromise with terrorists.

galling

(adj)

annoying

• I had the ______ experience of sitting next to an over-talkative passanger on my fright home from Brussels.

flamboyant

(adj)

​(of people or their behaviour) different, confident and exciting in a way that attracts attention

• The celebrity’s ______lifestyle is well-known, especially concerning how much she could make.

plausible

(adj)

reasonable and is likely to be true

• Her ______ display of tears at work did not impress her boss, who felt she should try to control her emotion.

indiscriminate

(adj)

not showing careful choice or planning, especially so that harm results (ARBITRARY, UNTHOUGHTFUL)

• Kim was _____ in choosing her friends, so her parties were attended by vastly different and sometimes bizzare personalities.

on a shoestring

(idiom)

(informal) using very little money

• With such lack of financial support, they miraculously managed to run their business ________.

self-effacing

(adj)

not making yourself noticeable, or not trying to get the attention of other people

• Our neighbour seems the _____type who seldom talks about themselves. (EFFACE)

non-commital

(adj)

not giving an opinon, not showing which side you agree with (AMBIVALENT, UNDECIDED)

• I can't see why the board of leaders keep_____(COMMIT) over the debate about whether or not to dismiss the current coach.

meritorious

(adj)

laudable

• We all find the government's effort to solve environmental problems ____(MERIT).

pseudo-intellectual

He is such a ____(INTELLECT) who always pretends to know everything.

peg away at

(phr.v)

to continue working hard at something or trying to achieve something difficult

• We’d been spending years ______ our job of running the shop before the business really took off.

wind down

(phr.v)

to gradually close down a business

• Jane intends to _____ her business soon because she’s so tired with competition.

bank on

(ph.v)

rely on

• He promised to give a hand but we knew we could hardly _____ his words.

duck out of

(phr.v)

(rather informal) to avoid a difficult or unpleasant duty or responsibility

• He got on well with his colleagues as a whole although he sometimes tried to _______ doing the job he didn’t like.

cast around

(phr.v)

to look around

• My boss is always _____ing ____ for someone to blame whenever something goes wrong.

strung up

(adj)

very nervous, worried or excited

• I get really ______ ____ every time I apply for a new job. Those are such exciting experiences.

variable

Age is ____(VARY), I am no longer young.

decidedly

He was (DECIDE)_____ thinner than he had been the year before.

Incidentally

(adv.)

by the way (INCIDENT)

argumentative

People that are _______(ARGUE) rarely have many friends.

pugnent

(adj)

having a strong taste or smell

• The strong garlic tastes quite ______.

insipid

(adj)

bland, flavourless

• That cup of coffee is basically _______, all the ice has melt and it tastes no different from mere water.

rim

(n)

a line or surface bounding such an area; an edge or border (viền)

• He bought a pair of glasses with silver_______.

twig

(n)

the small branch of a tree

• The ______s from a nearby tree were scratching against the window.

bleat

(n)

a single sound that sheep or goats make

• I was woken up by the sound of sheep ______ing in the meadows.

dwarf

(adj)

(of a plant or an animal) much smaller than the normal size

• ______beans are much sweeter and tastier than the big ones.

write off

(ph.v)

​(business) to cancel a debt; to recognize that something is a failure, has no value, etc.

• A corporation might ____ a debt _____ if it looks uncollectible.

to

Fill in a suitable preposition

Confidently he answered one question to another ______ everyone’s satisfaction.

restoration

After years of neglect there was a huge _______programme to return the city to its former glory.

rough

(adj)

not exact or detailed

• ______ calculations have shown that the earth’s resources may run out before the end of the next century.

raw

(adj)

(of information) has just been collected but not dealt with properly

• This information is only _______data and will need further analysis.

broken in

(phr.v)

​to train somebody/something in something new that they must do

• My new shoes will be great once I’ve______ them ____.

antipathies

His professional judgement was coloured by his personal______(PATHETIC)

interdependent

We live in an increasingly _____(DEPEND) world.

ignoble

(adj)

morally bad and making you feel ashamed

• She is accused of playing an _____(NOBLE) part in the plot.

inscribed

(v)

to write words in a book or carve (= cut) them on an object

• The names of all the dead were _____(SCRIPT) on the monument.

fraudulent

They claim that the fall in unemployment is based on a _____(FRAUD) manipulation of statistics.

stand up to

(phr.v)

(WITHSTAND) (of materials, products…) to remain in good condition despite rough treatment

• The company is famous for making sturdy work clothes that can ______hard wear.

din

(n)

​a loud, unpleasant noise that lasts for a long time

• I couldn’t hear what he was saying on the phone because of the ______ behind me.

futile

(adj)

​having no purpose because there is no chance of success

• He knew from experience how _____ it was to argue with his parents.

bottleneck

(n)

a problem that delays progress

• Is there any way of getting around this bureaucratic ________?

fly the nest

(idiom)

​(informal) (of somebody’s child) to leave home and live somewhere else

• When David started university he had to _______ and live alone.

the common touch

(idiom)

​the ability of a powerful or famous person to talk to and understand ordinary people

• Adam was asked to speak to the workers on the management’s behalf, as he was regarded as having _______

sporadically

(adv)

​occasionally or at intervals that are not regular

• We feel sorry for the old woman. Her son visits her ______, but usually she’s all alone.

withdrawn

(adj)

​not wanting to talk to other people; extremely quiet and shy

• She became ____ and pensive, hardly speaking to anyone.

pensive

(adj)

thinking deeply about something, especially because you are sad or worried

• She sat with a ______expression on her face.

in

Fill in the suitable preposition

The staff cannot take leaves at the same time. They have to take holidays _____rotation.

militate against

(phr.v)

​(formal) to prevent something; to make it difficult for something to happen or exist

• Their poor human rights record _______ their eventual entry to the EU.

issue from

(phr.v)

come out of sth

• Neutrons ______ing ______ the reactor core can eventually cause the reactor's steel vessel to become brittle.

hedge in

(ph.v)

​to surround somebody/something with something

• The cathedral is now _______ by other buildings.

• (figurative) Married life made him feel ______ and restless.

• We were _______ by rules and regulations.

partake of

(phr.v)

​(formal) to have some of a particular quality; feature sth

• His work ______s____ the aesthetic fashions of his time.

• An instructor is supposed to ______ the very spirit of the art.

get up to

(ph.v)

​to be busy with something, especially something surprising or unpleasant

• The children ______ all sorts of mischief when I’m not here.

disempower

(v)

to take away somebody’s control over their own life or the situation they are in

• Disaster and terror make us feel vulnerable and ______(POWER).

fuel-poor

(adj)

not having enough money to heat your home, because of a low income or high energy prices

• Extra funding would be targeted on ____(FUEL) households.

redoubling

(v)

to increase something or make it stronger

• IDA Ireland, the national investment agency, is ______(DOUBLE) its efforts to sell Ireland’s well-educated workforce and low corporation tax to foreign investors.

discoverability

They are working to improve the ____(DISCOVER) of their e-books.

tangibles

Common sense and creativity are some of the _____(TOUCH) we’re looking for in an employee.

high-maintenance

He has this incredibly _______(MAINTAIN) girlfriend; if he doesn’t tell her that he loves her every five minutes, she tends to break down into hysterical depressive weepy fits.

counterattraction

(n)

a place or type of entertainment that competes with another for visitors' or people's attention

• Digital downloads are now a major ______(ATTRACT) to moviegoing.

consummately

(adv)

in a way that is perfect or complete

• She looked ____(SUM) pretty, and the front of her dress was a wonderful work of art.

flag-bearer

(n)

a person who encourages an idea or value and starts to represent it

• The company is seen as a ______ (FLAG) for sustainable development.