vocabulary four walls & money matters

to study for vocabulary/oral tests

WHITE ELEPHANT

something that is expensive, or that costs a lot of money to keep in good condition, but that has no useful purpose and is no longer wanted

HOVEL

a small squalid or simply constructed dwelling

PENTHOUSE

a luxurious flat or apartment on the highest floor of  a tall building.

BARRACKS

a building or group of buildings used to accommodate military personnel

MESS-ROOM

the place where soldiers often eat their meals together

NURSING HOME

the place (a house) where elders with no living relatives live

NURSERY (also playroom)

where little kids play

CHALET

a small wooden house found in mountain areas, especially in Switzerland, or a house built in a similar style, especially one used by people on holiday

VILLA

(especially in continental Europe) a large and luxurious country house in its own grounds

IGLOO

a usually dome-shaped dwelling of arctic regions that is usually made of blocks of snow or ice

TEPEE

a portable conical tent made of skins, cloth, or canvas on a frame of poles, used by North American Indians of the Great Plains

WIGWAM

a hut of the American Indians of the Great Lakes region and eastward having typically an arched framework of poles overlaid with bark, mats, or hides

MOTEL

a roadside hotel designed primarily for motorists, typically having the rooms arranged in low blocks with parking directly outside

COTTAGE

a small house, usually in the country

SHACK

a roughly built hut or cabin

MCMANSION

a large modern house that is considered ostentatious and lacking in architectural integrity

SKYSCRAPER

a very tall building

APARTMENT BLOCK

a large building that is divided into apartments

CONDO

short for condominium, is an individually owned residential unit in a building or complex. Condo owners share a common space and often pay association fees to maintain the common space, amenities, and other shared resources

COUNCIL STATE

an area of houses built and rented out to tenants by a local council

“As safe as houses”

extremely safe

SLUMS

a squalid and overcrowded urban street or district inhabited by very poor people

END-TERRACED HOUSE

a house attached to one other house only in a block where at least one house is attached to two or more other houses

MID-TERRACED HOUSE

a house attached to two other houses in a block

SEMI-DETACHED HOUSE

a house that is attached to jsut one other in a block or two

DETACHED HOUSE

a house where none of the habitable structure is joined to another building (like other houses)

BUNGALOW

a house with all of the habitable accomodation on one floor

CONVERTED FLAT

a flat resulting from the conversion of a house or former non-residential building

CLUSTER ACCOMMODATION

private rooms or apartments with shared facilities, such as kitchens (for example, student accommodation)

MORTUARY

another word for morgue

“Come home”

fully understand(ing of) something

“Hit the roof/ceiling”, “fly off the handle”

very angry; react very angrily

“To live in ivory towers”

to not know about the unpleasant and ordinary things that happen in life; to be unaware of bad things; to not have consciousness/awareness

“Paying throuse your nose”

extremely expensive; pay much more than a fair price (in Spanish: “un ojo de la cara”)

“Go through the roof”

To rise something dramatically (like prices)

“To curb your spending”

control the way you spend money

“Cut back on (expenses)”

to spend or use less

“Make ends meet”

earn just enough money to live on

“To live on the dole”

receiving money from the gov. when you’re unemployed

SKINT (slang)

with little or no money

To take a leaf out of someone’s book

to copy or imitate someone or someone else’s habits (?)

Hold the key

provide explanation for something

Tower of strength

for someone who is extremely strong (more emotionally/mentally than physically)

To tower above

when someone or something is outstandingly tall or outstanding in general than other things or people, but in a positive way

Gateway to

access to

Through/by the back door

doing something unofficially

KITSCH

something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often of poor quality

“Nothing to write home about”

not very good or appealing; nothing special; ordinary

“A household word/name”

something everybody knows

“On the house”

for free

“Be/feel at home”

to feel comfortable and relaxed

“Home truth”

information that is true but unpleasant or not welcomed

“Hit home”

become fully understood or fully felt

“A roof over one’s head”

a place to live

“Be/get in on the ground floor”

to be or become involved in something from the beginning

“Home from home”

a place where you feel comfortable as you do in your own home

“Under someone’s roof”

in a home that belongs to someone

QUAINT

attractively unusual or old-fashioned

VIBRANT

full of life and energy

DILAPIDATED

in a state of disrepair or ruin as a result of age or neglect

POKY

uncomfortably small and cramped

BUSTLING

(of a place) full of activity

IMPOSING

grand and impressive in appearance

MAKESHIFT

acting as an interim and temporary measure

"Blow one’s money on”

to spend a lot of money unnecessarily (usually, on expensive stuff)

“To be strapped for cash”

to not have enough money to pay or buy things we want

“Pinching (or pinch) pennies”

to try to spend as little money as possible (Ch-Sp: estirar la plata)

“More money than sense”

(humorous) used to talk about people spending a lot of money on something that you think is unnecessary

“Crime doesn’t pay”

there is more trouble than benefit from committing a crime

“A bit hard up”

having very little money

CHAMPAGNE SOCIALIST

someone with left-wing political opinions who is very rich

MONEYBAGS

a rich person

PARVENU

someone from a low social class/position who has suddenly become rich or successful

THE JET SET

rich people who travel a lot and have exciting lives

BRAT PACK

(informal) a group of young people who are very rich and famous. for example, film actors

FAT CAT

a very rich and powerful person, usually in business or politics

The Glitterati

rich and atractive people

IDLE RICH or GENTLEMAN/LADY of LEISURE

someone who does not have to work to earn money and can spend their time doing whatever they want

DOWAGER

a woman of high social rank whose husband died but who has a title and property because of her marriage to him