Gold Experience C1 Advanced – Units 6 & 7 Vocabulary

Comprehensive practice flashcards defining advanced English vocabulary and idioms from Gold Experience C1 Advanced, Units 6 and 7.

above-board

honest and legal

assign blame

to blame someone else instead of yourself

bail (sb) out

to do something to help someone out of trouble, especially financial problems

betray

to be disloyal to someone who trusts you, so that they are harmed or upset

candid discussion

honest conversation

cheat

to trick or deceive someone so that they do not get or keep something they have a right to have

circulate

if information, facts, ideas, etc. circulate, they become known by many people

compelling evidence

strong proof

delusion

a false belief about yourself or the situation you are in

disciple

someone who believes in the ideas of a great teacher or leader, especially a religious one

exploit

to treat someone unfairly by asking them to do things for you, but giving them very little in return – used to show disapproval

fallacy

a false idea or belief, especially one that a lot of people believe is true

fib

a small unimportant lie

forge

to illegally copy something, especially something printed or written, to make people think that it is real

get into character

to get used to the character you are playing

give a convincing performance

to be persuasive in your performance

go to great lengths

to try very hard or to do whatever is necessary to achieve something that is important to you

hoax

a false warning about something dangerous

impersonate

to pretend to be someone else by copying their appearance, voice and behaviour, especially in order to deceive people

jumping-off point

a place to start from, especially at the beginning of a journey

know sb through and through

to know someone very well

mock

not real, but intended to be very similar to a real situation, substance, etc.

ordeal

a terrible or painful experience that continues for a period of time

plausibly

in a way that seems reasonable or probable

prankster

someone who plays tricks on people to make them look silly

prime example

a very typical example of something

put a strain on

to burden or overload someone or something

put sb on

used to tell someone that you think they are joking

put sth into perspective

to see something from the distance so that you are not personally involved

realism

the ability to accept and deal with difficult situations in a practical way, based on what is possible rather than what you would like to happen

riveting

something that is riveting is so interesting or exciting that you cannot stop watching it or listening to it

scammer

someone who deceives other people in order to get money from them

stitch together

to put different things or parts of something together to make one larger thing

stricken

very badly affected by trouble, illness, unhappiness, etc.

tangible

clear enough or definite enough to be easily seen or noticed

unsettling

making you feel nervous or worried

crack sth

find the answer to a problem or manage to understand something that is difficult to understand

craze

a fashion, game, type of music, etc. that becomes very popular for a short time

white lie

a lie that you tell someone in order to protect them or avoid hurting their feelings

accommodate

to accept someone’s opinions and try to do what they want, especially when their opinions or needs are different from yours

alive and kicking

still very active

at your fingertips

knowledge or information that is ready and available to use very easily

atrocity

an extremely cruel and violent action

avid

doing something as much as possible

didactic

someone who is didactic is too eager to teach people things or give instructions

ensnare

to trap someone in an unpleasant or illegal situation, from which they cannot escape

entice

to persuade someone to do something or go somewhere, usually by offering them something that they want

foreclosure

the act of foreclosing on a loan, or the right to do this

get sth off your chest

to tell someone about something that has been worrying or annoying you for a long time, so that you feel better afterwards

go back on your word

to not do something that you promised or agreed to do

have a way with words

to be especially good at writing

have the last word

to have the last statement or speech in an argument

inhibition

a feeling of shyness or embarrassment that stops you from doing or saying what you really want

monotonous

boring because of always being the same

profess

to say that you do, are, etc. something, especially when it is not really true

refrain

a remark or idea that is often repeated

shine a spotlight on

to focus on one particular thing

slumped

falling or leaning against something because you are not strong enough to stand

speak out (against sth)

to publicly speak in protest about something, especially when protesting could be dangerous

tap into

to benefit from

trawl

to search through a lot of documents, lists, etc. in order to find out information

turmoil

a state of confusion, excitement or anxiety

unashamedly

not feeling embarrassed or ashamed about something that people might disapprove of

undermine

to gradually make someone or something less strong or effective

unflinchingly

not changing or becoming weaker, even in a very difficult or dangerous situation

word of mouth

when people hear about something from their friends, people they work with, etc.

words fail me

used to say that you are so surprised, angry or shocked that you do not know what to say

backdrop

the conditions or situation in which something happens

contentious

causing a lot of argument and disagreement between people; controversial

tongue-tied

unable to talk in a relaxed way because you feel nervous or embarrassed