unit 10 & born a crime

allege

to say that something is true or that someone has done something wrong or illegal even though this has not been proved (v)

ambiguous

not clear or definite, capable of being understood in more than one way (adj)

assert

to state firmly that something is true (v)

blunt

saying what is true or what you think, even if it offends or upsets people (adj)

boast

a statement in which you proudly tell other people what you or someone connected with you has done or can do, or about something you own, especially in order to make them admire you (n)

clarification

an explanation that makes something clearer and easier to understand (n)

colloquial

used in informal conversation rather than in writing or formal language (adj)

comprehend

to understand something (v)

confide

to tell someone a secret or discuss your private feelings with them (v)

confirm

to prove that something is true (v)

confirm

to tell someone, usually by writing or telephoning, that something will definitely happen at the time or in the way that has been arranged (v)

context

the general situation in which something happens, which helps explain it (n)

context

the words surrounding a particular word that help to give it its meaning (n)

contradict

to say the opposite of what someone has said is true (v)

contradict

if two statements, pieces of evidence, stories, etc disagree and cannot be true (v)

convey

to communicate ideas or feelings indirectly (v)

convey

to give official information or a formal message to someone (v)

declare

to announce officially that something is true or happening (v)

denounce

to criticise someone or something severely in public (v)

disclose

to give information to people, especially information that was secret (v)

exaggerate

to describe something in a way that makes it seem better, worse, larger, more important, etc than it really is (v)

flatter

to praise someone in order to get something you want, especially in a way that is not sincere (v)

gist

the main idea or most important point of something that someone has written or said (n)

hint

something that you say to show what you are thinking or feeling, without saying it directly (n)

hint

a useful suggestion or piece of advice (n)

hint

to say what you are thinking or feeling in an indirect way (v)

illegible

difficult or impossible to read (adj)

inkling

a slight idea or small piece of information that tells you that something might exist or be happening (n)

insist

to say very firmly that something must happen or be done (v)

insist

to keep saying very firmly that something is true, even when other people will not believe you (v)

jargon

special words and phrases that are only understood by people who do the same kind of work. This word usually shows that you dislike this type of language (n)

literal

the most basic meaning of a word (adj)

mumble

the saying of something in a way that is not loud or clear enough so that your words are difficult to understand (n)

mumble

to say something in a way that is not loud or clear enough so that your words are difficult to understand (v)

murmur

something that is said in a very quiet voice (n)

murmur

a quiet continuous sound (n)

murmur

to say something in a very quiet voice (v)

petition

a document signed by many people that asks someone in authority to do something (n)

placard

a large notice in a public place, used for advertising something or carried in order to protest against or support something (n)

quibble

to argue or complain about things that are not important (v)

rant

a long, loud and angry complaint about something (n)

rant

to complain or talk loudly and angrily for a long time, sometimes saying unreasonable things (v)

rave

to talk in an angry and uncontrolled way (v)

rave

to speak or write in a very enthusiastic way about something or someone (v)

relevant

important and directly connected to what is being discussed or considered (adj)

scribble

untidy writing or something written in an untidy way (n)

scribble

to write something quickly and carelessly (v)

scribble

to make marks or drawings with no meaning (v)

slang

very informal and not considered suitable for more formal situations words or expressions (adj)

slang

words or expressions that are very informal and are not considered suitable for more formal situations (n)

stumble

a mistake while speaking (n)

stumble

to make a mistake when you are speaking (v)

stutter

a problem in speaking that causes you to repeat some particular sounds more than you should (n)

stutter

to repeat the sounds of words in an uncontrolled way when you speak because you are nervous or have a speech problem (v)

tip

a useful suggestion (n)

utter

to say something (v)

utter

to make a sound (v)

vague

not clear or complete (adj)

anchor

someone who presents the news on a television or radio news programme (n)

anchor

to present a televison or radio programme, especially the news (v)

broadcast

a programme that is broadcast (n)

broadcast

to send out messages or programmes to be received by radios or television (v)

broadcast

to tell people something, especially something that you wanted to be a secret (v)

caption

words printed near or on a picture that explain something about the picture (n)

columnist

a journalist who writes a regular series of articles for a particular newspaper or magazine (n)

correspondent

a newspaper or television reporter, especially one who deals with a particular subject or area (n)

coverage

news about something on television or radio or in the newspaper, sometimes used about the amount of attention that television radio and newspapers give to something or the way in which something is reported (n)

coverage

information about a range of things, for example in a book or course of education (n)

critic

someone who does not like something and states their opinion about it (n)

critic

someone who does not like something and states their opinion about it (n)

critic

someone whose job is to write or broadcast their opinions about things such as books, films or plays (n)

footnote

a note at the bottom of a page that gives more detailed information about something on the page (n)

ghostwriter

someone who writes something for someone else whose name will appear on it as the writer (n)

handbook

a small book that gives information about a subject or instructions about how to use something (n)

manifesto

a formal statement expressing the aims and plans of a group or organisation, especially a political party (n)

novelist

someone who writes novels (n)

pamphlet

a very thin book with a paper cover, usually given free to people (n)

prerecorded

messages, music, television or radio programmes that have been recorded so that they can be used later (adj)

reviewer

someone whose job is to write articles in a newspaper or magazine giving their opinion about a new play, book, art exhibition, etc (n)

spine

the edge of a book where all the pages are fixed together (n)

subtitles

a translation of what people are saying in a foreign language film or television programme that appears at the bottom of the screen (n)

supplement

a seperate part of a newspaper or magazine (n)

tabloid

relating to newspapers with fairly small pages mostly containing stories about famous people and not much serious news (adj)

tabloid

a newspaper with fairly small pages mostly containing stories about famous people and not much serious news (n)

trailer

an advertisement for a film or television programme that shows a short part of that film or programme (n)

blurt out

say something suddenly and without thinking about the effect it will have, usually because you are nervous or excited

catch on

understand; become popular or fashionable

come out

become available to buy or see; become easy to notice; become known; be spoken, heard, or understood in a particular way

come out with

say something suddenly, usually something that surprises or shocks people

dry up

stop talking because you have forgotten what you were going to say

get across

make people understand something

get (a)round

heard about by a lot of people

get through (to)

be connected to a place by telephone; make someone understand what you are trying to say

let on

talk about something that is intended to be a secret

pass on

give someone something, for example a message, that someone else has given you

put across/over

explain an idea, belief, etc in a way that is easy to understand

set down

write something on a piece of paper so that it will not be forgotten and can be looked at later; state officially how something should be done

shout down

make it difficult to hear what someone says by shouting while they are speaking

speak out

state your opinion firmly and publicly about something, especially in order to protest against or defend something

talk over

discuss a problem or a plan