20. Exam preparation: weather

blight [blaɪt]

The sudden frost caused a blight on the crops.

His death cast a blight on the whole of that year.

His career has been blighted by injuries.

A plant disease that causes damage or decay; can also mean something that spoils or damages.

to have a bad effect on something, especially by causing a lot of problems

squall [skwɔːl]

A sudden squall blew in, bringing strong winds and rain.

A sudden vicious squall knocked her to the ground.

A sudden, violent gust of wind or a brief, intense storm.

downpour [ˈdaʊnpɔː]

We got caught in a heavy downpour on our way home.

A heavy fall of rain.

drench [drentʃ]

The rain drenched us completely within minutes.

He’s got drenched to the skin

His face was drenched with/in sweat.

To make someone or something completely wet.

glisten [ˈɡlɪsn]

The leaves glistened after the morning rain.

Her eyes were glistening with tears.

​(of something wet) to shine

fiery [ˈfaɪəri]

The sky turned a fiery red at sunset.

fiery red hair

a fiery and heated meeting

a fiery Mexican dish

​looking like fire; consisting of fire

​showing strong emotions, especially anger

​(of food or drink) causing a part of your body to feel as if it is burning

torrential [təˈrenʃəl]

The torrential rain caused flooding in the area.

​(of rain) falling in large amounts

foul [faʊl]

The foul weather kept us indoors all day.

She's in a foul mood.

She’s got a foul temper.

Foul drinking water was blamed for the epidemic.

Unpleasant or severe, especially weather.

​dirty and smelling bad

hoar frost [ˈhɔː frɒst]

The trees were covered in hoar frost after the cold night.

​a layer of small pieces of ice that look like white needles and that form on surfaces outside when temperatures are very low

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languid [ˈlæŋɡwɪd]

The languid breeze made the hot day more bearable.

a languid wave of the hand

a languid afternoon in the sun

Slow, relaxed, and weak; lacking energy, ​moving slowly in an attractive way, not needing energy or effort

spell [spel]

There will be rain at first, with sunny spells later.

a spell of windy weather

She had a spell as a singer before becoming an actress.

a short period of time during which something lasts