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presage

a warning or sign that something will happen, usually something unpleasant

• the first presages of winter

vilify

to say or write unpleasant things about somebody/something so that other people will have a low opinion of them

• A campaign was mounted to vilify the leaders of the organization.

dissipate

to gradually become or make something become weaker until it disappears

• Eventually, his anger dissipated.

contrivance

something that somebody has done or written that does not seem natural; the fact of seeming artificial

• The film is spoilt by unrealistic contrivances of plot.

a clever or complicated device or tool made for a particular purpose

• His workshop was full of mechanical contrivances.

an adjunct to sth

something that is added or connected to a larger or more important thing:

Green, socially conscious concepts are not an adjunct to its main business, but a philosophy that works its way into everything it does.

stricture (on)

a severe criticism, especially of somebody’s behaviour

• She merely ignored any strictures on the way she dressed.

frailty

weakness and poor health

• Increasing frailty meant that she was more and more confined to bed.

interdiction

the act of stopping something that is being transported from one place from reaching another place, especially by using force

• the Customs Service’s drug interdiction programs

admonition

a warning to somebody about their behaviour

• To William he had written a letter full of the gravest admonitions, urging him to think carefully about what he was committing himself to.

dissonance

a combination of musical notes that do not sound pleasant together

lack of agreement

pierce (through) sth

(literary) (of light, sound, etc.) to be suddenly seen or heard

• Sirens pierced the silence of the night.

• Shafts of sunlight pierced the heavy mist.

pierce sth

to make a small hole in something, or to go through something, with a sharp object

• The arrow pierced his shoulder.

vegetate

(of a person) to spend time doing very little and feeling bored

efflorescence

the most developed stage of something

till

to prepare and use land for growing crops

husband

to use something very carefully and make sure that you do not waste it

• Times are hard and we have to husband our resources.

putrefy

to decay and smell very bad

• The corpses were beginning to putrefy.

mark time

to pass the time while you wait for something more interesting

• I'm just marking time in this job—I'm hoping to get into journalism.

expatiate on

to speak or write about something in great detail or for a long time:

She expatiated on her work for the duration of the meal.

dilate on/upon

to write or speak about a subject for a long time:

He likes to dilate upon what he thinks is wrong with the world.

sap sth

to make something/somebody weaker; to destroy something gradually

• The hot sun sapped our energy.

suffuse

to spread through or over something completely:

His voice was low and suffused with passion.

truncate

to make something shorter, especially by cutting off the top or end

• My article was published in truncated form.

uncoupled

to separate two things that are joined together:

The engine had been uncoupled from the rest of the train.

steam of conversation

course of conversation

a torrent of

a sudden large or too large amount, especially one that seems to be uncontrolled:

He let out a torrent of abuse/angry words.

trickle

a small amount of liquid, flowing slowly

• There was a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.

menace

to be a possible danger to something/somebodysynonym threaten

• The forests are being menaced by major development projects.

dazzle

to impress somebody a lot with your beauty, skill, etc.

• He was dazzled by the warmth of her smile.