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Dec 31, 2011

Compatibility

able to exist or work with something else, or (of a person) able to live or work with someone else:
 Compatible also means being suitable or right for each other:
Their blood types are not compatible, so we cannot use his blood.




The computer software isn’t compatible with your operating system.
Levine said he is lucky he and his roommate are compatible.

Preoccupation

Preoccupation

the thing you think about most:
 His preoccupation with sports is affecting his grades.





Dec 28, 2011

Hierarchy

a system in which people or things are put at various levels or ranks according to their importance:
He rapidly rose in the corporate hierarchy.






Diminish

to reduce or be reduced in size or importance:
 The threat of inflation is diminishing.
 A single-payer system would diminish the bureaucratic cost of health.




maltreatment



to treat someone cruelly or violently
He had been badly maltreated as a child. 

They complained about the physical and psychological maltreatment of prisoners.






Dec 21, 2011

Siege

Siege

the act of surrounding a place by an armed force in order to defeat those defending it:
 After a month-long siege, they gave themselves up to federal agents.
The town was under siege.


Weary

very tired,  from hard work:
Even my brain is weary tonight!


Kiss me mother kiss your darlin'
Lay my head upon your breast
Throw your loving arms around me
I am weary let me rest

Seems the light is swiftly fading
Brighter scenes they do now show
I am standing by the river
Angels wait to take me home

Kiss me mother kiss your darlin'
See the pain upon my brow
While I'll soon be with the angels
Fate has doomed my future now

Through the years you've always loved me
And my life you've tried to save
But now I shall slumber sweetly
In a deep and lonely grave

Kiss me mother kiss your darlin'
Lay my head upon your breast
Throw your loving arms around me
I am weary let me rest
I am weary let me rest


Sneak

Sneak
to go or do something secretly, or take someone or something somewhere secretly 
He sneaked out of the house, going out through the back way.
 I sneaked a look at my watch.
 Make sure you sneak a little bit of protein into your snacks. 
 He snuck out of the budget meeting and went back to the lab.



Regain

Regain
to get something back again:
I had to move out to regain my sanity.




Dec 17, 2011

Boisterous

noisy and not controlled:
The audience burst into boisterous laughter.




Fanciful

not realistic
fanciful ideas/notions





Acquaintance

a person that you have met but do not know well
a business acquaintance
 
formal used in some expressions about knowing or meeting people
It was at the Taylors' party that I first made his acquaintance (= first met him).
I wasn't sure about Darryl when I first met her, but on further acquaintance (= knowing her a little more) I rather like her.
 
formal knowledge of a subject
Sadly, my acquaintance with Spanish literature is rather limited.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Provision

something that is needed or wanted, or the act of considering the need for something and arranging for it:
Provisions are also supplies of food and other necessary items:
 Provisions had to be flown in by helicopter






 When designing buildings in California, you have to make some provision for earthquakes.
 Ample provisions for aircraft stability have been made.

Dec 13, 2011

Nuisance

Nuisance
something or someone that annoys you or causes trouble for you.
It’s a nuisance filling out all these forms.



Dec 11, 2011

Consent

Consent
permission or agreement obtained from someone or something having authority or power
I asked to leave the room, and the teacher gave his consent.





Stink

Stink

to smell very unpleasant
 Your feet stink.






Pore

Pore
one of many very small holes in the skin of people or other animals or on the surface of plants.








precious

Precious

of very great value or worth:




precious memories
Children are our most precious resource.

Dec 10, 2011

vain,brag,arrogant,snob


Vain: having too much pride in on's appearance, achievements .
Brag:to speak with pride, often with too much pride, about something you have done or something you possess.

Arrogant :proud in an unpleasant way and behaving as if you are better or more important than other people.

Snob:a person who judges the importance of people mainly by their social position or wealth, and who believes social position or wealth makes one person better than others.





Vine

a type of plant that climbs or grows along the ground and has a twisting stem




a grape vine
pea vines

Dec 5, 2011

Whisk

Whisk
to move with a rapid, sweeping stroke
 She whisked everything off the table with her arm.
 to sweep (dust, crumbs, etc., or a surface) with a whisk broom
 



 
 
 
 

Frugal

Frugal

careful in spending money:
Lungren, a fiscal conservative when it comes to spending taxpayers’ money, is frugal in his personal life as well






Dec 2, 2011

Spatula

Spatula

a kitchen utensil with a wide, flat blade, used esp. for lifting and spreading foods.




Precise

Precise

exact and accurate in form, time, detail, or description:
The precise recipe is a closely guarded secret.
Years of doing this research had made her very precise in her working methods.
There was a good turnout for the meeting – twelve of us, to be precise.



Nov 29, 2011

Bruise

Bruise

a place on a person’s skin that is darker from bleeding under the skin, usually from an injury
My little boy fell off his bike and has a bad bruise on his shoulder





Fluffy

Fluffy

light and full of air, or soft and furry

a fluffy mohair sweater
Beat the eggs and sugar together until they are light and fluffy.





Nov 27, 2011

Ferret

Ferret

a type of weasel ( small animal with a long, thin body) that usually has black feet and black fur around its eyes.




Double decker bus

Double decker bus

a tall bus with two levels









Pitcher

Pitcher

a container for liquids with a handle on one side and a shaped opening at the top of the other side for pouring.




Snore

Snore

to make loud noises as you breathe while you are sleeping:
My husband snores so loudly it keeps me awake at night.




Nov 25, 2011

Rattle


Rattle

to make a noise consisting of quickly repeated knocks:






 The windows rattled when the wind blew.
 Manny slammed the door, rattling the cups on the shelf.

Shackle

Shackle

one of a pair of metal rings connected by a chain and fastened to a person’s wrists or the bottoms of the legs to prevent the person from escaping






Nov 24, 2011

Fidelity

Fidelity
the state of remaining loyal to someone and keeping the promises you made to that person.






Arena

Arena


a central, level area for the performance of sports or entertainment, having raised seats around it from which people can see the activities, or a building containing the seats and performance area:
 An arena is also a particular activity, esp. one that involves competition and gets a lot of public attention:
She entered the political arena as a young woman.







a sports arena

Nov 23, 2011

Stir

Stir
to mix liquids or other substances, or to move an object such as a spoon in a circular movement.








 Chad stirred the thick paint in the buckets.
 Add tomatoes, stir, and bring to boil.
 Let the rice sit, and then stir it up.

Foresee



Foresee

to realize or understand something in advance or before it happens.
He foresaw the need for cars that would be less polluting.




Nov 22, 2011

Chirp

Chirp
(esp. of a bird) to make a short high sound or sounds.







Harmony

Harmony
notes that are played or sung with the main tune and that make the piece more complicated and interesting.











Nov 21, 2011

sting

sting

(esp. of insects, plants, and animals) to produce a small but painful injury by making a very small hole in the skin:
 If something stings, it causes you to feel pain:
 Cold air stung Jack’s lungs.
 The soap made his eyes sting.
 If someone’s remarks sting you, they make you feel upset and annoyed:
 Managers were stung by criticism from environmentalists.







 Why do bees sting?

Blossom

Blossom
of a tree or plant) to produce flowers that develop into fruit:
The cherry tree is beginning to blossom.
fig. She has really blossomed recently (= become more confident and successful).