English

thwart,

bolster,

unbridled ,

emanate,

prolonged,

cursory,

reluctance,

pledge, to make a serious or formal promise to give or do something:

We are asking people to pledge their support for our campaign.

If you join the armed forces, you have to pledge allegiance to your country.

So far, £50 000 has been pledged (= people hav

pinch, to steal something:

Right, who's pinched my chair?

vigilant, always being careful to notice things, especially possible danger:

Following the bomb scare at the airport, the staff have been warned to be extra vigilant.

vigilante,

presage,

concomitantly,

scramble, to change a radio or telephone signal so that it can only be understood using a special device

threshold, the level or point at which you start to experience something, or at which something starts to happen:

I have a low/high boredom threshold (= I do/don't feel bored easily).

His secretary earns £268 a month, well below the threshold for paying t

doldrum, in the doldrums unsuccessful or showing no activity or development:

Her career was in the doldrums during those years.

2 UK INFORMAL in the doldrums sad and with no energy or enthusiasm

3 OLD-FASHIONED an area of sea where ships are unable to m

pre-eminence, more important or better than others:

She is the pre-eminent authority in her subject.

complacency, a feeling of calm satisfaction with your own abilities or situation that prevents you from trying harder:

What annoys me about these girls is their complacency - they seem to have no desire to expand their horizons.

There's no room for compla

avert, to prevent something bad from happening; avoid:

to avert a crisis/conflict/strike/famine

to avert disaster/economic collapse

overwhelming,

insurgency, someone who is fighting against the government in their own country:

All approaches to the capital are now under the control of the insurgents.

yank, to pull something forcefully with a quick movement:

He tripped over the wire and yanked the plug out.

She yanked open the cupboard and everything fell out.

procrastinate, to keep delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring:

I know I've got to deal with the problem at some point - I'm just procrastinating.

profligacy, wasteful with money:

She is well-known for her profligate spending habits

intimidate, to frighten or threaten someone, usually in order to persuade them to do something that you want them to do:

They were intimidated into accepting a pay cut by the threat of losing their jobs.

glum, disappointed or unhappy, and quiet:

You look glum. What's up?

He's very glum about the company's prospects.

weigh,

peril, great danger, or something that is very dangerous:

I never felt that my life was in peril.

The journey through the mountains was fraught with peril (= full of dangers).

Teenagers must be warned about the perils of unsafe sex.

dismantling,

clear,

boon, something that is very helpful and improves the quality of life:

Guide dogs are a great boon to the partially sighted.

endorse, to write something in order to give permission for something, especially your signature on the back of a cheque, in order to make it able to be paid to someone else

reverberate,

endure, to continue to exist for a long time:

The political system established in 1400 endured until about 1650.

vindicate, to prove that what someone said or did was right or true, after other people thought it was wrong:

The decision to include Morris in the team was completely vindicated when he scored three goals.

The investigation vindicated her complaint about

feeble, weak and without energy, strength or power:

He was a feeble, helpless old man.

The little lamp gave only a feeble light.

Opposition to the plan was rather feeble

counterfeit, made to look like the original of something, usually for dishonest or illegal purposes: counterfeit jewellery/passports/coins

culprit, a fact or situation that is the reason for something bad happening:

Children in this country are getting much too fat, and sugar and sweets are the main culprits.

windfall, an amount of money that you win or receive from someone unexpectedly:

Investors each received a windfall of £3000.

The government is hoping to collect a windfall tax (= extra tax on a large unexpected company profit) from British Electric.

sanity, He'd been behaving so strangely that they began to doubt/question his sanity.

Maybe Jenny can bring some sanity into (= think and act with good judgment in) this crazy situation.

to keep/preserve/retain your sanity