Presage
Verb
1. to be a sign that something is going to happen, especially something bad
E.g. an artificially strong peso may presage serious problems for the country.
Condescend
Verb
1. to behave in a way that shows that you think you are more important or more intelligent than other people
E.g. I will not condescend to answer the sore loser's charge that I cheated in order to win the race.
Slander
Noun
1. the crime of saying something about someone that is not true and is likely to damage their reputation
E.g. she was accused of slandering her former boss.
Censor
Noun
1. to remove parts of a book, film, letter etc for moral, religious, or political reasons
E.g. government censors deleted all references to the protest.
Scheme
Noun
1. a plan that is developed by a government or large organization in order to provide a particular service for people
E.g. the company has a new scheme for insurance coverage.
Skeptical
Adjective
1. having doubts about something that other people think is true or right
E.g. she’s highly skeptical of the researchers' claims.
Obscene
Adjective
1. so unfair or immoral that you feel angry
E.g. the amount of money that top-class footballers earn is positively obscene.
Circumscribe
Verb
1. to limit something such as power, rights, or opportunities
E.g. Armstrong was the company president, though his powers were circumscribed.
Scribble
Verb
1. to make marks or drawing with no meaning
E.g. A child had scribbled on the book.
Inscrutable
Adjective
1. if someone is inscrutable, it is impossible to understand what they are thinking or feeling from their expression or from what they say
E.g. his face remained inscrutable and unsmiling.
Sector
Noun
1. a part of a country's economic or business activity
E.g. they tend to work as managers, especially in the small business sector.
Segment
Noun
1. a separate part of anything
E.g. the decision was very popular among certain segments of the population.
Shatter
Verb
1. to break something suddenly into a lot of small pieces
E.g. The blast shattered windows over a wide area.
Scathing
Adjective
1. criticizing someone or something in a very strong way
E.g. he launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister.
Consensus
Noun
1. agreement among all the people involved
E.g. we are still hopeful that further talks will result in a consensus.
Resent
Verb
1. to experience angry unhappy feelings because you think you have been treated unfairly or without enough respect
E.g. the girls in the family resented all the attention that Peter was getting.
Preside
Verb
1. to be in charge of an official meeting, ceremony, or other event
E.g. these committees are usually presided over by a senior judge.
Subside
Verb
1. to become weaker, less violent, or less severe
E.g. the pain should subside in an hour or two.
Subsidy
Noun
1. an amount of money that the government or another organization pays to help to reduce the cost of a product or service
E.g. the government pays subsidies to farmers to produce particular crops.
Supersede
Verb
1. if one thing supersedes another, it replaces the other thing, especially because it is more modern or more useful
E.g. steam trains were gradually superseded by diesel engines.
Session
Noun
1. a period of time used for a particular activity
E.g. a question-and-answer session will be held after the lecture.
Assess
Verb
1. to carefully consider a situation, person, or problem in order to make a judgement
E.g. we tried to assess his suitability for the job.
Asset
Noun
1. something such as money or property that a person or company owns
E.g. the state's natural assets include mountains and beautiful lakes.
Siege
Noun
1. an attack in which an army surrounds a castle or city in order to prevent the people inside from receiving food and water
E.g. the troops prepared to withstand a long siege.
