4/28

 

1. barren  (adj.)   /ˈbærən/

a. barren land is dry and plants cannot grow there

b. without any interesting or positive features

c. a woman who is barren cannot have babies

ex: After 15 barren years, the club had at last won a major trophy.

 

 

 

2. shrouded (v.)     /ʃraʊd/

a. to cover or hide something

b. to wrap a dead body in a piece of cloth

c. to be very secret or mysterious

ex: They were a shadowy secret society, whose activities were shrouded in mystery.

 

 

3. federal (adj.)       /ˈfed(ə)rəl/

a. a federal country or system is one in which individual states make their own laws, but a national government is responsible for areas such as defense and foreign policy

b. connected with the national government of a country rather than with the government of one of its member states

ex: The cost will be split between state and federal governments.

 

 

 

4. buffet (v.) /ˈbʌfɪt/

a. to keep hitting against something with a lot of force

b. to treat someone in a negative or unfair way

ex: All night the wind and rain buffeted the sides of the tent.

 

 

 

5. frigid (adj.)  /ˈbʌfɪt/

a. extremely formal and unfriendly

b. a frigid woman does not enjoy having sex

c. extremely cold

ex: She was born into an emotionally frigid family.

 

 

 

 

4/29

 

1. drown (v.)    /draʊn/ 

a. to sink under water and die

b. to cover something completely with a liquid, especially in a way that spoils it

c. a sound from being heard by making a louder noise

ex: The music almost drowned the sound of his voice.

 

 

 

 

2. tantalizing (adj.)    /ˈtæntəˌlaɪzɪŋ/

a. making you feel excited or hopeful about having something that you want, often something that you never get

ex: A tantalizing display of chocolates can make you feel better.

 

 

 

3. notable (adj.)       /ˈnəʊtəb(ə)l/

a. unusual or interesting enough to be mentioned or noticed

b. very successful or respected

ex: There are a few notable exceptions.

 

 

 

4. proliferate  (v.)   /prəˈlɪfəreɪt/

a. to quickly increase in number or amount

b. to cause to grow by proliferating

ex: Rumors about the incident proliferated on the Internet

 

 

 

5. perk (n.)    /pɜː(r)k/ 

a. an extra payment or benefit that you get in your job

b. a benefit or advantage that you get from a situation

ex: At 15 I looked forward to the perks of adult life.

 

 

 

 

4/30

 

1. savory (adj.)   /rəʊˈmæntɪk/

a. having a pleasant taste or smell

b. having a spicy or salty quality without being sweet

c. morally good

ex: They prepared an assortment of both sweet and savory foods.

 

 

 

 

2. ebb (n.)    /eb/

a. the process in which the sea level on a coast becomes lower

b. a period when something gradually becomes smaller or less

c. a low point or condition

ex: Morale seems to have reached its lowest ebb.

 

 

 

3. tacit (adj.)      /ˈtæsɪt/

a. expressed or understood without being said directly

ex: She felt that she had her parents' tacit approval to borrow the car.

 

 

 

4. intrinsic  (adj.)  /ɪnˈtrɪnsɪk/

a. relating to the essential qualities or features of something or someone

b. originating or due to causes within a body, organ, or part

ex: Providing good service is intrinsic to a successful business.

 

 

5. shag (n.)   /ʃæɡ/

a. an act of having sex with someone

b. a large black bird that lives near the sea

c. a type of strong tobacco

d. A rough carpet surface made of many long pieces of wool or other material.

ex: Shall we shag now or shall we shag later?

 

 

 

 

5/1

 

1. fearsome (adj.)    /ˈfɪə(r)s(ə)m/

a. very frightening

ex: At night the child would always imagine that there were fearsome monsters lurking under his bed.

 

 

 

 

2. fealty (n.)     /ˈfiːəlti/

a. loyalty that someone promised to a king or queen in the past

b. the fidelity of a vassal or feudal tenant to his lord

c. the obligation of such fidelity

ex: He swore fealty to the king.

 

 

 

3. drab (n.)      /ˈmeleɪ/

a. not colorful or interesting

b. any of various cloths of a dull brown or gray color

ex: His drab brown clothes was gone.

 

 

4. drachma (n.)  / ˈdram /

a. any of various ancient Greek units of weight

b. an ancient Greek silver coin equivalent to six boos

ex: A silver coin or unit of weight equal to one sixth of a drachma, formerly used in ancient Greece.

 

 

5. draconian (adj.)   /drəˈkəʊniən/

a. extremely strict and severe

b. of, relating to, or characteristic of Draco or the severe code of laws held to have been framed by him

ex: The editorial criticizes the draconian measures being taken to control the spread of the disease.

 

 

5/2

 

1. swerve(v.)    /swɜː(r)v/

a. if something such as a vehicle swerves, or if you swerve it, it changes direction suddenly in order to avoid someone or something

ex: He lost control of the car and swerved toward a tree.

 

 

 

2.sirdar (n.)    / ˈsər-ˌdär, sər-ˈ /

a. a person of high rank (as a hereditary noble) especially in India

b. the commander of the Anglo-Egyptian army

ex: The sirdar had gone to travel the world for ten years.

 

 

3. straddle (v.)      /ˈstræd(ə)l/

a. to be on both sides of something

b. to have one leg on either side of something

c. to include different things

ex: He has successfully straddled the worlds of film, music, and television.

 

 

4. suave (adj.)  /swɑːv/

a. confident and polite in a way that may not be sincere

b. smoothly though often superficially gracious and sophisticated

ex: The suave gentleman was a great favorite of the elegant ladies who attended parties at the embassy.

 

 

5. suable (adj.)   / ˈsü-ə-bəl / 

a. liable to be sued in court

ex: It takes time to find a suitable berth .

 

 

 

5/2 A room with a view