Vocabulary: Batch 17

• to destroy or ruin (a place); to overwhelm someone with shock or grief

  The hurricane devastated the coastline.

• extremely shocked, upset, or destroyed

  He was devastated by the news.

• great destruction or emotional shock

  The earthquake left widespread devastation.

• highly destructive or damaging

  A devastating cyclone.

• relating to position or placement

  The team gained a positional advantage.

Capital E or context may refer to the illegal drug MDMA.

1. an overwhelming feeling of great happiness or joyful excitement

   Fans screamed in ecstasy after the goal.

2. (often capitalized) the illegal recreational drug MDMA

   Police found several pills of Ecstasy at the party.

• extremely happy or excited

  She was ecstatic about the scholarship.

• to be slowly destroyed by a chemical process

  Salt water corrodes metal quickly.

• the gradual chemical destruction of metal or material

  The pipes showed signs of corrosion.

• able to damage material by chemical action; bitterly harmful

  The lab stores corrosive chemicals separately.

• to make someone feel ashamed or foolish

  The coach humiliated the player in public.

• a feeling or act of being deeply embarrassed or degraded

  She never forgot the humiliation of that meeting.

• not connected to public utilities or mainstream systems

  They built an off-grid cabin in the mountains.

1. a violent windy storm

   The ship was nearly lost in the tempest.

2. (figurative) a state of great anger, turmoil, or excitement

   A political tempest followed the announcement.

• full of strong emotion, conflict, or stormy change

  They had a tempestuous relationship.

• a cage or small building for chickens or other small animals

  The hens returned to the coop at sunset.

• to confine someone or something in a small place

  The kids were cooped up indoors all day.

• confined in a small space

  I hate being cooped up indoors.

• relating to Afghanistan or its people

  The restaurant serves Afghan food.

• a person from Afghanistan; also a breed of long-haired dog

  Several Afghans spoke at the conference.

From Latin 'providere' (to foresee). Not related to 'prude', despite the resemblance.

• showing careful good judgment

  It would be prudent to save some money.

• careful good judgment that avoids unnecessary risk

  Financial prudence kept the company alive.

• not showing care for the consequences of an action; rash

  It would be imprudent to leave her winter coat behind.

American spelling; the British spelling is defenceless.

• unable to protect oneself

  The civilians were defenseless against the attack.

• to officially choose, name, or mark something

  This area was designated a national park.

• a person who agrees not to drink alcohol so they can drive others

  I'll be the designated driver tonight.

• an official name, title, or classification

  The building received historic designation.

• a sticky resin used on violin bows and in sports

  The violinist applied rosin to the bow.

Formal; often plural.

• a strong declaration that something is true or false

  Despite his protestations, nobody believed him.

• clothes worn in bed

  The children changed into their nightclothes.

• a person related to you by birth rather than marriage

  He is not a blood relation, but he feels like family.

British term. American English usually says stocking stuffer.

• a small inexpensive Christmas gift

  The bookstore sells notebooks as stocking fillers.

• money demanded for releasing a kidnapped person or stolen item

  The kidnappers demanded a ransom.

• to free someone by paying money

  The family tried to ransom the hostage.

• a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid

  A ransomware attack.

• not explainable by natural laws

  The movie is about supernatural forces.

• having a rim of a particular kind

  He wore thick-rimmed glasses.

Homophone of raise, but opposite in meaning.

• to completely destroy a building or place

  The old factory was razed to make way for apartments.

The p and s are silent; plural is also pronounced /kɔːrz/ in some contexts.

• an organized body of people, especially in the military or public service

  She joined the press corps after college.

British term; American English often says handyman.

• a person paid to do small practical jobs

  We hired an odd-job man to fix the fence.

• a flat kitchen surface used for preparing food

  Wipe the worktop after cutting vegetables.

1. (tennis) a score of forty-forty, requiring a two-point lead to win the game

   She saved two break points at deuce.

2. a card or dice roll with a value of two

   He rolled a deuce on the second die.

American spelling.

1. to burn slowly with smoke but little or no flame

   The ruins smoldered after the fire.

2. (of an emotion) to be present in a suppressed but intense form

   Resentment smoldered beneath his calm exterior.

• British spelling of smolder

  Anger smouldered beneath his calm voice.

• pleasantly soft, calm, or relaxed

  The wine had a mellow flavor.

• to become softer, calmer, or less harsh

  He has mellowed with age.

• not asked or invited to come

  An uninvited guest appeared at the door.

• physical or emotional exhaustion from long-term stress

  Many nurses reported burnout after the pandemic.

• the reception desk in a hotel, office, or clinic

  Ask for towels at the front desk.

• a hotel or office worker at the front desk

  The desk clerk gave us a room key.

• a deep cut or hole in a surface

  There was a gouge in the wooden floor.

1. to cut or scrape a deep hole in (something)

   The digger's claw gouged a trench in the earth.

2. (informal) to charge (someone) an unfairly high price

   The store was accused of gouging customers.

• a person who supports a project with money or influence

  The startup found a wealthy backer.

• having a strong or revealing effect

  Her silence was telling.

• a reason for something; a principle people support

  The investigation found the cause of the fire.

• to make something happen

  The delay caused serious problems.

Often confused with "casual" (different word). "Causal relationship" / "causal link": common in science and law. "Correlation is not causation."

• relating to cause and effect

  They found a causal link between the two events.

Philosophical concept. Hume challenged whether causality is observable or merely inferred. Quantum physics complicates classical causality.

• the relationship between cause and effect

  The book explores causality in physics.

• intended to distract attention from something else

  The attack was a diversionary tactic.

Medical/anatomical term.

• the rounded sensitive end of the penis or clitoris

  The textbook diagram labels the glans.

1. a small songbird, especially of the tit family

   A blue tit landed on the feeder.

2. (vulgar slang) a woman's breast

   This sense is common in crude or explicit speech.

• to ask strangers for money in a public place

  He panhandled near the station.

• a narrow strip of land projecting from a larger area

  The Florida Panhandle was hit by the storm.

• a person who asks strangers for money in public

  A panhandler stood outside the store.

• completely lacking something

  The report was devoid of useful details.

• to make something impure by adding a poorer substance

  The supplier adulterated the oil with cheaper chemicals.

Often used hyperbolically: "unadulterated joy", "unadulterated nonsense". Originally about food/drink that hasn't been mixed with inferior substances.

• pure; not mixed with anything else

  It was unadulterated nonsense.

• toward the back or past

  She stepped backward to avoid the bike.

• behind in development or progress

  The policy felt backward and unfair.

• relating to the body; physical rather than spiritual

  Ghost stories imagine spirits without corporeal form.

• a rapid series of drum beats used before an announcement

  There was a drum roll before the winner was named.

• a flash of lightning with thunder; a sudden shock

  The resignation came like a thunderbolt.

• unusual in an interesting or slightly strange way

  The film has an offbeat sense of humor.

• larger than normal because of injury, illness, or pressure

  Her ankle was swollen after the hike.

Chiefly Scottish, Irish, or literary.

• a girl or young woman

  She was a brave lass.

• to appear again after being hidden or forgotten

  Old allegations resurfaced during the campaign.

• to put a new surface on (something, especially a road)

  The city plans to resurface Main Street this summer.

• used to suggest something appears or changes suddenly, like magic

  Press the button and shazam, the lights turn on.

1. a short article or block of information set apart from the main text on a page

   The article includes a sidebar with statistics.

2. a short, private, or off-topic discussion held apart from the main conversation

   Let's take that question to a sidebar after the meeting.

• to move unsteadily from side to side

  The wheel began to wobble.

• an unsteady movement

  There is a slight wobble in the table.

• shaking or likely to fall because it is unsteady

  The table is wobbly on this floor.

• working secretly to gather information

  An undercover officer joined the group.

• a person who is very enthusiastic about something

  The museum attracts devotees of modern art.

• to be much better than an opponent

  The champion outclassed every challenger.

• an animal hunted and eaten by another animal

  Owls hunt small prey at night.

• to hunt or exploit someone

  Scammers prey on the elderly.

• a person skilled at shooting accurately

  The marksman hit the target.

• skill in accurate shooting

  The course teaches marksmanship.

Informal.

• alcoholic drink

  There was too much booze at the party.

• to drink alcohol, especially too much

  He spent the weekend boozing.

• a small enclosed field for horses or livestock

  The horses grazed in the paddock.

1. to rise to one's feet

   Please stand up when the judge enters.

2. (informal) to fail to keep an appointment with (someone), especially a date

   He stood me up on our first date.

• a disappointment

  The ending was a let-down after such a strong start.

1. a reply given to a question, letter, or problem

   She still hasn't given me an answer.

2. a correct solution to a problem or puzzle

   What's the answer to question three?

'Answer to' someone = be accountable to them; 'answer for' something = take responsibility for it.

1. to say or write something in reply

   He never answered my email.

2. to be accountable or responsible to someone

   As manager, she answers to the board.

• not answered or dealt with

  Several questions remain unanswered.

• impossible to answer or argue against

  She made an unanswerable point.

• to extend over an area or make something extend

  The fire spread quickly through the building.

1. a soft food, such as butter or jam, put on bread

   She keeps a jar of chocolate spread in the cupboard.

2. a wide range or an elaborate display, especially of food

   The table had a generous spread of snacks.

• to move apart or arrange things over a wider area

  The hikers spread out along the trail.

A grave political and human-rights term.

• forced removal or killing of an ethnic group from an area

  The tribunal investigated ethnic cleansing.

• sexually crude or offensive

  He was arrested for lewd behavior.

• to visit a place briefly

  I'll swing by your office after lunch.

Insulting and informal.

• very stupid

  That was a moronic decision.

• something done after an earlier action to continue or check progress

  The doctor scheduled a follow-up.

• done after an earlier event

  She sent a follow-up email.

• an easy victory or a win because the opponent does not compete

  The final was a walkover.

• to move liquid noisily or carelessly

  Water sloshed over the edge of the bucket.

Informal.

• very drunk

  He came home sloshed after the party.

• material used to fill space; content added only to take up room

  The episode felt like filler.

• not clear because of mist, smoke, or vague memory

  My memory of that summer is hazy.

• to make something by mixing ingredients or inventing a story

  They concocted a plan to sneak out.

• a strange mixture or invented story

  The drink was a sweet green concoction.

• to eat or drink noisily

  He slurped the noodles.

• a noisy sucking sound while eating or drinking

  She took a loud slurp of soup.

• a light building in a park, fair, or sports ground

  The band played in the park pavilion.

Informal fixed phrase: call dibs on something.

• a claim to have or use something first

  I call dibs on the front seat.

• a hammer with a large head, often made of wood or rubber

  Use a rubber mallet to tap the tile.

• a clear broth or concentrated stock

  Add a bouillon cube to the soup.

• the smallest and weakest animal in a litter

  The runt needed extra care.

• a soft toy filled with stuffing

  The child slept with a stuffed toy.

• a record of hours worked

  Submit your time sheet by Friday.

• a period of supervision instead of prison or before full appointment

  He was sentenced to two years of probation.

• relating to a trial or probation period

  New employees serve a probationary period.

• a person on probation

  The probationer must report weekly.

• an officer who supervises people on probation

  The probation officer visited his home.

• the legal process of proving and administering a will

  The estate is still in probate.

• to legally prove or administer a will

  The lawyer helped probate the will.

• unable to feel pleasure

  Depression can make a person feel anhedonic.

Blend of cremated and remains.

• the ashes left after a body has been cremated

  The family scattered the cremains at sea.

• the former industrial region of the northeastern and midwestern United States

  Many Rust Belt cities lost manufacturing jobs.