MASTER 2 – LESSON 3 – VOCABULARY

(277 new words and expressions)

ACCEPTANCE approval, the act of accepting something
ACCOMPLISH, TO to finish, to end or conclude
ACCUSATION the act of accusing someone
ACCUSE, TO to say you believe someone is guilty of a crime or any kind of wrongdoing
ACHIEVEMENT something you get especially by effort, ability or courage
ADDRESS, TO to direct a speech or statement to
ADMIT, TO to allow to enter
ADMONITION a warning or reproof
ADVISED informed
AIR CONDITIONING a system for controlling the temperature and/or the quality of the air
ALASKAN of or from Alaska
ALMA MATER one’s school, college or university
ALUMNI, (PL) graduate or former student
ALUMNUS
ASSAULT 1. strong criticism of someone; 2. the crime of trying to hurt someone physically; a
violent physical attack
AT ANY RATE in any case
ATTORNEY lawyer
AWARE (BE AWARE to know about something; to be informed about something
OF)
BANKER executive or official working at a bank
BE ATTRIBUTED TO, considered as caused or made by someone or something
TO
BE BORN WITH A to have opportunities you didn’t earn, but from the influence of your family
SILVER SPOON ON
ONE’S MOUTH, TO
BE COMING UP, TO to be happening soon
BE OUT OF LINE, TO (informal) to say or do something that is not acceptable in a particular situation
BET DOLLARS TO 1. to bet something of value against something worth considerably less; 2. to be sure
DOUGHNUTS, TO about something
BIBLIOGRAPHY a list of sources consulted or used in order to prepare some material
BIRDBRAIN a stupid person
BLATANT obvious, flagrant
BLOW OVER, TO (argument, embarrassing or unpleasant situation) to end or be forgotten
BOARD the group of people responsible for the main decisions at a university or college
BODYGUARD person employed in order to protect or escort another person
BREAK INTO A COLD to become frightened and anxious and become to sweat
SWEAT, TO
BRILLIANT having or showing great intelligence, talent, skill, etc.
BRING (SOMETHING) to mention or to start talking about something
UP, TO
BRING UP, TO (a child) to care for and train
BUZZARD 1. an offensive way to refer to an unpleasant person; 2. vulture; 3. despicable person
CAN DO NO WRONG make no mistakes
CATER TO ONE’S to supply what is desired or required
NEEDS, TO
CHARMING pleasing, delightful
CHEAT, TO to disrespect rules, to be dishonest; (test) to copy another person’s answers
CHILDISH silly, of a child
CLAIM, TO to say something is yours or made by you
CLOUT power to influence or control situations
COME CLEAN, TO to be honest, to confess everything
COME OF AGE, TO to reach the age when you are an adult and are legally responsible for your behavior
COME UPON, TO to find or encounter, especially by chance
COMMIT, TO to do or perform
COMMOTION agitation, noisy disturbance
COMPOSURE self-controlled state of mind
CONSCIENCE the sense of what is right or wrong
COPY, TO to reproduce or imitate
CORPORATE cooperative
COST, TO to cause someone to lose something
COURSE OF ACTION the things you choose to do in a particular situation
COVER UP ONE’S to hide traces of what someone did
TRACKS, TO
CRISP firm and fresh
CRUDE undisguised, blunt; lacking intellectual perceptivity
CRY OUT, TO to scream or shout aloud
CUNNING showing skill or cleverness
CURRENT present
CUT, TO (computer) to clip or take from
CYBER referring to computers or computer network
DARE, TO to be brave, silly or rude enough to do something that you shouldn’t do or have no right
to do
DEMANDING requiring or claiming more than is generally expected
DESPICABLE very bad or unpleasant, causing strong feeling of dislike
DIRECT clear, obvious
DISCIPLINARY enforcing or administering discipline
DISCIPLINARY disciplinary committee
BOARD
DISGUSTEDLY with repugnance
DISMISS, TO to end or stop something, so people involved can leave
DOCTOR UP, TO to sophisticate or improve something, in order to gain any kind of advantage
DWELL ON, TO 1. to continue; 2. to live
EDUCATE, TO to teach someone, especially in a school, college or university
ELITE of the highest class
EMAIL message sent using an electronic address
EMPIRE domain; kingdom
END UP, TO to become eventually
EVEN THOUGH despite the fact that
EVENTUALLY at some later time; in the end
EXIT, TO to leave a place, to go out
EXPECTATIONS a strong belief that something will happen
FATAL causing death; leading to failure or disaster
FEE payment made in exchange for services
FELON person who has committed a felony
FELONY crime
FILE a document saved in a computer
FINISH OFF, TO to complete
FIRE, TO to make someone leave a job; to tell someone you don’t want him/her as an employee
anymore
FISHY inspiring doubt or suspicion
FIZZLE OUT, TO to gradually fail, end, or disappear
FLIPPANCY condition of not being serious about a serious subject, in order to be funny or appear to
be clever
FOOL a person who acts unwisely
FOOL, TO to induce a person to error or to have a wrong idea about something
FRESHMAN beginner; a student at the first year of school
GET (RIGHT) DOWN to start talking about the most important facts or details of a situation
TO BRASS TACKS, TO
GHOST WRITER a person who writes a speech, article, book, etc., for another person
GIST the essence
GIVE SOMEONE A PAT to show praise or approval
ON THE BACK, TO
GIVE SOMEONE A (informal) to speak to someone in an angry way
PIECE OF YOUR MIND,
TO
GLANCE, TO to look quickly at someone or something
GLIMPSE a brief, incomplete look
GO WITH, TO to accompany
GOOGLE TRANSLATE a free statistical multilingual machine-translation service provided by Google
Inc. to translate written text from one language into another
GOVERNESS a woman employed at a house to educate children
GRACE PERIOD period after a due date or deadline during which an obligation may still be fulfilled
without penalty or suspension of benefits.
GUILT a sorry feeling because you have done something you know is wrong
HAVE ONE’S HIDE, TO to punish someone severely
HAVE SOMEONE OR to focus on that person or thing in order to achieve a certain goal.
SOMETHING
(SQUARE) IN ONE’S
SIGHTS, TO
HEAD leader, person in charge of a school, organization, or the like
HEADMASTER the principal of a (private) school
HERE AND THERE in or to various places
HIDEOUS repulsive, revolting, horrible
HOLY SMOKE! What a surprise!
HONOR, TO to respect
HOW DARE YOU! used to express you are shocked and angry about what someone has said or done
HUSH UP, TO to cover up a fault; to suppress information; to become quieter or less intensive
I DON’T THINK YOU used to say that a person won’t be able to convince others that what s/he says is true
HAVE MUCH OF A or right
CASE
ILLUSTRIOUS eminent; well-know and distinguished
IN A NUTSHELL (used to end up a conversation or piece of writing) in summary
IN HOT WATER in trouble
IN ONE’S HANDS within one’s possibilities
IN THE MEANTIME meanwhile, during the time before something happens or before a specified period
ends
INDIRECTLY not in a clear or obvious way
INDUSTRIAL of or relating to industry
INTERNAL existing or happening within a company, organization or institution
INTERFERENCE the act of getting involved in someone else’s activities when your involvement is not
wanted
JITTERY being tense, anxious and nervous
JUDGE 1. person who has the knowledge to give an opinion about something, or to decide if it’s
good; 2. person who has the power to make decisions on cases brought to a court of
law
JUVENILE an underage person who has committed a crime or is constantly breaking the law or the
DELINQUENT rules
KICK SOMEONE OUT, to dismiss or expel someone
TO
LAUGHTER the act of laughing
LENIENT not severe, allowing more than usual; not punishing because something wrong
someone did
LIVE UP TO, TO to live or act in accordance with; to prove to be equal
LOOK OVER, TO to examine or inspect
LOSS the loosing of something or someone
MAID a woman in charge of the housework
MAKE A (GOOD) + to have all the necessary qualities and talent to be a (good) teacher / doctor / etc. in the
PROFESSION, TO future
MAKE AMENDS, TO to improve; to make something better
MAKE GOOD, TO to become successful
MAKE-UP a test, quiz, paper, given or assigned to students who missed or failed a previous one
MANUSCRIPT a piece of writing
MATERNAL referring to someone’s mother
MEA CULPA a statement saying something is your fault
MESS WITH to treat someone in a way that may make him/her angry; to start an argument with
(SOMEONE), TO someone
MIDTERM an exam taken in the middle of the semester
MISDEMEANOR a minor wrongdoing
MISFORTUNE something bad that happens to someone
MISSION a specific task that was completed successfully
ACCUMPLISHED
MISTER used for addressing a man to indicate you are angry at him
MULTICULTURAL referring to more than one culture
MULTICULTURALISM characterized by the use or showing ideas or behavior from many cultures
NAME-CALLING the act of insulting someone by calling him/her offensive names
NAMESAKE a person who has the same name as another
NEED someone’s necessity
NERVE (HAVE SOME / said when you think a person has done something inappropriate, unacceptable or
A LOT OF NERVE) impolite without being embarrassed about it
NIP IN THE BUD, TO  put an end to something before it develops into something larger
NONETHLESS in spite of what has been said, however
NOT HAVE THE to have no idea
SLIGHEST IDEA
NOTABLE important, interesting, or unusual enough to be noticed or mentioned
NOTIFY, TO to inform
OBLIGE TO, TO to have an obligation to do something; to make someone do something
OF SOME SORT said when you don’t know what type of thing you are referring to
OFFENDER person who broke the law
OFFSET, TO to compensate for
OLD FOX (used to show disapproval) very clever and experienced
ON A ROLL experiencing an interval of success and good fortune
ONE’S (JUST) DUE what someone deserves
OUTLINE, TO to give the many aspects of something; to summarize
OUTRAGEOUS too bad to be accepted or allowed; very insulting
OUTSTANDING excellent
OVERACHIEVER person who performs better or who achieves more success than others
OVERCOME, TO to defeat in competition or conflict; to deal with successfully, to prevail over
OVERWHELM, TO to present to an excessive amount
PAMPER, TO to treat with excessive indulgence
PASTE, TO to copy a previously cut text or part of a document in another file
PATHWAY 1.(education)courses taken by a student to gain entry to a higher course or towards a fi
nal qualification; path; a route to get to a place
PAUSE a brief break during a conversation or speech
PHILOSOPHER person who offers views or theories on profound questions in ethics, metaphysics, logic
 and other related fields
PLAGIARISM the act of copying someone else’s work claiming it’s yours
PLAGIARIST person who practices plagiarism
PLAGIARY person who commits plagiarism or the act itself
PLEASED happy or satisfied
POLICY the rules that set the way a company, or the like, deal with some situations
POLITICIAN person who has a job in politics, especially elected during official voting
PONDER, TO to consider or think carefully and deeply about
POWERFUL that has a lot of power to do something or to make something happen
PRAISEWORTHY deserving of praise
PREACH, TO to give religious or moral instruction
PRECISELY 1. used to express you completely agree with what was said; 2. exactly
PREPOSTEROUS very silly or stupid
PRESTIGIOUS having a high reputation
PROOF evidence, facts, information, etc., that proves something exists or is true
PULL STRINGS, TO to use the influence you have with important people to get or achieve what you want
PURSUE, TO to follow in an effort; to proceed along the course of
RATHER quite
REFRAIN FROM, TO to avoid doing something
REGAIN, TO to gain again; to recover
REGARDING related to or concerning something
RELENTLESSLY persistently
RELIEVED happy and relaxed because something bad has not happened or has ended
REMAIN, TO to continue to be
REMARK, TO to make a comment
REPORT, TO to inform in a formal way
RESEARCH to look up; to search
RESPECT feeling or understanding that someone is important, serious, etc.
RETIRE, TO to stop working because someone has reached a certain age or has already worked for
a period of time
REWRITE, TO to write something again, or to make changes in something in order to improve or to
include some new information
ROBBER to steal
RULING CLASS the class of people exerting power or authority
RUN IN ONE’S FAMILY, common in that family because many of its members have it
TO
SAFELY in a safe manner
SAMUEL JOHNSON, Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 [O.S. 7 September] – 13 December 1784), often
DR. referred to as Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions to
English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and
lexicographer.
After nine years of work, Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language was
published in 1755. It had a far-reaching effect on Modern English and has been
described as "one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship". This work
brought Johnson popularity and success. Until the completion of the Oxford English
Dictionary 150 years later, Johnson's was viewed as the pre-eminent British dictionary.
SEE / HEAR THE LAST not have to deal with someone or something any longer
OF, TO
SENIOR a student at the last (fourth) year of school
SENSE a feeling about a situation; the ability of taking good decisions
SERMON a religious speech given by a priest in a church
SIGN, TO to put your signature under something to show it’s yours or that you agree with it or
stated it
SLANDER the crime or act of saying something false about someone which can make people
have a bad opinion about him/her
SMART ALECK impertinent person; annoying person that tries to show s/he’s clever
SOMEHOW in a way not known or certain
SOPHISTICATED showing knowledge or cultural refinement
SORT kind, type
SPARK LAUGHTER, to cause someone to laugh
TO
SPELLING the school subject that studies the way words are written
SPLENDID very good
SPOIL, TO to harm the character of (a child) by overindulgence or leniency
STANDARD the acceptable or desired level of quality
START OUT, TO to take the first steps in a journey, career, etc.
STATE, TO to express something
STERN severe, expressing disapproval
STINK a situation in which people complain about something in a very angry and often public
way
SUBJECT idea or problem being discussed, topic of a conversation
SUBJECT MATTER the main idea or subject in a discussion, speech, etc.
SUCCESSFULLY with success
SUE, TO to make a legal claim against a person or organization, especially for money, because
s/he hurt you or treated you in a way that was not fair
SUFFICE, TO to be enough
SUITABLE appropriate
SUMMON, TO to order someone to come to a place
SURELY certainly
SWAP, TO to exchange
SWIPE, TO (informal) to steal
TAKE THE EASY WAY to get free of something by taking the path of least resistance
OUT, TO
TERM PAPER a paper written at the end of a semester, necessary to be accepted in the next level
THICK dense
THRONE a chair occupied by a monarch
THUS consequently
TONE DOWN, TO to make something less severe, shocking or offensive
TRACK RECORD all of the achievements and failures that someone has had in the past, especially
regarded as the way to judge what this person is likely to do in the future
TRANSLATION something that is translated from one language to another
TRANSLATOR a person whose job is to translate from one language into another
TRICKY very difficult
TRUSTEE member of a board elected or appointed to direct the funds and policy of an institution
TUITION education; education costs
TURN OUT TO BE, TO to become eventually
TWIST, TO (facts or words) to change their meaning in a way that is not fair
TYCOON person who has a lot of money / power
UNDERACHIEVER person who doesn’t succeed
UNDERESTIMATE, TO to minimize, to rate too low
UNFOUNDED not based on facts or proofs
UNWILLING not wanting to do something, not inclined to
UPBRING education; training
URGENT that needs immediate attention
USE ANY MEANS, TO to do anything possible in order to get something, even dishonest or unfair ways
VENEER a pleasant appearance, or a polite way of behaving, that is not sincere
WALL STREET a 0.7-mile-long (1.1 km) street running eight blocks, roughly northwest to southeast,
from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan in the financial
district of New York City. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial
markets of the United States as a whole, the American financial sector (even if financial
firms are not physically located there), or signifying New York-based financial interests
WATCH OVER, TO 1. to tend to; 2. to take care
WEALTHY having a lot of money; very rich
WHEEL AND DEAL, to use clever and sometimes dishonest methods to make deals, especially in business
TO or politics
WIDOWER a man whose wife has dead
WILLIAM JAMES an American philosopher and psychologist who was also trained as a physician. The
first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, James was one of the
leading thinkers of the late nineteenth century and is believed by many to be one of the
most influential philosophers the United States has ever produced, while others have
labelled him the "Father of American psychology".
WINDBAG big mouth, chatterer
WISE intelligent, reasonable
WISECRACK, TO to make a joke
WITH ALL DUE (formal) used to express polite disagreement
RESPECT
WITHIN EARSHOT able to be heard
WORRY something that makes you feel worried
WRAP UP, TO to end or finish something
WRONGDOING illegal or dishonest behavior
YOU’VE GOT A DEAL used to demonstrate you agree with someone and will do business or will do what the
person wants you to
YOUTHFUL new, immature