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Headway Advanced

Vocabulary for Unit 1

Word/phrase	Definition	Example
school reunion	an organized social event for a group of people who went to a high school at the same time	I went to a high school reunion recently, and no one could believe I was a writer.
to have a clue	to have no knowledge about something, or to be unable to remember something	He doesn’t have a clue about how to fix a car.
dreaded	causing fear or worry/used to refer to something that you do not like or want	It’s time to fill out the dreaded tax forms.
seek smb out	to look for someone or something, especially for a long time until you find him, her, or it	While he was at the library, Steve decided to seek out some information on the history of the area.
ups and downs	a mixture of good and bad things happening to smb	Like most married couples we've had our ups and downs, but life's like that.
weary	very tired, especially after working hard for a long time	I think he's a little weary after his long journey.
You hypocrite!	someone who says they have particular moral beliefs but behaves in way that shows these are not sincere	He's a hypocrite - he's always lecturing other people on the environment but he drives around in a huge car.
to look a bit glum	disappointed or unhappy, and quiet	You look glum. What's up?
to feel dimayed	feeling unhappy and disappointed	I was dismayed to discover that he'd lied.
to say an affectionate goodbye	showing feelings of liking or love	an affectionate kiss
to feel awkward	embarrassed or nervous	I always feel awkward when I'm with Chris - he's so difficult to talk to.
to evolve (from/into)	to develop gradually, or to cause something or someone to develop gradually	Bacteria are evolving resistance to antibiotics.
(walk) upright	straight up or vertical	Please return your seat to an upright position and fasten your belt.
set someone apart	to be different from, and usually better than, others of the same type	What set her apart from the other candidates for the job was that she had a lot of original ideas.
puzzling	difficult to explain or understand	It's a rather puzzling film.
perplexing	confusing, often because you do not know how to solve something	They find the company's attitude perplexing and unreasonable.
forebear	a relative who lived in the past	Occasionally we rediscover long-forgotten truths that our forebears knew well.
flourish	to grow or develop successfully	My tomatoes are flourishing this summer - it must be the warm weather.
trait	a particular characteristic that can produce a particular type of behaviour	His sense of humour is one of his better traits.
trace	a sign that something has happened or existed	He attempted to cover up all the traces of his crime.
urge	a strong wish, especially one that is difficult or impossible to control	The two of them seem unable to control their sexual urges.
to be blushing/to blush	to become pink in the face, usually from embarrassment:	I always blush when I speak in public.
to debate	to try to make a decision about something	I'm still debating what colour to paint the walls.
to fancy	to be sexually attracted to someone	He could tell she fancied him.
to graze your knee	to break the surface of the skin by rubbing against something rough	He was lucky, the bullet just grazed his leg.
mortgage	an agreement that allows you to borrow money from a bank	They took out a £400,000 mortgage to buy the house.
have a lie in	to stay in bed for some time after waking up	I told Stan he could have a lie-in this morning.
to have a tantrum	a sudden period of uncontrolled anger like a young child's	Charlie hada tantrum in the shop because I wouldn't buy him any sweets.
to have a pot belly	a fat, round stomach	After 20 years of heavy drinking, he has a massive potbelly.
swotting for an exam	to study hard, usually by reading about or learning something, especially before taking an exam	It is not simply something to swot up to pass the exam and then forget.
to teeter	to appear to be about to fall while moving or standing	Danielle was teetering around in five-inch heels.
a satchel	a rectangular leather bag with a long strap, used especially in the past by children for carrying books to school	Nothing of value must be left in overcoat and raincoat pockets, or in bags and satchels.
to play truant	to be regularly absent from school without permission	She was suspended from her last school for playing truant.
mournful	very sad	mournful music.
infant	a baby or a very young child	The most important thing is for parents to spend time with their newborn infant.
to mewl	to cry with a soft high sound	He was mewling like a sick kitten.
to puke	to vomit	The baby puked all down my shirt.
to whine	to make a long, high, sad sound	Alice, if you keep whining I won't take you - do you understand?
to creep	to move slowly, quietly, and carefully, usually in order to avoid being noticed	She turned off the light and crept through the door.
woeful	very bad or (of something very bad or unpleasant) very large or extreme	They displayed woeful ignorance of the safety rules.
an oath	a promise, especially that you will tell the truth in a law court	The witness placed her hand on the Bible and took the oath.
pard	old-English (priest)	bearded like the pard.
a capon	old English (chicken)	with good capon lined.
a saw	a short sentence that states something that is generally thought to be true, or that gives useful advice	An old saw says a hospital can be a dangerous place for a healthy person.
to shrink	to become smaller, or to make something smaller	Your sweater will shrink if you wash it at too high a temperature.
childishness	the quality of being something that would be expected of or appropriate for a child	Ashamed at my childishness, I apologized.
oblivion	the state of being completely forgotten	He was another minor poet who was consigned to oblivion.
sans	old-English (without)	Sans teeth,sans eyes,sans taste, sans everything.
to emote	to show emotion in a way that makes it very clear what you are feeling	From actors' facial expressions and the way they emote, we can draw conclusions about their characters' states of mind.
notion	a belief or idea	I have only a vague notion of what she does for a living.
a flaw	a fault, mistake, or weakness, especially one that happens while something is being planned or made, or that causes something not to be perfect	This report is full of flaws.
to be outraged	to feel anger and shock	Local people were outraged at the bombing.
undaunted (by)	still determined and enthusiastic, despite problems or no success	Undaunted by the cold and the rain, people danced until 2 a.m.
to be confined to	to limit an activity, person, or problem in some way	Let's confine our discussion to the matter in question, please!
to devise (an experiment)	to invent a plan, system, object, etc., usually using your intelligence or imagination	He's good at devising language games that you can play with students in class.
controversial	causing disagreement or discussion	The book was very controversial.
to absorb	o take something in, especially gradually	In cold climates, houses need to have walls that will absorb heat.
to hand out	to give something to each person in a group or place	They stood on the street corner handing out leaflets.
to take to	to start to like someone or something	For some reason, I just didn't take to him.
to pick smth up	to learn a new skill or language by practising it rather than being taught it:	When you live in a country you soon pick up the language.
to get at someone	to criticize a person repeatedly	He keeps getting at me and I really don't know what I've done wrong.
to be gutted	extremely disappointed and unhappy	He was gutted when she finished the relationship.
to mean the world	to be extremely important to someone	Her children mean the world to her.
to be blown away	to surprise someone very much	Winning first prize and a full scholarship blew her away.
hectic	full of activity, or very busy and fast	The area has become a haven for people tired of the hectic pace of city life.
Pull the other one!	used when you do not believe what someone has just said	Helen, mountain climbing? Pull the other one - she can't even climb a ladder without feeling sick!
to be thrilled to bits	extremely pleased	She was thrilled to bits with her present.
to make such a fuss	to give someone a lot of attention and treat them well	I was the only person there with a small baby so everyone made a fuss of us.
indignation	anger about a situation that you think is wrong or not fair	Nonetheless, the passion and indignation of its author put a vitally important moral issue before us.
reassurance	words of advice and comfort intended to make someone feel less worried	Despite her father's reassurances, she was still frightened of the dark.
boastfulness	a way of talking in which you praise yourself and what you have done	He speaks with honesty rather than boastfulness.
gratitude	the feeling or quality of being grateful	We express our warm gratitude to the many children and their parents who participated in this study.
relief	a feeling of happiness that something unpleasant has not happened or has ended	After the exam, I felt an incredible sense of relief.
astonishment	very great surprise	To my astonishment, the judges did not agree with me.
delight	a feeling of great pleasure, satisfaction, or happiness	The film is a delight from start to finish.
snobbish	like a snob	My brother is very snobbish about cars.
smug	too pleased or satisfied about something you have achieved or something you know	She deserved her promotion, but I wish she wasn't so smug about it.
conceited	too proud of yourself and your actions and abilities	Without wishing to sound conceited, I am the best salesperson in the company.
bubbly	(especially of a woman or girl) attractively full of energy and enthusiasm	She's a very bubbly character.
patronizing	speaking or behaving towards someone as if they are stupid or not important	It's that patronizing tone of hers that I can't bear.
condescending	treating someone as if you are more important or more intelligent than them	I hate the way he's so condescending to his staff!
outraged	feeling outrage	Outraged viewers jumped onto social media to complain about the ending of the series.
indignant	angry because of something that is wrong or not fair	He became very indignant when it was suggested he had made a mistake.
distraught	extremely worried, nervous, or upset	They are physically disabled, mentally distraught, and poisoned.
totally lose it	to stop being able to control your emotions and suddenly start to shout, cry, or laugh	I'd been trying so hard to stay calm but in the end I just lost it.
to be bored rigid	extremely unhappy because something is not interesting or because you have nothing to do	We sat there, bored rigid, while the history teacher droned on.
to be beside yourself	extremely upset	He was beside himself when he found out his dog had died.

Created by: Eugene_teacher

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