Vocabulary-page15 exercises 6-10
6)Barrage: noun
1[C, usually sing.] the continuous firing of a large number of guns in a particular
direction, especially to protect soldiers while they are attacking or moving
towards the enemy
2[sing.] barrage (of sth) a large number of sth, such as questions or comments,
that are directed at sb very quickly, one after the other, often in an aggressive
way:a barrage of questions / criticisms / complaints
[C] a wall or barrier built across a river to store water, prevent a flood, etc.
Barricade: noun, verb
noun
a line of objects placed across a road, etc. to stop people from getting past: The
police stormed the barricades the demonstrators had put up.
verb
[vn] to defend or block sth by building a barricade: They barricaded all the doors
and windows.
PHRASAL VERBS
barricade yourself in/inside (sth)
to build a barricade in front of you in order to prevent anyone from coming in:
He had barricaded himself in his room.
Collocations: Verb + Barricade: build-construct-erect-put up-dismantleremove- take down-smash-storm-man.
Ditch: noun, verb
noun
a long channel dug at the side of a field or road, to hold or take away water
verb
1[vn] (informal) to get rid of sth/sb because you no longer want or need
it/them:The new road building programme has been ditched. Ç He ditched his
girlfriend.
2[vn, v] if a pilot ditches an aircraft, or if it ditches, it lands in the sea in an
emergency
Dyke: noun
1a long thick wall that is built to stop water flooding onto a low area of land,
especially from the sea
2(especially BrE) a channel that carries water away from the land
SYN ditch
3(taboo, slang) a word for a lesbian, that is usually offensive
7)Hand: noun
IDIOMS
all hands on 'deck (also all hands to the 'pump)
(saying, humorous) everyone helps or must help, especially in a difficult
situation:There are 30 people coming to dinner tonight, so it’s all hands on deck.
(close/near) at 'hand
close to you in time or distance: Help was at hand. Ç The property is ideally
located with all local amenities close at hand.
at the hands of sb | at sb’s hands
(formal) if you experience sth at the hands of sb, they are the cause of it
be good with your 'hands
to be skilful at making or doing things with your hands
bind/tie sb hand and 'foot
1to tie sb’s hands and feet together so that they cannot move or escape
2to prevent sb from doing what they want by creating rules, restrictions, etc.
by 'hand
1by a person rather than a machine:The fabric was painted by hand.
2if a letter is delivered by hand, it is delivered by the person who wrote it, or sb
who is sent by them, rather than by post / mail
fall into sb’s 'hands / the 'hands of sb
(formal) to become controlled by sb:The town fell into enemy hands. Ç We don’t
want this document falling into the wrong hands.
(at) first 'hand
by experiencing, seeing, etc. sth yourself rather than being told about it by sb
else: The President visited the area to see the devastation at first hand.
get your 'hands dirty
to do physical work:He’s not frightened of getting his hands dirty.
sb’s 'hand (in marriage)
(old-fashioned) permission to marry sb, especially a woman: He asked the
general for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
hand in 'glove (with sb)
working closely with sb, especially in a secret and/or illegal way
hand in 'hand
1if two people are hand in hand, they are holding each other’s hand
2if two things go hand in hand, they are closely connected and one thing
causes the other:Poverty and poor health often go hand in hand.
(get/take your) hands 'off (sth/sb)
(informal) used to tell sb not to touch sth/sb:Get your hands off my wife! Ç Hey,
hands off! That’s my drink!
hands 'up! (informal)
1used to tell a group of people to raise one hand in the air if they know the
answer to a question, etc.:Hands up all those who want to go swimming.
2used by sb who is threatening people with a gun to tell them to raise both
hands in the air
have your 'hands full
to be very busy or too busy to do sth else:She certainly has her hands full with
four kids in the house.
have your 'hands tied
to be unable to do what you want to do because of rules, promises, etc.:I really
wish I could help but my hands are tied.
hold sb’s 'hand
to give sb support in a difficult situation:Do you want me to come along and hold
your hand?
in sb’s capable, safe, etc. 'hands
being taken care of or dealt with by sb that you think you can rely on:Can I
leave these queries in your capable hands?
in 'hand
1if you have time or money in hand, it is left and available to be used
2if you have a particular situation in hand, you are in control of it
3the job, question, etc. in hand is the one that you are dealing with
4if sb works a week, month, etc. in hand, they are paid for the work a week, etc.
after they have completed it
in the hands of sb | in sb’s 'hands
being taken care of or controlled by sb:The matter is now in the hands of my
lawyer. Ç At that time, the castle was in enemy hands.
keep your 'hand in
to occasionally do sth that you used to do a lot so that you do not lose your skill
at it:She retired last year but still teaches the odd class to keep her hand in.
lay/get your 'hands on sb
to catch sb that you are annoyed with:Wait till I get my hands on him!
lay/get your 'hands on sth
to find or get sth:I know their address is here somewhere, but I can’t lay my
hands on it right now.
many hands make light 'work
(saying) used to say that a job is made easier if a lot of people help
not do a hand’s 'turn
(old-fashioned) to do no work:She hasn’t done a hand’s turn all week.
off your 'hands
no longer your responsibility
on either / every 'hand
(literary) on both / all sides; in both / all directions
on 'hand
available, especially to help: The emergency services were on hand with
medical advice.
on your 'hands
if you have sb/sth on your hands, you are responsible for them or it:Let me take
care of the invitations—you’ve enough on your hands with the caterers.
on the 'one hand … on the 'other (hand) …
used to introduce different points of view, ideas, etc., especially when they are
opposites: On the one hand they’d love to have kids, but on the other, they don’t
want to give up their freedom.
out of 'hand
1difficult or impossible to control:Unemployment is getting out of hand.
2if you reject, etc. sth out of hand, you do so immediately without thinking about
it fully or listening to other people’s arguments:All our suggestions were
dismissed out of hand.
out of your 'hands
no longer your responsibility:I’m afraid the matter is now out of my hands.
play into sb’s 'hands
to do exactly what an enemy, opponent, etc. wants so that they gain the
advantage in a particular situation:If we get the police involved, we’ll be playing
right into the protesters' hands.
put your hand in your 'pocket
(BrE) to spend money or give it to sb: I’ve heard he doesn’t like putting his hand
in his pocket.
(at) second, third, etc. 'hand
by being told about sth by sb else who has seen it or heard about it, not by
experiencing, seeing, etc. it yourself:I’m fed up of hearing about these decisions
third hand!
take sb in 'hand
to deal with sb in a strict way in order to improve their behaviour
take sth into your own 'hands
to deal with a particular situation yourself because you are not happy with the
way that others are dealing with it
throw your 'hand in
(informal) to stop doing sth or taking part in sth, especially because you are not
successful
to 'hand
that you can reach or get easily:I’m afraid I don’t have the latest figures to hand.
turn your 'hand to sth
to start doing sth or be able to do sth, especially when you do it well:Jim can
turn his hand to most jobs around the house.
8)Pity: noun, verb
noun
1[U] pity (for sb/sth) a feeling of sympathy and sadness caused by the suffering
and troubles of others:I could only feel pity for what they were enduring. Ç a
look / feeling / surge of pity Ç I took pity on her and lent her the money. Ç
(formal) I beg you to have pity on him. Ç I don’t want your pity.
2[sing.] a ~ (that … ) | a ~ (to do sth) used to show that you are disappointed
about sth SYN shame:It’s a pity that you can’t stay longer. Ç ‘I’ve lost it!’ ‘Oh,
what a pity.’ Ç What a pity that she didn’t tell me earlier. Ç It seems a pity to
waste this food. Ç This dress is really nice. Pity it’s so expensive. Ç Oh, that’s a
pity. Ç It would be a great pity if you gave up now.
IDIOMS
more’s the 'pity
(BrE, informal) unfortunately:‘ Was the bicycle insured?’ ‘No, more’s the pity!’
verb
(pit·ies, pity·ing, pit·ied, pit·ied) (not used in the progressive tenses) to feel sorry
for sb because of their situation; to feel pity for sb:[vn] He pitied people who
were stuck in dead-end jobs. Ç Compulsive gamblers are more to be pitied than
condemned. Ç [vn -ing] I pity her having to work such long hours.
WORD FAMILY
pity noun verb pitiful adjective pitiless adjective pitiable adjective piteous
adjective
Reproach: noun, verb
noun (formal)
1[U] blame or criticism for sth you have done: His voice was full of reproach. Ç
The captain’s behaviour is above / beyond reproach (= you cannot criticize it).
2[C] a word or remark expressing blame or criticism: He listened to his wife’s
bitter reproaches.
3[U] a state of shame or loss of honour: Her actions brought reproach upon
herself.
4[sing.] reproach (to sb/sth) a person or thing that brings shame on sb/sth SYN
discredit:Such living conditions are a reproach to our society.
verb (formal)
1reproach sb (for sth / for doing sth) | reproach sb (with sth / with doing sth) to
blame or criticize sb for sth that they have done or not done, because you are
disappointed in them:[vn] She was reproached by colleagues for leaking the
story to the press. [also v speech, vn speech]
2[vn] reproach yourself (for sth / for doing sth) | reproach yourself (with sth) to
feel guilty about sth that you think you should have done in a different way:He
reproached himself for not telling her the truth.
Remorse: noun
[U] remorse (for sth / for doing sth) the feeling of being extremely sorry for sth
wrong or bad that you have done:I felt guilty and full of remorse. Ç He was filled
with remorse for not believing her.
remorseful / adjective
remorsefully adverb
Penance: noun
1[C, usually sing., U] penance (for sth) (especially in particular religions) an act
that you give yourself to do, or that a priest gives you to do in order to show that
you are sorry for sth you have done wrong:an act of penance Ç to do penance
for your sins
2[sing.] something that you have to do even though you do not like doing it:She
regards living in New York as a penance; she hates big cities.
9)Collocations: Adjective + Weapon: deadly- lethal- potent- powerful effectiveuseful- heavy- light- automatic- biological- chemical- nuclear- offensivestrategic- tactical- murder- ultimate- secret.
Lethal: adjective
1causing or able to cause death SYN deadly, fatal:a lethal dose of poison Ç a
lethal weapon Ç (figurative) The closure of the factory dealt a lethal blow to the
town.
2(informal) causing or able to cause a lot of harm or damage:You and that car—
it’s a lethal combination!
Fatal: adjective
1causing or ending in death:a fatal accident / blow / illness Ç a potentially fatal
form of cancer Ç If she gets ill again it could prove fatal.—compare mortal
2causing disaster or failure:a fatal error / mistake Ç Any delay would be fatal. Ç
There was a fatal flaw in the plan. Ç It’d be fatal to try and stop them now.
ô fa·tal·ly / Ñ -tJli; NAmE Ñ / adverb:fatally injured / wounded Ç The plan was
fatally flawed from the start.
Mortal: adjective, noun
adjective
1that cannot live for ever and must die:We are all mortal. OPP immortal
2(literary) causing death or likely to cause death; very serious:a mortal
blow / wound Ç to be in mortal danger Ç (figurative) Her reputation suffered a
mortal blow as a result of the scandal.—compare fatal
3[only before noun] (formal) lasting until death SYN deadly:mortal enemies Ç
They were locked in mortal combat (= a fight that will only end with the death of
one of them).
4[only before noun] (formal) (of fear, etc.) extreme:We lived in mortal dread of
him discovering our secret.
Πnoun
(often humorous) a human, especially an ordinary person with little power or
influence SYN human being:old stories about gods and mortals Ç (humorous)
Such things are not for mere mortals like ourselves. Ç (humorous) She can deal
with complicated numbers in her head, but we lesser mortals need calculators!
Venal: adjective
(formal) prepared to do dishonest or immoral things in return for money SYN
corrupt: venal journalists
venality noun [U]
10)Deception: noun
1[U] the act of deliberately making sb believe sth that is not true (= of deceiving
them) SYN deceit:a drama full of lies and deception Ç He was accused of
obtaining property by deception.
2[C] a trick intended to make sb believe sth that is not true SYN deceit:The
whole episode had been a cruel deception.
Fraud: noun
1[U, C] the crime of cheating sb in order to get money or goods illegally:She
was charged with credit card fraud. Ç property that has been obtained by fraud
Ç a $100 million fraud
2[C] a person who pretends to have qualities, abilities, etc. that they do not
really have in order to cheat other people:He’s nothing but a liar and a fraud. Ç
She felt a fraud accepting their sympathy (= because she was not really sad).
3[C] something that is not as good, useful, etc. as people claim it is
Embezzle: verb
to steal money that you are responsible for or that belongs to your employer:[vn]
He was found guilty of embezzling $150 000 of public funds. [also v]
embezzlement noun [U]:She was found guilty of embezzlement.
embezzler noun
Theft: noun
[U, C] theft (of sth) the crime of stealing sth from a person or place:car theft Ç
Police are investigating the theft of computers from the company’s offices.