abase yourself
to accept sb’s power over you
knuckle under to sb/sth
to accept sb/sth else’s authority
submissive
too willing
to accept sb else’s authority
subservient
to
sth
submissive, less important than sth else
abashed
ashamed and embarrassed
bashful
shy and easily embarrassed
put sb on the spot
to make sb feel embarrassed by asking difficult
question
about turn / volte face
complete change of opinion, etc.
turn about
sudden and complete change in sth
abstemious
not allowing yourself to have much food or
alcohol or enjoyable activities
austere
without any decorations; (of a person) strict
and serious; abstemious
ad-lib
to give a speech or a performance without
preparation or practice
improvise
to make or do sth using whatever is
available, to ad-lib
abuse
unfair or cruel treatment of sb/sth
oppress
to treat sb cruelly, to weigh down
persecute
to treat sb cruelly
acclaim
to praise sb publicly, praise and approval
commendation / plaudits
praise and approval
accolade
praise or
award of honour
laurels
honour and praise given to sb because of sth
they have achieved
acrid
bitter smell or taste
acrimony
bitter
feelings or words
adolescent
young person who is developing from a child
into an adult
teens
years of a person’s life when they are
between 13 and 19 years old
affected
pretended
disaffected
unsatisfied
affront
to insult or offend sb
take umbrage
at sth
to feel offended or upset by sth
aft
in the stern of the
ship or aircraft
abaft
in the stern of a ship
stern
the back end of a boat or ship
agglomeration
group of things put together in no particular
order
conglomeration
mixture of different things found all
together
a la carte
food which is selected from the list of
dishes and prices
table d’ hot
plate of food with fixed price
agnosia
inability to
recognize people and things
analgesia
loss of the ability to feel pain while still
conscious
apoplexy
inability to feel, move because of injury in
the brain
asphyxia
difficulty in breathing which may cause death
or unconsciousness
dyslexia
difficulty in reading and spelling but no
effect in intelligence
agoraphobia
fear of being in the crowd
claustrophobia
fear of being in a small confined place
alimony
money, which is given to former husband or
wife after the end of the marriage
palimony
money which is given to former partner after
the end of a relationship
altercation
noisy argument or disagreement
argy-bargy
noisy disagreement
alumna
former woman student
alumnus
former male student
amble / saunter / stroll
to walk in a slow relaxed way
ramble
to walk for
pleasure
amorous
showing sexual desire and love toward sb
eros
sexual desire or love
androgen
male sex hormone eg testosterone
oestrogen
female sex hormone
animosity
/ antagonism / animus
feeling of hostility
enmity / loathing
feeling of hatred
anorexia
nervosa
condition, in which sb stops eating
because of the fear of being fat
bulimia
condition, in which sb repeatedly eats too much and
then vomit
arrant / stark / utter
used to emphasize
sheer
utter, very steep
artifice
clever
tricks to cheat sb
wiles
clever tricks to get sth
artiste
professional actor, singer, or dancer
troupe
group of actors, singers, dancers, who work
together
atone
(for sth)
to do sth to show you are sorry for having done sth
wrong
penance (for sth)
an act done to show you are sorry for having
done sth wrong
compunction / remorse
a guilty feeling about doing sth wrong
attic / loft
a space or room just below the roof of a house
garret
small dark unpleasant room at the top of a house
averse to sth / averse to doing sth
not liking sth or wanting to do sth
aversion
strong feeling of not liking sb/sth
awe
feelings of respect and slight fear
overawe
to impress sb so much that they feel nervous
or frightened
awfully / terribly
very, very much, very badly
devilishly
extremely, very
eminently
(used to emphasize sth positive)
extremely,
very
enormously
very, very much
exceedingly
extremely, very, very much
excruciatingly
extremely painful or bad
fabulously
extremely
fiendishly
extremely, very
backpack / rucksack
a bag, carried on the back and used during climbing
or walking
knapsack
small rucksack
haversack
a bag, carried on the back or over the
shoulder
badmouth
to say unpleasant things about sb
vilify
to say or write unpleasant things about sb
baleful
threatening
baneful
evil or causing evil
bam! / wham!
used when sth unexpected happens suddenly
poof!
used when talking about sth disappearing
suddenly
bandana
brightly coloured cloth worn around the neck or head
choker
jewellery or band of cloth around the neck
bash
to hit sb/sth very hard, to criticize
bash / jamboree
large party
or celebration
basket case
country or organization whose economic
situation is very bad
bread
basket
agricultural land
batty / nutty
slightly crazy
doolally / nuts
crazy
beau
boy friend
fella
man, sb’s boyfriend
beforehand
in advance
behindhand
late
behold
to look at or see sb/sth
have/take a gander at sth
to look at sth
pore over sth
to look at or read sth carefully
bejewelled
wearing jewellery
bewigged
wearing a wig
bespectacled
wearing spectacles
besmirch
to damage sb’s reputation
slur
unfair remark to damage sb’s reputation
the best part of sth
most of sth
the better part of sth
more than half of sth
betrothal
engagement
betrothed
engaged
bicentenary / bicentennial
200th anniversary
quincentenary
500th anniversary
biggie
important person, thing, event
big-wig
important person
billboard
hoarding
billfold
wallet
billing
position
standing
position or reputation
station
social position
bitchy
saying unpleasant things about sb
catty
saying unpleasant things about sb, spiteful
blabber
to talk in a silly or annoying way
blather
to talk continuously
yap
to bark a lot, to talk in a silly or annoying
way
blasted / dashed / the deuce / the dickens
used to express annoyance
the heck
used to express annoyance or surprise
by Jove
used to express surprise or
to emphasize a statement
golly
used to express surprise
upon my word
used to express surprise
Heavens / Good Heavens / God in heaven / good God /
my God / in Heaven’s name / in God’s name
used to
express surprise, shock, anger or annoyance
jeepers / jeepers creepers
used to express surprise or shock
catch sb napping
to surprise sb
sb’s jaw dropped / sb’s jaw sagged
suddenly surprised, shocked
dumbfounded / nonplussed / gobsmacked
unable to speak because of surprise
quizzical
slightly surprised or amused
blaze
a trail
to be a pioneer
trail blazer
pioneer
blench
to react to sth in a frightened way
flinch (at sth)
to make a sudden movement with the face or
body due to pain, fear, etc.
blitzkrieg
sudden military attack to win a quick victory
incursion
sudden attack by foreign army
putsch
sudden
attempt to remove a government by force
bloom
a flower
blossom a
flower or a mass of flowers, especially on a fruit
tree or bush
blooper
embarrassing mistake that you make in public
clanger
/
pratfall
embarrassing mistake
bloop
to make a mistake
blunder / slip-up
careless mistake
bloomer
mistake
blub
/ blubber / sob
to cry
sob
your heart
out
to cry very much
blue-collar
who does physical work in industry
pink-collar
woman who does low paid jobs in office,
restaurant
blur
sth you cannot see or remember clearly
fuzzy
blurred
muzzy
unable to think in a clear way
befuddled / bemused / garbled / muddled
confused
baffle / befog / bewilder
/ flummox
/ muddle sb up / mystify
to confuse sb
bamboozle
to confuse sb, especially by tricking them
in a daze
in a confused state
boisterous /
rambunctious
/ rumbustious
noisy and full of life and energy
full of beans/life
of a person, having a lot of energy
boor
/ skank / swine
unpleasant person
skanky
unpleasant
give sb the boot
to dismiss sb from job
pink-slip
letter given to sb to leave their job
the bottom line
essential point in a discussion, etc.
the nub of sth / the crux of sth
essential point of sth
the nitty-gritty
most important details of sth
bourgeois
belonging to the middle class;
supporting capitalism
the bourgeoisie
middle classes in society;
(politics) capitalist
class
petite bourgeoisie
lower middle classes in society
bovine
cattle like
canine
dog like
equine
horse like
feline
cat like
ovine
sheep like
piscine
fish like
porcine
pig like
vulpine
fox like
bracing
of weather cold but pleasantly
brisk
quick; of weather, cold but pleasantly fresh
brash
confident in a rude, noisy or aggressive way
cheeky
rude in amusing or annoying way
break
in
to enter a
building by force
burgle
to enter a building illegally
bric-a-brac
cheap ornament and small decorative objects
trinket
cheap piece
of jewellery or small decorative objects
brief
to inform
debrief
to question sb
brim
the top edge of a cup, bowl, glass, etc.
brim
(with sth)
to be full of sth; to fill sth
brine
very salty water for preserving food
briny
/ brackish salty
bring off
/ carry
off /
pull off
to succeed in doing sth difficult
round off / wrap up
to finish sth in an acceptable way
brook
small river
beck / runnel
stream
creek / rivulet
small river or stream
bumbling
behaving in awkward, confused way
fumbling
awkward,
hesitating, uncertain
bunting
coloured flags, paper, etc.
confetti
coloured papers, which are thrown over
marrying couple
burn-out
physically or mentally very tired
worn out
damaged, very tired
butter-fingers
who often drops things
cack-handed
person
who often drops or breaks things or does sth
badly
cadaverous
pale, thin and looking ill
drawn
looking man
pale and thin
calling / vocation
work or way of life suitable for you
vocation for sth
belief that a particular work or way of life
is suitable for you
camisole
women’s undershirt
smock
long shirt
worn by women
canine
one of the four pointed teeth at the front of
the mouth
incisor
one of the eight sharp teeth at the front of the
mouth used for biting
molar
one of the twelve large teeth at the back of the
mouth used for chewing food
