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spout verb (SPEAK) disapproving He spouts a load of pretentious nonsense and people are stupid enough to believe him! start learning
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to speak a lot, in a way that is boring or annoying for other people:
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Flames spouted (out) from the oil wells. The gash was spouting blood.; A spout of water shot out of the geyser. start learning
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to flow or send out liquid or flames quickly and with force, in a straight line:
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a tube-shaped opening that allows liquids to be poured out of a container
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She slipped on a rock and gashed her knee. start learning
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a long, deep cut, especially in the skin a long deep slash, cut, or wound.
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The museum was broken into last night and several paintings were slashed. We had to slash (our way) through the long grass to clear a path. start learning
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to cut with a sharp blade using a quick, strong movement:
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a decorative opening in a piece of clothing, often with a different colour showing through it:
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American businesses slashed 200,000 jobs in September. start learning
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a large reduction in an amount:
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pretentious [PRETENSJONALNY] disapproving start learning
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attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.
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kettle noun [C] (EQUIPMENT) start learning
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a container for boiling water, that has a lid, handle, and spout and is made from plastic or metal
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start learning
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to start to boil water in a kettle
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start learning
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an occasion when police form lines around a crowd of people and prevent them from leaving a particular area
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coach noun (VEHICLE) (US usually bus) start learning
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a long motor vehicle with comfortable seats, used to take groups of people on journeys:
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start learning
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an old-fashioned carriage pulled by horses, now used mainly in official or royal ceremonies
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coach [PARTS OF A TRAIN] UK (UK also carriage); (US car) start learning
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any of the separate parts of a train in which the passengeras sit
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She coaches students in French, usually for exams. start learning
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to give special classes in sports or a school subject, especially privately, to one person or a small group:
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coach [CHEAPEST TYPE OF SEATS] US Even the company's director flies coach most of the time. start learning
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the cheapest type of seats on a plane or train: ALSO - coach class - US ALSO - (UK economy class)
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coach station - UK; SYNONYM - BUS STATION start learning
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a place where coaches (= vehicles) arrive and leave from
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He was a weak man, led astray by ambition. start learning
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to cause someone to do something, especially something bad:
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She took the child by the hand and led him upstairs to bed. start learning
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to take hold of a person or animal and take him, her, or it somewhere:
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You've been there before - why don't you lead the way? start learning
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to show the way by going in front:
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The company has been leading the way in network applications for several years. start learning
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to make more progress than other people in the development of something:
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We'll go through the dance routine again - follow my lead (= do what I do). start learning
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the act of showing a person or group of people what to do:
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A lead from an informer enabled the police to make several arrests. start learning
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a piece of information that allows a discovery to be made or a solution to be found:
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start learning
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the main part or actor in a film or play
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(also wire); (UK also flex); (US also cord) start learning
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a wire covered in plastic and used to connect electrical equipment to the electricity supply
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lead noun (FOR ANIMAL) mainly UK (US usually leash) start learning
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a piece of rope, chain, etc. tied to an animal, especially to a dog at its collar when taking it for a walk:
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Who played the lead role in the movie? The lead guitarist was good. start learning
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used to describe the main performer or part in a performance:
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scrawls done with a bit of pencil lead start learning
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graphite used as the part of a pencil that makes a mark.
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lead [DISTANCE BY WHICH SOMEONE IS IN FRONT] After five games, she was still ahead by a point in the chess tournament, but her lead was shrinking. start learning
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A lead is also the amount or distance by which someone is in front:
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The company has improved operating performance, led by cost reduction efforts and productivity gains. start learning
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to happen before something else happens:
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I scrawled a quick note to Judith and put it under her door. Someone had scrawled graffiti across the wall. start learning
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to write something in a fast, messy way:
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The insurance company wired millions of dollars to its accounts to cover the payments. start learning
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to send money using an electrical communication system:
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wire [TELEGRAM] mainly US Janet wired me to say she'd be here a day later than planned. start learning
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in the past, to send someone a telegram:
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First, straighten your legs, then flex your feet. He tried to impress me by flexing his huge muscles. start learning
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to bend an arm, leg, etc. or tighten a muscle:
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The space can flex to suit various uses. start learning
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to change something slightly to make it more suitable for a particular situation; to be changed like this:
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flex [BEND WITHOUT BREAKING] The taper in the handle allows flex on impact. start learning
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the ability of a material to bend without breaking:
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flex noun (HOME) US (also flex apartment) This convertible apartment or flex has had a temporary wall placed in the living room to create a third bedroom. start learning
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a flat with a temporary wall put in to create an extra room:
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start learning
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abbreviation for flexible: used to describe arrangements that allow you to choose the hours that you work, whether you work in the office or at home, etc.:
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Opposition groups fear violence, after weeks of military muscle-flexing from the government. start learning
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a public show of military or political power that is intended to worry an opponent:
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flex [PUT A SKILL TO USE] the talks were seen as a way for Merkel to flex her well-known diplomatic prowess start learning
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put a (skill, talent, or ability) to use.
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brittle adjective (EASILY BROKEN) KRUCHY The pond was covered in a brittle layer of ice. start learning
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delicate and easily broken: hard but liable to break or shatter easily.
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brittle adjective (UNKIND) She gave a brittle laugh and turned away. start learning
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fatigue noun (TIREDNESS/WEAKNESS) formal The journey had fatigued him. The doctor said he was suffering from fatigue and work-related stress. start learning
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the condition of being extremely tired: to make someone extremely tired:
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a loose, brownish-green uniform worn by soldiers:
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fatigues [WORK BY SOLDIERS] UK Get dressed right now or you'll find yourself on fatigues. start learning
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work such as cleaning or cooking, done by soldiers, often as punishment: menial non-military tasks performed by a soldier, sometimes as a punishment.
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start learning
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a weakness that develops in metal structures that are used repeatedly
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a thick, cotton material woven with raised parallel lines on the outside, used esp. for jackets and pants
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cord noun (CLOTH) UK → corduroy: start learning
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start learning
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trousers made of corduroy material
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umbilical cord [PEPOWINA] The nurse cut the baby's umbilical cord. start learning
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the long, tube-like structure that connects a baby that has not yet been born to its mother's placenta (= the organ that provides it with food and oxygen):
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start learning
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the temporary organ that feeds a foetus (= developing baby) inside its mother's womb an organ that develops inside the uterus of a pregnant woman or animal and provides food for the developing baby
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womb [LONO] old-fashioned in US; SYNONYM - UTERUS start learning
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the organ in the lower body of a woman or female mammal where offspring are conceived and in which they gestate before birth; the uterus.
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Conception is the moment when a fertilized egg implants itself in a woman's uterus. start learning
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the organ in the body of a woman or other female mammal in which a baby develops before birth; womb
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extension cord - US (UK extension lead) PRZEDLUZACZ start learning
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an extra wire used to take electricity to a piece of electrical equipment when it is an extra distance from the nearest socket
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conception noun (BABY) POCZECIE an unfertilized egg before conception the process in which a baby starts to form in the uterus from the coming together of a sperm and an egg start learning
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the process of a male and a female sex cell joining and causing a baby to start to form: the action of conceiving a child or of a child being conceived.
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start learning
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a large whale with a very large, long head
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He has a low/high sperm count. start learning
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the number of live male sperm cells in a particular amount of the liquid in which they are contained:
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fetus (UK also foetus) PLOD start learning
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an unborn offspring of a mammal, in particular an unborn human baby more than eight weeks after conception.
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They arranged for her to have regular fetal monitoring. start learning
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relating to a fetus (= a young human being or animal before birth):
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fetal position (UK also foetal position) He was curled up in a fetal position on the floor, sobbing. start learning
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a position in which someone lies in a curved shape with legs and arms bent and close to the body:
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I found her sobbing in the bedroom because she'd broken her favourite doll. start learning
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to cry noisily, taking in deep breaths:
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sob story - informal disapproving She came out with some sob story about not having enough money to go and see her father who was ill. start learning
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a long excuse or explanation that is meant to make you feel sorry for someone
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They heard sob stuff from one man about his deprived childhood in an institution. start learning
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spoken or written stories that are intended to cause very sad feelings:
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gestate verb [I or T] (BABY); gestation - NOUN rabbits gestate for approximately twenty-eight days start learning
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carry a fetus in the womb from conception to birth.
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gestate verb [I or T] (IDEA) The internet had been gestating since the fifties. The subconscious mind needs time to gestate the work. start learning
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(of an idea, thought, or plan) to develop or be developed over time:
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You'd better wipe up that red wine you've spilled before it soaks (= is absorbed) into the carpet. start learning
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to make something very wet, or (of liquid) to be absorbed in large amounts:
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You can usually soak out a stain. Leave the beans to soak overnight./Let the beans soak overnight. start learning
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to leave something in liquid, especially in order to clean it, make it softer, or change its flavour:
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I think my uncle still conceives of me as a four-year-old. He couldn't conceive of a time when he would have no job. I can't conceive (= it is too shocking to imagine) how anyone could behave so cruelly. start learning
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He conceived the plot for this film while he was still a student. start learning
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to invent a plan or an idea:
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conceive verb (BECOME PREGNANT) The baby was conceived in March, so will be born in December. start learning
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to become pregnant, or to cause a baby to begin to form:
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The whole project was ill-conceived. start learning
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badly planned, not carefully considered, or based on wrong information or unreasonable beliefs:
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In the case of the guinea pig, the number of offspring varies between two and five. start learning
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offspring [CHILDREN] humorous or formal Tom's sister came over on Saturday with all her offspring. start learning
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It's fairly menial work, such as washing dishes and cleaning floors. start learning
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Menial work is boring, makes you feel tired, and is given a low social value: used to describe work that does not need any skills and is badly paid and often boring:
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start learning
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someone who tries to win a competition and achieve a position, esp. in politics or sports, against someone who has won it and now has that position:
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The letter must have gone astray in the post. I was led astray by an out-of-date map. Her parents worried that she might be led astray (= encouraged to behave badly) by her unsuitable friends. start learning
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away from the correct path or correct way of doing something:
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They scratched the horse from the race because she had become lame. start learning
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to remove yourself or another person or an animal from a competition before the start:
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lame adjective (UNABLE TO WALK) start learning
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(especially of animals) not able to walk correctly because of physical injury to or weakness in the legs or feet
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lame adjective (NOT SATISFACTORY) Saying she’d lost her homework was a pretty lame excuse, if you ask me. start learning
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(especially of an excuse or argument) weak and unsatisfactory:
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start learning
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a type of cloth with threads of gold or silver in it:
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scratch team/side/orchestra start learning
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a group of people brought together in a hurry in order to play together on a particular occasion
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grill pan UK (US broiler pan); (Australian English grill tray) start learning
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an open, rectangular metal container, often with a frame of metal bars inside, on which food is cooked under the surface in a cooker which can be heated to very high temperatures
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start learning
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to cook food in a pan in a small amount of oil or fat:
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frying pan (US also skillet) Swirl a little oil around the frying pan. start learning
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a flat metal pan with a long handle, used for frying food
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Bundt pan - trademark (UK Bundt tin) Use a Bundt pan to bake a traditional Austrian Gugelhupf cake. start learning
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a brand name for a special cake pan with high sloping sides and a hole in the middle, for baking cakes in the shape of a ring:
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Peter Pan - informal humorous start learning
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a man who never seems to look any older although he is no longer young:
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The euro can't survive without pan-European taxation. a pan-European solution to the problem start learning
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including or relating to all the places or people in Europe:
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sheet pan - US (UK baking tray) start learning
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a sheet of metal with low sides, used for baking food
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start learning
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the bowl-shaped part of a toilet
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pan verb (CAMERA - MOVE SLOWLY) In the first scene, the camera pans slowly across the room. start learning
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(of a video camera) to move slowly from one side to another or up and down: swing (a video or movie camera) in a horizontal or vertical plane, typically to give a panoramic effect or follow a subject.
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pan verb (CRITICIZE) informal The critics panned the movie version of the novel. start learning
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to criticize something severely:
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a pan-American conference a pan-European summit the Pan-African Congress start learning
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including or relating to all the places or people in a particular group: all-inclusive, especially in relation to the whole of a continent, racial group, religion, etc.
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pan [PAAN] variant spelling of paan. start learning
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leaves of the betel plant wrapped around tobacco, fruit, etc. and chewed, especially because they have a pleasant effect like a drug
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the old-timers panned gold start learning
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wash gravel in a pan to separate out (gold).
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The fog swirled thickly around us. Swirl a little oil around the frying pan.; The truck went by in a swirl of dust. start learning
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to move quickly with a twisting, circular movement, or to make something do this: a twisting, circular shape: A swirl of cream will make a dish look more fancy.
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The swirl of rumours and speculation never stopped. start learning
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the sharing and repeating of ideas or stories about somebody or something that may not be true:
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eddy [WATER, SMOKE, ETC.] The water eddied around in a whirlpool. The crowds were eddying into the road. start learning
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If water, wind, smoke, etc. eddies, it moves fast in a circle: a circular movement of water, counter to a main current, causing a small whirlpool.
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She watched the small groups of protesters eddy across the courtyard. start learning
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If a large group of people eddies somewhere, the people go there together while constantly moving around within their group: to come and go in large quantities, without becoming firmly fixed:
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She saw a mass of bodies whirling around on the dance floor. He whirled her around until she felt quite sick. start learning
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to (cause something to) turn around in circles: the action of turning around in circles or something that turns around in circles: - a whirl of snow
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I found myself swept up in the social whirl of college life and hardly had time to study. start learning
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a continuous and exciting period of activity:
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start learning
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a small area of the sea or other water in which there is a powerful, circular current of water that can pull objects down into its centre water that moves in a powerful, circular current, sucking into its center anything that floats near it
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whirlwind (US also twister) TRABA POWIETRZNA start learning
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a tall, spinning column of air that moves across the surface of the land or sea
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whirlwind [EVENT - VERY FAST] They married three months after they met - it was a real whirlwind romance. a whirlwind tour/visit The film created a whirlwind of controversy. start learning
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A whirlwind event happens very fast, and often unexpectedly: People sometimes use whirlwind to describe a situation that happens suddenly and that is full of lots of quickly changing or confusing activity:
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start learning
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a mass of whirling fluid or air, especially a whirlpool or whirlwind.
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vortex [BAD SITUATION] LITERARY I was sucked into a vortex of despair. start learning
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a dangerous or bad situation in which you become more and more involved and from which you cannot escape:
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start learning
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a small collar with rounded ends
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scour verb (CLEAN) (also scour out) A quick scour with salt and an old toothbrush is a simple way to freshen up stained cups. start learning
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to remove dirt from something by rubbing it hard with something rough:
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The police are scouring the area for the missing child. I scoured the shops for a blue and white shirt, but I couldn't find one anywhere. start learning
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to search a place or thing very carefully in order to try to find something:
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scour verb (ANIMAL ILLNESS) start learning
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(of farm animals, especially cows and pigs) to have diarrhoea:
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Huge scour marks in the bed of the Channel could have been created only by a giant torrent of water. start learning
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a process in which the continuous movement of water gradually forms a hole in the sediments (= sand, stones, etc.) in a river, etc., or the sediments themselves:
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The fast-moving water had scoured out a channel in the rock. start learning
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to make a hole by a movement that is repeated continuously over a long period of time:
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scouring pad; ALSO - pan scourer (TO WLASCIWIE JEST DRUCIAK) start learning
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small pad of metal or plastic mesh used for scouring a surface. Some scouring pads have one side made of a soft sponge-like material and the other is the aforementioned mesh.
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