ELC CPE End of year vocab list

Strike while the iron is hot

take advantage of a situation

Strike it lucky

get lucky

Strike a blow for

do sth that supports sth

Strike gold

make large profits

Obscene

disgusting/rude

A quick fix

it seems to be a solution but it won't last long

Lifespan

how long sth will live

Profligate

a waste of money

Inflict damage

cause damage

Serve a purpose

have a purpose;-)

Perpetuate a myth

make the myth last longer

Impart advice

give advice

Blissful ignorance

be happy because you don't know what's going on

Catalyst

the thing that causes sth else to happen

Bruised ego

made to feel less important or not as good

Curled up

sitting comfortably on a couch reading a book:-)

Ephemeral fad

a temporary craze for sth

through rose-tinted spectacles

thinking that things in the past were better than they really were

Vibe

atmosphere

Rapturous applause

enthusiastic appreciation from an audience

Imperceptible

too small to be noticed

Incoherent

impossible to understand

Yap

the annoing noise a small dog makes

Robust

strong and healthy

Aspire

want to be like sb

Hum

the noise you make when you don't know they lyrics to a song

Peel off

remove a label

Prevalent

happening often

Condone

to accept behaviour that is wrong

Evoke

make sb feel an emotion or remember sth

Air

to express

Shed (v)

to lose a quality or thing

Let down your guard

stop being careful

Ramble

talk with no purpose

Applaud

approve of sb's behaviour or actions

Writer’s block

loss of inspiration

Long-winded

boring

Loosen sb up

makes sb relax

Succumb

accept defeat

Indebted

very grateful because of help given

Fantabulous

really really really really good!

Doesn’t cut much ice

doesn't make me change my opinion

Crash

attend a party uninvited

Forage

look for food

Snigger

laugh at sb's misfortune

Godsend

sth good that happens just when you need it

Clash

2 things happening at the same time

Euphoria

extreme happiness, perhaps more than is reasonable

Rapture

extreme pleasure and happiness

Virulent

a dangerous disease that can be spread from person to person (

Infectious

able to pass from one person to another

Fleeting

short or quick

Momentary

lasting for a very short time

Vanity case

a box for travelling that a woman keeps her makeup in

Lethargic

having little energy

Ferment

when the sugar turns into alchol when making beer

Immersed

completely involved in sth

Interwoven

not easy to separate

Supposition

believing sth is true without proof

Compelling

very interesting and exciting and making you want to watch or listen

Meticulous

very careful and with great attention to detail

Epic

extremely large / great OR a long film that contains a lot of action

Above all

most importantly

A concerted effort

determined and serious

Materialise

to appear/happen

Spotlight

in the spotlight = receiving a lot of public attention

Deplorable

very bad

Supplementary

additional

Idolise

to admire and respect sb very much, perhaps TOO much

Heir

sb who will legally receive money etc. from another person when he dies

Wretched

unpleasant

Exhilarating

thrilling/exciting

Condemn

disapprove of

A mixed blessing

it has good points and bad points

A golden handshake

money paid to sb when they leave a job as a reward for good service

Dog-eat-dog world

when people will do anything to be successful, even if it harms other people

Snapped up

bought quickly and in large numbers

Go with the flow

do what other people are doing because it's the easiest thing to do

Big on sth

keen on sth

Foster

encourage

Hot under the collar

angry or embarrassed about sth

Keep abreast of sth

stay up to date

Oozing with

full of

Second to none

the best

Life in the fast lane

sex, drugs and rock'n'roll'n'English classes

Harbour (v)

to hide sth/sb

Parasite

a person who is lazy and lives by other people working, giving them money -- OR -- an animal that lives in/on another animal/plant of a different type and feeds from it

Pull together

to work hard as a group to achieve sth

Pathogen

any small organism that can cause disease

Complacency

a feeling of satisfaction that prevents you from trying harder

Turbulence

a state of confusion without order

Miserliness

wanting money but not wanting to spend it

Cynical

believing that people aren't sincere

Clogged up

blocked / full of

Longevity

living for a long time

Spooked

scared by sth

Promulgate

to spread ideas among a lot of people

Shrivel up

the become dry and smaller

Black out

lose consciousness

Pull through

recover after an illness etc

Come round

regain consciousness

Cotton on to sth

begin to realise sth

Eye sb up

look at someone appreciatively;-)

Know your onions

know what you're talking about

The squints

cross eyed

Outweigh

be greater or more important than sth else

A sobering thought

making you think about serious matters

Harangue

to talk to sb in a forceful, angry way

Flout

intentionally not follow a rule or law

Seethe

to feel angry but unable or unwilling to express it clearly

Scrounge

get things by asking for them instead of buying or working for them

Yank

pull sth forcefully with a quick movement

Shoulder responsibility

take the responsibility for sth

Thumb a lift

hitchhike

Face facts

accept a situation

Clot

a solid piece of sth e.g. a blood clot

Cramp

sudden, painful tightening of the muscle

Injury

physical harm or damage to sb's body

Sprain

cause an injury to a joint by a sudden movement

Grumble

to complain about sth in an annoyed way (old people often grumble!)

Po-faced

too serious and disapproving

Bolshy

sb who often argues and makes difficulties

Commiserate

to express sympathy with sb about some bad luck

A double-edged sword

it has good points and bad points

To rib sb

to tease sb

Contagious disease

passed from person to person

Holistic medicine

treatment that deals with the whole person, not just the injury or disease

Advent

invention

Outlay

an amount of money spent for a particular purpose, especially as an investment

Supersede

to replace sth because it's old

Hitherto

until now/until that point

Down-market

low in quality and cheap in price; intended for people who are poor or uneducated

Call a spade a spade

to say what sth is really like

A bolt from the blue

a big surprise

Bow a fuse

to lose your temper

Get your wires crossed

a misunderstanding

Conversant

knowledgeable about sth

Intricate

very detailed, or having lots of small parts

beckon

to move your hand in a way that tells sb to come nearer

Be receptive to sth

willing to listen and accept new ideas and suggestions

Bombard

to ask sb so many questions they can't deal with them

Spellbound

having your attention completely so you can't think about sth else

At sb’s disposal

available to be used by sb

Episodic

happening only sometimes and not regulatl

A tree hugger

an environmentalist

Ravage

to cause great damage to sth

Denude

to remove the covering of sth, especially land

Frequent (v)

to go somewhere often

Lousy

terrible

Prudent

careful and avoiding risks

Boozing

to go out drinking

Devil-may-care

not worrying about the results of your actions

Rancid

tasting or smelling horrible because it's not fresh

Pipe up

suddenly start talking after being quiet for a long time

Steer clear of

avoid

Sumble across

find by chance

Eat my words

I admit that I was wrong

Take issue with

I disagree with sth

Imminent

about to happen

Informative

providing lots of useful info

Feedback

statements of opinion about sth you have done

Hypothesize

to give a possible but not yet proved explanation for sth

Speculate

to guess possible answers to a question without enough information to be sure

Ascertain

to make certain of sth

Set off

cause sth to happen

Cash dispenser

ATM, cash machine

Cloud computing

networked computers

Closed-circuit television

security cameras

Tie the knot

get married

Call the tune

in charge

Carry a torch for sb

in love with

At death’s door

very ill

Get a grip

take charge

A bit rash

without careful thought

A gut feeling

a sneaking suspicion

Chomping at the bit

ready and impatient

with strings attached

there are conditions to be met

hit the roof

get really angry

ensued

happened

up the duff

pregnant

an extramarital affair

she's not your wife!;-)

platonic relationship

just good friends

shacked up

living in sin

blurt out

reveal a secret by accident

bottle up problems

keep them inside

keep up appearances

make it look like you're fine when you're not

pull your weight

work as hard as other people in a group

pull the strings

control people or an orgnisation

run a tight ship

manage something efficiently

pull a fast one

trick sb

plausible

belivable

shifty

looking dishonest

lends itself to

is suitable for

oust

get rid of

proliferation

increase a lot and suddenly

pop the question

ask sb to marry you

go south

is a disaster

befuddlement

confusion

hirsute

hairy

flesh out

add more details

recalcitrant

unwilling to cooperate

haul

carry

byword

synonym

astonishment

surprise

murmuring

the low noise of people talking indistinctly

plume

a column of smoke rising into the air

eerie

spooky

squelch

the sound of walking in mud

tinkle

the sound of breaking glass

rumble

a low noise, e.g. thunder or your stomach when you're hungry