1. hoary |ˈhôrē|

adjective (hoarier, hoariest)

1 grayish white: hoary cobwebs.

• (of a person) having gray or white hair; aged: a hoary old fellow with a face of white stubble.

• [attributive] used in names of animals and plants covered with whitish fur or short hairs, e.g., hoary bat, hoary cress.

2 old and trite: that hoary American notion that bigger is better.

DERIVATIVES

hoarily |ˈhôrəlē| adverb.

hoariness |ˈhôrēnəs| noun

2. obituary |ōˈbiCHəˌwerē|

noun (plural obituaries)

a notice of a death, especially in a newspaper, typically including a brief biography of the deceased person: the obituary of a friend | [as modifier] : an obituary notice.

DERIVATIVES

obituarist |əˈbiCHəˌwerəst| noun

ORIGIN

early 18th century: from medieval Latin obituarius, from Latin obitus ‘death,’ from obit- ‘perished,’ from the verb obire .

3. spasm |ˈspazəm|

noun

a sudden involuntary muscular contraction or convulsive movement.

• a sudden and brief spell of an activity or sensation: a spasm of coughing woke him.

• prolonged involuntary muscle contraction: the airways in the lungs go into spasm.

verb [no object]

experience sudden involuntary muscular contractions; twitch convulsively: my body spasmed violently.

ORIGIN

late Middle English: from Old French spasme, or via Latin from Greek spasmos, spasma, from span ‘pull.’

4. demise |dəˈmīz|

noun [in singular]

1 a person's death: Mr. Grisenthwaite's tragic demise.

• the end or failure of an enterprise or institution: the demise of industry.

2 Law conveyance or transfer of property or a title by demising.

verb [with object] Law

convey or grant (an estate) by will or lease.

• transmit (a sovereign's title) by death or abdication.

ORIGIN

late Middle English (as a legal term): from Anglo-Norman French, past participle (used as a noun) of Old French desmettre ‘dismiss,’ (in reflexive) ‘abdicate,’ based on Latin dimittere (see dismiss) .

5. bucket |ˈbəkət|

noun

1 a roughly cylindrical open container, typically made of metal or plastic, with a handle, used to hold and carry liquids or other material.

• the contents of a bucket or the amount it can contain: she emptied a bucket of water over them.

• (buckets) informal large quantities of liquid, typically rain or tears: I wept buckets.

• Basketball informal a basket.

• a compartment on the outer edge of a waterwheel.

• the scoop of a dredger or grain elevator.

• a scoop attached to the front of a loader, digger, or tractor.

2 Computing a unit of data that can be transferred from secondary storage in a single operation.

verb (buckets, bucketed, bucketing) [no object]

1 (it buckets, it is bucketing, etc.) informal rain heavily: it was still bucketing down.

2 [with adverbial of direction] (of a vehicle) move quickly and jerkily: the car came bucketing out of a side road.

PHRASES

a drop in the bucket

see drop.

kick the bucket

see kick1.

DERIVATIVES

bucketful |ˈbəkətˌfo͝ol| noun (plural bucketfuls)

ORIGIN

Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French buquet ‘tub, pail,’ perhaps from Old English būc ‘belly, pitcher.’

kick 1 |kik|

verb

1 [with object] strike or propel forcibly with the foot: police kicked down the door | he kicked the door open.

• [no object] strike out or flail with the foot or feet: she kicked out at him | [with object and complement] : he kicked his feet free of a vine.

• (kick oneself) be annoyed with oneself for doing something foolish or missing an opportunity.

• (in football, rugby, etc.) score (a goal) by a kick.

2 [with object] informal succeed in giving up (a habit or addiction).

3 [no object] (of a gun) recoil when fired.

noun

1 a blow or forceful thrust with the foot: a kick in the head.

• (in sports) an instance of striking the ball with the foot: Ball blasted the kick wide.

2 a sudden forceful jolt: the shuttle accelerated with a kick.

• the recoil of a gun when discharged.

3 [in singular] informal the sharp stimulant effect of something, especially alcohol.

• a thrill of pleasurable, often reckless excitement: rich kids turning to crime just for kicks | I get such a kick out of driving a race car.

• [with modifier] a specified temporary interest or enthusiasm: the jogging kick.

4 (kicks) informal, chiefly US soft sports shoes; sneakers: when your energy or motivation dips, a new pair of kicks can get you moving again.

PHRASES

kick (some) ass (or butt)

North American vulgar slang act in a forceful or aggressive manner.

kick someone's ass (or butt)

North American vulgar slang beat, dominate, or defeat someone.

kick the bucket

informal die.

kick the can down the road

informal, chiefly US put off confronting a difficult issue or making an important decision, typically on a continuing basis: I appreciate that he doesn't want to raise taxes, but sooner or later you have to stop kicking the can down the road.

a kick in the pants (or up the backside)

informal an unwelcome surprise that prompts or forces fresh effort: the competition will be healthy, but we needed a kick in the pants.

a kick in the teeth

informal a grave setback or disappointment: this broken promise is a kick in the teeth for football.

kick someone in the teeth

informal cause someone a grave setback or disappointment.

kick someone/something to the curb

North American informal reject someone or something: things get complicated for Alfie when he's kicked to the curb by his girlfriend.

kick someone when they are down

cause further misfortune to someone who is already in a difficult situation.

kick the tires

informal, chiefly North American inform oneself about the quality of a product, service, etc. before buying: borrowers should be sure to kick the tires on that offer before signing up | they kicked the tires but decided not to buy the property.[from the idea of assessing the condition of the tires on a used car being offered for sale by kicking them lightly.]

kick up a fuss (or a stink)

informal object loudly or publicly to something.

kick up one's heels

see heel1.

kick someone upstairs

informal remove someone from an influential position in a business by giving them an ostensible promotion.

PHRASAL VERBS

kick against

express resentment at or frustration with (an institution or restriction).

kick around (or about)

(of a thing) lie unwanted or unexploited: the idea has been kicking around for more than a year now.

• (of a person) drift idly from place to place: I kicked around picking up odd jobs.

kick someone around (or about)

treat someone roughly or without respect.

kick something around (or about)

discuss an idea casually or idly.

kick back

North American informal be at leisure; relax.

kick in

(especially of a device or drug) become activated; come into effect.

kick something in

North American informal contribute something, especially money: if you subscribe now we'll kick in a bonus.

kick off

(of a football game, soccer game, etc.) be started or resumed after a score by a player kicking the ball from a designated spot.

• (of a team or player) begin or resume a game by a player kicking a ball from a designated spot.

• informal (of an event) begin.

kick something off

1 remove something, especially shoes, by striking out vigorously with the foot or feet.

2 informal begin something: the presidential primary kicks off the political year.

kick someone out

informal expel or dismiss someone.

DERIVATIVES

kickable adjective

ORIGIN

late Middle English: of unknown origin.

6. ensemble |änˈsämbəl|

noun

1 a group of musicians, actors, or dancers who perform together: a Bulgarian folk ensemble.

• a scene or passage written for performance by a whole cast, choir, or group of instruments.

• the coordination between performers executing an ensemble passage: a high level of tuning and ensemble is guaranteed.

2 a group of items viewed as a whole rather than individually: the buildings in the square present a charming provincial ensemble.

• [usually in singular] a set of clothes chosen to harmonize when worn together.

• chiefly Physics a group of similar systems, or different states of the same system, often considered statistically.

ORIGIN

late Middle English (as an adverb (long rare) meaning ‘at the same time’): from French, based on Latin insimul, from in- ‘in’ + simul ‘at the same time.’ The noun dates from the mid 18th century.

7. concern troll

noun informal, derogatory

a person who disingenuously expresses concern about an issue with the intention of undermining or derailing genuine discussion: he is regarded among climate scientists as a concern troll.

troll 1 |trōl|

noun

a mythical, cave-dwelling being depicted in folklore as either a giant or a dwarf, typically having a very ugly appearance.

ORIGIN

early 17th century: from Old Norse and Swedish troll,Danish trold. The first English use is from Shetland; the term was adopted more widely into English in the mid 19th century.

troll 2 |trōl|

noun

1 a person who makes a deliberately offensive or provocative online post.

• informal a deliberately offensive or provocative online posting.

2 a line or bait used in trolling for fish.

verb [no object]

1 informal make a deliberately offensive or provocative online post with the aim of upsetting someone or eliciting an angry response from them: if people are obviously trolling then I'll delete your posts and do my best to ban you | [with object] : you folks taking this opportunity to troll me, you really need to reassess your values in your life.

2 fish by trailing a baited line along behind a boat: we trolled for mackerel.

• carefully and systematically search an area for something: a group of companies trolling for partnership opportunities | [with object] : I spent tonight trolling the Internet for expensive lighting gear.

3 [with object] sing (something) in a happy and carefree way: troll the ancient Yuletide carol.

4 [no object, with adverbial of direction] chiefly British walk; stroll: we all trolled into town.

DERIVATIVES

troller noun

ORIGIN

late Middle English (in the sense ‘stroll, roll’): origin uncertain; compare with Old French troller ‘wander here and there (in search of game)’ and Middle High German trollen ‘stroll.’

8. barb 1 |bärb|

noun

1 a sharp projection near the end of an arrow, fishhook, or similar item, angled away from the main point so as to make extraction difficult.

• a cluster of spikes on barbed wire.

• a deliberately hurtful remark: his barb hurt more than she cared to admit.

2 a beardlike filament at the mouth of some fish, such as barbel and catfish.

• each of the fine hairlike filaments growing from the shaft of a feather, forming the vane.

3 a freshwater fish that typically has barbels around the mouth, popular in aquariums.

[Barbus and other genera, family Cyprinidae: numerous species, including the tiger barb (B. pentazona) and the rosy barb (B. conchonius).]

DERIVATIVES

barbless adjective

ORIGIN

Middle English: from Old French barbe, from Latin barba ‘beard.’

barb 2 |bärb|

noun

a small horse of a hardy breed originally from North Africa.

ORIGIN

mid 17th century: from French barbe, from Italian barbero ‘of Barbary.’

9. maniacal |məˈnīəkəl|

adjective

exhibiting extremely wild or violent behavior: a maniacal dictator | John burst into maniacal laughter.

• informal exhibiting or denoting obsessive enthusiasm: his maniacal obsession with conspiracy theories.

• Psychiatry, archaic suffering from mania: maniacal patients.

DERIVATIVES

maniacally adverb

10. pundit |ˈpəndət|

noun

1 an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called on to give opinions about it to the public: a globe-trotting financial pundit.

2 variant spelling of pandit.

DERIVATIVES

punditry |ˈpəndətrē| nounpundit ( sense 1)

ORIGIN

mid 17th century (in sense 2): from Sanskrit paṇḍita ‘learned man,’ use as noun of paṇḍita ‘learned, skilled.’ Sense 1is first recorded in the early 19th century.

11. jeremiad |ˌjerəˈmīəd|

noun

a long, mournful complaint or lamentation; a list of woes.

ORIGIN

late 18th century: from French jérémiade, from Jérémie ‘Jeremiah,’ from ecclesiastical Latin Jeremias, with reference to the Lamentations of Jeremiah in the Old Testament.

12. stake 1 |stāk|

noun

1 a strong wooden or metal post with a point at one end, driven into the ground to support a tree, form part of a fence, act as a boundary mark, etc.

• a long vertical rod used in basket-making.

• a metalworker's small anvil, typically with a projection for fitting into a socket on a bench.

2 (the stake) historical a wooden post to which a person was tied before being burned alive as a punishment.

3 a territorial division of the Mormon Church under the jurisdiction of a president.

verb [with object]

1 support (a tree or plant) with a stake or stakes.

2 (stake something out) mark an area with stakes so as to claim ownership of it: the boundary between the two ranches was properly staked out | figurative : the local dog staked out his territory.

• be assertive in defining and defending a position or policy: Elena was staking out a role for herself as a formidable political force.

PHRASES

pull up stakes

North American move or go to live elsewhere.

stake a claim

assert one's right to something.

PHRASAL VERBS

stake someone/something out

informal continuously watch a place or person in secret: they'd staked out Culley's house for half a day.

ORIGIN

Old English staca; related to Dutch staak, also to stick2.

stake 2 |stāk|

noun (usually stakes)

a sum of money or something else of value gambled on the outcome of a risky game or venture: playing dice for high stakes | figurative : the mayor raised the stakes in the battle for power | the stakes are high with a six-figure bonanza in television rights in the balance.

• a share or interest in a business, situation, or system: GM acquired a 50 percent stake in Saab.

• (stakes) prize money, especially in horse racing.

• [in names] (stakes) a horse race in which all the owners of the racehorses running contribute to the prize money: the horse is to run in the Lexington Stakes.

• [with modifier] (stakes) a situation involving competition in a specified area: we will keep you one step ahead in the fashion stakes.

verb [with object]

1 gamble (money or something else of value) on the outcome of a game or race: one gambler staked everything he'd got and lost | figurative : it was risky to stake his reputation on one big success.

2 North American informal give financial or other support to: he staked him to an education at the École des Beaux-Arts.

PHRASES

at stake

1 to be won or lost; at risk: people's lives could be at stake.

2 at issue or in question: the logical response is to give up, but there's more at stake than logic.

ORIGIN

late Middle English: perhaps a specialized usage of stake1, from the notion of an object being placed as a wager on a post or stake.

13. bust 1 |bəst|

noun

1 a woman's chest as measured around her breasts: a 36-inch bust.

• a woman's breasts, especially considered in terms of their size: selecting clothes that would minimize her big bust.

2 a sculpture of a person's head, shoulders, and chest.

ORIGIN

mid 17th century (denoting the upper part or torso of a large sculpture): from French buste, from Italian busto, from Latin bustum ‘tomb, sepulchral monument.’

bust 2 |bəst| informal

verb (past and past participle busted or bust) [with object]

1 break, split, or burst (something): they bust the tunnel wide open | figurative : the film busts every box-office record.

• [no object] come apart or split open: he was laughing fit to bust.

• cause to collapse; defeat utterly: he promised to bust the mafia.

• [no object] (bust up) (especially of a married couple) separate, typically after a quarrel.

• (bust something up) cause (something) to break up: men hired to bust up union rallies.

• North American strike violently: they wanted to bust me on the mouth.

• [no object] (bust out) break out; escape: she busted out of prison.

• [no object] (in blackjack and similar card games) exceed the score of 21, losing one's stake.

2 chiefly North American raid or search (premises where illegal activity is suspected): their house got busted.

• arrest: he was busted for drugs.

• (be/get busted) be caught in the act of doing something wrong: I sneaked up on them and told them they were busted.

• chiefly US reduce (a soldier) to a lower rank; demote: he was busted to private.

noun

1 a period of economic difficulty or depression: the boom was followed by the present bust.

2 a raid or arrest by the police: a drug bust.

3 a worthless thing: as a show it was a bust.

adjective

bankrupt: firms will go bust.

ORIGIN

mid 18th century (originally as a noun in the sense ‘an act of bursting or splitting’): variant of burst.

14. palpable |ˈpalpəb(ə)l|

adjective

1 (of a feeling or atmosphere) so intense as to seem almost tangible: a palpable sense of loss.

• plain to see or comprehend: to talk of dawn raids in the circumstances is palpable nonsense.

2 able to be touched or felt: the palpable bump at the bridge of the nose.

DERIVATIVES

palpability |ˌpalpəˈbilədē| noun

ORIGIN

late Middle English: from late Latin palpabilis, from Latin palpare ‘feel, touch gently.’

15. patronage |ˈpatrənəjˈpātrənəj|

noun

1 the support given by a patron: the arts could no longer depend on private patronage.

2 the power to control appointments to office or the right to privileges: recruits are selected on merit, not through political patronage.

3 a patronizing or condescending manner: a twang of self-satisfaction—even patronage—about him.

4 the regular business given to a store, restaurant, or public service by a person or group: the direct train link was ending because of poor patronage.

5 (in ancient Rome) the rights and duties or the position of a patron.

ORIGIN

late Middle English: from Old French, from patron ‘protector, advocate’ (see patron) .

16. mockery |ˈmäk(ə)rē|

noun (plural mockeries)

teasing and contemptuous language or behavior directed at a particular person or thing: stung by her mockery, Frankie hung his head.

• [in singular] an absurd misrepresentation or imitation of something: after a mockery of a trial in London, he was executed.

• archaic ludicrously futile action: in her bitterness she felt that all rejoicing was mockery.

PHRASES

make a mockery of

make (something) seem foolish or absurd: new technology is making a mockery of our outdated laws.

ORIGIN

late Middle English: from Old French moquerie, from mocquer ‘to deride.’

17. snob |snäb|

noun

a person with an exaggerated respect for high social position or wealth who seeks to associate with social superiors and dislikes people or activities regarded as lower-class.

• [with adjective or noun modifier] a person who believes that their tastes in a particular area are superior to those of other people: a musical snob.

DERIVATIVES

snobbism |-ˌbizəm| noun

ORIGIN

late 18th century (originally dialect in the sense ‘cobbler’): of unknown origin; early senses conveyed a notion of ‘lower status or rank,’ later denoting a person seeking to imitate those of superior social standing or wealth. Folk etymology connects the word with Latin sine nobilitate ‘without nobility’ but the earliest recorded sense has no connection with this.

18. flex 1 |fleks|

verb [with object]

bend (a limb or joint): she saw him flex his ankle and wince.

• [no object] (of a limb or joint) become bent: prevent the damaged wrist from flexing.

• cause (a muscle) to stand out by contracting or tensing it: bodybuilders flexing their muscles.

• [no object] (of a muscle) contract or be tensed: a muscle flexed in his jaw.

• [no object] (of a material) be capable of warping or bending and then reverting to shape: set windows in rubber so they flex during an earthquake.

• (usually as adjective flexed) Archaeology place (a corpse) with the legs drawn up under the chin: a flexed burial.

noun

the action or state of flexing: add rigidity and eliminate brake flex.

PHRASES

flex one's muscles

see muscle.

ORIGIN

early 16th century: from Latin flex- ‘bent,’ from the verb flectere .

flex 2 |flɛks|

nounBritish

a flexible insulated cable used for carrying electric current to an appliance.

ORIGIN

early 20th century: abbreviation of flexible.

19. niche |niCHnēSH|

noun

1 a shallow recess, especially one in a wall to display a statue or other ornament.

2 (one's niche) a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment: he is now a partner at a leading law firm and feels he has found his niche.

• Ecology a position or role taken by a kind of organism within its community. Such a position may be occupied by different organisms in different localities, e.g., antelopes in Africa and kangaroos in Australia.

3 a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service: he believes he has found a niche in the market | smaller cooperatives must find and develop a niche for their speciality product.

adjective

denoting or relating to products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialized section of the population: other companies in this space had to adapt to being niche players | a niche show that ran on late-night television | the video game industry is no longer niche.

verb [with object]

place or position (something) in a niche.

ORIGIN

early 17th century: from French, literally ‘recess,’ from nicher ‘make a nest,’ based on Latin nidus ‘nest.’

20. snuff 1 |snəf|

verb [with object]

extinguish (a candle): a breeze snuffed out the candle.

• dated trim the charred wick from (a candle).

• informal kill or put an end to in an abrupt or sudden manner: his life was snuffed out by a sniper's bullet.

• (snuff it) British informal die.

noun

the charred part of a candle wick.

ORIGIN

late Middle English: of unknown origin.

snuff 2 |snəf|

noun

powdered tobacco that is sniffed up the nostril rather than smoked: a pinch of snuff.

verb [with object]

inhale or sniff at (something): they stood snuffing up the keen cold air.

• [no object] archaic sniff up powdered tobacco.

PHRASES

up to snuff

informal

1 meeting the required standard: they need a million dollars to get their facilities up to snuff.

• in good health: he hadn't felt up to snuff all summer.

2 British archaic not easily deceived; knowing: an up-to-snuff old vagabond.

ORIGIN

late Middle English (as a verb): from Middle Dutch snuffen ‘to snuffle.’ The noun dates from the late 17th century and is probably an abbreviation of Dutch snuftabak .