by Sophie Kinsella
| Word | Definition | Active Unit | Syn./ Ant. | Examples | Translation |
| beckon v | to give sb a signal using your finger or hand, especially to tell them to move nearer or to follow you | beckon to sb (to do sth) | He beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill | кивать; делать знак (рукой, пальцем) | |
| to appear very attractive to sb | The clear blue sea beckoned | манить | |||
| to be sth that is likely to happen or will possibly happen to sb in the future | For many kids leaving college the prospect of unemployment beckons | ||||
| discreet adj | careful in what you say or do, in order to keep sth secret or to avoid causing embarrassment or difficulty for sb | SYN tactful, cautious, careful, wary | He was always very discreet about his love affairs | здравомыслящий, рассудительный, разумный, благоразумный; предусмотрительный, осмотрительный, осторожный | |
| elated adj | very happy and excited because of sth good that has happened, or will happen | elated (at / by sth) | SYN blithe, joyous | I was elated by the prospect of the new job ahead | в приподнятом настроении, ликующий |
| supercilious adj | behaving towards other people as if you think you are better than they are | SYN superior, contemptuous | высокомерный, надменный, презрительный | ||
| awestruck adj | feeling very impressed by sth | People were awestruck by the pictures the satellite sent back to earth | проникнутый, охваченный благоговением, благоговейным страхом | ||
| high-powered adj | having a lot of power and influence; full of energy | high-powered executives | влиятельный; обладающий властью, большими возможностями | ||
| important; with a lot of responsibility | SYN energetic, vigorous | a high-powered job | активный, деятельный, настойчивый, энергичный | ||
| squint v/n | to look at sth with your eyes partly shut in order to keep out bright light or to see better | to squint into the sun | (при)щуриться, жмуриться | ||
| of an eye) to look in a different direction from the other eye | His left eye squints a little | косить (глазами), страдать косоглазием | |||
| (BrE, informal) a short look | SYN peep | Have a squint at this | взгляд украдкой, искоса; беглый взгляд | ||
| weirdo n | a person who looks strange and/or behaves in a strange way | She's sure a weirdo lately | человек со странностями | ||
| gimmick n | an unusual trick or unnecessary device that is intended to attract attention or to persuade people to buy sth | advertising / promotional gimmick | SYN trick, ruse, catch | a promotional / publicity / sales gimmick | хитроумное приспособление; прием, трюк, уловка, ухищрение, хитрость |
| outperform v | to achieve better results than sb/sth | превосходить; выполнять что-л. лучше кого-л. |
| Word | Definition | Active Unit | Syn./ Ant. | Examples | Translation |
| canny adj | intelligent, careful and showing good judgment, especially in business or politics | SYN clever, shrewd, prudent | a canny politician Ç a canny move | хитрый; осторожный; себе на уме, умный, проницательный, практичный | |
| stunned adj | surprised or shoced so much that they cannot think clearly or speak | SYN astounded, astonished | She was too stunned to speak | оглушенный, ошеломленный | |
| impressed very much | SYN amazed | They were stunned by the view from the summit | впечатленный | ||
| windfall n | an amount of money that sb/sth wins or receives unexpectedly | sudden, unexpected windfall | The hospital got a sudden windfall of £300 000 | неожиданная удача, неожиданный доход | |
| twinge n | a sudden short feeling of pain | SYN pain | He felt a twinge in his knee | приступ боли | |
| a sudden short feeling of an unpleasant emotion | twinge (of sth) | a twinge of disappointment twinges of conscience — угрызения совести | моральная мука (угрызения совести, чувство стыда и т.д.) | ||
| eligible adj | person who is eligible for sth or to do sth, is able to have or do it because they have the right qualifications, are the right age, etc. | eligible (for sth) | eligible (to do sth) | ANT ineligible | Only those over 70 are eligible for the special payment | имеющий право, могущий быть избранным |
| stutter v | to have difficulty speaking because you cannot stop yourself from repeating the first sound of some words several times | SYN stammer, stumble hem and haw ANT articulate, enunciate | ‘W-w-what?’ he stuttered He attempted to stutter some excuses | заикаться; запинаться | |
| poignant adj | having a strong effect on your feelings, especially in a way that makes you feel sad | a poignant image / moment / memory, etc | SYN moving, touching | Her face was a poignant reminder of the passing of time | трогательный, берущий за душу резкий, колкий (о словах, замечаниях и т.д.) |
| mesmerized adj | being so effected that you cannot give your attention to anything else | SYN fascinated | зачарованный | ||
| jostle v | to push roughly against sb in a crowd | People were jostling, arguing and complaining | толкать(ся), теснить(ся); пихать; отталкивать | ||
| to compete strongly and with force with other people for sth | jostle for sth | People in the crowd were jostling for the best positions | соперничать | ||
| denounce v | to strongly criticize sb/sth that you think is wrong, illegal, etc. | denounce sb/sth (as sth) | SYN accuse, delate | She publicly denounced the government’s handling of the crisis | обвинять, ставить в вину, осуждать |
| to tell the police, the authorities, etc. about sb’s illegal political activities | denounce sb (as sth) | They were denounced as spies | доносить (for - о чем-л.) | ||
| misconstrue v | to understand sb’s words or actions wrongly | misconstrue sth (as sth) | SYN misinterpret | It is easy to misconstrue confidence as arrogance | неправильно истолковывать |
Shopaholic Abroad
by Sophie Kinsella
| Word | Definition | Active Unit | Syn./ Ant. | Examples | Translation |
| hit off | to have a good friendly relationship with sb | We hit it off straight away | иметь хорошие отношения с кем-л. | ||
| measly adj | very small in size or quantity; not enough | SYN trivial | I get a measly £4 an hour | ничтожно маленький | |
| lean v/adj | to bend or move from a vertical position | lean on sb/sth lean to / towards / toward sth | SYN slope | I leaned back in my chair | наклонять, нагибать |
| to rest on or against sth for support | lean against / on sth | She walked slowly, leaning on her son’s arm | прислоняться, опираться | ||
| to make sth rest against sth in a sloping position | Can I lean my bike against the wall? | прислонять, опирать | |||
| without much flesh; thin and fit | SYN thin, spare | a lean, muscular body | тощий, худощавый | ||
| overdraft n | the amount of money that you owe to a bank when you have spent more money than is in your bank account; an arrangement that allows you to do this | to run up / pay off an overdraft | превышение кредита (в банке) | ||
| tangible adj | that can be clearly seen to exist | SYN palpable, material | tangible benefits / improvements / results, etc. | вещественный, материальный, осязаемый | |
| that you can touch and feel | SYN clear, lucid, distinct, plain, evident ANT intangible | The tension between them was almost tangible | ясный; ощутимый, заметный; отчетливый, реальный | ||
| haul v | to pull sth/sb with a lot of effort | SYN drag, pull, tow, tug | He reached down and hauled Liz up onto the wall | тащить, тянуть | |
| to move yourself somewhere slowly and with a lot of effort | haul yourself up / out of etc. | She hauled herself out of bed | тащиться, волочиться, добираться (куда-л.) с трудом | ||
| to force sb to go somewhere they do not want to go | A number of suspects have been hauled in for questioning | таскать, волочить; заставлять ходить (куда-л.) | |||
| to criticize sb severely because they have done sth wrong | haul sb over the coals | критиковать | |||
| batter v | to hit sb/sth hard many times, especially in a way that causes serious damage | batter at / on sth | batter sb/sth | SYN bash up, beat up, do over, work over | She battered at the door with her fists | сильно бить, колотить |
| line up | to stand in a line or row; to form a queue / line | to line up in opposition | Cars lined up waiting to board the ship | строить(ся), выстраивать(ся) (в линию, в очередь) | |
| pare down | to gradually reduce the size or amount | cut, pare, etc. sth to the bone | The number of Ministers has been pared down by a third | сокращать, урезывать | |
| skimp v | to try to spend less time, money, etc. on sth than is really needed | skimp (on sth) | SYN scrimp | Older people should not skimp on food or heating | урезывать, экономить скупиться на что-л. |
| Word | Definition | Active Unit | Syn./ Ant. | Examples | Translation |
| dismay n/v | a worried, sad feeling after you have received an unpleasant surprise | with dismay to sb dismay in dismay | SYN perturbation | He looked at her in dismay | испуг, беспокойство, волнение, смятение |
| to make sb feel shocked and disappointed | SYN appall, horrify | Their reaction dismayed him | лишать мужества, силы духа, решимости; пугать, ужасать; приводить в смятение | ||
| lenient adj | not as strict as expected when punishing sb or when making sure that rules are obeyed | a lenient sentence / fine | SYN indulgent, lax, merciful, permissive, tolerant, soft, smooth ANT exacting, rigid, severe, stern, strict | The judge was far too lenient with him | снисходительный; мягкий; терпимый |
| stock up | to buy a lot of sth so that you can use it later | We ought to stock up on film before our trip | запасаться, закупаться | ||
| to develop a good rapport with sb | To develop a friendly relationship in which people understand each other very well | She understood the importance of developing a good rapport with clients | добиваться взаимопонимание, понимание; согласие с кем-л. | ||
| to get one’s bearings | to make yourself familiar with your surroundings in order to find out where you are or to feel comfortable in a place | достойно вести себя, держать себя в обществе |
How to handle problems
| Word | Definition | Active Unit | Syn./ Ant. | Examples | Translation |
| acknowledge | accept or admit that it is true or that it exists | SYN accept, admit, concede, recognize | He acknowledged my being the first to think of it. | сознавать; допускать, признавать, подтверждать | |
| adult | fully developed person. an adult has reached the age when they are legally responsible for their actions | SYN mature | Becoming a father signified that he was now an adult. | взрослый, совершеннолетний, зрелый человек | |
| cleanliness | the degree to which people keep themselves and their surroundings clean | SYN neatness, tidiness | Many of Britain’s beaches fail to meet minimum standards of cleanliness. | чистота; чистоплотность; опрятность, аккуратность | |
| customary | things that people usually do in a particular society or in particular circumstances | SYN usual | It is customary to offer a drink or a snack to guests. | обычный, привычный | |
| embarrass | make you feel shy or ashamed | SYN encumber, hamper, impede, hinder, prevent, prohibit, hamper | It embarrassed him that he had no idea of what was going on. | затруднять, мешать, препятствовать, стеснять | |
| handle | successful in achieving the result smone want | SYN manipulate | I think I would handle a meeting with Mr. Siegel very badly. | управлять чем-л., справляться с чем-л. руками | |
| immature | not yet completely grown or fully developed | SYN premature | She is emotionally immature. | незрелый, неспелый; недоразвившийся | |
| involved | taking part in it or have a strong connection with it | SYN include, contain | If she were involved in business, she would make a strong chief executive. | втягивать, вовлекать, включать в себя, содержать | |
| mature | a state of complete development | SYN adult, ripe, full-grown, grown-up, of age | You will learn what to expect as your child matures physically. | взрослый, возмужавший | |
| observation | carefully watching someone or something | SYN notice, remark, comment, statement | In hospital she’ll be under observation all the time. | наблюдение,высказывание, замечание | |
| resentful | feel resentment | SYN indignant, vindictive | He was at that moment resentful against the whole party. | обиженный; возмущенный (about, at, of) | |
| resentment | bitterness and anger that someone feels about something | SYN huff, offence, pique, umbrage ANT patience, pleasure | They felt resentment that nobody paid attention to their request. | негодование, возмущение; чувство обиды (about; against; at, towards) | |
| conservation-minded people | people with conservative way of thinking. | SYN conservative | I know that people after 60 are usually conservation-minded. | люди с консервативным образом мышления. | |
| exchange students | a student from one country received into an institution in another country in exchange for one sent to an institution in the home country of the first | One of my groupmates comes from Italy, she is an exchange student. | студент по обмену | ||
| natural parents | biological parents | Actually, there are several ways of checking your natural parents. | настоящий (биологический) родитель | ||
| not to do one's share | not to take part in smth | Mike is a real cheat, he promised to help us, but he didn’t do his share. | не вложить свою долю; не войти в долю |
| Word | Definition | Active Unit | Syn./ Ant. | Examples | Translation |
| person-to-person discussion | you want to talk to one person in particular | When you feel alone, sometimes it can be helpful to have a person-to-person discussion. | обсуждение с глазу на глаз | ||
| smth will never go past smb | someone never looses a single possibility to find out smth, not always good | что-то никогда не пройдет мимо кого-то | |||
| squeaky clean | to live a very moral life and have never done anything wrong | Maybe this guy isn’t so squeaky clean after all. | морально безупречный | ||
| a taboo subject | forbidden to talk about | SYN forbidden, holy, sacred | Their names were tabooed by Whig and Tory coteries. | табуированная тема для разговоров | |
| to ask smb for assistance | ask smb for help | SYN help | Can I ask you for assistance? | попросить у кого-то поддержки | |
| to be confronted with a problem | to come up against the problem | Many students are confronted with a problem of passing exams. | столкнуться с проблемой | ||
| to bring oneself out of smth | to carry out smb of smth | вытащить кого-то из чего-то | |||
| to change one's way on account of smb | изменить свои привычки с чей-то помощью | ||||
| to feel melancholic | to feel under the weather | SYN gloomy, depressed, melancholy | впадать в меланхолию | ||
| to fight back | She fought back her tears as she said goodbye. | отражать удар | |||
| to get along | How is your work getting along? | жить; обходиться, справляться с делом; преуспевать | |||
| to live on borrowed funds | to live on what you take from smone | жить в долг | |||
| to reach the homesick stage | to reach the stage of missing your home | достигать стадии тоски по дому | |||
| to run out of money | to have very little money | истратить деньги | |||
| to step up one's activities | to widen one’s sphere of actions | Security measures were stepped up | расширять, увеличивать чью-то деятельность | ||
| to talk behind smb's back | to tell smth about someone so, that he didn’t know about it | говорить за спиной | |||
| to work out a budget | to spend all the money on smth. | исчерпать бюджет |
Alice in Wonderland
| Word | Definition | Active Unit | Syn./ Ant. | Examples | Translation |
| branch | a part or type of smth | Oncology is the branch of medicine dealing with tumors. | ветка, ответвление | ||
| curious | interested in it and want to know more about it | SYN inquisitive, searching, nosey | Steve was intensely curious about the world I came from. | любопытный; любознательный, пытливый | |
| decided | clear and definite | SYN settled, certain, definite, unquestionable, indisputable, resolute, determined, unhesitating | Her ignorance of the area put her at a decided disadvantage... | очный, определенный, решенный; бесспорный, решительный, твердый. | |
| extras | things which are not necessary in a situation, activity, or object, but which make it more comfortable, useful, or enjoyable | They also sell extras to the kids along with the breakfasts and lunches. Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies and tubes of squeezable yogurt are big sellers. | дополнительные (родственные) товары | ||
| lessen | it becomes smaller in size, amount, degree, or importance | SYN allay, alleviate, assuage, lighten, mitigate, soften, temper, underestimate, understate ANT enlarge, escalate, extend, heighten, toughens | He is used to a lot of attention from his wife, which will inevitably lessen when the baby is born. | уменьшать(ся), сокращать(ся) | |
| simpleton | easily deceived or not very intelligent | SYN moron | ‘But Ian’s such a simpleton’, she laughed. | простак, простофиля, дурачок | |
| in a decided tone | very strictly and determined | Usually teachers talk to us in a very decided tone. | решительным тоном | ||
| to hold one's tongue | to keep scilence | If smone knows a secret, he must hold his tongue. | молчать, держать язык за зубами, прикусить язык | ||
| to sink into the earth | to have a very strong desire to disappear | I was so embarrassed, that I was really ready to sink into the earth. | провалиться сквозь землю | ||
| to take the regular course | to choose one way and to walk according to it | To be a success you are to take the regular course. | придерживаться одного направления |