Travel-Russia-Europe

Intelligent English
show: definitions & notes only words
in list order from A to Z from Z to A
from easy to hard from hard to easy

1. accolade
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

2. acrimony
a rough and bitter manner

3. angst
an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety

4. anomaly
deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule

5. antidote
a remedy that stops or controls the effects of a poison

6. avant-garde
radically new or original

7. baroque
relating to an elaborately ornamented style of art and music

8. bona fide
not counterfeit or copied

9. boondoggle
work of little or no value done merely to look busy

10. bourgeois
being of the property-owning class

11. bravado
a swaggering show of courage

12. brogue
a thick and heavy shoe

13. brusque
marked by rude or peremptory shortness

14. Byzantine
of or relating to or characteristic of the Byzantine Empire or the ancient city of Byzantium

15. cacophony
loud confusing disagreeable sounds

16. camaraderie
the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability

17. capricious
determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity

18. carte blanche
complete freedom or authority to act

19. caustic
capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action

20. charisma
personal attractiveness that enables you to influence others

21. cloying
overly sweet

22. deja vu
the experience of thinking a new situation already occurred

23. dichotomy
being twofold

24. dilettante
an amateur engaging in an activity without serious intention

25. disheveled
in disarray; extremely disorderly

26. elan
enthusiastic and assured vigor and liveliness

27. ennui
the feeling of being bored by something tedious

28. epitome
a standard or typical example

29. equanimity
steadiness of mind under stress

30. equivocate
be deliberately ambiguous or unclear

31. esoteric
understandable only by an enlightened inner circle

32. euphemism
an inoffensive expression substituted for an offensive one

33. fait accompli
an irreversible accomplishment

34. fastidious
giving careful attention to detail

35. faux pas
a socially awkward or tactless act

36. fiasco
a complete failure or collapse

37. finagle
achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods

38. Freudian slip
a slip-up that (according to Sigmund Freud) results from the operation of unconscious wishes or conflicts and can reveal unconscious processes in normal healthy individuals

39. glib
artfully persuasive in speech

40. gregarious
temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others

41. harbinger
something indicating the approach of something or someone

42. hedonist
someone motivated by desires for sensual pleasures

43. heresy
a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion

44. idiosyncratic
peculiar to the individual

45. idyllic
charmingly simple and serene

46. indelicate
slightly indecent, offensive, or improper

47. infinitesimal
immeasurably small

48. insidious
working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way

49. junket
dessert made of sweetened milk coagulated with rennet

50. kitsch
excessively garish or sentimental art

51. litany
any long and tedious address or recital

52. lurid
glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism

53. Machiavellian
of or relating to amoral or conniving political principles

54. malaise
a general feeling of discomfort, uneasiness, or depression

55. malinger
avoid responsibilities and duties

56. mantra
literally a `sacred utterance' in Vedism

57. maudlin
effusively or insincerely emotional

58. mercenary
a person hired to fight for another country than their own

59. minimalist
a conservative advocating only minor reforms in government

60. misnomer
an incorrect or unsuitable name

61. narcissist
someone who is excessively self-centered

62. nirvana
the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation

63. non sequitur
a reply that has no relevance to what preceded it

64. nouveau-riche
characteristic of someone who has risen economically or socially but lacks the social skills appropriate for this new position

65. oblivion
the state of being disregarded or forgotten

66. ogle
look at with amorous intentions

67. ostentatious
intended to attract notice and impress others

68. ostracize
expel from a community or group

69. panacea
hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases

70. paradox
a statement that contradicts itself

71. peevish
easily irritated or annoyed

72. perfunctory
hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough

73. philistine
a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits

74. precocious
characterized by exceptionally early development

75. propriety
correct behavior

76. quid pro quo
something for something

77. quintessential
representing the perfect example of a class or quality

78. red herring
diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue

79. revel
take delight in

80. rhetoric
study of the technique for using language effectively

81. scintillating
having brief brilliant points or flashes of light

82. spartan
unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment

83. stigma
a symbol of disgrace or infamy

84. stoic
seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive

85. suave
having a sophisticated charm

86. Svengali
someone (usually maleficent) who tries to persuade or force another person to do his bidding

87. sycophant
a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage

88. teetotaler
a total abstainer

89. tete-a-tete
a private conversation between two people

90. tirade
a speech of violent denunciation

91. tryst
a secret rendezvous, especially between lovers

92. ubiquitous
being present everywhere at once

93. unrequited
not returned in kind

94. untenable
incapable of being defended or justified

95. vicarious
experienced at secondhand

96. vile
morally reprehensible

97. waft
a long flag; often tapering

98. white elephant
a valuable possession whose upkeep is excessively expensive

99. zealous
marked by active interest and enthusiasm

English Vocabulary: 5 verbs to make you sound smart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNBpAWlwmmg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jxeliAUOQY

Advice

Top Ten Table Manners

Table manners have evolved over centuries to make the practice of eating with others pleasant and sociable. With so many table manners to keep track, keep these basic, but oh-so-important, table manners in mind as you eat:

1. Chew with your mouth closed.

2. Keep your smartphone off the table and set to silent or vibrate. Wait to check calls and texts until you are finished with the meal and away from the table.

3. Don’t use your utensils like a shovel or stab your food.

4. Don’t pick your teeth at the table.

5. Remember to use your napkin.

6. Wait until you’re done chewing to sip or swallow a drink. (Choking is clearly an exception.)

7. Cut only one piece of food at a time.

8. Avoid slouching and don’t place your elbows on the table while eating (though it is okay to prop your elbows on the table while conversing between courses, and always has been, even in Emily’s day).

9. Instead of reaching across the table for something, ask for it to be passed to you.

10. Take part in the dinner conversation.