Unit 3 Upstream Advanced

Unit 3   Upstream Advanced

A change of heart – a situation in which you change your opinion about someone or sth

Adjust to sth – get used to sth

Altruism – a way of thinking and behaving that shows you care about other people and their interests more than you care about yourself

Amicable – friendly and without arguments

Apprehensive – slightly worried or nervous

Arrogant – someone who thinks they are better or more important than other people and behaves in a way that is rude and too confident

Assertive - behaving in a confident way in which you are quick to express your opinions and feelings

Assumption – sth you consider likely to be true even though no one has told you directly or even though you have no proof

Atrocious – very evil or cruel; very unpleasant, very bad in quality

Be down in the dumps – feeling unhappy or without hope

Beaming smile – a wide smile

Bellow – to shout very loudly

Beneficial – having a good effect or influence on someone or sth

Bereavement – the situation you are in when a friend or family member has just died

Biased – preferring one person, thing or idea to another in a way that is unfair

Blistering heat – extremely high temperatures

Blithe – ignoring or not realizing the real disadvantages of a situation or the possible bad results of sth you do; happy and not worried about anything

Blow sth out of proportion – to claim that sth is much worse than it really is

Blunt – saying what is true or what you think, even if this offends or upsets people

Boost – to help sth to increase, improve, or become more successful; make someone feel more positive or more confident

Brainy – very intelligent, especially at school or college

Breadwinner – the person who earns the money to support a family

Bridge the gap – to reduce the differences that separate two things or groups

Bring round – revive

Brusque – speaking quickly in an unfriendly way using very few words (curt)

Buoyant – feeling happy and confident

Cautious – careful to avoid problems or danger

Cherish – to keep sth pleasant in your mind for a long time

Cohabit – live together without being married

Compassionate – understanding and caring about someone who is in a bad situation

Compliant – too willing to do what other people want or to accept their opinions

Come in handy - be useful

Conciliatory – trying to end an argument and make people feel less angry

Confidant – someone you trust and can discuss your secrets with 

Conformist – behaving in a way that most people think is correct or suitable                    Conscientious – working hard and careful to do things well

Considerate – thinking about the feelings and needs of other people

Cordial - friendly

Cost-effective – economical

Cry one’s heart out – cry a lot, because you are very unhappy

Dead silence – complete silence

Denote - mean

Deprived – not having the things that are essential for a comfortable life

Derogative/derogatory – showing that you have a bad opinion of sth or someone, usually in an insulting way

Devotion – great love, admiration or loyalty

Diminutive – very small or short, tiny

Distort – to change sth such as information so that it is no longer true or accurate

Diminish – to become less (decrease): make sth to become less (lessen); to deliberately

make sth or someone seem less important than they really are (belittle)

Distracted – not able to concentrate on sth

Diverse – varied, very different from each other

Divorce-prone – more likely to divorce than others

Domestic duties – housework

Doting – loving someone very much, often so much that you do not notice their faults

Drift apart – grow away from one another

Edgy – in a bad mood because you are worried or nervous (irritable)

Emasculated – made to feel less masculine

Embark on – to start a new project or activity

Empathy – the ability to understand how someone feels because you can imagine what it is like to be them

Enhance – improve sth or make it more attractive or more valuable

Erratic – changing often or not following a regular pattern, so that it is difficult to know what will happen next

Expiry date – a “sell-by” date

Extended family- a family group that includes grandparents, aunts, cousins, etc

Fervent – very enthusiastic and sincere, especially about sth you believe in or support

Fill in work – temporary work

Forthright – saying what you think and feel directly and honestly, without being afraid of other people’s reaction

Fraternal – belonging to brothers; between brothers; between friends or people who share the same interests or opinions

Frown upon/on – not to approve of sth

Function – a social event such as a party, especially one for a great number of people

Get the hang of sth – learn how to do sth

Gracious – showing kindness and good manners

Grow apart – become less close

Have a selective memory - to be a liar

Have a whale of a time – to have a lot of fun

Heart of gold – very generous and kind

Hesitant – doing sth slowly or pausing before you do it, because you are nervous, embarrassed or worried

Hidden agenda – a secret reason for doing sth, because you will get an advantage from it

Hit the rock bottom – reach the lowest possible level

Impact – an effect or influence; an occasion when one object hits another

Imposing – large and impressive

Indisputable – impossible to question or argue with (undeniable)

Inept – someone who does not have much ability or skill

In retrospect – considering sth that happened in the past using knowledge or information that you did not have at that time

In someone’s shoes – in the situation that someone else is in

Innumerable – too many to be counted

Interject – say sth suddenly that interrupts someone who is speaking

Jittery – feeling nervous and sometimes being unable to keep still because of this

Jostle – push roughly against someone in a crowd

Legacy – sth such as a tradition or problem that exists as a result of sth that happened in the past; money or property that you arrange for someone to have after your death

Lend a sympathetic ear – to be willing to listen to someone else’s problems

Marital breakdown – ending a marriage

Maturity – the qualities and behaviour that you would expect of a sensible adult; full growth or completed development

Meek – quiet, gentle and easily persuaded by other people to do what they want

Mere – simple

Merit – an advantage or good quality that sth has

Minuscule – extremely small in size or amount

Misery – the state of being extremely unhappy or uncomfortable

Mutually – by, to, or for each of two or more people equally

Nimble – able to move quickly and easily

Nuclear family – family unit consisting of a mother, father and their children

Obstinate – not willing to be reasonable and change your plans or behaviour (stubborn)

Pangs – fleeting moments of guilt

Peer- someone who is of the same age or belongs to the same social or professional group as another person

Peer pressure – the influence that other people of your own age or social class have on the way you behave or dress

Perplexing – confusing

Petite – a woman who is small and thin in an attractive way

Proofreader – a person who reads sth written and marks any mistakes so that they can be corrected

Protracted – continuing for a long time, especially longer than is normal or necessary

Prowess – great skill or ability

Quaint – interesting and attractive with a slightly strange and old-fashioned character

Regimented – organised and controlled by strict rules

Randomly – without a particular method, pattern or purpose

Rash – acting or done too quickly without considering the effects of your actions

Rapport – a relationship in which people like, understand and respect each other

Reckless – not thinking about the possible bad effects of your actions

Remorse – a strong sad and guilty feeling about sth you have done wrong

Resentment – an angry unhappy feeling you have when you think you have been treated unfairly or without enough respect

Scatty – a silly person who does not think in an organised way, so that they often forget or lose things

Scrutinize – examine sth very carefully

Self-destructive – doing things that are likely to harm you or make you fail

Self-effacing – someone who does not want to be noticed by other people and tends not to talk about their abilities and achievements

Self-esteem – the feeling that you are as important as other people and that you deserve to be treated well

Self-indulgent – allowing yourself to have or do sth special that you like very much, often sth that you should not have or do

Self-obsessed – considering oneself so important that one is always thinking about oneself, in a way that seems extreme for other people

Self-opinionated – believing that your own opinions are right and that everyone else should agree with you

Self-reliant – able to do things for yourself and not depend on other people

Self-righteous – showing that you are too proud of your own moral behaviour or beliefs, especially in a way that annoys other people

Serene – calm and peaceful

Sibling rivalry – competition between brothers and sisters, often for their parents’ attention

Sluggish – not performing or reacting as well as usual

Spendthrift – someone who is careless about money and spends more than they need to

Spouse – husband or wife

Squabble – to argue with someone about sth that is not important

Squint – close your eyes slightly and try to see sth, either because of a bright light or because your eyes do not see very well

Stable – not changing frequently and not likely to suddenly become worse

Stand by – support

Stand out – to be easy to see or notice because of being different

Stroll – to walk without hurrying, often for pleasure

Submissive – willing to do what other people tell you to do without arguing

Superficial person – a person who does not think about serious or important things (shallow)

Tap into sth – make use of sth

Toy with an idea – to consider an idea in a way that is not serious or definite

Trade-off – return, deal

Trigger – to activate

Trait – a particular quality in someone’s character

Trudge – to walk with slow heavy steps

Unconditional love – love without limits or conditions

Unforthcoming – not willing to talk or provide information

Ungainly – not moving in an attractive or graceful way

Unkempt – dirty and untidy

Vulnerable – weak or easy to hurt physically or mentally; easy to attack

Wet blanket – someone who spoils other people’s fun by being negative and complaining