Advanced Vocabulary for English Language Learners

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Pesky

Pesky - annoying; causing trouble,

Example - "I have a pesky young brother."

Image - http://www.dadsbigplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/you-pesky-kids.jpg

Monday, July 6, 2015

Cringeworthy

Cringeworthy - causing feelings of embarrassment or awkwardness.

Example - "The play's cast was excellent but the dialogue was unforgivably cringeworthy."

Image - http://www.askamanager.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Aunt-Linda-SNL-cringe-worthy-career-mistakes-150x200.png

Friday, June 26, 2015

To take the plunge

To take the plunge - to commit oneself to a course of action about which one is nervous.

Example - "She wondered whether to enter for the race, but decided to take the plunge"

http://www.dontgiveupyourdream.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2485/2013/08/TakeThePlunge.jpg

Spiffy

Spiffy - Smart in appearance.

Example - "She's just got a spiffy new outfit."

http://media.spiffy.sg/spiffy-media/2012/06/spiffy1-610x341.png

Germane

Germane - relevant to a subject under consideration.

Example - "That is not germane to our team."

http://www.drimmit.com/public/dreams/original-milestone-21-dec-2012-time-2012-12-21-15-11-14-userid-2684.jpg

Untenable

Untenable - not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection.

Example - "This article is clearly untenable."

Example - http://www.apisanet.com/nnh-content/uploads/pe/people-leave-when-life-becomes-untenable-where.jpg

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Understudy

Understudy - a person who learns another's role in a play or musical in order to be able to act at short notice in their absence.

Image - http://alfalfastudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/amphibian_productions_understudy_featured.jpg

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Inured

Inured - accustomed to something, especially something unpleasant.

Example - "These children have been inured to violence."

Image - http://wordinfo.info/words/images/inured-1.jpg

Wildcat

Wildcat - sudden and unofficial.

Example - "We need a new legislation to curb wildcat strikes".

Image - https://marygrovecampusnews.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/wildcat-strike.jpg

To annihilate

To annihilate /əˈnʌɪɪleɪt/ - to destroy utterly.

Example - "A simple bomb of this type could annihilate them all."

Image - http://www.wordbypicture.com/thumbs/annihilated-thumb.jpg

Monday, June 22, 2015

You can't have your cake and eat it too

You can't have your cake and eat it too - The proverb literally means "you cannot both possess your cake and eat it". Once the cake is eaten, it is gone. It can be used to say that one cannot or should not have or want more than one deserves or can handle, or that one cannot or should not try to have two incompatible things.

Image - https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/46/e1/be/46e1be64a66c6cba0ddbae15aa2382f8.jpg

Friday, June 19, 2015

Chuffed

Chuffed - very pleased.

Example - "I am dead chuffed to have won."

Image - http://memecrunch.com/image/521a3168afa96f4c6500000e.jpg?w=400

Monday, June 1, 2015

To heckle

To heckle - to interrupt (a public speaker) with aggressive comments or abuse.

Example - "He was booed and heckled when he tried to address the demonstrators."

Image - https://nicklewin.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/heckle-cartoon.jpg

Friday, May 29, 2015

Smitten

Smitten - to be really taken or pleased by someone.

Example - "After a few dates with Josh, Robin was smitten as a kitten."

https://pennyblackinc.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/im-smitten.jpg

Humdrum

Humdrum - lacking excitement; boringly monotonous.

Example - "That is just some humdrum routine work."

http://images.wisegeek.com/man-who-does-not-care.jpg

Ludicrous

Ludicrous - so foolish, unreasonable or out of place to be amusing.

Example - "It is ludicrous that I have been fined."

http://izquotes.com/quotes-pictures/quote-i-m-ridiculous-i-m-ludicrous-ludacris-115601.jpg

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Ersatz

Ersatz - made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else.

Image - http://boldomatic.com/content/post/_2H4dw-b503e7177670971aef5615c750d77b1c87011e44d7cc6691591daf78a7ae2204/Pizza-ist-der-beste-Broccoli-ersatz

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Lukewarm

Lukewarm - only moderately warm.

Image - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWYbw_fr64tf3CnKisTR2IMGk8us77IYnoLxtFzLS0q-CXYOCp2j4pPwZoM9hbyjWF-8izj2BatlkBOG0Cvua_2rfYxFMalhxVAgJUeh1kZZ0O3zKT6nhBbz2HBwkUiLgVScp_kJTYfnU/s1600/LukeWarm.gif

Spurious

Spurious - not being what it purports to be; false or fake.

Image - http://wordinfo.info/words/images/spurious-2.jpg

Bailiff

Bailiff - someone who is instructed by a creditor to enforce a money debt or a fine.

Example - "I need to return these books to the library before the bailiff come knocking."

Image - http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Money/Pix/pictures/2012/2/17/1329495071946/A-bailiff-removing-goods--007.jpg

To bank on

To bank on - to expect something or depend on someone happening.

Image - http://www.bushidomarketing.com/images/Copy%20Doodles/bank%20on%20it.gif

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Not a happy bunny

Not a happy bunny - deeply dissatisfied and discontented.

Image - http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/183/1/b/not_a_happy_bunny_by_rainbowrandomness-d3kqqk2.jpg

To curry favor

To curry favor - to seek to gain favor by flattery or attention.

Image - http://www.quotehd.com/imagequotes/authors27/tmb/mark-horstman-quote-if-you-think-youll-curry-favor-you-are-mistaken.jpg

Monday, May 11, 2015

Inchoate

Inchoate - not completely formed or developed yet.

Example - "This is still a vague inchoate idea."

Image - http://wordpandit.com/wp-content/themes/DynamiX/lib/scripts/timthumb.php?src=http://wordpandit.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Incohate.jpg&h=300&zc=0

To pigeonhole

To pigeonhole - to assign to a particular category, typically an overly restrictive one.

Example - "I was pigeonholed as a 'youth writer'."

Image - http://spikedmath.com/comics/390-php.png

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Hand over fist

Hand over fist - quickly and continuously.

Example - "Business was good and we were making money hand over fist."

Image - http://www.handoverfist.co.uk/sites/handoverfist.co.uk/files/HOF_LOGO_2.png

Friday, April 17, 2015

Labile

Labile - liable to change; easily altered.

Example - Persons whose blood pressure is more labile will carry an enhanced risk of heart attack.

Image - http://vocabmadeeasy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/labile.jpg

Friday, March 27, 2015

Impending

Impending - about to happen

Image - http://www.quotespin.com/quotes-pics/VGhlcmUmIzM5O3Mgbm90aGluZyBsaWtlIGltcGVuZGluZyBkZWF0aCB0byByb3VzZSB5b3UgZnJvbSBleGlzdGVudGlhbCBib3JlZG9tLg/there39s-nothing-like-impending-_roger-ebert-quote.png

Strew

Strew - scatter or spread things untidily on a surface or area.

Image - http://summit.sfu.ca/system/files/iritems1/10793/str001.jpg

Haphazard

Haphazard - lacking any obvious principle of organization

Image - http://static3.demotix.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/a_scale_large/1300-3/photos/1354313.jpg

Ottoman

Ottoman - a footstool

Image - https://chiraagonline.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/010_ocd.gif

Rambunctious

Rambunctious - difficult to control

Image - http://www.quotehd.com/imagequotes/authors37/tmb/susan-newman-quote-theyve-been-taught-since-childhood-to-be-more-docil.jpg

Sud

Sud - foam; bubbles that form on top of water that contains soap.

Image - http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/artist-date-spillway-e1365467954498.jpg

Kook

Kook - a mad or eccentric person

Image - http://www.gq.com/images/sports/2013/07/surf-kooks-628.jpg

Thursday, March 5, 2015

To balk at

To balk at - to stop short and to refuse to go on to do something.

Example - "The horse balked at jumping over the fence."

Image - http://www.bragitoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/horse-jump-balk-rider-thrown-off-hesitate.jpg

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Expletive

Expletive - a swear word.
Example - "He was greeted by a stream of expletives."

Image - https://mybrooklynstory.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/expletive1.jpeg

Thursday, February 26, 2015

To send packing

To send packing - to send someone away; to dismiss someone, possibly rudely.

Example - "I couldn't stand him anymore so I sent him packing."

Image - http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/548757-yourefired-1368475636-475-640x480.jpg

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

To let up

To let up - to diminish, to stop doing something altogether.

Image - http://www.verbkeep.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/let-up.png

Wayward

Wayward - difficult to control or predict because of perverse behaviour.

Image - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQb3iqnObw-7zFfh79aVB81fPPrYd_ERE9x6LdJM6cZyrt03d3aH4yTq3y1-MSNSz2QT6SA8TQCQgQKl6WsHu-UfRrEJGso0qdgdORTH9kk1PxZLmbqTepmyV_G06xOOcg1FPimJPvsrEN/s400/26-+wayward+youth.jpg/

Friday, January 23, 2015

It's monkeys!

It's monkeys - it is very cold.

Example - "It's monkeys in here. Turn the heater on!"

Image - http://www.strangefarmer.com/images/content/123265.jpg

Up the wooden hill to bedfordshire

Up the wooden hill to bedfordshire - to go to bed

Image - https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8040/7987680875_73b6198e06.jpg

Chinwag

Chinwag - chat

Example - "It was time we got together for a good old chinwag."

Image - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwLPO1nOZcLV4w2WxQRK7kxAx2wmPEGfw-jylsLcriFCGaBwm6J6FHM0MdY23k99DwtEA4yp0uyoJOTprAElrNQmxrQcS9Ni85_bG0j7hUSkS1g7SYUwwaLIAXI0GOTJMiiYXqWCnTk16c/s1600/Snapz+Pro+XScreenSnapz001.jpg

Bob's your uncle!

Bob's your uncle - something that you say after you have explained how to do something, to emphasize that it will be simple and successful.

Example - "You simply put on the stain remover, leave it for an hour and Bob's your uncle, the stain's gone."

Image - http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/organizeeverything1/BannersBobsYourUncle.jpg

Horses for courses

Horses for courses - it is important to choose suitable people for particular activities because everyone has different skills.

Example - Ah well, horses for courses. Just because a plumber can mend your washing machine, it doesn't follow that he can mend your car as well.

Image - http://gakumix.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Screen-Shot-2012-09-26-at-12.01.37-PM.png

Swings and roundabouts

Swings and roundabouts - something that you say to describe a situation in which there are as many advantages as there are problems.

Example - "If you make more money, you will have to pay more taxes. So, it's swings and roundabouts, really."