A
Abandoned – deserted
Abet/Abetting - assisting or encouraging
Abide - put up with something or somebody unpleasant
Absconded – to run away avoiding arrest
A capella - just the singers voice and no music, plain singing 
Accessorize -a small accompanying item of dress
Accommodate - to adapt, to bring into harmony
Acquired - to have taken possession of something
Addiction – having a dependence on a substance
Adios -Spanish word for goodbye
Affirmation/ed - confirming something is true or valid
Aghast - overcome with horror
Agitated - disturbed or troubled
Alight – to step out of, to land
Allez - French word, meaning go
Allocates – to assign for a particular purpose
Alps – a high mountain range in Europe
Altruism/istic – unselfish concern for others
Amassed – accumulated, collected
Amica - Italian word for friend
Amigos – Spanish word meaning friends
Annihilating - to extinguish, to destroy completely
Anthem – a song of loyalty or devotion
Anticipation – in expectation
Antidote – anything that counteracts or relieves a harmful condition
Anthropologist - one who studies the origins/social relationship of a species
Apparatus - a machine having a specific function
Appease -to calm or satisfy
Apprehended – arrested, caught
Archaeologist/gal - studying man’s past with scientific analysis of material remains of his culture
Arch foes – principal, most important enemies
Arcticologist – one who explores cultural, social, and environmental issues involving Arctic lands and peoples
Aroma - smell
Array – an impressive display or collection
Arsonist - one who recklessly sets fire to a property for improper reasons
Artefacts - man made works of art
Ascends -to go or move upwards
Assassinated/ion – person of authority or importance is killed or murdered
Assures/ing – promises, guarantees
Asylum – refuge, shelter
Attire – clothes, what one wears
Auspicious – favourable, fortunate
Austere – grave or serious
Authentic/Authenticating/ity – genuine, proving to be the real thing
Avail – to be of use or assistance
Avalanche – a fall of large masses of snow and ice down a mountain
Avarice – extreme greed for riches
Avert – to turn away or aside
Avid – keen/eager for/dedicated to/ enthusiastic for something
Awe/Awesome - inspiring
 
B
Babbles – to utter sounds in an incoherent jumble
Babylonian - pertaining to the real or to the mystical ancient Babylon
Baits - to persecute or tease
Ban – to forbid
Bandidos – Spanish word for bandits, thieves
Bane – one who causes misery/distress/woe
Bard - William Shakespeare, famous English playwright, known as ‘the Bard’
Barfly - one who frequents drinking establishments
Barometer – an instrument for determining weather changes
Barrage – an overwhelming continuous delivery of something
Barred – prevented/shut out
Bated – in suspense or fear
Bated breath –almost stop breathing, a result of strong emotion/terror/awe
Bedouin – nomadic wandering Arab tribesman of the deserts
Belligerent – aggressive and ready to fight or argue
Bemoaned – to mourn or lament
Beneficial – advantageous
Beret - a round close-fitting brimless cap, popular in France
Bevy - a group
Bier – a platform one can rest on
Biscotti – Italian ‘twice baked’ oblong cookies to make them dry and crunchy
Bitten the dust -to disappear/fail
Blanched - to become pale from sickness or fear
Bleating – characteristic cry of some species of animals
Blundering – clumsy and stupid
Bohemianism – unconventional in appearance and behaviour
Brainstorm – enlightening experience
Brawn – physical strength
Brazen – shameless and bold
Breach -to break through or make a hole
Bric a brac – miscellaneous small objects, kept because ornamental or rare
Bring home the bacon - to do something successful
Brothers Grimm – famous writers of children’s fairy tales
Buffoon – one with odd and foolish behaviour
Bullfighting – traditional sport/spectacle; a bull against men with weapons
Bullion – gold or silver in the form of bars
Bummer – an absolute disappointment 
   
C
Cache – a hidden store of treasure
Cackle/ing – to squawk with shrill noises
Cactus- a succulent plant that survives in hot and dry environments
Cahoots – in collusion, partnership
Calculating – selfishly scheming
Calligraphy – beautiful handwriting
Camaraderie - a spirit of familiarity and trust existing between friends
Cameo - a brief scene played by a well known personality in a film or play
Camouflaging/ed – concealing, hiding
Canton – a political division of Switzerland
Caper - a high spirited escapade
Capo dei Capi-Italian word meaning ‘boss of bosses’. 
Captivating/ed – holding attention by fascination
Carbuncled – covered with skin eruptions like boils
Caresses – to touch or stroke gently
Carmen Miranda- Brazilian samba singer/film actress, wearing elaborate headdress, featuring a variety of fruit
Cascading – to flow or fall
Catapulting – to shoot forth from
Catastrophe - a sudden extensive disaster or misfortune
Centipedes – insects with body of 15 -190 segments bearing 1 pair of legs
Chaos - complete disorder, utter confusion
Chided -to rebuke or scold
Chip off the block – refers to the relationship between father/mother and son, and means that they are of similar character, ‘made of the same stuff’
Choppers – ‘slang’ for teeth
Chortled - to chuckle gleefully
Chow – Slang for food/meal
Chuffed – to be pleased or delighted
Circa -at the approximate time of/around
Circuitous – indirect and lengthy
Circumvent – to evade or go around
Citrouille- French word for pumpkin
Clammy – unpleasantly sticky, moist
Clone -organism descended from genetically identical common ancestor
Coagulated – mixed together to form a semisolid substance
Cohort – any member of a band of warriors or associates
Coiffures – an arrangement of hair
Coincide - fall together/ happen simultaneously
Collates – to examine/compare information noting agreement/disagreement
Collusion – a secret agreement for a fraudulent purpose/a conspiracy
Colonists - persons who settle an area
Comatose – in a state of coma
Comeuppance- happens to someone caught and punished for
Commences - begins
Commiserated – to feel or express sympathy or compassion
Committed/ment - pledged
Commotion -a disorderly outburst or tumult
Composure – quietness, calmness
doing bad things
Concludes/ed – sums up
Concocts/Concocted/ing – to invent/ make up
Concoction – to make up by using different ingredients
Configuration – the arrangement of the parts of something
Confines – the boundaries
Confirmed - made certain as to truth/accuracy/validity/availability
Conjured - to effect/produce/ bring by, or as by magic
Conniving – to give encouragement to the commission of a wrong
Connoisseur – a person with special knowledge
Conscious/ness – alert and awake
Consequence – a result or effect
Conspicuous – clearly visible
Conspire/Conspiracy - to plan together secretly/ to commit an illegal act
Consuming – focused completely/absorbing/agonizing/arresting
Contorting/Contortion -to twist or bend out of shape
Contraption – a device considered strange
Converted - to bring over from one belief/view or party to another
Convoluted – difficult to comprehend
Convulsed/ivly - shaken or agitated violently
Cope - come to terms with
Corny – trite or sentimental
Corroborated- means to strengthen or support with evidence
Corroded – destroyed gradually, rotting
Corrupt/ion/ed – morally depraved/rotten
Cossack -a nomadic horse culture that live on the Russian Steppes
Counterfeiter -one who illegally imitates something.
Counter remedy – opposite cure
Coup - a brilliant and successful plan or action
Cortège - the group following and attending to some important person
Credence – acceptance or belief
Credentials - evidence of authority/ status/rights
Credibility – trustworthiness, believability
Crème de la crème- French phrase, refers to the best part of milk as good as can be
Crepe Suzette - French dessert, rolled crepe/pancake, sauce of sugar and butter, orange juice and liquer poured on top and lit…. served ‘flambe’
Crevasses – deep cracks in the ice of a glacier
Cricket – Slang, for fair play
Croaks/ed – a low hoarse utterance, grumble
Cronies – friends or companions
Cryptic – hidden/secret/obscure in meaning
Cuff - put a leash/handcuff on you
Cuisine – a style or manner of cooking
Cul de Sac – a dead end road
Culminating- to bring to a final, climatic stage
Culprit – one responsible for a misdeed
Cultivated – soil prepared for the growth of crops
Cuppas – British slang, an informal cup of tea
Cursor – an indicator showing a specific position displayed
Cutting off you nose to spite your face - an expression used to describe a needlessly self-destructive over-reaction to a problem
Cylindrical – circular shaped rotating object
   
D
Dank digs-unpleasantly damp living quarters
Dastardly – sneaky/ cowardly/contemptible
Dead ringer – an exact copy/identical
Decibels – units for measuring the intensity of sound
Decipher/Deciphering/Deciphered – to determine meaning/decode
Decrepit – broken down/ worn out/dilapidated
Default- failure to act; inaction or neglect 
Defies/Defied – resisted openly and boldly
Definitive – most reliable or authoritative
Dejected – being disheartened, miserable
Deliriously – wildly excited
Demented - mad, insane
Demon/ic/ized – a person thought of as evil or cruel
Demolition - the act or process of wrecking or destroying 
Deranged – insane, disordered
Derisive – mocking, scornful
Designated – selected or named, assigned
Desolate – empty/ barren/ isolated
Despicable – mean/ despised
Devastating - destructive
Devious - not sincere/ deceitful
Devised -to work out or plan something in your mind
Devoid - completely lacking/ destitute/ empty
Devouring – to absorb avidly with the senses or mind
Dilemma - a problem that seems incapable of a solution
Dimension – scope, an aspect
Dimwit – a stupid or silly person
Disarray – confusion/untidiness
Discarded – thrown out
Discernible – recognizable
Disconcerting – disturbing/ upsetting
Discordant – disagreeing/inharmonious
Discredited – disbelieved/distrusted
Disembark – to land from ship, aircraft, etc.
Disgruntled – sulky/discontented
Dishevelled - hanging loosely or in disorder/unkempt
Dislodged - to remove from a previously fixed position
Dismissive - to indicate lack of interest, or to be scornful/disdainful
Disperse – to scatter or spread
Disposition – a person’s temperament, or frame of mind
Disrobed - undressed
Distressing – upsetting
Divert/ed/Diversion - to turn aside from a course or direction.
Divulge - to make known/to disclose
Documented – recorded or reported in detail
Domain - a region over which control or consistency may be observed
Domination - control and rule
Domineering –overpowering/acting with arrogance or tyranny
Don/Donned – to put on (clothing)
Doused – drenched/ plunged into liquid
Droves – herds, being driven together
Drudgery-tedious/menial/unpleasant work 
Dubbed – called
Duo-two people or two things in close association
 
E
Eavesdropped/Eavesdropping – listening secretly to private conversations
Ecstatic – a state of great joy and rapture
Eked -to add with effort
Elation - filled with high spirits, exhilaration
Eludes - to avoid, especially by cunning
Elusive – difficult to catch
Emanate/Emanating – to proceed or come from a source/to emit
Embarkation- to board a ship
Embellishing – to make a story more interesting by adding detail
Emblazoned - to adorn (a surface) richly with prominent markings
Embossed – a carved decoration which is raised above the surface
Emerge -to come out
Eminent – distinguished/outstanding
Enact/ing - put into practice, perform
Encapsulates-to enclose, as in a capsule
Encounter – an unexpected meeting
Encrusted – decorated lavishly
Endangered – something in danger or peril of being wiped out
Endearment – an affectionate utterance
Endemic - characteristic of an area and naturally present in a region
Endorsed - to give approval to
Endowed - to equip/supply with a talent or quality
Engulfed – to swallow up/ buried
Enhances/Enhanced – to improve/to intensify in quality
Enigmatic – one who is mysterious or puzzling
Enquired – asking by questioning
Enraptures/ed – fills with delight/ enchants
Ensues/Ensued – to occur as a result
Enthralled – to hold spellbound, to enchant
Enthuses – to show enthusiasm
Entice - to lead on by exciting hope or desire
Entourage - a group of attendants
Entwines – two or more things tied together
Envisions – visualizes
Epidemic – a rapid development or spread of something
Equilibrium – a stable condition, balance
Era- commonly used word for a long period of time
Eradicate – to wipe out/eliminate
Erupt – to burst forth suddenly
Escapade – an adventure, usually unlawful
Espadrilles – a type of Mexican straw sandal with ties up the ankle
Espionage - using spies to obtain secret information usually by governments
Essence – fundamental nature of a thing which defines it, vitally important
Eureka – exclamation of triumph on discovering or solving something
Evacuate/Evacuation -to withdraw/to make empty
Evaluating - assessment of something/someone of actions observed
Evict/Evicted -to expel from a property
Evolved – undergoes development
Exaggerated – to make greater than is true
Exasperated – irritated/aggravated
Execute –a task to carry through, or to perform something/to put to death
Expertise - skilfulness by virtue of possessing special knowledge
Exploits – noticeable deeds
Extermination – to destroy completely/to eliminate
Extinction - something that once existed, no longer exists
Extinguish - to put out or destroy
 
F
Fabricated - a deliberately false or improbable account
Facets – aspects of a subject
Falsies – artificial objects
Falsified – misrepresented/deceptive
Fatal/ful - resulting in death
Fedora hat - in the 1940s, hats made of soft felt, the brim usually turned down in the front worn by detectives in movies
Feeble – weak
Femme fatale –French word -an irresistibly attractive female
Fending – to ward off, turn aside
Fermented – a change/reaction/harsh transition taking place in something
Fibre - a strand of material
Fiesta-Spanish word meaning grand party
Filaments - any slender structure or part
Finesse - elegant skill in style or performance
Firmament – the expanse of the sky
Flashback - seeing an earlier scene or event
Flayed – to strip off the skin
Flick of a wrist - a light quick touch
Foil/Foiling/ed – defeating
Formidable - a force to be reckoned with
Formulate – to devise/to put into systematic terms
Fracas – a noisy quarrel/a brawl
Fraud - intentional deception for personal gain or to damage another
Fred and Ginger – the most famous dancing duo paired in old film musicals
French Foreign Legion- a collection of refugees/romantics/rootless people, united to form one of history’s toughest fighting units
Frenzy – wild excitement or agitation
Fully fledged – having full status or rank
Fumes/ed/ing - overcome with anger or fury
Fuse – a protective device for safeguarding electric circuits
   
G
Gaggle – a disorderly group of people
Gapping – the extent to which the mouth can be opened
Gargantuan – huge/enormous
Gaskets – objects which control high pressure steam systems and sometimes applied to one blowing up with stress
Geezer - ‘Slang- an old person, especially an eccentric old man
Geisha - a female companion in Japan trained in music/dancing/conversation
Ghastly - very bad/ horrible
Ghouls – evil persons interested in morbid or disgusting things
Gi-normous – Slang- being gigantically enormous
Glacier – slowly moving mass of ice originating from an accumulation of snow
Glee - great merriment and joy/ a musical group or choir group
Gloated - to dwell with malevolent smugness
Glumness - silent or sullen as from gloom
Glycerine- colourless, odourless, liquid actors put in their eyes to make tears
Gob – Slang - for the mouth
Gobbling/le – to eat food quickly
Going spare – upset/ angry/ disturbed
Gorges – to stuff oneself with food
Gourmet – one who enjoys good food and drink
Grave – serious
Greased lightning – super quick/very fast
Grimace - a type of facial expression usually of disgust/disapproval/pain
Grub – Slang - for food
Grubby -dirty, slovenly
Gruff – rough or surly speech
Guilders – name of Dutch money in the Netherlands
Guile – clever or crafty character or behaviour
Guinness Book of Records – features world records arranged by category
Gullet – a less formal name for the throat
Gun moll – the female companion of a male professional criminal
Gusher – something that pours out in a flow, gushes
Guttural – relating to the throat
Gyrating -to revolve quickly and repeatedly around one’s own axis
 
H
Hallucinates – to experience perceiving objects when no object is present
Harried – troubled by distress or danger
Hat trick – the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game
Havoc- great destruction and devastation
Heed - pay close attention to
Heinous - grossly wicked or reprehensible/abominable
Heir – one who will succeed an ancestor
Heir apparent – one whose right to succeed cannot be defeated provided one survives his ancestor
Heist – a carefully planned robbery, the act of stealing
Helm – a position of leadership or control
Hibernating – to cease from activity
Hilt -to the limit; completely
Hoarded – to accumulate and store, hidden away for future use
Hoist/Hoisted – to lift up or raise
Hombres – Spanish word for men
Hones –sharpens (a gaze)
Hoodwinked – to be deceived/tricked/cheated
Hooter- Slang - for large nose
Horde – a vast crowd/a mob
Horrendous – provoking horror
Hostility – unfriendly, opposed
Hover/Hovering – to linger/remain in the air, by rapidly beating the wings
Huffed - a mood of sulking anger
Humphrey Bogart – American actor deemed Greatest Male Star of All Time
Hydraulic – of water conveyed through pipes or channels
Hygiene –clean or healthy practices
  
I
Igloo – a dome-shaped Eskimo house made of solid blocks of snow
Ignoramus - a fool
Immerses - plunged or sunk in
Immortalize – to give everlasting fame to
Impacted - the effect something or someone has on another
Impending - something threatening which is imminent
Impersonate/nation – to pretend to be another
Implanted – to insert or embed
Impostor- person pretending to be somebody else, often to try
to gain financial or social advantages
Inaudible - impossible to hear
Incense -an aromatic substance burned for its fragrant odour
Incentives - something positive that is used as motivation
Incessantly – continually
Incites - to stir up/provoke to action
Inconsolable – incapable of being comforted
Incredulous – unbelieving
Indigenous – native, originating in a country
Indignant – unworthy
Indomitable – difficult or impossible to defeat
Inedible – tasting too terrible to eat
Inept – awkward/incompetent
Infiltrate/tion/Infiltrated – passing undetected/gaining access secretly
Infinity - means that something goes on and on and on
Infuriating - something that makes you mad
Ingenious – skilful or clever
Ingenuity – inventive talent/cleverness
Ingrate- ungrateful/ a person who doesn’t really show any gratitude at all
Inherent – an inseparable part
Initiate/ing - to begin/ to originate
Injected/tion – to introduce a fluid into the body with a syringe
In lieu of - in place of…
Inmediatamente – Spanish word for immediately
Innuendoes – indirect references when meaning is not apparent
Insane - exhibiting unsoundness or disorded of mind/ mad/deranged/delirious
Insatiable – never satisfied, greedy
Insidious – treacherous
Insignia - a badge of office/rank/membership/ nationality; an emblem
Insipid - without distinctive/interesting/ stimulating qualities
Intent/Intently -firmly fixed, concentrated
Intercede – to act as mediator
Intercepted - to secretly listen to or record (a transmitted communication)
Interjects/Interjected – sharply interrupting
Intrigued - cause to be interested or curious
Intruding - interfering without invitation
Intuition - ability to acquire knowledge without inference or use of reason
Invigorates/Invigorating – giving refreshing vitality and vigour
Ipanema - Rio de Janeiro’s beach signature song: ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ –‘Tall and tan and young and lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking…’
Irate – furious/extreme anger
Irretrievable – impossible to get back or return to good condition
Irreversible – not able to change to a different direction
  
J
Jeopardy – danger of injury or loss
Joshed - teased, kidded
Jubilant – happy/elated/full of high-spirited delight
Just desserts - to receive what one deserves
  
K
Karaoke – recording of an orchestra playing a popular tune to sing along with
Kindling - small pieces of treated wood used to start your fire
Kitted – to get fitted into outfits
Knack -a particular talent for doing something
Kneading - to squeeze or press with the hands
Knees Up - a party or lively gathering, usually including dancing
Kohl - a cosmetic powder to darken the area around the eyes
  
L
Labyrinth – a maze-like network of tunnels, passages
Lace/Lacing/ed – adding to
La Dolce Vita – Italian words meaning ‘the Sweet Life’
Lady Gaga – 21st century famous American/Italian crazy-dressing pop singer
Laments/Lamented – to express sorrow or regret
Lethal - able to cause death
Lingering – to go in a slow or leisurely manner, to saunter
Lingo – strange or incomprehensible/unfamiliar foreign language
Loathsome - disgusting
Loch Ness Monster – mysterious creature reputed to inhabit Scottish waters
Lodged – deposited or left
Lolling – to lie or lounge in a lazy, relaxed manner
Louse –Slang- a contemptible person
Lulled -to soothe by soft sounds
Lure – to attract or entice
Lurking – moving stealthily, especially for an evil purpose
 
M
Machinations – acts of plotting or scheming
Maggot - the limbless larva of insects
Malady – a desperate condition
Maligned – slandered/defamed
Maniac – a wild disorderly one with violent behaviour
Mane’ –Brazilian word for aggressive man
Maniacal – one afflicted with mania
Manic Depressive – mental disorder characterized by alternating between extreme excitement and deep depression
Mannequin – called a ‘dummy’- the form of a human being in a store window
Manoeuvres –movements/actions which require dexterity and skill
Mantle – a lose wrap or cloak
Marathons – any long or arduous tasks
Mariachi – a street band in Mexico
Marimbas – percussion musical instrument with bars struck with mallets
Maritime Mahogany – the red brown wood usually used for trim on ships
Massacre – an overwhelming defeat
Materialize – to actually happen
Matriarch – the female head of a society
Matterhorn – one of the world’s most famous mountains in Switzerland
Mayhem - any violent destruction or confusion
Maze – a complex network of paths or passages
Meddling – interfering in an offensive manner
Medley – musical composition consisting of various tunes as one whole piece
Medusa – a mythological figure with hair made of snakes, and her gaze could turn whoever she looked upon to stone
Memento - a souvenir
Memoirs - a collection of reminiscences written from personal experiences
Mentor - a wise or trusted advisor
Mercenary - one who is hired to fight for a foreign army
Mercilessly - without mercy/heartless
Mexican Hat Dance – man and woman dancing round a sombrero, skipping/tapping/ stomping/flirting- a very enthusiastic way of expressing one’s emotion and a delight to perform or even watch
Migration- the movement of people from one place to another
Mildewed- mouldy
Minions – servile agents
Miniskirt – a very short skirt at least 4 inches above the knees
Minute – very small, tiny
Mirage – like an illusion, something seen in the distance looking distorted
Mites - very small parasitic creatures
Mogul - a powerful person
Monsoon - wind system that influences large climatic regions and reverses direction; a season occurrence that cause flash floods/deaths/ crop failures
Morbid – gruesome, having an unusual interest in unpleasant events
Motley – made up of elements of varying types
Multitudinous – a large number
Murky – gloomy or dark
Muses/Mused – to ponder or reflect, usually in silence
 
N
Nefarious – evil, wicked
Nemesis – a creature of retribution and vengeance
Nerd - foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills
Neutralise - to make (something) ineffective; counteract
Neutrality – not siding with any party to a war or dispute
Niche – a position particularly suitable for the country occupying it
Nip/ped –to give a small sharp bite/to go quickly/ to halt/tingling from cold
Noggin - an informal word for head
No holds barred - there are no limits or rules
Notorious/Notoriety – well known for some bad/unfavourable quality or deed
Nozzle – Slang -for a long nose, like a projecting spout
 
O
Obliterate/Obliterating – to destroy every trace of/to wipe out completely
Obsession/ive - a persistent preoccupation/impulse/idea
Oceanographic – branch of science dealing with the physical and biological features of the sea
Odious – offensive
Off the wall - conspicuously or grossly unconventional/unusual
Ole – Spanish expression of excitement/joy, shouted at bullfights/sports
Omen – a sign of future happiness or disaster
Opportune – occurring at a time that is suitable or advantageous
Orbit - the path taken by one object (such as a planet) as it circles around another object (such as the moon)
Originate – to invent/a beginning point
Oscar – a statuette awarded in a yearly ceremony in Hollywood to recognize excellence of professionals in films
Outrageous – extravagant or immoderate
Out to pasture - to get rid of/move out of contact as far as possible/to send a person away as to not cause trouble
  
P
Paesano – Italian word meaning countryman/brother/ pal
Pagan – a person without religion, a heathen
Palatable – pleasant, acceptable
Paled – to lose superiority
Paleoanthropologist – one who studies ancient humans as found in fossil evidence such as petrified bones and footprints
Pandemonium – wild confusion/uproar
Panini - an Italian version of a popular type of grilled sandwich
Paparazzi – freelance photographers who pursue celebrities
Parlour tricks -simple magic tricks which are generally easy to execute
Pathetic - distressingly inadequate
Patter - glib rapid speech/lingo
Peer/ing – to look at intently
Peers – those who are equal in rank
Pen Pals -people who regularly write to each other, usually done long distantly
Perched – alighted or resting
Perpetrated/Perpetrator – to perform/be responsible for a deception/crime
Perplexed/Perplexing – puzzling/bewildering/confused
Persistent – unrelenting
Perspective – an accurate point of view
Pertinent - relating to the matter at hand
Peruses – to read or examine with care/study
Perverse – wayward or contrary/showing a deliberate/obstinate desire to behave in an unacceptable way
Pesky - troublesome
Pesticide – chemical used for killing pests especially insects
Phenomena/Phenomenal/Phenomenon –extraordinary/remarkable/outstanding
Philanthropists – people who perform charitable actions
Philosophizes/Philosophical/er – making wise statements
Picasso/Renoir/Monet – well known artists during the 20th century
Pied Piper – fairy tale character who lured rats into the river playing a musical pipe
Pits – ‘it’s the pits’, an undesirable conclusion, or situation/the area beside an auto racecourse, called the Pits, where cars are serviced during a race /the stone of a cherry etc./pit - the floor of the stomach/ stage projected halfway into the ‘Pit’ where commoners paid 1 penny to stand to watch a play in Elizabethan times
Plague -a serious contagious infection. If a certain disease starts to rapidly spread very easily then it may be called a plague
Plaguing/ed – something that harasses and is a calamity on a larger scale
Plaintive/Plaintively – mournfully
Plausible - something is believable or possible weighed against common sense/common knowledge without any solid evidence
Pliers - a gripping tool consisting of two hinged arms with serrated jaws
Plight - a state or condition of a person/place/thing, that at the time in question, may seem very unfortunate and without resolve
Plough - to move with perseverance
Plunder and pillage - to rob a village and steal valuable goods by force
Pomegranate - large globular fruit with juicy red pulp and many seeds
Ponders/ing/ed – to give thorough or deep consideration
Pong – a disagreeable smell/stink
Portal – an entrance/ gateway
Potent - inherently powerful/strong
Precarious/ly – liable to failure, perilous
Precision - the quality of being accurate/exact
Predicament – a perplexing/embarrassing/difficult situation
Predicted – foretold, to make a declaration in advance
Prejudiced – an unfavourable opinion formed beforehand
Prestigious – high status or reputation
Presumed - a concept of believing something but without proof
Prey – an animal hunted or captured by another for food
Pried – raising/moving/forcing open by means of a lever
Prime - chief, of the highest quality/to coach or cram beforehand
Priority/ies - something given specific attention
Pristine – pure/uncorrupted
Prolific - producing a great abundance
Prompted/ing - to move to action; reminding someone of lines forgotten
Pronto – Spanish word meaning quickly
Protégé – one who is protected and aided by the patronage of another
Prowess – outstanding or superior skill or ability
Pry/ing - offensively curious/inquisitive, opening by force
Pulp - moist mixture of fibre obtained from wood of which paper is made
Pulverized - consisting of fine particles, smashed into tiny, tiny pieces
Putty – a person easily influenced/moulded when handled like this paste
  
Q
Quaint - something that is charmingly old, with an old fashioned quality
Quandary – a difficult situation/a dilemma
Quantum Physics – a science that deals with indivisible units of energy
Quashing - to make void/to squish
Quell – to subdue/suppress
Quest – a search/goal/target
Quips/Quipped – to make a witty remark, speaking with sarcasm
Quivering – trembling
 
R
R & R – Rest and Relaxation
Racket – extremely loud noise/disturbance; a dishonest scheme/business; paddle with strings used for playing tennis
Rafters - parallel sloping beams that form the framework of a roof
Ragout - thick and hardy type of French stew made with some type of meat
Rake – to scrape together/to bring up/to search through/ /to scour/ ransack
Rallied – offering moral or practical support
Rampant - out of control/fast/wide spread
Rancid – stale/unpleasant smell
Ransom – a price demanded for the return of something/someone taken
Ranting/ed – uttering something in loud/violent/extravagant tones
Raring – anxious/ready/willing/enthusiastic
Raucous – using the voice harshly or hoarsely loud
Raving – delirious/frenzied
Reams - large quantity of paper
Reassured – to convince/promise
Reckoned - believed/estimated/to think much of
Recomposed – to calm oneself down
Reconnaissance - a preliminary inspection of an area of land
Redeeming – serving to compensate for faults
Reek/Reeking – smelly or stinking with a strong unpleasant odour
Refrain - to abstain
Reggae Riffs – a type of West Indian popular music with an upbeat
Relentlessly - without stopping/ pausing/ or quitting
Relishes/ed -enjoys to the full
Reminisced – to talk about past experiences
Remnant - small part/portion that remains after main part no longer exists
Render - to cause, to become
Rendition – a performance
Repertoire – the entire stock or collection of something
Replica – an exact copy
Reputable – having a good reputation, respectable
Residue - matter that is left after something has been removed
Resignedly/ed – giving up/yielding to, an attitude of submission
Resounding – ringing or echoing with sound
Retaliate – to return or take an action
Retorted – to utter quickly or wittily
Retrieve/d – to get back again/to recover
Revellers – those taking part in noisy festivities/merrymaking
Reverberate - rebound
Reverie – the state of daydreaming
Revived/Reviving - to bring back to consciousness or strength
Revs/Revving/Revved – increase the speed of an engine
Rhetorical - excessive ornamentation when speaking
Rhyme or Reason - done for no apparent reason
Riveted – fixed in fascinated attention
Robust – sturdily built
Rodent – the group including rats, squirrels, mice etc.
Romp - to run around or play in a boisterous way/run easily
Roubles – Russian money
Rouses – to bring someone out of unconsciousness
RSVP – French expression ‘répondez s’il vous plaît’, meaning ‘please respond’
Rubik cubes – a 3-D mechanical cube-shaped puzzle
Ruinous - bringing or tending to bring ruin; destructive/disastrous
Runt – an undersized or inferior person/animal
Ruse – an action intended to mislead or trick
Ruthless - having no compassion/pity; merciless
 
S
Sabotage – to destroy or disrupt, especially by secret means
Salivating - to secrete an excessive amount of saliva
Samba – Brazilian ballroom dance of African origin
Sam Spade - detective in Dashiell Hammett’s 1930’s novel Maltese Falcon 
Sanctimonious - self-righteous/ goody-goody
Sarcastically – with a mocking tone
Satanic Mechanic - a ‘devilish’ auto mechanic
Satiated – to supply to capacity
Sauntered – to walk in a casual manner/to stroll
Save face – avoid humiliation or embarrassment
Savour – to taste and enjoy
Scalded – burned badly with hot liquid
Scam - an attempt to intentionally mislead a person
Scandal – outrage rising from a disgraceful action
Scare the wits - frighten the ‘daylights’ (life) out of someone
Scavenger – one who collects things discarded by others
Schmoozing – to converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage
Scintillating - marked by high spirits or excitement
Scorchers – very hot days
Scour – to range over a territory making a search
Screeches/ed – shrill/high pitched cry
Scum - a despicable or objectionable one
Scurry/ Scurrying/Scurried – moving about hurriedly
Seething – to foam as if boiling, being in a state of extreme agitation
Seismograph - an instrument that registers and records earthquakes
Semiconscious - not fully conscious/half awake
Sequences – an action or event that follows another
Shady –disreputable/obscure/indistinct; giving shade from sun
Shambles - a scene or condition of complete disorder or ruin
Shoddy – inferior/of poor quality
Shrieks/ed - uttering a shrill or piercing sound
Shrinking/age – the amount by which anything gets smaller in size/shape
Shroud/ed – hidden
Shrunk – to reduce in size, get small
Siblings - people who share at least one parent
Silicon chip – a semi-conductor material processed to form a circuit
Sinister – threatening or suggesting evil
Slayed – to kill violently
Sleuth – an informal word for detective
Smacker – Slang- for mouth
Smirked/ing - to smile in an affected, often offensively self-satisfied manner
Smithsonian Institute – world’s largest museum and research centre
Smugly/Smug – excessively self satisfied
Snare – to catch or trap
Snarled – to speak viciously
Sneered/ing - to say or utter in a scornful manner
Snigger/Snickered – a sly or disrespectful laugh
Snippets - a small piece of something
Sombrero – Mexican wide brimmed hat
Sonnet - a poem written in a strict poetic form made popular by Shakespeare
Soufflé - light fluffy dish made with eggs and adding ingredients of choice
Souvenir - something of sentimental value/ a reminder of past events
Spanner in the works – an impediment or annoyance
Spare – Slang - get sore (angry); go berserk
Species - a group of individuals sharing common attributes
Specimens - a sample or an example
Spews – to eject involuntarily from the mouth
Spill/ed your beans – to divulge or let out
Spouts/Spouted – to utter a stream of words on a subject
Spurs – pointed device attached to shoe enabling a rider to urge his horse on
Squelch – to crush completely/to squash
Stage Door Johnnie – man who waits at a stage door to court an actress
Stealth/Stealthy/Stealthily – the act of moving with extreme care and quietness especially to avoid detection
Stickler - person who insists on a certain quality or type of behaviour
Stifle – to stop/suppress
Stipulation – a specification as a condition of an agreement
Stowaway – person hiding in a vehicle, ship or aircraft, to gain free passage
Straddled - sit, or be astride of, to straddle a horse
Stupendous - of astounding force/volume/excellence; marvellous/great/ huge
Stupor – a state of unconsciousness
Submission - usually surrendering power to another
Succumbs – to give away to the force
Sulked – brooding and resentful
Sultry – displaying or suggesting passion
Surmise/Surmised - to have an idea with incomplete or uncertain evidence
Surveillance – close observation or supervision
Sushi – Japanese food of rice balls mixed with various toppings or fillings
Suspect/ed - to believe someone to be guilty with little or no proof
Suspicion/Suspicious/ly – questionable
Svelte – French word, slender or graceful in figure or outline; slim
Swarthy - having a dark complexion or colour
Schwarzenegger – bodybuilder; his solid physique winning Mr Universe contest
Swathed - covered completely, wrapped
Synchronization - to be in sync or run simultaneously
 
T
Tackle – to undertake a task
Tactfully - skill in handling difficult situations, diplomatically
Tactics/cal – the manoeuvres used to achieve an aim or task
Tainted – tarnished or contaminated
Tampering - interfering or meddling with
Tandem – one behind the other
Tantrums – outbursts of bad temper
Tapestry – a heavy woven fabric used for a wall hanging
Tardiness – being late
Task – piece of work that is undertaken; (bring to task) to reprimand/censure
Taunted – to mock or tease
Technology/ical - use of scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
Tempura - a Japanese dish of fish or vegetables fried in batter
Terrain – a piece of ground
Thesis - what your report/research/paper or work is mainly based on
Ticker tape – paper ribbons which come out of a machine, which prints stock quotations and are thrown out the window to enhance a parade
Tip of the iceberg - a suggestion of a much larger or more complex issue or problem; alludes to the fact that the bulk of a floating iceberg is concealed beneath the water, leaving only a small portion, its tip, visible above
Toe the line -to conform strictly to a rule or shoulder responsibility
To the hilt - to the full
Topsy-turvy - upside down
Torrents/ial – an overwhelming flow
Tortillas – in Mexican cookery- a kind of thin pancake made of corn meal
Tow - along with one
Toxicological – concerned scientifically with poisons and their effects
Traitor – one who is guilty of betraying
Trance – a hypnotic state resembling sleep
Transistor/orized – (of an electronic device) equipped with transistors, a small semi-conductor device, like a portable transistor radio
Transmitted – to pass; sent out by radio waves
Trauma – a powerful shock
Treacherous – unstable/dangerous
Tread the boards – to appear on stage
Trepidation - a state of fear or anxiety
Trooper – anyone who exhibits extreme perseverance/fortitude/tenacity
Tsunami – huge destructive wave caused by an earthquake; a tidal wave
Tumultuous – uproarious, turbulent
Turmoil - violent or confused movement
Turn over a new leaf- to make a new start
Twinge - a brief experience of an emotion, typically an unpleasant one
Tycoon -an extremely wealthy and powerful person
 
U
Unanimous/ly - in complete agreement
Unattainable – unable to achieve
Unbeknownst – without the knowledge of
Unbridled – with all restraints removed
Unconscious – insensible/lacking normal sensory awareness/not awake
Unfathomable - difficult or impossible to understand
Unforeseeable – not to know beforehand
Ungainly - lacking grace when moving
Unprecedented - never before known or experienced
Unravelling - to reduce something woven to separate strands
Unsavoury – objectionable or distasteful
Untoward – unfavourable/unseemly
  
V
Vacate – to depart/to leave
Valiant – courageous/brave
Validity - the extent to which a concept/conclusion is well-founded
Vamoose – Spanish word, to leave suddenly
Vantage - a position affording superiority or advantage
Varmint – irritating, obnoxious animal
Vendetta – a prolonged feud
Vengeful – indicating a desire for revenge
Venom/ous - a poisonous fluid secreted by certain snakes or scorpions, usually transmitted by a bite or sting; malicious/ spiteful nature
Verge - to be near
Vials – small bottles for liquids
Vicinity – a surrounding area
Vigilant - watchful, or alert/attentive to danger/trouble
Vigilantes – private individuals who legally or illegally punish a lawbreaker
Vile – wicked/despicable
Vintage – representative of the best; refers to things from a certain era
Vital – critical/urgently needed; absolutely necessary
Volga – the longest river in Russia
Voraciously - craving or consuming large quantities of food
Vying – compete for something; engaging in a contest 
 
W
Wafts – something carried on the air
Wails/ Wailing/Wailed – uttering a prolonged high pitched cry of misery
Wallows – indulging oneself in something
Wall Street – the financial district of New York City
Wares - articles of merchandise or manufacture; goods one is selling
Warrant - show to be reasonable or provide adequate ground for
Wedge – a block shaped like a narrow ‘V’
Wet our whistles – to take a drink
Whetted – to sharpen or stimulate
Whimpers – cry/sob/whine intermittently
Whinger/ed Whining – a constant complainer
Wile away - to pass time in an interesting manner
Wiles/y – craftiness
Wits end - completely puzzled/perplexed, not knowing what to do.
World Series – the annual championship series of US Major League Baseball 
Worm turns - one’s luck or fortune changes
Wrath - built in fury that is often destructive and undesired
Wretched – miserable
Writer’s block - an author loses the ability to produce new work
 
Y
Yodelling – an effect produced in singing by an abrupt change of register from the chest voice to falsetto
 
Z
Zap/ping -to kill or shoot, to attack, defeat, or destroy with sudden speed/force
to bombard with electrical current/radiation/laser
Zealous – filled with or inspired by intense enthusiasm
Zombie - animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means; a person who appears to be automated