My 1100

He has a voracious appetite (= he eats a lot).

an indiscriminate terrorist attack on civilians. The indiscriminate use of fertilizers can cause long-term problems.

an eminent historian

My cousin is so steeped in schoolwork that his friends call him a bookworm.

The football game was replete with excitement and great plays.

The western plains used to abound with bison before those animals were slaughtered by settlers.

How strange it is that our dreams often prognosticate coming events! Huth, Alexander

I do the same route to work every day, like some sort of automaton. The time is approaching when human workers may be replaced by automatons.

The matron felt his pulse and raised a warning hand. Underwood, J. L.

It's a curious paradox that drinking a lot of water can often make you feel thirsty.

Her interests are in the realm of practical politics.

The signing of the Treaty of Rome was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.

Salt is a compound (n.) of sodium and chlorine.

His gloom was now compounded by the failing mark on his geometry test.

His hair is starting to show tinges of grey. I have a tinge of regret that I didn't accept her offer. There was a tinge of sadness in her voice. This glass has a greenish tinge.

She badgered me for weeks until I finally gave in. I had to badger the kids into doing their homework. My friends keep badgering me to get a cell phone.

She implored the soldiers to save her child. She implored her parents not to send her away to school.

the drudgery of housework

an interminable delay

How do the French perceive the British? Women's magazines are often perceived to be superficial.

His speech was usually rambling, but this time I found it brief and laconic.

A huge throng had gathered round the speaker.

a team of intrepid explorers

I'm usually accosted by beggars and drunks as I walk to the station. If a surly panhandler should accost you, keep on walking.

He is very reticent about his past. Most of the students were reticent about answering questions.

I saw him cast a furtive glance at the woman at the table to his right. Casting a furtive glance There was something furtive about his behaviour and I immediately felt suspicious.

By law, convicted felons (=criminals who are sent to prison) may not own or use guns.

There's a plethora of books about the royal family. The plethora of regulations is both contradictory and confusing.

Many children are hapless victims of this war. The hapless passengers were stranded at the airport for three days.

We have received some irate phone calls from customers.

Under the pretext of being a surgeon he gained entry to the hospital.

Most fishermen can fabricate a story about the size of the one that got away.

She became adroit at dealing with difficult questions. My nephew is quite adroit at making model airplanes.

There was a man outside the window gesticulating wildly.

Following the bomb scare at the airport, the staff have been warned to be extra vigilant. The shootings at Columbine High School made educators much more vigilant.

an avid football fan He took an avid interest in the project.

He really knows how to cajole people into doing what he wants. I managed to cajole her out of leaving too early. The most effective technique is to cajole rather than to threaten.

Her knowledge is still only rudimentary. Since my grasp of algebra is rudimentary, I cannot solve the problem.

These scandals will not enhance the organization's reputation. It will enhance your enjoyment of an opera if you know what the plot is about in advance.

The painter has managed to capture every nuance of the woman's expression. Linguists explore the nuances of language.

From an early age the brothers have loathed each other. "Do you like fish?" "No, I loathe it." I loathe doing housework.

a caustic substance His caustic remarks fired us up.

The shareholders are planning to wrest control of the company (away) from the current directors.

The list included the infamous George Drake, a double murderer.

As we came into the arena, we were jostled by fans pushing their way towards the stage. Photographers jostled and shoved to get a better view of the royal couple.

The girls were duped by drug smugglers into carrying heroin for them. an innocent dupe The wealthy dupe consented to buy the often-sold Brooklyn Bridge.

signs of incipient public frustration By telling the truth, we stopped the incipient rumour from spreading.

All authors need to be wary of inadvertent copying of other people's ideas.

The engine had been making an ominous sound all the way from London. an ominous silence ominous dark clouds

In a tremulous voice she whispered: "Who are you people?" He watched her tremulous hand reach for the teacup.

I utterly repudiate those remarks.

Religious leaders have called for a total cessation of the bombing campaign.

The helicopter hovered above them bristling with machine guns. Upon seeing the snake, the cat began to bristle with fear.

"Pass away" is a euphemism for "die" 'Senior citizen' is a euphemism for 'old person'. The article made so much use of euphemism that often its meaning was unclear.

The new computer looked incongruous in the dark book-filled library. It seems incongruous to have a woman as the editor of a men's magazine.

a letter of condolence Dignitaries from all over the world came to offer their condolences.

She agreed to buy the car, but stipulated racing tyres and a turbo-powered engine. The law stipulates that new cars must have seat belts for the driver and every passenger. We have signed a contract which stipulates when the project must be completed.

He regards the political process with disdain.

a belligerent person Watch out! Lee's in a belligerent mood. The belligerent countries are having difficulties funding the war.

They were intimidated into accepting a pay cut by the threat of losing their jobs.

Callas feinted to pass the ball and then shot it into the net. He feinted a shot to the left. He produced a brilliant feint, passed two defenders, and smashed the ball into the net.

I found him pugnacious and arrogant.

We implored the faculty advisor (also adviser) to promulgate the requirements for the presidency of the club.

a brash young banker

The critics scoffed at his paintings. Years ago people would have scoffed at the idea that cars would be built by robots.

Though she had spent hours fixing the computer, he belittled her efforts. Stop belittling yourself - your work is highly valued.

We need tangible evidence if we're going to take legal action. Other tangible benefits include an increase in salary and shorter working hours.

The boy had received horrific injuries in the attack, including lacerations to both arms. The body showed signs of laceration and bruising.

Health inspectors castigated the kitchen staff for poor standards of cleanliness. The kindly foreman was too reticent to openly castigate the clumsy new worker.

There are lots of really sordid apartments in the city's poorer areas.

When his wife left him, he found solace in the bottle (= drank alcohol). Music was a great solace to me. In trying to offer solace to the pilot's wife, the reporter inadvertently made the situation worse.

In one swift go, she had drunk her coffee down to the dregs (= finished it). At the bottom of the beautiful wine bottle, only the dregs remained.

In a frenzy of rage she hit him. In a moment of jealous frenzy, she cut the sleeves off all his shirts. In a frenzy, the teenager overturned every drawer while searching for the car keys.

a scurrilous remark/attack/article

Rampant inflation means that our wage increases soon become worth nothing. During my first weeks at the new school I observed that cheating was rampant.

He's always making inane remarks. I had always considered it rather inane to cheat on a test.

He said he was bound by a scientist's code of ethics. Publication of the article was a breach of ethics.

The new report concurs with previous findings. Apparently the other students didn't concur. "I think you're absolutely right," concurred Chris. The board concurred that the editor should have full control over editorial matters.

The group held weekly clandestine meetings in a church. Far from being a clandestine activity, the cheating was open and obvious.

a flagrant breach of trust Parking in front of a hydrant is a flagrant violation of the city's law.

His mother admonished him for eating too quickly.

He claimed that he signed the confession under duress.

Police hope the public will help them to find the culprits.

the inexorable progress of science

It was an egregious error for a statesman to show such ignorance.

The missing child's distraught parents made an emotional appeal for information on TV.

They were accused of duplicity in their dealings with both sides.

Their marriage ended eight years ago in an acrimonious divorce.

There is a paucity of information on the ingredients of many cosmetics.

Have you managed to elicit a response from them yet? It isn't easy to elicit answers from a sleepy class on Monday morning. The questionnaire was intended to elicit information on eating habits. They were able to elicit the support of the public.

The cuts in government funding have had a pernicious effect on local health services.

I will not tolerate that sort of behaviour in my class. I won't tolerate lying.

Any change in plan would be construed as indecision. She hoped that we would not construe her decision to run for office as a thirst for power.

Criminal gangs are terrorizing the city with apparent impunity.

affluent nations/neighbourhoods

I could just discern a figure in the darkness.

The minister opened the door and sallied forth to face the angry crowd.

The prospect of so much work filled him with consternation. To his consternation, when he got to the airport he found he'd forgotten his passport. To the consternation of the sergeant, there was a paucity of volunteers for the dangerous mission.

A precocious child, she went to university at the age of 15. She recorded her first CD at the precocious age of twelve.

His smile was perfunctory.

Jack was being perverse and refusing to agree with anything we said. She took a perverse pleasure in hearing that her sister was getting divorced.

He derided my singing as pathetic. This building, once derided by critics, is now a major tourist attraction.

The actor's work for charity has recently been disparaged in the press as an attempt to get publicity.

The recycling programme is laudable, but does it save much money?

The show was a fiasco - one actor forgot his lines and another fell off the stage.

We won't have discussions with this group unless they eschew violence.

Police in riot gear were called in to quell the disturbances/unrest. This latest setback will have done nothing to quell the growing doubts about the future of the club.

Many see Parker as the obvious leader, whose voluble style works well on TV.

a close confidant

Mobile phone technology is developing so quickly that many customers are concerned about obsolescence.

These claims are dubious and not scientifically proven. He has been associated with some dubious characters.

an implacable enemy implacable hostility

In a sudden paroxysm of jealousy he threw her clothes out of the window.

reprehensible conduct/actions The brash student was forced to apologise for her reprehensible conduct.

The court has no jurisdiction in/over cases of this kind. School admissions are not under/within our jurisdiction.

There was a short skirmish between the political party leaders when the government announced it was to raise taxes.

Stop harassing me! If anonymous telephone callers harass you, the phone company will give you an ex-directory number.

monolithic state-run organizations

arbitrary decision-making Did you have a reason for choosing your destination or was it arbitrary?

After the fray, the feuding families agreed to patch up their differences.

In our search for evidence, we were stymied by the absence of any recent documents.

Crowds marched through the streets carrying burning effigies of the president.

Many motorcyclists flout the law by not wearing helmets. The orchestra decided to flout convention/tradition, and wear their everyday clothes for the concert.

Unfortunately, we were not cognizant of (= did not know) the full facts.

a turbulent marriage This has been a turbulent week for the government.

The takeover talks terminated without agreement.

We expect these practices to cease forthwith.

This attack will exacerbate the already tense relations between the two communities.

When I die, the house will revert to my sister.

The president was ousted (from power) in a military coup in January 1987.

There were pictures of emaciated children on the cover of the magazine.

An unexpected surge in electrical power caused the computer to crash. An angry crowd surged through the gates of the president's palace. The company's profits have surged.

She stared at the tranquil surface of the water. The hotel is in a tranquil rural setting. A spasm of pain crossed his normally tranquil features.

Illegal immigrants found/sought/took sanctuary in a local church.

They slowly ascended the steep path up the mountain. There's a long flight of steps ascending (= leading up) to the cathedral doors.

Many of the refugees are suffering from severe malnutrition.

It is an illness that afflicts women more than men. a country afflicted by civil war

The town had been besieged for two months but still resisted the aggressors.

Economic privation is pushing the poor towards crime. Several villages suffered serious privations during their long isolation during the war.

The ruined house had a sinister appearance. A sinister-looking man sat in the corner of the room.