pen  verb [T] -nn- FORMAL to write something:She penned a note of thanks to her hostess.

homely (PLAIN) UK       adjective (US homey) plain or ordinary, but pleasant:The hotel was homely and comfortable.

homeliness      noun [U] MAINLY UK

narrative     noun [C or U] FORMALa story or a description of a series of events:It's a moving narrative of wartime adventure.

solicit   verb 1 [T] FORMAL to ask someone for money, information or help:to solicit donations for a charityIt is illegal for public officials to solicit gifts or money in exchange for favours.

2 [I] to offer sex for money, usually in a public place

Unburthen v. t. 1. To unburden; to unload.

succinct   adjective APPROVINGsaid in a clear and short way; expressing what needs to be said without unnecessary words:Keep your letter succinct and to the point.

succinctly   adverb APPROVINGI thought she expressed her feelings most succinctly in the meeting.

succinctness  

expound   verb [I or T] FORMAL to give a detailed explanation of something:He's always expounding on what's wrong with the world.She uses her newspaper column to expound her views on environmental issues.

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horror       noun1 [U] an extremely strong feeling of fear and shock, or the frightening and shocking character of something:The crowd cried out in horror as the car burst into flames.The thought of speaking in front of so many people fills me with horror.I then realized to my absolute horror, that I had forgotten the present.What the book does convey very successfully is the horror of war.

2 [C] UK INFORMAL a child who behaves very badly:Her youngest boy is a little horror.

baroque      adjectiverelating to the heavily decorated style in buildings, art and music that was popular in Europe in the 17th century and the early part of the 18th century:baroque architecture/painters

docile       adjectivequiet and easy to influence, persuade or control:The once docile population has finally risen up against the ruthless regime.

docility       noun [U]

companion (PERSON)   noun [C]

caress   verb [I or T] to touch or kiss someone in a gentle and loving way:Gently he caressed her cheek.

caress   noun [C]

sagacious   adjective FORMALhaving or showing understanding and the ability to make good judgments; wise:a sagacious person/comment/choice

paltry     adjective1 (of a sum of money) very small and of little or no value:Student grants these days are paltry, and many students have to take out loans.The company offered Jeremy a paltry sum which he refused.

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2 low in quality:She made some paltry excuse and left.

gossamer      Hide phoneticsnoun [U]the very thin thread that spiders produce to make webs

gossamer      Hide phoneticsadjective [before noun] LITERARYvery delicate and light:gossamer wingsa gossamer veil

congenial  Hide phoneticsadjectivefriendly and pleasant:congenial company/surroundings

domestic (HOME)

gold (METAL)    

tincture      Hide phoneticsnoun [C or U]a medicine which consists of a mixture of alcohol and a small amount of a drug:a/some tincture of iodine/myrrh

superstition      Hide phoneticsnoun [C or U]belief which is not based on human reason or scientific knowledge, but is connected with old ideas about magic, etc:According to superstition, if you walk under a ladder it brings you bad luck.I don't believe in the old superstition that the number 13 is unlucky.

notion      Hide phoneticsnoun [C or U]

temperament        Hide phoneticsnoun [C or U]the part of your character that affects your moods and the way you behave:a fiery temperament

fiend  Hide phoneticsnoun [C]1 an evil and cruel person:

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He was portrayed in the media as a complete fiend.

2 someone who likes something very much or is very interested in something:a health/sex/chocolate fiendMcCormack is a fiend for punctuality.

intemperate       adjective FORMAL(of a person or their behaviour or speech) not controlled and too extreme or violent:an intemperate outburstintemperate languageThe governor said he would not be provoked into intemperate action.

maltreat   verb [T] FORMAL to treat someone cruelly or violently:He had been badly maltreated as a child.

maltreatment   noun [U]They complained about the physical and psychological maltreatment of prisoners.

alcohol    

haunt (PLACE)      Hide phoneticsnoun [C]a place often visited:This pub used to be one of your old haunts, didn't it Jim?

demon  Hide phoneticsnoun1 [C] an evil spirit

2 [C usually singular] APPROVING a person who does a particular activity with great skill or energy:She works like a demon.Stefan has a demon serve.

3 [C] a person who behaves very badly:HUMOROUS That's the last time I look after her kids - I'll be glad when the little demons go home.

4 [C] a negative feeling such as guilt or regret which causes you to behave badly:She had her demons and, later in life, they drove her to drink.

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malevolence   noun [U]It was an act of great malevolence.

nurture       verb [T] FORMAL 1 to take care of, feed and protect someone or something, especially young children or plants, and help them to develop:She wants to stay at home and nurture her children.a carefully nurtured garden

2 to help a plan or a person to develop and be successful:As a record company director, his job is to nurture young talent.

3 to have a particular emotion, plan or idea for a long time:Winifred nurtured ambitions for her daughter to be a surgeon.

fibre (THREAD) UK, US fiber    

deliberately     adverbI'm sure he says these things deliberately (= intentionally) to annoy me.Calmly and deliberately (= slowly and carefully), she poured petrol over the car and set it alight.

shudder       verb [I] 1 to shake suddenly with very small movements because of a very unpleasant thought or feeling:The sight of so much blood made him shudder.She shuddered at the thought of kissing him.

2 When something shudders, it shakes violently and quickly:I heard a massive explosion and the ground shuddered beneath me.There was a screech of brakes and the bus shuddered to a halt (= shook violently and stopped).

damnable adjective OLD-FASHIONED INFORMALvery annoying:This damnable car! It just won't start on cold mornings!

atrocity     noun [C or U]when someone does something extremely violent and shocking:They're on trial for committing atrocities against the civilian population.These people are guilty of acts of great atrocity (= cruelty).

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de·bauch (d-bôch)v. de·bauched, de·bauch·ing, de·bauch·es v.tr.1. a. To corrupt morally.b. To lead away from excellence or virtue.2. To reduce the value, quality, or excellence of; debase. See Synonyms at corrupt.3. Archaic To cause to forsake allegiance.v.intr.To indulge in dissipation.n.1. The act or a period of debauchery.2. An orgy.

impulse (DESIRE)   noun [C + to infinitive]a sudden strong desire to do something:I had this sudden impulse to shout out "Rubbish!" in the middle of her speech.

indivisible adjectivenot able to be separated from something else or into different parts:He regards e-commerce as an indivisible part of modern retail.A country's language is indivisible from its culture.

violate   verb [T] 1 to break or act against something, especially a law, agreement, principle or something that should be treated with respect:They were charged with violating federal law.It seems that the planes deliberately violated the cease-fire agreement.The doctor has been accused of violating professional ethics.

2 to go, especially forcefully, into a place or situation which should be treated with respect and in which you are not wanted or not expected to be:The fishermen claimed that ships from another country had violated their territorial waters.Questions of this kind violate my privacy and I am not willing to answer them.

unfathomable   adjective SLIGHTLY FORMALimpossible to understand:For some unfathomable reason they built the toilet next to the kitchen.

unfathomably   adverb FORMAL

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consummate (COMPLETE)       adjective [before noun] FORMALperfect, or complete in every way:a life of consummate happinessHe's a consummate athlete/gentleman/liar.

consummate       verb [T] FORMAL to make something complete or perfect

consummation       noun [U] FORMAL

brute   noun [C]1 DISAPPROVING a rough and sometimes violent man:[as form of address] Take your hands off me, you brute!In the end she used brute force (= extreme physical strength) to push him out.

2 an animal, especially a large one:Your dog's an ugly brute, isn't it?The oldest elephant was lame, poor brute.

limb   noun [C]an arm or leg of a person or animal, or a large branch of a tree:The accident victims mostly had injuries to their lower limbs (= legs).an artificial limb

jeopardize, UK USUALLY jeopardise     verb [T] to put something such as a plan or system in danger of being harmed or damaged:She knew that by failing her exams she could jeopardize her whole future.

jeopardy       nounin jeopardy in danger of being damaged or destroyed:The lives of thousands of birds are in jeopardy as a result of the oil spillage.

cry (SHOUT)  Hide phoneticsverb [I or T] to call out loudly:[+ speech] "Look out!" she cried.

cry   noun [C]

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1 a loud high sound that expresses an emotion:a cry of despair

2 a shout made to attract people's attention:They were wakened by cries of 'Fire!' from the next room.

3 the noise that a bird or animal makes

curtain       noun [C]1 a piece of material, especially cloth, which hangs across a window or opening to make a room or part of a room dark or private:Heavy curtains blocked out the sunlight.draw (= open or close) the curtainsSee picture .

2 a thick layer of something which makes it difficult to see anything behind it:They could see nothing through the curtain of rain/smoke.

3 the large screen of heavy material in a theatre which separates the stage from the area where people are watching

blaze (BURN)   verb [I] 1 to burn brightly and strongly:The sun was blazing down that afternoon.

2 LITERARY to be brightly lit or full of colour:Isaac's eyes suddenly blazed with anger.

conflagration       noun [C] FORMAL1 a large destructive fire

2 a large and violent event, such as a war, involving a lot of people:They may succeed in turning a little local difficulty into a full-blown regional conflagration.

entire       adjective [before noun]whole or complete, with nothing missing:Between them they ate an entire cake.He'd spent the entire journey asleep.They got an entire set of silver cutlery as a wedding present.

entirely     adverbcompletely:

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I admit it was entirely my fault.The company is run almost entirely by middle-aged men.

thenceforth       adverb (ALSO thenceforward) OLD-FASHIONED OR FORMALafter that; from that time forward:The property was known thenceforth as The Manor.

resign yourself to sth verb [R]to make yourself accept something that you do not like because you cannot change it:[+ ing form of verb] He resigned himself to living alone.

sequence (ORDERED SERIES)   noun [C or U]a series of related things or events, or the order in which they follow each other:The first chapter describes the strange sequence of events that lead to his death.Is there a particular sequence in which you have to perform these tasks?For the sake of convenience the photographs are shown in chronological sequence (= in the order in which they were taken).

detail       verb [T] to describe something completely, giving all the facts:[+ question word] Can you produce a report detailing what we've spent on the project so far?

succeed (FOLLOW)   verb 1 [I or T] to take an official job or position after someone else:He succeeded his father as editor of the paper.When the queen dies, her eldest son will succeed to the throne.

2 to come after another person or thing in time:In the weeks that succeeded, five more patients showed similar symptoms.Almost from its beginnings, New York has produced succeeding generations of intellectuals.

compartment       noun [C]1 one of the separate areas inside a vehicle, especially a train:a first class compartment

2 a separate part of a piece of furniture, equipment or container with a particular purpose:a fridge with a small freezer compartmentthe sleeping/inner compartment in a tent

plaster (SUBSTANCE)       noun [U]

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a substance which becomes hard as it dries and is used especially for spreading on walls and ceilings in order to give a smooth surface:The plaster on the walls was cracked and flaking.See also plasterboard.

plaster     verb 1 [T] to spread plaster on a surface

2 [T + adverb or preposition] to make something stick in a flat smooth layer:The torrential rain had plastered her hair to her head.

3 [T usually + adverb or preposition] INFORMAL to cover a surface or an object with something completely or thickly:She had plastered her bedroom walls with photos of pop stars.The car was plastered with mud.The story was plastered all over (= printed so that it completely covered) the front page of the newspaper.

plastering     noun [U]There's only the plastering left to be done.

plasterer       noun [C]a person whose job is to cover walls and ceilings with plaster

bas-relief   noun [C or U]a type of art in which shapes are cut from the surrounding stone so that they stand out slightly against a flat background, or a work of art done in this way

grave tr.v. graved, grav·en (grvn) or graved, grav·ing, graves 1. To sculpt or carve; engrave.2. To stamp or impress deeply; fix permanently.

gigantic       adjectiveextremely large:a gigantic statueThe cost has been gigantic.

accuracy noun [U] We can predict changes with a surprising degree of accuracy.

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marvellous UK, US marvelous       adjectiveextremely good:He's done a marvellous job of the decorating.It took me ages to get it right, but it was a marvellous feeling when I did.It's marvellous how everyone's tried to help.He was a truly marvellous storyteller.We've achieved some marvellous results with this new drug.

adjacent   adjective FORMALvery near, next to, or touching:They work in adjacent buildings.They lived in a house adjacent to the railway.

ammonia      Hide phoneticsnoun [U]a gas with a strong unpleasant smell used in making explosives, fertilizers (= substances which help plants grow) and some cleaning products

ammonium      Hide phoneticsnoun [U] SPECIALIZEDammonium chlorideammonium nitrate

lime (CHEMICAL)  Hide phoneticsnoun [U]1 (ALSO quicklime) a white powdery substance which is used especially to spread on the land to improve the quality of earth so that crops grow better

2 (ALSO limescale) white material that collects inside water pipes, kettles, etc. in areas where the water is hard (= contains a lot of natural chemicals)See also scale (COVERING).

lime  Hide phoneticsverb [T] to spread lime on a piece of land

carcass      Hide phoneticsnoun [C]1 (UK ALSO carcase) the body of a dead animal, especially a large one that is soon to be cut up as meat or eaten by wild animals:Vultures flew around in the sky waiting to pick at the rotting carcass of the deer.SLANG Move your great carcass (= your body) out of that chair!

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2 the frame of an old or broken object, car, ship, etc:Carcasses of burnt-out vehicles lined the roads near the scene of the worst fighting.

portraiture      Hide phoneticsnoun [U] SPECIALIZEDthe practice or art of making portraits

frequent (VISIT)      Hide phoneticsverb [T] FORMAL to be in or visit a particular place often:a bar frequented by criminals

appearance      Hide phoneticsnoun [C] He made his first stage/TV appearance at the age of six.

den  Hide phoneticsnoun [C]1 the home of particular types of wild animal

2 a rough structure, usually built outside from pieces of wood, cardboard, etc., in which children play

3 MAINLY US a room in a house or apartment, which is used for activities not involving work:The kids are watching television in the den.

4 a place where people secretly plan or take part in immoral or illegal activities:a drug/drinking/vice denOFTEN HUMOROUS a den of thieves/iniquity

hogshead Nouna large cask for storing alcoholic drinks [origin unknown]

rum (DRINK)  Hide phoneticsnoun [C or U]a strong alcoholic drink made from the juice of the sugar cane plant:I'll have a (glass of) rum.

head (TOP PART)  Hide phoneticsnoun 1 [S] the top part or beginning of something:the head of the queuethe head of the pageDiana, the guest of honour, sat at the head of the table (= the most important end of it).

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splodge MAINLY UK     noun [C] (US USUALLY splotch) INFORMALan irregularly shaped mark or spot:He put his hand on the bed, and left a splodge of blood on the bedspread.

region  Hide phoneticsnoun [C]a particular area or part of the world, of the body, etc., or any of the large official areas into which a country is divided:the semi-desert regions of Australiathe Birmingham regionHe said he had sharp pains in the stomach region/the region of the stomach.

purr      Hide phoneticsverb [I] to make a quiet continuous soft sound:The cat purred as I stroked its fur.We could hear the sound of a lawnmower purring in the back garden.A black limousine purred up (= drove up making a quiet continuous soft sound) outside the hotel.[+ speech] "I love it when you stroke my back, " she purred (= said with pleasure).

purr      Hide phoneticsnoun [S]I stroked the cat and it gave a low purr.I heard the gentle purr of an engine outside the house.

stoop (BEND)   verb [I] 1 to bend the top half of the body forward and down:The doorway was so low that we had to stoop to go through it.Something fell out of her coat pocket and she stooped down and picked it up.

2 If someone stoops, their head and shoulders are always bent forwards and down:He's over six feet tall, but the way he stoops makes him look shorter.

pat (TOUCH)   verb [T] -tt- to touch someone or something gently and usually repeatedly with the hand flat:He patted my head/patted me on the head affectionately.I bent down to pat the little puppy.

pat   noun [C]when you pat a person or animal:I gave the little boy a pat on the head.

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odious    

pestilence       noun1 [C or U] FORMAL any very serious infectious disease that spreads quickly and kills large numbers of people

2 [S] a serious and growing problem:The report states that vandalism is a pestilence which must be stamped out.

trait   noun [C]a particular characteristic that can produce a particular type of behaviour:His sense of humour is one of his better traits.Arrogance is a very unattractive personality/character trait.

pertinacity n.The quality or state of being pertinacious: "Again and again ... with the inexorable pertinacity of a child ... did he renew his efforts" Nathaniel Hawthorne.

crouch  Hide phoneticsverb [I] to bend your knees and lower yourself so that you are close to the ground and leaning forward slightly:She saw him coming and crouched (down) behind a bush.

crouch  Hide phoneticsnoun [S]

fasten      Hide phoneticsverb [I or T] 1 to (cause something to) become firmly fixed together, or in position, or closed:Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened.This shirt fastens at the back.

2 fasten sth on/to/together, etc. to fix one thing to another:I fastened the sticker to the windscreen.

clamber       verb [I usually + adverb or preposition] to climb up, across or into somewhere with difficulty, using the hands and the feet:They clambered over/up the rocks.

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I clambered into/onto the bus.She clambered into bed.

felon   noun [C] LEGALa person who is guilty of a serious crime

constitute (FORM PART OF)      verb [L not continuous] to form or make something:Women constitute about 10% of Parliament.The under-18s constitute nearly 25% of the town's population.

hideous   adjectiveextremely ugly or bad:They've just built some hideous new apartment blocks on the seafront.She wears the most hideous colour combinations you could ever imagine.

engine   noun [C]1 a machine that uses the energy from liquid fuel or steam to produce movement:a jet enginea car engineMy car's been having engine trouble recently.

chimera       noun [C] FORMALa hope or dream that is extremely unlikely ever to come true:Is the ideal of banishing hunger throughout the world just a chimera?

chimerical   adjective FORMAL

wo n. Archaic Variant of woe.

woe       noun [U] LITERARYextreme sadness:Her face was lined and full of woe.

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He told me a real tale of woe about how he had lost both his job and his house in the same week.

incarnate       adjective [after noun]in human form:One survivor described his torturers as devils incarnate.

succumb   verb [I] FORMAL 1 to lose the determination to oppose something; to accept defeat:The town finally succumbed last week after being pounded with heavy artillery for more than two months.I'm afraid I succumbed to temptation and had a piece of cheesecake.I felt sure it would only be a matter of time before he succumbed to my charms.

2 to die or suffer badly from an illness:Thousands of cows have succumbed to the disease in the past few months.

errand   noun [C]a short journey either to take a message or to deliver or collect something:I'll meet you at six, I've got some errands to do/run first.

steep (NOT GRADUAL)   adjective 1 (of a slope) rising or falling at a sharp angle:a steep slopeIt's a steep climb to the top of the mountain, but the view is worth it.The castle is set on a steep hill/hillside.

2 A steep rise or fall is one which goes very quickly from low to high or from high to low:There has been a steep increase/rise in prices.

headfirst       adjective, adverb1 [before noun] (US ALSO headlong) with the head going first:She dived headfirst into the pool.

2 without thinking or preparation:You shouldn't rush headfirst into starting your own business without proper advice.

uplift (RAISE)   verb [T] SPECIALIZED to raise something to a higher position

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goad       verb [T] to make a person or an animal react or do something by continuously annoying or upsetting them:Will the pressure applied by environmentalists be enough to goad the industrialized nations into using less fossil fuels?He refused to be goaded by their insults.The team were goaded on by their desire to be first to complete the course.A group of children were goading (= laughing at or pushing) another child in the school playground.

goad       noun [S]The thought of exams next week is a great goad to the students to work hard.

demoniacal   adjective (ALSO demoniac) FORMALwild and evil:A demoniacal light had entered his eyes.

forthwith     adverb FORMALimmediately:We expect these practices to cease forthwith.

corpse       noun [C]a dead body, usually of a person

wall sth up phrasal verbto fill a space in a wall with brick or stone:When we built the extension we had to wall up an old window.

insert       verb [T] to put something inside something else, or to add something, especially words, to something else:Insert the key in/into the lock.I've filled in the form, but you still need to insert (= add) your bank details and date of birth.

insert       noun [C]something that is made to go inside or into something else:These magazines have too many annoying inserts (= extra loose pages) advertising various products.

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crowbar       noun [C]a heavy iron bar with a bent end that is used to help lift heavy objects off the ground or to force things open:The thieves forced one of the shop windows open with a crowbar.

deposit (LEAVE)       verb [T usually + adverb or preposition] to leave something somewhere:The flood waters fell, depositing mud over the whole area.The bus deposited me miles from anywhere.The cuckoo deposits (= puts) her eggs in other birds' nests.I deposited my luggage in a locker at the station.

deposit       noun1 [C or U] a substance or layer that is left, usually after a liquid is removed:Decant the wine carefully, so that you leave the deposit in the bottom of the bottle.In hard-water areas, a chalky deposit often forms in pipes and kettles.The flood left a thick deposit of mud over the entire ground floor of the house.

2 [C] SPECIALIZED a layer which has formed under the ground, especially over a long period:mineral/oil/coal deposits

prop (SUPPORT)       verb [T + adverb or preposition] -pp- to support something physically, often by leaning it against something else or putting something under it:I propped my bike (up) against the wall.She was sitting at the desk with her chin propped on her hands.This window keeps on closing - I'll have to prop it open with something.

prop       noun [C]an object which is used to support something by holding it up:I need some sort of a prop to keep the washing line up.FIGURATIVE A lot of people use cigarettes as a sort of social prop (= to make them feel more confident).

mortar (MIXTURE)      Hide phoneticsnoun [U]a mixture of sand, water and cement or lime that is used to fix bricks or stones to each other when building walls

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crafty       adjectiveclever, especially in a dishonest or secretive way:I've had a crafty idea for getting round the regulations.She was a crafty old woman.

craftily       adverb

craftiness       noun [U]

forbear (STOP YOURSELF)       verb [I] forbore, forborne FORMAL to prevent yourself from saying or doing something, especially in a way that shows control, good judgment or kindness to others:His plan was such a success that even his original critics could scarcely forbear from congratulating him.The doctor said she was optimistic about the outcome of the operation but forbore to make any promises at this early stage.

forbearance       noun [U] FORMALthe quality of patience, forgiveness and self-control shown in a difficult situation:[+ (that)] He thanked his employees for the forbearance (that) they had shown during the company's difficult times.

forbearing       adjective FORMALpatient and forgiving:The vicar praised what he called her "kind and forbearing nature".

bosom noun [C usually singular]1 a woman's breasts:a large/ample bosom

2 LITERARY the front of a person's chest, especially when thought of as the centre of human feelings:She held him tightly to her bosom.A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.

tormentor       noun [C]

premises   plural nounthe land and buildings owned by someone, especially by a company or organization:

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The company is relocating to new premises.There is no smoking allowed anywhere on school premises.The ice cream is made on the premises (= in the building where it is sold).The security guards escorted the protesters off (= away from) the premises.

inscrutability       noun [U]

muscle

roam       verb [I + adverb or preposition; T] to move about or travel, especially without a clear idea of what you are going to do:After the pubs close, gangs of youths roam the city streets.She roamed around America for a year, working in bars and restaurants.

glee   noun [U]happiness, excitement or pleasure:She opened her presents with glee.

allay   verb [T] FORMAL to make someone feel less worried or frightened:The government is desperately trying to allay public fears/concern about the spread of the disease.

rabid   adjective MAINLY DISAPPROVINGhaving and expressing extreme and unreasonable feelings:The attack is believed to have been carried out by a group of rabid anti-semites.a rabid feministSee also rabid at rabies.

rabidly   adverb MAINLY DISAPPROVING

bravado       noun [U]a show of bravery, especially when unnecessary and dangerous, to make people admire you:It was an act of bravado that made him ask his boss to resign.

rap (HIT)   verb -pp- 1 [I or T] to hit or say something suddenly and forcefully:She rapped (on) the table to get everyone's attention.The colonel rapped (out) an order to his men.

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2 [T] to criticize someone, especially officially:The headline read 'Judge raps police'.

cane   noun1 [C or U] the long, hard, hollow stem of particular plants such as bamboo, sometimes used to make furniture or support other plants in the garden

2 [C] a long stick used especially by old, ill or blind people to help them walk

3 [S] a long, thin stick used in the past as a school punishment

arch- (MAIN)       prefixmost important:an archbishopan archduke

muffle (MAKE QUIET)   verb [T] 1 to make a sound quieter and less clear:The house's windows are double-glazed to muffle the noise of aircraft.

2 to make something less strong or clear:The report concluded that business pressure on the government had muffled the impact of the legislation.

muffled   adjectiveI could hear muffled voices next door but couldn't make out any words.The muffled roar of traffic could be heard in the distance.

anomalous       adjective FORMALIn a multicultural society is it not anomalous to have a blasphemy law which only protects one religious faith?

conjoint adj.1. Joined together; combined: "social order and prosperity, the conjoint aims of government" John K. Fairbank.2. Of, consisting of, or involving two or more combined or associated entities; joint.

stagger (MOVE)       verb [I usually + adverb or preposition] to walk or move with a lack of balance as if you are going to fall:

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After he was attacked, he managed to stagger to the phone and call for help.FIGURATIVE The company is staggering under a $15 million debt and will almost certainly collapse by the end of the year.

swoon   verb [I] 1 to feel a lot of pleasure, love, etc. because of something or someone:The audience swooned with delight.

2 OLD-FASHIONED LITERARY to faint (LOSE CONSCIOUSNESS)

toil   verb [I] 1 to work hard:England's cricketers have been toiling in the 100-degree heat over the past week.I was relaxing in the bath, having toiled away in the garden all afternoon.

2 to move in a particular direction, slowly and with great effort:I was toiling up the hill with four heavy bags when he took pity on me.

clot (LUMP)       noun [C]an almost solid lump:He had a blood clot removed from his brain.

clot       verb [I] -tt- to form clots:He was rushed into hospital because his blood wasn't clotting properly.an anti-(blood) clotting agent

gore (BLOOD)       noun [U]blood that has come from an injury and become thick:It's a good film, but there's a lot of blood and gore in it (= pictures of people being badly injured).See also gory.

consign sb/sth to sth phrasal verb [often passive] FORMALto get rid of someone or something or to put them in an unpleasant place or situation:to be consigned to prisonAfter the financial disaster, she was consigned to a life of poverty.

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consign   verb [T] FORMAL to send something to someone:The goods have been consigned to you by air.

wail verb 1 [I or T] MAINLY DISAPPROVING to make a long, high cry, usually because of pain or sadness:The women gathered around the coffin and began to wail, as was the custom in the region.[+ speech] "My finger hurts, " wailed the child.

2 [I] INFORMAL to complain loudly or strongly:[+ that] Business people wailed that their trade would be ruined.

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