VOC 18 Flashcards
to favour /ˈfeɪ.vər/
to support or prefer one particular possibility:
These are the running shoes favoured by marathon runners.
to dictate /dɪkˈteɪt/
to give orders, or tell someone exactly what they must do, with total authority:
The UN will dictate the terms of troop withdrawl from the region.
staple (adj) [before noun] /ˈsteɪ.pəl/
basic or main, standard or regular:
The staple diet here is mutton, fish and boiled potatoes
Prices of staple foods such as wheat and vegetables have also been increasing.
disgruntled (adj) /dɪsˈɡrʌn.təld/
unhappy, annoyed, and disappointed about sth:
A disgruntled formaer employee is being blamed for the explosion.
The players were disgruntled with the umpire.
turnover (n) /ˈtɜːnˌəʊ.vər/
the amount of business that a company does in a period of time:
Large supermarkets have high turnover (= their goods sell very quickly)
to plot /plɒt/
to mark or draw sth on a piece of paper or a map.
entrepreneur (CN) /ˌɒn.trə.prəˈnɜːr/
someone who starts their own business, especially when this involves seeing a new opportunity:
He was one of the entrepreneurs of the 80s who made their money in property.
entrepreneurial (adj) /ˌɒn.trə.prəˈnɜː.ri.əl/
She’ll make money - she’s got that entrepreneurial spirit.
detriment (UN) /ˈdet.rɪ.mənt/
harm or damage:
Are you sure that I can follow this diet without detriment to my health?
She was very involved with sports at college, to the detriment of (= harming) her studies.
commodity (CN) /kəˈmɒd.ə.ti/
a substance or product that can be traded, bought, or sold:
The country’s most valuable commodities include tin and diamonds.
dilemma (CN) /daɪˈlem.ə/ /dɪˈlem.ə/
a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two different things you could do:
The president is clearly in a dilemma about/over how to tackle the crisis
conceivable (adj) /kənˈsiː.və.bəl/
possible to imagine or to believe:
Books on every conceivable subject lined one wall.
It’s just conceivable (=possible although difficult to imagin) (that) the hospital made a mistake.
to cite /saɪt/
to mention sth as proof for a theory or as a reason why sth has happened:
She cited three reasons why people get into debt.
The company cited a 13 percent decline in new orders as evidence that overall demand for its products was falling.
minimization (UN) /ˌmɪnimaɪˈzeɪʃən/
a reduction of sth to the smallest possible level or amount:
The aim of these changes is the minimization of production costs.
needy (adj) /ˈniː.di/
- poor and not having enough food, clothes, etc:
The proceeds from the sale go to help needy people in the area.
- wanting too much attention and love:
Sybil was very insecure and needy.
