Vocabulary

Today's Idiom

• to hear on the grapevine

Weekly practice 07/07/08:

Term	Word form	Meaning	Example
imbibe	verb	drink some harmful/poisonous liquid	"imbibe alcohol"
consume	verb	eat or drink; ingest. (Quite scientific use).	"The average American consumes too much fatty food, leading them to cardiac problems."
adequate	adjective	pretty enough	"Yes, I think this skirt has an adequate length for this formal occasion."
dissolve	verb	to get something totally mixed with some liquid	"dissolve sugar in water", "Sometimes the Mob dissolves corpses in nitric acid"
solute	noun	the material to be dissolved in some (solvent) liquid to form a solution	"Try adding Mentos as a solute to Diet Coke as a solvent : the result is an explosive solution"
solvent	noun	a liquid capable of dissolving several elements (solutes)	-My hands are dirty with paint! -Well, maybe thinner could be a good solvent for it."
solution	noun	the resulting mixture of a solute and a solvent	"And here we have a 10%-90% solution of ethanol and gasoline"
soluble	adjective	the property a material has where it can be dissolved in a (solvent) liquid	"Oil is not soluble in water, but it is soluble in detergent"
insoluble	adjective	the beautiful, complementary, antithetic, far distant yet somehow loyal opposite of soluble.	"Oil is insoluble in water"
canteen	noun	some meal business inside a building (a school, a factory) though concession, usually overcharging thanks to monopoly.	"What will you do during lunch break?"-"I think I'll just get a sandwich at the canteen and then meet Vic".
vitamin	noun	essential organic nutrients, needed in small amounts by the body.	"Carrots have plenty of Vitamin A; oranges and other sour fruits have plenty of vitamin C"
refresh your memory	idiom	to revise something, to remind yourself of something you've studied
in moderation	idiom	not too much	"Alcohol should only be consumed in moderation"
don't lose sight of sth	idiom
hectic	adjective	very busy, full of activity	"Today at work I had such a hectic morning!"
lean meat	idiom	low-fat meat	"Fish is a good example of lean meat."
hesitant	adjective	undecided about whether or not to do something
primary industry	idiom	basic economic activities closer to nature, such as: planting/harvesting, domesticated animal raising, natural resources extraction (wood, minerals)	"Brazilian economy relies mostly on its primary industry."
domesticated	adjective	(for animals) tamed, controlled, raised / fed or even bred by humans; opposite of wild, opposite of "free in the nature"	"Dogs are a sort of domesticated wolves, subdivided in many races across the past millennia"
nourishing	adjective	nutritive(informal), nutritious(formal), good and full of nutrients essential to the body.	"Believe it or not, avocado is the richest and most nourishing fruits in the world - it's a pity it has so many calories…"
fire away/ shoot	idiom	Ask the speaker to tell something they are holding back	-"I've got a favour to ask" -"All right, fire away." -"Ok, ready to write down my mobile number?" -"Ready as ever. Shoot."