ORIGINS

perceptive

notices things quickly and understands situations, people’s feelings etc well – used to show approval

inspirational

providing encouragement or new ideas for what you should do

over-ambitious

too determined to be successful, rich, powerful etc :

conscientious

careful to do everything that it is your job or duty to do

obstinate

determined not to change your ideas, behaviour, opinions etc, even when other people think you are being unreasonable

neurotic

unreasonably anxious or afraid

open-minded

willing to consider and accept other people’s ideas and opinions

prejudiced

having an unreasonable dislike of someone or something, especially a dislike of a group of people who belong to a different race, sex, or religion – used to show disapproval

apathetic

not interested in something, and not willing to make any effort to change or improve things

insensitive

not noticing, or not taking the care to notice, other people’s feelings, and not realising when they are upset or when something that you do will upset them

solitary

spending a lot of time alone, usually because you like being alone

rebellious

deliberately not obeying people in authority or rules of behaviour

mature

sensible – someone, especially a child or young person, behaving in a sensible and reasonable way, as you would expect an adult to behave

inquisitive

interested in a lot of different things and wanting to find out more about them

considerate

always thinking of what other people need or want and being careful not to upset them

circumspect

thinking carefully about something before doing it, in order to avoid risk

conservative

not liking changes or new ideas

temperamental

likely to suddenly become upset, excited, or angry – used to show disapproval

impetuous

tending to do things very quickly, without thinking carefully first, or showing this quality

easy-going

not easily upset, annoyed, or worried

gregarious

friendly and preferring to be with other people

selfish

caring only about yourself and not about other people – used to show disapproval

liberal

willing to understand and respect other people’s ideas, opinions, and feelings

introverted

quiet and shy and does not enjoy being with other people

yes-man

someone who always agrees with and obeys their employer, leader etc in order to gain some advantage – used to show disapproval

whizzkid

a young person who is very skilled or successful at something

busybody

someone who is too interested in other people’s private activities – used to show disapproval

chatterbox

someone, especially a child, who talks too much

pain in the neck

someone who is very annoying

dark horse

someone who does not tell people much about themselves, but who has surprising qualities or abilities

old hand

someone who has a lot of experience of something

set in her ways

having particular habits

black sheep

someone who is regarded by other members of their family or group as a failure or embarrassment

life and soul of the body

someone who enjoys social occasions and is fun and exciting to be with

rotten apple

one person who has a bad effect on all others in a group

loose cannon

someone who cannot be trusted because they say or do things you do not what them to

couch potato

someone who spends a lot of time sitting and watching television

wet blanket

someone who seems to want to spoil other people’s fun, for example by refusing to join them in something enjoyable that they are doing

big cheese

an important and powerful person in an organisation – used humorously

tough cookie

someone who is very determined to do what they want and not what other people want

caught off guard

surprised

niceties

polite social behaviour

smithereens

many very small pieces

aloof

distant and remote

surplus

extra

taken aback

shocked

business acumen

insight into business

deficit

the amount by which a sum of money falls short of a reference amount

striking

very unusual or easily noticed, and therefore attracting a lot of attention

heyday

the most successful or popular period of someone or something

snazzy

modern and stylish in a way that attracts attention

delicatessen

a counter in a supermarket where you can get different types of cheese, cold cooked meat, prepared salads, etc.

posh

(of places and things) expensive and of high quality

serene

peaceful and calm; worried by nothing

dignified

peaceful and calm; worried by nothing

wind up

to find yourself in an unexpected and usually unpleasant situation, especially as a result of what you do

revealing

showing something that was not previously known or seen

notoriety

the state of being famous for something bad

evocative

making you remember or imagine something pleasant

conceal

to prevent something from being seen or known about

assertive

behaves confidently and is not frightened to say what they want or believe

covert

hidden or secret

be littered with something

a place, document or other object ... that has or contains a lot of that thing

dismay

a feeling of unhappiness and disappointment

frantic

done in a fast and excited way and not calm or organized

surplus

an amount of something that is more than you need

apparent

obvious or easy to notice

aloof

not friendly, especially because you think you are better than other people

prosper

to be successful, usually by earning a lot of money

ingratiate yourself (with sb)

to try to make people like you by doing things to please them

inadequacy

the quality of not being good enough or not being of a high enough quality

beam

to smile very happily

get around to sth

to do something that you have intended to do for a long time

sedentary

spending a lot of time sitting down or not being active

derive something from something

to get something from something else

have a screw loose

If you say that someone ... you mean that they behave in a strange way and seem slightly mentally ill.

nitpicker

someone who finds faults in details that are not important

meticulous

very careful and with great attention to every detail

to baffle

to cause someone to be completely unable to understand or explain something

defiance

behaviour in which you refuse to obey someone or something

proficient

skilled and experienced

filthy

extremely or unpleasantly dirty

tell someone off

to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong

be prone to sth/doing sth

to often do something or suffer from something, especially something bad

incline to/towards sth

to think that a belief or opinion is probably correct

tentative

not certain

outline

a description of the main facts about something

pet peeve

something that especially annoys you

boast

to speak too proudly or happily about what you have done or what you own

condense

to reduce something, such as a speech or piece of writing, in length

eager

wanting very much to do or have something, especially something interesting or enjoyable

call back

to return to a place in order to see someone or collect something

conclusive

proving that something is true, or ending any doubt

cut and dried

already decided and unlikely to be changed

outlandish

strange and unusual and difficult to accept or like

emeritus

no longer having a position, especially in a college or university, but keeping the title of the position

put your name forward

to suggest formally that you should be considered for a particular job, membership of an organisation etc

given name

first name (American English)

maiden name

a woman's family name before she got married and started using her husband's family name

name after

give someone or something the same name as another person or thing

live up to your name

if someone lives up to their name, they do as well as they were expected to because of what their name or title is

make a name for yourself

to become famous for something

household name

someone who is famous

clear your name

to prove that you are not guilty of something

by name

using a person's name

in name only

if a situation exists in name only, it does not really exist even though officially people say it does

middle name

the name that is between your first name and your family name

married name

a woman's last name, when she has changed it to her husband's name

outline

a description of the main facts about something

to quantify sth

to measure or judge the size or amount of something

provocative

behaviour, remarks etc are intended to make people angry or upset, or to cause a lot of discussion

capture the beauty of something

to succeed in recording, showing, or describing the beauty in a situation or feeling, using words or pictures

iconic

admired by many people and thought to represent an important idea

evocative

making people remember something by producing a feeling or memory in them