L2 Presentations: VOCABULARY

Vocabulary Text p. 59 / Jeremy Corbyn

G 28

Squeeze (with adverbial of direction) (verb) : to manage to get into or through a narrow or restricted space

Giddy (adjective) : dizzy ; causing a spinning sensation

Grin (noun) : a broad smile

Rapturous (adjective) : characterized by, feeling, or expressing great pleasure or enthusiasm

Unassuming (adjective) : not pretentious or arrogant; modest

Backlash (noun) : a strong negative reaction by a large number of people, especially to a social or political development

Ascent (noun) : a climb / a rise to a higher social or professional rank

Diffident (adjective) : modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence

Feat (noun) :a triumph / an achievement that requires great courage, skill, or strength

Fall guy (noun) : a scapegoat / a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency

Surge (noun) : a powerful rush of an emotion or feeling

Pinch oneself / a pinch-yourself moment (expression): take a moment to convince oneself that a good or pleasurable situation is real

Stint (noun) : a fixed or limited period of time spent doing a particular job or activity

Root (verb) (in this context): establish deeply and firmly

Swell / swelled / swelled or swollen (verb) : become or make greater in intensity, number, amount, or volume

Slick (adjective) : done or operating in an impressively smooth and efficient way

Appal (Br.) (or appall) (US) (verb) : to cause (someone) to feel fear, shock, or disgust

Indictment (noun) : a formal statement accusing someone / Law. a formal accusation initiating a criminal case, presented by agrand jury and usually required for felonies and other serious crimes / any charge, accusation, serious criticism or cause for blame

Stagger (verb) : to walk or move with difficulty as if you are going to fall

Steep (adjective) : rising or falling sharply; almost perpendicular

« Cutting size of House of Commons will thwart effort to increase female and ethnic minority MPs in Parliament », Text 3 p. 78. (Group 23)

An MP / MPs (pl): members of Parliament NOTE that there is no "apostrophe" before the "s", as the "s" is only the mark of the plural and not the mark of a genitive structure

Thwart (v.): Prevent (someone) from accomplishing something / Oppose a plan … 

Unforeseen (adj): unexpected

Side-effect (n.): reaction, result that come later

Set back (v.): to delay

Backbencher (n.): member of parliament who does not have a senior position in the Cabinet or the Shadow Cabinet

Constituency (constituencies): An area whose voters elect a representative to a legislative body

Halt (v.): to stop

Shrink (shrank, shrunk) (v.): to decrease

Urge (v.): to encourage someone to do something / Recommend (something) strongly / Try earnestly or persistently to persuade (someone) to do something.

Broaden (v.): to increase, amplify

Spark (v.): to inspire, to make something happen

Summon (v.): to request, to call in

Vanish (v.): to disappear

Note also: 

Drive (n.): (in this context) An organized effort by a number of people to achieve a purpose

gender or ethnic make-up. / "The make-up of the House = the composition of the House"

to scrap constituencies

to spark unrest

Parliamentary intakes

to "halt a move"

Black Spider Memos (Group 29, p. 42-44)

     

  The attorney general (Noun) : the top legal officer whose job is to provide legal advice to the government and to represent the government

•       Transparency (Noun) : the fact that public officers' actions and correspondence can be seen by the public

•       The breadth (Noun) : (in this context) extent

•       To forfeit (Verb) : give up

•       Lobbying (Noun, from the Verb to lobby) : the activity of trying to persuade someone in authority (elected member of government) to support laws that give you an advantage

•       Trade (Noun, or verb to trade): the buying and selling of goods

•       Afoot (Adverb) : in progress

•       A glimpse (Noun) : a very brief look / Phr: to catch a grimpse of something / someone

•       Amid (Preposition) : among

Five Reasons a ‘Brexit’ is Increasingly Likely Group 28.

•       Fully-committed (adjective): pledged to do, or to support something

•       Gamble on sth (verb): to take a ​risk that something will ​happen

•       Left-wing (adjective): supporting the ​political left; ​relating to the ​belief that ​wealth and ​power should be ​shared between all ​parts of ​society

•       Prospect (noun): the ​idea of something that will or might ​happen in the ​future

•       Rampant (adjective): getting ​worse quickly and in an ​uncontrolled way

•       Recovery (noun): the ​process of ​becoming successful or ​normal again after ​problems

•       Struggle (verb): to experience difficulty to ​experience ​difficulty and make a very ​great ​effort in ​order to do somethingto ​experience ​difficulty and make a very ​great ​effort in ​order to do somethingto ​experience ​difficulty and make a very ​great ​effort in ​order to do somethingto ​experience ​difficulty and make a very ​great ​effort in ​order to do somethingto ​experience ​difficulty and make a very ​great ​effort in ​order to do somethingand make a very great effort in order to do something

•       Wary (adjective) / (Be wary of something): not ​completely trusting or ​certain about something or someone

•       Warm to sb: to ​start to like someone

Text: Scrapping the Human Rights Act

•       To enshrine (v): to preserve a right, tradition, or idea in a form that ensures it will be protected and respected

•       To appraise someone or something (v): to ​examine someone or something in ​order to ​judge ​their ​qualities, ​success, or ​needs

•       Fetter (n): a restraint or check on someone’s freedom to act

•       To be tucked away: to be in a place that is hidden

•       To scrap, scrapped, scrapped (v): abolish or cancel / repeal

•        To underpin, underpinned, underpinned (v): form the basis for something