1. cradle (n.)
-a small bed for a baby, especially one that swings from side to side
-example: The nurse rocked the cradle.
2. hone (v.)
-to sharpen an object
-example: The bone had been honed to a point.
3. decipher (v.)
-to discover the meaning of something written badly or in a difficult or hidden way
-example: Can you decipher the writing on this envelope?
4. fuse (v.)
-to (cause to) melt (together) especially at a high temperature
-example: The heat of the fire fused many of the machine's parts together.
5. objective (n.)
-something which you plan to do or achieve
-example: Her main/prime objective now is simply to stay in power.
6. temper (n.)
-when someone becomes angry very quickly
-example: She has a real temper.
7. repertoire (n.)
-all the music or plays, etc. that you can do or perform or that you know
-example: The Royal Shakespeare Company also have many modern plays in their repertoire.
8. eponymous (adj.)
-an eponymous character in a play, book, etc. has the same name as the title
-example: “Cool Britannia,” which goes back to Ben and Jerry's eponymous ice cream in Spring 1996, met its sell-by-date within weeks …
9. cushion (n.)
a bag made of cloth, plastic or leather which is filled with soft material, often has an attractive cover, and is used especially on chairs for sitting or leaning on
-example: She sank back against/into the cushions.
10. boost (v.)
-to improve or increase something
-example: The theatre managed to boost its audiences by cutting ticket prices.
11. meander (v.)
-a. to walk slowly without any clear direction
-example: We spent the afternoon meandering around the streets of the old town.
12. cinch (n.)
-something which is very easy and is therefore certain to be a success
-example: The exam was a cinch.
13. premium (adj.)
-describes something that is of higher than usual quality
-example: The building is on a premium site.
14. slurp (v.)
-a. to drink a liquid noisily as a result of sucking air into the mouth at the same time as the liquid
-example: Do try not to slurp.
15. census (n.)
-a count for official purposes, especially one to count the number of people living in a country and to collect information about them
-example: We have a census in this country every ten years.
16. ultraviolet (n.)
-describes light that has a wavelength which is after the violet (= light purple) end of the range of colours that can be seen by humans. Light of this type causes the skin to become darker in the sun.
-example: Do you know the meaning of ultraviolet?
17. peddle (v.)
-to sell things, especially by taking them to different places
-example: These products are generally peddled (from) door to door.
18. whiz (n.)
-a person with a very high level of skill or knowledge in a particular subject
-example: He's a whizz at poker.
19. swipe (v.)
-to hit or try to hit something, especially with a sideways movement
-example: She opened the window and swiped at the flies with a rolled-up newspaper to make them go out.
20. asylum (n.)
-protection or safety, especially that given by a government to foreigners who have been forced to leave their own countries for political reasons
-example: More than half a million people sought asylum in Europe last year.
21. harness (v.)
-to control something, usually in order to use its power
-example: There is a great deal of interest in harnessing wind and waves as new sources of power.
22. dampen (v.)
-to make something slightly wet
-example: Rain had dampened the tent so we left it to dry in the afternoon sun.
23. harsh (adj.)
-unpleasant, unkind, cruel or unnecessarily severe
-example: The children had had a harsh upbringing.
24. hegemony (v.)
-the position of being the strongest and most powerful and therefore able to control others
-example: The three nations competed for regional hegemony.
25. quirky (adj.)
-unusual in an attractive and interesting way
-example: He was tall and had a quirky, off-beat sense of humour
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