VOCABULARY LIST

UNIT 3
Highlighted words
Word Meaning
Awarness Knowledge or understanding of a subject, issue, or situation eg.raise
awareness OF sth.(noun phr)
On standby something that is always ready for use(especially if a regular one fails)
/Here refers to electrical appliances
Endangerd species =Especies en peligro de extinsión
Keep your/an eye on sb/sth to watch or take care of something or someone
(with) An eye to to be considering something for the future Eg. She learns English with an
eye to travelling abroad
Turn a blind eye to ignore something that you know is wrong
In the public intrest Used to talk about people’s right to know the facts about a particular
situation
White noise a mixture of sounds or electrical signals that consists of all the sounds or
signals in a large range (ruido de fondo)
Make off Phr.v (INFORMAL) to leave quickly, usually in order to escape Eg. The
burglars made off before the police arrived.
Clump a solid mass of something such as soil. Eg. We past thick clumps of bush
and thorn.
Quarry (in hunting) a person or animal being hunted or looked for =presa
(be) On the move to be physically active eg. The cheetah was on the move/to be going
somewhere; to be travelling
Dawdling to do something or go somewhere very slowly, taking more time than is
necessary (perder el tiempo) eg. Stop dawdling! You'll be late for school!
Demeanour (FORMAL) a way of looking and behaving =behaviour
Plight N. an unpleasant condition, especially a serious, sad, or difficult one Eg.
the plight of the poor
Livestock animals and birds that are kept on a farm, such as cows, sheep, or
chickens =Ganado
Game (farms)

Escarpment a steep slope or cliff, such as one that marks the edge of a range of hills
=acantilado
cub = Cachorrito
Old habits die hard used to say it is hard to stop doing things that one has been doing for a
long time
Eg. I just can't seem to give up smoking. Old habits die hard.
Hunk a large, thick piece, especially of food
Eg. a hunk of bread/cheese/meat =trozo/pedazo
Scamper (off) Verb. When small children and animals scamper, they run with small
quick steps Eg. Each animal scapered off with its own ration
Scavenger a bird or animal that feeds on dead animals that it has not killed itself
Tuck in to start eating something eagerly Eg. Judging by the way they tucked into
their dinner, they must have been very hungry. /There's plenty of food,
so please tuck in.
Acquire a taste for sth to begin to like something
Shoot on sight to immediately shoot (someone) one sees /be shot on sight
Looming Adj. (of something unwanted or unpleasant) about to happen soon and
causing worry Eg. the looming crisis/the looming question
Aardvack =oso hormiguero
Warthog =jabalí
Sentry N (sentries pl) a soldier who guards a place, usually by standing at its
entrance Eg. Stood like sentries
Tantalising Adj. Something that is tantalizing causes desire and excitement in you,
but is unlikely to provide a way of satisfying that desire =seductor?
Altruism willingness to do things that bring advantages to others, even if it results
in disadvantage for yourself =alturismo
Put sb (people) off to tell someone that you cannot see them or do something for them, or
to stop someone from doing something, until a later time Eg. He keeps
asking me out, and I keep putting him off.
Sniffer dog =perro sabhueso(?
(be) at/to/In the forefront of to be in a leading position in an important activity that is trying to achieve
something or develop new ideas Eg. This ability has placed her in the
forefront of detective work across Britain
An asset to Noun Sth of great value to sb
Pinpoint To locate sth exactly
In (great/high)demand A need for sth (always needed)
On demand =a pedido / At any time sb wants sth (whenever you need it )
On the verge of extinction = al borde de la extinción
Keep up (with sth/sb) To stay level or equal with sb or sth
Make up (ground) To move faster in order to come closer to sb or sth ahead
Catch up (with st/sb) To reach sb who goes ahead by going faster/ to reach the same level or
standard that sb who was better or more advanced
Calm down To become or make sb become calm
Cut down (on sth) To reduce the size amount or number of sth. Eg. In my new diet I have to
cut down on carbohydrates
Narrow down (to sth else) To reduce the number of possibilities or choices Eg. We have narrowed
down the list to only 4 candidates.
Freshen up To make sth cleaner, cooler, newer or more pleasant
Tidy up To make a place or a collection of things tidy and neat Eg. I have just
tidied up my bedroom.
Do (sth) up to repair or decorate a building so that it looks attractive Eg. to fasten
something or become fastened / to fasten something or become
fastened Eg. Can you help me to do up my dress?
Liven up To make sth more intresting or attractive
Speed up To move or happen faster
Speak up To speak more loudly
Die down To gradually become less strong, loud or noticeable
Close down Company/shop/etc to stop operating as a business
Settle down To become or make sb become less excited
Track down To find sb or sth after searching in several different places Eg. Police have
managed to track down video evidence which will be presented at a
court hearing next week.
Fulled Adj. stronger
Touch up To improve sth by changing or adding toit slightly Eg. She was busy
touching up her make up in the mirror
Scratches =ryadura/rasguño/estrias
Sidle up To walk towards or away from sb trying not to be noticed
Creep up on sb To surprise sb and move closer to them without being seen or heard
Mount up To increase in size and quantity
Water sth up To change sth in order to make it less strong or offensive
Pour down Rains very heavily
Downpour =chaparron
Broke down N. A failure to work or be successful (it can refer to a machine or a
relationship)
Upset N. A slight illness of the stomach Eg tummy upset /He can't eat grapes -
they upset him/his stomach
Feedback N. =devolución you have feedback from sb on sth
Clear-out N. BR ENG an occasion when you tidy up a place by getting rid of things
(you don’t want anymore) Eg. We need to give the garage a good clear-
out.
Takeaway N. Take/order a takeaway Eg. Takeaway food (can be the restaurant itself
Eg. I don´t feel like cooking, let’s have a takeaway
Setback N. Sth that happens that delays or prevents a process from developing
Line-up N. a group of people that has been brought together to form a team or
take part in an event Eg. The line-up of the lollapalooza is unpredictable
Turndown N. A reduction in business activity in a particular area or in the economy
in general (argentina en estos momentos)
Outcome (of) N. The final result of a process, meeting, activity, etc.
Outlook N. An idea about what a situation will be like in the future/ your general
attitude to things.
Collate V. (FORMAL) to bring together different pieces of written information so
that the similarities and differences can be seen Eg. To collate
data/information – Suggestions were collated from questionaries.
Indolent Adj. Showing no real interest or effort Eg. In the afternoon the bears are
very indolent lying around on rocks, soaking up the sun.
Stunning Adj. Very beautiful Eg. The scenery was stunning
Fruitless Adj. If an action or attempt is fruitless, it is unsuccessful or produces
nothing of value Eg. The men in the tribe had a fruitless journey to find
water, returning empty-handed.
Epic Adj. used to describe events that happen over a long period and involve a
lot of action and difficulty Eg. An epic journey / (INFORMAL) extremely
good Eg. Friends is epic
Prize Adj. A prize animal, flower, or vegetable is one that has won or deserves
 to win a prize in a competition because it is of very good quality Eg. The
koalas are the prize exhibit in the zoo. /used to describe something that
is a very good or important example of its type Eg. Some prize idiot (=
extremely foolish person) forgot to lock the door
Agape Adj. with the mouth open, especially showing surprise or shock Eg. The
tourists had their mouths agape in horror as the lion emerged from the
bushes.
Elusive Adj. difficult to describe, find, achieve, or remember Eg. The answers to
these questions remain as elusive as ever. (=vaga?)
Vicarious Adj. experienced as a result of watching, listening to or reading about
other people’s activities, rather than doing the activity yourself Eg. I got a
vicarious experience from watching my children learning to surf
(=indirecto/ ajeno)
Towering Adj. very high and making people feel respect
Barren Adj. unable to produce plants or fruit
Proverbial

Commodity a substance or product that can be traded, bought, or sold Eg. The
country's most valuable commodities include tin and diamonds.
(=producto)
in spades (INFORMAL) in large amounts or to a very great degree Eg. She has
personality in spades
Footage (a piece of) film especially one showing an event
Clamber (up) to climb up, across, or into somewhere with difficulty, using the hands
and the feet Eg. They clambered over/up the rocks.
Dappled Adj. covered with spots of colour that are lighter or darker than the main
colour, or covered with areas of light and darkness Eg. The dappled
rocks/ a dappled pony
Mesmerised V (usually in the passive) to have someone's attention completely so that
they cannot think of anything else Eg. I was completely mesmerized by
the performance (=hypnotised/absorbed)
Prowl to move around quietly in a place trying not to be seen or heard, such as
an animal does when hunting (=asechar)
Stalk =stalkear
Brew (ING) v. (of an unwelcome event or situation) begin to develop/ to make beer
Eg. We brew beer
Tapered Adj. becoming gradually narrower at one end Eg. She was wearing black
tapered trousers
gorge Eg. Garganta del diablo in Cafayate / “devil´s gorge”
Hamlet a small village, usually without a church
Dwellings a house or place to live in
Craggy Adj. (=escarpado)
Build up To gradually increase in amount, size or strength
Come up To appear on a computer or screen/
Jet off to To travel somewhere by plane, implying luxury or excitement Eg. I’m
hoping this summer that I’m going to be able to jet off to the Caribean-
Macri cat
Pitch up To arrive where sb is expecting you Eg. She finally pitched up two hours
late.
Back out To decide not to sth you have agreed to do Eg. I backed out of the
literature mid term exam/ You agreed to come. You can't back out now!
Go on To continue, especially for a long time Eg. No matter the circumstances
you must go on.
Hive a structure where bees live, especially a beehive (= container like a box)
or the group of bees living there (=colmena)
Grip =agarre
Slip (ing) to slide without intending to
Quarantine N. a period of time during which an animal or person that might have a
disease is kept away from other people or animals so that the disease
cannot spread Adj. quarantined
Poach (ing ) to cook something such as a fish, or an egg with its shell removed, by
putting it in gently boiling water or other liquid Eg. We had poached eggs
for breakfast. (=escalfado)
Poaching =caza furtiva
Crackdown N. a situation in which someone starts to deal with bad or illegal
behaviour in a more severe way Eg. There should be a crackdown by
police in order to reduce drug dealing
Bleak Adj. If a situation is bleak, there is little or no hope for the future Eg. The
economic outlook is bleak.
Smother to kill something by covering it and preventing it from receiving the
substances and conditions it needs for life (=asfixiar)
Drought =sequia
Pull the trigger =apretar el gatillo
Crack to find a solution to a problem Eg. I've been trying to solve this problem
all week, but I still haven't cracked it.
Unheralded Adj. not previously announced, expected, or acclaimed. Eg. Unheralded
arguments / he was unwilling to make an unheralded entrance
Stray = de la calle Eg. Stray dogs
Lore traditional knowledge and stories about a subject/tradition/folklore Eg.
According to the local lore, the water has healing properties.