VOCABULARY

UNIT 1
Accomplishment: a fulfilment.
Feat: an impressive and difficult achievement.
Obstacle: something that obstructs or hinders progress.
Hurdle: a problem, difficulty or part of a process that may prevent you from achieving
something.
Trial: the act of trying, testing or putting to the proof; an attempt or effort to do something.
Ordeal: something difficult and unpleasant.
Undertaking: a job, business, or piece of work.
Mission: an objective or goal.
Exploit: a striking or notable deed; a spirited or heroic act.
Adventure: an unusual, exciting, and possibly dangerous activity, trip, or experience

Dodge: evade by a sudden shift; to avoid something unpleasant or dangerous by moving out of
the way.
Momentous: of great or far-reaching importance or consequence; extremely important,
changing the course of events.
Contend with: to struggle in opposition; to have to deal with problems or difficulties.
Discount: leave out; to not consider something at all, because it is not important or worth
paying attention to.
Lay claim to: declare oneself entitled to; to say officially that you think something belongs to
you.
Showcase: display, exhibit; to present or exhibit something in a way that displays its best
qualities.
A case in point: an instance or example that illustrates what is discussed; a particular example
of the situation or behavior being discussed.
Followers: online users that participate in blogs or other social media websites of some kind;
people who have subscribed to receive messages from a social media page.
Household name: something or someone that is very well-known.
Extend your hospitality: to invite someone to your home to provide food and drink.
UNIT 2
Catch on: to become popular or fashionable.
Must-have: an essential possession.
Cutting-edge: at the forefront of people or things in a field or activity; leading; brand new.
Vintage: representing the high quality of a past time.
In the know: possessing inside or special information.
On trend: in style, in fashion.
Backlash: a (negative) reaction or repercussion.
Outdated: no longer in use or fashionable; out-of-date.
Fusion: mix; combination of two or more things.
Social influence: expectations from society that shape people’s behavior.

Hue: a gradation or variety of a color; tint or shade.

On a shoestring: when you do something with a very small amount of money.
Stance: a way of thinking about something, especially expressed in a publicly stated opinion; a
strong opinion towards something.
Mundane: very ordinary and therefore not interesting.
Pin down: to recognize, identify or single out something definitely; make explicit; describe in a
precise way.
Mainstream: considered normal, and having or using ideas, beliefs, etc. that are accepted by
most people.
Passing off: the illegal act of selling a product that is similar to one that another company or
group has legally protected by a trademark.
As a means: a way to do something in order to achieve a goal.
At the forefront: leading position.
UNIT 3
Skeptical: someone who has doubts about something that other people think is true or right.
Cynical: someone who believes that people care only about themselves and are not sincere.
Gullible: someone who is easy to trick because they trust and believe people too easily.
Naive: someone who lacks life experience and so trusts other people too easily.
Reliable: someone you can trust to do what you expect (also describes sources of information,
products, etc.).
Trustworthy: someone you know is honest, and that you can believe in.
Supportive: someone who will be helpful, encouraging and sympathetic when problems occur.
Tolerant: someone who is willing to accept someone else’s beliefs or way of life.

Stick at: keep doing.

Carry out: do something that has been planned.
Set out: aim to do.
Pay back: repay a loan or take revenge.
Put up with: tolerate or accept.
Get away with: do something bad and avoid being punished for it.
Make up: invent.
Go around: be seen in public doing something.
Not add up: something that does not make sense or does not seem correct.
See (somebody) off: go somewhere (such as a station or airport) with someone in order to say
goodbye to them.
Call for: say publicly that something must happen.
Count on: trust somebody to do something.
Come about: happen.
Make off with (something): escape with something, especially something stolen.
Go over: check, revise.
Get away from: escape from a person, place or situation.

Pervasive: spreading everywhere so that it is very noticeable and impossible to ignore.

Reinforce: make an idea, feeling or belief stronger.
Embellish: make a story more interesting by adding details, especially ones that are not
completely true.
Sustain: to experience loss, injury, damage, etc.
Propaganda: information, especially false information that a government or organization
spreads in order to influence people’s opinions and beliefs.
(To have) currency: (to have) general approval and acceptance; (to be) widely used in society.
Fallacy: an idea or belief that is false but that many people think is true.
Bygone era(s): a period of time in the past.
Artistic license: the freedom to create or adopt an artwork, film, piece of writing or music,
according to the artist’s interpretation.
Anomaly: something unusual, unexpected, or different from what normally happens.

UNIT 5
Hint: something you say to show what you are thinking or feeling without saying it directly.
(Drop a hint: say something in an indirect way).
Vague: not clear or fully explained.
Blunt: saying what is true or what you think, even if this offends or upsets people.
Ambiguous: not clear and therefore capable of being understood in more than one way.
Vocal: somebody who expresses their opinions frequently and strongly.
Mumble: to say something in a way that that is not loud or clear enough so that your words are
difficult to understand.
Imply: to suggest that you think something without saying it directly.
Convey: to communicate ideas or feelings indirectly (for example through poetry, painting or
photography).

UNIT 8
Self-doubt: a lack of confidence in oneself and abilities.
Self-expression: how one shows their feelings, thoughts or ideas, especially through music, art
and writing.
Self-indulgence: behavior in which a person does exactly what they want, often for the purpose
of pleasure or through laziness.
Self-serving: having concern only for one’s own interests.
Self-preservation: the instinctive protection of oneself from harm, danger.
Self-deprecating: being excessively modest, or undervaluing oneself.
UNIT 9
Write out: change a story to cut a character.
Come across: be seen by others in a certain way.
Run through: practice.
Turn (somebody) into: transform.
Get (something) across: communicate or be understood.
Fade out: gradually disappear.
Take on: acquire a new characteristic or ability.
Put on (an act): behave in a false way.
Read for: audition.
Break into: start to do something.
Act out: perform.
Call for: require.