My English Words List - October - 2023

boardwalk

boardwalk

noun

A typical nature boardwalk, carrying walkers over wetlands on the Milford Track, New Zealand

  • a walk constructed of planking
  • a walk constructed along a beach

the town’s old-fashioned beachfront boardwalk has been a tourist attraction since the 1920s

Boardwalk

hairstylist

hairstylist

noun

he hairstylist fashioned the model’s hair into an elegant updo

barber

barber

noun

went to the barber to get his hair cut and his beard trimmed

maritime

maritime

adjective

a maritime province

Maritime Provinces, Atlantic Provinces

compliment

compliment

noun

This was the best compliment one could possibly get.

colloquial

colloquial

adjective

I didn’t have any experience with everyday colloquial English.

a colloquial word

In colloquial English, “kind of” is often used for “somewhat” or “rather.”

rubric

asphalt

competent

confident

slip

A slip of the tongue

peephole

peephole

noun

Peephole

binder

binder

noun

  • a cover for holding together loose sheets of paper

appropriate

appropriate

adjective

an appropriate response

allot

allot

verb

Each speaker will be allotted 15 minutes.

lieu

lieu

noun

in lieu, instead
in lieu of, instead of

flirt

flirt

verb

butterflies flirting among the flowers

noun

he’s just a harmless flirt, so don’t take him seriously

radish

radish

noun

Daikon (or bai luobo)—a large East Asian white radish—for sale in India

Radish

carrot

carrot

noun

Carrots in Ljubljana Central Market

Carrot

toffee

toffee

noun

Toffee

Toffee

honk

honk

verb

honk a horn

We could hear the geese honking overhead.

I honked at the car in front of me.

noun

the honk of a horn

savory

savory

adjective

They prepared an assortment of both sweet and savory foods.

He prefers savoury treats like pastries and pies.

collocation

collocation

noun

“To save time” and “make the bed” are common collocations.

commission

commission

noun

He gets a commission for each car he sells.

The salespeople in that store all work on commission.

awash

awash

adjective

the streets were awash from the heavy rains

analogous

analogous

adjective

the two stories are analogous

Timbre in music is analogous to color in painting. — Aaron Copland

mortify

mortify

verb

It mortified me to have to admit that I’d never actually read the book.

discrimination

discrimination

noun

racial discrimination

The law prohibits discrimination in hiring.

He sued the company for age discrimination.

unionize

unionize

verb

to prevent them from unionizing the employees

primer

primer

noun

a primer of chemistry

a primer on healthy eating

bona fide

bona fide

adjective

bona fide offer

roller coaster

roller coaster

noun

We went for a ride on the roller coaster.

souvenir

souvenir

noun

a souvenir of her travels