C1 (Advanced)

It’s only/just a matter of timeused to say that something will definitely happen in the future It can only be a matter of time before someone is seriously injured.

trustworthy

trust‧wor‧thy /ˈtrʌstˌwɜːði $ -ɜːr-/ BrE AmE adjective
[Word Family: adjective: ↑trusting, ↑trustworthy ≠ ↑untrustworthy, ↑trusty, ↑distrustful, ↑mistrustful; noun: ↑trust ≠ ↑distrust ≠ ↑mistrust, ↑trustee, ↑trusteeship, ↑trustworthiness; verb: ↑trust ≠ ↑distrust ≠ ↑mistrust]
able to be trusted and depended on
—trustworthiness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
■ people
▪ trustworthy especially written if someone is trustworthy, you can trust them because they are honest: Many people do not see politicians as trustworthy.
▪ reliable someone who is reliable can be trusted to do what they say they will do and not make any mistakes: a reliable employee | We need someone who is 100% reliable.
▪ responsible someone who is responsible can be trusted to behave in a sensible way: Sam’s a good babysitter – he’s responsible and the kids like him. | a responsible adult
▪ dependable someone who is dependable can be trusted to do what you need or expect: Britain is our most dependable ally.
▪ steady someone who is steady is sensible and you can depend on them: He’s only sixteen, but he’s steady and reliable.
▪ loyal someone who is loyal can be trusted to always give help or support to their friends, their country, their political party etc: She is fiercely loyal to her family. | He is one of the party’s most loyal supporters.
▪ faithful someone who is faithful stays loyal to a person, belief, political party etc, and continues to support them, even in difficult situations: Daniel had been a faithful friend. | a faithful member of the Communist Party
▪ can rely/depend on somebody if you can rely or depend on someone, you can be sure that they will do what you want or need them to do: Don’t worry about a thing – you can depend on me. | Patients rely on doctors to help them make the right decisions about their health care.
■ things
▪ reliable/dependable able to be trusted to do what you want, or to be accurate: The Boeing is a very reliable plane. | a dependable supply of oil | reliable economic forecasts | How can we be sure that his evidence is reliable?
▪ trustworthy if something is trustworthy, you know that it is true or accurate: a trustworthy source of information | a trustworthy guide
▪ can rely/depend on something if you can rely or depend on something, you can be sure that they will do what you want or need them to do: I need a car that I can rely on in all weathers.

modest

mod‧est /ˈmɒdəst, ˈmɒdɪst $ ˈmɑː-/ BrE AmE adjective
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: modestus]
1. NOT PROUD someone who is modest does not want to talk about their abilities or achievements OPP immodest, boastful
modest about
He was always modest about his role in the Everest expedition.
You’re too modest! You’ve been a huge help to us.
2. NOT BIG not very great, big, or expensive:
a modest increase in costs
She had saved a modest amount of money.
The new service proved a modest success.
a modest house with a small garden
his modest ambitions
3. SHY shy about showing your body or attracting sexual interest, because you are easily embarrassed OPP immodest:
She was a modest girl, always keeping covered, even in summer.
4. CLOTHES old-fashioned modest clothing covers the body in a way that does not attract sexual interest:
a modest knee-length dress
—modestly adverb:
‘I was just lucky,’ he said modestly.
modestly priced meals
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ modest not wanting to talk about your abilities or achievements and to say that you are good at something, even when you are – used to show approval: Miller, a quiet, modest man, gave credit to Asher for the initial discovery. | She was surprisingly modest about her own achievements as a player.
▪ self-effacing written not wanting to talk about yourself or to attract attention: Her husband was a quiet, self-effacing man who spent much of his time in his study.
▪ unassuming not wanting to be noticed and not expecting to be treated in a special way: By now Chapman was famous, but he remained as unassuming as ever. | He then began, in typically unassuming fashion, to establish the first modern dance company.
▪ humble believing that you are not more important, better, or cleverer than other people, and therefore not expecting to be treated in a special way: A good leader is humble enough to get advice from experts.
▪ unpretentious not trying to seem better than other people, even if you are rich, famous, clever etc: President Eisenhower was a friendly and unpretentious man who seemed to embody American virtues. | It's his unpretentious boyish charm that ensures Jackie Chan's position as one of the giants of international cinema.
▪ self-deprecating written behaving or talking about your own abilities or achievements in a way that makes them seem unimportant: Despite his intellect, he had an appealing self-deprecating humour. | The nice thing about him is his self-deprecating manner. His intellectual ability was never pushed at you, yet he obviously had great potential. | a self-deprecating smile

slippery

slip‧per‧y /ˈslɪpəri/ BrE AmE adjective
[Word Family: noun: ↑slip, ↑slipper, ↑slippage, ↑slipperiness; verb: ↑slip; adjective: ↑slippery]
[Date: 1500-1600; Origin: slipper 'slippery' (11-19 centuries), from Old English slipor]
1. something that is slippery is difficult to hold, walk on etc because it is wet or ↑greasy:
In places, the path can be wet and slippery.
Harry’s palms were slippery with sweat.
2. informal someone who is slippery cannot be trusted:
Martin is a slippery customer (=someone you should not trust) so be careful what you say to him.
3. not having one clear meaning and able to be understood in different ways:
the slippery notion of ‘standards’
4. (be on) a/the slippery slope British English informal used to talk about a process or habit that is difficult to stop and which will develop into something extremely bad
(be on) a/the slippery slope to/towards
He is on the slippery slope to a life of crime.

wisely adverb:
Invest the money wisely.
He nodded wisely.

bend over backwards

(to do something)to try very hard to be helpful We bent over backwards to finish it on time.

make ends meet

to have only just enough money to buy the things you need When Mike lost his job, we could barely make ends meet.

naive

na‧ive /naɪˈiːv/ adjective
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: French; Origin: naïve, feminine of naïf, from Latin nativus; ⇒ native]
not having much experience of how complicated life is, so that you trust people too much and believe that good things will always happen ⇒ innocent:
a naive young girl
Jim can be so naive sometimes.
it is naive to think/suppose/assume etc
It would be naive to think that this could solve all the area’s problems straight away.
naively adverb:
I had naively imagined that he was in love with me.
naivety /naɪˈiːvəti/ (also naiveté /naɪˈiːvəteɪ/) noun [uncountable]:
dangerous political naivety

collision

col‧li‧sion /kəˈlɪʒən/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: Latin; Origin: collisio, from collidere; ⇨ ↑collide]
1. an accident in which two or more people or vehicles hit each other while moving in different directions ⇨ collide
collision with
The school bus was involved in a collision with a truck.
Two people were killed in a head-on collision (=between two vehicles that are moving directly towards each other) on highway 218.
2. a strong disagreement between two people or groups
collision between
a collision between the two countries over fishing rights
3. be on a collision course
a) to be likely to have serious trouble because your aims are very different from someone else’s:
The two nations are on a collision course that could lead to war.
b) to be moving in a direction in which you will hit something:
an asteroid on a collision course with Earth

THESAURUS
▪ accident an event in which a vehicle is damaged and often someone is hurt: Her father died in a car accident. | Hugh had an accident on his way to work.
▪ crash a serious accident in which a vehicle hits something else: Rees-Jones was the only person to survive the crash. | a car/plane/train crash | He was killed in a plane crash.
▪ collision an accident in which two or more cars, trains etc hit each other: His car was involved in a collision with a train. | a head-on collision (=between vehicles that are driving towards each other): The actor was killed in a head-on collision while driving his new sports car.
▪ disaster a serious accident involving a train, plane, or boat, in which a lot of people are killed or injured: It was Britain’s worst air disaster.
▪ wreck American English an accident in which a car or train is badly damaged: Ben nearly died in a car wreck.
▪ pile-up an accident that involves several cars or trucks: The pile-up happened in thick fog. | There was a 12-car pile-up on the motorway.
▪ fender-bender American English informal, prang British English informal a car accident in which little damage is done: Atkinson was involved in a fender-bender in the hotel parking lot. | At 15, he borrowed his parents’ car and had a prang.

nap

I. nap¹ /næp/ BrE AmE noun
[Sense 1: Date: 1300-1400; Origin: ⇨ ↑nap²]
[Sense 2: Date: 1400-1500; Language: Middle Dutch; Origin: noppe]

1. [countable] a short sleep, especially during the day
have/take a nap
I usually take a nap after lunch.
an afternoon nap
2. [singular] the soft surface on some cloth and leather, made by brushing the short fine threads or hairs in one direction ⇨ ↑pile¹(7)

COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have/take a nap I took a nap after lunch.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + nap
▪ a short/little nap A short nap may make you feel better.
▪ a quick/brief nap I like to have a brief nap in the afternoon.
▪ an afternoon/morning nap She has her afternoon nap at about two.
▪ a two-hour/twenty minute etc nap At age four, she was still having a two-hour nap every day.
▪ a power nap (=a short sleep at work, that gives you more energy and concentration) Try taking a power nap before the meeting.
▪ a catnap (=a very short sleep) I envied her ability to take catnaps at any time of the day.
■ nap + NOUN
▪ nap time You can always tell when it's a baby's nap time because they start getting irritable.

THESAURUS
▪ sleep the natural state of resting your mind and body, when your eyes are closed and you do not notice anything happening around you: I hardly got any sleep at all last night. | He woke suddenly from a deep sleep.
▪ slumber/slumbers literary sleep: She fell into an uneasy slumber. | He awoke from his slumbers.
▪ shut-eye informal especially humorous sleep: I really need to get some shut-eye.
▪ doze a period in which you sleep lightly, especially when you are not in your bed: Edward was so tired he fell into a doze on the settee.
▪ snooze informal a short period when you sleep lightly, especially when you are not in your bed: He decided to have a snooze on the sofa while he was waiting for the others to get ready.
▪ nap a short sleep, especially during the day: He’s taking a nap. | Helen put the baby down for a nap after lunch.
▪ forty winks informal a short sleep, especially during the day: I’m just going to have forty winks. | I felt a lot better after I had had forty winks.