noun

dessert

des‧sert /dɪˈzɜːt $ -ɜːrt/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: desservir 'to clear the table', from servir 'to serve']
sweet food served after the main part of a meal
for dessert
What are we having for dessert?
• • •
THESAURUS
■ parts of a large meal
▪ hors d'oeuvre (also starter British English, appetizer American English) the small first part of a meal: a tempting plate of hors d'oeuvres including olives and small pieces of roast beetroot
▪ main course (also entrée especially American English) the main part of a meal. entrée is used especially on restaurant ↑menus: For the main course we had cheese and onion pie. | The menu includes a few hot entrées.
▪ dessert (also pudding British English or sweet British English) sweet food eaten at the end of a meal: What do you want for dessert? | They serve a wide range of desserts, including ice cream and home-made apple pie.

salad

sal‧ad S2 /ˈsæləd/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: salade, from Old Provençal salada, from salar 'to add salt to', from sal 'salt']

1. a mixture of raw vegetables, especially ↑lettuce, ↑cucumber, and tomato:
Would you like some salad with your pasta?
a spinach salad
toss a salad (=mix it all together, usually with a dressing)
2. raw or cooked food cut into small pieces and served cold
fruit/potato salad
 

appetizer

ap‧pe‧tiz‧er BrE AmE (also appetiser British English) /ˈæpətaɪzə, ˈæpɪtaɪzə $ -ər/ noun [countable]
a small dish that you eat at the beginning of a meal
 

fiancée

fi‧an‧cée /fiˈɒnseɪ $ ˌfiːɑːnˈseɪ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: fiancé used for females]
the woman who a man is going to marry
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ girlfriend a girl or woman that you have a romantic relationship with, especially for a fairly long time: Katherine was his first girlfriend.
▪ partner the person you are married to, or the person you are living with and having a sexual relationship with: He brought his partner along to the party.
▪ old flame informal someone who was your girlfriend or boyfriend in the past: I found a love letter from one of his old flames.
▪ mistress a woman that a man has a sexual relationship with even though he is married to someone else. Often used when the man is famous or powerful: The president had a mistress for many years.
▪ lover someone who you have a sexual relationship with, but who you are not married to: He was going to meet his secret lover.
▪ fiancée the woman who a man is going to marry: Rod plans to marry his fiancée later this year.
▪ ex informal a man's former wife or girlfriend: My ex looks after the children on Thursdays.
▪ be going out with somebody if you are going out with a girl or woman, she is your girlfriend: She's going out with a guy she met at work.

fiancé

fi‧an‧cé /fiˈɒnseɪ $ ˌfiːɑːnˈseɪ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: past participle of fiancer 'to promise (in marriage)']
the man who a woman is going to marry
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ boyfriend a boy or man that you have a romantic relationship with, especially for a fairly long time: Josh was my first boyfriend.
▪ partner the person you are married to, or the person you are living with and having a sexual relationship with: Sweden allows gay partners to receive many of the same benefits that married couples get. | Partners are also welcome.
▪ fiancé the man whom a woman is going to marry: Her fiancé was killed in the war.
▪ lover someone who you have a sexual relationship with, without being married to them: A few nights later, they became lovers.
▪ ex informal a woman’s former husband or boyfriend: Her ex has caused a lot of trouble for her.
▪ old flame informal someone who was your boyfriend in the past: In a box in the closet, I found love letters from one of her old flames.
▪ man informal a woman’s husband or boyfriend: She’ll always stand by her man.
▪ sweetheart old-fashioned the person that you love: They were childhood sweethearts.
▪ beau old-fashioned a woman’s boyfriend or lover - a very old-fashioned use: Does she have a beau?
▪ toy boy informal humorous a young man who is having a sexual relationship with an older woman: A woman with a toy boy gets a lot more disapproving looks than a man with a younger woman.
▪ sugar daddy informal an older man who gives a younger woman presents and money in return for their company and often for sex: I can imagine her cashing checks from some mysterious sugar daddy.
▪ be going out with somebody if you are going out with a boy or man, you have him as your boyfriend: She’s been going out with Jack for a couple of months.
⇨ ↑girlfriend

widow

wid‧ow /ˈwɪdəʊ $ -doʊ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Language: Old English; Origin: wuduwe]
1. a woman whose husband has died and who has not married again:
an elderly widow who was attacked and robbed last month
a wealthy widow
2. football/golf etc widow a woman whose husband spends all his free time watching football, playing golf etc – used humorously
• • •
THESAURUS
■ husband/wife etc
▪ husband/wife the man/woman you are married to: My wife’s a teacher.
▪ partner the person you live with and have a sexual relationship with. Partner is often used when people are not married, or when you do not know if they are married. It is also used when talking about same-sex couples: He lives with his partner Ruth and their eight-month-old son.
▪ fiancé/fiancée the man/woman you are engaged to: He and fiancée Wendy Hodgson will marry in July.
▪ divorcee a woman who is divorced: The Prince announced his intention to marry Mrs Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.
▪ widow/widower a woman or man whose husband or wife has died: Imelda Marcos, the widow of the former President
▪ spouse formal your spouse is your husband or wife: The rule applies to spouses and children of military personnel.
▪ estranged wife/husband formal someone’s estranged husband or wife is one who they do not live with anymore: She is trying to get her sons back from her estranged husband.
 

pace

I. pace¹ W3 /peɪs/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: pas 'step', from Latin passus]
1. SPEED OF EVENTS/CHANGES [singular] the speed at which something happens or is done
pace of
The pace of change in our lives is becoming faster and faster.
at a steady/slow etc pace
Public spending continues to rise at a steady pace.
2. WALK/RUN [singular] the speed at which someone walks, runs, or moves
pace of
You need to step up the pace of your exercises.
at a slow/leisurely/brisk etc pace
Lucy set off at a leisurely pace back to the hotel.
He quickened his pace, longing to be home.
Traffic slowed to a walking pace.
3. STEP [countable] a single step when you are running or walking, or the distance you move in one step
pace backwards/towards/forwards etc
He took a pace towards the door.
Rebecca walked a few paces behind her mum.
4. keep pace (with something/somebody) to change or increase as fast as something else, or to move as fast as someone else:
Salaries have not always kept pace with inflation.
The supply of materials cannot keep pace with demand.
Slow down! I can’t keep pace with you.
5. go through your paces (also show your paces) to show how well you can do something
6. put somebody/something through their paces to make a person, vehicle, animal etc show how well they can do something:
The test driver puts all the cars through their paces.
7. set the pace
a) if a company sets the pace, it does something before its competitors or to a better standard
set the pace in
Japanese firms have been setting the pace in electronic engineering.
b) (also set a brisk/cracking etc pace British English) to go faster than the other competitors in a race, who then try to achieve the same speed:
The Italians set the pace for the first eight laps.
8. force the pace to make something happen or develop more quickly than it would do normally
force the pace on
measures designed to force the pace on alternative energy policies
9. be able to stand the pace to be able to deal with situations where you are very busy and have to think and act very quickly:
If you can stand the pace, working in advertising pays well.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + pace
▪ rapid/fast The rapid pace of change creates uncertainty.
▪ slow The pace of life in the countryside is slower.
▪ a steady pace The economy was growing at a slow but steady pace.
▪ at your own pace (=at the pace that suits you) This allows each child to learn at his or her own pace.
▪ at a snail’s pace (=very slowly) Reform is proceeding at a snail’s pace.
▪ a breakneck pace (=extremely fast) Singapore prospered and modernized at a breakneck pace.
▪ a hectic/frantic pace (=a very fast and hurried speed) We worked at a hectic pace.
■ verbs
▪ the pace quickens/accelerates The pace of change is quickening.
▪ the pace slows/slackens After a surge in exports, the pace slackened considerably the following year.
▪ gather pace (=happen more quickly) Support for the campaign is gathering pace.
▪ keep up the pace (=continue to do something or happen as quickly as before) China's society is transforming but can it keep up the pace?
▪ keep up with the pace (=do something as fast as something else is happening or being done) It's essential that we constantly update our skills and keep up with the pace of change.
■ phrases
▪ the pace of change The pace of change accelerated dramatically in the early 1980s.
▪ the pace of life Here, the sun shines every day and the pace of life is slower.
▪ the pace of development The pace of development in computer graphics is amazing.
▪ the pace of reform Some senior party figures favor a slower pace of reform.
■ COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say 'in your own pace' or 'on your own pace'. Say at your own pace.

rage

I. rage¹ /reɪdʒ/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin rabies 'anger, wildness', from rabere 'to be wild with anger']
1. [uncountable and countable] a strong feeling of uncontrollable anger:
Sobbing with rage, Carol was taken to the hospital.
in a rage
Sam became quite frightening when he was in a rage.
cry/scream/roar etc of rage
Just then, she heard Mr Evan’s bellow of rage.
red/dark/purple with rage
His face was red with rage.
trembling/shaking with rage
Forester stared at his car, trembling with rage.
seething/incandescent with rage (=as angry as a person can possibly be)
Animal rights supporters were incandescent with rage.
Richens was 17 when he flew into a rage and stabbed another teenager.
2. be all the rage informal to be very popular or fashionable:
DiCaprio became all the rage after starring in the film ‘Titanic’.
3. rage for something a situation in which something is very popular or fashionable:
the rage for mobile phones